Iona God's Energy

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IONA God’s Energy The vision and spirituality of the Iona Community

NORMAN SHANKS

WILD GOOSE PUBLICATIONS

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Copyright Š Norman Shanks 1999 & 2009 First published 1999 by Hodder & Stoughton Second edition published 2009 by Wild Goose Publications 4th Floor, Savoy House, 140 Sauchiehall St, Glasgow G2 3DH, UK www.ionabooks.com Wild Goose Publications is the publishing division of the Iona Community.

Scottish Charity No. SCO03794. Limited Company Reg. No. SCO96243.

ISBN 978-1-905010-58-5

The publishers gratefully acknowledge the support of the Drummond Trust, 3 Pitt Terrace, Stirling FK8 2EY in producing this book.

Cover photo Š David Coleman All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced in any form or by any means, including photocopying or any information storage or retrieval system, without written permission from the publisher.

Norman Shanks has asserted his rights in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act, 1988, to be identified as the author of this work.

A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.

Overseas distribution Australia: Willow Connection Pty Ltd, Unit 4A, 3-9 Kenneth Road, Manly Vale, NSW 2093 New Zealand: Pleroma, Higginson Street, Otane 4170, Central Hawkes Bay Canada: Novalis/Bayard Publishing & Distribution, 10 Lower Spadina Ave., Suite 400, Toronto, Ontario M5V 2Z2 Printed by Bell & Bain, Thornliebank, Glasgow

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Contents Preface to Second Edition

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Preface to Original Edition 1 What is Spirituality?

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2 The Contemporary Context

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3 The Iona Community – Celebrating Spirituality 4 The Membership and Rule of the Community 5 The Iona Experience

50 68

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6 The Community’s Mainland Work 7 The Centrality of Worship

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8 The Development of Personal Spirituality

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9 Political Engagement and the Pursuit of Justice 10 The Ecumenical Dimension

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11 Where Does the Church Fit In? 12 Moving Onwards

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13 Another Ten Years: Continuity and Change Selected Bibliography

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Preface to Second Edition I am most grateful to all at Wild Goose Publications for their interest in republishing this book and for their encouragement and attentiveness in ensuring our objective was achieved. I have resisted the temptation to revise and update the original text and have confined myself to providing an additional chapter that seeks to reflect on the ten years that have elapsed since I first completed the material – in rather a rush, as I recall, amid everything else that was going on in the summer of 1998 on Iona.

As my term as Leader of the Community finished in 2002, and my standpoint is to that extent more detached than previously, it is even more necessary than before for me to enter the caveat that the views expressed in the new chapter, as in the rest of the book, are entirely my own.

Any royalties from the sale of this book go to the Community’s Growing Hope Appeal for the continuation and development of our work on Iona and at Camas. I am as always deeply indebted for the loving support I have received from friends and family, above all from Ruth who has endured me with remarkable tolerance and cheerfulness for over 40 years now.

Norman Shanks Glasgow, February 2009

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