Carol J. Dempsey

Elayne J. Shapiro

An interaction between biblical studies and communication studies that demonstrates how understanding situations of conflict in the Bible can help develop skills in dealing with conflict today. Each of eleven chapters presents a biblical story (from Adam and Eve through the letters of Paul) that examines some aspect of conflict intrapersonal, interpersonal, or between humans and God. Each chapter takes up a particular theme the nature of conflict, the role of identity, the need for forgiveness, the use of power, the potential of mediation, the skills of negotiation, the possibility of reconciliation with the goal of helping students learn how to be in right relationship with one another and with God. Each chapter includes discussion questions, suggested readings, and sidebars to form an attractive text for undergraduates and general readers. Accessible language and tools to engage students are used throughout.

Reading the Bible, Transforming Conflict

Russell A. Butkus

This multi-academic perspective on contemporary environmental issues reminds us of our oneness with the natural world and what that calls us to as moral creatures. Fashioned as a series of stories based on the model of biblical narrative, these seemingly multivalent voices and perspectives are joined together with biblical stories, references, and theological reflection to create in All Creation Is Groaning a seamless story that is both provocative and revelatory. All Creation Is Groaning provides a clear vision of living life in a sacred universe. This vision is linked to the biblical vision of justice and righteousness for all of creation, and humankind?s responsibility to hasten the vision through a call to ethical practice. Critical and hermeneutical, this book reflects an interdisciplinary approach so as to ?build bridges of understanding between the Bible and contemporary disciplines.? Chapters are ?Stories from the Heart,? ?New Ways of Knowing and Being Known,? ?An Islamic Perspective on the Environment,? ?Christian Values, Technology, and the Environment Crisis,? ?Feeding the Hungry and Protecting the Environment,? ?Mental Cartography in a Time of Environmental Crisis,? ?Toward an Understanding of International Geopolitics and the Environment,? ?Sustainability: An Eco-Theological Analysis,? ?The Stewardship of Natural and Human Resources,? ?Development of Environmental Responsibility in Children,? ?An Ecological View of Elders and Their Families: Needs for the Twenty-First Century,? ?Symphonies of Nature: Creation and Re-creation,? ?A Sense of Place,? and ?Hope Amidst Crisis: A Prophetic Vision of Cosmic Redemption.? ?Editors and contributors should be commended for the daring contribution to a volume that can be formidably used at undergraduate institutions where students experience firsthand the variety of disciplines and subjects represented in this volume.? Ecotheology"Fourteen essays, each of which could stand alone, are drawn together and unified by means of a biblical passage chosen and theological reflection written specifically for each chapter." Commonweal ?We are deeply in the debt of this impressive collegium. The book is of value for its parts, and more so in the clarity with which its sum is more than its parts.? Walter Brueggemann Columbia Theological Seminary". . . these essays knit the university together in an interconnected community of discourse that itself witnesses to seeing creation as an interconnected community of life. The result is an impressive contribution to growing ecological consciousness and concern.? Rosemary Radford Ruether"All Creation Is Groaning is . . . a magnificent resource, which approaches commitment to the Earth from an astonishing variety of perspectives, yet offers a common faith-filled view which inspires hope and commitment.? Denis Edwards Flinders University". . . this collection of essays is a unique example of the marvelous insights that can be achieved from an interdisciplinary venture that weaves together rather than compartmentalizes perspectives of theology and philosophy, literature and the arts, physical and social sciences, and business. What a wonderful way to learn about the marvelous work of which we are a part.? Dianne Bergant, C.S.A. Catholic Theological Union

An Interdisciplinary Vision for Life in a Sacred Universe

All Creation is Groaning

Mark J. Boda

LeAnn Snow Flesher

This volume showcases recent exploration of the portrait of Daughter Zion as “she” appears in biblical Hebrew poetry. Using Carleen Mandolfo’s Daughter Zion Talks Back to the Prophets (Society of Biblical Literature, 2007) as a point of departure, the contributors to this volume explore the image of Daughter Zion in its many dimensions in various texts in the Hebrew Bible. Approaches used range from poetic, rhetorical, and linguistic to sociological and ideological. To bring the conversation full circle, Carleen Mandolfo engages in a dialogic response with her interlocutors. The contributors are Mark J. Boda, Mary L. Conway, Stephen L. Cook, Carol J. Dempsey, LeAnn Snow Flesher, Michael H. Floyd, Barbara Green, John F. Hobbins, Mignon R. Jacobs, Brittany Kim, Cheryl A. Kirk-Duggan, Christl M. Maier, Carleen Mandolfo, Jill Middlemas, Kim Lan Nguyen, and Lena-Sofia Tiemeyer.

Her Portrait, Her Response

Daughter Zion

These six prophets proclaim powerful messages about judgment and the sovereignty of God. Amos challenges hypocrisy and injustice. Hosea's marriage symbolizes the covenant between God and Israel, moving from love to separation and then reunion. Micah, Nahum, and Zephaniah condemn corrupt leadership, injustice to the poor, and worship of false gods. Habakkuk reminds all to rely on God, who will punish the evil and defeat chaos. Flowing through all these calls to be a better people is the unfailing promise of a faithful and forgiving God.

Carol J. Dempsey

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