As you journey deeper in the Christian pilgrimage, you come to realize that the Christian life is more than merely replicating particular spiritual disciplines or practices. You begin to understand that at the core of Christian faith is the transformation of your very identity. M. Robert Mulholland Jr. exposes the false selves that you may be tempted to hide behind and helps you to instead discover the true self that comes from being hidden with Christ in God. If the goal of the Christian journey is Christlikeness, then you must reckon with the unhealthy ways that you root your sense of being in things other than God. Along the way, you will discover a growing sense of intimacy and abandonment to God. Not only will you encounter the joyof discovering your own self, you will also find a greater love for others and compassion for the world.



M. Robert Mulholland Jr. (1936-2015) was emeritus professor of New Testament at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. He was the author of several books, including Shaped by the Word and The Deeper Journey.



Ruth Haley Barton (DD, Northern Seminary) is founder of the Transforming Center, a ministry dedicated to strengthening the souls of pastors, leaders, and the communities they serve. Trained at the Shalem Institute and the Loyola University Chicago Institute of Pastoral Studies, she is a seasoned spiritual director, teacher, and retreat leader who has served on the pastoral staff of several churches. Ruth is the author of numerous books on the spiritual life, including Strengthening the Soul of Your Leadership, Invitation to Solitude and Silence, Sacred Rhythms, and Embracing Rhythms of Work and Rest.



Acknowledgments



1. The Goal



2. Into the Jungle: The False Self



3. The Idol in the Box: The Religious False Self



4. Hidden with Christ in God: The False Self and the Christ Self



5. Abandoning the False Self



6. PuttingOn the New Nature



7. Principles of the Deeper Life



Epilogue



Notes



Mulholland skillfully accompanies readers from a basic understanding of knowing Christ and desiring to be like him through a process of self-examination that is probing, straightforward, and revealing. Written in a personal conversational style that refuses to be academic or theoretical, the book is stimulating and encouraging. Readers longing to develop a closer, authentic life with God will be rewarded with useful means and method.



But for many seeking to walk in the Way of Christ but struggling with religiosity, one chapter, "The Idol in the Box: Religious False Self," may be worth the price of the book.



"Robert Mulholland has gone deeper on the journey and now we can too. This will benefit all who want to follow Jesus' way."



"[Mulholland] paints a picture of profound and even mysterious connection with God. . . . [A] very personal invitation into this deeper journey."



"What a wonderfully mending and unsettling read. I read it and started reading it all over again. Mulholland serves as an experienced guide to what it means to have an inner life, a life that is 'hidden with Christ in God.' His voice helps me attend to the well-defended and self-referenced way I do life--even my spiritual life. The Deeper Journey is rich with the practical implications of what it means to be 'in God for the world.'"



"This book is addressing what I think is a foundational religious concern: Is religion primarily a belonging system or a transformational system? Is it merely about belief or is it about inner experience? The Deeper Journey is a very clear and courageous book, giving biblical themes a compelling and needed language."



"Most of us are aware that there is something that is not quite right within us. When we are honest, we might even admit that there is something terribly wrong. It is called the false self. The Deeper Journey provides understanding and guidance for the journey from the false self to the true self. It is a harrowing journey, to be sure, but it is also a journey of hope and healing and freedom. This book is full of much-needed wisdom from one of the most trusted spiritual guides of our time."



"Dr. Mulholland's exposition of the transforming journey from the noxious web of the false self to the liberating reality of the true self is totally compelling and a must read for disciples serious about the 'with-God' life."



"Mulholland recommends radical honesty about ourselves as an essential part of the foundation of a deeper faith. We Christians in North America definitely need to ponder his conviction that the false self and the religious false self will lead us on dead-end roads. I found Mulholland's invitation to a deeper journey in Christ to be profoundly challenging and winsomely encouraging."



"Carrying the journey beyond that introduced in his earlier much-appreciated Invitation to a Journey, this new book by Robert Mulholland will be very helpful to all those who feel called to a deeper journey and who wonder how concepts such as the true and false self relate to biblical teaching. If this is you, read on and be prepared to meet God and yourself more deeply."