Aelred’s Spiritual Friendship focuses on being God’s friend expressed through three conversations with different friends. Aelred draws upon his friendships both with contemporaries and with authors who lived centuries before. This work provides an antidote to our contemporary milieu which, though replete with unremitting communications, propels toward individualism, autonomy, and loneliness. What Spiritual Friendship affords is a guide toward “holy and life-giving” friendships fruitfully marked by joy and happiness.\nProfessor Hank Voss amplifies a voice from the 12th century that explored Christian friendship in Scripture, in creation (reason), in church teachings (tradition), and in his own practice of spiritual friendship (experience). While acknowledging the work of others, in this edition Voss enables the reader to hear Aelred’s Spiritual Friendship with clarity and vibrancy and provides a suggested framework for deep engagement.\n"All ministry leaders need to cultivate healthy and life-giving friendships, with peers and especially with Jesus. Unfortunately the concept of friendship has been reduced to clicks and “likes” on social media sites that are neither life-giving nor truly signs of friendship. Hank Voss, using the wisdom of Aelred of Rievaulx, reorients us to the great value and depth of true and lasting friendships and to their centrality in generous and holistic service to others."\n~ Rev. Greg Peters, PhD, 
Professor of Medieval and Spiritual Theology, 
Torrey Honors College, Biola University\n"As a pupil of Bernard of Clairvaux and his Sermons on the Song of Songs, Aelred focused on being God’s friend (John 14:1). Aelred’s Spiritual Friendship is an excellent book, both of scholarship and of devotion."\n~ James M. Houston, DPhil, 
Professor Emeritus of Spiritual Theology, 
Regent College\n"In an age of information overload, globalization, increasing isolation, and individualism, we need the reminder that friendships among Christians can be holy and life-giving, and indeed provide the needed accountability for faithful, fruitful, long-term ministry. From my own experience as a single in ministry, life can be lonely . . . but it does not have to be. Thanks to Aelred and Hank Voss, we have that reminder."\n~ Stephanie Lowry, PhD, 
Lecturer in Theology and Programme Coordinator, 
Africa International University

Spiritual Friendship: Learning to Be Friends with God and One Another (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

Religion & Spirituality

Aelred of Rievaulx

Voss, Rev. Dr. Hank

Christian Books & Bibles

Samuel Morris Publications

Many Christians struggle to connect their faith with social justice. If God is a loving God, then why does he allow injustices to exist? What does God's Word have to say about poverty and racism? If God loves immigrants and the poor, then why do so many Christians actually promote injustice? 1.2 million young people are leaving the church in America every year, many because of the broken witness of numerous Christians toward immigrants, the poor, the disabled, and the incarcerated.\nThe faithful life witness and writings of Bartolomé de Las Casas offer understandings and answers to the many "why's" being asked by so many young people today. Though he lived five hundred years ago, Las Casas wrestled with many of the same theological questions raised by young Christians today. As a pastor, he was one of the first to write Christian books documenting and condemning racial abuses toward native Americans. Today, we still have much to learn from Las Casas about faithful Christian witness. 
"Las Casas on Faithful Witness is such a powerful little book; it brings home to the reader deep truths about the human potential for the justification of extreme cruelty by corrupt theology and in contrast, our potential to be awakened by the Word of God to the call to justice. It also provides young people in our community a more nuanced and accurate picture of the history of the Latin American church than the standard secular description—critically important in an age when emerging generations are leaving the church at least partially because they lack any knowledge of the faithfulness and courage of believers who have embodied the full spectrum of the values taught and lived by Jesus. I hope that this book is well used in our churches and communities." 
~ Rev. Alexia Salvatierra, DMiss, 
Academic Dean of Centro Latino, 
Fuller Theological Seminary"The present work is attuned to some of the questions and longings posed by younger Latinx generations seeking to connect gospel and justice amid their neighborhoods, cities, churches, and lives. Las Casas’ model of integrative Christian witness offers readers a faithful example of advocacy for such a time as this. I commend the authors for this work that presents poignant challenges to the church’s prophetic and critical role in realities of violence, racism, poverty, and suffering in the North American and Majority World contexts." 
~ Juan F. Martinez, PhD, 
author of The Story of Latino Protestants in the United States 
and Churches, Cultures & Leadership: A Practical Theology of Congregations and Ethnicities\n"Latina Christian activists are surrounded by what seems like a mountain of injustice over our communities, but encouragement is found in knowing that we are part of a larger movement of Jesus followers chasing justice. Dr. Chao Romero and Rev. Canales connect the issues that faced Las Casas to our experiences today and provide frameworks for a prophetic witness in the face of a church complicit in economic exploitation for the purpose of empire."\n~ Sandra Maria Van Opstal, 
Executive Director, 
Chasing Justice

Las Casas on Faithful Witness (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

De Las Casas, Bartolomé

Romero, Dr. Robert Chao

Canales, Rev. Marcos

The Psalms teach us how to pray. Many saints over the past three millennia have come near to God by praying the Psalms, and this volume introduces us to some of their greatest thoughts on them.\nCovering all 150 psalms, this companion to the "Prayerbook of the Bible" contains key devotional readings from the Great Tradition as well as space for journaling our own prayers. This book will help us learn to pray as Jesus prayed—after all, He quoted from the Psalms more often than any other book.\n“For centuries, the Psalms have been the lifeblood of the church’s worship, witness, and soul care. In this volume, Imes invites readers to engage this life-giving book alongside their fathers and mothers in the faith . . . The nuggets of wisdom here should direct readers to engage the world of early Christian theology further, where they will find faithful friends and wise guides on the road of discipleship.”\nStephen T. Pardue, PhD, 
Assistant Professor of Theology, 
International Graduate School of Leadership (Philippines), 
Asia Graduate School of Theology (Philippines)\n“This book will help you to re-hear the Psalms as you pray through them with the saints of old. It is a book to carry around with your Bible, to savor slowly with your morning coffee . . . It will touch your prayer life and calm your soul.”\nDonald M. Fairbairn, Jr., PhD, 
Academic Dean (Charlotte Campus), 
Robert E. Cooley Professor of Early Christianity, 
Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary\n“What a delight to read the Psalms in the company of the righteous! . . . The pithy and apt extracts from these scholars give extra insights for our daily meditation. I am looking forward to using this book!”\nJill Firth, PhD, 
Lecturer in Old Testament and Hebrew, 
Ridley College (Melbourne)

Praying the Psalms with Augustine and Friends (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

Imes, Dr. Carmen Joy

First Christian Voices: Practices of the Apostolic Fathers (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

Cooper, Michael T.

The Sacred Roots Facilitator's Guide: Reading Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics Together

Swain, Isaiah A

Mission with Prophetic Power: The Journal of John Woolman (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

Woolman, John

Howard, Evan B.

Orando los Salmos con Agustín y Amigos (Clásicos Espirituales de Raíces Sagradas) (Spanish Edition)

Augustine Of Hippo

Imes, Carmen Joy

On the Incarnation: The Good News of Jesus for the Renewal of the World (Sacred Roots Spiritual Classics)

Athanasius of Alexandria

Treat, Jeremy

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Books by Samuel Morris Publications