Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
A retreat type book, "Listening For God" is a rewriting of the Ignatian spiritual exercises for the Protestant lay market, although it will also appeal to Catholics. The book includes 30 "directives" that lead a person through salvation history.
Synopsis
Several years ago, while studying the history of Christian spirituality, Protestant scholar Ben Campbell Johnson came across the Spiritual Exercises of Ignatius Loyola, the Catholic saint and founder of the Jesuit order. He quickly recognized that "one cannot do the Exercises without engaging one's own depth". Determined to use the Exercises to renew Protestant and Catholic congregations, Johnson began to instruct pastors to serve as guides. However he discovered that clergy, themselves, needed to engage the directives contained in the Exercises. He developed the process in this book as a technique to help people encounter Christ in scripture, using the power of their imagination. Listening for God offers a step-by-step approach to the Spiritual Exercises. The steps are meant to be done slowly, enlivened by prayer, meditation and journaling. Going through them with a spiritual friend or guide is advised. At the end of the process is clarity and peace and a more intimate life with Jesus Christ.