Finding Our Way Again: The Return of the Ancient Practices (Hardcover)

by Brian D. McLaren (Author), Phyllis Tickle (Editor)
Key Phrases: shallow trouble, via unitiva, threefold way, Saint Francis, Holy Spirit, New Testament (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Prolific author and pastor McLaren is a big-picture guy. One of the most influential thinkers in the emergent church movement, he likes to analyze and categorize. This book, which inaugurates a series about traditional spiritual practices, paves the way for future installments by elaborating the big-picture rationale for spiritual disciplines: they cleanse us, enlighten us and bring us closer to God. As the title signals, they will also help us find our way past the unsatisfactory alternatives of secularism, dangerous fundamentalism and mushy spirituality. The former English teacher has a gift for the pithy phrase that nails a concept: faithing our practices is seeing the sacred value of everyday activities, for example. McLaren fans will enjoy his usual breadth of vision, easy style of exposition and synthesis of big ideas. His more conservative detractors may find him too generous in his references to the other two Abrahamic faiths in discussing spiritual practices. This book nicely opens the door for a series as well as a more disciplined Christian life. (May 6)
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Product Description
Shines a practical light on the spiritual disciplines that have been in use since the time of Abraham.

In a sense, every day of our lives is labor. It is questionable if you can ever be exactly the same person waking up on two consecutive days. How are spiritual sojourners to cope with the constant change? Many are beginning to explore the ancient Christian spiritual practices that have been in use for centuries, everything from fixed-hour prayer to fasting to sincere observance of the Sabbath. What is causing this hunger for deeper spirituality?

Brian McLaren guides us on this quest for an explanation of these spiritual practices, many of which go all the way back to Abraham and the establishment of Israel. In the midst of contemporary Christianity, we discover the beauty of these ancient disciplines and the transformation through Christ that each can provide.

Why have certain spiritual disciplines been in use for centuries and why is it important?

It is questionable if one can ever be exactly the same person waking up on two consecutive days. How are spiritual sojourners to cope with the constant change? Many are beginning to explore the ancient Christian spiritual practices, such as fixed-hour prayer, fasting and sincere observance of the Sabbath. What is causing this hunger for deeper spirituality?

Brian McLaren guides us on this quest for an explanation of these spiritual practices, many of which go all the way back to Abraham and the establishment of Israel. In the midst of contemporary Christianity, we discover the beauty of these disciplines and the transformation through Christ that each can provide.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 240 pages
• Publisher: Thomas Nelson (May 6, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0849901146
• ISBN-13: 978-0849901140
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars See all reviews (14 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #75,824 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

53 of 56 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Loved it, May 28, 2008

By	Bob Hyatt (USA) - See all my reviews

So, all in all, I loved Finding Our Way Again. Loved it. Been carrying it around, sneaking pages when I could... I think I want to make it the text for our Life in the Way of Jesus theology pub, the one designed to introduce folks in our church to the disciplines. Not because the book itself is an exhaustive treatment of spiritual disciplines, but because in the whole sense of "If you want some people to build a boat, don't give them the plans, give them a love of the sea" this book will, I think, give people a passion for Christianity as a way of life which includes a set of common practices that enrich us, change us, and form us.

First, the quibble, then the good stuff.

The book is heavy on seeing commonality between the spiritual practices of Islam, Judaism and Christianity. Our beliefs about many things, most notably the person of Jesus, may divide us in some senses, but Brian brings out at the beginning and end of the book the fact that when it comes to practices like prayer, fasting, sabbath, reading/meditating on/memorizing the Scriptures, we have much in common. I asked him why he emphasized this and he gave me two reasons- 1st, the editor of the series asked him to. But second, Brian says he's an evangelist at heart. His desire is to tell everyone who wants to hear it about Jesus. In his mind, emphasizing our commonalities leads to friendships and relationships... and those are the lines along which the Gospel flows best. Imagine trying to talk to your Muslim neighbor about Jesus. Sound tough?
Now imagine trying to have the same conversation after you have shared meals together, walked and talked about how you pray, what things you pray for, how you try to order your life around times of fasting and sabbath... Makes it a bit easier.
The third reason this emphasis, which Brian didn't mention but that the book makes clear is Brian's desire to see peace reign in the world. The last words of the book:
"What if there is a treasure hidden in the field of our three great monotheisms, long buried but waiting to be rediscovered? And what if the treasure is a way... a way that can train us to stop killing and hating and instead to work together, under God, joining God, to build a better world, a city of God? What if our suffering and fear are not intended to inspire deadly cycles of defense and counterattack in a vain search for peace through domination, but instead, what if they can serve to break and soften us like a plowed field after rain so that the seed of God's kingdom- a few notes of God's eternal harmony- can grow within us and among us?
This is my hope. And this is our hope. Amen."

I was actually looking forward to writing a completely positive review of this book, but that last little bit, while I agree completely with the end goal of peace, is lacking so much the active ingredient of Jesus, the Prince of Peace, that it feels... not just incomplete, but actually off the mark. Do I want Christians, Muslims and Jews to (as Bono and the bumper stickers suggest) "coexist"? Absolutely? Do I think the way to accomplish that is through a focus on shared spiritual disciplines? Well, it certainly couldn't hurt. But simply focusing on our commonalities isn't enough- not without dealing with the one, huge, undeniable difference between us.
Our hope isn't shared practice- our hope is Jesus.

But...
I think that within the context of this book, and his desire to see us stop the suicidal spiral of violence and hatred, what Brian says makes sense- I might have said it differently, sure...

Other than really that last paragraph, I just ate this book up. McLaren begins by talking through why spiritual practices matter- "Spiritual practices are a way of exercising intention regarding the kinds of people we are becoming at every turn."

He moves through the origins of spiritual practice, and into practicing the way of Jesus. "I am a follower of Jesus," he writes." My spiritual formation has taken place in a Christian context. That's not to say I haven't learned from and been inspired by Jews, Muslims, Buddhists, Hindus, Native Peoples, atheists, and others. But it is to say (in the language of Anne Lamott) that I am at heart a Jesus-y person, and my view of God and spiritual practices has most deeply been formed in the context of the life, message , and mission of this Galilean Jew who is seen by many Jews and all Muslims as a great man and uniquely gifted prophet, and confessed by Christians as the Savior of the world...
By a new kingdom, Jesus meant a new way of life, a new arrangement and set of values, a new order and a new array of priorities and commitments, a new vision of peace and how to achieve it. It was, in short, a new way that called for new practices."

From there McLaren talks about the idea that practicing disciplines in small ways and areas that don't matter much makes a big difference when it comes to those make-or-break moments and the areas that really do matter. His chapter on "Practice Makes Possible" was so dang good, I gave a pdf of it to our elders (who loved it) and used it as a starting point for discussing how our communal practices form and shape us.

The next few chapters are taken up with contemplative, communal and missional practices- a three-fold distinction I found particularly helpful, especially the discussion of communal practices. It's trendy to talk these days about abandoning formal community for being a free-range Christian who hangs out and talks spirituality with a few close buddies... McLaren doesn't exactly "take on that" idea- but the picture he presents of a community sharing a rhythm and disciplines together which then launch them out into mission is so appealing, so attractive... it brings the pain and struggle of community into perspective and, in a sense, shows how "worth it" it can be.

The book's final third is spent discussing the ancient, three-fold ways of katharsis, fotosis and theosis... basically, and ancient way of looking at spiritual growth and maturity that I found fascinating, both for its focus on, not step by step instructions, but concrete spiritual practices and mindsets that lead to growth- and again- not the instant growth of the new and trendy- which often fades as the novelty does, but the slow steady growth of good habits and practice that eventually, over years, bears the kind of fruit we all want and helps us be the kinds of people we dream of being.

Again- I loved this book and highly recommend it. There's not only enough in here to drive the heretic hunters batty, but also enough to move you into thinking about your own spiritual practices, your own journey with God and ultimately, how your disciplines, and the disciplines you commit to with your community can form and transform not just you, but all those around you.

24 of 25 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Walking the proved paths, June 15, 2008

By	Alex Tang "the reader" (Malaysia) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Brian McLaren never ceases to amuse me because he keeps on popping up in unexpected places and writing/speaking of unexpected topics. This time, he is speaking of the ancient spiritual practices or spiritual disciplines of the ancient church. However, I am not surprised because I see the coming convergence of the ancient-evangelical future church movement, the missional ecclesiology, and the emerging church movement.

I find McLaren's thesis for this book important for all Christians, if only they will stop criticising him long enough to listen to what he has to say. It was in the first chapter that he dropped the bombshell. He was telling a story about him conducting an interview with Dr. Peter Senge (father of systems theory and author of The Fifth Discipline). Senge was saying that in any bookstore, the best selling books will be on how to get rich and the second will be on Buddhism. Why Buddhism? Senge replied "I think it's because Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief.'

McLaren went on to explain that what is important is not either/or but both/and. Christianity needs a system of belief and a way of life or else it is not relevant. It will not give to what people are searching for today. McLaren suggests that we (Christians) have to rediscover our faith as a way of life, shaped and strengthened by ancient practices (p.6).


In any discussion about the ancient practices, one usually comes to the contemplative versus the active life or the Mary/Martha conflict. McLaren's solution was rather simplistic in that he lumps it all in a circle and place it in heaven and earth. What he did was to repeat what Ignatius of Loyola was teaching the Jesuit during the counter-Reformation times of Martin Luther: the sacredness of the everyday life. This was also the teachings of other Christian mystics such as Margery Kempe. Recently discovered by the Protestants, it is now strongly advocated by Richard Foster, Diana Bass and Phyllis Tickle. The way of the Christian life is to be both active and contemplative at the same time.

As in other McLaren's books, I learned a number of new words to the English language such as `open-source spirituality' which McLaren use to mean Christians learning and mentoring from each other; `faithing our practices'; `otherliness' (mean love); and this memorable quote from Doug Pagitt "preaching without speeching."

This is a good introductory book to Christian spirituality and Christian spiritual disciplines. It is highly readable, written in McLaren's conversational style with lots and lots of stories to illustrate his points.

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Uplift Your Spiritual Life, May 18, 2008

By	Craig Kennet Miller "1" - See all my reviews

Finding Our Way Again is a book you will want to keep close. Less a book than a spiritual guide, Mclaren focuses his attention on the reader - challenging each of us to take a close look in the mirror, especially if you call yourself a Christian. Early in the book he reflects on a conversation with Dr. Senge about why people seemed to be moving away from Christianity towards Eastern Religions. Senge says, "I think it's because Buddhism presents itself as a way of life, and Christianity presents itself as a system of belief." The rest of the book invites the reader to see Christianty as a way of Life that impacts all of life's moments, not just the holy hour on Sunday morning. Rejecting "militarist scienfitic secularism, pushy religious fundamentalism, and mushy amorphous spirituality", Mclaren points to a fourth way to enagage the spiritual life -- bringing ancient spiritual practices to bear on the emerging world. So if you are up to the challenge I encourage you to live your way through Finding Our Way Again, not only reading the text but also using the spiritual exercises to refresh your soul and your perspective of what it means to follow Jesus.

Craig Kennet Miller
7 Myths of the United Methodist Church