Faith Traditions and the Family (Family, Religion, and Culture) Rating :
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Religious denominations negotiating family and modernity
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This book is an extremely engaging and informative collection of essays by a number of religious scholars chronicling the attempts of various North American religious denominations to negotiate the impact of modernity on the family. These denominational histories reveal periods of growth and decline in the denominations themselves and in their attention to family issues. They also show the range of voices within the various denominations. These stories thus debunk the "culture wars" typology, according to which denominations are labeled as univocally liberal or conservative.
The two major forces that appear across these denominational accounts are the tension between individualism and community and the influence of market forces on family life. The stories show how these broad social forces, more than any one social movement have produced many changes in families. Feminism is usually cited as one of the forces that has impacted the modern family, and it has spurred action and/or inspired reaction in virtually every denomination. Likewise, the recent focus on fatherhood in a number of denominations demonstrates the continuing importance of social and cultural change on churches and families. The most powerful insights from these various denominational narratives are the need to negotiate with, rather than reject modernity, and the important point that the mere presence of conflict on issues like the family does not necessarily indicate failure.
Whether the conflict is over tradition and innovation, individualism and familism, public and private, ideals and reality, or protective withdrawal from or prophetic engagement with the surrounding culture, the essays in this volume show how the family has been an important locus of the reconciliation of religion and modernity in American culture.
See all 1 customer reviews...Product Description
Family life since World War II has undergone dramatic changes. Cultural shifts emphasizing personal needs and fulfillment have transformed traditional understandings of marriage and divorce, gender equality, and sexual behavior, resulting in a marked increase in single-parent homes, dual-income couples, divorce, and blended families. In this book, contributors who represent diverse traditions in North America show how their respective traditions have responded to changes in the family in the last half-century. Exploring the broad range of responses in their traditions--from conservative to progressive--they reflect on the role that theology, Scripture, and the social sciences have played in this transformation. Further, they take a realistic look at the influence of mainstream religion and its role in future discussions of family life.
The Family, Culture, and Religion series offers informed and responsible analyses of the state of the American family from a religious perspective and provides practical assistance for the family's revitalization.
Product Details
- Amazon Sales Rank: #2616364 in Books
- Published on: 1996-08-01
- Released on: 1996-08-01
- Original language:English
- Number of items: 1
- Dimensions: 8.90" h x5.98" w x.55" l,.83 pounds
- Binding: Paperback
- 184 pages
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