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Composed of essays by twelve authors, this book tackles the role of prayer in the Christian life from the perspective of analytic theology. Unlike existentialism or phenomenology, analytic theology seeks to examine the meaning of texts and experiences through the lens of formal logic. Few Lutheran references are to be found in this book, possibly due to a lack of Lutheran reflection on prayer. The authors represent different Christian traditions, and occasionally a thread of their thinking is bound to ruffle Lutheran feathers. This book is valuable because it offers reflection on the Christian life as actually experienced.
Some highlights include the following topics. Scott Davison raises the question of whether it is appropriate to feel pride if one’s petitionary prayer has been answered. He gives a psychological answer that humans “have a strong tendency to be proud of the good things to which” they are connected, “whether they involve only” their “own actions or also involve the actions of others” (18–19). More interesting is...