Description
Book SynopsisAutumn Alcott Ridenour is Assistant Professor in the Department of Religious and Theological Studies at Merrimack College, USA.
Trade ReviewSabbath Rest as Vocation is an important and needed contribution with theological depth and powerful cultural awareness that can leads us to age towards death meaningfully. * Reading Religion *
Written in a very readable style, this book is essential for missionaries, scholars, and pastors who engage in the mission of the church in multicultural societies. * Religious Studies Review *
Through its insightful interpretations of Augustine and Barth and its deep understanding of the later stages of life, this wonderful book reclaims aging as a moral and spiritual practice, not only for the aging themselves but also for those who accompany them. It is both theologically rich and practically wise, and it deftly manages to be hopeful without being sanguine. I strongly recommend it to everyone who is concerned with the theology, ethics, or pastoral care of the aging and especially to those who are preparing for this stage of life. * Gerald McKenny, University of Notre Dame, USA *
A generation of ‘boomers’ and their families are daily managing the aging process--with its limits, losses, and care demands. Religious faith can seem disconnected from realities or unhelpfully focused on ‘eternal life.’ From a strong experience of faith community, Autumn Ridenour envisions how life, aging and death take meaning together from relationships, community and “participation in Christ”-- theologically proclaimed and existentially validated. This is an eloquent and beautiful book. * Lisa Sowle Cahill, Boston College, USA *
Table of ContentsIntroduction
Chapter 1 Sabbath Rest: Moving Toward Death.
Chapter 2 The Valley of the Shadow
Chapter 3 Contemplative Action
Chapter 4 Aging in the Middle Voice
Chapter 5 The Virtues of Aging
Chapter 6 Aging as Sabbath Rest Bibliography Index
