Mutuality Matters

Edward Foley is Professor of Liturgy and Music at Catholic Theological Union and the founding director of the Ecumenical D.Min. Program. Among his many publications is Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals (1998), which he co-authored with Herbert Anderson. Herbert Anderson is an ordained Lutheran minister, professor emeritus of pastoral theology at Catholic Theological Union, and Canon of the Episcopal Cathedral in Seattle, Washington. He is the author of numerous books and articles, many of which are cited throughout this volume written in his honor. Bonnie Miller-McLemore is professor of pastoral theology and counseling at Vanderbilt University Divinity School. Ordained in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) she is the mother of three boys. Her publications include Also a Mother: Work and Family as Theological Dilemma (1994), Feminist and Womanist Pastoral Theology (1999), and the co-authored From Culture Wars to Common Ground: Religion and the American Family Debate (1997). Robert Schreiter is the Vatican II Professor of Theology at Catholic Theological Union and conjointly the professor of theology and culture at the University of Nijmegen. Among his many publications are Constructing Local Theologies (1985) and The Ministry of Reconciliation (1998).

An important collection of essays focused on the challenge facing Christians of the 21st century: re-conceiving Christian love, particularly within families and between intimates, as radically egalitarian. From philosophical and theological defenses of the place of equality in the practice of love to descriptions of concrete practices within families and congregations, these essays are a thoughtful contribution on the side of gender justice to the on-going family values debate.

• Part 1 I. Perspectives on Love and MutualityChapter 2 The Family as a Crucible of Grace: Learning and Living the Language of LoveChapter 3 Just Love? Marriage and the Question of JusticeChapter 4 Mutuality, Reason, and Public PolicyChapter 5 Who submits to Whom? Submission and Mutuality in the FamilyPart 6 II. Mutuality Matters in MarriageChapter 7 Between Rhetoric and Reality: Women and Men as Equal Partners in Home, Church, and the MarketplaceChapter 8 Gender Narratives and the Epidemic of Violence in Contemporary FamiliesChapter 9 Is Equality Tearing Families Apart?Chapter 10 Navigating Between Cultures: The Bicultural Family's Lived RealitiesPart 11 III. Mutuality Matters in the FamilyChapter 12 Sloppy Mutuality: Just Love for Children and AdultsChapter 13 Over the River and through the Woods: Maintaining Emotional Presence across Geographical DistanceChapter 14 Honor Your Father and Your Mother: A New Look at "Family Values"Chapter 15 In Search of Goodenough Families: Cultural and Religious PerspectivesPart 16 IV. Fostering Mutuality through MinistryChapter 17 The Black Churches' Response to Father Absence in the African American FamilyChapter 18 More than a Family Affair: Reflections on Baptizing ChildrenChapter 19 Conversion or Nurture: When We Thought the Debate Was OverChapter 20 The Congregation as a Healing Community