Books by Ruth Haley Barton (Speaking Monday, November 17th)

Thanks to those who posted comments or sent email or Facebook messages wishing us well on the author reception we are having on Monday with Ruth Haley Barton. We appreciate your prayers.  Apparently, a number of folks really have loved her books and can vouch that she is, indeed, a high quality presenter.  We can’t wait for her program which we are sponsoring over at the cool coffee bar at the nearby Living Word Community Church who have graciously agreed to co-host this event.  If you know anyone in Central PA, send them the previous blog post as it might inspire them to take a field trip this Monday night.  Ruth will speak sometime after 7 pm;  there will be light refreshments, a chance to meet, chat a bit, and get books autographed.  We’ll have her titles available.  Extra thanks to InterVarsity Press, her most recent publisher, who is helping make this event possible.  We’ve always said they are our favorite publisher, and we are glad Ruth’s work has found a good home there.

Want us to have her sign a book, and then send it to you (or a special someone?)  Just let us know before Monday, and we can do that for you.

Strengthening the S.jpgStrengthening the Soul of Your Leadership: Seeking God in the Crucible of Ministry  (IVP) $18  This is her new one, a brillant study of Moses, good for anyone who is even half-way serious about being faithful in intentional discipleship and staying rooted in deep awareness of God’s sustaining presence.  It is rare to see a book on spiritual formation, self-awareness and leadership development, so this is a true treasure.  Give it to anyone you know who is a leader, or ought to be…One of the great new books of the year!

Click here for a short, fantastic, video clip of Ruth talking about her book.

Sacred R.jpgSacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation  (IVP) $17  One of our favorites, this is a delightful and passionate call, realistic and pleasant, to develop a personal “rule of life” or set of lifestyle priorities that allow for practicing the spiritual disciplines.  Who doesn’t want a more sane pace of life?  Who doesn’t need to know how to find God in the ordinary stuff of real life?  This is a very, very nice book and a fabulous introduction to contemplative living.

Invitation to S.jpgInvitation to Solitude and Silence: Experiencing God’s Transforming Presence  (IVP) $17  Wow, what a great treasure, a book to ponder, to come back to, to allow it’s calming influence to seep over you.  We are all, surely, aware of the dangers of over-stimulation, the anxieties of our info-glut culture.  Learning to get comfortable with silence is key.  Ruth is amazingly contemporary and yet saying something the wisest writers have said for centuries.  Highly recommended.

Longing for M.jpgLonging for More: A Woman’s Path to Transformation in Christ  (IVP) $16  This is a revised and expanded version of a book that we used to say was the best book of which we knew for Christian women; now it is even better. Originally called Truths That Free Us: A Woman’s Calling to Spiritual Transformation it is written to help women find inner strength, being aware of their needs and desires, inviting readers to reflect on yearnings that can best be met in God and Christ’s ways.  From spirituality to sexuality, this is a fabulous, easy to read, yet very profound book for anyone.  It is especially popular among college age women, it seems, and a great example of thoughtful and well-written basic Christian growth for contemporary women.

Equal to the T.jpgEqual to the Task: Men & Women in Partnership (IVP) $15  It is no surprise, I presume, that we are comfortable with the movement of “evangelical feminism” that is shared by authors such as Mary Stewart Van Leeuwen, Elaine Storkey, Gilbert Belzikian and others who, out of the highest regard for the Bible and historic orthodox faith, invite us to lifestyles of servanthood, mutuality and gender justice.  Ruth is not a strident voice, but she does offer here remarkably insightful stuff on how women and men might compliment one another in the work-world, in friendship, in ministry.  I don’t think there is as much attention paid to this as there should be and as women are increasingly found in positions of church and work leadership, issues of power as well as issues of sexuality and temptation, will need to be addressed.  This is a forward-thinking, useful and really fun look at what can be seen as a great blessing of God, or, as a potential trouble spot. Unless you live in a cave, this would be a useful study and ponder and we highly recommend it.  It has much to offer young and old, men and women.

ruth.gif
women like us.jpgBecoming a W of P.jpg
Ruth: Relationships That Bring Life
(Shaw)
Becoming a Woman of Purpose (Shaw) $5.99
Women Like Us: Wisdom for Today’s Issues (Shaw) $5.99

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2 thoughts on “Books by Ruth Haley Barton (Speaking Monday, November 17th)

  1. Be careful, my friend!
    Ruth Haley Barton is walking a thin line between Christianity and eastern mysticism. She had training at the Shalem Institute, which was founded by Tilden Edwards.
    Edwards, who was a pastor, heavily promoted the practice of mystical prayer. He believed that contemplative prayer was some sort of bridge that connected to Eastern spirituality. Dangerous stuff!
    May I suggest a book to add to your ‘collection’?
    It is called: A Time of Departing
    The author is: Ray Yungen
    Publisher: Lighthouse Trails Publishing
    May the LORD bless you with discernment concerning Barton.
    in Christ,
    Yvonne

  2. Yvonne,
    Thanks for the sweet tone and fair warning. We do indeed have to be discerning about what is Biblically faithful and theologically proper.
    I know Tilden leans a bit too far in that syncretism direction and you are correct to be concerned.
    For what it is worth, the organization that publishes the book you recommend, though, is foolish, and in our correspondence with them, they have written mean, illogical, and untrue things (including to and about me.) They spread this “guilt by association” ugliness throughout the internet thinking they know more than they do; they sure haven’t approached me with any kindness or insight, just wrote these blasting notes and inappropriate overstatements that amounted to immature blather. As much as I am concerned about the mystical elements of folks at Shalem, say, I am more concerned about the exceedingly dangerous arrogance and Pharisee-spirit of that Lighthouse place. In God’s common grace, the Bible is clear, that the faithful can “plunder the Egyptians” and use stuff from sources outside the faith community. I am not so sure we can spiritually use the nonsense that they spread that is just plain dishonest and mean. Somebody needs to keep an eye on them and their unaccountable “ministry” that says the stupidist stuff about solid people like Dallas Willard and Richard Foster. I hope you take their books with a very large grain of salt. especially if you care about being people of truth and faithful to Biblical mandates. They are dangerously off the deep end but don’t seem to know it. I don’t know if they are a cult, or what…
    The Bible itself, you know, has examples of Godly people reading pagan stuff (Paul apparrantly was quite good at this; see Acts 17 for instance.) So we carry all sorts of books here, hoping people read widely and learn to be discerning. I wish Lighthouse Trails were more reliable as there does need to be evangelical discernment as we interact with the broader contemplative traditions.
    Ruth, as our time with her showed, is exceptionally Biblical, deeply Christ-centered, and knows Bible doctrine enough to keep her grounded and rooted in the historic, orthodox truth. She says this in her books and in her presentations, in fact.
    So, we are grateful for your note, glad for its tone of fair concern, but would encourage you to keep your distance from those who accuse falsely.

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