Since the time of Galileo, the ladder between heaven and earth has been taken down, and the real presence of the Spirit of God in the created order, the preaching of the word, and the sacraments has become less and less plausible to believers. In a disenchanted world, churches in the US and Canada now struggle to retain members and attract new ones. Believers lose a sense of belonging to a faithful savior and live in a restless and reactive discomfort. In this short course, we explore how the church can foster an openness to the presence of the Spirit in a disenchanted world and offer comfort in life. 

Subject: church history 

Tom Boogaart is professor emeritus of Hebrew and Biblical Studies at Western Theological Seminary. One of his abiding interests has been exploring the correspondence between the biblical and modern cosmologies and helping the church find the resources for engaging Western materialism and re-enchanting the world.