The Accidental Pilgrim

Description

Pilgrimage has been an important practice in Christianity since the fourth century, but most people's notion of pilgrimage is one of travelling to the site of an apparition, in search of inspiration or miracles. THE ACCIDENTAL PILGRIM shows that pilgrimage is not just a relic of Catholic history, but can remain a significant practice for twenty-first century Christians today.THE ACCIDENTAL PILGRIM gives a lively overview of the history of pilgrimage and the popular pilgrim routes, exploring the mix of spiritual and other motives that have inspired pilgrims both past and contemporary. It then explores how people both inside and outside the Church can rediscover pilgrimage within twenty-first century culture. Illustrated throughout, and written by one of the UK's most popular theologians, THE ACCIDENTAL PILGRIM is a compelling invitation to all on the journey of faith.

After spending a number of years working as a singer, writer and musician in the field of contemporary music, Maggi Dawn was ordained into the Anglican Church in 1999. Having been Chaplain and Fellow at Robinson College, Cambridge, she is now Dean of Marquand Chapel and Associate Professor at Yale Divinity School. An occasional broadcaster for BBC Radio 4 Religion, she is a regular speaker at Greenbelt Festival and a wide range of venues around the world. Her books include Beginnings, Giving it up and THE WRITING ON THE WALL.

THE ACCIDENTAL PILGRIM is a welcome read for those of us who identify more with Chaucer's characters than the holier-than-thou crowd. Maggi Dawn's honest portrayals of her journey from tourist to pilgrim encourage me to keep walking along my own unique and crooked pilgrim path. - Becky Garrison, author of Jesus Died For This? A Satirist's Search for the Risen Christ ... [written] in a beautiful style that feels like a warm knife through butter - The United Church Observer Part autobiography, part travelogue, part spiritual journal, part theological reflection, this book is an entire treat! In it Maggi Dawn guides us to places both spatial and spiritual that we have never been before and helps us to see ourselves and the world around us with fresh eyes. - - Paula Gooder, Canon Theologian of Birmingham and Guildford Cathedrals and author of This Risen Existence: The Spirit of Easter This lovely spiritual memoir of one woman's gradual discovery of what it means to be a pilgrim is an ideal companion for a new year. - Woman Alive This book is a triumph of determination to see God at all times and in all places, and to recognise the voice which calls us on despite ourselves. - The NEWSpaper - Sarah Cawdell