A Short Guide to Spiritual Formation
Title | A Short Guide to Spiritual Formation PDF eBook |
Author | Alex Sosler |
Publisher | Baker Books |
Pages | 257 |
Release | 2024-05-28 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1493446355 |
In a society always seeking the new and novel, Christians can become more grounded and mature through a retrieval of our common tradition. Alex Sosler sets forth the "transcendentals" of truth, goodness, and beauty--along with community--to help readers follow the way of Jesus. Weaving together church history, theology, and devotional practice, Sosler offers a holistic introduction to spiritual formation, encompassing biblical truth, the pursuit of the good life, the contemplation of God, and communal belonging. Each section includes a biblical and historical precedent for the tradition and highlights an exemplar from church history: Augustine on truth, Dorothy Day on goodness, Teresa of Ávila on beauty, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on church commitment and community. This accessible book provides avenues for a broader and deeper spirituality that can shape the complexity of our souls. It is ideal for undergraduate students and as a formation primer for church adult education classes, classical schools, and homeschooling communities.
A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation
Title | A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation PDF eBook |
Author | Evan B. Howard |
Publisher | Baker Academic |
Pages | 423 |
Release | 2018-01-16 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 149341139X |
Evan Howard, a noted authority on Christian spirituality, provides a holistic, accessible, and informed introduction to Christian spiritual formation written from a broadly evangelical perspective. Howard joins Scripture with themes of community, spirit, formation, and mission in a single integrative guide. The book includes helpful features such as figures, charts, chapter overviews, and formation-focused questions. Its evangelical-ecumenical and global perspectives will appeal to a wide audience. Resources for professors and students are available through Baker Academic's Textbook eSources.
Renewing the Evangelical Mission
Title | Renewing the Evangelical Mission PDF eBook |
Author | Richard Lints |
Publisher | Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing |
Pages | 283 |
Release | 2013-05-26 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1467437522 |
The "culture story" of evangelicalism during the second half of the twentieth century has been well told. It is important now to think about the theological mission of the church in an ever-increasing post-Christian and post-partisan context. What is the theologian's calling at the beginning of the third millennium? How do global realities impact the mission of evangelical theology? What sense can be made of the unity of evangelical theology in light of its many diverse voices? This collection of essays draws together a stellar roster of evangelical thinkers with significant institutional memory of the evangelical movement who nonetheless see new opportunities for the evangelical voice in the years ahead. Contributors: Os Guinness Michael S. Horton Richard Lints Bruce McCormack Mark Noll J. I. Packer Gary Parrett Rodney Peterson Cornelius Plantinga Tite Tienou Kevin J. Vanhoozer Adonis Vidu Miroslav Volf
Spiritual Direction
Title | Spiritual Direction PDF eBook |
Author | Henri J. M. Nouwen |
Publisher | Zondervan |
Pages | 196 |
Release | 2006-05-23 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 0060754737 |
Spiritual Direction gives us the unique and unrivaled experience of having Henri Nouwen as our personal spiritual director, answering our questions about the spiritual life in his wise, comfortable, and engaging style. With Nouwen's guidance, we can reorient our lives and open the door to true spiritual transformation. Henri Nouwen, the world-renowned spiritual guide and counselor, understood the spiritual life as a journey of faith and transformation that is deepened by accountability, community, and relationships. Though he counseled many people during his lifetime, his principles of spiritual direction were never written down. Now two of his longtime students, Michael Christensen and Rebecca Laird, have taken his famous course in spiritual direction and supplemented it with his unpublished writings to create the definitive work on Nouwen's thoughts on the Christian life. Stories, readings, and thematically organized questions for reflection and guided journal writing provide an unparalleled resource for spiritual direction, both for individuals and for small groups.
Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered
Title | Spiritual Formation as if the Church Mattered PDF eBook |
Author | James C. Wilhoit |
Publisher | Baker Academic |
Pages | 270 |
Release | 2022-03-29 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 1493435167 |
Most books on spiritual formation focus on the individual. But spiritual formation is at the heart of the church's whole purpose for existence. It must be a central task for the church to carry out Christ's mission in the world. This book offers an introduction to spiritual formation set squarely in the local church. The first edition has been well received and widely used as a textbook. The second edition has been updated throughout, incorporates findings from positive psychology, and reflects an Augustinian formation perspective. Foreword by Dallas Willard.
An Introduction to Spiritual Direction
Title | An Introduction to Spiritual Direction PDF eBook |
Author | Chester P. Michael |
Publisher | Paulist Press |
Pages | 242 |
Release | 2004 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 9780809141746 |
An Introduction to Spiritual Direction is a clear, nuanced and practical handbook for spiritual directors and directees that examines what it means to be spiritually whole and the process that gets us there. It is based in part on the two-year training course that the author conducts at Spiritual Direction Institute, the teachings of the depth psychologist, Carl Jung, and the Christian traditionalists, among them, St. Francis de Sales, Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila, and John of the Cross. It is further conjoined with sections on the qualities of the good director and directee, with fascinating forays into the nature of temperament and psychological type. The core of the book is devoted to its larger question, the actual growth and acquisition of spiritual wisdom, where the stages, pitfalls, remedies, rewards, as well as the importance of spiritual direction, especially during times of crises, are examined in numerous comprehensive sections. Dovetailed with chapter notes and questions, index, and extensive bibliography, An Introduction to Spiritual Direction deserves recognition by directors, directees, counselors, students and practitioners of psychology, and religious educators. It is a great starting point for spiritual exploration. +
The Lost Discipline of Conversation
Title | The Lost Discipline of Conversation PDF eBook |
Author | Joanne J. Jung |
Publisher | Zondervan |
Pages | 223 |
Release | 2018-06-12 |
Genre | Religion |
ISBN | 0310538971 |
Recovering Spiritual Practices of the Past titles reach beyond commonly known spiritual formation practices in order to mine the wisdom of the past, bringing to light ways of thinking, living, and growing in Christ that the church today has largely overlooked. In The Lost Discipline of Conversation, spiritual formation professor and author Joanne Jung walks readers through the Puritan practice of "conference," or focused, spiritual conversations intended to promote ongoing transformation. An antidote to privatized faith, conference calls believers to biblical literacy and soul care in a context of transparency and accountability. Useful for believers in any sphere or ministry or stage in life, conference is ultimately a tool for nurturing mutual, godly authenticity within community.