A New Call to Spirituality and Faith as Adventure
One of Dr. Bruce Epperly’s key themes that runs through all his writing is the idea of theology and spirituality as an adventure. In his new book Whitehead and Jesus: An Adventure in Spiritual Transformation, he highlights adventure in a number of ways, demonstrating how this perspective offers a path to a more meaningful and open faith.
For Epperly and the philosopher Alfred North Whitehead, adventure is central to spiritual vitality. Whitehead famously asserted that the worship of God is not a “rule of safety” but is instead an “adventure of the spirit,” which he characterized as “a flight after the unattainable”. The sources warn that the death of religion occurs with the repression of this “high hope of adventure”.
The book frames the Christian journey not as a static adherence to the past but as a “holy adventure,” which leans toward new creation. This involves joining Jesus’ Way with social action and a “lively, holistic, creatively transforming vision”. Epperly notes that this entire text is an “intimate and novel theological trajectory” toward fresh future visions of divinity, inspired by Whitehead’s philosophy, which affirms that the meaning of life is adventure.
This orientation means embracing constant novelty and challenging dogmatic certainty. Bolder adventure is required, specifically the “adventure of ideas, and the adventure of practice conforming itself to ideas”. This is necessary because God’s revelation is never dogmatic or final. Faith, therefore, requires an “open-spirited quest for truth”.
By embracing this adventurous spirituality, followers of Jesus are inspired to be “God’s companions in healing the world”. When we prioritize adventure over safety, we trust that what we do matters now and forever, becoming part of the “Holy Adventure” that encompasses the universe. The ultimate “Adventure of the Universe” begins with a dream and reaps “Tragic Beauty,” connecting our individual experiences to the greater whole. Jesus himself is presented as coming to us as a “surprise and invitation to adventure”.
Find adventure in your own faith journey with these key ideas.
Discover Your Holy Adventure
Order Whitehead and Jesus: An Adventure in Spiritual Transformation Today!
Author: Bruce G. Epperly ISBN: 978-1-63199-966-6 eISBN: 978-1-63199-967-3
Published by Energion Publications
In this book, explore the profound connection between the vision of Alfred North Whitehead and the life of Jesus, guiding you to a faith that is open, personal, and universally engaged. Learn to embrace God as the “great companion—the fellow sufferer who understands,” and claim your vocation as God’s partner in the continuing cosmic adventure.
