This book explores the implications of recent insights in modern neuroscience that attribute mental capacities often ascribed to a disembodied soul instead to the functions of the brain and body in collaboration with social experience. It explores how this insight changes the traditional "care of souls," encouraging more attention to fostering spiritual growth through a social and communal focus.

For over forty years, Leland Ryken has championed and modeled a Christian liberal arts education. His scholarship and commitment to integrating faith with learning in the classroom have influenced thousands of students who have sat under his winsome teaching. Published in honor of Professor Ryken and presented on the occasion of his retirement from Wheaton College, this compilation carries on his legacy of applying a Christian liberal arts education to all areas of life. Five sections explore the background of a Christian liberal arts education, its theological basis, habits and virtues, differing approaches, and ultimate aims. Contributors including Philip Ryken, Jeffry Davis, Duane Litfin, John Walford, Alan Jacobs, and Jim Wilhoit analyze liberal arts as they relate to the disciplines, the Christian faith, and the world. Also included are a transcript of a well-known 1984 chapel talk delivered by Leland Ryken on the student’s calling and practical chapters on how to read, write, and speak well. Comprehensive in scope, this substantial volume will be a helpful guide to anyone involved in higher education, as well as to students, pastors, and leaders looking for resources on the importance of faith in learning.

2020 Foreword INDIES Book of the Year Finalist - Science and Technology No one is really Christian on their own. But often the religious life is seen as individual, private, and internal—resulting in a truncated, consumeristic faith. And what if that kind of individualistic Christianity is built on a fundamental misunderstanding of human nature? According to psychologists Brad Strawn and Warren Brown, it's time to rethink the Christian life in light of current research on the human mind, particularly with a deeper understanding of the process called "extended cognition." Using insights from neuroscience, psychology, and philosophy, they argue in Enhancing Christian Life that persons must be understood as not only embodied and embedded within particular contexts, but also extended beyond the body to encompass aspects of the physical and social world. Embracing a vision of the Christian life as extended into interactions with a local network of believers, they help us discover a fuller, more effective way to be Christian. After exploring the psychological dynamics of extended cognition, including how the mind is "supersized" by the incorporation of physical tools and social networks, Strawn and Brown consider implications for spiritual practices, congregational life, and religious language and traditions, which they describe as mental "wikis." The formation of robust Christian life, they show, is a process that takes place within a larger mesh of embodiment and mind—broader, deeper, and richer than we could ever be on our own.

GENUINE AND WHOLESOME SPIRITUALITY This is the goal of all Christian living. It sounds so simple, doesn't it? Perhaps the principle may be, but living by the principle is another matter altogether. In Balancing the Christian Life, Charles Ryrie reminds you that 'the Bible must be the guide and test for all our experiences in the spiritual life ...and if any experience fails to pass that test, it must be discarded.' He warns that 'an unbalanced application of the doctrines related to spirituality will result in an unbalanced Christian life.' Ryrie examines numerous key issues of spirituality, including The old and the new life Sanctification Using your gifts Routine faithfulness Wiles of the Devil Temptation Confessing and forgiving For more than 25 years, Balancing the Christian Life has been changing lives worldwide. Take time to read this classic study--and allow it to change yours.

In God’s Patience and our Work Ben Fulford argues that Hans Frei’s theology and ethics offers unheralded but valuable resources for thinking about the social and political engagement of Christian communities in pluralistic societies in light of hope in Jesus Christ. He shows how Frei’s project of recovering the conditions for and shape of a generous orthodoxy runs through his work, offering broad, flexible vision of Christian identity, ethical responsibility and humanistic witness, focused in the person and presence of Jesus Christ. In dialogue with liberation theologies, Fulford draws from Frei an account of divine patience and providence to frame hopeful, pragmatic Christian participation in work for dignity, justice and penultimate reconciliation, rooted in new and deeper contextual reading of his work.

Have you ever asked yourself what changed when you were "born again?" You look in the mirror and see the same reflection - your body hasn't changed. You find yourself acting the same and yielding to those same old temptations - that didn't seem to change either. So you wonder, Has anything really changed? The correct answer to that question is foundational for receiving from God. If you lack this basic understanding, you'll forever ask yourself doubt-filled questions like: "How could God love somebody like me?" and "How can I possibly expect to receive anything from the Lord? I don't deserve it, I'm not good enough!" Spirit, Soul, and Body will help you eliminate those and other doubt-filled questions that destroy your faith. If you have trouble receiving from God, this is a must-read!

The author of the bestselling celebration of discipline explores the great traditions of Christian spirituality and their role in spiritual renewal today. In this landmark work, Foster examines the "streams of living water" –– the six dimensions of faith and practice that define Christian tradition. He lifts up the enduring character of each tradition and shows how a variety of practices, from individual study and retreat to disciplines of service and community, are all essential elements of growth and maturity. Foster examines the unique contributions of each of these traditions and offers as examples the inspiring stories of faithful people whose lives defined each of these "streams."