Customer Reviews

The Critical Journey: Stages in the Life of Faith

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This is "my subject," the spiritual journey. I have read many, many books on the subject. This one stands out a mile!
Written for present-day Christians (although there is plenty for followers of any spiritual path), The Critical Journey is clear, easy to read, well organized, and full of excellent advice and guidance. It is obviously based upon the classic teachings about the progressive stages of inner growth, but the authors had digested all the information so thoroughly that it seems newly invented, created especially for people of our own day.
One point I have never seen explained anywhere before is that a person can easily identify the material that describes his or her place on the path right now, and can get some meaning from material about the next stage in order. However, when she comes to a stage beyond that, it doesn't make any sense at all. This is very true. It explains why so much of what we read seems nonsensical, meaningless.
That being said, anyone can find sound advice, answers to many questions, and inspiration for continuing on the inner way to full maturity.

review by Janet Knori, author of Awakening in God

This is a book that everyone over the age of forty needs to read and re-read. Even younger Believers can gain insight and wisdom from it. Older, more mature Believers will find it a must read as will the Reveal Willow Creek folks who have just woken up to the fact that as we age in the Lord our spiritual needs change.

I never realized there were stages in getting closer to God. I can see where I have been spiritually and this book helps the journey makes sense, less intimidating. It's kind of a Holy Spirit road-map, showing you where God is working in your life, that you are not alone, that other people have and are going through similar things you are. Well-written, easy to understand.

I have come to a point in my Christian walk in which the Bible seems to be saying much greater, freer messages than I felt were coming from the pulpit. Many church leaders didn't seem to be emulating the grace and freedom they were trying to relate to their congregations. I finally realized that many were not as lucky as I am. For I have made so many mistakes in my life that have led me astry from the path I knew God had drawn for me. Each error brought tremendous growth when the problem was taken to Jesus and He put me back on track. His ultimate love and forgiveness has brought me to a different dimension and freed me of the law. Unfortunately, most churches are thinking they are preaching freedom from the Law as spoken of in the Bible, but they are putting their congregations under even more laws by their prescribed definition of how Christians should look, act, and believe--and, even more so, how they should interpret various passages of Scripture. I so wonder if Paul, David, Moses, etc would actually be accepted in their congregations knowing that each one of them had performed the worst of crimes. This book brought tears to my eyes as I finally found others that have realized that about the fourth stage of our Christian walk, we have to throw away all biases we have had about Christianity and just look to Jesus. The structured church plays such a different role for me now. I enjoy the workship but realize that many of the leaders may never arrive at true grace and freedom. I would love to hear from others that have read this book and are in the fourth or fifth stage.