T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Prayer - (T&t Clark Handbooks) by Ashley Cocksworth & John C McDowell (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The essays collected in this volume provide a resource for thinking theologically about the practice of Christian prayer.

In the first of four parts, the volume begins by reaching back to the biblical foundations of prayer. Then, each of the chapters in the second part investigates a classical Christian doctrine - including God, creation, Christology, pneumatology, providence and eschatology - from the perspective of prayer. The chapters in the third part explore the writings of some of the great theorizers of prayer in the history of the Christian tradition. The final part gathers a set of creative and critical conversations on prayer responding to a variety of contemporary issues.

Overall, the T&T Clark Handbook of Christian Prayer articulates a theologically expansive account of prayer - one that is deeply biblical, energetically doctrinal, historically rooted, and relevant to a whole host of critical questions and concerns facing the world today.

Review Quotes

A fascinating and important collection of essays on the theology of prayer. Cocksworth and McDowell have done us all a service in bringing together such a tremendous range of voices. The result is a handbook of real intellectual and spiritual depth.

The collection of essays in this volume offer a set of rich and diverse perspectives on the topic of Christian prayer. In laying out the theological accounts of the context of prayer, the editors of this volume are able to set the scene for an exciting array of contemporary perspectives on prayer that bring prayer into dialogue with the concrete realities of modern life. Prayer, in this volume, is lifted out of reductive and traditional categories and positioned within broader patterns of identification with radical and subversive potential. A superb collection of essays.

The subject of prayer has too often been neglected in the textbooks. Yet this arresting collection of essays describes ways in which it animates, informs, and directs our theological work. With an impressive range of topics and authors, there is a welcome diversity of perspectives that will be appreciated by a wide readership. Highly recommended!

About the Author

Ashley Cocksworth is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Practice at the University of Roehampton, UK.

John C. McDowell is Associate Dean at Yarra Theological Union, Melbourne, and is Professor of Philosophy, Systematic Theology and Moral Theology.