Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination
Ebook
Based on personal interviews, Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination uncovers the theological creativity of Christian lay women quietly stitching their own sacred fabric. From the origins of prayer shawl ministry in feminist and ecumenical thought, the movement has grown to hundreds of groups, composed mostly of women over 60, in denominations across the political and doctrinal spectrum. Through participation in handcrafting ministries, participants reflect on themes that sometimes complement and sometimes challenge the public stances of their communities. Women in prayer shawl ministries develop commitments to broad inclusion, reject the intrusion of market forces, and realize their productive power. Out of their traditional roles as caretakers, they craft compassion into a conscious, theologically-rich practice. Out of their historical subordination, they cultivate trust in divine providence and hope for the preservation of their legacy. Listening to their ideas, convictions, and concerns, and connecting them to findings from multiple scholarly fields, this book seeks to disclose the convergences and complexity of ordinary women’s theological thinking and behavior.
Chapter 1: Shawl Origins
Chapter 2: Connection
Chapter 3: Inclusion
Chapter 4: Reciprocity
Chapter 5: Kindling
Chapter 6: Compassion
Chapter 7: Solidarity
Chapter 8: Generativity
Chapter 9: Trust
Chapter 10: Empowerment
Bowman presents a descriptive account of Christian laywomen who create prayer shawls. Using this group as a case study in theology forged in a local, bottom-up context, the author discusses how third-wave feminism offered the opportunity to take more seriously modes of women’s work that happen in domestic or craft-based domains. But Bowman's central argument is theological: she sees so-called prayer shawl ministries as a movement productively challenging dominant sources of meaning making. The author’s investment in the object of her study is clear . . . Christian theologians and practitioners of fiber arts will likely find the book a good read. Summing Up: Recommended. Professionals and general readers.
Spiritual practices that people actually engage in make great foundations for theology. This study of creating, using, and letting people know the importance of prayer shawls reflects pastoral theology done well. Surely there are other such practices that would benefit from this kind of elucidation.
We professional theologians often talk about the importance of lay participation in theology and about the need for bottom-up theology to check top-down theology. But this generally remains just talk. Donna Bowman has heard a lot of Christian women into theological speech. If she had asked them to describe their “theology,” nothing of value would be likely, but they are fully articulate in reflecting about their Christian activities. May the genre thus pioneered by Bowman flourish!
With this book, Donna Bowman has created a handmade theology, or better, a "shawlology." The prayer shawls we read about here are not merely metaphorical, but hold values of protection, memory, communal identification and communication, woven with profound strands of meaning. Doing theology with needle and yarn, Bowman shows how some of the most vital origins of theological thinking begin in the experiences of living rooms. Readers will come to a renewed vision of the material experiences at the heart of faith.
Product Details
- Title : Prayer Shawl Ministries and Women’s Theological Imagination
- Author: Bowman, Donna
- Publisher: Lexington Books
- Publication Date: 2015
- ISBN: 9780739179727