In this groundbreaking study of convictional knowing, Dr. James E. Loder (Professor of the Philosophy of Christian Education at Princeton Theological Seminary) builds a framework for understanding human experiences in which ordinary modes of apprehending reality are suspended by the startling intrusion of a convincing insight—which often arrives with convictional force and transformational power. Interweaving psychology and Christian theology, Loder establishes the five-part pattern of convictional insight in the arts, sciences, the practice of psychotherapy, human development, and spirituality. Loder integrates theory with practice by providing guidelines for interpreting convictional experiences and by clarifying and illustrating his discussion with case studies - from his personal experiences, his counselling and pastoral encounters, and the lives of historical figures such as Martin Luther, Soren Kierkegaard, Carl Jung, and C.S. Lewis.