The Body Broken: Answering God's Call to Love One Another

By Robert Benson

Book Overview

The Body Broken is an honest and moving meditation on the Gospel imperative to love one another as brothers and sisters, even as we choose to live and express our faith in differing ways. A lifelong Christian and seeker, Robert Benson has shared the prayers, rituals, conversations, and practices of many different denominations. His broad range of ecumenical experiences have led to moments of great joy and deep fellowship, but they have also opened his eyes to the misunderstanding and the intolerance that constantly threaten to dismember the whole Body of Christ. Benson writes longingly about the things of the faith that bind us together and gracefully about the things that keep us apart. He recounts his own journey from Nazarene to Methodist to Episcopalian and introduces us to the people and the differing expressions of faith he encountered along the way. We meet ordinary folk, including Benson's family and childhood friends, as well as legendary religious thinkers as Henri Nouwen. Some of the stories--particularly the ones about his own brother's suicide--are heartbreakingly painful; others bring to light the joy and grace of Christian love as found in acts of common worship and compassion. Although Benson acknowledges that there are--and always will be--very real differences in the ways that Christians seek to live out their faith, he reminds us of the essential beliefs that we share about God and our common dependency on God's mysterious mercy and grace, even as we look for God as through a glass darkly. In poetic prose that is reminiscent of the writing of Frederick Buechner and Annie Dillard, Benson illuminates, with wit and wisdom and humility and passion, one of the most difficult challenges that face the Church. The Body Broken is a powerful, important examination of the intolerance and divisiveness that have become an all too familiar part of the Church and a gentle, poignant call for a Christian community that embraces a spirit of love and unity even as it honors our differences.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1400070767
• ISBN13: 9781400070763
• Release Date: August 2004
• Publisher: Waterbrook Press
• Length: 157 Pages
• Weight: 0.45 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.5" x 8.3"

Customer Reviews

Not What I Expected...

...and yet better. I've been a fan of Robert Benson for some time, and I've enjoyed reading and studying his works on prayer and praying. I'm not sure exactly WHAT I expected from this book; I know this book delivered more. Please, if your body, mind, spirit or heart is or ever has been broken, read this book. You will find some peace in your broken-ness. I know I did. I look forward to reading the other Benson titles I bought.

Another masterpiece

Robert Benson is no doubt the most recent in a long line of great Anglican writers. His take on life, as an "everyman," is a true departure from the stodgy theology lectures of most books on inter-denominational relationships. At a time when the Church is dividing over seemingly incosequential matters, Mr. Benson provides a common sense view that what binds us together is far stronger that what seeks to pull us apart.

He's done it again...

I have to agree with the notion that one of our finest writers can be found in Robert Benson. Reading this book is like sitting in front porch rockers, having an open and honest conversation about the concerns of the Body of our Lord. Robert holds back nothing...from himself and from the way things are within today's church. As with all his other books, I'll read this one again and again.(And, Robert: thx for mentioning my church as a fine example of worship!)

A clear message for a church threatening division

Robert Benson may be the finest Christian writer in America. He has a passionate vision for declaring the reality of God's redemptive love in carefully crafted poetic stories that perfectly capture the truth and power of the Gospel. This is a book that should be read by all Christians faced with disagreement and disunity in their community.