Prayer ― A Guide for the Perplexed

Central to the Christian life is the practice of prayer. But what is theologically going on in the practice of Christian prayer? And what is it about the nature of prayer that makes it so perplexing? Prayer: A Guide for the Perplexed introduces some of the key issues at stake in the theology of prayer. Ashley Cocksworth begins with Evagrius of Ponticus's On Prayer and finds in this early document on prayer a profound expression of the 'integrity' of theology and prayer. Seeking throughout to integrate systematic theology and the spirituality of prayer, the rest of the book explores the meaning of some of the core doctrines of lived Christian faith – belief about the Trinity, creation, providence, and the Christian life – as they relate to the practice of prayer. The book closes with an annotated list of sources on prayer.

Ashley Cocksworth is Tutor in Systematic Theology at the Queen's Foundation, Birmingham, UK. He has published on the theology of Karl Barth and, more broadly, on issues relating to the theology of prayer.