Jesus Today: A Spirituality of Radical Freedom

Albert Nolan, Orbis Books

In this sequel to Jesus Before Christianity, Nolan focuses on the spirituality of Jesus and suggests ways it can be relevant for today. And, as Timothy Radcliffe says in the Foreward, “At the heart of Nolan’s understanding of Jesus is his profound relationship with the one whom he called his abba.”

Each of four section titles is an invitation to explore and push some boundaries: The signs of our times, Jesus’ spirituality, personal transformation today, and Jesus and the experience of oneness.

Nolan’s resources are broad and varied.

“The experience of God as his abba was the source of Jesus’ wisdom, his clarity, his confidence, and his radical freedom. Without this it is impossible to understand why and how he did the things he did,” writes Nolan, a Dominican priest from South Africa. Hence, mysticism is at the heart of the life of Jesus.

I was particularly taken with Section 1, “The signs of the times”, where Nolan discusses the hunger for spirituality and the crisis of individualism. Of special relevance considering the recent anniversary of the birth of Charles Darwin is the chapter on science after Einstein.

This book is a good read full of wisdom gained from a life well lived.

Rex A. E. Hunt