: Diane J. Chandler
: Christian Spiritual Formation An Integrated Approach for Personal and Relational Wholeness
: IVP Academic
: 9780830880249
: 1
: CHF 30.60
:
: Christentum
: English
: 367
: Wasserzeichen
: PC/MAC/eReader/Tablet
: ePUB
This comprehensive theory and practice of Christian spiritual formation weaves together biblical and theological foundations with interdisciplinary scholarship, real-world examples, personal vignettes, and practical tools to assist readers in becoming whole persons in relationship with God and others.

Diane J. Chandler (PhD, Regent University) is associate professor at the Regent University School of Divinity in Virginia Beach, Virginia, where she teaches courses in the areas of spiritual formation and Christian leadership development. Her publications focus on issues of pastor care and women in leadership, including contributions to the books Fundamentals of Leadership: Contemporary Readings and When Leadership Goes Wrong.

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Introduction



We are God’s handiwork,
created in Christ Jesus to do good works,
which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Ephesians 2:10NIV

The ceiling of the Sistine Chapel is one of the most spectacular artistic masterpieces in human history.1 Composed of nine frescoes designed and painted by Michelangelo between 1508 and 1512, the ceiling depicts scenes from the book of Genesis, including theCreation of Adam, the most well known. This scene portrays the God of creation and giver of life reaching out to touch the finger of Adam. Seemingly timeless, the beauty and luster of this and the other frescoes, including theCreation of Eve, inevitably ­deteriorated.

Through the centuries, several restoration efforts have ensued to preserve these works of art. The most recent restoration took place between 1980 and 1994. Ceiling cracks, structural and water damage, the buildup of smoke and waxy residue from burning candles, automotive exhaust from the once-opened windows at the top of the structure, and the effects of thousands of annual visitors increasingly compromised the frescoes’ unsustainable beauty. What took four years to create five centuries ago required almost fourteen years of restorative work. The renovated ceiling, however, drew both praise and criticism, with some bemoaning that the original color and vitality were lost because of the misaligned techniques utilized by the conservators. As well-intended as the conservators were in the restoration process, they could not exactly replicate Michelangelo’s original work. Creation, whether in artwork or in human life, is left in the hands of its creator and is virtually impossible to duplicate.

Although Michelangelo intended to portray the moment when God infused life into Adam, he could not possibly depict the magnificent miracle of life that began at the moment of creation (Gen 1:26-28). The mystery of creation eludes even the most careful observer and researcher, such as those working on the thirteen-year Human Genome Project, completed in 2003.2 Although scientists have been able to identify over twenty thousand genes in human DNA, the life-generating substance within cell nuclei, they are unable to actually produce human life and uncover all its corresponding intricacies, as diligently as they may try. Despite what is known about human anatomy and physiology, God-given human capability involving the multiple dimensions of the human person cannot be reduced to mere scientific discovery and evaluation alone.

For example, as we have exceeded the seven billion world population mark, we acknowledge that each human being is created in the image of God with unique DNA, and that all life directly derives from God. But like the conservators trying to restore the Sistine Chapel ceiling to its original condition, only God can perfectly restore fallen humanity into wholeness through the person of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Only through the love and grace of God manifested by Christ’s death on the cross can we be re