Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine [Paperback]

Herbert Anderson (Author), Edward Foley (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: February 13, 2001

Bringing together two of our greatest sources of meaning and transformation

This book marries two partners that are made for each other. The result, as in all good unions, is mutual enrichment and deeper life.
--Jack Shea, author of Stories of God

Now available in paperback, this moving and enlightening book presents us with a compelling vision of what can happen when we take the opportunity to connect stories and rituals--a vision of individuals and communities transformed through a deeper sense of connection to our loved ones, our communities, and God. Herbert Anderson and Edward Foley reveal how when stories and rituals work together, they have the potential to be both mighty and dangerous--mighty in their ability to lift us up and help us make these connections beyond ourselves and dangerous in challenging us to learn to live with complexity and contradiction.

They show how much more meaningful a baptism, wedding, or funeral can be when liturgy is made to include and recognize the personal stories of those involved. Suddenly, these familiar life-cycle rituals are infused with new life as their participants become connected in a narrative web linking past and present, human and divine. Newly created rituals can also help us connect our stories to the divine story, giving meaning to what we experience and bringing us closer to God.

Ministers, worship leaders, and pastoral caregivers can use this approach to storytelling and ritual to find ways to bring together worship and pastoral care, diminishing fragmentation and fostering coherence in their religious communities.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If taken seriously, this book could mark a significant means for giving life and direction to an otherwise gray field. The book is not only rich in its use of a wide range of scholarly research, but also in its depth and maturity of thought. . . . This is a significant and groundbreaking work with enormous possible implications for the revitalization of our field. It deserves from us deep reflection, storytelling, and new ritual." (Religious Education)

"This text explores a variety of creative and necessary tensions inherent in effective pastoral ministry. Those dialectics include myth and parable, story and ritual, individual and community, pastoral care and worship, life and death, divinity and humanity. . . . Break[s] open rich possibilities for individual and communal spirituality and for meaningful ministry." (Religious Studies Review)

"A well-written book and offers great insight. . . .This book articulates the theoretical aspects of story and ritual and does not stop there. It also addresses contemporary concerns about life transitions that the church neglects to ritualize. . . . A valuable book." (The Clergy Journal)

From the Inside Flap

How can we bring together two of our most powerful vehicles for communication and transformation?Storytelling and ritual making are not merely something that humans do-they are essential for becoming human. Together they enable us to create a world that is both habitable and hospitable. For believers, they are the fundamental means for shaping and sustaining our journey into the Divine. "If taken seriously, this book could mark a significant means for giving life and direction to an otherwise gray field. The book is not only rich in its use of a wide range of scholarly research, but also in its depth and maturity of thought. . . . This is a significant and groundbreaking work with enormous possible implications for the revitalization of our field. It deserves from us deep reflection, storytelling, and new ritual."—Religious Education"This text explores a variety of creative and necessary tensions inherent in effective pastoral ministry. Those dialectics include myth and parable, story and ritual, individual and community, pastoral care and worship, life and death, divinity and humanity. . . . Break[s] open rich possibilities for individual and communal spirituality and for meaningful ministry."—Religious Studies Review"A well-written book and offers great insight. . . .This book articulates the theoretical aspects of story and ritual and does not stop there. It also addresses contemporary concerns about life transitions that the church neglects to ritualize. . . . A valuable book."—The Clergy JournalThe AuthorsHerbert Anderson lectures and consults widely on themes and issues in pastoral care. He is the author of numerous books including All Our Losses, All Our Griefs.Edward Foley is professor of liturgy and music at Catholic Theological Union in Chicago. He is an ordained Roman Catholic priest and the author of numerous books and articles on worship and the arts.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 224 pages
• Publisher: Jossey-Bass; 1 edition (February 13, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0787956481
• ISBN-13: 978-0787956486
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #52,682 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #50 in Books > Christian Books & Bibles > Ministry & Church Leadership > Church Administration
  • #81 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Other Practices > Ritual

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An excellant book for pastors and lay Christians, January 7, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine (Hardcover)

This book is an insightful examination of the very human tendency to look at our lives through the stories we tell and the rituals we share. Using the two perspectives of story telling in the form of myth and parable Anderson and Foley explore how our stories motivate the rituals we perform both liturgically and in our day to day lives. In doing so we find how our humaness can weave with the divine. Understanding this is what can lead effective pastoral care. They review corporate rituals of baptism, marraige and funeral, but also discuss the need for ritual in the context of divorce, miscarraige and chronic illness. They also discuss reconciliation as an honest process of listening to the stories of others. This book is highly recommended for pastors and Christian lay persons.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars excellent guide to connecting stories with ritual in worship and in pastoral care, April 18, 2007

By 

Claudia Greer (Bethesda, MD) - See all my reviews
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Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine (Paperback)

Lutheran pastor Herbert Anderson and Roman Catholic priest Edward Foley thoughtfully examine the importance of connecting stories with ritual in worship and in pastoral care. They believe that our storytelling and ritual enactment can be both mighty and dangerous: "mighty" because human stories and ritual-making are "potential windows to the story of God"; "dangerous" because stories and rituals can also conceal reality and isolate us. This book explores how bringing storytelling and ritual enactment together can enrich baptisms, weddings, and funerals. It also explores the need for new rituals during such crises as miscarriage and divorce--as well as during such transitions as adoption and leaving home. Pastoral caregivers, worship leaders, and others will find the authors' points thought-provoking and their suggestions for joining story and ritual helpful.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Weaving together My Story, Our Story, and God's Story, June 21, 2002

By 

"mommahelen" (kansas city, mo United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mighty Stories, Dangerous Rituals: Weaving Together the Human and the Divine (Paperback)

My husband, a part-time youth minister introduced me (a priest) to this book. We both *loved* it. It says a lot of stuff that makes sense in ways we might not every have realized before. It will change the way I do both baptisms and marriage preparation--and I'm not even finished with it yet.