What does a Christian life lived ‘by the Spirit’ look like?For many Christians throughout history, fulfilling Paul's command in Galatians 5:25 included a form of contemplation and prayer that leads to spiritual formation. But in large part, contemporary Christians—perhaps especially evangelicals—seem to have lost or forgotten about this treasure from their own tradition.Bringing together scholars and practitioners of spiritual formation from across the Protestant spectrum, this volume offers a distinctly evangelical consideration of the benefits of contemplation. The contributors draw on historical examples from the church—including John Calvin, Richard Baxter, Jonathan Edwards, and John Wesley—to consider how contemplative prayer can shape Christian living today. The result is a robust guide to embracing contemplation that will help Christians as they seek to keep in step with the Spirit.
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Acknowledgments
Introduction: Retrieving the Heart of the Christian Faith—John H. Coe and Kyle C. Strobel
Part 1: Historical Inquiries
1. The Controversy Over Contemplation and Contemplative Prayer: An Historical, Theological, and Biblical Resolution—John H. Coe
2. Is Thoughtless Prayer Really Christian? A Biblical/Evangelical Response to Evagrius of Pontus—Evan B. Howard
3. Medieval Ressourcement—Greg Peters
4. Sabbatical Contemplation? Retrieving a Strand in Reformed Theology—Ashley Cocksworth
5. ‘To Gaze on the Beauty of the Lord’: The Evangelical Resistance and Retrieval of Contemplation—Tom Schwanda
6. Christian Contemplation and the Cross: The Pathway to Life—Diane Chandler
Part 2: Constructive Proposals
7. Biblical Spirituality and Contemplative Spirituality—Steven L. Porter
8. Contemplation by Son and Spirit: Reforming the Ascent of the Soul to God—Kyle C. Strobel
9. Gospel-Centered Contemplation? A Proposal—Ryan A. Brandt
10. The Beatific Vision: Contemplating Christ as the Future Present—Hans Boersma
11. Contemplative and Centering Prayer—James Wilhoit
12. Contemplative Prayer in the Evangelical and Pentecostal Traditions: A Comparative Study—Simon Chan
13. A Distinctively Christian Contemplation: A Comparison with Other Religions—Glen G. Scorgie
Conclusion: Recovering Contemplation—John H. Coe and Kyle C. Strobel
Contributors
General Index
Scripture Index
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Kyle Strobel (Ph.D., Aberdeen) is the cofounder and director of Metamorpha Ministries (metamorpha.com) and the editor of Charity and Its Fruits by Jonathan Edwards.