The Meaning of Prayer

by Harry Emerson Fosdick

From inside the
"This little book has been written in the hope that it may help to clarify a subject which is puzzling many minds. Prayer is the soul of religion, and failure there is not a superficial lack for the supply of which the spiritual life leisurely can wait. Failure in prayer is the loss of religion itself in its inward and dynamic aspect of fellowship with the Eternal. Only a theoretical deity is left to any man who has ceased to commune with God, and a theoretical deity saves no man from sin and disheartenment and fills no life with a sense of divine commission. Such vital consequences require a living God who actually deals with men.
In endeavoring to clear away the difficulties that hamper fellowship with this living God, the book has used the Scripture as the basis of its thought. But the passages of Scripture quoted are not employed as proof texts to establish an opinion; they are uniformly used as descriptions of an experience which men have actually had with God. In a study such as this, the Bible is the invaluable laboratory manual which records all phases of man's life with God and God's dealing with man."

Harry Emerson Fosdick was one of the most popular liberal preachers of the early twentieth century, and his The Meaning of Prayer is considered by many one of the finest studies of the meditative communion with God.

CONTENTS
I. The Naturalness Of Prayer
II. Prayer As Communion With God
III. God's Care For The Individual
IV. Prayer And The Goodness Of God
V. Hindrances And Difficulties
VI. Prayer And The Reign Of Law
VII. Unanswered Prayer
VIII. Prayer As Dominant Desire
IX. Prayer As A Battlefield
X. Unselfishness In Prayer


and other issues arising from conversing with the divine. This warm, friendly guidebook to a profoundly personal act remains an important exploration of one of the world's dominant faiths... just as it was when it was first published in 1915.


American theologian HARRY EMERSON FOSDICK (1878-1969) was born in New York, educated at Colgate and Columbia Universities, and served as professor of practical theology at Union Theological Seminary from 1915 to 1946. Among his many works are A Guide to Understanding the Bible (1938) and A Book of Public Prayers (1960).

This book published in 1919 has been reformatted for the Kindle and may contain an occasional defect from the original publication or from the reformatting.

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

210 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 17, 2015

About the author

Harry Emerson Fosdick was an American clergyman. He was born in Buffalo, New York. He graduated from Colgate University in 1900, and Union Theological Seminary in 1904. While attending Colgate University he joined the Delta Upsilon Fraternity. He was ordained a Baptist minister in 1903. Fosdick was the most prominent liberal Baptist minister of the early 20th Century. Although a Baptist, he was Pastor of the First Presbyterian Church on West Twelfth Street and then at the historic, interdenominational Riverside Church (the congregation moved from the then-named Park Avenue Baptist Church, now the Central Presbyterian Church) in New York City.

Reviews

[Allison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fosdick is known as one of the leaders of the theologically liberal movement that began in the early 20th century. Therefore, I wouldn't normally pick this book up. However, it was given to me and I began to read it and the insights on prayer from this man are STAGGERING. I encourage EVERYONE who is interested in prayer and the deeper life with Christ to read this book!

[MaryJo Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fosdick was unknown to me until I picked up this book. The 4 stars is because the copy I have, at least, could use a good re-edit for spelling errors.
But the subject matter and the author's approach to so many aspects of prayer are worth the time of anyone who wants maturity in this area of their lives, their walk with the Savior.
Did I always see his point or agree on the premise? Not every time - usually, yes. But the scriptural references to prayer, his insight and own maturity, and the thoughts his lessons provoked in my own mind, were good food for the soul.
If the reader is only interested in prayer for the purpose of approaching God when he or she wants some personal gratification, you will be rebuked. That is only a starting point - for infants. Fosdick was interested in promoting growing intimacy with our Lord because of prayer, and praying ever more correctly and effectively because of that greater closeness. It can be a wonderful cycle.

[Deborah Gorman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting, insightful treatment. The author used a lot of quotes from classic Christian writers including Augustine, Anselm, Clement of Rome and others, along with many biblical citations from the King James version. The book was originally published in 1909, so the language is dated, and not inclusive.

[Guthrie Veech · Rating 1 out of 5]

Second worst book I have read this year, dribble uselessness.

[Rachel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really insightful and thought-provoking.

[Chris Frakes · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best books on prayer I’ve ever encountered. It lulls a bit in the middle chapters, but the beginning and the end are revelatory.

[Sheri Hathaway · Rating 4 out of 5]

It covered every aspect or prayer. It didn't give specific instructions on how to pray but did make the process of prayer more clear: Jesus' teaching of prayer and prayer outcomes.

[Adam Shields · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short review: This is designed as a daily devotional on prayer. Written in 1915, it feels fairly modern most of the time. It was mentioned by Eugene Peterson in his memoir The Pastor. It has some unique thoughts about prayer and I found it a useful book to think differently about prayer, but I got distracted and did not finish. I will come back to it again late to finish the last 1/3.

My full thoughts on my blog at http://bookwi.se/prayer-fosdick/

[Linda · Rating 3 out of 5]

God used this book in one instance to direct me, and another time to tell me of His tender love for my wayward children. I enjoyed the numerous prayers by various authors but found at times the reading difficult.

[virgil noah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This continues to be an outstanding book for understanding prayer and learning to apply the principles of prayer to one's daily life. The collection of prayers at the end of the daily readings are both instructive and inspirational.

[Circle of Hope Pastors · Rating 4 out of 5]

Classic exploration from a mainline church hero.