Heart and Mind: The Four-Gospel Journey for Radical Transformation

by Alexander J. Shaia

"In 'Heart and Mind,' Dr. Shaia gives us back our central sacred text - the four gospels - not as conflicted and faulty historical records, but as a vibrant, luminous path of transformation. He reveals "The Four-Gospel Journey" as a living guide (for Christians and seekers alike), re-centering human life on wisdom, compassion and service, rooted in a mystical relationship with Christ. And the potential for this living guide is already becoming manifest, as individuals, groups and entire communities are using it all over the world, and the word is spreading." - from the Foreword by Marc Andrus, Episcopal Bishop of California.

In this fresh lens, each gospel account is more than a telling of Jesus' life and words. Each is the story of a practice in response to a pressing life question. The Gospel of How do we face change? How do we move through trials and suffering? How do we receive joy and know union? How do we mature in service? And these four gospels are more than the sum of their parts. The four in the sequence of their ancient reading cycle form a telling of the universal journey of growth, transformation and love. In our language, The Four-Gospel Journey is the pattern of the living Christ - the pattern within all and across all time. And if you wish to explore this journey with another or a small community, see the "Heart and Mind Companion Guides" at the Quadratos website. There is a Guide for each gospel path, supporting your walk along a journey of growth and transformation.

Genres: Spirituality, Religion, Christian, Nonfiction, Faith, Christianity

398 pages, Kindle Edition

First published March 22, 2014

About the author

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Alexander Shaia grew up as part of a large, extended family that had emigrated from Lebanon a generation previously. He grew up with the traditions of an ancient religion—Maronite Catholicism—and was expected to become a priest, a family tradition since the year 1300. Alexander chose otherwise. He attended the University of Notre Dame and received a degree in cultural anthropology. Next came a Master's Degree in Counseling Education, a Master's Degree in Religious Education, a graduate certificate in Pastoral Psychotherapy, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. Then Alexander traveled to Switzerland where he studied with the originator of Sandplay, Jungian Analyst Dora Kalff, and spent additional time at the Jung Institute. Returning to the United States, many years of teaching, and study continued to build on a lifelong practice of prayer. Dr. Shaia now devotes himself fulltime to writing, speaking, and leading retreats on the transformative power of quadratos and the spiritual journey found within the four gospels.

Reviews

[Dennis Ryle · Rating 5 out of 5]

This has been a steady reference for me since the author ran a workshop for my church community five years ago. His long tested premise poses the four canonical gospels as a rich resource for the universal human experience of the yearning for transformation - embracing the questions of meeting the challenge of change (Matthew), enduring suffering (Mark), celebrating union (John) and serving well (Luke). He describes in great detail the challenges of the communities from which each gospel emerged as an articulation of faith that does not shrink from the hard questions. The context of intimate community is foundational to Shaia's work and he bring's a unique perspective from his far reaching Lebanese faith heritage and his training in theological education, psychology and anthropology. In an age where institutional forms of religion are crumbling and new forms of Christian community are emerging, I expect to see Shaia's voice among those leading and gently mentoring the quiet revolution.

[Graham Bates · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not sure if I was in the correct time of life to read this, so my rating is partially because of the circumstances. I just never really got into what Shaia was trying to say. There are also times I felt he had a path he wanted to go down and needed the Gospels to bend to it, instead of the other way around. Although I will admit if I was a First-Century Christian I might feel the same about Paul, so it could be more of a bias than legitimate criticism. I hope to read this again in the future (and not take two years to complete it) so that maybe I can dig deeper into what Shaia meant to share.

[-kevin- · Rating 4 out of 5]

This present an older perspective on the arrangement of the Gospels.
The claim is that it has been present for a long time. The reality is the orientation presupposes a spiritual existence for all, instead of something that must be enforced and/or believed.

I might put it this way. You can believe that you are capable of walking. If you walk daily, you will become better at walking. Get up, and walk. If you don't, you may have a strong belief and little else. To be clear, I'm not suggesting that there is a christ revealed here, but rather there is a reality to our being that we can either participate in or remain in discussion about.

[Rebekah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alexander John Shaila provides new insight into the four gospels. Throughout time there has been recognition of rhythms being in four. He brings the four gospels to life and into the human experience by describing the natural rhythm in individuals. I found it to be extremely helpful and a refreshing way to read the gospels. Traditionalism or reading the Bible flat can allow for misuse of scripture. This book, through the journey of the soul, shows Jesus in a fresh light to point to inner and outer transformation. Shaia encourages readers to allow the four rhythms of the gospels to apply to their lives and communities. It is a deep read with many layers!

[Lisal Kayati Roberts · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just realized the irony of giving this book 4 stars. Smile.
Finishing this book was my advent project. It is deep and dense. For me, the well-researched history behind each of the Gospels was the key focus.
I often felt like the author assumed the reader had never really read the Gospels in any depth. A lot of redundant over explaining of how I should react and interpret his Quadratos approach. I would have enjoyed the history so much more.
I risk sounding a bit high-minded, but this book seems to be written for a Christian early in his/her journey.
I really enjoyed Chapters 8 and 9. I would recommend starting there first.

[Colin Timbrell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting to hear historic and cultural background detail of the Gospels, for example the reasons for the destruction of the Temple in AD 70 and how God used that event for his greater purposes.

[Iain Every · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am giving this the full five not because it is the best book I have ever read, but because the pattern it proposes is so compelling, relevant and downright useful that I know the reading of this book will have a deep, long-lasting and very active effect in my every day life.

[Deborah Lawson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book allows a fresh lens through which to see the four gospels. For me, it was transformative.

[Christopher · Rating 2 out of 5]

I quit about a third of the way through. Too many words. I am not interested in yet another interpretation of the gospels. I'm over it.

[Patricia A. Sjöberg · Rating 3 out of 5]

The author is a bit too insistent on his perspective on the gospels. I think Quadratos has value, but there are other worthy perspectives as well.

[Tristian Grenfell · Rating 2 out of 5]

Decent and educated content but so dry. Hard to follow without mind wandering.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Two of the best books I've read this year were given away in ebook form by their authors. The first was David Benner's 'Living Wisdom' and the second was this one by Alexander Shaia. The two books are not a million miles apart, both dealing with the deepening of life's spiritual journey and written from within the width and depth of the Christian tradition.

Shaia's book is long - but it contains a lot - it is certainly not needlessly padded out. In it, he outlines a journey consisting of four seasons or phases that tend to repeat throughout our lives: facing change, suffering, epiphany, bringing wisdom back into community. In a Jungian move, he maps those paths onto the four gospels of Matthew, Mark, John, Luke (respectively) mining out archetypal truths from these narratives based around symbol and metaphor. (Where I say 'maps onto', Shaia would say 'inherent in'.)

I thought his observations were psychologically profound, as he put words to some pretty strong existential realities. The fourfold framework he proposes I think provides an extremely useful, fruitful and stabilising grounding.

Shaia brands this fourfold journey 'Quadratos'. There were two things I found a bit awkward about the book - this branding is the first one. Everyone seems to be product-packaging their stuff these days. A man's gotta eat I suppose, but I can't quite see the need for a Quadratos coffee cup or tote bag. Productising seems a bit at odds with the ethic of the contemplative life, but not to get too judgy. The second thing I found a bit awkward is the way Shaia communicates his readings of the gospels as somewhat definitive. I'm not sure you can make that claim when dealing with symbol and metaphor. Though I did gain a lot by his readings and what he drew out of the stories. Neither of these points undermine the powerful value of the content of the book.

It having been a long read over the course of weeks, I'm going to miss having this book in my life now that I've finished it. Though the truths, ideas and challenges it contains will remain with me.

[Mark Copley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Alexander Shaia breathes new life into understanding the Gospels by answering the question "Why do we have four different gospels to tell our one Gospel of Jesus Christ?"
The answer is not anything I had heard in my studies before, but is verified by Shaia's work with how the early church understood each of the gospel writer's purpose (i.e. to answer four classic questions of meaning used by cultures to define themselves through their sacred narratives).
According to Shaia, in spite of the canonical order, first generations of The church read the gospels in this order: Matthew, Mark, John, and Luke. These form four paths of discovery that deal with life's issues such as facing change, enduring suffering, receiving joy, and maturing into a life of service.
Shaia walks the reader through the gospels, down each of these paths, as a means of spiritual formation. It's a journey worth taking with lots of new vistas along the way.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you were drawn to the hero’s journey and deep story structures check this out.

This is a brilliant book whether you are a Christian or not. You can get a lot out of it, especially if you are drawn to the hero’s journey and the deep underlying story structure that is within us. Now, if you do happen to be a Christian then yes, you’ll really get a lot out of it.

By the way, if you want to investigate this further, look into the podcast conversations between alexander and Rob Bell.

[Dave Walker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Got me back to appreciating why we have four different gospels. It also shows how the gospels were used by the early Church to get Christians into a rhythm of reading them. The alignment of the four Gospels with the four Seasons and four questions for spiritual transformation was quite eye-opening. It encourages a lectionary way of reading the gospels in an annual cycle for their spiritual message rather than historical record.

[Kord Basnight · Rating 5 out of 5]

This may be the most amazing book I have ever read. I recommend it highly and am grateful for the work it took to make it a reality. I can’t wait to reread it... over and over....slowly and to enjoy every taste like an excellent bottle of wine or piece of amazing dark chocolate. What a powerful idea reborn. Thanks very much to Dr. Shaia and to the most amazing ROBCAST that introduced him to me. As my kids would say...wow, wow,wow!

[Sharon Hicks · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is such a journey, learning about the gospels and authors community. You have to be committed to the depth of learning the gospels, and continually read as reading the gospels. The perspective gave me a whole new perspective of the gospels.

I look forward to rereading the book again, probably parts that I did not understand the depth. A great read for every believer who wants to be challenged just reading God’s Word.

[Evan Kostelka · Rating 5 out of 5]

A new but old way of reading the four gospels was re discovered and presented here. The approach moves past all squabbling of historical facts and focuses on what the stories mean. Great insights and research are offered and I believe this approach is a breath of fresh air to those tired of the search for the"historical"Jesus.

[William Westmoreland · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 4 Gospel Journey

This has been a joyous ride through the four gospels and the path to transformation. I have been blessed with companions in a group bible study using This book and the accompanying videos from theworkofthepeople.com. I highly recommend it for those who want to understand and live their faith.

[Ernie Marton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellant

I loved the research, the practical application and the 8 practices are just phenomenal. Well worth the read even for non Christians. We all deal with the issues these gospel stories sought to bring strength too

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The details about the historical background which influenced the writers of each Gospel were very helpful additions to what I knew from past study.

The details about the 4-step spiritual journey were a bit ponderous at times, but interesting.

[Kieran Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thought provoking ... would have to read again to give review