Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism

by Bruce G. Epperly

From a pilgrimage through the streets of Assisi to contemplative walks on the beaches near his home, Bruce Epperly has pondered the questions of privilege, prayer, and social justice while walking with the teachings of Francis of Assisi. From his roots in reformation traditions, he has a deep understanding of the call Francis received to rebuild the church and the need for constant reformation not only in our personal lives but also in our society and in our religious institutions. He knows that change comes from within, from listening to the spirit of God as we engage in contemplative listening. 
 

Genres: Spirituality, Religion

160 pages, Paperback

Published January 12, 2021

Reviews

[Steve Watson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Epperly's short book is genre-bending, which I appreciate. As someone working on a genre-bending book myself, it reminds me - like the work of Catherine Keller - that this is possible, publishable, even sometimes preferable. Walking with Francis is part spiritual memoir, part biography of Francis, and part devotional guide, all steeped in an open and relational/process theological outlook.

As memoir or biography alone, this book disappoints. As the title suggests, Epperly writes about his own life's interplay with the themes and story of Francis' life. But as memoir, it is thin - lacking the specificity and perspective that make memoir most compelling. We also don't get beyond the most popular, briefly recounted aspects of Francis' life story. Francis is such a fascinating human, abounding in popular legend, that I wished Epperly could have brought to us the fruit of more detailed, contextual study of his times and biography. For the most part, though, the work on Francis sticks with the most popular of Francis' - and to a lesser extent his companion Claire's - writing and biography, however historical or not it may be. Epperly is skilled, trustworthy pastoral guide to Francis. His prose is clear, and his love for Francis and authority born of decades of lived experience as a mystic, pastor, and humble activist shine. But the chapters are best where there is more depth on Francis, and I consistently wished for more of that.

As a devotional guide, this book shines most. Francis is one of the most intriguing, and most relevant, spiritual models and guides in all of Christian history. His life speaks to our longings for depth and connection, and for transformative ways of living faithfully and lovingly amidst local and global inequity, injustice, and climate change. I read this book over a week and a half, a single chapter per day, as each chapter invites its own self-reflection and spiritual practice. The practices and themes are deep enough that this book could be read over nine months, as part of a spiritual pilgrimage not unlike the 19th annotation of the Ignatian exercises. I look forward to more of Francis in my life and returning to Epperly's book as one of my guides in and forward.

[Dominique · Rating 3 out of 5]

If I could I would give this a 3.5 star rating. It was a good book, and some of the practices were lovely. And not being overly familiar with St Francis I enjoyed learning more. And ironically the timing of finishing this with the death of Pope Francis was also informative. Not being catholic I didn't realize that Pope Francis took is name from Saint Francis of Assisi.

But I digress ... I can't give it more stars because I felt the 2nd half of the book was lacking some depth, or the depth I would like to have seen. And the chapter "The Gifts of Downward Mobility" was one I couldn't wait to read. It was disappointing in both the authors personal examples, which I felt were weak, as well as offering other examples for modern day.

On the positive side I LOVED the offering that "there is more, yes, there is more to life than financial success and social standing." and the quote from Augustine, "it will be solved in the walking."

"Movement awakens novel visions and stimulates creative thinking. It's difficult to hold onto old ideas when you're on the move. Walking becomes the pace of possibility, intimacy and service ... life's deepest questions are found in the walking".

I agree about the gift of connecting with nature and something larger than ourselves (God, Mother Earth, Universal Energy, the Divine) is what happens when we take off the headphones, unplug from the podcast and just walk. Breathing in and noticing the gift of fresh air and listening to whatever sounds of nature might be around us. Even in our built up cities :).

[Alberto Lagomarsini · Rating 2 out of 5]

No es tan bueno.

Pensé que era un tremendo libro pero me decepcioné. Es la mirada de un pastor protestante a San Francisco de Asís muy parecida a Paul Sabatier. Mira a San Francisco desde la curiosidad, estima y envergadura, pero no lo imita y le es difícil dejar su estilo de vida desde el “privilegio blanco” según el autor. Es como mirar a Francisco desde la curiosidad sin aprender o profundizar.

[Bobbi Kraft · Rating 4 out of 5]

There was a LOT of good material in this book for consideration, and I plan to lead a discussion with it, but it was also filled with typos and missing words which often was distracting. I began working as editor and marking them off in each chapter in order to keep reading.

[John Howes · Rating 4 out of 5]

Accessible and often inspiring reflection on the teachings of St Francis made relevant for today.

[Keith · Rating 4 out of 5]

wanted it to be better

Besides a lot of typos in the kindle version, I just didn’t love the book. Very repetitive. Too much baseless opinion.