God and the victim : traumatic intrusions on grace and freedom /
"Christian Tradition holds that an individual's ability to respond to God's grace - to love both God and neighbor - is not wholly vulnerable to earthly contingencies, such as victimization. Today, however, trauma theorists insist that situations of overwhelming violence can severely d...
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| Format: | eBook |
| Language: | English |
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Oxford ; New York :
Oxford University Press,
2007.
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| Series: | American Academy of Religion academy series.
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | Connect to the full text of this electronic book |
| Summary: | "Christian Tradition holds that an individual's ability to respond to God's grace - to love both God and neighbor - is not wholly vulnerable to earthly contingencies, such as victimization. Today, however, trauma theorists insist that situations of overwhelming violence can severely damage a person's capacity for responsive agency. For Christians, trauma theory raises the very troubling possibility that humans can inflict extreme injury on each other, such that some individuals' capacity to respond freely to God's grace can be destroyed not by themselves but by those who do great harm." "Jennifer Erin Beste addresses the challenges that contemporary trauma theory and feminist theory pose to deeply held theological convictions about human freedom and divine grace. Do our long-standing, widespread beliefs regarding one's access to God's grace remain credible in light of recent social scientific research on the effects of interpersonal injury? With an eye toward the concrete experiences of trauma survivors, Beste carefully considers the possibility that one can be victimized in such a way that his or her receptiveness to God's grace is severely diminished, or even destroyed." "Drawing on insights present in feminist and trauma theory, Beste articulates a revised Rahnerian theology of freedom and grace responsive to trauma survivors in need of healing. Her thinking is characterized by two interconnected claims: that human freedom to respond to God's grace can possibly be destroyed by severe interpersonal harm, and that God's grace is mediated, at least in part, through loving, interpersonal relations and facilitated healing."--BOOK JACKET. |
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| Physical Description: | 1 online resource (viii, 164 pages) |
| Bibliography: | Includes bibliographical references (pages 149-159) and index. |
| ISBN: | 9780198042501 0198042507 |