Abstract

In this thought-provoking new volume, Susanne Johnson counters what she sees as "wrong-thinking" in much contemporary Christian education by offering forceful ideas about spiritual formation and faith development. First, she shows the "flabbiness" of much recent talk of spiritual formation in the church. She demonstrates the importance of learning about and achieving Christian formation instead. Second, she shows how the present theories of stages in faith development must be replaced by a perceptive understanding of the way persons actually learn and believe. Third, she replaces the popular focus on individual psychology with one that emphasizes the corporate nature of the church and the grace of God. This volume brings innovative ideas into the practical arena, where they can be applied by Christian educators in local churches. Christian Spiritual Formation in the Church and Classroom challenges the way the entire discipline is currently approached.