Theological Briefs

This new prayer manual, which moves through a monthly cycle, provides thirty-one prayerful readings to be read daily. Of course, since not all months have thirty-one days, it is designed to be prayed through for twenty-seven days plus the final day of prayer for February, and so forth. The manual is composed of enough repetition in content to be comfortable but with enough variety to be nonredundant in its elements. The theology of this prayer manual is key to its importance and its necessity. Far too often, prayer manuals are theologically light. This manual counters this trend with robust theology over its thirty-one days of prayerful readings. Each day has ten different components: four that are different each day and six that remain constant. 1.The week/day overview: varies 2.Opening prayer (week/day): varies 3.Prayer of confession--"Wash me" (week/day): remains constant 4.Prayer for illumination (week/day): varies 5.Prayer of exhortation (week/day): varies 6.Anima Christi prayer (week/day): remains constant 7."Christ be near" (week/day): remains constant 8.Covenant prayer (week/day): remains constant 9.The Gloria (week/day): remains constant 10."Glory be" (week/day): remains constant

This book gives the reader the ability to make new inroads to understanding how faith, belief, and religion not only differ but also how they can contribute to comparative theology. These three topics, broadly covered herein, can heighten the understanding of the Sacred by those who study them. As to a few preliminaries, what is faith? Further, what is belief? Which one comes first in a person's journey toward the Sacred? Moreover, does religion factor into these two terms, and if so, where and how? Does Augustine's well-worn line "faith seeking understanding" mean anything today? If it does, would it mean belief comes prior to faith and/or religion? One can argue both sides of this debate and still be considered "orthodox," seemingly. Perhaps it is the case that belief precedes faith most of the time, but not all of the time. Perhaps it is the other way around. What, exactly, is the demarcation between belief and faith? Many a person believes a thing to be true in their very bones; such a stance borders on what is commonly referred to as faith. Is religion the combination of belief and faith together into a coherent system of thought, or is it emergent from the two, existing as a separate mental (or spiritual) entity? Explore these questions and more!