By prayer, I do not mean any bodily exercise of the outward man; but the going forth of the spirit of Life towards the Fountain of Life, for fullness and satisfaction: The natural tendency of the poor, rent, derived spirit, towards the Fountain of Spirits.
Isaac Penington.
“I, that still pray at morning and at eve,Loving those roots that feed us from the past,And prizing more than Plato things I learnedAt that best Academe, a mother’s knee,Thrice in my life perhaps have truly prayed,Thrice, stirred below my conscious self, have feltThat perfect disenthralment which is God.”Lowell’s “Cathedral.”
“The aim of prayer is to attain to the habit of goodness, so as no longer merely to have the things that are good, but rather to be good.”
Clement of Alexandria.
About This Book
A series of reflective studies examines atonement and prayer from an experiential perspective, seeking to move beyond dogmatic assertion. It considers both the inward and historical dimensions of Christ, presents atonement as a mutual search in which the divine pursues reconciliation with human persons, and treats prayer as the human response within a conjunct, relational life. Grounding theological language in psychological and social observations, the work addresses contemporary doubts about efficacy and reality and offers practical, tested reflections intended to render these central religious truths verifiable and personally accessible.