Religion: general Books

Book SynopsisLeading theologian Graham Ward presents a stimulating series of reflections on Christ and contemporary culture.Trade ReviewIn this book Graham Ward lifts debates about Christ and culture to an unprecedented level of sophistication and at the same time decisively moves them away from a theologically liberal ambience towards one that is genuinely orthodox and Catholic, but in a new, critical and unavoidably controversial mode. He most significantly advances our ability to tackle the question of what should be the Christian stance in the face of advanced modernity. John Milbank, University of Nottingham Graham Ward has always written insightful and arresting theology, but in this book he exposits scripture, retrieves tradition and interrogates culture with a yet more brilliant and surer touch than ever before. His concern is with the cultural mediation of the Mediator, Jesus Christ, who, in the endless displacements of his body, is not so much an identity to be known as an operation, a movement, in which to participate. This book is about the ‘first born’ of creation, the one by, for and in whom we live, the ‘culture’ by which we are given to be. Ward’s transcorporeal Christology challenges our secular certainties and finds for us the promise of the transcendent in the textual—and indeed sexual—negotiations of our always encultured bodies. This is wonderfully mesmeric, bravura theology. Gerard Loughlin, University of Durham "New book attempts to break out of the Christian insularity to produce a genuinely public theology of significant interest to postmodern philosophers and social theorists." Modern TheologyTable of ContentsAcknowledgements ix Introduction 1 Part One THE ECONOMY OF RESPONSE 27 1 Christology and Mimesis 29 2 The Schizoid Christ 60 3 The Body of the Church and its Erotic Politics 92 Part Two ENGENDERING CHRIST 111 4 Redemption: Between Reception and Response 113 5 Divinity and Sexual Difference 129 6 The Politics of Christ's Circumcision (and the Mystery of all Flesh) 159 Part Three THE LIVING CHRIST: ECONOMIES OF REDEMPTION 181 7 Allegoria Amoris: A Christian Ethics 183 8 Spiritual Exercises: A Christian Pedagogy 219 9 Suffering and Incarnation: A Christian Politics 248 Index 267

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Book SynopsisA Reader in the Anthropology of Religion is a collection of some of the most significant classic and contemporary writings in the field. Updated in its second edition, this volume examines numerous aspects of religion in a diversity of cultures and expands upon the idea of what we mean by religion', linking it to some of the broader questions of culture and politics. Collects classic and contemporary articles from the major thinkers in both North American and British anthropology Emphasizes the ongoing conversation among anthropologists with respect to central questions of religious behavior Presents comprehensive coverage of theory and religious practice, through time and ethnographic regions, integrated by editorial commentary Includes additional classic pieces by Pouillon, Burridge, and Meyerhoff, as well as more contemporary work by Harding, De Boeck, and Palmié Includes indexed bibliography arranged according to boTrade Review"Michael Lambek has succeeded in putting together an impressive collection of key texts and essays." (Culture and Religion, July 2009) "The most comprehensive anthology on its subject, this is a splendid tool for teaching and a matchless scholarly resource." (International Review of Biblical Studies, 2008) Praise for the first edition: "[A] reader that ambitiously attempts to represent the full breadth, depth, and complexity of anthropology's investigations into religion.... The masterly general introduction situates this anthology within the long and often difficult anthropological engagement with this most mystified and powerful realm of social action.... [A]n excellent text." (International Social Science Review) "A major guide to both the history of the anthropology of religion and new trends in research.... Lambek has compiled an excellent anthology." (Journal of Empirical Theology) Table of ContentsPreface to Second Edition xi General Introduction 1 Part I The Context of Understanding and Debate 19 Opening Frameworks 21 Introduction 21 1 Religion in Primitive Culture 23Edward Burnett Tylor 2 The Elementary Forms of Religious Life 34Emile Durkheim 3 The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 48Max Weber 4 Religion as a Cultural System 57Clifford Geertz Skeptical Rejoinders 77Introduction 77 5 Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough 79Ludwig Wittgenstein 6 Religion, Totemism and Symbolism 82W. E. H. Stanner 7 Remarks on the Verb “To Believe” 90Jean Pouillon 8 Christians as Believers 97Malcolm Ruel 9 The Construction of Religion as an Anthropological Category 110Talal Asad Part II Poiesis: The Composition of Religious Worlds 127 Signs and Symbols 129Introduction 129 10 The Logic of Signs and Symbols 131Susanne K. Langer 11 The Problem of Symbols 139E. E. Evans-Pritchard 12 On Key Symbols 151Sherry B. Ortner 13 The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol 160Eric R. Wolf Structure, Function, and Interpretation 167 Introduction 167 14 Myth in Primitive Psychology 168Bronislaw Malinowski 15 Folk Dialectics of Nature and Culture 176Marshall Sahlins 16 Land Animals, Pure and Impure 183Mary Douglas 17 A Jivaro Version of Totem and Taboo 196Claude Lévi-Strauss 18 Text-Building, Epistemology, and Aesthetics in Javanese Shadow Theatre 206Alton L. Becker Moral Inversions and Spaces of Disorder 225Introduction 225 19 The Winnebago Trickster Figure 226Paul Radin 20 Witchcraft and Sexual Relations: An Exploration in the Social and Semantic Implications of the Structure of Belief 238Raymond C. Kelly 21 The Politics and Poetics of Transgression 253Peter Stallybrass and Allon White Conceptualizing the Cosmos 265Introduction 265 22 Closure and Multiplication: An Essay on Polynesian Cosmology and Ritual 267Alfred Gell 23 Cosmological Deixis and Amerindian Perspectivism 280Eduardo Viveiros de Castro Part III Praxis: Religious Action 299 The Movement in Ritual: Emergence 301Introduction 301 24 The Control of Experience: Symbolic Action 302Godfrey Lienhardt 25 Form and Meaning of Magical Acts 311Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah 26 Liminality and Communitas 326Victor Turner Gender, Subjectivity, and the Body 341 Introduction 341 27 “Jewish Comes Up in You from the Roots” 342Barbara Myerhoff 28 Fate in Relation to the Social Structure 350Meyer Fortes 29 Medusa’s Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious Experience 356Gananath Obeyesekere 30 Spirits and Selves in Northern Sudan: The Cultural Therapeutics of Possession and Trance 368Janice Boddy 31 The Poetics of Time in Mayan Divination 386Dennis Tedlock What Ritual Does: The Foundations of Order 397 Introduction 397 32 The Disconnection between Power and Rank as a Process 398Maurice Bloch 33 Enactments of Meaning 410Roy A. Rappaport Part IV Historical Dynamics: Power, Modernity, and Change 429 Capitalism, Colonialism, Christianity, and Conflict 431 Introduction 431 34 New Heaven, New Earth 432Kenelm Burridge 35 The Genesis of Capitalism amongst a South American Peasantry: Devil’s Labor and the Baptism of Money 447Michael Taussig 36 The Colonization of Consciousness 464John and Jean Comaroff 37 Convicted by the Holy Spirit: The Rhetoric of Fundamental Baptist Conversion 479Susan F. Harding 38 On Being Shege in Kinshasa: Children, the Occult and the Street 495Filip De Boeck Religious Ethics and Politics in the State, Public Sphere, and Transnational Scene 507Introduction 507 39 Civil Religion in America 509Robert N. Bellah 40 Shamanic Practices and the State in Northern Asia: Views from the Center and Periphery 519Caroline Humphrey 41 “Using the Past to Negate the Present”: Ritual Ethics and State Rationality in Ancient China 533Mayfair Mei-hui Yang 42 Passional Preaching, Aural Sensibility, and the Islamic Revival in Cairo 544Charles Hirschkind 43 Moral Landscapes: Ethical Discourses among Orthodox and Diaspora Jains 560Anne Vallely 44 Candomblé in Pink, Green and Black: Re-scripting the Afro-Brazilian Religious Heritage in the Public Sphere of Salvador, Bahia 573Mattijs van de Port 45 Martyr vs. Martyr: The Sacred Language of Violence 590Galit Hasan-Rokem Afterword 597 46 Evidence and Presence, Spectral and Other 598Stephan Palmié Part V Research Tools 611 A Guide to the Literature 613 Bibliography 630 Index 673

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Book SynopsisA Reader in the Anthropology of Religion is a collection of some of the most significant classic and contemporary writings in the field. Updated in its second edition, this volume examines numerous aspects of religion in a diversity of cultures and expands upon the idea of what we mean by religion', linking it to some of the broader questions of culture and politics. Collects classic and contemporary articles from the major thinkers in both North American and British anthropology Emphasizes the ongoing conversation among anthropologists with respect to central questions of religious behavior Presents comprehensive coverage of theory and religious practice, through time and ethnographic regions, integrated by editorial commentary Includes additional classic pieces by Pouillon, Burridge, and Meyerhoff, as well as more contemporary work by Harding, De Boeck, and Palmié Includes indexed bibliography arranged according to boTrade Review"Michael Lambek has succeeded in putting together an impressive collection of key texts and essays." (Culture and Religion, July 2009) "The most comprehensive anthology on its subject, this is a splendid tool for teaching and a matchless scholarly resource." (International Review of Biblical Studies, 2008) Praise for the first edition: "[A] reader that ambitiously attempts to represent the full breadth, depth, and complexity of anthropology's investigations into religion.... The masterly general introduction situates this anthology within the long and often difficult anthropological engagement with this most mystified and powerful realm of social action.... [A]n excellent text." (International Social Science Review) "A major guide to both the history of the anthropology of religion and new trends in research.... Lambek has compiled an excellent anthology." (Journal of Empirical Theology) Table of ContentsPreface to Second Edition xi General Introduction 1 Part I The Context of Understanding and Debate 19 Opening Frameworks 21 Introduction 21 1 Religion in Primitive Culture 23Edward Burnett Tylor 2 The Elementary Forms of Religious Life 34Emile Durkheim 3 The Protestant Ethic and the Spirit of Capitalism 48Max Weber 4 Religion as a Cultural System 57Clifford Geertz Skeptical Rejoinders 77Introduction 77 5 Remarks on Frazer’s Golden Bough 79Ludwig Wittgenstein 6 Religion, Totemism and Symbolism 82W. E. H. Stanner 7 Remarks on the Verb “To Believe” 90Jean Pouillon 8 Christians as Believers 97Malcolm Ruel 9 The Construction of Religion as an Anthropological Category 110Talal Asad Part II Poiesis: The Composition of Religious Worlds 127 Signs and Symbols 129Introduction 129 10 The Logic of Signs and Symbols 131Susanne K. Langer 11 The Problem of Symbols 139E. E. Evans-Pritchard 12 On Key Symbols 151Sherry B. Ortner 13 The Virgin of Guadalupe: A Mexican National Symbol 160Eric R. Wolf Structure, Function, and Interpretation 167 Introduction 167 14 Myth in Primitive Psychology 168Bronislaw Malinowski 15 Folk Dialectics of Nature and Culture 176Marshall Sahlins 16 Land Animals, Pure and Impure 183Mary Douglas 17 A Jivaro Version of Totem and Taboo 196Claude Lévi-Strauss 18 Text-Building, Epistemology, and Aesthetics in Javanese Shadow Theatre 206Alton L. Becker Moral Inversions and Spaces of Disorder 225Introduction 225 19 The Winnebago Trickster Figure 226Paul Radin 20 Witchcraft and Sexual Relations: An Exploration in the Social and Semantic Implications of the Structure of Belief 238Raymond C. Kelly 21 The Politics and Poetics of Transgression 253Peter Stallybrass and Allon White Conceptualizing the Cosmos 265Introduction 265 22 Closure and Multiplication: An Essay on Polynesian Cosmology and Ritual 267Alfred Gell 23 Cosmological Deixis and Amerindian Perspectivism 280Eduardo Viveiros de Castro Part III Praxis: Religious Action 299 The Movement in Ritual: Emergence 301Introduction 301 24 The Control of Experience: Symbolic Action 302Godfrey Lienhardt 25 Form and Meaning of Magical Acts 311Stanley Jeyaraja Tambiah 26 Liminality and Communitas 326Victor Turner Gender, Subjectivity, and the Body 341 Introduction 341 27 “Jewish Comes Up in You from the Roots” 342Barbara Myerhoff 28 Fate in Relation to the Social Structure 350Meyer Fortes 29 Medusa’s Hair: An Essay on Personal Symbols and Religious Experience 356Gananath Obeyesekere 30 Spirits and Selves in Northern Sudan: The Cultural Therapeutics of Possession and Trance 368Janice Boddy 31 The Poetics of Time in Mayan Divination 386Dennis Tedlock What Ritual Does: The Foundations of Order 397 Introduction 397 32 The Disconnection between Power and Rank as a Process 398Maurice Bloch 33 Enactments of Meaning 410Roy A. Rappaport Part IV Historical Dynamics: Power, Modernity, and Change 429 Capitalism, Colonialism, Christianity, and Conflict 431 Introduction 431 34 New Heaven, New Earth 432Kenelm Burridge 35 The Genesis of Capitalism amongst a South American Peasantry: Devil’s Labor and the Baptism of Money 447Michael Taussig 36 The Colonization of Consciousness 464John and Jean Comaroff 37 Convicted by the Holy Spirit: The Rhetoric of Fundamental Baptist Conversion 479Susan F. Harding 38 On Being Shege in Kinshasa: Children, the Occult and the Street 495Filip De Boeck Religious Ethics and Politics in the State, Public Sphere, and Transnational Scene 507Introduction 507 39 Civil Religion in America 509Robert N. Bellah 40 Shamanic Practices and the State in Northern Asia: Views from the Center and Periphery 519Caroline Humphrey 41 “Using the Past to Negate the Present”: Ritual Ethics and State Rationality in Ancient China 533Mayfair Mei-hui Yang 42 Passional Preaching, Aural Sensibility, and the Islamic Revival in Cairo 544Charles Hirschkind 43 Moral Landscapes: Ethical Discourses among Orthodox and Diaspora Jains 560Anne Vallely 44 Candomblé in Pink, Green and Black: Re-scripting the Afro-Brazilian Religious Heritage in the Public Sphere of Salvador, Bahia 573Mattijs van de Port 45 Martyr vs. Martyr: The Sacred Language of Violence 590Galit Hasan-Rokem Afterword 597 46 Evidence and Presence, Spectral and Other 598Stephan Palmié Part V Research Tools 611 A Guide to the Literature 613 Bibliography 630 Index 673

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Book SynopsisThis authoritative and cutting edge Companion brings together a team of leading scholars to document the rich diversity and unique viewpoints that have formed the religious history of the United States.Trade Review“Overall, the historical synopses, literature reviews, and bibliographic listings contained in the essays of this volume should all prove extremely helpful to serious students of American religious history. Graduate students and scholars alike will find this book to be an accessible and useful entry point into this field of study.” (Journal of Religious History, 20 January 2014) “For anyone interested in knowing more about the history and present state of scholarship on religion in America, this is an invaluable work, and the place to begin one’s search.” (Lutheran Quarterly, 2012) Table of ContentsIntroduction by Philip Goff. List of Contributors. Interpreting American Religion. Surveying Religion in America (Philip Goff, Indiana University – Purdue University, Indianapolis). Religion in American Society and Culture. American Revolution (Thomas Kidd, Baylor University). Borderlands (Kristy Nabhan-Warren, Augustana College). Church and State (Derek Davis, University of Mary Hardin-Baylor). Civil Religion (Ira Chernus, University of Colorado). Class and Labor ((Richard Callahan, University of Missouri). Denominations (Russell Richey, Emory University). Economics (James Hudnut-Beumler, Vanderbilt University). Family (Rebecca Davis, University of Delaware). Film (Judith Weisenfeld, Princeton University). Gender (Sarah Johnson, Gustavus Adlophus College). Health (Christopher White, Vassar College). Sensory Cultures Material and Visual Religion ((Sally Promey, Yale University and Shira Brisman, Yale University). Media (Robert Fortner, Calvin College). Millennialism (Stephen Stein, Indiana University). Missions (Wilbur Shenk, Fuller Graduate School of Intercultural Studies). Piety, Practice, and Ritual (Kathryn Lofton, Yale University). Popular Culture (John Schmalzbauer, Missouri State University). Race and Ethnicity (Robero Trevino, University of Texas). Regions (Philip Barlow, Utah State University). Revivals (Michael McClymond, Saint Louis University). Science (William Durbin, Washington Theological Union). Social Reform (Zoe Trodd, UNC-Chapel Hill). Theology and Beliefs (Robert Brown, James Madison University). Women (Susanna Morrill, Lewis & Clark College). Traditions and Movements American Indians (Tracy Leavelle, Creighton University). Anabaptists ((David Weaver-Zercher, Messiah College). Baptists (Paul Harvey, University of Colorado). Black Church (Sylvester Johnson, Indiana University). Buddhism (Charles Prebish, Utah State University). Catholicism to 1945 (Michael Pasquier, Louisiana State University). Catholicism since 1945 (Philip Gleason, University of Notre Dame). Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (David Whittaker, Brigham Young University). Eastern Orthodox Christianity (Amy Slagle, University of Southern Mississippi). Evangelicalism (Darren Dochuk, Purdue University). Hinduism ((Khyati Joshi, Fairleigh Dickinson University). Holiness and Pentecostalism ((Jonathan Baer, Wabash College). Islam (Edward E. Curtis IV, Indiana University-Purdue University). Judaism (Yaakov Ariel, University of North Carolina)) Lutherans (Susan McCarver, Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary). New and Homegrown Religions (Sean McCloud, University of North Carolina). Protestant Liberalism (Mark Hulsether, University of Tennessee). Reformed Protestantism (Darryl Hart). Wesleyan Tradition (Christopher Evans, Colgate Rochester Crozer Divinity School).

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Book SynopsisThe Wiley-Blackwell Companion to African Religions brings together a team of international scholars to create a single-volume resource on the religious beliefs and practices of the peoples in Africa. Offers broad coverage of issues relating to African religions, considering experiences in indigenous, Christian, and Islamic traditions across the continent Contributors are from a variety of fields, ensuring the volume offers multidisciplinary perspectives Explores methodological approaches to religion from anthropological, philosophical, and historical perspectives Provides insights into the historical developments in African religions, as well as contemporary issues such as the development of African-initiated churches, neo traditional religions, and Pentecostalism Discusses important topics at the intersection of culture and religion in Africa, including the arts, health, politics, globalization, gender relations, and the economy Trade Review“Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty.” (Choice, 1 June 2013) Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors xi Foreword xixJacob K. Olupona Acknowledgments xxii Introduction 1Elias K. Bongmba Part I Methodological Perspectives on African Religions 23 1 Methodological Views on African Religions 25James L. Cox 2 Philosophy of Religion on African Ways of Believing 41V.Y. Mudimbe and Susan Mbula Kilonzo 3 Neo-Protestant Ethics and the Spirit of Capitalism: Perspectives from the Social Sciences 62Jean Comaroff and John L. Comaroff 4 Divination in Africa 79René Devisch 5 Orality, Literature, and African Religions 97Jonathan A. Draper and Kenneth Mtata 6 African Rituals 112Laura S. Grillo 7 Postcolonial Feminist Perspectives on African Religions 127Musa W. Dube 8 Religion and the Environment 140Edward P. Antonio 9 Christianity in Africa: From African Independent to Pentecostal-Charismatic Churches 153Birgit Meyer Part II Interpreting Religious Pluralism 171 10 Neo-traditional Religions 173Marleen de Witte 11 Spirit Possession in Africa 184Susan J. Rasmussen 12 Christian Missions in Africa 198Norman Etherington 13 Christianity in Africa 208David T. Ngong 14 Coptic Christianity 220Jason R. Zaborowski 15 The Ethiopian Orthodox Church 234Christine Chaillot 16 African Theology 241Elias K. Bongmba 17 The Church and Women in Africa 255Isabel Apawo Phiri 18 Feminist Theologies in Africa 269Sarojini Nadar 19 Church and Reconciliation 279Tinyiko Maluleke 20 Pentecostal and Charismatic Movements in Modern Africa 295Matthews A. Ojo 21 African Initiated Churches in the Diaspora 310Afe Adogame 22 Islam in Africa 323Yushau Sodiq 23 Women in Islam: Between Sufi sm and Reform in Senegal 338Penda Mbow 24 Islam and Modernity 355Carmen McCain 25 Jihad 365John H. Hanson 26 Shari’a in Muslim Africa 377David Cook 27 Hinduism in South Africa 389P. Pratap Kumar Part III Religion, Culture, and Society 399 28 Religion and Art in Ile-Ife 401Suzanne Preston Blier 29 Sufi Arts: Engaging Islam through Works of Contemporary Art in Senegal 417Allen F. Roberts and Mary Nooter Roberts 30 Religion, Health, and the Economy 430James R. Cochrane 31 Religion, Illness, and Healing 443David Westerlund 32 Religion and Politics in Africa 457Stephen Ellis and Gerrie ter Haar 33 Religion and Development 466Steve de Gruchy 34 Religion, Media, and Confl ict in Africa 483Rosalind I.J. Hackett 35 Gospel Music in Africa 489Damaris Seleina Parsitau 36 Religion and Globalization 503Asonzeh Ukah 37 Religion and Same Sex Relations in Africa 515Marc Epprecht Bibliography 529 Index 590

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Book SynopsisExplores the role and influence of spirituality in clinical practice, professionalism, and medical education. This title provides insights not only into the needs of patients with various world views but also into how spirituality influences the practice of medicine.Trade ReviewA helpful, important contribution to understanding the role of spirituality in the lives of medical professionals. Choice Valuable. -- John L. Zeller JAMA What a gem of a book! If you have ever wondered what other faith traditions believe when it comes to illness, dying, and death or if you have ever wondered how medical practitioners think about their particular faith tradition, this book is invaluable. In easy to understand language (especially with regard to religions that might be foreign to many readers), the book explores the world views of different faith traditions as well as offering suggestions on caring for those from those traditions. -- P. Fosarelli Journal of Religion and HealthTable of ContentsList of ContributorsPrefacePart I: Historical and Clinical ContextChapter 1. Spirituality and Biomedicine: A History of Harmony and DiscordChapter 2. Approaching Spirituality in Clinical PracticePart II: Major Traditions and MedicineChapter 3. JudaismChapter 4. HinduismChapter 5. IslamChapter 6. ChristianityChapter 7. BuddhismChapter 8. Eclectic SpiritualityChapter 9. Christian ScienceChapter 10. Jehovah's WitnessesChapter 11. A Secular PerspectivePart III: Implications and ApplicationsChapter 12. Ethical Considerations and Implications for ProfessionalismChapter 13. Spiritual Care and ChaplaincyChapter 14. Teaching and Learning at the Interface of Medicine and Spirituality

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Book SynopsisOriginally published in 1970. The question of man's freedom to exercise his willas active an issue among twentieth-century philosophers and theologians as it was in the Jesuit and Jansenist camps known to Pascalis basic to this study. Pascal's theological thinking, which Professor Miel demonstrates to be the source of unity and coherence in virtually all phases of his thought, is preoccupied by a concern for man's limitations. In his analysis of Pascal's theology, Miel is concerned not only with characterizing Pascal's theological position but also with evaluating it in terms of the history of the church. In a concise and lucid review of the Christian doctrine of grace from the pre-Augustinians through the Renaissance, the author identifies the intellectual-theological atmosphere that created the need for Pascal's strong defense of Augustinian theology. Miel considers Pascal's Écrits sur la grâce, Lettres provincials, and Pensées as well as shorter compositions and correspondence. HeTable of ContentsPrefaceAbbreviationsChapter 1: Grace and Free Will: An Historical IntroductionChapter 2: The Ecritus sur la graceChapter 3: The Lettres provincials and Shorter WorksChapter 4: The PenseesAppendicesIndex

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Book SynopsisA comparative global history of Mennonites from the ground up. Winner of the Dale W. Brown Book Award for Outstanding Scholarship in Anabaptist and Pietist Studies, Shortlisted for the Wallace K. Ferguson Prize by the Canadian Historical Association, Nominee of the Margaret McWilliams Award by the Manitoba Historical SocietyMennonite farmers can be found in dozens of countries spanning five continents. In this comparative world-scale environmental history, Royden Loewen draws on a multi-year study of seven geographically distinctive Anabaptist communities around the world, focusing on Mennonite farmers in Bolivia, Canada, Indonesia, the Netherlands, Russia, the United States, and Zimbabwe. These farmers, who include Amish, Brethren in Christ, and Siberian Baptists, till the land in starkly distinctive climates. They absorb very disparate societal lessons while being shaped by particular faith outlooks, historical memory, and the natural environment. The book reveals the ways in whichTrade ReviewAn accessible entry point for readers interested in learning about places other than their own, as well as the interplays between natural resources and human cultivation.—Dr. Rachel Waltner Goossen, Washburn Univerity, Anabaptist WorldTable of ContentsAcknowledgementsIntroduction1. Sect and Settler in the North: Plowing Friesland, Iowa, Manitoba, and Siberia2. Peasant and Piety in the South: Planting Java, Matabeleland, and Bolivia's Oriente3. Something New under the Mennonite Sun: A Century of Agricultural Change4. Making Peace on Earth: Seven Farmers and a Faith of the Everyday5. Women on the Land: Gender and Growing Food in Patriarchal Lands6. Farm Subjects and State Biopower: Seven Degrees of Separation7. Vernaculars of Climate Change: Southern Concern, Northern Complacency8. Mennonite Farmers in "World Scale" History: Seven Encounters on EarthConclusionAppendicesNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisUsing Amish Mafia as a window into the interplay between the real and the imagined, this book dissects the peculiar appeals and potential dangers of deception in reality TV and popular entertainment. When Amish Mafia was released in 2012, viewers were fascinated by the stories of this secret group of Amish and Mennonite enforcers who used threats, extortion, and violence to keep members of the Amish community in lineand to line their own pockets. While some of the stories were based loosely on actual events, the group itself was a complete fabrication. Its members were played by ex-Amish and ex-Mennonite young adults acting out scenarios concocted by the show's producers. What is most extraordinary about Amish Mafia is that, even though it was fictional, it was cleverly constructed to appear real. Discovery Channel, which aired it, assiduously maintained that it was real; whole episodes were devoted to proving that it was real; and many viewers (including smart reality TV fans) were Table of ContentsPrologue1. Enquiring Minds Want to Know2. The Roots of Reality Entertainment3. A Chronicle of Contrivance4. The Pleasure in Being Deceived (and Its Limits)5. Gossip and Lies6. Rights and WrongsEpilogueAcknowledgmentsNotesReferencesIndex

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Book SynopsisBradley Sickler provides a timely theological, scientific, and philosophical assessment of the human brain, displaying the many ways in which the gospel informs a distinctly Christian understanding of cognitive science.

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Book SynopsisDrawing from diverse spiritual and religious backgrounds, this book offers clinical guidance for addressing a vast variety of traditionsand complex diversity considerations in psychotherapy.Trade ReviewThese chapters on religious and spiritual diversity are by psychotherapists, for psychotherapists. People in the daily practice of helping patients have learned to appreciate each person’s uniqueness. This book mirrors the way we can generalize from unique cases, as each chapter author tells their story. Whether you are training for practice, practicing in your professional prime, or looking for ways to stave off burnout, this collection will stimulate, educate, invigorate, and update you. -- Everett L. Worthington, Jr., PhD, Commonwealth Professor Emeritus, Virginia Commonwealth University, Richmond, VAThis groundbreaking book not only adds to the knowledge of diversity-related issues—both religious/spiritual and cultural—in psychotherapy, it accomplishes this goal in a most creative and engaging way: by blending scholarship, clinical case examples, and fascinating personal background stories of the therapists themselves. -- Julie J. Exline, PhD, Professor, Department of Psychological Sciences, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OHThis is a particularly important book at a critical juncture in the development of spiritually-integrated psychotherapy (SIP). While other books have addressed diversity in SIP, Steve Sandage, Brad Strawn, and the chapter contributors have elevated the theory and practice of it to the next level. An amazing accomplishment! -- Len Sperry, MD, PhD, Professor, Florida Atlantic University, Boca Raton, FL; author of Spirituality in Clinical Practice: Theory and Practice of Spiritually Oriented Psychotherapy, Second EditionTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Contents List of Contributors Introduction: Spiritual Diversity in PsychotherapyPart 1: Spiritually Integrated Approaches to Psychology Chapter 1. Hindu Spirituality and Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy Pratyusha Tummala-Narra Chapter 2. Harvesting Religious Fruits in Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: Personal Reflections of a Jewish Psychologist of Religion Kenneth I. Pargament Chapter 3. The Healing Truth of Emptiness: Tibetan Buddhism in the Clinical Space Pilar Jennings Chapter 4. Navigating Deep Waters: Spirituality and Religion in the Womanist Psychodynamic Space Phillis Isabella Sheppard Chapter 5. A Sufi Muslim Model of Spiritually Integrative Psychotherapy Shamaila Khan Chapter 6. Christian Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy: A Wesleyan Model Brad D. Strawn Chapter 7. Raising the Sparks: Psychotherapeutic Process as Tikkun OlamKaren E. Starr Chapter 8. The Name of God is Mercy: Reflections on Suffering, Healing, and Growth from a Roman Catholic, contemplative, mystic, psychoanalyst Theresa Clement Tisdale Part 2: Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy with Specific Diversity Dynamics Chapter 9. Approaching Intersections of Spirituality, Religion, and Non-Traditional Gender Identities in Psychotherapy Ruben A. Hopwood Chapter 10. Spiritually Integrated Psychotherapy with LGBQ Individuals Sarah H. Moon Chapter 11. Religious Differences in Spiritually Integrated Couple Therapy Steven J. Sandage Chapter 12. An Intercultural Approach to Spiritually Oriented Therapy of Military Moral Injury Katy Barrs & Carrie Doehring Chapter 13. Spirituality, Selfhood, and Social Class in Psychotherapy Neil Altman Chapter 14. Conclusion: Summary and Future Directions About the Editors

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Book SynopsisIn Veiled Figures, Teresa Heffernan explores how the clash of civilizations is perpetuated by the rhetoric of veiling and unveiling.Trade Review‘Veiled Figures is a compelling work that presents an original and well-documented argument by a scholar well versed in the field of women’s and gender studies in Middle Eastern studies. -- Roberta Micallef * Tulsa Studies in Women’s Literature vol 36:02:2017 *‘Veiled Figures is an important read for those who seek examinations of the veil’s role in the contemporary context that present a hopeful alternative to the common narrative.’ -- Georgia Carter * Journal of Religion and Culture vol 27:01:2017 *"Teresa Heffernan’s timely and powerful Veiled Figures: Women, Modernity, and the Spectres of Orientalism is a significant entry into the discussions that have ensued from Edward Said’s 1978 Orientalism… In framing the (un)veiled woman in historical, global debates, interrogating voices of compliance and resistance, and documenting the troubling new iterations of this trope in the present day, Heffernan follows Said’s model in crossing disciplinary boundaries and revealing cross-cultural dialogues." -- Carolyn McCue Gofman, Depaul University * University of Toronto Quarterly, vol 87 3, Summer 2018 *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Islam, Secularism, and the Veil 2. The Great Whore of Babylon: Cosmopolitanism and Racialized Nationalism 3. Two Western Women Venture East: Lady Annie Brassey and Anna Bowman Dodd 4. The Great War and its Aftermath: Militarized Citizens, (Un)Veiled Bodies, and the Nation 5. The Burqa and the Bikini: Veiling and Unveiling at the Turn of the Twentieth Century Conclusion: The Legacy of Orientalism

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Book SynopsisThis valuable book is the first to bring together theory and policy with analysis of key areas of the public realm to explore what religious literacy is, why it is needed and what might be done about it. It is aimed at academics, policy-makers and practitioners interested in the continuing presence of religion and belief in the public sphere.Trade Review"A significant contribution to the improvement of conversation about religious literacy by insisting that informed debate be the norm rather than a rarity." Lori G Beaman, University of Ottawa"[This] book is timely, and provides a solid introduction to the field. It should be of interest, not only to scholars and policymakers, but also to anyone concerned about the poverty of current public discourse about religion." British Politics"[This book] will prove an essential resource for scholars and educators interested in the role of religious literacy in the contemporary scene." Sociology of ReligionTable of ContentsForeword ~ Grace Davie; Section one – Theory; Religious literacy: contesting an idea and practice ~ Adam Dinham and Matthew Francis; Diminishing religious literacy: methodological assumptions and analytical frameworks for promoting the public understanding of religion ~ Diane L. Moore; Religious literacy in the context of Theology and Religious Studies ~ David Ford and Mike Higton; The irony of religious illiteracy in the USA ~ Stephen Prothero & Lauren R. Kerby; Religious literacy as lokahi: social harmony through diversity ~ Michael Barnes SJ and Jonathan D. Smith; Section two – Policy; Religious literacy and welfare ~ Adam Dinham; Religious literacy, radicalisation and extremism ~ Matthew Francis and Amanda van Eck Duymaer van Twist; Religious literacy, equalities and human rights ~ Rebecca Catto and David Perfect; Section three – Practice; Religious illiteracy in school Religious Education ~ James C. Conroy; Religious literacy in higher education ~ Stephen H. Jones; Religious literacy and social work: the view from Australia ~ Beth R. Crisp; Religious literacy and the media: the case of the BBC ~ Michael Wakelin and Nick Spencer; Religious literacy and chaplaincy ~ Jeremy Clines with Sophie Gilliat-Ray; Religious literacies: the future ~ Matthew Francis and Adam Dinham.

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Book SynopsisThis edited collection provides interdisciplinary, global, and multi-religious perspectives on the relationship between women's identities, religion, and social change in the contemporary world.Trade Review"A timely book, with rich, empirical research giving voice and texture to women worldwide. This should be required reading for students and researchers seeking to understand women’s contemporary lived religion." Abby Day, Goldsmiths, University of LondonTable of ContentsEditors’ Introduction ~ Elisabetta Ruspini, Glenda Tibe Bonifacio, Consuelo Corradi; Part I: Women, Gender Equality and Religion between Past and Present; Gender Equality in Different Readings of Islam in Post-Revolutionary Iran ~ Marziyeh Bakhshizadeh; Religion and Gender Equality in the Philippines: Discourses and Practices in the 21st Century ~ Glenda Tibe Bonifacio; A Slow March Forward: The Impact of Religious Change on Gender Ideology in the United States ~ Joshua D. Tuttle and Shannon N. Davis; Divine Shadows: Indian Devadasis between Religious Beliefs and Sexual Exploitation ~ Manu Sharma; Part II: Identities, Women’s Movements and Religion; Formation of ‘Religious’ Identity among British Muslim Women ~ Masoumeh Velayati; Christian Women’s Movements in Secularising and Diversifying Contexts: A Case Study from Belgium ~ Nella van den Brandt; Muslim Women in Contemporary Argentina ~ Mari-Sol García Somoza and Mayra Soledad Valcarcel; The Impact of Religious Unorthodoxy on Family Choices and Women’s Wellbeing in Turkey ~ F. Kemal Kizilca; Part III: Contemporary Women’s Religious Experiences; Between Me and My God. A Life Story Narrative of Conciliating Cultural Discourses and Personalization of Islam ~ Ladan Rahbari and Chia Longman; We are all Goddesses: Female Sacred Paths in Italy ~ Roberta Pibiri and Stefania Palmisano; Explorations of Spiritual Embodiment in Belly Dance ~ Angela M. Moe; From Exclusion to Inclusion. Women and Interfaith Dialogue in the Mediterranean Area ~ Francesco Antonelli and Elisabetta Ruspini.

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Book SynopsisHow Black Christians, Muslims, and Jews have used media to prove their equality, not only in the eyes of God but in society. The institutional structures of white supremacyslavery, Jim Crow laws, convict leasing, and mass incarcerationrequire a commonsense belief that black people lack the moral and intellectual capacities of white people. It is through this lens of belief that racial exclusions have been justified and reproduced in the United States. Televised Redemption argues that African American religious media has long played a key role in humanizing the race by unabashedly claiming that blacks are endowed by God with the same gifts of goodness and reason as whitesif not more, thereby legitimizing black Americans' rights to citizenship. If racism is a form of perception, then religious media has not only altered how others perceive blacks, but has also altered how blacks perceive themselves. Televised Redemption argues that black religious media has provided black Americans wiTrade Review"Could not be more timely or important. The authors are three outstanding scholars who have put their heads together to write a definitive book about the neglected yet crucial intersection of representation and religion by and for African Americans from anti-slavery and anti-colonial movements to #blacklivesmatter in ways that 'denaturalize white supremacist commonsense.' Integrating their ethnographic and historical research on the mediation of black identity through different traditions - Christianity prosperity ministry, African American Islam, and Black Hebrew Israelite - they show us the complexity of black faith communities over time. This book should be required reading in anthropology and media studies, African American studies, American history, religious studies, and many more disciplines." -- Faye Ginsburg,David B. Kriser Professor of Anthropology, New York University"This book is one of a kind in disentangling the enduring and transformative power of black, religio-political representation as embodied praxis, as hermeneutics of race, and as the radical reimaging of subjectivity in reshaping legislation, culture, and the black subject. This is a book that unveils contesting histories and hidden abodes of white supremacist narratives set against the existential remapping of Christianity, Islam and Judaism that are lived, practiced, and meditated through black spirituality and the profundity of its rhetorical mission. Media and black religion become something more in this book: they become a culmination of this moment in which a black president and the call for black lives to matter rise out of the machinery of representation, the passion of belonging, and the endurance of belief." -- D. Soyini Madison ,Professor of Performance Studies, Northwestern University"This book stands as a herculean ethnographic effort and an innovative historical analysis of the uses of print, television, radio, sound technologies, and new media by African American religious actors in the United States and diasporic Africana communities." * Reading Religion *

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Book SynopsisUncovers the inherently religious structure of the criminalization of Black, Indigenous, and dispossessed peoplesMost popular critical accounts of mass criminalization interpret police and prisons as purely social or political phenomena. While such accounts have been indispensable in moving millions into collective action and resistance, the carceral state remains as pervasive as ever.White Property, Black Trespass argues that understanding why we have police and prisons, and building a world of safety and abundance beyond them, requires that we acknowledge the inherently religious function that criminalization fulfills for a colonial and racial capitalist order that puts its faith in cops and cages to save it from the existential threat of disorder that its own structural violence creates.The story of criminalization, Krinks shows, begins with the eurochristian aspiration to become God at the expense of all othersan aspiration that gives rise to the

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Book SynopsisWinner of the 2017 Albert J. Raboteau Book Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions Shows how early 20th-century resistance to conventional racial categorization contributed to broader discussions in black America that still resonate todayWhen Joseph Nathaniel Beckles registered for the draft in the 1942, he rejected the racial categories presented to him and persuaded the registrar to cross out the check mark she had placed next to Negro and substitute Ethiopian Hebrew. God did not make us Negroes, declared religious leaders in black communities of the early twentieth-century urban North. They insisted that so-called Negroes are, in reality, Ethiopian Hebrews, Asiatic Muslims, or raceless children of God. Rejecting conventional American racial classification, many black southern migrants and immigrants from the Caribbean embraced these alternative visions of black history, racial identity, and collective future, thereby reshaping the black religious and racial landscape. FocusinTrade Review"For too long Christianity has reigned over our histories of African America. This book definitively establishes the plurality of black religious experience and the definitive role religions had in the formation of twentieth-century racial identity. Reading unconventional sources and unearthing forgotten (but now unforgettable) figures, Weisenfeld offers an exemplary study of religion as a form of social and cultural criticism. There is no historian working with greater precision in the study of religion in America today." -- Kathryn Lofton,Yale University"Innovatively researched, elegantly written, and persuasively argued, Judith Weisenfelds new history of African American religious groups is a major contribution to the study of African American religions during the Great Migration. Weisenfeld deftly uses draft records, death certificates, immigration forms, and other bureaucratic documents to breathe life into the stories of Southern migrants, Northern residents, and Caribbean immigrants who joined Jewish, Muslim, and other prophetic religious movements. These new religious movements, Weisenfeld reveals, resisted racial identities imposed upon them by an increasingly powerful state and fellow American citizens alike. Their religious commitments, expressed not only in a rich theological imagination but also in material culture, ritual activity, and institution-building, created new collective racial identities invested in the redemption of Black peoplehood. Weisenfelds beautifully rendered story will engage both scholars and general readers interested in religion, U.S. history, and Africana studies." -- Edward E. Curtis IV,Millennium Chair of the Liberal Arts, Indiana University – Purdue University Indianapolis"Weisenfeld's richly informative and analytically sharp social history resurrects worlds of black American new religious movements in the interwar years. With particularly adept use of bureaucratic records, she gives us a new picture of the lives of African Americans who rejected categories given to them and sought to redefine their own lives and reinvent their own identities. Meticulously researched, provocatively written, and beautifully detailed." -- Paul Harvey,University of Colorado Colorado Springs"A magnificent, thoughtfully researched work which breaks new theoretical ground on race, religion and the great migration. These compelling, exquisitely researched stories of the lives of devoted participants in the Moorish Science Temple, Ethiopian Hebrews, Father Divine and the NOI reconfigure the cult/ sect status that has historically labeled these groups. Weisenfeld's book redefines the contours of African American Religious history, American religion, and race in American history, and is a must read for the casual reader and established scholar alike." -- Anthea Butler,University of Pennsylvania"New World A-Coming is exquisite history and enfleshed theory. Even more, it is a philosophical manifestation of lifework that results from the seasoned rigor and intellectual deft that come only through the long-term of labor[The] book will certainly become a commanding guide for contemporary scholars and a classic source for future generations seeking to navigate the arduous craft of elucidating and interpreting the history of African American religions." * Church History *"A groundbreaking volume...This vivid, theoretically rich, and well-executed work has much to teach scholars of American history and the history of religion about the ways that black people in the twentieth century engaged in far-reaching reconstruction of their own racial, as well as religious, identities." * American Historical Review *"This book is the most thorough and sophisticated treatment of the emergence and early development of these religio-racial movements...Anyone seeking to understand the role of religion and race in American life, and in particular the religious imagination and religious practices of specific black religio-racial movements in the interwar period would do well to read carefully Weisenfelds exemplary monograph." * African American Review *"A comprehensive study of the formation of 20th-century black religious movements...Weisenfeld's wide-ranging study is eloquent yet succinct." * Publishers Weekly *"[This] monograph is impeccablyresearched and paints a colorful picture of religious diversity among Black people. In so doing, she further dismantles...the standard narrative of Black religion as the Black (Christian) church." * Journal of Africana Religions *"Weisenfelds new work is a breath of fresh air in studies of the Great Migration. She expands our knowledge of the religious landscape of African descended migrants and immigrants in new ways and demonstrates the ingenuity and intricacies of race negotiation by African peoples living during the interwar years in America." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"Judith Weisenfelds thorough examination of the role of religion in shaping African American identity and community during the social and physical shifts of black migration to the urban North emphasizes the multifaceted nature of religion for black communities as a source of material and psychical sustenance." * Journal of Southern Religion *"New World A-Coming is a masterful work of religious history. Weisenfelds analysis pushes our understanding of the ways in which black religioracial movements of the early 20th century functioned as far more than mere urban cults, inviting us to reimagine their meanings. The book is a significant contribution to the study of religious narratives and their role in shaping African-American identity and community in the past and the present." * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *"Central to Weisenfelds study is her great, resolute fascination with the fact that these black people believed rather than being fixated on what they believed. New World A-Coming is a welcome addition to a burgeoning field of books seeking to expand and eventually redefine the parameters of African American religious history writ large." * Journal of American History *"Scholars are fortunate to have a book as rich, careful, and thoughtful asNew World A-Comingto help raise these questions and point them in new directions." * Reading Religion *

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Book SynopsisMadness is a sin. Those with emotional disabilities are shunned. Mental illness is not the church’s problem. All three claims are wrong. Heather H. Vacek traces the history of Protestant reactions to mental illness in America, revealing how two distinct forces combined to thwart Christian care for the whole person.Trade ReviewVacek has written a scholarly jeremiad in which she has weighed her co-religionists' responses to mental illness in the moral balance and found them wanting. The organization of the book highlights what she persuasively argues is a perennial gap between belief and practice in her faith community...The prose is clear, the documentation thorough, and her stance heartfelt." - Lawrence B. Goodheart, Bulletin of the History of Medicine "This timely and deeply moving study has garnered wide media attention. It shows how American Protestants have addressed and, more often, failed to address mental illness in their congregations." - The Christian Century "I recommend this book, and especially its final chapter, to pastors and church leaders who are seeking to reflect on and develop a congregation's ministry among people with mental illnesses, whether they be church members or strangers. It will also appeal to readers with an interest in the history of American mental health attitudes and practices, or, more generally, the history of Christian influences on American society." - Christine Guth, Anabaptist Disabilities Network "Vacek's book serves as an important reminder of how conceptions of mental illness and the structure of care for the mentally ill has a long and complicated history, shaped by everything from religious reformers, the emerging field of professionalized medicine, and the evolution of often grossly underfunded state institutions." - David Eagle, Sociology of Religion "In sum, Vacek combines top-notch historical inquiry with a concern for effective theological responses to mental suffering. She carefully contextualizes the lives of her subjects in relation to broad religious and medical trends, and her in-depth biographical studies facilitate insightful, comparative analysis. The book is accessible to a broad audience and represents an excellent addition to the growing scholarly literature addressing the intersection of religion, medicine, and healing." - Joseph Williams, Journal of the History of Medicine and Allied Sciences "Madness is a fine accomplishment, weaving together a theological point with historical analysis." - Sean Cosgrove, Journal of Religious History "A text that will be read profitably both within the academic community and outside it." - Jeremy Bonner, Journal of Ecclesiastical History "Vacek has written an important text for professors of pastoral counseling/clinical pastoral education and students in divinity and theological schools to disentangle church history and understand what it is they believe about the role of churches and clergy in the accompaniment of people with mental disabilities." - Corrine C. Bertram, H-Net Reviews in the Humanities & Social Sciences "… Madness is a fascinating read and of particular interest to historians, mental healthcare practitioners, and those researching the intersection between medicine and religion." - E. Janet Warren, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith "We live in an era of ever more interest in religion and medicine, yet religious studies has produced remarkably few monographs on the relationship between religion and mental health. The historical breadth of Vacek's book offers a wide-angle lens on this relationship, tracing major shifts as well as detailing turns both disturbing and promising. Aware both of the importance of history and the variety of communities such studies might reach, Vacek offers a thoughtful starting point for future scholarship and engagement." - Philippa Koch, The Journal of ReligionTable of Contents Introduction: Christianity and Mental Illness 1. Making Theological Sense out of Suffering, Sin, and Sickness: Cotton Mather 2. Christian Vocation and the Shape of the Secular Profession: Benjamin Rush 3. Advocating for the Helpless, Forgotten, and Insane: Dorothea Dix 4. Reclaiming Religious Authority in Medicine: Anton Boisen 5. A Passionate Plea to Engage Finds Lukewarm Reaction: Karl Menninger Conclusion: Suffering, Stigma, and Hospitality

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Book SynopsisFuses the Church's traditional doctrine of the Communion of Saints and Baptists' theology of salvation and discipleship - charting how Baptists can speak of a communion of saints here and now. Paul Fiddes and his coauthors emphasize that this communion is only possible within the fellowship of the triune God who covenants with and for believers.Trade ReviewBaptists and the Communion of Saints is a feast to relish. Not only does it offer substantive and convincing proposals for a properly Baptist approach to this issue, it is a sterling example of constructive theology. -- Dan R Stiver, Cook-Derrick Professor of Theology, Logsdon School of Theology, Hardin-Simmons UniversityAn important and timely book on one of the most neglected articles of the Apostles' Creed, Baptists and the Communion of Saints explores what it means for believers to share together life in Christ in this world -- and the next -- along the boundaries of space and time that both separate and unite the church militant, triumphant, and vigilant. -- Timothy George, Dean of Beeson Divinity School, Samford University & Chair, Doctrine & Christian Unity Commission, Baptist World Alliance"The Covenant of Saints is a feast to relish. Not only does it offer substantive and convincing proposals for a properly Baptist approach to this issue, it is a sterling example of constructive theology." -- Dan R Stiver, Hardin-Simmons UniversityThroughout of writing of this study the three scholars collaborated extensively and brought their rich understandings of the Baptist tradition to the common topic which provides the work's title. -- Richard J. Sklba, Auxiliary Bishop Emeritus of Milwaukee, WI -- Pro EcclesiaThis is a richly simulating book, born of conversation and shared theologising by three Baptist theologians of whom we should be justly proud. It explores an area of doctrine where these three do no fear to tread, even if angels might be cautious, and unfolds for us dimensions of the reality of the purposes and breadth of God that we, as Baptists, have ignored to our impoverishing and disabling. -- Paul Goodliff -- Baptist QuarterlyThis is an exceptionally well-written, many-sourced, imaginative and theologically generous book. If written primarily with fellow-Baptists in mind, it nevertheless deserves a much wider and ecumenical readership. Thinkers of every tradition will learn from it. -- Keith Clements -- EcclesiologyTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Why Talk about the Saints? 2. Memory and Communion 3. Hope, Strangeness, and Interconnections 4. Praying with Mary and All the Saints 5. The Fellowship of Faces 6. Communion and Covenant Conclusion: The Difference the Doctrine Makes

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Book SynopsisHistory professors Linford Fisher and J. Stanley Lemons immediately recognised the importance of what turned out to be theologian Roger Williams' final treatise. Decoding Roger Williams reveals for the first time Williams' translated and annotated essay, along with a critical essay by Fisher, Lemons, and Mason-Brown.Trade Review"Decoding Roger Williams revels in the ingenuity of American historical scholarship and renews Williams' fame as early New England's most intriguing and challenging figure." -- Jon Butler, Yale University"A gem of a book and feat of careful scholarship, Decoding Roger Williams illuminates an important aspect of Williams' thinking. It's a very welcome addition to what we know about him." -- David D Hall, Bartlett Research Professor of New England Church History, Harvard Divinity School"Brilliantly transcribed from Roger Williams' shorthand notes, this previously undecoded manuscript demands reconsideration of New England's encounter with Baptist ideas and also of the colonial effort to Christianize native Americans." -- Francis J Bremer, Professor Emeritus, Millersville University of PennsylvaniaDecoding Roger Williams provides significant insights into the life of Roger Williams, particularly by examining what is likely his latest extant theological writings and by discussing two subjects rarely touched on in his other texts. It will provide much fodder for future scholars, not only in decoding what remains in the gaps of the document, but also in the implications of a fuller picture of Williams's religious beliefs. -- Alyssa N. Gerhardt -- The Journal of Southern ReligionStudents of Baptist history and of colonial New England will appreciate this addition to the Roger Williams corpus -- Andrew C. Smith -- American Baptist QuarterlyTable of ContentsList of Figures and Maps Acknowledgments Foreword by Ted Widmer A Key into the Language of Roger Williams: Cracking and Interpreting the Roger Williams Code Roger Williams: "A Brief Reply to a Small Book Written by John Eliot" (1679-1683) John Norcott, Baptism Discovered Plainly and Faithfully According to the Word of God (1675 [1672]) John Eliot, A Brief Answer to a Small Book Written by John Norcot Against Infant-Baptisme (1679) Further Reading and Research Index

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Book SynopsisContinues Gerald O’Collins’ groundbreaking work in Christology by tracing its major developments over the last fifty years. O’Collins then turns to a theology of resurrection - Christology’s central event - and the foundational roles played by its two great witnesses, Peter and Paul.Table of Contents PrefacePART ONE 1. Christology—The Last Fifty Years 2. Revisiting the Person of Jesus 3. Revisiting the Work of JesusPART TWO 4. Paul as a Witness to the Risen Jesus 5. Peter as Witness to EasterPART THREE 6. The Priesthood of Christ and Followers of Other Faiths 7. Jacques Dupuis and Religious Pluralism 8. Jacques Dupuis and Karl RahnerNotes A Bibliography of Gerald O'Collins, SJ (2000–2013) Works Cited Credits Index of Names

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Book SynopsisExplores how Coen brothers’ films emerge as morality tales, set in a mythological American landscape, that critique greed and self-interest. Coen teaches its readers something new about religion, about film, and about the kind of world-making that each claims to be.Trade ReviewTaken as a whole, the essays in Coen offer a lively conversation (indeed, the contributors edited one another's essays, and several of the published texts contain helpful intertextual comments) about the ways in which filmmakers, audiences, and scholars all imagine interactions between film and religion. As a compilation of criticism on the Coen filmography, the collection organizes and reframes an expansive bibliography. As works of scholarship on religion, its essays imaginatively connect critical theory of religion with cinema studies scholarship, applied in clever and illuminating readings of the Coens' oeuvre. -- Geoffrey Pollick -- The Revealer...[ Coen ] offers an unexpected number of insights beyond the Coens and their films. -- Christian Wessely, Journal for Religion, Film and MediaThis immensely readable work is a stunning success of eloquent writers tackling riveting topics. Each of the Coen brothers' movies, the hilarious and the harrowing treated in chronological order, receives careful critical analysis that sheds blazing light on the dark genius of these filmmakers. -- Terry Lindvall -- Journal of the American Academy of ReligionA work that sets out in search of the Coens' cinematic soul and returns with a raft of compelling insights -- Richard Goodwin -- Journal of Religion and FilmTable of ContentsIntroduction: Are the Coen Brothers Religious Filmmakers? Or How Simple Is Blood Simple ? Act One: The Early Films: Reading Religion as... 1. Morality in Raising Arizona 2. Theology in Millerâs Crossing 3. World Creation in Barton Fink 4. Community in The Hudsucker Proxy First Intermission: So Are the Coen Brothers Religious Filmmakers? Fargo between Christian Moralism and Post-Modern Irony Act Two: The Middle Films: Analyzing Religion and... 5. Fandom in The Big Lebowski 6. Race in O Brother, Where Art Thou? 7. Money in Intolerable Cruelty and The Ladykillers 8. The State in Burn after Reading Second Intermission: Are the Coen Brothers Formally Coherent? No Country for Old Men between Time and Eternity Act Three: The Later Films: Theorizing... 9. Transcendence in The Man Who Wasnât There 10. Hermeneutics in A Serious Man 11. Death in True Grit 12. Absence in Inside Llewyn Davis Epilogue: Hail, Caesar?

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Book SynopsisTraces the arc of Dietrich Bonhoeffer's public career, demonstrating how, at every stage, Bonhoeffer focused upon preaching, both in terms of its ecclesial practice and the theology that gave it life.Trade ReviewPasquarello's engagement with Bonhoeffer's post-university preaching life from 1931-1937 not only provides excellent theological analysis of Bonhoeffer's sermons, but unearths the ways Bonhoeffer's historical context informed both his homiletics and hermeneutics -- Matthew K. Jones -- Reading ReligionPasquarello strikes a commendable balance between breadth-providing the bigger picture of Bonhoeffer's career as a preacher-and depth, carefully analyzing his homiletical theology and individual sermons. The writing style is engaging in both allowing Bonhoeffer's voice to take centre stage and in offering connections, commentary, and conclusions that demonstrate clear authorial grasp of the subject matter. -- Javier A. Garcia -- The Journal of Theological StudiesTable of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Preparation Chapter 1. Learning a Theology of Preaching from Luther and Barth: Berlin 1925â1927 Chapter 2. Reconciling Pastoral Ministry with Preaching: Barcelona 1928â1929 Chapter 3. The Discovery of a Black Jesus: New York 1929â1931 Part II: Preaching Chapter 4. Preaching as Theology: Berlin 1931â1932 Chapter 5. Preaching as Politics: London 1932â1935 Chapter 6. Preaching as Public Confession: Finkenwalde 1935â1937 Part III: Consequences Chapter 7. A Forced Itinerary: 1937â1939 Chapter 8. Preaching without Words: 1940â1945 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhile for many today the idea of an embodied God seems simplistic - even pedestrian - Christoph Markschies reveals that in antiquity, the educated and uneducated alike subscribed to this very idea. More surprisingly, the idea that God had a body was held by both polytheists and monotheists.Table of Contents1. The Body of God after Antiquity 2. The Body of God in the Judeo-Christian Bible and the Early Christian Theologians 3. The Body of God and Divine Statues in Antiquity 4. The Bodies of Gods and the Bodies of Souls in Late Antiquity 5. The Body of God and Late Antique Jewish Mysticism 6. The Body of God in Late Antique Christian Theology 7. The Body of God and Antique Christology Conclusion: Settled Conceptions of God?

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Book SynopsisMaintains that much of what was accomplished in a hopeful coalescence around the canonical form of Scripture remains relevant for biblical interpretation in our present period. Here, we find a form of “catholicity” that offers hope and promise for our day in spite of cultural, ecclesial, and academic distinctives.Table of Contents Introduction 1 Diachronic Legacy and Complementary Reading 2 Intent and Inspiration 3 Typology and Figuration 4 Biblical Theology 5 Wisdom, Creation, Ontology 6 Roman Catholic Hermeneutics and Canon 7 Common Text Convergence Conclusion

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Book SynopsisOffers the first in-depth analysis of the biblical-hermeneutical questions driving the heated open theism debate. Unlike previous books on the open view of God, Manuel Schmid's work does not take sides. Rather, he offers a qualified and critical look at the standard arguments of both the proponents and critics of open theism.Table of Contents 1 Introduction: Open Theism as a Biblical-Theological Reform Movement 2 Exegetical Traces: The Biblical Motif of the "Openness of God" 3 Theological Interpretations: Controversies Surrounding the "Openness of God" 4 Systematic Classifications: From Biblical to Systematic Theology 5 Concluding Reflections: Open Theism as a Biblical-Theological Reform Movement 6 Postscript: On the Culture of Dispute in Evangelicalism

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Book SynopsisArgues that what our churches need is not more programs for disabled people but rather the pastoral tools to repent of able-bodied theologies and practices, listen to people with disabilities, lament ableism and injustice, and be transformed by God’s ministry through disabled leadership.Table of Contents Introduction 1 The Problem of Inclusion 2 The "End" of Inclusion 3 Listening beyond Inclusion 4 Listening beyond Rebuke 5 Following Jesus toward Justice 6 Ministers Each and Every One 7 A Disabled Critique of Christian Leadership 8 New Modes of Disabled Leadership 9 Mirrors and Accomplices in the Kingdom of God Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDrawing on archival and ethnographic research in Canada and the Philippines from 1880 to 2017, Bayanihan and Belonging aims to understand the role of religion within present-day Filipino Canadian communities.Trade Review"Alison Marshall is a wise ethnographer. She is keenly aware of her own positionality as both non-Filipino and a researcher interacting with her participants…Marshall is self-aware, and she knows that what appears mundane to some reveals just as much about the beholder as the object of their gaze." -- Lydia Bringerud, Memorial University of Newfoundland * Journal of Folklore Research *"This study of Filipinos in Manitoba is highly recommended for its scholarly value and as an interesting read about energetic and hardworking new Canadians." -- Terence J. Fay SJ, University of Toronto * Historical Studies *Table of ContentsReligion Migration History Filipinos in Winnipeg Filipinos in Brandon Religious Activities and Expressions Outside of Church Filipino-Canadian Protestants and their Churches The Rise of Voluntary Associations Winnipeg’s Church Staff Filipinos in Manitoba beyond Winnipeg

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Book SynopsisBecause of illness and age the Jesuit theologian and philosopher Bernard Lonergan never completed the systematic study on Christology, the doctrine concerning the person of Christ, that he had planned to write. Christ and History, written by his former student Frederick E. Crowe, is an attempt to rectify that loss by tracing the outline of Lonergan’s possible work on the subject.Moving from the Jesuit philosopher’s early student work, through the fertile and productive years in which he wrote Insight and Method in Theology, to his final lectures on the topic, Crowe presents the evolution of Lonergan’s thinking on Christology in the context of the radical developments contained within his other theological writings. Written in the spirit of piety towards his revered teacher, Christ and History is an important analysis of these works and the Christology that they contain.Trade Review"[Crowe] has devoted a lifetime, now well beyond the Psalmist's threescore years and ten, to studying, editing, expounding and building on Lonergan's work. Now he has crowned an already impressive list of publications with this book." -- Charles Helfling Toronto Journal of Theology "An interesting and accessible overview of how Lonergan's approach to Christology changed in the course of his intellectual pilgrimage." -- Don Schweitzer Studies in Religion/Sciences Religieuses "Students of Lonergan will be the first to profit from the breadth of data and sure-footed interpretation that Crowe offers." -- William P. Loewe Horizons: The Journal of the College Theology SocietyTable of ContentsPrologue: In Search of History Chapter 1: Lonergan's Religion, and His Theology Chapter 2: The Christology of 1935 Chapter 3: Causality in Sacraments and Sacrifice Chapter 4: First Courses in Christology: 1948, 1952 Chapter 5: First Courses at the Gregorian University Chapter 6: De Verbo incarnato Chapter 7: Critique of Scholasticism Chapter 8: Modernism, Dogma, Truth Chapter 9: 'De bono et malo' Chapter 10: 'Una Parola Nuova' Chapter 11: The New Christology, 1971-1975 Chapter 12: Lonergan and History in General Chapter 13: Christ and History: 'Via receptionis' Chapter 14: Christ and Historical Causality: 'Via motionis' Chapter 15: History, Faith, and the New Fundamental Theology Chapter 16: Christianity and World Religions Epilogue: Beyond History to the Secret Counsels of God

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Book SynopsisThe desire to erase the religions of Indigenous Peoples is an ideological fixture of the colonial project that marked the first century of Canada’s nationhood. While the ban on certain Indigenous religious practices was lifted after the Second World War, it was not until 1982 that Canada recognized Aboriginal rights, constitutionally protecting the diverse cultures of Indigenous Peoples. As former prime minister Stephen Harper stated in Canada’s apology for Indian residential schools, the desire to destroy Indigenous cultures, including religions, has no place in Canada today. And yet Indigenous religions continue to remain under threat. Framed through a postcolonial lens, What Has No Place, Remains analyses state actions, responses, and decisions on matters of Indigenous religious freedom. The book is particularly concerned with legal cases, such as Ktunaxa Nation v. British Columbia (2017), but also draws on political negotiations, such as those Trade Review"Nicholas Shrubsole’s What Has No Place, Remains is an important contribution to the discussion of Indigenous religious freedom in Canada. Shrubsole provides a thorough and compelling analysis of how the Canadian Constitution’s multiple apparent promises to Indigenous Peoples have often gone unfulfilled." -- Howard Kislowicz, University of Calgary * Journal of Church and State *Table of ContentsPreface A Comment on Terminology Abbreviations Introduction 1. The Depth of Religious Freedom 2. Secularization, Dispossession, and Forced Deprivatization 3. Religions Plus? Competing Frameworks of Indigenous Religious Freedom 4. Dealing with Diversity Poorly and the Gustafsen Lake Standoff 5. The Duty to Consult and Accommodate 6. The Potential and Limits of International Mechanisms of Redress Conclusion: Challenges for Reconciliation Notes Bibliography Index

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Book Synopsis‘The interpretours of Plato,’ wrote Sir Thomas Elyot in The Governour (1531), ‘do think that the wonderful and incomprehensible order of the celestial bodies, I mean sterres and planettes, and their motions harmonicall, gave to them that intensifly and by the deepe serche of raison beholde their coursis, in the sondrye diversities of number and tyme, a forme of imitation of a semblable motion, which they called daunsigne or sltation.’ The image of the planets and stars engaged in an ordered and measured dance is an ancient one. Plato articulated it in a passage in the Timaeus, where he likened the apparent motions of the planets and stars to ‘choreiai’ (choral dances). Through the centuries the analogy has challenged Plator’s interpreters to define and elaborate the image. Miller has examined a range of poetic and philosophical texts influenced by Plato cosmology, and has discovered frequent comparisons of the cosmic ord

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Book SynopsisSet in late sixteenth-century Spain, this book tells the gripping story of Lucrecia de León, a young woman of modest background who gained a dangerously popular reputation as a prophetic dreamer predicting apocalyptic ruin for her country. When Lucrecia was still a teenager, several Catholic priests took great interest in her prolific dreams and began to record them in detail. But the growing public attention to the dreams eventually became too much for the Spanish king. Stung that Lucrecia had accurately foreseen the defeat of the Spanish Armada in 1588, Philip II ordered the Inquisition to arrest her on charges of heresy and sedition. During Lucrecia's imprisonment, trial, and torture, the carefully collected records of her dreams were preserved and analyzed by the court. The authenticity of these dreams, and their potentially explosive significance, became the focal point of the Church's investigation. Returning to these records of a dreamer from another era, Lucrecia the Dreamer is the first book to examine Lucrecia's dreams as dreams, as accurate reports of psychological experiences with roots in the brain's natural cycles of activity during sleep. Using methods from the cognitive science of religion, dream researcher Kelly Bulkeley finds meaningful patterns in Lucrecia's dreaming prophecies and sheds new light on the infinitely puzzling question at the center of her trial, a question that has vexed all religious traditions throughout history: How can we determine if a dream is, or is not, a true revelation?Trade Review"An excellent scholarly work, Lucrecia the Dreamer reads like a novel of political and religious intrigue, for the scenes are stranger than fiction—even though they are a matter of historical record. Anyone interested in dreams should read this book."—Patrick McNamara, Boston University and Northcentral University"Structured like a police procedural and delightful to read, Lucrecia the Dreamer employs concepts from psychology, anthropology, and history to situate Lucrecia de León in a broader human story about the power of dreaming. Given the difficulties of crossing disciplinary boundaries while maintaining the integrity of each discipline's rules of analysis, Kelly Bulkeley's achievement is most impressive."—Leslie Tuttle, Louisiana State University"While Lucrecia's personal story becomes the framework on which the fault-lines of Spanish society are displayed, Bulkeley sees a bigger picture....4/5 stars"—Bob Rickard, Fortean Times"Bulkeley's book presents an intriguing micro-history that illuminates life in late sixteenth-century Madrid and suggests the potential value of incorporating cognitive and digital approaches to scholarship on early modern events and texts. Bulkeley portrays Lucrecia as a living, breathing person, and he attempts to reconstruct her lived experiences, both waking and sleeping. His multifaceted analyses may indicate new paths for studying other visionaries and mystics of Golden-Age Spain."—Teresa Hancock-Parmer, Bulletin of Spanish StudiesTable of ContentsIntroduction Historical Prologue 1. Early Life 2. A Record of Dreams 3. The Three Companions 4. Esta Negra Soñadora 5. New Powers 6. The Trial 7. What She Was Not 8. Patterns in the Dreams 9. Cognitive Science 10. Relational Psychology 11. Politics and Society 12. History of Religions 13. What She Most Likely Was Historical Epilogue Conclusion

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Book SynopsisA voyage of exploration to the outer reaches of our inner lives. UFOs are a myth, says David J. Halperin—but myths are real. The power and fascination of the UFO has nothing to do with space travel or life on other planets. It's about us, our longings and terrors, and especially the greatest terror of all: the end of our existence. This is a book about UFOs that goes beyond believing in them or debunking them and to a fresh understanding of what they tell us about ourselves as individuals, as a culture, and as a species. In the 1960s, Halperin was a teenage UFOlogist, convinced that flying saucers were real and that it was his life's mission to solve their mystery. He would become a professor of religious studies, with traditions of heavenly journeys his specialty. With Intimate Alien, he looks back to explore what UFOs once meant to him as a boy growing up in a home haunted by death and what they still mean for millions, believers and deniers alike. From the prehistoric Balkans to the deserts of New Mexico, from the biblical visions of Ezekiel to modern abduction encounters, Intimate Alien traces the hidden story of the UFO. It's a human story from beginning to end, no less mysterious and fantastic for its earthliness. A collective cultural dream, UFOs transport us to the outer limits of that most alien yet intimate frontier, our own inner space.Trade Review"It takes a classical scholar to fully challenge the belief in flying saucers, and David J. Halperin is the right expert for the job. Nearly fifty years after we realized we were pursuing the same mystery, I am delighted to see he has valiantly continued on this colorful and occasionally terrifying path." -- Jacques Vallée * author of Passport to Magonia: From Folklore to Flying Saucers *"David Halperin doesn't believe in the literal reality of flying saucers, but he understands that they needn't physically exist to teach us lessons about a culture that sees them. Part folklorist and part psychologist, Halperin reads our UFO mythos like an alienist analyzing an extended collective dream." -- Jesse Walker * author of The United States of Paranoia: A Conspiracy Theory *"Whatever it is, the UFO is a real phenomenon. What David Halperin explores is how to interpret phenomena that are neither imagination nor physics but somehow both. Intimate Alien is a thoroughly fascinating dive into a third domain, a genuine twilight zone that is perpetually shimmering between mind and matter." -- Dean Radin * author of Real Magic: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science, and a Guide to the Secret Power of the Universe *"On one level, this is a book about the UFO phenomenon. On another, this is a book about how a scholar of religion comes to be." -- Jeffrey J. Kripal * Rice University *"True believers in the UFO phenomenon are unlikely to find Halperin's book satisfying, but scholars of religion will find it quite illuminating of the ufological culture. One does not need to accept the entire Jungian scholarly apparatus to accept Halperin's clearly argued position that a collective unconscious fed the experience, memory, and mythic continuation of UFO folklore" -- Benjamin E. Zeller * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *"[Intimate Alien] will hopefully contribute to a growing willingness on the part of scholars of religion and related disciplines to delve into this phenomenon, an important – if often neglected – facet of modern Western culture." -- Ethan Doyle White * Reading Religion *Table of ContentsContents and Abstracts0Introduction chapter abstractSome believe in UFOs; others debunk and even ridicule the whole idea. I neither believe nor debunk. I approach UFOs as a mythology, a collective dream of our culture or even our entire species, as rich and profound as the great mythologies of the ancient world. When the myth takes visible form, experienced as something unknown and alien, it's akin to what our ancestors would have called a "vision of God." It doesn't take place only, or even authentically, in the sky. It's a human phenomenon, encompassing those who experience it and those who mock it, believers and debunkers alike. The UFO is the mystery of them all, or more correctly the mystery of us. 1Confessions of a Teenage UFOlogist chapter abstractThe UFO story I know best is my own. I was not quite thirteen when I became persuaded, with the sudden force of a religious conversion, that UFOs are real and that it was my destined mission to solve their mystery. UFOs were a perfect mythic expression for the ultimate alien, namely my mother's approaching death, that had invaded my familiar skies. The suppression of the truth about UFOs by mysterious agencies, mirroring my family's refusal to speak of the disease draining my mother's life, seemed to me a self-evident fact. After she died, when I was sixteen, my conviction faded. But it left me with a keen sense of the power and fascination of the UFO myth in which I'd believed, and how it might help us come to terms with our finite lives. 2Scenes from Magonia chapter abstractFour case studies, taken from diverse locations and historical periods—Philadelphia in 1974, Belgium in 1989-1990, the Dardanelles in 1683, Papua New Guinea in 1959—illustrate a central premise: the UFO comes from within. In all four cases the UFOs are psychic entities taking on the illusion of physical reality, transforming some mundane stimulus into an extraordinary new creation. The transformation is not random or meaningless, but to be understood through the psyche of the observers. Its roots may plunge very deep, into layers of the psyche that transcend centuries and cultures. In each case, the question to be asked of the UFO is not what it is or how it flies, but: What does it mean? 3The Abductions Begin chapter abstractThe alien abduction myth of the late twentieth century had its beginning in 1964, when an interracial New Hampshire couple underwent hypnosis to help them cope with the physical and psychological consequences of what they remembered as a UFO encounter. The experience, eerie as it seemed, was triggered by nothing more unearthly than the light on a mountaintop observation tower. But the abject terror the memories evoked in African-American Barney Hill came from a far older collective memory, of abduction into the alien craft that was the European slave ship. In their "UFO abduction," Barney and his white wife Betty channeled his historic trauma and her historic crime. Unintentionally, they planted seeds in the culture which, years later, would burst into fantastic bloom. 4The Lure of the Unremembered chapter abstractIf 1964 marked the birth of the abduction myth, its watershed event came at the beginning of 1987, when Whitley Strieber's abduction memoir Communion leaped to the top of the best-seller charts. The haunting cover illustration gave us our iconic image of an alien face: light-bulb shape, huge slanted eyes of impenetrable black. The numbers of reported abductions multiplied into the thousands. Abduction memories, retrieved through hypnosis, shared cultural space with another kind of recovered memory, of childhood sexual abuse. When sexual-abuse memories fell into discredit, so did abductions. Yet a 6000-year-old mask from Kosovo in the Balkans, mirroring the face on the Communion cover, points to something underlying them that's archaic and universal, a prehistory that goes back far beyond their twentieth-century manifestations. 5Ancient Abductees chapter abstractThe UFO is a modern myth. It's also timeless, with a prehistory as well as a history; the interplay of the two aspects is necessary for understanding it. The prehistory of the abduction theme includes the ancient Jewish tradition of psychic journeys to the merkavah, the UFO-like "chariot" described in the first chapter of Ezekiel. Like many abductees, the "merkavah mystics" imagined themselves descending to a vehicle that ought to be in the skies. They shriveled in dread under the gaze of eyes like those on the cover of Strieber's Communion. The "descent," ancient and modern, is into the unconscious, to a realm where boundaries blur: between human and animal, human and alien, "I" and the ultimate "not-I"—death. 6"Three Men in Black" chapter abstractThe "men in black" entered UFO mythology in 1953, when (according to report) they paid an unwelcome visit to a UFO researcher named Bender and terrorized him into silence. Like the abduction theme, the men-in-black tradition has a long prehistory. Its contemporary history begins with the mythologizing of the Bender incident by writer Gray Barker, who as a closeted gay man in 1950s West Virginia knew very well what it was to have a secret too terrible to be spoken. The myth, born of Barker's private trauma, spread. Others had run-ins with men in black; death symbolism became part of their image. In the wildly popular "Men In Black" movies at century's end, they turned into harsh protectors who "won't let you remember" what you've known to be true. 7Shaver Mystery chapter abstractIf the men in black embody the alien among us, the "dero" of the 1940s "Shaver Mystery" represent the alien within. Emerging from the troubled unconscious of a metal worker named Richard Shaver, promoted by a science fiction editor named Raymond Palmer, this grim gospel told of the perverted, dwarfish descendants of ancient space colonists who inhabit the caverns beneath our feet. They torment us surface folk with their "disintegrating rays"; they kidnap us for orgies of torture; they maintain active commerce with beings from other planets. When "flying saucers" suddenly filled American skies in the summer of 1947, following a landmark sighting over the Cascade Mountains, Shaver's devotees could say: we told you so. 8Roswell, New Mexico chapter abstractOn July 8, 1947, officials at Roswell Army Air Field declared themselves in possession of a "flying disc" that had landed on a ranch northwest of the town. The claim was debunked and sank into obscurity, re-emerging thirty years later to become the "seminal event in UFO history." In the process, it transformed itself from a banal mystery of fallen debris into a profound and gripping myth of mortal divinity—sky-riding gods who are frail and childlike, shattered and slain—tailored for the space age that's also the nuclear age. At the myth's heart is death, not only of the individual but of the species, which in 1947 had just become a realistic possibility. Its warning: child-humanity, straining toward the skies in arrogant self-regard, crashes to absolute and permanent extinction. Epilogue: John Lennon in Magonia chapter abstractOne hot summer night in 1974, a man and a woman stood naked before a sky-borne entity which they experienced as a glowing disk. They were the former Beatle John Lennon and his girlfriend May Pang, and although they were hardly conscious of re-enacting Adam and Eve's experience before God in the Garden of Eden, that's precisely what they were doing. Their encounter with the numinous, the alien, was a template hard-wired into the human unconscious. It typifies the UFO experience as a religious event, part of the myth that is UFO lore. Like the rest of the UFO's "hidden story," it expresses a mystery that has nothing to do with extraterrestrials or spaceships but is part of the most ancient mystery of all: what is this two-legged, two-gendered being that lives yet knows it must die? Who is this creature, us?

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Book SynopsisFrom the US to Nepal, author J. Bradley Wigger travels five countries on three continents to hear children describe their invisible friends—one-hundred-year-old robins and blue dogs, dinosaurs and teapots, pretend families and shape-shifting aliens—companions springing from the deep well of childhood imagination. Drawing on these interviews, as well as a new wave of developmental research, he finds a fluid and flexible quality to the imaginative mind that is central to learning, co-operation, and paradoxically, to real-world rationality. Yet Wigger steps beyond psychological territory to explore the religious significance of the kind of mind that develops relationships with invisible beings. Alongside Cinderella the blue dog, Quack-Quack the duck, and Dino the dinosaur are angels, ancestors, spirits, and gods. What he uncovers is a profound capacity in the religious imagination to see through the surface of reality to more than meets the eye. Punctuated throughout by children's colorful drawings of their see-through interlocutors, the book is highly engaging and alternately endearing, moving, and humorous. Not just for parents or for those who work with children, Invisible Companions will appeal to anyone interested in our mind's creative and spiritual possibilities.Trade Review"Brad Wigger took the time to shed his professorial skin, entering with empathy into the world of children who trusted him enough to reveal themselves. He's now returned from their world to make the invisible visible. Read this book to open your eyes—wide!" -- Jerome Berryman * Godly Play Foundation *"Brad Wigger's artful mix of storytelling and new research captivates the imagination, drawing us into his own journey of discovery. One of the best reads I have enjoyed for some time, his delightful book shares valuable reflections on human uniqueness, early childhood development, and the origins of religion." -- Justin Barrett * Fuller Theological Seminary *"In this captivating book, Brad Wigger's intriguing research on young children's imaginary friends leads us into deep consideration of our remarkable human capacity for social imagination. Whether your primary interest is child development, the cognitive foundations of religion, or human nature itself, you will find much to think about here." -- Peter Gray * author of Free to Learn *"Theologian J. Bradley Wigger interviewed hundreds of children from diverse cultures and found evidence of imaginary friends wherever he looked. His wonderful book documents his quest to understand how these imaginary friends fit into the larger worlds of invisible beings." -- Marjorie Taylor * author of Imaginary Companions and the Children Who Create Them *"Its riveting stories of children and adults aside, this engaging book is ultimately a work of theology that poses a profound question: Is God just another imaginary friend? And, if not, what is the difference?" -- Robert Wuthnow * author of The Left Behind *"[A] charming, insightful, generally persuasive book....The fruits of children's relationships to their invisible friends, as Wigger convincingly presents them, are uncommonly sweet. For that sweetness alone, his book is worth the reading." -- David J. Halperin * Society for Psychical Research *"J. Bradley Wigger challenges us to keep an open mind when it comes to friends that we cannot see. This eloquent book...poses that by having a clearer understanding the imagined world, we have a better grasp on reality." -- Mike Findlay * Psychreg *Table of ContentsContents and AbstractsIntroduction: See-through Knowing chapter abstractThe book opens with the author, twenty years earlier, discovering his daughter has an imaginary friend, Crystal. The scene brings together the origins of his interest in invisible friends (IFs) as both personal and professional. Wonder and curiosity forge the motivation driving the research and book: Why do children make up such companions? And beneath this psychological question is a religious one: Is there a connection between a relationship to an invisible friend and one to an invisible God? The notion of "see-through knowing" is inspired by the name Crystal, which, like the glass, is see-through. The narrative style of the chapter introduces the style of the entire book, which itself is inspired by the children it presents, based upon firsthand interviews. Children take in the world around them and create scenes and characters much as novelists (or narrative nonfiction writers) do. 1Life-Givers chapter abstractThe chapter immediately jumps into descriptions of IFs based upon interviews with children over the course of a year: "Meet Quack Quack." It uses children's own words and drawings to highlight large themes that are explored throughout the book: play and pretense, unpredictability and flexibility, and the intensity of childhood relationships. Addressed as well are the ways the research was carried out, previous studies (which are very limited), ethical considerations, definitions of IFs, and the ways children with IFs were recruited (through parents). It draws upon a notion of saints as "life-givers" to frame the friends and the children who created them. 2Flexibility chapter abstractThe chapter presents more descriptions of IFs, focusing upon the theme of flexibility. Categories such as gender and form are less rigid among the IFs of many of the children: Jeff, a boy, is sometimes a girl, Jeffette; Dino is sometimes a dinosaur and at other times a space alien. Space and time are fluid as well: an IF is here one moment, in Florida the next; another IF is thousands of years old. Even life and death are stretched: an IF died but has returned; another went away to be with an aunt who died; another is a girl's grandfather who died but comes back to comfort her when she's sad. The chapter makes connections to a religious imagination (also not limited by death), which, in turn, sets up a discussion of the work and influence of Freud and the parallels between his view of religion and childhood imagination. 3Logic and Imagination chapter abstractThe chapter makes clear that children know the difference between their imaginary friends and "real-life" people. A prevalent fear stoked by Freud's and Piaget's assumptions about early childhood is that children with IFs may be psychologically troubled. Both believed young children were unable to differentiate fantasy from reality and the developmental task is to move from such confusion to a real-world orientation. Drawing upon a new wave of research into early childhood development, the chapter demonstrates how the Freudian/Piagetian framework got the picture wrong, backwards. Imagination is the developmental achievement and actually aids the development of logic and real-world rationality. 4Sharing chapter abstractBeginning with brothers who share an IF named Baby Bear, the chapter draws out the social dimensions of imaginative play. It provides a brief description of the evolutionary emergence and importance of the deeply social qualities of the human mind. The roots of this mind likely grow in the evolutionary soil of care-taking and food sharing; and the chapter highlights themes of sharing and eating found in the interviews (e.g., IFs eat dinner with the family). The chapter takes the notion of a deeply social mind even deeper and makes soft connections to the theme of sharing and eating in religion. 5Wild Mind chapter abstractThe chapter returns to the phenomenon of shapeshifting among some children's IFs. Lucy is a mom, a tiger, a rabbit, a mouse, and more, depending upon the day or hour. But she is still Lucy. Childhood studies of psychological "essentialism" help illumine how and why the essence of Lucy could remain even as her appearance changes. Moreover, the chapter focuses upon play itself in learning and development. When children pretend or imagine, they are "playing with mind." That is, children are playing with the points of view, motivations, and knowledge others have in order to understand the social world with more agility. 6Who Knows What? chapter abstractThe chapter builds a bridge between Parts I and II and provides a more direct discussion of religion. Not only did the author interview children about IFs, he conducted theory-of-mind cognitive tests with them. Theory of mind refers to the ways in which children (or adults) think about the knowledge others possess. "Would Quack Quack know what's in this box if nobody showed him?" The author describes the significance of this research (especially in relation to religion) through his travels and work at the University of Oxford. "Would God know what's in this box?" The results create important challenges to Piaget's theory of development. Primarily, children are not nearly as "concrete" or "egocentric" in thinking as had been thought. They easily think about a mind (like God's) who has never been encountered concretely and can differentiate such a special mind from those of ordinary (limited) humans. 7Ancestors and Angels chapter abstractThe chapter describes interviews conducted among over 300 children in Kenya and Malawi. Over 20% of the Kenyan children had IFs, and over 25% of the children in Malawi did, answering the first question: Do children in developing countries even have IFs? Lack of recreational facilities or toys did not seem to inhibit imagination. Using theory-of-mind tests, the author asked not only about an IF or Christian God in Kenya but about the ancestors and the Sun (both important to the local culture) as well. In Malawi, children were asked about the minds of spirits and angels as well as Allah (among Muslims) and God (among Christians). Results showed strong similarities between the ways children in Kenya, Malawi, and the US think about ordinary and extraordinary minds, including the minds of IFs. 8Gods and Godsibbs chapter abstractThe chapter describes interviews in Nepal (Hindu and Buddhist) and the Dominican Republic (Christian). Only 5% of Nepali children had IFs, while in the DR over a third had them. Reasons for the differences are explored, but generally there seems to be a cultural emphasis upon realism in Nepal that discourages fantasy and imagination. Nonetheless, children in this polytheistic culture tend to think of the minds of gods and goddesses in a way similar to the way children in monotheistic cultures think of God's mind. The deities know in extraordinary ways. In the DR, over a third of the children described IFs and drew pictures of them. In the DR, theory-of-mind results challenge even further Piaget's theory of childhood egocentrism. The chapter turns to evolutionary theories of gossip as a suggestive angle on IFs and our deeply social, if not religious natures. 9Original Knowing chapter abstractThe chapter explores, from an evolutionary perspective, the type of mind that can imagine, and it focuses upon the power of a "social imagination" that not only learns but intentionally teaches and cooperates, which is unique among primates. The capacity leads to "accumulated cultural learning" and the vast differences between humans and others (especially chimps) despite being so similar in DNA makeup. The chapter makes a moral point that our cognition and cooperation do not make us inherently better, but make us dangerous. The temptation is to reduce others and claim our own beliefs ultimate. Religion can do this too. But religion can also resist the temptation and stoke the ability to recognize the irreducible nature of others, the world. Religion can stoke wonder. 10Friends of God chapter abstractThe chapter opens with a friend who has imaginary conversations with his late father (over coffee). It looks at the parallels between novelists with their characters and children with IFs. But the chapter uses these to raise the big question: Are they real? This leads to the question, Is God just an imaginary friend? Some evolutionary psychologists use theory of mind to explain (away) religion. The chapter acknowledges the possible truth of the claim but also some shortcomings: one philosophical (it does not wrestle with why there is a world at all), the other psychological (it does not address the prevalence of unbelief or skepticism even among the religious). Ultimately, drawing upon Jewish mysticism, the chapter turns the question around, raising the possibility that we are God's imaginary friends, born of the Creator's imagination (like an author) for the sake of relationship.

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Book SynopsisExperiences of the Sacred: Introductory Readings in Religion provides students with a curated compilation of articles written on the different religious traditions. The articles provide students with valuable insight into the particular worldviews and beliefs of each religion.The text provides an overview of seven religious traditions, which are organized into three major categories: Dharmic traditions (Hinduism and Buddhism); Chinese traditions (Confucianism and Daoism); and Abrahamic traditions (Judaism, Christianity, and Islam). The readings on the religions are introduced by material on the cultures in which they were created, providing students with rich historical and cultural context, followed by overviews, essays, and descriptions of each tradition. Suggestions for further reading and reflection questions throughout the text encourage additional exploration and consideration of the material.Providing students with a critical knowledge base of major religious traditions, Experiences of the Sacred is an ideal textbook for foundational courses in world religion.

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Book SynopsisFrom about 1740 to 1850, evangelical Protestantism became a major cultural force in virtually all areas of America. Emerging from this religious movement was a rich vernacular literature of conversion narratives and spiritual autobiographies—writings in which believers described their own salvation in hopes of converting others. In The Self and the Sacred, Rodger M. Payne examines these neglected texts in depth, focusing particularly on what they reveal about notions of selfhood and how those notions were incorporated into Christian orthodoxy.As Payne explains, conversion narratives point to a fascinating paradox that became evident among evangelicals as they were confronted by the disruptions and discontinuities marking their culture’s passage into modernity. On the one hand, these narratives asserted the traditional Christian values of humility and self-effacement—an annihilation of the self in the divine. On the other hand, they created a discourse that allowed one to embrace the modern idea of an autonomous self: only by speaking from personal experience could a convert testify to the power of God. “Despite protests to the contrary,” Payne writes, “the central character of any conversion account, spiritual diary, or spiritual autobiography was the convert, not God.”Using the theology of Jonathan Edwards as a key example, Payne shows how Puritan piety encouraged the development of autobiographical spiritual narratives. He goes on to explain the ways in which the discourse of conversion functioned apart from the control of the church and marked the growth of evangelicalism into “a discursive community.” Finally, he considers how the language of conversion functioned as a "rhetorical space" in which believers situated themselves individually within sacred space and time before turning back to society with a renewed regard for others. Drawing throughout on the insights of such theorists as Michel Foucault and Victor Turner, Payne’s penetrating analysis reveals the early conversion accounts as mythic texts through which the modern self emerged.The Author: Rodger M. Payne is associate professor of religious studies at Louisiana State University. He is editor-in-chief of The Journal of Southern Religion, an electronic publication available on the World Wide Web.

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Book SynopsisThe emergence of ancient urbanism has long held the interest of archaeologists attempting to understand the origins of inequality and its links to early urban life. This volume presents the results of archeological research at the Early Bronze Age sites of Numayra and Ras an-Numayra, conducted to investigate the rise of Early Bronze Age urban society, with a distinctive focus on links between environmental and social systems.The Dead Sea Plain excavations at Numayra and Ras an-Numayra uncovered extraordinarily well-preserved architecture, artifacts, and faunal and paleoethnobotanical remains that offer exciting and profound insights that enhance our understanding of life in these walled settlements. Under the codirection of R. Thomas Schaub and Walter E. Rast, the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain team designed their research with an explicitly anthropological focus, based on the New Archaeology’s principles for archaeological knowledge production. Their excavations at these sites in the mid-1970s and early 1980s heralded the now-common approach combining archaeology, paleoethnobotany, palynology, bioarchaeology, zooarchaeology, geology, and ethnoarchaeology into the research project, with a multidisciplinary team in the field to systematize collection and sampling procedures.These excavations at Numayra and Ras an-Numayra represent a watershed moment in the history of archaeological research in the southern Levant, setting new standards for scientific methods and a multidisciplinary approach to investigating the past.Trade Review“This volume is replete with richly detailed, meticulously presented data on an early third-millennium BC town in southern Jordan. Scholars of early urbanism in the Levant will find in this volume a highly valuable trove of information and ideas on architecture, the agricultural economy, daily life, and social organization.”—Glenn M. Schwartz,Whiting Professor of Archaeology, Johns Hopkins University“Chesson, Schaub, and Rast’s Numayra is an exemplary publication of a classic excavation. It should serve as a reference point for any understanding of how people lived, worked, and flourished in the small fortified settlements of the Early Bronze Age Levant.”—Raphael Greenberg,Tel Aviv UniversityTable of ContentsList of IllustrationsList of TablesPrefaceMeredith S. ChessonSupporters of the Expedition to the Dead Sea Plain, Jordan1. Introduction: The 1977–1983 Excavations at Numayra and Ras an- NumayraMeredith S. Chesson2. Geology and GeomorphologyJack Donahue3. Central Area ExcavationsMeredith S. Chesson4. Town Walls and Gate Systems: East Town Area Excavations (Phases 1A–2B) and West Gate Area Excavations (Phases 1A–2B)R. Thomas Schaub and Meredith S. Chesson5. Pottery Typology at NumayraR. Thomas Schaub6. Excavations at Ras an- NumayraMeredith S. Chesson, R. Thomas Schaub, Gillian Bentley, and Michael Coogan7. Storage in Numayra in Phases 1A–2CMeredith S. Chesson and Nathan Goodale8. Crop Storage, Processing, and Cooking Practices at Numayra: The Plant RemainsChantel E. White, David McCreery, and Fabian Toro9. Chipped Stone Tools from Numayra and Ras an- NumayraMark A. McConaughy10. Basketry, Cordage, Plant Fibers, and Weaving Tools from NumayraJ. M. Adovasio, J. S. Illingworth, T. Miller- Sporrer, M. L. Greek, and S. L. Dost Kerchusky11. Seal Impressions and Sherds with Markings from NumayraNancy Lapp12. Ornaments Excavated at Numayra, JordanN. H. Broeder and H. C. W. SkinnerBibliographyAppendixesAppendix A. Master Locus Lists for Numayra’s Central, East Tower, and West Gate Areas and Ras an- NumayraMeredith S. Chesson, R. Thomas Schaub, and Walter E. RastAppendix B. Pottery PlatesMeredith S. Chesson, R. Thomas Schaub, and Walter E. RastAppendix C. Illustrated ProfilesMeredith S. ChessonAppendix D. Registered ObjectsMeredith S. Chesson, R. Thomas Schaub, and Walter E. Rast

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Book SynopsisA Spiritual Strategy for Counseling and Psychotherapy, Second Edition shows mental health professionals how to deal sensitively with clients whose spirituality or religion is an important part of their lives. It highlights the therapeutic possibilities religion and spirituality can offer. Building on the success of the first edition, the new edition provides timely updates and additional theoretical grounding for integrating a theistic, spiritual strategy into mainstream psychology.Table of ContentsPrefaceAcknowledgmentsI. IntroductionPrologueThe Need for a Theistic Spiritual Strategy (PDF, 395KB)II. Historical Perspectives The Alienation Between Religion and Psychology The New Zeitgeist III. Theological, Philosophical, and Theoretical Perspectives Theological and Philosophical Assumptions of Theistic Psychotherapy Theoretical and Empirical Foundations of Theistic Psychotherapy IV. Theistic Psychotherapy: Process and Methods A Theistic View of Psychotherapy Ethical and Process Issues and Guidelines Religious and Spiritual Assessment Religious and Spiritual Practices as Therapeutic Interventions Spiritual Interventions Used by Contemporary Psychotherapists V. Research and Future Directions A Theistic, Spiritual View of Science and Research Methods Directions for the Future ReferencesAuthor IndexSubject IndexAbout the Authors

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Book SynopsisEven in a country as religious as the U.S., many people feel disengaged from their faith communities. More than half report that they really don't get the opportunity in their congregation to do what they do best. People just feel disconnected. Maybe it's because those faith communities make unwitting missteps: Pastors ask shy people to be Greeters, or recruit innately disorganized people to coordinate church events. The problem is simply this: Too many people's talents are going unappreciated. But it doesn't have to be this way. Living Your Strengths shows readers how to use their innate gifts to enrich their faith communities. The book --- written by onetime pastors Albert Winseman and Curt Liesveld, and Donald O. Clifton, co-author of the national bestseller Now, Discover Your Strengths --- shows people how to identify and affirm their talents, and how to use them for growth and service. Most importantly, Living Your Strengths helps people discover their true calling.

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Book SynopsisThis compendium of introductory essays invites scholars and clinicians to better understand people of various faiths from around the world. It is intended to correct the tendency among scientists to study religious behavior without accounting for its human dimension. For example: a psychologist describes a religious ceremony in a certain community as a "sociological phenomenon." Such a technical description is likely to strike members of that community as an attempt by science to explain away their beliefs. This is counterproductive. In order to work effectively and empathetically with people of faith, psychologists should seek an intimate knowledge of how religion operates in the hearts and minds of living, breathing human beings. With this goal in mind, editors Timothy Sisemore and Joshua Knabb have made one of the world’s major religions the subject of a separate chapter. In addition, they have arranged for each chapter to be written by a psychologist who practices—or is culturally connected with—that religion. This marks the book’s unique contribution to the field: it is the product of people who have lived the world’s religions, not merely studied them. By taking such a respectful approach, the book promotes an appreciation for the ways that religious belief animates, inspires, and instructs its adherents. Moreover, the indigenous point-of-view of these essays will help scholars identify their own biases when researching religious groups, allowing them to produce more accurate and holistic analyses. Psychologists understand that religion and spirituality provide meaning and purpose to billions of people around the globe. But the actual experience of these beliefs eludes the grasp of the reductionistic methods of science. With this resource at their side, psychologists in academic and clinical settings will be equipped to understand religious experience from the bottom-up, and honor the beliefs and practices of the people they are trying to help.Trade Review“If you want to understand major world religions, you have to read this indispensable volume. It takes a humble and indigenous approach to explaining the worldview of religions, embodying humble and culturally insider views. In this way it complements and, in many ways, surpasses an important but often limited scientific approach to understanding religions. Anyone interested in any religion should read and digest this germinal work.” —Adam Cohen, PhD, professor of psychology, Arizona State University “A book well-worth having. Psychology of religion researchers have long recognized that scientific yields are limited unless more indigenous approaches are adopted. With this book, those words are now put into practice. Need to learn more psychology through Chinese or African traditional religions, or Hinduism, or North American indigenous spirituality? How about Islam, Buddhism, Judaism, or Christianity? Get taught here by the insights of psychological researchers and scholars who themselves are religious insiders within the tradition presented. This one stays on my bookshelf within arm’s reach.” —Peter C. Hill, PhD, Rosemead School of Psychology, Biola University “After reading these descriptions by believers and sympathetic insiders of diverse indigenous religious traditions, any open-minded psychologist will recognize that a paradigm shift is imminent. Students and researchers alike will find that a genuine conversation with, and sharing of, other worldviews does not threaten but rather enriches us all.” —Ralph W. Hood Jr., PhD, professor of psychology and LeRoy A. Martin Distinguished Professor of Religious Studies, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga “This is a tremendously important book. The editors have done an excellent job of addressing the most significant unresolved issue in the field of modern psychology—that of its antagonistic relationship with religion and spirituality. They provide a thoughtful analysis, make recommendations for conceptual and applied ways forward, and present what a variety of religious and spiritual psychologies look like in today’s world. This should be mandatory reading in every single psychology class everywhere. An absolute must-have text for anyone interested in any subfield of psychology or the intersection of psychology and religion.” —Carrie York Al-Karam, PhD, president, Alkaram Institute “Increasingly, mental health workers are treating clients whose backgrounds span the world’s faith traditions. To successfully address such diversity, practitioners must have a comprehensive and respectful understanding of the belief systems that animate religious observers from all walks of life. This indispensable text is the resource they need. Wise, thorough, and compassionate, it is a major contribution to the psychological study of religion.” —Harold G. Koenig, MD, professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences, Duke University Health Systems, and director of Duke’s Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health “This book is fascinating. By covering a range of assumptive frameworks, it gives insider perspectives on mental health and healing from different faith traditions. It also encourages us to examine some of our own Western assumptions and understand the prominence of spirituality in nearly all indigenous psychologies.” —Kate Loewenthal, PhD, Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Royal Holloway University of London, and visiting professor at Glyndwr University, Wales, New York University in London “An amazing and timely work providing an emic perspective on religious and spiritual psychology. The authors have challenged the limitations of methodology and provided a psychological perspective on each religion from the ‘inside,’ while acknowledging that it is but one of many perspectives within the religion. The authors must be lauded for their expertise and the humility with which they have presented their material. A true masterpiece which will help advance dialog not just in the psychology of religion and spirituality but the field of psychology and its applications.” —Sonia Suchday, PhD, Professor and Chair, Psychology Department, Pace University “Such a timely resource that incorporates world religion into understanding human psychology. The various chapters provide profound insights and understanding of the psychology of different faiths from insiders’ perspectives, which makes The Psychology of World Religions and Spiritualities an excellent resource for researchers, clinicians, and students! A wonderful book for readers to understand, digest, and contrast the rich diversity of world religions.” —Kenneth T. Wang, PhD, professor and PhD Program Chair, Clinical Psychology, Fuller Theological Seminary

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Book SynopsisPentecostal theologian Amos Yong points readers toward an increased theological emphasis on God as love. In Spirit of Love, the first pneumatology of the divine spiritual gift of love, Yong constructs ecumenical and interdisciplinary theology of the Holy Spirit for the church universal. A distinctive contribution toward greater theological reflection on the triune God, Spirit of Love moves readers toward a more complete understanding of God as the source of divine love.Trade Review"This is classic Amos Yong. Once again he has sensitively harmonized different voices to create an original contribution to scholarship." - Mark J. Cartledge, Director of the Centre for Pentecostal and Charismatic Studies, University of Birmingham, UK"Amos Yong has become a familiar name on the contemporary theological scene, author of a series of fascinating studies in constructive theology, and is perhaps the best-known Pentecostal theologian writing today. This book,making a distinctively Pentecostal contribution to literature on the love ofGod, represents another significant contribution to systematic theology." - George Newlands, Cambridge, Modern Believing 54-1 12/12/2012"Yong renders his tradition an invaluable service. This is a key book in the emergence of a mature Pentecostal theology." - Gary Badcock, Peache Professor of Divinity, Huron University College, University of Western Ontario"Yong's work is ground-breaking in developing a robust Pentecostal theology." - Richard J. Mouw, Ph.D., President and Professor of Christian Philosophy, Fuller Theological SeminaryYong beautifully and compellingly develops his argument for a Trinitarian pneumatology of love in terms of both the content and the structure of his book. -- Jeff B. Pool, Berea College -- Perspectives in Religious StudiesYong... seeks to understand the Holy Spirit as love and contributes to the theology of love from a Pentecostal perspective. -- Don Schweitzer, St. Andrew's College -- Religious Studies Review

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Book SynopsisDale Andrews and Robert Smith combine the voices of constructive theologians, practical theologians, and those ministering in black churches to craft a rich and expansive black practical theology. Black Practical Theology brings together the hermeneutical conversation between scholars working within the traditional disciplines of theological education (systematic theology, ethics, biblical studies, history) and those scholars working within practical theology (homiletics, pastoral care and counseling, Christian education, spirituality). To this ongoing conversation, Andrews and Smith add the voices of pastors of black congregations and para-church leaders who serve the communities of faith who daily confront the challenges this work addressesâyouth and intergenerational divides, education and poverty, gender and sexuality, globalism, health care, and incarceration and the justice system. Black Practical Theology sets the standard for practical theology. Embodying its own methodological callâto begin with the issues of the black church, as well as its resources and practicesâit does not rest content but returns immediately to the communities from which it emerged. Black Practical Theology is a gift to both teacher and student.Trade ReviewBlack Practical Theology comprehensively graphs the contours of black practical theology, offering readers eighteen essays that explore an exhaustive range of generative topics involving the most pressing exigencies within what Smith conceptually labels the 'black thematic universe,' which shapes the religious life world of contemporary African Americans and Pan-Africans (8-9). -- Kenyatta R. Gilbert -- HomileticA wide-ranging, interdisciplinary approach to issues that concern all Christian communities, including education, poverty, gender, race, immigration, HIV/AIDS, and the justice system. -- The Christian CenturyA must read for those interested in practical theology. -- ChoiceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments I. Introduction 1 Prophetic Praxis for Black Practical Theology, Dale P. Andrews and Robert London Smith Jr. II. Black Youth, Intergenerational Relations, and Ageism 2. Bridging Civil Rights and Hip Hop Generations, Evelyn L. Parker 3. Rejoining Black Youth, Families, and Our Elders, James H. Evans Jr. 4. Rituals of Resistance to Strengthen Intergenerational Relations, Donna E. Allen III. Education, Class, and Poverty 5. Participative Black Theology as a Pedagogy of Praxis, Anthony G. Reddie 6. Listening to the Poor and Nonliterate, Madipoane Masenya (ngwanâa Mphahlele) 7. Doing Theology for Ordinary Folk, Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. IV. Gender, Sexual Orientation, and Race 8. Building Communities of Embodied Beauty, Phillis Isabella Sheppard 9. Encircling in Our Womanist Strength, Diana L. Hayes 10. A Radically Inclusive Vision for the Fellowship of the Black Church, Dennis W. Wiley and Christine Y. Wiley V. Globalism, Immigration, and Diasporan Communities 11. African Diasporan Communities and the Black Church, Esther E. Acolatse 12. The Aesthetic Struggle and Ecclesial Vision, Willie James Jennings 13. Embodied Black Practical Theology for the Caribbean Diasporan Church, Delroy A. Reid-Salmon VI. Health Care, HIV/AIDS, and Poverty 14. Liberating Black-Church Practical Theology from Poverty and Pandemic Marginalization, Emmanuel Y. Amugi Lartey 15. Black Practical Theology of Health and HIV/AIDS Health Care, Edward P. Antonio 16. Rethinking Theology for Impoverished Care, Gina M. Stewart VII. Mass Incarceration, Capital Punishment, and the Justice System 17. The Incarceration of Black Spirituality and the Disenfranchised, Michael Battle 18. Lifting Our Voices and Liberating Our Bodies in the Era of Massive Racialized Incarceration, Raphael Warnock 19. Jesus on Death Row: The Case for Abolishing Prisons, Madeline McClenney VIII. Conclusion 20. Graphing the Contours of Black Practical Theology, Dale P. Andrews and Robert London Smith Jr. Notes List of Contributors Index

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Book SynopsisOld Testament Theology provides a foundational tool for a theological reading of the Old Testament. In the book's central chapters, John Kessler delineates six differing representations of the divine-human relationship, with special emphasis on the kind of response each one evokes from the people of God. He traces these representations through the Old Testament, into the New Testament, and reflects on their significance for the values and character formation of the people of God today. Old Testament Theology combines elements of Old Testament history, exegesis, hermeneutics, and theology, and situates them within the social, cultural, and intellectual world of ancient Israel and Israelite religious institutions. The result is a comprehensive and readable introduction to Old Testament theology for students in seminaries and colleges.Trade Review"John Kessler's Old Testament Theology: Divine Call & Human Response helps students navigate the often confusing thought world of the Old Testament by identifying key theological streams and the kind of response each one seeks from the people of God." -- Marion Ann Taylor, Professor of Old Testament, Wycliffe College, University of Toronto"John Kessler has integrated his responses to the ground problems and antagonisms regarding the Scriptures into his exegetical method. The author challenges readers to look after other streams that determine the faith tradition from which the Hebrew Bible ensues. The study relies on thorough knowledge of the Scriptures themselves, the history of their interpretation, the contemporary discussion on language concerning transcendental issues and the large variety of historical and literary methods applied. Therefore, master and postgraduate students, teachers and pastors of every Christian denomination, moreover readers of divergent disposition, in love of or curious about or even prejudiced against the Old Testament as part of the Christian Bible, will find their questions taken seriously to the end while being helped to assess the Book at its true values." -- Willem A M Beuken, Catholic University Leuven"Kessler's sensitive and deep-level readings provide a helpful guide through the diverse traditions of the Old Testament in order to hear the relational responses being summoned from the text throughout. This is the work of a confident and bold scholar who is not threatened by the theological diversity running along the crevices and fractures of the Old Testament text." -- Bill T Arnold, Acting Dean, School of Biblical Interpretation & Paul S Amos, Professor of Old Testament Interpretation, Asbury Theological SeminaryAn appealing, innovative work. -- John Goldingay, Fuller Theological Seminary -- InterpretationTable of Contents Preface: What Is This Book About? Acknowledgments List of Abbreviations 1 Reading the Old Testament Theologically Challenges and Rewards 2 Hearing God's Voice in the Old Testament 3 The Old Testament's Portraits of Relationship with God 4 Creation Theology The Relationship of Knowing God as Creator and God's Purposes for Creation 5 Covenants and Covenantal Relationships in Israel and the Ancient Near East An Overview 6 Sinai Covenant Theology The Relationship of Grateful Obligation 7 Promise Theology The Relationship of Confident Expectation 8 Priestly Theology The Gift of Yahweh's Holy Presence 9 The Theology of Divine Accessibility Speaking to God amidst the Manifold Experiences of Life 10 Wisdom Theology The Relationship of Faith Seeking Understanding 11 Living in the House That God Built Learning to Read Scripture for Theological Emphasis and Relational Response Bibliography Index

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