Spirituality of the Cross

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Book Report: Spirituality of the Cross
Veith Edward`s book "Spirituality of the Cross" details Christian traditions from a historical point of view. The author sought to define Christianity away from politics, moralism and any spiritual glory but as the ideology of spirituality associated with liberation. The author describes how many Christians change their spirituality after viewing Christ Jesus and the Cross from a different perspective. The purpose of his thesis was to detach Christianity from Lutheran perspectives of a religion that was political, culture and power, but rather the wining of converts.
This book came as a welcome relief to many Christians who had been introduced to the notion that as a religion, Christianity was oppressive, based on tight rules and strict morals that no individual could achieve. The author depicts the Christianity based on the sacrifices made by Christ Jesus on the cross as Christianity that seeks righteousness with the grace of God and the love of Christ. By writing this book, the author removes all fanatical dogmas associated with hypocritical Christianity and self righteousness, which has been associated with cruelty, falsehood and the lack of love for fellow men.
The author proves that most churches or Christian leaders fail to provide spiritual reality to their members and make the faith mundane through religious practices, ordinary prayer sessions and scripted preaching. These aspects make it impossible for many people to develop a healthy and functional Christian life above their family, work and social pressures. For the author, a complete spirituality can only be achieved if a person can reach, ‘a spiritual framework which is large enough to embrace whole range of human existence` (Veith 16). This type of spirituality therefore must encompass and transfigure the physical and ordinary world.
To the author, Christianity was the one religion that could offer this type of spirituality since it was based on God in the flesh and on the cross rather than on god himself. Therefore, by defining Christianity in this manner, the author simply concludes that all forms of spirituality within this faith are all based on the mystery of atonement of sin, the incarnation and the redemption of the spirit. The author sites that the achievement of this type of faith in God is difficult, since the requirement for Christians to attend church, and the ever presence of disappointment in churches makes it difficult for many people to attend churches. Despite the frustrations presented by Christian churches, Veith recognizes that each church or each Christian denomination holds fast to some form of traditional spiritual teaching, with emphasis on distinctive teachings. This presents problem to most Christians who are in such of the ultimate spiritual experience in a church, where they find distortions and problems from traditions.
The development of spirit...