Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life: A Study Guide Based on the Book

by Donald S. Whitney, Rita J. Platt

Ideal for personal or small-group use, this companion guide to Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life takes you through a carefully selected array of disciplines that will help you be more like Jesus.

With discussion questions, this topical study is a good exploration of God's Word for new Christians.

Genres: Christian Living, Christian, Theology, Discipleship, Spirituality, Nonfiction, Faith

96 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1994

About the author

DON WHITNEY has been Professor of Biblical spirituality and Associate Dean at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, KY, since 2005. Before that, he held a similar position (the first such position in the six Southern Baptist seminaries) at Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, MO, for 10 years. He is the founder and president of The Center for Biblical Spirituality. Don is a frequent speaker in churches, retreats, and conferences in the U.S. and abroad.

Don grew up in Osceola, AR, where he came to believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. After graduating from Arkansas State, Don planned to finish law school and pursue a career in sportscasting. While at the University of Arkansas School of Law, he sensed God's call to preach the gospel of Jesus Christ. He then enrolled at Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, TX, graduating with a Master of Divinity degree in 1979. In 1987, Don completed a Doctor of Ministry degree at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Deerfield, IL. He earned a PhD in theology at the University of the Free State in Bloemfonteine, South Africa in 2013.

Prior to his ministry as a seminary professor, Don pastored Glenfield Baptist Church in Glen Ellyn, IL (a Chicago suburb), for almost 15 years. Altogether, he's served local churches in pastoral ministry for 24 years.

He is the author of Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, which has a companion Study Guide. He has also written How Can I Be Sure I'm a Christian?, Spiritual Disciplines Within the Church, Ten Questions to Diagnose Your Spiritual Health, Simplify Your Spiritual Life, and Family Worship. His hobby is restoring and using old fountain pens.

Don lives with his wife, Caffy, in their home near Louisville. She teaches classes for seminary wives and is an artist, muralist, and illustrator. The Whitneys are parents of Laurelen.

Don's website is www.BiblicalSpirituality.org. He's on Twitter @DonWhitney and on Facebook.

Reviews

[Robyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this study guide to help me facilitate the conversations of the actual book with the girls I disciple. However, many of the questions were repetitive and I often found myself having to “edit” lessons so that we didn’t spend 4 hours discussing content. Overall, a helpful resource but be prepared to not go through everything if you’re studying with others.

[Matt Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Read this for School, I accidentally got the study guide... Led a small group of guys through this book and really opened a great discussion about the topics. Guys, if you want to start a mens group or ministry, this is a great tool to use. Have men meet on Saturday and read through the chapter (about 6 pages long) and discuss what it means to you as men of God. Great book, starting a second mens group on Saturdays with coffee.

[Connie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good study guide to use for a group or one on one study of the main book "Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life". If you're not doing a study with any other person, at least read the main book as it is very good. The study guide gives a good summary of the main book and then some good, insightful questions that help you to dive more into the Word.

[Jeff Noble]

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life: A Study Guide Based on the Book by Donald S. Whitney (?)

[Bethany · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very helpful companion guide to the book itself, and can be used to facilitate group discussion (as I used it) or for personal study and reflection (as it was designed).

[Jamie Pennington · Rating 3 out of 5]

The cliff notes version of the book by the same title. A bit more interesting than the original. Still a bit texbookish however.

[Stephen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Teaching tool

Love the study guide. It helped me expand the study into a lot deeper conversation and application. Thank you Don.

[Anthony D’Apolito III · Rating 4 out of 5]

So many nuggets of great advice in this book - all for the purpose of godliness.

Incrediblely helpful and tangible evidence that I can readily apply to my walk with Christ.

[Pathof · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book and the accompanying Study Guide are outstanding for a group study. The author presents the Christian disciplines in a practical format with study questions that require the reader to search the Bible for the relevant scriptures. The key that made this study work so well for me were the scriptures referenced for each discipline. These verses alone make it very clear what is expected of the believer. I found this very useful and have adopted many of the methods the author suggests for reading and meditating on scripture.

[Ronald Couch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book made me go back to review why I hold the religious values that I do. This is from a college level class and has a teacher book to go with it. I will also read that at some point. I do not believe this book is for new believers. I also feel that it it might frustrate teen believers. I found the book to be interesting. We used the book as a 10 week study in Sunday School.

[Stacy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This study guide is an excellent addition to the main book and has questions and readings for each chapter. I would suggest going through the study guide chapter a few days after you have read the chapter in the main book since the reading section takes large chunks from the corresponding chapter. There will be verses to look up, so you will need your Bible. This study guide is good to do individually or if meeting with a group to discuss the book.

[Danielle Nesteby · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a condensed version of Whitney’s tome, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. I recommend the tome over this, but this would serve a small group well as a stand-alone. Just like SDCL, this one is practical and gospel-centered. Highly recommend!

[Molly]

This was quite dry and preachy, unfortunately.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

A must for every christian.

[Chris Langley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great for family worship or study groups

This is not just what to do but why and how. The book and this study book helped bring revival to my heart and life.