States of Bliss and Yearning: Marks and Means of Authentic Christian Spirituality

Spirituality is not a permanent high, a continual blissed out state. To experience the heights, one has also to know the depths. In this book based on speeches and sermons delivered in marquees, cathedrals and local churches, John Bell deals with issues as diverse as private devotion and public debt. The picture of God that emerges is not one of a 'celestial sadist' but rather a compassionate being who asks that we do only what we can, starting from where we are, to be just and compassionate too.

John Bell is a minister of the Church of Scotland and a member of the Iona Community. He lectures and preaches throughout the English-speaking world. With his colleagues in the Wild Goose Worship Group he has produced several books of congregational songs and collections of anthems, and is an occasional broadcaster on radio and television.