Dictionary of Christian Spirituality

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Glen G. Scorgie, General Editor. Dictionary of Christian Spirituality. Zondervan, 2011. 864 pgs. 

Christian Spirituality has been a topic exploding with publications for a few decades now. My own introduction to the topic came through Foster's A Celebration of Discipline. Now, newly published from Zondervan, we have a dictionary devoted to this topic. This dictionary is divided into two sections. To begin, there are 34 articles on various topics within Christian Spirituality. These cover a range of topics, including definitions, methodology, history, specific practices, and explorations of the interaction of Christian Spirituality with topics such as mission and grace. The second section of this book is what you would expect: a dictionary. It contains over 700 entries defining, rather extensively if taken in dictionary terms, words within the topic of Christian Spirituality. 

Generally speaking, the articles in this book are excellent. Meanwhile, the definitions offer the starting point you would expect from a dictionary as well as some well chosen further resources for each one. Not every entry or article is superb, but this is expected in a text such as this. I can tell you two things for sure: Firstly, I will be using this as a reference resource within pastoral ministry. Secondly, I wish it had an index. 

Conclusion: 4.5 Stars. Conditionally Recommended. This is certainly not a book for everyone. It is for those who enjoy having good reference books on hand and for those who will be teaching, preaching, or leading others in a place and/or fashion which intersects with the topic of Christian Spirituality. 

Thanks to http://www.koinoniablog.net/ for allowing me to take part in their blogtour. 

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