The Shame that Lingers

The Shame that Lingers PDF

Author: A. Denise Starkey

Publisher: Peter Lang

Published: 2009

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 9781433106767

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In The Shame That Lingers: A Survivor-Centered Critique of Catholic Sin-Talk, A. Denise Starkey argues that the dominant legal model of sin in the Catholic Church is inadequate for hearing the experience of sin for survivors of childhood and domestic violence because it functions to shame rather than to heal. A universal understanding of the sinner, as found in mainstream Catholic sin-talk and confession, impedes human flourishing by silencing radical suffering in ways that make survivors complicit for the harm done to them. Starkey argues that a shame-free theology of sin is necessary if survivors are to encounter the profound love of God. Understanding sin from the perspective of the sinned-against makes possible a transformative solidarity with the other by reinvisioning the roles of speaker and listener.

This Too Shall Last

This Too Shall Last PDF

Author: K.J. Ramsey

Publisher: Zondervan

Published: 2020-05-12

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 0310107261

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This book is not a before-and-after story. Our culture treats suffering like a problem to fix, a blight to hide, or the sad start of a transformation story. We silently, secretly wither under the pressure of living as though suffering is a predicament we can avoid or annihilate by working hard enough or having enough faith. When your prayers for healing haven't been answered, the fog of depression isn't lifting, your marriage is ending in divorce, or grief won't go away, it's easy to feel you've failed God and, worse, he's failed you. If God loves us, why does he allow us to hurt? Over a decade ago chronic illness plunged therapist and writer K.J. Ramsey straight into this paradox. Before her illness, faith made sense. But when pain came and never left, K.J. had to find a way across the widening canyon that seemed to separate God's goodness from her excruciating circumstances. She wanted to conquer suffering. Instead, she encountered the God who chose it. She wanted to make pain past-tense. Instead, God invited her into a bigger story. This Too Shall Last offers an antidote to our cultural idolatry of effort and ease. Through personal story and insights from neuroscience and theology, Ramsey invites us to let our tears become lenses of the wonder that before God ever rescues us, he stands in solidarity with us. We are all mid-story in circumstances we did not choose, wondering when our hard things will end and where grace will come if they don’t. We don't need to make suffering a before-and-after story. Together we can encounter the grace that enters the middle of our stories, where living with suffering that lingers means receiving God's presence that lasts.

Naked and Unashamed

Naked and Unashamed PDF

Author: Matthew Everard Thomas

Publisher: WestBow Press

Published: 2024-06-27

Total Pages: 142

ISBN-13:

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At times, most of us would have felt that there is something not quite right with our soul. Our life may be meandering along without too many bumps on the road. We may be content with how our life is panning out. Our relationships may be stable, and our physical health is relatively good. And yet the rich and satisfying life that could potentially be ours seems to illude us. We may sense that there could be so much more to life than what we are currently experiencing. But we don’t quite know what to do or how to get there. As a result of past experiences of rejection and abandonment, we may crave acceptance and significance from our relationships and our work and yet we find the craving to never be satisfied. We may attempt to fill that void in our souls through other means such as status and outward achievements. But those too never seem to be able to deliver what they promise. When we remain disconnected from our true selves, we will never be able to identify the root cause of our shame. We may never even be aware that shame has pervaded our souls. As our eyes begin to see ourselves for who we really are, it requires humility and courage to step out into the light and cultivate intimacy with our Creator who can begin to cleanse us of the deep pain that shame has caused us. Healing from shame is never complete without immersing ourselves in genuinely caring and compassionate communities who are willing to love and accept us just as we are. Finding true acceptance and significance in such communities go a long way towards uprooting the pervasiveness nature of shame and reinstating the God-given value, dignity and worth we possess.

All That Lingers

All That Lingers PDF

Author: Irene Wittig

Publisher:

Published: 2020-03-20

Total Pages: 410

ISBN-13:

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Sometimes the long arm of grief grabs you by the throat - In this novel of loss, courage, and resilience, we experience Vienna's tumultuous years from Austria's 1934 civil war, through World War II and postwar occupation, to independence. Three lives intertwine, bringing these extraordinary events to life. Emma fights to come to terms with grief and her country's betrayal. Sophie seeks to reclaim her lost history, and Friedrich struggles with secrets that will throw all their lives into turmoil again.

Joe Brainard's Art

Joe Brainard's Art PDF

Author: Yasmine Shamma

Publisher: Edinburgh University Press

Published: 2019-03-14

Total Pages: 280

ISBN-13: 1474436684

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This collection offers the first place for the importance of Brainard's poetry, collaborations and art to be recognised for their contribution and influence, all in one place.

When Strivings Cease

When Strivings Cease PDF

Author: Ruth Chou Simons

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Published: 2021-10-12

Total Pages: 257

ISBN-13: 1400225000

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Grace Secures What Striving Cannot In this hustling, image-forward age of opportunity, we feel more anxious than ever. Despite all the affirming memes and self-reflections that dominate social media feeds, approval and worth often seem assigned to what we do rather than who we are. And we end up constantly feeling like we’re behind, lacking, and failing—at home, at work, with friends, with God. Ruth Chou Simons knows something about feeling measured by achievement, performance, and the approval of others. As a Taiwanese immigrant growing up between two cultures, Ruth was always on a mission to prove her worth, until she came to truly understand the one thing that changes everything: the extravagant, undeserved gift of grace from a merciful God. In When Strivings Cease, Ruth guides you on a journey to find freedom from the never-ending quest for self-improvement. She shows you how to confront the ways you look to superficial means of acceptance and belonging; find relief in realizing self-help isn’t the answer because you can’t be so amazing that you won’t need grace; stop seeing God as someone to perform for and start finding delight in responding to his welcome; and let go of trying to rely on your own strength, your own abilities, and your own savvy by truly understanding the freedom Jesus purchased for you. With personal stories, biblical insights, practical applications, and touches of original artwork by Ruth, this transformational book helps you see the beautiful truth that God’s favor is the only currency you need—because in Christ you are enough.

The Power of Apology

The Power of Apology PDF

Author: Beverly Engel

Publisher: John Wiley & Sons

Published: 2002-02-28

Total Pages: 273

ISBN-13: 0471211702

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"Fresh and useful . . . excellent practical advice . . . thorough and lucid . . . will be welcomed by many who have struggled to ask forgiveness and to forgive." -Publishers Weekly A finalist in the Books for a Better Life Awards competition! Discover the healing power of apology and put its magic to work in your life Do you have a difficult time apologizing or are you involved with someone who does? Do you tend to overapologize and appear weak in others' eyes? Do you want to reconcile with someone but feel they owe you an apology first? Do you need to apologize or make amends to someone but don't know how to go about it? In this inspiring book from internationally acclaimed therapist and self-improvement author Beverly Engel, you will learn why some people have difficulty apologizing while others tend to overapologize. You'll learn how to give a meaningful apology, how to ask for one, and how to receive one. From making amends with those you have hurt to dealing with someone who refuses to apologize to teaching children responsibility and empathy, this life-changing book shows you how to bring a healing new element of renewal into every relationship in your life. "Beverly Engel has eloquently explained the power of apology in a remarkably insightful and perceptive manner. No one has been better able to explain what an apology means and its role in reconciliation." -Rabbi Charles A. Klein, author of How to Forgive When You Can't Forget: Healing Our Personal Relationships "Readers of this wise and lucid guide to the neglected art of authentic apology will acquire a powerful tool to help repair relationships with others and with themselves." -Jeanne Safer, Ph.D., author of Forgiving and Not Forgiving: A New Approach to Resolving Intimate Betrayal "An engaging and in-depth book on a subject that has rarely been addressed so intelligently and thoroughly. Ms. Engel offers the reader specific suggestions that can help you improve all your relationships." -Steven Farmer, M.F.T., author of Adult Children of Abusive Parents

Shame, the Church and the Regulation of Female Sexuality

Shame, the Church and the Regulation of Female Sexuality PDF

Author: Miryam Clough

Publisher: Taylor & Francis

Published: 2017-07-14

Total Pages: 218

ISBN-13: 1351850512

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Shame strikes at the heart of human individuals rupturing relationships, extinguishing joy and, at times, provoking conflict and violence. This book explores the idea that shame has historically been, and continues to be, used by an oftentimes patriarchal Christian Church as a mechanism to control and regulate female sexuality and to displace men’s ambivalence about sex. Using a study of Ireland’s Magdalen laundries as a historical example, contemporary feminist theological and theoretical scholarship are utilised to examine why the Church as an institution has routinely colluded with the shaming of individuals, and moreover why women are consistently and overtly shamed on account of, and indeed take the blame for, sex. In addition, the text asks whether the avoidance of shame is in fact functional in men’s efforts to adhere to patriarchal gender norms and religious ideals, and whether women end up paying the price for the maintenance of this system. This book is a fresh take on the issue of shame and gender in the context of religious belief and practice. As such it will be of significant interest to academics in the fields of Religious Studies, but also History, Psychology and Gender Studies.

Affect Theory, Shame, and Christian Formation

Affect Theory, Shame, and Christian Formation PDF

Author: Stephanie N. Arel

Publisher: Springer

Published: 2016-11-08

Total Pages: 209

ISBN-13: 3319425927

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This book addresses the eclipse of shame in Christian theology by showing how shame emerges in Christian texts and practice in ways that can be neither assimilated into a discourses of guilt nor dissociated from embodiment. Stephanie N. Arel argues that the traditional focus on guilt obscures shame by perpetuating the image of the lonely sinner in guilt. Drawing on recent studies in affect and attachment theories to frame the theological analysis, the text examines the theological anthropological writings of Augustine and Reinhold Niebuhr, the interpretation of empathy by Edith Stein, and moments of touch in Christian praxis. Bringing the affective dynamics of shame to the forefront enables theologians and religious leaders to identify where shame emerges in language and human behavior. The text expands work in trauma theory, providing a multi-layered theological lens for engaging shame and accompanying suffering.