I was both pleasantly surprised and somewhat disappointed by Order of the Sacred Earth. While I enjoy Matthew Fox’s thought, I have always found his writing to be a bit frustrating in that, in my view, it tends to ramble. If brevity is the essence of wit, Matthew Fox is in trouble – but not so in this book! His section was concise, perhaps because he is sharing the spotlight with two other authors. In any event, I found it refreshing.

I am of the opinion that quite often those who are visionary are not especially gifted in the area of implementing their vision. Generally speaking, Matt Fox has great general ideas about how to change worship to make it more meaningful but is rather stingy when it comes to ideas about how to implement them. For example, he often writes that worship should include art, but doesn’t get very specific about how. I find that his ideas would be great for workshops or retreats, but don’t lend themselves well to a regular gathering of a spiritual community. That trend continues with this book.

You should also be aware that less than half of this book is actually content. The other half is assorted writers who praise the authors and their ideas, but don’t contribute very much to the substance of the work. That’s a trend in spiritual books these days. I wonder if it is an attempt to turn enough material for half of a book into a full book. In any event, there isn’t really anything new here for those who have read Matthew Fox before. If you haven’t read him, this would be a good place to familiarize yourself with this thought. Just don’t expect too much,

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the author and/or publisher through the Speakeasy blogging book review network. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR,Part 255.

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