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kal73's review against another edition
reflective
medium-paced
3.0
I had high hopes for this book, but I was honestly disappointed. The book was published after Henri Nouwen's death and was a collection of essays that he had written throughout his life. I don't know if something went awry with the editing process, but there were moments when the book seemed to go off course. There were many moments wherein the reader was invited to reflect on how doing ministry among the poor enhances their spiritual life. While nothing's wrong with doing charitable work, I think we enter a dangerous place theologically when we view others as simply a means through which we experience spiritual growth.
Overall, I found the reflection questions at the end of each chapter more helpful than the chapters themselves. I'm not sure this is a book I will revisit.
Overall, I found the reflection questions at the end of each chapter more helpful than the chapters themselves. I'm not sure this is a book I will revisit.
adamrshields's review against another edition
3.0
Summary: Discernment is an essential part of Christian life.
I am very mixed about posthumously completed books, especially those that are edited together. On the one hand, there are books like Dorothy Sayers' Thrones, Dominations that was found years after her death and was edited and completed by Jill Paton Walsh and then continued on with books that were written only by Jill Paton Walsh, and I think that gave a new life to Peter Wimsey in a way I appreciate. But there are works that are not up to the author's quality during their lifetime.
This is my third posthumous book by/with Nouwen; in this case, the editor/authors may not have waited long enough before publishing it. Nouwen passed away in 1996. There have been several revelations about his sexuality and other issues that were not discussed during his life. I plan on picking up a biography soon because while I have read several of Nouwen's books, I only know his life from what he wrote in the books I have read, and I need more. (A post about the biography I read after this.)
For this book in particular, Nouwen spends a lot of time discussing the discernment about moving to L'Arche and the discernment of the people in leadership at L'Arche. All of that reads quite differently in light of the abuse that has been revealed over the past several years by Jean Vanier and others connected to him. Father Thomas Philippe was Vanier's spiritual mentor and the head of a heterodox and spiritually abusive group. The Vatican investigated Philippe in the 1950s, and he was forbidden from exercising any priestly ministry or giving spiritual guidance because the Vatican found the abuse allegations credible. But he continued to lead his group through Vanier and was known as the cofounder of L'Arche. Nouwen specifically mentions Philippe as a holy man and his teaching of how God speaks through those around you as part of the discernment process. Philippe used abusive practices to spiritually manipulate women into sexual relationships with himself and others in the group.
I would not have read this book if I had known the long section on L'Arche and Vanier and Philippe. But it may be good that I did. Discernment is a fallible process. One of the reasons that many Protestants have been wary of discernment is because it is not only possible but probably that we will get discernment wrong.
Nouwen was constantly questioning his discernment. And he was wrong about more than a few things. This line seems good, but read in the light of Philippe's similar belief that his impulses to use others were spiritually appropriate and even "good" is a warning.
I agree with many of Nouwen's comments like:
But this is why it is so important that we hold leaders of faith communities to a high level of accountability because the very nature of the community and the faith of those around them becomes distorted when the leadership distorts their discernment toward their own power or pleasure.
There is value in many of the thoughts in this book. But I also think the value is strongest when we know the extent of the harm from L'Arche's leaders. As far as I am aware, there are no accusations of abuse of the disabled members of L'Arche. The purpose of the community was to treat the disabled as valuable members of the community who were made in the image of God and, therefore, worthy of love and dignity. But that good work was no justification for the evil work of spiritual and sexual abuse of many others.
I will have to continue to grapple with this partly because I think the church needs to return to teaching discernment. In light of the reading Karen Swallow Prior's Evangelical Imagination and how our social imaginaries contribute to how we see the world, the inability to see things like Christian nationalism or spiritual abuse or even particular beliefs like the manipulation around the teaching of the rapture as problematic will always limit the ability of discernment to be accurate.
Originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/discernment/
I am very mixed about posthumously completed books, especially those that are edited together. On the one hand, there are books like Dorothy Sayers' Thrones, Dominations that was found years after her death and was edited and completed by Jill Paton Walsh and then continued on with books that were written only by Jill Paton Walsh, and I think that gave a new life to Peter Wimsey in a way I appreciate. But there are works that are not up to the author's quality during their lifetime.
This is my third posthumous book by/with Nouwen; in this case, the editor/authors may not have waited long enough before publishing it. Nouwen passed away in 1996. There have been several revelations about his sexuality and other issues that were not discussed during his life. I plan on picking up a biography soon because while I have read several of Nouwen's books, I only know his life from what he wrote in the books I have read, and I need more. (A post about the biography I read after this.)
For this book in particular, Nouwen spends a lot of time discussing the discernment about moving to L'Arche and the discernment of the people in leadership at L'Arche. All of that reads quite differently in light of the abuse that has been revealed over the past several years by Jean Vanier and others connected to him. Father Thomas Philippe was Vanier's spiritual mentor and the head of a heterodox and spiritually abusive group. The Vatican investigated Philippe in the 1950s, and he was forbidden from exercising any priestly ministry or giving spiritual guidance because the Vatican found the abuse allegations credible. But he continued to lead his group through Vanier and was known as the cofounder of L'Arche. Nouwen specifically mentions Philippe as a holy man and his teaching of how God speaks through those around you as part of the discernment process. Philippe used abusive practices to spiritually manipulate women into sexual relationships with himself and others in the group.
I would not have read this book if I had known the long section on L'Arche and Vanier and Philippe. But it may be good that I did. Discernment is a fallible process. One of the reasons that many Protestants have been wary of discernment is because it is not only possible but probably that we will get discernment wrong.
Nouwen was constantly questioning his discernment. And he was wrong about more than a few things. This line seems good, but read in the light of Philippe's similar belief that his impulses to use others were spiritually appropriate and even "good" is a warning.
"Discernment, on the other hand, is about listening and responding to that place within us where our deepest desires align with God’s desire. As discerning people, we sift through our impulses, motives, and options to discover which ones lead us closer to divine love and compassion for ourselves and other people and which ones lead us further away."
I agree with many of Nouwen's comments like:
"The first task of a faith community is to create sacred time and space, when and where we can allow God to reshape our hearts and lives and communities."
or
"To want to know God’s plan and purpose without regular prayer and engagement with scripture and God’s people is like trying to bake a cake without assembling the various ingredients. Discernment grows out of the life of faith rooted in community."
But this is why it is so important that we hold leaders of faith communities to a high level of accountability because the very nature of the community and the faith of those around them becomes distorted when the leadership distorts their discernment toward their own power or pleasure.
There is value in many of the thoughts in this book. But I also think the value is strongest when we know the extent of the harm from L'Arche's leaders. As far as I am aware, there are no accusations of abuse of the disabled members of L'Arche. The purpose of the community was to treat the disabled as valuable members of the community who were made in the image of God and, therefore, worthy of love and dignity. But that good work was no justification for the evil work of spiritual and sexual abuse of many others.
I will have to continue to grapple with this partly because I think the church needs to return to teaching discernment. In light of the reading Karen Swallow Prior's Evangelical Imagination and how our social imaginaries contribute to how we see the world, the inability to see things like Christian nationalism or spiritual abuse or even particular beliefs like the manipulation around the teaching of the rapture as problematic will always limit the ability of discernment to be accurate.
Originally posted on my blog at https://bookwi.se/discernment/
noahbw's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love Nouwen's style, but I definitely appreciated a lot of what he had to say. Overall, this didn't feel quite like a personal story and not quite like a how-to, but it tries to do both.
weswalker423's review against another edition
4.0
This book was fantastic! Nouwen has such a beautiful way of writing. His introspective writing had a profound impact on the way I think on this subject. My only complaint and the only reason I didn't give it the fifth star is because the last chapter in the appendix (not written by Nouwen) is written by a guy who insists on meshing Nouwen and the Christian mystic tradition with Eastern religions in a way that made me slightly uncomfortable.
craftingcutie's review against another edition
3.0
This was was a harder Nouwen read. The "aha" moments largely came in the Epilogue and Appendixes. It is tempting to dismiss what precedes these chapters, but that would be a mistake. Though dense and somewhat redundant in the efforts to use Nouwen's works as originally written, they lay the groundwork for a more thoughtful understanding of discernment, preference for the poor, spiritual journeying, the necessity of community, and the beauty of eucumenical faith. We are more alike than different!
hakunamottatta's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
informative
inspiring
reflective
slow-paced
3.5
Such a helpful book while in a season of discernment or not! Highly recommend!