A Sociology of Mystic Practices

This book investigates the process of spiritual borrowing between the emergent church (EC) and the Christian mystical tradition. From its inception, the EC has displayed interest in mystic practices, but the exact nature of this interest or how these practices are appropriated and reinterpreted in the EC context has not been researched. My research shows that the emergent church is appropriating Christian mystic practices by investing these practices with their own theological content. The practices themselves are changed to fit in their new context, showing that EC belief shapes EC behavior. My study adds a new case study perspective to the sociological examination of the process of spiritual borrowing, especially through close inspection of how a spiritual practice changes to fit a new theological context. Additionally, my book contributes to the study of the complex relationship between belief and behavior.


""Dann Wigner's book draws on his exciting research into ECM groups in the Southwestern USA, focusing on how they engage in mystical practices derived from long-standing Christian traditions. Using ethnographic methods, Wigner explores how ECM members embody and make sense of these practices, furnishing an illuminating discussion of one of the most intriguing and unpredictable movements in contemporary Christianity.""
--Mathew Guest, Durham University, UK

""This book is a welcome contribution to the scholarship on the Emerging Church Movement. It provides compelling snapshots of how Emerging Christianity is expressed on the ground, exploring how Emerging Christians engage with mystical traditions. Its insights about 'spiritual borrowing' raise questions for future research in the field.""
--Gladys Ganiel, Queen's University Belfast

""The Christian life is best understood as a series of practices which come from, and form, faith. While the faith does not change, the shape of the practices does. Dann Wigner has explored and understands the shape faithful practices are taking in an ever-changing and emerging church, and for this we must be grateful.""
--William Brosend, School of Theology, The University of the South, Sewanee, TN


Dann Wigner is an adjunct professor at Middle Tennessee State University, Wayland Baptist University, and the University of the South. He teaches religious studies classes at the university level and has offered workshops, seminars, and one-on-one direction in Christian contemplation for several years. He also has an extensive background in theological librarianship, and he is currently Instruction and Information Literacy Librarian at the University of the South. This is his first book.