In contrast to the humanistic search for personal transcendence that passes for “spirituality” today, Christian Spirituality is theological: it is founded on and inspired by the triune God revealed in Scripture and in Christ; it cultivates responsiveness to the seeking Father; it responds to the ministry of the Spirit; it engages fully the mind, heart and body; it is, as William Perkins once said, “the science of living blessedly forever.” But it is not only a personal quest; spiritual theology involves active engagement with the world and the needs of others through mission, work, ministry and prayer. Because spiritual theology is concerned with experience, it involves the study of how the church throughout history and today has responded to the living God with devotion, expressed in both prayer and action. This field combines examination of spiritual practices and disciplines with the biblical and theological truths they are derived from; it is lived-doctrine, not merely thought-theology.
There is much overlap between doctrinal and spiritual theology, particularly in certain periods of history (e.g., the early Church Fathers and the Puritans), as well as between practical theology and spiritual theology, particularly when it comes to discussion and use of spiritual practices and disciplines (e.g., spiritual direction and counseling or spiritual disciplines and Christian living). When working on a spiritual theology project, students should learn about the various types of resources available in this field and remember that how-to guides or handbooks for various practices are not the same as academic handbooks and guides for the study of a particular subject area.
Further, students new to spiritual theology may want to use a terminology guide or a concise spiritual theology dictionary, such as the volume below:
Pocket Dictionary of Christian Spirituality: Over 300 Terms Clearly and Concisely Defined
Don Thorsen
Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2018.
