What are the resources and teachings in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam that take hospitality - and its call to provide protective hospitality - seriously enough to inform shared action and belief on behalf of the threatened other?
This book argues that protective hospitality and its faith-based foundations as seen in the Abrahamic traditions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam merit greater theological attention and that the practice of protective hospitality in Christianity can be enhanced by better understandings of Judaism's and Islam's practices of hospitality, namely their codes and etiquettes related to honor.
Safeguarding the Stranger draws especially on two currents in contemporary Christian theology: (1) a contextual and political theological approach informed by liberation and feminist theologies, and (2) a cooperative and complementary theological approach informed by inter-religious, Abrahamic, and hospitable approaches to dialogue.
This book is unique in that it seeks to contribute to academic debates within theology and religious dialogue as well as to discussions within the fields of peace studies and conflict resolution on the positive role that religions might play in contexts of conflict. Published by Pickwick Publications, a division of Wipf & Stock.
You can purchase it online via Wipf & Stock, Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, or from any other of your favorite book retailers.
Enjoy a Q&A session with Jayme | Safeguarding The Stranger excerpt
“Safeguarding the Stranger is an immensely important addition to the literature on hospitality, notably protective hospitality as practiced in the Abrahamic faith traditions. The work reflects extraordinarily deep research and years of interfaith and cross-cultural experience, as well as time logged in some of our world’s most conflicted regions. The author combines fluency in feminist and liberationist Christian thought with competence in Hebrew Bible and Quranic studies—and more than a bit of continental philosophy as well. A major contribution by an important new voice, both in its substance and in its method. Highly recommended.”
“Jayme Reaves is what I call an academic/activist, a special breed of folks who can handle the highest intellectual pursuits but are driven to continually engage in real-world struggles and concerns. Reaves addresses this directly in her book as she writes about grounding all the discussion of hospitality in praxis...The richest gift from this book for me was her deep exploration of the three Abrahamic faiths of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. She explores their commonalities related to hospitality, but also the unique perspectives that each religion brings that can shine light on the limitations of the others and spark growth in the practice of hospitality through interfaith dialog.... [This book] is excellent for those who want deep intellectual engagement. As she notes, there is a paucity of material related to the practice and ethics of hospitality in general let alone protective hospitality. Reaves has filled an important space in this discussion, and done it not as a mere intellectual exercise but as a profound ethical challenge at this historic moment.”
“A prophetic and constructive contribution, which addresses a pressing challenge of our time. Reaves speaks with conviction and insight on the importance of protective hospitality within the Abrahamic traditions, and shows the ongoing relevance of this tradition for today.”
“This is a great book and has really enlarged my horizons - fluent, reflective, enlarging, risky - skilled!”