The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy [Hardcover]

Calvin Miller (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 11, 2007

Discover an ancient way of prayer that leads us to new union with God. "Long ago," Calvin Miller writes, "when the Celts built their own rustic kingdom of God in what would later be the British Isles, their fervor in prayer washed their world in a vital revival." In uncertain and dangerous days of high infant-mortality rates, leprosy and plagues, the Celts breathed candid prayers out of the reality of their lives: Desperate prayers for protection. Praise for the God who was king over all creation. Honest prayers of confession. In these pages, Miller introduces us to six types of Celtic prayer that can connect us to God more deeply by helping us pray out of the circumstances and uncertainties of our own life. "This book proposes a kind of prayer that can end our amputated feelings of separateness from God," says Miller. What was true for the Celts is still true for us: "Hunger for Christ keeps us talking to God till our separation is swallowed up in our unending togetherness with him." As rich as the faith they describe, these pages lead us on an ancient path that gives guidance for present and future prayers, until the day the Celts longed for, when all separation is gone and we live forever in the presence of God.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Calvin Miller (M.Div., Ph.D., Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary) is currently a professor at Beeson Divinity School. The author of more than forty books and many more articles, Miller is also well-known as a poet, artist, novelist and speaker. His latest works include Preaching (Baker), O Shepherd Where Art Thou? (Broadman) and Conversations with Jesus (Harvest House). He sums up his primary rule for life in four words: "Time is a gift."

Product Details

• Hardcover: 170 pages
• Publisher: IVP Books (May 11, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0830835040
• ISBN-13: 978-0830835041
• Product Dimensions: 8.2 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #240,487 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Calvin Miller has written over 40 books of popular theology and inspiration. A former pastor, he is professor of preaching and pastoral ministry at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama. He and his wife, Joyce, have two grown children.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

25 of 26 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars praying with the celts, June 2, 2007

By 

Daniel B. Clendenin (www.journeywithjesus.net) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy (Hardcover)

This short book by Calvin Miller is not a technical study of Celtic theology, history, or even prayer, but rather a practical manual that intends to help people deepen their practice of prayer. It takes its general inspiration from Celtic prayer and is not an indepth study of the Celts. "In this book," writes Miller, "I hope to offer you some aspects of Celtic spiritual practices as a springboard that might enable your prayer life to reach new heights." After a short introductory chapter, Miller devotes one chapter each to six principles or types of prayer that he has gleaned from Celtic spirituality: Trinity Prayer; Scripture Prayer; Long, Wandering Prayer; Nature Prayer; Lorica Prayer (lorica is Latin for breastplate); and Confessional Prayer.

Miller tends to romanticize Celtic spirituality as a "faith of great vitality," and characterize as lackluster modern habits of discipleship. But whether the past was so great and the present so bad is a debatable generalization. Also, in proposing "a kind of prayer that can end our amputated feelings of separateness from God," Miller treads a thin line between offering yet one more "technique," as opposed to careful advice about a lifelong spiritual discipline. I nevertheless enjoyed his many references to and examples of Celtic prayer, and the exercises at the end of each chapter take the reader from mere theory to practice. Many people have lamented the ignorance on the part of contemporary believers for our spiritual forbears, and Miller's popular book aimed for a general readership is a good place to begin to connect with saints who have gone before us.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Everyone's Approach to Celtic Prayer, October 29, 2007

By 

Scotsman (WY United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy (Hardcover)

I do appreciate the practical level on which Dr. Miller has put this book together. His book avoids the numerous traps and myths that tend to accompany research on the issue of celtic spirituality. While not extensive on the subject, at 161 pages of text, the book provides a good foundation for prayer life of those desiring a deeper relationship with the Creator. He remarks to his readers that the "book is not a history nor a cultural examination of the Celts" but a guide for prayer (pg 8). The primary source material used and quoted is invaluable for anyone's research. It is a simple read that students of Celtic Christianity will refer to many times over.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A True Gem, January 14, 2008

By 

F. D. Driscoll (East Longmeadow, Massachusetts United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Path of Celtic Prayer: An Ancient Way to Everyday Joy (Hardcover)

I found this book to be one of the most helpful books on Christian spirituality that I have ever read. The author is an exceptional writer able to distill profound thought into few words. How Much did I like the book? We bought four more for members of our family.