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9781409421986

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’This is a landmark text which breaks new ground in the study of the faith of girls. It deserves to be widely read and reflected upon. Grounded in nuanced biblical readings of neglected texts about girls, an impressive range of diverse theoretical perspectives from theology, gender studies, psychology and sociology, and offering original qualitative field work, Anne Phillips skilfully works all this together into a powerful text which will excite feminist scholars and practical theologians alike, while being of immense value to practitioners. Both church and academy should welcome and honour this text.’ Nicola Slee, The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK 'In this work, Anne Phillips makes a significant practical theological contribution to recent feminist scholarship on adolescent girls. She addresses a gap in the current literature by focusing on the religious lives of younger adolescent girls and offers fresh constructions of their narratives, with scholarly insights spanning the gamut from traditional developmentalists to feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray. Based on interviews with girls, the book is grounded in engagement with girls' narratives of their experiences of girlhood and faith. This book is an exciting new resource.' Joyce Ann Mercer, Virginia Theological Seminary, USA 'This book, part of the excellent Ashgate series Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology, is a fascinating account of a qualitative research project with girls aged 11-13 who regularly attend church... for me it is worth buying as one of those books that you will want to lend to other people to read, both because of its subject matter and as an example of a good qualitative research. There is an excellent bibliography and footnotes which will be invaluable to other researchers in this area.' Journal of Education and Christian Belief ’Most interesting is to hear the authentic voices of the interviewees, how perceptive they

'This is a landmark text which breaks new ground in the study of the faith of girls. It deserves to be widely read and reflected upon. Grounded in nuanced biblical readings of neglected texts about girls, an impressive range of diverse theoretical perspectives from theology, gender studies, psychology and sociology, and offering original qualitative field work, Anne Phillips skilfully works all this together into a powerful text which will excite feminist scholars and practical theologians alike, while being of immense value to practitioners. Both church and academy should welcome and honour this text.' Nicola Slee, The Queen's Foundation for Ecumenical Theological Education, Birmingham, UK 'In this work, Anne Phillips makes a significant practical theological contribution to recent feminist scholarship on adolescent girls. She addresses a gap in the current literature by focusing on the religious lives of younger adolescent girls and offers fresh constructions of their narratives, with scholarly insights spanning the gamut from traditional developmentalists to feminist philosopher Luce Irigaray. Based on interviews with girls, the book is grounded in engagement with girls' narratives of their experiences of girlhood and faith. This book is an exciting new resource.' Joyce Ann Mercer, Virginia Theological Seminary, USA 'This book, part of the excellent Ashgate series Explorations in Practical, Pastoral and Empirical Theology, is a fascinating account of a qualitative research project with girls aged 11-13 who regularly attend church... for me it is worth buying as one of those books that you will want to lend to other people to read, both because of its subject matter and as an example of a good qualitative research. There is an excellent bibliography and footnotes which will be invaluable to other researchers in this area.' Journal of Education and Christian Belief 'Most interesting is to hear the authentic voices of the interviewees, how perceptive they are, their acute awareness of the 'bigness' of God and their longing for harmonious living.' Magnet Magazine '... powerful on many levels. The Faith of Girls has an excellent account of newer areas of scholarship about both girlhood generally and about children's spirituality in particular. This serves to underscore what a pity it is that most social science research with children pays scant attention to faith issues, and that most studies in theology overlook how personhood is not just about being adult.' Times Higher Education 'This book is an important one on an unusual theme, and our colleague Anne Phillips has done us all a service by writing it... Like all Ashgate publications it is beautifully produced and has a large bibliography and is fully indexed.' The Baptist Ministers' Journal 'Phillips' study is, crucially, a 'first word' in the exploration of a significant silence among girls. If churches wish to be healthy environments where viable, owned faith is born, pastoral theologians, youth practitioners and those involved in inter-generational Christian education must be willing to review the ways we nurture the next generation. Phillips' book offers a significant step in that process.' Evangelical Quarterly 'There is much that is interesting, stimulating and provocative contained in the pages of The Faith of Girls. There is a great emphasis on hearing the experience of the girls and using selected biblical accounts and narratives to exegete those experiences.' Themelios '...a very welcome piece of research as far as I am concerned ...has nuggets of gold throughout the pages for those who work with girls. If you want to take your thinking and study of girls developing in their faith seriously then this is a book for you.' Sophia Network

Author Information

An Oxford graduate in Theology and formerly a secondary school teacher, I have been a Baptist minister for 20 years, first in a local pastorate and now as a theological teacher and Co-Principal of Northern Baptist College in Manchester, UK, part of the ecumenical Partnership for Theological Education. Besides teaching in the areas of theological reflection, children, and pastoral care, my other responsibilities include formation of prospective ministers and facilitation of learning in local churches. I have a long professional interest in the spiritual growth of children, for several years a member of the Consultative Group on Ministry among Children (CTBI). I have written study material published by NCEC including ""Getting Across"", and contributed chapters to other publications on children in the church. I jointly authored the original child protection guidleines published by the Baptist Union, 'Safe to Grow', and have worked with survivors of abuse, overwhelmingly women. This led to further work on pastoral and theological issues around the silencing of women and girls, which helped shape my doctoral thesis on the spirituality and faith of girls around the time of puberty. I now chair a Working Group within the Baptist Union of Great Britain addressing resistance to women's leadership, one consequence of which is the stifling of girls' aspirations.

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