Crisis of Faith, Crisis of Love (Vol 1)
This expanded version of a book first published in 1979 is a devotional, not a critical study, more concerned with moving its readers than sifting mythic and legendary material from historically reliable accounts. Under the influence of Christian mystics such as St. John of the Cross, Keating weaves a narrative account of spiritual development that will be of more interest to spiritual directors and seekers than scholars. The influence of St. John of the Cross means that much significance is attached to silence and crisis, the dark night of the soul that drives the beloved relentlessly toward union with God. For Keating as for St. John of the Cross, spiritual development is a passion. Keating describes this deepening in terms of stages, from childhood to adolescence to adulthood, separated on either side of adolescence by the two crises of the title. Keating's closing portrait of Peter is the most extreme example of his devotional approach; the portrait will appeal to the disciple and may well be an aid to discipline, but it is not a contribution to biblical scholarship. This is not a problem from Keating's perspective, nor is it likely to be a problem for his intended audience.Steve Schroeder