The Marketing of "Spirituality": Discerning its Spirit
Fr. Michael Plekon (From Jacob's Well, Fall 1996)
Any trip to the bookstore these days is bound to bring one smack up against not only a substantial market trend in publishing, but something much bigger, namely the booming business in spirituality. At Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, or even at the local CostCo, or other discount megastores, there is a parade of teachers of the spiritual life, from entrepreneurs such as Marianne Williamson and DeePak Chopra, from respected authors such as the American Trappist monk Thomas Merton and the Philokalia (the classic collection of Eastern Church teachers), to best selling writers such as Thomas Moore (Care of the Soul) and the incredible record of psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, whose book, The Road Less Traveled, this summer celebrated over 660 weeks on the NY Times bestseller list, with bulk orders still being made by booksellers!
Fr. Michael Plekon (From Jacob's Well, Fall 1996)
Any trip to the bookstore these days is bound to bring one smack up against not only a substantial market trend in publishing, but something much bigger, namely the booming business in spirituality. At Waldenbooks, Barnes & Noble, or even at the local CostCo, or other discount megastores, there is a parade of teachers of the spiritual life, from entrepreneurs such as Marianne Williamson and DeePak Chopra, from respected authors such as the American Trappist monk Thomas Merton and the Philokalia (the classic collection of Eastern Church teachers), to best selling writers such as Thomas Moore (Care of the Soul) and the incredible record of psychiatrist M. Scott Peck, whose book, The Road Less Traveled, this summer celebrated over 660 weeks on the NY Times bestseller list, with bulk orders still being made by booksellers!
