SCM Studyguide : Chritian Spirituality

Short review by author Maggie Hamand:

I am just completing an MA in Christian Spirituality and wish this guide had been available when I set out as it is remarkably clear and succinct, and raises all the main issues. It's written in an accessible and intelligent way and I particularly liked the chapter on Spirituality and Science which covers some ground not usually found in books on this theme.
A quick read of this will guide you to all the main thinkers in this area, the great mystics themselves and contemporary theologians, and summarises contentious and challenging issues such as the role of the body and the psyche, morality and ethics, and the nature and importance of spiritual experience. It will help you structure your thoughts and highlight areas you want to explore more deeply. Highly recommended!

Contents

Introduction.

PART 1: HISTORY

1: Appearance and Abandonment: Biblical Spirituality.
2: Struggle and Synthesis: Patristic Spirituality.
3: Monastery and Mystery: Spirituality through the ‘Dark Ages’.
4: Hierarchy and Heresy: Medieval Spirituality.
5: Foundations for Faith: Reformation Spirituality.
6: Revival or Retreat? Spirituality after the enlightenment

PART 2: THEMES AND CONNECTIONS

7: Encounter or Escapism? Spirituality and Experience.
8: Contemplative Questioning? Spirituality and Science.
9: A Kind of Knowing? Spirituality and Theology.
10: Temple or Temptation? Spirituality and the Body.
11: Serious about Soul? Spirituality and the Psyche.
12: Training in Transformation? Spirituality and Ethics.
13: Spiritual Space? Spirituality in a World of Difference.

Conclusion