Naked Faith: The Mystical Theology of Phoebe Palmer (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780227173398)

An analysis of the teachings of the largely forgotten 19th-century mystic Phoebe Palmer, seeing her as a major mystical thinker in the Wesleyan tradition.

Phoebe Palmer's honour was lost posthumously, for within a few decades after her death her name all but disappeared. Palmer's sanctification theology was separated from its apophatic spiritual moorings, even as her memory was lost. To this day the Mother of the Holiness Movement still awaits her place of recognition as a Christian mystic equal to Catherine of Siena, Teresa of Avila, or Therese of Lisieux. This book locates Palmer's life and thought within the great Christian mystical traditions, identifying her importance within Methodism and the church universal. It also presents a Wesleyan theological framework for understanding and valuing Christian mysticism, while connecting it with the larger mystical traditions in Catholic, Anglican, and Orthodox communions. While Palmer was a powerful revivalist in her own day, in many ways she could be the patron saint for contemporary Methodists who are drawn to the new monasticism and who long for the renewal of the church. Saint Phoebe is precisely the one who can help Methodists envision new forms of Christian community, mission, and witness in a postmodern world.

Author: Elaine A. Heath
ISBN-10: 0227173392
ISBN-13: 9780227173398
Publisher: James Clarke Company
Language: English
Published: 08/27/2010
Pages: 124
Format: Paperback
Weight: 0.45lbs
Size: 8.90h x 5.90w x 0.40d

Review Citation(s):
Reference and Research Bk News 04/01/2011 pg. 21