Teaching for Spiritual Formation: A Patristic Approach to Christian Education in a Convulsed Age

In Teaching for Spiritual Formation, church historian and experienced Christian educator Kyle R. Hughes advances a fresh vision of Christian teaching and learning by drawing upon the riches of the Christian tradition, synthesizing the wisdom of the early church fathers with contemporary efforts to cultivate a distinctively Christian approach to education. Of interest to a wide range of Christian educators, this book examines how the writings of five significant church fathers can illuminate our understanding of the vocation of teachers, the nature of students, the purpose of curriculum, decisions about pedagogy, and how spiritual formation works. Besides reimagining these aspects of Christian education, Hughes also offers habits and practices that can help bring this vision of Christian teaching and learning to life, challenging Christian educators to sharpen their approach to the integration of faith and learning in practical and accessible ways.

The Rev. Dr. Kyle R. Hughes (PhD, Radboud University Nijmegen) is a scholar-pastor-teacher specializing in the study of early Christianity and working to bring out the riches of patristic theology for the modern church and for Christian schools. He is the author of Teaching for Spiritual Formation, How the Spirit Became God, and The Trinitarian Testimony of the Spirit. He has also written several peer-reviewed journal articles, book reviews, and dictionary entries, and is a frequent presenter at the Society of Biblical Literature Annual and International Meetings. Kyle's primary theological interests include the development of the doctrine of the Holy Spirit, spiritual formation in the Anglican tradition, and Christian teaching and learning. Kyle and his wife Karisa live in Smyrna, Georgia, where he serves as History Department Chair and Faith-Learning Integration Coordinator at Whitefield Academy. He is an ordained deacon in the Reformed Episcopal Church (Anglican Church in North America) and is the Director of Catechesis at Christ the King Anglican Church in Marietta, Georgia. Follow him on Twitter @KyleRHughes10.