Theologising With The Sacred Prostitutes Of South India

In Theologising with the Sacred ‘Prostitutes’ of South India, Eve Rebecca Parker theologises with the Dalit women who from childhood have been dedicated to village goddesses and used as ‘sacred’ sex workers.

As those coming forward for ministerial training change and diversify, is the way we learn theology changing too? Integrity within our training institutions has often been assumed and granted to white, male, or those from the middle or upper classes. This has come at the expense of the faith truths, beliefs and perspectives offered by women, people of colour, indigenous theologies and the working classes, whose testimonies have often been ignored or marginalised by the dominant discourses that have been deemed more trustworthy as a consequence of the way in which imperialism has enabled knowledge and religion to be constructed and controlled. Yet theological education also has a potential to challenge these norms. It holds the potential to challenge oppressive cultures, theologies and pedagogies. Relying on feminist, black, indecent, and postcolonial theologies this book will deconstruct dominant models of theological education, by incorporating ethnographic research, alongside educational theory, liberation theology and radical exegesis’. It will demonstrate theological educations potential to change, and be transformed in order to enable those who have been excluded and marginalised to become speaking subjects and agents for systemic change.

As a contribution to the Fortress series on World Christianity as Public Religion, this volume delves into questions of religious alterity and justice in World Christianity. This volumeasks what histories, practices, or identities have been left invisible in the field of World Christianity, and emphasizes liberationist concerns to consider what the field has overlooked or misrepresented. It recognizes that World Christianity scholarship has elevated voices of marginalized Christians from the Global South and challenged Eurocentric modes in the study of religion, but scholars of World Christianity must also attend to the margins of the field itself. Attention to the overlooked "other" within World Christianity scholarship reveals communities that have been excluded and questions of justice within the Global South that have been neglected. This volume points to gender, sexuality, and race as intersectional themes ripe for exploration within the field, while also identifying areas of study that have fallen outside the dominant World Christianity narrative, such as the Middle East and the theological expression of indigenous and aboriginal communities in the aftermath of European colonization. The contributors to this volume advance a robust intercontinental conversation around alterity and the evasion of justice in World Christianity.

Organized crime, a hidden and pervasive threat, casts its dark shadow over societies globally, impacting countless lives through activities like human trafficking, illegal drug trade, and cybercrime. This intricate web of criminality leaves lasting scars on individuals, families, and entire communities, with its true cost remaining obscured. Amidst this dilemma, the question arises: how can the erosion of societal well-being be countered and a sense of security restored? Economic and Societal Impact of Organized Crime: Policy and Law Enforcement Interventions stands as a reservoir of knowledge offering profound insights into combatting organized criminal endeavors. Edited by renowned scholar Alicia Danielsson, an expert in Comparative and EU law, this interdisciplinary collection delves beneath the surface of organized crime. Drawing on contributions from diverse fields, the book unravels real-world stories, empirical evidence, and case studies, shedding light on the psychological, physical, and economic toll exacted by these activities. Moreover, it explores the wider societal consequences, including eroding trust in institutions and exacerbating inequality and poverty. This work serves as an intellectual haven for academics, providing a roadmap to comprehending and confronting this global threat. It navigates the intricate pathways of criminal networks, corrupt actors, and the responses of law enforcement and policymakers. By championing an evidence-based approach that prioritizes human well-being and community resilience, the book equips readers to grasp the intricacies of the challenge and contribute to a world where organized crime's grip is loosened, and the foundations of security and justice are reinforced.

One of three volumes responding to the 7 October attack, Law and Society begins with a legal and a genocide studies critique of the claim that Israel is genocidal; another reflects on the absence of an understanding of antisemitism in international legal discourse. There are reflections on experiences in the Palestine solidarity movement and on the twists that discourse there takes. Contributions draw on Judaism, feminism, and sociology to face what happened and to trace how Israelis were transported back to a quintessentially pre-Israel Jewish experience. Others survey reports of antisemitism around the globe in the wake of 7 October, including pieces about Britain and Germany. This work will appeal to scholars, students, and activists with an interest in antisemitism, Jewish studies, and the politics of Israel.

Food security is a multifaceted concept and extends beyond the production of, availability of, and demand for food. This book attempts to explore the meal narrations in Luke-Acts as a source for a theology of hospitality to ascertain Luke’s concern for the immigrant, the poor, the homeless, the hungry, and the outcasts. This book focuses on fifteen meal scenes in Luke-Acts and contributes to Lukan scholarship on meals, particularly in addressing the issue of food insecurity. Firstly, by incorporating cultural dimensions and anthropology to understand the social context of the first-century world, this book contributes a new perspective on the Lukan audience, which was stratified by socioeconomic and religious disparities in terms of privilege, wealth, and power. Secondly, this book analyzes the Lukan concern with the social structure and the social, political, economic, and religious setting behind his emphasis on the pto[set macron over o]choi and the marginalized concerning livelihood needs such as food and shelter. Thirdly, this book connects Lukan concern with contemporary theologies that include an emphasis on hunger and hospitality, such as liberation theology, Dalit theology, and practical theology. Thus, the book challenges readers and offers a few recommendations for implementations to combat hunger and destitution.

Fresh from the Word 2023 aims to help us build the discipline of Bible reading into our lives so we are grounded in God's word and our faith may deepen and develop. By offering accessible and engaging material, it aids our understanding of the Bible and helps us understand it from different Christian perspectives. One of the key themes in this year's edition is ‘Hidden Heroes & Heroines’, characters in the Bible who are overlooked but play a pivotal role in the unfolding of the Kingdom. As we read their stories, we may be encouraged that our lives, though they sometimes feel insignificant, are indeed being used by God in ways possibly beyond our imagining! The book also explores the different types of literature in the Bible. A number of the international and diverse community of writers who have contributed their wisdom, understanding and hard-won insights to encourage and bless us, unpack passages written in each particular style. And so we learn how we might safely interpret poetry, law, prophecy, narrative or apocalyptic. The hope is that these reflections - and indeed the complete volume - will will help us see revealed that which was previously hidden from us. Contributors this year include: Terry Lester, who writes on the Judges of Israel. Terry has been an Anglican priest in Cape Town for almost four decades and currently serves in Constantia. A vocal advocate for justice, he is engaged in projects aimed at restoring dignity and building reconciliation in his fragmented community. Immaculée Hedden, who writes on Healing Divisions in the Old Testament. She and her husband Richard are the authors of Under His Mighty Hand, the story of how she survived the 1994 Genocide against the Tutsi. The couple are currently based in Rwanda, serving in healing and counselling support ministry with YWAM. Jane Gonzalez, who writes on Celebrations. Jane is a Roman Catholic laywoman and an active member of the Justice and Peace Group. Joshua Taylor, who writes on The God of all Comfort and Mercy. Joshua is an Anglican Priest in New Zealand, where he and his family have been exploring what it means to be a family following the way of Jesus. Louise Jones, who writes on Lord of the Sabbath. Working for an embedded, community-based organization (Newbigin Community Trust), Louise has a passion for empowering, resourcing and loving those who have slipped through the cracks of our systems, in order to help people see their immense value and worth in Jesus.