I'm not fundamentalist but I am an evangelical and this book is the best book I've ever read on Christian Spirituality. You'll read it more than once. I've bought a bunch for my friends and now a number of Rolheiser's other books. This one is the best though.

This review offers an anecdotal story. I read this book when it was first published in 1999. After reading the first three chapters, I was excited that this new voice was following in a few sets of footprints of progressive Catholic Leaders like Richard Rohr, Matt Fox, and Diarmuid O'Murchi, to name a few.

Then I got to chapter four only to discover that this was just another book on spirituality in the genre of Catholic orthodoxy. Having left the Catholic Church many years before this book was published, I wrote the author via email to comment on his book. I was surprised when he got back to me. While I don't remember the entirety of the author's remarks, I do remember that he was positive and kind. One point that he made, however, is that he thought that I would not find a home in another tradition. Having been out of the Catholic Church now for over twenty years, I can state categorically that the Church holds absolutely no influence over my spiritual life or my relationship with the ineffable which we all serve.

It is interesting to note that the Catholic Church has morphed even further rightward with the election of Ratzinger as Pope. From a historical perspective, I suppose this event is just a passing cloud on the backdrop of history. All extreme ideologies lose the force of their impact with time, as truth will overcome in the end.

While I agree with the author's fundamental thesis concerning our relationship to God, one does not need the Catholic Church as an intermediary to accomplish that goal. Contrary to the Pope's recent public comments, the Catholic Church represents one religion among many. To assert that the Catholic Church is the "one true" Church is an insult to the vast majority of people on the planet engaging meaningful work on behalf of justice outside of this organization. These types of proclamations only divide people rather than bring them together in mutual respect and dignity. A lesson Mr. Ratzinger might learn to abide by, before his next irrelevant outburst.