Analyzing Prayer

Analyzing Prayer draws together a range of theologians and philosophers to deal with different approaches to prayer as a Christian practice. The essays included deal with issues pertaining to petitionary prayer, prayer as reorientation of oneself in the presence of God, prayer by those who do not believe, liturgical prayer, mystical prayer, whether God prays, the interrelation between prayer and various forms of knowledge, theologizing as a form of prayer, lament and prayer, prayer and God's presence, and even prayer and the meaning of life. The volume contains cutting-edge studies on a neglected topic of theological study that contributes to the broadening of themes tackled by analytic theology.

It was reported that a doctoral student at Princeton once asked Albert Einstein, “What is there left in the world for original dissertation research?” He replied by saying, “Find out about prayer. Somebody must find out about prayer.” Since Einstein’s day, a great deal has been written on the topic of prayer in general. However, relatively little has been written about prayer in John’s Farewell Discourse in particular. Therefore, this analysis not only seeks to understand the relationship between Johannine and Jewish, Greco-Roman, and Christian prayer traditions, but also seeks to discern the unique function and application of prayer as it is prescribed in the Farewell Discourse.

The discourse of prayer responds to the abiding lure of transcendence. From Gilgamesh to the primordial human beings in Eden to Odysseus, the quest for ultimate truths has summoned forth all manner of human effort - courageous, desperate, pious, impious, successful, failed, invited, forbidden - and like all such lures, one can never be certain whether the glimmer of transcendence is that of a bright and shining star that illuminates the shadows or only a shiny object that seduces one into an inescapable darkness (a fishing lure, for example). In this study, Samuel E. Balentine demonstrates how prayer's invocation of God transgresses the limits of human beings. The author shows how inviting, let alone commanding God to speak may be the "acme of bardic pretention," but in the ancient world such transgression characterizes the audacity of prayer.

Constructing a Theology of Prayer: Andrew Fuller’s (1754–1815) Belief and Practice of Prayer fills a lacuna in Fuller studies. Bryant’s work is the first full treatment of Fuller’s theology of prayer, demonstrating the vitality of prayer for Fuller’s ministry and theological reflection. Bryant constructs Fuller’s theology of prayer through a systematic analysis of six major doctrines: the doctrine of God, the Son, the Spirit, Humanity, the Church, and Last Things. Each chapter explores both how Fuller’s doctrine influences his belief and practice of prayer, and how belief and practice of prayer influence doctrine. The study convincingly demonstrates how each major doctrine finds prayer as its corollary. As Fuller states, “Holy practice has a necessary dependence on sacred principle.”

If God is all-powerful, all-knowing, and entirely good, why do we need to ask God to do good things? Won't God act for the best regardless? Do our prayers even make a difference? Why do some go unanswered? This brief, accessible book provides a fresh angle on our questions to help us think differently about why we pray and what happens when we pray. John Peckham applies the insights from his successful book Theodicy of Love to the perennial problem of petitionary prayer, offering practical implications for how we might pray and live in ways that advance God's kingdom of unselfish love. Since our understanding of petitionary prayer is inseparable from our understanding of God, Peckham sheds significant light on the nature and character of God and the often-mysterious workings of divine providence. He does so by bringing theological and philosophical nuance to readings of key biblical texts on prayer, weaving in other scriptural clues to articulate an understanding of prayer that highlights not only its necessity but also its urgency. This book will appeal to students, pastors, church leaders, and thoughtful laypeople.

Werline encourages us to look at prayer in the following way: to attempt to understand how prayers are tied to particular cultural and social settings. Prayers are part of and expressions of a collection of cultural ideas that have been arranged within a system that seems coherent and obvious to those writings the biblical texts. Prayers participate in and express a person's worldview. Werline shows the ways that--though many biblical prayers are familiar to us--biblical texts and contemporary readers come from different worlds. The Hebrew Bible and the New Testament contain many prayers. Large volumes have been written on prayer within a single book, or within the writings of one author, like Paul, or an individual prayer, such as the Lord's Prayer. Werline does not examine every prayer in the Bible or even write exhaustively on a single prayer. He has highlighted a few significant features of each prayer, and some of the prayers vividly exhibit the influence of a particular society's vision. For example, he examines the prayers of 1 and 2 Kings and 1 and 2 Chronicles because of the ways they are tightly tied to the authors' views of history. The writers' interpretation of history profoundly influenced significant portions of the Bible as well as the literature of early Judaism.

Thirty years ago, Evelyn Christenson accepted this assignment. And after three decades of keeping track of God's answers to prayer, popular women's ministry leader Evelyn Christenson knows firsthand what God does when women pray. Sharing personal accounts of real-life women whose lives have been revolutionized by a renewed commitment to prayer, Evelyn encourages readers to persistently and fervently embrace the power of prayer to access the holy throne room of God and discover what He is anxiously waiting to do-when women pray! What God Does When Women Pray is now available in value-priced paperback as part of the "Nelson Value" Program-one-time-only, one-order-only bargain price ($7.97) on some of our best-selling and most exciting titles!

The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches that the Our Father ?is truly the summary of the whole Gospel? (no. 2761). Catholics pray the Lord's Prayer whenever they worship at Mass and say the Rosary, and other Christians pray it frequently as well. Join Scott Hahn (accompanied by St. Cyprian, St. John Chrysostom, and St. Augustine) as he unlocks the riches of the Lord's Prayer.