Soul Friend: A Study of Spirituality

by Kenneth Leech

In 1977 the first edition of Soul Friend was published, a book that has since become a classic in the field. Now Kenneth Leech has revised it, removing noninclusive language, and adding some material that relates to the changes in our society since that time. Scholarly, yet accessible, Leech's book explores the range of issues that concern both directors and those who seek direction: the history of spiritual direction, the relationship between director and directee, the practice of prayer in the Christian spiritual tradition, and the role of the spiritual director, not just for the individual but in the larger society. Using contemporary theories in the field of psychology and spiritual practice, Leech never loses sight of the richness of ancient understandings. As Michael Ramsey, former Archbishop of Canterbury said of Leech's first edition: "At last we have a work on the cure of souls which understands the trends of the present day and at the same time draws upon the deep tradition of Christian spirituality in the work of counselor, confessor, and spiritual director."

Genres: Spirituality, Christianity, Theology

Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Rob Eastwood Dewing]

The contextual stuff in the first chapter is a bit dated ( mine is an early edition) but the historical survey and the reflection on the place if spiritual accompaniment is excellent. I particularly appreciated the last chapter on the prophetic dimension - I would have liked more!

[Sam McBratney]

Very informative but perhaps too much information for what I was seeking.

[Knightgina]

Brilliant book, lots I want to go back & look at again. Excellent resource.

[Angela]

more cerebral than I was expecting in a book on spiritual direction

[Stan]

Soul Friend by Kenneth Leech is a call to return to ancient practices: specifically the Christian spiritual practice of spiritual direction.

Leech begins by discussing the spiritual climate in the UK in the '60s (the book is a little older now). He explains that many young people there were seeking spiritual experiences in Eastern religions that they were not finding in traditional Christianity. The author believes that genuine spiritual experience is to be found in Christianity, but that without spiritual direction it is difficult to attain.

He surveys the development of spiritual direction throughout Church history. This is a broad and long examination. Very good information, albeit is little dry. After this survey he looks at several topics related to direction and prayer - these are also in survey format.

The book is good, even though it is a bit laborious. Sweeping survey after sweeping survey of various topics gets a bit long. This isn't the easiest read on spiritual direction, but it is thorough.

If you give it a read, enjoy!

[Karen Maskarinec]

I read the orignal 1977 version, which didn't come up on Goodreads....

This is a very good book, but just a bit overly-academic, and long. I would read it again, and will look for the revised edition.

[Allyne]

This was the first book I read on spiritual direction, and it had a profound influence upon my own spiritual development.

[Irene]

I read the unrevised version of this book years ago. It was one of my first introductions to the profession of spiritual direction and it was a terrific overview at the time.

[Kate]

This was required reading for one of my volunteer positions. It is good but long and academic. Kenneth leech is the Howard Zinn of the spiritual

[Michelle]

The first edition of this book was Herald a spiritual classic however since then much more in depth and accessible books have been written about the ministry of spiritual direction