A Hidden Wholeness: The Journey Toward An Undivided Life—Welcoming the Soul and Weaving Community in a Wounded World
by Parker J. Palmer
Review by Pastor Adam Rohler
November 2004
When I first saw Parker Palmer’s new book advertised in the Christian Century I felt a quiet tug from the Spirit to purchase it. Palmer’s discourses on the ability to listen to the soul’s longings, welcoming private and public invitations to health, and finding the courage to be who we really are in the presence of God and each other, make this one of the best of his books. He offers not simply an abstract and academic concept of what healing and wholeness are, but practical, tangible options for working towards it in our own lives. I see Palmer as a model of one who has found meaning in the struggle and joy of a lifelong, faithful journey towards wholeness.
Parker Palmer is a widely-read and respected teacher, who holds his Ph.D. in Sociology from the University of California at Berkley. He has published six books, and his work has been recognized by eight honorary doctorates and numerous awards. Most prominent for me is his membership in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), whose theological and spiritual emphases undergird much of this book’s insight. Stemming from his religious background, there is a deep, quiet, and sustainable characteristic to his writing and faith; characteristics that I am drawn to as I desire to cultivate them within myself.
Palmer’s book will not leave you with an emotional high, nor does he offer any instant gratification. In this way, this book does not offer self help, or a twelve-step process. He rarely uses clichés or catch-phrases, and he does not offer the reader a pithy motto, which one may keep for a day only to discard it after it becomes trite. Rather, Palmer will invite you into an intentional life of discipline, critical thinking, self-reflection, discernment, community, poetry, and prayer. He offers these as practices and experiences that will allow our “shy” soul to come forth and offer healing to our broken spirits, relationships, emotions, bodies, and communities.
Because Palmer’s book is about our “shy” souls and their place in our communities, this book is not meant to simply be read and put back on the shelf. It is meant for you to read and then engage those around you with its ideas. It is meant for you to write a public book review about it so that others in your community may have their interest piqued and, if not read the book, at least ask you about its insight. It is meant as a point-of-entry into a life where our souls, not just books or the media, guide us to truth, insight, health, meaning, care, and love. For this reason alone, I would encourage anyone to read this book, ponder it, wrestle with it, question it and talk about it with friends, family, pastors, maybe even strangers so that we might begin to weave a holy/whole community in this wounded city and world.
