Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

In writing Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life, Whitney draws on a Protestant heritage that stretches back to the Reformation while also engaging with contemporary developments in evangelical Protestantism. Originally published in 1991, the book appeared during a period when American evangelicalism was rediscovering the value of traditional spiritual practices that had declined in popularity in favor of more informal approaches to faith.

Whitney’s work leans heavily on the Puritan tradition of the late 16th to early 18th centuries, which emphasized disciplined devotional life as essential to Christian maturity. The Puritans, represented by figures like Richard Baxter, John Owen, and Jonathan Edwards, developed systematic approaches to spiritual growth that balanced rigorous biblical study with heartfelt piety. They viewed spiritual disciplines as a potential means of grace, a set of intentional acts that put one in a position to receive God’s spiritual blessings. Like his Puritan predecessors, Whitney insists that spiritual growth requires intentional effort while maintaining that salvation comes through grace alone. This balance reflects the broader Protestant commitment to both justification by faith (salvation through belief in God, as opposed to through virtuous acts) and the necessity of ongoing sanctification through disciplined Christian living.