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A Cross Too Heavy: Pope Pius XII and the Jews of Europe
By Paul O Shea. 2011
The papacy of Pius XII (1939-1958) has been a source of near-constant criticism and debate since his death, particularly because…
of his alleged silence during the Holocaust. Paul O'Shea examines his little-studied pre-papal life to demonstrate that Pius was neither an anti-Semitic villain nor a 'lamb without stain. 'A Passionate Pilgrim
By David M. Robertson. 2004
James A. Pike, the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of California, was a man of many faces. To some…
he was an iconoclast, a man decades ahead of his time who modernized the Church and rendered it more progressive and open to inquiry. To others he was a heretic, who polarized and desecrated the Church. Always controversial and charismatic, he took America by storm in the 1960s with his best-selling books, and his weekly television talk show, Dean Pike, which won him a cover story in Time. A Passionate Pilgrim is an illuminating biography of Pike, and an examination of the tragedies, triumphs, and difficulties that shaped his spectacular rise to fame and his mysterious death in the Israeli desert.From the Trade Paperback edition.Military Saints in Byzantium and Rus, 900-1200
By Monica White. 2013
The rulers of the Byzantine Empire and its commonwealth were protected both by their own soldiers and by a heavenly…
army: the military saints. The transformation of Saints George, Demetrios, Theodore and others into the patrons of imperial armies was one of the defining developments of religious life under the Macedonian emperors. This book provides a comprehensive study of military sainthood and its roots in late antiquity. The emergence of the cults is situated within a broader social context, in which mortal soldiers were equated with martyrs and martyrs of the early Church recruited to protect them on the battlefield. Dr White then traces the fate of these saints in early Rus, drawing on unpublished manuscripts and other under-utilised sources to discuss their veneration within the princely clan and their influence on the first native saints of Rus, Boris and Gleb, who eventually joined the ranks of their ancient counterparts.Pope John Paul II
By Editors of Reader's Digest. 2011
From his survival of Nazi-occupied Poland to his joining the priesthood and ascension to the papacy, this account of Pope…
John Paul II offers unique insight to the man who would be pope with personal stories from not only those who new him from the church, but classmates and friends as well. Discover the athletic, the political, and most recently, the beatified, Pope John Paul II. In this ebook you will discover: Personal stories written by friends and classmates, teachers, and fellow clergy An account of his death and details of his funeral as the world mourned, including Cardinal Ratzinger's emotional homily. Details on the miracle - chosen out of hundreds attributed to him - that sent on him on the road to sainthood A full update of his life that includes his May 2011 beatification and the rigorous process of sainthood. Discover an athletic Karol Wotjyla, who hiked, biked, skied, and kayaked in his long life His efforts for Poland's freedom involving Solidarity, the Vatican, the Polish government, the White House, and the KremlinDeath Row Chaplain
By Mark Schlabach, Rev Earl Smith. 2015
From a former criminal and now chaplain for the San Francisco 49ers and the Golden State Warriors, comes a riveting,…
behind-the-bars look at one of America's most feared prisons: San Quentin. Reverend Earl Smith shares the most important lessons he's learned from years of helping inmates discover God's plan for them.In 1983, twenty-seven-year-old Earl Smith arrived at San Quentin just like everyone thought he would. Labeled as a gang member and criminal from a young age, Smith was expected to do some time, but after a brush with death during a botched drug deal, Smith's soul was saved and his life path was altered forever. From that moment on, Smith knew God had an unusual mission for him, and he became the minister to the lost souls sitting on death row. For twenty-three years, Smith played chess with Charles Manson, negotiated truces between rival gangs, and bore witness to the final thoughts of many death row inmates. But most importantly, Smith helped the prisoners of San Quentin find redemption, hope, and to understand that it is still possible to find God's grace and mercy from behind bars. Edgy, insightful, and thought provoking, Death Row Chaplain teaches us God's grace can reach anyone--even the most desperate and lost--and that it's never too late to turn our lives around.Mulla Sadra (Makers of the Muslim World)
By Sayeh Meisami. 2013
Mulla Sadra (1572-1640) is perhaps the single most important and influential philosopher in the Muslim world. The author of over…
forty works, he sought to bring to life the whole heritage of Islamic thought, from philosophy to mysticism, and create a more flexible and conciliatory approach to the problems which seemed to dissociate reason from faith. In this wide-ranging profile, Sayeh Meisami reaches beyond historical narrative to assess the true impact of the man and his ideas. This thought provoking and comprehensive account is ideal for readers interested in uncovering the life and thoughts of a man who represents the climax of intellectual tradition at a crucial point in the history of Islamic civilization.Elijah Muhammad (Makers of the Muslim World)
By Herbert Berg. 2013
In the mid-1930s, Elijah Muhammad was just one of several competing leaders of the embryonic movement begun by the mysterious…
Wali Fard Muhammad, who claimed to be a prophet of Islam and who had recently disappeared. By the time of his death in 1975, Elijah Muhammad led a movement that may have numbered a few hundred thousand, making him the most powerful Muslim in the United States of America. Even before his death he was overshadowed by the growing legend of Malcolm X, and after his death by the activities of Louis Farrakhan and his own son Warith Deen Mohammed. Each of these men, however, was brought to Islam by Elijah Muhammad. And although Malcolm X and Elijah Muhammad's son came to reject his idiosyncratic and racial formulation of Islam, Elijah Muhammad was responsible for introducing hundreds of thousands, perhaps even millions of African Americans to Islam. Almost four decades after his death, he remains by far the most influential American Muslim.Reluctant Saint: The Life of Francis of Assisi (Compass)
By Donald Spoto. 2002
Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto strips away the legends from the life of Francis of Assisi to reveal the true story…
of a man who has too often been obscured by pious iconography. Drawing on unprecedented access to unexplored archives, plus Francis's own letters, Spoto places Francis within the context of the multifaceted ecclesiastical, political, and social forces of medieval Italy, casting new light on Francis and showing how his emphasis on charity as the heart of the Gospel's message helped him pioneer a new social movement. This nuanced portrait reveals the multifaceted character of a man who can genuinely be said to have changed the course of history. .The Lawudo Lama
By His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Jamyang Wangmo. 2005
The Lawudo Lama presents two life stories along with an extended introduction laying out their social and cultural context. It…
takes place in the Mount Everest region of Nepal, the home of the famous Sherpa guides, where the people practice Tibetan Buddhism and revere the local lamas and yogis. The stories are centered in Lawudo, a small village in the Khumbu region, and the central figure is the renowned Lawudo Lama. The first Lawudo Lama portrayed, Lama Kunzang Yeshe (1864-1946), was a yogi of the Nyingma lineage who spent much of his life meditating in a cave near Lawudo, and his life is reconstructed through meticulous research of written and oral histories. The second story is of Kunzang Yeshe's reincarnation, a monk of the Gelug lineage known as Lama Zopa Rinpoche, whose story is given in a first-person narrative. Lama Zopa is well known in the West as the author of several books and as the Spritual Director of the Foundation for the Preservation of the Mahayana Tradition (FPMT), which has more than 100 affiliate Buddhist centers worldwide. Lama Zopa Rinpoche travels and teaches extensively to large audiences and has thousands of students. The Lawudo Lama will appeal to travelers to Nepal, to Buddhist practitioners, and to scholars trying to understand the culture of the region. It is well documented, and is accompanied by more than 125 color and black and white photos, drawings, lineage charts, and maps.Augustine's Intellectual Conversion: The Journey from Platonism to Christianity
By Brian Dobell. 1970
This book examines Augustine's intellectual conversion from Platonism to Christianity, as described at Confessions 7, 9, 13-21, 27. It is…
widely assumed that this occurred in the summer of 386, shortly before Augustine's volitional conversion in the garden at Milan. Brian Dobell argues, however, that Augustine's intellectual conversion did not occur until the mid 390s, and develops this claim by comparing Confessions 7, 9, 13-21, 27 with a number of important passages and themes from Augustine's early writings. He thus invites the reader to consider anew the problem of Augustine's conversion in 386: was it to Platonism or Christianity? His original and important study will be of interest to a wide range of readers in the history of philosophy and the history of theology.Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind
By Maura O'Halloran, Beth O'Halloran, Ruth O'Halloran. 2005
One of the most beloved Buddhist books of all time-having inspired popular musicians, artists, a documentary film, and countless readers-is…
now in an expanded, new edition, loaded with extras. Absolutely absorbing from start to finish, this is a true story you might truly fall in love with. At only 24, Maura O'Halloran left her Irish-American family stateside and traveled to Japan, where she began studying under an inscrutable Zen master. She would herself become recognized as a Zen master-in an uncommonly brief amount of time. Pure Heart, Enlightened Mind is Maura's beautifully-written account of her journey. These journal entries and letters home reveal astonishing, wise-beyond-her-years humor, compassion, wisdom, and commitment. This expanded edition includes never-before-seen entries and poems, the author's unfinished novel, and an afterword that discusses the book's cultural impact. It will be a must-have for Maura's previous fans--and will surely find her thousands of new ones.One Hundred Days of Solitude
By Jane Dobisz. 2008
In One Hundred Days of Solitude: Losing My Self and Finding Grace on a Zen Retreat, American teacher of Korean…
Zen Jane Dobisz (Zen Master Bon Yeon), recalls her first solitary meditation stint in the woods. Luckily, this is not just a recounting of a winter's worth of cabin fever. Instead, Dobisz takes us into her cabin, and into her mind, as she tries--at least temporarily--to live a Walden-like existence. All the bowing and meditating and wood-chopping that is part and parcel of her retreat is hardly first nature, but the good-humored and tenacious Dobisz is able to adapt, and to relate her hundred days with moving insight and humanity. Her Solitude in fact offers us all a chance to commune with her and to look inside and rediscover our own grace.The Pox and the Covenant
By Tony Williams. 2010
For one hundred years, God had held to his promise, and the colonists had as well. When the first Puritans…
sailed into Massachusetts in the seventeenth century, weak from the ocean journey, they formed a covenant with each other and with God to establish a city on a hill-a commitment to live uncorrupted lives together or all suffer divine wrath for their collective sin. But now, a century later, the arrival of one doomed ship would put this covenant to its greatest test. On April 22, 1721, the HMS Seahorse arrived in Boston from the West Indies, carrying goods, cargo, and, unbeknownst to its crew, a deadly virus. Soon, a smallpox epidemic had broken out in Boston, causing hundreds of deaths and panic across the city. The clergy, including the famed Cotton Mather, turned to their standard form of defense against disease: fasting and prayer. But a new theory was also being offered to the public by the scientific world: inoculation. The fierce debate over the right way to combat the tragedy would become a battle between faith and reason, one that would set the city aflame with rage and riot. The Pox and the Covenant is a story of well known figures such as Cotton Mather, James Franklin, and a young Benjamin Franklin struggling to fight for their cause among death and debate-although not always for the side one would expect. In the end, the incredible results of the epidemic and battle would reshape the colonists' view of their destiny, setting for America a new course, a new covenant, and the first drumbeats of revolution.Escape From China
By Zhang Boli. 1998
Who can forget the searing images, telecast around the world, of the brave Chinese students facing the tanks that rolled…
toward them in Tiananmen Square as they rebelled against their Communist government? After a two-week standoff, the military forces charged in and brutally suppressed the revolt, killing many students and issuing a warrant for the arrest of all responsible for the insurgence. As one of the top student leaders in the demonstrations at Tiananmen Square, Zhang Boli became even more famous as he managed to evade a ruthless nationwide police manhunt. After two years as a fugitive, he was the only leader who had not been accounted for. Among the twenty-one students placed on the government's most-wanted list, Zhang knew that he would never again be able to live openly in China and that he must bid his beloved country -- as well as his wife and baby daughter -- farewell. In Escape From China, Zhang Boli tells the fascinating, inspirational story of how he avoided capture and surpassed overwhelming obstacles in his struggle to survive and ultimately find freedom in the West. Traveling across the frozen terrain of the former Soviet Union, where Russian peasants rescued him, and finding his way through the deserted lands of China's precarious borders, Zhang had little but his extraordinary will to propel him, subsisting for months at a time on the flesh of wild animals. In the course of his long ordeal, he loses his love, finding God and, eventually, freedom. Although Zhang's incredible journey was filled with many harrowing experiences, he chooses, in this gripping first-person account, to focus on the many kind people who helped him through his darkest days. A powerful memoir of great drama and historical resonance, Escape From China will not only astound you, but renew your faith in humanity and in the power of the human spirit.War and Peace in the Life of the Prophet Muhammad
By Zakaria Bashier. 2006
By analyzing the Prophet's conduct in war and his measures for ensuring peace the misperception that Islam is inextricably linked…
with violence can be allayed. The major battles in the early history of Islam are studied in the wider context of Islamic teachings on war and peace, as are the Qur'anic verses which allow Muslims to wage war, if necessary.Great Disciples of the Buddha
By Hellmuth Hecker, Bhikkhu Bodhi, Nyanaponika Thera. 1997
A perennial favorite, Great Disciples of the Buddha is now relaunched in our best-selling Teachings of the Buddha series. Twenty-four…
of the Buddha's most distinguished disciples are brought to life in ten chapters of rich narration. Drawn from a wide range of authentic Pali sources, the material in these stories has never before been assembled in a single volume. Through these engaging tales, we meet all manner of human beings - rich, poor, male, female, young, old - whose unique stories are told with an eye to the details of ordinary human concerns. When read with careful attention, these stories can sharpen our understanding of the Buddhist path by allowing us to contemplate the living portraits of the people who fulfilled the early Buddhist ideals of human perfection. The characters detailed include: Sariputta Nanda Mahamoggallana Mahakassapa Ananda Isidasi Anuruddha Mahakaccana Angulimala Visakha and many more. Conveniently annotated with the same system of sutta references used in each of the other series volumes, Great Disciples of the Buddha allows the reader to easily place each student in the larger picture of Buddha's life. It is a volume that no serious student of Buddhism should miss.Meetings: Autobiographical Fragments
By Martin Buber. 2002
Meetings sets forth the life of one of the twentieth-century's greatest spiritual philosophers in his own words. A glittering series…
of reflections and narratives, it seeks not to describe his life in its full entirety, but rather to convey some of his defining moments of uncertainty, revelation and meaning. Recalling the question on the infinity of space and time which nearly drove Buber to suicide at the age of fourteen, his adolescent 'seduction' by Nietzsche's work, his hero-worship of Ferdinand Lassalle and his love of Bach's music, Meetings has no equal as a portrait of an unique intellect in progress. Like Buber's great works Between Man and Man and The Way of Man, it evokes a tactile, earthly concept of meaning ultimately found, as Maurice Friedman writes in his introduction, 'not in conceptual or systematic thought but in the four-dimensional reality of events and meetings'.Thomas Aquinas
By Denys Turner. 2013
Leaving so few traces of himself behind, Thomas Aquinas seems to defy the efforts of the biographer. Highly visible as…
a public teacher, preacher, and theologian, he nevertheless has remained nearly invisible as man and saint. What can be discovered about Thomas Aquinas as a whole? In this short, compelling portrait, Denys Turner clears away the haze of time and brings Thomas vividly to life for contemporary readers--those unfamiliar with the saint as well as those well acquainted with his teachings.Building on the best biographical scholarship available today and reading the works of Thomas with piercing acuity, Turner seeks the point at which the man, the mind, and the soul of Thomas Aquinas intersect. Reflecting upon Thomas, a man of Christian Trinitarian faith yet one whose thought is grounded firmly in the body's interaction with the material world, a thinker at once confident in the powers of human reason and a man of prayer, Turner provides a more detailed human portrait than ever before of one of the most influential philosophers and theologians in all of Western thought.Coffee with Calvin
By Donald K. Mckim. 2013
These eighty-four practical devotions offer an accessible look into the enduring theology of John Calvin. Each day's devotion presents a…
short excerpt from Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion, followed by a topical reflection by Donald K. McKim. The book is organized into eight sections and arranged for either daily or weekly devotional study. The sections are organized thematically, allowing readers the flexibility to delve into the topics they are most interested in. Readers will come away seeing Calvin as an eminently practical theologian with timeless insights into the Christian life.fathermothergod
By Lucia Greenhouse. 2011
Lucia Ewing had what looked like an all-American childhood. She lived with her mother, father, sister, and brother in an…
affluent suburb of Minneapolis, where they enjoyed private schools, sleep-away camps, a country club membership, and skiing vacations. Surrounded by a tight-knit extended family, and doted upon by her parents, Lucia had no doubt she was loved and cared for. But when it came to accidents and illnesses, Lucia's parents didn't take their kids to the doctor's office--they prayed, and called a Christian Science practitioner. fathermothergod is Lucia Greenhouse's story about growing up in Christian Science, in a house where you could not be sick, because you were perfect; where no medicine, even aspirin, was allowed. As a teenager, her visit to an ophthalmologist created a family crisis. She was a sophomore in college before she had her first annual physical. And in December 1985, when Lucia and her siblings, by then young adults, discovered that their mother was sick, they came face-to-face with the reality that they had few--if any--options to save her. Powerless as they watched their mother's agonizing suffering, Lucia and her siblings struggled with their own grief, anger, and confusion, facing scrutiny from the doctors to whom their parents finally allowed them to turn, and stinging rebuke from relatives who didn't share their parents' religious values. In this haunting, beautifully written book, Lucia pulls back the curtain on the Christian Science faith and chronicles its complicated legacy for her family. At once an essentially American coming-of-age story and a glimpse into the practices of a religion few really understand, fathermothergod is an unflinching exploration of personal loss and the boundaries of family and faith.