Fellows Publications and Resources

Pamela Cooper-White (1995) has written Braided Selves: Collected Essays on Multiplicity, God and Persons. (Cascade Books, 2011)

What if we are more multiple as persons than traditional psychology has taught us to believe? And what if our multiplicity is a part of how we are made in the very image of a loving, relational, multiple God? How have modern, Western notions of Oneness caused harm—to both individuals and society? And how can an appreciation of our multiplicity help liberate the voices of those who live at the margins, both of society and within our own complex selves? Braided Selves explores these questions from the perspectives of postmodern pastoral psychology and Trinitarian theology, with implications for the practice of spiritual care, counseling, and psychotherapy. This volume gathers ten years of essays on this theme by preeminent pastoral theologian Pamela Cooper-White, whose writings bring into dialogue postmodern, feminist, and psychoanalytic theory and constructive theology. 

Gary Hall (1983) and Ruth Myers co-edited Christian Holiness & Human Sexuality: A Study Guide for Episcopalians. (Church Publishing, 2011)

Christian Holiness & Human Sexuality is a study guide for Episcopalians who want to understand how all Christian people can exercise their baptismal vocation in the fullness of their sexual identity. This short booklet attempts to frame the discussion in a way different from how it has been addressed in many of the debates in our church and culture: How can we as Christians combine sexual expression with Christian holiness? Looked at afresh, what guidance do the Christian biblical, historical, theological, ethical, and liturgical traditions give us in answer to this question?


 
 

David R. Mason (1970) published his second major book, Something That Matters: A Theology for Critical Believers with Praeger, an imprint of ABC-CLIO in July 2011.

Faith, it has been written, is not "believing what you know ain't true," but the ineradicable confidence in the meaning and worth of life. In an age when atheism can seem rampant and faith an anachronism, how can Christianity be understood so as to remain meaningful?Though seemingly complicated, process theology offers a worldview that is attractive to Christians seeking a better understanding of their faith in the context of science and the challenges of the "new atheism." Something That Matters: A Theology for Critical Believers makes both this worldview and its applications for life today accessible to the lay reader. The book's argument is built around the conviction that we are all "something that matters," that humans make a difference in the world, and hence in the life of God. The book addresses a broad range of topics important to Christian theology: faith, religion, God, Christ, the Trinity, prayer, the ethical life, what it means to be human, and our ultimate destiny (eschatology). It also includes a chapter on the development and basic ideas of "process philosophy," which informs this theology. Incorporating insights from the sciences, as well as from the Bible, this critical reevaluation brings the Christian proclamation to life for a modern world.

Susan Richardson (2008) has written Child by Child: Supporting Children with Learning Differences and Their Families. (Church Publishing, 2011)

Integrating children and teens with learning differences into church programs is a growing priority for nearly all congregations, large and small, yet many feel ill-equipped to “manage” those with special needs in their classrooms, programs and worship. This new guidebook for churches is designed to help integrate children and teens with learning differences—and their families—into the fabric of everyday church life. A useable on-the-ground resource for church leaders with specific suggestions, samples, and processes for adapting curricula, training volunteers, and supporting parents and caregivers, this guide is grounded in theological principles for the inclusion of people with disabilities in the life of a congregation. It begins by focusing on human relationships instead of programs. Expanding the church’s awareness and understanding of inclusion is done with respect and achieved by extending the gospel of welcome to all. An extensive annotated bibliography of support materials is included.

Charles Robertson (1998) has written A Dangerous Dozen: 12 Christians Who Threatened the Status Quo but Taught Us to Live Like Jesus. (Skylight Paths 2011)

Meet twelve fascinating—at times, intimidating—Christian change agents who were unafraid to ask what God would have them do in the face of life’s realities—and unafraid to go ahead and do it. Their words and actions challenged the status quo, and in so doing they showed the face of Jesus to the Church and to the world. Whether calling us to live simply in the name of Jesus, showing the way to genuine peacemaking, or exemplifying the true meaning of courage, the legacies of these blessed troublemakers continue to inspire us today … if we let them.

  

Christopher Seitz (1982) has written The Character of Christian Scripture: The Significance of a Two-Testament Bible. 

The early church received the Scriptures of Israel as Christian Scriptures and did not change them. The older testament was received as a witness to God, and when a newer testament emerged, the older was not dismissed, harmonized, or edited. Rather, the church moved forward with a two-testament witness.

Christopher Seitz, an internationally renowned expert in canonical criticism, illuminates the two-testament character of Scripture and its significance for the contemporary church. He interacts critically with current interest in the New Testament's use of the Old Testament and addresses an issue of perennial concern: how to hear both testaments as Christian witness.

Sarah Sentilles (2003) has written Breaking Up With God: A Love Story. (Harper Collins, 2011)

Sarah Sentilles's relationship with God was not casual. When it began to unravel she was in the ordination process to become an Episcopal priest, a youth minister at a church, and a doctoral student in theology at Harvard. You might say they were engaged and that the wedding was all planned. Calling it off would be more than a little awkward. But in the studying of the religion she'd been raised on and believed wholeheartedly, one day she woke up and realized . . . it was over.

In this powerful memoir of faith, Sentilles reveals how deep our ties to God can be, and how devastating they can be to break. Without God to mold herself to and without religion as her script, who was she and what was her purpose? Her relationship with God had been connected to everything—her family, her friends, her vocation, the places she frequented, the language she used, and her way of being in the world.

Not unlike after a divorce, she had to reorient her life and face a future that felt darkly unfamiliar. But this beautiful, brave book is surprisingly filled with hope, a coming-out story that lets others know it's safe to come out too, and that there's light on the other side.