The Soul of Prayer [Paperback]

P. Forsyth (Author), Eugene H. Peterson (Foreword), P.T. Forsyth (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1, 1916

"Here is a no-nonsense theologian who goes for the jugular. In Forsyth's company we are aware of both the glory and the gravity of what we are doing when we go to our knees in prayer." -Eugene H. Peterson P. T. Forsyth is sometimes described as an English pre-cursor to Karl Barth. He was born in 1848 to a Scottish family of humble origins and later in life attended Aberdeen University, where he graduated with first-class honours in classical literature in 1869. In 1876 he was ordained and called to minister in Shipley, Yorkshire. In his early ministry in the Congregational Church, Forsyth fought orthodoxy and sought for the right to rethink Christian theology and pursue liberal thought. In 1878, however, Forsyth experienced a conversion from, in his own words, "being a Christian to being a believer, from a lover of love to an object of grace." A profound awareness of pastoral responsibility was awakened which radically altered the the course of his ministry. His conversion thrust him from the leadership of liberalism to a recovery of the theology of grace. Quickly, he became one of the better-known figures in British Nonconformity. In 1894, he received a call to Emmanuel College in Cambridge, where he preached his famous sermon, "Holy Father" in 1896. In 1901, he accepted a position as principal of Hackney Theological College, London where he remained until he died in 1921. Over his lifetime Forsyth published 25 books and more than 260 articles. He is often credited with recovering for his generation the reality and true dimensions of the grace of God.

Product Details

• Paperback: 108 pages
• Publisher: Regent College Publishing (January 1, 1916)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1573830402
• ISBN-13: 978-1573830409
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #167,266 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Mind of Prayer, October 2, 2000

By 

Robert Lagore (Airdrie, AB Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Soul of Prayer (Paperback)

So much literature on prayer comes off being rather fluffy and ethereal, however, Forsyth's "Soul of Prayer" is food for our minds. To really grow in our prayer we must think very hard about what prayer is and what happens as a result in our own hearts. Forsyth helps the reader to examine his/her own heart with complete ruthlessness, and yet the process does not result in fear, but joy. Joy, I think, because now we are freed a little more from the bondage of our perceived self and have come to know our real self. "The Soul of Prayer" is not a "quick fix" for obstacles in our prayer life, rather, it delves deeply into our motivations; into our values; into our convictions about why we are involved in prayer at all. The reader will find numerous ideas in this book to which the only reasonable response is an immediate prayer of thanks to God. A book about prayer that prompts the reader to pray with each turned page is a book that should not be ignored. I highly recommend it.

18 of 18 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Profound, Real, December 12, 2005

By 

Laurence Harvey "L Harvey" (Nebraska) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Soul of Prayer (Paperback)

This is worth owning and spending time in frequently. It may not be possible to just sit down and read it through! Occasionally the ideas or sentences are difficult. (Forsyth's writing has been described as "fireworks in a fog". But there is a lot more firework than fog.) Sometimes it just gets pretty meddlesome.

As the prior reviewer said, "A book about prayer that prompts the reader to pray with each turned page is a book that should not be ignored. I highly recommend it."

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Soul of Prayer with a unique slant, February 28, 2011

By 

Johnnie C. Godwin (Gallatin, TN USA) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Soul of Prayer (Paperback)

P. T. Forsyth takes a unique slant on the soul of prayer. I own this volume, andd it owns me; and I've bought it for others too. Forsyth believes strongly in praying for God's will to be done--no question about it. However, he points out with biblical examples that many of us back into prayer instead of battling into prayer with heart and soul. God answers prayers that mean something to us; and they must mean something to us if they're to mean anything to God. He shows us that God has some blessings for us we won't get unless we ask for them. He shows us that God honors persistent prayer like that of the importunate widow or Jacob or others. I recommend it without reservation.