|
Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > General
Central to the Christian life is the practice of prayer. But what,
theologically speaking, is going on when we pray? What does prayer
have to do with religious belief and action? Does prayer make a
difference? Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed addresses these and
other key questions regarding the Christian theology of prayer.
Beginning with Evagrius of Ponticus's 'On Prayer', Ashley
Cocksworth finds in this early document a profound expression of
the 'integrity' of the experience of prayer and theological
thought. Seeking throughout to integrate systematic theology and
the spirituality of prayer, individual chapters explore the meaning
of some of the core doctrines of lived Christian faith - the
Trinity, creation, providence, and the Christian life - as they
relate to the practice of prayer. Complete with an annotated
bibliography of sources on prayer to promote further reading, this
volume appeals to academics and general readers alike.
"Know Thyself." Such was the advice constantly offered over 2,000
years ago by the famed Greek Oracle of Apollo at Delphi. It was
given in response to those who sought her counsel regarding the
course their destiny was likely to take. It is still sound advice
for most of us in the modern world. To come to "really" know
oneself-discover one's distinctive temperament and
character-requires frequent self-scrutiny. It is well nigh
impossible to know what makes one "tick" without recognizing the
nature of one's attitudes and responses to life in the outside
world, while also acknowledging the highly personal inner
psychological drives of feeling, thought and imagination. The
consciousness that impels us is psychologically deep and
wide-ranging. The search for the essential Self requires a
"Sherlock Holmes" mentality and discipline: it's a hell of a job to
unify outer and inner "consciousnesses." This book should help.
Every chapter can be seen and read as its own "story" describing an
especially significant aspect of consciousness. Cumulatively, they
are meant to help readers attain a sense of their own
body-mind-spirit complexes and "who" they are as entities unto
themselves. And then to ask the question as to where "reality" is
to be found: in the mental life of thoughts and feelings. . . or in
physical encounters with the material world of time and space?
|
|