![]() SAllen examines the most common reasons why people seek God, starting with distress in the face of troubles such as natural disasters. In a way, Diogenes Allen "s opening is an easy one, clearly and kindly written, citing examples from all ages and branches of Christian history. “I was glad to see the first chapter of this book entitled What is Spiritual Theology? " as that was the first question that came to my mind when I wondered whether or not to read it, given that I do not like theology and have never heard of the spiritual variety. This book is a basic and accessible introduction to the classic writings and doctrines of the spiritual life. Allen writes simply and clearly of the active life and the development of virtue, and the contemplative life, which includes coming to know God through the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture as well as directly, face to face, which is the domain of mystical theology. ![]() ![]() Allen covers the great questions of the spiritual life: what is the Christian goal? what leads us toward that goal, and what hinders us? what is conversion? how can we discern our progress in the spiritual life? what are the fruits of the Spirit? A second purpose of the book is to introduce readers to the disciplines and texts of the threefold way, found in the eastern church from the fourth century on. Victor, Calvin and Luther, George Herbert-to recover a spirituality that is rich with the doctrines and disciplines of theology. ![]() In Spiritual Theology Allen turns to the great teachers of the past-the church fathers, Augustine, Maximus the Confessor, Bonaventure, Hugh of St. Sadness is a deadly thought, fraught with unrealistic fantasies of how much greater we might have become.Often spirituality today is isolated from church teaching and doctrine, as in Joseph Campbell's treatment of myth and the many forms of New Age theologies, but doctrine apart from the life of prayer is abstract and sterile. The deadly thought of sadness also arises when we ask ourselves, "What might I have become were it not for my brothers and sisters, or my spouse, or my social background, my race, my sex?" These thoughts are frequently accompanied with anger at those whom we hold responsible for the lackluster life in which we now feel trapped, or against those who have or are what we desire. So rather than finding joy in following Christ's ways, we think of all the pleasures we could have enjoyed were it not for our obedience. This sadness is a form of self-pity, which we may experience as we think about what we might have become had we not suffered from the restrictions that come with being a Christian. The next deadly thought, sadness, arises when we compare our achievements with those of others and find we are deeply disappointed with our lives. One of the fruits of the Spirit, indicative of God's activity in our lives, is that we become like God-namely, generous. Or if we do consider them, we do so largely in terms of how they may help make us financially secure. Our minds become so full of the desire to gain enough material goods to make ourselves secure against every possible calamity that we fail to pay sufficient attention to either our neighbor or God. Our need for material goods, he writes in chapter 9 of the Praktikos, "suggests to the mind a lengthy old age, inability to perform manual labor (at some future date), famines that are sure to come, sickness that will visit us, the pinch of poverty, the great shame that comes from accepting the necessities of life from others." These thoughts fill us with anxiety and insecurity, and keep us from being generous. ![]() The third deadly thought concerns avarice, and here Evagrius' comments are surprising. On page 72 of his book Spiritual Theology, Diogenes Allen, gives an insightful explanation of desert father Evagrius' ideas on two of eight "deadly thoughts"-avarice and sadness. ![]()
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