Let's face it. We're living in wartime. And it may always be this way. A new reality hangs like a dark cloud over every breath we take. It lingers in our consciousness like a bad dream. In our book Spiritual Literacy, we asked the question: "How can we live a spiritual life every day?" Today we need spiritually literate ways to live in wartime.

When we first wrote those words in January 2003, the news reports were full of talk of the road to war in Iraq. We noted one-quarter of the countries of the world — 53 out of 193 — had struggled with armed conflict in 2002. Today Iraq is being consumed by the violence of the insurgency, the American occupation, and civil war. In the Middle East, Israel is bombing Lebanon back 20 years or more, Hezbollah is sending missiles deep into Israel, and conflict continues in the Gaza Strip. Children are being traumatized in their homes, and again, we ask, what kind of a world will our children inherit?

Spiritual Literacy in Wartime, which was offered as an e-course from 2003 - 2005, contained readings and spiritual practices for this time of heightened separation. We have now posted all those pieces to SpiritualityandPractice.com. We encourage you to look through the index for brief descriptions and links to features on One World, Empathy Practices, Facing Fear, Talking to Children about War, Lamentation, Reflections on Revenge, Reverence for Life, and more.

See the Spiritual Literacy in Wartime Project Index
See collections of Wartime Prayers and Meditations
Read about Our Wartime Spiritual Practices