Spiritual Classics: Selected Readings on the Twelve Spiritual Disciplines

I am part of an informal Bible study group that has been together for several years.These are mostly retirement age folks who have been in church their whole lives. Finding material that leads to new growth in faith is so difficult. When we started this material it was so difficult both intellectually and spiritually that we would have given it up if there had been other suitable material accessible to us. Somehow, as we searched for an alternative, we hit our stride. Each section has been challenging but also strengthening. Spiritual Classics is not for the faint of heart, but it is totally wonderful. Expect every reading to set the bar higher than most of us regularly go in our faith. Don't expect to skim the lesson and be ready to discuss it. These are some of the most respected writers of the Christian faith whether from the mid 1900's or the late 300's. They think deeply and require that you do likewise. You will not come away unchanged.

Foster and Griffin have put together an excellent book for group or personal use. Readings are arranged according to spiritual disciplines, such as meditations, prayer or fasting. A brief selection of text from famous writers is followed by a Bible reading, questions to be used to understand the readings, exercises, reflections and a bibliography for those who want to delve deeper the topic. It took me a year to get through Foster's first book, Devotional Classics, doing a reading a week. In other words, it's a long term resource to enhance your spiritual life. I really loved this book.

I found the essays by different authors enlightening. The style of some of the authors was a bit strange at first, but it is helpful reading how great Christian thinkers of different ages approached the Christian faith.

There are five learning outcomes you will gain after reading this book: 1. Introduction and exposure to some of the major Christian thinkers thoughout time and history. 2. Begin to explore your personal relationship with God in a systematic and formalized mannor.3. Gain basic religous literacy. 4. Experence some methodogies in theological reflection. 5. Begin to understand the princaples and processes of spiritual systems, and how they impact God, humanity and the natural environment. Strongly recommended to all who are interested in learning how to put theory into practice in ones personal spiritual life and ones public vocational life. For, this book will help you put theory into practice by exposing you to good role-models, provide you with excerpts of the writings from these good role-models on important spiritual and theological matters, and gives you reflective questions and activities to complete, with additional comentary and a biblograpgy to go deeper on a person and/or topic.

Great sampler of classic work. It will lead to further exploration of the writers who move you. Love it.