Beloved Dust Tides of the Spirit in the Christian Life [Paperback]

There has been an explosion of interest in classical Christian spirituality over the past 50 years. While a great deal of work has been done on the history of Christian spirituality, there has been no full-scale theological and pastoral treatment of Christian spiritual life since before the Second Vatican Council.

Beloved Dust takes a realistic, contemporary view of human being as entirely physical (dust) and shows it immersed in three great tides of the Holy Spirit, the traditional threefold rhythm of conversion, transfiguration, and glory. What is unique about Robert Hughes's approach is the effort to root spiritual theology in the doctrine of the Spirit, an outgrowth of the renewed interest in the Trinity among both Catholics (Karl Rahner) and Protestants (Robert Jenson). Also striking is Hughes's emphasis on ordinary life . Here as a married Episcopal priest/theologian who brings a distinctly Protestant perspective to a traditionally Catholic enterprise for so long the preserve of celibate priests. What he achieves is a new presentation of the traditional teaching in the light of contemporary knowledge and practice.

Part I: Love and Dust: New Foundations for Spiritual Theology1. The Nature of Spirituality and Its Crisis 2. The Rise and Fall of Spiritual Theology as a Discipline 3. Koinonia or Communion: Trinitarian Resources for Renewal 4. The Missions and Tides of the Spirit: Pneumatological Resources for Renewal 5. Dust: Anthropological Resources for Renewal 6. Spirit and Psyche: The Conversation between Psychology and Spirituality Part II: Tides of the Spirit: A Renewed Spiritual Theology 1. Converted Dust First Interlude: The Dark Night of the Senses and the Second Conversion 2. Transfigured Dust Second Interlude: The Dark Night of the Soul and the Third Conversion 3. Glorified Dust