When Saint Francis Saved the Church: How a Converted Medieval Troubadour Created a Spiritual Vision for the Ages
()
About this ebook
In When Saint Francis Saved the Church (paperback), popular historian Jon Sweeney presents an intriguing portrait of Francis beyond the readily familiar stories and images. In the tradition of Thomas Cahill’s How the Irish Saved Civilization, Sweeney reveals how the saint became a hinge in the history of the Christian faith and shows how in just fourteen years—from 1205 to 1219—the unconventional and stumbling wisdom of a converted troubadour changed the Church. Sweeney outlines Francis’s revolutionary approach to friendship, “the other” (people at the margins), poverty, spirituality, care (for people, creatures, and the natural world), and death.
This vibrant book presents the unsullied life and message of Francis in its essential details, offering a sweeping, informative, remarkable look at how Francis and his movement quite literally saved the Christian faith—and continues to offer a spiritual vision with contemporary relevance.
Jon M. Sweeney
Jon M. Sweeney is an award-winning author who has been interviewed in the Dallas Morning News and The Irish Catholic, and on television at CBS Saturday Morning. His book, The Pope Who Quit, (Doubleday/Image) was optioned by HBO. He is also author of forty other books on spirituality, mysticism, and religion, including Meister Eckhart’s Book of the Heart, with Mark S. Burrows (Hampton Roads), the biography Nicholas Black Elk: Medicine Man, Catechist, Saint (Liturgical Press), and Thomas Merton: An Introduction to His Life and Practices (St. Martin’s Essentials and Penguin Random House Audio, 2021). His bookish reputation is nothing new. In 2014, Publishers Weekly featured Jon in an interview titled, “A Life in Books and On the Move.” He began the 1990s as a theological bookseller in Cambridge, and ended the decade founding a multifaith publishing house, SkyLight Paths Publishing, in Vermont. He’s worked in books and publishing ever since. Today he writes, reviews, edits, and recommends books, speaks regularly at literary and religious conferences, is a Catholic married to a rabbi, and is active on social media (Twitter @jonmsweeney; Facebook jonmsweeney). Sweeney lives in the Riverwest neighborhood of Milwaukee.
Read more from Jon M. Sweeney
The St. Clare Prayer Book: Listening for God's Leading: Listening for God's Leading Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Meister Eckhart's Book of the Heart: Meditations for the Restless Soul Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeister Eckhart's Book of Darkness & Light: Meditations on the Path of the Wayless Way Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMeister Eckhart's Book of Secrets: Meditations on Letting Go and Finding True Freedom Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Thomas Merton: An Introduction to His Life, Teachings, and Practices Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Cloister Talks: Learning from My Friends the Monks Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Flee, Be Silent, Pray: Ancient Prayers for Anxious Christians Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Francis of Assisi in His Own Words: The Essential Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrancis and Clare: A True Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSit in the Sun: And Other Lessons in the Spiritual Wisdom of Cats Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Religion of Man: International Edition Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe St. Francis Holy Fool Prayer Book Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhyllis Tickle: A Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/53000 Miles to Jesus: Pilgrimage as a Way of Life for Spiritual Seekers Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPraying with Our Hands: 21 Practices of Embodied Prayer from the World's Spiritual Traditions Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Margaret's Night in St. Peter's: (A Christmas Story) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSt. Francis and the Christian Life: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle to the Galatians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMargaret and the Pope Go to Assisi Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMargaret's First Holy Week Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Pope's Cat Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBefore Margaret Met the Pope: A Conclave Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Related to When Saint Francis Saved the Church
Related ebooks
The Enthusiast: How the Best Friend of Francis of Assisi Almost Destroyed What He Started Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Walking with Francis of Assisi: From Privilege to Activism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrancis of Assisi in His Own Words: The Essential Writings Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsConversations with St. Francis Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrancis and Clare: A True Story Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Reform of Renewal Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Rekindle the Gift of God: A Handbook for Priestly Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsFrancis of Assisi: A New Biography Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Complete Parish Priest Peter Green (1871-1961) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsCan a Renewal Movement Be Renewed?: Questions for the Future of Ecumenism Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMaking a Heart for God: A Week Inside a Catholic Monastery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Embedded Faith: The Faith Journeys of Young Adults within Church Communities Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsLiving Faith Day by Day: How the Sacred Rules of Monastic Traditions Can Help You Live Spiritually in the Modern World Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Imitation of Christ: Translated by Ronald Knox and Michael Oakley Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsKiss the Earth When You Pray Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBest Catholic Spirituality Writing 2013: 25 Inspiring Essays Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Minute in the Church: Life in Christ: One Minute Explanations of Catholic Practice and Devotions Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDear Joan Chittister: Conversations with Women in the Church Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPhyllis Tickle: A Life Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEmbracing Our Inheritance: Jubilee Reflections on Korean American Catholics (1966–2016) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsSt. Francis and the Christian Life: A Disorderly Parable of the Epistle to the Galatians Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Man Attested by God: The Human Jesus of the Synoptic Gospels Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Transforming Renewal: Charismatic Renewal meets Thomas Merton Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Christian Life and Hope: A Guide for Study and Devotion Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhy Pray?: Unpublished writings by the former chaplain to the shrine of Julian of Norwich Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsBeyond Snakes and Shamrocks: St. Patrick’s Missional Leadership Lessons for Today Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Progressive Voice in the Catholic Church in the United States: Association of Pittsburgh Priests, 1966–2019 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvery Step Is Home: A Spiritual Geography from Appalachia to Alaska Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWritings of Thomas à Kempis (Annotated) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratings
Christianity For You
The Book of Enoch Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Good Girl's Guide to Great Sex: Creating a Marriage That's Both Holy and Hot Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 5 Love Languages: The Secret to Love that Lasts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Bible Recap: A One-Year Guide to Reading and Understanding the Entire Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Mere Christianity Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Don't Give the Enemy a Seat at Your Table: It's Time to Win the Battle of Your Mind... Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Purpose Driven Life: What on Earth Am I Here For? Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Holy Bible (World English Bible, Easy Navigation) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership: Follow Them and People Will Follow You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Updated and Expanded Edition: When to Say Yes, How to Say No To Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Anxious for Nothing: Finding Calm in a Chaotic World Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Screwtape Letters Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Boundaries Workbook: When to Say Yes, How to Say No to Take Control of Your Life Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Great Sex Rescue: The Lies You've Been Taught and How to Recover What God Intended Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I'll Start Again Monday: Break the Cycle of Unhealthy Eating Habits with Lasting Spiritual Satisfaction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Four Loves Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Law of Connection: Lesson 10 from The 21 Irrefutable Laws of Leadership Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Evidence That Demands a Verdict: Life-Changing Truth for a Skeptical World Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Girl, Wash Your Face: Stop Believing the Lies About Who You Are so You Can Become Who You Were Meant to Be Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5A Grief Observed Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Story: The Bible as One Continuing Story of God and His People Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wild at Heart Expanded Edition: Discovering the Secret of a Man's Soul Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5I Guess I Haven't Learned That Yet: Discovering New Ways of Living When the Old Ways Stop Working Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Changes That Heal: Four Practical Steps to a Happier, Healthier You Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related categories
Reviews for When Saint Francis Saved the Church
0 ratings0 reviews