Addressed to modern spiritual seekers, many of whom are disgruntled with the faith of their upbringing in particular and religions in general, The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God discusses how it is possible to authentically experience God. Many modern seekers will find strands of their own spiritual journey in Dr. Steve McSwain’s faith memoir.
McSwain’s Crisis of Faith Speaks to Others Unhappy with Religion
Dr. McSwain, who earned a doctorate in Christian ministry and climbed the ranks in the church hierarchy, becoming a Baptist minster to a congregation of over 3,000 members, had a mid-career crisis of faith, which he explains in The Enoch Factor. Ultimately he left the ministry and became an interfaith spiritual activist.
The crux of McSwain’s spiritual crisis mirrors that of many “church drop outs” and others who are disillusioned with religious institutions, frequently more devoted to politics, money, and power than genuine spirituality. “As it is among all religions,” explains McSwain, “the Christian religion is desperately ill.”
Overview of The Enoch Factor
Steve McSwain describes his spiritual awakening in The Enoch Factor. Yet the memoir is more than just a personal quest and subsequent revelation; it is a guide book for spiritual seekers about how to experience God. The book combines Christian, Eastern religion, New Age, and philosophical ideas.
The growing category of “spiritual but not religious” individuals who recognize the wisdom in various faith traditions will find resonance with McSwain’s ideas. In a discussion of The Enoch Factor, McSwain comments, “There has only ever been one spiritual truth. It is known, experienced, and expressed in multiple languages and through a variety of cultures and traditions.”
McSwain’s book is titled after the Biblical prophet Enoch. McSwain describes how Enoch “walked with God (Gen 5:22),” meaning that he was able to know the experience of God while he was still living and was able to fully understand the spiritual nature of reality.
McSwain uses Enoch to show how our own purpose in life is to know God. In his discussion of the book, he comments, “You really only showed up [were born] for one reason – to know God and to walk with her, or him, or whatever you’d like to call it.”
Responding to the question “Where is God?” – a question that occupies and sometimes tortures the minds and hearts of people who have had trouble finding a home in organized religion – McSwain answers, “When it finally dawns on you, as it did me, that there is nothing you can do to find God, and you give up the struggle – which is what religion often becomes, a struggle. … So as to your question ... the amazing thing is that when you cease struggling, this is precisely the moment at which God finds you.”
McSwain's Spiritual Activism
Dr. Steve McSwain’s religious activism and leadership supply desperately needed guidance in this modern world. On one hand, McSwain provides camaraderie and mentorship for spiritually hungry contemporary individuals. On the other, McSwain embraces and teaches a path of radical tolerance and acceptance of various religions and spiritual paths.
McSwain explains, “Until you awaken … you will make the mistake, as I did for most of my adult life, of thinking that you are your beliefs (which are really just thoughts, opinions, concepts, or ideas) that have been endowed with a sense of self. … This is what causes arguments, debates, division, and the insanity of people saying they speak for God or they know what God would approve and disapprove. … So, which ‘point of view’ … does God support? The most I can say is the one in the direction of compassion.”
Sources:
A Discussion with Dr. Steve McSwain, Author The Enoch Factor: The Scared Art of Knowing God, PRByTheBook.com Press Materials.
McSwain, Steve. (2010). The Enoch Factor: The Sacred Art of Knowing God (pp. 3, 4, 177). Macon, GA: Smyth & Helwys Publishing, Inc.
Personal Interview with Steve McSwain. 14 Dec. 2010.
Aimee Larsen Stoddard - Aimee is a professional writer/editor. She has a BA in English and is currently completing an MS in Theology.
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