Praying with the Church: Following Jesus Daily, Hourly, Today

Paraclete Press (MA), May 2006. Paper Back. New. 'Fixed-hour prayer (also known as liturgical prayer, the Divine Office, the divine hours, or the <i>Opus Dei</i>) consists of set prayers at certain times throughout the day. Praying with the Church in this manner establishes a rhythm and a deeper awareness of one's day and the thoughts, struggles, and graces that shape it. Religion professor Scot McKnight has written a primer on why it is both profitable and necessary for Christians of all stripes to join themselves to the Church. Naming himself a low-church Protestant, McKnight does little to hide his tendency toward <i>sola scriptura</i> and understandably starts with Jesus. Several chapters are devoted to praying with Jesus before McKnight launches into the prayer traditions of the Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican churches. He also includes a chapter on <i>The Divine Hours</i>, a mostly ecumenical and user-friendly manual of prayer that pulls primarily from <i>The Liturgy of the Hours</i> and <i>The Book of Common Prayer</i>. On a less laudatory note, the layout of <i>Praying with the Church</i> can be distracting. The text is peppered with 'testimonials' and (often marginally relevant) quotes on prayer, which interrupts McKnight's succinct and beneficent prose. This can be forgiven by focusing on McKnight's intent: 'The point is to learn to engage with God-and the point is also learning to engage with God <i>together</i>.'