HOW TO PRAY

Evangelical preacher Kabasele (Christian Philosophy: Understanding Racial Oppression, 2012) offers a brief overview of Christian prayer.

The author gives readers a glimpse into the Bible and his opinions on prayer, drawing on his experiences as a preacher and ministry student. His book is more of an exploration of prayer than a how-to guide, often switching between various topics instead of laying out a process. Topics include an overview of different types of prayers; how to know if God answers prayers; the differences between praise, worship and prayer; how to pray on someone else’s behalf; and how to develop an understanding of God’s power and presence. Each chapter is full of biblical quotes, lessons from Scripture and stories from Kabasele’s own life. Although he seems well versed in the Bible and biblical languages, the verses don’t always thoroughly illuminate his points, and his personal stories, while interesting, tend to end too quickly for readers to draw helpful conclusions from them. He also repeatedly mentions important concepts explained in his other books, but he fails to reintroduce them to new readers, which may make some of his points feel incomplete. However, despite occasionally choppy prose, the author’s tone is emotional and welcoming, heartfelt and sincere. The book’s target audience appears to be readers who come from an evangelical culture, and those already familiar with strongly evangelistic, international faiths will find much to mull over in this book; others may have some difficulty accessing his theological worldview, but may still gain some insights.

A brief, disjointed but passionate book about prayer.