Scott Jeffries
Jun 13, 2013Scott Jeffries rated it liked it
I didn't know what to expect when I first opened Thomas Kelly's A Testament of Devotion. I knew the book was listed among the best in Christian spirituality but I didn't know anything about the book.
I didn't know that Kelly was a Quaker and that the essays within the book were taken from talks that he gave. I didn't know how much my favorite Christian writer, Dallas Willard, was influenced by Kelly.
I also didn't know that I would need to read it more than once to fully appreciate it. The first time I read it, I was underwhelmed and slightly disappointed in the overtly Quaker teaching.
I mean, I am a Baptist, and any talk of the light within makes me think of Shirley MacLaine and "woowoo" New Age stuff. But then I read it a second time and appreciated it so much more. I began to take in some of the rich passages that were inspiring and convicting.
For example, he mentions that "complete obedience" is our goal not "amazing revelations."
I particularly liked his discussion of having the "simplicity of the trusting child." And Kelly's explanation of the "Holy Now" was excellent.
Finally, I really appreciated his moment to moment approach to the spiritual life.
Highly influenced by Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God,
Kelly detailed the experience of connection with God in the midst of everyday life.
This is a very good point and one that gets completely ignored in Evangelical circles who never seem to take the spiritual life beyond morning BIble study and prayer.
I don't know if I would recommend this book to a young believer but for a seasoned disciple looking for a challenge to live "the other half," this book would be much better than 90 percent of what is coming out of Christian bookstores.
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Elizabeth Andrew
Nov 07, 2012Elizabeth Andrew rated it really liked it
Shelves: spirituality
Friends recommended this book when they heard my 2012 New Year's resolution was to not be overwhelmed by life. A good dose of Quakerism is a nice antidote. I can't say Thomas Kelly led me to calm and simplicity, but he did offer me understanding:
"For, except for spells of sickness in the family and when the children are small, when terrific pressure comes upon us, we find time for what we really want to do."
With a small child, yes, living a focused life of service can be hard.
While his language and theology are old fashioned, Kelly's faith nonetheless inspires me:
I am persuaded that religious people do not with sufficient seriousness count on God as an active factor in the affairs of the world.
“Behold, I stand at the door and knock,” but too many well-intentioned people are so preoccupied with the clatter of effort to do something for God that they don’t hear Him asking that He might do something through them.
…For the Eternal is urgently, actively breaking into time, working through those who are willing to be laid hold upon, to surrender self-confidence and self-centered effort, that is, self-originated effort, and let the Eternal be the dynamic guide in recreating, through us, our time-world. 71-74.
I want to pray unceasingly, as Kelly describes. The joy of spiritual community he portrays seems impossible to me, but I want it nonetheless. Most of all, I want to face this complex world with profound trust. I'm grateful for the guides that help me on this journey. (less)
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David Woods
Apr 14, 2012David Woods rated it really liked it
Recommended to David by: Jeramy Williams
Shelves: religion-spirituality
This is the third or fourth Quaker author I have read that I have really enjoyed. Foster, Trueblood, now Kelly.
Kelly actually took over a post for D. Elton Trueblood at Haverford College! I loved Trueblood's book "New Man for Our Time".
Back to this book, it was a great collection of Kelly's writings on simply living in the Spirit, living in the presence of God, a lot in the vein of Brother Lawrence.
There is a 25 page biography written by a friend and colleague at the end of the book that I would have read first, so I would recommend doing so. I enjoyed the biography much also.
This book, and others such as Severe Mercy always make me romantically wistful about life in the "Greatest Generation". Such a romanticized vision is not too healthy, but in multiple books of this time, as in this one, there is talk of small fellowship meetings, usually around a fire, with readings, philosophical discussions, prayer, joint quite time, etc. Something which I can't seem to duplicate here in this day.
Maybe we can't sit quiet together, or reading together sounds like a waste of time to us in our multitask society. I also enjoy hearing of these great minds writing and receiving letters. Something that has been lost with the internet.
Back to the book itself, As Doug Steere, the author of the little Kelly biography says: "these devotional essays are gathered here w/o any of the cutting or clipping or critical revision which Thomas Kelly would certainly have given them had he lived. They are all written on the same theme and often develop an identical aspect, but always with some fresh illumination."
There does feel to be a lot of repetition throughout, but that's okay. Go into this book knowing what it is, a collection of his writings, mostly on living in the presence of God, and you if that is what you seek, you will benefit from it.
In living in God's presence Kelly speaks of the work it takes to get to where you can spend "every moment behind the scenes in prayer, offering yourselves in continuous obedience". We will fail all the time, but he is encouraging when he says simply say a quick word of repentance, ask for help, and start again! "The crux of religious living lies in the will, not in transient and variable states". (less)
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Rhiannon Grant
Apr 01, 2019Rhiannon Grant rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: theology-and-philosophy, quakerism, library-wb, liberal-quaker-theology
A Quaker classic for a reason, this contains lots of clear articulations of things Quakers often say - enough that it can be hard to pick out what is uniquely Kelly about it other than the intensity with which he experienced the spiritual processes he describes. His close relationships to some other Quakers of the period, especially Jones and Steere, and to influential non-Quaker sources (including Whitehead, William James, and some contact with Japanese and Indian philosophy), are visible as well as his own religious experience. (less)
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Jeremy
Nov 28, 2011Jeremy rated it it was amazing
Shelves: christian-life
This book is the perfect follow-up to Brother Lawrence's The Practice of the Presence of God. While we learn from Brother Lawrence that an abiding presence with God is possible, we learn from Kelly how to acquire it, what it costs, and what fruit will be born from it.
This is a very quick read, but should be savored and re-read. (less)
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Brandon
May 20, 2022Brandon rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites, monasticism-mysticism, top-2022
I started to read this short 100 page book about 3 weeks ago. It stirred my heart so deeply that I would take it out for walks, mumbling prayers that some of the experiences and promises found in this book would come true.
Kelly talked about things like “holy obedience”, “blessed fellowship” touched by the “dews of heaven”, a yearning and insatiable love for God — all things that I wanted to see in my life.
Most notably, God spoke to me through this book confirming for me a call to a life of ministry (2nd pic). I don’t really know the details of it yet, but I know what God wants me to do and I want to do it! Could you please pray for me as I wait and trust in the Lord to light the way and provide for me? 🙏 (less)
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Philip Lopez
Jun 13, 2021Philip Lopez rated it it was amazing
If this book is about anything it’s one word. Holy. This book definitely made me reconsider just how sold out I am and what else needs to be given up.
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Glen Grunau
Jul 02, 2021Glen Grunau rated it it was amazing
As I expressed in my recent review on a book about post-evangelicalism, I have been wondering if gathering with a group of Quaker Friends might satisfy my yearning for a more simplified form of worship that emphasizes quiet meditation and listening.
It seemed be a divine convergence when in looking for my next book to read, I looked on the shelf beside my bed and discovered that a book that had been waiting for me there for a couple of years was this book, written by a Quaker.
It has been sometime since I last read anything written by a mystic offering guidance for the inner life. This book was pure delight.
Thomas R. Kelly was a scholar who taught philosophy at Harvard. He possessed a life-long ambition to combine the philosophy of the west with that of the east. One of the chief ways in which Christian mysticism has benefitted from the philosophy of Buddhism is that God can truly only be encountered in the Eternal Now. Kelly knew this through his own intimate experience with God and gladly lights the way for others in this devotional classic.
It is obvious that Kelley was greatly influenced by Brother Lawrence as he makes repeated reference to the essential spiritual practice of maintaining a constant inner orientation toward God. Kelly recognized that those who abide in such spiritual simplicity are “really nullifying much of the external trappings of religion”. This has great appeal to me.
Kelly is convinced that this steady place of divine inner orientation inevitably brings a serene simplicity to one’s life. This theme becomes a thread throughout his book and is encapsulated in his final chapter “The Simplification of Life”.
Kelly has little sympathy for those who excuse the hectic pace of their life based on the complexity of demands in their environment over which they have no control. He is convinced
“. . . We haven’t been able to say no to them, because they seem so important to us. But if we centre down, as the old phrase goes, and live in that holy Silence which is dearer than life . . . then many of the things we are doing lose their vitality for us.”
Reading this short classic has rekindled for me a renewed longing to reorient myself to this Eternal Now where God‘s joy, love, and peace fill more and more of me. (less)
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Dave Peterson
Jun 15, 2010Dave Peterson rated it it was amazing · review of another edition
At my high school graduation, some friend or relative (I don't know who) gave me a copy of "A Testament Of Devotion" by Thomas Kelly. I read this and was touched by the spirituality of the writing. He wrote of "The Light Within":
"Deep within us all there is an amazing inner sanctuary of the soul, a holy place, a Divine Center, a speaking Voice, to which we may continuously return. Eternity is at our hearts, pressing upon our time-torn lives, warming us with intimations of an astounding destiny, calling us home unto Itself."
I gave away my copy but bought it again recently and still enjoy reading parts of it.
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Silas Bergen
Jun 28, 2019Silas Bergen rated it it was amazing
What a healing joy to read, is this book. I'll let is speak for itself:
Life is meant to be lived from a Center, a divine Center…
Life from the Center is a life of unhurried peace and power.
It is simple. It is serene. It is amazing. It is triumphant. It is radiant.
It takes no time, but it occupies all our time.
And it makes our life programs new and overcoming.
We need not get frantic. He is at the helm. And when our little day is done we lie down quietly in peace, for all is well. (less)
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booklady
Jun 04, 2008booklady rated it liked it
Shelves: 2005, religion, spiritual
Deceptively simple and wise book--and easy and quick read. Read it the year I did the Spiritual Classics.
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Nathan Albright
Dec 08, 2017Nathan Albright rated it it was amazing
Shelves: challenge2017
I must admit that I am not all that familiar with Quaker spirituality except for my criticism of its inveterate pacifism and pietism which for various reasons has formed an important influence on the Church of God.
Church of God
영어에서 번역됨-
미국 테네시 주 클리블랜드에 본부를두고있는 하나님의 교회는 오순절 성결 기독교 교단입니다. 하나님의 교회 출판사는 Pathway Press입니다. 위키백과(영어)
This book is a well-regarded example of an ecumenical and mystical approach to Christianity that is particularly popular in our hectic age [1]. I would not say that this is a bad book, exactly, more like it is a book that is not easy to understand or relate to. The author is a Quaker who appears to be somewhat driven and it is difficult to take claims that he lived with a peace and tranquility within him during his short life seriously.
Rather than viewing him as a hypocrite and discounting this book entirely, I tend to see this book as an expression of the author's hopes and aspirations to be a force for peace of not only a military kind but also a more personal kind, even if I have serious doubts that the author was a model exemplar of his ideals and the ideals of his faith tradition.
This particular book is a very short one, made up of a few short chapters that the author had written but not had the chance to edit and refine shortly before his death. It is striking that it is these unrefined chapters in a book that even with an extensive biographical note lasts barely more than 100 pages are what made the author well-known and well-regarded within Christian mystical sources, but looking at the essays one can get some idea why this happened.
For one, these essays show a broad-minded view of the view of meditation in other traditions and engage the larger body of books about prayer and meditation that are generally well-regarded by Christian mystics.
The author also manages to discuss how we become more calm and more at peace with God and others by self-examination and reflection rather than trying to shape our world for our own convenience or think that merely changing our environment will change our mentality and approach to life. In a subtle way, these essays on the light within, holy obedience, the blessed community, the eternal now and social concern, the simplification encourage the reader to take responsibility for the way that we live and how we relate to others. They avoid a narrow focus on social issues while pointing out that in our search for the kingdom of heaven we are not to neglect the mundane matters of life on earth.
There is much to appreciate in a book like this. One can doubt, as I doubt, that the author is a fitting model of his worldview, but I suppose if I ever wrote a book about peace and tranquility and not being too rushed that people would be just as eager to doubt that I really understood what I was writing about. In a case like this, it is probably best to take what is written and to look at it on its own without trying to judge the messenger.
And on those grounds, this book does have a lot to offer in the way that it demonstrates the tension that Christians of all stripes feel about the pull of self-reflection and personal spirituality and the realization that as believers we are part of the larger body of Christ, as well as the tension between looking forward to God's Kingdom while also trying to do what we can to ease the plight of those who suffer in this present evil world. As these tensions are a universal aspect of Christian experience, this book is a thoughtful one that places these concerns as part of a context of practical mysticism, something not too esoteric a concern for many people with able minds and sensitive hearts to the way that life goes on down here.
[1] See, for example:
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017...
https://edgeinducedcohesion.blog/2017... (less)
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Andrew
Sep 04, 2021Andrew rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This exquisite little book contains some of the most profound, and perhaps romantic, passages I've ever come across about the spiritual life.
Thomas Kelly was born in 1893 in Ohio. He was a Quaker (a style of Christianity that I only half-jokingly like to call 'the way of the future') who gained his doctorate and became a lecturer in both western and eastern philosophy.
He spent a couple of years at Harvard working towards a second doctorate in philosophy and failed spectacularly due to a memory lapse during the oral defence of his dissertation. A deep depression ensued.
But out of that came a spiritual awakening, which led to the content of this book.
His friend pursued a publishing contract on his behalf, contacting him with the good news that a publisher was interested. Legend has it that Kelly died that afternoon, in 1941, of an unexpected heart attack, age 47.
But take heart, ye who read this and are beset by reversals: a little collection of his former writings were gathered together and became A Testament of Devotion, the classic work of complative spirituality now in evidence.
I first came across it via an excerpt in an anthology put together by Richard Foster (himself something of a legend in the Christian devotional field), made a note of it and now at last have read it.
Foster tells us, in the introduction to the edition I read, of breaking down in tears the first time he read the book, sitting in an airport.
He tells us that since then, he has returned to the book again and again. And I think I'll be the same. There's a passage on simplicity that I want to share with you, but strangely it feels like sacrilege to put it here.
Read the book and have your desire sparked. (less)
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Bryan
Jan 21, 2018Bryan rated it it was amazing
This book is simply a phenomenon that every believer ought to read. One of the deepest and most moving books I've ever read. The brevity of the book adds to its power.
The only drawback I can think of is when it frequently seems to promote the Quaker way, almost as though they only have promoted the primacy of centering the inner life upon the Presence of God.
In a book with such a potent universal message and applicability, it was a bit of a distraction and possibly even a bit of an error. But given the overall positive content of the book, I still give it the highest rating even in light of that very slightly negative element.
Of course, I don't know much about the Quaker way. I do find it extremely interesting that such a "denomination" exists for the very purpose of centering the Christian life, in its inwardness and outwardness, inwardly.
And so I'm still thinking about that. I also did find shades of Bonhoeffer's views of discipleship leading to responsible "social action" which added to it's value for myself, being quite interested in Bonhoeffer. At any rate, read it and I'm sure you will find it quite the incentive for "working at" centering life in the Eternal. (less)
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Jodie Pine
Jan 10, 2021Jodie Pine rated it really liked it
This passage esp struck me:
"The present Now is not something from which we hurriedly escape, toward what is hoped will be a better future. Instead of anxiety lest the future never yield all we have hoped, lest we fail to contribute our full stint before the shadows of the evening fall upon our lives, we only breathe a quiet prayer to the Now and say, 'Stay, thou art so sweet.'
Instead of anxiety lest our past, our past defects, our long-standing deficiencies blight our well-intentioned future ef ...more
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Bettie
Jul 17, 2019Bettie rated it liked it
Excellent book by a Quaker author. Clearly a person of deep faith. I found the ending chapters of the book most meaningful. It addresses how to balance a new kingdom reality in the current Earthly kingdom.
Just one of many jewels from the book:
"The hard-lined face of a money-bitten financier is as deeply touching to the tendered soul as are the burnt-out eyes of miner's children, remote and unseen victims of his so-called success. There is a sense in which, in this terrible tenderness, we become one with God and bear in our quivering souls the sins and burdens, the benightedness and the tragedy of the creatures of the whole world, and suffer in their suffering and die in their death. (less)
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Glen
Dec 13, 2019Glen rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites
A warm and penetrating work that depicts a life centered on God in the fullest meaning. Kelly was a Quaker who exemplified the life of a spiritual pilgrim. His voice is a combination of pastoral gentleness and intellectual vigor. The simplicity of thought comes from a soul that thought deeply about the important matters of life.
The book is compact which I often find to be the case with many spiritual classics. It is a compilation of Kelly's most illuminating writings and serves as a treasure tr ...more
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Judith
Jul 10, 2019Judith rated it it was amazing
Excellent book by a Quaker author. Clearly a person of deep faith. I found the ending chapters of the book most meaningful. It addresses how to balance a new kingdom reality in the current Earthly kingdom.
Just one of many jewels from the book:
"The hard-lined face of a money-bitten financier is as deeply touching to the tendered soul as are the burnt-out eyes of miner's children, remote and unseen victims of his so-called success. There is a sense in which, in this terrible tenderness, we become ...more
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Jacque Kelnhofer
Apr 22, 2020Jacque Kelnhofer rated it it was ok
I think I might recommend reading the last biographical bit of this book before digging into the meat of the book.
Heavily reminiscent of the material presented by Brother Lawrence in "In the Presence of God," Kelly offers some additional consideration to the practicality of living the internal experience with God simultaneously with the external, typically secular, obligations. One would do well to have read Brother Lawrence's work before this for a more comprehensive understanding of Kelly's point of view. (less)
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Bud Russell
Nov 24, 2021Bud Russell rated it it was ok · review of another edition
To be honest, I couldn't finish this. I rarely, if ever, quit a book once started, but I found little satisfaction in reading this short collection of essays. While thoroughly enjoying similar themes by Brother Lawrence and Richard Foster, I found Kelly's writing style too abstruse to continue. I understand the content, and in some ways agree with his points, but reading became a pain rather than a pleasure. Yes, I know it's a classic. I suppose it's not so much a bad book as it is an ordeal to read. (less)
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Gideon Yutzy
Apr 14, 2020Gideon Yutzy rated it it was amazing
I recommend reading about 5 pages per morning as it's very deep. Oh, and some of it will seem esoteric at first but just go with it. You can pretty much take what he says to the bank. It turns out Kelly had a significant influence on his fellow Quaker Richard Foster and his book, Celebration of the Disciplines. It adds up, if you read both books. One of the main takeaways is, when you practice religion correctly, it's like finding wings; when you practice it incorrectly, it's like entering a bog (my words). (less)
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Autumn
Jan 02, 2021Autumn rated it really liked it
A solid reminder to re-center spirituality in life and to do so in a way that folds into all aspects of the self as opposed to siloed components of a single person.
Clearly delineating Marxist philosophy from religion seemed forced, however understandable for an early 20th century American. The book serves as a call to not fall into a false urgency or rush of life, and that respecting a calm intentionality with the time we have carries an overlooked importance.
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Bradley
Feb 13, 2018Bradley rated it it was amazing
I absolutely love(d) this book. It’s a very short and quick read, though the grammar is old English so you’ll have to reread quite a bit to pick up what’s he is trying to say. It has encouraged me tremendously to know that the struggle of finding time for devotion was the same for those in the 1940s as it is for us today with more technology. It’s not an issue of the amount of time we have but the amount of desire we have to spend the time with our Heavenly Father. It’s a convicting book but encourages that hunger for more inside to know it is possible to grow closer. It’s just growing that desire. (less)
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Katie Ruth
Dec 26, 2020Katie Ruth rated it liked it
Shelves: 2020
Thomas Kelly is undoubtedly an academic, and so it is this that makes his approach to spirituality so intriguing to me. The simple and open-hearted prose of his book invites the reader to cease from striving and trying, and to open to the ways God is already at work in our lives. The language of this book is dated by its time and location, and sometimes leaves the reader wanting.
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Jennifer
Jun 19, 2019Jennifer rated it it was amazing
Those who love "The Practice of the Presence of God" by Brother Lawrence (which I do) will appreciate this book. Thomas Kelly was a Quaker academician who in his walk to as a Christian had a spiritual experience that left him with this sense of closeness to God. This book is a compilation of five essays that he wrote with his spiritual insight. Definitely a book I will read again. ...more
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Gloriamarie
Dec 09, 2017Gloriamarie rated it it was amazing
Shelves: bible, christianity, quaker-spirituality
This timely book should be a MUST READ for anyone who claims to be a Christian. Wonderful book. Do yourself a favor and read it. No wonder this is considered a classic. I am Episcopalian and I loved it. Loving Jesus and responding to the Holy Spirit are the most important things anyone can ever do.
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Grace
Mar 26, 2018Grace rated it it was amazing
Shelves: absolutefavorites
This book has contributed as much as any book ever has to my conception of God as near and accessible. It is nourishment for the soul who longs to stay in constant communion with the Trinity. Kelly's words strike a chord deep within my heart. I am so thankful for this book! (less)
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Ariel Lobdell
Jun 28, 2021Ariel Lobdell rated it it was amazing
Shelves: favorites
This book profoundly inspired me. I was deeply nourished by the wisdom and simplicity of his call to spiritual intimacy. So glad I ran across this book and will return to it again and again and it will make some rounds for my friends. I expect it to be canon in my life!
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