Christianity And The Limits Of Materiality

Christianity and the Limits of Materiality

Despite the fact that Christianity is understood to be thoroughly intertwined with matter, objects, and things, Christians struggle to cope with this materiality in their daily lives. This volume argues that the ambivalent relationships many Christians have with materiality is a driving force that contributes to the way people in different Christian traditions and in different parts of the world understand and live out their religion. By placing the questions of limits and boundary-work to the fore, the volume addresses the question of exactly how Christianity takes place materially, addressing a gap in studies to date. Christianity and the Limits of Materiality presents ground-breaking research on the frameworks and contexts in relation to and within which Christian logics of materiality operate. The volume places the negotiations at the limits of materiality within the larger framework of Christian identities and politics of belonging. The chapters discuss case studies from North and South America, Europe, and Africa, and demonstrate that the limits preoccupying Christians delimit their lives but also enable many things. Ultimately, Christianity and the Limits of Materiality demonstrates that it is at the interfaces of materiality and the transcendent that Christians create and legitimise their religion.

Christianity and the Limits of Materiality

The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture

The centrality and importance of the intersection of Christianity and culture when it comes to English-speaking countries and particularly American culture, history, and politics is beyond doubt. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is an outstanding reference source to the key topics, problems, and debates in this exciting subject. Comprising over 35 chapters by a team of international contributors, the handbook is divided into five parts: • Practicing Christianity • Christianity and the Word • Social and Political Aspects of Christianity and Culture • Christianity and Culture in a Global Context • Christianity and the Arts Within these parts, central issues, debates, and problems are examined including liturgy, material Christianity, education, missions, religion and science, hermeneutics, Bible translations, Christian wars, human rights, law, social action, the secular, ecumenicalism, inter-religious relations, visual arts, literature, music, theatre, and film. The Routledge Handbook of Christianity and Culture is essential reading for students and researchers of religious studies and Christian studies. The handbook will also be very useful for those in related fields, such as cultural studies, area studies, visual studies, literature, and material religion.