LITMIR.BIZ

This book is an attempt to address two struggles for «theistic educators» (e.g., those who approach their educational vocation from a religious perspective), whether they are working in secular or faith-based institutions. The first struggle is that, while numerous guidelines on teaching excellence have been compiled, the resulting checklists can contain more than a hundred criteria to consider. This book therefore identifies the evidence-based guidelines that are likely to have the highest impact on student achievement, thereby empowering educators to focus their efforts in more substantial ways.
The second struggle is related to the lack of resources, which can help educators to view and approach their vocation from a theistic perspective. While there are texts that discuss the relationship of spirituality and/or theology to education, few to date have sought to bring evidence-based educational literature into dialogue with the western Christian tradition and thereby develop a «bottom-up» theology of education. This book addresses this historical and theological gap. Overall, this book is therefore intended to not only provide theistic educators with high-impact guidelines that can significantly improve the quality of education in their school systems, but it also strives to do so from a thoroughly theistic perspective.

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It is reported that there are as many as 100 billion neurons that make up the human nervous system. This system is incredibly complex, and yet it is a fundamental part of what makes us who we are. Yet, there is far more to human beings than biology. Many academic disciplines study the human condition and there are many schools of thought within that study. We must also appreciate that the study of human nature did not begin in contemporary times. History, particularly Western Christian history, is full of texts that offer detailed explorations of the human condition. However, no consensus has yet emerged. Consensus or not, those working towards religious and spiritual formation are tasked with pursuing the transformation of their communities. This book is an attempt to provide some of the background to support this ministerial work. It seeks not only to offer a fuller understanding of some of the common views of human nature, but also insights into how we might utilize this knowledge in our ministries–ministries that strive towards the spiritual being and becoming of our world.

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Christian ministers working in congregations and with nonprofits seek to discern what it is that God has been doing and where it is that the «Spirit» might be leading them. In Living Spiritual Praxis Eric Kyle looks to address the lack of resources on the work and dynamics of Christian spiritual formation that actually develop a specific process for spiritual formation programs. Kyle strives to provide a guide for spiritual formation by using the «praxis-oriented» fields of action research and practical theology. He explores a process for understanding the nature and dynamics of a situation, discerning specific formative interventions, assessing various approaches, and continually assessing and modifying these understandings and approaches. Living Spiritual Praxis will be an invaluable resource for all Christians, leaders and laity alike, who are challenged by the spiritual formation of church members, communities, groups, and individuals.

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From early Jewish-Christian texts such as the Didache, which present well-defined catechetical programs, to contemporary authors such as Dallas Willard, who offer in-depth insights into the transformations of one's heart and soul, systematic texts on spiritual formation in the Western Christian tradition abound. These texts can offer ministers, researchers, and laypersons much clarity and guidance for their craft. However, the spiritual formation systems that we use are also always contextually influenced; such contextual factors may make them difficult to adapt to one's local work. Rather than turning to only a single text or community, then, it can be helpful for practitioners and theorists to look to a broader set of systematic presentations of spiritual formation. By turning to a group of specific individuals and communities in each era of Western Christian history, this book will help those working in this field to better understand how personal spiritual formation has been conceptualized and embodied. Such an exploration will help us not only to compile a more complete history of spiritual formation at the level of the individual but also to glean a better understanding of personal transformation so that we might engage this craft in more informed and systematic ways.

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