Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed

(Paperback)

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Central to the Christian life is the practice of prayer. But what, theologically speaking, is going on when we pray What does prayer have to do with religious belief and action Does prayer make a difference Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed addresses these and other key questions regarding the Christian theology of prayer. Beginning with Evagrius of Ponticuss On Prayer, Ashley Cocksworth finds in this early document a profound expression of the integrity of the experience of prayer and theological thought. Seeking throughout to integrate systematic theology and the spirituality of prayer, individual chapters explore the meaning of some of the core doctrines of lived Christian faith the Trinity, creation, providence, and the Christian life as they relate to the practice of prayer. Complete with an annotated bibliography of sources on prayer to promote further reading, this volume appeals to academics and general readers alike.

Reviews

Written in an accessible style, it seeks to integrate prayer, theology and practice. * Church of England Newspaper *
This book hits a sweet spot in the market. By providing a framework for understanding the theological backdrop to prayer, the author seeks to fill a gap ... Here is a book that steps back a pace and tries to analyse what an understanding of doctrine can bring to the party, integrating prayer and theology in a historical analysis. * Church Times *
This little book on prayer is one of the very best of its kind, and all the better for its limpid prose, unpretentious learning and accessible style. It probes back to the origins of Christian prayer and its theological base, tracing how its implicitly trinitarian shape was there from the start and has always animated Christian renewal. Along the way the reader will learn afresh of some of the great theorizers of prayer in the Christian tradition; but more importantly, the call to integrate prayer, theology and compassionate practice shines out as the Leitmotif of this remarkable little Guide. * Sarah Coakley, University Of Cambridge, UK *
So many reasons might draw potential readers to this admirable book, but piecemeal commendations would entirely miss the creative power of this deeply perceptive work. Here is a book in which prayer can be seen, and at least in part understood, transforming human minds, lives and social struggles by drawing them into the mystery of an inexhaustible Communion of life a book in which we come to see how that Communion has been hidden at work all along, resourcing prayer and communicating a beckoning goodness beyond all bounds * Mark A. Mcintosh, Loyola University, USA *

Author Bio

Ashley Cocksworth is Senior Lecturer in Theology and Practice at the University of Roehampton, UK.