How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere

Philip Clayton is a philosopher of religion and science whose work focuses on the intersection of science, ethics, and society. He currently holds the Ingraham Chair at Claremont School of Theology and serves as an affiliated faculty member at Claremont Graduate University, specializing in comparative theology and the philosophy of science, biology, and religion. He has served previously as dean of Claremont School of Theology and provost and senior vice president of Claremont Lincoln University, and he was the principal investigator for Science and the Spiritual Quest, an international program conducted by the Center for Theology and the Natural Sciences. Clayton is the author of several books, including Explanation from Physics to Theology, God and Contemporary Science, The Problem of God in Modern Thought, Mind and Emergence: From Quantum to Consciousness, and In Quest of Freedom: The Emergence of Spirit in the Natural World.

Andrew M. Davis is a philosopher, theologian, and scholar of world religions. He holds degrees in philosophy/theology and interreligious studies, and is currently pursuing a Ph.D. in religion at Claremont School of Theology. His research interests include metaphysics and philosophical theology, philosophy of religion, natural theology, comparative religion, and applied spirituality, and his studies have led him to India, Israel-Palestine, and Europe. Davis was the recipient of Claremont School of Theology’s Award for Excellence in Biblical Studies in 2013, and was awarded a Fellowship at Auschwitz for the Study of Professional Ethics in 2017.

“By the time I reached the second chapter of this unique book, I had started recommending it to others. By the time I reached the last chapter, I felt its deep impact on my own life. Such rich stories, such clear, insightful, and at times tender writing, with common themes arising spontaneously and enriching one another ... this book takes the old Evangelical practice of 'giving testimony' and elevates it to a theological and philosophical practice.” —Brian D. McLaren, author of The Great Spiritual Migration

“Reading these spiritual journeys—what my tradition calls 'testimonies'—is a sacred experience. The eminent minds and holy souls writing for this tome take sacred experience to new heights! And yet the 'heights' of these adventures are this-worldly: the here, the harrowing, and the hallowed. Many take adventures away from god only to find God: anatheism to panentheism. I suspect many readers will feel drawn—as I was—to imagine how best to describe their own adventures toward the God we find in the midst of it all!” —Thomas Jay Oord, Professor, Speaker, and Author of The Uncontrolling Love of God

“What a world we live in – filled with believers, non-believers, and the vast majority who are somewhere in between. We in-betweeners yearn for a way of using the word 'God' that does not pretend absolute certainty, that does not imagine God as a king on a throne, and that does not reduce God to a mere concept in the imagination. We yearn to find God – or something like God – in the here and now of daily life, in the garbage and, yes, the flowers. It helps if we have stories from others: people who likewise struggle and somehow find their way into a God of tenderness and creativity, of struggle and peace, of faith and doubt. They become our mentors, evoking and inspiring us with an invitation to seek God on our own terms, too, and in our own way. This marvelous anthology can do just that. Read carefully and freely, with a relaxed grasp, and let the stories take you on a journey well worth the walking.” —Jay McDaniel, Founder of openhorizons.org and author of Gandhi’s Hope: Learning from the World’s Religions as a Path to Peace

“This is a book for people who, in spite of themselves, cannot stop dreaming about God. Unwilling to dismiss their dreams as mere wishes, to discount their imaginations as pure fantasy, they seek words and concepts by which they may begin to think and talk their way back to 'God after God.' In How I Found God in Everyone and Everywhere: An Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs, they get to meet a rich array of others on their own versions of this 'spiritual journey beyond the dead-end.’” —Rabbi James Ponet, Emeritus Jewish Chaplain and Divinity School Lecturer, Yale University

“Davis and Clayton are ontological trail guides. They have gathered the stories of an impressive array of theological and spiritual leaders who discovered a living and credible God after the God of old had died for them. It turns out that God was not dead after all. God is hidden where we least expect it—in butterflies and hospital beds, waterfalls and embodied rage, in the messiness and mysteriousness of our own real life experience. These guides know. They point to and describe a God who is with us.” —Frank Rogers Jr., Ph.D., Muriel Bernice Roberts Professor of Spiritual Formation and Narrative Pedagogy and Director of the Center for Engaged Compassion at the Claremont School of Theology, and author of Practicing Compassion

“This passionate and captivating book is a collection of inspiring spiritual memoirs told by many eminent scholars and spiritual leaders of our day. Capturing the many twists and turns of human experience, these memoirs movingly illuminate the many spiritual and intellectual questions which shape the journey to God, and beyond, in the 21st century. This fascinating collection offers readers opportunities for theological engagement beyond the standard anthology, in hopeful engagement with a deeply relational and imminent divine reality which encompasses all. Scholars, religious leaders, students, and interested seekers will find inspiration and challenge in these narratives.” —The Rev. Dr. Sheryl A. Kujawa-Holbrook, Ed.D, Ph.D, Professor of Practical Theology & Religious Education, Dean of the Faculty, Claremont School of Theology, and author of God Beyond Borders: Interreligious Learning Among Congregations

“What an incredible book! It deserves an in-depth review to bring out some of its brilliance. Brilliance in the dual sense of light and insight, or enlightenment of mind and spirit. I can’t think of another book as a parallel to the unique angle of this one, in its structure and in its content. 'Anthology of Spiritual Memoirs,' in the subtitle, describes the style/content in general. What that phrase doesn’t capture is the beautiful interweaving of each contributor’s personal story and development over decades with their intellectual and professional perspectives… their experiences in their life events and their thought.”—Natural Spirituality