Brian McLaren's latest book is subtitled "The Return of the Ancient Practices." The book is the introductory volume of a series of books written by different Christian authors, called the Ancient Practices Series. The second volume, In Constant Prayer by Robert Benson, is also on bookstore shelves. Additional volumes will be published through 2010 and will cover the topics of sabbath, fasting, the sacred meal, the pilgrimage, the liturgical year, and tithing.
McLaren begins this book in his usual way - Christianity is broke and needs fixing. He paraphrases a quote by Dr. Peter Senge, that Christianity has become a system of belief in a world that is searching for a way of life. Brian also expresses one of his familiar dismays with the modern church - the emphasis on life after death at the expense of life on earth.
(I'm currently reading Surprised by Hope by N.T. Wright, who tackles "life after death" and the bodily resurrection in his book. I'll post a review - soon I hope!)
Brian's third opening point is that each of the Abrahamic faiths - Christianity, Judaism, and Islam - share these ancient practices. Brian suggests that this is a commonality that can be a springboard for constructive relationships among those faiths.
At the end of each chapter, Brian offers the reader some spiritual exercises that can be used individually or in a group. For instance, after the chapter titled Practicing The Way Of Jesus, Brian asks the reader, "To what degree would you describe yourself as a 'Jesus-y' person? What is the story behind your answer?"
Spiritual practices are put into three groups - contemplative, communal and missional. Brian explains how each are not only important to a Christian life, but are interdependent on spiritual growth. Brian then blames the decline in Christian church attendance on the imbalance of these spiritual practices found within churches, and predicts that if change isn't forthcoming, the church faces extinction. Quite a bold statement to make, but it's difficult to disagree with him, especially if you focus on North American Christianity.
In the third part of the book, Brian introduces the ancient process of katharsis, fotosis and theosis - each stage of the process prepares for the next. The way I understand it, "katharsis" is the purging of those things that get in the way of spiritual growth, such as lust, greed, and pride. "Fotosis" as Brian describes it "is about letting the light of God into our souls, our beings, our lives." "Theosis" is the "union of our nature with the nature of God."
That final part has stayed with me since I finished reading the book. I have been feeling disoriented in the past few months. The changes in my life and my family are accelerating at a rate that makes my head spin. As a result, I have not been much of a "Jesus-y" person. I need "katharsis" and I need it badly. At the Everything Must Change event, Brian stated that this book and his next book would be about Christian spirituality. I hope he expands on the themes of katharsis, fotosis and theosis in his next book.
Brian has taken us on yet another wild journey, but this time it's about us, and not so much the world (although "mission" is obviously emphasized in the book).
