Before Nature: A Christian Spirituality

by H. Paul Santmire

Overview

Before Nature caps a set of themes first brought to the fore in Santmires previous work, most notably the classic The Travail of Nature. Here Santmire continues the pursuit of a theology bound up with nature and its condition, especially the fragility and fervent expectation of natures redemption. Santmire invites readers on a theological and spiritual journey to a prayerful and contemplative knowledge of the Triune God, in which practitioners are inducted into a bountiful relationship with the cosmic and universal ministry of Christ and the Spirit uniting all of nature in a single vision of hope and anticipation.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781451484311
Publisher:	Augsburg Fortress, Publishers
Publication date:	05/01/2014
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	272
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

H. Paul Santmirehas been a leader in the field of ecological theology for more than forty years. Ordained in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), he is the author of The Travail of Nature: The Ambiguous Ecological Promise of Christian Theology(1985),Nature Reborn: The Ecological and Cosmic Promise of Christian Theology(2000), andRitualizing Nature: Renewing Christian Liturgy in a Time of Crisis (2008), all from Fortress Press.

Table of Contents

Prologue: A Christian Spirituality of Nature for Today's Seekers and Their Teachers and Pastors xiii

Part I Considering the Journey

1 Blessedly Scything with God: You Are Invited 3

2 Introducing a Way of Prayer: The Practice and the Knowing of the Trinity Prayer 21

3 The World in Which We Pray: The Eclipse of God and a Fragile Theology of Faith 37

Part II The First Steps of the Journey

4 Praying to Jesus: The Revelation of God and the Light of Christ 53

5 The Ambiguous Case of One Who Prays to Jesus: The Twilight and the Encounter 71

Part III Contemplating the Triune God

6 The Heart of the Trinity Prayer: Contemplating the Mystery of the Triune God 97

7 The Presence of the Triune God in Nature: Contemplating God in All Things 129

8 The Works of the Triune God in Nature: Contemplating the Cosmic Ministries of Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit 157

Part IV Calling on the Holy Spirit

9 Calling on the Holy Spirit: The Integrity and the Travail of Nature 187

10 Sauntering in the Spirit: Practicing the Trinity Prayer 217

Epilogue: The Trinity Prayer as Spiritual Exercise 239

Appendix: Possible Seasonal Hymn Tunes for the Trinity Prayer 245

Index 247