Soul Recreation

Soul Recreation
Author: Tom Schwanda
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 311
Release: 2012-04-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1630879509

Spiritually there is a great hunger today for contemplative and more satisfying experiences with God. Puritanism might seem to be an unlikely source for this, yet few groups in the history of Christian spirituality have written more extensively or wisely on the subject. Isaac Ambrose (1604-64), a relatively forgotten English Puritan, developed a theological foundation for the spiritual life based upon the Christian's intimate union with Christ, which the Puritans often called "spiritual marriage." Schwanda demonstrates that this vibrant relationship of union and communion with Jesus, inspired by the Holy Spirit, was manifested in a deep contemplative piety of gazing lovingly and gratefully upon God. At the same time, Ambrose did not neglect loving his neighbors. This study reveals how heavenly meditation was one of the significant practices engaged by Ambrose to cultivate spiritual intimacy and enjoyment of God. Further, his experiential reading of Scripture, in particular the Song of Songs, provided him with a language of ravishment and delight in God. This book provides a distinctively Protestant foundation for recovering the contemplative life while recognizing the significant contributions of the Western Catholic tradition.

John Owen between Orthodoxy and Modernity

John Owen between Orthodoxy and Modernity
Author:
Publisher: BRILL
Total Pages: 272
Release: 2019-02-11
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 9004391347

This volume offers fresh reflections on John Owen, a leading Reformed theologian who sat on the brink of a new age. His seventeenth- century theology and spirituality reflect the growing tensions, and pre-modern and modern tendencies. Exploring Owen in this context helps readers better understand the seventeenth-century dynamics of individualization and rationalization, the views of God and self, community and the world. The authors of this volume investigate Owen’s approach to various key themes, including his Trinitarian piety, catholicity, doctrine of scripture, and public prayer. Owen’s international reception and current historiographical challenges are also highlighted. Contributors are: Joel R. Beeke, Henk van den Belt, Gert A. van den Brink, Hans Burger, Daniel R. Hyde, Kelly M. Kapic, Reinier W. de Koeijer, Ryan M. McGraw, David P. Murray, Carl R. Trueman, Willem van Vlastuin.

Seeing God

Seeing God
Author: Hans Boersma
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Total Pages: 487
Release: 2018
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0802876048

Winner of the Christianity Today Book Award in Theology/Ethics (2019) To see God is our heart's desire, our final purpose in life. But what does it mean to see God? And exactly how do we see God--with our physical eyes or with the mind's eye? In this informed study of the beatific vision, Hans Boersma focuses on "vision" as a living metaphor and shows how the vision of God is not just a future but a present reality. Seeing God is both a historical theology and a dogmatic articulation of the beatific vision--of how the invisible God becomes visible to us. In examining what Christian thinkers throughout history have written about the beatific vision, Boersma explores how God trains us to see his character by transforming our eyes and minds, highlighting continuity from this world to the next. Christ-centered, sacramental, and ecumenical, Boersma's work presents life as a never-ending journey toward seeing the face of God in Christ both here and in the world to come.

Thriving in Grace

Thriving in Grace
Author: Joel R. Beeke
Publisher: Reformation Heritage Books
Total Pages: 220
Release: 2020-05-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1601787855

Using the Puritan writings judiciously, Joel R. Beeke and Brian G. Hedges provide twelve fascinating chapters on how the Puritans help us in a variety of ways, such as shaping our lives by the Scriptures, convicting our consciences of the subtlety and sinfulness of sin, opening for us the beauty and loveliness of Christ, and much more. Let this book transform your daily Christian life and move you to read the Puritan treasures for yourself. Table of Contents: 1. The Puritans Shape Our Lives by the Authoritative Scriptures 2. The Puritans Lift Our Gaze to the Greatness and Glory of Our Triune God 3. The Puritans Convict Our Consciences of the Subtlety and Sinfulness of Sin 4. The Puritans Open Our Eyes to the Beauty and Loveliness of Christ 5. The Puritans Liberate Our Hearts with the Freedom and Power of Grace 6. The Puritans Engage Our Wills in the Practical Pursuit of Holiness 7. The Puritans Equip the Saints in the Battle against the World, the Flesh, and the Devil 8. The Puritans Inspire Our Hearts to Seek God’s Face in Prayer 9. The Puritans Sustain Us in Suffering with the Sovereign Providence of God 10. The Puritans Search Our Souls with Profound Psychological Insight 11. The Puritans Set Our Sights on Eternal Realities 12. The Puritans Fill Us with Sacrificial Zeal for God and His Truth Conclusion: Reading the Puritans

The Reformed and Celibate Pastor

The Reformed and Celibate Pastor
Author: Seth D. Osborne
Publisher: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht
Total Pages: 418
Release: 2021-12-06
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3647560464

Richard Baxter (1615–1691) was arguably the greatest English Puritan of the seventeenth century. He is well known for his ministerial manual "The Reformed Pastor", in which he expressed the unusual conviction that parish ministers were better off unmarried. And yet, Baxter seemed to contradict himself by marrying one of his parishioners, Margaret Charlton. Though Baxter claimed to be happily married, he continued to champion celibacy for the rest of his life. This book explores Baxter's argument for clerical celibacy by placing it in the context of his life and the turbulent events of seventeenth-century England. His viewpoint was shaped by several factors, including the Puritan literature he read, the context of his parish ministry, his burdensome model of soul care, and the formative life experiences shaping his theology and perspective. These factors not only explain why Baxter became the only Puritan to champion clerical celibacy but also why he continued to do so even after marrying.