Christian schools are beset by many of the same challenges that plague virtually all schools today—a culture of distraction and deteriorating mental health, the erosion of community and social bonds, not to mention widespread disaffiliation from traditional religious institutions. Drawing upon current research in psychology, neuroscience, education, and spirituality, Be Still and Know presents the contemplative Christian tradition as an untapped resource for addressing these challenges and helping Christian schools to better fulfill their mission.
In these pages, veteran educator Patrick Manning guides readers through a school day where they experience people, time, space, and school activities in a more contemplative manner. He invites readers to engage in Christian contemplative practices for themselves through a series of meditations. He also comes alongside them to assess the significant challenges of working in education today, and to develop practical responses grounded in the wisdom of the Christian contemplative tradition as well as current research. Wise, timely, and transformative, Be Still and Know is a vital resource for teachers and administrators in Christian schools.
Available for purchase at Eerdmans and Amazon.
Praise for Be Still and Know
“With the precision of a theologian and the pedagogical acuity of a seasoned instructor, Manning synthesizes centuries of monastic insight with contemporary research on contemplative learning, demonstrating that true epistemic growth flourishes in those intentional pauses of reflection.”
— Dr. Gregory Bottaro, author of The Mindful Catholic
“In this timely book, Manning reintroduces us to pedagogical treasures buried in ancient disciplines of contemplation. At once visionary and concrete, this book does something remarkable: it speaks to an urgent need by inviting us to non-anxious rest as the fount of learning.”
—James K. A. Smith, author of You Are What You Love and How (Not) to Be Secular
“Drawing from the richness of Christian tradition, Manning presents a holistic vision of contemplative life as related to the very places and spaces of the educational setting: from classroom to various departmental meetings. This book would be a great read for any educator, from primary to collegiate, interested in leading a contemplative revolution in the school.”
—Timothy P. O’Malley, University of Notre Dame
“Drawing from the wisdom of the Christian tradition, Patrick Manning reminds us of the one thing needful in education—the love of God. He offers simple practices, gestures, and habits by which to cull distraction and attend instead to God and our learning community. I recommend this book as essential reading for faculty and teachers at the beginning of the school year.”
—Jessica Hooten Wilson, Fletcher Jones Chair of Great Books, Pepperdine University
“In Be Still and Know, Patrick Manning invites Christian educators to embrace the contemplative heart of our faith, offering practices that renew both spirit and community. This important work is a gift and a valuable resource for all who seek to make our schools places where Christ’s peace, love, and joy are deeply encountered and shared.”
– Most Reverend Frank J. Caggiano, Bishop of Bridgeport
For 2,000 years countless people around the world viewed reality through a Christian lens that endowed their lives with meaning, purpose, and coherence. Today, in an era of unprecedented secularization, many have ceased to find meaning not only in Christianity but in life in general. In Converting the Imagination, the author offers a probing analysis of this crisis of meaning, marshalling historical and psychological research to shed light on the connections among the disintegration of the Christian worldview, religious disaffiliation, and a growing mental health epidemic. As a response Manning presents an approach to religious education that is at once traditionally grounded in the model of Jesus’ own teaching and augmented by modern educational research and cognitive science. Converting the Imagination is an invitation to transform the way we teach about faith and make sense of the world, an invitation that echoes Jesus’ invitation to a fuller, more meaningful life. It is sure to captivate scholars and practitioners of religious education, ministers seeking to re-engage people who have drifted away from the faith or to support young people suffering from existential anxiety, and anyone in search of deeper meaning in their religious traditions or in their own lives. Read a Q&A with the author and an excerpt from the book here.
Available for purchase at Wipf & Stock and Amazon.
Finalist for the 2021 Lilly Fellows Program Book Award
Praise for Converting the Imagination
“When Jesus began a parable—as he so often did—with ‘the reign of God is like . . .’ he was surely engaging people’s imaginations, inviting them to begin with their own reality and to imagine from there their way forward into the reign of God. This is the pedagogy that Pat Manning favors in Converting the Imagination. In our era, when people find ‘reasoning’ less persuasive, engaging their imaginations is a crucial strategy for educating-in-faith. Manning does this very well!”
—Thomas Groome, Professor of Theology and Religious Education at Boston College and author of Sharing Faith
“In Converting the Imagination Patrick Manning balances the rigorous research of a scholar and the personal touch of a master teacher. It is common for religion teachers and catechists to focus on memorization of definitions and doctrines without inspiring the hearts and minds of the people they teach. Manning’s SEE approach provides a great way to ignite the Christian imaginations of the generations of people starving for meaning and purpose in life.”
—Jared Dees, Founder of TheReligionTeacher.com
“In this thought-provoking book—a must-read for all who are interested in the intersection of faith, pastoral practice, and contemporary culture—Dr. Manning shows how present-day Christian religious educators can tap the imagination to foster conversation and ongoing personal and social transformation. In the process, he discusses how we can develop a sustaining religious vision for our lives as we navigate the turbulent waters of pluralistic, postmodern culture.”
—Harold D. Horell, Professor of Religious Education, Fordham University
“Patrick Manning has synthesized a practical three-part educational approach to the Infinite. Inviting educators to trust the power of [religious] symbols, he shows them how to reenchant the imaginations of learners. While he takes into account relevant writings in philosophy, theology, Scripture, transformative learning, developmental psychology, religious education, and imagination, Manning’s ground is always his students—real people struggling to navigate meaning in a postmodern world. While intended for religious educators, this book will also serve arts and literature teachers.”
—Eileen Daily, Director of Doctor of Ministry Program, Boston University