AIS: Classics of Christian Devotion.

Catalog description

This course examines the human longing for a relationship with God. Competing with this deep desire is the complexity of external and internal barriers. The best of Christian writers have recognized that this yearning for God must integrate both the interpretative and affective dimensions of awareness. Built on the foundation of differing methods of interpretation, this course is structured around the literary genres of narrative, visionary discourse, hymns, prayers, sermons, letters, autobiography, aphorisms and novels that both inform and transform the cultivation of intimacy with God. These classic texts are from both the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions. Since many contemporary Evangelicals are unfamiliar with their own spiritual heritage, this course compares and contrasts Evangelical spiritual texts with pre-eighteenth-century Roman Catholic and Protestant literature.