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

The average rating for The Selfless Way of Christ: Downward Mobility and the Spiritual Life based on 2 reviews is 4.5 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2012-04-04 00:00:00 Forest Neff Human Temptations: To be Relevant: to make or do something that is needed and can be appreciated by people (49) the act of making productivity the basis of our ministry WE ARE NOT WHAT WE PRODUCE To be Spectacular: to do something great, unusual or to attract many eyes (53) WE ARE UNCONDITIONALLY ACCEPTED To be Powerful: having money, connections, fame, skills, and intellectual abilities WE CONNECT WITH OTHERS IN OUR VULNERABILITY AND WEAKNESS To be Mastered by the Holy Spirit: Discipline of the Church (71): a life lived with the experience and concrete manifestation of Christ- Advent, Christmas, Lent, Holy Week, Easter, and Pentecost Discipline of the Book (76): scripture delivers God's word to our hearts, allowing those words to transform us, guiding, opening, removing fears, and dwelling in us. Discipline of the Heart (82): personal prayer, time alone with God to face our tensions, animosities, frustrations, resentments

Review # 2 was written on 2013-08-15 00:00:00 Devan Hawkins A short, profound book. I have probably read more books by him than anyone else in the last 8 years--though they are all short. But they are dense and demand care and attention. As an academic it is easy to think one is escaping (all) the temptations of upwardly-mobile modern society, yet he shows how they pop up again in other ways. We certainly have our own forms of achievement. I aspire to downward mobility, and yet see that success at that aspiration is yet another trap. All I can say right now is that I am trying to rethink/re-feel. 8/23 update: I just got back from a few days with my parents. My father can no longer stand up. He has suffered from Parkinson's for a dozen years. A year ago he had a fall that has left him unable to walk. A month ago he had an infection that has left him unable to stand. He can hardly articulate a complete sentence (though I think he sometimes has complete thoughts in mind). Should we simply hope for his death? Should we vigorously work with him to regain abilities--at least to be able to stand? Should we find a way to accept his downward trajectory as a spiritual gift? The first two options are upward-oriented: Give up on him b/c he is no longer upwardly mobile, or Keep trying to make him upwardly mobile. This book opens up the latter downward option.