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by Gary S. Selby (Author)
Everyday Encounters with God Through the Lens of C. S. Lewis
For many Christians, the mystics--saints and teachers throughout Christian history who have experienced direct encounters with God--are in a category of their own.We read about the supernatural experiences of biblical figures like Moses, Isaiah, and John, and historical figures like Julian of Norwich, Teresa of Ávila, and John of the Cross, but how can we have spiritual experiences like theirs when our own walks with God feel ordinary and mundane?
In The Everyday Mysticism of C. S. Lewis, professor of spiritual formation Gary Selby shows us what the mystics can teach us about everyday spirituality through the eyes of one of the most beloved Christian authors of the last century.
C. S. Lewis deeply respected the mystics and thought that their experience truly represented the glory of God breaking into human existence. Lewis believed that in our daily encounters with beauty, we can glimpse the same kind of transcendent union with God that the mystics were given, and that the rich treasures of their tradition could be mined to enrich our day-to-day lives in Christ.
What you'll find in this book:
- Practical guidance on spiritual growth and practices like centering prayer and contemplative attention using Lewis's paradigm.
- How Lewis's work lies at the intersection of experience and theological reflection.
- A scholarly yetaccessible exploration of C. S. Lewis's body of work that illuminates a seldom-analyzed dimension of his thought and writing.
Whether you are a lifelong Lewis fan or just discovering his works, you'll journey through the influence of the mystical tradition on Lewis's life and work and see how to practice everyday mysticism in the way that Lewis would. With The Everyday Mysticism of C. S. Lewis, experience Lewis's thought in a new way and behold the extraordinary beauty of God in the everyday moments you might be tempted to take for granted.
Author Biography
Gary Selby (PhD, University of Maryland) is professor of ministerial formation at Emmanuel Christian Seminary, where he teaches courses in spiritual formation and ministry. Selby is the author of Martin Luther King and the Rhetoric of Freedom, Not With Wisdom of Words: Nonrational Persuasion in the New Testament, and Pursuing an Earthy Spirituality: C. S. Lewis and Incarnational Faith. He previously served as the Carl P. Miller Chair of Communication at Pepperdine University and director of Pepperdine's Center for Faith and Learning. He and his wife, Tammy, have two sons and five grandchildren, and live in Johnson City, Tennessee.
