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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.

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

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November 2006, Vol. 50, No. 11