How do we know that our spiritual experiences are authentic? Christian theologians from the early church until today have consistently acknowledged the possibility of spiritual deception, and a rich heritage exists on the study of spiritual discernment. Throughout history, scholars studying spiritual discernment have identified specific criteria by which believers can measure the authenticity of their spiritual experiences. One possible criterion that has gone mostly unnoticed is the image of God. In this book, Bryan Shuler brings together an examination of the nature of spiritual experiences with the history of spiritual discernment criteria and recent developments on the theology of the image of God in order to show that authentic spiritual experiences will always conform to or lead believers to grow in conformity with the image of God in structural, functional, and relational aspects. This book balances the particularities of Christ and Christian doctrine with the plurality of authentic expressions of Christian spirituality, showing the variety of ways in which conformity to the image of God can manifest.
