Dr Susan Cross who completed a PhD in Religion in 2023 now (March 2025) has her first book published in paperback with Brill. An in-depth exploration of the concept of hospitality in the Church of England, the book critiques racist, ageist, classist and ableist practices and sets out a more inclusive approach to bodies and belonging.
There is currently a discount on this book, which is also available as an ebook.
Prof Pauline Kollontai and Dr Sue Yore are editors of Religion in Diverse Societies: Crossing the Boundaries of Prejudice and Distrust (2024) published by Routledge.
20% Discount code: AFLY04*
Many conflicts worldwide, within and across borders, are often due to seeing individuals and communities, considered not part of the dominant national, ethnic, political, or religious groups, as an unwelcome and even threatening presence. These situations reflect the inability to see diversity as a positive feature of societies. As the chapters in this book show, the fear of diversity and difference is present across the globe, creating or reinforcing models of society where the values of respect, dignity, and justice for all people are deficient, minimized, and in some contexts non-existent. This is caused and supported by political and philosophical ideologies and sometimes by religion through its promotion of exclusionist theologies that nurture prejudice and distrust of those considered “the other”.While recognizing and engaging with the ambivalent nature of religion, the contributors to this book critically examine and discuss how religion can play constructive and creative roles in challenging and overcoming various forms of prejudice and distrust. Through a combination of theoretical perspectives and theological analysis, applied to “real-life” contexts, the diverse contributions examine how religion can help achieve this. This timely volume provides a critical discussion of the complex role of religions in the public and political spheres in a range of global contexts. It furthers the inter-religious, international, and interdisciplinary understanding of how religion can contribute to promoting and helping create inclusive and diverse societies.
Most contributors to this book speak from within their respective religious traditions, some engaging with inter-religious frameworks. All are academic scholars, from various locations in the global south and north. Some are also practitioners or professionals with roles either within their religious traditions, faith-based and secular NGOs, or in advising political bodies. The contributors represent a range of academic disciplines. This interdisciplinary approach is based on the conviction of the editors and contributors that not one single faith tradition or academic discipline can adequately address the complexity of current global issues, in this case, the issue of breaking down prejudice and distrust between people.
Dr James Lorenz has published The Theological Power of Film – Routledge
This book explores the theological power of film and seeks to render a properly theological account of cinematic art. It considers: What theology and theological practice does cinematic art give rise to? What are the perceptual and affective potentials of film for theology, and what, if anything, is theological about the cinematic medium itself? The author argues that film is a fundamentally embodied art form, a haptic and somatic medium of perception-cum-expression. This, combined with the distinct temporal aesthetic of film, invests cinema with profound theological potentials. The chapters explore these potentials through theological-cinematic analysis, emphasising the themes of encounter, embodiment, time, and contemplation, as well as three intimately connected doctrines of Christian theology: creation, incarnation, and eschatology. Throughout the book, the films and writings of the Russian director Andrei Tarkovsky emerge as a singular illustration of the theological power of film, becoming a crucial resource for theological cinematic analysis.