Customer Reviews

Confessions of a Twentieth Century Pilgrim

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Muggeridge leads the reader through the lives of the child, the student, the teacher, the journalist, the soldier, the foreign correspondent--all on one man's journey of faith. The journey takes him to India, Egypt, Russia at the rise of Stalin and to America. Like so many stories of faith, he finds the words he learned by rote as a child and young man re-entering his life and thoughts over again at the many crossroads in his life until he reaches the point of knowing that the only central reality is God's incarnation into the human experience.

He reminds us, through his meeting of Mother Teresa, how absurd the lusts and passions for the material really are. Thoughtful, compelling, and inspiring, Muggeridge leads us to what we can become.

Malcom Muggeridge's popularity was rooted in his rich writing style reminiscent of a C. S. Lewis or G. K. Chesterton. His work has always served to challenge conventional Christian thinking shaking the dogmatism of many evangelicals over the years. It is that unconventional and somewhat unorthodox approach that made his entry into the Catholic church surprising to many. Starting as a boy and describing how his thinking developed in rich philosophical and emotional rhythm, he leads us down his path to Rome.

For Mr. Muggeridge, it was at once a cognitive and relational development over a long period of searching. Cognitive in the philosophical understanding of the material world as nothing but an icon of something greater transcending matter. Relational in the emotional ties with a Catholic priest and with Mother Teresa that helped him overcome his reservations concerning the church. Full of the whit and learned reasoning with the help of a plethora of references to ancient and modern spiritual literature; it is a short work that is packed to satisfy the mystic, the theologian, and the philosopher all at once. Very well done.

My title explains much of my reaction to this book. I felt like Muggeridge was simply trying to capitalize on his career and his association with Mother Teresa. He regularly tries to convince the reader that he has difficulties and temptations to overcome, but far more of the time in this book is spent on non-spiritual matters.

I should also say that Muggeridge has some fairly conservative views on issues, particularly abortion, and if you don't share them, he doesn't give any room for disagreement. While I acknowledge his rights to have those beliefs, I will exercise my right not to read his works further.