Time to Read a Classic...Again

If I asked you "which book has been published more and read more widely than any other, except for the Bible," would you know the answer? That book is called The Imitation of Christ by Thomas Kempis. A new selection in Paraclete's GIANTS series (www.paracletepress.com ($29.99), this edition, titled The Complete Imitation of  Christ includes translation and commentary by Fr. John-Julian, OJN, founder of the Order of Julian of Norwich and author of another in the GIANTS series, the one on Julian, of course.

Thomas Kempis (1380–1471), as Fr. John-Julian prefers to call him, was a medieval monk who founded several monasteries in Europe and wrote 31 books, treatises and articles, as well as several biographies.

Fr. John-Julian’s introduction to this 456-page paperback is very informative as he describes how Kempis’s Imitation began and grew. He notes that as early as 1410—1415 pieces and copies of the writings of various monks, began to come together and were shared from one monastery to another. There were many years of controversy over who wrote which part of The Imitation, but by 1441, the first verified autograph manuscript, was signed as "by the hand of Thomas Kempis," a monk of Mount St. Agnes monastery near Zwolle in the Netherlands..

Fr. John-Julian’s translation is based on the first printed edition (1471) and he compared it with the 1441 edition but made few corrections. On each left-hand page of each chapter, he provides interesting comments and biblical references, which I found very helpful to have beside the poetic text on the right-hand page. He gives detailed endnotes on each chapter and a full bibliography, as well as a time line of the medieval church in Europe, from 1260–1471. He also includes a page on how "Notable Readers of The Imitation" responded to it.

The main body of the text is divided into four books, each book having several chapters. I like best the chapters in the fourth book, beginning with "Of Christ Speaking Inwardly to the Faithful Soul." There are imagined speeches and conversations between God and the soul, just as we might imagine today. I can definitely see why so many people like to keep this book by their beds, and often read a few pages before they go to sleep. I think I will try it, too.

Lois Sibley

Popular Culture and Each of Us!

We live in it, work in it, experience it all around us—the culture in which we live and move and have our being, the place where God has placed us! How do we cope with it? How do we critique it? Do we need to critique it?


In his new book, Pop ologetics, Popular Culture in Christian Perspective, (P&R, $19.95, www.prpbooks.com) Ted Turnau says, "Yes, we do." For many reasons. We need to help our children understand what is good or bad about the movie they are watching, the video games they are playing, the book they are reading, music they are listening to, whatever.

We need to examine and critique popular culture for our own attitudes about it. We need to look at it from our worldview or basic beliefs, as we consider how to take part in many of the opportunities in our culture. And we need to be ready to talk with our friends and neighbors about those same opportunities and experiences. Popular culture is all around us and it "has the power to influence our beliefs," says Turnau.

Turnau, who has studied popular culture for many years and who teaches cultural and religious studies at two universities in Europe, says he wrote it not for scholars, but for "thoughtful, everyday Christians," who are interested in serious reflection. He notes that his book is "for all who are interested in considering non-Christian popular culture from a Christian perspective"; and for those who would like to be able to discuss and present "intelligent, biblical answers back to worldviews presented in popular culture."

In Part 2, Turnau critiques five different Christian worldviews that have responded to popular culture but perhaps not in the most helpful ways.

In Part 3, he offers what he hopes is a more "balanced approach" with suggestions and how-tos on how to listen, read, or watch elements of popular culture. He says that popular culture "threatens to press us into its God-rejecting mold," and we must resist "by engaging and wrestling with it, we must respond with a Spirit-guided Christian-critical imagination."

Turnau offers ways to practice critiquing popular culture, including five questions we might use in learning to critique some aspects of the popular culture. He suggests conversations with friends and family members as ways to discuss the good and bad in the culture and how we might respond to it. Another way is to host group discussion nights with friends. And, of course, talk with your children, and share opinions with them.

There is a huge amount of material to digest here. If you read this book, you will be thinking about it for a long time. No doubt, it will help you follow St. Peter’s advice to "always be ready to make your defense to anyone who demands from you an accounting for the hope that is in you; yet do it with gentleness and reverence (NRSV)."

—Lois Sibley

God is near and we need to notice!

Sometimes in the midst of our distractions we may wonder: where is God in all of this? Richard Peace, professor at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena, California, in his new book, Noticing God, (IVPress, $15, books.ivpress.com) offers answers as he calls us to notice God’s presence and activity in our lives every day.

Peace says that we may find God in mystical encounters; in the ordinary; in the still, small voice; in the power of community; in the written word; in creation, culture and creativity; and in church. These are his chapter titles and he guides the reader, offering his thinking on how we may discern God’s presence, both in all God has created and in our own corner of the world; and how we may know God’s voice in our lives.

In his chapter on mystical encounters, Peace reminds us of C.S. Lewis’s explanation of a deep longing that no experience in this world can satisfy, and Peace thinks that many of us have felt such a longing. He calls it "brushes with God." And he asks, "If we have such experiences, what did they teach us? What was God telling us? What did God want us to do then?"

Peace also says we need a God of ordinary life and in chapter two he discusses how we may come to know God in daily life. He writes about spiritual disciplines and practices such as the prayer of examen or, as Ignatius called it, "examination of conscience." He also explains Ignatian contemplation and spiritual exercises.

In chapter three, Peace recommends retreats. We must listen to God, and a retreat may be the right place for us to sit quietly and listen to God’s still, small voice.

In the chapter on the power of community, and Peace reminds readers of St. Benedict and his Rule. The first word in the Rule is "Listen...." Benedict taught that the presence of God is everywhere, and two spiritual practices to make us aware of that are the use of the daily offices of prayer and lectio divina. Benedict also taught the importance of hospitality and that Christ is to be met in other people.

On the written word, Peace discusses how the Bible helps us notice God, how it serves as an avenue to God and how we access the written Word in ways that lead to God. In the Bible, we meet Jesus. In this chapter, Peace gives more detail about the process of lectio divina. It is a process of four steps: reading or listening, meditating, praying, and contemplation. Peace says, "the Bible is the primary means by which we encounter the voice of God."

There are two more chapters and more good stuff in this book. Peace offers his Conclusion and A Guide to Personal Reflection and Group Discussion, as well as a good list for further reading, and extensive notes on each chapter.

As Dr. Peace tells us: "God is near. He is not hiding. We don’t know where to look or what to expect. We need to learn to notice." This book helps us do that.

—Lois Sibley

Give Me a Word...

It's summertime, time to pack for a few days of vacation. What shall I bring to read? When I'm sitting by the water catching some rays, or on the porch of the cabin in the shade, what do I want to think about, learn more about during this quiet time I cherish? What would you choose?

Maybe something about meditation or spiritual direction? Maybe you already have a spiritual
friend, someone with whom you meet once a month and talk and pray through your concerns. It's a great blessing to have a friend like that. I know.

But, if you are interested in learning more about spiritual direction, perhaps you have questions such as: how is it done, how does one find a spiritual director, how much time is involved, how does one open up to a director one hardly knows? And you may have many more questions besides these.

A new book on the market called Abba, give me a word, the path of spiritual direction by L. Roger Owens (Paraclete, $15.99, http://www.paracletepress.com/) might be just the one to add to your Nook or Kindle or whatever you use. It is also a real book that will fit easily into your carry-on or suitcase.

Owens thinks of his book as an "introduction to the practice of receiving spiritual direction," and he shares his experiences of "finding the God who has been there all along," while he learns to "live well in the mansion that is God's love."

His director, Larry, reminds him of Mr. Rogers (because he sits down and takes off his shoes before they begin to pray) but Larry always seem to have the appropriate comment or question for Owens to think about and apply to his situation.

After his introduction, Owens' chapter titles are: Longing (for God), Finding, Releasing, Offering (ourselves), Trusting, Attending, and finally, Go Well.

He quotes from the Scriptures, the Desert Fathers and Mothers, St. Benedict, Thomas Merton, Kenneth Leech, Denise Levertov, Margaret Guenther, Henri Nouwen, Parker Palmer, Julian of Norwich, and others. Even Dr. Seuss gets a word or two in.

I just finished reading this book and found it helpful and interesting, funny and wise.

---Lois Sibley

Remembering Evelyn Underhill, June 15-16

The Practical Mystic (Canterbury Press, Norwich, England, $29.99) is a new book on Evelyn Underhill, her life and her writings. It is edited and introduced by Raymond Chapman, an Anglican priest and Emeritus Professor of English in the University of London. The book is available in the U.S. through Westminster John Knox Press at http://www.wjkbooks.com/.

Today is the feast day for Underhill as appointed on the church calendar. She died in 1941 on this date. Underhill wrote more than 30 books and many articles and reviews that were hugely popular in the 1920s and 30s in England, but she is most famous for her book Mysticism. She often led retreats for women's groups in the Anglican Church in England and she was the first woman invited to lead retreats for Anglican clergy.

In the United States, the Evelyn Underhill Association (EUA) promotes study and research on Underhill and her writings. You could find their newsletter at http://www.evelynunderhillassociation/.

On June 15--16, 2012, the EUA is sponsoring a special day in honor of Evelyn Underhill, as they do each year at the Washington National Cathedral. For details, search: Evelyn Underhill Quiet Day at Washington National Cathedral.

---Lois Sibley

Who am I and what am I doing?

I have long been reading and reviewing new religious books and it is fun for me. For about 16 years now, I have shared my reviews with readers of Episcopal Life and then Episcopal Journal. Now, I will share them with you on this blog.

    

Among the books I choose to review will be those on prayer, meditation, aspects of the spiritual life, bios of famous or important Christians, church history.  Also maybe some fiction, mysteries, sometimes books for or about children (I have five!) and sometimes just subjects I think you might like to read about. I hope these reviews will always be informative and helpful to readers, wherever they are on their spiritual journeys.

So get a cup of tea and join me here whenever you can.

Perhaps I should begin with saying I was a member of the Orthodox Presbyterian Church (OPC) for 32 years. I learned my theology there. Then I read Robert Webber's Evangelicals on the Canterbury Trail and I visited a nearby English Gothic church with a beautiful garden. It was on my way to and from the train when I commuted to my job in Center City. I was attracted to the garden, the liturgy with all the good words, the community and it's people, and I became an Episcopalian.

But I should explain that I had been baptized in the Episcopal Church when I was three years old. I remember standing at the font with my younger brother and sister and looking out at a vast audience of adults, all in dark coats and hats for the winter season. My grandmother stood in front of me, about six feet away, and she smiled and wiggled her fingers at me. I did it back to her and, of course, everyone smiled. That's one of my earliest and favorite memories. Then, from about six to ten years old, I attended a different Episcopal church with my other grandmother. Both of my grandmothers had a big influence on me, and I realize that as I try to be a grandmother, too.

Now, at this Gothic church I'm remembering, one day the red doors were open and I went in. They were having their noonday service so I joined them. When we kneeled down for the Confession and as we said it together, I heard my other grandmother's voice beside me, saying it with confident belief, as she always did.

So I did have some early experience with the Episcopal Church, and I give thanks for that and for Webber's encouragement to those of us who were thinking of "crossing over" to a new liturgy and worship experience at that time.

That leads me to my first mini-review on this blog: What Episcopalians Believe (Morehouse, $14) by Samuel Wells, who is dean of Duke University Chapel and teaches Christian ethics at Duke Divinity School.

     Wells reminds us that while we do not have a formal doctrinal statement or confession of faith as some churches do, we do have our two special books: the Bible and The Book of Common Prayer (BCP). In the prayer book, we have the creeds (Apostles' and the Nicene, which I think of as summaries of our doctrine) as well as the liturgy and the prayers. There is also the Thirty-Nine Articles, a doctrinal statement that came out of the Church of England in 1563, was adopted by the Episcopal Church in the United States in 1801 and is a part of the 1979 Prayer Book. He also counts and appreciates the four principles of the Chicago-Lambeth Quadrilateral as part of our theological teaching.
     Dean Wells hopes that his book may help Anglicans and Episcopalians understand and appreciate one another wherever they live around the world. His book is well-written and thought-provoking. I recommend it.
 
Another book I want to mention today is Call On Me, A Prayer Book for Young People (Morehouse, $16). Put together by Jenifer C. Gamber and Sharon Ely Pearson, this pocket or purse-sized book offers suggestions for personal devotions. It also includes different kinds of prayers that will fit the lives of busy young people, prayers that fit into some of their own words and experiences. It would make a great gift!

This is a bit about who I am and what I plan to do on this blog. Of course, there are many other publishers who have good, religious books coming out all the time. I am eager to tell you about them, so stay tuned.