Henri Nouwen: A Spirituality of Imperfection

As a spiritual icon, Henri Nouwen continues to exert a powerful influence on America’s religious landscape. In this important new book, Wil Hernandez reveals that in the dynamics of Nouwen’s spiritual formation and lived spirituality, integration and imperfection could coexist. By describing, analyzing, and synthesizing Nouwen’s writings, the author shows how Nouwen’s integrative pursuit of the spiritual life and its formation―one that weaves spirituality with psychology, ministry, and theology in a seamless fashion―is both fueled and tempered by his own experience of imperfection. HENRI A SPIRITUALITY OF IMPERFECTION vividly portrays a counterintuitive and countercultural “brand” of spirituality in which the journey to perfection is through the sobering realities of imperfection. †