Inwardly Digest

The Prayer Book as Guide to a Spiritual Life

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Description

Have you ever wondered if there was some kind of guide to living a deeper, richer spiritual life that seamlessly incorporated scripture alongside the wisdom of the Church? There is—and you can find it in a pew rack near you! The Book of Common Prayer is more than a service book; it is a map to a deeper relationship with God, a framework for developing a more intentional and rewarding life of faith.

Scholar Derek Olsen explores liturgical spirituality and how the prayer book serves as a repository of Christian wisdom and spiritual practice stretching back to the beginnings of the Christian movement. Focusing on three key elements—the Calendar, the Daily Office, and the Eucharist—he discusses the spiritual principles behind them and provides clear, practical, easy-to-follow explanations of the services. These patterns of life laid out in The Book of Common Prayer serve as a guide to the spiritual life, so that we might connect back to the God who calls each of us by name and that we might love as God loves us.

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What People are Saying

"This is the book that Episcopalians have needed for the last 40 years, but hasn't existed until now--a true field manual for Prayer Book spirituality."

-Daniel H. Martins, Bishop, Episcopal Diocese of Springfield

"With humor, deep reverence, and academic insight that is anything but dry and boring, Derek Olsen reminds us of the breath of the Spirit, the lives of the saints, the love of Jesus, and the magnificence of God held in the words, silence, and worship of our Book of Common Prayer."

-Laurie Brock, Rector, St. Michael the Archangel, Lexington, Ky

"Written in an engaging style that is both conversational and informative, Inwardly Digest is a timely invitation to life in the Spirit sustained by the patterns and rhythms of the Prayer Book."

-Frank Griswold, 25th Presiding Bishop of The Episcopal Church

"His patient, scholarly, watchfulness and his gift for rendering complex ideas in clear concise prose make Inwardly Digest an insightful guide to the Book of Common Prayer and a sure and steady introduction to Anglican spiritual practice."

-Jim Naughton, Partner, Canticle Communications

"With the spiritual foundation in the Book of Common Prayer, Olsen shows how everyday Christians can grow closer to God through a "training regimen" that incorporates the spirituality of Anglican liturgy as a daily practice."

-Susan Brown Snook, Rector, Episcopal Church of the Nativity, Phoenix/Scottsdale

"It's wonderful to rediscover our spiritual ancestors' conviction that liturgy shapes our beliefs, the way we speak about God, even the way we speak the language and, most important, the way we live our lives."

-The Anglican Digest (Winter 2016)

Author(s)

Derek Olsen is a biblical scholar and an active layman in The Episcopal Church. He earned a master of divinity degree from Emory University’s Candler School of Theology and a master of sacred theology degree from Trinity Lutheran Seminary. He served as pastoral vicar of a large Lutheran (ELCA) church in the Atlanta suburbs before beginning doctoral work and being received into The Episcopal Church. He completed a doctorate in New Testament in 2011 from Emory University under the direction of Luke Timothy Johnson.

His chief areas of interest are in the intersection between scripture and liturgy, the history of biblical interpretation—particularly in the Church Fathers and the Early Medieval West—and liturgical spirituality. He served as the liturgical editor of the recent revision of Saint Augustine’s Prayer Book, published by Forward Movement.

Olsen lives in Baltimore, Maryland, with his wife, an Episcopal priest, and their two daughters. In his spare time, he enjoys running, martial arts, cooking, and reading anything he can get his hands on.