Like many connected with Sojourner's Magazine, he accidentally makes the mistake of using bigĬorporate government to fight big corporate government (181). He is aware that a lot of, say, Ron Sider's earlier proposals probably won't pan out and so he recommends a more balanced approach.cġ. Great section on the False Self (80-81).ģ. But he does give practical suggestions and many of them are quite good.Ģ. (Some of the earlier SoJo guys did just that, but to their credit they later retracted their Galatianism). Foster knows he cannot 'make' any of his suggestions a law for the Christian life, otherwise he is going beyond the gospel. How then should one live in simplicity? Here is where it gets tricky. Simplicity exposes our numerous 'false selves.' His thesis is simple (no pun intended): simplicity allows us to live in freedom to God (Foster 3). Foster is (usually) wise enough to know that enforcing a lot of these disciplines and practices as a 'law' is legalism. I didn’t like this as much as Celebration of Discipline, but it was still great!Īs far as spiritual disciplines books go, this is one of the better ones. He’s willing to address hard questions, and his life is a testament to the application of the answers to those questions. As a result, I didn’t track with him in all his practical suggestions for how the church can practice simple care for the poor.Īll that being said, this really was a remarkable book and I would suggest it to anyone! Foster is so organized, clear, and pragmatic as he discusses important matters. Certainly some sacrifice is necessary on the part of the western world, but I just see the nature of this sacrifice pretty differently than he does. Another example is Foster’s notion of economics being a zero sum game, where some must lose for others to win. Any hunger is bad, but it’s important for people to know that hunger, in the last 20 years, has been miraculously reduced. For instance, he mistakenly states that global hunger is on the rise. I appreciated Fosters passion for marginalized people, social justice, and poverty alleviation, but in my opinion, he missed the marks at times in trying to emphasize the importance of our call. Ironically, the only part of this book that I appreciated less was related to Foster the amateur economist, not Foster the theologian or encourager. However, I have so much to learn about simplicity of mind and simplicity of speech! Foster discusses these matters so well, and I was challenged to grow and will have conversations with friends as a result. It’s easy for me to see the spiritual value in limiting consumption to care for the poor - that is the obvious way I feel many are called to practice simplicity. Oh man we need this now!! My favorite aspect of this book, which was also my biggest takeaway, was Foster’s discussion of how broadly simplicity can impact our lives.

An awesome book about the spiritual practice of simplicity.

Richard foster simplicity