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Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom

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Albert Nolan was born in 1934 in Cape Town a 4th generation South African who rose to international acclaim with the publication of his first book, Jesus Before Christianity, was recently reissued on its 25th anniversary. Jesus Before Christ, translated into nine languages, was described by theologian Harvey Cox as "the most accurate and balanced short reconstruction of the life of the historical Jesus."

In 2003, the South African government awarded him the Order of Luthuli in recognition of "his lifelong dedication to the struggle for democracy, human rights and justice and for challenging the religious dogma including theological justification of apartheid." The award is named after Chief Albert Luthuli, South Africa's first Nobel Peace Prize winner.

In this long-awaited sequel, Nolan describes the modern signs that underlay our spiritual hunger: the crisis of individualism, ecological breakdowns, the global divide between rich and poor, our unprecedented skepticism and a disconnect with our past and our failing efforts to reconnect through fundamentalism and Neo-conservatism.

Besides spiritual hunger we face the crisis of individualism that is ending up in a cultist worship of the ego and the erosion of community. People have fewer friends than they did 20 years ago and this rising disconnect can be seen in the growing prevalence of anger and anxiety. The hunger for spirituality is a hunger for freedom from materials, self-indulgence, postmodernism, oppression, and individualism. It is a freedom from self-sufficiency, independence, and separation that have brought us to the edge of chaos.

When Nolan discusses the contributions of a new science beginning with Einstein a new and more hopeful world paradigm emerges: science as an ally with faith in the discovery of new mysteries of the universe: "Light, for example, is neither a wave nor a particle: it is something beyond our mind and imagination . . . it is a mystery." (P. 36). The world is filled with puzzles yet unsolved and possibly never solved like how the writing out of a tiny strand of DNA instructions would fill a thousand books each 600 pages long or Niels Bohr's quantum leap where particles in orbit may jump from one orbit to another without passing through the space between them--another mystery.

His reflections on mysticism's essentially incommunicable insights into God and reality are particularly good. Christian mystical writing form two paths: Apophatic (Via Negativa) and Kataphatic (Via Positiva). Nolan presents Apophatic mysticism without over complicating it with too much information. Christianity was, after all, a mystical sect that grew out of Judaism as Gnosticism grew out of Christianity. In the Apophatic tradition we can know only what God is not. God is not an object that can be compared to other objects, nor is God a mystery, one mystery among others, but the mystery. This is the language of paradox that, like a Zen kaon, puts into words what cannot be described but must be experienced as Moses experienced a hidden God in the burning bush.

Nolan proceeds to describe the elements of Jesus' spirituality: a way of healing that combines prophecy and mysticism with profound love. And love itself is a mystery since, if one is allowed one descriptor of God, it is Love, a term that belies a galaxy of words but is understood instantly in its experience:

"The way my mother loved was a mighty force. And she loved me so much sometimes it scared me. I knew by the way her eyes were almost backlit with affection when she saw me coming up the stairs and the way her voice was raised an octave when she heard my voice on the other end of a call to her. There was nothing she would not have done for me all my life."
-- Dorothea Benton Frank, The Land of Mango Sunsets.

albert is a brilliant theologian who is strongly in touch with the spirit of god. his message is truth, love and personal and global transformation. he knows that the kingdom is already here if we choose to see it. if you are on a path to greater mystical and spiritual awareness this book will help you. all his other books are excellent also. they are easy to read. god bless you on the road...

Albert Nolan embodies, in a rare combination, the qualities of deep Spirituality, theology of the New Testament and the ability to engage the reader in their own contextual situations.

Albert has a unique style - easy reading and yet very profound thoughts that reach the heart of the reader.

This is a must read. Albert Nolan is a great thinker and writer. This book is radically about Jesus. This is not the sugar-coated Jesus. This is for people seeking a deeper encounter.

Finally, a book that does not focus on the historical Jesus or cover and recover that typical ideas and insights into Jesus. It seems as though Albert Nolan, a Domincan priest, is a person who has engaged in the spiritual life both in thought and action, and is able to say something "new". Not just new, but this book gave me something worth reading on almost every page.

In short --- the book "resurrects" Jesus into the modern world without diminishing his stature.

The book is divided into three sections: The first presents a depiction of the present day world. The second paints a picture of Jesus' spirituality that can be seen by reading carefully the gospels. Third, Nolan describes a spirituality which will be meaniningful in part or in toto for the readers themselves to follow.

Highly recommended.

The book is a refreshing analysis of Jesus' spirituality, based on his radical freedom of speech and behavior, which was something quite new and surprising to the ears and eyes of the people of his time. Jesus' intimate relationship with his Father, and the resulting trust in Him, explains why he feared nobody, be it Pilate or the high priest. The book is also an invitation for us to read the signs of our times and to develop a practical spirituality according to the model of Jesus.
Among the signs of our times there is the growing separation of spirituality from religion. Yet the author doesn't wish to divide or antagonize, but to unify. He wishes to do away with the body-soul dualism, as well as with individualism which separates us from other people, and tends to destroy our human community and its natural environment. He wants to reconcile science and spirituality since modern scientists, like theologians, can't always say for sure what they actually know.
Jesus appears to be turning the world upside down, and yet he actually turns it right side up by ridding it from the illusions and distortions of the ego, in order to transform it into the kingdom of God.
All along the book the author explains how we are actually one with ourselves, one with the other human beings, one with the universe and one with God. And he says that once we make this experience of oneness we will find it gloriously liberating.
We will recover our real identity, not as separate individuals, but as persons who are part and parcel of the whole human community.
What we should seek is not freedom for our ego, but freedom from our ego, so that we become free to act according to the will of God.
Easy to read and gratifying

This book was so good that I ordered enough to give as gifts to my children and husband plus one to lend. I plan to reread it very carefully. I also read Nolan's earlier book "Christ before Christianity" and found it to be very good.Both books brought into focus how radical Jesus was to his hearers and how timely he is for today.

Albert Nolan's JESUS TODAY: A SPIRITUALITY OF RADICAL FREEDOM offers a fine sequel to his popular classic JESUS BEFORE CHRISTIANITY, and focuses on the spirituality of Jesus and his relevance in modern times. This outline is perfect for Christian spiritual holdings: if offers perspectives and lessons which make for deeper spiritual insights.

One of the most important and shocking book that I've ever read. It has the power to change a life.

I have struggled to find the place to enable myself to track this product: before, during and after the purchase process. BUT, I am looking forward to make good use of the book, as a gift.