Soul Whisperer: Jesus' Way among the Philosophers

by Daniel Austin Napier

Three hundred years before Christianity became a religion, Jesus taught the Way. His earliest followers identified as philosophers--adherents to the philosophy of Jesus. In this book, Daniel Austin Napier guides us to directly experience Jesus' unparalleled genius for renovating human life. A good tour guide, Napier gestures toward and describes other figures on the periphery--such as Socrates, Aristotle, and the Stoics--to whom Jesus may be fruitfully compared. But Jesus and his account of lasting personal change is the singular point of focus from beginning to end. With cross-disciplinary knowledge and gentle personal warmth, Napier presents a portrait of Jesus that you've never seen before but that you've been looking for.

Perhaps you What's a soul and what's it good for? How could you locate it in everyday experience? Just how smart is Jesus? What did he say that changed his students so drastically? What are the essential ingredients of lasting personal change? What's it like to co-work with God, and how can you recognize when it's happening? What's so different, and so good, about the God whom Jesus calls Father? You will find lucid answers to all these questions and many more inside. You're invited. Come explore Jesus' philosophy of personal transformation.

312 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 19, 2023

Reviews

[D.J. Lang · Rating 5 out of 5]

No idea why no one has written a review about this fabulous book (nor put up the picture of the cover which is quite nice). I didn't actually intend on writing a long review because of life's circumstances, but I feel someone needs to speak up for this book. This is a book I think Dallas Willard would have rejoiced to have read. I agree with Napier's description that this is a book "written for non-specialists -- people who would like to know both what Jesus really taught and why he's worth considering today"(xii). Now having stated that "non-specialists" part, this book still isn't going to be read by people like my mom. Napier does figure that the reader has some interest in philosophy and exegesis and heurmaneutics (and know what those words mean) but that the reader is not going to want to parse it all out in whatever way philosophers do those sort of things. (You can check out the end notes, however, if you do want more, such as in this note I randomly turned to: "The technical term in Husserlian phenomenology...").

In many ways I felt Soul Whisperer Jesus' Way among the Philosophers was easier to read than Dallas Willard's Divine Conspiracy. At the same time, I felt as if Napier brought in clarity about the soul, the body, the social life, the kingdom of God and kingdom living...and THIS! THIS on page 86 was worth the price of the book:

"Your life is an unfinished act of God's love for God's world. That's the meaning of human existence" (86). (Mic drop-- if I am permitted to use a phrase with a 5 minutes of fame life span.)

Much of the book is coming back to me as I run through my bookmarks. The discussion of the communion table. I had been seeking something on communion to draw me back in.

The scriptures throughout the book that Napier unpacked held both "aha" moments and "that makes sense" moments and "that sounds like Jesus" all at the same time.

It's a thin 184 page book before the endnotes and bibliography (lol) and packed with depth, but if you are anywhere close to liking Dallas Willard, spiritual practices, and, yes, the philosophy of Jesus, this book is worth your time. I will be rereading it, and I won't be rereading it begrudgingly. I'll be happy to do so.

[Frank Peters · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent book, with a general topic of spiritual formation. The author was influenced by Dallas Willard (which endeared his writing to me) and in this book develops and expands some of Willard’s themes masterfully, adding significant amounts of his own material. Napier’s discussion on the wise and foolish virgins was something that I have not heard of before (and if I did read it before, it obviously didn’t connect), which I thought was brilliant. In addition, the way he discussed the parable of the soils was thought provoking and useful. The writing is more accessible than Willard, while not as accessible as Comer. I would therefore strongly recommend the to anyone who likes or respects Willard, or anyone who likes Comer and is willing to be challenged a bit more intellectually.

[Dawson Sawatzky · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book I now refer to on how Jesus is saving the world and everyone it at the practical level. Napier not only lays out Jesus' masterful knowledge for lasting personal change, but presents Jesus as the philosopher, spiritual tutor, and redeemer-of-my-time He has always been. If you want to know what Jesus is up to both at large and in your life, read this book.