Review: Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation

Red Moon Rising: How 24-7 Prayer Is Awakening a Generation by Pete Greig
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book because of an app. The app, Lectio 365, is a wonderful meditation app that I stumbled upon and have made a part of my morning devotions over the last year or so. I've really appreciate its lectio divina style and its commitment to prayer, mission, learning, justice, and creativity. So, I knew this book was one of the essential texts, telling the story of the movement which created the Lection 365 app- 24/7 prayer.

The story goes back to the turn of the millenium (that sounds impressive!), with the creation of a few prayer rooms, committed to praying around the clock. The author, Pete Grieg, stumbled on the idea, rather than planned it, partly as he was seeking new ways to reach young people and partly as a result of encountering the Moravian Church's earliest church, Hernhut in Germany. The movement grew rapidly, especially in Europe, but also throughout the world, so that, within years, a whole movement emerged. The books captures the headiness of the time and the passion of both Grieg and his co-workers. The movement went viral in a way that is a bit more common place now, but was astonishing and a little scary at the time. It is an inspiring story.

But...I found this book a little hard to read. Part of that might be because I'm a pretty introverted person and my own lean in prayer tends to be quiet and contemplative. Part of it is that I'm not sure I always know what to do with intercessory prayer which is a major focus in this book, both doing it and finding answers to those prayers. And I know I struggle with the concept of 'prayer warriors'- those who take on themselves the task of intercessory prayer as a species of spiritual warfare. I found the imagery of the 24/7 prayer movement being a army of young people praying rather worrying, especially because I am so used to the co-opting of Christian spirituality by politicians, so I know this 'prayer warrior' language is so often a part of a conservative expression of Christianity which I really worry about.

This isn't to say that prayer doesn't have an aspect of confronting evil or confronting sin in the world (spiritual warfare, otherwise). I think it does. But I also believe that the battlelines lie within as much as they lie without. And I don't even think Grieg and 24/7 Prayer would disagree with that.
But I admit, I'm still uncomfortable that the imagery because it does suggest that the problem is out there, not in here.

Still, I'm glad to have read this. It is good to see how this group came about and I'm grateful that they came to a place to provide such a grounding and helpful presence in the world. I'm grateful for the grounding influence of the Moravian church and of the neo-monastic Boiler Rooms which grew out of the prayer rooms.

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