Following Jesus

CATHOLIC SPIRITUALITY FOR ADULTS

by John Shea

The brilliant theologian and popular storyteller John Shea introduces us to a Jesus who is uncompromising in his desire for us to follow him and experience peace, joy, love, and assurance. Filled with captivating stories and profound theological insights, Following Jesus will challenge and inspire you.
John Shea is a popular theologian who lectures nationally and internationally on scripture and spirituality. His bestselling books include Gospel Light, Elijah at the Wedding Feast and Other Tales, the classic Stories of God, and the four-volume Spiritual Wisdom of the Gospels for Christian Preachers and Teachers. He lives in Chicago.


Book annotation not available for this title.
Title: Following Jesus
Author: Shea, John
Publisher: Orbis Books
Publication Date: 2010/02/28
Number of Pages: 142
Binding Type: PAPERBACK
Library of Congress: 2009035096

142 pages, Paperback

First published February 28, 2010

About the author

John (Jack) Shea is a theologian and storyteller who lectures nationally and internationally on storytelling in world religions, faith-based health care, contemporary spirituality, and the spirit at work movement. Formerly, he was a professor of systematic theology and the Director of the Doctor of Ministry Program at the University of St. Mary of the Lake, a research professor at the Institute of Pastoral Studies at Loyola University of Chicago, and the Advocate Healthcare Senior Scholar in Residence at the Park Ridge Center for the Study of Health, Faith and Ethics. He has also taught at the University of Notre Dame and Boston College. He has published thirteen books of theology and spirituality and two books of poetry.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strange, but I read this together with my Reformed church council. I'm not sure why, as its written by a Catholic mystic who is not hesitant to mix in some ideas from other world religions. In my mind, that's rather sloppy and may alienate some readers who don't appreciate taking things out of the context of their religious history and framework.

There are some nuggets of wisdom, but I don't find the writing that easy to follow. Some chapters I had to go over a few times before I could piece together a coherent theme. Some typical mystical language like "awakening." His chapter on metaphor provokes some thought, and his "God-Self-Neighbour Spiritual Process" gives the book some conceptual unity.

I wouldn't recommend it for small groups, but it could be one book in a comparative study of introductions to Christian spirituality. N.T. Wright's book of the same title is much more Biblically tuned, and of course, Reformed in flavour. The Spirituality of the Cross by Gene Veith I found to be a much more interesting and readable introduction, for Lutherans.Being Christian by Rowan Williams gets right to the basics: subtitled "Baptism, Bible, Eucharist, Prayer." Jamie Smith's You Are What You Love is more philosophical and more focused on spiritual formation in particular. For a better Catholic introduction, try Nouwen's Reaching Out.

But they are all small books on Christian spirituality that I would recommend before this one!

[Jon Herrin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Shea is a very good writer...and his topic here is quite pertinent. While he is a Catholic scholar/pastor, this is a book that can easily read, understood, and applied by any orthodox Christian. I look forward to reading more from Shea.

[Gilbert · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is deceivingly thin! But true wisdom does not need many words.

What you will find in this book is a manual for how to be a disciple of Jesus according to scripture. It has a broad subject, but John Shea narrows the concepts down to nine chapters, averaging 12 pages each.

This book was definitely amazing because it opened my mind to deeper understandings of Christian living. In many ways, that is a rare event because of all the theology I have soaked up for my Masters Degree I completed only a year since reading this book.

One example of insight was when John Shea brought up the story of the Good Samaritan, and asked readers to type out the story or write it down on a sheet of paper, and then keep it with them. The reader should re-read the story occasionally through the days and weeks, and hopefully the question, "How can I unconditionally love my neighbor in this instance," will come up as a guiding principle in our speech and actions.

I never had anyone tell me to do that with scripture. Simple, yet profound!

The best part is that you do not have to be a theologian to read this book. The hard part is whether people will try to whiz through the material or prayerfully read it. I found myself doing both, but I went back and re-read any parts that I speedily devoured.

One more hard part is that although John does not write as an academic, his thought-process is very learned. Not everyone will easily digest his wisdom.

Here's a quote to ponder on as well as to get a sense of his writing style.

"Spiritual knowing works like the physical heart. The heart...pumps blood throughout the body. After the pumped blood has circulated throughout the body, it returns to the heart to start the process all over again. Again and again, the heart gives life to the entire body. Our spiritual center...pumps life into the whole mind-body organism, renewing it over and over again. In order for the mind and will to stay filled with life, they have to return to the spiritual center and then go out from it again.... Spiritual knowing happens when we open to the flow of life in the center of our being and it enter and elevates our minds and wills." -p.89 (Second printing edition, July 2010)

[Deb Weina · Rating 4 out of 5]

An okay book...it was required to read for class. Author is a very good storyteller and thus came through in the book.