Ecumenical in character, this comprehensive and authoritative dictionary is the achievement of scholars of international standing - Anglicans, Roman Catholics, Baptists, Presbyterians, Quakers, Methodists, Lutherans, and others. It includes concise definitions of terms and descriptions of events, concepts, and persons, as well as articles on religious and theological issues in Christian spirituality. Entries are cross-refer-enced and are followed by select bibliographies.
The articles are non dogmatic and scholarly, at the same time, easily understandable. They document the many dimensions of spirituality developed through the ages. The main emphasis is thematic – the entries represent types, schools, and subjects. Articles that refer to non-Christian religions, for example, those in Buddhism, Islam, and Hinduism, are included insofar as they have influenced Christianity.
The unifying theme of the dictionary is that it seeks to illumine ways in which women and man have responded to God in prayer and living. It is filled with fascinating detail about those who have shaped Christian lives - individuals as diverse as Catherine of Siena and John Wesley-and the ways faith has been practiced throughout history.
This remarkable reference will be particularly useful for seminary, college, and university courses in spirituality, for clergy and members of religious orders, and for church and school libraries.