Moving Toward Spirituality: Psychological, Contemplative, and Moral Challenges in Christian Living

Three ‘windows’ to spiritual maturity How can a faithful Christian avoid stagnating in their spiritual development? Moving Toward Spiritual Maturity: Psychological, Contemplative, and Moral Challenges in Christian Living explores effective ways in which Christian discipleship can grow in spiritual maturity. This thoughtful, integrative roadmap explains the journey through three interrelated perspectives, or ‘windows,’ psychotherapeutic psychology, prayer and contemplation, and moral theology. The author uses numerous examples from everyday life to make the reflections interesting and practical. Unlike other books on Christian spirituality, this book is more challenging and sophisticated in its depth of thought. Spiritual maturity is a process that begins when a person accepts Jesus Christ as Savior, and progresses ongoing through a Christian’s life. Moving Toward Spiritual Maturity discusses in detail the challenges one must face, including the sustained, in-depth, and faithful attention to psychological wholeness, conversion to the true self, and interpersonal and social responsibility. Effective strategies are given through example and personal story, making understanding of the principles easier. This reflection on Christian maturity helps readers to focus directly on the personal issues all must face when attuning to the Spirit of Christ. Topics in Moving Toward Spiritual Maturity include: reforming the wayward self moral or guilt-based perfectionism achievement or shame-based perfectionism the two types of conversion responsibility and accountability agape and the loving of oneself three virtues at the heart of the responsible life—integrity, courage, and compassion virtues as habits the relationship between personal fulfillment and the Christian vocation Moving Toward Spiritual Maturity is a unique look at the path toward spiritual maturity, and is challenging, thoughtful reading for laypersons, ministers, priests, and theological students.

Introduction PART I: SETTING THE SCENE Chapter 1. Setting the Scene: Self-Fulfillment and Vocation Psychological Approaches to Personal Fulfillment Continuities and Discontinuities with the Christian Tradition The Way of Love Balancing Self-Giving and Self-Love PART II: TOWARD PSYCHOLOGICAL WHOLENESS Chapter 2. Wholeness in the Community of the Self The Self and Its Subselves Freud and Berne on Suppression of Selves Suppression of Selves and the Christian Life Kohut and Jung on Disowning Selves Working with Disowned Subselves Morally Relevant Selves The Spirit and the Christian’s Moral Imperative Summary Chapter 3. Wholeness, Not Perfection The Bind of Perfectionism Christ and Individuation Paul and the Inner Struggle Reconciliation of Inner Opposites Completeness in Christ Summary Chapter 4. Cognitive Reframing and Perfectionism Guilt-Based and Shame-Based Perfectionism The Basics of Cognitive Therapy Dealing with Shame-Based Perfectionism Summary PART III: PRAYER, CONTEMPLATION, AND CONVERSION Chapter 5. Spirituality in the Everyday World Spirituality and Nature The Spirit of the City A Spirituality of Time Spirituality in Marriage and Family Spirituality and Public Life Summary Chapter 6. Conversion to the True Self True and False Selves “Storied Prayer”: Remembering, Attending, and Choosing Summary Chapter 7. Conversion to Compassion Compassion in the Bible Compassion As Hospitality The Compassionate Community Prayer As Solidarity Summary PART IV: CONSCIENCE AND RESPONSIBILITY Chapter 8. Conscience and “Contrast Experiences” Defining Conscience Conscience and Vision Conscience and Living a Vision for Discipleship Summary Chapter 9. The Agape Response Agape Outka and “Universal Love” Post and “Communion” Self-Sacrifice and Oppression Summary Chapter 10. The Virtues of Responsibility Aristotle on Virtue Aquinas on Virtue The Virtuous Christian Summary Notes Bibliography Index