Resurrecting Eve

by Roberta Mary Pughe, Paula Anema Sohl

Overview

In this daring and original examination of the Church, authors Roberta Pughe and Paula Sohl endeavor to decriminalize Eve, reimagining her as a modern-day mythic mentor. They explore Eve’s bold, self-directed, and inquisitive nature as a model for women today who have been negatively affected by oppressive and hierarchical fundamentalist dogma. Roberta and Paula find Eve’s spirit in the teachings of Jesus and his vision of God’s domination-free order. Like Jesus, Eve was willing to break the rules in her quest for consciousness, discovering in the process the fullness of both her humanity and her divinity. Jesus’ respect for women, his use of story, and his honoring of children and childlikeness were key elements in his ministry of healing resurrection. Filled with profound theological reflections and moving stories of women embracing their spiritual power, Resurrecting Eve offers women a new perspective on gender roles within Christianity. The authors also introduce dance and healing ritual ideas as well as a form of Christian chakras.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781883991708
Publisher:	White Cloud Press
Publication date:	05/01/2007
Pages:	236
Product dimensions:	6.00(w) x 9.00(h) x (d)

Table of Contents

Introduction     ix
History...Herstory 1 Eva's Dance - The Beginning     2
Eve     18
Light for the World     32
Like a Little Child     40
Marvel in Mystery     52
Reclaiming Awareness     60
Case Study: The Clarity of Pain     63
Case Study: Inner Voice of Truth     69
Recognize Your Authority     72
Case Study: I'll Fly Away     74
Exploring Self-Expression     79
Case Study: If the Shoe Doesn't Fit     83
Open to Creative Expression     85
Unveiling Authenticity     90
Case Study: My Heart Is Racing     95
Case Study: Shrinking Away     98
Find Your Heart     102
Case Study: A Dream of Vitality     102
The Dance of Balance     108
Case Study: Julia "Bears" Her Soul     114
Case Study: Irresponsible Power     118
Support and Balance     126
Domination and Female Sexuality     134
Idolatry of Hierarchy     135
Promise Keepers of Women in Their Place     138
Case Study: Monica Vows Her Life Away     140
Domination in the Family     142
Hostility to Homosexuality     145
Case Study: A Secret     147
The Abortion Controversy     150
Sex (Protection) Education     154
The Value of Breasts     158
Case Study: Whose Hooters?     159
Permission for Abuse     160
Case Study: Slipping Away     160
Soul Death by Pageantry     162
Embodying Conflictual Splits     172
The Curse     175
New Covenant/Naked Truth     177
Vagina Theology     178
The Cost of Belonging     188
Ancestral Inheritance     197
Jesus     201
Retelling the Garden Story     211
Dance and Ritual for Healing     216
Eva's Dance-Continued     219
Appendices
Dansformation Inspiration     222
Dansform Chart     224
Dansform Ritual     226
About the Authors     235

Editorial Reviews

Pughe, a psychotherapist and interfaith minister, and Sohl, a Presbyterian elder, argue for reflection on "the repression of women and the feminine as the motivating force behind [Christian] fundamentalist and dominionist dogma." Pughe and Sohl were both raised within a Christian fundamentalist worldview, attended Calvin College together, and later threw off the bonds of what they consider fundamentalist Christian oppression. Up front is an astute analysis of the Christian right's political attitude about "a woman's place," and an equally well-done reinterpretation of Eve, as the title would suggest. But Christian readers may balk once Pughe and Sohl reveal that the remainder of their project ties feminist Christianity to the seven chakras. Even as they weave an Eastern, New Age flair into a Christian understanding of the body, sexual orientation and love, Pughe and Sohl never stray from a biblical foundation. Yet whether they will persuade their main audience, "women who have had direct experience of Christian fundamentalism," to try out transformative rituals such as the "Cocoon" (which requires listening to music in the fetal position) or the "Blood Ritual" (which involves touching female genitalia while bathing) is doubtful. Perhaps only those who, like the authors, have already jettisoned the Christian fundamentalist worldview will be ready to take the leap of faith that Pughe and Sohl advocate. (May)

Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information

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