Skip to main content

Chasing Francis




Chasing Francis: A Pilgrim’s Tale by Ian Morgan Cron

Combining the story of St. Francis of Assisi with the mid-church crisis in the life of Chase Falson, Chasing Francis by Ian Morgan Cron is a journey that you don’t want to miss.  Part history, part fiction, Chasing Francis is a tale of wisdom strikes at the heart of what it means to live out one’s faith in a broken world.  Focusing on the crisis of faith that ensues when Chase Falson, founding pastor of a megachurch in the Northeast corner of the State, decides that ministering out of an evangelical zeal for certainty and reading someone else’s script is not for him.  In a quest for relief in what to do with doubts, frustrations, and challenges, Chase is given a leave of absence by elders and flies to Italy to see his uncle who is a Franciscan priest.   Rather than tell the story and to give away the tale, I think bringing out some of the truths in the book will help readers get a better grasp on their reading.

Holistic Integration of Spirituality and Life

Throughout the story and in the middle of Chase’s spiritual pilgrimage you get the feeling that the life and ministry of St. Francis was connected to every aspect of life.  Even this holistic understanding of the faith connects to the grasping the truth of faith traditions.  Cron writes, “Sharing the wisdom each of our traditions brings to the table will create more well-rounded Christians.  Francis was a Catholic, an evangelical street preacher, a radical social activist, a contemplative who devoted hours to prayer, a mystic who had direct encounters with God, and someone who worshiped with all the enthusiasm and spontaneity of a Pentecostal.  He was a wonderful integration of all the theological streams we have today” (55).  There is an emphasis on the spiritual practices that are of great emphasis for those in the Quaker and contemplative traditions but also a vibrant social element which many mainline churches pick up on.  Theology was for Francis never something that should be carried out in the desks of preachers but at the feet of beggars.  One could even make the case that Francis overstated the importance of ministering to people on the streets.  Overall, the integration of mercy ministries, preaching, worship, and spiritual practices was all rolled up into one ball for Francis of Assissi. 

The Need for Friendship

Although the book is focused on Chase’s spiritual pilgrimage and the life of St. Francis, there is an important element here not to be missed: friendship.  Chase for all his failures and oversights was in needs of friendship that was able to withstand the deepest conversations about doubt and faith.  Although the priests were able to guide and stand by Chase, Maggie, Chase’s friend who had gone through hell and back was there for him.  She even found Jesus in the care for HIV men who were dying in the book, taking care of their basic needs such as washing their wounds.  Maggie served as a mirror to reflect Chase’s struggles but also a safe haven for Chase to unload his worries on.  Now, many in the church today as minister’s are married, so a female partner like Maggie will not work, but a close friend of the same sex to talk about the trials, doubts, and struggles in ministry is a necessary thing.  It was refreshing for Chase to be able to lay his own struggles before Maggie and the priests in the book and be able to engage without a judgmental response coming from them.

Proof in the Pudding

The brothers were committed to showing Chase what followers of Francis do in the middle of terrible situations.  He went with them to soup kitchen to help the poor and provide shelter for the broken.  This kind of mercy was part of their everyday life, not an addition to an already full ministry situation.  Francis was committed to preaching to all of God’s creation including animals but he never lost sight of the poor in his midst.  This kind of relentless pursuit of serving others for Christ’s sake is apparent not only in the priests and their ministry but also in the kindness they showed to people who offered them sores and sickness.

I think this book showed the genius of Francis and his desire to love Christ through all of life.  Part story, part biography, this book is one that I did not want to put down.  If you’re looking for a more academic or thorough study of Francis, there are other books out there, but if you are looking for how Francis impacted a whole culture, this book is for you.

Thanks to Zondervan and Book Sneeze program for the review copy of this book in exchange for review.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Rise of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman

  The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self by Carl Trueman Navigating the culture that we take up residence in, with its laser focus on sexual identity, tolerance, and an individualism that raises its head at every corner, Christians need a robust account of how we got to this point in our Western culture without retreating to our churches nor morphing with the latest trends.   Carl Trueman, professor of religion and theology at Grove City College, brings his keen historical research to bear on this issue in his new book, The Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self.   Part historical survey and philosophical analysis, Dr. Trueman traces the trajectories of key thinkers such as Rousseau, Freud, and Marx, while also incorporating the insights of Charles Taylor and Phillip Rieff to form a cogent argument as to how we got to this point in our history, both in our expressive individualism and sexual freedom outlooks.   The book is surprisingly insightful and yet demands from the reader the pa
Post a Comment
Read more

The Conditioned Mind

The Conditioned Mind: Overcoming the Crippling Effects of Sin and Guilt by Michael J. Mannia Counselor and author Michael J. Mannia knows firsthand how the spiraling of sin and guilt can eat away at life.  His new book, The Conditioned Mind, is a look into how believers can overcome the effects of sin and guilt and live in the freedom that we have in Christ.  Through a careful look into the patterns that we develop and the mindsets that we get ingrained in, Michael is able to offer ways through guilt that bring freedom and healing.  I think this is not only a timely but a book that aims toward bringing real healing to its readers. In the first chapter Michael looks at two needs that we have: our need for love and our need for security.  Love isn’t something optional for the human race, but something it needs at its core.  “Additionally, we need to reciprocate love.  We need to feel loved as much as we need to love others (8).”  Love is a two-way street that inv
Post a Comment
Read more

Passover and Jesus

The Messiah in the Passover , Edited by Darrell Bock and Mitch Glaser Why should Christians celebrate and remember the Passover?   This is a striking question that needs to be understood as well as the historical and theological context of the Passover.   However obscure we sometimes view the Old Testament, there is some significant reasons why we should reach back and study the Passover.   Mitch Glaser in the Introduction states, “When Christians celebrate the Passover, they grow in their understanding of the Old Testament, affirm the Jewishness of the Gospel, deepen our understanding of the Lord’s Supper, and build community with fellow Christians…” (20).   This book is answer to why celebrate the Passover but even more importantly an answer to what the Passover is and what it signifies to us today.   The various contributors of this book, Messiah in the Passover, bring a wealth of ministry experience in relating the Jewishness of both Jesus and the Old Testament to
Post a Comment
Read more