Jesus tells us that to be his disciple we must surrender everything and, with his grace, brave the path provided for us by God. Such a sojourn will surely be marked by joy, suffering, uncertainty, and—above all—adventure.

Accordingly, The Adventure of Discipleship presents the Gospel through the lens of great adventure stories—from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings and C.S. Lewis’s Chronicles of Narnia to popular adventure movies, comic book superheroes, and TV series. While these stories we create and read and retell are but reflections and refractions of the great adventure of discipleship, they provide us with genuine insight into life with Christ.

Author Daniel Keating shows why we must respond to the call of discipleship with venturesome faith, as many great saints have before us. Along the way of discipleship, we come to understand the cost of following Jesus, the importance of hope in light of setbacks, and the gift of true friendship in this great adventure.

About the author:

Daniel Keating is Professor of Theology at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in Detroit, Michigan, where he teaches on Scripture, the Church Fathers, Ecumenism, and the New Evangelization. He holds a doctorate from Oxford University and is the author of The Appropriation of Divine Life in Cyril of Alexandria (Oxford, 2004), Deification and Grace (Sapientia, 2007), First and Second Peter, Jude (Baker, 2011), and co-author of James, 1-3 John (Baker, 2017) and Athanasius and His Legacy (Fortress, 2017). Dr. Keating has been involved in student ministry for over thirty years and regularly lectures to students in the United States and Europe. He has also served as a theological consultant for the Doctrine Committee of the United States Catholic Bishop’s Conference (USCCB) and is a Catholic participant in the national Catholic-Evangelical dialogue.

Endorsements:

“Using the lens of ‘adventure,’ Daniel Keating presents a wonderfully fresh vision of Christian discipleship. He is equally at home drawing from Scripture, J.R.R. Tolkien, C. S. Lewis, and contemporary adventure tales like Lost and Batman Begins—appealing especially to young adults who are seeking more in their spiritual life. The Adventure of Discipleship is the sort of book that engages, invites, and challenges. You may want to buy several and give them away to your young adult friends.” —Mary Healy, Professor of Sacred Scripture, Sacred Heart Seminary, Detroit, MI

“This book is about true friendship, how to endure suffering, and how to offer our lives to God along the path of real peace. At the same time, drawing upon The Lord of the Rings, superhero movies, and other rich storytelling, Keating shows that most of us don’t actually want peace—we want our lives to be a meaningful and glorious adventure. The inspiring achievement of this book, then, is to demonstrate that life in Christ provides the peace that is also the greatest possible adventure.” —Matthew Levering, James N. and Mary D. Perry Jr. Chair of Theology, Mundelein Seminary, Mundelein, IL

“As all adventures are exciting, so the reading of this book is itself invigorating. One cannot help but be caught up into the adventure of following Christ, no matter what the cost, for one perceives that it is a journey of faith, hope and love together with Jesus himself. This is an admirable book for those Christians who wish to be more fully Jesus’ disciples and an effective book to place in the hands of those who are being evangelized.” —Thomas G. Weinandy, O.F.M., Cap. Scholar in Residence at Capuchin College, Washington, DC, and Former Member of the Faculty of Theology at Oxford University and of the Vatican’s International Theological Commission

“The sense of adventure has been drowned out in modernity, but an ember remains, ready to burn brightly and engulf us. The Adventure of Discipleship reminds us that our lives are a drama so significant that Jesus Christ came into the world to take us on adventure with him. The only adequate response is a no-holds-barred life of discipleship, on mission to bring others into the embrace of Our Lord—and Keating’s book helps us begin this adventure!” —Curtis Martin, Founder and President, Fellowship of Catholic University Students (FOCUS)