Practicing the Monastic Disciplines: Finding Deep Spirituality in a Shallow World, by Sam Hamstra, Jr., and Samuel Cocar was an interesting and intriguing experience for me. It’s a practical approach to the spirituality of the Desert Fathers and Mothers of early Christianity, written by two members of the Evangelical Christian community. The authors’ goal is that the book will help the reader along the path to becoming a more conscious pilgrim, a more fruitful servant, and a fiercer soldier” (p.15).

The book begins with something of a sales pitch to the evangelical church to take the desert abbas and ammas seriously. The authors view the spirituality of these people as a corrective to the undisciplined life of many Christians they observe. The authors see life on earth as a spiritual battleground. Indeed, the metaphor of spiritual combat pervades the book. Spiritual formation is described as being joined at the hip with spiritual warfare itself. Those who do not confront the current culture with Christian virtues will end up being conformed to it.

Anyone who doesn’t like weaponized Scripture may have difficulty with some parts, as might those expecting a journey into the life of quiet contemplation along with the monks. A homiletic tone pervades much of the book’s narrative.

The book’s is structured around consideration of eight logismoi (early descriptions by Christians of temptations that eventually morphed into the Seven Deadly Sins) and how Christians today might deal with them as the desert monks did. Scripture-based techniques combatting their influence are described in some detail. The goal of any Christ-follower in doing this is to become more and more like Jesus, “developing the very character of Christ…and approximating the sinless life of Christ” (p. 11). Those who view their experience of the Risen Christ as being in a very personal and intimate, trusting way with him in whom we live and move and have our being might find this to be too much of a DIY project.

The authors place orthopraxy above mere orthodoxy. For them, “spiritual correctness” is not enough. It certainly doesn’t ensure godliness; mere acquisition of information is not superior to actual transformation. It’s also important to recognize the real enemy. That spiritual warfare of which we spoke is to be directed against the Devil and his ilk, not against flesh-and-blood people. That's a message that needs constant reinforcement in some circles it seems to me.

Early in the book, discussing Old Testament prophets’ roles as diagnosticians of the people’s moral ills, the authors present the threefold requirements of God’s people: true obedience to moral and covenantal obligations more than emphasis on ritual observance, love of God and love of neighbor, and fidelity to belief in the singular transcendence of God (pp. 25-27). No card-carrying Christian would argue with these requirements, though some might order them differently. The devil, however, is in the details, and the existence of ~33,000 different Christian denominations in the world speaks volumes about just how well these requirements are met.

Moving on to New Testament ethics and the notion of sin, the authors find a continuation of the prophets’ warning about focusing on ritual to the exclusion of observing God’s law in one’s heart. A general perversity in this regard seems to permeate our culture. There is a danger in such discussions, of rendering the notion of sin entirely too abstract, a mere legalistic exercise in indiscretion, and worse. The quote from Angela Tilby is an example of how sin can end up as something discussed and studied rather than as something constitutive to the fallen human condition that requires a divine remedy. The cartoonish nature of this viewpoint is not helped by misspelling “Origen” as “Origin.”

Using Mark 7 as a basis, they assert that it’s a person’s thoughts that make that person unclean. Using James in a similar manner, the case is built that “…we must first control, redirect and reorder our wayward and disordered affections. We must reorient the interior economy of our desires” (p. 35).

Peter, Paul, and the non-canonical Didache are used in a similar manner, and a catalog of sins is developed that would be familiar to even casual readers of the Bible. In the authors’ view, this catalog should not be construed as a legal template for judgment, but as a portrait of the unregenerate culture in which Scripture was written. Using an evocative phrase from Marguerite Wilkinson, sin is described as “unattempted loveliness.” This overview of sin and our blindness to it sets the stage for the inward-facing excursion that follows, whose goal is to identify the sources of temptation and nip evil thoughts in the bud.

This leads logically into consideration of the logismoi, or eight thought patterns of temptation, and the notion of “talking back” as a palliative measure. The progression of temptation’s influence as described by Father Maximos of Mt. Athos sounds to my MBA ears like today’s marketing cone. My cynical side always thought the Devil was involved in marketing somehow!

The ”talking back” that the book suggests involves having Scriptural weapons at hand when temptation strikes. Deep familiarity with Scripture is therefore a sine qua non for applying monastic disciplines. One wonders what non-Christians are supposed to do.

At any rate, in a manner similar to what Jesus did during his own temptation, we are encouraged to use Scripture to combat the assault of temptation.

I’d urge practitioners to be mindful of how much energy they put into countering temptation. St. Theresa of Avila remarked that the worst way to attack temptation was head-on, full bore. That simply transferred energy to the temptation itself and got thrown back in one’s face. The harder she pushed, the more firmly entrenched the temptation became. A firm yet gentle preference for Scripture might work much better.

A series of quotes form the desert monastics comes at the end of the book which some may find more helpful than others. In my own work, I’ve chosen others, but the ones in the book are well-chosen with regard to their support for the book’s main themes.

It might’ve been a helpful for the book to have included inspection of other dimension of monastic discipline as well as the desert. The Benedictine practice of Ora et Labora might be helpful news to many people. Labora has a way of reducing the intensity of temptations, when properly done. Likewise, familiarity with The Cloud of Unknowing could introduce our Evangelical brothers and sisters to the deep joy of contemplative prayer. Those might work as themes for follow-on books, should the authors so choose.

This book is a useful introduction to the desert fathers and mothers for all those of that part of the Christian spectrum that might wonder of what use these people and their practices might be in today's world. It connects Evangelical practice to monastic discipline very well, it seems to me. Hopefully it will serve to introduce people to a way of life that deepens their relationship with our loving God.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.