After spending many years in a religious order, Dominic Kirkham describes how he was driven to meet the challenge of modern thinking, an exercise that has proved both freeing and frightening. He says this has been ""something of a personal odyssey, which now spans a lifetime of over six decades and is still ongoing."" He adds that ""the presumption of the book is that this is of more than personal interest because the subject matter affects everyone; my personal journey will no doubt reflect that of many others."" In a broad sweep from Neolithic times to the twenty-first century, he considers our human quest for meaning and a good life, and how we can engage in it today. ""Those who know Dominic Kirkham from his charming and erudite essays in the Sea of Faith UK's Sofia will gain a deeper appreciation of an old friend; others will discover in From Monk to Modernity a rising literary star on today's religious horizon."" --Tom Hall, former editor for Polebridge Press ""Against the background of his disarming spiritual autobiography, Kirkham engages an impressive array of topics that investigate unexpected connections by which a responsible acceptance of modernity necessarily interacts with our collective religious past. The author's restless curiosity sparks insightful explorations that are undergirded by a moral clarity and an honest appraisal of a religion he loved but can no longer embrace."" --Robert Miller, Juniata College Dominic Kirkham began a teaching career in 1968 before joining a religious order. Over the subsequent thirty years he fulfilled many roles as chaplain, teacher, parochial priest, and community activist. Subsequently, he moved beyond the church, and over the following twenty years took up a variety of roles running community enterprises and social projects. These experiences provided the background to a wide range of writing and a published work.