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A review by lory_enterenchanted
Streams in the Wasteland: Finding Spiritual Renewal with the Desert Fathers and Mothers by Andrew Arndt, Andrew Arndt
informative
inspiring
reflective
3.0
Reviews and more on my blog: Entering the Enchanted Castle
"If there is any hope, therefore, for the renewal of our culture, the Desert Fathers and Mothers remind us that it will not come through a church bent on protecting itself from the world. Nor will it come from a moralizing church spouting judgment on the world--and least of all from a church trying to 'take back' the culture from the world. All of these are but manifestations of the blockade and chief contributors to the desolation of our age." (from an uncorrected advance copy)
Arndt is a preacher who is trying to make the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers relevant for our time, their radical turning to simplicity, silence, and non-possessiveness in an age when the formerly threatened Church was finally being made secure by its alliance with Empire. Being a Christian is not about "protecting oneself from the world" at all, nor about gaining power and security, but about entering into a process of life as self-giving, constant offering, prayer. It's a good message to keep in mind during our own apocalyptic times.
The excerpts and reflections from ancient texts were good for pondering and reflection, and Arndt's commentary was homely, folksy and down-to-earth -- sometimes too much so for me. I think I'd rather just read the source material. But I did appreciate this introduction to a subject I hadn't known much about.
There were repeated fulminatings against people who are looking for self-realization or to do their own thing, and exhortations to return to the church, which always knows best. I think this is a bit outdated. Humans have evolved, and we do need to individuate and become ourselves, beyond all institutions and rules. Even divorce may be necessary sometimes, gasp! Of course, we do need to return to community, to find our way back to healthy relationships. But Arndt's attitude to the "self-seekers" was too patronizing and one-sided, I think. He admits he's always been part of a church and found his deepest life meaning there, and it seems hard for him to imagine another way.
"If there is any hope, therefore, for the renewal of our culture, the Desert Fathers and Mothers remind us that it will not come through a church bent on protecting itself from the world. Nor will it come from a moralizing church spouting judgment on the world--and least of all from a church trying to 'take back' the culture from the world. All of these are but manifestations of the blockade and chief contributors to the desolation of our age." (from an uncorrected advance copy)
Arndt is a preacher who is trying to make the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers relevant for our time, their radical turning to simplicity, silence, and non-possessiveness in an age when the formerly threatened Church was finally being made secure by its alliance with Empire. Being a Christian is not about "protecting oneself from the world" at all, nor about gaining power and security, but about entering into a process of life as self-giving, constant offering, prayer. It's a good message to keep in mind during our own apocalyptic times.
The excerpts and reflections from ancient texts were good for pondering and reflection, and Arndt's commentary was homely, folksy and down-to-earth -- sometimes too much so for me. I think I'd rather just read the source material. But I did appreciate this introduction to a subject I hadn't known much about.
There were repeated fulminatings against people who are looking for self-realization or to do their own thing, and exhortations to return to the church, which always knows best. I think this is a bit outdated. Humans have evolved, and we do need to individuate and become ourselves, beyond all institutions and rules. Even divorce may be necessary sometimes, gasp! Of course, we do need to return to community, to find our way back to healthy relationships. But Arndt's attitude to the "self-seekers" was too patronizing and one-sided, I think. He admits he's always been part of a church and found his deepest life meaning there, and it seems hard for him to imagine another way.