Christian Travelers Guide to France, The

Rating:
Summary: American Library Journal
Review: From the Library Journal, Vol. 126, No. 8, p. 117, 1 May 2001:
These guides do not lead tourists to the most popular bars or shopping districts but instead to the various Christian heritage sites in each country ... Each guide follows the same layout: Hexham begins with an overview of the history of each country from prehistoric times to the present. He then includes a chapter on literature, art, and architecture and lists what he considers the top ten Christian heritage sites in each country. Each entry thereafter is in alphabetical order ... Recommended for all public libraries.

Rating:
Summary: American Library Journal
Review: This is an awesome idea! When I suddenly had an opportunity to travel to France for a short time with even less notice, I came across this book, and decided to make it somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage. I have often thought that there should be more to Christian historical travels than just Israel. We have been in a few other places. With the help of this book, I was able to have a much more invigorating and fulfilling trip. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. So I went backwards through time, visiting the Abbey de Citeaux, a reform movement that returned to simplicity and poverty. As the head of the Cisterians it became perhaps the biggest evangelistic outbreak in French history, with hundreds of monasteries throughout the world, from Great Britian to Asia, according to Hexham. I then traveled to Abbey de Cluny, out of which Citeaux came when Cluny became too worldly. Cluny itself was a reform movement, taking the power of the monasteries out of the hands of corrupt state officials and reporting only to the Pope. The abbot eventually became second only to the Pope in power in Roman Christianity. And then on to the birthplace of Christianity in Lyons, where the great Irenaeus once preached, and 20 of us were killed in about 200 AD in the first mention of the Christian sect in French history. And it was with sadness that I read and then observed the many cases where wars and especially the French Revolution had completely demolished Christian sites.

The flaws in the book were more of the nature that I wish there had been more to the book. For instance, I would have desired to actually visit sites of the Hugonauts and Waldensians, who seem to have the most revitalized Christianity in France since it's birth (despite certain heresies in the latter group). But there was only mention of what cities they had been active in. I wish there were more in this collection besides Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. It is definitely exciting to be able to locate places of one's history in different lands.

But I leave the best for last. Near Cluny I also stopped by another place, the Abbey de Taize. I am ashamed to say I had never heard of them before I read this book, and for that, I am greatly indebted to Hexham. Here is the only Protestant monastery since the Reformation, composed of monks from all over the world, and from the Roman and Orthodox churches as well. They have people regularly come from around the world to visit and worship together, coming up with a new form of worship and chanting called Taize chants, now practiced in many churches worldwide, wherein the same phrase is repeated many times in many languages. I went expecting perhaps 100 visitors. I was not expecting 3,000 people, and 4,000 more if I had made it there a few days earlier for Easter. Here people from the UK, America, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea, and many other countries had come to simply worship Jesus together. I believe some had come to do this and were not even Christian. They gather 3 times a day, every day, to sit and chant in the various languages, lead by the monks, and beautiful hymns of praise rise to God in front of a collection of icons and candles. Most stay a week in the very cheap room and board provided there. Some of those who visited in the past were the President of the EU, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary-General of the UN, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, and the Roman Pope. I am greatly glad I took the time to purchase this rather inexpensive book before my trip.

Rating:
Summary: A Best Way for the Christian Traveler in France
Review: This is an awesome idea! When I suddenly had an opportunity to travel to France for a short time with even less notice, I came across this book, and decided to make it somewhat of a spiritual pilgrimage. I have often thought that there should be more to Christian historical travels than just Israel. We have been in a few other places. With the help of this book, I was able to have a much more invigorating and fulfilling trip. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. I like to be able to both plan trips and be open to serendipity, and the guides in this book allowed me that opportunity. So I went backwards through time, visiting the Abbey de Citeaux, a reform movement that returned to simplicity and poverty. As the head of the Cisterians it became perhaps the biggest evangelistic outbreak in French history, with hundreds of monasteries throughout the world, from Great Britian to Asia, according to Hexham. I then traveled to Abbey de Cluny, out of which Citeaux came when Cluny became too worldly. Cluny itself was a reform movement, taking the power of the monasteries out of the hands of corrupt state officials and reporting only to the Pope. The abbot eventually became second only to the Pope in power in Roman Christianity. And then on to the birthplace of Christianity in Lyons, where the great Irenaeus once preached, and 20 of us were killed in about 200 AD in the first mention of the Christian sect in French history. And it was with sadness that I read and then observed the many cases where wars and especially the French Revolution had completely demolished Christian sites.

The flaws in the book were more of the nature that I wish there had been more to the book. For instance, I would have desired to actually visit sites of the Hugonauts and Waldensians, who seem to have the most revitalized Christianity in France since it's birth (despite certain heresies in the latter group). But there was only mention of what cities they had been active in. I wish there were more in this collection besides Germany, Italy, and Great Britain. It is definitely exciting to be able to locate places of one's history in different lands.

But I leave the best for last. Near Cluny I also stopped by another place, the Abbey de Taize. I am ashamed to say I had never heard of them before I read this book, and for that, I am greatly indebted to Hexham. Here is the only Protestant monastery since the Reformation, composed of monks from all over the world, and from the Roman and Orthodox churches as well. They have people regularly come from around the world to visit and worship together, coming up with a new form of worship and chanting called Taize chants, now practiced in many churches worldwide, wherein the same phrase is repeated many times in many languages. I went expecting perhaps 100 visitors. I was not expecting 3,000 people, and 4,000 more if I had made it there a few days earlier for Easter. Here people from the UK, America, Germany, France, New Zealand, Korea, and many other countries had come to simply worship Jesus together. I believe some had come to do this and were not even Christian. They gather 3 times a day, every day, to sit and chant in the various languages, lead by the monks, and beautiful hymns of praise rise to God in front of a collection of icons and candles. Most stay a week in the very cheap room and board provided there. Some of those who visited in the past were the President of the EU, the Archbishop of Canterbury, the Secretary-General of the UN, the Russian Orthodox Patriarch, and the Roman Pope. I am greatly glad I took the time to purchase this rather inexpensive book before my trip.