Naked Spirituality : A Life with God in 12 Simple Words

"A rich, brilliant and important book: wonderfully readable and personal, filled with insight and wisdom, it invites us into practices that can transform our lives." —Marcus J. Borg, author of Speaking Christian "Brian McLaren is a bridge builder. In these simple yet profound spiritual practices he perfectly marries his evangelical heart and contemplative soul, and we are all richer for the union." —Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Centering Prayer and The Wisdom Jesus In the same way he revitalized our faith in A New Kind of Christianity, church leader Brian McLaren reinvigorates our approach to spiritual fulfillment in Naked Spirituality—by tearing down the old dogmatic practices that hamper our spiritual growth, and leading us toward the meaningful spiritual practices that can help transform our lives. “Rich, brilliant... wonderfully readable and personal, filled with insight and wisdom, it invites us into practices that can transform our lives.” —Marcus J. Borg, author of Speaking ChristianIn the same way he revitalized our faith in A New Kind of Christianity, church leader Brian McLaren reinvigorates our approach to spiritual fulfillment in Naked Spirituality—by tearing down the old dogmatic practices that hamper our spiritual growth, and leading us toward the meaningful spiritual practices that can help transform our lives.Naked Spirituality offers accessible, practical wisdom for living a truly spiritual life. Staying true to Jesus's core message while engaging faithfully with our postmodern world, McLaren presents a proven spiritual program for engaging in and sustaining a meaningful relationship with God.“Brian McLaren is a bridge builder. In these simple yet profound spiritual practices he perfectly marries his evangelical heart and contemplative soul, and we are all richer for the union.” —Cynthia Bourgeault, author of Centering Prayer and The Wisdom Jesus“Wise, easy to read, and practical.” —Fr. Richard Rohr, author of The Naked Now “McLaren's trademark persuasiveness is put to good effect as he continues to shatter paradigms for spiritual seekers.” —Library Journal, starred review“Anyone wanting to conserve the spiritual spark in themselves will find this book a gentle and generous tract.” —Publishers Weekly “McLaren deserves endless thanks for reminding us that estrangement and no do not represent a breakdown of the spiritual life.... Naked Spirituality is very astute.” —Christian Century "Many people are stuck with an understanding of prayer that doesn't go beyond Sunday school memorizations and desperate petitions in time of need. Instead, Brian McLaren argues we should understand that prayer is to the soul what breathing is to the body; prayer is life-giving union with the Divine. McLaren offers new hope to those who are disillusioned by religious dogma and disheartened by unanswered prayers. This is a book for those who want to pray but don't know where to start, a how-to book on the spiritual practice of prayer. In Naked Spirituality, McLaren confronts how the church's traditional practices no longer work; in fact, they often serve to prevent the very transformation God is calling us to undergo. As a result, religion becomes a tool to maintain the status quo and not an instrument for getting us closer to living as citizens of heaven. McLaren offers twelve moves, or practices, that both connect us with God and free us to do the holistic work the gospel calls us to--to pray as well as save the planet; to worship as well as lift up the poor and needy. For many people, McLaren's agenda for spirituality will feel like a formula for the faith they always hoped for and what they always knew Christianity should be about. With his characteristic fresh voice and practical wisdom, McLaren has written a spiritual manual that goes beyond encouraging piety by offering spiritual transformation"-- Provided by publisher Christianity is in crisis. Many sincere Christians feel their traditional Christian practices are in danger of becoming irrelevant, empty rituals. In his previous book A New Kind of Christianity, Brian D. McLaren offered new biblical models for how we understand the central ideas of a faith that provides hope for restoring and reinvigorating the power of the gospels to transform us and our communities. In Naked Spirituality, McLaren takes his prophetic work a step further by confronting how the lack of a simple, doable, durable spirituality undermines the very transformation God is calling us to undergo. As a result, our religious structures become tools to maintain the status quo and not catalysts for personal and social change. McLaren presents a four-stage framework for understanding the spiritual life, and he unfolds spiritual practices appropriate to each stage. Each practice is rooted in a simple word: here, thanks, O, sorry, help, please, when, no, why, behold, yes, and silence. Naked Spirituality offers accessible, practical wisdom for living a truly spiritual life. Staying true to Jesus's core message while engaging faithfully with our postmodern world, McLaren presents a proven spiritual program for engaging in and sustaining a meaningful relationship with God