Monday, June 2, 2008

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

Finally an academic journal on spiritual formation! This means that spiritual formation has come of age and has moved from the margins to be considered a serious academic discipline. My inaugural issue arrived when I was in Greece.


The Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care is a peer-reviewed journal published twice a year (beginning spring 2008) by the Talbot School of Theology's Institute for Spiritual Formation. The purpose of the journal is advancing the discussion of the theory and practice of Christian formation and soul care for the sake of the educational ministries of the church, Christian education and other para-church organizations through scholarly publications that are rooted in biblical exegesis, systematic theology, the history of Christian spirituality, philosophical analysis, psychological theory/research, spiritual theology, and Christian experience.

While the journal will be rooted in biblical and theological inquiry, the existential nature of Christian spirituality demands an interdisciplinary approach in which disciplines such as history, psychology, philosophy, literature, and sociology have a valuable contribution. The major intent of the editors is to place before the Christian community writing that will foster the field of spiritual formation and soul care as that has been understood and developed within historic Christianity.


The inaugural issue includes: Advancing the Discussion: Reflections on the Study of Christian Spiritual Life by Evan B. Howard; Spirit, Community, and Mission: A Biblical Theology for Spiritual Formation by Richard E. Averbeck; Resisting the Temptation of Moral Formation: Opening to Spiritual Formation in the Cross and the Spirit by John Coe; Spiritual Formation and the Warfare between the Flesh and the Human Spirit by Dallas Willard; and Seeking Historical Perspectives for Spiritual Direction and Soul Care Today by James M. Houston. Book reviews are included of The Rule of St. Benedict of Nursia, Short-Term Spiritual Guidance, Spirituality Old & New: Recovering Authentic Spiritual Life, The Jesus Way: A Conversation On The Ways That Jesus Is The Way, and Transforming Spirituality: Integrating Theology and Psychology.

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