Transforming Spirituality: Integrating Theology and Psychology

"I've never seen a book quite like this. Shults and Sandage do no less than provide a vision of how the integrative enterprise would be different if psychology and theology were fundamentally relational in nature. Theoretically rigorous and immensely practical. Highly recommended."--Michael E. McCullough, University of Miami
Building on the acclaim of their book The Faces of Forgiveness, winner of the Narramore Award from the Christian Association for Psychological Studies, LeRon Shults and Steven Sandage continue the dialog between theology and psychology with Transforming Spirituality: Integrating Theology and Psychology.
In this collaborative work the authors closely explore the growing academic and cultural interest in spirituality and spiritual transformation. They argue that "we are witnessing a new horizon of converging interest in the intersections between science, religion, and spirituality." Organized in three parts--transforming spirituality in psychology, transforming spirituality in theology, and modeling spiritual transformation-- Transforming Spirituality fills a void in the current literature. In turn, its nine chapters discuss spirituality in relation to health, human development, the biblical tradition, philosophy, and the natural sciences.
Not only does this work examine the positive aspects of spiritual experience, but it also discusses negative phases in spiritual development, such as the reality of suffering and the "dark night of the soul." The book concludes with case studies that model and illustrate how to apply the authors' interdisciplinary approach. Transforming Spirituality is essential for classes in psychology, human development, theology, pastoral counseling, and spiritual formation at the undergraduate and graduate levels.