My grandfather's house

Book Description

Robert Clark embarks on a remarkable journey through five centuries of his family's spiritual evolution, tracing how faith, doubt, and religious transformation shaped generations of his ancestors. This deeply personal exploration reveals how one family's religious odyssey mirrors the broader spiritual upheavals that have defined Western civilization.

Beginning with medieval England's dramatic break from Rome under Henry VIII, Clark follows his lineage through pivotal moments in religious history. His ancestors emerge as complex figures navigating the turbulent waters of their times: medieval Catholics who became heretics and inquisitors, Puritan settlers who participated in witch trials and Indian wars, and nineteenth-century seekers who explored everything from evangelical Protestantism to Unitarianism, Buddhism, and atheism.

Set against the backdrop of theological giants like Emerson, Thoreau, Hawthorne, Melville, and Margaret Fuller, this family chronicle illuminates how personal faith intersects with historical forces. Clark skillfully weaves together the intimate struggles of his forebears with the larger religious and intellectual movements that swept through centuries of American and English history.

The narrative culminates in Clark's own spiritual quest, as he grapples with inherited doubt and searches for authentic faith. Through meticulous research and compelling storytelling, he demonstrates how understanding our ancestors' spiritual journeys can illuminate our own path toward meaning and belief. This is both family history and spiritual memoir, offering readers insight into the enduring human search for divine connection across generations.