Christian SpiritualityThe SCM Core Text on Christian Spirituality brings together biblical, historical and pastoral reflections on the nature of Christian spirituality within community. It is written for second and third year university students who are studying Christian spirituality as an academic discipline, and would be useful for practical theologians who are reflecting on theology and practice within the Christian church, as well as for pastors and persons in a local church who want to explore the contours of Christian spirituality within their community of faith. Rather than list a series of specific activities such as praying, fasting, meditating etc, this book seeks to examine spirituality within the context of relationship and community. It also seeks to avoid separating spirituality from doctrine, and works towards presenting Christian spirituality as an ongoing dialogue between doctrine and experience. The book also asserts that Christian spirituality must reflect the idea of search and throughout the textbook we are introduced to a variety of Christian writers in order to examine the multifarious nature of search within the Christian tradition. These three themes, belief, search and relationship are woven together and addressed throughout. |
Contents
Belief Search and Relationship | 21 |
A Storyformed Faith | 40 |
Patterns of Christian Community | 56 |
Searching for the Way of Christ | 82 |
The Suffering of Christ and Our Suffering | 106 |
Dreaming of a New Community | 126 |
Glossary of Christian Writers and Devotional Texts | 146 |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
actively approach become began beginning believe Bible body called Catholic century Christ Christian faith Christian spirituality Church claimed conversation course cross culture death described desire devotion discovered discussion doctrine early example experience explore expression fact Fathers feel follow friends give God's Gospel groups heart hope human idea important individual instance interpretation Jesus John journey kind King known language later limited listen live London longing looked Lord means narrative nature never offered Oxford pain participation particular past perhaps person practice prayer present Press Quaker questions reflect relationship religious Scripture seeking seems seen sense shaped shared simply sometimes speak story suffering suggests tell Testament Theology things told tradition traveller true understand University vision waiting worship writings wrote York