Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination
Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination

Author: Donna Bowman

Publisher: Lexington Books

Published: 2015-10-30

Total Pages: 391

ISBN-13: 0739179721

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Based on personal interviews, Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination uncovers the theological creativity of Christian lay women quietly stitching their own sacred fabric. From the origins of prayer shawl ministry in feminist and ecumenical thought, the movement has grown to hundreds of groups, composed mostly of women over 60, in denominations across the political and doctrinal spectrum. Through participation in handcrafting ministries, participants reflect on themes that sometimes complement and sometimes challenge the public stances of their communities. Women in prayer shawl ministries develop commitments to broad inclusion, reject the intrusion of market forces, and realize their productive power. Out of their traditional roles as caretakers, they craft compassion into a conscious, theologically-rich practice. Out of their historical subordination, they cultivate trust in divine providence and hope for the preservation of their legacy. Listening to their ideas, convictions, and concerns, and connecting them to findings from multiple scholarly fields, this book seeks to disclose the convergences and complexity of ordinary women’s theological thinking and behavior.

Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis
Painted Pomegranates and Needlepoint Rabbis

Author: Jodi Eichler-Levine

Publisher: UNC Press Books

Published: 2020-09-25

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13: 1469660644

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Exploring a contemporary Judaism rich with the textures of family, memory, and fellowship, Jodi Eichler-Levine takes readers inside a flourishing American Jewish crafting movement. As she traveled across the country to homes, craft conventions, synagogue knitting circles, and craftivist actions, she joined in the making, asked questions, and contemplated her own family stories. Jewish Americans, many of them women, are creating ritual challah covers and prayer shawls, ink, clay, or wood pieces, and other articles for family, friends, or Jewish charities. But they are doing much more: armed with perhaps only a needle and thread, they are reckoning with Jewish identity in a fragile and dangerous world. The work of these crafters embodies a vital Judaism that may lie outside traditional notions of Jewishness, but, Eichler-Levine argues, these crafters are as much engaged as any Jews in honoring and nurturing the fortitude, memory, and community of the Jewish people. Craftmaking is nothing less than an act of generative resilience that fosters survival. Whether taking place in such groups as the Pomegranate Guild of Judaic Needlework or the Jewish Hearts for Pittsburgh, or in a home studio, these everyday acts of creativity—yielding a needlepoint rabbi, say, or a handkerchief embroidered with the Hebrew words tikkun olam—are a crucial part what makes a religious life.

Female Faith Practices
Female Faith Practices

Author: Nicola Slee

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2023-08-01

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 1000928330

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

This book explores female faith practices, drawing on qualitative research to consider how women navigate and create spiritual and religious practices. The chapters cover Christian, Muslim, Jewish and Buddhist contexts as well as newer spiritual movements. The contributors examine prayer and ritual practices and familial, educational and ritual spaces and relationships in a variety of cultural settings. The volume reflects on the ways in which women subvert traditional or patriarchal religious practices and spaces, both problematising and expanding existing notions of ‘religious practice’. It also touches on research itself as a form of spiritual and academic practice, considering ways in which women challenge androcentric modes of research as well as ways in which the subject of research – in this case, female faith – may challenge the researcher’s convictions and practice. Blending case studies with empirical research, this book will be an outstanding resource to theologians and researchers interested in Practical Theology, Gender Studies, Sociology of Religion and Anthropology.

Foundations and Futures in the Sociology of Religion
Foundations and Futures in the Sociology of Religion

Author: Luke Doggett

Publisher: Routledge

Published: 2017-12-14

Total Pages: 330

ISBN-13: 1351607383

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Since the sociology of religion became recognised as a distinct sub-discipline over the last century, the dominance of approaches taking their inspiration from the sociological classics has increasingly been challenged. Empirical findings have brought the notion of secularisation into question; and theorists have sought to deconstruct how we think of ‘religion.’ This collection appraises the continuing influence of the foundational approaches and places these in relation to newly emerging directions in the field. The book is divided into four sections, each section containing one ‘foundational’ chapter written by an established academic followed by two ‘futures’ chapters contributed by emerging scholars in the sub-discipline. These chapters complement one another by placing the overview of future directions in the context of a survey of the development of the sociology of religion over the last century. Topics discussed in these chapters include lived religion, sexuality, ritual, religion and the media. Combining erudite examinations of the British Sociological Association Sociology of Religion Study Group’s work so far with explorations of the future directions its research might take, this book is vital reading for any scholar whose work combines religious studies and sociology.

Taking It to the Streets
Taking It to the Streets

Author: Jennifer Baldwin

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2018-12-18

Total Pages: 229

ISBN-13: 149859011X

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Taking It to the Streets: Public Theologies of Activism and Resistance is an edited volume that explores the critical intersection of public theology, political theology, and communal practices of activism and political resistance. This volume functions as a sister/companion to the text Religion and Science as Political Theology: Navigating Post-Truth and Alternative Facts and focuses on public, civic, performative action as a response to experiences of injustice and diminishments of humanity. There are periods in a nation’s civil history when the tides of social unrest rise into waves upon waves of public activism and resistance of the dominant uses of power. In American history, activism and public action including and extending beyond the Women’s Suffrage, the Million Man March, protests against the Vietnam War, the Civil Rights Movement, Boston Tea Party, Black Lives Matter, the Stonewall Rebellion are hallmarks of transitional or liminal moments in our development as a society. Critical periods marked by increases in public activism and political resistance are opportunities for a society to once again decide who we will be as a people. Will we move towards a more perfect union in which all persons gain freedom in fulfilling their potential or will we choose the perceived safety of the status quo and established norms of power? Whose voices will be heard? Whose will be silenced through intimidation or harm? Ultimately, these are theological questions. Like other forms of non-textual research subjects (movement, dance, performance art), public activism requires a set of research lenses that are often neglected in theological and religious studies. Attention to bodies, as a category, performance, or epistemological vehicle, is sorely lacking so it is no wonder that attention to the mass of moving bodies in activism is largely absent. Activism and public political resistance are a hallmark of our current social webbing and deserve scholarly attention.

Pastoral Imagination
Pastoral Imagination

Author: Eileen R. Campbell-Reed

Publisher: Augsburg Fortress Publishers

Published: 2021

Total Pages: 277

ISBN-13: 1506470068

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Pastoral Imagination: Bringing the Practice of Ministry to Life informs and inspires the practice of ministry through "on the ground" learning experienced in a variety of ministry settings. Each of the fifty chapters explores a single concept through story, reflection, and provocative open-ended questions designed to spark conversation between ministers and mentors, among ministry peers, or for personal journal reflections. The book is closely integrated with the author's Three Minute Ministry Mentor web resource.

The Prophetic Imagination
The Prophetic Imagination

Author: Walter Brueggemann

Publisher: Fortress Press

Published: 2001

Total Pages: 180

ISBN-13: 9780800632878

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

In this challenging and enlightening treatment, Brueggemann traces the lines from the radical vision of Moses to the solidification of royal power in Solomon to the prophetic critique of that power with a new vision of freedom in the prophets. Here he traces the broad sweep from Exodus to Kings to Jeremiah to Jesus. He highlights that the prophetic vision and not only embraces the pain of the people but creates an energy and amazement based on the new thing that God is doing. In this new edition, Brueggemann has completely revised the text, updated the notes, and added a new preface.

I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die
I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die

Author: Sarah J. Robinson

Publisher: WaterBrook

Published: 2021-05-11

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 0593193539

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

A compassionate, shame-free guide for your darkest days “A one-of-a-kind book . . . to read for yourself or give to a struggling friend or loved one without the fear that depression and suicidal thoughts will be minimized, medicalized or over-spiritualized.”—Kay Warren, cofounder of Saddleback Church What happens when loving Jesus doesn’t cure you of depression, anxiety, or suicidal thoughts? You might be crushed by shame over your mental illness, only to be told by well-meaning Christians to “choose joy” and “pray more.” So you beg God to take away the pain, but nothing eases the ache inside. As darkness lingers and color drains from your world, you’re left wondering if God has abandoned you. You just want a way out. But there’s hope. In I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die, Sarah J. Robinson offers a healthy, practical, and shame-free guide for Christians struggling with mental illness. With unflinching honesty, Sarah shares her story of battling depression and fighting to stay alive despite toxic theology that made her afraid to seek help outside the church. Pairing her own story with scriptural insights, mental health research, and simple practices, Sarah helps you reconnect with the God who is present in our deepest anguish and discover that you are worth everything it takes to get better. Beautifully written and full of hard-won wisdom, I Love Jesus, But I Want to Die offers a path toward a rich, hope-filled life in Christ, even when healing doesn’t look like what you expect.

Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture
Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture

Author: Daniel J. Treier

Publisher: Baker Academic

Published: 2008-07-01

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 9781441210654

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

Theological interpretation of Scripture is a growing trend in biblical interpretation, with an emphasis on the contexts of canon, creed, and church. This approach seeks to bridge the gap between biblical studies and theology, which grew wide with the ascendancy of critical approaches to Scripture. Introducing Theological Interpretation of Scripture is the first clear, systematic introduction to this movement for students. The book surveys the movement's history, themes, advocates, and positions and seeks to bring coherence to its various elements. Author Daniel Treier also explores what he sees as the greatest challenges the movement will have to address as it moves into the future. This helpful book is appropriate for pastors and lay readers interested in biblical interpretation.

Brown Church
Brown Church

Author: Robert Chao Romero

Publisher: InterVarsity Press

Published: 2020-05-26

Total Pages: 252

ISBN-13: 0830853952

DOWNLOAD EBOOK

The Latina/o culture and identity have long been shaped by their challenges to the religious, socio-economic, and political status quo. Robert Chao Romero explores the "Brown Church" and how this movement appeals to the vision for redemption that includes not only heavenly promises but also the transformation of our lives and the world.