Poems to God

What if Christian poetry could be intellectually rigorous, mystically honest, and spiritually transformative without resorting to devotional platitudes? What if prayer could be voiced through verse that questions as much as it praises? What if poems to God could emerge from a profane world without pretending the profane does not exist?Poems to God is the newest and final book in Dr. Alan Altany's acclaimed Christian Poetry of the Sacred series, a four-volume contemplative masterwork that has earned a 4.9-star rating from readers seeking theological depth, poetic beauty, and spiritual authenticity. Written by a recently retired professor of Comparative Religions with a Ph.D. in Religious Studies from the University of Pittsburgh, these poems explore the sacred in contemporary consciousness, intimations of God in ordinary experience, and the paradoxes of Christian faith in a world that often seems hostile to the sacred. This is not safe poetry. This is not comfortable devotion. These are poems that:- Wrestle with profound questions of faith, doubt, suffering, and grace- Address God honestly from the midst of confusion and clarity alike- Refuse to pretend certainty where there is mystery- Embrace the tension between belief and unbelief- Speak from lived experience rather than theological abstractionDr. Altany's poetry has been published in Beltway Poetry Quarterly, North Dakota Quarterly, Montreal Review, Valley Voices, and numerous other respected literary journals, demonstrating a commitment to literary excellence alongside theological depth. THIS POETRY IS FOR:- Seminary students studying theological poetry- Catholic contemplatives seeking mystical encounter beyond surface religiosity- MFA poetry students researching religious themes- Readers of Commonweal, America Magazine, and Christian Century- Anyone tired of greeting-card Christianity and hungry for spiritual honesty- Those exploring the intersection of poetry and theology- Contemplative prayer groups and spiritual direction- Catholic Studies programs and theology departmentsIN THE TRADITION OF:Thomas Merton, Gerard Manley Hopkins, Christian Wiman, Scott Cairns, Paul Mariani, and other poets who have brought theological depth and literary craft to Christian verse. THE COMPLETE CHRISTIAN POETRY OF THE SACRED SERIES:1. A Beautiful Absurdity (2022) - Exploring faith's paradoxes2. The Greatest Longing (2023) - Examining divine desire and human yearning3. Intimations (2024) - Discovering the sacred in the everyday4. Poems to God (2025) - Addressing God from a profane worldTogether, these four volumes represent a lifetime of theological study, spiritual reflection, and poetic craft, offering readers an honest, intellectually rigorous, and mystically grounded exploration of Christian faith in the contemporary world. Each book can be read independently, but together they form a complete contemplative journey.