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REVIEWS
The Contemplative Struggle
Radical discipleship in a broken world A South African journey
Ian Cowley ( BRF , March 2021 ) 154pp , paperback , RRP £ 8.99
A Companion in Crisis
A Modern Paraphrase of John Donne ’ s Devotions
Philip Yancey ( Dartman , Longman & Todd , February 2022 ) 320pp , hardback , RRP £ 16.99
I was put off reading this book by the somewhat misleading sub-title ‘ A South African journey ’; but once started , I found it difficult to put down . It is a truly inspiring book , as the Rev Ian Cowley reflects on his life story and his own spiritual journey . Part 1 describes how he was shaped as a young white man , growing up in South Africa , by apartheid . He rejected the conformist Anglican church of his boarding school to become a political activist in a radical Christian student movement . He experienced religious revival , evangelicalism and mysticism before returning to the Anglican church , where he was ordained .
His theology , and the main title of this book , bring together both the contemplative life where he felt overwhelmed by Christ ’ s love , and also the struggle for justice in a divided and unequal society . He directs us to how Jesus brings together these two dimensions of godly life with the commandments to love God and neighbour . He sees ‘ radical discipleship ’ as practising what we preach , even if this is an uncomfortable place to be . He finds much inspiration from John ’ s Gospel , which presents Jesus as ‘ the way , the truth and the life ’ and describes how Jesus faced opposition , conflict and persecution in his ministry .
In Part 2 , Cowley considers how lessons he learned in South Africa 50 years ago are still relevant today . We may not be struggling with apartheid , but our world is still broken by racism , poverty and injustice , war and climate change . He gives examples from his time as a parish priest in England , in answering the question , ‘ How then should we live ?’ Finally , the book finishes with an appendix giving practical advice on contemplative practice . This is not just one man ’ s life story , but it is shot through on every page with Christian teaching that inspires and challenges , calling us to ‘ a radical transformation of our whole way of life ’ ( p76 ). He calls us to reject the ‘ me-first ’ individualism of the fast-moving modern Western world , in order to allow Christ to live in and through us . This is a thoughtprovoking book that has power to deepen our spiritual lives and give practical relevance to our sermons . It is highly recommended .
Jan Thompson
Jan is a Church of England lay reader and part of the ministry team in a benefice of three rural parishes in Kent .
Four hundred years before Covid-19 , poet-preacher John Donne – isolating with lifethreatening illness during an outbreak of fever in London – penned a prose sequence , Devotions Upon Emergent Occasions . It is still popularly quoted today and made the Guardian ’ s 2017 list of the best 100 non-fiction books . A Companion in Crisis is Philip Yancey ’ s affectionate and considered re-working of Devotions for contemporary readers who might otherwise miss out on Donne ’ s insightful grapplings , because of the archaic language and unfamiliar contextual details of the original .
Yancey writes as someone who has found personal companionship in Donne ’ s words , including in seasons of hardship , and is keen to extend that connection to others . He book-ends the paraphrase with explanatory chapters that reflect on some of Donne ’ s key themes in the light of the pandemic and other present-day crises . The paraphrase itself is considerably abridged , and sacrifices aspects of the poet ’ s artistry , but Yancey does not impose his own ideas or style ; Donne ’ s voice is carefully preserved in what remains . And what it says is full of raw honesty about difficult things – suffering , loneliness , guilt , fear and death – often greeted by the silence of denial in our ‘ modern ’ world . At the same time , it is full of hope , as Donne meditates on Jesus ’ defeat of death , and comes to terms with his own lack of control , arriving at a place of ‘ sublime trust ’ in the will of a loving and present God .
Yancey ’ s determination to bridge the temporal divide between Donne and today ’ s readers resonates with Donne ’ s own keen awareness of our human connectedness – reflected in the most popularly cherished parts of Devotions . We are , indeed , none of us islands ; the pain of separation during national lockdowns , and the innovative scramble to sustain community , bear poignant recent testimony to this .
I share Yancey ’ s appreciation for Donne , whose temporally removed perspective offers ‘ fresh ’ insights on our current predicaments , and whose example might help us relearn how to prayerfully , honestly grapple . Yancey has done a commendable job of making the complex and intimidating original highly accessible ; I hope it reaches and encourages a wide new audience .
Carolyn Whitnall
Carolyn is passionate about theology and poetry and is working towards an MA at Bristol Baptist College . Twitter
@ MrsWhitnall