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.

This book explores the decades between the Reform Acts of 1832 and 1884 when British poets such as Elizabeth Barrett Browning, Arthur Hugh Clough, Robert Browning, and Algernon Charles Swinburne, along with their transatlantic contemporary Walt Whitman, defended the civil rights of disenfranchised souls as Western nations slowly evolved toward modern democracies with shared transnational connections. For in the decades before the new science of psychology transformed the soul into the psyche, poets claimed the spiritual well-being of the body politic as their special moral responsibility. Exploiting the rich aesthetic potential of language, they created poetry with striking sensory appeal to make their readers experience the complex effects of political decisions on public spirit. Within contexts such as Risorgimento Italy, Civil War America, and Second Empire France, these poets spoke from their souls to the souls of their readers to reveal insights that eluded the prosaic forms of fiction, essay, and journalism.

Buschart and Eilers identify six critical areas—Scripture, theology, worship, spirituality, mission and culture—where contemporary Christians are retrieving aspects of our Christian past for life and thought today. The result is a fascinating tour and wise reflection on how Christians might receive, employ and transmit the treasures of their past.

Insofar as I am able to discover-and I have purposefully not looked very hard-no one has yet come up with an adequate description or definition of the human soul. After attempting to tackle the task for three years, I can easily understand why. Being a forerunner in unexplored and unknown territory carries with it, at first, a level of uncertainty which runs a high risk of making a fool of any intelligent explorer. Ironically, the quest produces only the fool, for the perspective gained from the attempt alone reveals a previously unseen, unfelt, unknown dimension which dwarfs the mind and intelligence of man. Had I not long since come to know myself as a fool, albeit a wise one, I would never have attempted the Herculean task of making the hidden soul more visible. The frame of reference for the soul established in this book is taken from thinking and experience far broader, deeper, and higher than my own-much of it having existed in secret teachings thousands of years old. They were secret because mankind was not yet ready for them ... and still may not be! This book is not easy reading. It was never intended to be. It took me 30 years to begin to understand what is written herein. This is really my notebook . open architecture for further thought.

We are made by and for relationship with God and others, even discovering and developing our God-given identity through relational connection. Bringing together the study of psychology and spiritual formation, The Relational Soul highlights how a conscious relationship with the Trinity can transform our self-awareness and our connection with other people.

Kyle Strobel mines the work of Jonathan Edwards in search of the Puritan minister?s personal vision for spiritual development. "In Edwards," Strobel writes, "we find a grasp of spiritual formation that tries to balance deep thought with deep passion . . . a life of love with the contemplation of divine things."

Dr. Ramesh Richard has been called the layman's Ravi Zacharias. He speaks directly to those who wrestle with the meaning of life-especially their own life. In a hustle and bustle world, we scurry around with little time to catch our breath, let alone seek out our passion and mission and vision for our life. Ramesh believes that in order for us to embody our true selves and become what we were designed to be, we must reevaluate that passion, mission, and vision and conform them to God's will. This final book in the Intentional Life Trilogy orients the reader to the future, through guidance from the Divine Visionary.