Series of lectures on spiritual development

Over the last couple months I have come to the conclusion that Evangelicals (of whom I am one) are good at sharing the gospel and keeping the importance of conversion squarely in their sights.

But I have also come to see that groups that assume the large scale Christianity of their communities (those that have been state churches) have done much more thinking about how to live as a Christian.

It is cliche (and I think at least partially true) that Evangelicals are interested in you up until your conversion. After that I think we fall into the Paul problem of continuing to feed one another spiritual milk. We are still trying to save one another. But I think those that theologically are more oriented toward infant baptism and Christendom have thought more about living as a Christian. (The negative for them is that they also now need to evangelize their own as Christendom has broken down.)

There is nothing wrong with keeping the gospel at the forefront of our Christianity. But that does not mean that we need to keep the basic gospel message as the main content of our Christian teaching.

So I have been seriously thinking about finding a Roman Catholic spiritual director particularly because I want to learn more about spiritual growth from a different perspective. (On the other hand I have had a couple Evangelicals recommended to me, if you think of it, this is something I am still praying through and I would welcome your prayer for me.)

Richard Rohr has been interesting to me since I first read his book Falling Foward. Later I listened to his lectures that were turned into a book Why Be Catholic. And I want to read more about his work in male initiation rites and spiritual development.

But as I was looking around for an audiobook the other day I picked up The Art of Letting Go. It is not a book that is narrated, but rather six talks that are packaged together as an audiobook. They sound like they were prepared for those that want to go on a spiritual retreat with Rohr, but can only listen to an audiobook or lecture instead.

Many Evangelicals will probably find multiple places strange and questionable. But on the whole these are much more like Eugene Peterson’s memoir The Pastor or Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead. These sound more like a personal conversation with a spiritual mentor about how to grow spiritually.

There are six different sections, each about an hour about an area that Rohr thinks we need to let go of in order to grow spiritually. There is so much content here (in just 6 hours) that I will not attempt to recount it but only give a few thoughts. St Francis is a reoccurring character, but not really the subject of the book. The main subject of the book is the paradox of Christianity that God often uses what we perceive as loss to help us grow.

So we experience pain and through that pain we realize that we are not in charge of our lives and we give up trying to control a particular area of life and then God is able to draw us in to a deeper spiritual connection with him.

One thing I thought is useful is that Rohr is careful to say that people that are not growing spiritually are still Christian. And I think that is part of the problem with Evangelical theology (mine included) that we mix up redemption and sanctification. From the point of Salvation we are saved. But that is just the start of our spiritual growth as a Christian. God desires more for us, but does not force it on us. There is a paradox of the reality that we cannot growth spiritually under our own power, but God gives us the power (through the Holy Spirit) to move forward spiritually. But it seems that not being obedient and not following God allows us to miss out on spiritual growth.

Spiritual growth is not a knowledge problem, it is an obedience problem. This has been a reoccurring theme of my reading lately. And it is one that is hard to get around.

This is a series of lectures that needs more than one sitting. I think I will put it on my calendar to listen to again in another year.

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58 people found this helpful

delivery a bit disappointing;still a 5 star listen

As a long time listener of Rohr audio (tapes dating back to 1976), I found the delivery in this sounded more "scripted" than his usual dynamic and enthusiastic spontaneous style. However, it condenses and updates his older audio "Spirituality of Subtraction" very nicely. This retreat is directed at a broader audience than his usual Christian, and that somehow broadens his presentation of Francis' radical critique of society even more.

Good to see a teacher like Rohr on Sounds True and Audible.

He is not a fad teacher and walks the talk (or the silence), and has been doing so for decades. His wisdom grows over the years and can benefit anyone interested in spirituality, no matter the variation.

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50 people found this helpful

Buy his Eager to Love print book instead.

I really love Richard Rohr, and was happy to see a bunch of his books on Audible. Sadly, most of them are read by an atrocious narrator, so I've stayed away. However, when I saw that some of the titles here are not audio books but rather, audio teaching, I was excited to try one out. This one was fairly enjoyable, and Rohr's voice is pleasant to hear on 1.5x or 2.0 (otherwise, it's painfully slow on this one as he's reading a script, unlike the others that feature live teaching). But the content--inspired by Francis of Assisi's life and teaching--isn't by far as profound as Rohr's brilliant book Eager to Love. I'd highly recommend buying this book instead (but not the audio book due to said atrocious narrator who sucks the life out of the content) if you're interested in this topic. It's profound and even life-changing, whereas a lot of this content is forgettable.

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31 people found this helpful

A spiritual retreat of sorts

I really enjoyed listening to this program. It was as if I was on a spiritual retreat as I listened to Richard Rohr talk about the life of St. Francis and apply it to my life today. The insights offered transcended religion and dogma and addressed my real spiritual needs. For anyone trying to learn how to "Let go and let God," this is right on target.

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22 people found this helpful

Life changing

I've been Christian then new thought then went through 12 step and started to circle back to Christianity who made me wonder what part did I have wrong. Rohr's 9 steps of spiritual development explained it all and made it all make sense. Now I know my broken heart and broken self is of use. And right on track.

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20 people found this helpful

Well Done Brother!

On your spiritual journey seeking God, Fr Richard Rohr brings St Francis to life. He alows us to visualize with great clarity how St Francis was able to Let Go from things of this world. I found in The Art of Letting Go, as Pope John Paul II said on his death bead, "I have been searching for you all my life, and now you have found me" has a new meaning.

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19 people found this helpful

a lot of liberal, a little Francis

I really wanted to love this book. It contains so much of Rohr's liberal opinions & so little of Francis's teachings, I simply could not. From exampling talking down to a less educated congregation to claiming someone living in a state the Bible declares sin is holy, it is extremely awkward to digest this book through the lens of God's Holy Word. As a Christian & clergy, I agree there is much we need to let go. The truth of Scripture, however, is certainly not on that list, & never shall be for those who love Christ & keep His Word.
Sadly disappointing.

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12 people found this helpful

Heart and Soul Provoking..

Would you listen to The Art of Letting Go again? Why?

I have listened to it 3 times and get something new each time

What did you like best about this story?

Answered my question as to why I don't feel at home in this world...

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7 people found this helpful

Dull narration, excellent content

The content was very profound but the narration was, unfortunately, quite dull. I still recommend it as it provides a good perspective on how to attain a state of contentment.

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5 people found this helpful

Longest homily - ever.

A lot of good information, but the narrator, could be due to the content, made it sound like the longest homily I've ever heard. I do regret using a credit for this download.

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5 people found this helpful