Spirituality and religious experience Books

Book SynopsisThis groundbreaking presentation of Neo-Hasidic philosophy gathers and analyzes the writings of its progenitors: five great twentieth-century European and American Jewish thinkers—Hillel Zeitlin, Martin Buber, Abraham Joshua Heschel, Shlomo Carlebach, and Zalman Schachter-Shalomi—along with a young Arthur Green. Trade Review"A New Hasidism describes the renewal of Jewish life that I and so many of our colleagues have found to be meaningful. It draws us into an important conversation that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we touch as teachers and rabbis."—Rabbi Laura Geller, CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly"A compelling, enjoyable book and a centrally important contribution to the study of Neo-Hasidism. We are seeing with this book the early stages of an exciting new field of study, toward which Green and Mayse do an excellent job orienting us, particularly by providing for us an initial set of questions, texts, and suggestions for further reading. Although this book is recommended especially for audiences in Jewish and Jewish studies settings, it is accessible—and likely quite interesting—to broader audiences, both in the academy and outside it."—Steven Kaplin, Reading Religion“After reading these two intellectually informative and spiritually rich works, we ask how indeed twenty-first-century Jews living in comfort, in freedom, in modernity in an age of feminism and egalitarianism, at a time when they draw close to those who have been ‘other’ will adapt the spiritual teaching of their eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ancestors. Judaism will be much enhanced by such adaption as has been this reader.”—Michael Berenbaum, Jewish Journal “For more than a hundred years, people in search of religious renewal who are not Hasidic have found inspiration in Hasidism. Now Arthur Green and Ariel Mayse, both scholars of Hasidism and committed spiritual seekers, have assembled critical texts for the fashioning of Neo-Hasidism in the twenty-first century. The result is a landmark contribution to Jewish spirituality.”—David Biale, Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Davis, and editor in chief of Hasidism: A New History“A New Hasidism is a treasure for the heart and mind. With this superb two-volume anthology in hand, contemporary seekers and scholars have a broad spectrum of spiritual wisdom with which to contemplate the history and contemporary character of Neo-Hasidism. The first volume provides the ‘roots’ of the modern reinterpretation of Hasidism in Europe and America; the second displays the ‘branches’ spreading over Jewish life in the United States and Israel in our times. Together they mark a major moment of our Jewish religious renaissance.”—Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago“In two sequential volumes, the diamonds of Hasidic spiritual teaching have been skillfully recut and set to offer seekers of all backgrounds entry into a challenging and soul-expanding opportunity. You are invited to enter a multigenerational conversation, deeply engage with the most inspiring teachings of Hasidic and contemporary teachers, build upon these insights, and carry them forward.”—Rabbi Marcia Prager, director and dean of the ALEPH Ordination Program and author of Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Abundance of the Divine“The impact of Neo-Hasidism on contemporary Jewish life cannot be overstated; its influence has penetrated farther and wider than is usually acknowledged. Yet what is Neo-Hasidism really—what are its main teachings, and where do those ideas stem from? Here, brought together for the first time, are the essential texts of Neo-Hasidism, from forebears like Hillel Zeitlin and Abraham Joshua Heschel, and from recent and contemporary thinkers like Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Arthur Green. Whatever their own relationship to Neo-Hasidism, students of Jewish thought and contemporary religious life cannot afford to miss these volumes. They are a veritable feast for seeker and scholar alike.”—Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute and author of The Heart of Torah: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion“Over the past century, a number of creative spirits have reimagined Hasidism—infusing it with new energy, liberating it from its insularity and dynastic power structure, and translating its radical wisdom into a modern idiom. Now, for the first time, one of those creative spirits, together with his brilliant disciple, have chronicled that transformation and assembled its foundational documents (or ‘roots’) along with many of its recent literary ‘branches.’ Dip into these volumes to experience the renewal of Jewish spirituality.”—Daniel Matt, author of The Essential Kabbalah and the annotated translation, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition“Just when we are in such dire need of old/new tools for truth telling and loving kindness (chesed ve’emet), we receive these wise, passionate, intellectually compelling essays that continue the unfolding of the Neo-Hasidic revolution in our own times. These volumes will open minds, hearts, and even souls.”—Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality“Green and Mayse have masterfully crafted a living tree of Neo-Hasidic worldview and practice spanning the sources of Neo-Hasidic thought and their manifestations in contemporary Neo-Hasidism. These two wonderfully innovative volumes reveal a creatively alive Judaism informed by a deep legacy.”—Melila Hellner-Eshed, senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author of A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar Table of ContentsPreface Acknowledgments Introduction Editors’ Note 1. Hillel Zeitlin Introduction What Is Yavneh? (Untitled Manuscript, ca. mid-1920s) What Does Yavneh Want? (1924) Admonitions for Every True Member of Yavneh (1924) The Fundaments of Hasidism (1910) Mystery of Thought (1928) Suggestions for Further Reading 2. Martin Buber Introduction The Life of the Hasidim (1908) Spirit and Body of the Hasidic Movement (1922) Interpreting Hasidism (1963) Suggestions for Further Reading 3. Abraham Joshua Heschel IntroductionPikuah Neshamah: To Save a Soul (1949) Hasidism as a New Approach to Torah (1972) Dissent (Date Unknown) Suggestions for Further Reading 4. Shlomo Carlebach Introduction Introduction to “The Torah of the Nine Months” The Torah of the Nine Months (Undated, 1970s) Suggestions for Further Reading 5. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi Introduction Hasidism and Neo-Hasidism (1960) Toward an “Order of B’nai Or”: A Program for a Jewish Liturgical Brotherhood (1964) Foundations of the Fourth Turning of Hasidism: A Manifesto (2014) Selections from an Interview with Reb Zalman Schachter-Shalomi (ca. 2000) Suggestions for Further Reading 6. Arthur Green Introduction Notes from the Jewish Underground: On Psychedelics and Kabbalah (1968) After Itzik: Toward a Theology of Jewish Spirituality (1971) “Where Are We Going?”: An Address to the Neo-Hasidism Conference, New York City (2003) Suggestions for Further Reading Source Acknowledgments Notes

Read more less

Book SynopsisA New Hasidism: Branches breaks new ground in treating Neo-Hasidism as a contemporary approach to Jewish living. Beginning with two defining credos, it goes to discuss such issues as halakhah, leadership, the role of women, ecology, and more from a Neo-Hasidic perspective. Trade Review"A New Hasidism describes the renewal of Jewish life that I and so many of our colleagues have found to be meaningful. It draws us into an important conversation that will enrich our lives and the lives of those we touch as teachers and rabbis."—Rabbi Laura Geller, CCAR Journal: The Reform Jewish Quarterly“After reading these two intellectually informative and spiritually rich works, we ask how indeed twenty-first-century Jews living in comfort, in freedom, in modernity in an age of feminism and egalitarianism, at a time when they draw close to those who have been ‘other’ will adapt the spiritual teaching of their eighteenth- and nineteenth-century ancestors. Judaism will be much enhanced by such adaption as has been this reader.”—Michael Berenbaum, Jewish Journal “In two sequential volumes, the diamonds of Hasidic spiritual teaching have been skillfully recut and set to offer seekers of all backgrounds entry into a challenging and soul-expanding opportunity. You are invited to enter a multigenerational conversation, deeply engage with the most inspiring teachings of Hasidic and contemporary teachers, build upon these insights, and carry them forward.”—Rabbi Marcia Prager, director and dean of the ALEPH Ordination Program and author of Path of Blessing: Experiencing the Abundance of the Divine“The impact of Neo-Hasidism on contemporary Jewish life cannot be overstated; its influence has penetrated farther and wider than is usually acknowledged. Yet what is Neo-Hasidism, really—what are its main teachings and where do those ideas stem from? Here, brought together for the first time, are the essential texts of Neo-Hasidism, from forebears like Hillel Zeitlin and Abraham Joshua Heschel and from recent and contemporary thinkers like Zalman Schachter-Shalomi and Arthur Green. Whatever their own relationship to Neo-Hasidism, students of Jewish thought and contemporary religious life cannot afford to miss these volumes. They are a veritable feast for seeker and scholar alike.”—Rabbi Shai Held, president and dean of the Hadar Institute and author of The Heart of Torah: Essays on the Weekly Torah Portion“For more than a hundred years, people in search of religious renewal who are not Hasidic have found inspiration in Hasidism. Now Arthur Green and Ariel Mayse, both scholars of Hasidism and committed spiritual seekers, have assembled critical texts for the fashioning of Neo-Hasidism in the twenty-first century. The result is a landmark contribution to Jewish spirituality.”—David Biale, Emanuel Ringelblum Distinguished Professor of Jewish History at the University of California, Davis, and editor in chief of Hasidism: A New History“A New Hasidism is a treasure for the heart and mind. With this superb two-volume anthology in hand, contemporary seekers and scholars have a broad spectrum of spiritual wisdom with which to contemplate the history and contemporary character of Neo-Hasidism. The first volume provides the ‘roots’ of the modern reinterpretation of Hasidism in Europe and America; the second displays the ‘branches’ spreading over Jewish life in the United States and Israel in our times. Together, they mark a major moment of our Jewish religious renaissance.”—Michael Fishbane, Nathan Cummings Distinguished Service Professor of Jewish Studies at the University of Chicago“Over the past century, a number of creative spirits have reimagined Hasidism—infusing it with new energy, liberating it from its insularity and dynastic power structure, and translating its radical wisdom into a modern idiom. Now, for the first time, one of those creative spirits, together with his brilliant disciple, have chronicled that transformation and assembled its foundational documents (or ‘roots’) along with many of its recent literary ‘branches.’ Dip into these volumes to experience the renewal of Jewish spirituality.”—Daniel Matt, author of The Essential Kabbalah and the annotated translation, The Zohar: Pritzker Edition“Just when we are in such dire need of old/new tools for truth telling and loving kindness (chesed ve’emet), we receive these wise, passionate, intellectually compelling essays that continue the unfolding of the Neo-Hasidic revolution in our own times. These volumes will open minds, hearts, and even souls.”—Rabbi Lisa Goldstein, executive director of the Institute for Jewish Spirituality“Green and Mayse have masterfully crafted a living tree of neo-Hasidic worldview and practice spanning the sources of Neo-Hasidic thought and their manifestations in contemporary neo-Hasidism. These two wonderfully innovative volumes reveal a creatively alive Judaism informed by a deep legacy.”—Melila Hellner-Eshed, senior research fellow at the Shalom Hartman Institute and author of A River Flows from Eden: The Language of Mystical Experience in the Zohar “Arthur Green and Ariel Mayse invite us to sit more, read more, think more, and garment more of our blessings. Roots and Branches are two walking sticks with which we can walk this Creation with wonder and humility. Your mind and heart will coil and uncoil as you enter these crevices of love, faith, devotion, and challenge on a journey to the depths of your being.”—Rabbi Reb Mimi Feigelson, Mashpiah Ruchanit (spiritual mentor) and senior lecturer of Talmud and Chassidic Thought at the Schechter Institutes, JerusalemTable of ContentsAcknowledgements Preface Introduction Part I. Ahavat ha-Shem, The Love of God: Theology and Faith 1. Zalman Schachter-Shalomi–The Thirteen Aspirations of Faith 2. Arthur Green–A Neo-Hasidic Credo 3. Nehemia Polen–Touches of Intimacy: Leviticus, Sacred Space, Torah’s Center 4. Don Seeman–The Anxiety of Ethics and the Presence of God 5. Or N. Rose–Hasidism and the Religious Other: A Textual Exploration and Theological Response 6. David Seidenberg–Building the Body of the Shekhinah: Re-enchantment and Redemption of the Natural World in Hasidic Thought Part II. Ahavat Torah, The Love of Torah: Practice and Devotion 7. Ariel Evan Mayse–Neo-Hasidism and Halakhah: The Duties of Intimacy and the Law of the Heart 8. Nancy Flam–Training the Heart and Mind Toward Expansive Awareness: A Neo-Hasidic Journey 9. James Jacobson-Maisels–Neo-Hasidic Meditation: Mindfulness as a Neo-Hasidic Practice 10. Jonathan Slater–Neo-Hasidism for Today's Jewish Seeker: A Personal Reflection 11. Estelle Frankel–Sacred Narrative Therapy: Hasidism, Storytelling, and Healing Part III. Ahavat Yisra’el, The Love of Israel: Leaders and Communities 12. Ebn Leader–Does A New Hasidism Need Rebbes? 13. Shaul Magid–Shlomo Carlebach: A Trans-National Jew in Search of Himself 14. Arthur Green–A Rebbe for Our Age?: Bratslav and Neo-Bratslav in Israel Today 15. Naama Zifroni, Bambi Sheleg, Arthur Green, and Ariel Horowitz–Spiritual Awakenings: An Interview with Haviva Pedaya 16. Elhanan Nir–The Turn to Hasidism in the Religious Zionist Israeli Yeshiva 17. Jordan Schuster–A Closing Conversation with the Editors Contributor Biographies Notes

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn A Year with Martin Buber, the first Torah commentary to focus on his life’s work, we experience the fifty-four weekly portions and eleven Jewish holidays through Buber’s eyes. Trade Review"This fresh innovative approach to the Torah portion of the week is appealing and insightful, which is why I carry it with me to read in synagogue on Shabbat mornings, either before or after the reading of the Torah portion. It enlightens and enervates my Shabbat morning experience."—Rabbi Ron Kronish, Jerusalem Report"Rabbi Ross superbly distills the theology of Martin Buber . . . , a consequential Jewish thinker whose focus on making human interactions meaningful influenced Martin Luther King Jr.'s 'Letter from a Birmingham Jail.' . . . An invaluable entry point to a humanist thinker who sought to identify, build, and preserve 'holiness in our daily routines' by putting people, rather than objects, first."—Publishers Weekly“Ross makes Buber’s writings eminently readable even as he treats them with full scholarly integrity. And by bringing himself into the story, Ross allows us to go from pure text study to an individual life, as Buber himself would have wanted.”—Rabbi Thomas M. Alpert, Temple Etz Chaim in Franklin, Massachusetts“What a pleasure A Year with Martin Buber is! People of all faiths with an interest in the Bible and bringing ‘divine wonder to the routine of daily life’ will delight in having this inspirational book as a companion.”—Rev. Debra W. Haffner, Unitarian Universalist Church in Reston, Virginia“This richly textured book will send the reader back, time and again, to revisit its teachings and insights.”—Rabbi Bernard Mehlman, senior scholar, Temple Israel in Boston, MassachusettsTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction I. Genesis (Bere’shit) Bere’shit: Standing Over Against Noaḥ: Learning to Be Present Lekh Lekha: Eternal Thou Va-yera’: Many Forms of Candor Ḥayyei Sarah: Rising from Grief Toledot: How Conflict Begins Va-yetse’: When Time and Space Become Secondary Va-yishlaḥ: Holy Insecurity Va-yeshev: On the Narrow Ridge Mikkets: Trapped in a Dream Va-yiggash: Learning to Put Feelings into Words Va-yeḥi: The Importance of Supportive Relationship II. Exodus (Shemot) Shemot: Get Off the Road Va-’era’: Reification Bo’: History as Strangers, Responsibility as Redeemers Be-shallaḥ: Daily Spiritual Practice Yitro: All of Us, Together at Sinai Mishpatim: Respecting Religious Difference Terumah: Not Within, Between Tetsavveh: The Sanctity of Decision Making Ki Tissa’: Eclipse of God Va-yak’hel: Shabbat as Cornerstone Pekudei: There Is No Sin in Having Money III. Leviticus (Va-yikra’) Va-yikra’: Will and Grace Tsav: The Afterglow Shemini: Learning from Loss Tazriaʿ: Healing through Meeting Metsoraʿ: Faith and Science Together ’Aḥarei Mot: The Curtain Will Part Kedoshim: Hebrew Humanism ’Emor: Magic, Manipulation, and Prayer Be-har: Intersection of Land and Justice Be-ḥukkotai: Mountains in Time IV. Numbers (Be-midbar) Be-midbar: Holiness in Time Naso’: Words That Bless Children Be-haʿalotekha: Eternal Thou Shelaḥ-Lekha: People Want Proof Koraḥ: When Politics Take a Horrible Turn Ḥukkat: On Jewish Law Balak: Quick and Decisive Punishment Pinḥas: Evolving Jewish Law Mattot: “Imagine the Real” Maseʿei: Interfaith Relations V. Deuteronomy (Devarim) Devarim: Dealing with Anger Va-’etḥannan: Chosenness and Universalism ʿEkev: Spirituality of Eating Re’eh: Privilege and Responsibility Shofetim: Ends and Means Ki Tetse’: Animal Well-Being Ki Tavo’: The Fugitives Nitsavim: Equality in Labor Va-yelekh: Wanting More Time Ha’azinu: Children in Poetry Ve-zo’t Ha-berakhah: When There Are No Words VI. Holidays Rosh Hashanah: Where Are You? Yom Kippur: New Thinking Sukkot: The Holiday Shemini Atzeret: Sudden Stop Simḥat Torah: When You Come to the End Hanukkah: Because We Never Really Get There Purim: A Day Like Yom Kippur Pesach: “Education of Character” Yom ha-Shoah: Nuance in Reconciliation Yom ha-Atzmaut: A Growing Outcome Shavuot: Revelation, Then and Now Epigraph Source Acknowledgments Notes Selected Bibliography

Read more less

Book SynopsisHow to raise kids with a healthy view of Christians, the church, themselves and God.Table of ContentsContentsForeword 7Acknowledgments 9Dedication 10“I don’t want my kids hating God because of me.” 111 God has No Grandchildren 192 Avoid the Jelly-Mould Syndrome 313 Don’t Sweat the Small Stuff 384 Create a Sense of Belonging 465 Over-busyness 596 Cynicism 667 Hypocrisy 738 Judgmentalism 799 Overfamiliarity 9210 Get Them Ready for Disappointment with Others 10111 Get Them Ready for Disappointment with Themselves 11012 Get Them Ready for Disappointment with God 11913 Get Them Ready for the Real World 13314 Give Them a Vision 145A Final Word 151Notes 153Afterword 156

Read more less

Book SynopsisChristian Psychologists examine what is mindfulness and how it can enrich our walk with Jesus.Table of ContentsContentsAcknowledgments 7Editors 9Contributors 11Mindfulness: What’s All the Fuss About? 13Being MindfulThe Mindful God 27The Mindful Person 39The Mindful Christian 57Being ChristianCompassionTurning to the Compassionate God 77CourageTurning Inward with Eyes to See 95Turning Towards Pain and Need 113CuriosityMindful Bible Reading 131Mindful Reflection 147CharacterMindfulness and Christian Character 163Mindful Gratitude 179Mindful Wisdom 193The Mindful Organization 209Epilogue 225References 227Notes 241

Read more less

Book SynopsisGod longs to redeem the story of your life and reclaim The Dream of YouTable of ContentsContentsForeword by Ann Voskamp . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . xiIntroduction: Red Boots . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11 Don’t Call Me “Pleasant” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 What’s in a Name? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 233 Th e Talk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 394 Th e Day I Lost My Voice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 595 God’s Child . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 766 Known and Loved. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 917 Slay Your Giants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1108 Th e Wander Years . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1269 In the Valley . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14110 Breaking Up with Perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . 15511 Th e Song in My Heart . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17012 Practices . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 18513 Pick Up Your Keys . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 203Epilogue: Rebuild, Restore, Renew. . . . . . . . . . . . . 215Acknowledgments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 219Notes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221INS

Read more less

Book SynopsisMain Spring Harvest theme book for 2016, focused on the life of Moses.Trade Review"It's half-time; the team are losing, dispirited and feeling all is lost. Suddenly into the dressing room walk Gavin and Anne Calver. They coach, they yell, they inspire - they teach. When the team hit the pitch at the start of the second half everybody can see that something has changed. Game Changers is a book for the church in our times." Rob Parsons OBE, chairman, Care for the Family"This book reminds us that we have the ability to change the game; not only for us, but also for those we may never even get to know this side of heaven. Our generous God continues to invite us to come so the question is not, will He invite, but rather will we accept His invitation?" Christy Wimber, speaker, author and TV host"This book has inspired me to rediscover my passion for making a difference. It's honest and practical, and set my mind and heart buzzing about what I can do, however small, that will help build God's kingdom." Abby Guinness, head of programme at Spring Harvest"This book is brilliant! It's packed full of inspirational, Spirit-filled stories and practical advice for anyone who seriously wants to engage in the joy and challenges of mission." Virginia Luckett, Jubilee champion and churches director at TearfundTable of ContentsContentsForeword 9Introduction 11Part 1: Encounter (Exodus 3:1–18)1. Moses at the Burning Bush 262. Faith for the Encounter 423. Making Space for the Encounter 56Part 2: Enlist (Exodus 4:1–20 and 5:1)4. Are You In? 745. Overcoming Hurdles 886. Speak Up, Stand Up, Act Up 102Part 3: Everyone (Exodus 17:8–16)7. It Takes All of Us 1208. Body Ministry 1339. Playing Our Part 147Part 4: Equip (Numbers 13:25 – 14:9)10. The Voice of the Few 16411. Who Are You Listening To? 17812. Transforming Our Communities 191Part 5: Empower (Deuteronomy 34:1 – Joshua 1:11)13. Passing the Baton 20814. Investing in New Generations 22015. The Best is Yet to Come 235Final Thought 247Notes 253

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis critical edition of a late-medieval English ‘rule’ for male anchorites is a timely intervention in – and stimulus to – an already exciting field. The Speculum Inclusorum is an early 15th-century Latin rule or guide.Table of Contents Acknowledgements Abbreviations INTRODUCTION General introduction - Rules for anchorites - Men, masculinity and the anchoritic vocation - Previous editions Manuscripts - Descriptions of extant manuscripts - Lost manuscripts - Relationship of manuscripts Author and readers - Speculum Inclusorum - A Mirror for Recluses This edition The Texts Critical Apparatus Notes to the Texts Appendix to the Notes to the Texts: annotations to base manuscripts Bibliography

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisCounselling and Spiritual Accompaniment presents the key spiritually-focused writings of Brian Thorne, one of the most influential thinkers on the convergence of spirituality with counselling, along with new material reflecting his recent work in spiritual accompaniment. Reflects the increasing focus on spiritual issues as an essential part of therapy Represents the culmination of an intellectual quest, undertaken by the most senior figure in the field, to integrate spirituality with counselling and the person-centred approach Features chapters that span thirty years of work, along with new writings that bring readers up to date with the author''s most recent work in spiritual accompaniment An invaluable guide for counsellors and therapists who acknowledge the importance of spirituality to their clients, but doubt their abilities to help in this area Trade Review“It is well written: clearly, humorously, honestly, and empathically. We owe Thorne an enormous debt for courageously opening his heart, mind, and soul to share the truth about a loving God walking with his people. It has been a privilege to review a book that amounts to his magnum opus, and I hope I have done it justice.” (Church Times, 18 October 2013) “This is a ‘Brian Thorne reader’, and is to be commended to all therapists of all theoretical orientations.” (Therapy Today, September 2013)Table of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgements xii Part I From: Person-centred Counselling: Therapeutic and Spiritual Dimensions 1 Introduction 3 Chapter 1 In Search of Value and Meaning (1979) 8 Chapter 2 Intimacy (1982) 17 Chapter 3 The Quality of Tenderness (1985) 31 Chapter 4 The Blessing and the Curse of Empathy (1989) 42 Chapter 5 Carl Rogers and the Doctrine of Original Sin (1990) 61 Chapter 6 Carl Rogers: The Legacy and the Challenge (1990) 72 Chapter 7 The God Who Comes: Good Friday 1946 (1991) 86 Part II From: Person-centred Counselling and Christian Spirituality 91 Introduction 93 Chapter 8 The Two Carls – Reflections on Jung and Rogers (1983) 98 Chapter 9 The Personality of Jesus and the Process of Therapy (1991) 110 Chapter 10 Spirituality and the Counsellor (1993) 117 Chapter 11 Julian of Norwich: Radical psychotherapist (1993) 121 Chapter 12 Jesus, the Incarnation of Holiness (Three Sermons, 1993) 134 Chapter 13 Developing a Spiritual Discipline (1994) 146 Chapter 14 The Counsellor as Prophet (1994) 150 Chapter 15 Counselling and the Spiritual Journey (1997) 165 Part III From: The Mystical Power of Person-Centred Therapy 179 Introduction 181 Chapter 16 The Human Person: Hope or Despair? 187 Chapter 17 The Person-centred Therapist as Secular Priest and Prophet 197 Chapter 18 The Spiritual Discipline of the Person-centred Therapist 209 Chapter 19 The Use of Self 220 Chapter 20 Intimacy and Sexuality 231 Chapter 21 ‘Alive Alive’ 242 Chapter 22 When the World Stopped Turning 255 Part IV Ceasing to be a Therapist 265 Prologue 267 Chapter 23 The Heart’s Surrender (2005) 270 Chapter 24 The Counsellor and the Lay Canon: Different Routes but the Same Journey (2007) 293 Chapter 25 A Collision of Worlds (2009) 306 Chapter 26 The Fully Human Jesus (2009) 312 Chapter 27 Sacred Intimacy: Spiritual Accompaniment for our Times (2010) 329 Chapter 28 In Correspondence (2010) 341 Epilogue 343 Index 345

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today's myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living. An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western society Traces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of today Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back Contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the good life', helping us to find balance in the demaTrade Review"A welcome contribution to many areas in the study of religion and culture … .An alternative to the popular idea that everything within the New Age can be denounced as simple individualist consumerism." (Reviews in Religion and Theology, January 2010) "[Heelas] convinced me, a skeptic when encountering his book, that new age philosophies are more complex than their American Journal of Sociology critics allow." (American Journal of Sociology, November 2009) "Heelas' style is, as ever, measured, elegant and good-humored, and this book will undoubtedly appeal to, and be accessible to, those outside the academy who are interested in religion and culture, and who might wish to think through the changing spiritual landscape in Britain today." (Theology, November 2009) "His emphasis is on inner-life spirituality or simply 'spiritualities of life,' rooted in a universal human potential and developed by a variety of effective practices. [He] makes plausible the importance of holistic forms of complementary and alternative medicine. Recommended." (CHOICE, November 2008) Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction. PART I: PORTRAYING SPIRITUALITIES OF LIFE. 1 From the Romantics: The Repertoire. 2 Wellbeing Spirituality Today. PART II: THE ‘CONSUMING GROWTH’ DEBATE. 3 The Debate. 4 The Language of Consumption and Consumeristic Aspects of Mind-Body-Spiritualities of Life. 5 The Sacred and the Profane: Spiritual Direction or Consumer Preference?. 6 The Matter of Personal Significance: Profaned Superficiality?. 7 Work: Consumptive or Productive?. PART III: TO WORK BEYOND THE CONSUMING SELF. 8 A ‘Fag Ending’ of the Sacred or Fit for the Future?. 9 Inside Out. Epilogue: Birthright Spirituality Beyond the West. Appendix: Evidence Indicative of Inner Life ‘Beliefs’. Notes. References. Name Index. Subject Index: Some Main Themes and Arguments

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis insightful and provocative journey through spiritual landscapes explores the ways in which spiritualities of life have been experienced and understood in Western society, and argues that today's myriad forms of holistic spirituality are helping us to find balance in face of the stifling demands of twenty-first century living. An enlightening book which explores the ways in which spirituality has been experienced and valued in Western society Traces the development of modern spirituality, from the origins of Romanticism in the eighteenth century, through to the counter-cultural sixties and on to the wellbeing culture of today Explores the belief that modern spirituality is merely an extension of capitalism in which people consume spirituality without giving anything back Contends that much of the wide range of popular mind-body-spirit practices are really an ethically charged force for the good life', helping us to find balance in the demaTrade Review"A welcome contribution to many areas in the study of religion and culture … .An alternative to the popular idea that everything within the New Age can be denounced as simple individualist consumerism." (Reviews in Religion and Theology, January 2010) "[Heelas] convinced me, a skeptic when encountering his book, that new age philosophies are more complex than their American Journal of Sociology critics allow." (American Journal of Sociology, November 2009) "Heelas' style is, as ever, measured, elegant and good-humored, and this book will undoubtedly appeal to, and be accessible to, those outside the academy who are interested in religion and culture, and who might wish to think through the changing spiritual landscape in Britain today." (Theology, November 2009) "His emphasis is on inner-life spirituality or simply 'spiritualities of life,' rooted in a universal human potential and developed by a variety of effective practices. [He] makes plausible the importance of holistic forms of complementary and alternative medicine. Recommended." (CHOICE, November 2008) Table of ContentsPreface. Introduction. PART I: PORTRAYING SPIRITUALITIES OF LIFE. 1 From the Romantics: The Repertoire. 2 Wellbeing Spirituality Today. PART II: THE ‘CONSUMING GROWTH’ DEBATE. 3 The Debate. 4 The Language of Consumption and Consumeristic Aspects of Mind-Body-Spiritualities of Life. 5 The Sacred and the Profane: Spiritual Direction or Consumer Preference?. 6 The Matter of Personal Significance: Profaned Superficiality?. 7 Work: Consumptive or Productive?. PART III: TO WORK BEYOND THE CONSUMING SELF. 8 A ‘Fag Ending’ of the Sacred or Fit for the Future?. 9 Inside Out. Epilogue: Birthright Spirituality Beyond the West. Appendix: Evidence Indicative of Inner Life ‘Beliefs’. Notes. References. Name Index. Subject Index: Some Main Themes and Arguments

Read more less

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

Read more less

Book SynopsisA fresh, edgy, personal, challenging, and hopeful devotional on Psalm 27, a psalm that juxtaposes trouble and worship. A companion to Whiter Than Snow, a devotional based on Psalm 51.

Read more less

Book SynopsisAn overview of what the Bible teaches about life in the Holy Spirit. Berding uses Romans 8 as his primary text in this practical, accessible guide. Includes discussion questions.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis collection of 50 meditations on the Trinity will help readers connect their theology to everyday life, encouraging them to turn to God for strength when facing doubt, fear, and temptation.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis book helps us seeevidence of God's grace throughout Scripture so we see that far from encouraging sin, grace fuels and empowers the obedience that God commands.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis sweeping history of popular religion in eighteenth-century New England examines the experiences of ordinary people living through extraordinary times. Drawing on an unprecedented quantity of letters, diaries,and testimonies, Douglas Winiarski recovers the pervasive and vigorouslay piety of the early eighteenth century.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on the collected archives of distinguished twentieth-century Black woman writers such as Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, Toni Cade Bambara, Lorraine Hansberry, and others, Marina Magloire traces a new history of Black feminist thought in relation to Afro-diasporic religion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisDrawing on the collected archives of distinguished twentieth-century Black woman writers such as Lucille Clifton, Audre Lorde, Toni Cade Bambara, Lorraine Hansberry, and others, Marina Magloire traces a new history of Black feminist thought in relation to Afro-diasporic religion.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Queering Black Atlantic Religions Roberto Strongman examines Haitian Vodou, Cuban Lucumí/Santería, and Brazilian Candomblé to demonstrate how religious rituals of trance possession allow humans to understand themselves as embodiments of the divine. In these rituals, the commingling of humans and the divine produces gender identities that are independent of biological sex. As opposed to the Cartesian view of the spirit as locked within the body, the body in Afro-diasporic religions is an open receptacle. Showing how trance possession is a primary aspect of almost all Afro-diasporic cultural production, Strongman articulates transcorporeality as a black, trans-Atlantic understanding of the human psyche, soul, and gender as multiple, removable, and external to the body.Trade Review"Strongman’s contribution is an innovative deployment of cultural studies that looks at art, performance, film, and literature to research the religiosity of African diaspora communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. . . . The work is ultimately an important and sophisticated addition to the growing consideration of the transnational aesthetics that interconnect different kinds of queerness, blackness, and spirituality in the Americas." -- Solimar Otero * Journal of Folklore Research *"Strongman's expansion of transcorporeality is pivotal.… This book is a necessary read that contributes to the growing body of scholarship on gender and sexuality in African diasporic religions. . . . " -- Eziaku Nwokocha * Reading Religion *"[Strongman] pursues his materials with investigative prowess and scholarly verve, making this a major new reference point for scholarship on the subject." -- Kieth E. McNeal and Martin Tsang * New West Indian Guide *"Strongman's exploration of the body in literary genres provides an excellent framework for a new understanding of the body, transcending the Cartesian dialectics. Strongman's three case studies present indeed the 'full queer potentiality.'" -- Bettina E. Schmidt * Journal of Contemporary Religion *“Strongman’s audacity in exploring the evolution and intersection of Afro-Atlantic religiosity with queer bodies is a significant contribution to the literature and discourse on Afro-diasporic religions and cultural studies.... Strongman illustrates how scholarship can be expressive and an agent of radical transformation of social experience.” -- Mary Nyangweso * Hypatia *"Strongman’s work is a worthy and important effort. . . . I can only hope that future scholars will follow in Strongman’s footsteps, laboring to patch together the shattered mirror of queer Afro-diasporic affinities in spite of the logistic difficulties this labor presents." -- Marina Magloire * GLQ *"Queering Black Atlantic Religions ought to be a required read—a vade mecum—for those interested in studying expressions of Afro-diasporic religions found in the trans-Atlantic world and beyond. The work sheds light on the sophistication of these religious traditions and worldviews. In fact, even adherents of these religions in their original homes in Africa cannot ignore the dynamism inherent in these religions." -- SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai * Theology & Sexuality *"Strongman’s text is a valuable addition to the already rich corpus on Black Atlantic religions. Its significance is not limited to this subdiscipline, though. Readers from a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, gender and sexuality studies, and religious studies will find much to consider and engage. Further, readers in art history and literary studies will likewise be challenged by Strongman’s attention to the role of religion in art, film, and literature." -- Alejandro S Escalante * Religion and Gender *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: Enter the Igbodu 1 Part I. Vodou 1. Of Dreams and Night Mares: Vodou Women Queering the Body 27 2. Hector Hyppolite èl Même: Between Queer Fetishization and Vodou Self-Portraiture 49 Part II. Lucumí/Santería 3. A Chronology of Queer Lucumí Scholarship: Degeneracy, Ambivalence, Transcorporeality 103 4. Lucumí Diasporic Ethnography: Fran, Cabrera, Lam 133 Part III. Candomblé 5. Queer Candomblé Scholarship and Dona Flor's S/Exua/lity 181 6. Transatlantic Waters of Oxalá: Pierre Verger, Mário de Andrade, and Candomblé in Europe 212 Conclusion: Transcripturality 251 Notes 255 References 261 Index 273

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Queering Black Atlantic Religions Roberto Strongman examines Haitian Vodou, Cuban Lucumí/Santería, and Brazilian Candomblé to demonstrate how religious rituals of trance possession allow humans to understand themselves as embodiments of the divine. In these rituals, the commingling of humans and the divine produces gender identities that are independent of biological sex. As opposed to the Cartesian view of the spirit as locked within the body, the body in Afro-diasporic religions is an open receptacle. Showing how trance possession is a primary aspect of almost all Afro-diasporic cultural production, Strongman articulates transcorporeality as a black, trans-Atlantic understanding of the human psyche, soul, and gender as multiple, removable, and external to the body.Trade Review"Strongman’s contribution is an innovative deployment of cultural studies that looks at art, performance, film, and literature to research the religiosity of African diaspora communities in Latin America and the Caribbean. . . . The work is ultimately an important and sophisticated addition to the growing consideration of the transnational aesthetics that interconnect different kinds of queerness, blackness, and spirituality in the Americas." -- Solimar Otero * Journal of Folklore Research *"Strongman's expansion of transcorporeality is pivotal.… This book is a necessary read that contributes to the growing body of scholarship on gender and sexuality in African diasporic religions. . . . " -- Eziaku Nwokocha * Reading Religion *"[Strongman] pursues his materials with investigative prowess and scholarly verve, making this a major new reference point for scholarship on the subject." -- Kieth E. McNeal and Martin Tsang * New West Indian Guide *"Strongman's exploration of the body in literary genres provides an excellent framework for a new understanding of the body, transcending the Cartesian dialectics. Strongman's three case studies present indeed the 'full queer potentiality.'" -- Bettina E. Schmidt * Journal of Contemporary Religion *“Strongman’s audacity in exploring the evolution and intersection of Afro-Atlantic religiosity with queer bodies is a significant contribution to the literature and discourse on Afro-diasporic religions and cultural studies.... Strongman illustrates how scholarship can be expressive and an agent of radical transformation of social experience.” -- Mary Nyangweso * Hypatia *"Strongman’s work is a worthy and important effort. . . . I can only hope that future scholars will follow in Strongman’s footsteps, laboring to patch together the shattered mirror of queer Afro-diasporic affinities in spite of the logistic difficulties this labor presents." -- Marina Magloire * GLQ *"Queering Black Atlantic Religions ought to be a required read—a vade mecum—for those interested in studying expressions of Afro-diasporic religions found in the trans-Atlantic world and beyond. The work sheds light on the sophistication of these religious traditions and worldviews. In fact, even adherents of these religions in their original homes in Africa cannot ignore the dynamism inherent in these religions." -- SimonMary Asese Aihiokhai * Theology & Sexuality *"Strongman’s text is a valuable addition to the already rich corpus on Black Atlantic religions. Its significance is not limited to this subdiscipline, though. Readers from a wide range of disciplines, including anthropology, gender and sexuality studies, and religious studies will find much to consider and engage. Further, readers in art history and literary studies will likewise be challenged by Strongman’s attention to the role of religion in art, film, and literature." -- Alejandro S Escalante * Religion and Gender *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction: Enter the Igbodu 1 Part I. Vodou 1. Of Dreams and Night Mares: Vodou Women Queering the Body 27 2. Hector Hyppolite èl Même: Between Queer Fetishization and Vodou Self-Portraiture 49 Part II. Lucumí/Santería 3. A Chronology of Queer Lucumí Scholarship: Degeneracy, Ambivalence, Transcorporeality 103 4. Lucumí Diasporic Ethnography: Fran, Cabrera, Lam 133 Part III. Candomblé 5. Queer Candomblé Scholarship and Dona Flor's S/Exua/lity 181 6. Transatlantic Waters of Oxalá: Pierre Verger, Mário de Andrade, and Candomblé in Europe 212 Conclusion: Transcripturality 251 Notes 255 References 261 Index 273

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Myriad Intimacies postcolonial theorist, spiritual practitioner, and filmmaker Lata Mani oscillates between text and video, poetry and prose, genre and form, register and voice, and secular and sacred to offer a transmedia exploration of the interrelatedness of lives, concepts, frameworks, and aspects of self. She draws on concepts from tantra—a philosophy that celebrates matter as alive, embodiment as sacred, and the senses as a form of intelligence—alongside feminist, critical race, and cultural theory to meditate on the ways in which everyone and everything exists in mutually constitutive interrelations. Addressing issues ranging from desire, the body, nature, and love, to otherness, identity politics, social justice, #MeToo, and the COVID-19 pandemic, Mani foregrounds the power and necessity of recognizing relationality as foundational. Throughout, she offers a way of reframing what we think we know and how we come to know it, demonstrating that it is only by Trade Review"Myriad Intimacies is a book of contrasts. It is a layered work that grapples with macro ideas, and at the same time, takes an intimate look at a microscopic aspect of a large idea." -- Nandita Chowdhury Bose * India Currents *Table of ContentsList of Videos ix Acknowledgments xi In your hands this book xiii Introduction. Integral Entanglements, Formal Experiments 1 1. The COVID-19 Pandemic: A Tantric Invitation to Humanity 9 2. The Nocturnes with Nicolás Grandi 14 3. Speaking to the Sacred 18 4. The Algorithm of Love 22 5. De Sidere 7 with Nicolás Grandi 23 6. Intimate Stranger 30 7. Tantra and the Body 31 8. To Bend into the Wind 34 9. Love Is Not a State of Exception 39 10. California Poppy 42 11. “A Glorious Thing Made Up of Stardust”: What Pat Parker and Rohith Vemula Ask Us to Consider 43 12. Benediction 48 13. Objects in the Mirror Are Closer Than You Think: Beyond the Rhetoric of Otherness 49 14. Words Fall into Empty Mind with Nicolás Grandi 54 15. Does the Mind Have a Heart? 55 16. Sticks and Stones May Break My Bones . . . but Words? On Social Justice Rhetoric 58 17. “What I Noticed Most Was That I Had Become a Poet”: Renewing the Language of Politics 63 18. Continual Evolution 68 19. Am I Doing Enough? Crisis, Activism, and the Search for Meaning 69 20. The Tantra of Action 73 21. “We Inter Are”: Identity Politics and #MeToo 77 22. A Malleable Border Teeming with Life 84 Afterword 87 Dark Goddess 96 Out of the One Many 94In Silence the Mind Breathes with Nicolás Grandi 97 References 99 Index

Read more less

Book SynopsisMartin Luther (1483–1546) is a classic Christian author who spearheaded the Reformation and whose witness has relevance for life in the present-day world. Grace and Gratitude presents two texts that represent his spirituality. Because Luther wrote so much in so many different genres, the choice of only two texts provides a limited taste of his spirituality. But they open up a specific, central, and distinctive mark of his conception of the structure of Christian life. The name of the theme, justification by grace through faith, often spontaneously correlates with Luther’s name and his theology. The phrase points to a key theological doctrine that centered his thinking; it lay so deeply ingrained in his outlook that it sometimes explicitly but always tacitly shaped all his early theological views and bestowed a distinctive character to his ethics and spirituality. The two texts are chosen to illustrate how the conviction represented by the phrase draws its authority from scripture, especially Paul, and was discursively analyzed in an early foundational work on Christian life, The Freedom of a Christian. These texts do not represent all there is to say about spirituality in Luther’s thought by any means, and this part should not be taken for the whole. But the coupling of these texts penetrates deeply into what may be called Luther’s Christian spirituality of gratitude.Table of ContentsI – Introduction to Luther and the Texts | 1 II – The Texts: Martin Luther on Justification by Grace through Faith | 19 Selection from Luther’s Lectures on Galatians (1535) | 21 Martin Luther: The Freedom of a Christian | 74 III – Grace and Gratitude: Appropriating Luther’s Spirituality Today | 123 Further Reading | 143 About the Series | 145 About the Editors | 151

Read more less

Book SynopsisTwo developments that occurred over the course of the nineteenth century had a strong impact on Christian theology. The first was a deepening of the implications of historical consciousness, and the second was the impact of science on Christian self-understanding. Marx’s sociology of knowledge symbolizes the first; Darwin’s analysis of evolution symbolizes the second. These intellectual developments gave rise to various forms of process philosophy and theology. Within this context, a dialogue between Christian theology and evolution has yielded dramatically new convictions and practices in Christian spirituality, especially relative to ecology. For more than three decades Catherine Keller has been reflecting on the intellectual and practical effects that an internalization of the dynamic character of reality should have upon the practice of Christian life. Her text illustrates the basic framework of dynamic becoming that science demands, whether or not one is formally a process thinker. Pierre Teilhard de Chardin was an earlier figure who was more zeroed in on the phenomenon of evolution, which he encountered in a distinct way as a Christian scientist trained in geology and paleontology, as distinct from biology or genetics. Evolution explicitly informs his spirituality. These two different Christian writers, the one representing the imaginative framework of being as process and becoming, the other focused on how evolution affects intentional spiritual life, open new perspectives on the spiritual character of people’s active lives of work and creativity in the world that science presents to us.Table of ContentsI – Introduction to the Authors and Texts | 1 II – The Texts | 19 Catherine Keller: On Process Thinking Selections from On the Mystery: Discerning Divinity in Process | 21 From Chapter 1: Come, My Way: Theology as Process | 23 From Chapter 3: Be This Fish: Creation in Process | 40 Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, On Evolutionary Spirituality Selections from The Divine Milieu | 55 From Part One: The Divinisation of Our Activities | 57 From Part Two: The Divinisation of Our Passivities | 83 III – A Spirituality of Creativity and Work | 105 Further Reading | 125 About the Series | 127 About the Editors | 133

Read more less

Book SynopsisA passionate exhortation to expand the ways we talk about human sex, sexuality, and gender. Twenty-five years ago, Mark D. Jordan published his landmark book on the invention and early history of the category “sodomy,” one that helped to decriminalize certain sexual acts in the United States and to remove the word sodomy from the updated version of a standard English translation of the Christian Bible. In Queer Callings, Jordan extends the same kind of illuminating critical analysis to present uses of “identity” with regard to sexual difference. While the stakes might not seem as high, he acknowledges, his newest history of sexuality is just as vital to a better present and future. Shaking up current conversations that focus on “identity language,” this essential new book seeks to restore queer languages of desire by inviting readers to consider how understandings of “sexual identity” have shifted—and continue to shift—over time. Queer Callings re-reads texts in various genres—literary and political, religious and autobiographical—that have been preoccupied with naming sex/gender diversity beyond a scheme of LGBTQ+ identities. Engaging a wide range of literary and critical works concerned with sex/gender self-understanding in relation to “spirituality,” Jordan takes up the writings of Oscar Wilde, Marcel Proust, Djuna Barnes, Samuel R. Delany, Audre Lorde, Geoff Mains, Eve Kosofsky Sedgwick, Gloria Anzaldúa, Maggie Nelson, and others. Before it’s possible to perceive sexual identities differently, Jordan argues, current habits for classifying them have to be disrupted. In this way, Queer Callings asks us to reach beyond identity language and invites us to re-perform a selection of alternate languages—some from before the invention of phrases like “sexual identity,” others more recent. Tracing a partial genealogy for “sexual identity” and allied phrases, Jordan reveals that the terms are newer than we might imagine. Many queer folk now counted as literary or political ancestors didn’t claim a sexual or gender identity: They didn’t know they were supposed to have one. Finally, Queer Callings joins the writers it has evoked to resist any remaining confidence that it’s possible to give neatly contained accounts of human desire. Reaching into the past to open our eyes to extraordinary opportunities in our present and future, Queer Callings is a generatively destabilizing and essential read.Table of ContentsPrologue: Our Names, Our Destinies! | 1 Linguistic Orientations | 21 Part I: Identifying Selves 1 A Quarrel of Queer Glossaries | 41 2 Inventions of Identity | 68 Interlude with Exercises: How We Talk Now | 87 3 Identities at Prayer | 102 Part II: Recalling Spirits 4 Ancestral Prophecies, Future Myths | 119 5 Other Regimens of Bodies and Pleasures | 139 6 Pulp Poetics | 157 7 Sex Beyond | 177 Epilogue: The Impossibility of Being E(a)rnest | 195 Acknowledgments | 203 Notes | 205 Index | 223

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume presents the spirituality of John Calvin in three short texts drawn from his Institutes of the Christian Religion. Many consider Calvin the most influential thinker of the sixteenth century. His ideas flowed from Geneva into northern Europe, to the English-speaking lands of Britain, and through the Puritans to North America. The prolific writings of Calvin across several genres open up many aspects of Christian living, and each one offers an entrée to his spirituality. On the supposition that “spirituality” refers to the way people or groups lead their lives in relation to ultimacy, three texts have been chosen to form the axis for this interpretation of Calvin’s contribution. These texts deal with his theological view of law, a definition of sanctification, and a short treatise on the Christian life. The portrait of Calvin’s spirituality that emerges from these texts and the larger framework of his theology, his ecclesiology, and his career as church leader and civic organizer can be summarized in the following phrase: a practical spirituality of sanctification by participation in society. One cannot find all of that in these texts, but they establish a platform on which the pieces fall into place. The story of his early life and formation, along with several key ideas that characterize the man and his vision, will help to draw a sharper, more distinctive picture of at least this influential aspect of Calvin’s spirituality. It is one that bears direct relevance, with appropriate adjustments, to life today.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume brings together texts of the twelfth-century Hildegard of Bingen and the early-thirteenth-century Francis of Assisi to represent religious spirituality after the Gregorian Reform and just prior to or simultaneous with the formation of universities in Western Europe. In an extraordinary way, Hildegard embodies monastic theology and spirituality and provides a contrast to the new thing that would be created with the study of theology in the new Aristotelian idiom of the universities. But equally in contrast to the Benedictine Hildegard, the thirteenth century witnessed a renewed enthusiasm for a more literal following of Christ in a life of penitence and poverty. This is a life of dependence, not on a superior and enclosed community but on the compassion of society at large. Francis would join this movement on his own terms, attract a following, and gradually formulate a spirituality that sent signals of the need to reform individual lives and the institutions of the Church. These two authors, then, are not joined here because of any shared similarity but to help illustrate two quite different spiritualities that animated the lively European twelfth and thirteenth centuries.Table of ContentsHILDEGARD OF BINGEN I – Introduction to Hildegard and the Texts | 3 II – The Texts | 15 Hildegard on the Prologue Selection from Part I, Vision 4 of The Divine Works | 17 Hildegard on Creation Selection from Part II, Vision 1 of The Divine Works | 39 III – Retrieving Hildegard for Christian Life Today | 59 FRANCIS OF ASSISI I – Introduction to Francis and the Texts | 73 II – Foundational Texts of Francis | 85 The Earlier Rule | 87 Later Admonition and Exhortation to the Brothers and Sisters of Penance | 118 The Canticle of Creatures | 129 A Letter to the Entire Order | 133 The Testament | 141 III – Retrieving Francis for Christian Life Today | 147 Further Reading | 161 About the Series | 163 About the Editors | 169

Read more less

Book SynopsisThis volume directs attention to the teaching of Jesus; it introduces the question of how the imagination has to work in order to retrieve the teaching of Jesus and apply it to actual life in our day. Teachers and preachers are engaged in this work all the time, but upon examination it involves a process that bears reflection. We live in a world that is so different from the world in which Jesus taught that many ask about its practicability relative to our complex everyday lives. The volume turns to three authors who work at this, have thought through present-day theory of interpretation, and respond to basic questions that explain the adjustments that allow us to apply Jesus’ teaching to our dilemmas with interpretation that remain faithful to the content that he proposed. Sandra Schneiders turns to modern hermeneutics, the theory of interpretation, and explains what is going on in the human mind that allows us to say that present-day interpretation, while different from Jesus because our “worlds” are different, corresponds to what Jesus communicated in the past relative to his world. William Spohn pushes the same idea further to concrete examples of how analogy, sameness and difference together, both binds the imagination to Jesus and frees us to see new relevance for Jesus’ actual teaching. And Lisa Sowle Cahill takes the spirit of the other two into the social order to show how Jesus’ teaching has a real relevance for the highly complex societies in which we live today. The logics of these three authors offer models for what is going on in all of the Past Light on Present Life volumes as they represent different historical periods and distinct themes in Western Christian spirituality.Table of ContentsI – Introduction to the Authors and the Texts | 1 II – The Texts | 19 Three Parables of Jesus | 21 Sandra Schneiders on Interpreting the Bible Selection from The Revelatory Text The Problem and Project of New Testament Interpretation | 25 William Spohn on the Analogical Imagination Selection from Go and Do Likewise The Analogical Imagination | 50 Lisa Sowle Cahill on the Kingdom of God Selection from Global Justice, Christology and Christian Ethics Kingdom of God | 85 III – The Appropriation of Scripture in Christian Spirituality | 133 Further Reading | 149 About the Series | 151 About the Editors | 157

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe study of any masterpiece can change one’s life, but the Confessions of St. Augustine, like Plato’s Republic or Dante’s Commedia, has the almost uncanny power to enact in the reader what it describes. Plato’s book reconfigures the city of the soul by freeing it from enslavement to the tyrannical passions and making it answerable to reason in its pursuit of the good. For Augustine, who shares many of the same ends, the pursuit of the good is not the rectification of philosophical reason, but (as it was for Dante) an intensely personal and consuming love: the encounter with the living God. Oddly, it may seem, that encounter comes for Augustine through the act of reading. Unlike Plato, who depicts the process of reasoning toward the truth, Augustine finds the truth revealed in another, immeasurably greater book that cannot be read in its true sense without the help of its author. The essays uncover a variety of themes, from Augustine’s act of reading (Marc LePain and Bercier), his emphasis on memory (Roger Corriveau), and his choice to reveal to the world his “hidden and unworldly activity” (Daniel Maher), to the way Augustine’s own education might serve as a corrective to contemporary understandings of “assessment” (Gavin Colvert). The vast wake of Augustine’s work includes writers from Dante and Montaigne to Nabokov, but three representative figures were chosen to show his influence: Jean-Jacques Rousseau in the Confessions (Rick Sorenson), James Joyce in the whole range of his work (Eloise Knowlton), and T.S. Eliot in the Four Quartets (Glenn Arbery). The most direct engagement with Augustine is obviously Rousseau’s. In his essay comparing and contrasting the pivotal moments of the two Confessions, Rick Sorenson explores major differences between the way of faith and the path of reliance on reason. Joyce might be said to have taken Rousseau’s path (at least in rejecting revelation), whereas Eliot took Augustine’s. In its sophistications and anxieties, the late antiquity Augustine inhabited feels a great deal like the late modernity we inhabit now. Certainly, the barbarians of materialist thought long ago sacked the civilization our ancestors inhabited. When Eliot published The Waste Land in 1922, he already saw the old order of antiquity and Christendom as “stony rubble,” “a heap of broken images.” As one of his speakers puts it, “Dry bones can harm no one.” This old book, the Confessions, might seem to our contemporaries as dry and dead as those bones, but it is not so. Without being a defense of Christianity (as the City of God is) or a work of catechesis, the Confessions might be the greatest counter to the materialist creed in Western literature. It recounts Augustine’s central, intensely personal, and ultimately liberating struggle to conceive of spiritual substance, an intellectual achievement without which he cannot even hope to accommodate his understanding to the reality of God. This book of essays has one primary end, which is to entice the reader to reopen Augustine’s book, to look over his shoulder and see what the act of reading means to him and what it has accomplished: the world-changing encounter with the substance of the Word.

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisPeter Fraser revisits stories told onscreen that in different ways all convey clear and ringing truths and touch the deepest human chords. Spanning different time periods and cultures, Twelve Films about Love and Heaven speaks to the hearts of those who cry at old movies and the old abiding Faith, and who believe a well-written book is always worth the time. It is a reminder to both artists and spectators that the pursuit of virtue, and above all in our family roles, is the greatest of adventures and the most glorious of victories. Table of Contents Benigni, Life Is Beautiful Fiennes, Onegin Redford, A River Runs through It Axel, Babette's Feast Levinson, The Natural Avildsen, Rocky Mulligan, To Kill a Mockingbird Ford, The Searchers Lean, Brief Encounter Borzage, A Farewell to Arms Chaplin, City Lights Murnau, Sunrise

Read more less

Book SynopsisNew Monasticism is a growing movement of committed Christians who are recovering the radical discipleship of monasticism and unearthing a fresh expression of Christianity in America. It's not centered in a traditional monastery--many New Monastics are married with children--but instead its members live radically, settling in abandoned sections of society, committing to community, sharing incomes, serving the poor, and practicing spiritual disciplines. New Monasticism by Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove offers an insider's perspective into the life of the New Monastics and shows how this movement is dependent on the church for stability, diversity, and structure. A must-read for New Monastics or those considering joining the movement, it will also appeal to pastors, leaders, those interested in the emerging church, and 20- and 30-somethings searching for new ways to be Christian.Table of Contents1. Reading the Signs of the Times2. Seeing Signs of Something New3. A Vision So Old It Looks New 4. God's Plan to Save the World Through a People5. Relocation and Renewal6. Daily Bread and Forgiven Debts7. A New Peace Corps8. A Culture of Grace and Truth9. Why New Monastics Need the Church

Read more less

Book SynopsisWe establish wills to pass on our possessions and property to family members and friends, but what about the things that really matter: our values, beliefs, wisdom, and stories? Those are the things of lasting significance, the things that make up a spiritual legacy. Daniel Taylor, a heralded teacher, bestselling author of Letters to My Children (over 50,000 sold), and a proven master of preserving spiritual legacies, shows how anyone--not just professional authors or those who consider themselves creative--can preserve and pass on their vision of life. No matter what age or stage of life you're in, creating a spiritual legacy both enriches your own life and blesses the lives of those you love. Chock full of practical guidance, exercises, and examples, this hands-on book helps ordinary people identify wisdom and core values and articulate them in an enduring story form. Taylor promotes the importance of spiritual legacies and shows how to express them not only in writing but also using audio-visual formats and crafts.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. What Is a Spiritual Legacy?2. The Spiritual Will3. Story Legacies 4. Story Legacies--How to Get Started5. Telling Your Master Stories6. How to Tell a Good Story7. Dealing with Pain and Painful People: A Story of My Own8. So You Hate to Write: Reluctant Writers and Other Forms of Legacy Work9. What to Do with Spiritual Legacy Work--Revising, Preserving, and SharingConclusionAppendixesSpiritual Legacy QuestionsValues, Virtues, and ValuablesGenerating Topics: What to Write aboutAdditional Examples of Spiritual Legacy Work

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn today's high-speed culture, there's a prevailing sense that we are busier than ever before and that the pace of life is too rushed. Most of us can relate to the feeling of having too much to do and not enough time for the people and things we value most. We feel fragmented, overwhelmed by busyness and the tyranny of gadgets. Veteran pastor and teacher Arthur Boers offers a critical look at the isolating effects of modern life that have eroded the centralizing, focusing activities that people used to do together. He suggests ways to make our lives healthier and more rewarding by presenting specific individual and communal practices that help us focus on what really matters. These practices--such as shared meals, gardening, hospitality, walking, prayer, and reading aloud--bring our lives into focus and build community. The book includes questions for discernment and application and a foreword by Eugene H. Peterson.Table of ContentsForeword by Eugene H. PetersonIntroductionPart 1: Focus Matters1. Stumbling into Focus2. Awe and Inspiration3. Focal Connectedness4. Focal Centering and Orienting PowerPart 2: Losing Our Focus5. Going on the ALERT6. Attenuated Attention and Systemic Distraction7. Eliminating Limits and Endangering Taboos8. Eroding Engagement9. Remote Relationships10. Taxed Time11. Sundering SpacePart 3: Finding Our Focus12. Finding and Funding Focal FundamentalsConclusion

Read more less

Book Synopsis¿Qué pasaría si algunos de nuestros más grandes teólogos no fueran considerados como tales, en absoluto? Kat Armas es una cubanoamericana de segunda generación que creció en las cercanías del famoso vecindario La Pequeña Habana de Miami. Su temprana formación teológica provino de su abuela, que huyó de Cuba durante el apogeo de los disturbios políticos y crio a sus tres hijos sola tras la muerte de su esposo. Combinando la narración personal con la reflexión bíblica, Armas nos muestra el modo en que las voces marginadas --las que a menudo son rechazadas, aisladas y oprimidas debido a su género, estatus socioeconómico o falta de educación--, tienen más que enseñarnos en cuanto a seguir a Dios que lo que nos damos cuenta. Abuelita fe cuenta la historia de teólogas anónimas e ignoradas en la sociedad y en la Biblia --madres, abuelas, hermanas e hijas-- cuya supervivencia, fuerza, resistencia y perseverancia nos enseñan el verdadero poder de la fe y el amor. La exploración de la autora en cuanto a la teología de abuelita ayudará a personas de todos los orígenes culturales y étnicos a reflexionar sobre las abuelitas en sus vidas y sus ministerios, y sobre las formas en que pueden vivir la fe de abuelita cada día. Kat Armas (magíster en Divinidades y en Teología del Seminario Teológico Fuller) es una escritora y oradora cubanoamericana, que presenta el podcast The Protagonistas, en el que destaca historias de mujeres de color comunes y corrientes, incluidas escritoras, pastoras, lideresas de iglesias y teólogas. Ha escrito para Christianity Today, Sojourners, Relevant, Christians for Biblical Equality, Fuller Youth Institute, la revista Fathom y Missio Alliance. Armas también trabaja en el proyecto Living a Better Story en el Fuller Youth Institute y habla periódicamente en conferencias sobre asuntos raciales y de justicia. Vive en Nashville, Tennessee.

Read more less

Book SynopsisIn Spirit and Sport: Religion and the Fragile Athletic Body in Popular Culture, Sean O’Neil studies the intersectionality of religion and disability as it exists within contemporary sports. To do so, he calls to the forefront various contemporary stories about trauma and disability—some fictional, others biographical—and examines how we tell and interpret these stories within the frameworks of athletic activity, competition, failure, and success. O’Neil studies a wide range of perspectives, from John Irving’s A Prayer for Owen Meany and the big-screen’s Signs to the experiences of real-life athletes like Tim Tebow, Muhammad Ali, and Bethany Hamilton. Woven throughout his examination of each is a consideration of religious belief and practice, especially within Christianity, as it relates to athletic ability—the lighthearted stories of victory and overcoming, the inspiring triumph over fragility and limitation so often couched in religious terms.O’Neil’s study draws upon his experiences as a hospital chaplain and his own battle with skin cancer. By blending personal experience with sociological observation, O’Neil argues that the intersection of religion, sports, and disability in popular culture is a revealing site of cultural struggle over competing myths, identities, and values related to the body—both the physical bodies we inhabit as well as the broader social bodies to which we subscribe.Spirit and Sport is a study with broad appeal: from O’Neil’s autoethnographic storytelling to the wide range of narrative media he examines, religious scholars, sports historians, and general audiences alike are sure to find it a thought-provoking and engaging read.

Read more less

Book SynopsisBotánicas is an exploration in text and photographs of spiritual shops found in Latino neighborhoods throughout the United States. Readers discover these marvelous spaces and their alternative spiritualities that help patrons cope with the grind and challenges of city life. Botánicas provide access to an array of invisible powers and sell the ingredients to construct symbolic solutions to their patrons' problems. The stores are bright and baroque, and the powers they invoke come from religious traditions in Africa, Europe, Asia, and the native Americas. In Botánicas, Joseph M. Murphy offers a cultural history of the devotions on display and a reflection on the efficacy of their powers to heal. Readers will come to see that the goods and devotions of botánicas give their patrons--mostly Latino, often immigrants--pathways for empowerment and transformation. The name botánicas comes from the ""botanicals"" for sale, herbs and plants with healing powers. The pharmacopeia of botánicas can be vast, and owners may know hundreds of remedies for treating problems of health, wealth, and love. Botánicas vend herbs for upset stomach, herbs for finding a job, and herbs for wooing back a wayward spouse. Supplementing these medicinal and magical plants, botánicas sell candles, holy statues, and tools for devotion to an array of spiritual powers--Catholic saints, African gods, indigenous spirits, and Asian divinities. Each spirit has its own ritual of petition, and botánica owners can discern the proper offerings and prayers to help the supplicant. Murphy explains the religions of the botánica with subtlety and sensitivity. He gives readers a deep sense of the contexts of the stores and a sophisticated analysis of the religious traditions that suffuse them. Visually fascinating, culturally rich, and religiously profound, Botánicas is a window into a world of beauty and power.

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Soul of Higher Education: Contemplative Pedagogy, Research and Institutional Life for the Twenty-first Century contributes to an understanding of the importance and implications of a contemplative grounding for higher education. It is the fourth in a series entitled Advances in Workplace Spirituality: Theory, Research and Application, which is intended to be an authoritative and comprehensive series in the field.This volume consists of chapters written by noted scholars from both Eastern and Western traditions that shed light on the following questions: What is an appropriate epistemological grounding for contemplative higher education? How dues the current dominant epistemology in higher education mitigate against contemplative teaching, learning, and research? What alternatives can be offered? How can a contemplative culture be nurtured in the classroom? What difference does that culture make in teaching and learning? What is the role of individual and institutional leadership in creating and sustaining this culture? What is contemplative research? How can the emerging field of contemplative studies fit into the twenty-first-century university? What can faculty and students learn from contemplative practices about how to find peace of mind in a world of higher education characterized by increasing complexity, financial pressures, and conflicts? What does a contemplative organizational structure look like in higher education? How can committees, faculty meetings, and administrative teams use contemplative practices to work more effectively together? How can contemplative decision-making processes be used in higher education? Given hierarchies, turf wars, and academics’ propensity for using argument as a weapon, is it possible to introduce contemplative practices into decision-making situations in appropriate ways?

Read more less

Book SynopsisThe Soul of Higher Education: Contemplative Pedagogy, Research and Institutional Life for the Twenty-first Century contributes to an understanding of the importance and implications of a contemplative grounding for higher education. It is the fourth in a series entitled Advances in Workplace Spirituality: Theory, Research and Application, which is intended to be an authoritative and comprehensive series in the field.This volume consists of chapters written by noted scholars from both Eastern and Western traditions that shed light on the following questions: What is an appropriate epistemological grounding for contemplative higher education? How dues the current dominant epistemology in higher education mitigate against contemplative teaching, learning, and research? What alternatives can be offered? How can a contemplative culture be nurtured in the classroom? What difference does that culture make in teaching and learning? What is the role of individual and institutional leadership in creating and sustaining this culture? What is contemplative research? How can the emerging field of contemplative studies fit into the twenty-first-century university? What can faculty and students learn from contemplative practices about how to find peace of mind in a world of higher education characterized by increasing complexity, financial pressures, and conflicts? What does a contemplative organizational structure look like in higher education? How can committees, faculty meetings, and administrative teams use contemplative practices to work more effectively together? How can contemplative decision-making processes be used in higher education? Given hierarchies, turf wars, and academics’ propensity for using argument as a weapon, is it possible to introduce contemplative practices into decision-making situations in appropriate ways?

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book Synopsis

Read more less

Book SynopsisSegments of society are drawing upon their faith and spirituality to develop strategies to mend social relationships and fragmented communities. The Contemporary Perspectives on Spirituality in Education book series will feature volumes geared towards understanding and exploring the role of spirituality in addressing challenge, conflict, and marginalization within education in the U.S. and internationally.

Read more less