The Upper Room Dictionary of Christian Spiritual Formation

the long version

Whether you're just beginning to pay attention to the spiritual life or are helping others as a friend, pastor or spiritual director, here's a good place to start seeking information about spiritual formation. With the help of more than 50 scholars from many denominations, The Upper Room has prepared a basic introduction to Christian spiritual formation: your guide to great teachers of the past and present, to important topics in Christian spirituality, and to ways of praying and leading groups in prayer and spiritual growth. With enough information to get you started but not so much to overwhelm, the more than 470 articles are the first place to turn for answers to questions like these: * What's spiritual formation? * What's grace? How does grace help me grow? * Who's Hildegard of Bingen? What did she write? * How can I grow in forgiveness? * What are Fowler's ""stages of faith""? What are other ways of talking about stages of spiritual growth? Additional features include a comparative chart of different Christian spiritual traditions and a listing of significant spiritual classics by title so that you can find the author.