McIntosh's examination of the unique christological thought of 20th-century theologican Hans Urs von Balthasar provides an example of how christology and spirituality can come together to offer a more humanistic idea of Christ.
Encountering the living Word in the words of the Bible When we read Scripture, we learn about God. When we pray the Scriptures, we experience the mystery of Jesus Christ and inhabit his life. In this book, Mark McIntosh and Frank Griswold bring to bear their decades of combined experience in both the church and the academy to introduce and explore the idea of praying the Scriptures. As McIntosh and Griswold demonstrate, this contemplative approach to the Bible integrates theology and spirituality and fosters genuine hope by bringing us into an encounter with the living Word. After first laying the foundation of what it means to pray the Scriptures, the authors guide the reader through vital biblical passages from different points in the church year, showing how the seasons of the liturgical calendar provide the soil in which the seeds of the Gospel can be nourished by the Holy Spirit, yielding in time a harvest of hope.
Focusing on Christian discernment, McIntosh offers meditative reflections that explore it as both a practice and a lifestyle. As a prominent Episcopal theologian in the U.S., he delves into the nuances of making thoughtful decisions and cultivating spiritual awareness, encouraging readers to embrace discernment in their daily lives.
This innovative work is an introduction to Christian theology with a difference. Not only does it interpret, with clarity and energy, fundamental Christian beliefs but it also shows how and why these beliefs arose, promoting an understanding of theological reflection that encourages readers to think theologically themselves.
Spirituality and the Incarnation in Hans Urs von Balthasar
Mark McIntosh explores the distinctive christological insights of Hans Urs von Balthasar, a significant twentieth-century theologian. The work illustrates how the integration of christology and spirituality can lead to a more humanistic understanding of Christ, highlighting the relevance of these theological concepts in contemporary thought.
A spiritual introduction to Christian theology Christian belief can be understood neither entirely through doctrine nor entirely apart from it. Doctrine is the starting point, the seed of faith, from which springs forth flourishing life in the fellowship of the church. But that growth occurs only when theology and spirituality are held together in a relation of reciprocal influence. With decades of combined experience in both the church and the academy, Mark McIntosh and Frank Griswold prioritize the life-giving relationship between theology and spirituality in this immersive introduction to the Christian faith. Drawing inspiration and guidance from Christianity's greatest mystical theologians--including Augustine, Maximus the Confessor, Thomas Aquinas, Bonaventure, and Catherine of Siena--McIntosh and Griswold unfold essential doctrines and illuminate the transformative power of Christian belief. The result is a book that propels readers beyond abstract knowledge to an experience of the living mystery who is God.