The Practice of the Presence of God by Brother Lawrence
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Book Reviews of The Practice of the Presence of God
Book Review: Somewhat plodding...
Summary: 3 Stars
I'm finding it very difficult to keep up with reading this book. I thought reading the day to day life instances of a holy man would be little more engaging.
See other reviews to see if this book is for you. Maybe it just isn't for me.
Book Review: Scripture is Lacking
Summary: 2 Stars
The Practice of the Presence of God is a collection of spiritual insights into the heart of God as revealed through Brother Lawrence's letters, conversations, and his life itself. Brother Lawrence was a lay brother in a Carmelite monastery in France during the 1600s. As a result of not receiving the proper education, he was unable to become a priest and instead served primarily in the monastery kitchen cooking and cleaning. Despite Brother Lawrence's humble position, many were attracted to Brother Lawrence and sought his guidance. He is most remembered for his strong sense of contentment and the close relationship he felt he had with God. If Brother Lawrence had a life verse, it probably would have been 1 Corinthians 10:31 which says, "So, whether you eat or drink, or whatever you do, do all to the glory of God." Sadly, Scripture is totally lacking from Brother Lawrence's book. For those who have gained much from Brother Lawrence and this book, this is not an attack against him; I am merely reviewing the book. If we want to learn about God, it would be best to use His words and not just our own. Of course we can learn about God through His creation and the changed lives of others, but Scripture is the infallible Word of God. It's perfect. If a book wants us to better understand how to truly practice the presence of God, the use of Scripture would be best. The Practice of the Presence of God might be considered a classic in some circles, but I found it to be a rather dry and repetitive read that lacked the essential.Book Review: Wonderful book, look for a better edition
Summary: 2 Stars
This is a great book, with practical application for the spiritual practice of all Christians of any denomination. This edition, however, is heavily abridged, cutting the much larger original down to about 95 pages.Book Review: Dishonest paraphrase; get the translation from Spire
Summary: 1 Stars
The 1982 publication by Whitaker House is not very good at all. It is a loose paraphrase. In the words of the publisher's preface: "In this abridged edition, we have sought to update and clarify the language of this Christian classic, paraphrasing where necessary, while keeping the essence of the message intact." It goes way overboard. It excises several passages, some of which are distinctly Catholic:
A) mention of praying at set times throughout the day (in his Carmelite monastery) in Conversation #2
B) a reference to receiving absolution through a confessor in Conversation #2
C) references in Conversation #2 to acts of mortification are corrupted; Br. Lawrence spoke of "bodily mortifications" as "useless, except as they serve to arrive at the union with God by love" and that "all possible kinds of mortification, if they were void of the love of God, could not efface a single sin." (pp. 21-22) The Whitaker version renders these two separate clauses as one, "that all possible good works or self-abasing acts of contrition we could possibly do would not erase a single sin." (p. 18)
D) a quote from Br. Lawrence at the end of Conversation #4 in which he mentions kneeling in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament
It also re-orders his 15 letters, damaging them in the process:
A) Whitaker's Letter #6 appears to be completely fabricated
B) Br. Lawrence's 11th and 13th letters are missing completely, probably because they praise the salvific quality of suffering and bearing suffering joyfully
C) Br. Lawrence's 14th and 15th letters are merged into one, retaining only the first sentence of letter #14
The edition published by Spire is far better.
Book Review: More reasons why people are leaving the traditional church
Summary: 1 Stars
This book is a good example of why traditional "old time" religion is falling on hard times. It just doesn't work. For example in the book bro L says, if you want to attain the presence of God, you should, see a "purity" of life. Yeah right, how many people can actually do that. Look at most of the clergy, and you will see that this just doesn't work and doesn't happen. And then we are to control our senses. Yeah again. This kind of legalistic thinking- "things" we must do for God is totally opposite the teachings of Jesus who told us to walk in GRACE. Yet books like this and people today like Dr. Dobson and other keep telling us to try to be holy, dont' drink, have sex, etc etc. And as Dr. Phil would say Brother L, "hows that working out for you. IT ISN"T.
You can practice all you want to attain "Holiness" but it ain't gonna happen no way, nowhere. You can't attain this by practice. You must accept it thru GRACE. So if you want to feel bad when you don't measure up to the sanctity of Brother L, then by all means read this book. But if you want to find the peace of God, read ACIM (A course in Miracles) and accept the REAL Jesus that simply wants us to relax in his presence, not to try to attain it by our deeds.