In Beyond Ritual, Siobhan Garrigan uses Habermas's theory of communicative action to suggest two things: first, a method by which theology can access the ritual symbols by which faith is formed; and secondly a metaphor of intersubjectivity with which theology can propose an interpretative, rather than an instrumental, understanding of sacramentality - and thus of God. Through fieldwork studies of both 'marginal' and 'mainstream' Christian Eucharists, Garrigan develops the conversation between Habermas's philosophy and Christian theology, showing how ritual interactions form, (...) and challenge, our very idea of God.Â. (shrink)

This book of sermons brings together work by women who live at the centre of the church's life and by those who live at its margins. Through its many voices it seeks to present new paradigms for preaching and for theology, and offers a challenge to many long-held traditions and assumptions.

Introducing Feminist Ecclesiology explores women's experiences of being church and reclaiming the church in order to rebuild it as a meaningful, open sacramental space where everybody's presence is celebrated. Natalie Watson proposes a creative and constructive dialog with existing theological approaches to the church, from different Christian traditions as well as more recent feminist theologians, and suggests the development of criteria that hear women's experiences of being church and reclaiming church into speech. The church is the embodied reality of all (...) women children and men whose stories tell the story of the Triune God. (shrink)