Studying Christian Spirituality proposes a framework to discover how spirituality can be understood beyond the conventional boundaries that religions have established.
Its nine chapters discuss a wide variety of issues and questions, which include: definitions of spirituality; the impact of models of God; human-spiritual development; the importance of context; historical criticism; anthropology; interpretation of texts and art; and examples of spiritual practice. David B. Perrin clearly explains the traditional relationships between Christian spirituality and theology and history. He also proposes greater connections with the human sciences, such as philosophy, psychology, phenomenology, and sociology, and reshapes the classical approaches to Christian spirituality, its texts, practices, and experience.
This interdisciplinary volume is an essential reference for scholars and students at all levels who desire to develop a deeper understanding of Christian spirituality’s research methods, and its relevance to the world today.
Introduction
1. Questions of definitions and methods
2. Questions of context
3. Questions of God
4. Questions of being human
5. Questions of history
6. Questions of text
7. Questions of human-spiritual development
8. Questions of spiritual practice
9. Questions of topics for research
Index
Biography
David B. Perrin, Ph.D., D.Th., Professor Emeritus, is a former President of St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Canada, a former Dean of the Faculty of Theology of Saint Paul University, Ottawa, Canada, and is a former President of the Society for the Study of Christian Spirituality. He currently co-chairs the Christian Spirituality Program Unit of the American Academy of Religion.
"I am not aware of any work in English which is better suited to the task of getting everyone in the field of Christian spirituality ‘on the same page’ in the ongoing discussion of what we are studying, how we – individually and collectively – are pursuing that study and why, and what we hope to accomplish. Studying Christian Spirituality, second edition, is breathtaking in scope. It is a continuation, updating, and augmenting of the foundational material in the first edition, as well as an expansion of and contribution to the ongoing conversation about the nature, subject matter, methods, purposes, and desired outcomes of current work in this field."
Sandra M. Schneiders, IHM, STD, Professor Emerita of New Testament and Spirituality, Santa Clara University, USA
Praise for the Previous Edition
"Readers looking for a comprehensive introduction to the contemporary study of Christian Spirituality will be well served by David Perrin's Studying Christian Spirituality. This volume offers an ecumenical, interdisciplinary, and thoroughly referenced guide to both method and content in this academic discipline. Perrin knows the issues and the literature as well as anyone in the field, and he clearly writes out of his rich experience of creative teaching and spiritual practice."
Arthur Holder, Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union, USA
