The Developing Christian: Spiritual Growth through the Life Cycle

THE DEVELOPING CHRISTIAN integrates insights from the social sciences into both classical and modern approaches to spiritual development. The author suggests that finding convergences between human models of development and spirituality is a valuable exercise that can bring insight for self-understanding as well as pastoral ministry. He lays out the foundations for human and spiritual growth, taking into account the latest work from both social scientific and spiritual-theological disciplines. The bulk of the book addresses stages in the life cycle, from early childhood to elderhood, with each stage divided into human growth and spiritual growth. Finally, he integrates these two facets of growth, discovering that, while they converge, they cannot be completely aligned. †

Peter Feldmeier is a Roman Catholic priest of the Archdiocese of St. Paul/Minneapolis. He holds an STL in systematic theology from Weston Jesuit School of Theology and a PhD in Christian spirituality from the Graduate School of Theology in Berkeley, CA. He is associate professor of theology at the University of St. Thomas, St. Paul, MN.