Ruth and Esther
Published on 22. April 2025
Book
Hardback
158 pages
978-0-664-23250-4 (ISBN)
Description
Ruth and Esther theologically examines Ruth and Esther as moral agents who overcome gendered violence with moral courage and imagination.
In this volume of the Belief commentary series, Marcia Y. Riggs brings a womanist, social-ethical reading of the books of Ruth and Esther to reveal the intersection of various forms of gendered violence-social, political, ethnic, economic. Riggs insightfully invites readers to examine how Ruth and Esther are social actors and moral agents responding constructively to gendered violence in their contexts, and she offers historical and contemporary examples of gendered violence to juxtapose with the experiences of Ruth and Esther. In the process, readers are inspired to ask who are the Ruths and Esthers in our society. How is the church responding to the marginalization of these women? How are people of faith doing ministry in solidarity with the struggles of these women?
In all, this resource for preaching and teaching provides insights about faithful ethical responses to violence, encouraging readers to be in dialogue with biblical texts as they ask questions about their complicity with violence in our environments today.
In this volume of the Belief commentary series, Marcia Y. Riggs brings a womanist, social-ethical reading of the books of Ruth and Esther to reveal the intersection of various forms of gendered violence-social, political, ethnic, economic. Riggs insightfully invites readers to examine how Ruth and Esther are social actors and moral agents responding constructively to gendered violence in their contexts, and she offers historical and contemporary examples of gendered violence to juxtapose with the experiences of Ruth and Esther. In the process, readers are inspired to ask who are the Ruths and Esthers in our society. How is the church responding to the marginalization of these women? How are people of faith doing ministry in solidarity with the struggles of these women?
In all, this resource for preaching and teaching provides insights about faithful ethical responses to violence, encouraging readers to be in dialogue with biblical texts as they ask questions about their complicity with violence in our environments today.
Reviews / Votes
"This welcome series holds great promise for a new engagement between biblical texts and constructive theology. Readers can anticipate a great deal that may be both fresh and faithful."-Walter Brueggemann, William Marcellus McPheeters Professor Emeritus of Old Testament, Columbia Theological Seminary
"As one who preaches regularly and teaches both clergy and laity, I find the Belief series to be just the kind of resource I depend on for my own preparation and to recommend to adults who wish to move carefully through a book of the Bible. The approach is scholarly rich, theologically nuanced, and accessible to the thoughtful reader."
-Patricia J. Lull, Bishop of the Saint Paul Area Synod, Evangelical Lutheran Church of America
"For the preacher who seeks to do justice not only to biblical texts in all their complexity but also to the richness of historical and contemporary theology, the Belief series offers a vital new tool."
-Maxwell Grant, Senior Minister, Second Congregational Church of Greenwich, United Church of Christ
"Again and again, the careful scholarship and liveliness of the witness of each author have brought not only theological insights but also new frameworks for preaching and looking at my own life of faith. This is an excellent series, the best one I have found for parish ministry."
-Kelly Nelson, Pastor, Christ Lutheran Church, Crawfordsville, Indiana
"I highly recommend the Belief series! The authors are widely respected theologians who aid pastors and teachers by bringing the biblical text into creative theological conversation with contemporary concerns."
-Roy Howard, Pastor, Saint Mark Presbyterian Church, North Bethesda, Maryland
More details
Series
Language
English
Place of publication
Louisville
United States
Target group
Professional and scholarly
Dimensions
Height: 235 mm
Width: 157 mm
Thickness: 14 mm
Weight
415 gr
ISBN-13
978-0-664-23250-4 (9780664232504)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Marcia Y. Riggs
Ruth and Esther
E-Book
04/2025
Westminster John Knox Press
€29.49
Available for download
Person
Marcia Y. Riggs is J. Erskine Love Professor of Christian Ethics, Emerita, Columbia Theological Seminary. She has published articles and books on womanist ethics, sexual-gender justice, moral education, public discourse, and public policy. Her publications include: Awake, Arise, and Act! A Womanist Call for Black Liberation; Can I Get a Witness? Prophetic Religious Voices of African American Women, an Anthology; Plenty Good Room: Black Women versus Male Power in the Black Church, and she is a co-editor of Ethics That Matters: African, Caribbean, and African American Sources. Dr. Riggs was awarded a 2017-2018 Henry Luce III Fellowship from the Luce Foundation and the Association of Theological Schools.