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In her final chapter, Lee makes a potent argument for recuperating of at least some of the ideals that Guyon and van Schurman risked their lives and reputations to promote . . . With Sacrifices and Delight Karen Bo Lee advances this conversation in an important way, offering her exquisitely sensitive readings along with a keenly felt respect for the difficulties, whether theological or psychological, in recuperating such complicated legacies. --Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality Bo Karen Lee's monograph is an in-depth comparative study of the spirituality of self-denial in certain writings of Anna Maria van Schurman . . . and Jeanne Marie Guyon . . . [who] transgressed the entrenched boundaries of their respective traditions and developed theological spiritualties that converged in a number of important aspects. . . . Lee's study . . . unveils the depth and intellectual seriousness of their work, making them freshly accessible as important voices of early modern spirituality. --Teresianum Indeed, there is much to inspire and challenge contemporary Christians in the remarkable lives and writings of these two women. . . . [Lee's] lucid, elegant, and insightful readings of Schurman and Guyon, along with the valuable excerpts of van Schurman's writing translated in three appendices to the book, will prompt a deeper appreciation of their work. --Journal of Religion In this compelling study of two seventeenth-century female mystics, the author examines the writings of Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon, who, despite different religious formations, came to similar conclusions about the experience of God in contemplative prayer. --Studies in Spirituality This fascinating and original work by Bo Karen Lee . . . is an outstanding contribution to the literature on the history of Christian spirituality, particularly in the early modern period. Lee skillfully demonstrates the groundbreaking manner in which [van Schurman and Guyon] linked self-denial with pleasure. --Theology Today Despite the fact that Schurman and Guyon influenced important currents in European spirituality, their ideas were unpopular in the seventeenth century and still make people uncomfortable today. Lee argues that their unpopularity and daring should serve as models for doing theology 'in the margins' and as a warning against the dangers of over-intellectualizing theology. --Catholic Library World Digging thoughtfully into the 17th-century mystical theologies of Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon, Lee explores how self-denial could become the secret of profound religious joy. The interesting juxtaposition of a little-known Dutch Protestant (van Schurman) with a French Roman Catholic whose mystical theology was deemed heretical (Guyon) sets up a profound conversation about the possibility of talking about mystical experiences with God. --Choice This book is well written, well researched, and original. Bo Karen Lee's study represents the most sustained contemporary English-language investigation of van Schurman's work that I know of. Guyon has received more scholarly and popular attention, but few authors have taken her theology seriously in the way that this volume does. --Ronney Mourad, Albion College Bo Karen Lee's subtle study of Madame Guyon and Anna Maria van Schurman explores how these writers found a source of power, leadership, and creativity in self-denial. It is an important contribution to the history and literature of Christian spirituality--including Protestant spirituality, which remains underinvestigated--and to discussions around contested questions at the intersection of feminism and religion. --Stephanie Paulsell, Houghton Professor of the Practice of Ministry Studies, Harvard Divinity School This book is bold and a maddeningly honest read; it will very likely upend many of your cherished spiritual and theological assumptions. Bo Karen Lee contends that self-denial is a partner of delight, that sacrifice can engender joy, and that self-surrender is a path to true self and to union with God. In writing the theology of a spiritual journey, Lee is expert at letting the reader share this experience. --Steven Chase, Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology In this fascinating study of two influential seventeenth-century mystics, Bo Karen Lee explores the intricate and often paradoxical connections between sacrifice of self and delight in God. Lee's careful exposition of primary texts by Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon reveals a theological profundity that continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire. The daring spiritualities of these two women (one Protestant, one Catholic) offer an intriguing comparative case study in early modern Christian thought. --Arthur Holder, John Dillenberger Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union

In her final chapter, Lee makes a potent argument for recuperating of at least some of the ideals that Guyon and van Schurman risked their lives and reputations to promote . . . With Sacrifices and Delight Karen Bo Lee advances this conversation in an important way, offering her exquisitely sensitive readings along with a keenly felt respect for the difficulties, whether theological or psychological, in recuperating such complicated legacies. --Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, vol. 15, no. 1, Spring 2015 Bo Karen Lee's monograph is an in-depth comparative study of the spirituality of self-denial in certain writings of Anna Maria van Schurman . . . and Jeanne Marie Guyon . . . [who] transgressed the entrenched boundaries of their respective traditions and developed theological spiritualties that converged in a number of important aspects. . . . Lee's study . . . unveils the depth and intellectual seriousness of their work, making them freshly accessible as important voices of early modern spirituality. --Teresianum, vol. 67, no.1, 2016 Indeed, there is much to inspire and challenge contemporary Christians in the remarkable lives and writings of these two women. . . . [Lee's] lucid, elegant, and insightful readings of Schurman and Guyon, along with the valuable excerpts of van Schurman's writing translated in three appendices to the book, will prompt a deeper appreciation of their work. --Journal of Religion, vol. 97, no. 1, January 2017

In her final chapter, Lee makes a potent argument for recuperating of at least some of the ideals that Guyon and van Schurman risked their lives and reputations to promote . . . With Sacrifices and Delight Karen Bo Lee advances this conversation in an important way, offering her exquisitely sensitive readings along with a keenly felt respect for the difficulties, whether theological or psychological, in recuperating such complicated legacies. --Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality <p/> Bo Karen Lee's monograph is an in-depth comparative study of the spirituality of self-denial in certain writings of Anna Maria van Schurman . . . and Jeanne Marie Guyon . . . [who] transgressed the entrenched boundaries of their respective traditions and developed theological spiritualties that converged in a number of important aspects. . . . Lee's study . . . unveils the depth and intellectual seriousness of their work, making them freshly accessible as important voices of early modern spirituality. --Teresianum <p/> Indeed, there is much to inspire and challenge contemporary Christians in the remarkable lives and writings of these two women. . . . [Lee's] lucid, elegant, and insightful readings of Schurman and Guyon, along with the valuable excerpts of van Schurman's writing translated in three appendices to the book, will prompt a deeper appreciation of their work. --Journal of Religion

In this fascinating study of two influential seventeenth-century mystics, Bo Karen Lee explores the intricate and often paradoxical connections between sacrifice of self and delight in God. Lee's careful exposition of primary texts by Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon reveals a theological profundity that continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire. The daring spiritualities of these two women (one Protestant, one Catholic) offer an intriguing comparative case study in early modern Christian thought. -Arthur Holder, John Dillenberger Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union This book is bold and a maddeningly honest read; it will very likely upend many of your cherished spiritual and theological assumptions. Bo Karen Lee contends that self-denial is a partner of delight, that sacrifice can engender joy, and that self-surrender is a path to true self and to union with God. In writing the theology of a spiritual journey, Lee is expert at letting the reader share this experience. -Steven Chase, Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology This book is well written, well researched, and original. Bo Karen Lee's study represents the most sustained contemporary English-language investigation of van Schurman's work that I know of. Guyon has received more scholarly and popular attention, but few authors have taken her theology seriously in the way that this volume does. -Ronney Mourad, Albion College Digging thoughtfully into the 17th-century mystical theologies of Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon, Lee explores how self-denial could become the secret of profound religious joy. The interesting juxtaposition of a little-known Dutch Protestant (van Schurman) with a French Roman Catholic whose mystical theology was deemed heretical (Guyon) sets up a profound conversation about the possibility of talking about mystical experiences with God. -Choice Despite the fact that Schurman and Guyon influenced important currents in European spirituality, their ideas were unpopular in the seventeenth century and still make people uncomfortable today. Lee argues that their unpopularity and daring should serve as models for doing theology 'in the margins' and as a warning against the dangers of over-intellectualizing theology. -Catholic Library World In this compelling study of two seventeenth-century female mystics, the author examines the writings of Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon, who, despite different religious formations, came to similar conclusions about the experience of God in contemplative prayer. -Studies in Spirituality This fascinating and original work by Bo Karen Lee . . . is an outstanding contribution to the literature on the history of Christian spirituality, particularly in the early modern period. Lee skillfully demonstrates the groundbreaking manner in which [van Schurman and Guyon] linked self-denial with pleasure. -Theology Today In her final chapter, Lee makes a potent argument for recuperating of at least some of the ideals that Guyon and van Schurman risked their lives and reputations to promote . . . With Sacrifices and Delight Karen Bo Lee advances this conversation in an important way, offering her exquisitely sensitive readings along with a keenly felt respect for the difficulties, whether theological or psychological, in recuperating such complicated legacies. -Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality Bo Karen Lee's monograph is an in-depth comparative study of the spirituality of self-denial in certain writings of Anna Maria van Schurman . . . and Jeanne Marie Guyon . . . [who] transgressed the entrenched boundaries of their respective traditions and developed theological spiritualties that converged in a number of important aspects. . . . Lee's study . . . unveils the depth and intellectual seriousness of their work, making them freshly accessible as important voices of early modern spirituality. -Teresianum Indeed, there is much to inspire and challenge contemporary Christians in the remarkable lives and writings of these two women. . . . [Lee's] lucid, elegant, and insightful readings of Schurman and Guyon, along with the valuable excerpts of van Schurman's writing translated in three appendices to the book, will prompt a deeper appreciation of their work. -Journal of Religion

Bo Karen Lee's monograph is an in-depth comparative study of the spirituality of self-denial in certain writings of Anna Maria van Schurman . . . and Jeanne Marie Guyon . . . [who] transgressed the entrenched boundaries of their respective traditions and developed theological spiritualties that converged in a number of important aspects. . . . Lee's study . . . unveils the depth and intellectual seriousness of their work, making them freshly accessible as important voices of early modern spirituality. -- Teresianum In this fascinating study of two influential seventeenth-century mystics, Bo Karen Lee explores the intricate and often paradoxical connections between sacrifice of self and delight in God. Lee's careful exposition of primary texts by Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon reveals a theological profundity that continues to challenge, provoke, and inspire. The daring spiritualities of these two women (one Protestant, one Catholic) offer an intriguing comparative case study in early modern Christian thought. -- Arthur Holder, John Dillenberger Professor of Christian Spirituality, Graduate Theological Union In her final chapter, Lee makes a potent argument for recuperating of at least some of the ideals that Guyon and van Schurman risked their lives and reputations to promote . . . With Sacrifices and Delight Karen Bo Lee advances this conversation in an important way, offering her exquisitely sensitive readings along with a keenly felt respect for the difficulties, whether theological or psychological, in recuperating such complicated legacies. -- Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality Indeed, there is much to inspire and challenge contemporary Christians in the remarkable lives and writings of these two women. . . . [Lee's] lucid, elegant, and insightful readings of Schurman and Guyon, along with the valuable excerpts of van Schurman's writing translated in three appendices to the book, will prompt a deeper appreciation of their work. -- Journal of Religion This fascinating and original work by Bo Karen Lee . . . is an outstanding contribution to the literature on the history of Christian spirituality, particularly in the early modern period. Lee skillfully demonstrates the groundbreaking manner in which [van Schurman and Guyon] linked self-denial with pleasure. -- Theology Today This book is bold and a maddeningly honest read; it will very likely upend many of your cherished spiritual and theological assumptions. Bo Karen Lee contends that self-denial is a partner of delight, that sacrifice can engender joy, and that self-surrender is a path to true self and to union with God. In writing the theology of a spiritual journey, Lee is expert at letting the reader share this experience. -- Steven Chase, Institute for the Study of Contemporary Spirituality at Oblate School of Theology This book is well written, well researched, and original. Bo Karen Lee's study represents the most sustained contemporary English-language investigation of van Schurman's work that I know of. Guyon has received more scholarly and popular attention, but few authors have taken her theology seriously in the way that this volume does. -- Ronney Mourad, Albion College Bo Karen Lee's subtle study of Madame Guyon and Anna Maria van Schurman explores how these writers found a source of power, leadership, and creativity in self-denial. It is an important contribution to the history and literature of Christian spirituality-including Protestant spirituality, which remains underinvestigated-and to discussions around contested questions at the intersection of feminism and religion. -- Stephanie Paulsell, Houghton Professor of the Practice of Ministry Studies, Harvard Divinity School In this compelling study of two seventeenth-century female mystics, the author examines the writings of Anna Maria van Schurman and Madame Jeanne Guyon, who, despite different religious formations, came to similar conclusions about the experience of God in contemplative prayer. -- Studies in Spirituality

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Bo Karen Lee is associate professor of spirituality and historical theology at Princeton Theological Seminary.

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