religion and spirituality

There's nothing truly new or profound in this book. That's part of the beauty of it, and maybe is inherent in the title. This is a celebration of old things, a rediscovering of what is ancient and classic, not a load of new ideas and pop culture catch-phrases. There are twelve steps here, but this is no twelve-step program.

Richard Foster has done his homework. Seems like he's read just about every classic Christian writer, every saint, every mystic, and many others besides. He has found some common themes, and he presents them here in a simple form for us less well-read folk. I, for one, am grateful.

Foster addresses twelve oft-misunderstood disciplines: meditation, prayer, fasting, study, simplicity, solitude, submission, service, confession, worship, guidance, and celebration. He works hard to present why these are valuable disciplines, what the reward will be for pursuing them, and what it looks like to pursue them. At the end of most chapters, he offers practical suggestions for incorporating these seemingly ancient disciplines into a 21st century lifestyle.

The call that runs through all of the disciplines is a cry to listen, listen, LISTEN to an everpresent and persistently speaking God. Foster repeatedly praises the simple life, time in solitude and silence, and rest. In a society that is constantly distracted, this is a valuable and needed cry.

A Quaker, sometimes he goes a little overboard. I'm not as fond of silence and direct speech as he is, and I found his chapters on worship and celebration a touch on the weak side. But overall, this is a truly incredible book. I believe Foster to be one of the few Christian mystics of our time, to rank with Lewis, Bonhoeffer, and Schaeffer. Read this book slowly, and with much prayer.

A sample:

"Every Discipline has its corresponding freedom. If I have schooled myself in the art of rhetoric, I am free to deliver a moving speech when the occasion requires it. Demosthenes was free to be an orator only because he had gone through the discipline of speaking above the ocean roar with pebbles in his mouth. The purpose of the Disciplines is freedom. Our aim is the freedom, not the Discipline. The moment we make the Discipline our central focus, we turn it into law and lose the corresponding freedom."

-- if you'd like to discuss Celebration of Discipline with me, e-mail me at williekrischke@hotmail.com. But be nice.

_Celebration of Discipline_ is one of the finest Christian books of our time. I read it as an "assignment" with a men's study group, and at first, was a bit ambivalent about this ethereal-sounding spiritual book from a Quaker. I began it reluctantly, but shortly realized that what I was reading was solid, no-holds barred steps towards maturity in Christ, through discipleship and productive living.

Foster speaks of the "inward disciplines" the "outward disciplines" and the "corporate disciplines" of the Christian life. As I flip through the book, I find myself in need of a tune-up.

It's that kind of book. It's one that you'll never master, but the joy is in the journey, and in following the Savior with the full passion of your heart. He's calling us to the life of Discipline and discipleship, not to a willy-nilly external Christianity. _Celebration_ is a breath of fresh air in an era of "easy believism" and cheap grace.

Foster has touched a generation of believers with this timeless classic.

I was introduced to this book by many Christian leaders from my local church many years back. Many Christian leaders and publications continue to advocate the reading of this book and the application of the principles in it. With this "20th Anniversary Edition", this book has been elevated to a "Classic" status among modern Christian works.

Granted, every generation of Christians are reminded by sincere, Bible-believing folks to seek the "deeper Christian life". Richard Forter's "Celebration of Discipline" seeks to meet that need by reexamining Christian practices and reapplying them to the needs and contexts of the modern Christian. However, Foster's theology seems suspect when he starts talking about the practice of "confession" and "meditation" (that smacks of idolatrous vain-imaginings and very un-Christian hallucinatory "mind-trips" - Foster goes to the extent of even recommending the "Lotus-position" for meditation!).

All in all, a Christian's deeper-life is in his daily walk with God. It's in the surrendering of self to Christ and in putting on the whole armour of God (Ephesians 6). Application of pseudo-spiritual "disciplines" does little to help a growing Christian; and in fact encourages a feeling of "spiritual superiority" that the Bible clearly warn us to stay away from. Christianity is not about formulaes and ritualistic, pseuso-spirituality. The true discipline of being Christian is genuine pursuit of holiness and practice of godliness.

I recommend the works of A.W. Tozer ("Pursuit of God", "Knowledge of the Holy", "The Divine Conquest", "Root of the Righteous", etc.) and even Jerry Bridges ("Pursuit of Holiness" and "Practice of Godliness") in place of this work. Also, check out Dave Hunt's "Seduction of Christianity" and "Beyond Seduction" for a closer examination of some of the dangerous ideas presented in this book (and in other works by many "popular" teachers today).