A Heart Aflame for God: A Reformed Approach to Spiritual Formation

How 21st-Century Evangelicals Can Pursue Spiritual Growth through Early Modern Puritan Piety

“Keep your heart” (Proverbs 4:23). “Work out your own salvation with fear and trembling” (Philippians 2:12). “Grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (2 Peter 3:18). Scripture beckons Christians toward obedience and maturity, but many modern approaches to spiritual formation are less than biblical. In A Heart Aflame for God, Matthew C. Bingham studies God-ordained spiritual practices modeled by the 16th- and 17th-century Reformers.

Primarily drawing from Puritan tradition, Bingham shows readers how to balance belief in salvation through faith with a responsibility for one’s personal spiritual growth. He studies biblical practices―including meditation, prayer, and self-examination―from a Protestant perspective. Blending historical analysis and practical application, this edifying study cultivates a greater understanding of Reformed theology and an ever-growing relationship with God. 

• Puritan Tradition for Modern Evangelicals: Shows readers how classic Protestant traditions―including prayer, meditation, and appreciation for the natural world―steer wayward hearts toward Christ
• Rich Reformed Perspective: Presents spiritual formation practices that are consistent with the 5 solas of the Protestant Reformation
• Intermediate-Level Study: Written for theological students, pastors, and Christians interested in early modern Reformed theologians

Matthew C. Bingham (PhD, Queen’s University Belfast) is campus dean and associate professor of theology at Talbot Seminary Phoenix, Biola University. He is the author of Orthodox Radicals: Baptist Identity in the English Revolution and A Heart Aflame for God. He has served as a pastor in the United States and Northern Ireland. Matthew is married to Shelley, and they have four children.