Thursday, August 27, 2009

Coming Soon from IVP Academic - Worshiping with the Church Fathers

IVP has been working hard to provide the church with access to her rich history. The newest work is called Worshiping with the Church Fathers by Christopher A. Hall. Previous titles have been Learning Theology with the Church Fathers and Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers. The catalog description follows:

"Christopher Hall invites us to accompany the fathers as they enter the sanctuary for worship and the chapel for prayer. He also takes us to the wilderness, where we learn from the early monastics as they draw close to God in their solitary discipline.

The focus of this book is not liturgy but more broadly worship in its corporate and individual dimensions. We enter into the patristic understanding of baptism and the Eucharist. And we come under the instruction and discipline of great spiritual teachers of prayer.

In two previous books, Reading Scripture with the Church Fathers and Learning Theology with the Church Fathers, Christopher Hall has ushered us alongside the church fathers as they study the Scriptures and plumb the depths of theology. In this survey of the spiritual life of worship he informs and challenges Christians in faithful living today. Hall weaves his own experiences into his observations of the fathers' practices and teachings and so helps us close the gap of the centuries. Readers will enjoy a rich and rare schooling in developing their spiritual life."

Fair warning: an orthodox priest once told me, "Once you start reading the fathers of the church your road to Orthodoxy is a short one." A sentiment I think The Voice of Stefan would agree with.

These are valuable resources and they are at a most reasonable price of only $20.00 Look for this newest volume in January 2010. It will be paperback with 312 pages.

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