Traditioning Disciples: The Contributions of Cultural Anthropology to Ecclesial Identity - Paperback

by Colleen Mary Mallon (Author)

In a globalized world and an "age that cannot name itself," how do Christian communities sustain a recognizable gospel identity? How might examining tradition and identity formation from both theology and cultural anthropology help churches approach the challenges of being a follower of Jesus today? With these questions in focus, Colleen Mallon studies symbol systems in the works of anthropologists Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, and Clifford Geertz and places her findings in dialogue with a "thick description" of discipleship gleaned from the great Roman Catholic ecclesiologist Yves Congar, OP. The result is a reflection on gospel identity that will be invaluable to Christian ministers, missioners, and students of theology interested in the social and theological processes of disciple formation.

Author Biography

Colleen M. Mallon is Assistant Professor of Systematic Theology at the Aquinas Institute of Theology in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the author of the award-winning article "Globalization at Large," published in Terrence W. Tilley's New Horizons in Theology (2005).