Why do so many struggle to pray? Dr Pablo Martinez, a medical doctor and psychotherapist, suggests that our basic personality type strongly affects how we pray, and what we pray about. Extroverts may struggle to develop a regular prayer life; introverts will be more likely to set time apart. Thinking types find prayer more satisfactory if accompanied by pen and paper; feeling types may long for intimacy with God; intuitive types tend to be innovators and visionaries, and may have a more mystical bent; sensation types often have a particular capacity for spontaneous prayer; and so on. The purpose of this book is to help us understand, and work with, our own spiritual path.
Jadual kandungan
Contents
About the Author 6
Foreword by John Stott 7
Introduction to the First Edition 9
Introduction to the Revised Edition 11
Part 1: The Psychology of Prayer
1. Different Prayers for Different People Prayer in relation to temperament 14
2. Overcoming Difficulties Emotional problems and prayer 47
3. The Therapeutic Value of Prayer Prayer – a love relationship 91
Questions and Answers
The most frequently asked questions on prayer 125
Part 2: The Apologetics of Prayer
4. Prayer: Psychological Illusion? 134
A psychiatrist’s viewpoint
5. Are All Prayers Alike?
Christian prayer and Eastern meditation 154
Notes 171
Mengenai Pengarang
Trained as a medical doctor and psychiatrist, Pablo Martinez works at a Christian hospital in Barcelona. He has also developed a wide ministry as lecturer and counsellor. A former President of the Spanish GBU (the equivalent of the UCCF), he is still deeply involved with student ministry. He is a former Professor of Pastoral Theology at the Spanish Theological Seminary, and has spoken several times at Spring Harvest.