Writing

The following list of my publications has active links in it that will take you to full text versions of my writing. In order to make this possible, given copyright issues, I’ve had to protect them. If you’d like access to something on this page and you are not on my review committee, please email me.

Books

Create, Share, Believe: Storying Faith in a Post-Church World, manuscript in development.

Becoming a White Anti-Racist: A Practical Guide for Educators, Leaders, and Activists. With Stephen Brookfield, Sterling, VA: Stylus Publishing, 2021. (A handout supporting the book)

Interreligious Learning and Teaching: A Christian Rationale for Transformative Praxis, by Kristin Largen with Mary E. Hess and Christy Lohr Sapp, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2014.

Teaching Reflectively in Theological Contexts: Promises and Contradictions. Mary E. Hess and Stephen D. Brookfield, editors. Malabar, FL: Krieger Publishing, 2008.

Medios y Creencias: Perspectivas Culturales del Cristianismo en el Entorno Medi tico. Mary Hess, Peter Horsfield, Adán Medrano y Juan Carlos Henriéquez. Translated by Elivira Maldonado. Mexico City: Universidad Iberoamericana; Plaza y Vald z, S. A. de C. V., 2007.

Engaging Technology in Theological Education: All That We Can’t Leave Behind. Mary E. Hess. New York: Rowman and Littlefield Publishers, 2005.

Belief in Media: Cultural Perspectives on Media and Christianity. Mary Hess, Peter Horsfield, Adán Medrano, editors. Burlington, VT: Ashgate Publishing Company, 2004.

Media literacy and religious education: Engaging popular culture to enhance religious experience. Dissertation written in the PhD program in Religion and Education, Boston College, March 1998. Available via UMI Dissertation Services.

Chapters in edited books

“Teaching solidarity in civil society for love of neighbor,” in Forming Leaders for a Public Church: Vocation in 21st Century Societies, edited by Samuel Yonas Deressa, and Mary Sue Dreier, Lexington Fortress, 2023, pp. 123-138.

“Youth, education, and media” in The Handbook of Religion and Communication, edited by Yoel Cohen and Paul Soukup, Wiley-Blackwell, 2023 (258-269).

“Teaching formation in a digital age” in Formation of Teachers for Catholic Schools: Challenges and Opportunities in a New Era, Leonardo Franchi and Richard Rymarz Editors, Singapore: Springer, 2022 (117-127).

“Storying faith: The promises and contradictions of new media in Catholic religious education,” in Global Perspectives on Catholic Religious Education in Schools: Volume II Leading in a Pluralist World, edited by M. T. Buchanan and A.M. Gellel, Springer, 2019, pp. 357-368. Free preview available

“Theme-centered interaction: Intersections with reflective practice in North American religious contexts,” in Theme-Centered Interaction in Higher Education: A Didactic Approach for Sustainable and Living Learning, edited by Sylke Meyerhuber, Helmut Reiser, Matthias Scharer, Springer, 2019, pp. 209-220. Free preview available

“Using digital media and storytelling to unearth racism and galvanize action,” in Teaching Race: How to Help Students Unmask and Challenge Racism, edited by Stephen D. Brookfield, Jossey-Bass, 2018, pp. 253-272. Free excerpt

“Learning practices for people of faith,” in United Against Racism: Churches for Change, edited by The National Council of Churches of Christ. Friendship Press, 2018, pp. 140-147.

“Gameful learning and theological understanding: New cultures of learning in communities of faith,” in Authority and Leadership. Values, Religion, Media, edited by Míriam Díez Bosch, Paul Soukup S. J., Josep Lluís Micó Sanz, Daniella Zsupan-Jerome. Blanquerna School of Communication and International Relations Facultat de Comunicació i Relacions Internacionals Blanquerna, 2017.

“Designing Curricular Approaches for Interfaith Competency or Why Does Learning How to Live in a “Community of Communities” Matter?,” in Teaching for a Multifaith World, edited by Eleazar Fernandez, Pickwick, 2017, pp. 35-56.

“Teaching and learning comparative theology with millennial students,” in Comparative Theology in the Millennial Classroom, edited by Mara Brecht and Reid B. Locklin, Routledge, 2016, pp. 50-60.

Entries on “Mary Boys,” “Hill Monastic and Manuscript Library,” and “St. John’s Bible” in the Encyclopedia of Christian Education, edited by Mark Lamport, Scarecrow Press, 2015.

“Digital storytelling: Empowering feminist and womanist faith formation with young women,” in Media, Religion and Gender, edited by Mia L vheim, Routledge, 2013.

“Media ethics and religion,” in Religion and Ethics, edited by Paul Myhre, St. Mary’s Press, 2013.

“Learning the Bible in the 21st century: Lessons from Harry Potter and vampires,” in Teaching the Bible in the Parish (and Beyond), edited by Laurie Jungling. Minneapolis, MN: Lutheran University Press, 2011.

“Preface,” in Common Worship in Theological Education, edited by Todd E. Johnson and Siobhan Garrigan. Eugene, OR: Pickwick Publications, 2010.

“From ICT to TCI: Communicative theology(ies), pedagogy and web 2.0,” in Kommunikative Theologie: Zug nge - Auseinandersetzungen - Ausdifferenzierungen, edited by Matthias Scharer, Bradford E. Hinze, and Bernd Jochen Hilberath. Wien: Lit Verlag GmbH & Co., 2010, pp. 130-149.

“Responding to the challenges of religious storying in a digital age: Building new opportunities through feautor.org” in *Erz hlen - Reflexionen im Zeitalter der Digitalisierung / Storytelling - Reflections in the Age of Digitalization, *herausgegeben von Yvonne G chter, Heike Ortner, Claudia Schwarz und Andreas Wiesinger, unter Mitarbeit von Christine Engel, Theo Hug, Stefan Neuhaus und Thomas Schr der. Innsbruck: Innsbruck University Press, 2008, pp. 112-126.

“Listening and learning to teach in theological contexts: An appreciative inquiry model,” in Revitalizing Practice: Collaborative Models for Theological Faculties,edited by Malcolm Warford. New York: Peter Lang, 2008, pp. 67-97.

“Go and make learners! Supporting transformation in education and evangelism,” in Christian Education as Evangelism, edited by Norma Cook Everist. Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2007, pp. 101-111.

“Media literacy,” in the Encyclopedia of Religion, Communication and Media, edited by Daniel A. Stout. New York: Routledge, 2006, pp. 245-250.

L’ ducation religieuse dans le contexte de la culture m diatique: la pratique de l’imagination,” in T moigner de sa foi, dans les m dias, aujourd’hui, sous la direction de Guy Marchessault, Ottawa: Les Presses de l’Universit d’Ottawa, 2005, pp. 351-371.

“Growing faithful children in media cultures,” in The Ministry of Children’s Education, Professors of Christian Education at the ELCA Seminaries, Minneapolis: Fortress Press, 2004, pp 126-150.

“The Bible and popular culture: Engaging sacred text in a world of ‘others,’” in New Paradigms in Bible Study, edited by Robert Fowler, Edith Blumhofer, and Fernando Segovia, New York: T &T Clark International, 2004, pp. 209-226.

“Practicing attention in media culture,” in Mediating Religion: Conversations in Media, Religion and Culture, edited by Jolyon Mitchell and Sophia Marriage, New York: T&T Clark/Continuum, 2003, pp. 133-142.

“Rich treasure in jars of clay,” in The Conviction of Things Not Seen: Worship and Ministry in the 21st Century, edited by Todd E. Johnson. Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2002, pp. 123-140.

“Media literacy as a support for the development of a responsible imagination in religious community,” in Religion and Popular Culture: Studies on the Interaction of Worldviews, edited by Daniel Stout and Judith Buddenbaum. Ames: Iowa State University Press, 2001, pp. 289-311.

Journal articles

“Hearing Mary’s song: Remembering it through telling stories” in Word&World, Vol. 44, #1, Winter 2024, pp. 15-25.

“Shifting epistemologies, shifting our stories—Where might we find hope for a world on the brink?” Religions 13, July 2022, no. 7: 625. https://doi.org/10.3390/rel13070625

“Loving enough: Choosing universal basic income over the myth of individual wealth,” in Word & World, Vol. 42, #1, Winter 2022, pp. 45-55.

“Finding learning amidst the maelstrom: Storytelling, trauma and hope” in Teaching Theology and Religion, December 2020. https://doi.org/10.1111/teth.12567

“Finding a way into empathy through story exercises in a religious studies classroom” in Religious Studies News, January 2020.

“Why games and gaming might be the best way and place in which to consider the meaning and purposes of theological education” in Cross Currents, July 2019. An earlier version of this piece first appeared in the Theological Education Between the Times project, and is archived on their website.

“Guest editor’s note.” Special issue on Games and Learning, Wabash Journal Teaching Theology and Religion, October 2018.

“Adaptive action as a form of reflective practice in pastoral leadership,” Reflective Practice: Formation and Supervision in Ministry, Vol. 38, 2018, pp. 10 – 24.

“Exploring the epistemological challenges underlying civic engagement by religious communities,” The Good Society Special Issue: On Reintegrating Facts, Values, Strategies, 2017, Vol. 26, #2-3, pp. 305-322.

“White religious educators resisting white fragility: Lessons from mystics,” Religious Education, Vol. 112, #1, Winter 2017, pp. 46-57.

“Learning with digital technologies: Privileging persons over machines,” Journal of Moral Theology, Vol. 1, #4, Winter 2015, pp. 131-150.

“Learning amidst transforming traditions,” in Theological Education, Vol. 49, #1, Winter 2014, pp. 9-16.

“A new culture of learning: What are the implications for theological educators,” in Teaching Theology and Religion, Vol. 17, #3, July 2014, pp. 227-232.

“A new culture of learning: Digital storytelling and faith formation,” in Dialog, Vol. 53, No. 1, Spring 2014, pp. 12-22.

“Adult learning, leaning into God’s mission” found in the 2014 Proceedings of the Association of Professors of Mission.

“Loving the questions: Finding food for the future of theological education in the Lexington Seminar,” in Theological Education, Vol. 48, No. 1, pp. 69-89.

“The pastoral practice of Christian hospitality as presence in Muslim-Christian engagement: Contextualizing the classroom,” in Theological Education, Vol. 47, No. 2, 2013, pp. 7-12.

“Mirror neurons, the development of empathy, and digital story telling,” Religious Education, Vol. 107, No. 4, July-September 2012, pp. 401-414.

“Life on screen and other musings on faith, food and media,” Word & World, Vol. 32, No. 3, Summer 2012, pp. 252-258.

“Learning religion and religiously learning amid global cultural flows,” Religious Education, Vol. 106, No. 4, July-September 2011, pp. 360-377.

“Learning religion and religiously learning: Musings on a theme,” Religious Education,Vol. 105, No. 3, May-June 2010, pp. 234-237.

“What difference does it make? E-learning and faith community,” Word & World, Vol. 30, No. 3, Summer 2010, pp. 281-290.

“Resisting the human need for enemies, or what would Harry Potter do?,” Word & World, Vol. 28, No. 1, Winter 2008, pp. 47-56.

“From Crawfordsville to Saint Paul: Promoting reflections on teaching and learning as part of a seminary’s institutional culture,” with David J. Lose and Matthew L. Skinner, Teaching Theology and Religion, Vol. 10, No. 3, July 2007, pp. 178-179.

“What difference does it make? Digital technology in the theological classroom,” Theological Education, Vol. 41, No. 1, 2006, pp. 77-91.

“Possible new futures for our journal on the world wide web,” Religious Education,Vol. 100, No. 1, Winter 2005, pp. 78-88.

“Better off for all that we let in: Being Catholic while teaching at a Lutheran Seminary,”Listening: Journal of Religion and Culture, Vol. 39, No. 3, Fall 2004, pp. 441-451.

“Transforming traditions: Taking popular culture seriously in religious education,”Religious Education, Vol. 99, No. 1, Winter 2004, pp. 1-9.

“Searching for paradise: Libraries and media culture in the theological context,” ATLA Proceedings, 2003, pp. 127-139.

“Marriage on TV,” Word&World. Vol. XXIII, No. 1, Winter 2003, pp. 48-56.

“All that we can’t leave behind: Pedagogy and theology in cyberspace,” Teaching Theology and Religion. Vo. 5, No. 1, February 2002, pp. 30-38.

“Collaborating with people to study ‘the popular’: Implementing participatory action research strategies in religious education,” Religious Education, Vol. 96, No. 3, Summer 2001, pp. 271-293.

“A place for reflection, a chance to be honest in our location: Popular culture, media literacy and theological reflection in the years to come,” in Theological Explorations, Vol. One, January 2000, the Duquesne University online journal in theology and ministry.

“From trucks carrying messages to ritualized identities: Implications of the postmodern paradigm shift in media studies for religious educators,” Religious Education, Vol. 94, No. 3, Summer 1999, pp. 273-288.

“A current snapshot of media literacy in relation to religious education,” Connections: The Newsletter of the Association for Communication in Theological Education, Vol. 6 , #2, Spring 1999.

“White religious educators and unlearning racism: can we find a way?” Religious Education, Vol. 93, No. 1, Winter 1998, pp. 114-129.

“The social construction of knowledge, media culture, and the creation of border communities in religious education.” Religion & Education, Vol. 23, No. 1, Spring 1996.

Book reviews

Theological Reflection Across Religious Traditions: The Turn to Reflective Believing. Edward Foley. Lanham: Rowman&Littlefield, 2015. Reviewed in Religious Education, Vol. 112, #2, 2017, pp. 192-193.

Digital Identity and Everyday Activism: Sharing Private Stories with Networked Publics. Sonja Vivienne. Palgrave Macmillan Springer, 2016. Reviewed in Reflective Teaching (the Wabash review section), https://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/print-book-review-as-pdf/?id=70415

Knowledge Games: How Playing Games Can Solve Problems, Create Insight, and Make Change. Karen Schrier. Johns Hopkins University Press. Reviewed in Reflective Practice (the Wabash review section), https://www.wabashcenter.wabash.edu/print-book-review-as-pdf/?id=70319

Mission on the Road to Emmaus: Constants, Context and Prophetic Dialogue. Cathy Ross and Stephen Bevans, eds. SCM Press, 2015. Reviewed in The Expository Times, March 2016.

Connected Toward Communion: The Church and Social Communication in the Digital Age. Daniella Zsupan-Jerome. Liturgical Press, 2014. Reviewed in Interpretation, 2015.

Religious Education Research Through a Community of Practice: Action Research and the Interpretive Approach. Edited by Julia Ipgrave, Robert Jackson and Kevin O’Grady. Reviewed in Teaching Theology and Religion, Vol. 15, #1, January 2012, pp. 84-86.

Journal Keeping: How to Use Reflective Writing for Learning, Teaching, Professional Insight and Positive Change, Dannelle D. Stevens and Joanne E. Cooper, Stylus Publishing, 2009. Reviewed in Teaching Theology and Religion, Vol. 13, #4, October 2010, pp. 384-385.

Media Violence and Christian Ethics, Jolyon Mitchell. Cambridge University Press, 2007. Reviewed in The Expository Times, Vol. 120, #9, 2009, pp. 441-442.

Nurturing Child and Adolescent Spirituality: Perspectives from the World’s Religious Traditions, edited by Karen Marie Yust, Aostre N. Johnson, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, and Eugene C. Roehlkepartain. Reviewed in Interpretation, Vol. 61, #3, July 2007, pp. 328-330.

The Mediated Spirit, Peter Horsfield. Melbourne, Australia: The Uniting Church in Australia, 2002. Reviewed in Religious Education, Vol. 99, #2, Spring 2004, 206-207.

How the Way We Talk Can Change the Way We Work, Robert Kegan and Lisa Lahey, San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2001. Reviewed in Journal of Religious Leadership, Vol. 1, #1, Spring 2002.

Web Teaching Guide: A Practical Approach to Creating Course Web Sites, Sarah Horton. New Haven: Yale University Press, 2000. Reviewed in Teaching Theology and Religion, Vol. 5, No. 1, February 2002, p. 63.

The Child in Christian Thought, edited by Marcia Bunge. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2001. Reviewed in Word & World, Fall 2001, p. 440-442.

Caminemos con Jes s: Toward a Hispanic/Latino Theology of Accompaniment, Maryknoll, NY: Orbis Books, 1995. Reviewed in Religious Education, Fall 1999, 472-473.

Editorials

Guest editorial, “Leadership and professionalism in religious education,” Religious Education, Vol. 97, #4, Fall 2002, 301-303.

Editorial, “Curriculum and evaluation in religious education,” Religious Education, Vol 95, #2, Spring 2000, 117-118.

Solidarity economics and the good life, Faith+Lead, August 2023

Hurt people hurt people: How do we interrupt this cycle?, Faith+Lead, January 2023

Digital storytelling for faith formation, Faith+Lead, October 2021

A God of justice: Understanding the deeper structural problems of racism, Faith+Lead, May 2021

Breaking our hearts open in the midst of discord, Faith+Lead, April 2017

“And the Word went viral: Finding God at the intersection of scripture and popular media”, America: The National Jesuit Review, July 21-28, 2014.

“Living faith in a media world,” Lifelong Faith, Vol. 2.3, Fall 2008.

“Media and violence: What’s a person of faith to do?” Lutheran Woman Today, Vol. 22, #2, March 2008, pp. 14-17.

“Our hearts are restless: Living in media culture,” Clergy Journal, Vol. LXXXIII, No. 1, pp. 14-15.

Curricula

TeenCAP: An Assault Prevention Curriculum for Teens. National Assault Prevention Center, Columbus, OH. 1987.

Electronic resources

Tensegrities. A weblog, published from March 2003 to the present.

DiscerningMission.org. An interactive website for the Center for Missional Leadership at Luther Seminary. 2010 - 2012.

Storyingfaith.org. A website that explores digital storytelling as a form of faith formation. 2011 - present.

Feautor.org. Member of the leadership collaborative and founder. 2008 - present.

Digital Tech and Theological Education. A wiki resource playground begun in 2007.

Mary Elizabeth Hess. A professional website, 2000 - present.