The word spirituality is notoriously difficult to define. It is often used in a vague way to refer to the inner relationship between the self and God. The implication is that people only relate to God with their “inner” being (soul/spirit) and not with any other part of who they are. There is a lurking influence of Neoplatonism within Christian thinking that tends to assume that the material is bad and the spiritual good, that there is a gaping hole between our inner and our outer selves and that the proper location of devotion is our inner being. There is a further assumption that, especially in the writings of Paul, the soul is to be placed in the “good” category while opposite it, in the “bad” category, is the body—leaving the question of what is meant by heart and mind largely ignored. Paula Gooder here explores the meaning of six key concepts in the Bible, especially in the writings of Paul, before moving on to explore what Paul intended by the contrasts he drew, and what implications this all has for the way we think and speak about our spirituality today.
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About the Author
PAULA GOODER is a freelance writer and lecturer in Biblical studies, a Reader in the Church of England, and a lay member of the General Synod. She is also a Trustee of SPCK and the Saltley Trust and an honorary Canon Theologian at Birmingham and Guildford Cathedrals. She is the author of A Way Through the Wilderness and the best-selling Lent course Lentwise, and is co-author of the Pilgrim course.
Religion
Systematic
General
Christian Theology
Spirituality
Contents 10
Acknowledgements 11
Introduction 12
The imprisoned soul? 26
Keeping body and soul together 40
The resurrection body 54
A spiritual body? 69
The life-giving Spirit 83
The ‘me’ that is ‘me’ 98
Beautiful bodies? 114
The body of Christ 129
Epilogue: . . . so what? 140
Notes 144
Select bibliography 162
Index of biblical references 168
Index of modern authors 170
Index of subjects 172

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Gooder, Paula

National Book Network

1517 Media

Fortress Press edition, Minneapolis, Minnesota, 2016

United States, United States of America

2, 20161101

producers:
Adobe PDF Library 9.0

Memory of the World Librarian: Calamitous Annunciation

"A fresh and lively look at how we should view our bodies. We hear a lot these days about "spirituality," yet the meaning of the word can be hard to pin down. Often it is used in a vague way to refer to how our spirit relates to God. The result is commonly the belief that we can only relate to God with our soul and not with any other part of ourselves. Within Christianity, this view is commonly based on the assumption that the Bible contrasts the body and all this is physical with the spirit, which is good. But is that really what the Bible says? To answer that question, Paul Gooder explores the evidence, dispelling popular misconceptions and leading us to a deeper understanding of the value of our bodies in the eyes of God."--Back cover

2025-10-27