Holy mothers of God: sex work,inheritance, and the women of Jesus’ genealogy*

ABSTRACT

In this article I consider the stories of Jesus’ women ancestors in the genealogy which opens the Gospel of Matthew. Reading these stories in light of Marxist-feminist analyses of marriage, sex work and reproductive labor, alongside contemporary sex workers’ rights discourse, and through Marcella Althaus-Reid's claim that all theology is “a sexual act”, I explore their implications for contemporary debates about property and propriety in both Christian systematic theology and contemporary Christian sexual ethics – which cannot, of course, be disentangled from one another. To conclude, I return to the twinned questions of righteousness and purity which centrally define both theological accounts of Christian identity and Christian sexual ethics, suggesting that righteousness relies for its coherence not only on the abjection of those who fall short of its standards, but also on their labor.     

Spirituality in MFT Training: Development of the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale

As spirituality moves increasingly to the forefront of the body of marriage and family therapy (MFT) literature, many clinicians still find it uncomfortable or difficult to address spirituality in therapy. This study presents a new measure—the Spiritual Issues in Supervision Scale (SISS)—that examines supervisees' perceptions of the degree to which spirituality is addressed in supervision. Researchers distributed the SISS to mental health professionals around the United States who either were receiving supervision currently or had received supervision recently from professionals in their fields or programs. Results indicated that the new instrument has evidence of reliability and validity.     

有偿献血艾滋病患者的情绪状况及影响因素分析

考察有偿献血艾滋病患者的情绪状况 ,探讨他们面临的艾滋病压力和家庭状况、周围环境、身体状况等对情绪的影响。采用Beck抑郁量表、焦虑自评量表、艾滋病压力量表作为测查工具 ,测查了 1 85名有偿献血艾滋病患者 ,并收集了他们的人口学资料和生理学指标信息。结果发现 :( 1 )有偿献血艾滋病患者存在着严重的情绪障碍 ,他们的焦虑程度不但显著高于正常人 ,而且显著高于神经衰弱者和焦虑症者 ,且 92 %的患者有中、重度抑郁障碍 ;( 2 )身体症状和情绪 /生存压力能够显著预测焦虑的程度 ,社会压力和情绪 /生存压力能够显著预测抑郁的程度。因此 ,有偿献血艾滋病患者抑郁、焦虑情绪障碍严重 ,症状和艾滋病压力是情绪障碍的有效预测因素。     

The Challenges of Intercultural Marriage: Strategies for Pastoral Care

In this article, the author describes the unique issues associated with intercultural marriage. A case illustration provides the springboard for presenting specific pastoral care and counseling strategies that may be helpful to intercultural couples. These strategies include assessing worldview and acculturation, creating spiritual and cultural genograms, reframing cultural challenges, collaborating with indigenous healers, inventing new rituals, and developing the advocacy role.     

A model of resilience and marital satisfaction

This article examined the hypothesis that resilience mediates the relationship between marital satisfaction and a host of relevant variables, including spousal attachment, social support, and affect. Participants were 195 married individuals, who completed online surveys about their marriage. Importantly, the findings indicated that resilience has a direct effect on marital satisfaction. In addition, affect and social support were each shown to indirectly impact satisfaction through resilience. The relationships between spousal attachment, resilience, and satisfaction were more complicated than predicted and are further discussed. Overall, the results demonstrate the importance of resilience in marital satisfaction.     

The veneration of the Precious Blood in Weingarten: theological reflections in an ecumenical horizon

This article places the veneration of the Precious Blood in Weingarten in the wider horizon of the veneration of relics and saints in general. It takes into account that the Reformers, above all Martin Luther, were very critical about pilgrimages and the veneration of relics. Against this background it discusses the following points with regard to the veneration of the Precious Blood. First, what is the added value of pilgrimages? Secondly, what, or rather, who, is being venerated in what way in Weingarten? Thirdly, what is theologically legitimate in venerating a relic of the Precious Blood and could render it ecumenically justifiable? And, fourthly, what is the current meaning of the veneration of the Precious Blood? Answering these questions is vital for keeping the veneration of the Precious Blood in Weingarten a living tradition – especially in a time without a monastery.     

The Precious Blood of Christ: faith,rituals and civic and religious meaning during the centuries of Mantuan devotion

This article explores the main meanings given to the presence of the relic of the Precious Blood of Christ in the city of Mantua, and also highlights the links with the Altdorf-Weingarten relic of the same, which derives from it. For centuries the presence of this relic has intertwined in several ways with events in Mantua and has shaped some of their most significant religious and cultural expressions. Above all, during the Middle Ages, the Precious Blood had a widespread impact, destined to expand all over Europe. However, we possess vague and scarcely defined evidence of this, as much of the evidence was removed, mostly in the name of rationalist critique, and diminished with the passing of time. Within a long-term perspective, the text which follows here aims to tackle some relevant problematic issues, from a historical and historico-anthropological viewpoint. It attempts both to strengthen understanding of the local and wider intertwining which characterised the development of such a relevant religious experience of our culture, and also to enter into contact with essential aspects of it.     

Conceptual and Application Issues: Emotionally Focused Therapy With Gay Male Couples

Therapists working with couples are likely to see gay male couples in their practice yet there is a lack of training to prepare therapists to work with gay couples. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is an empirically supported approach to couples therapy and offers a clear structure and map for working with gay male couples. This article reviews some of the issues that are specific to EFT work with gay men. Given the range of minority stressors that gay men contend with EFT is particularly appropriate for work with gay male couples because of the focus on the attachment bond. Building a secure relationship is an important source of resilience that can buffer against prejudice and discrimination and provide a secure base for individual and couple exploration.