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This comprehensive book provides a balanced overview of the current research on divorce. The authors examine the scientific evidence to uncover what can be said with certainty about divorce and what remains to be learned about this socially and politically charged issue. Accessible to parents and teachers as well as clinicians and researchers, the volume examines the impact of marital breakup on children, adults, and society. Alison Clarke-Stewart and Cornelia Brentano synthesize the most up-to-date information on divorce from a variety of disciplinary perspectives with thoughtful analysis of psychological issues. They convey the real-life consequences of divorce with excerpts from autobiographies by young people, and they also include guidelines for social policies that would help to diminish the detrimental effects of divorce.
Why should we care about marriage? There is a lot of confusion about the purpose of marriage todayâ€"outside the church as well as within it. Written by a distinguished Christian sociologist, Christian Marriage is a theologically rich, biblically robust, and sociologically informed treatise on the nature and value of marriage. Drawing on recent social science research, empirical data, and social history, Ayers paints a picture of marriage as an institution meant for human flourishing. Along the way, Ayers addresses such topics as Dating and selection of a spouse The importance of premarital counseling Sex and procreation Mentoring and supporting unmarried believers Divorce and remarriage And current controversies surrounding premarital sex and same-sex marriage. Though the book is academically and theologically informed, it is written with a pastoral heart. It seeks to provide a rich resource for pastors and counselors on a topic of supreme importance to a vibrant church and society.
Given the Catholic Church’s complex history concerning divorce and remarriage, it’s not surprising that the promulgation of Amoris Laetitia in 2016 caused such a stir among the laity, the press, some theologians, and even some bishops. This book endeavors to introduce concepts and contexts for understanding the document in a new light, explain what the rule of law actually means, and hopefully open a door to further discussion among theologians and clergy whose critical comments have so often missed the point of Francis’s apostolic exhortation.
Every year hundreds of thousands of American women become stepmothers. Committing to partners who are already parents, we gain relationships with young people who may--or may not--be pleased by our presence. When Dorothy Bass married a man with a four-year-old daughter, she was hesitant to embrace the title "stepmother," with its many negative cultural associations, and she soon realized she had very little sense of what this new role required of her. In Stepmother, Bass explores the complex emotional, material, and spiritual terrain we share with our stepchildren, and with their other parents. Bringing together insights from sociology, history, clinical studies, and literature, she unpacks ...
While the formal definition of divorce may be concise and straightforward (legal termination of a marital union, dissolving bonds of matrimony between parties), the effects are anything but, particularly when children are involved. The Americans for Divorce Reform estimates that "40 or possibly even 50 percent of marriages will end in divorce if current trends continue." Outside the U.S., divorce rates have markedly increased across developed countries. Divorce and its effects are a significant social factor in our culture and others. It might be said that a whole "divorce industry" has been constructed, with divorce lawyers and mediators, family counselors, support groups, etc. As King Henr...
In Silenced: The Forgotten Story of Progressive Era Free Methodist Women, Christy Mesaros-Winckles delves into the gender debates within the Free Methodist Church of North America during the Progressive Era (1890-1920). This interdisciplinary work draws on narrative research and gender studies to reconstruct the lives of forgotten women who served as Free Methodist evangelists and deacons, examining their writings and speeches to illustrate how they promoted and defended their ministries. Mesaros-Winckles argues that the history of Free Methodist women is a microcosm of the struggle for recognition and acceptance faced by women across numerous evangelical traditions, especially amidst rising fundamentalism at the turn of the twentieth century. This book provides an important contribution to the fields of American history, theology, media studies, and gender studies, and will also be of interest to rhetorical history and communication theory scholars.
If you’re living a perfect, charmed life . . . well, then this book isn’t for you. But if, like the rest of us, you are at times broken, confused, lonely, or scared—if you’re struggling with problems that you think “good Christians” don’t have—then welcome, girlfriend, and pull up a chair! This quirky, friendly, and gut-honest devotional comes straight from the heart of Ellen Miller (CEO, marketing executive, mom, and unapologetic “glorious mess”). Despite the serious struggles she’s faced, Ellen today lives a life of profound joy, and The One Year Book of Inspiration for Girlfriends contains 365 days’ worth of the principles and philosophies that have gotten her there. There’s no subject she’s afraid to tackle! Her quick, daily doses of encouragement will make you laugh, give you something to look forward to, help you to stay (somewhat!) sane . . . and remind you that you’re never alone.
For more than five hundred years, the Bible has been referred to as the Word of God. Yet, even before the Bible was written, there was a Living Word-spoken through prophets and through Jesus of Nazareth - that ultimately echoes through the centuries. Pastor Toivonen relies on his nearly thirty years of preaching as well as studying and interpreting the Bible to inspire others to contemplate how God speaks in the contemporary world and whether God prefers flesh and blood to ink and paper. While sharing his careful examination of how the Bible came to be the Word of God through a very human process and why the Word of God is intended to be living and breathing as opposed to a book, Toivonen offers intriguing insights and commentary that encourages spiritual seekers to embark on a personal journey to answer their own questions about the Bible, its authority, and its trustworthiness. Reading Jesus offers encouragement to anyone ready to consider a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Jesus of Nazareth and apply the Word of God to truly live God's way-today.
Good Sex presents sexual ethics in the light of faith. Speaking on behalf of Christianity, Buss describes "love your neighbor as yourself" as the only Christian "rule"; it is a positive rule rather than one that focuses on prohibitions. Since this call is never fulfilled in practice, it is joined by forgiveness for oneself and others. More concrete guidelines need to be aided by "wisdom," which is not specifically Christian. Detailed biblical support is provided at the end. Stipe, a contemporary Pagan, advocates respect for all living things and doing no harm as a minimal ethical guide, leaving positive prescriptions to individual judgment. Buss and Stipe discuss details of sexual ethics in ...
Stories of mothers who survived sexual abuse as children reveal the struggles, challenges, and triumphs of this special group of women. Unraveling the veil of silence and capturing the experiences of mothers who were sexually abused as children, this book offers a first step in both supporting mothers and disrupting the cycle of intergenerational abuse that keeps these mothers isolated and alone in their mothering challenges and successes. Each story reveals the concerns, the needs, the difficulties, and the fears these mothers confront as they parent their children while struggling with their own past experiences. By examining the therapeutic needs and concerns of mothers who have survived ...