Restoring the Shamed: Towards a Theology of Shame

Shame has many faces. From the pressing need to avoid losing face to the urge to scapegoat and blame from the desire to exclude those who are different to the horrors of ethnic cleansing from the obsession with body image to the abiding terrors of the abused shame is a universal phenomenon. It transcends boundaries of time and is evident in diverse cultures across the world. It is furthermore found throughout the pages of Scripture yet in modern theology shame is conspicuous by its absence. This book attempts to redress the balance by exploring the theology of shame from its inception in the garden of Eden to the final triumph over shame on the cross. Restoring the Shamed will offer readers the opportunity to think theologically about one of the most urgent yet strangely secret issues of contemporary society. Robin Stockitts Restoring the Shamed is a rediscovery of a neglected dimension in the biblical witnesses making it relevant for todays most painful human experiences. It offers an abundance of pastoral insights creative theological explorations and imaginative suggestions for ecclesial practice. Beginning with . . . the absence of a theology of shame in modern theology the book becomes a courageous and rewarding journey of theological discovery. --Christoph Schwobel Chair in Systematic Theology University of Tubingen This is a passionate book in all the right senses . . . Reading it will not only help to restore the shamed; it will likely restore a godly passion--and few things are more sorely needed in theology today. --Jeremy S. Begbie Thomas A. Langford Research Professor Duke Divinity School Robin Stockitt has written a powerful and persuasive book that shows the centrality of shame in human experience and in the biblical message. It is the most readable and theologically astute account of Christs ministry to the shamed that is available today. This warmly pastoral book contains rich resources to deal with crippling experiences such as being treated as unworthy or unwanted. --Robert Jewett Visiting Professor of New Testament University of Heidelberg Robin Stockitt is the minister of the Anglican Church in Freiburg Germany. He is the author of Open to the Spirit: Ignatius of Loyola and John Wimber in Dialogue (2000) and Imagination and the Playfulness of God: The Theological Implications of Samuel Taylor Coleridges Definition of the Human Imagination (2011).