Summer reading recommendations part 2

Continuing our series of short recommendations from the Religion and Worldviews community, this week we bring you the warmth of the black Pentecostal church, an Ahmadiyya philosophy of the teaching of Islam, and how humans recover after catastrophe. Enjoy!

Alexandra Brown is an RE teacher, poet and academic decolonial practitioner whose work, thoughts and ontology resides in liminal spaces

In My Grandmother’s House: Black Women’s Faith and the Stories we inherit

Dr Yolanda Pierce

Broadleaf Books, Minneapolis, USA, 2021

Following the painful, and yet inevitable, realisation that my previous place of worship was unable to speak to my lived experience as a black woman, whose theological posture uncompromisingly encompasses Womanist theology, radical black queer politics and social justice, this book acted as a gift, a warm embrace, and a timely affirmation, that I too am created in Imago Dei.

In typical Womanist fashion, through the use of stories, and an unapologetic centering of the African-American woman’s lived experience, Dr Pierce successfully critiques rigid Eurocentric-Cartesian approaches to Christian beliefs, practices and rituals, whilst simultaneously sharing the beauty and depth that lies within a Protestant-Pentecostal tradition.

The chapters that explore sacred traditions within the black church such as washing feet, a shared witness of grief on Maundy Thursday and knowledge of Jesus as a personal friend, were truly wonderful to read and acted as gentle reminders that there is sacredness in my embodied experience.

Including elements of Dr Peirce’s book into lessons, will also act as an effective means to help decolonise your lessons and broader curriculum, for example when teaching Christian Practices on the GCSE.

Waqar Ahmedi is Head of RS and author of GCSE and A level textbooks and revision guides. He serves on the NATRE Executive and is part of Birmingham SACRE representing the Ahmadiyya Muslim Association UK.

The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam

Mirza Ghulam Ahmad

English translation by Muhammad Zafrulla Khan

Islam International Publications Ltd, 2010

Available for free here: https://www.alislam.org/book/philosophy-teachings-islam/

My book recommendation is The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam by Mirza Ghulam Ahmad, founder of the Ahmadiyya Muslim Community.

It is based on a lecture given at the Conference of Great Religions in India in 1896 where experts from different faiths were asked to address specific topics based solely on their own holy texts and tenets. These included the physical, moral and spiritual states of humanity, the purpose of life and ways to fulfil it, and what happens after death.

Ahmad cites only the Qur’an to present his impressive exposition and offers a unique insight into Islamic philosophy, ethics and theology, as well as a distinct Muslim worldview of what it means to be human. Additionally, he provides a compelling case for the existence of a Living God.

The Philosophy of the Teachings of Islam is a brilliant exegesis – as pertinent today as it has ever been – that will enrich every RE department’s library and enhance the quality of teaching and learning about Islam as part of a diversified curriculum. This and many of Ahmad’s other works also make him ideal as a scholar, thinker and figure to be studied in his own right.

Another great benefit of this book is that it’s available for free in various formats online, as the link above shows.

Ben Maddison is a teacher, trainer and lecturer.

When the Dust Settles: Stories of Love, Loss and Hope from an Expert in Disaster

Lucy Easthope

Hodder and Stoughton, 2022

Lucy Easthope is a disaster recovery expert and this is her memoir. She talks about her involvement in events such as the 2004 Boxing Day tsunami and Grenfell Tower fire.

She blends together the practical details of how people deal with recovery after a disaster with reflections on what this tells us about being human. Easthope uses the sociological phrase ‘the furniture of the self’ to explore the internal recovery the people affected by catastrophe. The idea of the furniture of the self is used to explore how we build resilience as human beings facing catastrophe.

I often find myself picking up a book for use in a lesson. I came across this book because I wanted to look at the events surrounding the Grenfell Fire on the 5^th anniversary of the tragedy and found it fascinating. The insights from this book sat at the core of my lesson. It helped to sew together emotions and practicalities. I found it accessible, interesting and thought provoking, and one of those books where you pause after a paragraph and think about what you have just read.