Kneeling with Giants - by Gary Neal Hansen (Paperback)

About the Book

This guide to prayer, rooted in centuries of Christian tradition, introduces figures such as St. Benedict, Martin Luther, John Calvin, St. Ignatius, Teresa of Ávila and Andrew Murray. You'll learn how each of these spiritual giants uniquely connected to God through prayer and have an opportunity to practice each different method yourself.

Book Synopsis

Christian Resources Together Devotional Book of the Year

Do you sometimes find yourself searching for a way to approach God or wondering how to get out of a devotional slump? Do you long for spiritual guides you can trust?

This guide to prayer is rooted in centuries of Christian tradition. In each chapter you'll meet a figure from church history, such as St. Benedict, Martin Luther, John Calvin, St. Ignatius, Teresa of Ávila and Andrew Murray. You'll learn how each of these spiritual giants uniquely connected to God through prayer.

Each chapter provides an opportunity to practice a different method for prayer, including the divine office, the Lord's Prayer, the Jesus Prayer, healing prayer and meditation on the Psalms. In the process your own prayer practice will be refreshed and renewed.

Journey into church history and enliven each day of your prayer life.

Review Quotes

"Hansen goes a long way toward bridging the gap between doctrine and faith. And he does it with simplicity and an invitational spirit."

"I would encourage those desiring help in their prayer life to pick this book up and use it as a resource. It is not a book you should read cover to cover, but slowly and thoughtfully while attempting each method. Prayer is hard and it would be wise to use the teachers of the past. Dr. Hansen helps us with that."

"In this remarkable book Mr. Hansen offers a key insight about a particular way to pray, drawn from spiritual giants of the past. As a good guide he reminds us that the point is not just to learn about these famous ascetics and their books but to actually pray and experience God as they did. Mr. Hansen, a Presbyterian seminary professor, helps us by explaining, for instance, St. Benedict's insight on using the Divine Office, Luther's teachings on the Lord's Prayer, Calvin's studious meditations on the Psalms, St. Teresa of Avila's experiences of recollecting the presence of God or even learning how and why the Puritans wrote out their prayers."

"Prayer is one of those areas where one model or one mentor just isn't enough. I've never been good at prayer, and mostly blamed my lack of discipline. But Kneeling with Giants is changing all that as I am now experimenting with many more ways to pray--and doing so under the tutelage of some of God's great heroes of faith. Gary Hansen has provided us with a very practical guide drawn from these saints' actual prayer practices. He also supplies wonderful materials at every turn to make the journey rich and expansive. This is a unique and wonderful resource!"

About the Author

Gary Neal Hansen (Ph.D., Princeton Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of church history and the chair of the history and theology division at University of Dubuque Theological Seminary. He is also an ordained minister with the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.). He and his wife live in Iowa with their young son.