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The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life

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First published in 1981 as a series of articles in "Sojourners" magazine, The Selfless Way of Christ is Henri Nouwen at his best. Although the themes won't be unfamiliar to readers of his books, his presentation of them here is succinct and eloquent. The van Gogh sketches that accompany the text are also beautiful and haunting.

In The Selfless Way of Christ, Nouwen argues that the way of the Christian is the way of Christ: what he marvellously calls "downward mobility." Just as Jesus self-emptied for the sake of others, practicing humility, nonviolence, nonjudgmentalism, and sacrificial love, so must those who call themselves his disciples. This is our vocation.

But the culture in which we live tempts us, of course, with the path of "upward mobility." Actually, this has always been a temptation in all civilizations. The scriptural story of Jesus' three temptations speaks to it, and the second chapter of the book is Nouwen's interpretation of the story. In his hands, the three temptations are the urge to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful.

To follow the downward path and avoid the temptation of the upward one, Nouwen ends the book with a chapter on the disciplines of spiritual formation. He makes it clear that it's the Holy Spirit that disciplines us, not our own efforts or will alone. The Holy Spirit works through the Church, through scripture, and through prayer. In the first we encounter the living Christ in time and space; in the second we encounter the incarnate presence of God in concrete terms; and in the third, we cultivate an inner openness or receptivity to God.

Nouwen says that we'll never be free of the tension between our vocation to downward, and our great temptation to upward, mobility. "But when we persevere with hope, courage, and confidence, we will come to fully realize in our innermost being that through the downward road of Christ we will enter with him into his glory" (p. 93). Well said indeed.

I have numerous books by Henri Nouwen, but this one has to be my favorite. Its message is that of authenticity through humility: we must relinquish our desire to be powerful if we are to obey Christ, who desired to make us whole. Nouwen wrote, "the mystery of our ministry is that we are called to serve not with our power but with our powerlessness." We are "sent into the world naked, vulnerable and weak." We cannot be followers of Christ, serving "our neighbors for their sake and not our own," unless our service has its source in "undivided attention to God." Such service requires true poverty, a "self-emptied heart." This book is profoundly comforting and provides sure guidance along the narrow (and yet gentle) path.

~Logospilgrim, author of 'Just a thistle'

This is one of Henri Nouwen best books. It is particularly relevant now due to the events happening in the economic world. Many people are beginning to question if the `rat race" is worth it. In this book Nouwen argues that we follow Christ best by "downward mobility".

On page 34 he says, "Somewhere deep in our hearts we already know that success, fame, influence, power, and money do not give us the inner joy and peace we crave. Somewhere we can even sense a certain envy of those who have shed all false ambitions and found a deeper fulfillment in their relationships with God. Yes, somewhere we can even get a taste of that mysterious joy in the smile of those who have nothing to lose."

We are tempted by our culture to always look for more. Henri Nouwen shows us a new path.

The Vincent van Gogh sketches compliment the book very nicely. They beautifully illustrate the human feelings we all have.

I just wanted to add my two cents to the value of this book.

I've been a struggling Christian for the past 4 years, constantly fighting, never understanding, fearful, and full of anxiety about my place in the world and in God's family. I lived in a state of confusion and great darkness for a long time.

But God, through His prevenient grace, and through His Holy Spirit working on my life, led me to this book and I can say that it it completely changing my life. I had not realized how deeply swayed I was by the culture of Upward Mobility that we live in in the US. I basically thought that my worth was measured by my production, my acclaim, and the extent of control that I could exercise.

The ministry of powerlessness is changing my life. And God is becoming all in all.

I'm only 25, and I thought I was ready to fold up and die. This book brought me hope.

No true believer can truly say that he or she is walking in the example Jesus left after reading this book. It is a reality booster; it challenges your own imbedded theology; and it presents the hope needed to walk effectively in the footsteps of Jesus. This is a must read on all level.s

This is an amazing view of how we need to be when we have submitted ourselves to Christ. A must read for the next setp.

A wonderful book and a very quick read. This was my first "Nouwen" book and I will certainly get more.

An excellent book. Nowen writes simply in a way that invites the reader to follow Christ's humble route and lets her know how to make changes that will lid in that direction.