Aims

Now we are ready to try to clarify to a greater degree what we are going to attempt to do on this site.  The following seems desirable to aim at given the previous considerations we have explored:

  1. Explore what we have deemed both valid and reliable texts that explicitly relate to spiritual formation beginning with the NT.
  2. Link to New Testament texts that provide “propostional information” —direct didactic teaching—typically thought to be essential to understanding principles of spiritual formation
  3. Refer also to the main Biblical narratives, which by means of their stories and parables play an informative role in helping us to fill out our understanding of what was meant in the more “propositional” texts.  Of course, this include the gopsel narratives of Jesus’ life and ministry, including Luke/Acts that goes beyond the gospel narrative, into the life of the early formation of the church.  We can, for example also learn from the life of the apostle Paul as revealed in Acts and through the epistles that he wrote.  This literature can add significantly to what we can learn about spiriutal formation.  Indeed we hold that the whole NT by what it teaches us by means of diverse genres, occasion, etc., is important to our fuller understanding…so consult your whole New Testament.
  4. From that exploration, develop a NT perspective of spiritual formation.
  5. Explore the OT texts, taking into account specific things the NT has to say about what can be learned from OT regarding spiritual formation.
  6. From #4 and #5, develop a larger picture of spiritual formation from the entire OT and NT.
  7. Explore, analyze and critque historical Church traditions based on our developed view of OT and NT spiritual formation.  Discern and practice those things that seem to have scriptural support and have produced historically healthy fruit. 

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