The Sacred Way

by Tony Jones, Phyllis Tickle (Foreword)

Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life

Genres: Spirituality, Prayer, Theology, Christian, Christian Non Fiction, Christianity, Nonfiction

Paperback

First published February 1, 2005

About the author

Tony Jones is the author of The God of Wild Places: Rediscovering the Divine in the Untamed Outdoors (2024) and an award-winning outdoors writer. He’s written a dozen books, including Did God Kill Jesus? and The Sacred Way: Spiritual Practices for Everyday Life. Tony hosts the Reverend Hunter Podcast, and teaches at Fuller Theological Seminary. He served as a consultant on the television show, The Path, and he owns an event planning company, Crucible Creative. He holds an A.B. from Dartmouth College, an M.Div. from Fuller Theological Seminary, and a Ph.D. from Princeton Theological Seminary. Tony is married, has three children, and lives in Edina, Minnesota.

Reviews

[Dodi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Concise, well researched and articulated, relevant introduction to ancient spiritual practices and their purpose and function in a modern world. Personally, has been pivotal in lifting me out of the 5 year spiritual void I have experienced, helping to set me back on the journey.

[Lori Taylor · Rating 5 out of 5]

I would highly recommend this book for those looking at deepening their intimacy with God through spiritual practices. Simple, rich, attainable, meaningful. This will be a reference I return to whenever I am needing to revise, refine, or enliven my faith practices for alignment with God.

[Jimmy Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

A book of many great challenges. The book shows how people through the ages have attempted to discover various ways to walk more fully "the sacred way." Many approaches, with explanations, practices, and theological backgrounds. Some I found wonderful, some challenges, and some weird. I have tried a few and would love to attempt others. It would be a great extended small group study with efforts to practice some of the disciplines more fully.

[Kaiulani Anderson-Andrei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great look at how Christianity and more importantly Catholicism has shaped the world with practices and how people have moved based on these facts.

[Kelly Heath · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Sacred Way is basically the author sharing his experience with various spiritual disciplines through personal experiences from his time on a sabbatical pilgrimage. He makes a theological and Biblical case for each chapter, and then supports it largely with writings from the “desert fathers and mothers” and ancient saints of the faith.

This was another so-so book. There were things I liked about it and things I didn’t. It was informative, but not earth-shattering; enlightening, but not inspiring. The disciplines were not new to me, and neither was the rest of the content. Honestly, “desert saints” wisdom seems to be trending these days, particularly with those leading the deconstruction and progressive movements within the Church. So while I believe they have much to offer us, I also read books like this with a great deal of discernment, and recommend others do the same.

My favorite chapter in this book was the one in which he discusses guided prayer. Again, this concept can go sideways quickly if not applied through the lens of Biblical truth. However, it is also a wonderful tool for helping people encounter God in a meaningful, powerful, and personal way. I have not used this method in a long time, so it was nice to be reminded of it.

Overall, this book introduces readers to foundational elements of spiritual formation in a fairly simple to understand way. However, I think there are other books that better accomplish that purpose without some of the gray areas this book presents. Check out anything by Dallas Willard!

[Russell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was another book that strikes an amazing balance between being incredibly easy to read while conveying the rich depth of spiritual practices examined through the centuries. It adds immense perspective to my own faith, and it motivates me to want to add several international practices more regularly to my own life. HIGHLY RECOMMEND

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read! Amy and I are teaching a class in this topic at church. This class was recommended by one of the high school Christian studies teachers. Really really good book! Most of these disciplines are Catholic or orthodox in nature, so very new to me. Some great things in here.

[Raymond · Rating 5 out of 5]

spiritual practices are of most important in Christian life.

The book precisely introduced a brief account on the spiritual practices from various traditions and gave valuable practical advice on each of those.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.75. Cultural Christianity sometimes lacks the depth of spiritual practice from our forebears. This book explores seeking a deeper connection with Christ to live a meaningful life and enrich our souls.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book and the way he shares his personal experiences. It makes trying new disciplines easier and more obtainable.

[Trey Gilmore · Rating 5 out of 5]

great format. Definitely not in agreement with all my theological beliefs, but I really apprecaite all of his difference practices.

[Anita Mullins Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this and keep it on the shelf for a practical reference source for spiritual exercises. In God's time, I just may have such a privilege to travel to holy sites.

[Kate Davis · Rating 2 out of 5]

Read for TCE601: Spiritual Formation: Prayer, Presence, and Practice

Would probably be helpful for new converts or those who don't have an understanding of Christian tradition. For more rooted Christians, it's giving definitions for the obvious (do you know what a pilgrimage is? and the Jesus Prayer? Don't bother with this book). As someone who (just barely) falls into the latter category, I was bored.

That said: I found it redundant; the tone is trying to be conversational to the point of awkwardness; there are journal pages thrown in seemingly at random. I'm sure there's a lot of interesting things to learn about the history and theology of many of these practices, but this work was too cursory to find those gold nuggets.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this practical resource on integrating spiritual practices into your life. I think Jones does a great job of making the practices accessible to a variety of Christian traditions by not getting caught up in theological battles. He simply presents the practices in three sections: history, theology, and practice; Essentially communicating, "this is where it comes from, this is why we do it, and this is how we do it."

Great book. I am currently developing it into a curriculum for our youth at Reedwood Friends in Portland, Oregon.

[Nate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tony Jones gives a personal introduction to major spiritual practices in the Christian tradition, especially Catholic and Orthodox traditions.

I especially liked the balance between theological/historical discussion of each discipline and practical suggestions for how to integrate them into your life.

[Ryan Greer · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think perhaps I was expecting something else from this book because I didn't find it all that insightful, but rather more like a quick handbook of spiritual disciplines over the centuries. Several parts were interesting, but unless you're looking for specific history and how-to's on different church practices you'd probably be better off reading something else.

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like this book because it researches the ancient practices of worship and religion. I found it fascinating as a pastor because it reaches deep within my soul and helps me to search new ways to worship God.

[Nole · Rating 4 out of 5]

cool to learn about some ancient spiritual ways of prayer, mediation and so on. Though I did think the author was a bit whiny in his journal entries that preceded each chapter. :)