Enduring Grace : Living Portraits of Seven Women Mystics

Rating:
Summary: Firewind
Review: A fabulous and well written book, Carol Lee Flinders breaths new life into the lives of these 7 mystics. Giving good comentary as well as content, the reader will find themselves swept up into the varied lives of these women. I am planing on using this book to as a primer for a class on the lives of mystics. Buy this book!

Rating:
Summary: Positively inspiring!
Review: A wonderfully inspiring book that makes one hungry for more! There is enough here to provide a good picture of each of the women described, but inevitable, you will want to go out and get more material on your favorite one or two (in my case, Teresa of Avila and "crazy" Mechthild.) The work is not at all full of feminist "prejudice" (though its modern perspective was obviously too much for fearful conservative "Frances" below). On the contrary, it shows excuisite respect for the full potential of a compassionate, truly "Catholic" -- all-embracing -- Christianity.

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Summary: An exquisite book which informs and charms
Review: I have read this book several times just for myself, and was enchanted with it. I have used it with theology students (university level) who respond well to it and like it very, very much indeed. A good introduction to women in the Christian tradition and in the mystical tradition, one recommended to anyone, especially the intrigued non-specialist.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: I read this book for the first time several years ago, and find myself pulling it off my shelf time and again. I've recommended it to several friends, and am just now ordering a copy to be sent to my sister for her birthday. As a clergywoman and spiritual writer, I find this book inspiring, challenging, and comforting on the journey. I fell in love with Teresa of Avila as a spiritual "mentor" in these pages, and have gone on to read several of her works.

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Summary: I keep thinking about what I've read in this book
Review: I will start by saying that, although I was raised a Christian, I am not one now. So I approached this book with some caution. However, it is well written and makes the medieval world that these women dealt with very vivid. It also makes what they did and wrote very accessible. I have found a lot to think about in this book and it made me want to learn more about some of the things discussed. That said, it is not a book to sit down and read all at one go. I read it a bit at a time, taking it on trips with me and keeping it in the kitchen between times. It was well worth the thought I had to put into the reading.

Rating:
Summary: This book if a great beginning.
Review: If you read "Five Stages of the Soul" and were fascinated by his reference to the women mystics of the Rhineland, "Enduring Grace" will give you a ggood overview of how they all developed. These women mystics are fascinating. Prepare for major life changes to occur while you read this book and open yourself up to their lives. Depending on your search, this book can be all you need or a great staring point for more information.

Rating:
Summary: This book if a great beginning.
Review: If you read "Five Stages of the Soul" and were fascinated by his reference to the women mystics of the Rhineland, "Enduring Grace" will give you a ggood overview of how they all developed. These women mystics are fascinating. Prepare for major life changes to occur while you read this book and open yourself up to their lives. Depending on your search, this book can be all you need or a great staring point for more information.

Rating:
Summary: Highly Recommended
Review: Ms. Flinders, despite her academic position, seems to hold traditional Christianity, and especially Catholicism, in contempt. Her prejudices show clearly (wondering why Mechthild of Magdeburg hasn't been beatified, much less canonized - read that crazy stuff!), putting her own spin on meanings of the mystics' writings. Perhaps, though, some of her readers will be inspired to investigate traditional Christianity, as opposed to Feminist Theology.

Rating:
Summary: Buy something else
Review: Ms. Flinders, despite her academic position, seems to hold traditional Christianity, and especially Catholicism, in contempt. Her prejudices show clearly (wondering why Mechthild of Magdeburg hasn't been beatified, much less canonized - read that crazy stuff!), putting her own spin on meanings of the mystics' writings. Perhaps, though, some of her readers will be inspired to investigate traditional Christianity, as opposed to Feminist Theology.

Rating:
Summary: enduring grace
Review: Reading through the book Enduring Grace was quite a treat. In it we are exposed to seven women who each in their own way experienced the spiritual life in a profound way. Sadly, the tendency for Christian History is to focus on major events, or on the major influence of a male leader. We hear of the church fathers, the reformers, the men who sacrificed themselves, who added great wisdom to the life of the church. We do not hear as much about the women who have been such an integral part of the Community of Christ. Yet, one cannot help but think that women have been as important to the development of the church as have men from the very beginning. Through their prayers, their wisdom, their courage, and, yes, sometimes their teaching the church has moved forward and has matured in its understanding of the Triune God.
The seven women mystics which are discussed give to us an understanding how the Spirit works in the lives of all believers. We find that there is not a single "type" of person that seems to exhibit a spiritual intensity. Rather, we are shown that a variety of personalities and temperaments all have a place in the spiritual life. What is common to all, however, is a burning desire to come close to God, and experience the fullness of his life in every way. It was interesting to read the initial description of each woman, hearing of their backgrounds and the circumstances of their entering a convent (which was essentially the only spiritual office open to women). As the particulars end, however, we get a sense of a common experience, one which seems to be influenced by the era and locale in which they lived, but has a timeless characteristic. They are women who forsake utterly the trappings of this world and find their way into Eternity while still living. Their thoughts, desires, writings seem to express the longing for what they have been given a taste of, and the ability to fight and overcome those encumbrances which might draw them away. This fight, however, is not seen as onerous, but rather there is almost a natural grace to be spiritual people. In other words their lives do not seem to reflect the result of intense battles to achieve spirituality, rather they seem to be people whom the Spirit chooses to work through and gives them grace to live as they do. This is not to say that their lives were without struggle, for we read also of their refreshing humanity and difficulties in living this life as holy people. It seems as though there is an inner storm which drives these women to seek further the place of Christ in their lives. But, the taste of heaven which these women have been given allows them to overcome any hindrance and seek further contact with the Divine. This taste of heaven leads each mystic in a slightly different direction and emphasis, one as a visionary, one as helper of the sick and needy, one as a spiritual leader for communities, but it is the yearning for the fullness of life which drives these women and helps them to overcome without regret the offerings of this world.
My own tendency is to relegate the experiences and thoughts of these women to a separate category of Christian life, to say that they were the products of their own religious climate and while inspirational, they are not models for life. Yet, as I reflect on this I begin to sense that these woman are not totally unique in the life of the church, and that even today there are those who reflect the qualities which were exemplified in these women. Definitely, there are points at which I might disagree with their theology, but their lives offer a call to each and every Christian, female and male. They show us the fullness of life even in and through suffering which comes from being fully devoted in every aspect of life to the life and love of Christ. They encourage us to work through the often mundane experiences and seek how God is working in our own hearts. These women were not simply historical curiosities, but rather they exhibit how the Spirit works outside of our own societal boundaries in every time to raise up people to be lights to those around them. Certainly, these seven women were influenced by their own eras and contexts, but we see that the Spirit in them was not, and worked and continues to work in the lives of those who seek after God with all their hearts, minds, and souls.
While I am personally wary about how these women can be applied to some kind of nebulous "spirituality", for certainly what defines them is their distinctly Christian beliefs, this book is an enormously good introduction to these interesting women. To know them, though, is to share what they all believed, lacking that leaves a bit out in their final analysis, which is my only critique of Flinders.