Tara Soughers - Academia.edu (original) (raw)

Papers by Tara Soughers

Research paper thumbnail of Friendship with the Saints: A Practical Theological Reading of Teresa of Avila as a Spiritual Companion

This dissertation is a practical theology study of spiritual companionship with the saints, worki... more This dissertation is a practical theology study of spiritual companionship with the saints, working with Teresa of Avila as a case study. Teresa's writing reflects a robust understanding and practice of spiritual companionship with saints. While contemporary literature on spiritual companionship exists and the notion of friendship with saints can be found in some theological works on the communion of saints, practical theology studies that attend to the rich potential and theological meaning of friendship with saints have been lacking. This dissertation seeks to fill that gap, arguing that the relationship of saints to contemporary Christians is one of companionship within the communion of saints. This allows saints to serve as spiritual companions to contemporary Christians in ways that are analogous to contemporary personal relationships of spiritual companionship. Personal practices of spiritual companionship, rather than other types of friendship, will be the focus of this work. For the purpose of this work, spiritual companionship is a form of accompaniment that is focused upon the goal of growing in one's relationship with God. So although theologies of friendship will inform this study, they will not be the sole contributors to my practical theology of spiritual companionship, as their focus is different. In her work, Fierce Tenderness, Mary E. Hunt argues that "Friendship illuminates questions of ultimate meaning and value. This is what friends strive for and desire for one another." 3 In her model, which is intended to cover the range of possible manifestations of friendship, there are four elements: love, power, embodiment, and spirituality. 4 While naming spirituality as an element of friendship, her definition of spirituality-"making choices about the quality of life for oneself and for one's community" 5-is not specifically focused upon the goal of growing in one's relationship with God. In his discussion of friendship, Paul J. Wadell is focused upon developing a community of friends, centered around the Eucharist. While discussing characteristics of friendship, using Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and Aelred, Wadell is most interested in the communal aspect of friendship. He spends little time developing an argument for or description of personal practices of spiritual companionship. While acknowledging the possibility of one-on-one spiritual friendships, the focus of his work is on friendship within the worshipping communing. For Wadell, the liturgy should form the church into a "community of friends of God." 6 While acknowledging that not everyone within a worshipping community will 3.

Research paper thumbnail of What’s Important

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of What’s Important

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of Sources of Transformation: Revitalising Christian Spirituality edited by EdwardHowells and PeterTyler (eds.), Continuum, 2010 (ISBN 978-1441-12575-0), xv + 203 pp., pb $29.95

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of A learned preference effect in the mouse using potassium deficiency as the induced need state

Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society

The reported study demonstrated the so-called learned preference effect using an unstudied need s... more The reported study demonstrated the so-called learned preference effect using an unstudied need state, potassium deficiency, in Mus musculus. On a conditioning trial, potassium-deficient and nondeficient mice were offered various fluids sufficient or deficient in potassium. Subsequent preference tests pitting conditioning fluids against a sucrose solution indicated that all groups increased their preference for sucrose, except the deficient mice receiving oral replacement. These animals demonstrated a reliable increase in preference for the conditioning solution containing vinegar and potassium.

Research paper thumbnail of The Embrace of Eros: Bodies, Desires, and Sexuality in Christianity - Edited by Margaret D. Kamitsuka

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of The Mediation of the Spirit: Interventions in Practical Theology , Mark J. Cartledge, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6955-5), xvi + 174 pp., pb $29

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of Sense and Spirituality:The Arts and Spiritual Formation, James McCullough, Lutterworth, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-7188-9417-7), xix + 125 pp., pb £15

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of Holiness as friendship with Christ: Teresa of Avila

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Teresa of Avila, writing in the 16th century when ideas of holiness often excluded women and lay ... more Teresa of Avila, writing in the 16th century when ideas of holiness often excluded women and lay people, developed a radically inclusive understanding of holiness as friendship with Christ. Her idea also allowed for degrees of holiness, from those who completed only the necessary church requirements of confession and absolution all the way up to those who had a friendship that was modelled upon the relationship in the Song of Songs. It was a definition of holiness applicable to men and women, clergy, members of religious orders, and lay people. In addition, her understanding of holiness did not distinguish the holiness of ordinary lay people from that of the great saints of previous generations, for friendship with Christ was open to all.

Research paper thumbnail of Not Eden: Spiritual Life Writing for this World, Heather Walton, SCM, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-334-05379-8), x + 141 pp., pb £16.99

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality - By Belden C. Lane

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Christian Theology in Practice: Discovering a Discipline by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Eerdmans, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6534-2), xii + 322 pp., pb $34

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2013

paradoxical holiness of a saint that relies on being both visible and invisible. Among the theore... more paradoxical holiness of a saint that relies on being both visible and invisible. Among the theoretical pieces, Aviad Kleinberg's 'Apophthegmata' deserves special notice for its experimental approach to form.

Research paper thumbnail of Saving Desire: The Seduction of Christian Theology - Edited by F. LeRon Shults and Jan-Olav Henriksen

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of The Artifice of Love: Grotesque Bodies and the Song of Songs - By Fiona C. Black

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Meister Eckhart: Master of Mystics - By Richard Woods

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Friendship with Teresa of Avila: Spiritual Companionship Across Time and Space

Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, 2014

Research paper thumbnail of Friendship with the Saints: A Practical Theological Reading of Teresa of Avila as a Spiritual Companion

This dissertation is a practical theology study of spiritual companionship with the saints, worki... more This dissertation is a practical theology study of spiritual companionship with the saints, working with Teresa of Avila as a case study. Teresa's writing reflects a robust understanding and practice of spiritual companionship with saints. While contemporary literature on spiritual companionship exists and the notion of friendship with saints can be found in some theological works on the communion of saints, practical theology studies that attend to the rich potential and theological meaning of friendship with saints have been lacking. This dissertation seeks to fill that gap, arguing that the relationship of saints to contemporary Christians is one of companionship within the communion of saints. This allows saints to serve as spiritual companions to contemporary Christians in ways that are analogous to contemporary personal relationships of spiritual companionship. Personal practices of spiritual companionship, rather than other types of friendship, will be the focus of this work. For the purpose of this work, spiritual companionship is a form of accompaniment that is focused upon the goal of growing in one's relationship with God. So although theologies of friendship will inform this study, they will not be the sole contributors to my practical theology of spiritual companionship, as their focus is different. In her work, Fierce Tenderness, Mary E. Hunt argues that "Friendship illuminates questions of ultimate meaning and value. This is what friends strive for and desire for one another." 3 In her model, which is intended to cover the range of possible manifestations of friendship, there are four elements: love, power, embodiment, and spirituality. 4 While naming spirituality as an element of friendship, her definition of spirituality-"making choices about the quality of life for oneself and for one's community" 5-is not specifically focused upon the goal of growing in one's relationship with God. In his discussion of friendship, Paul J. Wadell is focused upon developing a community of friends, centered around the Eucharist. While discussing characteristics of friendship, using Thomas Aquinas, Augustine, and Aelred, Wadell is most interested in the communal aspect of friendship. He spends little time developing an argument for or description of personal practices of spiritual companionship. While acknowledging the possibility of one-on-one spiritual friendships, the focus of his work is on friendship within the worshipping communing. For Wadell, the liturgy should form the church into a "community of friends of God." 6 While acknowledging that not everyone within a worshipping community will 3.

Research paper thumbnail of What’s Important

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of What’s Important

Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery

Research paper thumbnail of Sources of Transformation: Revitalising Christian Spirituality edited by EdwardHowells and PeterTyler (eds.), Continuum, 2010 (ISBN 978-1441-12575-0), xv + 203 pp., pb $29.95

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of A learned preference effect in the mouse using potassium deficiency as the induced need state

Bulletin of the Psychonomic Society

The reported study demonstrated the so-called learned preference effect using an unstudied need s... more The reported study demonstrated the so-called learned preference effect using an unstudied need state, potassium deficiency, in Mus musculus. On a conditioning trial, potassium-deficient and nondeficient mice were offered various fluids sufficient or deficient in potassium. Subsequent preference tests pitting conditioning fluids against a sucrose solution indicated that all groups increased their preference for sucrose, except the deficient mice receiving oral replacement. These animals demonstrated a reliable increase in preference for the conditioning solution containing vinegar and potassium.

Research paper thumbnail of The Embrace of Eros: Bodies, Desires, and Sexuality in Christianity - Edited by Margaret D. Kamitsuka

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of The Mediation of the Spirit: Interventions in Practical Theology , Mark J. Cartledge, William B. Eerdmans Publishing, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6955-5), xvi + 174 pp., pb $29

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of Sense and Spirituality:The Arts and Spiritual Formation, James McCullough, Lutterworth, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-7188-9417-7), xix + 125 pp., pb £15

Reviews in Religion & Theology

Research paper thumbnail of Holiness as friendship with Christ: Teresa of Avila

HTS Teologiese Studies / Theological Studies

Teresa of Avila, writing in the 16th century when ideas of holiness often excluded women and lay ... more Teresa of Avila, writing in the 16th century when ideas of holiness often excluded women and lay people, developed a radically inclusive understanding of holiness as friendship with Christ. Her idea also allowed for degrees of holiness, from those who completed only the necessary church requirements of confession and absolution all the way up to those who had a friendship that was modelled upon the relationship in the Song of Songs. It was a definition of holiness applicable to men and women, clergy, members of religious orders, and lay people. In addition, her understanding of holiness did not distinguish the holiness of ordinary lay people from that of the great saints of previous generations, for friendship with Christ was open to all.

Research paper thumbnail of Not Eden: Spiritual Life Writing for this World, Heather Walton, SCM, 2015 (ISBN 978-0-334-05379-8), x + 141 pp., pb £16.99

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2016

Research paper thumbnail of Ravished by Beauty: The Surprising Legacy of Reformed Spirituality - By Belden C. Lane

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Christian Theology in Practice: Discovering a Discipline by Bonnie J. Miller-McLemore, Eerdmans, 2012 (ISBN 978-0-8028-6534-2), xii + 322 pp., pb $34

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2013

paradoxical holiness of a saint that relies on being both visible and invisible. Among the theore... more paradoxical holiness of a saint that relies on being both visible and invisible. Among the theoretical pieces, Aviad Kleinberg's 'Apophthegmata' deserves special notice for its experimental approach to form.

Research paper thumbnail of Saving Desire: The Seduction of Christian Theology - Edited by F. LeRon Shults and Jan-Olav Henriksen

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of The Artifice of Love: Grotesque Bodies and the Song of Songs - By Fiona C. Black

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2011

Research paper thumbnail of Meister Eckhart: Master of Mystics - By Richard Woods

Reviews in Religion & Theology, 2012

Research paper thumbnail of Friendship with Teresa of Avila: Spiritual Companionship Across Time and Space

Spiritus: A Journal of Christian Spirituality, 2014