Spiritual Manifestos: Young Spiritual Leaders of Many Faiths Share Their Visions for Renewed Religious Life in America

In an era of do-it-yourself spirituality and shopping-mall churches, is there any place for religion in its more traditional, institutional forms? The contributors to this volume, all full-time religious workers mostly in their 30s, share a common belief that traditional religion can be vital and relevant. They include a fourth-generation Japanese-American, serving an Episcopal parish in Alaska, who calls himself a ""Zen-Christian priest""; a young African-American pastor in Baltimore; a Catholic nun; and the volume's editor, who serves as the voice behind Microsoft's Web site ""Ask the Rabbi."" With such an eclectic crew, the reader may hope for interfaith insights as well as glimpses into a new generation for the oft-maligned mainline religions. But the majority of essays disappoint, exhibiting sweeping generalizations, unintentional clich s and an earnestness that weighs down the reader with good intentions. The writers are at their best when they are not attempting to solve all of religion's problems in ""manifesto"" fashion but are focusing