Four Views on Christian Spirituality (Counterpoints)
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Overview
Amid a culture that is both fascinated by spirituality and inundated by a dizzying variety of options for pursuing it, many Christians long for a deeper, more historically rooted spiritual life. In Four Views on Christian Spirituality, editor Bruce Demarest presents an invaluable resource for study and comparison of the major Christian perspectives on spiritual formation. Essays on Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, evangelicalism, and liberal Protestantism, collected side-by-side, easily allow for the beliefs of each viewpoint to be thoughtfully considered. In the end, an increased familiarity with each of the different schools of Christian thought will aid readers seeking spiritual transformation for themselves, their family members, and their churches.
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- Provides numerous perspectives on spiritual formation
- Compares and critique multiple distinct views
- Includes contributions from a diverse assortment of distinguished scholars and theologians
- “Orthodox Spirituality: A Quest for Transfigured Humanity” by Bradley Nassif
- “‘Come to the Father’: The Fact At the Foundation of Catholic Spirituality” by Scott Hahn
- “The Progressive Face of Mainline Protestant Spirituality” by Joseph Driskill
- “Evangelical Spirituality” by Evan Howard
Top Highlights
“Western Christianity, both Catholic and Protestant, tends to emphasize the salvific work of Christ, while Eastern Orthodoxy sees Christ’s work as going beyond restoring what was lost through the fall to include bringing humanity to where it never was before the fall, namely, growth into fuller communion with the triune God. The central motif of Orthodoxy is communion, while the central motif of Western Christianity is salvation.” (Pages 7–8)
“Driving such freewheeling forms of spirituality is the human capacity for self-transcendence, the pursuit of human potential, and the quest for meaning and value.” (Page 12)
“For the evangelical, the gospel is largely focused on the person of Jesus Christ and his salvific work on the cross, whereas for the Orthodox, Jesus Christ is always seen in relation to the Trinity, and the gospel is about the whole story of Christ from his conception to his second coming. Further, for evangelicals, the Christian life is more about the individual’s relationship with God, whereas for the Orthodox and Catholic, it is about life in a community shaped by Scripture and the living tradition expressed supremely in the liturgy.” (Page 8)
“Evangelicalism comprehends relationship with God in terms of ‘conversion’: a radical turning to Christ and transformation by the Spirit of God. Jonathan Edwards called Christian conversion ‘a divine and supernatural light’ wherein the Spirit of God awakens a sense of the excellency of God in the convert.” (Page 165)
“Second, Orthodox worship embraces two worlds at once: ‘We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth” (Page 27)
- Title: Four Views on Christian Spirituality
- Authors: Bradley Nassif, Scott Hahn, Joseph D. Driskill, Evan Howard
- Series: Zondervan Counterpoints Series
- Publisher: Zondervan
- Print Publication Date: 2012
- Logos Release Date: 2015
- Pages: 240
- Language: English
- Resources: 1
- Format: Digital › Logos Research Edition
- Subject: Spirituality
- ISBNs: 9780310499169, 9780310329282, 031049916X, 0310329280
- Resource ID: LLS:CNTRPNTSFRVWSCH
- Resource Type: Monograph
- Metadata Last Updated: 2022-09-29T22:53:28Z
Bruce A. Demarest was educated at Wheaton College and Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. A professor at Denver Seminary, he is the author of more than a dozen books, including Dictionary of Everyday Theology and Culture, The Cross and Salvation: The Doctrine of Salvation, and Integrative Theology.
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