John Dunne calls his latest book A Vision Quest, borrowing the term from Native American tradition where a youth, coming of age, keeps a solitary vigil, seeking spiritual power and knowledge through a vision. Dunne seeks a vision like that of the great circle of love an old Bedouin described to Lawrence of Arabia,"The love is from God and of God and towards God." The modern vision of the world is one of evolution, life arising from matter, intelligence arising from life. The ancient vision was one of emanation, everything cascading down from the One. Dunne imagines bringing the two together into a great circle, everything coming from God and returning to God, where everything is "from God and of God and towards God."

This inspirational work features a series of meditations by Dunne, enriched by his wide-ranging insights and quotations from the areas of theology, philosophy, and literature.

About the Author

John S. Dunne (d. 2013) was the John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology at the University of Notre Dame and the author of twenty books, including The Road of the Heart's Desire: An Essay on the Cycles of Story and Song and A Journey with God in Time: A Spiritual Quest, also published by the University of Notre Dame Press.

Reviews

"Dunne's lucid prose reflects a long life of study and contemplative living. A Vision Quest, his most recent work, read in the meditative spirit in which it was written, will amply reward any reader who, in the spirit of the psalmist, "seeks the face of God." -Lawrence S. Cunningham, John A. O'Brien Professor of Theology, University of Notre Dame

"Readers familiar with the prior works and spiritual journey of John Dunne will be refreshed by him at this latest stopping place, A Vision Quest. It is a strong reaffirmation and sharing of his inner life which is replete with citations from his voluminous readings. The abundance of the latter is not the result of literary or religious pedantry, but the ingathering of the many companions and fortifiers of the way ahead. With each he feels affinity and through each he expresses the wisdom and excitement they bring to the journely John Dunne is a polymath and a man of generous and deep devotion still." -Herbert Mason, author of The Death of al Hallaj

"The theme of the great circle of love has governed Dunne's writing since The Reasons of the Heart; A Vision Quest is an attempt to integrate the modern vision of evolution into it. This book represents Dunne's most sustained engagement with modern scientific materialism, especially of the neuroscientific and evolutionary variety." -America

"The 'vision quest' is a Native American term which refers to a youth coming of age who keeps a solitary vigil seeking spiritual power and knowledge through a vision. Dunne. . . also seeks a vision. The modern vision of the world is a vision of evolution-life evolving from matter, intelligence arising from life. The ancient vision was a vision of emanation-everything cascading down from the One. Dunne imagines bringing the two together into a great circle, everything coming from God and returning to God, where everything is 'from God and of God and towards God.'" -Theology Digest

"John S. Dunne is a Catholic theologian who really does understand what it means to listen and discern the voice of God." -Newsweek

Book Information
ISBN 9780268025847
Author John S. Dunne
Format Paperback
Page Count 160
Imprint University of Notre Dame Press
Publisher University of Notre Dame Press
Weight(grams) 195g
Dimensions(mm) 216mm * 140mm * 9mm