The Faith Development Of Women In Crisis

Presenting a rich account of women's faith lives and, mapping women's meanings in their own right, this book offers an alternative to dominant accounts of faith development which failed to account for women's experience. Drawing on Fowler's faith development theory, feminist models of women's faith and social science methodology, the text explores the patterns and processes of women's faith development and spirituality in a group of thirty women belonging to, or on the edges of, Christian tradition. Integrating practical theological concern with Christian education and pastoral practice, this book will be of interest to all concerned with women's faith development, spirituality, education and formation, and those working in the fields of practical theology, pastoral care, adult theological education, spiritual direction and counselling.

This integral study is a multifaceted look at the experience of spiritual crisis or emergency for some Christian women involved in personal growth processes. It also looks at the women's integration of this experience into their lives. Theories regarding altered states of consciousness, mysticism, the relationship between mental illness and mysticism, the connection of abuse to spiritual development, spiritual crisis or emergency, and transpersonal developmental stages were reviewed. In addition the counseling needs of individuals experiencing a spiritual emergency were examined. In the first part of the study, thirty-three women, ranging from ages thirty-three to sixty-nine, responded to a questionnaire containing questions about core spiritual or mystical experiences, and questions related to mental illness. Nine of these women, ranging from ages thirty-eight to sixty-three were interviewed about their experience of spiritual crisis. the interviews were subjected to a phenomenological analysis that revealed textural core themes and structural core themes of spiritual emergency as lived experience for this group of women. There were two textural core themes. the first one was that the spiritual crisis was "a process directed by God or that God was part of it". the qualities and characteristics attached to this experience of spiritual crisis or emergency includes triggers; experiences that are difficult to explain; support; and beliefs. the second textural core theme was that the experience was "transformative or life-changing". the four structural core themes are causality--need for growth; time--length of time and distortion of time; relationship to others and relationship to self. One month following the interview the women were given an essay question that asked how the interview itself had affected them and demonstrated how the interview had helped in the integration process. For this group of women, the experience of spiritual crisis or emergency, although often difficult, painful, sometimes frightening, and which contained some pathological elements for some of the women, was a transformative experience. This experience continues to inform their lives and has led to an improved relationship with self, a changed relationship with God, and a greater ability for ministry to others.

Beyond the Altar illustrates how women religious overcome sexist subjugation by side-stepping the patriarchal power of the Roman Catholic Church. This book counters the stereotypical image of Catholic nuns as being loyally compliant with their church by showing how a number of current and former women religious in Canada challenge their institutional religion’s precepts and engage in transformative strategies to effect change both within and outside the Roman Catholic Church. The sisters’ testimonials reveal never-before-shared details about their painful experiences of male domination, their courageous efforts to move beyond such sexist stifling, and the women-led and women-centered spiritual, governance, and activist practices they have engendered in the late twentieth and early twenty-first centuries. Featuring many examples of the sisters’ resourcefulness, resilience, and resistance, this book fills a void in international scholarship on what Canadian Catholic women religious have endured and accomplished. Through interviews and in-depth accounts of the complexities and nuances present in the current and former sisters’ lives, readers will discover their steadfast indomitability as they strategically, and sometimes subversively, innovate their spiritual spaces.

Nicola Slee examines the patterns and processes of women's spirituality and faith development in a group of thirty women belonging to, or on the edges of, Christian tradition. Her study is written from a perspective of Christian feminist commitment.

"COVID-19 has, like other crises, thrown into relief social injustices and gendered inequalities. BiAS 31/ ERA 8 offers theological responses to and reflections on the COVID-19 outbreak and pandemic. All are by African scholars and authors; some are academic, some experiential, and others creative or impressionistic in tone. Reflecting the ethos and commitment of the Circle of Concerned African Women Theologians ("The Circle") to nurture and promote the publications by and about African women and men committed to social justice and positive change, this issue contains the writings of some established but, predominantly, of emerging theologians. For some contributors, this is their first publication in an international series."