Customer Reviews

By Way of the Heart: Toward a Holistic Christian Spirituality

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

A fantastic book in every respect. Written by a Jesuit priest-psychologist who's also a Theology professor at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, California.

At long last, a Catholic scholar who integrates purely human needs with traditional Church teaching and makes complete sense. No dissident theology or new age mumbo-jumbo in this very challenging and thoroughly modern book.

This is a magnificant book by a psychologist/Jesuit. He very practically integrates the real down-to-earth human person and Christian spirituality. This book was purchased as part of a theology class (Loyola, New Orleans), but is worth reading for anyone interested in the topic of sprirituality. Au has a good grasp on what it is to be human, and what various aspects of spirituality may influence one.

Another great book on Spirituality. Good for ministries and personal use. I highly reconmmend this book.

It kills me to rate this book so low. It says many of the right things about Christianity and the soul's longng for God. It describes the pitfalls of the pharasaic life and the idiocy of striving for God's love via acts of good behavior. It speaks of the need to balance community and solitude, ministry and leisure, and self-esteem and self-denial.

But it is so boring! One third of the way into it, I had lost interest. There are so few anecdotes, so much lecturing and abstraction! It is Christianity as a Zen discipline. Maybe I am just too lazy for that, maybe too shallow. But this was just not for me. Too bad, because Christians (Catholics foremost among them) are besieged by voices pulling them toward the very forms of idolatry that Jesus decried. Be it scriptural literalism, papal authoritarianism, anti-scientism, cults of personality or religion-cum-nationalism, our churches are sliding into the chasm of irrelevance and superstition.

Wilkie's heart is in the right place. Perhaps this book would attract those who enjoy Eastern thought. Sadly, it didn't do much for me.