Christian Spirituality: Themes from the Tradition (Cambridge Criminology)
Christian Spirituality is a concise and accessible overview of the ways Christians over the centuries have approached God in prayer and practice. In ten chapters, Lawrence Cunningham and Keith Egan explain the dynamics of spiritual life, each chapter exploring a single theme such as scripture, journeying, meditation and contemplation, asceticism, mysticism, solitude and community, friendship, and the eucharist. The themes are not mutually exclusive, since believers frequently embrace several or all of these "ways" at once. But in different times and places people have tended to focus on one or another, so that they have become discernible paths to the Holy. Christian Spirituality explores each them in depth, tracing its evolution over the centuries. Within this historical framework, the book provides the reader with a "taste" of the different ways Christians have sought or lived in the presence of God. Each chapter concludes with a list of selected works for further reading and with exercises intended to provide a personal experience of the "way". Christian Spirituality is engaging, informative, inspiring, and will reward the reader with fresh insights and a renewed aspiration drawn from the hallowed traditions of Christianity. --Midwest Book ReviewIt serves an important need for basic education in the Christian spiritual tradition. --Elizabeth A. Dreyer, CarmelusOutstanding. --Mitch Finley, PrayingReaders wishing to explore spirituality in light of the Christian tradition will find much to nourish them. --Catholic Library World