Streams in the Wasteland - by Andrew Arndt (Paperback)

About the Book

"Within a few hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity emerged as the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Where it once took courage to be a Christian, suddenly it was easy, and the radical way of Jesus was being lost. Toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of privilege and power into the desert to rediscover the essence of Jesus Christ... The desert fathers and mothers found a way to live radically, humanly, and beautifully in a spiritually desolate and confusing time. So can we."--

Book Synopsis

What if our exhaustion, burnout, and pain are an invitation into a more vibrant faith?

Christianity is fighting for its soul. We've enjoyed the benefits of power and privilege for so long that many of us have forgotten the radical way of Jesus. But we have been here before. And there is a way through. Within a few hundred years after the death and resurrection of Jesus, Christianity emerged as the dominant religion of the Roman Empire. Where it once took courage to be a Christian, suddenly it was easy, and the radical way of Jesus was being lost. Toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of privilege and power into the desert to rediscover the essence of Jesus Christ. The stories and examples of these desert fathers and mothers are recorded for us. And their lives still speak by as they teach us:

• To embrace the disciplines of solitude, silence, and prayer;
• To pursue humility, generosity, and unity in rich relationship with others;
• To develop a keen eye for wisdom; and
• To lay down our rights for the good of others.

The desert fathers and mothers found a way to live radically, humanly, and beautifully in a spiritually desolate and confusing time. So can we.

Streams in the Wasteland is for all those who thirst for a better way--the radical way of Jesus amid the desert of our age.

From the Back Cover

Is there a way to live humanly in an inhumane world?

When Christianity first emerged in the ancient world, many referred to it simply as "the Way." Founded on the life, death, resurrection, and teachings of Jesus, the early church was marked by a peculiar quality of pervasive humanness--a way of being that led to wholeness.

As Christianity grew in power and privilege, many felt that quality of humanness was at risk of being lost. And so, toward the end of the fourth century, a group of men and women began to withdraw from the halls of power and privilege into the desert to rediscover the radical Way of Jesus Christ. The stories and examples of these Desert Fathers and Mothers are recorded for us and can speak into our lives today.

Could our twenty-first-century isolation, lack of purpose, fatigue, and pain be an invitation of the Spirit to a more vibrant faith?

What if we:

• Embraced the disciplines of solitude, silence, and prayer?
• Leaned into the life of God that is found in community?
• Began to see our lives as divine gifts given to a world in need?

Streams in the Wasteland is an invitation to reconsider the Way of Jesus as the path to a more human life in an inhumane world. The Desert Fathers and Mothers modeled that way. We'd do well to follow.

Review Quotes

Closing with the image of a renewed church, led by a spirit of vulnerability and sacrifice, Streams in the Wasteland is rich with the wisdom of early Christianity, which is expanded upon to help contemporary believers face their own challenges.--Foreword Reviews