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Friend of Science, Friend of Faith: Listening to God in His Works and Word
By Gregg Davidson. 2019
A scientist explores the harmony between Christian faith and scienceThough some Christians and many skeptics see science and Christianity as…
locked in a never-ending battle, geologist Gregg Davidson contends that there is tremendous harmony between Scripture and modern science. Many apparent conflicts arise when the Bible is interpreted apart from its literary and historical contexts, but when these are taken into account, most alleged clashes resolve.Proceeding from a belief that Scripture is inspired and without error and that God's creation should inform how we interpret the Bible, Davidson shows that Scripture and science need not disagree on issues like the age of the earth, Adam and Eve, Noah's flood, the origin and development of life, and numerous related topics. Rather, Christians can rejoice at how God's glory is revealed in both the Bible and the natural world.Gender and Orthodox Christianity: Dynamics of Tradition, Culture and Lived Practice (Routledge Studies in Religion)
By Elina Vuola, Helena Kupari. 2020
The Orthodox Christian tradition has all too often been sidelined in conversations around contemporary religion. Despite being distinct from Protestantism…
and Catholicism in both theology and practice, it remains an underused setting for academic inquiry into current lived religious practice. This collection, therefore, seeks to redress this imbalance by investigating modern manifestations of Orthodox Christianity through an explicitly gender-sensitive gaze. By addressing attitudes to gender in this context, it fills major gaps in the literature on both religion and gender. Starting with the traditional teachings and discourses around gender in the Orthodox Church, the book moves on to demonstrate the diversity of responses to those narratives that can be found among Orthodox populations in Europe and North America. Using case studies from several countries, with both large and small Orthodox populations, contributors use an interdisciplinary approach to address how gender and religion interact in contexts such as, iconography, conversion, social activism and ecumenical relations, among others. From Greece and Russia to Finland and the USA, this volume sheds new light on the myriad ways in which gender is manifested, performed, and engaged within contemporary Orthodoxy. Furthermore, it also demonstrates that employing the analytical lens of gender enables new insights into Orthodox Christianity as a lived tradition. It will, therefore, be of great interest to scholars of both Religious Studies and Gender Studies.Who Wrote the Bible?
By Richard Friedman. 1997
A much anticipated reissue of Who Wrote the Bible?—the contemporary classic the New York Times Book Review called “a thought-provoking…
[and] perceptive guide” that identifies the individual writers of the Pentateuch and explains what they can teach us about the origins of the Bible.For thousands of years, the prophet Moses was regarded as the sole author of the first five books of the Bible, known as the Pentateuch. According to tradition, Moses was divinely directed to write down foundational events in the history of the world: the creation of humans, the worldwide flood, the laws as they were handed down at Mt. Sinai, and the cycle of Israel’s enslavement and liberation from Egypt. However, these stories—and their frequent discrepancies—provoke questions: why does the first chapter in Genesis say that man and woman were made in God’s image, while the second says that woman was made from man’s rib? Why does one account of the flood say it lasted forty days, while another records no less than one hundred? And why do some stories reflect the history of southern Judah, while others seem sourced from northern Israel? Originally published in 1987, Richard Friedman’s Who Wrote the Bible? joins a host of modern scholars who show that the Pentateuch was written by at least four distinct voices—separated by borders, political alliances, and particular moments in history—then connected by brilliant editors. Rather than cast doubt onto the legitimacy of the Bible, Friedman uses these divergent accounts to illuminate a text that was written by real people. Friedman’s seminal and bestselling text is a comprehensive and authoritative answer to the question: just who exactly wrote the Bible?Faith: A Journey For All
By Jimmy Carter. 2018
In this powerful reflection, President Jimmy Carter contemplates how faith has sustained him in happiness and disappointment. He considers how…
we may find it in our own lives.All his life, President Jimmy Carter has been a courageous exemplar of faith. Now he shares the lessons he learned. He writes, “The issue of faith arises in almost every area of human existence, so it is important to understand its multiple meanings. In this book, my primary goal is to explore the broader meaning of faith, its far-reaching effect on our lives, and its relationship to past, present, and future events in America and around the world. The religious aspects of faith are also covered, since this is how the word is most often used, and I have included a description of the ways my faith has guided and sustained me, as well as how it has challenged and driven me to seek a closer and better relationship with people and with God.” As President Carter examines faith’s many meanings, he describes how to accept it, live it, how to doubt and find faith again. A serious and moving reflection from one of America’s most admired and respected citizens.Buddha and the Gospel of Buddhism
By Ananda Coomaraswamy. 2018
“THE aim of this book is to set forth as simply as possible the Gospel of Buddhism according to the…
Buddhist scriptures, and to consider the Buddhist systems in relation, on the one hand, to the Brahmanical systems in which they originate, and, on the other hand, to those systems of Christian mysticism which afford the nearest analogies. At the same time the endeavour has been made to illustrate the part which Buddhist thought has played in the whole development of Asiatic culture, and to suggest a part of the significance it may still possess for modern thinkers.“The way of the Buddha is not, indeed, concerned directly with the order of the world, for it calls on higher men to leave the marketplace. But the order of the world can only be established on a foundation of knowledge: every evil is ultimately traceable to ignorance. It is necessary, then, to recognize the world for what it truly is. Gautama teaches us that the marks of this life are imperfection, transcience, and the absence of any changeless individuality. He sets before us a summum bonum closely akin to the Christian mystic conception of ‘self-naughting.’ Here are definite statements which must be either true or false, and a clearly defined goal which we must either accept or refuse. If the statements be false, and if the goal be worthless, it is of the highest importance that the former should be refuted and the latter discredited. But if the diagnosis be correct and the aim worthy, it is at least of equal importance that this should be generally recognized: for we cannot wish to perpetuate as the basis of our sociology a view of life that is demonstrably false or a purpose demonstrably contrary to our conception of the good.“This book is designed, therefore, not as an addition to our already overburdened libraries of information, but as a definite contribution to the philosophy of life.”—Ananada K. CoomaraswamyThe Way of Peace and Blessedness
By Swami Paramananda. 2018
“LIKE ‘The Path of Devotion’ by the same author, the present volume is made up in chief measure of extracts…
from letters; hence the living, personal note that sounds through its pages. According to Vedanta, religion is always an individual problem and the truest method of transmitting it the individual method. It must be a direct call from the wise and loving heart of the Teacher to the questioning heart of the disciple, the immediate quickening of the letter by the spirit. The great Vedic Scriptures are nothing more: a mighty Seer of Truth sitting in the shaded seclusion of an Himalayan forest, passing on to some eager, inquiring student the fruits of his realization. And wherever this note is heard, whether in the eternal word of a Scripture or in the admonitions of a simple letter, it cannot fail to stir to new life the spiritual consciousness.“The Way of Peace and Blessedness must ever be the way of consecrated service to a lofty Ideal, through unwavering trust, purity of heart and steadfast devotion. To follow it, one must rouse the soul from its slumber of ignorance or indifference and make it feel the reality of God and the spiritual life; one must learn how to worship Truth and gain the Divine vision, how to love and work unselfishly and prayerfully. These are the lessons taught in these pages, lessons too potent and precious to be kept for one only; so they have been gathered up into this little book, which is now sent forth with its holy message in the earnest hope that through it many may find peace and blessing.”—DEVAMATAHealing Meditations
By Swami Paramananda. 2018
First published in 1932, this little book from Swami Paramananda, the highly-regarded Vedanta philosopher and teacher, contains nine guided meditations—one…
each for the individual to address life’s problems and issues.“THERE is nothing so potent as meditation to re-establish our rhythm when our mind is tossed by the waves of unruly thought.“There is no ill in life that cannot be cured by right meditation.“True meditation purifies our mind and clarifies our vision.“True meditation gives us, as it were, wings for flight to a higher realm and thus detaches us from terrestrial fetters.“It is through the habit of meditation we overcome all our sorrows and afflictions. “For every ill there is a meditation. There is the Meditation of Life, Meditation of Light, Meditation of Purity, Meditation of Humility, Meditation of Joy, Meditation of Freedom, Meditation of Love, Meditation of Wisdom, Meditation of Peace.”—Swami ParamanandaCreative Power of Silence
By Swami Paramananda. 2018
Silence, the great unseen power, the miracle of life, works upon our character with strange contrast.Prior to spiritual studies, the…
idea of complete silence is strongly advocated by many. In practicing the silence, it is found to unfold our higher nature. The silence allows concentration. With the intrusion of noise, the mind cannot be receptive.Contrary to some belief, the silence is not to free the mind to allow emptiness. It means co-ordination of body and mind. It reduces friction and becomes a definite factor for our concentrated thought. The silence is essential for all forms of study. “A silent being is a very restful being. All wise people realize the deeper part of our nature can only be expressed effectively when our outer being is still.”Plato and Vedic Idealism
By Swami Paramananda. 2018
Vedanta, along with Sankhya, Yoga, Nyaya, Vaisheshika, and Mimamsa, is one of the six Hindu theist philosophies. It focuses heavily…
on the Upanishads, which center concepts such as Brahman (ultimate reality) and Atman (soul, self).In Plato and Vedic Idealism, which was first published in 1924, Swami Paramananda explores similarities between Greek philosophy, with emphasis on Plato, and Vedic philosophy.Authority Encounter: Embracing God's Mission for You
By Chuck Davis. 2013
For those following Jesus, the question of "what now" often enters the mind and heart. In Authority Encounter,pastor Chuck Davis…
provides clarifying answers and guidance. Davis presents the case that one key aspect of being a Christ follower is the notion of authority. Living in a world that is rooted in power, Christ followers are challenged daily by powers that seek to interrupt or trample their success in the journey through Christ. Davis believes that while followers receive empowerment from the Holy Spirit, this power is only fully operational as they function out of their God-given authority. As believers, everything they need is at their disposal. However, they must actively appropriate their authority, both in attitude and in action. In attitude means bringing all of their life into the experiential knowledge of this authority. They need to immerse themselves in what it means to be positioned in Christ. Davis provides biblical verses that will help readers understand their authority and deepen their understanding of the kingdom of God.In God They Trust?: The Religious Beliefs of Australia's Prime Ministers 1901-2013
By Roy Williams. 2013
Most of Australia's leaders since Federation believed in God. Some were serious Christians and very few were indifferent towards religion.…
In this timely and original book, Roy Williams examines the spiritual life of each of our Prime Ministers from Edmund Barton to Julia Gillard. He explores the ways in which - for good and ill - their beliefs (or agnosticism) shaped the history and development of the nation. Featuring extensive interviews with John Howard and Kevin Rudd, and pulling no punches, IN GOD THEY TRUST? will appeal to voters across party lines and excite plenty of debate among believers and non-believers alike.Christ in Crisis: Why We Need to Reclaim Jesus
By Jim Wallis. 2019
Writing in response to our current “constitutional crisis,” New York Times bestselling author and Christian activist Jim Wallis urges America…
to return to the tenets of Jesus once again as the means to save us from the polarizing bitterness and anger of our tribal nation.In Christ in Crisis Jim Wallis provides a path of spiritual healing and solidarity to help us heal the divide separating Americans today. Building on “Reclaiming Jesus”—the declaration he and other church leaders wrote in May 2018 to address America’s current crisis—Wallis argues that Christians have become disconnected from Jesus and need to revisit their spiritual foundations. By pointing to eight questions Jesus asked or is asked, Wallis provides a means to measure whether we are truly aligned with the moral and spiritual foundations of our Christian faith. “Christians have often remembered, re-discovered, and returned to their obedient discipleship of Jesus Christ—both personal and public—in times of trouble. It’s called coming home,” Wallis reminds us. While he addresses the dividing lines and dangers facing our nation, the religious and cultural commentator’s focus isn’t politics; it’s faith.As he has done throughout his career, Wallis offers comfort, empathy, and a practical roadmap. Christ in Crisis is a constructive field guide for all those involved in resistance and renewal initiatives in faith communities in the post-2016 political context.Fake Evidence examines the scientific evidence offered in evolution-creation court cases from the State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes…
in 1925 to Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District in 2005. The validity of the different types of evidence is tested against the current ideas in the scientific literature. Much of the evidence offered in the past would not be offered in such a case if held today.The first chapter of the book looks at court evidence in light of the nature of science. Court cases have been decided based on fingerprints, handwriting samples, DNA, etc. only to be overturned later. Why are evolution cases allowed to stand when the evidence used in the trial is no longer valid?The State of Tennessee v. John Thomas Scopes is the first evolution-creation case. It is discussed in chapter two. Because of its well-known attorneys, Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan, it attracted national attention. In this trial, a hoax like the Piltdown Man was offered as evidence for the proof of evolution.Chapter three moves ahead to the 1960s and considers Epperson v. Arkansas that declared laws forbidding the teaching of evolution as unconstitutional. This case is also considered in light of two other court cases decided that decade--Engel v. Vitale that removed state-initiated prayers in the classroom and Abington School District v. Schempp that ruled against a daily Bible reading in school. How were these cases similar?Since evolution had to be taught, efforts were made to have evolution and creation taught side by side. These efforts brought about two court cases--McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education and Edwards v. Aguillard. McLean v. Arkansas Board of Education dealt with an Arkansas law and was decided in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Arkansas and was limited to that region. Edwards v. Aquillard was a similar law passed in Louisiana which was appealed all the way to the United States Supreme Court. The justices declared the teaching of scientific creationism was religious teaching and thus unconstitutional.The final case that is examined in this work is Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District. The school board in Dover, Pennsylvania wanted to see its students become aware of intelligent design. A good deal of this case centered on showing that intelligent design is religious teaching so that the judge could rule against it based on the earlier court cases against a religious view being taught in public schools.Fake Evidence closes with a look at some of the view expressed against religion in Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District and the dangers found in those views. The book also contains several appendices, including one on “The Fruits of Evolution.”AMLO y la religión: El estado laico bajo amenaza
By Bernardo Barranco, Roberto Blancarte. 2019
La Iglesia y el Estado han vuelto a sonreírse. La religión ha recuperado protagonismo en la vida política de México.…
El responsable de ese fenómeno es el presidente Andrés Manuel López Obrador. Pese a declararse juarista, el primer mandatario ha difuminado, como ninguno de sus predecesores, la frontera entre lo que es de Dios y lo que es del César: llegó al poder aliado con un partido de origen religioso, ha invitado a Palacio Nacional a líderes y agrupaciones cristianas, ha abierto la puerta de las concesiones televisivas a iglesias evangélicas; defiende políticas de Estado con frases bíblicas y ha pedido a las adscripciones religiosas que distribuyan la Cartilla Moral, documento básico para la llamada Cuarta Transformación. En AMLO y la religión, Roberto Blancarte y Bernardo Barranco, los dos mayores expertos en el tema, diseccionan esta dinámica que puede transformar el balance de poder en México, cambiar el rostro del país y redefinir conceptos como laicidad y separación Iglesia-Estado.La Preghiera di Gesù
By Esteban Emaús. 2018
L’incontro con Dio inonda la nostra anima e ci riempie di pace. Quando la sua grazia arriva al nostro intimo…
vorremmo prolungare quel momento perché duri tutto il giorno. Ma la quotidianità ce lo impedisce; i nostri doveri e obblighi ci impongono di stare nel mondo, con i suoi movimenti e rumori. Tuttavia, esiste un modo diverso di pregare, chiamato Preghiera del Cuore, un insegnamento che proviene dalle prime comunità cristiane, ereditato poi dai cristiani d’Occidente, che ne hanno fatto un’abitudine. Grazie a questo tipo di preghiera, possiamo arrivare all’incontro con nostro Signore e rimanere alla sua presenza anche durante il lavoro quotidiano, quando siamo con i nostri cari o svolgiamo una qualunque attività, senza perdere i frutti della presenza di Gesù, a tal punto da trasmetterli a coloro che ci circondano. Alcuni temi trattati nel libro: -LA MENTE VAGABONDA -LA TIRANNIA DEL CORPO -IL COMBATTIMENTO SPIRITUALE -LA VOLONTÀ DI DIO -LA FEDE -LA MEDITAZIONE SILENZIOSA -INIZIAZIONE ALLA PREGHIERA DI GESÙ - VIGILANZA -ESICHIA E COMPUNZIONE -IL LUOGO DELLA PRESENZA -LA RESPIRAZIONE -IL SILENZIO -L’APOSTOLATO -STATI INTERIORI -VIVERE NELLA FIDUCIA -IL LUOGO DELLA PREGHIERA -COME SI FA UNA RICHIESTA? -MAGGIORE CONSAPEVOLEZZA -L’APPARTENENZA DEL CUORE -IMPEGNI: OFFERTE DEL CUOREA Oração de Jesús Iniciação à Prática
By Monise Moreno de Souza, Esteban Emaús. 2018
A experiência da solitude e da íntima busca de Deus no próprio coração, levam o homem ao silêncio. Nesse vazio…
de pensamentos, com os anseios calmos e o corpo tranquilizado, ilumina a Presença que sempre se buscou. O eremitismo histórico encontra sua raiz neste desejo de eternidade e liberdade a partir deste mesmo mundo. O paraíso torna-se presente agora mesmo no interior do eremita, que por isto mesmo transfigura o mundo com seu olhar. Esta solitude do coração não se deve necessariamente ao afastamento dos homens, mas a uma vida atenta à presença divina, em qualquer circunstância. Assim vivem também os eremitas urbanos, que em seu silêncio anônimo mantêm vivo o espírito original das primeiras comunidades cristãs; tão próximas de Cristo quanto afastadas de toda pompa, boato ou hierarquia organizada. A Oração de Jesus é um caminho rápido ao coração da Presença. O Irmão Esteban de Emaús nos apresenta esse caminho a partir de sua própria experiência.I Wonder U: How Prince Went beyond Race and Back
By Adilifu Nama. 2020
In 1993, Prince infamously changed his name to a unique, unpronounceable symbol. Yet this was only one of a long…
string of self-reinventions orchestrated by Prince as he refused to be typecast by the music industry’s limiting definitions of masculinity and femininity, of straightness and queerness, of authenticity and artifice, or of black music and white music. Revealing how he continually subverted cultural expectations, I Wonder U examines the entirety of Prince’s diverse career as a singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter, producer, record label mogul, movie star, and director. It shows how, by blending elements of R&B, rock, and new wave into an extremely videogenic package, Prince was able to overcome the color barrier that kept black artists off of MTV. Yet even at his greatest crossover success, he still worked hard to retain his credibility among black music fans. In this way, Adilifu Nama suggests, Prince was able to assert a distinctly black political sensibility while still being perceived as a unique musical genius whose appeal transcended racial boundaries.Woven: A Faith for the Dissatisfied
By Joel McKerrow. 2019
‘This book is about Jesus. It is about my journey toward Jesus. Which may sound strange to some of you,…
but it is true. It is a journey of losing a Jesus that was too small and looked way too much like me, to a Jesus that began to mesmerise me. A Jesus calling me to something much grander and more holistic and more inclusive than I had thought possible. A Jesus who was drawing me into the true and into the beautiful.’This is not a book of cookie-cut spirituality. It is not a book of answers, nor programmable spiritual growth. This book is a question. An invitation. A beckoning toward movement and a faith that can weather the storms of life.In Woven, Joel McKerrow dares to put forth that our questions, struggles and doubts are not something to be feared, but may actually provide us with the path toward a vibrant faith. Joel takes us on a pilgrimage, from childhood belief to grief over a lost religion, to a richer, more sustaining faith that was previously unimaginable to him.This is a demanding and compelling account of what it means to rethink our Christian beliefs and find both a restoration and a reconstruction into the expansiveness of God’s story.Catholic Missionaries in Early Modern Asia: Patterns of Localization (Religious Cultures in the Early Modern World)
By Nadine Amsler, Andreea Badea, Bernard Heyberger, Christian Windler. 2020
Over recent decades, historians have become increasingly interested in early modern Catholic missions in Asia as laboratories of cultural contact.…
This book builds on recent ground-breaking research on early modern Catholic missions, which has shown that missionaries in Asia cooperated with and accommodated the needs of local agents rather than being uncompromising promoters of post-Tridentine doctrine and devotion. Bringing together some of the most renowned and innovative researchers from Anglophone countries and continental Europe, this volume investigates how missionaries’ entanglements with local societies across Asia contributed to processes of localization within the early modern Catholic church. The focus of the volume is on missionaries’ adaptation to four ideal-typical social settings that played an eminent role in early modern Asian missions: (1) the symbolically loaded princely court; (2) the city as a space of especially dense communication; (3) the countryside, where missionary presence was only rarely permanent; (4) and the household – a central arena of conversion in early modern Asian societies. Shining a fresh light onto the history of early modern Catholic missions and the early modern Eurasian cultural exchange, this will be an important book for any scholar of religious history, history of cultural contact/global history and early modern history in Asia.LIFE Elton John
By The Editors of LIFE. 1975