Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships Books

Book SynopsisOffers vivid stories of nonconformist Muslim communitiesThe turn of the twenty-first century ushered in a wave of progressive Muslims, whose modern interpretations and practices transformed the public's perception of who could follow the teachings of Islam. Muslims on the Margins tells the story of their even more radical descendants: nonconformists who have reinterpreted their religion and created space for queer, trans, and nonbinary identities within Islam.Katrina Daly Thompson draws extensively from conversations and interviews conducted both in person in North America and online in several international communities. Writing in a compelling narrative style that centers the real experiences and diverse perspectives of nonconformist Muslims, Thompson illustrates how these radical Muslims are forming a community dedicated to creative reinterpretations of their religion, critical questioning of established norms, expansive inclusion of those who are queer iTrade ReviewMasterfully engages with scholarship from many different disciplines. Muslims on the Margins makes several significant scholarly interventions and is an especially important and necessary addition to the literature on queer Muslims and North American religions. -- Ahmed Afzal, California State University, FullertonTimely and beautifully written. An impressive book whose insights are as compelling as they are significant. -- Elizabeth Pérez, University of California, Santa Barbara“If you’re looking for books about religious innovation and queer religious people, we have a fascinating book to recommend on LGBTQ Muslims. Katrina Daly Thompson released a new book this year on how queer, transgender, and nonbinary Muslims are transforming Islam. Muslims on the Margins is insightful and filled with important stories.” * The Revealer *

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Book Synopsis73rd National Jewish Book Awards FinalistA fascinating glimpse into the complex and often unexpected ways that women and ideas about women shaped widely read Jewish newspapersBetween the 1880s and 1920s, Yiddish-language newspapers rose from obscurity to become successful institutions integral to American Jewish life. During this period, Yiddish-speaking immigrants came to view newspapers as indispensable parts of their daily lives. For many Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe, acclimating to America became inextricably intertwined with becoming a devoted reader of the Yiddish periodical press, as the newspapers and their staffs became a fusion of friends, religious and political authorities, tour guides, matchmakers, and social welfare agencies. In A Revolution in Type, Ayelet Brinn argues that women were central to the emergence of the Yiddish press as a powerful, influential force in American Jewish culture. Through rhetorical debates about women readers and writers, the produceTrade ReviewOffers a compelling case for why a gendered history of American Yiddish newspapers is necessary to understand both their development as well as their success as the most important non-English press in the United States. The first of its kind, this is a thoroughly researched, clearly-written book. -- Anita Norich, author of Writing in Tongues: Translating Yiddish in the Twentieth CenturyStriking and impressively executed, Brinn demonstrates in highly specific detail the ways in which ideas about women and women’s labor—if often misogynist ideas and exploited labor—were central in the development of the American Yiddish press. . . . Will absolutely transform the way that scholars think about and teach the history of Yiddish journalism in the US and also the history of American journalism, writ large. -- Josh Lambert, Sophia Moses Robison Associate Professor of Jewish Studies and English, Wellesley College

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Book SynopsisFinalist, Award for Excellence in the Study of Religion, Analytical-Descriptive Studies, given by the American Academy of Religion A comprehensive collection of the pioneering work of Leonard Norman Primiano, one of the preeminent scholars in religious studies In 1995, Leonard Norman Primiano introduced the idea of "vernacular religion." He coined this term to overcome the denigration implied in the concept of "folk religion" or "popular religion," which was juxtaposed to "elite religion." This two-tiered model suggested that religion existed somewhere in a pure form and that the folk version transforms it. Instead, Primiano urged scholars to adopt an inductive approach to the study of religion and to pay attention to experiential aspects of belief systems, ultimately redressing a heritage of scholarly misinterpretation. Here for the first time, Leonard Norman Primiano's pioneering works have been collected into one volume, providing a foundational look at one of the preeminent scholars of twentieth-century religious studies. Vernacular Religion makes visible the dimensions of vernacular religion in North America, exemplifying the richness of its ability to explain key facets of American society, including especially thorny issues around race and sexuality. The volume also demonstrates a method of abiding engagement, the creation of ongoing relationships with those who are studied, and how the relationship between scholars and the communities they study inform an ethics of critical commitmentwhat Primiano calls an "ethnography of collaboration and reciprocity." This posthumous collection, edited by Deborah Dash Moore, brings together key studies in vernacular religion that explore its expression among such varied groups as Catholics, LGBTQ Christians, and the followers of Father Divine. Vernacular Religion models empathetic ethnographic engagement that embraces American religion in all its rich diversity, illuminating Primiano's enduring legacy.Trade ReviewReading this work, I feel nothing so much as grateful that someone had the idea to do this ‘collected works’ project. . . . Primiano’s study of Dignity is the best work on Dignity. His study of the Peace Mission is the best work on Father Divine. . . . This volume not only collects important essays, but also reflects to the field more of itself, a part that has been missing or under-told to this point. -- Julie Byrne, Monsignor Thomas J. Hartman Chair in Catholic Studies and Professor in the Department of Religion, Hofstra UniversityThis impressive volume persuasively recommends and gorgeously exemplifies a nuanced courageous scholarship of human engagement and commitment. -- Sally M. Promey, Director, Center for the Study of Material and Visual Cultures of Religion, Yale UniversityThe collection is compelling, with rich ethnographic details, and represents a major contribution to the field as a body of work. -- Jodi Eichler-Levine, Berman Professor of Jewish Civilization and Professor of Religion Studies, Lehigh University

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Book SynopsisHow activists in Ghana, South Africa, and Brazil provide inspiration and strategies for combating the gender violence epidemic in the United States How can the U.S. learn from the perspectives of anti-gender violence activists in South America and Africa as we seek to end intimate violence in this country? The U.S. has consistently positioned itself as a moral exemplar, seeking to export its philosophy and values to other societies. Yet in this book, Traci C. West argues that the U.S. has much to learn from other countries when it comes to addressing gender-based violence. West traveled to Ghana, South Africa, and Brazil to interview activists involved in the struggle against gender violence. In each of these places, as in the United States, Christianity and anti-black racism have been implicated in violence against women. In Ghana and Brazil, in particular, their Christian colonial and trans-Atlantic slave trade histories directly connect with the socioeconomic dTrade ReviewThis book is a gift. Traci C. West synthesizes scholarship, spirituality and searing analyses to challenge the ways we perceive, practice, and oppose violence. West built an international platform between book covers to transform religious, social, and political-economic institutions that structure predatory power. This book helps us to clean old wounds as it offers healing through strategic perspectives to diminish and eradicate gender violence. -- Joy James,author of Seeking the Beloved Community, and editor of The New AbolitionistsTraci West's text is radically innovative, critically startling, and defiantly embodied. Her transnational approach to gender violence takes seriously the role of religion, spirituality, culture, and the wisdom of African women leaders. It utilizes courage, wit, and vast research findings extracted from many parts of the world. -- Fulata Lusungu Moyo,Circle of Concerned African Women TheologiansAfricana women fight for their agency. Traci West acts as a griot for this Africana revolutionary becoming, documenting their journeys to freedom. She carefully recovers women’s voices lost to or drowned out by racist and sexist structures and creates a platform on and through which they can tell themselves. In ensuring their visibility Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality makes room for Africana women’s possibility and power. * The Marginalia Review of Books *Can assist faith-based anti-violence and anti-racist activists in acknowledging religion’s collusion in the social structures that perpetuate sexual & gender based violence... This is a dense book that brings together transnational feminist theological, gender studies, sociological, and activist knowledge and experiences concerning SGBV. It is daring, creative work and an engrossing read for scholars familiar with these fields. * Sociology of Religion *

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Book SynopsisHonorable Mention, 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize, given by the Modern Language AssociationUncovers the queer logics of premodern religious and secular textsPutting premodern theology and poetry in dialogue with contemporary theory and politics, Queer Faith reassess the commonplace view that a modern veneration of sexual monogamy and fidelity finds its roots in Protestant thought. What if this narrative of history and tradition suppresses the queerness of its own foundational texts? Queer Faith examines key works of the prehistory of monogamyfrom Paul to Luther, Petrarch to Shakespeareto show that writing assumed to promote fidelity in fact articulates the affordances of promiscuity, both in its sexual sense and in its larger designation of all that is impure and disorderly. At the same time, Melissa E. Sanchez resists casting promiscuity as the ethical, queer alternative to monogamy, tracing instead how ideals of sexual liberatioTrade ReviewA smart, vital synthesis of religious studies and queer theory that reinforces the deep affinity between both realms over time. Sanchez refuses the easy celebration of queer as a counterpoint to normal, promiscuity to commitment. Through sublime readings of major early modern thinkers, Queer Faith offers us a capacious genealogy of promiscuity that accounts for its failures, fragments, philologies, and Christian theology, and all the ways our attachments undo us. -- Michael Cobb, author of God Hates Fags: The Rhetorics of Religious ViolenceBy placing Christian theologians in conversation with queer theorists, Sanchez illuminates what is lost when the two are put in opposition: Sanchez shows that theology provides crucial terms for registering the inherent promiscuity of human attachments, whether we understand those attachments as devotional, interpersonal, or communal. Queer Faith takes up race, religion, eroticism, and ethics in ways that bridge the gap between early modernists and scholars focused on our own contemporary moment, forging a vibrantly original argument at the intersection of diverse and influential voices. -- Kathryn Schwarz, author of What You Will: Gender, Contract, and Shakespearean Social SpaceFrom erotic accountability to procreation and orgasms, Queer Faith is an incisive exploration of human sexuality’s many manifestations. . . . Sanchez engages her subject with humor. Queer Faith is an enjoyable and outstanding piece of scholarship. * Foreword Reviews *Clearly written and extensively researched, this book is far more engaging than most academic texts, supported by detailed notes and an extensive index that simplify search. * Choice *...its achievements are difficult, challenging, and utterly exhilarating. Sanchez builds rich analytic frames and then compellingly reads texts toward them. -- Joseph Loewenstein * Recent Studies in the English Renaissance *Promiscuously traversing between theology, queer theory, and early modern poetry, Melissa Sanchez compellingly questions the academic opposition between a secularized queerness and religious normativity. * Sixteenth Century Journal *

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThis book is a gift. Traci C. West synthesizes scholarship, spirituality and searing analyses to challenge the ways we perceive, practice, and oppose violence. West built an international platform between book covers to transform religious, social, and political-economic institutions that structure predatory power. This book helps us to clean old wounds as it offers healing through strategic perspectives to diminish and eradicate gender violence. -- Joy James,author of Seeking the Beloved Community, and editor of The New AbolitionistsTraci West's text is radically innovative, critically startling, and defiantly embodied. Her transnational approach to gender violence takes seriously the role of religion, spirituality, culture, and the wisdom of African women leaders. It utilizes courage, wit, and vast research findings extracted from many parts of the world. -- Fulata Lusungu Moyo,Circle of Concerned African Women TheologiansAfricana women fight for their agency. Traci West acts as a griot for this Africana revolutionary becoming, documenting their journeys to freedom. She carefully recovers women’s voices lost to or drowned out by racist and sexist structures and creates a platform on and through which they can tell themselves. In ensuring their visibility Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality makes room for Africana women’s possibility and power. * The Marginalia Review of Books *Can assist faith-based anti-violence and anti-racist activists in acknowledging religion’s collusion in the social structures that perpetuate sexual & gender based violence... This is a dense book that brings together transnational feminist theological, gender studies, sociological, and activist knowledge and experiences concerning SGBV. It is daring, creative work and an engrossing read for scholars familiar with these fields. * Sociology of Religion *

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Book SynopsisHonorable Mention, 2020 Aldo and Jeanne Scaglione Prize, given by the Modern Language AssociationUncovers the queer logics of premodern religious and secular textsPutting premodern theology and poetry in dialogue with contemporary theory and politics, Queer Faith reassess the commonplace view that a modern veneration of sexual monogamy and fidelity finds its roots in Protestant thought. What if this narrative of history and tradition suppresses the queerness of its own foundational texts? Queer Faith examines key works of the prehistory of monogamyfrom Paul to Luther, Petrarch to Shakespeareto show that writing assumed to promote fidelity in fact articulates the affordances of promiscuity, both in its sexual sense and in its larger designation of all that is impure and disorderly. At the same time, Melissa E. Sanchez resists casting promiscuity as the ethical, queer alternative to monogamy, tracing instead how ideals of sexual liberatioTrade ReviewA smart, vital synthesis of religious studies and queer theory that reinforces the deep affinity between both realms over time. Sanchez refuses the easy celebration of queer as a counterpoint to normal, promiscuity to commitment. Through sublime readings of major early modern thinkers, Queer Faith offers us a capacious genealogy of promiscuity that accounts for its failures, fragments, philologies, and Christian theology, and all the ways our attachments undo us. -- Michael Cobb, author of God Hates Fags: The Rhetorics of Religious ViolenceBy placing Christian theologians in conversation with queer theorists, Sanchez illuminates what is lost when the two are put in opposition: Sanchez shows that theology provides crucial terms for registering the inherent promiscuity of human attachments, whether we understand those attachments as devotional, interpersonal, or communal. Queer Faith takes up race, religion, eroticism, and ethics in ways that bridge the gap between early modernists and scholars focused on our own contemporary moment, forging a vibrantly original argument at the intersection of diverse and influential voices. -- Kathryn Schwarz, author of What You Will: Gender, Contract, and Shakespearean Social SpaceFrom erotic accountability to procreation and orgasms, Queer Faith is an incisive exploration of human sexuality’s many manifestations. . . . Sanchez engages her subject with humor. Queer Faith is an enjoyable and outstanding piece of scholarship. * Foreword Reviews *Clearly written and extensively researched, this book is far more engaging than most academic texts, supported by detailed notes and an extensive index that simplify search. * Choice *...its achievements are difficult, challenging, and utterly exhilarating. Sanchez builds rich analytic frames and then compellingly reads texts toward them. -- Joseph Loewenstein * Recent Studies in the English Renaissance *Promiscuously traversing between theology, queer theory, and early modern poetry, Melissa Sanchez compellingly questions the academic opposition between a secularized queerness and religious normativity. * Sixteenth Century Journal *

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Book SynopsisAn introduction to the study of women in diverse religious culturesWhile women have made gains in equality over the past two centuries, equality for women in many religious traditions remains contested throughout the world. In the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints women are not ordained as priests. In areas of Pakistan and Afghanistan under Taliban occupation girls and women students and their teachers risk their lives to go to school. And in Sri Lanka, fully ordained Buddhist nuns are denied the government identity cards that recognize them as citizens. Is it possible to create families, societies, and religions in which women and men are equal? And if so, what are the factors that promote equality?Theory of Women in Religions offers an economic model to shed light on the forces that have impacted the respective statuses of women and men from the earliest developmental stages of society through the present day. CatheTrade ReviewTheory of Women in Religions provides an engaging and incisive examination of gender, power, and culture. As captivating and absorbing as it is thorough, it is a must-read for anyone interested in gender or religion. -- Laura Vance, Brevard CollegeHighlighting fascinating historical and contemporary examples, this book offers a persuasive grand theory of economic development, gender relations and religion. Wessinger has made a substantial contribution to the field of women and religion. -- Susan Sered, Suffolk UniversityA compelling and readable account of the complex relationships between religion and gender by a scholar at the peak of her powers. The wealth and historical breadth of examples that Wessinger amasses is stunning. What sets this book apart is Wessinger’s detailed focus on the psychological and religious factors that perpetuate male dominance and the gradual social and religious revolutions underway as women seek greater equality. Lucidly written and persuasively argued, Theory of Women in Religions should be required reading for students as well as established scholars. -- Kelly E. Hayes, author of Holy Harlots: Femininity, Sexuality, and Black Magic in Brazil

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Book SynopsisFrames an inclusive feminist biblical theology, exploring creation, providence, divine judgment, salvation, praise, justice, authority, inclusion, the “other”, moral agency, suffering, violence, reconciliation, flourishing, and hope. Each chapter places multiple related biblical texts in dialogue around a common theological concern.Trade ReviewThis volume is remarkably even in literary style, exegetical solidness, and imaginative interpretation...After Exegesis is worthy of purchase and study by any interested in the important work of biblical interpretation. -- W. Eugene March -- Horizons in Biblical TheologyThe array of theological themes explored includes creation, providence, divine judgment, salvation, praise, justice, authority, inclusion, the 'other,' moral agency, suffering, violence, reconciliation, flourishing, and hope. All the essays are well written and insightful, and together they confirm that 'the Bible in general and the Old Testament in particular, when examined closely, are more amenable than one might think to feminist thought' (p. 3). -- Frances Taylor Gench -- Interpretation: Journal of Bible and TheologyA valuable resource not only for specialists in biblical studies, constructive theology, and feminist scholarship but also for students and others seeking an introduction to these fields. -- Christine Thomas -- Catholic Biblical QuarterlyAfter Exegesis is a brilliant piece of work. It is written in a style which suits both the seasoned academic as well as a beginning student of biblical texts. -- Kirsi Cobb -- Reading ReligionTable of Contents1. Introduction: Wisdom Rebuilds Her House Jacqueline E. Lapsley and Patricia K. Tull 2. Jobs and Benefits in Genesis 1 and 2: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Creation Patricia K. Tull 3. Womenâs Doings in Ruth: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Providence Eunny P. Lee 4. Job and the Hidden Face of God: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Divine Judgment Carleen Mandolfo 5. Embodiment in Isaiah 51â52 and Psalm 62: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Salvation Katie M. Heffelfinger 6. Reading Psalm 146 in the Wild: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Praise Jacqueline E. Lapsley 7. Woman Wisdom and Her Friends: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Justice Anne W. Stewart 8. When Esther and Jezebel Write: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Authority Cameron B. R. Howard 9. Miriam, Moses, and Aaron in Numbers 12 and 20: A Feminist Biblical Theology Concerning Exclusion Suzanne Boorer 10. Be Kind to Strangers, but Kill the Canaanites: A Feminist Biblical Theology of the Other Julie Galambush 11. Rahab and Esther in Distress: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Moral Agency Sarah J. Melcher 12. The Traumatized "I" in Psalm 102: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Suffering Amy C. Cottrill 13. "Missing Women" in Judges 19â21: A Feminist Biblical Theology Concerning Violence against Women Jo Ann Hackett 14. Zechariahâs Gendered Visions: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Reconciliation Ingrid E. Lilly 15. Path and Possession in Proverbs 1â9: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Flourishing Christine Roy Yoder 16. Counterimagination in Isaiah 65 and Daniel 12: A Feminist Biblical Theology of Hope Amy C. Merrill Willis

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Book SynopsisIn Heaven''s Interpreters, Ashley Reed reveals how nineteenth-century American women writers transformed the public sphere by using the imaginative power of fiction to craft new models of religious identity and agency. Women writers of the antebellum period, Reed contends, embraced theological concepts to gain access to the literary sphere, challenging the notion that theological discourse was exclusively oppressive and served to deny women their own voice. Attending to modes of being and believing in works by Augusta Jane Evans, Harriet Jacobs, Catharine Maria Sedgwick, Elizabeth Oakes Smith, Elizabeth Stoddard, Harriet Beecher Stowe, and Susan Warner, Reed illuminates how these writers infused the secular space of fiction with religious ideas and debates, imagining new possibilities for women''s individual agency and collective action.Thanks to generous funding from Virginia Tech and its participation in TOME (Toward an Open Monograph Ecosystem), the ebook ediTable of ContentsIntroduction: Writing Women's Religious Agency in Nineteenth-Century America 1. "My Resolve Is the Feminine of My Father's Oath": Ritual Agency and Religious Language in the Early National Historical Novel 2. "Unsheathe the Sword of a Strong, Unbending Will": Sentimental Agency and the Doctrinal Work of Woman's Fiction 3. "I Have Sinned against God and Myself ": Bearing Witness to Enslaved Women's Agency in Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl 4. "The Human Soul...Makes All Things Sacred": Communal Agency in the Theological Romances of Harriet Beecher Stowe 5. "I Have No Disbelief ": Women's Spiritualist Novels and Nonliberal Agencies Conclusion: Women's Religious Agency Today

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Book SynopsisBabaylan Sing Back depicts the embodied voices of Native Philippine ritual specialists popularly known as babaylan. These ritual specialists are widely believed to have perished during colonial times, or to survive on the margins in the present-day. They are either persecuted as witches and purveyors of superstition, or valorized as symbols of gender equality and anticolonial resistance. Drawing on fieldwork in the Philippines and in the Philippine diaspora, Grace Nono''s deep engagement with the song and speech of a number of living ritual specialists demonstrates Native historical agency in the 500th year anniversary of the contact between the people of the Philippine Islands and the European colonizers.Trade ReviewGrace Nono offers rich theoretical and empirical material to all those interested in Philippine babaylan, ritual healing, and Southeast Asian shamanism in general. * PACIFIC AFFAIRS *Babaylan Sing Back synthesizes Nono's work over the past several decades and the result is a fascinating in-depth analysis of ritual oral traditions of "invisible" shamans. Her familiarity with many of the ritual specialists who appear in the book and meticulous research she has conducted over the decades provides a rich level of detail that adds to the reader's experience and understanding. * Bangkok Post *Table of ContentsIntroduction 1. Who Sings? A Baylan's Embodied Voice and its Relations 2. Shifting Voices and Malleable Bodies 3. Song Travels: Mumbaki Mobility and the Relationality of Place

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Book SynopsisDrawing on her own experience as a surrogate mother, Grace Y. Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist and progressive Christian perspective, concluding that certain kinds of surrogacy arrangements can be morally permissible—and should even be embraced. While the use of assisted reproductive technology has brought joy to countless families, surrogacy remains the most controversial path to parenthood. My Body, Their Baby helps readers sort through objections to this way of bringing children into the world. Candidly reflecting on carrying a baby for her childless friends and informed by the reproductive justice framework developed by women of color activists, Kao highlights the importance of experience in feminist methodology and Christian ethics. She shows what surrogacy is like from the perspective of women becoming pregnant for others, parents who have opted for surrogacy (including queer couples), and the surrogate-born children themselves. Developing a constructive framework of ethical norms and principles to guide the formation of surrogacy relationships, Kao ultimately offers a vision for surrogacy that celebrates the reproductive generosity and solidarity displayed through the sharing of traditionally maternal roles.Trade Review"The world needs more scholars like Grace Kao. With thoughtful rigor and deeply human tenderness, she provides a faithful framework for understanding surrogacy. Her cogent, compassionate arguments illuminate a practice that is often consigned to the shadows, and her work shines with creativity, empathy, and care."—Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?"Drawing on her own experience both as a surrogate and a Christian theologian, Kao makes a powerful and rigorously argued Christian ethical case for surrogacy. An invaluable resource for parents, pastors, and all concerned with reproduction and its ethical implications."—Susan A. Ross, Loyola University Chicago, author of Anthropology: Seeking Light and Beauty"Kao's descriptions of her experience as a surrogate succeed in bringing the moral arguments for and against surrogacy into sharper focus. This insightful book shows us how narratives shape our moral visions."—Aline Kalbian, Florida State University, author of Sex, Violence, and Justice"This book breaks the ice on Christian feminist reluctance to think about surrogacy. Painstakingly researched and accessibly written, it will not only inspire needed attention to surrogacy but also influence the whole landscape of Christian ethics of reproduction."—Cristina Traina, Fordham University, author of Erotic Attunement"This book provides an expansive Christian vision for surrogacy that bravely probes complex social ethics questions surrounding it. Kao's accessibly articulated and social justice–oriented guidelines offer a roadmap for decision-making that contributes fresh, thought-provoking analysis to feminist reproductive ethics."—Traci C. West, Drew University Theological School, author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality"Kao masterfully weaves together personal narrative, exploration of data, and engagement with scholarly sources in an accessible theology of surrogacy that is responsive to its complexities and generous to her interlocutors."—Kendra G. Hotz, Rhodes College, author of Dust and BreathTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Primer on Surrogacy: Logistics, Laws, and Trends 2. Does Surrogacy Cause Psychological Harm? 3. Does Surrogacy Violate Distinctive Feminist or Christian Commitments? 4. A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy: Advancing the Argument 5. A Progressive Christian Framework for Surrogacy: Seven Principles 6. Assessing the Ethics of More Complex Surrogacy Arrangements Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDrawing on her own experience as a surrogate mother, Grace Y. Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist and progressive Christian perspective, concluding that certain kinds of surrogacy arrangements can be morally permissible—and should even be embraced. While the use of assisted reproductive technology has brought joy to countless families, surrogacy remains the most controversial path to parenthood. My Body, Their Baby helps readers sort through objections to this way of bringing children into the world. Candidly reflecting on carrying a baby for her childless friends and informed by the reproductive justice framework developed by women of color activists, Kao highlights the importance of experience in feminist methodology and Christian ethics. She shows what surrogacy is like from the perspective of women becoming pregnant for others, parents who have opted for surrogacy (including queer couples), and the surrogate-born children themselves. Developing a constructive framework of ethical norms and principles to guide the formation of surrogacy relationships, Kao ultimately offers a vision for surrogacy that celebrates the reproductive generosity and solidarity displayed through the sharing of traditionally maternal roles.Trade Review"The world needs more scholars like Grace Kao. With thoughtful rigor and deeply human tenderness, she provides a faithful framework for understanding surrogacy. Her cogent, compassionate arguments illuminate a practice that is often consigned to the shadows, and her work shines with creativity, empathy, and care."—Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?"Drawing on her own experience both as a surrogate and a Christian theologian, Kao makes a powerful and rigorously argued Christian ethical case for surrogacy. An invaluable resource for parents, pastors, and all concerned with reproduction and its ethical implications."—Susan A. Ross, Loyola University Chicago, author of Anthropology: Seeking Light and Beauty"Kao's descriptions of her experience as a surrogate succeed in bringing the moral arguments for and against surrogacy into sharper focus. This insightful book shows us how narratives shape our moral visions."—Aline Kalbian, Florida State University, author of Sex, Violence, and Justice"This book breaks the ice on Christian feminist reluctance to think about surrogacy. Painstakingly researched and accessibly written, it will not only inspire needed attention to surrogacy but also influence the whole landscape of Christian ethics of reproduction."—Cristina Traina, Fordham University, author of Erotic Attunement"This book provides an expansive Christian vision for surrogacy that bravely probes complex social ethics questions surrounding it. Kao's accessibly articulated and social justice–oriented guidelines offer a roadmap for decision-making that contributes fresh, thought-provoking analysis to feminist reproductive ethics."—Traci C. West, Drew University Theological School, author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality"Kao masterfully weaves together personal narrative, exploration of data, and engagement with scholarly sources in an accessible theology of surrogacy that is responsive to its complexities and generous to her interlocutors."—Kendra G. Hotz, Rhodes College, author of Dust and BreathTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Primer on Surrogacy: Logistics, Laws, and Trends 2. Does Surrogacy Cause Psychological Harm? 3. Does Surrogacy Violate Distinctive Feminist or Christian Commitments? 4. A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy: Advancing the Argument 5. A Progressive Christian Framework for Surrogacy: Seven Principles 6. Assessing the Ethics of More Complex Surrogacy Arrangements Conclusion

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Book SynopsisWithin contemporary orthodoxy, debates over sex and gender have become increasingly polemical over the past generation. Beginning with questions around women’s ordination, arguments have expanded to include feminism, sexual orientation, the sacrament of marriage, definitions of family, adoption of children, and care of transgender individuals. Preliminary responses to each of these topics are shaped by gender essentialism, the idea that male and female are ontologically fixed and incommensurate categories with different sets of characteristics and gifts for each sex. These categories, in turn, delineate gender roles in the family, the church, and society. Gender Essentialism and Orthodoxy offers an immanent critique of gender essentialism in the stream of the contemporary Orthodox Church influenced by the “Paris School” of Russian émigré theologians and their heirs. It uses an interdisciplinary approach to bring into conversation patristic reflections on sex and gender, personalist theological anthropology, insights from gender and queer theory, and modern biological understandings of human sexual differentiation. Though these are seemingly unrelated discourses, Gender Essentialism and Orthodoxy reveals unexpected points of convergence, as each line of thought eschews a strict gender binary in favor of more open-ended possibilities. The study concludes by drawing out some theological implications of the preceding findings as they relate to the ordination of women to the priesthood, same-sex unions and sacramental understandings of marriage, definitions of family, and pastoral care for intersex, transgender, and nonbinary parishioners.Table of ContentsList of Abbreviations | vii PART I 1 Setting the Stage | 3 2 (No) Male and Female: Recapitulating Patristic Reflections on Gender | 18 3 Gender Essentialism in Contemporary Orthodox Thought | 56 4 Person, Gender, Sex, Sexuality | 92 PART II 5 Women and the Priesthood | 123 6 Homosexuality | 135 7 Marriage: The Sacrament of Love | 145 8 Some Final Thoughts on Pastoral Care | 164 Conclusion | 177 Notes | 181 Bibliography | 233 Index | 255

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Book SynopsisWe rarely give thought to our bodies until faced with a physical challenge or crisis. We have somehow internalized the unbiblical idea that the immaterial aspect of our being (our soul or spirit) is inherently good while the material aspect (our body) is at worst inherently evil and at best neutral--just a vehicle for our souls to get around. So we end up neglecting or disparaging our bodies, seeing them as holding us back from spiritual growth and longing for the day we will be free of them. But the thing is, we don't have bodies; we are our bodies. And God created us that way for a reason. With Scripture as his guide, theologian Gregg Allison presents a holistic theology of the human body from conception through eternity to equip us to address pressing contemporary issues related to our bodies, including how we express our sexuality, whether gender is inherent or constructed, the meaning of suffering, body image, end of life questions, and how to live as whole people in a fractured world.

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Book SynopsisOne look at our cultural moment and it's easy to tell that men and their identities are in crisis. Though lost and fractured, men face the pressure to be perfect. Our reactionary society is quick to condemn and slow to forgive, leaving men more confused than ever about how to live and who to be. Yet in Scripture, we continually find God choosing to work in and through flawed, imperfect, and broken individuals. Men who had massive character flaws and significant moral failings, but who also shared one important characteristic: the desire to follow the call of their Creator. With engaging personal stories and insight into biblical truths, Nathan Clarkson declares to today's man that he is more than what the culture is telling him he is--angry, selfish, predatory, violent, and bored. Instead, still on the journey himself, Nathan calls today's man to find his identity in the One who created him on purpose, for a purpose, and encourages him to live an honest, authentic life marked by a winsome combination of confidence and humility.

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Book SynopsisAre you struggling today? Do you look back and long for what used to be, or are you looking ahead and have no idea what's coming? Are you stuck in the middle of a mess because life has not turned out as you expected? When you run to God for answers, do you often feel like you aren't getting them--or at least aren't getting the answers you want? Are you holding on . . . but not sure how much longer you can? In times of not knowing, Sheila Walsh offers a lifeline of hope. With great compassion born of experience and hardship, Walsh comes alongside the hurting, fearful, and exhausted to remind us that we serve a God who is so much greater than our momentary troubles, no matter how insurmountable they feel. She doesn't offer a quick fix. She offers a God fix. Sharing from her own painful struggles and digging deep into biblical stories of rescue, hope, and miracles, she gives you the strength to keep going, to keep holding on to God in a world turned upside down. The accompanying study includes 10 lessons to help individuals or groups dive deeper.

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Book SynopsisThe Catholic Biblical Theology of the Sacraments series provides readers with a deeper appreciation of God's gifts and call in the sacraments through a renewed encounter with God's Word. In The Bible and Marriage, leading Catholic teacher and popular speaker John Bergsma offers a biblical theology of marriage rooted in the Old and New Testaments that will be interesting and informative to the church catholic. This book shows the biblical basis for the teaching that marriage is a sacrament. It provides lay teachers with background and depth on a topic taught frequently in the parish, making it suitable for classroom use and parish ministry. Series editors Timothy C. Gray and John Sehorn teach at the Augustine Institute Graduate School of Theology. Gray is also president of the Augustine Institute.

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Book SynopsisHelps Christians understand and pass along biblical traditions to future generations by guiding readers to practically live out Christ-centered traditions and a Bible-saturated legacy.

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Book SynopsisWhy would a priest turn his back on his priesthood and walk away from his religious vocation and its demanding responsibilities? Why did he become a priest in the first place? And how do such men make reparations for their defection? Both Sides of the Altar strives to look at these questions through one such priest’s life, that of Frank Morgan. This book was a “Labor of Love” for Fr. John A. Hardon, s.j., now deceased, who urged him to put pen to paper to tell his story. It traces Frank’s life during the seminary, his life as a priest in the 1940s and 1950s, and as a layperson in the years that follow. Through it Frank walks through his own thought processes as he looks back over 60 years, evoking the raw emotion and feelings of his decision to leave behind his priestly ways, and enter the life of a Lay Person. It compares how he was treated both with kindness and with disdain. His narrative shows his constant persistence in trying to serve the Roman Catholic Church throughout his entire life. Truly showing both sides of the altar as only a man who lived it can tell. Insights into the current plights the Catholic Church faces, as well as poignant observations on solutions are presented in a loving and well told tale through his own voice. Frank’s underlying love of the Church and its teachings are a constant theme as he shares his life story.

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Book SynopsisFew books have explored in depth the lack of men in the churches. Podles’ book The Church Impotent: The Feminization of Christianity was the first book-length attempt to examine this phenomenon. David Murrow’s Why Men Hate Going to Church was a popular presentation of Podles’ material. Marta Trzebiatowska’s and Steve Bruce’s short Why Are Women More Religious than Men? confines itself almost entirely to modern British and American examples. Losing the Good Portion: Why Men Are Alienated from Christianity explores the causes and consequences of the almost millennium-old disparity between the participation of lay men and lay women in the churches of Western Christianity. Podles considers both the anecdotal and statistical evidence for the lack of men: sermons, church rolls, censuses, and sociological analyses. Podles sees the intellectual roots of lack of men in the Aristotelian understanding of male and female as active and passive, an understanding which has formed all discussion of masculinity and femininity, from Aquinas through Schleiermacher, Barth, and Hans Urs von Balthasar, all of whom saw femininity as more compatible with Christianity than masculinity. Men, according to anthropologists and psychologists, go through a difficult process to attain masculinity and therefore distance themselves from threats to that masculine identity, including Christianity. Men suspected the clergy was effeminate and sexually irregular. Historians of violence have examined the decline in violence in Europe and the civilizing role of the clergy, a role which further alienated men and led to violent anticlericalism Podles examines the presentation of Jesus’ masculinity in Scripture and images of Jesus’ masculinity in art, the role of thumos in spirituality, and the various movements that have helped keep men connected to the churches. He makes suggestions for possible outreach to men. Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroductionChapter One: MasculinityChapter Two: The Masculinity of JesusChapter Three: The Feminine Christian Chapter Four: The Clergy and Social ControlChapter Five: The Sins of the ClergyChapter Six: Political AnticlericalismChapter Seven: Masculine Themes in ChristianityChapter Eight: Targeting MenChapter Nine: Men and the Future of the ChurchSelected Bibliography

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Book SynopsisChristianity Today Book Award Winner Friendship is a relationship like no other. Unlike the relationships we are born into, we choose our friends. It is also tenuous--we can end a friendship at any time. But should friendship be so free and unconstrained? Although our culture tends to pay more attention to romantic love, marriage, family, and other forms of community, friendship is a genuine love in its own right. This eloquent book reminds us that Scripture and tradition have a high view of friendship. Single Christians, particularly those who are gay and celibate, may find it is a form of love to which they are especially called. Writing with deep empathy and with fidelity to historic Christian teaching, Wesley Hill retrieves a rich understanding of friendship as a spiritual vocation and explains how the church can foster friendship as a basic component of Christian discipleship. He helps us reimagine friendship as a robust form of love that is worthy of honor and attention in communities of faith. This book sets forth a positive calling for celibate gay Christians and suggests practical ways for all Christians to cultivate stronger friendships.Table of ContentsContentsAuthor's NoteIntroductionPart 1: Reading Friendship1. An Eclipse of Friendship?2. "I Love You Because You're Mine"3. The Transformation of FriendshipPart 2: Living Friendship4. "A Piece of Ice Held Fast in the Fist"5. Friendship Is a Call to Suffer6. Patterns of the PossibleAn Essay on Sources

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Book Synopsis"This inviting text provides a useful framework for Christians to use in approaching what can be difficult conversations around gender identity."--Publishers Weekly This book offers a measured Christian response to the diverse gender identities that are being embraced by an increasing number of adolescents. Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky offer an honest, scientifically informed, compassionate, and nuanced treatment for all readers who care about or work with gender-diverse youth: pastors, church leaders, parents, family members, youth workers, and counselors. Yarhouse and Sadusky help readers distinguish between current mental health concerns, such as gender dysphoria, and the emerging gender identities that some young people turn to for a sense of identity and community. Based on the authors' significant clinical and ministry experience, this book casts a vision for practically engaging and ministering to teens navigating diverse gender-identity concerns. It also equips readers to critically engage gender theory based on a Christian view of sex and gender.Table of ContentsContents Part 1: Making Important Distinctions 1. The Transgender Experience and Emerging Gender Identities 2. How Language and Categories Shape Gender Identities 3. Controversies in Care Part 2: Seeing the Person 4. Foundations for Relationship 5. Locating Your Area of Engagement 6. Locating the Person: A Relational-Narrative Approach 7. Engaging Youth: Looking beneath the Surface 8. Ministry Structures for Youth 9. Recovering a Hermeneutic of Christian Hope

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Book SynopsisIn Águila: The Vision, Life, Death, and Rebirth of a Two-Spirit Shaman in the Ozark Mountains, MarÍa Cristina Moroles traces the path of her extraordinary life from the streets of Dallas to the wilderness of the Arkansas Ozarks, where she has resided for fifty years. Hailing from a large Indigenous and Mexican American family in Texas, Moroles apprentices herself to healers and shamans across the Americas as she follows the spiritual vision that leads her to establish a mountaintop sanctuary for women and children of color in a notoriously insular location in the Ozark Mountains. This is a survivor’s tale, and a back-to-the-lander’s tale, unlike any other. From early traumas to countercultural rebellion and profound spiritual awakening, Moroles recounts milestones that earn her the ceremonial names SunHawk and Águila, as she builds a sustainable community off the grid, atop a mountain otherwise uninhabited by human life. Águila tells the truth of one woman’s search for freedom and all women’s quest for dignity as it celebrates the healing powers of nature.Trade Review“This impressive chronicle of the lifework of a powerful Indigenous woman wrestling with personal, familial, and cultural survival is also a story of the landscapes of Texas and Arkansas, which emerge as sites of birth, death, safety, and danger. A wonderful book.” —Pippa Holloway, Cornerstone Chair in History, University of Richmond“I have long admired the work of MarÍa Cristina Moroles at Arco Iris, and now Águila celebrates her life and vision. Filled with stories from Moroles’s life deftly assembled by Lauri Umansky, Águila demonstrates how to live honoring visions of peace and justice. Moroles has led a life filled with meaning and purpose; reading Águila, all may witness and emulate. Águila is fantastic!”—Julie R. Enszer, editor and publisher, Sinister Wisdom“Águila is beautifully written and powerfully engaging. It moves and touches you while simultaneously deepening and complicating the narrative about life in the Ozark Mountains. And it does this through the lens of a woman of color residing in a women-centered community. One cannot help but be inspired by Águila’s struggle, despair, hope, resilience, and power as she resisted the forces that would otherwise leave her unnamed and unacknowledged as she lives her life as freely and audaciously as possible.”—Cherisse Jones-Branch, dean of the graduate school and professor of history, Arkansas State University

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Book SynopsisLady Gaga's song "Born This Way" has become an anthem for homosexual rights, asserting in a simplistic fashion that same-sex attraction is a trait much like hair or skin color. In Born This Way?, the author surveys the most common scientific arguments in favor of homosexuality and respond to pro-homosexual arguments. A review of the research will show that, while there are some genetic or biological factors that correlate with a higher incidence of same-sex attraction and homosexual behavior, as of yet there is no proof of genetic or biological causation for homosexuality.

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Book SynopsisA 48-page study guide for enGendered: God's Gift of Gender Difference in Relationship. It consists of two parts-questions for group discussion and answer guide for leaders. This study guide presents a theology of gender and shows how it enriches a relationship between a man and a woman.

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Book SynopsisA feminist project that privileges the Babylonian Talmudic tractate as culturally significant. While the use of feminist analysis as a methodological lens is not new to the study of Talmudic literature or to the study of individual tractates, this book demonstrates that such an intervention with the Babylonian Talmud reveals new perspectives on the rabbis’ relationship with the temple and its priesthood. More specifically, through the relationships most commonly associated with home, such as those of husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, and brother-brother, the rabbis destabilize the temple bayit (or temple house). Moving beyond the view that the temple was replaced by the rabbinic home, and that rabbinic rites reappropriate temple practices, a feminist approach highlights the inextricable link between kinship, gender, and the body, calling attention to the ways the rabbis deconstruct the priesthood so as to reconstruct themselves. Trade Review“Happy families may all be alike, but the priestly family is unhappy in its own ways, shows Marjorie Lehman in her fine-grained readings of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma. Lehman’s story is one of patriarchy and hierarchy, but also of vulnerability and reflection, as the tractate turns towards the practices of self-affliction that, until today, characterize the day of atonement. Tractate Yoma reads, if not quite like a novel or poem, then like a series of meditations on the shifting meanings of home and the anxieties about continuity and control. You will leave Bringing Down the Temple House never thinking the same way again about ‘the house’ as a Jewish cultural topos.” -- Beth Berkowitz, Barnard College, author of Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud“Strikingly original. Lehman brings to bear a feminist lens to demonstrate how one group of men (the rabbis) critiques and wrestles with the legacy of another group of men (the priests). Feminist attention to the constitutive relationships of the household (husband-wife, father-son, mother-son) illuminates the anxieties and tensions that play out as the rabbis claim the mantel of religious leadership from their priestly rivals.” -- Elizabeth Shanks Alexander, author of Gender and Timebound Commandments in Judaism“Lehman persuasively demonstrates that the theme ‘house’ runs uniquely and distinctively through Bavli Tractate Yoma, read holistically as a self-contained literary unit. With an erudite combination of academic Talmud criticism and feminist and gender analysis, Lehman shows the many gendered paths Bavli Yoma takes to disconnect the rabbinic ‘house’ from a Temple ‘house’ for which she perceptively detects a lack of rabbinic nostalgia.” -- Alyssa Gray, Professor of Rabbinics, Hebrew Union College-JIR“Through insightful analyses, compelling argumentation, and beautiful prose, Lehman mines Tractate Yoma’s structure, content, and imagery to reveal the intricate connections that the rabbis drew between gender, the home, and the temple. A model of what can be learned when we read the Talmud as literature and bring feminist analysis to ancient texts, and an absolute pleasure to read.” -- Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Unsettling the Temple BayitChapter 2: Violence in the Temple: Father Priests and Their SonsChapter 3: Mothers and Sons: Broken HousesChapter 4: From Inside Out: Kimhit’s HouseChapter 5: Intergenerational Transmission and the Problem of MothersChapter 6: Sexuality Inside and Outside the Temple HouseChapter 7: Sustaining the Rabbinic HouseholdChapter 8: Vulnerable Bodies in Vulnerable HousesChapter 9: Purity and Impurity: From Priest to RabbiAfterwordAcknowledgementsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisA feminist project that privileges the Babylonian Talmudic tractate as culturally significant. While the use of feminist analysis as a methodological lens is not new to the study of Talmudic literature or to the study of individual tractates, this book demonstrates that such an intervention with the Babylonian Talmud reveals new perspectives on the rabbis’ relationship with the temple and its priesthood. More specifically, through the relationships most commonly associated with home, such as those of husband-wife, father-son, mother-son, and brother-brother, the rabbis destabilize the temple bayit (or temple house). Moving beyond the view that the temple was replaced by the rabbinic home, and that rabbinic rites reappropriate temple practices, a feminist approach highlights the inextricable link between kinship, gender, and the body, calling attention to the ways the rabbis deconstruct the priesthood so as to reconstruct themselves. Trade Review“Happy families may all be alike, but the priestly family is unhappy in its own ways, shows Marjorie Lehman in her fine-grained readings of Babylonian Talmud Tractate Yoma. Lehman’s story is one of patriarchy and hierarchy, but also of vulnerability and reflection, as the tractate turns towards the practices of self-affliction that, until today, characterize the day of atonement. Tractate Yoma reads, if not quite like a novel or poem, then like a series of meditations on the shifting meanings of home and the anxieties about continuity and control. You will leave Bringing Down the Temple House never thinking the same way again about ‘the house’ as a Jewish cultural topos.” -- Beth Berkowitz, Barnard College, author of Animals and Animality in the Babylonian Talmud“Strikingly original. Lehman brings to bear a feminist lens to demonstrate how one group of men (the rabbis) critiques and wrestles with the legacy of another group of men (the priests). Feminist attention to the constitutive relationships of the household (husband-wife, father-son, mother-son) illuminates the anxieties and tensions that play out as the rabbis claim the mantel of religious leadership from their priestly rivals.” -- Elizabeth Shanks Alexander, author of Gender and Timebound Commandments in Judaism“Lehman persuasively demonstrates that the theme ‘house’ runs uniquely and distinctively through Bavli Tractate Yoma, read holistically as a self-contained literary unit. With an erudite combination of academic Talmud criticism and feminist and gender analysis, Lehman shows the many gendered paths Bavli Yoma takes to disconnect the rabbinic ‘house’ from a Temple ‘house’ for which she perceptively detects a lack of rabbinic nostalgia.” -- Alyssa Gray, Professor of Rabbinics, Hebrew Union College-JIR“Through insightful analyses, compelling argumentation, and beautiful prose, Lehman mines Tractate Yoma’s structure, content, and imagery to reveal the intricate connections that the rabbis drew between gender, the home, and the temple. A model of what can be learned when we read the Talmud as literature and bring feminist analysis to ancient texts, and an absolute pleasure to read.” -- Sarit Kattan Gribetz, Fordham UniversityTable of ContentsIntroductionChapter 1: Unsettling the Temple BayitChapter 2: Violence in the Temple: Father Priests and Their SonsChapter 3: Mothers and Sons: Broken HousesChapter 4: From Inside Out: Kimhit’s HouseChapter 5: Intergenerational Transmission and the Problem of MothersChapter 6: Sexuality Inside and Outside the Temple HouseChapter 7: Sustaining the Rabbinic HouseholdChapter 8: Vulnerable Bodies in Vulnerable HousesChapter 9: Purity and Impurity: From Priest to RabbiAfterwordAcknowledgementsNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe architects of the sexual revolution won over the popular imagination because they knew the power of story. They drew together radical new ideologies, often complex and hard to grasp, and melded them into the simpler structure of narrative. Crucially, they cast narratives that appealed to the moral instincts of ordinary, decent people. This moral vision overwhelmed the church and silenced its faltering apologists. The author argues that if Christians still believe they have have good news in the sphere of sexual ethics, then two big tasks lie ahead. Our first priority is to work out what has gone so badly wrong, both in our understanding and application of what the Bible teaches and the way we have presented our case to the non-churched. And then we must offer a better story, one that fires the imagination with such force that people will say, 'I want that to be true.' This book offers a confident, biblically rooted moral vision which needs to be shared with prayer and courage.Trade ReviewA really first-rate piece of work on a most important topic. The style is warm, persuasive and engaging. The content is clear, incisive and wise. I recommend publication strongly and urgently - we really need this book! You have served the church and wider society very, very significantly by writing it. -- Julian Hardyman, Senior Pastor of Eden Chapel, CambridgeWith clarity and wisdom, Glynn helpfully assists us in navigating a minefield of explosive and emotive issues. He shows why and how the sexual revolution has transformed the thinking of so many, and yet how it has failed to deliver on its grand promises. In its place he tells a beautiful story of where our sexuality is designed to lead us, and where all our longings can find ultimate fulfilment. I cannot recommend this book highly enough. Every Christian facing these issues should read it. * Michael Ots, Evangelist, speaker and author *Glynn Harrison’s acute cultural analysis and inspiring presentation of the Bible’s teaching provides a superb model of how orthodox Christians should address the subject of sex and marriage today. He demonstrates that the legacy of the sexual revolution is not the freedom and fulfilment it promises, but isolated individuals and broken communities. And he shows that the Bible, by contrast, points to a greater vision, a better story and a deeper love which, rightly understood, will capture hearts and inspire costly obedience, for the good of all and the glory of God. * Vaughan Roberts, Rector of St Ebbe’s Oxford and Director of The Proclamation Trust *"This is a wonderful book, clear and compassionate; a book I have been wanting to read for a very long time, but no one has written it until now. Glynn maps out the extent of the sexual revolution, what's good about it as well as what isn't, and sets out how we can be confident in God's intention and gift in a way we can celebrate and commend to our unbelieving culture. If I could afford to I would send it to all bishops, presbyters and any other Christian leader. Please read it in your group or church, please be prepared to work through the ways it will help you flourish in God's good gift, and let this book take you to the breadth, length, height and depth of Christ's love, and help you share that love with those who don't know it exists" * Keith Sinclair Bishop of Birkenhead *A confident, biblically rooted moral vision to be shared with prayer and courage. * Gospel Coalition *Compelling and constructive . . . full of hope. * Happy Certainty *Timely, helpful and much-needed. * bethinking *

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Book SynopsisWhat We're Afraid to Ask is a must-read for survivors of childhood abuse who struggle to reconcile their faith with their past. Board, Fleetwood, and Jones demonstrate how Christianity offers reasonable, honest, and encouraging answers to difficult questions regarding abuse while focusing the reader's attention biblically and psychologically toward Jesus Christ, in whom there is infinite hope.

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Book SynopsisWaiting for a baby is a painful reality for many. As long months pass the well-meaning optimism of friends starts to ring hollow. The emphasis on family at the weekly church service becomes an unwelcome reminder of what's missing. God seems reluctant to bless. Using a wealth of real life stories this deeply caring book offers practical resources to address the pain and encourages biblical thinking childlessness and infertility. 'We have learnt that we are not immune from problems and we grow as Christians as a result of them. Most importantly, no matter how awful and difficult it seems, God is in control of what is happening to us, even if we most definitely are not.'

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Book SynopsisPure' was developed and written against a background of increasing promiscuity and godlessness in twenty-first century Britain. It offers an alternative to swimming with the tide. It looks at God’s plan for creation, the impact of the fall, our wrong motives, and how we can live in harmony with God, which means of course living pure lives.

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Book SynopsisBoy meets girl. Boy and girl go on romantic dates. Boy and girl establish healthy boundaries, share their hearts and fall in love. Boy buys ring. Girl says, â€~yes’. Boy and girl get married ... If only it was this simple! How do you recognize real love amidst the multitude of other things that go hand in hand with it: infatuation, lust, desperation, attraction, hate? How do you know if the person you are going out with is the person you should spend the rest of your life with? How easy is it to get it wrong?’ Rachel Gardner and André Adefope look at God’s guidelines for romance. They ask the difficult questions, but they also ask how God helps us to change - how you can become a godly boyfriend: confident in who you are, supportive, worthy of respect; or a godly girlfriend: sure of yourself, able to nurture selflessness and generosity in relationships.

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Book SynopsisAll Religion is about the denial of God. This is a book about Life, Love, Sexuality, Death and God. It is a story of many people's stories, but most of all it is my story. Here for the first time is a truth birthed from fear and oppression and redeemed by love. When I first started putting the book together, I had some scattered ideas as to how I would do this. Some of the scenes written in the early seventies and eighties were never intended to form part of a whole. They stood alone, as a lecture here or an article there. This is in fact true for most of the project in hand. It is my hope and indeed my belief that the book holds together as one man's attempt to be honest with God. I hasten to add that in no way is this a holy book. The words erection and Resurrection, masturbation and Holy Mass all appear with equal authenticity, pain and celebration. It is no book for the pious or those seeking a quick fix.Trade ReviewA companion book to Bernard Lynch; A Priest on Trial, If it Wasn't Love shines a necessary if often uncomfortable bright light on the personal, political and spiritual dimensions of our half -understood and half-lived sexuality. (Jim Cotter, (Cairns Publications), ordained Anglican, author of Good Fruits, Pleasure, Pain and Passion, and Quiverful.) Bernard Lynch has been at the forefront of theological debate and political activism since the 1980s. His candid and provocative account of his life as a gay priest will fascinate readers gay and straight, of all faiths and of none. (Michael Arditti, Author of seven highly acclaimed novels, most recently Jubilate)

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Book SynopsisAn invaluable insight into the narrative politics and theologies of LGBTQ+ life-storytelling, a key text for those in African Humanities, Queer Studies, Religious Studies, and Refugee Studies. Presenting the deeply moving personal life stories of Ugandan LGBTQ+ refugees in Nairobi, Kenya alongside an analysis of the process in which they creatively engaged with two Bible stories - Daniel in the Lions' Den (Old Testament) and Jesus and the Woman Caught in Adultery (New Testament) - Sacred Queer Stories explores how readings of biblical stories can reveal their experiences of struggle, their hopes for the future, and their faith in God and humanity. Arguing that the telling of life-stories of marginalised people, such as of Ugandan LGBTQ+ refugees, affirms embodied existence and agency, is socially and politically empowering, and enables human solidarity, the authors also show how the Bible as an authoritative religious text and popular cultural archive in Africa is often used against LGBTQ+ people but can also be reclaimed as a site of meaning, healing, and empowerment. The result of a collaborative project between UK-based academics and a Nairobi-based organisation of Ugandan LGBTQ+ refugees, the book provides a valuable insight into the narrative politics and theologies of LGBTQ+ life-storytelling. A key text for those in African Humanities, Queer Studies, Religious Studies, and Refugee Studies, among others, the book expresses an innovative methodology of inter-reading queer life-stories and biblical stories.Trade ReviewSacred Queer Stories is a daring exposition of the relationship between LGBTQ+ experiences and religious stories that need to be further explored. Aside from recounting personal stories, the text has become an indispensable landmark for alternative interpretations of religious texts in Africa that position such texts as friendly and corrective rather than horrific and repelling -- African Studies Quarterly[A] remarkable example of academic research that centers the decolonization and democratization of a field of knowledge and its creators. * Reading Religion *In Sacred Queer Stories the authors reflect deeply on their positionality as white, UK-based scholars holding a power imbalance with their African participants. They distance themselves from the "white saviour" attitude of many scholars and activists from the Global North, and honour the work of LGBTQ+ African grassroots activists." -- Aminata Cécile Mbaye and Marc Epprecht * Canadian Journal of African Studies *Table of ContentsForeword, by Stella Nyanzi Introduction PART I: UGANDAN LGBTQ+ REFUGEE LIFE STORIES Story 1: It's my nature, this is who I am Story 2: It's not like heaven here Story 3: Here we are free to express ourselves without fear Story 4: I consider this as my new family Story 5: Personally, I think God is gay Story 6: Angels don't have a gender Story 7: God loves me more than they love me Story 8: I just wanted an opportunity to express myself Story 9: I was chased away from the garden of heaven Story 10: First and foremost, I want to be a free person Story 11: God has a purpose for us all Story 12: God doesn't make mistakes PART II: INTER-READING UGANDAN LGBTQ+ LIFE STORIES AND BIBLE STORIES 1. Inter-reading Life Stories and Bible Stories 2. Daniel in the Homophobic Lions' Den Poem: 'The Company of Men!', by Tom Rogers Muyunga-Mukasa 3. Jesus and the Guys Charged with Indecency Poem: 'Accused of a Sodomy Act', by Tom Rogers Muyunga-Mukasa 4. Reflection: A Postcolonial and Self-reflexive Reading Conclusion

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Book SynopsisThis book explores Mississippi Christians’ beliefs about homosexuality and gay and lesbian civil rights and whether having a gay or lesbian friend or family member influences those beliefs. Beliefs about homosexuality and gay and lesbian rights vary widely based on religious affiliation. Despite having gay or lesbian friends or family members, evangelical Protestants believe homosexuality is sinful and oppose gay and lesbian rights. Mainline Protestants are largely supportive of gay and lesbian rights and become more supportive after getting to know gay and lesbian people. Catholics describe a greater degree of uncertainty and a conditional acceptance of gay and lesbian rights; clear differences between conservative and liberal Catholics are evident. Overall, conservative Christians, both evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics, hold a religious identity that overshadows their relationships with gay and lesbian friends or family. Conservative religion acts as a deterrent to the positive benefits of relationships with gay and lesbian people. Trade Review"In Conditionally Accepted Baker Rogers offers a textured analysis of perceptions of gay and lesbian citizens living in one of the most conservative parts of the country. A well-organized, engaging, and compelling investigation." -- John Bartkowski * University of Texas, author of The Promise Keepers: Servants, Soldiers, and Godly Men *"In this critical yet sympathetic analysis of religious intolerance, Baker Rogers listens carefully to anti-gay Christians in Mississippi. They offer strong evidence that close contact with lesbian and gay people is not enough to change deeply held anti-gay attitudes." -- Tina Fetner * McMaster University, author of How the Religious Right Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism *"Recommended. " * Choice *"Based on rich interview data with 40 Christians in Mississippi, Conditionally Accepted presents an important argument that specific religious identity formations produce opposition to gays and lesbians....Conditionally Accepted provides an insightful contribution to sociological thinking about religious identity and sexuality." * Gender and Society *"The book is of particular value in the ways it explicates its geographical focus. Besides contextualizing gay and lesbian civil rights in a predominantly conservative religious context, the book also sensitizes the reader to develop a multicolor-perspective on the Christian South that goes beyond framing the region as only a place of Christian conservatism....The main message of the book is very clear: we must look more closely to the story of individual Mississippi Christians and how they come to their develop their attitudes towards gay men and lesbian women." * Politics, Religion, & Ideology *"Spirit in the sky: various faiths with queer-friendly aspects," by Brian Bromberger https://www.ebar.com/events/arts_events//296909/spirit_in_the_sky:_various_faiths_with_queer-friendly_aspects * Bay Area Reporter *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: Religion and Homosexuality 1 God Said Love Thy Neighbor, Unless They're Gay 2 For the Bible (or My Pastor/Priest) Tells Me So: The Bible Homosexuality Part 2: Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights 3 Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman? Support and Opposition to Same Sex-Marriage 4 Do Children Need a Mom and Dad? The Debate over Same-Sex Marriage 5 All [Wo]men Are Created Equal, or Are They? The Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement Part 3: Social Contact with Gay and Lesbian People 6 Some of My Best Friends Are Gay: The Influence of Social Contact Conclusion: When Religion Overshadows Relationships Appendix: Methodology Acknowledgements Notes References Index About the Author

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Book SynopsisThis book explores Mississippi Christians’ beliefs about homosexuality and gay and lesbian civil rights and whether having a gay or lesbian friend or family member influences those beliefs. Beliefs about homosexuality and gay and lesbian rights vary widely based on religious affiliation. Despite having gay or lesbian friends or family members, evangelical Protestants believe homosexuality is sinful and oppose gay and lesbian rights. Mainline Protestants are largely supportive of gay and lesbian rights and become more supportive after getting to know gay and lesbian people. Catholics describe a greater degree of uncertainty and a conditional acceptance of gay and lesbian rights; clear differences between conservative and liberal Catholics are evident. Overall, conservative Christians, both evangelical Protestants and conservative Catholics, hold a religious identity that overshadows their relationships with gay and lesbian friends or family. Conservative religion acts as a deterrent to the positive benefits of relationships with gay and lesbian people. Trade Review"In Conditionally Accepted Baker Rogers offers a textured analysis of perceptions of gay and lesbian citizens living in one of the most conservative parts of the country. A well-organized, engaging, and compelling investigation." -- John Bartkowski * University of Texas, author of The Promise Keepers: Servants, Soldiers, and Godly Men *"In this critical yet sympathetic analysis of religious intolerance, Baker Rogers listens carefully to anti-gay Christians in Mississippi. They offer strong evidence that close contact with lesbian and gay people is not enough to change deeply held anti-gay attitudes." -- Tina Fetner * McMaster University, author of How the Religious Right Shaped Lesbian and Gay Activism *"Recommended. " * Choice *"Based on rich interview data with 40 Christians in Mississippi, Conditionally Accepted presents an important argument that specific religious identity formations produce opposition to gays and lesbians....Conditionally Accepted provides an insightful contribution to sociological thinking about religious identity and sexuality." * Gender and Society *"The book is of particular value in the ways it explicates its geographical focus. Besides contextualizing gay and lesbian civil rights in a predominantly conservative religious context, the book also sensitizes the reader to develop a multicolor-perspective on the Christian South that goes beyond framing the region as only a place of Christian conservatism....The main message of the book is very clear: we must look more closely to the story of individual Mississippi Christians and how they come to their develop their attitudes towards gay men and lesbian women." * Politics, Religion, & Ideology *"Spirit in the sky: various faiths with queer-friendly aspects," by Brian Bromberger https://www.ebar.com/events/arts_events//296909/spirit_in_the_sky:_various_faiths_with_queer-friendly_aspects * Bay Area Reporter *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part 1: Religion and Homosexuality 1 God Said Love Thy Neighbor, Unless They're Gay 2 For the Bible (or My Pastor/Priest) Tells Me So: The Bible Homosexuality Part 2: Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights 3 Marriage = 1 Man + 1 Woman? Support and Opposition to Same Sex-Marriage 4 Do Children Need a Mom and Dad? The Debate over Same-Sex Marriage 5 All [Wo]men Are Created Equal, or Are They? The Gay and Lesbian Civil Rights Movement Part 3: Social Contact with Gay and Lesbian People 6 Some of My Best Friends Are Gay: The Influence of Social Contact Conclusion: When Religion Overshadows Relationships Appendix: Methodology Acknowledgements Notes References Index About the Author

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