Posted: 1/8/09
For those interested in a bit of history, here is how the book project
started:
Announcing the Contemporary Deism Project.
I can't seem to stop taking on projects. I have a wonderful day job. Our
family is growing with three grandchildren and a fourth on the way. I
already was keeping busy with this site and several others. Since joining
the Deist Alliance I have kept even more busy. I've been helping Dad out a
little over at the
Positive Deism site and
board, I
finished the 2009 Deism Calendar, and I
recently took on the Deist Alliance Newsletter.
In the process of calling for submissions to the newsletter, I became
aware of a project suggested by David Pyle a couple of years ago called the
Modern
Deism Project. I was intrigued and started looking at this idea more
closely. After examining David's goals and my own, I decided to start a
similar project, but with a slightly different slant. I do not want to
commit anyone else's resources or put anyone else's finances at risk;
therefore, I am sponsoring the project privately and seeking a broader range
of articles, essays and bodies of work from fellow Deists in a collection
tentatively entitled Contemporary Deism. I intend to publish it as
both a book and an eBook, probably through
Booklocker.
The first outline has about 14 chapters. The basic premise is to introduce
the reader to modern Deism with an emphasis on Internet resources. Another
key goal is to compare the Deism of today to the Classical Deism of the
Enlightenment. There will be an emphasis on constructive Deism (as opposed
to critical Deism), but contemporary Classical Deism will not be left out. The book will examine some currently popular forms of
Deism and some Internet resources to learn more. A couple of previously
published works will be incorporated (with permission). An updated version
of Robert Reno's
Paradox of Nothingness will form one chapter. The book will also
feature Steve Dowell's Modern Age of Reason with additional
commentary on Paine's Deism from the contemporary constructive Deist's point
of view. This will be accompanied by the soon-to-be-released modernization of Ethan Allen's
Reason: The Only Oracle of Man with the same sort of accompanying
constructive commentary.
In addition, we plan a chapter entitled Letter from a Deist, a
response to Sam Harris' Letter to a Christian Nation. We will be
examining the challenges of establishing contemporary Deist churches. This
chapter will include information from interviews with members of modern
Deist churches. The book will discuss some ideas for Deists to examine other
forms of freethought such as Secular Humanism and other humanist
associations as well as Atheism. There will be at least two chapters on new
ideas and concepts in contemporary Deism. Lastly, the book will examine some
possibilities for the future of contemporary Deism.
Putting all this into a coherent body of work is a pretty ambitious project.
The response so far has been overwhelmingly
positive. This project will be done right. We will not be rushed, nor will
the quality be compromised. We are hoping for publication sometime in
mid-2009.
We're looking for a few good Deists. The project is under way,
and we are soliciting additional ideas and submissions. Just
email me.
