Longing for God

Seven Paths of Christian Devotion

Renovare Resources

By Richard J. Foster and Gayle D. Beebe

(hardcover)

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Product Details

Line: Formatio
Length: 366 pages
Size: 6 x 9 inches
Binding: hardcover
Published: March 2009

ISBN-10: 0-8308-3514-8
ISBN-13: 978-0-8308-3514-0
IVP Order Code: 3514

Related Subjects

Spiritual Formation

Preface
Introduction: Recovering the Seven Paths of Christian Devotion

1. Path One: The Right Ordering of Our Love for God
Origen of Alexandria: The Quest for Perpetual Communion with God
Augustine of Hippo: Loving God with Our Body, Mind and Heart
Bernard of Clairvaux: The Desire for God and the Ascent of Pure Love
Blaise Pascal: The Right Ordering of Body, Mind and Heart

2. Path Two: The Spiritual Life as Journey
Evagrius of Ponticus: From Deadly Thoughts to Godly Virtues
George Herbert: Weaving Life into a Meaningful Whole
John Bunyan: The Pilgrim's Path to God
Thomas Merton: Finding Our Home with God

3. Path Three: The Recovery of Knowledge of God Lost in the Fall
Thomas Aquinas: Learning to Love and Know God Fully
Martin Luther: Growing in the Freedom of God's Love
John Calvin: Knowing God and Knowing Ourselves

4. Path Four: Intimacy with Jesus Christ
Francis of Assisi: The World as Our Cloister
St. Bonaventure: The Fullness of Life in Christ
Thomas à Kempis: Imitating Christ
Ignatius of Loyola: Guided by the Mysteries of Christ

5. Path Five: The Right Ordering of Our Experiences of God
Julian of Norwich: Enfolded in the Goodness of God
George Fox: Learning to Follow the Light of Christ Within
John Wesley: The Role of Our Religious Experiences in Knowing God
Friedrich Schleiermacher: Making Sense of Our Experiences of God

6. Path Six: Action and Contemplation
John Cassian: Balancing the Active and Contemplative Life
Benedict of Nursia: Learning to Live by a Rule
Gregory the Great: Living the Active Life Contemplatively

7. Path Seven: Divine Ascent
Pseudo-Dionysius: Loving God through the Threefold Way
The Cloud of Unknowing: The Sharp Darts of Longing Love
Teresa of Avila: Entering Christ's Mansion
John of the Cross: Illuminating the Dark Night

Conclusion
Appendix 1: Pre-Christian Influences on Our Life with God
Appendix 2: Christian Women and Spirituality
Appendix 3: The Contribution of the Eastern Orthodox Church
Acknowledgments
Notes
Index