Divine Embrace, The: Recovering the Passionate Spiritual Life (Ancient-Future) (Paperback)

by Robert E. Webber (Author)
Key Phrases: lectio divina, unseen warfare, spiritual life contemplates, Jesus Christ, Holy Spirit, New Age (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
One of the most popular current views on spirituality is that there are varied paths to God. In this new Ancient-Future series book, Bob Webber evaluates this common misunderstanding of spirituality as separated from God's story, extremely self-focused, and shaped by our surrounding culture. This challenging work offers a corrective, calling us to an alternative Christian spirituality, one that reveals two sides-that of God's "divine embrace" of us and our passionate response. The Divine Embrace is a fresh, grounded look at true spirituality that will be embraced by pastors, thinking Christians, and anyone looking for an engaging and thorough treatment of this topic.

From the Back Cover
Learn to live out true Christian spirituality in today's world In The Divine Embrace, part of his acclaimed Ancient-Future series, Robert Webber lays the foundation for understanding Christian spirituality by tracing it from the ancient church to the present, showing how biblical teaching has been developed theologically and informed by changes in culture. He then explores how we can return contemporary spirituality to its biblical source, living out God's story in our individual lives and in our life together as the church. You will be encouraged and equipped to live out your spirituality as a deeper and more delightful response to God's divine embrace. "Robert Webber's new book places him in the good company of Dallas Willard, Richard Foster, and Eugene Peterson as one of our most important thinkers about spiritual formation for authentic Christian living. It provides fresh, wise, and challenging guidance that is rooted in a career of Christian leadership development. It draws from decades of research in church history and spirituality, and flows from the mind of a scholar and the heart of a practitioner. I am a fan of all his work, but I think this is his best and most important book to date."-Brian McLaren, author/speaker, brianmclaren.net "Do not read this book alone! Bob Webber is right: authentic Christian spirituality is a shared response of believers to God's actions on our behalf. Get your small group, Sunday school class, or church to study this challenging message together."-David Neff, editor, Christianity Today magazine "Robert Webber-one of our most trusted voices on worship and discipleship-takes spirituality out of the closet of privacy and individualism and locates it smack in the middle of friendship and community. His is a wonderful, unique vision that cuts across the grain of the 'spirituality industry.'"-James K. A. Smith, associate professor of philosophy, Calvin College Robert E. Webber is Myers Professor of Ministry at Northern Seminary and the president of the Institute for Worship Studies. He is the author of over thirty books, including Ancient-Future Faith and The Younger Evangelicals.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 288 pages
• Publisher: Baker Books (October 1, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0801065550
• ISBN-13: 978-0801065552
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 6 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #258,625 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The richness of Webber's wisdom, knowledge and insight, June 5, 2007

By	FaithfulReader.com (New York, New York) - See all my reviews

Though you wouldn't know it from the title, this is the fourth book in Robert E. Webber's excellent and highly acclaimed Ancient-Future series, one of the most significant contributions to the discussion of the relationship between postmodernism and Christianity. In light of that, emerging church leader Brian McLaren, an admitted fan of Webber's writing, considers THE DIVINE EMBRACE the author's "best and most important book to date." I fully agree, and given that his previous books were all good and important as well, that means McLaren and I place this one in the exceptional category.

One element that makes this book so important is Webber's clarification of the word "spirituality" --- specifically, Christian spirituality as defined and experienced by the ancient church. Webber rescues the word from its ambiguous, anemic use in contemporary society and restores to it all the vibrancy and God-centeredness that is inherent in genuine Christian spirituality. "God has put his arms around us in the divine embrace and has restored our fellowship to him," Webb writes. The book, he explains, is the Christian story of that embrace, "the spirituality that proceeds from it, and how this spirituality can be recovered in a relativistic, postmodern world where spirituality is viewed as a common, contentless experience of otherness." If that postmodern view of spirituality leaves you cold, dissatisfied and more restless than ever, THE DIVINE EMBRACE not only explains why that is but more importantly shows what you can do about it.

Part of Webber's genius lies in his ability to articulate a thorough study of spirituality in a warm, reflective tone. There is plenty of research and information here, particularly about how the Christian view of spirituality was manifested throughout history. But Webber speaks to the heart as well as the mind, and you're likely to find yourself worshiping God right smack in the middle of a section about the devastating effects of scholastic theology on medieval mysticism. And because the concept of the incarnation is central to the entire book, Webber keeps it real and down-to-earth by frequently reminding us that God came to us in the flesh and lived among us.

"Spirituality is grounded in God's embrace of our human condition and the reversal of human life accomplished by God's two hands [the incarnate Word and the Spirit] and modeled for us in Jesus," Webber writes. "Jesus is not only the sacrifice for our sin, the victor over death for us, he is also the perfect example of the one who lives in full union with the embrace of God." He emphasizes that the authentic Christian life is neither a superspiritual one nor a rejection of everyday life on earth: "It is, rather, an intentional living into the purposes of God."

Readers familiar with Webber's other books, including the groundbreaking THE YOUNGER EVANGELICALS, can rest assured that THE DIVINE EMBRACE measures up to the high standard those other books set. And new readers can't do better than to discover the richness of Webber's wisdom, knowledge and insight, as well as his considerable talent as a writer, in this latest volume in the Ancient-Future series.

--- Reviewed by Marcia Ford

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the best books on Spirituality, December 30, 2007

By	Matthew Morine (Castle Rock, CO) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

While I was in Canada for the Holidays, I was blessed to accomplish some reading. The "Divine Embrace" was not a planned read, because I was going to spend most of the time on hockey books. But I brought this book along "case in just". Thankfully I did. This is one of the best Christian books I have ever read. For those of you who read this blog, you know I read a lot. This book dealt with the topic of spirituality in a highly Biblical way. It roots spirituality in the narrative of the God story. Unlike many modern expressions that are centered in self, this spirituality is centered in the story of God. It gives a great overview of the various expressions through the ages of Christianity. This section was extremely interesting. The author continues by fleshing out the practice of spirituality. One of the strongest points of the book is his emphasis on baptism. The book is deep, but readable. It has a spirituality that is highly rooted in the Biblical text. If you are looking for a wonderful book on spirituality and the various expressions of this discipline, this is the book for you. I highly recommend it to Christians that desire to grow stronger in their relationship with God.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ricky Persons - Southern Baptist Seminary student, May 14, 2007

By	Theo Student "COP" (Wake Forest, NC USA) - See all my reviews

Webber overcomes what I understand to be one of the greater difficulties for conservative evangelicals in pursuit of Christian spirituality--connecting that spirituality to the gospel. It is definitely worth the read. One weakness I note in the work is a point of clarity--Webber critiques spirituality which is a turn to the self. He seems to mean a spirituality which encourages too much introspection in lieu of other elements of spirituality. This critique could be more clear. He does not as a rule name names in this critique; such a practice would have been helpful. Walking the line between clarity and graciousness is not always so easy. I will be pleased if I do it as well as Webber has this work.