Are we following Jesus the wrong way? Do you ever wonder if maybe following Jesus has been a little too complicated? Like there are too many badges to earn or bridges to cross to be a disciple? What happens in many churches is very rarely discipleship. More often it is a nice religious service or class. It should be very concerning to us that we are not making disciples. If we can’t even define what a disciple is and yet we have thousands of disciple-making ministries, shouldn’t that at least cause us to question if we’ve actually defined the problem that discipleship is intended to solve? It seems like there is a different definition of discipleship for every Christian you talk to. If we can’t even agree on a definition, is it any surprise that churches are creating disengaged Christians who can’t answer basic questions of Christianity, don’t seem to care about Christian ethics, and don’t really seem to experience the presence of God? This book is an attempt to create a common definition based on one of the most foundational Christian doctrines—the Trinity—to help churches and people obey the command to make disciples.

Classical Trinitarian Theology for Seminary Students is a textbook on patristic Trinitarian doctrines. Part I introduces classical Trinitarian theology with the help of short discussion, definitions, and comparisons. It is designed for incoming seminary students, who have never formally studied theology. Part II is for intermediate students. It comments on three charts, which attempt to depict graphically the patristic search for Christian Trinitarian theology. This section is geared towards seminary students who have already studied for a few years and would like to revisit the classical doctrine of the Trinity at a more advanced level, but who are not really ready for engaging primary texts independently, whether in Greek, Latin, or English. Part III is composed for advanced students who enjoy tackling primary texts. It provides a list of some important Greek or Latin primary texts and the accessible translations in English

Understanding Our Story presents a concise introduction to the original, transformative thinking of Adrian van Kaam, CSSp, PhD (1920-2007). While many books are available on "spiritual formation" and "Christian disciplines," no other author of our time has offered such a holistic and comprehensive explanation of Christian formation and its relationship to the human spirituality of all persons. Understanding our Story culls the most seminal ideas and vocabulary from van Kaam's eleven volumes on formation science, formation anthropology, and formation theology, and provides examples of his theoretical-practical research drawn from everyday life, Scripture, Christian writers, and van Kaam's life story itself. In doing so, it makes his extensive work available to scholars in the field of spiritual formation, and gives all readers the opportunity to utilize his insightful thinking to more fully understand the myriad ways in which God reforms and transforms lives into the image of Christ. In the pluritraditional world in which we live, where so many faith and formation traditions demand our attention, van Kaam's formative spirituality provides a means of respectful dialogue with formationally relevant truths from others and of wise appraisal of ideas that are (and are not) conducive to, and compatible with, the Christian revelation.

Every day, we are being formed by what we consume and engage. From social media to the latest Netflix binge, our minds are being led by what we ingest with our eyes. Yet, the call of the Christian is this: to be conformed to Christ. The work of Christian formation is an exercise in surrender of the whole self, dwelling in God's Word and allowing Him to shape and mold His people. In this book, you'll find: · A call to recover truth, goodness, and beauty in the work of formation · A clear presentation of key doctrines and the work of "getting it right" for rich Christian formation · Practical guidance on developing a culture of formation within your church · A call to a deepened commitment to formation through embracing humility, cultivating friendship, and pursuing a vibrant spiritual life

Forming Ministers or Training Leaders is a unique book because it is based on a significant piece of empirical research. Anthony Clarke explores the way that the practice among theological colleges in the UK has been changing and develops the concept of the “pastoral imagination” to express what a theological college is aiming to do with its students. The book then offers an analysis of the “pastoral imagination” that is in fact at work in a selection of Baptist colleges and other theological institutions in the UK. Alongside this Clarke offers a coherent and robust theological account of the work of a theological college, through engaging with recent trinitarian theology, and argues that this is best understood as a process of formation which embraces other ideas of training and education.

This book is a multichapter introduction to spiritual formation within the Christian tradition. Corneliu C. Simuț discusses spiritual formation from the views of several Christian thinkers, with a chapter devoted to each thinker. The concluding chapter notes common themes shared by each thinker. The author presents some key Patristic, Medieval, Early Modern, Modern, and Contemporary theologians in a way that is characterized by brevity, concision, and clarity. Thus, this small book is a useful introduction to spiritual formation from a Christian perspective. It would be helpful for a college student or young adult who seeks to be educated on the subject. The conciseness of the book is a benefit. Yet the book raises interesting questions for further pursuit. A very succinct – but comprehensive – historical presentation of sanctification through the lens of spiritual formation, a concept which has been revived in the past two decades, especially in Evangelical circles, this text is useful for a college course in spiritual formation or religion.

Continuing the discussion initiated in volume one, volume two of Evangelical Calvinism further articulates the central motifs of this mood within Reformed theology by examining themes having to do with dogmatics and devotion. After further clarifying the methodological and dogmatic aspects common to an Evangelical Calvinism, the heart of the present volume is an explication of the vicarious ministry of Christ as it is worked out in its diverse theological dimensions. The volume offers constructive accounts of various aspects of liturgy, sacraments, and doxology, showing the vitality and lived spirituality of this Christian vision of faith and practice. Both advocates and critics of Evangelical Calvinism now have an extended and thorough body of work with which to interact. As with volume 1, this volume promises to set the agenda for contemporary and constructive Reformed studies in a way that provides an alternative to neo-Calvinism and Westminster Calvinism alike.

World Christianity: An Introduction provides an accessible introduction to the discipline, methodology, and field of world Christianity. In this book, Graham Joseph Hill engages with more than one hundred high-profile Majority World and First Nations Christian leaders to learn what they can teach the West about mission, leadership, hospitality, creation care, education, worship, and more. Hill challenges the Western church to move away from a Eurocentric and Americentric view of church and mission, and he calls for the church to engage with crucial paradigm shifts in world Christianity. The future of the global church—including the churches in the West—exists in these global exchanges. World Christianity is an indispensable guide for the church as it navigates the unique global experiences of the twenty-first century.

Motivated by the longstanding need to retrieve the classical doctrine of the Trinity, theologian Matthew Barrett brings together over forty Protestant, Roman Catholic, and Eastern Orthodox scholars in one ecumenical volume, demonstrating that Nicene orthodoxy can endure in the modern world and unite the church catholic.