Subversive Spirituality

Description:
Subversive Spirituality links the practice and study of Christian spirituality with Christian mission. It develops a twofold thesis: grace, spiritual disciplines, and mission practices are inseparably linked in the mission of Jesus, of the early church, and of several historical renewal movements, as well as in a contemporary field research sample; and amidst the collapse of space and time evidenced by our culture's increasingly hurried pace of life, more time and space are needed for regular solitary and communal spiritual practices in church, mission, and leadership structures if Christian mission is to transform people and culture in our time. This requires a subversion of the collapsed spatial and temporal codes that have infected our Christian institutions.

Jensen employs methods and approaches from a variety of academic disciplines to explore both spirituality in terms of space and time and mission in terms of deed and word. Specifically, Jensen examines the spirituality and mission of Jesus, the early church, the apostolic fathers, Origen, the Devotio Moderna, the early Jesuits, David Brainerd, and several women in 19th century Protestant missions. He considers the spirituality and mission that have arisen within the postmodern generations born after 1960. Based on the theological, historical, cultural, and field analyses of this study, a model for spirituality and mission is proposed. The model addresses the contemporary collapse of space and time and appears to have widespread applicability to diverse cultures and eras. Jensen's model is applied to the pluralistic and postmodern milieu of North America with recommendations for spirituality and mission in church, mission, and educational structures. A derivative model for teaching and practicing spirituality and mission in the academy, which also has application for non-formal leadership development structures, is also proposed.


Endorsements:
""Far too many Christians live in little compartments: prayer over here, mission over there, Bible study somewhere else, even Jesus himself somewhere else again, and all squashed up because of the apparent relentlessness of today's fast-track lifestyle. What happens if we open up the little compartments to one another, and allow the bigger picture that emerges to challenge not only the way we think and live as Christians but the very framework of lifestyle which today's culture imposes on us? This wide-ranging and groundbreaking book provides an answer which will open eyes, minds, and hearts to an integrated vision of Christian discipleship, spirituality, and mission. Jensen's work is rooted in history but open to God's future, grounded in prayer and devotion while grappling with hard-edged practical questions. This is a book all of us in Christian leadership need to learn from if we are to be equipped for God's mission in tomorrow's world.""
--N. T. Wright, Bishop of Durham, Church of England


""This is the book that I've been waiting for in my own teaching. In our technological, postmodern, post-Christendom age we need to hear the call to reengage both a generous spiritual journey and a courageous missional life. Each aspect of formation must rely on the other-and both are the product of the Spirit's clear work in Jesus' followers. My students either think that the church will be renewed by an inward journey or by outward activism. And each group thinks that their way is Jesus' way. Paul Jensen's lucid, scholarly, and empowering book calls us back to a transforming spirituality which nourishes and empowers God's people for the Kingdom mission into which Jesus sent all his followers with grace, love, and power.""
--Stephen A. Hayner, President of Columbia Theological Seminary and former President, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship


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