Religious aspects of sexuality, gender and relationships Books

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Book Synopsis"few things more attractively display and persuasively commend the glory of God in the life of a Christian than a Christ-centered marriage and a Christ-centered family... one that would cause the watching world to sit up and take notice." So writes Ed Hartman as he contemplates the news that his young wife is probably suffering from a brain tumor.It was a wake-up call to raise his family with a more eternal perspective.We live in a consumer culture that exalts and commends living with a passion for the moment - our society depends on it. The prospect of future gain is easily set aside in exchange for the personal gratification that we rarely delay - proven by our all-time high in consumer debt. We have bought a subtle lie that there will be no day of final accounting - and so our children don't live with an eternal perspective.When Ed's wife, Amy, died from that brain tumor, all the flowers at the funeral did not come with a card saying 'with our condolences' but with the phrase 'welcome to your new home' - a phrase Amy picked out herself. As Ed says:"Few things, like death, will put life in perspective. And few things, like accountability, will put obedience in perspective. This life is transitional; it can prepare us to be welcomed into our new, eternal home. And it provides us with a lifetime of opportunities to invite others along, beginning with our own families."So join in with Ed and his family as they explore what makes a Godly home - and a way of attractively displaying and persuasively commending the glory of God in the life of a Christian family.>Trade Review... profoundly helpful. It is a refreshing change because it does not hold up ideals that set us up for failure instead it shows the only way to live and die well is in constant reliance on the Lord.If you want your heart warmed, mind renewed and faith strengthened I commend this book to you." -- Reformation Today"Never do anything which you would be afraid to do were it the last hour of your life" -- Jonathan Edwards (aged 19) ((1703-1758) foremost leader of the Great Awakening in North America in the 18th Century)"I found this book profoundly helpful. It is a refreshing change because it does not hold up ideals that set us up for failure instead it shows the only way to live and die well is in constant reliance on the Lord.If you want your heart warmed, mind renewed and faith strengthened I commend this book to you." -- Anna Hughes, News & Views, FIEC"For the Christian, the best is always yet to be. Ed Hartman reminds us of this in a way that comforts, challenges and inspires... I commend it warmly." -- Alistair Begg, Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio (Senior Pastor, Parkside Church, Chagrin Falls, Ohio)"If your heart thirsts not for pious platitudes from the complacent but for real comfort from a brother who has found God faithful in the valley of death's shadow, read this book." -- Dennis E. Johnson, Professor of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary, Escondido, California (Professor of Practical Theology, Westminster Seminary in California, Escondido, California)

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisMaking the Right Choice unravels the entangled relationship between marriage, morality, and the desire for modernity as it plays out in the context of middle-class status concerns and aspirations for upward social mobility within the Sinhala-Buddhist community in urban Sri Lanka. By focusing on individual life-histories spanning three generations, the book illuminates how narratives about a gendered self and narratives about modernity are mutually constituted and intrinsically tied to notions of agency. The book uncovers how "becoming modern" in urban Sri Lanka, rather than causing inter-generational conflict, is a collective aspiration realized through the efforts of bringing up educated and independent women capable of making "right" choices. The consequence of this collective investment is a feminist conundrum: agency does not denote the right to choose, but the duty to make the "right" choice; hence agency is experienced not as a sense of "freedom," but rather as a burden of responsibility.Trade Review"In Making the Right Choice, Abeyasekera navigates the micro-politics of class and gender in contemporary Sri Lanka with skill and grace, providing the reader with a compelling picture of the fraught territory of marriage in twenty-first century Sri Lanka. Throughout, the argument is highly original and incisive, yet written with a novelist’s eye for the telling detail."— Jonathan Spencer, co-editor of The Intimate Life of Dissent: Anthropological Perspectives "With delicate prose and thoughtfulness, Abeyasekera draws us into the heart of middle-class Colombo, where personal choices on who to love reflect back on family narratives of progress and social mobility. Offering fresh perspectives on agency and responsibility, she moves between life stories across generations to unravel how, in South Asia, marriage is inexorably tied to crafting a self that is both modern and moral."— Ammara Maqsood, author of The New Pakistani Middle Class "Asha Abeyasekera gives us exquisitely wrought portraits of three generations of women in modernizing Sri Lanka as they navigate decisions of who, when, how, and why to marry. Attending to their stories about their marriages, Abeyasekera reveals the repertoires of meaning that enable the women to produce selves that honor traditional kin obligations while embodying modern values of personal choice and self-determination."— Jeanne Marecek, co-author of Gender and Culture in Psychology: Theories and PracticesTable of ContentsContents Series Foreword by Péter Berta Introduction 1 – Sinhala Marriage Practices: Then and Now 2 – Making the ‘Right’ Choice 3 – Structuring the ‘Right’ Choice 4 – The Virtuous Self: Failed Marriages 5 – The Valued Self: Singleness 6 – The Vindicated Self: Divorce Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEmbracing Age: How Catholic Nuns Became Models of Aging Well examines a community of individuals whose aging trajectories contrast mainstream American experiences. In mainstream American society, aging is presented as a “problem,” a state to be avoided as long as possible, a state that threatens one’s ability to maintain independence, autonomy, control over one’s surroundings. Aging “well” (or avoiding aging) has become a twenty-first century American preoccupation. Embracing Age provides a window into the everyday lives of American Catholic nuns who experience longevity and remarkable health and well-being at the end of life. Catholic nuns aren’t only healthier in older age, they are healthier because they practice a culture of acceptance and grace around aging. Embracing Age demonstrates how aging in the convent becomes understood by the nuns to be a natural part of the life course, not one to be feared or avoided. Anna I. Corwin shows readers how Catholic nuns create a cultural community that provides a model for how to grow old, decline, and die that is both embedded in American culture and quite distinct from other American models.Instructor's Guide is available at no cost (https://d3tto5i5w9ogdd.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/26120146/corwin_instructor_guide_final.pdf).Open access edition funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities. The text of this book is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/ Download open access ebook here. Trade Review"The question of why and how religious commitment seems to improve the body’s health is one of the deepest puzzles in social science. Embracing Age suggests that one answer lies in the way people of faith use language to describe their lives and worlds. This beautifully written book will change the way you think about aging." -- Tanya Marie Luhrmann * author of How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others *"The modern world urges us to outrun age, numb pain, and ignore death, but perhaps the secret to longevity and contentedness lies within the walls of a convent, where nuns practice a timeless model of gracious living. Anna Corwin, with a novitiate’s curiosity and an anthropologist’s precision, investigates the source of nuns’ grace and sparkle—and presents it as something we can tap into, too." -- Dan Zak * author of Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age *"Corwin’s lush ethnography of convent life unlocks how elderly nuns experience aging in ways that render them healthier and happier than those of us who have taken a secular path. Embracing Age brings readers into nuns’ daily spiritual (intercessory prayers) and peer support (pastoral visits to the infirm). Observations, in-depth interviews, and clinical health measures are brought together to illuminate nuns’ sense of the life-death transition." -- Elinor Ochs * co-editor of Fast-Forward Family: Home, Work, and Relationships in Middle-Class America *"In Embracing Age, Anna Corwin tells us of aging and death through the eyes and experiences of American Catholic nuns. It is revealing, enlightening, a balm for those contemplating what is too often thought of as the pain and indignity of old age. The remarkable part, though, is how much it tells of life itself, and the things that really matter." -- John Archibald * author of Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights Revolution *"Embracing Age is a sensitive and illuminating study of the pro-aging alternative offered by Catholic nuns. Through their emphasis on the interdependence of life and the value they place on 'being' rather than 'doing,' the nuns demonstrate a culture of acceptance and grace that can inspire us all." -- Sarah L. Kaufman * author of The Art of Grace and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for the Washington Post *"Embracing Age reveals the ways in which the culture of American convents embraces aging as a positive process, providing sustenance for mind, body, and spirit. Vividly written, this book brings the reader deep into nuns' everyday experiences of life. Astute and accessible, it will be valuable reading for anyone interested in alternative age-positive ways of living and being." -- Jeanne Shea * co-editor of Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societies *"Anna Corwin on her book, Embracing Aging" * Camp Anthropology *"[Corwin's] deeply researched book is a model of scholarship while also engaging nonacademic readers as well with its insightful and eloquent portrayal of convent life." * Union of Catholic Asian News *"Catholic nuns are role models for long and productive lives," by Marlene A. Zloza * NWI Catholic *"Anna Corwin’s book, Embracing Age invites us to ponder some very important questions: What does it mean to be old? What is the meaning in diminishment? How can we all 'do' this human process of aging best?...Perhaps the most potent take-away or 'secret' of aging is, as the book title asserts, not to avoid but to embrace aging." * Review for Religious *"This synthetic work culminates Corwin’s previous publications into a central claim that anthropological methods and theory illuminate the way nuns socially and linguistically embrace age to experience well-being despite age-related decline. The compelling applicability of Corwin’s conclusions make Embracing Age a critical read for social scientists, clinicians, and thoughtful humans alike. In a society obsessed with “successful aging,” but caught in a paradox that inhibits its realization, scholars like Corwin serve as trustworthy guides as they blend humanities and science into works of vital significance." * Anthropology Book Forum *"The question of why and how religious commitment seems to improve the body’s health is one of the deepest puzzles in social science. Embracing Age suggests that one answer lies in the way people of faith use language to describe their lives and worlds. This beautifully written book will change the way you think about aging." -- Tanya Marie Luhrmann * author of How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others *"The modern world urges us to outrun age, numb pain, and ignore death, but perhaps the secret to longevity and contentedness lies within the walls of a convent, where nuns practice a timeless model of gracious living. Anna Corwin, with a novitiate’s curiosity and an anthropologist’s precision, investigates the source of nuns’ grace and sparkle—and presents it as something we can tap into, too." -- Dan Zak * author of Almighty: Courage, Resistance, and Existential Peril in the Nuclear Age *"Corwin’s lush ethnography of convent life unlocks how elderly nuns experience aging in ways that render them healthier and happier than those of us who have taken a secular path. Embracing Age brings readers into nuns’ daily spiritual (intercessory prayers) and peer support (pastoral visits to the infirm). Observations, in-depth interviews, and clinical health measures are brought together to illuminate nuns’ sense of the life-death transition." -- Elinor Ochs * co-editor of Fast-Forward Family: Home, Work, and Relationships in Middle-Class America *"In Embracing Age, Anna Corwin tells us of aging and death through the eyes and experiences of American Catholic nuns. It is revealing, enlightening, a balm for those contemplating what is too often thought of as the pain and indignity of old age. The remarkable part, though, is how much it tells of life itself, and the things that really matter." -- John Archibald * author of Shaking the Gates of Hell: A Search for Family and Truth in the Wake of the Civil Rights R *"Embracing Age is a sensitive and illuminating study of the pro-aging alternative offered by Catholic nuns. Through their emphasis on the interdependence of life and the value they place on 'being' rather than 'doing,' the nuns demonstrate a culture of acceptance and grace that can inspire us all." -- Sarah L. Kaufman * author of The Art of Grace and Pulitzer Prize-winning critic for the Washington Post *"Embracing Age reveals the ways in which the culture of American convents embraces aging as a positive process, providing sustenance for mind, body, and spirit. Vividly written, this book brings the reader deep into nuns' everyday experiences of life. Astute and accessible, it will be valuable reading for anyone interested in alternative age-positive ways of living and being." -- Jeanne Shea * co-editor of Beyond Filial Piety: Rethinking Aging and Caregiving in Contemporary East Asian Societi *"Anna Corwin on her book, Embracing Aging" * Camp Anthropology *"[Corwin's] deeply researched book is a model of scholarship while also engaging nonacademic readers as well with its insightful and eloquent portrayal of convent life." * Union of Catholic Asian News *"Catholic nuns are role models for long and productive lives," by Marlene A. Zloza * NWI Catholic *"Anna Corwin’s book, Embracing Age invites us to ponder some very important questions: What does it mean to be old? What is the meaning in diminishment? How can we all 'do' this human process of aging best?...Perhaps the most potent take-away or 'secret' of aging is, as the book title asserts, not to avoid but to embrace aging." * Review for Religious *"This synthetic work culminates Corwin’s previous publications into a central claim that anthropological methods and theory illuminate the way nuns socially and linguistically embrace age to experience well-being despite age-related decline. The compelling applicability of Corwin’s conclusions make Embracing Age a critical read for social scientists, clinicians, and thoughtful humans alike. In a society obsessed with “successful aging,” but caught in a paradox that inhibits its realization, scholars like Corwin serve as trustworthy guides as they blend humanities and science into works of vital significance." * Anthropology Book Forum *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction Part I Being Well in the Convent: Prayer and Care in Interaction 1 Life in the Convent 2 Being Is Harder Than Doing: The Process of Embracing Aging 3 Talking to God: Prayer as Social Support 4 Care, Elderspeak, and Meaningful Engagement Part II Shaping Experience: The Convent in Sociohistorical Context 5 Changing God, Changing Bodies: How Prayer Practices Shape Embodied Experience 6 Spiritual Healing, Meaningful Decline, and Sister Death 7 Kenosis: Emptying the Self Conclusion Appendix: Transcription Conventions Acknowledgments Notes References Index

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Book SynopsisIn central Thailand, a flamboyantly turbaned gay medium for the Hindu god of the underworld posts Facebook selfies of himself hugging and kissing a young man. In Myanmar’s largest city Yangon, a one-time member of a gay NGO dons an elaborate wedding dress to be ritually married to a possessing female spirit; he believes she will offer more support for his gay lifestyle than the path of LGBTQ activism. The only son of a Chinese trading family in Bangkok finds acceptance for his homosexuality and crossdressing when he becomes the medium for a revered female Chinese deity. And in northern Thailand, female mediums smoke, drink, flaunt butch masculine poses and flirt with female followers when they are ritually possessed by male warrior deities. Across the Buddhist societies of mainland Southeast Asia, local queer cultures are at the center of a recent proliferation of professional spirit mediumship. Drawing on detailed ethnographies and extensive comparative research, Deities and Divas captures this variety and ferment. The first book to trace commonalities between queer and religious cultures in Southeast Asia and the West, it reveals how modern gay, trans and spirit medium communities all emerge from a shared formative matrix of capitalism and new media. With insights and analysis that transcend the modern opposition of religion vs secularity, it provides fascinating new perspectives in transnational cultural, religious and queer studies.

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