Intimations Christian Poetry of the Sacred

by Altany Ph.D., Alan

• ISBN13: 9798350970487
• ISBN10: 8350970480
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2024-11-08
• Publisher: BookBaby
• More Book Details
• Purchase Benefits

Summary

Intimations of the divine in the ordinary. Whispers of God in the everyday. The sacred hiding in plain sight.

How does God speak when we are not listening? Where does the sacred appear when we have stopped looking? What intimations of the eternal break through into our daily lives?

Intimations is the third book in Dr. Alan Altany's Christian Poetry of the Sacred series, contemplative, theologically rich poetry for readers who refuse to settle for superficial faith or easy answers.

Drawing on a lifetime of theological study (Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh) and decades of teaching Comparative Religions, Dr. Altany explores how God breaks through in unexpected moments: in suffering and beauty, in the mundane and the sublime, in absence and presence, in silence and speech.

This is not devotional verse designed to comfort or reassure. This is intellectually honest, mystically grounded poetry that:
- Challenges readers to rethink assumptions about faith
- Revitalizes theological language through poetic precision
- Explores doubt, grace, and divine absence with unflinching honesty
- Speaks to Catholics, Protestants, seekers, and skeptics alike
- Refuses to minimize the difficulty of belief or the reality of questions

The series has earned a 4.9 out of 5 stars from readers seeking depth, beauty, and spiritual authenticity in their reading.

WHAT MAKES THIS POETRY DIFFERENT:

This is contemplative poetry in the tradition of Thomas Merton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, and Christian Wiman. It assumes intelligence in its readers. It does not preach. It does not provide easy answers. It invites encounter, question, reflection.

Dr. Altany's poetry has appeared in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Montreal Review, Valley Voices, and other respected literary journals, demonstrating a commitment to literary craft alongside theological depth.

PERFECT FOR:
- Catholic Studies programs and seminary libraries
- Contemplative spirituality centers
- Poetry and Theology course syllabi
- Readers seeking alternatives to greeting-card Christianity
- Those interested in mystical Christian literature
- Spiritual direction and contemplative prayer groups
- Readers of Commonweal, America Magazine, Christian Century
- Anyone exploring the intersection of faith and doubt

THE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN POETRY OF THE SACRED SERIES:
1. A Beautiful Absurdity (2022) - On faith's paradoxes and absurdities
2. The Greatest Longing (2023) - On divine desire and human yearning
3. Intimations (2024) - On encountering the sacred in the everyday
4. Poems to God (2025) - On prayer, praise, and the profane world

Each volume stands alone but together they form a comprehensive contemplative exploration of Christian faith in the contemporary world.

Author Biography

DR. Alan Altany has B.A. and M.A. degrees in Catholic theology, and a Ph.D. in religious studies (University of Pittsburgh). Before his academic career as a college professor and director of professional faculty development, he worked as a high school and parish religious educator, factory, lawn maintenance and farm worker, hotel clerk, delivery truck driver, editor of a small magazine of poetry ("The Beggar's Bowl"), etc. He continues to teach (Comparative Religions) at a small college in Florida, and to write poetry. He has also written two novels dealing with spiritual quest and Christian mysticism.
Now in old age, he hopes this present season of his life is the most creative and original so far as poet, person, and follower of Christ. His writing is done with the always nearby companionship of his golden retriever, Zeke, whose life of love and play reminds Dr. Altany that love, and bliss are our purpose and destiny.