Faith Lives of Women and Girls

Nicola Slee is a Research Fellow at The Queen's Foundation, Birmingham. Fran Porter is a Freelance researcher, writer and teacher. Anne Phillips is Co-Principal at the Northern Baptist Learning Community, Manchester.

• Contents: Introduction, Anne Phillips, Fran Porter and Nicola Slee; Part I Feminist Research Perspectives: Feminist qualitative research as spiritual practice: reflections on the process of doing qualitative research, Nicola Slee; From privacy to prophecy: public and private in researching women’s faith and spirituality, Jan Berry. Part II Neglected Ages, Stages and Styles in Women’s and Girls’ Faith Lives: Understanding the work of women in religion, Abby Day; Feminist faith lives? Exploring perceptions of feminism among two Anglican cohorts, Sarah-Jane Page; Being in communion: patterns of inclusion and exclusion in young lay women’s experiences of Eucharist in the Church of England, Kim Wasey; God talk/girl talk: a study of girls’ lives and faith in early adolescence, with reflections on those of their biblical fore-sisters, Anne Phillips. Part III Female Faith in Diverse Ecclesial and Geographical Contexts: The ’in-the-middle’ God: women, community conflict and power in Northern Ireland, Fran Porter; Fat chicks, blue books and green valleys: identity, women and religion in Wales, Manon Ceridwen James; Searching for sisters: the influence of biblical role models on young women from mainstream and charismatic evangelical traditions, Ruth Perrin; The use of patriarchal language in the Church of God of Prophecy: a case study, Deseta Davis. Part IV Women’s Spiritual Practices, Beliefs and Attachments: Broken Silence: researching with women to find a voice, Emma Rothwell; Integrating ritual: an exploration of women’s responses to Woman-Cross, Susanna Gunner; Silent gifts: an exploration of relationality in contemporary Christian women’s chosen practices of silence, Alison Woolley; Patterns of women’s religious attachments, Eun Sim Joung; Boundaries and beyond: weaving women’s experiences of spiritual accompaniment, Caroline Kitcatt; Understanding Jesus Christ: women explore liberating and empowering Christologies, Francesca Rhys. Part V Experie

’This is an immensely valuable book for two reasons. First, it makes a serious theological contribution to the understanding and practice of qualitative research. Second, it offers a wealth of fascinating empirical data on the faith lives of women and girls. As groundbreaking work in both of these areas, the book deserves to be read widely alike by researchers and by any who care about the flourishing of healthy Christian and human communities.’ Zoe Bennett, Cambridge Theological Federation and Anglia Ruskin University, UK ’...covers a wide-ranging selection of topics relevant to women, including life style and theological issues... a wide and practical introduction to the whole gamut of female faith. In addition it gives a 390-reference bibliography which shows the huge breadth of this most important topic.’ FutureFirst ’The content of the book is comprehensive and detailed, and deserves attention as a necessary stimulus to (particularly feminist) theologians who rarely interact with the significant discipline of childhood studies.’ Modern Believing ’Very rarely have I encountered an edited collection like this with such thoughtful, powerful, and careful contributions...this volume emerges much like a good choir at the climax of a concert: with a quality of sound which is only enhanced by the number of contributors who have artfully and passionately participated.’ Dr Hannah Bacon, University of Chester, UK