16th Annual Outreach Magazine Resource of the Year Is your church wrestling with LGBT questions from membership to marriage? Travis Collins has been there. A pastor who has walked congregations through the complex issues surrounding gay Christians, he knows firsthand the confusion and hurt that often follow. He has also seen churches have these conversations with grace and understanding. In this practical resource, readers will gain insight into relevant biblical passages and, while the author is working from a traditional perspective, he offers insights from interpreters on both sides of the debate. They will consider the implications of their convictions for ministry practice, relationships, church policy, and more. They will hear testimonies from gay friends and family members about their experiences in the church. Collins calls readers to both grace and truth, with humility. What Does It Mean to Be Welcoming? considers how we might welcome everyone into the church while calling for all to be transformed.

This book is an ethnographic study of the martial art of taijiquan (or 'tai chi') as it is practiced in China and the United States. Drawing on recent literature on ethnicity, critical race theory, the phenomenology of race, and globalization, the author discusses identity in terms of sensual experience and the transmission/receipt of knowledge.

Children today are growing up in a world of global media. Many have also become global citizens, through their experience of migration and transnational networks. This book reviews research and debate in the media, globalization, migration and childhood, with empirical research in which children's voices are featured prominently and directly.

Das Handbuch Wohnsoziologie will den aktuellen Wissensstand zum Thema Wohnen ubersichtsartig wiedergeben. Dabei soll die Entwicklung des Themas mit Bezug auf den deutschen Wohnungsmarkt, Wohnungsbau und Stadtentwicklung dargestellt werden und wichtige Herausforderungen fur das Wohnen der Zukunft identifiziert werden. Das Handbuch soll eine Lucke schliessen, die sich seit der letzten Publikation von Haussermann und Siebel aus dem Jahr 1991 ergeben hat. Obwohl soziologisch ausgerichtet, ist die Publikation interdisziplinar ausgerichtet und wird von Autor/innen aus unterschiedlichen Disziplinen getragen.

Films and television dramas about the Second World War have always been popular. Written by acknowledged experts in the field, this collection offers challenging, sometimes controversial, insights into how the popular memory of the Second World War has been 're-pictured' since 1989, which marked the sixtieth anniversary of the start of the war.

This book explores storytelling as an innovative means of improving understanding of Indigenous people and their histories and struggles including with the law. It uses the Critical Race Theory ('CRT') tool of 'outsider' or 'counter' storytelling to illuminate the practices that have been used by generations of Aboriginal women to create an outlaw culture and to resist their invisibility to law. Legal scholars are yet to use storytelling to bring the experiential knowledge of Aboriginal women to the centre of legal scholarship and yet this book demonstrates how this can be done by way of a new methodology that combines elements of CRT with speculative biography. In one chapter, the author tells the imagined story of Eliza Woree who featured prominently in the backdrop to the decision of the Supreme Court of Queensland in Dempsey v Rigg (1914) but whose voice was erased from the judgements. This accessible book adds a new and innovative dimension to the use of CRT to examine the nexus between race and settler colonialism. It speaks to those interested in Indigenous peoples and the law, Indigenous studies, Indigenous policy, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history, feminist studies, race and the law, and cultural studies.

Discrimination against Muslim Americans has soared over the last two decades with hostility growing especially acute since 2016 - in no small part due to targeted attacks by policymakers and media. Outsiders at Home offers the first systematic, empirically driven examination of status of Muslim Americans in US democracy, evaluating the topic from a variety of perspectives. To what extent do Muslim Americans face discrimination by legislators, the media, and the general public? What trends do we see over time, and how have conditions shifted? What, if anything, can be done to reverse course? How do Muslim Americans view their position, and what are the psychic and sociopolitical tolls? Answering each of these questions, Nazita Lajevardi shows that the rampant, mostly negative discussion of Muslims in media and national discourse has yielded devastating political and social consequences.

In a systematic and comprehensive analysis of the relationship between sociology and cultural studies, Gregor McLennan lucidly guides us from central philosophical questions in the social sciences to new interpretations of such urgent contemporary questions as Eurocentrism, multiculturalism, and reflexivity.

This is the first book to examine the same-sex weddings and same-sex couple suicides reported in India over the last two decades. Ruth Vanita examines these cases in the context of a wide variety of same-sex unions, from Fourteenth-century narratives about co-wives who miraculously produce a child together, to Nineteenth-century depictions of ritualized unions between women, to marriages between gay men and lesbians arranged over the internet. Examining the changing legal, literary, religious and social Indian and Euro-American traditions within which same-sex unions are embedded, she brings a fresh perspective to the gay marriage debate, suggesting that same-sex marriage dwells not at the margins but at the heart of culture. Love's Rites by Ruth Vanita is a finalist for a Lambda Literary Award.

In recent years, millions of people have joined churches such as the Seventh-day Adventist which prosper enormously in different parts of the world. The Road to Clarity is one of the first ethnographic in-depth studies of this phenomenon. It is a vivid account based on almost two years of participation in ordinary church members' daily religious and non-religious lives. The book offers a fascinating inquiry into the nature of long-term commitment to Adventism among rural people in Madagascar. Eva Keller argues that the key attraction of the church lies in the excitement of study, argument, and intellectual exploration. This is a novel approach which challenges utilitarian and cultural particularist explanations of the success of this kind of Christianity.

It has been well documented that American Catholics tend to be Catholics on their own terms, or choose to remain Catholic while selectively embracing official Church doctrine. But why do Catholics who disagree with official Church teachings on major issues such as homosexuality, women’s ordination, or abortion, and are thus institutionally marginalized, choose to remain Catholic? Why do they stay, when the cost of staying and being stigmatized would seem to be greater than the benefits they might gain from switching to religious groups whose doctrines would validate their beliefs on these issues? Michele Dillon, drawing upon in-depth interviews with Catholics who are openly gay or lesbian, advocates of women’s ordination, and pro-choice, investigates why and how pro-change Catholics continue to remain actively involved with the Church, despite their rejection of the Vatican’s teaching on sexuality and gender.

It has been well documented that American Catholics tend to be Catholics on their own terms, or choose to remain Catholic while selectively embracing official Church doctrine. But why do Catholics who disagree with official Church teachings on major issues such as homosexuality, women’s ordination, or abortion, and are thus institutionally marginalized, choose to remain Catholic? Why do they stay, when the cost of staying and being stigmatized would seem to be greater than the benefits they might gain from switching to religious groups whose doctrines would validate their beliefs on these issues? Michele Dillon, drawing upon in-depth interviews with Catholics who are openly gay or lesbian, advocates of women’s ordination, and pro-choice, investigates why and how pro-change Catholics continue to remain actively involved with the Church, despite their rejection of the Vatican’s teaching on sexuality and gender.

Congregations in Conflict uses the suburbs of Chicago to examine the nature of American congregations as institutions, looking in particular at how they deal with conflict within their ranks, to gain insight into religious culture. In detailed and well documented case studies of conflict in twenty-three congregations including Protestant parishes, Catholic parishes, and Jewish synagogues, Becker examines such factors as organizational processes, the extent and types of ties among church members, their shared understandings about mission and identity, and their level of public commitment. At the local level Becker finds vital "public religion": congregations that provide caring and support for members, service to the local community, and important arenas for moral debate and public activism.

This book examines the impact of states and their policies on visual art. States shape the role of art and artists in society, influence the development of audiences, support artistic work, and even affect the very nature of artistic production. The book contrasts developments in the United States with art policies in Britain and in the social democratic states of Norway and Sweden. In addition, it analyzes revealing transitions - the changes brought about in East Germany after unification and the experiences of artists who left the Soviet Union for the west. The result is a significant contribution to the sociology and the political economy of art.

There is a growing interest in ordinary people's life stories. This book provides a detailed analysis of eight Norwegian women and men and their stories about their lives. It focuses on their construction of images of self, society, religion and morality. In spite of a majority Lutheran church, Norwegians are demonstrating new ways of accepting and celebrating religious variety. There is a strong emphasis on self in contemporary culture and an increasing tendency to shift from objective to subjective ordering of experiences. Whereas the older generation speaks about religious traditions as a duty and a quest for truth, the younger generation views religion to be something that corresponds to their true self. Gender also structures religion in contemporary Norway. Women are more religious than men, and women and men speak about religion in different ways. While women focus on religion as a source of meaning in their lives, men tend to describe religion as a moral factor. This book is based on a combination of survey data and life stories. It offers an analysis of the complexity of religion and culture, and the changing face of religion in contemporary Norway.

In high-Andean Peru, Rapaz village maintains a temple to mountain beings who command water and weather. By examining the ritual practices and belief systems of an Andean community, this book provides students with rich understandings of unfamiliar religious experiences and delivers theories of religion from the realm of abstraction. From core field encounters, each chapter guides readers outward in a different theoretical direction, successively exploring the main paths in the anthropology of religion. As well as addressing classical approaches in the anthropology of religion to rural modernity, Salomon engages with newer currents such as cognitive-evolution models, power-oriented critiques, the ontological reworking of relativism, and the "new materialism" in the context of a deep-rooted Andean ethos. He reflects on central questions such as: Why does sacred ritualism seem almost universal? Is it seated in social power, human psychology, symbolic meanings, or cultural logics? Are varied theories compatible? Is "religion" still a tenable category in the post-colonial world? At the Mountains' Altar is a valuable resource for students taking courses on the anthropology of religion, Andean cultures, Latin American ethnography, religious studies, and indigenous peoples of the Americas.

Mit dieser Publikation werden erstmals verschiedene Ansatze der Neoliberalismusforschung im deutschsprachigen Raum zusammengefuhrt und gebundelt. In 21 Beitragen setzen sich Autor(inn)en verschiedener Fachdisziplinen mit grundlegenden Fragen des neoliberalen Projekts, den Grunden seiner Wirkungsmachtigkeit, der widerspruchlichen Rolle des Staates und den Voraussetzungen und Ansatzen fur eine postneoliberale Agenda auseinander. Diese Analyse soll dazu beitragen, die Diskussion um Alternativen auf einer fundierten Grundlage fortzuentwickeln. Das Buch richtet sich gleichermassen an ein wissenschaftliches Publikum wie auch an Leser/innen, die den Gegenstand des Neoliberalismus durchdringen wollen, um Orientierung und Handlungsfahigkeit fur die gesellschaftliche Praxis zu erlangen."

The growth of Islam in Europe is reflected in the increasing numbers of Muslims in British and French prisons, but authorities have responded differently to the challenges presented by Muslim prisoners in each country. The findings of three years of intensive research in a variety of prisons show that British prisons facilitate and control the practice d of Islam, whereas French prisons discourage it and thereby sow the seeds of extremism. The policy implications of these ironic findings are examined in detail.

Since the breakup of the Soviet Union, the peoples of Central Asia (Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan) have been exposed to new, Western influences that stress individualism at the expense Central Asian traditions of family and communalism. Young men in particular are exposed to new ideas and lifestyles as they travel in large numbers outside their native republics for the first time, even as contemporary Islam exerts itself as a potent force for cultural conservatism (especially for women). As a result, young Central Asians today confront a complex mixture of the old and the new that strains personal relations, especially within the family, between generations, and between spouses. Relying on the authors fieldwork, conducted between 1994 and 2004, Muslim Youth devotes separate chapters to family life, education, dating, and marriage in Dushanbe, the capital of Tajikistan. Each chapter opens with a vignette that is emblematic of the theme of the chapter, and additional stories and characters are presented throughout each chapter to illustrate further points. revealed as central to the struggles between tradition and modernity.

By exploring the experiences of community activists and organizations working with information and communication technology (ICT) to build communities, this book offers a grounded and informed study of the role ICT plays in people's lives. The author emphasizes the importance of networks built around trust, shared spaces and local knowledge bases in the formation of significant relationships in contemporary Western societies and in doing so, questions many of the assumptions which inform the rhetorics of the information age.

This book provides the answers to controversial questions about religious liberties in the United States and connected issues through balanced, thorough, and nonjudgmental coverage of the issues in a reference format. The subject of religious freedom is important to all American citizens, regardless of religious affiliation or ethnicity. Are the rights of religious individuals being eroded, or is religion being unfairly used to deny basic secular rights to individuals? How will religious institutions adapt to changes in legislation that have an impact on how they operate? Does the Supreme Court have the right to enforce these changes? Finally, how can the precarious separation of church and state be maintained while simultaneously respecting both institutions? This single-volume work provides an introduction that addresses the historical background of religious freedom in America, accurately explains the latest legal developments in religious freedom in the United States, and presents an unbiased account of the probable impact of the new Freedom of Religion laws in the continuing culture war. Readers will gain insight into key controversies such as prayer in public schools, creationism versus evolution, abortion, religious objections to medical care, religious displays in public places, same-sex marriage and LGBT rights, and state and federal religious freedom acts. The book also includes perspective essays by outside contributors, a selection of useful primary documents, a listing of print and nonprint resources, a chronology, and a glossary of terms. Ideally suited for students and general readers who want to learn more about the history and current events concerning religious freedom in an easy-to-understand fashion Includes a Perspectives chapter that allows readers to "hear" opposing voices from individuals who are concerned with religious freedom in America Presents the facts about religious freedom so that readers can reach their own conclusions Highlights the challenge of reaching an agreement on the line of church/state separation that exempts some individuals from obeying laws because of their religious beliefs in an increasingly pluralistic society comprising members of diverse faiths

In The Weight of the Past, Michael Lambek explores the complex ways that history shapes, constrains, and enables daily life. Focusing on ritual performances of spirit mediumship in a multifaceted religious landscape, Lambek's analysis reveals the multiple ways that Sakalava "bear" history. In Mahajanga, Madagascar to bear history is at once a weighty obligation, a creative re-birthing, a scrupulous cultivation, and an exuberant performance of the past.This book describes the division of labor, creative production, and ethical practice entailed in imagining, embodying, and serving the past. It is at once a vivid ethnography of Sakalava life and a significant intervention in anthropological debates on culture and history, structure and practice, advocating a theoretical approach informed by Aristotelian categories of understanding.

Wie kann der gegenwartig bestehende Hiatus zwischen Ethik, der Reflexion auf Moral und Ethos, dem sittlichen Handeln als solchen, uberwunden werden? Zur Beantwortung dieser Frage nimmt Martin Hahnel Bezug auf die Idee einer grundlegenden sittlichen Werthaltung - Sachlichkeit -, deren anthropologische Wurzeln zuerst von Max Scheler, Helmuth Plessner und Arnold Gehlen aufgewiesen wurden. Hans-Eduard Hengstenberg entwickelt darauf aufbauend eine umfassende Moralanthropologie und liefert damit eine notwendigerweise um wichtige Einsichten der modernen Tugendethik - vor allem von Philippa Foot und John McDowell - zu erganzende Grundlage fur die Klarung einer Verstandnisweise des Ethos, das sich eine Selbstanwendung nicht langer zu verbieten braucht.