{Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling. Connecting Like Jesus: Practices for Healing, Teaching, and Preaching. Jossey-Bass. 232 pages. $21.95}

Reviewed by Martha K. Baker

Tony Campolo and Mary Albert Darling set out to write Connecting Like Jesus to prove that “relationships can be radically transformed through integrating communication practices with spiritual practices.”

They succeed.

In Connecting Like Jesus, the second book they’ve penned together, Campolo and Darling have produced a text both wise and practical. Theirs is a humble effort, never flying too close to the sun, but well grounded in chapter and verse — or what they call “spiritually charged communication.” They never lose their own connection with Jesus, and, by joining hands and words, they strengthen the readers’ connections. Throughout their good suggestions, helpful hints and recipes, they thread Jesus’ reported words and deeds. For example, in writing about ”other-centeredness,” Darling reminds readers that “Jesus did not force people to change. He was patient, sometimes even silent….” Later, in the chapter on “sacred listening,” Darling cites Luke 24 to show Jesus as the exemplar, then lists four other verses that speak to the power of his listening ear.

Together, they explain what they mean by “connecting like Jesus” in Part One. Separately, Darling, a communications professor at Spring Arbor University in Michigan, writes Part Two, “Practices for Soul Healing.” She addresses “knowing yourself” (“it is about you”), asking questions, and praying. Both write about “shaping narrative,” that is, telling stories. [Read more...]