Spiritual Theology: A Systematic Study Of The Christian Life

Theology is "the doctrine of living unto God, " wrote the Puritan theologian William Ames. Unfortunately, post-Enlightenment theology has tended to divorce "doctrine" from "living unto God." And to the degree that this split has been deepened and perpetuated, both theology and spirituality have been impoverished.

Spiritual Theology surveys the little-explored landscape where systematic theology and godly praxis meet and highlights the connections between Christian doctrine and Christian living. It draws out the spiritual implications of particular aspects of systematic theology, allowing rational formulations to drop into the background and bringing the mystery of the faith to the fore.

Beginning with the principal doctrines of God, sin, salvation and the church, it progresses to a reflective consideration of the practice of the spiritual life, from prayer to spiritual direction.

Unabashedly evangelical and truly ecumenical, Spiritual Theology is firmly grounded in the sources of the Protestant, Catholic and Orthodox traditions, well abreast of contemporary theological currents and crossculturally conversant from an Asian perspective.

Here is a book for those who care deeply about theology and spirituality, and strive to integrate the two. It is a book for careful reflection and prayerful reading.