Thoughtful Christian are occasionally dissatisfied by the devotional literature that lines the shelves of many Christian bookstores. Though heartfelt and practical, these books often lack the kind of intellectual depth many Christians crave. Here are three devotional titles that provide meat for the mind as well as the soul.
The Quest for God
With The Quest for God (Perennial, 1997, ISBN 0-06092-823-9), historian Paul Johnson pauses from his research to write about his own personal pilgrimage. The book is infused with Johnson's opinionated style, which keeps the work interesting and which may keep the reader arguing with the author. As well as being a devotional work, the volume is also partly an apologetic for Catholic doctrine, which may be of interest to the Protestant who struggles to understand things like the celibacy of the priesthood, the granting of indulgences, and the practice of praying to saints. Primarily, however, the work chronicles Johnson own spiritual journey, as he comes to understand "that moral relativism is a great evil, one of the greatest evils of all evils because it makes possible so many other evils . . . Moral relativism has been the cardinal sin of the twentieth century, the reason why it has been such a desperately unhappy and destructive epoch in human history."
Death on a Friday Afternoon
If you're looking for some Lenten devotional reading, you couldn't do much better than Richard John Neuhaus's Death on a Friday Afternoon (Basic Books, 2001, ISBN 0465049338). As its subtitle states, the work consists of Meditations on the Last Words of Jesus From the Cross. It explores Christ’s final words, as they are recorded varyingly in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. It reveals, also, our need for a savior, and expresses the beauty of the redemption of man.
The insights offered in this book are penetrating, and the writing style is occasionally poetic. The author explores many serious questions, delivering, among other things, new insight into the true nature of the missionary imperative. Neuhaus possesses a wealth of information, and he draws on literature, history, and theology regularly, but these allusions are never presented in a “see how smart I am” manner; they are always natural. His prose is not complicated, but nor is it pedantic; he does not speak to us as though we were mentally children. Those who believe Christ died only for the elect will have much to object to in the theology of this book, but I think even they will find the writing affecting and at times convincing.
The 10 Commandments
With the help of Rabbi Stewart Vogel, radio talk show personality Dr. Laura Schlessinger produced a devotional volume that will be of interest to thinking Christians and Jews alike: The 10 Commandments, subtitled The Significance of God's Laws in Everyday Life (Perennial Currents, 1999, ISBN 0-060929-960). The book examines in-depth the Decalogue delivered to Moses on Mt. Sinai and applies these laws to modern-day life. Dr. Schlessinger writes from a Jewish perspective, although she is careful also to utilize quotes from Christian clergy as well as the New Testament to back up her points and to show the similarities between Jewish and Christian values. She addresses difficult and controversial questions such as "Is killing always wrong?" and "Is it acceptable to tell a white lie?"
The book is a superb review for the practicing Jew or Christian and a useful introduction to anyone who is not well acquainted with Judeo-Christian morality. Christians may find that much of the background explanation the author offers from Jewish tradition helps to place Christ's explications of the commandments in perspective. The writing in The Ten Commandments is not at all academic, but neither is the text simplistic.