Spirituality and Mysticism (Theology in Global Perspectives)

James Wiseman introduces spirituality as the "experience of anyone trying to live according to the highest ideals of his or her tradition." At a second level it involves "the formulation of a teaching about that experience" and then scholarly reflection on the first two levels. In "Spirituality and Mysticism", Wiseman explores the biblical origins and patristic development of a distinct Christian spirituality, through the middle ages and into modernity. He ends with reflections on how the new experience of being a world Christian body has brought in the richness of African, Asian, and Latin American experiences.