Hunting Magic Eels

Recovering an Enchanted Faith in a Skeptical Age

By: Richard Beck

Narrated by: William Sarris

Length: 6 hrs and 1 min

Publisher's summary

We live in a secular age, a world dominated by science and technology. Increasing numbers of us don't believe in God anymore. We don't expect miracles. We've grown up and left those fairy-tales behind, culturally and personally.

Yet 500 years ago, the world was very much enchanted. It was a world where God existed and the devil was real. It was a world full of angels and demons. It was a world of holy wells and magical eels. But since the Protestant Reformation and the beginning of the Enlightenment, the world, in the West at least, has become increasingly disenchanted.

While this might be taken as evidence of a crisis of belief, Richard Beck argues it's actually a crisis of attention. God hasn't gone anywhere, but we've lost our capacity to see God.

The rising tide of disenchantment has profoundly changed our religious imaginations and led to a loss of the holy expectation that we can be interrupted by the sacred and divine. But it doesn't have to be this way. With attention and an intentional and cultivated capacity to experience God as a living, vital presence in our lives, Hunting Magic Eels shows us we can cultivate an enchanted faith in a skeptical age.

©2021 Broadleaf Books, an imprint of 1517 Media (P)2021 Tantor

Great perspective on our world!

Beck does a great job both offering a perspective on the shifting worldviews of our moment and pointing towards a recovery of the sacred. It’s an engaging distillation of the work of Charles Taylor, and people who have an affinity for that perspective but are looking for a more popular level version will find a friend in Beck!

Disappointing

I had high hopes for this book since I have read and enjoyed many of Beck’s other works. Perhaps I’m not part of the intended audience, but I found little to be of real help for me. I was expecting something along the lines of L’Engle’s Walking on Water. If you are someone who is new to enchantment this is a good starting point, if you’re further down the road this book will be lacking.

challenging and illuminating

I very much enjoyed this book. Very challenging and eye-opening to the wonder and mystery of God's power in everyday life. Let the recognition of His power help you embrace your gratitude and worship of our God.

Important and Thought Provoking

This book is well worth the listen to anyone who is or knows someone who is seeking or strugling with the meaning of their life. Richard Beck articulates his proint of view clearly, but does not use the book as a bludegon against the listener. Instead, he invites listeners to consider that they have real choices about what thety give their attention too and the choices matters when it comes to the type and quality of life they live
.