Longing for God : seven paths of Christian devotion / [print]
Richard J. Foster and Gayle D. Beebe.
- Downers Grove, Illinois : IVP Books, (c)2009.
- 364 pages ; 24 cm.
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 -- 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 -- 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 -- Path four : intimacy with Jesus Christ. Francis of Assisi : the world as our cloister ; St. Bonaventure : the fullness of life in Christ ; Thomas a Kempis : imitating Christ ; Ignatius of Loyola : guided by the mysteries of Christ -- Path five : the right ordering 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 -- 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 -- 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 -- 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.
Foster and Beebe, both experienced leaders in spiritual formation, introduce readers to people from the past who have known God deeply. Each person helps explain one of the seven primary paths to intimacy with God that have been developed throughout Christian history.