About the Book

In this fresh approach to Christian spirituality, John Driver shows that the spirituality of Jesus’ disciples and the early Christian church encompasses every dimension of life. Grounded in the example of Jesus himself, it finds expression in the visible witness of the church community, and in the daily lives of faithful Christians who seek to embody Christ’s presence in the world by serving others.

This understanding of Christian spirituality was recovered in a remarkable way by the radical reformers of the sixteenth century – the Anabaptists – and it continues to find expression among a wide variety of Christian groups around the world today. Life Together in the Spirit will inspire, challenge, and encourage you to experience the presence of the Spirit in all its dimensions.

The seventh title in the Global Anabaptist-Mennonite Shelf of Literature, an initiative of Mennonite World Conference, Life Together in the Spirit includes responses from church leaders and scholars around the world.

This book is available in several languages, some of them accessible via the language links under the buy button above. The Indonesian version can be accessed here, courtesy of the Institute for the Study of Global Anabaptism.

Book Trailer

Praise

It was both inspiring and renewing to read this book by John Driver – I have learned much from him. In the Latin American world in which I live and work, the Holy Spirit is often associated with loud music and spontaneous and emotional expressions. We should never forget that only in Jesus Christ will we be able to find the model of true Christian spirituality, even though it has diverse expressions in different historical, cultural, and geographic contexts.

Hermann Woelke, Uruguay

I believe that this book provides a very rich and necessary doctrinal manual for the ongoing training of Anabaptist church members throughout the world.

Mvwala C. Katshinga, Democratic Republic of Congo

People today are drawn to finding a type of spirituality that will satisfy them and bring meaning and peace to their lives. In this book, John Driver…invites us to let ourselves be guided by the Spirit of God—to live our spirituality within the committed community, pursuing a way of life that is consistent with what we believe while transforming situations of oppression, injustice, poverty, exclusion, and violence.

Patricia Urueña Barbosa, Colombia

John Driver’s book is a timely resource for Chinese churches. Driver defines Christian spirituality as “the experience of every dimension of human life being oriented around and animated by the very Spirit of Jesus.” For Driver, Christian spirituality is the lifelong process of following Jesus…This spirituality has to be embodied within a faith community.

Paulus Pan, Central Taiwan College and Theological Seminary

Tablet of Contents

  • Prologue by John D. Roth
  • Foreword by César García
  • Introduction by John Driver
  1. Christian Spirituality in the Gospels
  2. A Spirituality of the Way
  3. Spirituality in Sixteenth-Century Anabaptism
  4. A Spirituality of Discipleship
  5. Spiritualities in Dialogue in the Twenty-First Century
  6. Conclusion: Radical Spirituality

Responses from the Global Anabaptist Church:

  • Mvwala C. Katshinga (DR Congo)
  • Christina Asheervadam (India)
  • Rafael Zaracho (Paraguay)
  • Hermann Woelke (Uruguay)
  • Chiou-Lang “Paulus” Pan (Taiwan)
  • Patricia Urueña Barbosa (Colombia)
  • Nellie Mlotshwa (Zimbabwe)
Tags:
Anabaptists
Early Christians
Church Community