Christian Proficiency by Martin Thornton

First published in 1959, Christian Proficiency by Martin Thornton, an Anglican priest and ascetic theologian of the last century, has helped form the spiritual lives of countless Anglicans. This, indeed, has been the case in my own life. Thornton bases the Rule he espouses on Benedictine Spirituality, which he has modified for use by the average lay person, as well as the busy parish priest. Thornton discusses the progression that monastic prayer has followed and strived for as found in the three classic ways of purgative, illuminative, and unitive, which he then transforms into three corresponding personal ways, or states, that he calls beginner, proficient, and expert. All Christians, says Thornton, should strive to be, at the very least, proficient, that is, to go beyond the state of beginner. This, says Thornton, is where the majority of Christians should strive to be. This is accomplished, according to Fr Thornton, through a three fold discipline, or Rule, of Prayer that is comprised of 1) reciting the daily Offices of Morning and Evening Prayer as found in the Book of Common Prayer, 2) by weekly partaking of Holy Communion, and 3) by private prayer. He goes on to describe each of these disciplines that make up this rule, discussing techniques, benefits, and difficulties. It is a book that bears revisiting and re-reading, as with every return to its pages there are gleaned additional valuable insights. Although this book has been out of print for some time, copies may still be found by searching the various bookseller sites on the internet such as the ones that I have listed in this blog.