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Do we need an account of prayer to address the problem for praying without ceasing?

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  25 April 2022

Michael Hatcher Open the ORCID record for Michael Hatcher [Opens in a new window]
Michael Hatcher*
Affiliation:
Department of Humanities & Languages, FLAME University, Gat No. 1270, Lavale, Off Pune Bangalore Highway, Pune, Maharashtra 412115, India
*
Email: michael.hatcher@flame.edu.in
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Abstract

1 Th. 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing. Many have worried that praying without ceasing seems impossible. Most address the problem by giving an account of the true nature of prayer. Unexplored are strategies for dealing with the problem that are neutral on the nature of prayer, strategies consistent, for example, with the view that only petition is prayer. In this article, after clarifying the nature of the problem for praying without ceasing, I identify and explore the prospects of five different strategies that are neutral in this sense. I also raise problems for each strategy.

Keywords

prayerimperativeabilityhyperbolelistening
Type
Original Article
Information
Religious Studies , Volume 59 , Issue 1 , March 2023 , pp. 78 - 96
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Copyright
Copyright © The Author(s), 2022. Published by Cambridge University Press

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