Pastoral Theology in the Classical Tradition

Purves here serves up a satisfying look at five systematic treatments of pastoral theology from throughout Christian history. They are written in four different languages and cover the gamut of church leadership and pastoral responsibility. Much of the advice is incredibly practical: Baxter, for instance, had dinner with every family in his church once a year, and ensured that the conversation turned to the Gospel every time. A lot of the book also looks at heart matters such as being a 'physician of the soul. '\\r\\n\\r\\nPurves keeps bibliographic info on each author to a minimum. His summaries are fair, respectful and lucid. My only criticism is that while I appreciate that the book is slim and compact, I felt that some extra length from the authors themselves would have been useful. Also, the concluding chapter seeks to highlight the major themes from the book. This would have been an opportunity for Purves to outline points on a road map for how to take those themes forward into its own ministry - although this is probably beyond the scope that Purves set for himself. \\r\\n\\r\\nOverall, this punchy book succeeds at what it seeks out to do. It gives a fascinating and refreshing perspective on pastoral work - one that is neglected and so different from modern views which focus on a psychologist being the counsellor, rather than the Holy Spirit. This is brilliant 'background' reading for pastoral study - but be warned that it will challenge your heart!