Christian Proficiency - Inspirational Christian Books & Resources for Spiritual Growth | Perfect for Bible Study, Church Groups & Personal Devotion

This is a book for serious, thoughtful Anglican Christian laymen who, as the author says in his preface, are "'ordinary' Christians...who claim no remarkable gifts of prayer or learning, but, in modern context are not "beginners" like the average confirmation candidate; they feel a genuine vocation and are of solid faith." I bought the book because my priest had loaned me a copy of "English Spirituality", also by Fr. Thornton, and as I read it, there were constant references to this earlier book.Fr. Thornton writes clearly and not without a bit of ironic humor along the way, but I was pleased to find a glossary at the end. He makes a good case for the need for one to have a Spiritual Director as well as holding a periodic self-examination and personal confession, this last not emphasized enough (or, indeed, if at all!) by many of our clergy. He also discusses three kinds of prayer: mental, recollection and colloquy. As I read the book, I found myself marking off whole paragraphs for future reference (I am a postulant for ordination to the Diaconate). While the book is obviously written for the education of Anglicans, thoughtful Christians of other denominations may find the principles are universal.Unfortunately, the book is currently out of print, although I was able to obtain a used copy in very good condition through Amazon.