Top Customer Reviews
By Eric Wilson on October 9, 2001
Format: Paperback
Comment 97 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuseNouwen packs so much wisdom into so little space. These aren't cerebral facts, these are life-altering, heart-changing ideas. These are words to fuel a revolution.
Essentially, in his simple and loving manner, Nouwen tells us that we've got it all wrong and that we need to get back to the basics. "Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead." This quote by Nouwen not only hits the nail on the head, it pinpoints the problem of serving God in an official capacity. Many have insulated themselves from relationships, often under the impression that they must show only their good side as a minister of the gospel; thus they wrestle alone with the sins of the flesh.
This short book attempts to refocus leaders' eyes on the basics...and the basics, as viewed here in poignant and startling clarity, take a lifetime to learn. Nouwen manages to make this all seem not only possible, but desirable. Not only helpful, but necessary. Each time my mind began to get in the way, his words brought me back to the responses of the heart.
To start and finish this book, Nouwen tells us about his mentally-handicapped friend Bill. By tucking his message between the very real love and efforts of his own life, Nouwen punctuates his words and shows us that they can, indeed, impact our own lives.
Even if it takes me 81 years to get it all figured out.
Essentially, in his simple and loving manner, Nouwen tells us that we've got it all wrong and that we need to get back to the basics. "Much Christian leadership is exercised by people who do not know how to develop healthy, intimate relationships and have opted for power and control instead." This quote by Nouwen not only hits the nail on the head, it pinpoints the problem of serving God in an official capacity. Many have insulated themselves from relationships, often under the impression that they must show only their good side as a minister of the gospel; thus they wrestle alone with the sins of the flesh.
This short book attempts to refocus leaders' eyes on the basics...and the basics, as viewed here in poignant and startling clarity, take a lifetime to learn. Nouwen manages to make this all seem not only possible, but desirable. Not only helpful, but necessary. Each time my mind began to get in the way, his words brought me back to the responses of the heart.
To start and finish this book, Nouwen tells us about his mentally-handicapped friend Bill. By tucking his message between the very real love and efforts of his own life, Nouwen punctuates his words and shows us that they can, indeed, impact our own lives.
Even if it takes me 81 years to get it all figured out.
By Kent A. Sanders on January 12, 2000
Format: Paperback
2 Comments 35 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuseI read this little book several years ago as part of a college class during the last semester before I graduated and entered full-time ministry. I enjoyed it then, but it was not until recently, when I picked it up again, that I was so incredibly moved by this author who seemed to understand so much about leadership than most of the big-name authors on leadership. "In the Name of Jesus" has had a major impact upon the way I view ministry. It is only 80 pages long and can easily be read in one sitting--you will do yourself a huge favor if you read and apply it. I name it among the top 5 books on ministry ever published.
By Chad Oberholtzer on August 2, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Comment 20 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuseHaving just completed a seminary course on the life and writings of Henri Nouwen, I've come to the conclusion that I really admire and appreciate Henri Nouwen, the man, and really don't like Henri Nouwen, the author. I've read several of his books that simply didn't connect with me at all, though I know that they are hugely popular and helpful to scores of other people.
There is no question that among Henri Nouwen's books that I have read, "In the Name of Jesus" was definitely the most meaningful and helpful to me. I suspect that my resonance with this book is connected to his starting assumptions. Rather than struggles like fear and loneliness which are largely unknown to me and which were so central to several of his other books, I definitely identify with the temptations, described in "In the Name of Jesus," to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. Each of these three is very attractive to me, so the book seemed to be speaking directly to me in ways that the other books simply did not.
The first issue that Nouwen addressed is relevance. Nouwen offers a helpful corrective to our frequent obsession with relevance, suggesting that we need to make sure that our pursuit of relevance is subservient to our pursuit of God. On page 24, he says, "The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?...Do you know the incarnate God?" That is a message that we continually need to hear, so that we keep focused on the most important thing of knowing God while continuing to give appropriate attention to the less important things like relevance.
The second temptation, to be spectacular, is a big one for me. Nouwen's suggested corrective to this temptation, confession and forgiveness, seems to be perfectly appropriate and all too rare in a society that prefers not to even acknowledge sin, let alone actually confess it. Though I appreciate the Protestant idea that confession does not require a human intermediary, the reality is that we simply don't confess enough. I want to continue to proactively develop the sorts of human relationships in which confession is not only accepted but expected as a regular part of meaningful friendship. That seems like a very helpful way to deal with my own internal obsession with trying to become spectacular.
The third temptation, to be powerful, is also very real to me. There is a part of leadership that appears to be appealing primarily because it leads to power and control, and I am prone to pursue that power and control at every place in my life where leadership is an option, whether in my marriage or in our small group or in my church staff role. I was surprised, quite frankly, by Nouwen's suggestion that theological reflection offers the appropriate corrective to our natural desire for power. It seems unusual for most contemporary Christian authors, especially those with a contemplative bent like Nouwen's, to give credence to the value of intellectual pursuit of God, but I appreciate his willingness to affirm that seriously thinking about God and His call in our lives is not only a viable option but an essential discipline of following Christ.
The framing story of Nouwen's "In the Name of Jesus," about bringing Bill with him from L'Arche to the speaking engagement where he originally presented this material, was a beautiful way to further develop the applications of the main ideas of the book. It was such a powerful story, filled with moments in which Nouwen struggled with the temptations of leadership, but managed to reorient around the disciplines that he described. The principles could have stood on their own, but offering them in the context of a real-life situation made them that much more accessible.
"In the Name of Jesus" is a great book. As he summarizes on page 65, "Just as prayer keeps us connected with the first love and just as confession and forgiveness keep our ministry communal and mutual, so strenuous theological reflection will allow us to discern critically where we are being led." That sentence encapsulates how I hope to continue to process through Nouwen's invaluable reflections. I suspect that this book will have much to say to many others in various places of Christian leadership.
There is no question that among Henri Nouwen's books that I have read, "In the Name of Jesus" was definitely the most meaningful and helpful to me. I suspect that my resonance with this book is connected to his starting assumptions. Rather than struggles like fear and loneliness which are largely unknown to me and which were so central to several of his other books, I definitely identify with the temptations, described in "In the Name of Jesus," to be relevant, spectacular, and powerful. Each of these three is very attractive to me, so the book seemed to be speaking directly to me in ways that the other books simply did not.
The first issue that Nouwen addressed is relevance. Nouwen offers a helpful corrective to our frequent obsession with relevance, suggesting that we need to make sure that our pursuit of relevance is subservient to our pursuit of God. On page 24, he says, "The question is not: How many people take you seriously? How much are you going to accomplish? Can you show some results? But: Are you in love with Jesus?...Do you know the incarnate God?" That is a message that we continually need to hear, so that we keep focused on the most important thing of knowing God while continuing to give appropriate attention to the less important things like relevance.
The second temptation, to be spectacular, is a big one for me. Nouwen's suggested corrective to this temptation, confession and forgiveness, seems to be perfectly appropriate and all too rare in a society that prefers not to even acknowledge sin, let alone actually confess it. Though I appreciate the Protestant idea that confession does not require a human intermediary, the reality is that we simply don't confess enough. I want to continue to proactively develop the sorts of human relationships in which confession is not only accepted but expected as a regular part of meaningful friendship. That seems like a very helpful way to deal with my own internal obsession with trying to become spectacular.
The third temptation, to be powerful, is also very real to me. There is a part of leadership that appears to be appealing primarily because it leads to power and control, and I am prone to pursue that power and control at every place in my life where leadership is an option, whether in my marriage or in our small group or in my church staff role. I was surprised, quite frankly, by Nouwen's suggestion that theological reflection offers the appropriate corrective to our natural desire for power. It seems unusual for most contemporary Christian authors, especially those with a contemplative bent like Nouwen's, to give credence to the value of intellectual pursuit of God, but I appreciate his willingness to affirm that seriously thinking about God and His call in our lives is not only a viable option but an essential discipline of following Christ.
The framing story of Nouwen's "In the Name of Jesus," about bringing Bill with him from L'Arche to the speaking engagement where he originally presented this material, was a beautiful way to further develop the applications of the main ideas of the book. It was such a powerful story, filled with moments in which Nouwen struggled with the temptations of leadership, but managed to reorient around the disciplines that he described. The principles could have stood on their own, but offering them in the context of a real-life situation made them that much more accessible.
"In the Name of Jesus" is a great book. As he summarizes on page 65, "Just as prayer keeps us connected with the first love and just as confession and forgiveness keep our ministry communal and mutual, so strenuous theological reflection will allow us to discern critically where we are being led." That sentence encapsulates how I hope to continue to process through Nouwen's invaluable reflections. I suspect that this book will have much to say to many others in various places of Christian leadership.
By Matthew Gunia VINE VOICE on December 11, 2002
Format: Paperback
Comment 13 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuseAnother five star book that's less than 125 pages: between this, "I Had Seen Castles," and "Life Together," I'm beginning to really appreciate the shorter books.
The author of this book comes from an intersting background: he is a highly educated priest in the Catholic church, served on influential boards, and became a professor at Harvard University. Then, he gave it up and took a job working among mentally handicapped people in Canada. This book, a speech in its original form, is part Nouwen's process of adjusting to his new life and part a chronicle of lessons he's learned working among the developmentally disabled.
This book is primarily speaking to Christian pastors, emphasizing the need to "get back to the basics" of faith, especially not letting yourself get caught in the trap of thinking too highly of your own importance. However, it is an excellent read for pleasure as well. I would highly recommend it.
The author of this book comes from an intersting background: he is a highly educated priest in the Catholic church, served on influential boards, and became a professor at Harvard University. Then, he gave it up and took a job working among mentally handicapped people in Canada. This book, a speech in its original form, is part Nouwen's process of adjusting to his new life and part a chronicle of lessons he's learned working among the developmentally disabled.
This book is primarily speaking to Christian pastors, emphasizing the need to "get back to the basics" of faith, especially not letting yourself get caught in the trap of thinking too highly of your own importance. However, it is an excellent read for pleasure as well. I would highly recommend it.
By Bethany McKinney Fox on March 19, 2001
Format: Paperback
Comment 19 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you? YesNo Report abuseThis book is not just for formal Christian leaders, but for anyone who wants to be focused on what is really important in the Christian life. It is really short, and you could definitely read it in less than 2 hours (probably closer to 1 hour). But it will remind you of what being Christian is all about--being genuine and vulnerable, and loving others through that vulnerability. It is a beautiful picture of leadership, and about how as a leader we can be set free to be ourselves and enjoy God and love others. In a lot of ways, Nouwen shows how the most effective leadership is very simple and has been done for a couple thousand years. It's about emptying ourselves, taking up our cross, and sharing that journey with those in our care. This book is well worth the short amount of time it will take to read.
