The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life [Hardcover]

Parker J. Palmer (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 18, 2008

First published in 1980—and reissued here with a feisty new introductory essay—The Promise of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer’s career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not “either/ors,” allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"Palmer argues that the promise of paradox rests on a single overriding principle: accepting paradox with humility. That is the mortar that binds the very diverse pieces of this book together. And it is that very idea that makes the book worth reading." – Congregations, 2009

From the Inside Flap

The Promise of Paradox

First published in 1980—and reissued here with a feisty new introductory essay—The Promise of Paradox launched Parker J. Palmer's career as an author and his ongoing exploration of the contradictions that vex and enrich our lives. In this probing and heartfelt book, the distinguished writer, teacher, and activist examines some of the challenging questions at the core of Christian spirituality. How do we live with the apparent opposition between good and evil, scarcity and abundance, individuality and community, death and new life? We can hold them as paradoxes, not "either/ors," allowing them to open our minds and hearts to new ways of seeing and being.

Animated by the insights of the Trappist monk Thomas Merton, The Promise of Paradox explores spiritual questions in the open and generous spirit of Christian mysticism, challenging forms of Christianity that are closed and even cruel. There are no easy answers to these questions, and there may be no answers at all. But with the poet Rainer Maria Rilke, Palmer advocates the rich possibilities that emerge when we learn to "live the questions."

As the late Henri Nouwen said in his 1980 introduction, Parker Palmer "has challenged me . . . to keep moving to unknown fields without apprehension or fear. He has taught me to live boldly and freely."

On Living the Paradoxes of Christian Life . . . .

"It is a real joy for me to introduce this first book by Parker Palmer. It is the joy that grows from friendship. I met Parker for the first time only five years ago and today I can hardly think of my life and work apart from the crucial role that Parker has played in them.

"The issues that Parker discusses are basic: solitude, community, social action, political responsibility, prayer and contemplation. They are raised in the context of the words of William Johnston: 'Faith is the breakthrough into that deep realm of the soul which accepts paradox?with humility.' Accepting paradox with humility is the spirit that binds the quite diverse pieces of this book together. And it is the spirit that makes this book worth reading.

"I hope and pray that those who read these essays will sense the spirit in which they were written and thus be challenged as I have been to break out of illusions and compulsions and seek a new freedom."
—From the 1980 introduction by Henri Nouwen, author of The Wounded Healer, The Way of the Heart, and other classic works of Christian spirituality

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 192 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (April 18, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787996963
• ISBN-13: 978-0787996963
• Product Dimensions: 7.3 x 5.3 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #46,005 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

PARKER J. PALMER is a writer, teacher and activist whose work speaks deeply to people in many walks of life. He is founder and senior partner of the Center for Courage & Renewal. His books include "A Hidden Wholeness," "Let Your Life Speak," "The Courage to Teach," "The Active Life," "To Know as We Are Known," "The Company of Strangers," "The Promise of Paradox," "The Heart of Higher Education," and "Healing the Heart of Democracy." He holds a Ph.D. in sociology from the University of California at Berkeley, as well as ten honorary doctorates, two Distinguished Achievement Awards from the National Educational Press Association, and an Award of Excellence from the Associated Church Press. In 1998, the Leadership Project, a national survey of 10,000 educators, named him one of the thirty most influential senior leaders in higher education and one of the ten key agenda-setters of the past decade. In 2010, he was given the William Rainey Harper Award (previously won by Margaret Mead, Marshall McLuhan, Paulo Freire, and Elie Wiesel). "Living the Questions: Essays Inspired by the Work and Life of Parker J. Palmer," was published in 2005. In 2011, the Utne Reader named him as one of "25 Visionaries Who Are Changing Your World"--people who "don't just think out loud but who walk their talk on a daily basis." (See the Oct-Nov 2011 print or online edition.) He lives in Madison, Wisconsin.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Magnificent, July 6, 2008

By 

William Dahl "On Porpoise" (Redmond, OR) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life (Hardcover)

Congratulations (AGAIN...) to Jossey-Bass for a really smart strategic move --- originally published in 1980, Jossey-Bass (John-Wiley & Sons) purchased the rights, including the Introduction by Henri Nouwen and Voila!!! --- Like I said, another strategic masterpiece by Jossey-Bass.

I needed to read this book. As an avowed Christian, I benefit from the struggles of others who claim the name of Christ regarding their preferred faith flavor. As Palmer says in his introduction to this volume, " I find it hard to name my beliefs using traditional Christian language because that vocabulary has been taken hostage by theological terrorists and tortured beyond recognition." (p. xxi).

Palmer's treatise is truly captured early on in this volume when he writes, "Perhaps contradictions are not impediments to the spiritual life but an integral part of it. Through them we may learn that the power power for life comes from God, not from us." (p.2).

For Palmer, "The paradox that we can win only by forgetting about winning is Christianity 101." (p. 23).

This book must be savored like when a chef provides you with a teaspoon of warm broth to contemplate the care with which it has been created...with your eyes shut...slowly...allowing your soul to digest the essence of the delicacy you are savoring.

An incredibly powerful treatise...filled with life-lessons pertinent for today and tomorrow. Well, I guess that how truth actually endures.

Buy this book!!!

17 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Promise of paradox, April 15, 2004

By 

S. J Parker (Edmond, Ok) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life (Hardcover)

This is Parker Palmer's first book. A stunning approach to the central themes of Christian spirituality and introduces a new religious writer of major stature. This book, deeply rooted in the spiritual teaching of Thomas Merton, will have its greatest appeal for those wayfarers whose souls are thirsting for the fresh, living waters of quality spiritual writing.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Insightful perspective on the Christian faith, September 5, 2008

By 

W. Boyd (Madison, WI) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Promise of Paradox: A Celebration of Contradictions in the Christian Life (Hardcover)

It is a joy to re-read this book after experiencing Palmer's journey through the years. I found the book to be just as engaging today as it was when it was first written. I found the new preface to be one of the best articulations of an authentic and well lived faith that I have ever read. He honors not only his faith, but the faith of all traditions, by demanding that it speak beyond the confines of religious communities and our "inside" language. His work for years, and now his faithful words, embody what the Christian faith has known as "incarnational" theology - the word made flesh. I appreciate this wonderful contribution to the ongoing conversation between faith and the public square.