Henri Nouwen

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What do you think of the writings of Henri Nouwen?

I have a collection of online Catholic quotes. I’ve found a few of his that I like and are pertinent. But I find that his writings are so much psycho-babble, completely disconnected from Church tradition. Nobody has to be quote Aquinas at every turn, and even superficial stuff has its place. But is he worth promoting? Was he a dissenter? I know the crowd that likes him, and that makes me suspicious of his writings, but I haven’t found anything he wrote openly in dissent of the Church.

What say you? Is this an author that a faithful Catholic should promote?
 
I highly recomend you read Henri Nouwen’s 1992 book, "The Return of the Prodigal Son."

I received it from a Passionist priest while on retreat 4 years ago. It is very Catholic and very insightful.
 
GratefulFred said:
I highly recomend you read Henri Nouwen’s 1992 book, "The Return of the Prodigal Son."

I received it from a Passionist priest while on retreat 4 years ago. It is very Catholic and very insightful.
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Very sloppy and sentimental, borderline non-orthodox. Very 70s. Sorry, but you asked for opinions.
Some people like this sort of thing though, just like some people like soap operas. No accounting for taste.
It’s not formal theology, though, so don’t take it in that fashion. It’s exclusively devotional-type stuff.

I don’t know how much harm a little taste of it for devotional reasons will cause. But reading a lot of it might well cause problems. A reasonable share of it is pretty much off-kilter.

I also wouldn’t contribute to buying it new for fear more of it would be spawned. Used eh.
 
No, I need opinions!

I also have the impression that he’s borderline when it comes to doctrine.

Like I said: not everyone has to quote Aquinas, but I really don’t want to promote a dissenter.
 
GratefulFred said:
I highly recomend you read Henri Nouwen’s 1992 book, "The Return of the Prodigal Son."

I received it from a Passionist priest while on retreat 4 years ago. It is very Catholic and very insightful.
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I agree. That is a very good book.

There are some people who really don’t like his writings for a variety of reasons, none of which I have ever found to be persuasive. Some will go out of their way to demonize him (wait until someone posts about his alleged homosexuality).

I have found his writings to be very helpful in my spiritual life and that book is my favorite.

Peace

Tim
 
I read some of Nouwen’s books a number of years ago. I was dealing with depression, anxiety etc., which are things that he himself dealt with, and I think he does a good job of linking up these feelings to the doctrine of redemptive suffering. It’s true that he is not a doctrinal writer, very much a devotional writer. I just mean that when these painful feelings were preventing me from growing in the spiritual life, his writings helped me to understand how they could become the means for my spiritual growth rather than an obstacle.

For people who are coping with deep depression, I especially recommend the book The Inner Voice of Love, which is essentially the journal that Nouwen kept for his own benefit when he was at rock bottom (comparable to how C.S. Lewis kept a journal of his feelings when his wife died and he was having trouble coping, and this was later published in book form as A Grief Observed). It was quite helpful to me when I was in depression and had lost the will to keep striving. I understand that Return of the Prodigal Son, which has been mentioned here a couple of times already, was written around this time and incorporates some of the same ideas.

It is possible to pigeonhole Nouwen as a “touchy-feely” writer and there is some validity to this, but it can be misleading too. My impression (granted, it has been many years) was that he was not one of these modern writers who want to reduce Christianity to a purely feel-good experience. He was quite honest about the fact that the Christian life is not always easy or fun. Nor do I remember having any “ick” moments when I felt that he was crossing the line into anything contrary to the Faith.
 
I am just reading With Burning Hearts yes, it is emotionally evocative, but how is that a bad thing. I find that a lot of the book is meditative - you could take a paragraph and meditate on it, Follows the road to emmaus as a parable for the Mass. I am enjoying it. Yes, it did appear kind of lightweight until you begin to slow down and let some of it sink in. don’t think I have read anything else by him except the Wounded Healer years ago - 20 years or so
 
Henri Nouwen’s writings, including The Return of the Prodigal Son, The Inner Voice of Love, With Open Hands, and Can You Drink the Cup?, have changed my life, how I relate to God, and to other people. And a partially responsible for me returing to the Church after nearly 20 years.

HIs writing is very “feeling” oriented, and quite psychological, because he was a Psychologist and Professor.

I agree he will not appeal to everyone, but I highly recommend his works.
And have had him highly recommended to me by numerous priests, most of whom are very orthodox.

Here is a link to his website
 
Oneofthewomen said:
Henri Nouwen’s writings, including The Return of the Prodigal Son, The Inner Voice of Love, With Open Hands, and Can You Drink the Cup?, have changed my life, how I relate to God, and to other people. And a partially responsible for me returing to the Church after nearly 20 years.

HIs writing is very “feeling” oriented, and quite psychological, because he was a Psychologist and Professor.

I agree he will not appeal to everyone, but I highly recommend his works.
And have had him highly recommended to me by numerous priests, most of whom are very orthodox.

Here is a link to his website
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Yeah, it’s devotional stuff. If you like devotional stuff, it’s a pretty good example. Protestants have this stuff too. But don’t mistake it for real theology because it’s not that.

Nouwen is the kind of stuff you read when you need a spiritual Hallmark card and a cup of coffee on an off day. It’s consoling even if somewhat sappy. Some people like consoling, just don’t let it become most of what you read.
 
iloveangels said:
Nouwen is the kind of stuff you read when you need a spiritual Hallmark card and a cup of coffee on an off day. It’s consoling even if somewhat sappy. Some people like consoling, just don’t let it become most of what you read.
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Your comments seem rather patronizing. You don’t show any acknowledgement of the fact that several people have testified to being deeply affected by his work. That suggests more than a spiritual equivalent of a Hallmark card.
 
louisak said:
Your comments seem rather patronizing. You don’t show any acknowledgement of the fact that several people have testified to being deeply affected by his work. That suggests more than a spiritual equivalent of a Hallmark card.
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I’ve been very happy with some of the Hallmark cards I’ve seen. They serve their purpose if what I’m looking for is a Hallmark card.
 
iloveangels said:
I’ve been very happy with some of the Hallmark cards I’ve seen. They serve their purpose if what I’m looking for is a Hallmark card.
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I don’t think anyone here is going to replace deeper theological readings with those of Henri Nouwen. It is all a matter of balance. My spiritual life is not lived in a vacuum, my emotions & relationships can and do effect my spiritual journey. Nouwen realized this, and that is what makes his writings so much more that a “Hallmark card”.
 
Kind of following this discussion. My question is why do “deeper theological reading” and devotional reading have to be polar opposites? It seems to me that God reaches us as whole people, that is, intellect, emotions, (the positive and the distressing), senses, physically and all else. After all, he created all of the above and much I left out! I need all these at different times,

I would say that right now, out of his own journey, Nouwen is providing a bridge for me between the intellectual, emotional and my spiritual connecton to God. Cannot denigrate that.
 
Ohana said:
Kind of following this discussion. My question is why do “deeper theological reading” and devotional reading have to be polar opposites? It seems to me that God reaches us as whole people, that is, intellect, emotions, (the positive and the distressing), senses, physically and all else. After all, he created all of the above and much I left out! I need all these at different times,

I would say that right now, out of his own journey, Nouwen is providing a bridge for me between the intellectual, emotional and my spiritual connecton to God. Cannot denigrate that.
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I don’t get it either. Not everybody is going to be drawn to heavy duty theology, most won’t even understand a good chunk of it (myself included). I read The Return of the Prodigal Son and thought it was beautiful, not sentimental at all. It was very personal, maybe that’s why people are uncomfortable with it. Read what you enjoy and what you are drawn to.
 
J_Peterson said:
I don’t get it either. Not everybody is going to be drawn to heavy duty theology, most won’t even understand a good chunk of it (myself included). I read The Return of the Prodigal Son and thought it was beautiful, not sentimental at all. It was very personal, maybe that’s why people are uncomfortable with it. Read what you enjoy and what you are drawn to.
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It’s not either/or. There are many good things for Catholics to read. Nouwen is a particular genre that can be very superficial and misleading. I’m simply advising people to read a variety of Catholic works and monitor how much superficiality they’re getting in their reading. There is nothing wrong with that.
 
iloveangels said:
It’s not either/or. There are many good things for Catholics to read. Nouwen is a particular genre that can be very superficial and misleading. I’m simply advising people to read a variety of Catholic works and monitor how much superficiality they’re getting in their reading. There is nothing wrong with that.
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Nouwen is not a genre, he’s an author.

And you are making a sweeping condemnation by saying that he can be very superficial and misleading. What is your authority for this? How much of his work have you read? Several other people have expressed an opinion different from yours. How can you be so sure that your assessment is wiser than theirs?
 
iloveangels said:
It’s not either/or. There are many good things for Catholics to read. Nouwen is a particular genre that can be very superficial and misleading. I’m simply advising people to read a variety of Catholic works and monitor how much superficiality they’re getting in their reading. There is nothing wrong with that.
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When I first read Nouwen I thought he was superficial. No big words, short book, some “sound bite” lines. But then I re read part of the book I am reading now With Burning Hearts, It makes me ponder and do some self-examination. I don’t think that is a definition of a superficial book. There are some pretty deep spiritual truths contained in the book and an invitation to go deeper into our understanding/participation in the Mass and Eucharist.
 
Ohana said:
When I first read Nouwen I thought he was superficial. No big words, short book, some “sound bite” lines. But then I re read part of the book I am reading now With Burning Hearts, It makes me ponder and do some self-examination. I don’t think that is a definition of a superficial book. There are some pretty deep spiritual truths contained in the book and an invitation to go deeper into our understanding/participation in the Mass and Eucharist.
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You don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between the different genres of Catholic print materials. Nouwen is devotional material. There’s nothing wrong with devotional material in and of itself. It has its place in a Catholic library, it’s just not the whole library.
 
iloveangels said:
You don’t seem to be able to tell the difference between the different genres of Catholic print materials. Nouwen is devotional material. There’s nothing wrong with devotional material in and of itself. It has its place in a Catholic library, it’s just not the whole library.
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Probably right about this. No library science degree here. I read what helps me grow closer to God, or helps me live my life better. That being said, I can tell the difference between psychobabble, and some outright flak and what Nouwen writes.
 
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