The Way of Jesus: Living a Spiritual and Ethical Life

Noted author Parini (English, Middlebury Coll.; Jesus, the Human Face of God) is a devout Christian, whose faith animates his intellect and humanity. Part autobiography, part theological reflection, his work divides what it means to be a Christian into four parts, starting with his own faith formation, followed by an explication of Christianity. This is expanded in terms of the liturgical year. Finally, using T.S. Eliot's The Dry Salvages as a scaffold, he outlines how one should live as a Christian. Like Eliot, Parini is a high-church Anglican. Even so, Parini willingly explores and appreciates more conservative expressions of Christianity, as seen in his reflections of his father's evangelical faith. It is also a faith that finds connections with other traditions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism. Little time is spent on attempts to comprehend the ontology of eternal verities; Parini is content with allowing those verities to shape him.