Liminal Reality and Transformational Power - Hardcover

Carson, Timothy L.

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0761807993 ISBN 13: 9780761807995

Publisher: University Press Of America, 1997

Synopsis

This book explores what has been called 'liminal' reality through the categories of anthropology, sociology, history of religions, theology, history of Christianity, neurology and psychology. Liminal reality is that state of being found at the transitional edges of individual and collective experience. It may be found in predictable form, such as the multifarious rites of passage, or in unexpected external or intrapsychic changes. In this book, exterior transitions are correlated with their corresponding intrapsychic movements and potential transformation. Special attention is given to the identity of the liminal person and dynamics which are at work in the liminal domain. The practical dimensions of this book relate to the role of ritual leaders and religious professionals as they guide persons and groups passing through liminal time and space. This includes pastoral care givers in a variety of settings, teachers, and liturgical leaders. The role and identity of the liminal guide is itself addressed and this contributes to an expanded understanding of the complex dimensions of religious leadership.

About this title

About the Author:

Timothy Carson is Senior Minister of Webster Groves Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) in St. Louis, Missouri.

Review:

"Liminal Reality is insightful and thought-provoking. It helps us to deepen our understanding of the many liminal realities in our lives, and to think how such spaces can lead us to heal and transform ourselves and our world. I highly recommend it." -Gabriella Lettini, Aurelia Henry Reinhardt Professor of Theological Ethics, Starr King School for the Ministry, Berkeley, CA "In recent years, and for very good reasons, the concept of liminality has come to the fore in the wider social sciences. Scholars are today revitalising the original insights of Arnold van Gennep concerning the centrality of rites of passage toward a deeper understanding of both continuity and change. Equipped with liminality, this book takes the reader on a voyage into the heart of theology, and into the human search for meaning. It is worth a read for scholars and non-scholars alike." -Bjorn Thomassen, Associate Professor, Department of Society and Globalisation, Roskilde University, Denmark, Author of Liminality and the Modern (2014) "This text models how the pursuit of knowledge may be explored and enhanced as the history of scholarship intersects with present human narratives. Academics and pastors alike will find this study a definitive source for the depth issues surrounding liminality. It opens up new vistas as it discloses everything that pastoral epistemology can be." -Dr Peggy Way, Emeritus Professor of Pastoral Theology, Eden Theological Seminary, St. Louis, Missouri

About this edition

• Publisher: University Press Of America
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 0761807993
• ISBN 13: 9780761807995
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 144