The Ancient Ladder

For all of us longing to find purpose beyond suffering and faith beyond despair, The Ancient Ladder explores the biblically based three-step spiritual passage that ancient mystics saw as the way to follow Jesus toward Christian maturity.

What causes faith to transform from an intellectual knowing about God to a passionate love story with God? Scott MacLellan asked this question as his daughter battled cancer and he looked for purpose in his family’s suffering. He couldn’t believe that God was uninterested, but he also rejected trite reassurances.

He finally found a satisfying answer in the three-step passage—based on the writings of Solomon—that Christian mystics identified as a path through pain to true spiritual devotion. In The Ancient Ladder, Scott helps us apply the wisdom of past centuries to our challenges today as we:

Move through Proverbs (fearing the Lord) to Ecclesiastes (honoring the Lord) to Song of Solomon (loving the Lord). Journey from stale spirituality to a robust and meaningful faith that enriches our relationships, self-awareness, and enjoyment of God. See with fresh eyes the big picture of the Christian life.

Scott helps us understand Solomon’s writings, the spiritual fruit that can come from our suffering, and our seasons of unbelief so we can let go of the people we were and become who we were meant to be.

1. Opening Credits
2. Dedication
3. Foreword
4. Introduction
5. Chapter 1: See Ladder, Climb Ladder
6. Chapter 2: The Off-Ladder Crowd
7. Chapter 3: Step 1: Our Religious Experience
8. Chapter 4: Step 2: Our Faith Is Tested … a Lot!
9. Chapter 5: We Fall in Love
10. Chapter 6: The Circle—Reimagining the Ancient Ladder
11. Conclusion
12. Closing Credits