Putting on the Mind of Christ: The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality

by Jim Marion

Book Overview

A former Catholic monk encourages individuals to seek the difficult path to salvation themselves without relying on the Church.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1571741739
• ISBN13: 9781571741738
• Release Date: July 2000
• Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing Company
• Length: 324 Pages
• Weight: 1.51 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.3" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Thought-Provoking, Honest, Courageous...

For the first time in my adult life, I have seen the New Testament and the ministry of Jesus of Nazareth from a perspective to which I can finally relate. When the Kingdom of Heaven is viewed as the ego-shattering level of nondual consciousness, the scriptures have great wisdom to share and somewhere accessible to point. (Yes, I realize that I'm awash in spacetime nomenclature, but such is the nature of writing.)Jim Marion's digestable explanation of Ken Wilber's differing levels of consciousness is a veritable pot-of-gold find for me. This is the first book I have read that parallels and details my own secular spiritual path. What's amazing is that it is done with ample support from the New Testament gospels! Who knew I'd one day find myself nodding along to what the boys in the Bible wrote? Marion has even taken a shot at describing the level of nondual consciousness that I attained several years ago. Now when blank faces stare back at me as I fumble for the words to explain my own life-altering experiences, I can simply direct them to Putting On the Mind of Christ.I commend Jim Marion for his undeniable courage, his soul-searching honesty and his ability to show me, a non-Christian, that the Bible holds great wisdom that is relevant to my own spiritual journey. Though I shall not be setting aside my Sunday mornings for pew-warming anytime soon, I have a newfound respect for esoteric Christian teachings.This is my new favorite reference book.

The Kingdom of God on Earth

This book is highly recommended for anyone who feels spiritually "stuck." If your goal has been spiritual growth through the study of Jesus and his message but you find that the traditional emphasis on Jesus' death and resurrection has lost it's meaning, this book may help. Marion's basic premise is that the Kingdom of God is obtainable here and now, "on earth as it is in heaven." If we are to seek the Kingdom, we must enter into a developmental process leading to greater consciousness.Marion relies heavily on Ken Wilber as he takes the reader through the developmental stages leading to the Kingdom. He is straight forward about this and readers of Wilber's work will appreciate the manner in which he has made Wilber understandable and accessible. For those unfamiliar with Wilber's writings, the book can serve as a good introduction. I was skeptical when I first picked up the book because Marion is described as a former monk and mystic. Since I am neither of those, I wondered how relevant his message would be to my life. I am now in my second reading and believe it is one of the most valuable books I have read about Jesus and his teachings. Marion is quite effective in his arguement that Jesus expects more from us than good behavior. We must "put on the mind of Christ" in order to manifest the love of God and neighbor that Jesus calls us to. Those who are wedded to a traditional interpretation of the Gospel may reject Marion's ideas. If, on the other hand, you are ready to move on, this book is for you.

A New Way to Look at Christianity

This was a great book, combining insights from such disparate sources as the Bible, the new age, and the great modern philosopher, Ken Wilbur, in ways that were both exciting and insightful. If you are a Christian, seeking to broaden your faith and expand your conciousness - or you are interested in new age ideas and feel a strong connection to Jesus - this book is a must read.

Great Book to Read

This was the first book about Christian spirituality I read that went beyond the common ideas I had been exposed to in churches growing up (I am 21). It was amazing to read about some of the things I had been feeling/desiring or just been curious about: spiritual growth and development, transformation of my life by Christ and what that might entail, meditation, and even mysticism. I realized I didn't know what mysticism meant and that I needlessly characterized it as a suspect or hippie-dippy type thing. I come from a semi-conservative background, and some things Marion wrote about didn't connect with me at all, but at the same time so many did. I think he's right on the target when he says we all have plenty of work to do to achieve inner growth, and that the overall goal is to love like Jesus did. It seemed to me that in this book, Marion put forth an honest and informed blueprint to what the path might look like. Overall it was characterized by sincere compassion and love for people, which I think is its strongest attribute. It was also rooted in the Bible, which was cool. Definitely give it a read! Borrow it from a friend if you don't want to buy it. It changed the way I think about Christianity and provided many examples of saints, mature Christians, and even "spiritual masters" (as he put it) from other religions to look into. Good stuff!

Spiritual Hardball

Jim Marion has written a classic. If you're familiar with Andrew Harvey's Son of Man, reading this book will show you the book Harvey may have wanted to write. In a world where spirituality is served up as a cream puff feel-good exercise in clothing the ego with royal robes, this is the real thing, plain and simple.Taking a cue from Piaget's findings on the development of the individual, Ken Wilber's slightly off-the-beaten-path way of looking at things and Jean Gebser's far more on-target observations about the growth of awareness in civilizations and individuals, Marion has pieced togther a spiritual map to mark the trail that is found in the book's subtitle: The Inner Work of Christian Spirituality.The essential point in the book is that spirituality is not soft and fuzzy and sweet like cotton candy. It is, for many (as it was for Jesus) frightening, tempting, tough and dangerous -- which is to say that St. John of the Cross' Dark Night of the Soul is not for wimps.As I mentioned two paragraphs above -- the maps "mark the trail" and do not "guide" a person. Unlike others who coddle you, this book says here's the map, there's the road. It's your adventure, your journey, and it's certainly not the sanitized version, either. It's more what Joseph Campbell tried to point out -- some of the classic myths and legends of the human journey are terrifying (although we've become jaded to their power) and yet, like it or not, these are our stories, our quests as well. Marion is very clear about his own demons and presents them, perhaps even a bit too clearly and personally for some readers.I cannot say enough good about this book. When you complete it, you'll start it again and return to it often. You will clearly see why Fundamentalists think the way they do, why atheists are in love with the rational approach and more. There are treasures all through this work -- my current favorite? I suppose it has to do with sin being seen as error, based in ignorance, not evil. Marion's point is brilliantly made -- he explains that when a child is learning to walk and stumbles, you don't call him or her a sinner. You help them find their balance. You encourage, you support, you remove the errors. (Marion, thankfully, presents this better than I just did) Marion's point is that iin these times we hear the same talk in churches that was heard in the temples in in Jesus' day -- an emphasis on morality, the letter of the law and really prescious little about the true Kingdom of Heaven within, which is the entire substance of Jesus' life and teachings. If you're on the spiritual path and you just feel so nice and warm and cushy about everybody and everything, then I've got news for you -- you're stuck. Get unstuck. Get this book.