Beyond Denial: Essays on Consciousness, Spiritual Practice and Social Repair

is an essay collection that sketches a spirituality for our time that is life-affirming and inclusive, intellectually viable and socially responsible. The author, an ordained minister, integrates Judeo-Christian insights with the rich resources of the world’s other religions and wisdom-streams. He emphasizes the centrality of consciousness in spiritual practice. Such awareness comes, first, through fostering experiential awareness of our inherent inner Divinity; and then also, through consciously perceiving—and moving beyond denial of—whatever dysfunctional patterns may plague us both individually and collectively. Rev. Acheson invites his readers to look at a wide range of topics with curiosity, questioning and compassion. This book offers many rich insights and practices that can help guide us toward a more hopeful human future, even in a time of great fear and confusion.