Title: A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life
Author: William Law
Imprint: U.S., Bridge-Logos, 2008
Collation: 367 pages
ISBN: 978-0-88270-453-1
Class Code: 培灵 A S C T –WL
- Summary
Originally published at the beginning of the eighteenth-century Enlightenment, a time when rationalist criticism of religious belief was perhaps at its peak, William Law’s A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life succeeded in inspiring the most cynical men of the age with its arguments in favor of a spiritual life. More than simply articulating a set of rules to live by, Law’s book examines what it means to lead a Christian life and criticizes the perversion of Christian tenets by the Establishment—whether secular or spiritual—whose real aim is temporal power. With a preface by the Reverend William Sloane Coffin, Jr., whose own direct engagement in social causes still finds inspiration in Law’s argument, A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life is a book that can still speak to our time.
- About the Author
William Law, the 18th-century Anglican priest who heavily influenced the theology of John and Charles Wesley, lambastes pious hypocrisy and the corruption of the church in A Serious Call to a Devout and Holy Life, the latest reissue in Vintage’s Spiritual Classics series. Law’s prose is fresh and vivid as he illustrates the holy Christian life as one lived wholly for God. His thoughts on prayer, personal holiness and service to the poor will resonate with many contemporary readers.