5 comments about Seminary Boy: A Memoir.

1. The author indicates that one reason that boys want to study for the priesthood is because they were daily Mass servers. After Vatican II most priests did not want to have Mass servers since the congregation could make the responses in the vernacular. As there are fewer opportunities to become daily Mass servers, boys will not have the opportunity to test a vocation to the priesthood through this avenue.
   
   Men loose their vocation to the priesthood through the abusive acts of seminary faculty.
   
   In the seminary, the author apparently was never taught balance in the spiritual life until one of the seminary faculty told him to stop going to confession every day and only go once a week and stop obsessing about every little thing especially sex.
   
   A common thread that seems to create a vocation is a broken home life. Getting out of the hot house of parents physically battering each other and screaming at each other seems to be a recurring theme in vocation memoirs. It is a joy and a relief to go to church at 6:00 a.m. every weekday morning to provide some stability and sanity to your life when your parents are acting like lunatics.
   
   As a person emotionally starved for affection at home, when another student takes an interest in the author, and is nice and kind to the author, the author develops a normal crush or "obsessive" interest in the other student. I think that is part of normal human development for teenage males as they break away from maternal bonds of affection (or enmeshment) and begin to place those emotions on to others (who ever is handy, male or female).
   
   An excellent read for any one who ever thought of studying for the priesthood. Kentucky, USA.



2. There are few spiritual biographies written now, though the form used to be very popular, with classics like _The Confessions of St. Augustine_ for the Catholics and John Bunyan's _Grace Abounding_ for the Protestants. They tell of youthful enthusiasms and temptations, and a struggle between the ways of the world and the ways of heaven, with the latter triumphant. _Seminary Boy: A Memoir_ (Doubleday) by John Cornwell is a modern entry into the genre, and true to our times, any triumph of heaven is distinctly muted and is included in the book almost as an afterthought. Cornwell has charted an education that no one gets now, in a British Catholic school for boys who would be educated to become priests. A decade or two after he left school, youth culture and then the reforms of the Second Vatican Council led to the end of such minor seminaries as the one he attended. His book is a heartfelt, introspective, and gripping memoir, generous to all the erring souls described in its pages.
   
   Cornwell had a traditional Catholic upbringing, but was an underage thug. His life changed when he was sent to a parish priest and began helping the priest at the altar. He gained self respect and a fascination for the rituals of the sanctuary. At thirteen (a little late) he was nominated for education within a minor seminary, a boarding college for boys who would continue training into the priesthood. Funds were found to send him to Cotton College, a seminary within a country mansion in the hills of north Staffordshire, and so he left his hardscrabble family life. The buildings were handsome but the establishment was grim, intent on subduing the flesh, which still broke out. The priests did pretty well, in comfortable rooms, with all the cigarettes, pipes, and wine they could handle. There were sadistic staff, as well as sympathetic ones, and Cornwell sometimes had trouble sorting them out.
   
   Cornwell did well within the system, and was seen even as a candidate for further training in Rome itself, but all changed in an incident while he was "public man", a sort of school captain, in his last year at Cotton. A schoolmaster with whom he had clashed before reproved him for entering the teachers' common room without permission (he hadn't), and Cornwell in a threatening rage told the man off. ("The years of discipline at Cotton had been a poor antidote to my hotheaded maternal role model.") He was refusing acquiescence in the face of humiliation, and the incident changed his life. He was to go, not to Rome, but briefly to a senior seminary and then to his true calling within Oxford. He became an agnostic, but eventually regained his faith: "After many years' absence, my journey back to the faith of my fathers has not been easy," he writes, but he does not give details, at least in this book, implying that another narrative may follow. The unease is probably good; Cornwell has gone on to write an uncomplimentary biography of Pope John Paul II and _Hitler's Pope_, a devastating critique of Pope Pius XII's cooperation with the Nazis. He has in his current book been equally unsparing on himself, retelling embarrassing and private incidents that others would attempt to forget, much less write down for publication. This is not another tale of child abuse at Catholic hands, but a thoughtful and moving look backwards at the upbringing of a trenchant critic of the church from within.



3. They called him "Fru," the way Truman Capote's relatives called him "Tru," but for a different reason, for when John Cornwell was a poor slum boy living in WWII London, bombs pouring down nightly and daily, his embattled mother found a way to send her boy far west to an outskirted country retreat far from any conflict, called "Cotton," where she would make him a priest with the help of a group of strange Catholic fathers. One of them had the habit of nicknaming all new boys, making new names by translating their old ones into Latin. "Cornwell, eh?" said this fellow, tousling John's hair, "In Latin, that would be FRUMENTUM BENE, but that's too long, we'll just call you "Fru." It sounds a little bit frou-frou, but everyone took to it, from his fellow seminarians, to the straight-edged and highly disciplined teachers who sergeanted him through the next five years of his life, to Charles House, the exquisite English rose, aristocratic, haughty, and passionate, who fell in love with young "Fru" for a season and taught him everything he could ever imagine about the subtext of Shakespeare's sonnets.
   
   Fru has an emotional investment in becoming a successful priest, and a domineering mother, a wonderful salt of the earth type like Angela's Ashes, who forces him into a vocation, and a father who just literally slips out of their lives like a piece of paper falling to the floor during a hushed High Mass. I found myself caught up in this whirlwind of spiritual confusion, his attempt to follow the pathways of St. Therese de Lisieux. At one point he thinks back to her willingness to have dirty water splashed in her face, if that's what God wanted, and tries to emulate her, but his native common sense rebels, and he throttles the boy who's tormenting him. His thesis is that the seminary "infantilized" all who came into its ken, both men and boys, and he repeats this perhaps four too many times for my taste, for I could not see how "infantilization" is any worse than the glimpses of dreary home life that he was living in otherwise, before and after his seminary period.
   
   There was also a predatory older man who laid on top of Fru, talked frankly of sex, read Evelyn Waugh, acted crazy. This was fascinating up to a point, but really how many memoirs have we read about failed seminarians? Just once I'd like to read a memoir of a guy who went to seminary and actually stayed the route and remains a contented priest! Are there any such books, or all of them written by what amounts to quitters? Maybe there's something in the vows of being a priest that when you sign you promise never to reveal anything about having gone to seminary, which if so is a shame and a Church policy which should be rethought because I for one could use a nice restful story about how going to a seminary and becoming a priest made me a better guy.



4. The Buddha taught that you should accept his teachings only if they make sense to you. If they don't make sense, don't follow them. Christianity is quite the opposite. So if Christianity makes sense to you, not something you accept just on faith, then perhaps this book will be interesting to you. (Being Catholic will help even more.) But if Christianity doesn't make perfect sense to you, then this book is the memoir of a masochist of epic proportions and I recommend you don't waste your time on Cornwell's self-inflicted suffering.



5. Writing about events and people not well known to the reader is always a task that proves itself to be difficult. The reader's interest has to be hooked, which is rendered even more intricate if the events are mundane and the characters are totally unknown to the reader. That is the difficulty that John Cornwell bravely faces. Unfortunately he doesn't emerge successful.
   
   The writing is simple and easy to read with some striking imagery (the reader can visualize life in post-WWII London and England). The description of life in a seminary is also exhaustive and evocative. The author deftly describes infatuations with members of the same and opposite sex as he grapples with his boyhood awakening of sexuality. The portrayal of the boy's confusion as he is given divergent advices from different `fathers' at the Seminary.
   
   However, for the reader the question that remains convincingly unanswered is `why did he join the priesthood?'
   
   The book is written too chronologically which appears to be a weakness but given that the reader doesn't know much about the places and characters, that is the only course of option left to the author. But that makes the book difficult to wade through.

1 comments about Nothing to Fear.

1. Hello. I recently sent this book to a friend who was preparing to go into surgery to remove cancer from his colon. Needless to say he was very apprehensive about the procedure and actually felt like his time on this earth had come to its natural end.
   
   Last night, I got the great news that the surgery went well and my friend is resting comfortably. His brother told me this book helped tremendously and gave my friend the hope and inspiration he needed as he prepared for this dreadful cancer removal procedure.
   
   There's nothing like direct, positive feedback. God bless my friend and here's too many more years of good living!

1 comments about Gotama Buddha Volume 2: A Biography Based on the Most Reliable Texts.

1. This is the second part of the Biography on Gotama Buddha by the Japanese scholar Hajime Nakamura. It starts with the last journey of the Tathagata and proceeds up to his death in Kusinagar. There is a final and very interesting chapter on the beginnings of deification of the Buddha. If I want to read the major texts of Buddhism, I need Pali, Sanskrit, Cinghalese, Chinese, Tibetan and Japanese at least. Obviously I can't master all these languages, fortunately, Dr Nakamura is a very knowledgeable scholar who based his book on the most reliable texts and on his own experiences and anecdotes about his visits to the important sites in the life of Siddharta.
   P.S. The translation in English is wonderful, so congratulations to Gaynor Sekimori too!

5 comments about PORTRAIT OF INTEGRITY.

1. Author Mark Mitchell creates a vivid image of the life of Ray Stedman, yet another compelling and interesting character from the "Greatest Generation." Not that a potential reader should confuse this as a book about war or soldiers--from from it. It simply strikes me, having just finished the biography, that Ray Stedman's rise from the humblest and most difficult beginnings, followed by a pioneering career in pastoral service and biblical studies, parallels many of the other great individual accomplishments of the WWII generation. It continually amazes me how so many men and women of this generation rose up from nothing during very trying times (WWII, the great depression) to accomplish great things against even greater odds. I wish I'd met this guy!!



2. I attended Ray Stedman's church for 16 years from 1972 to 1988. Thank God for Ray Stedman and his many fine sermons that can be found on his web page mentioned by Lambert Dolphin above. Mark Mitchell has done a fine job with this book on one of the leading conservative Bible expositors in America.
   
   I write this review from my own rather unique point of view. I was particularly interested in Mr. Mitchell's treatment of Ray's emotional problems which became appearant to me the first day I attended PBC. At that time the Jesus Movement was at it's peak and PBC was filled with people from every description and background. For me the audience was the most appealing aspect of the church. Obviously 50% of them were new converts to Christ and the atmosphere was exciting. Then to be a Christian was to be a member of the world wide body of Christ and alive in the Spirit.
   
   10 years later the atmosphere had changed radically. The attitudes were not open and focused on the whole body but narrowly focused on the church in Palo Alto. Other churches were viewed with suspicion and ridicule. This was due largely for two reasons: 1. Dallas Theological Seminary's (from which Ray and other pastors had graduated) theology was very negative towards Spirit-filled Christians and 2. Stedman's family problems had become worse.
   
   It was sickening for me to see a great ministry decline due to the emotional problems of the leadership that were not being addressed by the elders. Any new ideas became a threat to the leadership. Being a pastor is one of the most isolating jobs there is and being a highly respected one like Ray was, brought even more of that. It was a very frustrating situation to deal with and very saddening. Most people dealt with it through flattery which is not Christ's love. My heart went out to him and to his wife and daughters who must have suffered a great deal under his emotional denial.
   
   This is such a difficult but common occurance in the ministry and other professions that I have written some software to help people deal with it. [...]
   
   For some people this is a very negative thing to deal with but dealing with it in love is one of the costs of discipleship.



3. I very much enjoyed reading this book.
   
   In looking at some of the other reviews, too, I am not sure I see the point of Mr. Harding's comments. Instead of the pot calling the kettle black is it not more appropriate for men like Harding to be building up the remnant instead of fault-finding those of God's servants who have gone home for a perfect assessment of their lives by our Lord.
   
   For Mr. Harding who was not in leadership at Peninsula Bible Church and did not even know Mr. Stedman's family intimately, to discuss Ray's family in a book review is very inappropriate. However, since he brought this up, the very trials that Mr. Stedman and his family encountered were the very things that made Mr. Stedman the man he was and the " cracked clay pot" - cracked through the circumstances of life, that Christ could be seen through, and made the message he was preaching of "Christ in you, the hope of glory" transparent and real.
   
   A major focus of Ray was to equip the saints for the work of the ministry. To understand that Christ is the Head and we are His Body, with each member gifted by Him and filled by His Spirit, when we choose to allow Him, made Peninsula Bible Church one of the most Spirit filled Churches I have seen.
   
   No church is perfect, nor is any leader perfect. Ray Stedman would have been the first to admit this. That was one of the refreshing parts of Mr. Mitchell's biography in that he did not try to hide any parts of Ray's life or ministry. The point of the book and Ray's ministry is summed up in 2 Cor 3:4-6, "Not that we are competent of ourselves, but our competency comes from God, who has made us ministers of the New Covenant." You see, Ray felt that it was truly everything coming from God and, nothing coming from us, as it is God who provides the competency and all we do is just show up and allow Him to use us in whatever circumstances we are in.
   
   I want to thank Mr. Mitchell for researching the material for this book so carefully and for writing this book about this man, Ray Stedman, who J. I Packer put in the following company, "throughout the Christian centuries, from Cystostom and Augustine through Luther, Calvin and Matthew Henry, to Martyn Lloyd-Jones and Ray Stedman, working pastors have been proving themselves to be the best of all Bible expositors."
   
   To be included in such company is high praise indeed, not that Ray needed it or would want it. As Howard Hendricks said, "Ray was a much more important leader in evangelicalism than most Christians would know, because of his incredible humility. He was never a self-promoter. He never sought high positions. But everywhere I go to this day when I mention Ray Stedman's name I get an incredible response. He would be a candidate, in my mind, for a position on the Mount Rushmore of evangelicals."
   
   Again, I would highly recommend this book to anyone, and to read more about Ray or read his sermons, please visit his website at [...]
   
   
   Jimmy Stewart



4. This book is a beautifully written account of the life of an amazing man. I only recently learned of him, and I thoroughly reading his writings.



5. 
   The author, Mark S. Mitchell, paints a vivid picture of a contemporary Christian, flaws included, whose life's adventure took him from rural North Dakota around the world and back. Ray Stedman's faith colored his journey from farm boy to pastor of a California church that is still making a difference in people's lives today. Ray's portrait could be entitled. "Well done, good and faithful servant."

No comments about The Autobiography Of Jeanne Guyon.

1 comments about The Mother of the Little Flower: Zelie Martin (1831-1877).

1. I love this book. It offers great advice on how to be a great mother and catholic, like Zelie Martin was. I've used some of her teaching ideas for my child too, helping her to learn what a good deed is and encouraging her to do more. You don't get advice like this anymore.

2 comments about Women of Sufism: A Hidden Treasure.

1. Knowledgeably compiled by Camille Adams Helminski (the first woman to translate a substantial portion of the Qur'an into English and the cofounder and codirector of the Threshold Society in Aptos, California -- an educational foundation in the Mevlevi tradition based on the teachings of Rumi), Women Of Sufism: A Hidden Treasure is a unique anthology of writings and stories by mystic poets, scholars and Sufi saints. The works presented here embody the Sufi world view. Sufi is a the mystical path of Islam with an emphasis on hope and spiritual development. Writings from the time of the Prophet Muhammad down to the present day fill the pages of this powerful and emotional volume of faith and testimony. Women Of Sufism is a welcome and strongly recommended addition to personal and academic Islamic Studies collections in general, and Sufi Studies reading lists in particular.



2. I am amazed at how women's spiritual lives from the past keep resurfacing to inspire us today. In Women of Sufism, Helminski has selected stories, dreams, prayers and visions of female saints through the ages, from the time of the first Sufi women in the seventh century through to the present day. The stories span the many regions of the world where Sufism has been practised, including Asia, Africa, the Middle East and Europe.
   
   The mystic women documented in this anthology weave their spiritual knowledge into their family life, their household tasks, daily actions, and even into their carpets and wall hangings. They are strong in their devotion and let nothing deter them from their personal connection with the Beloved. The stories give a sense of the importance and acceptance of women as teachers.
   
   The titles of the chapters are themselves intriguing and give a glimpse of what the stories hold: A Jewel of Knowledge, The Enraptured Ones, My Soul is a Woman, Mother Love and The Fragrance of Prayer are just a few.
   
   The book contains many short, penetrating stories about Rabi'a al-Adawiyya, an eighth-century mystic. In the chapter A Doorkeeper of the Heart, one of my favourite tales illustrates how Rabi'a's saintliness did not depend on showiness: "One day Hasan of Basra saw Rabi'a down by the riverside. He came and sat beside her, spread his prayer-rug on the surface of the water, and said, 'Come sit with me and pray.' 'Do you really have to sell yourself in the market of this world to the consumers of the next?' said Rabi'a. Then she unrolled her own prayer-rug in thin air and sat on it. 'What you can do fish can do, Hasan, and what I did any fly can do. Our real work is beyond the work of fish and flies.'"
   
   It is clear from the care people took to write down their dreams that they were important to the Sufis as instruments of the teachings. In this tradition, dreams are considered spiritual realities, often bearing glad tidings and providing a route through which God can communicate with devotees. The chapter Hidden Ways contains the dreams of at-Tirmidhi's wife, which he recorded in his autobiography. The inner link was so strong between husband and wife that she would dream teaching dreams for him.
   
   In another chapter, modern-day scholar Michaela Ozelsel documents her experience of a traditional solitary retreat. Isolated in a small apartment in Istanbul with enough supplies to last forty days, she describes how inner peace unfolded and a "polishing of the heart" occurred.
   
   Women of Sufism is a great resource for understanding women's ongoing search for the Divine. "It is becoming strongly clear that there will continue to be more and more stories of women of Spirit to shareas women in the current era rediscover their rightful role as equal partners on the spiritual path as well as in the world of daily human duties." It is very important that we open to the spiritual knowledge, intelligence and vision of the feminine at this time in history.

3 comments about Amy Carmichael: Let the Little Children Come.

1. A very good approach to the suffering of children in India. It Was well written. Is a very good example of the power of prayer and how people need Jesus



2. This book opened my eyes to see the truth of the children in India. It broke my heart for these children, but I loved hearing the story of Amy's dedication to these children and how she changed thier lives. It encouraged me to see how God worked in the situations that she was in.



3. This book gives a concise biography of Amy's life, yet is written in a way to draw the reader into the circumstances and time in which Amy lived. I gained a great admiration for Amy. She truly lived out her love for the Lord and the Indian people.

3 comments about Merton: A Biography.

1. For anyone interested in the spiritual development of Thomas Merton, this is an excellent book. Furlong tackles her subject with sympathy and insight. Like Merton, she writes clearly, directly and truthfully. A gem.



2. I read this book some years ago. I feel in love with the book: from beginning to end. I strongly recommend it to the fun-loving spiritual minded.



3. I, too, read this book by Ms. Furlong some years ago in its galley proofs, no less! In my view, it is even a better intoduction to Merton's life than the Seven Storey Mountain. Read Merton's autobio, by all means, but read Furlong first. She situates Merton in his place and times, and although not a Roman Catholic, is very understanding of the monastic life,discipline and spirituality. Furlong apparently didn't have access to as many primary sources as Merton's later biographer, Michael Mott, but she does a splendid job with what documents she had in hand. She is especially compassionate, and forgiving, with Merton's love affair with his nurse. Mott goes into more detail on this interesting chapter of Merton's life, but it is easy to understand - reading both authors - why it happend and how it gives him an even greater appeal as an authentic American mystic and saint to the rest of us poor Christians. Although this will never be recognized, unfortunately, at the Vatican. Well worth reading as an introduction to the life of a great American Catholic and mystic. Read about Merton in this order: Furlong, Merton & Mott!

No comments about Churched: One Kid's Journey Toward God Despite a Holy Mess.