Evan B Howard | Fuller Theological Seminary (original) (raw)

Drafts by Evan B Howard

Research paper thumbnail of Consecrated Families in Western Christian History: Their Presence in and Significance for Christian Spirituality

Historical surveys of “the family” or “laity” in the field of Christian spirituality tend to pres... more Historical surveys of “the family” or “laity” in the field of Christian spirituality tend to present a schema whereby family spirituality is marginalized early in Christian history by dominant priestly/monastic religiosities, only to regain a bit of recognition in the 12th century, more fully recovered after the Protestant reformation. My aim in this paper is simply to bring to light an often-unrecognized precedent of consecrated family life: Christian families throughout history who sought as families to lead exemplary lives—lives that both in their day and currently we might think of as “religious.” My aim is not to prove any kind of historical “dependence” of one expression on another. I simply want to list and describe what I have observed in my reading.

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Research paper thumbnail of What Does God Expect? From Whom? and Why? Commandments, Counsels, Community and the Theology of Religious Life

This is a draft of a paper I wrote exploring (1) the history of the discussion of “counsels and c... more This is a draft of a paper I wrote exploring (1) the history of the discussion of “counsels and commandments" from Ambrose through the Council of Trent, (2) the methodology of developing a theology of religious life adequate to resolve the issues surrounding this discussion, and (3) a few practical reflections concerning how we might best express our expectations of one another as we endeavor to live the Christian life together with different callings.

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Research paper thumbnail of "Pentecostal Monasticism: Communities of the Spirit both Past and Potential"

My aim in this essay is to record a few observations and reflections regarding the interpenetrati... more My aim in this essay is to record a few observations and reflections regarding the interpenetration of Pentecostal experience, intentional community and monastic forms of life. After a few cursory observations regarding connections between monasticism and things “pentecostal” prior to 1960, I will share what I have noticed regarding the interpenetration of these three forces between 1960 and the present. Then, once the development of the interpenetration of these forces has been presented, I will turn to reflect on the virtues that each of the three forces (Spirit, community, form) offers, suggesting that the mutual interpenetration of these movements can prove valuable toward an appropriate traditioning of pentecostal life today.

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Research paper thumbnail of Who Should Be Poor, How Poor, and Why?: Reflections on a Franciscan Motif

Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address i... more Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address in this essay. They are questions that have been asked throughout the entire history of God's people. They were given special attention during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, particularly in the midst of ongoing discussions among those associated with St. Francis of Assisi. They have also been relevant questions for me personally. I review the history of this theme, paying close attention to developments surrounding the life and vision of Francis of Assisi and his followers. I conclude with some reflections on the theme for followers of Christ today.

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Papers by Evan B Howard

Research paper thumbnail of Is Thoughtless Prayer Really Christian? A Biblical/Evangelical Response to Evagrius of Pontus

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, May 1, 2014

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Research paper thumbnail of Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation by Evan Howard Christianity

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Research paper thumbnail of Advancing the Discussion: Reflections on the Study of Christian Spiritual Life

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, May 1, 2008

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Thomas à Kempis: His Life and Spiritual Theology Cascade Companions

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, Oct 24, 2022

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Research paper thumbnail of Desert daughters, Desert sons: rethinking the Christian desert tradition

Journal for the Study of Spirituality

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Research paper thumbnail of Lectio Divina in the Evangelical Tradition

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2012

The practice of “lectio divina”–-devotional reading of the biblical text–-is popular these days. ... more The practice of “lectio divina”–-devotional reading of the biblical text–-is popular these days. While people have explored this practice within Roman Catholic history, little research has been conducted regarding the character of devotional Bible-reading within evangelical traditions and its relationship to what is currently identified as lectio divina. The present article seeks to offer some reflections regarding the practice of devotional Bible-reading in evangelical Christianity and to do so using the categories commonly employed to describe lectio divina. First, it will demonstrate how the devotional reading of Scripture has been regarded as a recognized spiritual practice in the history of evangelical Christianity, a practice that was expected to be employed in association with certain attitudes and assumptions. Next, the article examines the each of the elements of classical lectio divina–-reading, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and action. Finally, the article concludes ...

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Research paper thumbnail of A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls. By Evan B. Howard

Polyglot: Jurnal Ilmiah, 2020

Although interest in Christian spiritual formation among evangelicals, especially in Western soci... more Although interest in Christian spiritual formation among evangelicals, especially in Western society, has been at a critical stage, Howard stresses the importance of Christian spiritual formation. Christian spiritual formation helps individuals and Christian communities grow deeper in their relationship with the Triune God because in it the Holy Spirit, Scripture, community, and mission are interconnected with one another. Furthermore, without Christian spiritual formation, Christian institutions find it difficult to perform their roles well. Therefore, this book challenges Christian leaders such as educators, pastors, spiritual directors, and other church leaders to become God’s instruments in transforming believers to have Christlike character in their lives.BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRAK: Meskipun minat dalam formasi rohani Kristen di kalangan kaum Injili, khususnya di masyarakat Barat, telah berada pada tahap kritis, Howard menegaskan pentingnya formasi rohani Kristen. Formasi rohani...

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian “Third Way” Changed the World

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2021

work of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit helps students see and embrace their identity in Christ. He... more work of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit helps students see and embrace their identity in Christ. He believes that theology is supposed to be transformative in people’s lives. He assumes theology leads to an embodied response. He leaves open what this transformation and embodiment look like on the ground. Perhaps this lack of concrete detail is on purpose. Maybe the book is an invitation for readers to embody the theological vision he is casting in their own lives and to flesh out what his vision looks like within their respective callings and settings. Finally, as we think about directions in which Neder might go from here, Neder’s book, despite its subtitle, seems to focus more on teaching than learning. Perhaps Neder could offer a focused theological reflection on learning in a subsequent work. Neder makes some suggestive comments in his introduction related to the differing anthropologies that undergird his vision of formation and that offered by James K.A. Smith. These differing anthropologies, he notes, will lead readers of Neder and Smith to feel like they are in different atmospheres when they read their respective works on formation. Given how influential Smith’s books have been in recent years, we would love to see Neder unpack these convictions more. A future project that includes this component could be instructive and formative for those who are committed to the work of spiritual formation.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality

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Research paper thumbnail of The Beguine Option: A Persistent Past and a Promising Future of Christian Monasticism

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Research paper thumbnail of Pentecostalism as a Christian Mystical Tradition by Daniel Castelo

Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality

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Research paper thumbnail of The Wisdom of Christian Spiritual Formation

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

This article is intended to serve as a reminder of the themes that have been present in Christian... more This article is intended to serve as a reminder of the themes that have been present in Christian spiritual formation through the centuries. In a WISDOM orientation we ground our approach to CSF in Scripture, in theology, and in “best practices,” yet we also seek to thoughtfully locate CSF within specific contexts. The WISDOM acronym reminds us that formation must involve: Wise planning, where the leaders prayerfully seek to implement what is needed in a specific situation; Intentionality, calling people to commit to walk differently from the ways of the world; Scripture, salvation, and Spirit, where the Salvation message and the Spirit-led mission of the whole of Scripture provides the framework for CSF; Discipleship, where the end of CSF is the imitation of Jesus Christ; Optimism, where we pursue our formation in an atmosphere of hope and expectation of change; and Means.

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Research paper thumbnail of Special-Theme Section the Practice of Contemplative Prayer in an Evangelical Context

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Is Thoughtless Prayer Really Christian? A Biblical/Evangelical Response to Evagrius of Pontus

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Contributions to Evangelical Spirituality

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Advancing the Discussion: Reflections on the Study of Christian Spiritual Life

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Consecrated Families in Western Christian History: Their Presence in and Significance for Christian Spirituality

Historical surveys of “the family” or “laity” in the field of Christian spirituality tend to pres... more Historical surveys of “the family” or “laity” in the field of Christian spirituality tend to present a schema whereby family spirituality is marginalized early in Christian history by dominant priestly/monastic religiosities, only to regain a bit of recognition in the 12th century, more fully recovered after the Protestant reformation. My aim in this paper is simply to bring to light an often-unrecognized precedent of consecrated family life: Christian families throughout history who sought as families to lead exemplary lives—lives that both in their day and currently we might think of as “religious.” My aim is not to prove any kind of historical “dependence” of one expression on another. I simply want to list and describe what I have observed in my reading.

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Research paper thumbnail of What Does God Expect? From Whom? and Why? Commandments, Counsels, Community and the Theology of Religious Life

This is a draft of a paper I wrote exploring (1) the history of the discussion of “counsels and c... more This is a draft of a paper I wrote exploring (1) the history of the discussion of “counsels and commandments" from Ambrose through the Council of Trent, (2) the methodology of developing a theology of religious life adequate to resolve the issues surrounding this discussion, and (3) a few practical reflections concerning how we might best express our expectations of one another as we endeavor to live the Christian life together with different callings.

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Research paper thumbnail of "Pentecostal Monasticism: Communities of the Spirit both Past and Potential"

My aim in this essay is to record a few observations and reflections regarding the interpenetrati... more My aim in this essay is to record a few observations and reflections regarding the interpenetration of Pentecostal experience, intentional community and monastic forms of life. After a few cursory observations regarding connections between monasticism and things “pentecostal” prior to 1960, I will share what I have noticed regarding the interpenetration of these three forces between 1960 and the present. Then, once the development of the interpenetration of these forces has been presented, I will turn to reflect on the virtues that each of the three forces (Spirit, community, form) offers, suggesting that the mutual interpenetration of these movements can prove valuable toward an appropriate traditioning of pentecostal life today.

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Research paper thumbnail of Who Should Be Poor, How Poor, and Why?: Reflections on a Franciscan Motif

Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address i... more Who should be poor? How poor should they be? And why? These are the questions I wish to address in this essay. They are questions that have been asked throughout the entire history of God's people. They were given special attention during the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, particularly in the midst of ongoing discussions among those associated with St. Francis of Assisi. They have also been relevant questions for me personally. I review the history of this theme, paying close attention to developments surrounding the life and vision of Francis of Assisi and his followers. I conclude with some reflections on the theme for followers of Christ today.

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Research paper thumbnail of Is Thoughtless Prayer Really Christian? A Biblical/Evangelical Response to Evagrius of Pontus

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, May 1, 2014

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Research paper thumbnail of Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation by Evan Howard Christianity

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Advancing the Discussion: Reflections on the Study of Christian Spiritual Life

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, May 1, 2008

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Thomas à Kempis: His Life and Spiritual Theology Cascade Companions

Journal of spiritual formation and soul care, Oct 24, 2022

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Research paper thumbnail of Desert daughters, Desert sons: rethinking the Christian desert tradition

Journal for the Study of Spirituality

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Research paper thumbnail of Lectio Divina in the Evangelical Tradition

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2012

The practice of “lectio divina”–-devotional reading of the biblical text–-is popular these days. ... more The practice of “lectio divina”–-devotional reading of the biblical text–-is popular these days. While people have explored this practice within Roman Catholic history, little research has been conducted regarding the character of devotional Bible-reading within evangelical traditions and its relationship to what is currently identified as lectio divina. The present article seeks to offer some reflections regarding the practice of devotional Bible-reading in evangelical Christianity and to do so using the categories commonly employed to describe lectio divina. First, it will demonstrate how the devotional reading of Scripture has been regarded as a recognized spiritual practice in the history of evangelical Christianity, a practice that was expected to be employed in association with certain attitudes and assumptions. Next, the article examines the each of the elements of classical lectio divina–-reading, meditation, prayer, contemplation, and action. Finally, the article concludes ...

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Research paper thumbnail of A Guide to Christian Spiritual Formation: How Scripture, Spirit, Community, and Mission Shape Our Souls. By Evan B. Howard

Polyglot: Jurnal Ilmiah, 2020

Although interest in Christian spiritual formation among evangelicals, especially in Western soci... more Although interest in Christian spiritual formation among evangelicals, especially in Western society, has been at a critical stage, Howard stresses the importance of Christian spiritual formation. Christian spiritual formation helps individuals and Christian communities grow deeper in their relationship with the Triune God because in it the Holy Spirit, Scripture, community, and mission are interconnected with one another. Furthermore, without Christian spiritual formation, Christian institutions find it difficult to perform their roles well. Therefore, this book challenges Christian leaders such as educators, pastors, spiritual directors, and other church leaders to become God’s instruments in transforming believers to have Christlike character in their lives.BAHASA INDONESIA ABSTRAK: Meskipun minat dalam formasi rohani Kristen di kalangan kaum Injili, khususnya di masyarakat Barat, telah berada pada tahap kritis, Howard menegaskan pentingnya formasi rohani Kristen. Formasi rohani...

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Resilient Faith: How the Early Christian “Third Way” Changed the World

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care, 2021

work of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit helps students see and embrace their identity in Christ. He... more work of the Holy Spirit as the Spirit helps students see and embrace their identity in Christ. He believes that theology is supposed to be transformative in people’s lives. He assumes theology leads to an embodied response. He leaves open what this transformation and embodiment look like on the ground. Perhaps this lack of concrete detail is on purpose. Maybe the book is an invitation for readers to embody the theological vision he is casting in their own lives and to flesh out what his vision looks like within their respective callings and settings. Finally, as we think about directions in which Neder might go from here, Neder’s book, despite its subtitle, seems to focus more on teaching than learning. Perhaps Neder could offer a focused theological reflection on learning in a subsequent work. Neder makes some suggestive comments in his introduction related to the differing anthropologies that undergird his vision of formation and that offered by James K.A. Smith. These differing anthropologies, he notes, will lead readers of Neder and Smith to feel like they are in different atmospheres when they read their respective works on formation. Given how influential Smith’s books have been in recent years, we would love to see Neder unpack these convictions more. A future project that includes this component could be instructive and formative for those who are committed to the work of spiritual formation.

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Research paper thumbnail of The Brazos Introduction to Christian Spirituality

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Research paper thumbnail of The Beguine Option: A Persistent Past and a Promising Future of Christian Monasticism

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Pentecostalism as a Christian Mystical Tradition by Daniel Castelo

Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of The Wisdom of Christian Spiritual Formation

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

This article is intended to serve as a reminder of the themes that have been present in Christian... more This article is intended to serve as a reminder of the themes that have been present in Christian spiritual formation through the centuries. In a WISDOM orientation we ground our approach to CSF in Scripture, in theology, and in “best practices,” yet we also seek to thoughtfully locate CSF within specific contexts. The WISDOM acronym reminds us that formation must involve: Wise planning, where the leaders prayerfully seek to implement what is needed in a specific situation; Intentionality, calling people to commit to walk differently from the ways of the world; Scripture, salvation, and Spirit, where the Salvation message and the Spirit-led mission of the whole of Scripture provides the framework for CSF; Discipleship, where the end of CSF is the imitation of Jesus Christ; Optimism, where we pursue our formation in an atmosphere of hope and expectation of change; and Means.

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Research paper thumbnail of Special-Theme Section the Practice of Contemplative Prayer in an Evangelical Context

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Is Thoughtless Prayer Really Christian? A Biblical/Evangelical Response to Evagrius of Pontus

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

Bookmarks Related papers MentionsView impact

Research paper thumbnail of Contributions to Evangelical Spirituality

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Advancing the Discussion: Reflections on the Study of Christian Spiritual Life

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of The Beguine Option: A Persistent Past and a Promising Future of Christian Monasticism

Religions

Since Herbert Grundmann’s 1935 Religious Movements in the Middle Ages, interest in the Beguines h... more Since Herbert Grundmann’s 1935 Religious Movements in the Middle Ages, interest in the Beguines has grown significantly. Yet we have struggled whether to call Beguines “religious” or not. My conviction is that the Beguines are one manifestation of an impulse found throughout Christian history to live a form of life that resembles Christian monasticism without founding institutions of religious life. It is this range of less institutional yet seriously committed forms of life that I am here calling the “Beguine Option.” In my essay, I will sketch this “Beguine Option” in its varied expressions through Christian history. Having presented something of the persistent past of the Beguine Option, I will then present an introduction to forms of life exhibited in many of the expressions of what some have called “new monasticism” today, highlighting the similarities between movements in the past and new monastic movements in the present. Finally, I will suggest that the Christian Church woul...

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: Dictionary of Christian Spirituality

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Book Review: New Monasticism: What it has to Say to Today's Church

Journal of Spiritual Formation and Soul Care

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Research paper thumbnail of Pentecostal Spirituality

The Cambridge Companion to Pentecostalism, 2014

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