Pierre HEGY, Lay Spirituality. From Traditional to Postmodern (Eugene, Oregon: Wipf & Stock, 2017). Foreword by Paul LAKELAND, Fairfield University (pages vii-viii).

What, if anything, might be a suitable relationship between Christian spirituality and the discipline of sociology? How can a social science methodology possibly shed light on something so personal and so interior as spirituality? Wouldn't it be the case, indeed, that anything sociology had to say to shed light on spirituality would inevitably reduce it to a purely this-worldly phenomenon? These and similar questions are raised by Pierre Hegy, a man who as a sociologist and a Christian ought to be well positioned to offer an informed opinion. In this new work in which he utilizes the well-tried method of participant-observer, Hegy explores the spiritual practices of lay people in a variety of ecclesial contexts. What, he asks, are the fortunes of spirituality inspired by traditional devotions, what of the different approaches brought about during and after the Vatican II years, and how are we situated today in what he calls our postmodern spiritual era? Discussing our current times, Hegy gets down to the hard work of the sociologist/participant and inquires of four variant forms he encounters in a Protestant evangelical church, a Catholic parish, the phenomenon of charismatic renewal, and finally a community especially devoted to the work of social justice.

Hegy's fundamental concerns will not surprise anyone who is familiar with his valuable work in his book on church reform, Wake Up, Lazarus (2015), or who knows of the important conversations he orchestrates through an internet list-serve on a variety of ecclesiological issues. But it is the method of this work that makes his conclusions even more important. The participant observer gathers real data and this strengthens his extended conclusion in which he raises some familiar questions, now in a new light. How do we go about finding our true calling in today's church, and how are the possibilities of succeeding affected by the ecclesial cultures of different parishes? How is it that the roles of the laity in ministry today are in some respects less substantial than they were half a century ago in the heyday of Catholic Action, defined by Hegy, following the words of Popes Pius XI and XII, as "participation in the apostolate of the hierarchy"? His final quintessentially postmodern question runs deeper and raises many familiar but important questions in a new light: is truth multi-dimensional rather than absolute?

Hegy's is a trenchant and outspoken voice for ecclesial reform, from which many of we who work in ecclesiology, including the present author, have benefited enormously. His work has been even more valuable to the thinking person in the pew, even to many who are not sure whether the pew is any longer where they wish to be. His voice is so important because it comes from the perspective both of faith and of social science, it is driven by a clear-sighted love for that which he challenges, and its passion and compassion are visible in equal measures. For those of us who are concerned for our future roles, especially as laypeople, in a church under stress, Hegy is a marvelous guide.

Paul Lakeland
Fairfield University