Short Guide to Spiritual Formation : Finding Life in Truth, Goodness, Beauty, and Community

Christianity Today 2025 Book Award (Christian Living / Spiritual Formation)

Outreach 2025 Resource of the Year (Spiritual Growth)

"With so many distractions in life, we must be deliberate in our search for God, and Sosler's book gives masterful guidance."--Christianity Today

In a society always seeking the new and novel, Christians can become more grounded and mature through a retrieval of our common tradition. Alex Sosler sets forth the "transcendentals" of truth, goodness, and beauty--along with community--to help readers follow the way of Jesus.

Weaving together church history, theology, and devotional practice, Sosler offers a holistic introduction to spiritual formation, encompassing biblical truth, the pursuit of the good life, the contemplation of God, and communal belonging. Each section includes a biblical and historical precedent for the tradition and highlights an exemplar from church history: Augustine on truth, Dorothy Day on goodness, Teresa of Ávila on beauty, and Dietrich Bonhoeffer on church commitment and community.

This accessible book provides avenues for a broader and deeper spirituality that can shape the complexity of our souls. It is ideal for undergraduate students and as a formation primer for church adult education classes, classical schools, and homeschooling communities.

Alex Sosler (EdD, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary) is assistant professor of Bible and ministry at Montreat College and assisting priest at Redeemer Anglican Church in Asheville, North Carolina. He is the author of Learning to Love: Christian Higher Education as Pilgrimage and the editor of Theology and the Avett Brothers.