Adam: God’s Beloved
In the final year before his death in 1996, Henri Nouwen set out to write a book about the Apostle’s Creed. His plans changed when he learned of the death of his friend Adam, a severely handicapped young man from the L’Arche Daybreak Community outside Toronto where Nouwen lived. In the story of Adam he found a way to describe his own understanding of the Gospel message.
Through the story of Adam, Nouwen found a new way to tell God’s story of Jesus and the story of all of us human creatures, broken and yet beloved, who live in a world charged with the mystery of God’s overwhelming love. Completed only weeks before his own death, Adam: God’s Beloved became Nouwen’s final, precious gift, a fitting summation of his own message and legacy.
Translation available in:
German – Adam: Mein Freund ohne Worte
More About this Book
This book was written by Nouwen after the death of his handicapped friend Adam Arnett. “From the moment I saw Adam’s body lying in his casket, I was struck by the mystery of this man’s life and death…Adam’s death touched me deeply because for me he was the one who more than any book or professor led me to the person of Jesus.” Written in the final year of Nouwen’s life and published posthumously, it is an expression of Nouwen’s deep convictions as a Christian.
Themes: God, Jesus, Spiritual Life, Identity, Care, Death, Adam Arnett, Living Christ, Apostles Creed, Vulnerability, God’s unconditional love, The body, The heart, The Word made flesh, Incarnation, The sacramental life, Receiving love, Peace. Murray McDonnell, Inner healing, Mutuality of love, Miracles, Father Bruno, Jesus’ passion, Dependency, L’Arche Daybreak
Orbis, 1997
Reviews for "Adam: God's Beloved"
"Adam: God's Beloved was a beautiful read. I found myself wanting to mark down passage after passage, no small feat for a short book." -Faith
"This should be required reading for anybody that is a parent, caregiver, or serves in some ministry capacity." -Laura
"This is one of those books that simply wrecked me in the best possible way." -Carl