I’ve just added a review of Philip Sheldrake’s overview book, A Brief History of Spirituality, to my readings page.
One question which stemmed from this book revolved around the seeming scarcity of emphasis on prayer in the evangelical tradition. Throughout the history of Christian spirituality, prayer has been an integral emphasis of major movements. From monastic periods to reformations to contemplative faith, prayer has shaped and shifted believers to seek after God. In the last 250 years or so, the evangelical emphasis had been placed more upon piety, doctrine and methodism (outward expression of faith through works). My question, which I’m deeply trying to decipher, is how this seeming scarcity has impacted the current trends in North American evangelicalism and the recent movement of the emerging church "reformation".