Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships Books

Book SynopsisThe term ars erotica refers to the styles and techniques of lovemaking with the honorific title of art. But in what sense are these practices artistic and how do they contribute to the aesthetics and ethics of self-cultivation in the art of living? In this book, Richard Shusterman offers a critical, comparative analysis of the erotic theories proposed by the most influential premodern cultural traditions that shaped our contemporary world. Beginning with ancient Greece, whose god of desiring love gave eroticism its name, Shusterman examines the Judaeo-Christian biblical tradition and the classical erotic theories of Chinese, Indian, Islamic, and Japanese cultures, before concluding with medieval and Renaissance Europe. His exploration of their errors and insights shows how we could improve the quality of life and love today. By using the engine of eros to cultivate qualities of sensitivity, grace, skill, and self-mastery, we can reimagine a richer, more positive vision of sex educationTrade Review'With a panoramic horizon that draws upon the full compass of sexual culture, world philosopher Richard Shusterman in his Ars Erotica elevates and ennobles sexuality by finding the crucial isomorphisms between deference and a situated, contrapuntal musicality, between artistry and the intensity of pleasure, between sensual imagination and intelligent practice. Shusterman continues his somaesthetic revolution by taking the stodgy professional discipline to task with a sex education that seeks to refine rather than contain, and to elevate rather than ignore this vital aspect of the human experience.' Roger T. Ames, Peking University'The unending struggle to reconcile the 'base' demands of the desiring body with the elevating aspirations of culture defines human history. Drawing on his pioneering work in somaesthetics, Richard Shusterman displays extraordinary erudition in presenting the ways in which seven great civilizations have fashioned an ars erotica seeking to do justice to both.' Martin Jay, University of California, Berkeley'In the impressive and ground-breaking new book, Ars Erotica: Sex and Somaesthetic in the Classical Arts of Love, the somaesthetic philosopher and historian, Richard Shusterman, captures the human somaesthetic expressions and movements in time and cultures in all its width, through what he calls Ars Erotica … Ars Erotica should be read as a book of enlightenment to everyone who wants to enrich their knowledge of somaesthetic and aesthetics art of living and who further want to understand more of the hidden power of gender and erotic visions.' Line Joranger, Psychology of Women Quarterly'Richard Shusterman's latest book is a tour de force through the broad (multi)cultural and temporal horizon of his investigation. In this connection, vagueness is factored in, for all the careful legitimization of terminology at the beginning of the volume, especially the option for ars erotica, Shusterman must ultimately present a whole realm of love forms, physical as well as idealized and even mystical in nature. Above all, this investigation, which promises to become a standard work, makes the originally somewhat abstract program of somaesthetics tangible and convincing.' Madalina Diaconu, Polylog'The historical and geographical scope of the book is breath-taking … The complexity and detail of the material addressed entail that Ars Erotica may be read in a number of ways … and … has consequences for how we live our lives and care for our bodies. The extraordinary scholarship, and indeed courage, of Ars Erotica demands the initiation of much needed debates, not least with feminist and queer theorists. It is an important text, and is so beyond its place in the development of aesthetics or indeed somaesthetics. It should, as Shusterman hopes, serve in developing the understanding, criticism, and ultimately practice, of our own sexual cultures and their inherent aesthetics.' The British Journal of Aesthetics'… An absolutely trailblazing work … Ars Erotica sheds light on a path worthy of future study and it has definitely established Shusterman's role in the history of aesthetics as a major one.' Max Ryynänen, Slovak Journal of Aesthetics'A look at other cultures and other times can provide, as this book suggests, ample resources for a broader, deeper, erotic vision to enrich the field of aesthetics and our art of living.' Mark Tschaepe, Metaphilosophy'Richard Shusterman's Ars Erotica ambitiously romps through history to explore the idea of sex as an artistic skill honed by study and training.' Matthew Crippen, Society'Shusterman understands that many of his subjects require background discussions, discussions of, say, the nature of the relevant society or theological issues, which he then provides. This book therefore is a wide-ranging accomplishment; I learned much from it. It will function well as a basis for further reflections and a springboard to future syntheses.' Mark Masterson, Journal of the History of SexualityTable of Contents1. Ars Erotica and the question of aesthetics; 2. Dialectics of desire and virtue; 3. The biblical tradition; 4. Chinese Qi erotics; 5. Lovemaking as aesthetic education; 6. Fragrance, veils, and violence; 7. From romantic refinement to courtesan conoisseurship; 8. Commingling, complexity, and conflict.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of essays by Jewish, Christian, and Muslim scholars underscores the significance of sustained and serious ethical, inter-religious, and interdisciplinary reflection on children. Essays in the first half of the volume discuss fundamental beliefs and practices within the religious traditions of Judaism, Christianity and Islam regarding children, adult obligations to them, and a child's own obligations to others. The second half of the volume focuses on selected contemporary challenges regarding children and faithful responses to them. Marcia J. Bunge brings together scholars from various disciplines and diverse strands within these three religious traditions, representing several views on essential questions about the nature and status of children and adult-child relationships and responsibilities. The volume not only contributes to intellectual inquiry regarding children in the specific areas of ethics, religious studies, children's rights, and childhood studies, but alsTrade Review'… the book brings the three traditions into conjunction with one another, with the aim of drawing upon the wisdom of each tradition - and one another's traditions as well … Highly recommended …' L. J. Alderink, ChoiceTable of ContentsIntroduction Marcia J. Bunge; Part I. Religious Understandings of Children: Central Beliefs and Practices: 1. The concept of the child embedded in Jewish law Elliot N. Dorff; 2. Children's spirituality in the Jewish narrative tradition Sandy Eisenberg Sasso; 3. Christian understandings of children: central biblical themes and resources Marcia J. Bunge; 4. Human dignity and social responsibility: Catholic social thought on children William Werpehowski; 5. Islam, children, and modernity - a Qur'anic perspective Farid Esack; 6. Muslim youth and religious identity: classical perspectives and contemporary challenges Marcia Hermansen; 7. Imagining childism: how childhood should transform religious ethics John Wall; 8. Talking about childhood and engaging with children: a Christian perspective on interfaith dialogue Nelly Van Doorn-Harder; Part II. Responsibilities of Children and Adults: Selected Contemporary Issues and Challenges: 9. Work, labor, and chores: Christian ethical reflection on children and vocation Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore; 10. Honor your father and your mother - a Christian perspective in dialogue with contemporary psychological theories Annemie Dillen; 11. Will I have Jewish grandchildren? Cultural transmission and ethical and religious concerns among ethnoreligious minorities Sylvia Barack-Fishman; 12. Linking past and present: educating Muslim children in diverse cultural contexts Lily Zakiyah Munir and Azim Nanji; 13. Orphans and adoption: biblical themes, Christian initiatives, and contemporary ethical concerns Keith Graber Miller; 14. Second-hand children: a Jewish ethics of foster care in an age of desire Laurie Zoloth; 15. Christianity's mixed contributions to children's rights: traditional teachings, modern doubts Don S. Browning and John Witte, Jr; 16. Children's rights in modern Islamic and international law: changes in Muslim moral imaginaries Ebrahim Moosa.

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Book SynopsisAs demonstrated in any conflict, war is violent and causes grave harms to innocent persons, even when fought in compliance with just war criteria. In this book, Rosemary Kellison presents a feminist critique of just war reasoning, with particular focus on the issue of responsibility for harm to noncombatants. Contemporary just war reasoning denies the violence of war by suggesting that many of the harms caused by war are necessary, though regrettable, injuries for which inflicting agents bear no responsibility. She challenges this narrow understanding of responsibility through a feminist ethical approach that emphasizes the relationality of humans and the resulting asymmetries in their relative power and vulnerability. According to this approach, the powerful individual and collective agents who inflict harm during war are responsible for recognizing and responding to the vulnerable persons they harm, and thereby reducing the likelihood of future violence.Kellison''s volume goes beyond abstract theoretical work to consider the real implications of an important ethical problem.Table of Contents1. Feminist ethics; 2. Necessity and the evasion of responsibility; 3. Relational personhood and the violence of war; 4. Intention matters; 5. From evading to expanding responsibility; 6. Taking responsibility for harmdoing in war.

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Book SynopsisA NATIONAL BESTSELLER!Journalist Sarah Stankorb outlines how access to the internet-its networks, freedom of expression, and resources for deeply researching and reporting on powerful church figures-allowed women to begin dismantling the false authority of evangelical communities that had long demanded their submission.A generation of American Christian girls was taught submitting to men is God's will. They were taught not to question the men in their families or their pastors. They were told to remain sexually pure and trained to feel shame if a man was tempted. Some of these girls were abused and assaulted. Some made to shrink down so small they became a shadow of themselves. To question their leaders was to question God.All the while, their male leaders built fiefdoms from megachurches and sprawling ministries. They influenced politics and policy. To protect their church's influence, these men covered up and hid abuse. American Christian patriarchy, as it rose in political power and cultural sway over the past four decades, hurt many faithful believers. Millions of Americans abandoned churches they once loved.Yet among those who stayed (and a few who still loved the church they fled), a brave group of women spoke up. They built online megaphones, using the democratizing power of technology to create long-overdue change.In Disobedient Women, journalist Sarah Stankorb gives long-overdue recognition for these everyday women as leaders and as voices for a different sort of faith. Their work has driven journalists to help bring abuse stories to national attention. Stankorb weaves together the efforts of these courageous voices in order to present a full, layered portrait of the treatment of women and the fight for change within the modern American church.Disobedient Women is not just a look at the women who have used the internet to bring down the religious power structures that were meant to keep them quiet, but also a picture of the large-scale changes that are happening within evangelical culture regarding women's roles, ultimately underscoring the ways technology has created a place for women to challenge traditional institutions from within.

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Book SynopsisYou Can Win Her Back Few challenges in life are as difficult as regaining a wife’s trust—and few are as ultimately worthwhile. Trust can be rebuilt in your marriage! With patient, loving, self-sacrificing effort, it’s possible that one day your wife will risk her heart with you again. And she may even have more respect and love for you than before. In Worthy of Her Trust, Jason Martinkus relates how he repaired his own marriage after revelations of sexual addiction. Along with Stephen Arterburn, Jason offers exercises and tools rooted in counseling principles to help your marriage begin again. This comprehensive guide discusses: · How to be truly and effectively transparent · Combating the “he must not love me” myth and other untruths· What to do about the Internet, office temptations, and travel· Encouragement for wives who wonder if trust can ever be restored · The “five-minute phone call” and other daily trust-building strategies· What meaningful forgiveness and restitution look like· The Amends Matrix—a concrete exercise to admit past wrongs and cast a vision for a faithful futureIncluding insights from Jason’s wife, Shelley, Worthy of Her Trust guides you through the process of rebuilding your relationship so it is stronger than ever.

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Book SynopsisIn this book, marriage mentor and coach Sara Malik shares what she has learnt whilst searching for marital solutions for the modern-day woman and shows wives of all ages how they can systematically create better marriages.Drawing upon Islamic principles, Jungian psychology and ancient wisdom, this book shows women how to reclaim their feminine identity whilst upholding women’s liberation. By manifesting their innate traits of leadership, love, wisdom and justice, women can create their own unique marriages, ultimately to emulate the Messenger of Allah, Muhammad ??? ???? ???? ????, who was a perfect embodiment of these four traits.

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Book SynopsisJust Gender Relations in Church and Society â more than just a Dream

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Book SynopsisThe true role of religion in the AIDS epidemic in Africa has been debated for years: some scholars and activists claim that religious groups have provided much-needed education and assistance to those afflicted with the disease, and others argue that religion has contributed to the spread and stigmatization of AIDS. Drawing upon extensive fieldwork in Malawi and survey data from 26 other sub-Saharan African countries, Jenny Trinitapoli and Alexander Weinreb provide the first comprehensive empirical account of how religious groups affect the spread of knowledge, prevention, and mitigation of AIDS in sub-Saharan Africa.Trinitapoli and Weinreb identify religious patterns in the infection of HIV, examine differences across religions in risk and preventive behaviors, and discuss the role of religion in the provision of assistance to the sick and their families. Their study also shows how religious groups shape social and cultural interpretations of AIDS, addressing such issues as the discouTrade ReviewTrinitapoli and Weinreb challenge much that is holy writ for modern, Western, secular minds. For those with an interest in development or medicine, it is fascinating, and perhaps infuriating. * Michael Beasley, Theology *Religion and AIDS in Africa is a Scholarly yet readable exploration of many of the questions key to understanding the complexity of HIV and religion in Africa ... * Ann Smith, the Tablet *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; Part One / THE BASICS ; 1. AIDS in Context ; 2. Religious Patterns ; Part Two / UNDERSTANDING AIDS ; 3. Interpreting the Epidemic ; 4. Knowledge about HIV ; Part Three / HIV PREVENTION ABC...Z ; 5. The ABCs of prevention ; 6. Beyond ABC: Local prevention strategies ; 7. Congregational Combinations ; Part Four / RESPONDING ; 8. Stigma ; 9. Safety nets ; 10. Effects of AIDS on Religion ; Conclusions ; Appendices ; Notes ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisA meticulously researched inside look at child sexual abuse by clergy, this exhaustive, hard-hitting analysis weaves together interviews with abusive priests and church historical and administrative details to propose a new way of thinking about clerical sexual offenders. Linking the personal and the institutional, researcher and therapist Marie Keenan locates the problem of child sexual abuse not exclusively in individual pathology, but also within larger systemic factors, such as the very institution of priesthood itself, the Catholic take on sexuality, clerical culture, power relations, governance structures of the Catholic Church, the process of formation for priesthood and religious life, and the complex manner in which these factors coalesce to create serious institutional risks for boundary violations, including child sexual abuse. Keenan draws on the priests'' own words not to excuse their horrific crimes, but to offer the first in-depth account of a tragic, multi-faceted phenoTrade Review"Dr. Keenan is to be congratulated on this timely and scholarly study, conducted primarily through interviews with offender and non-offender clergy, which begins the crucial process of helping us to understand, but not forgive, such behavior. Her thesis that the behavior of abusive clergy can only be understood in the context of the responses of the hierarchy of the Church provides a sociological analysis that conveys important lessons for academics, policymakers, and therapeutic practitioners."-Nick Gould, PhD, Professor of Social Work, University of Bath "This book significantly raises the level of debate on these issues in Ireland and, indeed, throughout the world. Dr. Keenan's familiarity with the literature, her therapeutic work with victims and offenders, her dialogue with so many interested parties, and her acute sensitivity to the many personal, social, cultural, and organizational issues involved, make this book a must for all directly involved or seriously interested. I recommend it very highly."-Rev. Enda McDonagh, DD, DCL, Professor Emeritus of Moral Theology, St. Patrick's College, Maynooth "Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church provides a superb analysis of the individual and systemic explanations of clergy abuse in Ireland and around the world. Marie Keenan's work as a treatment provider for child sexual abusers has led to a decade of in-depth research on the abusers and the sexual abuse crisis in the Catholic Church. This is a must-read for any academic studying the sexual abuse of children in Church or organizations where adults develop mentoring and nurturing relationships with children and adolescents."-Karen J. Terry, PhD, Professor, John Jay College of Criminal Justice, City University of New York "The scope of Dr. Keenan's analysis is wide-ranging and her conclusions are startling but not surprising. Dr. Keenan has produced a balanced, scholarly, deeply humanistic, and thought-provoking book that is sure to make a major contribution to the problem of sexual abuse by the clergy, and more broadly, that occurring within large, hierarchical institutions. This is a beautifully written and wonderful book."-Tony Ward, PhD, Chair in Clinical Forensic Mental Health, Deakin University "Revelations of the magnitude of sexual abuse by Roman Catholic clergy has elicited shock, horror, and puzzlement throughout the world. Attempting to unravel the complexities of this issue in a way that is scholarly yet sensitive to the humanity of those involved can seem a daunting task. Yet, this is just what Marie Keenan has accomplished in this book, producing a study that brings a new level of understanding to this controversial issue and outlines possible ways toward a safer future."-Stanley L. Witkin, PhD, Professor of Social Work, University of Vermont "Readers will likely finish the book convinced or at least thoroughly compelled by the analysis Keenan so thoroughly outlines...Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church offers a welcome addition to college libraries, therapy centers, and classroom discussions centered on organizations, gender, power, and the complex social construction of child sexual abuse."--Sociology of Religion "The stunning conclusion of this work is that for those who embraced the idealized model of perfect celibate clerical masculinity, seminary and priestly life were in themselves abusive contexts. Overly credulous or unsavvy, they accepted standards that led to "soul death." Eventually, children were the "sacrificial lambs" on the altar of this image of clerical perfection. Until recently, victims' silence allowed Catholics to ignore their complicity in the institutional secrecy and hypocrisy that helped these sacrifices continue... Only a "new model of the church" will do. Keenan's hard-nosed and sophisticated book is a step in that direction." -- John C. Seitz, Fordham University Associate Professor of Theology, National Catholic Reporter "This is a timely and scholarly book from a lecturer at the School of Applied Social Sciences at University College, Dublin, and Chair of the Family Therapy Association." -- Alan Billings, GoodBookStall Review "The topic of the scandal of child sexual abuse by Irish clergy may only have impinged lightly on your awareness, especially if you are neither Irish nor a child psychiatrist. However, this analysis by Marie Keenan, an academic in social work and a systemic therapist, brings unusual perspectives and a depth of experience to the issue of sexual abuse within institutions." -- Fiona Subotsky, British Journal of Psychiatry "For me, the first and final sections of the book are the most substantial and interesting. Keenan's point - that it is vital to listen to and try to comprehend the social world of the sexual abuser. This is important because it can potentially assist in the construction of more appropriate social policy responses. Child Sexual Abuse & the Catholic Church is significant therefore, in seeking to move beyond 'moral panics' and ill-formed notions about priestly abusers... the book is a valuable contribution to understanding child sexual abuse and the Catholic Church in Ireland." -- Paul Michael Garrett, Critical Social Policy "Bravery, scholarly rigour and compassion are all found in abundance in Marie Keenan's illuminating and compassionate new book. She brings together interviews with clergy who have abused children and young people with an examination of the institutional contexts in which these men were trained. She examines the clerical culture and the structures of leadership and governance in the Catholic Church, and addresses how these men abused their positions of trust and continued day after day to say Mass and fulfil their duties." -- Brid Featherstone, Open University "We, her Irish colleagues are extraordinarily lucky that Marie Keenan has not been all too easily silenced or overwhelmed by the inevitable hostility consequent on seeking to 'name' or working to identify alternative explanations and paths forward. I would urge everyone to become familiar with, and informed by, her work and the manner of her working which is surely a brave effort at walking the tightrope between challenging and conforming positions." -- Bernadette O'Sullivan, PhD "This book by Dr. Marie Keenan, Lecturer in the School of Applied Social Science in University College Dublin, represents a comprehensive, well researched and wellarticulated analysis of the issue of child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Keenan is uniquely positioned to offer such an analysis: as a social worker and systemic psychotherapist, she brings a broad perspective to the issue, drawing on extensive experience working therapeutically with clerical sex offenders, involvement with the Catholic Church in Ireland in developing child protection measures, and doctoral research on the experiences of clerical offenders... The book is a gem, a carefully constructed piece of Irish social history that also offers precious insights for the global church." -- Rosaleen McElvaney, Dublic City University, Irish Journal of Applied Social Studies "Marie Keenan's psychiatric and therapeutic experience with those who have suffered abuse as children, and with adult abusers, both clerical and other, grounds Child Sexual Abuse and the Catholic Church, her very wise account of clerical masculinity as a pertinent dimension of the problem of clerical sexual abuse of children" -- Dublin Review of Books "An excellent book for church leaders and seminary formators and for anyone who wants to understand this crisis in order to bring about healing and reform in the Church." --Catholic Books ReviewTable of ContentsIntroduction ; Part I. Sexual Abuse, the Catholic Church, Clerical Men: A Critical Review ; 1. Child Sexual Abuse by Roman Catholic Clergy: The Scale and History of the Problem ; 2. Organized Irresponsibility (I): The Organizational and Institutional Culture of the Catholic Church ; 3. The View from the Ground: Clerical Men ; Part II. Theorising Sexual Abuse ; 4. The Individual as the Unit of Analysis ; 5. A Social Approach for Understanding a Social Problem ; 6. Power and Gender ; Part III. The Irish Case: Its Context and Wider Implications ; 7. Sexuality and Masculinity ; 8. Organized Irresponsibility (II): Clerical Elites, Rules, Obedience, and Loneliness ; 9. The Handling of Abuse Complaints ; 10. Understanding and Explaining Child Sexual Abuse within the Catholic Church ; Conclusion: Prospects, Visions, Agendas ; Appendix ; Glossary ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisWe are haunted, Samuel Kimbriel suggests, by a habit of isolation buried, often imperceptibly, within our practices of understanding and relating to the world. In this volume he works through the complexities of this disposition to contest its place within contemporary philosophical thought and practice. He focuses on the human activity of friendship. Chapters one and two examine friendship to unearth the contours of this habit towards isolation and to reveal certain ills that have long attended it. Chapters three through seven place these isolated ways of relating to the world into critical dialogue with the tradition of late-antique and early-medieval Johannine Christianity, in which intimacy and understanding go hand in hand. This tradition drew the human activities of friendship and enquiry into such unity that understanding itself became a kind of communion. Kimbriel endorses a return to an antique and particularly Christian philosophical habit--the befriending of wisdom.Trade ReviewA very valuable work...Among the book's many virtues is its balanced combination of careful exegetical scholarship and complex philosophical argument...Kimbriel's writing style is patient, subtle, and engaging, and his achievements here will be useful to a wide range of scholars -- in historical philosophy, for sure, but also in those interested in friendship, the self, knowledge, and theology. * Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews *This book will be of interest to a great variety of scholars in theology and philosophy ... elegantly proportioned [and] constructive. * Guido de Graaff, Studies in Christian Ethics *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Abbreviations ; Introduction ; Part I - Friendship and disengagement ; 1: Friendship and isolation ; 2: Friendship, virtue and contemplation ; Part II - Friendship and enquiry: Beyond disengagement ; 3: Sacred knowing and indwelling love ; 4: The porous enquirer ; 5: The veiled path: Enquiry, agency and desire ; 6: Human finitude and the paradox of enquiry ; 7: Friendship and deification ; Conclusion ; Bibliography ; Primary texts ; Secondary texts ; Index

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Book SynopsisA companion study guide that helps participants answer the question: How do we blend intimacy with Jesus and service for him in the midst of our busy, hectic lives? Joanna Weaver’s signature book, Having a Mary Heart in a Martha World, explores how each one of us has some Mary and some Martha within. The Mary in us wants to leave the dishes and sit at Jesus’ feet, while the Martha in us wants to attend to the multiple tasks around us. In this ten-session study guide, designed as a companion resource to the bestselling book and companion video content, available separately, Joanna reminds us that Jesus extends to us the same invitation he gave these sisters of Bethany: Come to Me. Featuring an expanded and revised version of the book’s original study, this beautiful guide provides space to capture what’s been learned from reading the assigned book chapters and the study of God''s Word. Practical sidebars, memory verses, video pages, and “Make a Plan” prompts make this a resource women will turn to long after the study is done. As we discover the best of both the Mary and the Martha parts of our lives, we will deepen our devotion to God and learn to delight in sitting at his feet. Created for both individuals and groups, this study guide enhances opportunities for personal reflection and/or group discussion around the bestselling book. To get the most out of the study, each participant will need a copy of the book and the study guide. Ten sessions of video content, approximately twenty minutes each, are also available on DVD or by online streaming.

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Book SynopsisChristian parents are not exempt from the struggle and heartbreak caused by rebellious children. This softcover version of the classic resource The Hurting Parent by Margie Lewis, written with her son, bestselling author Gregg Lewis, for the first time offers the rest of the story that inspired the original edition of this book.The Hurting Parent takes a realistic approach to the problems young people face today--peer pressure, easy access to drugs and alcohol, and cultural influences that pull them from their family''s faith. The Lewises acknowledge there are no simple formulas or simple answers. But the biblical insight, emotional understanding, and practical encouragement they offer will be life changing.Written by a hurting parent for other hurting parents, this book, by ministering to hundreds of thousands of families over the past thirty years, has earned a prominent spot not only on the personal bookshelves of countless parents and their family

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Book SynopsisTo understand your spouse, you''ve got to walk in his or her shoes. Ever feel like you''re stepping on each other''s toes? Then maybe it''s time you put yourselves in each other''s shoes. Of course that may sound uncomfortable. But it''s easier than you think--and it will revolutionize your relationship.In fact, bestselling authors Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott reveal the little-known secrets of putting the time-tested strategy of trading places to work in your own marriage. In this book, chock-full of practical helps and tips you''ve never thought of, you''ll learn the three-step strategy to trading places and, as a result, you''re sure to: Increase your levels of passion Bolster your commitment Eliminate nagging Short-circuit conflict Double your laughter Forgive more quickly Talk more intimately This book also features a powerful, free online assessment that instantly improves your inclination to trade pl

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Book SynopsisIn Is This the One?, Steve Arterburnan award-winning author and the founder and chairman of New Life Ministries, the largest faith-based broadcast counseling and treatment ministryhas created a how to plan for happier, stronger marriages. He contends that living in a no regrets relationship can be as simple following this spiritually solid and personally drawn plan before the first I do is even spoken. Host of the number one Christian radio broadcast, New Life Live!, Arterburn draws a painfully personal portrait of the devastation divorce has on a family. Rather than aiming at marriages already in jeopardy, Arterburn focuses attention on the beginning of relationshipsbefore the commitment, before the emotional investment, before the children. He prescribes three sets of ten carefully devised dates designed to help couples reveal their true colors and clarify whether or not they are a compatible match. This practical, personal, and positive plan can impact marriagesand ground the sky

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Book SynopsisWhat does it take to get along for a lifetime? Men and women share a deadly problem that kills good relating. The problem is this: we are committed, first of all, to ourselves. Each of us, without blushing, holds fast to an overriding concern for our own well-being.Sharing people''s stories and personal anecdotes, Crabb explores how we can turn away from ourselves and toward each other, how we can become what he calls other-centered.In Men and Women, Dr. Crabb maintains that men and women are different in important ways that, if understood and honored, can lead to a deep enjoyment of one another, an enjoyment that can last forever.

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Book SynopsisAt your fingertips, powerful prayers from Fern Nichols, the founder of Moms In Prayer International, the movement that has spawned hundreds of thousands of moms around the world to pray for their kids.  Every mother will feel encouraged to pray diligently for her children, no matter their age, when she opens the pages of Mom's Little Book of Powerful Prayers and discovers prayers from Scripture for her child's every need: their protection, challenges, health, friendships, character, anger, sadness, fears, and more.

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Book SynopsisIn Only One Life, mother-and-daughter team Jackie Green and Lauren McAfee share the stories of remarkable women from Bible times to today, inviting you to join the company of women God is using to change the world.

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Book SynopsisHow do we find contentment in God when we feel so hidden?Sara Hagerty unfolds the truths found in the biblical story of Mary of Bethany to discover the scandalous love of God and explore the spiritual richness of being hidden in him.Every heart longs to be seen and understood. Yet most of our lives is unwitnessed. We spend our days working, driving, parenting. We sometimes spend whole seasons feeling unnoticed and unappreciated.In Unseen, Sara Hagerty suggests that this is exactly what God intended. He is the only One who truly knows us. He is the only One who understands the value of the unseen in our lives. When this truth seeps into our souls, we realize that only when we hide ourselves in God can we give ourselves to others in true freedom--and know the joy of a deeper relationship with the God who sees us.Our culture applauds what we can produce, what we can show, what we can upload to socia

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Book SynopsisStop stepping on her toes and learn how to dance. Have you been spending a lot of time stepping on your wife''s toes? Maybe it''s time you put yourself in her shoes.Trading Places: The Best Move You''ll Ever Make in Your Marriage is part of the key to winning much, much more from your relationship with your wife--more understanding, more laughter, and yes, more loving. Using this workbook as you read Trading Places will help make sure you get it right. Bestselling authors Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott wrote this workbook to help you make the most of the little-known secrets of putting the time-tested strategy of trading places to work in your marriage. Packed with practical helps and tips you''ve never thought of, you''ll learn the simple, three-step strategy to trading places and, as a result, you''re sure to: Increase your levels of passion Bolster your commitment Eliminate nagging Short-circuit conflict Double your

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Book SynopsisSlip on his shoes and see where they lead you. Have you been spending a lot of time stepping on your husband''s toes? Maybe it''s time you put yourself in his shoes.Trading Places: The Best Move You''ll Ever Make in Your Marriage is part of the key to winning much, much more from your relationship with your husband--more understanding, more laughter, and yes, more loving. Using this workbook as you read Trading Places will help make sure you get it right. Bestselling authors Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott wrote this workbook to help you make the most of the little-known secrets of putting the time-tested strategy of trading places to work in your marriage. Packed with practical helps and tips you''ve never thought of, you''ll learn the simple, three-step strategy to trading places and, as a result, you''re sure to: Increase your levels of passion Bolster your commitment Eliminate nagging Short-circuit conflict Double y

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Book SynopsisVanishing Grace is a six-session small group Bible study by Philip Yancey exploring how Christians offer grace in a way that is compelling to a jaded society. Yancey delves into the reasons for the hostility and gives us models of different, more effective ways to communicate the Gospel and why it is Good News after all.

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Book SynopsisHere, Ruether uses feminist theology as a tool to expose the male-centred bias of classical theology, examining the ways in which the female has been (uncomfortably) accommodated within the Christian tradition. She then articulates a faith which encorporates both genders in their totality.Trade ReviewBrian Frost charts the histories with immaculate care and many footnotes, but also with deep feeling and often personal recollections, expecially concerning our coomon contemporaries - which many, like myself, will particularly value. The Revd Dr John Vincent, Methodist Recorder, October 12, 2006.

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Book SynopsisAiming to clarify concepts and make the authors' arguments easy to understand, this title is broken down into three sections, each with an introduction to the subject and a list of further reading. The text maps onto courses concerned with Gender Studies, Body Theology, Political Theology and Liberation Theology.

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Book SynopsisExposes the controversies within key areas of feminist theology eg Christology, ethics, prayer and the after life, the virgin Mary, hermeneutics, the body and to examine whether feminist theology is now bankrupt as both discourse and praxis. It is suitable for use on undergraduate or postgraduate courses in feminist / contextual theology.

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Book SynopsisProvides a comprehensive queer discussion of Christology, concluding with the view of Christ's person and work from a queer perspective. Suitable for undergraduate study.

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Book SynopsisHighlights a range of trans lived experience [transgendered and transsexual]. This book offers theological reflection on these experiences, creates challenging theology from this experiential base, and provides a resource for churches and theology students. It is suitable for courses on religion, gender and the body.

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Book SynopsisRobert Song’s book advances a theological account of marriage and sexuality which appeals to the central biblical theme of the fulfilment of creation in Christ, but is also open to the possibility of same-sex relationships.Trade ReviewRobert Song knows he has written a book that will make no one or any side of the debates about gay marriage happy. But then, that is why this is such a good and necessary book. Song will make you happy because drawing on the wisdom of the Christian tradition he frames the arguments about gay relationships in a way that makes us think hard about why, for example, Christians do not have to have children to be Christian. Song, with wit and clarity, has opened up a new space for discussions and questions surrounding the erotic that we so sorely need. Hopefully, after reading Song, those who are sure they know what side they are on will be a little less sure. -- Stanley HauerwasRobert Song’s timely and helpful contribution to ecclesial discernment about faithful, lifelong relationships is truly scholarly in that it brings into the room a cloud of witnesses that offer light and hope, deeply pastoral in that it never loses the good shepherd’s heart for those in danger of being lost, rejected, or consumed by their own righteousness, appropriately prophetic in that it believes the question is not what scripture says but what scripture requires us now to say, and wonderfully wise in its judgements and proposals. If our prayer in the midst of conflict is not that ‘our’ side will ‘win,’ but that articulating tensions thoughtfully will bring out the best in all of us, then that prayer has been answered in this reverent, responsible and seriously thoughtful book. -- Sam WellsThis is a rare phenomenon: a genuinely fresh contribution to a well-worn debate. With rich theological insight, Robert Song reframes the issues, placing the key Christian distinction not between heterosexual and homosexual but between procreative and non-procreative relationships. This is provocative, beautifully argued, and a must-read for all seeking a way out of our present theological quagmire. -- John BarclaySong comes to support same-sex marriage but by a rather complicated route. Readers who follow his argument will find it intellectually stimulating. -- Paul Richardson * Church Newspaper *Whether one agrees with Song's argument or not, this volume is an elegant irenic, creative, and accessible work that is as valuable for the way it addresses its issues as much as, if not more than, for its specific conclusions. it is a model of how such debates should be carried out. -- Robert MacSwain * Anglican Theological Review, 98.2 *

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Book SynopsisThroughout history, we have exalted and theologised about men like Adam or David to the point where we have become oblivious to the fact that they are far from perfect role models for Christian manhood. Failing to read scripture properly, we have used it to shape a distorted understanding of masculinity. Stretching from issues of violence, emotional and sexual abuse, the desire for power, homophobia, and the suppression of emotions, Will Moore draws from scholarship, personal stories, and popular culture to offer an honest and accessible insight into the toxic myths which frame how w e read scripture. Only when we expose these myths, he argues, can we start to see the authentic men staring straight back at us from the pages of our bibles, and be able to reshape the way in which we produce Christian men today, tackling the violence that is being done by men to themselves and others.Trade Review"The cult of masculinity in certain parts of the global church has resulted in much personal, familial and structural harm. Will Moore is one of the important voices in the emerging generation of British pastor theologians. For both of these reasons, the argument he presents in this his first book, Boys Will Be Boys, deserves careful attention and a wide audience." -- Helen Paynter, Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence"In this open, accessible book, Will Moore aims to shed light on the ways in which portrayals of men in the Bible have fed into accounts of masculinity in present-day church and society. Rich with examples from contemporary media and recent events, the book does not assume familiarity with scholarly literature in either biblical studies or critical masculinity studies, and will thus be of service to readers newer to these areas. Moore's self-reflexive openness to change and challenge invites the same of those who read his work." -- Susannah Cornwall, University of Exeter, UK"This is a deeply personal and honest piece of theological work engaging with voices from the Hebrew Prophets to Womanist Scholars, to Christian Rappers such as Guvna B! What Will Moore has done with success is draw our attention to masculinity, and it is this attention that is the beginning of what will set men, and all people free. Calling us to be attentive to our own complicity in violence and power, our reluctance to intimacy, gentleness and openness as men, Will Moore enables us to plumb the depths of masculinity, and to do so with an attentiveness both to ourselves and to our God. A much needed piece of writing!" -- Jarel Robinson-Brown, Author of 'Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer'Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements vii 1. Boys Will Be Boys: Introduction 1 2. Men Are Built Better: Adam 31 3. Men On Top: Moses 51 4. Violence Is Manly: David 76 5. Men Know Best: Job 100 6. Boys Don’t Cry: Jeremiah 113 7. Men Are Unbeatable: Jesus 131 8. Men Don’t Doubt: The Disciples 160 9. Bottle It Up: Paul 177 10. A Manly God: Conclusion 195 Bibliography 207 Further Reading and Resources 216 Glossary 220 Bible References Index 225 Names and Subject Index 228

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Trade Review"The cult of masculinity in certain parts of the global church has resulted in much personal, familial and structural harm. Will Moore is one of the important voices in the emerging generation of British pastor theologians. For both of these reasons, the argument he presents in this his first book, Boys Will Be Boys, deserves careful attention and a wide audience." -- Helen Paynter, Centre for the Study of Bible and Violence"In this open, accessible book, Will Moore aims to shed light on the ways in which portrayals of men in the Bible have fed into accounts of masculinity in present-day church and society. Rich with examples from contemporary media and recent events, the book does not assume familiarity with scholarly literature in either biblical studies or critical masculinity studies, and will thus be of service to readers newer to these areas. Moore's self-reflexive openness to change and challenge invites the same of those who read his work." -- Susannah Cornwall, University of Exeter, UK"This is a deeply personal and honest piece of theological work engaging with voices from the Hebrew Prophets to Womanist Scholars, to Christian Rappers such as Guvna B! What Will Moore has done with success is draw our attention to masculinity, and it is this attention that is the beginning of what will set men, and all people free. Calling us to be attentive to our own complicity in violence and power, our reluctance to intimacy, gentleness and openness as men, Will Moore enables us to plumb the depths of masculinity, and to do so with an attentiveness both to ourselves and to our God. A much needed piece of writing!" -- Jarel Robinson-Brown, Author of 'Black, Gay, British, Christian, Queer'Table of ContentsPreface and Acknowledgements vii 1. Boys Will Be Boys: Introduction 1 2. Men Are Built Better: Adam 31 3. Men On Top: Moses 51 4. Violence Is Manly: David 76 5. Men Know Best: Job 100 6. Boys Don’t Cry: Jeremiah 113 7. Men Are Unbeatable: Jesus 131 8. Men Don’t Doubt: The Disciples 160 9. Bottle It Up: Paul 177 10. A Manly God: Conclusion 195 Bibliography 207 Further Reading and Resources 216 Glossary 220 Bible References Index 225 Names and Subject Index 228

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