Community without memory? In search of an ecclesiology of liberation in the company of people with dementia

The increasing prevalence of dementia among members of the Christian Churches prompts a re-evaluation of Christian ecclesiology. This is particularly true for the ecclesiology born of the theologies of liberation, because of the emphasis it places upon conscious participation in the historical life of the community. The present article draws on stories of people with dementia as recorded by themselves and those close to them; by reflection upon these stories, it seeks to re-think the character of the Church in the face of this challenge, and so to offer a richer interpretation of its identity as a community of liberation.     

The Catholic Church,moral doctrine,and HIV prevention in Recife,Brazil: Negotiating the contradictions between religious belief and the realities of everyday life

Religious beliefs have had a key role in shaping local responses to HIV and AIDS. As the world's largest Catholic country, Brazil is no exception. Yet little research has been conducted to document how religious doctrine is enacted in practice among its lay leaders and followers. In this article, we present ethnographic research from Recife, Brazil, conducted to understand the way in which religious doctrines are interpreted at a local level. Contextualised within the sociology of contemporary Brazilian Catholicism, we draw on interviews with clergy members, lay leaders, and parishioners to discuss how the Catholic Church's vision of sexuality translates into everyday lives of its followers. We explore the disjuncture between the Catholic ideals of fidelity and delaying sex until marriage with the everyday reality of the Church's followers, highlighting the role that gender plays in defining sexual roles and expectations. We conclude by posing questions for future research and HIV prevention strategies considering the formal institutional response of the Brazilian Catholic Church to AIDS on the one hand, and the social and cultural contexts in which Catholics live their daily lives on the other.     

Duke University's Program on Religion,Aging, and Health

ABSTRACT

Assisted living facilities (ALFs) offer a level of care between independent living and nursing homes. Recently researchers have begun to explore quality-of-life issues concerning residents of ALFs. Considerable research suggests that religion is positively associated with both emotional and physical health. This study examines how residents use religious practices to cope with the challenges of life in ALFs. Qualitative analysis of in-person interview data from 55 residents of ALFs revealed a variety of religious practices, such as prayer, church attendance, and Bible reading. Most residents deemed religion important and reported that religious practices provided a framework for coping with problems. Coping ranged from the mundane (e.g., attending a gospel concert to offset the otherwise dull routine of the home) to the transcendent (e.g., enlisting the support of an omnipotent ally in the face of adversity). Six ways residents utilized religion as a coping mechanism emerged. Residents used religion to maintain continuity with their previous lives; to obtain relief from physical or emotional pain; to provide a framework for socialization; to develop courage; to maintain a purpose for their lives; and to prepare for death. Suggestions for enhancing the quality and variety of religious activities within ALFs are offered.     

Collaboration of Churches and Service Providers: Meeting the Needs of Older African Americans

ABSTRACT

This article describes a community outreach volunteer project designed to reach frail community-based older adults. The project is an example of church and secular agency collaboration in which the church provides leadership in volunteer recruitment and the agency provides training and outreach activity monitoring. The church's role in this project illustrates that small and medium-size African American churches can play an important role in mobilizing volunteer resources and can perform a linking role in helping secular agencies to gain access to frail, hard-to-reach, low-income older adults.     

Chapter 2: Sex and the Elderly: No Laughing Matter in Religion

SUMMARY

This article provides a brief background for the study of sex and older persons. It examines the prevailing attitudes among older persons and society in general. A number of critical issues regarding sexuality in the latter years of life is addressed.     

Violence against Women in Contemporary Ghanaian Society

Abstract

Overcoming violence against women requires critical reflective questioning both by individuals and human societies. At stake are not just questions of whether we respond to situations of violence but more importantly, where, when and how we respond. This paper examines the problem with respect to new dimensions arising from existing interventions on violence against women in the Ghanaian context. It calls for well-planned and sustained strategies to help break the cycle of violence being created.

The paper also calls upon the Church to look within its own resources for strategies that are life transforming to help break the vicious cycle. It notes that the Church is not only well placed to respond appropriately but it has been commissioned and given the requisite tools to do so. The call is therefore for the Church to enlist these foundational resources available to it and to put them to good use as it is demanded by its calling.     

Touching the Taboo in Sacred Space: Reading Sherley Anne Williams's Dessa Rose as a ‘Catalyst for a Sexual Discourse of Resistance’ in the Black Church

Abstract

Sex-talk is often differentiated or eradicated from God-talk within the Black church in America; as a result, many pertinent issues like androcentrism, heterosexism, homophobia, and violence against women continue to flourish because of the lack of dialogue regarding sexuality. Because of this womanist theologians like Kelly Brown Douglas have convincingly argued that people of African descent must engage in a ‘sexual discourse of resistance’, particularly the Black church in America, if true wholeness is to be achieved. This paper will explore themes present with Sherley Anne Williams's novel, Dessa Rose, which may be useful as catalysts for such a discourse.     

Recognizing Anxiety Disorders in the Aftermath of the World Trade Center Crisis

This article seeks to educate the reader on how to recognize the presence of anxiety disorders as they occur in the church community. The author uses medical information, Scriptural wisdom and a case illustration to help concerned Christians to assist sufferers in getting appropriate care. Anxiety disorders in the aftermath of the World Trade Center trajedy will be on the rise and the paper addresses this matter particularly for clergy, caregivers and professional counselors.     

“These Things Took Place as Examples for Us”: On the Theological and Ecumenical Significance of the Lutheran Sola Scriptura

The principle of sola Scriptura does not suggest a reading of the Bible in a room void of context, but points to the fact that the unity of church, canon, and confession defines the identity of the Christian church. The Lutheran Reformation was an attempt to retrieve this perspective at a time when it had become obscure. This retrieval corresponds to certain tendencies on the contemporary scene; it remains to be seen, however, how far convincing answers in this way can be provided for today's burning issues.     

Sect‐to‐Church Movement in Globalization: Transforming Pentecostalism and Coastal Intermediaries in Contemporary China

After eight months of itinerant fieldwork across 17 provinces, I elaborate on how the largest Pentecostal group deeply localized in China, the True Jesus Church, has undergone sect‐to‐church movement through interactions among overseas, coastal, and inland churches in globalizing China. A critical intermediary role in this process has been taken by emerging coastal Fujian leaders, who have been successfully reforming not only their churches but also inland counterparts by tactfully utilizing overseas churches as stimuli, resources providers, and legitimizers for the transformation project. The Chinese fever of integration into the world and high status granted to the overseas are keys to smooth away the barriers of the traditionalist old guard. Accordingly, the originally enclosed, anti‐political, sectarian, spirit‐led group has turned more institutionalized, laity‐oriented, text‐based, and welcoming to the government and mainstream Protestantism.