The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice (Hardcover)

by Tony Campolo (Author), Mary Darling (Author)
Key Phrases: spiritual direction program, holistic gospel, mystical intimacy, Holy Spirit, Jesus Christ, Saint Francis (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Catholics and Protestants have been debating for centuries about which is more vital—faith or good works? There are hopeful signs, however, that the controversy may be winding down. Acclaimed evangelical speaker and writer Campolo teams up with spiritual director and teacher Darling to reveal some gems from the liturgical Christian tradition to evangelical Protestants who may be ready for a refreshing change. While steeped in their own evangelical tradition, the authors are not afraid to venture back into Christian history and reclaim some practices that have long been considered exclusively Catholic. Darling suggests Centering Prayer, along with works by Ignatius Loyola and Catherine of Siena, as excellent spiritual tools to help evangelicals grow in faith and love for the poor. A vital theme in Campolo and Darling's work is that spirituality is not solely an individualistic practice, but must lead Christians to love and help the oppressed. True Christian mysticism, the authors posit, is not an either/or proposition: We believe that the nexus between evangelism and justice is to be found in the kind of Christian mysticism we are advocating in this book. While not all evangelicals are ready for such a radical shift, others will be greatly enriched. (July 13)
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Review
“I am most pleased by this teaming of Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling on a subject so vital to spiritual formation. Tony is known for his deep social activism; Mary for her deep spiritual intimacy. Of course these two realities go hand-in-hand, like a bow and an arrow or a lock and a key. Part of the charm of The God of Intimacy and Action is watching Tony and Mary respecting each other, challenging each other, learning from each other. I know both Tony and Mary personally and can testify to the genuineness of their search for spiritual wholeness. It is a search that always holds in creative tension a profound intimacy with God through Christ with a vigorous engagement in the social realities of our day.”--Richard J. Foster, author, Celebration of Discipline

 

“There was a time when those who most passionately pursued intimacy  with God in their souls were the same folk who most impatiently worked  for justice in the streets. They were called prophets. Sometimes saints. Tony and Mary ask: ‘Why not you and me?’”--John Ortberg, pastor, Menolo Park Presbyterian Church

 

“Darling and Campolo sift through the dirt of Christendom and uncover the precious treasures of our faith. In these pages, the mystics remind us that Christianity is less of a theory and more of a romance. May they awaken each of us with the ancient whisper that St. Francis heard in Assisi, ‘Repair my Church which is in ruins.’ [And may those repairs continue . . . In us.]”

--Shane Claiborne, founding member of The Simple Way community; author, The Irresistible Revolution; and recovering sinner

 

“This book is a premiere example of the wonderful convergence that is taking place between the many streams of Christianity: mystical, political, contemplative, biblical, and evangelical--is the best sense of all those terms. Grow with Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling in the fullness of  Christ.”--Fr. Richard Rohr, O.F.M., Center for Action and Contemplation, Albuquerque, New Mexico

 

 

“This is a book that combines action and contemplation so that we can become like Christ and change the world. By combing their love for social justice with a compelling vision of the Christian life Campolo and Darling offer a wonderful resource for our life with God. I really enjoyed this book and have benefited from it.”--Gayle D. Beebe, Ph.D., president, Westmont College, Santa Barbara, California

 

“An important call to ground our evangelism and social action in a powerful personal relationship with the living God nurtured by regularly seeking the presence of God in our lives. A helpful book on an urgent topic.”--Ronald J. Sider, president, Evangelicals for Social Action

 

 

“Wow! What a helpful book! If you, with me, sometimes find that your walk with God is shallow and your service for God ineffective, this book could change your life. This is a book you will value and return to over and over again. When you do, thank me for recommending it to you.”--Steve Brown, professor, Reformed Theological Seminary, Orlando; and author and teacher on the syndicated radio program Key Life

 

"This very important work brings integration to the false dichotomy that promotes an artificial disconnection between Christian mysticism and Christian outreach. By weaving together the themes of personal spiritual transformation with the themes of evangelism and social justice, Campolo and Darling help us to find the narrow path between "spiritless service" on the one hand and "arrested spiritual development that verges on narcissism" on the other.  This is a must-read for anyone who seeks a holistic gospel in which ministry to others flows from an ever-deepening intimacy with Christ."--Ruth Haley Barton, co-founder and president, The Transforming Center; and author of Sacred Rhythms:Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation

 

 

 

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 256 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass (July 9, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787987417
• ISBN-13: 978-0787987411
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.1 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #547,953 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Will seriously challenge your spiritual self-centeredness..., August 19, 2007

By	Thomas Duff "Duffbert" (Portland, OR United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

This book caused me to examine my spiritual life in ways many other books haven't... The God of Intimacy and Action: Reconnecting Ancient Spiritual Practices, Evangelism, and Justice by Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling. Those coming from a traditional Protestant background will have a few struggles with the concepts and terminology, but I'm convinced it's worth the effort.

Concepts:
Part 1 - Knowing God Intimately - Where Christian Mysticism Can Take Us: What Mystical Christianity Is All About; Christian Mysticism and Personal Evangelism; Christian Mysticism and Working for Justice
Part 2 - Fueling Intimacy - The Mystical Path: Awaking to Mysticism and a Holistic Gospel (Even If You're Not a Monk); Cultivating Holy Habits; Moving from Self-Awareness to God-Awareness - The Prayer of Examen; Becoming God's Friend - Lectio Divina; Deepening Our Intimacy with God - Centering Prayer; Committing to a Holistic Gospel
Part 3 - Taking Intimacy with God into the World: Avoiding Two Temptations; Connecting Intimacy and Action
Postscript; Notes; The Authors; Index

As I come from a more traditional evangelical Christian experience, seeing a word like "mysticism" raises a whole bunch of red flags. I found it extremely difficult to lay aside my preconceived notions and connotations of that word in order to give the book a fair chance. But once I did that (numerous times, I might add), then the message started to seep through. Using the practices and the lives of well-known saints throughout the ages, Campolo and Darling show how building a life of spiritual practices (intimacy with God) needs to lead to a life of social justice (action). It's not enough to live on a mountaintop trying to obtain a spiritual "high". That relationship with God should lead to following Jesus' example of feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, and caring for widows and orphans. It's that "action" part that's missing in far too many Christian experiences today.

The partnership of these two authors is what makes the concept work for the book. Darling comes from more of a Catholic background, with the formalized practices often associated with that group. Campolo is the Protestant side, where the need for ceremony and ritual is often ignored or condemned. But the blending of these two mindsets leads you to realize that saints of old, like Francis of Assisi, didn't just spend all their time chanting in a cathedral. They fought for social justice and took action in their communities. This is so different than the typical "what have you done for *me* lately, God" mindset found all too frequently in today's world. I only wish there were different words to use than "mysticism" and "mystical". I'm afraid that many might be too quick to condemn the material as "new age" without understanding the deeper meaning and results.

I'd recommend this book to anyone looking to deepen their Christian experience and become more action-driven in today's society.

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Connecting the Dots, December 26, 2007

By	Alex Tang "the reader" (Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Christian activist, Tony Campolo, who is also professor emeritus of sociology at Eastern University in the United States, has teamed up with Mary Albert Darling, a spiritual director from the Ignatian tradition to produce a book on "mystical Christianity." Darling is the associate professor of communication at Spring Arbor University and is a Protestant who is well versed in Roman Catholic mystic tradition.

They define "mystic Christianity" as a "holistic Christianity" which includes mystical spirituality, evangelism and social justice (p.xiv). A mystic as defined as "one who experiences God in transrational and nonempirical ways." (p.4). What this means is that all Christians are mystics as they will have personal experiences of an encounter with God. Campolo highlights five types of mystical experiences:
1. New insights
2. I-Thou relationships
3. Heightened awareness
4. Conversion experiences
5. Breakthrough experiences (p.4-12)

He takes care to compare these with what William James described in his book, The Varieties of Religious Experience. While William James' research was not in a Christian context, there are enough similarities to accept Campolo's descriptions.

The main thesis that Campolo and Darling proposes is that a Spirit-filled Christians who have had mystic spiritual experiences will subsequently be concerned for evangelism and social justice. Campolo writes, "I believe there are four basic consequences for a sense of justice that grows from mystical unity with Christ. Each of them is essential to actualize something of the justice and social well-being that are part of what the Bible calls the Kingdom of God. They are
1. An awareness that Christ is in the poor and oppressed, waiting to be loved and served
2. A call to challenged institutionalized religion
3. An understanding of the importance of entering into one another's sufferings
4. A plan for the world as it should be" (p.41)

This thesis is not new. Thomas Merton and Henri Nouwen were the latest in the long line of Christian mystics who propose such a thesis. Merton's activism comes from his time of contemplation in a monastery and Nouwen from his contemplative experience in the academia. Merton's activism were in the political and cultural arena while Nouwen were in the handicap and socially deprived.

It is a common misconception that contemplatives are too otherworldly to be of any earthly use. A study of the life of Gregory the Great, Teresa of Avila and Catherine of Siena is enough to convince anyone that contemplatives are also social activists. What is new in this thesis is that two Protestants, Campolo and Darling propose it. What is also interesting is that social activist Campolo has to draw on the experience of Darling to support his concept of "mystical Christianity." To develop or experience a mystical Christian life, Darling suggests the practice of the following `ancient' spiritual disciplines
1. The prayer of examen
2. lectio divina
3. Centering prayer

will transform Christians into becoming more aware of the need for evangelism and to act for social justice. This is an important point because without a depth in God, our social activism will be mere `good works'. Thomas Merton explains it in Contemplation in a World of Action as thus, "He who attempts to act and do things for others or for the world without deepening is own self-understanding, freedom, integrity and capacity to love, will not have anything to give others. He will communicate to them nothing but the contagion of his own obsessions, his aggressiveness, his ego-centered ambitions, his delusions about ends and means, his doctrinaire prejudices and ideas."

This is a good book in which the interconnectiveness of Christian spirituality and practices, evangelism and activism for social justice are revealed as essential for a holistic Christian life.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Well worth the read!, June 3, 2008

By	Emily Patton (Pittsburgh, PA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

The God of Intimacy and Action by Tony Campolo and Mary Darling urges the reader to work for justice and tells us that "it is our intimacy with Christ that ignites us to do what God commands."

Intimacy with God is a concept that I have been attracted to for as long as I can remember, but never really understood how to obtain. I consider myself a person who is concerned about justice and loves the Lord, but I have been stuck in a rut. Is going to church, praying when I think about it, and trying to be "good" enough? Darling points out that "a relationship with Jesus should be anything but stagnant of stuck." I came to this book asking, "what next?"

This is not just an inspirational book; it is a textbook on the mystical path. It instructs the reader in practical ways to fuel intimacy. These practices include:
1. The prayer of examen
2. Lectio Divina (holy reading and meditation on the word)
3. Centering prayer
Like many, I have been uncomfortable with words like "mystical," and intimidated by any sort of ancient or meditative practice. Campolo and Darling approach the topic with such humility and add personal stories that lack presumption and are a joy to read.

I was incredibly convicted by this book and didn't realize how much I needed to read it until I was finished. How do I remain full in such an empty world? How can I have a relationship with God that is not just about me, but encourages me to action? How can I expect to be God's light to the world without proactively pursuing intimacy with him? How do I even begin that journey? This book is a must-read for anyone struggling with these types of questions.