Resilient Religion, Resilience and Heartbreaking Adversity

A resilience theory on religion needs to answer fourquestions. What defines the kind of adversity which isaddressed in religion? What is characteristic for processesof resilience in religion? What defines resilient religionas outcome? Which logic of inference (epistemology) based onour beliefs and experiences about reality binds these threeelements together? The book starts with mapping the field ofresilience theory on religion by addressing all fourquestions. The need for thinking about Christian resilienceand the God symbol is addressed, and the need to be"explicitly contextual" with regard to resilience in SouthAfrica. Next three types practices of religious acting arerelated to experiences of resilience, namely preaching,narrating and discerning. In the last chapters the focus ison the way stories help to express feelings of experiencesof crises, tragedy, and trauma. But also how stories canhelp heal the broken heart.Prof Chris A.M. Hermans is extraordinaryprofessor inpractical theology and missiology at the University of theFree State (South Africa). He is emeritus professor inpastoral theology at Radboud University (theNetherlands).and emeritus professor in empirical study ofreligion as Radboud University (the Netherlands).Prof. Kobus (W.J.) Schoeman is professor of practicaltheology at the University of the Free State (SouthAfrica).