Mindful Silence: The Heart of Christian Contemplation by Phileena Heuertz

Here is the book summary:

Our fast-paced lives are filled with distractions, frequently leaving us disillusioned and dissatisfied―with ourselves, with others, and even with God. Spiritual practices that used to sustain us fall short when life circumstances bring us to the limits of our self.
After many years leading an international humanitarian organization, Phileena Heuertz experienced the deconstruction of her identity, worldview, and faith. Centering prayer, a Christian expression of mindfulness, was a crucial remedy for her fragmented condition, offering a more peace-filled and purposeful life.
The hallmarks of contemplative spirituality―solitude, silence, and stillness―have never been more important for our society:
In solitude, we develop the capacity to be present.
In silence, we cultivate the ability to listen.
In stillness, we acquire the skill of self-control.
Contemplative prayer helps us discern the voice of God, uncover our true self, and live a life of meaning and purpose.
Filled with insights and wisdom from her own experience, Phileena introduces us to themes and teachers of contemplative spirituality, as well as several prayer practices, and invites us to greater healing and wholeness by learning to practice faith through prayer.
This is an opportunity to go deeper with God―to experience the Divine and be transformed.

And now, my review:

The word “Christian” in the title drew me because I often find that spiritual direction and silence and solitude bring with it resources other than the Bible or in addition to the Bible and I just want the Bible to be the main vein flowing through all Spiritual direction.  This book leans more on Catholicism than on Protestantism.  She has a sentence that says:  “all great religions…” after she mentions Buddhism, Hinduism, and Islam with Christianity tagged on at the end…  This is very early on in the book.  This book has the potential to lead us down a path we don’t want to go down.  There are 2 ways to use Scripture:  one is to use Scripture to support what you are trying to say and the other is to have Scripture support itself.  I read this book and noticed in quite a few areas that the author's source of truth is other than Scripture as her main source and she pulls from many people and religions/sources that are even to the extent of anti-Christ.  When you choose to add these types of people into your spiritual life you are saying that what these people have to offer is equal to the Truth you might find in the Words of Jesus.  As one would say after reading  Galatians 1:6-10 there is no other gospel.  These other individuals would say that there is another gospel apart from Christ, John 14:6.  The very essence of Colossians is Jesus plus anything is no longer the Gospel.  We are complete in Christ.  Colossians 2:8 gives us the warning to be sure everything is according to Christ.  If you choose to read this just know that you need to be on guard against statements that would lead you to belief in other viewpoints than Christianity.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

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