Vows---exclusive promises or commitments---are almost unheard of these days. They're considered a quaint relic of times past when open options were not such highly regarded virtues. But many people in our commitment-averse culture are begging for someone to set the bar higher, to call them to higher levels of devotion.
Across the ages, God has consistently attracted a few in every crowd who would make and keep vows, and called them to stick out, act out and speak out. In The New Friars, Scott Bessenecker profiles young Christians who have voluntarily removed themselves from the status quo in order to seek justice and mercy with the poorest of the world's poor. These new friars are carrying on the work of the monastic tradition, the spirit of Francis and Clare of Assisi, St. Patrick and St. Brigid, the Jesuits and Nestorians and Moravians.
Average Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars(3.5 out of 5 stars)
1 of 1 Reviews Showing:
3.5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Greg Willis (Granbury, TX), July 24, 2008
This is a really good book. The only problem for me was that I had just finished reading The Irresistible Revolution before I started reading this one. Friars is worth the money, but it is not as challenging as The IRev, which is off the charts. The book brings up some excellent issues and wonderful examples. I just found the the other book to be superior.
Write a review of The New Friars: The Emerging Movement Serving the World's Poor
Author: Scott Bessencker
Located in: Madison, WI
Submitted: November 05, 2006
Tell us a little about yourself. I am the Director of Global Projects for
InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, am married
and have three children.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? There is something significant afoot. When
hundreds of university students from the
affluent West are following God's call to plant
themselves in slum communities of the developing
world, we ought to take notice. The monks were
always used as an inspirational corrective for a
church gone astray. My hope is that the lives of
these men and women, held in historical context
with the "old friars" will inspire us to live
out our faith more radically.
Catalog Shopping
Membership
