Flirting with Monasticism: Finding God on Ancient Paths

Readers from an evangelical background who want some sense of the riches of liturgical traditions, particularly Roman Catholicism, will find an apt guide in Sloan, a graduate of Fuller Theological Seminary who is a Presbyterian campus minister. Having grown up in a megachurch, she writes of finding herself drawn to the Dominicans. Part of the appeal is her romantic attraction to a male novice in training to enter the Dominican Order. Readers who understand the vows monks take will probably grow weary of Sloan's unrequited infatuation and apparent lack of realization that the relationship is a dead-end. That aside, Sloan is an excellent translator of Roman Catholicism for evangelical readers. The book, which reads like a blog, explores areas where evangelicals may feel at home with monasticism (community life) as well as with practices that feel foreign (praying to the saints and the Virgin Mary). She reflects early on about being an outsider and getting little help learning Catholic traditions, but the year she spent "flirting with monasticism" left her with a deep appreciation of things Catholic, especially those related to contemplative life and practices. Young evangelicals, particularly those who self-identify with the emerging church movement, will find her narrative intriguing. (Dec.)