May 2004

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In the midst of temporal reality—bills, broken-down cars, ulcers—faith can fade from our lives. Where is the radical, transforming power Christians are supposed to experience? Gregory Boyd (Is God To Blame?) provides a fresh treatment of the adage that the key is being rather than doing more. In this case, that means making time for rest in imaginative prayer in which we experience Jesus as real.

Boyd's guidelines on how to practice imaginative prayer are based on a seminar he has led for 16 years. He lays the theological foundation for imaginative prayer and recounts its history from biblical to modern times. Addressing concerns that using imagination is a New Age practice, Boyd grounds imaginative prayer in Scripture and provides case studies of transformed lives.

He also answers some of the most common questions about imaginative prayer, such as "Isn't it idolatrous to picture Jesus?"

Boyd effectively develops the theme that experiencing God's love through imaginative prayer helps us to replace destructive patterns with wholeness. "As we experience the inherent love God has toward us and the worth God gives to us," he writes, "we increasingly come to reflect this love and worth in our own identities."

Cindy Crosby is the author of By Willoway Brook: Exploring the Landscape of Prayer (Paraclete, 2003).

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