Richard Rohr Popular Books

Richard Rohr Biography & Facts

Richard Rohr, (born 1943) is an American Franciscan priest and writer on spirituality based in Albuquerque, New Mexico. He was ordained to the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church in 1970, founded the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati in 1971, and the Center for Action and Contemplation in Albuquerque in 1987. In 2011, PBS called him "one of the most popular spirituality authors and speakers in the world". Rohr's notable works include The Universal Christ, Falling Upward, and Everything Belongs. His spirituality is rooted in Christian mysticism and the perennial tradition. Life and ministry Rohr was born in Kansas in 1943. He received his Master of Theology degree in 1970 from the University of Dayton. He entered the Franciscans in 1961 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1970. Rohr founded the New Jerusalem Community in Cincinnati, Ohio, in 1971 and the Center for Action and Contemplation (CAC) in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in 1986, where he serves as founding director and academic dean of the Living School for Action and Contemplation. The curriculum of Rohr's school is founded on seven themes developed by Rohr and explored in his book Yes, And.... Core faculty members include James Finley, Brian McLaren, Barbara Holmes and Cynthia Bourgeault. On July 1, 2022, Pope Francis met with Rohr, who said that Francis expressed support for his work. Later that year, Rohr announced he would step back from public ministry following a lymphoma diagnosis. He was previously diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2017, and suffered a severe heart attack in 2018. Teachings and views Rohr emphasizes "alternative orthodoxy", a term the Franciscan tradition has applied to itself, referring to a focus on "orthopraxy"—a belief that lifestyle and practice are much more important than mere verbal orthodoxy, which he feels is much overlooked in Catholic preaching today. According to Rohr's teachings, following Jesus is the "best shortcut" to salvation, but one does not necessarily have to practice formal Christianity. The key is to "fall in love with the divine presence, under whatever name." Rohr says people are disillusioned with conservative churches that teach that nonbelievers and followers of non-Christian religions go to Hell. Rohr additionally states: "I'm not trying to be some New Age liberal who flattens the universe out. Quite the contrary. I'm trying to invite people into the depth of things. . .and that's why I still encourage people to be loyal to their primary tradition; to go deep in one place, as I've often put it." The perennial philosophy forms the basis of much of Rohr's teaching; his work's essential message focuses on the union of divine reality with all things and the human potential and longing for this union. Rohr and other 21st-century spiritual leaders explore the Perennial Tradition in the Center for Action and Contemplation's issue of the publication Oneing. In a similar vein, he sometimes draws on spiral dynamics and Ken Wilber's integral theory. Psychological concepts from Carl Jung and the Enneagram of Personality are also recurring themes in his work. His book Immortal Diamond: The Search for Our True Self suggests Jesus's death and resurrection is an archetypal pattern for the movement from "false self" to "true self", from "who you think you are" to "who you are in God". Rohr's 2014 book Eager to Love explores the key themes of Franciscan spirituality, which he sees as a "third way" between traditional orthodoxy and heresy, a way of focusing on the Gospel, justice, and compassion. Role of scripture In his teaching on scripture, such as in his book Things Hidden, Rohr calls the biblical record a human account of humanity's evolving experience with God, "the word of God in the words of people". In one of his daily meditations, Rohr writes: The Bible is an anthology of many books. It is a record of people’s experience of God’s self-revelation. It is an account of our very human experience of the divine intrusion into history. The book did not fall from heaven in a pretty package. It was written by people trying to listen to God. I believe that the Spirit was guiding the listening and writing process. We must also know that humans always see “through a glass darkly . . . and all knowledge is imperfect” (1 Corinthians 13:12). Role of the Church In his 2016 book The Divine Dance, Rohr suggests that the top-down hierarchy of western Christianity since Emperor Constantine has held ecumenical traditions back for centuries, and that the future of people of faith will have to involve a bottom-up approach. Rohr maintains what he would call prophetic positions, on the "edge of the inside" of a church that he sees as failing to transform people, and thus increasingly irrelevant. Rohr explains: To live on the edge of the inside is different than being an insider, a "company man" or a dues paying member. Yes, you have learned the rules and you understand and honor the system as far as it goes, but you do not need to protect it, defend it or promote it. It has served its initial and helpful function. You have learned the rules well enough to know how to "break the rules" without really breaking them at all. "Not to abolish the law but to complete it" as Jesus rightly puts it (Matthew 5:17). A doorkeeper must love both the inside and the outside of his or her group, and know how to move between these two loves. Nature of God In his 2019 book The Universal Christ, Rohr says he is a panentheist. He goes on to state that panentheism is the true position of Jesus and Paul: But Paul merely took incarnationalism to its universal and logical conclusions. We see that in his bold exclamation, "There is only Christ. He is everything and he is in everything" (Colossians 3:11). If I were to write that today, people would call me a pantheist (the universe is God), whereas I am really a panentheist (God lies within all things, but also transcends them), exactly like both Jesus and Paul. LGBTQ issues In 2000, Rohr publicly endorsed Soulforce, an organization that challenges what it calls religion-based LGBTQ oppression through nonviolent protest. In a 1999 essay, and afterward, Rohr has welcomed and affirmed God's love for LGBTQ people, emphasizing that God asks the same of people in same-sex relationships as of those in heterosexual ones: "truth, faithfulness, and striving to enter into covenants of continuing forgiveness of one another". Reception Rohr's book The Universal Christ was a New York Times Bestseller in 2019. His work has been both popular and controversial in Catholic and larger Christian circles. In an interview with the New Yorker, Rohr stated that a group of local Catholics once secretly recorded his homilies to have him excommunicated. They delivered the tapes to the late Cardinal Joseph Bernardin, then Archbishop of Cincinnati, who reviewed them and determined that they were within the bounds of the Church's teachings. After his audience with Pope F.... Discover the Richard Rohr popular books. Find the top 100 most popular Richard Rohr books.

Best Seller Richard Rohr Books of 2024

  • Resurrecting Easter synopsis, comments

    Resurrecting Easter

    John Dominic Crossan & Sarah Crossan

    In this fourcolor illustrated journey that is part travelogue and part theological investigation, bestselling author and acclaimed Bible scholar John Dominic Crossan and his w...

  • The Penguin History of the Church synopsis, comments

    The Penguin History of the Church

    Henry Chadwick

    Examines the beginning of the Christian movement during the first centuries AD, and the explosive force of its expansion throughout the Roman world

  • The Way Up Is Down synopsis, comments

    The Way Up Is Down

    Marlena Graves

    Christianity Today Award of Merit in Spiritual Formation"Now, with God's help, I shall become myself."These words from Danish philosopher Søren Kierkegaard resonate deeply with Mar...

  • Tattoos on the Heart synopsis, comments

    Tattoos on the Heart

    Gregory Boyle

    “Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” (Los Angeles Times)Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption fr...

  • The Myth of the Goddess synopsis, comments

    The Myth of the Goddess

    Anne Baring & Jules Cashford

    A comprehensive, scholarly accessible study, in which the authors draw upon poetry and mythology, art and literature, archaeology and psychology to show how the myth of the goddess...

  • Mennonite Men Can Cook, Too synopsis, comments

    Mennonite Men Can Cook, Too

    Willard Roth

    Willard Roth is a topnotch cook who grew up in a sprawling Iowa farm family. He has always loved foodgrowing it, preparing it, eating it. As a Mennonite church leader and journalis...

  • The Little Book Of Bliss synopsis, comments

    The Little Book Of Bliss

    Patrick Whiteside

    How would you like to be blissfully happy? Would you like a direct line to Cloud Nine?This pocketsized volume is written by the author of the bestselling Little Book of Happiness ...

  • The Enneagram of Belonging Workbook synopsis, comments

    The Enneagram of Belonging Workbook

    Christopher L Heuertz

    Imagine who you might become if you could make peace with the whole of who you are, rather than overidentifying with the "best" of your type or rejecting the "worst" of its express...

  • Selected Writings synopsis, comments

    Selected Writings

    Meister Eckhart

    Composed during a critical time in the evolution of European intellectual life, the works of Meister Eckhart (c. 12601327) are some of the most powerful medieval attempts to achiev...

  • Patmos synopsis, comments

    Patmos

    C. Baxter Kruger

    »Das Buch für all jene, die nicht glauben können, Gott aber vermissen.« (C. Baxter Kruger)Als Aidan weit weg von Zuhause in einer Höhle erwacht, kann er nicht glauben, was ihm wide...

  • The Penguin History of the Church synopsis, comments

    The Penguin History of the Church

    Alec Vidler

    The French Revolution dealt a fatal blow to the alliance of Church and State. The Christian church had to adapt to great changes from the social upheavals of the Industrial Revolu...

  • Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion synopsis, comments

    Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion

    David Hume & Martin Bell

    In the posthumously published Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, the Enlightenment philosopher David Hume attacked many of the traditional arguments for the existence of God, e...

  • Mein fliegender Teppich des Geistes synopsis, comments

    Mein fliegender Teppich des Geistes

    Marion Küstenmacher

    Eigene spirituelle Muster erkennen In 17 Kapiteln berichtet Marion Küstenmacher von Augenblickserfahrungen, aus denen sich im Verlauf ihres Lebens spirituelle Fäden sponnen, die s...

  • Following Jesus synopsis, comments

    Following Jesus

    Henri J. M. Nouwen & Gabrielle Earnshaw

    “Timeless wisdom for life from one of the great spiritual masters of our age.”James Martin, S.J., author of Jesus: A Pilgrimage   In this neverbeforepublished work of inspira...

  • The Universal Christ synopsis, comments

    The Universal Christ

    Richard Rohr

    NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER  From one of the world’s most influential spiritual thinkers, a longawaited book exploring what it means that Jesus was called “Christ,” and how...

  • The Whole Language synopsis, comments

    The Whole Language

    Gregory Boyle

    Gregory Boyle, the beloved Jesuit priest and author of the inspirational bestsellers Tattoos on the Heart and Barking to the Choir, returns with a call to witness the transformativ...

  • The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry synopsis, comments

    The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

    John Mark Comer

    ECPA BESTSELLER Ideal reading for Lent and a perfect Easter gift for anyone trying to live life to the fullest, The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry is a fascinating roadmap to stayi...

  • Seasons of the Day synopsis, comments

    Seasons of the Day

    Stanislaus Kennedy

    Based on the traditional Book of Hours psalms said daily, at set times, by religious communities throughout the world Seasons of the Day reveals the enduring relevance of this an...

  • Cherished Belonging synopsis, comments

    Cherished Belonging

    Gregory Boyle

    At a time when society is more fractured than ever before, beloved Jesuit priest Gregory Boyle invites us to see the world through a new lens of connection and build the loving com...

  • Earth Medicine synopsis, comments

    Earth Medicine

    Kenneth Meadows

    Native Americans had a close affinity with the earth and an understanding of the natural forces which shaped their environment. They recognised that not only were our physical bod...

  • The Intimate Way of Zen synopsis, comments

    The Intimate Way of Zen

    James Ishmael Ford

    An intimate mystery encompasses you and tugs upon your heartwhat does it mean to follow that tug across the arc of a spiritual life?Reflecting out of more than fifty years of pract...

  • The Journey Toward Wholeness synopsis, comments

    The Journey Toward Wholeness

    Suzanne Stabile

    Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Award FinalistIn everything from health care and politics to technology and economics, we are experiencing feelings of loss, anger, and anxiety. In...

  • Every Thing Is Sacred synopsis, comments

    Every Thing Is Sacred

    Richard Rohr & Patrick Boland

    In this companion to The Universal Christ, Richard Rohr and Patrick Boland offer forty reflections and practices exploring what it means to live “in Christ.”In his landmark book Th...

  • Mirror for the Soul synopsis, comments

    Mirror for the Soul

    Alice Fryling

    "Who in the world am I?" The Enneagram is like a mirror, reflecting dimensions of ourselves that are sometimes hard to see. In this helpful guide, spiritual director and Enneagram ...

  • Selected Writings synopsis, comments

    Selected Writings

    Hildegard von Bingen

    Benedictine nun, poet and musician, Hildegard of Bingen (10981179) was one of the most remarkable figures of the Middle Ages. She undertook preaching tours throughout the German em...

  • The Little Book of Lent synopsis, comments

    The Little Book of Lent

    Arthur Howells

    An inspirational source of encouragement for Lent.‘The Little Book of Lent’ is a powerful anthology of readings from spiritual writers for each day of Lent, with accompanying scrip...

  • Take Care of Your Type synopsis, comments

    Take Care of Your Type

    Christina S. Wilcox

    Discover the selfcare tips specifically designed for your Enneagram type with this simple yet illuminating guide from popular Enneagram expert Christina S. Wilcox.Many of us have u...

  • The Authentic Gospel of Jesus synopsis, comments

    The Authentic Gospel of Jesus

    Dr Geza Vermes

    There can be no doubt that Jesus, 'a religious genius' as Geza Vermes describes him, lived and taught in Palestine some 2000 years ago. The influence he has had is incalculable. Ho...

  • Von der Anmut der Welt synopsis, comments

    Von der Anmut der Welt

    Tilmann Haberer

    Gott neu gedachtDas Reden von Gott ist problematisch geworden, alte Gottesbilder tragen nicht mehr und viele Menschen wenden sich vom Christentum ab. Dem setzt dieses Buch Neues e...

  • The Historical Figure of Jesus synopsis, comments

    The Historical Figure of Jesus

    E. Sanders

    A biography of the historical figure of Jesus. The book studies the relationship between Judaism and Christianity, distinguishing the certain from the improbable, and assessing the...

  • Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret synopsis, comments

    Richard Rohr and the Enneagram Secret

    Don Veinot, Joy Veinot & Marcia Montenegro

    The Enneagram of Personality has been embraced by of a growing number of evangelicals. First introduced into the church by disciples of Roman Catholic priest, mystic and "contempla...

  • Confessions synopsis, comments

    Confessions

    Saint Augustine & R. S. Pine-Coffin

    'Give me chastity and continence, but not yet'The son of a pagan father and a Christian mother, Saint Augustine spent his early years torn between conflicting worldviews. The Confe...

  • The Enneagram of Belonging synopsis, comments

    The Enneagram of Belonging

    Christopher L Heuertz

    For the Enneagram enthusiast looking to deepen their transformation, The Enneagram of Belonging offers an enlightening, enriching path forward. eBook EXCLUSIVE: 45+ COLOR illustrat...

  • Simple and Free synopsis, comments

    Simple and Free

    Jen Hatmaker

    Why do we pursue more when we’d be happier with less? In this updated edition of 7, New York Times bestselling author Jen Hatmaker tells the story of how she&#x...

  • The Rule of Benedict synopsis, comments

    The Rule of Benedict

    St Benedict & Carolinne White

    Founder of a monastery at Monte Cassino, between Rome and Naples, in the sixth century, St Benedict intended his Rule to be a practical guide to Christian monastic life. Based on t...