Modernity has radically challenged the assumptions that guide our ordinary lives as persons, in ways we are not normally aware. We live our concrete lives taking for granted that personal decisions, desires, relationships, actions, aspirations, values, and knowledge are central to our existence. But in modernity, we think of these matters as private, idiosyncratic, and subjective, even irrational. This modern conception of ourselves and the associated way of reflection known as modern critical thinking came to dominate our thinking is culminates in the dualistic philosophy of Rene Descartes. This dualism has spawned a reductionist view of persons and tainted "the personal" with connotations of bias, partiality, and privacy, leaving us with the presumption that if we seek to be objective and intellectually respectable, we must expunge the personal. William H. Poteat's work in philosophical anthropology has confronted this concern head on. He undertakes a radical critique of the various forms of mind-body dualism and materialist monism that have dominated Western intellectual concepts of the person. In a unique style that Poteat calls post-critical, he uncovers the staggering incoherencies of these dualisms and shows how they have resulted in a loss of the personal in the modern age. He also formulates a way out of this modern cultural insanity. This constructive dimension of his thought is centered on his signature concept of the mindbody, the pre-reflective ground of personal existence. The twelve contributors in this collection explore outgrowths and implications of Poteat's thought. Recovering the Personal will be of interest to a broad range of intellectual readers with interests in philosophy, psychology, theology, and the humanities.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

The life and work of Teresa of Avila illuminates God's Word in a way that fosters unity in the body of Christ. Although the wounds of disunity exist in modern Christianity, Elizabeth Newman eloquently argues that the influence of saints such as Teresa will help Christians of all denominations to look upon one another as brothers and sisters in Christ. Newman explains that God heals the Church by providing saints from across time and space as gifts for the whole Church regardless of the denomination or time of life of the saint in question. It is Newman's conviction that saints are potential sources of unity and of shared storytelling, and that they serve as ecumenical luminaries, providing a way to move forward in our call to unity. In this light, Newman examines the life of Teresa of Avila (1515-1582), and the unique ways in which her embodiment and understanding of the Word aspires to unity. She explores Teresa's perceptions and narratives about key providential patterns grounded in Scripture that give form to the Church in ways that extend Christ's body in the world. Elizabeth Newman is Professor of Theology and Ethics at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. She is the author of 'Untamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers' (2007). " 'Attending to the Wounds on Christ's Body' is a valuable reclamation of the lives of saints and pursues the praiseworthy aim of Christian unity through the study of the unique life of Teresa of Avila and men and women like her. This is a wonderfully informative book about Teresa of Avila, but it is also much more. Newman reflects on Teresa's central images, dwellings, marriage, and pilgrimage to challenge modern Christians to reconsider their understandings of such things as time, abundance, place, politics, and economics. Such work helps us better inhabit a divided church, to repent of wounding her, and to imagine and pray for her healing. It is hard to conceive of more important theological work." Stephen Fowl, Chair of the Department of Theology, Loyola College.

First Published in 1995. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

Synopsis: The disunity of the church is a social and theological scandal for it betrays the prayer of Jesus that we "will be one . . . so that the world will believe" (John 17:21). As a Baptist whose academic background focused on the Orthodox Church and whose teaching has included Catholic and Protestant contexts, this division is for Elizabeth Newman personal and professional. Attending to the Wounds on Christ's Body rests on the conviction that the broad tradition of Christianity already contains resources to heal the church, namely the saints of the church. Newman examines especially how Teresa of Avila (1515-1582) speaks to the whole church today in the midst of political, economic, and ecclesial brokenness. Teresa's reliance upon three scriptural figures--dwellings, marriage, and pilgrimage--helps make sense of an ecclesial way of life that is inherently unitive, a unity that stands in contrast to that of the nation-state or the global market. Teresa's scriptural journey offers an alternative at once liturgical, political, and economic. This Doctor of the Church provides "medicine" that can repair wounds of division that separate brothers and sisters in Christ. Endorsement: "Elizabeth Newman is one of our best spiritual writers and she works at the intersection of theology, spirituality, and Christian behavior. She attends all of these matters in this new book on St. Teresa of Avila, helping us move past the false images of Teresa to reclaim a vision for ecclesial renewal at the heart of her concern." --Timothy George, Founding Dean, Beeson Divinity School of Samford University "This is a wonderfully informative book about Teresa of Avila, but it is also much more. Newman reflects on Teresa's central images, dwellings, marriage, and pilgrimage to challenge modern Christians to reconsider their understandings of such things as time, abundance, place, politics, and economics. Such work helps us better inhabit a divided church, to repent of wounding her, and to imagine and pray for her healing. It is hard to conceive of more important theological work." --Stephen Fowl, Chair of the Department of Theology, Loyola College Author Biography: Elizabeth Newman is Professor of Theology and Ethics at the Baptist Theological Seminary at Richmond. She is the author of Untamed Hospitality: Welcoming God and Other Strangers (2007).

Picking up the fragments autism makes of our once-whole lives is no easy task. It truly is a long way from shattered glass to mosaic, but it can be done. The stories in this book detail one mother's efforts to do just that--to find a way to live, to fully live, with autism. This is a book for parents trying to make useful sense of their child's diagnosis, for family members who are equally devastated and attempting to support their loved ones, for friends, therapists and teachers whose compassion and aid will be greatly enhanced by this glimpse into the daily struggles, emotions, and triumphs of life with autism.

Christian hospitality is more than a well-set table, pleasant conversation, or even inviting people into your home. Christian hospitality, according to Elizabeth Newman, is an extension of how we interact with God. It trains us to be capable of welcoming strangers who will challenge us and enhance our lives in unexpected ways, readying us to embrace the ultimate stranger: God.
In "Untamed Hospitality, " Newman dispels the modern myths of hospitality as a superficial commodity that can be bought and sold at The Pottery Barn and restores it to its proper place within God's story, as displayed most fully in Jesus Christ. Worship, she says, is the believer's participation in divine hospitality, a hospitality that cannot be sequestered from our economic, political, or public lives. This in-depth study of true hospitality will be of interest to professors, students, and scholars looking for a fresh take on a timeless subject.