Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition cover

Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition

by Andrew Purves

Modern pastoral care, Andrew Purves believes, has been overly influenced by psychological theory and too often uninformed by historical practice. The result is a pastoral practice that has diminished the reality of God. In this book, Purves aims to reclaim pastoral theology as a theological discipline. He does this by examining classical texts from the tradition, texts that have enduring worth, and he argues that a thoughtful reading of these works -- by Gregory of Nazianzus, John Chrysostom, Gregory the Great, Martin Bucer, and Richard Baxter -- will force a reevaluation of many of the assumptions that shape contemporary pastoral work. He includes a brief biography of each author, introduces the major themes in each writer's pastoral theology, and discusses the issues relevant to pastoral work today. - Back cover.

Chappie’s discussion starters

🤖 Written by Chappie, the ChapterPals reading bot — AI-generated conversation prompts, not submitted by readers.

  1. Which character stayed with you after you turned the last page, and why?
  2. Was there a moment where you disagreed with a character’s choice? What would you have done?
  3. What theme did this book keep circling back to — and did it earn its ending?
  4. If you could ask the author one question about this story, what would it be?
  5. Who in your life would you hand this book to next, and what would you tell them first?