Practice
Parenting The Complex and Beautiful Vocation
of Raising Children Holly Taylor Coolman
Books on parenting abound, with many suggesting that specific strategies will produce desired results. Gifted theologian Holly Taylor Coolman offers something different. Rather than a how-to guide for child-rearing, this book provides a theologically and biblically rich commentary on the theme of raising children. As a mother of five who is known for approaching parenting in a theological way, Coolman is often asked for advice. In this book, she explores parenting as a complex and beautiful vocation in which mothers and fathers themselves are made and unmade, offered troubling sorts of gifts, and drawn deeper into connection not only with their children but also with God, others, and themselves. Coolman describes child-rearing as a vocation to which parents are called that requires them to develop the skills of apprenticeship and invitation. She also locates raising children firmly within the context of the church. At a time when many parents need a form of an extended family, the church holds a profound possibility to meet parents in the hard and beautiful places of raising children. This book will appeal to Christian parents, especially adoptive and foster parents, as well as pastors, church leaders, and students. “I simply adored this book. In Parenting , Coolman has created an invaluable resource for any parent in any season of life. Who doesn’t want to love their children better? To know them more fully? To have more peace and joy in their home? Coolman writes like a friend who’s been there, bringing a lifetime of wisdom and scholarship. She doesn’t sugarcoat the challenges of parenting even as she encourages her reader to delight in the task.” —ANNA KEATING, author of The Catholic Catalogue: A Field Guide to the Daily Acts That Make Up a Catholic Life
JANUARY 2024 • 160 pp. • paper • $21.99 • 9781540961495
Holly Taylor Coolman (PhD, Duke University) is assistant professor of theology at Providence College and a senior fellow of the Principium Institute. Her areas of expertise include Christology, ecclesiology, Christian theologies of Judaism, and Jewish-Christian relations. She has written about topics at the intersection of culture and moral theology and about family life, particularly adoption.
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