Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals

Weaving Together the Human and the Divine

Herbert Anderson, Edward Foley, Herbert Anderson

• Publisher: Fortress Press
• Year: 2019
• Print ISBN:
  9781506454795
• eBook ISBN:
  9781506454801
• Topic: Theology & Religion
• Subtopic: Christian Ministry

Shaping our journey into the Divine

This moving and enlightening book presents us with a compelling vision of what can happen when we take the opportunity to connect stories and rituals--a vision of individuals and communities transformed through a deeper sense of connection to our loved ones, our communities, and God. Herbert Anderson and Edward Foley reveal how when stories and rituals work together, they have the potential to be both mighty and dangerous--mighty in their ability to lift us up and help us make these connections beyond ourselves and dangerous in challenging us to learn to live with complexity and contradiction.

They show how much more meaningful a baptism, wedding, or funeral can be when liturgy is made to include and recognize the personal stories of those involved. Suddenly, these familiar life-cycle rituals are infused with new life as participants become connected in a narrative web linking past and present, human and divine. Newly created rituals can also help us connect our stories to the divine story, giving meaning to what we experience and bringing us closer to God.

Ministers, worship leaders, and pastoral caregivers can use this approach to storytelling and ritual to find ways to bring together worship and pastoral care.

4

Index

abandonment, dying person’s fear of, 76, 105, 107–8, 115

abduction, 128. See also missing persons

abuse: Christian liturgy and, 174

forgetting versus reconciliation of, 172–75

forgiveness versus reconciliation of, 171–73

and grace, 149

ritual for healing of, 148

agnostics, 118

Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, 174

Alzheimer’s disease: creating good-bye rituals for, 138–40

and mourning of death, 114

ambiguity, and spirituality of reconciliation, 170, 180–81. See also paradox; reconciliation

“Americo” story, 108, 111

“Ana Maria” story, 164

Anderson, H., xi–xii, xxi, xxv, 54, 83, 95, 134, 168, 189, 191, 195

Anderson, T., 185

animals, ritual of, 193

Anointing of the Sick, 110

antiritual, 137–38, 143

apology, and reconciliation, 171. See also reconciliation

Arafat, Y., 176

Arlington National Cemetery, 22

Attig, T., 115, 189

authenticity: in narrative, 36

and reconciliation, 14

in ritual, xx, 35–36, 130

in wedding preparation, 92

in worship, 53

See also ritual-narrative honesty

autonomy/differentiation: birth stories and, 61–62

family stories and, 62

leaving home and, 83

marriage and, 83–84, 86–87

parental expectations’ influence on, 60–61, 63–64

uniqueness of children and, 144–46

See also leaving home; marriage

baptism, xx, 59, 66–69, 71–76, 83, 85, 91, 93, 111, 113, 116–17, 119, 135, 140, 142, 149, 155, 158

and death, 75–76

death-resurrection story and, 67, 117

parabolic narrating of, 66–67

and pastoral care, 68–73

prebaptismal catechesis for, 71–72

renewal of vows of, by dying person, 111

shift in theological focus in, 67

and stillbirth, 135

See also birth

Baptism, Eucharist and Ministry (World Council of Churches), 67, 71, 95, 152, 192

bargaining: and dying, 105

versus reconciliation, 175–77

Barks, C., 180, 189

Beauty and the Beast, xvii, xix, 13, 16

Becoming Married (Anderson and Fite), 83, 189

bella figura, 88–90

Bernardin, J., 165

“Bernice” story, 114

Biko, S., 129

birth, xv, xx, 16, 23, 41, 45, 54, 59–72, 74–75, 82–83, 85, 102–3, 113, 130, 132, 134–35, 143, 145, 147, 161

baptism narrative and, 70–71

baptism rituals and, 68–70

and death, 70

and miscarriage and stillbirth, 133–36

parables of, 63–64

paradox of, 63

pastoral care and, 68–70

prebaptismal catechesis for, 71–72

time-of-birth rituals for, 70

time-of-expectancy rituals and, 68–70

uniqueness of children and, 63–66, 69, 71–72

See also adoption; baptism

birth stories, 60–63, 67, 83

embroidering of, 60

individual and familial consequences of, 61–62

and identity formation, 68

parabolic, 66–67, 69

blaming, 180

Bly, R., 180, 189

Bocock, R., 3...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Praise for Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals
• Title Page
• Copyright
• Table Of Contents
• Foreword
• Preface
• The Authors
• Of Stories and Rituals
• Milestones in Life Marked by Stories and Rituals
• Transforming Stories and Rituals
• Epilogue
• References
• Further Reading
• Index