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St. Francis and the Christian Life: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle to the Galatians
Written by the awarding winning author of James in the Suburbs and Dismantling Injustice .
How do we live the Christian life? April Love-Fordham and her husband contemplated this as they retraced the footsteps of Saint Francis across the Italian wilderness. Did they need to renounce materialism and live more simply? Did they need to do more work serving those in need? Was more Bible study or a stronger prayer life needed? What made their commitment to Christ different than those committed to other faiths? How could their lives make a difference?
Love-Fordham was planning a lecture series on Galatians, written by the Apostle Paul, when she and her husband began their pilgrimage. As they journeyed into the life and legends of Saint Francis, a playful old-school Franciscan monk befriended them. Together, the three named the parallels and divergences in the lives of Saint Francis and Paul. In doing so, they discovered an entirely new—but ancient—way of following Jesus.
This book teaches Galatians the way Jesus through parables. In this case, the parables are about Saint Francis. Each section ends with a spiritual practice designed to help readers discover their own unique way of living the Christian life.
How do we live the Christian life? April Love-Fordham and her husband contemplated this as they retraced the footsteps of Saint Francis across the Italian wilderness. Did they need to renounce materialism and live more simply? Did they need to do more work serving those in need? Was more Bible study or a stronger prayer life needed? What made their commitment to Christ different than those committed to other faiths? How could their lives make a difference?
Love-Fordham was planning a lecture series on Galatians, written by the Apostle Paul, when she and her husband began their pilgrimage. As they journeyed into the life and legends of Saint Francis, a playful old-school Franciscan monk befriended them. Together, the three named the parallels and divergences in the lives of Saint Francis and Paul. In doing so, they discovered an entirely new—but ancient—way of following Jesus.
This book teaches Galatians the way Jesus through parables. In this case, the parables are about Saint Francis. Each section ends with a spiritual practice designed to help readers discover their own unique way of living the Christian life.
196 pages, Paperback
Published December 13, 2018
About the author
April Love-Fordham
4 books14 followersApril’s core belief is that Jesus, “the true light, who enlightens everyone, has come into the world” (John 1:8).
April’s calling is to creatively inspire others (and herself too!) to become the effective servants of Christ through spiritual practices and the study of scripture.
April’s mission is to provide resources through writing, preaching, and teaching that are interesting, scholarly, and have immediate application to living life as the servants of Christ.
“I call myself a Red Letter Christian.”
The term “Red Letter” comes from the belief that all of scripture is to be understood through the teachings of Jesus, which were traditionally set apart in some Bibles using a red font. To that end, April endeavors to take Jesus seriously by living out Jesus’s radical, counter-cultural message. She works for peace and social justice, cares for the poor and the oppressed, embraces human diversity and equality, questions religious tradition and culture (including and especially Christianity), and lives as a good steward of the earth.
Her passion is hiking… April and her husband, Steve, have hiked more than 1000 miles in Europe.
April’s calling is to creatively inspire others (and herself too!) to become the effective servants of Christ through spiritual practices and the study of scripture.
April’s mission is to provide resources through writing, preaching, and teaching that are interesting, scholarly, and have immediate application to living life as the servants of Christ.
“I call myself a Red Letter Christian.”
The term “Red Letter” comes from the belief that all of scripture is to be understood through the teachings of Jesus, which were traditionally set apart in some Bibles using a red font. To that end, April endeavors to take Jesus seriously by living out Jesus’s radical, counter-cultural message. She works for peace and social justice, cares for the poor and the oppressed, embraces human diversity and equality, questions religious tradition and culture (including and especially Christianity), and lives as a good steward of the earth.
Her passion is hiking… April and her husband, Steve, have hiked more than 1000 miles in Europe.
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
January 11, 2019
The Disorderly Parable series does something few other Bible study series do by weaving together original fiction, serious Biblical exegesis, historical research, and the author’s own pastoral insight in a way that’s cohesive, challenging, and engaging without ever being dry. Highly recommended.
February 25, 2019
I loved this incredible book.
January 11, 2019
If you’ve ever asked yourself how best to lead a Christian life, you may find that St. Francis and the Christian Life: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle to the Galatians by April Love-Fordham is for you. Author Jon M. Sweeney notes in a foreword that, “(Love-Fordham) does here what we desperately need spiritual books to do: she prompts questions in us.” If you’re studying the missions of St. Francis and St. Paul, you’ll find this an interesting comparison on how they approached the establishment of religious communities in their respective times. If you’re looking for an engaging and thought-provoking subject for group or personal study, you’ll find this to be an utterly approachable and readable presentation that includes lesson plans, suggested spiritual practices, illustrations, and a bibliography.
I enjoyed St. Francis and the Christian Life. For all that it’s a non-fiction work on a serious question (“how are we to live the Christian Life?”), it reads with the easiness of an adventure novel set in the Italian countryside and laced with history, mystery, and suspense rather than as a purely academic treatment. The result is enjoyable. Love-Fordham crosses three timelines—the Early Church, the Middle Ages, and the modern world—as she and her husband end a hiking pilgrimage on the Camino di Assissi with a month’s stop at an agriturismo a day from Assisi. While there, April Love-Fordham works on a lesson regarding St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians and draws comparisons between the two saints. The descriptions of the Italian countryside, the religious sites, and the people that she encounters, including the mysterious Brother Giovanni, add color and interest to the historical and religious themes. -- Readers' Favorite Review
I enjoyed St. Francis and the Christian Life. For all that it’s a non-fiction work on a serious question (“how are we to live the Christian Life?”), it reads with the easiness of an adventure novel set in the Italian countryside and laced with history, mystery, and suspense rather than as a purely academic treatment. The result is enjoyable. Love-Fordham crosses three timelines—the Early Church, the Middle Ages, and the modern world—as she and her husband end a hiking pilgrimage on the Camino di Assissi with a month’s stop at an agriturismo a day from Assisi. While there, April Love-Fordham works on a lesson regarding St. Paul’s Letter to the Galatians and draws comparisons between the two saints. The descriptions of the Italian countryside, the religious sites, and the people that she encounters, including the mysterious Brother Giovanni, add color and interest to the historical and religious themes. -- Readers' Favorite Review
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews