Books

Into the Silent Land

A Guide to the Christian Practice of Contemplation

The bright evangelical mind—always so active and in pursuit—must leap great hurdles of spiritual and intellectual activity to shut itself down and be still. Theologian Martin Laird offers a roadmap to this practice of silence and God-awareness with warmth and reason.

Like many trained in Christian contemplative practice, Laird is a Roman Catholic, of the Order of St. Augustine—those charged by Pope John Paul II to be “teachers of the interior life.” Laird, an associate professor in theology and religious studies at Villanova University, obeys the charge with grace and clear instruction.

In his compact primer, he charts the path leading to silent surrender and “watchfulness” before God. As such, the book’s great contribution might be its reminder that in our noisy, chaotic, thinking world, God is not somebody we need to flag down or acquire: “God is the ground of our being.”

Laird’s book defines how to sink back into God’s ground—physically with breathing, mentally with “prayer words,” and spiritually with interior surrender. Through anecdote, Scripture, and classic wisdom, Laird illuminates a Christian path into the silent land. An able guide, he makes the trip more than worth the journey.

Copyright © 2006 Christianity Today. Click for reprint information.

Related Elsewhere:

Into the Silent Land can be purchased at Christianbook.com and at other retailers, including Amazon.com.

Also in this issue

The CT archives are a rich treasure of biblical wisdom and insight from our past. Some things we would say differently today, and some stances we've changed. But overall, we're amazed at how relevant so much of this content is. We trust that you'll find it a helpful resource.

News

Looking for God in Russia: Finding Jesus in Orthodox Robes and Evangelical Jeans

God's Word in an Old Light

The New Context of World Missions

News

Long-Distance AIDS Ministry

Plethora of Talent

Rx for Recidivism

Middle East Morass

Behold, the Global Church

Stopping Cultural Drift

Dreaming of Dystopia

Imagining a Different Way to Live

A Good Death

Editorial

Look at All the Lonely People

A Practical Understanding of Jesus' Life

Shoot-First Apologetics

How God Works Through Ordinary Churches

Worth Protecting

Editorial

Theocracy, Anyone?

No Theocracy Here

Meet the Patriot Pastors

Autumn

News

Races to Watch: Tammy Duckworth vs. State Sen. Peter Roskam

Children of a Lesser Hope

Races to Watch: South Dakota's Abortion Ban

Q&A: Newt Gingrich

Races to Watch: Governor of Michigan

Margin of Victory

News

Passages

High-Impact Leader and Shaker

News

Quotation Marks

The Other <em>Plan B</em>

News

Morning-After Headache

News

Go Figure

Does Islam Need a Luther or a Pope?

Gallery of Accusations

News

<em>Christianity Today</em> News Briefs

News

Cutting Out <em>VeggieTales</em>' Core

News

Malay Melee

News

Public Grievance

Expelling InterVarsity

Clash of Churches in Lebanon

View issue

Our Latest

News

Died: Jack Iker, Anglican Who Drew the Line at Women’s Ordination

The Texas bishop fought a bitter legal battle with the Episcopal Church and won.

Why Can’t We Talk to Each Other Anymore?

Online interactions are draining us of energy to have hard conversations in person.

Church Disappointment Is Multilayered

Jude 3 Project founder Lisa Fields speaks about navigating frustrations with God and fellow believers.

The Robot Will Lie Down With the Gosling

In “The Wild Robot,” hospitality reprograms relationships.

How Priscilla Shirer Surrenders All

The best-selling Bible teacher writes about putting God first in her life and how healthy Christian discipleship requires sacrifice

The Bulletin

Second Hand News

The Bulletin talks presidential podcasts, hurricane rumors, and the spiritual histories of Israel and Iran.

Which Church in Revelation Is Yours Like?

From the lukewarm Laodicea to the overachieving Ephesus, these seven ancient congregations struggled with relatable problems.

Apple PodcastsDown ArrowDown ArrowDown Arrowarrow_left_altLeft ArrowLeft ArrowRight ArrowRight ArrowRight Arrowarrow_up_altUp ArrowUp ArrowAvailable at Amazoncaret-downCloseCloseEmailEmailExpandExpandExternalExternalFacebookfacebook-squareGiftGiftGooglegoogleGoogle KeephamburgerInstagraminstagram-squareLinkLinklinkedin-squareListenListenListenChristianity TodayCT Creative Studio Logologo_orgMegaphoneMenuMenupausePinterestPlayPlayPocketPodcastRSSRSSSaveSaveSaveSearchSearchsearchSpotifyStitcherTelegramTable of ContentsTable of Contentstwitter-squareWhatsAppXYouTubeYouTube