{"title":"Nature and existence of God Books","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"sacred-nature-how-we-can-recover-our-bond-with-the-natural-world-9781529114799","title":"Sacred Nature: How we can recover our bond with","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A rich and subtle exploration of the sacredness of nature\u003c\/b\u003e,\u003cb\u003e filled with a timeless wisdom and deep humanity' \u003ci\u003eGuardian \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this hugely powerful book, Karen Armstrong argues that it isn't enough to change our behaviour to avert environmental catastrophe - we must rekindle our spiritual bond with the natural world. From gratitude and compassion to sacrifice and non-violence, Armstrong draws themes from the world's religious traditions to offer practical steps to reconnect you with nature.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSpeaking to anyone interested in our relationship with nature, worried about environmental destruction, or searching for new actions to save our planet, \u003ci\u003eSacred Nature \u003c\/i\u003ewill uncover the most profound connections between humans and the natural world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'A lamentation in the key of Greta Thunberg, with undertones of Carl Jung' \u003ci\u003eWall Street Journal\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Warm and witty... a challenge to think differently in the face of climate change' \u003ci\u003eTablet\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Karen Armstrong is one of the handful of wise and supremely commentators on religion' Alain de Botton\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA rich and subtle exploration of the sacredness of nature\u003c\/b\u003e, filled with a \u003cb\u003etimeless wisdom \u003c\/b\u003eand \u003cb\u003edeep humanity \u003c\/b\u003e... Much has been written on the scientific and technological aspects of climate change ... But Armstrong's book is both more \u003cb\u003epersonal\u003c\/b\u003e and more \u003cb\u003eprofound\u003c\/b\u003e. Its \u003cb\u003eurgent\u003c\/b\u003e message is that hearts and minds need to change if we are to once more learn to revere our beautiful and fragile planet * Guardian, Book of the Day *\u003cbr\u003eKaren Armstrong is \u003cb\u003eone of the handful of wise and supremely intelligent commentators on religion\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWarm and witty \u003c\/b\u003e\u003ci\u003e...\u003c\/i\u003e [Armstrong's] ability to summon up examples and quotations...is humbling... \u003ci\u003eSacred Nature\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003e \u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e[is]\u003cb\u003e a challenge to think differently\u003c\/b\u003e in the face of climate change, to recover ways of looking at things, including God * Tablet *\u003cbr\u003eAn \u003cb\u003eaccessible \u003c\/b\u003eaccount of how a wider religious perspective might contribute to humans' adopting a more solicitous attitude to nature -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47851592155479,"sku":"9781529114799","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781529114799.jpg?v=1710639588"},{"product_id":"god-9780198708957","title":"God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho or what is God? How do different religions interpret God''s existence? How can we know God? Many people believe in God; not just throughout history but also in the present day. But who or what is it they believe in? Many different and sometimes conflicting answers have been suggested to this question. This Very Short Introduction explores some of the answers provided by philosophers, poets, and theologians, and considers why some people believe in God and others do not.John Bowker explores how the major religions established their own distinctive beliefs about God and how they interpret God''s existence, and concludes by looking at how our understanding of God continues to evolve. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e1. Does God exist? ; 2. Why believe in God? ; 3. The religions of Abraham: Jewish understandings of God. ; 4. The religions of Abraham: Christian understandings of God. ; 5. The religions of Abraham: Muslim understandings of God. ; 6. Religions of India ; 7. On knowing and not knowing God ; Further reading ; Index","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732767486295,"sku":"9780198708957","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780198708957.jpg?v=1719998311"},{"product_id":"the-coherence-of-theism-9780198779704","title":"The Coherence of Theism","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe Coherence of Theism investigates what it means, and whether it is coherent, to say that there is a God. Richard Swinburne concludes that despite philosophical objections, most traditional claims about God are coherent (that is, do not involve contradictions); and although some of the most important claims are coherent only if the words by which they are expressed are being used in analogical senses, this is the way in which theologians have usually claimed that they are being used. When the first edition of this book was published in 1977, it was the first book in the new ''analytic'' tradition of philosophy of religion to discuss these issues. Since that time there have been very many books and discussions devoted to them, and this new, substantially rewritten, second edition takes account of these discussions and of new developments in philosophy generally over the past 40 years. These discussions have concerned how to analyse the claim that God is ''omnipotent'', whether God can foreknow human free actions, whether God is everlasting or timeless, and what it is for God to be a ''necessary being''. On all these issues this new edition has new things to say.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePART I. RELIGIOUS LANGUAGE; PART II. A CONTINGENT GOD; PART III. A NECESSARY GOD","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732781838679,"sku":"9780198779704","price":999.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}]},{"product_id":"the-existence-of-god-9780199271689","title":"The Existence of God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard Swinburne presents a substantially rewritten and updated edition of his most celebrated book. No other work has made a more powerful case for the probability of the existence of God. Swinburne gives a rigorous and penetrating analysis of the most important arguments for theism: the cosmological argument; arguments from the existence of laws of nature and the ''fine-tuning'' of the universe; from the occurrence of consciousness and moral awareness; and from miracles and religious experience. He claims that while none of these arguments are deductively valid, they do give inductive support to theism and that, even when the argument from evil is weighed against them, taken together they offer good grounds to support the probability that there is a God. The overall structure of the discussion and its conclusion have been retained for this new edition, but much has been changed in order to strengthen the argumentation and to take account of Swinburne''s subsequent work on the nature of consciousness and the problem of evil, and of the latest philosophical and scientific writing, especially in respect of the laws of nature and the argument from fine-tuning. This is now the definitive version of a classic in the philosophy of religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRichard Swinburne...over the past thirty years or so, has fashioned the most sophisticated and highly developed natural theology the world has so far seen. * Alvin Plantinga, Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003e...if you want Swinburne's latest thoughts, and his response to some recent developments, here they are. * R.L. Sturch, The Journal of Theological Studies *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction ; 1. Inductive Arguments ; 2. The Nature of Explanation ; 3. The Justification of Explanation ; 4. Complete Explanation ; 5. The Intrinsic Probability of Theism ; 6. The Explanatory Power of Theism: General Considerations ; 7. The Cosmological Argument ; 8. Teleological Arguments ; 9. Arguments from Consciousness and Morality ; 10. The Argument from Providence ; 11. The Problem of Evil ; 12. Arguments from History and Miracles ; 13. The Argument from Religious Experience ; 14. The Balance of Probability ; Additional Note 1: The Trinity ; Additional Note 2: Recent Arguments to Design from Biology ; Additional Note 3: Plantinga's Argument Against Evolutionary Naturalism","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732839870807,"sku":"9780199271689","price":39.89,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"the-nature-of-the-gods-oxford-worlds-classics-9780199540068","title":"The Nature of the Gods Oxford Worlds Classics","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCicero's philosophical works are now exciting renewed interest, in part because he provides vital evidence of the views of the (largely lost) Greek philosophers of the Hellenistic age, and partly because of the light he casts on the intellectual life of first century Rome. This edition uses the 1997 Clarendon text by the acclaimed translator P.G. Walsh.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe translation is both lively and accurate; the introduction is judicious and informative. The notes are especially strong on the identification of the many historical references in the work. * Phronesis *","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732854190423,"sku":"9780199540068","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199540068.jpg?v=1719998682"},{"product_id":"is-there-a-god-9780199580439","title":"Is There a God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIs There a God? offers a powerful response to modern doubts about the existence of God. It may seem today that the answers to all fundamental questions lie in the province of science, and that the scientific advances of the twentieth century leave little room for God. Cosmologists have rolled back their theories to the moment of the Big Bang, the discovery of DNA reveals the key to life, the theory of evolution explains the development of life... and with each new discovery or development, it seems that we are closer to a complete understanding of how things are. For many people, this gives strength to the belief that God is not needed to explain the universe; that religious belief is not based on reason; and that the existence of God is, intellectually, a lost cause. Richard Swinburne, one of the most distinguished philosophers of religion of our day, argues that on the contrary, science provides good grounds for belief in God. Why is there a universe at all ? Why is there any life on Earth? How is it that discoverable scientific laws operate in the universe? Professor Swinburne uses the methods of scientific reasoning to argue that the best answers to these questions are given by the existence of God. The picture of the universe that science gives us is completed by God.This new, updated edition of Richard Swinburne''s popular introductory book Is There a God? features two substantial changes. He presents a new, stronger argument why theism does and materialism does not provide a very simple ultimate explanation of the world. And he examines the idea of the possible existence of many other universes, and its relevance to his arguments from the fine-tuning of our universe to the existence of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eReview from previous edition The book is ... an immensely rewarding one for those who are prepared to give it the close attention which it both requires and deserves ... Swinburne is accepting the challenge to make his case on the more difficult side. He succeeds brilliantly, and we can indeed be grateful to him for that ... a worthy counterbalance to the views of such as Dawkins and Hawking. It is much to be hoped that it receives as much attention. * The Door *\u003cbr\u003eThe book is clearly written, compact, and it provides an excellent introduction to the work of a prolific and significant contemporary Christian philosopher of religion. Not all will be convinced by every argument, but all will benefit from reading it with attention. * Science and Christian Belief *\u003cbr\u003eHe argues his case very well both in this book and in others ... if you are looking for a book which will help you to see that there is more than what you daily observe with your senses, this is a good book to read. * The Tablet *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eINTRODUCTION ; 1. GOD ; 2. HOW WE EXPLAIN THINGS ; 3. THE SIMPLICITY OF GOD ; 4. HOW THE EXISTENCE OF GOD EXPLAINS THE WORLD AND ITS ORDER ; 5. HOW THE EXISTENCE OF GOD EXPLAINS THE EXISTENCE OF HUMANS ; 6. WHY GOD ALLOWS EVIL ; 7. HOW THE EXISTENCE OF GOD EXPLAINS MIRACLES AND RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ; EPILOGUE: SO WHAT? ; GUIDE TO FURTHER READING ; INDEX","brand":"Oxford University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48732868870487,"sku":"9780199580439","price":14.2,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780199580439.jpg?v=1719998740"},{"product_id":"god-and-creation-an-ecumenical-symposium-microstructural-science-17-9780268010201","title":"God and Creation An Ecumenical Symposium","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis collection of essays, which originated in 1987 at a symposium titled \"\"God and Creation: An Ecumenical Symposium in Comparative Religious Thought,\"\" is devoted to the doctrine of creation in the three Western monotheistic faiths: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e“A gem of a book that no student of Abrahamic faiths in general or of Islam in particular can afford to miss. \u003ci\u003eGod and Creation\u003c\/i\u003e marks a major contribution to comparative religious thought as well as to the doctrine of divine creation in the monotheistic traditions. . . . One fervently hopes that this remarkable book soon becomes available as a paperback so that it can reach the hands of eager students instead of collecting dust on the bookshelves of wearied specialists.” —\u003ci\u003eMuslim World Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003e\"God and Creation \u003c\/i\u003eis an important contribution to comparative religious thought in general and to serious theological reflection on the doctrine of divine creation in Judaism, Christianity and Islam in particular.\" —Temple University\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The doctrine of creation is the issue under consideration in \u003ci\u003eGod and Creation\u003c\/i\u003e, the collection of papers and responses originally delivered at a symposium held at the University of Chicago and the University of Notre Dame in 1987. The symposium aims at, and to a remarkable extent, succeeds in fostering conversation between the three great Western traditions, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, on some ways in which the doctrine of creation has functioned in each.\" —\u003ci\u003eAmerica\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePhilosophical elaboration of the scriptural witness, Seymour Feldman et al; Judaism, David Blumenthal et al; Christianity, John Kenney et al; Islam, Azim Nanji et al.","brand":"University of Notre Dame Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733487268183,"sku":"9780268010201","price":62.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780268010201.jpg?v=1720000256"},{"product_id":"jesus-and-the-violence-of-scripture-9780281074204","title":"Jesus and the Violence of Scripture","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA world-renowned scholar explores and explains the two views of God in the Bible  the violent God of vengeance and retribution, and the non-violent God who became incarnate in Jesus.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePraise for the author’s The Power of Parable: Crossan’s exceptional clarity and methodical presentation combine to make this one of the best, most enthralling Bible-study courses many readers will ever take. * Booklist *\u003cbr\u003eWe tend to ignore, explain away or filter out the violence attributed to God in the Bible. The phrase \"Skeletons in the cupboard\" comes to mind; critics of Christianity notice them and dig them out even if we don’t. \"Ah,\" we say, \"but that’s the Old Testament; the New is different.\" Yet violence is attributed to God in the New Testament as well. The provocative sub-title of John Dominic Corssan’s new book spells out the challenge: Jesus and the Violence of Scripture: How to Read the Bible and Still be a Christian. The author begins by telling us a bit about his own personal journey. An Irish Catholic, Crossan had joined a monastery by the age of 16 and began training for his priesthood soon afterwards. But the study of Thomas Aquinas, he says, taught him not only what to think, but also how to think. In 1968, by then in the States, he went public in his opposition to the papal encyclical Humanae Vitae on birth control. A rebuke from the cardinal archbishop of Chicago followed and, six months later, Cardinal Cody was still archbishop, \"but Father Dominic (ie Crossan) was both an ex-monk and an ex-priest (p 5). Still a Christian, as his repeated, \"we Christians\" in this book shows, he became a leading authority on the historical background of Jesus and of Paul. And should you wonder whether this is too radical for a church house group, this book, the author tells us, has emerged from his talks in churches, not his lectures in the academy. The violence in the Bible is everywhere: not only a violent God, but a violent Jesus and a violent Paul (Crossan includes rhetorical violence – e.g. abusing opponents – on the charge sheet). And all this violence exists in the bible alongside a non-violent God, a non-violent Jesus and a non-violent Paul. How come? Civilisation and human culture, he argues, could not cope with the non-violence; it was simply too radical. The book has four sections: Part 1: Challenge introduces the argument; Parts II and III on Civilisation and Covenant look at the Old Testament evidence. Crossan is especially severe on Deuteronomy and related writings, which, in his view, turn the natural consequences of human wrongdoing into divine punishments. Part IV, entitled \"Community,\" looks at the Gospels, Paul and Revelation – in which the non-violent first coming of Jesus becomes the violent second coming. But the Gospels are a problem too. The Jesus who taught \"Love your enemies\" (Matthew 5.44) is the Jesus who heaped vitriol on the scribes and Pharisees: \"You snakes, you brood of vipers! How can you escape being sentenced to hell?\" (p. 178). Years ago in the Epworth Review, former Methodist principal of Handsworth College Leslie Mitton pointed out the problem. Similarly, the Paul who wrote \"In Christ there is … neither sale nor free, male nor female\" (Galatians 3.28) is the Paul who wrote (or had attributed to him) \"Slaves obey your masters,\" \"Wives obey your husbands\". Was this teaching a necessary compromise in the circumstances of the first century – or was it a sell-out? So in Crossan’s view the reaction against a radical God, a radical Jesus, a radical Paul, began very early – and it pervades our Bibles. He is scholarly, his arguments are brilliantly lucid and hi is passionately Christian. But is he right? Whether we’re talking about God, Jesus or Paul, there are problematic details – which our lectionary sometimes tip-toes around (A lectionary reading in two or three bits may be a sign that something unsavoury has been missed out). In both Testaments, the radical and the more conventional often co-exist in uneasy tension. But I wonder if Crossan’s solution in the end is both too neat and not deep enough. For example, on Genesis 4 he writes: \"The mark of Cain is on human civilisation, not on human nature. Escalatory violence is our nemesis, not our nature; our avoidable decision, not our unavoidable destiny…\" (p. 66). Jesus (and Paul) go deeper: \"If you, being evil, know how to give good gifts…\" (Luke 11.13). \"The good which I want to do I fail to do…\" (Romans 7.19). The current international scene demonstrates this only too well. Crossan’s central thesis appears simple: Jesus is the Bible’s centre, so evaluate the Bible in the light of Christ and evaluate all that it says about Christ in the light of the historical Jesus (p. 185). Compare our own Deed of Union: \"…the revelation contained in Scripture… the supreme rule of faith and practice\". Revelation, however, is a broader and deeper concept than the historical Jesus, of whom Christians have always tended to have different pictures and interpretations. For years (broadly speaking), the answers of both \"liberal\" and \"evangelical\" – if we must still use these unhelpful labels – to the thorny question of divine violence in the Bible have been inadequate. Liberals excise too much of Scripture; evangelicals tend to do the opposite. Crossan’s splendidly lucid book ought to make us think – and hopefully, enter more deeply into the mystery of \"am essentially non-coercive God\". -- The Rev Dr Neil Richardson * Methodist Recorder *\u003cbr\u003eThose who do not read the Bible carefully – or who do not read it at all sometimes speak of a separation between the Old Testament God who is thunderous and cruel, and the New Testament God who is kind and gentle. It does not take long for such a reading to unravel, whether you are looking at the everlasting mercy of God in Psalm 103, removing our guilt with a separation as wide as East from West, to the frequent occasions when Jesus is quoted in the Gospels as predicting eternal punishment in an afterlife for the wicked. Indeed, the New Testament, which depicts Jesus the Prince of Peace riding into Jerusalem on a donkey, also allows a reprise in Revelation depicting Christ riding a celestial warhorse to take revenge on the Romans.  Jesus and the Violence of Scripture is an attempt to explain the shocking contrast between these two positions. John Dominic Crossan’s subtitle – How to read the Bible and still be a Christian – begs a few questions. It implies that to be a Christian, you ought to agree with Crossan that there is no place in the Christian scheme of things for divine vengeance, or for the punishment of wickedness and vice. The compilers of the Book of Common Prayer, not to mention St Augustine, St Thomas Aquinas, or Dante Alighieri – to seize a few obvious examples – would not, by the Crossan criterion, be Christians. Those of us, however, who are disturbed by the violence of the biblical God, and of much notionally orthodox thought, will open Crossan’s book eagerly in the hope of some solution to our problems. Is it possible to excise from our picture of the biblical God the many instances where he is violent and encourages violence in others?  Can we simply discard the God and Romans 1:18, for example, whose wrath \"is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness of wickedness\"? Or the God represented in Matthew 25:31ff, who will divide the sheep from the goats and send the goats to the \"eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels\", not to mention the bloodbath of Revelation 16:19, where \"God remembered great Babylon and gave her the wine-cup of the fury of his wrath\"? Could we manage to drop these bits out of the Bible altogether, and just keep the material about loving our neighbours and remembering the plight of the poor? And were we to do this, would we be what Crossan defines as \"still… a Christian\"?  Crossan’s answer is yes. That is because his Bible is a supermarket where you have to read the labels of the wares on the shelves to avoid being hoodwinked into thinking you are getting the authentic stuff. Paul, in this reading, becomes an authentic messenger of the Kingdom-movement started by Jesus. \"No betrayal of Jesus or Judaism was involved with Paul, who took Jesus’s vision out of the villages of the Jewish homeland and accurately rephrased it for the great Roman cities of the Jewish Diaspora.\"  Some of Crossan’s most persuasive passages are those that point up what the original Paul thought about slavery, and what his followers or imitators wanted us to think he thought. There are seven authentic Pauline epistles – Romans, 1 and 2 Corinthians, Galatians, Philippians, 1 Thessalonians and Philemon. In Philemon, Paul addressed the owner of a salve called Onesimus. It is clear that Paul who proclaimed that in Christ there is neither bond nor free wanted Philemon to regard his former slave as a slave no more, but \"a beloved brother\" (verse 18). What explanation, then, do we have for those later injunctions, such as, \"Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling\" (Ephesians 6:5)? For Crossan, the explanation is very simple. Paul did not write Ephesians. Crossan’s St Paul was in fact pro-women and anti-slavery – apart from an unfortunate outburst about women covering their heads while speaking. But, as Crossan points out this passage takes for granted that women did indeed speak in church to pray and prophesy (1 Corinthians 11:5).  These points are well made, but for me they are a little too simply made. Crossan has set himself a very big task – namely to carve all the \"authentic\" bits out of the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation, and to discard the \"inauthentic\". His argument is premised on a conviction that the true God is always in favour of what Crossan sees as distributive justice. By contrast it is the ineluctable tendency of later editors, imitators and redactors to introduce retributive justice. Hence, in the end, Jesus the peace-and-joy man on the donkey becomes the mass-slayer on a horse in Revelation. The tendency can be seen, going right back to the arrival of the Deuteronomist as one of the redactors or authors of Genesis in the mid-500s BC. God, in Robert Frost’s poem \"A Masque of Reason\", says to Job, \"You realize now the part you played \/ To stultify the Deuteronomist \/ And change the tenor of religious thought\". For Crossan as for Frost, the Deuteronomist’s desire to reduce religion to a matter of law-observance, and to introduce the notion of sanction and punishment for  the infringement of religious laws, is the enemy of all that the liberating Yahweh brought to the early dawning of Hebrew religious understanding.  Crossan’s version of Scripture is certainly attractive, but only up to a point do I find it convincing. The Bible, and life, are more complicated than Crossan would like us to think. If you have a concept of justice and righteousness at all, then a part of that concept must include comeuppance for the wrongdoer. This is not because the Bible – or any other ethical code – is dreamed up by punishment freaks. It is because if there is no sanction, then evil is in effect allowed. If you maintain a belief in transcendent ethics, then heaven cries out against the infringement of justice, as it does through all the great prophets of Israel.  Crossan’s reading of Romans is in this respect especially problematic. One of the core ideas of the epistle is that of baptism into death. The followers of Jesus had died to the basic values of Rome’s empire and been reborn to those of God’s sanction – retributive, if you will – and not just \"distributive\". The atoning death of Christ was necessary for grace to flow. This idea runs through everything Paul wrote and was surely one of the critical ingredients in Christianity from its inception. In an opening chapter, Crossan describes his disgust at a film version of C. S. Lewis’s The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. He contrasts Aslan’s words to Peter, the eldest of the children involved in the Battle against the White Witch of Narnia, with the words of Christ in Gethsemane. \"Never forget to wipe your sword,\" says Aslan, who clearly approves of the children having taken part in what Crossan calls \"the divine violence of apocalyptic cleansing\". Contrast this with the Jesus of Matthew’s Gospel telling the disciples at the time of his arrest, \"all who take the sword will perish by the sword\" (Matthew 26:52).  Tolstoy, a Jewish expert on Jesus such as Geza Vermes, and many – perhaps most – Church of England bishops today, would certainly accept Crossan’s belief in a pacifist Jesus who preferred to die a martyr’s death at the hands of Pilate rather than make himself the leader of violent revolution. It would be blindness to deny that there is this strain in the New Testament, and perhaps at its core. Perhaps. And yet there are many moment’s as I read Crossan’s book when it struck me that a more accurate subtitle would be \"How to read the Bible and still be good American liberal\".   I tried to imagine Crossan’s project in the hands of Dante Alighieri. The Dantean perception that hell itself it the creation of divine love allowed of a paradoxical but necessary truth. Crossan’s Jesus, who is simply a martyr for distributive justice, cannot save me from my sins. The theme of soteriology does not enter into Crossan’s book, but it is surely one of the key elements of the seven authentic epistles of Paul. Indeed, it forms the very essence of what Crossan rightly calls \"his last will and testament, a magnificent summary of… what he was about, and how his Christian Judaism envisaged the destiny of the world\". But the only major theme of Romans that Crossan picks up on is dying in order to live. You might think that he would be knocked off his perch by a reading of Romans 13, in which Paul enjoined the Romans to be subject to the governing authorities. But, says Crossan, this section has been \"quotes out of context across two thousand years\". Paul’s point was not to make the early Christians into worshippers of the state, but – as Romans 12:14 – to \"bless those who persecute you\". Paul is not afraid that Christians will be killed, but that they will kill. His concern is not that Rome will use violence against Christians, but that Christians will use counter-violence against Rome. \"Non-violent reaction to evil from Jesus through Paul is the most basic denial of Rome’s core value of peace through violent victory.\" That is a point very well made. It does, however, depend on a certain confidence about what the historical Jesus actually taught.  The historical Jesus is a notoriously elusive figure. John Dominic Crossan has been one of the most distinguished New Testament scholars of the past few decades. He and Robert Funk founded the Jesus Seminar in the United States, in which 150 or so scholars were quizzed about their confidence in the authenticity of the sayings attributed to Jesus. They voted with coloured beads. A red bead meant you were certain Jesus has said it. Pink meant it was like an authentic Jesus-saying, even if not actually attributable. Grey beads meant that you thought the saying inauthentic but the sort of thing which might have been said. Black meant a definite negative – not authentic at all, and out of character.  All this presupposes the existence of some historical evidence. Does it exist? Crossan, as well as being an extremely learned New Testament scholar, is also a good-humoured one. He therefore fully acknowledges the warnings expressed over a hundred years ago by Albert Schweitzer, that the many authors in the nineteenth century who thought they were recovering the historical Jesus were looking down the well of history and catching their own reflections. Jesus-scholars, as Crossan has said, are often writing autobiography and calling it biography.  How much, thought, can the historian actually know about Jesus? Of his followers, from Paul onwards, we can note their readiness to undergo persecution for their belief in a Jesus crucified at the command of Pontius Pilate, who had, as they professed, risen from the dead, and was their redeemer. Their witness, passed on to the next generation, led to the writing of the Gospels. How much biographical material do these documents give us? Almost none, thought we can surely reasonably infer that Jesus preached the Kingdom of God, which was already realizable for those who accepted his revolutionary reversal of hierarchies, his belief that the poor, the outcasts and the marginalized were closer to God than the rich or the rulers of this world. Paul claims, as do the Gospels, that the Eucharist was left behind by Jesus as a token of his presence among believers, though whether this was a Passover meal, and indeed whether Jesus died at Passover, remains historically highly problematic.  Crossan’s Jesus, in this as in previous books, is identifiable as being a noble example of the pacifist resistance to the Roman occupation of Israel. As Crossan reminds us, as well as the famous armed revolts against Rome between the reigns of Augustus and Hadrian, there was also a continued stream of unarmed protest and resistance. Crowds of tens of thousands, including women and children (which emphasized their calculatedly non-violent intentions) confronted the Syrian Governor Petronius when he marched two legions south from Syria with the aim of erecting a statue of the insane Caligula in the Temple at Jerusalem. It was very much the ethos of such resistance movements that their leaders or prophets thought it preferable to die as martyrs than to kill as terrorists.  Crossan identifies John the Baptist as one of the most remarkable of such figures. When Herod Antipas moved the capital of Galilee from Sepphoris to the new foundation of Tiberius, he was doing so as an act of sycophancy to Tiberius. He was involved in a commercialization of the Galilean lake monopolizing the fish trade and hugely increasing the taxes. That was to impress the Romans, but to appease his Jewish subjects he divorced his Arab wife and married his Hasmonean sister-in-law Herodias, who has herself to divorce her husband who happened to be Antipas’s brother.  John the Baptist denounced this, and famously paid for it with his head. Crossan believes that you can discern a departure in his follower Jesus from the Baptist’s line. Jesus, Crossan holds, did not merely disapprove of marrying your divorced sister-in-law. He disapproved of divorce per se. You get this, if you follow Crossan’s methodology, by comparing John’s denunciation – \"It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife\" (Mark 6:18) – with a generalized condemnation of divorce and remarriage voiced by Jesus himself: \"Whoever divorces his wife and married another commits adultery against her\" (Mark 10:11).  Behind this book lies a very simple concept. You would say that it was an obvious concept were it not for the fact that so many critics, and students of literature, biblical and non-biblical, ignore it: namely that it is impossible to understand texts without discovering something about the world from which they came. Crossan calls this the Matrix. \"Matrix is the background you cannot skip, the context you cannot avoid.\" Gandhi would not be comprehensible unless you knew about the British imperialism. American racial discrimination since the time of the slave trade is the matrix in which the career of Martin Luther King makes sense. Likewise the figures in the Bible, including, and especially, God.  Crossan’s descriptions of whence and how the biblical writers derived their ideas of God – from the template of the religio-political framework of their times – is masterly. He takes us all the way from the Sumerian myths which helped to shape the narratives of the first chapters of Genesis, to the Virgilian theology of Roman Emperor-worship. There is an especially powerful comparison between the anti-Roman legends in the Jewish Sybilline Oracles, and the final book of the Bible. The Sybilline Oracles believed the legend that Nero, far from dying, was a Once and Future Kind. Nero was a villain in the West but a hero in the East, where he made an honourable peace with the Parthians in AD 63. Hence the anti-Roman legend that Nero was a Oance and Future King who would one day return at the head of Parthian armies to destroy the Roman Empire. In the Jewish Sybilline Oracles, Nero had become an apocalyptic figure: \"He will destroy every land and conquer all . . . He will destroy many men and great rulers and he will set fire to all men as no one ever did\".  Now turn to the Book of Revelation, and we find that the Nero-like figure who is coming to destroy and kill on a cosmic scale is none other than Christ. \"In a terrible . . . irony\", Crossan writes, \"Revelation replaced returning Nero and his Parthian martial forces with returning Christ and his angelic hosts. This is Revelation’s worst libel against God and worst slander against Jesus.\"  Of course, the reasonable, genial, modernside to any reader’s nature will believe this. This book will rejoice the hearts of liberal Christians everywhere, and it will quicken in the minds of more orthodox readers the fear that they, and the authors of the more bloodcurdling passages of Scripture, have been projecting onto the universe their own neuroses – which is a version of the sin of idolatry. Yet much of the Bible, if you read it in this way, has to be discarded. John Dominic Crossan might rightly retort, yes, of course: that is why he wrote his book – to recover a Pauline liberty, and free his readers from enslavement to nomos. But by the end of the journey I felt like one who had arrived at a foreign airport with only his hand luggage, and whose weightier suitcases had unfortunately dropped out of the hold.  The God of Paul requires justice, not a mere \"pacifist\" caving in to the violence of evil. Christ paid the price because, on an orthodox understanding, \"there was none other good enough\". Likewise, John’s God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son to the end that all that believes in him should not perish. To remove the concept of redemption from the New testament might satisfy its more squeamish readers, but I am not convinced that it would make them into Christians. * The Times Literary Supplement *\u003cbr\u003eA stimulating, provocative book. -- Cavan Wood * The Reader, summer 2016 *\u003cbr\u003eThis book provides a clear analysis of biblical violence and non-violence at least as associated with justice. If this is ultimately a theological problem, as Crossan so competently and convincingly demonstrates, then we must struggle with the Bible as a whole seriously. -- Donn F. Morgan, Church Divinity School of the Pacific, Berkeley, CA. * Theology Journal Issue 119.4 *","brand":"SPCK Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733495296343,"sku":"9780281074204","price":13.29,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780281074204.jpg?v=1720000293"},{"product_id":"knowing-god-9780340863541","title":"Knowing God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eKNOWING GOD is one of the most significant and popular Christian books of our time and has deepened the faith and understanding of millions of people around the world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e''Dr Packer says we''re cruel to ourselves if we try to live in his world without knowing about the God whose world it is and who runs it. I''m convinced we''re cruel if we deny ourselves the wisdom contained in this Christian classic.'' Rico Tice\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ea spiritual classic * John Stott *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733616865623,"sku":"9780340863541","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780340863541.jpg?v=1720000866"},{"product_id":"celebration-of-discipline-9780340979266","title":"Celebration of Discipline","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eArguably the most established contemporary spiritual classic by our most profound living religious writer. This timeless classic has helped well over a million people discover a richer spiritual life infused with joy, peace and a deeper understanding of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book explores the ''classic disciplines'' of Christian faith: the inward disciplines of meditation, prayer, fasting, and study; the outward disciplines of simplicity, solitude, submission and service and the corporate disciplines of confession, worship, guidance and celebration.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLike a child exploring the attic of an old house on a rainy day, discovering a trunk full of treasure and then calling all his brothers and sisters to share the find, Richard Foster has 'found' the spiritual disciplines that the modern world stored away and forgot ... the instruments of joy, the way into mature Christian spirituality and abundant life. * Eugene Peterson *\u003cbr\u003eThis is a book I'd love to have written ... exciting, stimulating and joyful. * Joyce Huggett *\u003cbr\u003eThe best modern book on Christian spirituality. * Ronald Sider *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48733626433879,"sku":"9780340979266","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780340979266.jpg?v=1720000906"},{"product_id":"god-9780552174992","title":"God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eReza Aslan\u003c\/b\u003e is an internationally acclaimed writer and scholar of religions. He is also a graduate of the Iowa Writers' Workshop. At Harvard, Aslan was elected president of Harvard's chapter of the World Conference on Religion and Peace, a UN organisation committed to global understanding. His is first book, \u003ci\u003eNo god but God: The Origins, Evolution and Future of Islam\u003c\/i\u003e, has been translated into thirteen languages and named by Blackwells as one of the hundred most important books of the last decade. Currently teaching an introductory course on Islam at Iowa, Aslan is also at work on a novel.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA brief and lively history... Extraordinary. -- Alexander Waugh * Spectator *\u003cbr\u003eAslan turns Genesis on its head. The extent of our divine anthropomorphism is fascinating. As an introductory biography of a figure who has good claim to be called the most influential of all time, it is interesting indeed. -- Catherine Nixey * The Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eTimely, riveting, enlightening and necessary.\u003c\/p\u003e * Huffington Post *\u003cbr\u003e[Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing. * Los Angeles Review of Books *\u003cbr\u003eReza Aslan offers so much to relish in his excellent ‘Human History’ of God. In tracing the commonalities that unite religions, Aslan makes truly challenging arguments that believers in many traditions will want to explore further, and to mull over. This rewarding book is very ambitious in its scope, and it is thoroughly grounded in an impressive body of reading and research. * Philip Jenkins, author of \u003ci\u003eCrucible of Faith *\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Transworld Publishers Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48735168102743,"sku":"9780552174992","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780552174992.jpg?v=1723810052"},{"product_id":"the-trinitarian-faith-9780567665584","title":"The Trinitarian Faith","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCutting across the divide between East and West and between Catholic and Evangelical, Thomas F. Torrance illuminates our understanding of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Torrance combines here the Gospel and a theology shaped by Karl Barth and the Church Fathers, and offers his readers a unique synthesis of the Nicene Creed. This volume remains a tremendously helpful resource on the doctrine of the Trinity and the Nicene Creed. The new introduction for this \u003ci\u003eCornerstones \u003c\/i\u003eedition is written by Myk Habets, the leading Thomas F. Torrance scholar today.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eCan be viewed as a case study in how to build a scripturally grounded and historically attested doctrine of the Trinity…well worth obtaining in this new edition. * Themelios *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction Myk Habets Foreword  1. Faith and Godliness 2. Access to the Father 3. The Almighty Creator 4. God of God, Light of Light 5. The Incarnate Saviour 6. The Eternal Spirit 7. The One Church 8. The Triunity of God  Index","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48735385780567,"sku":"9780567665584","price":26.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780567665584.jpg?v=1723810159"},{"product_id":"the-christian-doctrine-of-god-one-being-three-persons-tt-clark-cornerstones-9780567658074","title":"The Christian Doctrine of God One Being Three","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThe Very Revd Thomas F. Torrance\u003c\/b\u003e was Professor of Christian Dogmatics, University of Edinburgh, UK.\u003cb\u003ePaul D. Molnar \u003c\/b\u003eis Professor of Systematic Theology, St John's University, NY, USA.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface by Paul D. Molnar  Introduction 2. The Christian Perspective 3. The Biblical Frame 4. The TrinitarianMind 5. One Being, Three Persons 6. Three Persons, One Being 7. Trinity in Unity and Unity in Trinity 8. The Sovereign Creator 9. The Unchangeableness of God  Index Bibliography","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48735395938647,"sku":"9780567658074","price":25.64,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780567658074.jpg?v=1723810166"},{"product_id":"gods-undertaker-9780745953717","title":"Gods Undertaker","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA new, updated edition of John Lennox's successful book, including a foreword by Francis Collins, Director of the Human Genome Project\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'A brilliantly argued re-evaluation of the relation of science and religion, casting welcome new light on today's major debates. A must-read for all reflecting on the greatest questions of life.' -- Alister McGrath, author, Glimpsing the Face of God\u003cbr\u003e'Recent books touting atheism have been grounded more on dyspepsia than on dispassionate reason. In this book John considers the best, most recent science from physics and biology, and demonstrates that the picture looks far different from what we've been told.' -- Michael Behe, author, Darwin's Black Box and The Edge of Evolution\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eContents\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003cbr\u003ePreface 7\u003cbr\u003e1. War of the worldviews 15\u003cbr\u003e2. The scope and limits of science 31\u003cbr\u003e3. Reduction, reduction, reduction… 47\u003cbr\u003e4. Designer universe? 58\u003cbr\u003e5. Designer biosphere? 78\u003cbr\u003e6. The nature and scope of evolution 100\u003cbr\u003e7. The origin of life 122\u003cbr\u003e8. The genetic code and its origin 135\u003cbr\u003e9. Matters of information 148\u003cbr\u003e10. The monkey machine 163\u003cbr\u003e11. The origin of information 174\u003cbr\u003e12. Violating nature? The legacy of David Hume 193\u003cbr\u003eEpilogue 207\u003cbr\u003eReferences 211\u003cbr\u003eIndex 222\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SPCK Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48736495108439,"sku":"9780745953717","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}]},{"product_id":"god-and-stephen-hawking-2nd-edition-9780745980980","title":"God and Stephen Hawking 2ND EDITION","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA new and revised edition of Professor John C. Lennox's stirring reply to Hawking's claims that God is not needed to explain the Universe.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"A brilliant response to Stephen Hawking's The Grand Design. Make sure you hear both sides of the argument!\" -- Alister McGrath, author, The Dawkins Delusion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003ePreface to the First Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8\u003cbr\u003ePreface to the Second Edition. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9\u003cbr\u003eIntroduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10\u003cbr\u003eChapter 1 The big questions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13\u003cbr\u003eChapter 2 God or the laws of nature?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28\u003cbr\u003eChapter 3 God or the multiverse? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48\u003cbr\u003eChapter 4 Whose design is it anyway?. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73\u003cbr\u003eChapter 5 Science and rationality . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78\u003cbr\u003eConclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 100\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"SPCK Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48736508215639,"sku":"9780745980980","price":9.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780745980980.jpg?v=1723810694"},{"product_id":"none-greater-9780801098741","title":"None Greater","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAuthor and theologian helps readers get to know a God who is much bigger than we ever imagined by explaining his attributes in a way that highlights their relevance and impact on the Christian life.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eTable of Contents  1.   Can We Know the Essence of God? Incomprehensibility     2.   Can We Think God's Thoughts after Him? How the Creature Should (and Should Not) Talk about the Creator     3.   Is God the Perfect Being? Why an Infinite God Has No Limitations     4.   Does God Depend on You? Aseity     5.   Is God Made Up of Parts? Simplicity     6.   Does God Change? Immutability     7.   Does God Have Emotions? Impassibility     8.   Is God in Time? Timeless Eternity     9.   Is God Bound by Space? Omnipresence     10.   Is God All-Powerful, All-Knowing, and All-Wise? Omnipotence, Omniscience, and Omnisapience     11.   Can God Be Both Holy and Loving? Righteousness, Goodness, and Love     12.   Should God Be Jealous for His Own Glory? Jealousy and Glory","brand":"Baker Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48737344553303,"sku":"9780801098741","price":12.34,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780801098741.jpg?v=1723811141"},{"product_id":"god-has-spoken-9781473637092","title":"God Has Spoken","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cdiv\u003eJ. I. Packer maintains that anyone who wants to know God will want to know as much as they can of what is in the Bible. For through it God reveals himself and his purpose to us; and in it we discover his fellowship and grace. Packer presents the case for reliability of the Bible and urges us to return with open hearts to reading God''s word, and to discovering its overwhelming power in our lives.This challenging sequel to \u003ci\u003eKnowing God\u003c\/i\u003e is a great resource for the Christian journey.\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOthers may have followed with books about desiring, living, serving or seeking God, but Dr Packer's volume says it simply, says it best. * Joni Eareckson Tada *\u003cbr\u003eHis love for the Bible and concern that Christians listen to it makes this a passionate book. * Baptist Times *","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48739520676183,"sku":"9781473637092","price":9.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781473637092.jpg?v=1720052474"},{"product_id":"divine-attributes-knowing-the-covenantal-god-of-scripture-9781540961259","title":"Divine Attributes – Knowing the Covenantal God of","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThis book offers a clear and constructive account of the nature and attributes of God. It addresses the doctrine of God from exegetical, historical, and constructive-theological perspectives, bringing the biblical portrayal of God in relationship to the world into dialogue with prominent philosophical and theological questions. The book engages questions such as: Does God change? Does God have emotions? Does God know the future? Is God entirely good and loving? How can God be one and three? Chapters correspond to the major metaphysical and moral attributes of God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eContents\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eIntroduction: \u003ci\u003eThe Covenantal God of Scripture\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e1. The God of Scripture and the God of the Philosophers\u003cbr\u003e2. The Unchanging God Who Suffers in Love: \u003ci\u003eAseity, Immutability, and Qualified Passibility\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e3. The God of the Past, Present, and Future: \u003ci\u003eOmnipresence and Eternity\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e4. The God Who Knows Everything: \u003ci\u003eOmniscience and Foreknowledge\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e5. The Almighty Sovereign Who Creates, Sustains, and Covenants: \u003ci\u003eOmnipotence and Providence\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/i\u003e6. The Goodness of God and the Problem of Evil: \u003ci\u003eFaithfulness and Omnibenevolence\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e7. Trinity of Love: \u003ci\u003eA Canonical Exploration of Divine Triunity\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e8. The God of Covenantal Theism\u003cbr\u003eIndexes","brand":"Baker Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48740394172759,"sku":"9781540961259","price":19.79,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781540961259.jpg?v=1720054594"},{"product_id":"religion-vintage-minis-9781784875695","title":"Religion: Vintage Minis","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e‘Because \"God\" is infinite, nobody can have the last word’\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhat is this thing, religion, supposedly the cause of bloodshed and warring for centuries? What is ‘God’ and do we need ‘Him’ in our modern world? Karen Armstrong looks again at these questions in a refreshing and startling way. God is not to be ‘believed in’ as a child believes in Santa Claus; religion is not a story to be proven true or false, but a discipline akin to music or art that answers a deeply human need, and can teach us to discover new capacities of mind and heart. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eSelected from \u003ci\u003eA Case for God, \u003c\/i\u003e\u003ci\u003eFields of Blood \u003c\/i\u003eand \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Art of Scripture \u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eVINTAGE MINIS: GREAT MINDS. BIG IDEAS. LITTLE BOOKS.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/b\u003eA series of short books by the world’s greatest writers on the experiences that make us human\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAlso in the Vintage Minis 'Great Ideas' series:\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eArt\u003c\/i\u003e by Simon Schama\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eScience\u003c\/i\u003e by Ian McEwan\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThey look good and read well. That’s win\/win in our book * Stylist *\u003cbr\u003eLiterature for the Twitter generation * Big Issue *","brand":"Vintage Publishing","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48741300765015,"sku":"9781784875695","price":6.83,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781784875695.jpg?v=1723812377"},{"product_id":"broken-planet-if-theres-a-god-then-why-are-there-natural-disasters-and-diseases-9781789740929","title":"Broken Planet: If There's a God, Then Why Are","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Broken Planet, Dr Sharon Dirckx, scientist and apologist, offers a measured and thoughtful case for how there could be a God of love that allows natural disasters.  The question of suffering is one of the greatest hurdles to Christian faith. When believers respond to the question of why there is suffering in the world, they often turn to the free-will defence. This states that humans make choices for good or ill that can bring about suffering in the lives of others. However, that doesn't explain why children die of cancer, or why the latest earthquakes, tsunamis or pandemics have been so destructive. These seem to happen not because of our choices, but in spite of them. So how do we make sense of these events?  Dr. Sharon Dirckx blends argument, science and first-person narrative in this unique book, weaving answers to real questions with compassion and empathy, while also acknowledging the element of mystery we will always live with while on earth.  Dr Dirckx addresses topics such as: If God exists, why would he make a world with earthquakes and tsunamis? Why is there so much suffering in a natural disaster? Are natural disasters God's judgement? Is my illness a punishment from God? What kind of God would allow natural disasters and diseases?  If you have ever struggled to reconcile the idea of a loving God with all the pain in our world, this book will encourage you that belief in such a God is not as unreasonable as it may seem. In fact, it may be where God is revealed most profoundly.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'Natural evil is one of the toughest questions that Christians grapple with. Sharon has combined real-life accounts with insightful theological reflections to create a book that will help anyone looking for answers. Most importantly, Sharon explains why, despite the suffering and evil we face, Christians can offer the redemptive hope of Christ to a broken world. Thoroughly recommended.' -- Justin Brierley, host and author of Unbelievable?\u003cbr\u003e'Broken Planet is a book that speaks deeply to the question, \"If there is a good God, why is the created world riddled with natural disasters which wreak havoc and devastation?\" In this honest and profound exploration, Broken Planet addresses the pain that can be associated with this question, while opening up fresh and meaningful avenues for thought and consideration. Amongst these perspectives are moving and inspiring accounts of humanity's longing for justice, restoration, hope and a willingness to sacrifice for others, which provoke one to consider the power and presence of goodness within a broken planet. Sharon has provided a helpful and impressive response to a difficult question.' -- Lara Buchanan, Speaker, OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics\u003cbr\u003e'Broken Planet is an honest, insightful and much-needed book. Dr Dirckx does not shy away from the intellectual and emotional challenge of natural disasters. As a scientist, she brings a unique perspective to the difficult question of how a loving God could allow earthquakes, forest fires, viruses, tsunamis and other kinds of natural forces that often cause such pain and devastation. This is my new go-to book on the natural problem of evil.' -- Sean McDowell, Professor at Biola University and the author or co-author of more than twenty books, including Evidence that Demands a Verdict\u003cbr\u003e'If you've ever thought that belief in God cannot be squared with the existence of a natural world that teems with viruses, parasites, earthquakes, tsunami and a host of other horrible ways to kill us, then this compelling, informative and lucidly argued book will make you think again.' -- Professor Nick Megoran, School of Geography, Politics and Sociology, Newcastle University, UK, and author of Big Questions in an Age of Global Crises\u003cbr\u003e'I don't recommend this book for bedtime reading, for it raises profound and disturbing questions. But therein lies its greatest value. Sharon Dirckx offers no easy answers. In fact, she makes clear that we will never fully understand natural disasters this side of eternity. But her book compelled me to examine my shallow assumptions and dig down to bedrock truths about God, our broken world and our ultimate hope.' -- Glenn Oeland, Senior Editor, National Geographic\u003cbr\u003e'How can there be a good God when there are hurricanes, tsunami and starvation? This question is often overlooked in conversations around the problem of evil. Rather than shying away from disaster, disease and death, Sharon Dirckx demonstrates that Christianity has the resources to face these issues - as well as to give us hope in the midst of them.' -- Lee Strobel, New York Times bestselling author and founding director, Lee Strobel Center, Colorado Christian University, USA\u003cbr\u003e'The occurrence of disasters and all the associated grief and suffering that they cause poses a major problem for both religious and secular people. In a series of thoughtful chapters, Sharon Dirckx discusses how we might approach this problem, finally landing on a Christian perspective of hope even in the midst of perplexity. The chapters are interspersed with moving personal reflections from both survivors and aid workers that keep the discussion grounded; they brought tears to my eyes.' -- Bob White, FRS, Emeritus Professor of Geophysics, University of Cambridge, UK\u003cbr\u003e'Using stories, science, Scripture and philosophy, Sharon helps us to think through the problem of suffering caused by natural disasters. This moving book is honest, and yet it is grounded in the hope of the Christian message.' -- Clare Williams, founder of Get Real Apologetics","brand":"Inter-Varsity Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48741687230807,"sku":"9781789740929","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781789740929.jpg?v=1720058431"},{"product_id":"faithful-food-for-the-journey-themes-9781789743418","title":"Faithful: Food for the Journey - Themes","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eGod is totally faithful. That's right at the core of his character - unlike us, he cannot ever break his word.  Knowing that we are firmly held in the grip of God's unending faithfulness is deeply reassuring. And it encourages us to be faithful too. Remembering his grace and goodness, we grow in holiness and Christlikeness. Our aim is to be faithful in the big things, but also in the nitty-gritty of life when nobody is watching.  With these Bible teachers alongside us: * Alistair Begg (Psalm 119:97-104) * Michael Baughen (2 Timothy 4:1-22 \u0026amp; Hebrews 3:1 - 5:6) * Tim Chester (Genesis15:1-21 \u0026amp; Revelation 2:18-29) * Malcolm Duncan (1 Thessalonians 2:1-12) * Sinclair Ferguson (2 Timothy 4:9-10) * Jonathan Lamb (Acts 20:17-38) * Peter Maiden (1 Samuel 13:5-14) * Alec Motyer (1 Thessalonians 5:1-28) * Tom Putt (Hebrews 6:11-20) we explore God's faithfulness and our response. This undated 30-day devotional shows how God is faithful to cleanse us from sin, keep us until death and guarantee our eternal destiny. What greater reassurance can we ask for?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI felt challenged to greater faithfulness - not when life might improve, but right now in my place of struggle. -- Sharon Hastings * Medical doctor and author of Wrestling with My Thoughts * We need to know the faithfulness of God in these troubled times when all seems so uncertain. These devotions will help us to know better the Faithful God we serve and trust more strongly in him. -- Jeremy Marshall * Former CEO of the UK's oldest private bank, C. Hoare \u0026amp; Co. and Chairman of Christianity Explored. Author of Beyond the Big C after being diagnosed with terminal cancer in 2016 *","brand":"Inter-Varsity Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48741690474839,"sku":"9781789743418","price":8.07,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781789743418.jpg?v=1720058444"},{"product_id":"why-looking-at-god-evil-personal-suffering-9781789743548","title":"Why?: Looking at God, Evil \u0026 Personal Suffering","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhy do bad things happen in our world? Why does God allow suffering? If he exists, why doesn't he do something?  Of all the hurdles to faith, suffering must be the greatest. But how do we answer the question of ‘Why?’ in a credible, satisfying way?  In this revised and updated edition of an award-winning book that has helped thousands in their journey of faith, scientist Sharon Dirckx explores some of the most agonizing and bewildering questions we all ask. With compassionate warmth and insight, she offers advice to help us cope with suffering and difficulties. Alongside, she interweaves her own experiences and the personal stories of individuals who have faced some of life's toughest challenges, showing us that it is possible to believe in a powerful loving God and acknowledge the reality of evil and suffering.  Why? is a book for anyone who has questioned how suffering and a compassionate God can coexist. It will help you better understand the nature of God in Christianity, and will equip you to answer the question of ‘Why?’ with confidence and clarity. It is also an ideal apologetics book to give to friends and family just beginning on their faith journey or who are struggling and looking for answers.  If you have ever asked or wondered why God allows suffering, Sharon Dirckx’s gentle wisdom in Why? will help you see life from a new perspective – one that makes more, not less, sense of our hurting world.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWritten with the heart of a mother as well as the mind of a scientist, Why? is not only profound, but tender and comforting as well. -- Os Guinness * Author of Unspeakable: Facing Up to the Challenge of Evil *\u003cbr\u003eI wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone asking the deep questions of life. -- Dr Amy Orr Ewing * Author of Why Trust the Bible? and President of OCCA The Oxford Centre for Christian Apologetics *\u003cbr\u003ePuts words and reason to what I instinctively knew in my heart the day I became an amputee: God loves me, God is good, God is all-powerful, and he was mourning the loss of my leg alongside me. I flipped between anger, and thankfulness that my life had been spared, but the experience of God's peace was constant. -- Stef Reid * British Paralympic medalist and professional athlete *\u003cbr\u003eI love the way Sharon wrestles with the truth. She turns it inside out and inspects its seams... Both moving and challenging. -- Jennifer Kennedy Dean * Author of Live a Praying Life *","brand":"Inter-Varsity Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48741690605911,"sku":"9781789743548","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781789743548.jpg?v=1720058443"},{"product_id":"wild-advent-9781848679603","title":"Wild Advent","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Kevin Mayhew Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48742258803031,"sku":"9781848679603","price":10.68,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781848679603.jpg?v=1720060668"},{"product_id":"according-to-promise-god-s-promises-to-every-christian-9781857922752","title":"According to Promise: God’s Promises to Every","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eThese promises are for every believer yet each will admit to not fully experiencing what is promised. 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Spurgeon had the gift of getting right to the heart of a matter in a style that was memorable and profound. \u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Christian Focus Publications Ltd","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48742352060759,"sku":"9781857922752","price":7.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781857922752.jpg?v=1720061047"},{"product_id":"good-morning-holy-spirit-9780785261261","title":"Good Morning Holy Spirit","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn this repackaged edition of his classic bestseller, Benny Hinn shares the story of his personal encounter with the Holy Spirit and the dramatic change it made in his life, as well as how it has touched the lives of others around the world.","brand":"Thomas Nelson Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48861577806167,"sku":"9780785261261","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780785261261.jpg?v=1722247350"},{"product_id":"god-and-the-afterlife-9780062279552","title":"God and the Afterlife","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eBased on the largest near-death experience study in history, involving 3,000 people from diverse backgrounds and religious traditions, including nonbelievers, \u003cem\u003eGod and the Afterlife\u003c\/em\u003e presents startling evidence that a Supreme Being exists—and there is amazing consistency about what he is like.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn his bestselling book \u003cem\u003eEvidence of the Afterlife\u003c\/em\u003e, Dr. Jefferey Long showed us that there is a strong scientific case for life after death. 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Griffiths, Duke Divinity School\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\"Writing at a high philosophical level with a sharp sense of humor, Hart argues for an ecumenical Theism. 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In Neale Donald Walsch''s latest book, they will travel further on this journey towards a greater relationship, and ultimately friendship, with God.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e'Contains a wisdom I believe we all have inside us but don't stop to listen to . . . there is the wisdom of the ages in this book'\u003cbr\u003eDr Bernie Siegel on Conversations with God Book 1\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003eContains a wisdom I believe we all have inside us but don't stop to listen to . . . there is the wisdom of the ages in this book * Dr Bernie Siegel on Conversations with God Book 1 *","brand":"Hodder \u0026 Stoughton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864447627607,"sku":"9780340767832","price":10.99,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780340767832.jpg?v=1722271995"},{"product_id":"conversations-with-god-2-9780340765449","title":"Conversations with God 2","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe dialogue continues . . .\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhen Neale Donald Walsch was experiencing one of the lowest points of his life, he decided to write a letter to God. \u003c\/b\u003eWhat he did not expect was a response, with extraordinary answers covering all aspects of human existence - from happiness to money, to faith. The resulting book, \u003ci\u003eConversations with God\u003c\/i\u003e, was an instant bestseller on publication in 1995 and has since sold millions of copies world-wide, changing countless lives everywhere. \u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eConversations with God: Book 2\u003c\/i\u003e is the second volume of the original \u003ci\u003eConversations with God\u003c\/i\u003e trilogy that expands to deal with the more global topics of geopolitical and metaphysical life on the planet, and the challenges facing the world. This incredible series contains answers that will change you, your life and the way you view others.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e\u003ci\u003eAlso by Neale Donald Walsch and available from Hodder \u0026amp; Stoughton: Conversations with God, Books 1 and 3, Communion with God, Friendship with God, Applications for Living and Meditations from Conversations with God, Book 1.\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eI read this and it completely turned everything I believe about religion on its head.   If you are at all religious, you should read this book.' * Francis Rossi of Status Quo, Metro *","brand":"Hodder \u0026 Stoughton","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864447725911,"sku":"9780340765449","price":10.44,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780340765449.jpg?v=1722271997"},{"product_id":"out-of-the-comfort-zone-is-your-god-too-nice-9780340862933","title":"Out of the Comfort Zone Is Your God Too Nice","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIS YOUR GOD TOO NICE? A timely and forthright book from one of the church's most trusted and loved teachers.","brand":"John Murray Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864448250199,"sku":"9780340862933","price":14.19,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780340862933.jpg?v=1722271998"},{"product_id":"the-living-goddesses-9780520229150","title":"The Living Goddesses","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eMarija Gimbutas wrote and taught with rare clarity in her original - and originally shocking - interpretation of prehistoric European civilization. This text contains the distillation of her studies, combined with new disco veries, insights, and analysis.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eList of Illustrations\u003cbr\u003e Editor's Preface\u003cbr\u003e Acknowledgments\u003cbr\u003e Editor's Introduction\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part 1 Religion in Prepatriarchal Europe\u003cbr\u003e 1 Images of Goddesses and Gods\u003cbr\u003e 2 Symbols, Signs, and Sacred Script\u003cbr\u003e 3 The Tomb and the Womb\u003cbr\u003e 4 Temples\u003cbr\u003e 5 Sacred Stone and Wood Ceremonial Centers\u003cbr\u003e 6 Matrilineal Social Structure as Mirrored in Religion and Myth\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Part 2 The Living Goddesses\u003cbr\u003e 7 The Minoan Religion in Crete\u003cbr\u003e 8 The Greek Religion\u003cbr\u003e 9 The Etruscan Religion\u003cbr\u003e 10 The Basque Religion\u003cbr\u003e 11 The Celtic Religion\u003cbr\u003e 12 The Germanic Religion\u003cbr\u003e 13 The Baltic Religion\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e Editor's Afterword\u003cbr\u003e Editor's Notes\u003cbr\u003e Glossary\u003cbr\u003e Selected Bibliography\u003cbr\u003e Index","brand":"University of California Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48864846020951,"sku":"9780520229150","price":26.1,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780520229150.jpg?v=1722273230"},{"product_id":"the-invention-of-god-9780674504974","title":"The Invention of God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWho invented God? When, why, and where? Thomas Römer seeks to answer these enigmatic questions about the deity of the great monotheisms—Yhwh, God, or Allah—by tracing Israelite beliefs and their context from the Bronze Age to the end of the Old Testament period in the third century BCE, in a masterpiece of detective work and exposition.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eRömer, a distinguished scholar rather than an ideologue, seeks to determine exactly what is historical and exactly what is not in the depiction of God. This is a brilliant book. -- Robert A. Segal * Times Higher Education *\u003cbr\u003eRömer presents a scholarly and provocative account of how a minor tribal deity likely grew to become—or revealed himself to be—Lord of Creation. -- David O’Reilly * Philadelphia Inquirer *\u003cbr\u003eRömer is interested in the emergence of a deity whose nature is now so familiar that its startling originality no longer startles. -- Brian Bethune * Maclean’s *\u003cbr\u003eIt reads very well, is well translated and has a bit of the excitement of discovery for engaged readers. -- John C. Endres and Jean-François Racine * America *\u003cbr\u003eRömer deftly weaves together evidence from the Bible with extra-biblical archeological finds that mention Israel and Yhwh to outline the development of monotheism… Not until Jerusalem’s destruction in 587 BCE did Yhwh become the universal, monotheistic god untied to place or particular monarch, the god who was later adopted by Christians and Muslims. Römer writes with clarity and accuracy and tells a compelling story. This book is a masterful work, tying together an enormous amount of information in a concise format. * Publishers Weekly (starred review) *\u003cbr\u003eThere is nothing quite like this book in English. \u003ci\u003eThe Invention of God\u003c\/i\u003e traces the history of the God of Israel from the late Bronze Age to the Hellenistic period, charting the rise of Yhwh as the sole God. The period covered is vast, the thesis is provocative and stimulating, and the scholarship is cutting-edge. -- Timothy Lim, University of Edinburgh\u003cbr\u003eRömer is a sure-footed guide to what is often a difficult discussion. A learned and elegant book. -- Nathan MacDonald, University of Cambridge\u003cbr\u003eRömer is the first to have brought all the relevant material together in such an accessible form, setting out both literary and archaeological evidence clearly and readably. -- John Barton * Church Times *\u003cbr\u003e[An] excellent book…A masterly work of historical detection that looks at the evolution of Jewish faith from the Bronze Age to the Hellenic period. This is a superb work of scholarship. -- Paul Richardson * The Church of England Newspaper *","brand":"Harvard University Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48865488732503,"sku":"9780674504974","price":32.36,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780674504974.jpg?v=1722274213"},{"product_id":"the-anointing-9780785271680","title":"The Anointing","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAn exciting, natural sequel to  Good Morning, Holy Spirit.","brand":"Thomas Nelson Publishers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48865886798167,"sku":"9780785271680","price":11.69,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780785271680.jpg?v=1722276053"},{"product_id":"is-god-a-moral-monster-making-sense-of-the-old-testament-god-9780801072758","title":"Is God a Moral Monster  Making Sense of the Old","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eLeading apologetics writer with a proven track record tackles the most difficult Old Testament passages and topics, helping readers to reconcile the God of righteousness with the God of love.","brand":"Baker Publishing Group","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48865918779735,"sku":"9780801072758","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9780801072758.jpg?v=1722276198"},{"product_id":"the-rage-against-god-9781472970534","title":"The Rage Against God","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003ePeter Hitchens lost faith as a teenager. But eventually finding atheism barren, he came by a logical process to his current affiliation to an unmodernised belief in Christianity. \u003c\/b\u003eHitchens describes his return from the far political left. Familiar with British left-wing politics, it was travelling in the Communist bloc that first undermined and replaced his leftism, a process virtually completed when he became a newspaper''s resident Moscow correspondent in 1990, just before the collapse of the Communist Party.He became convinced of certain propositions. That modern western social democratic politics is a form of false religion in which people try to substitute a social conscience for an individual one. That utopianism is actively dangerous. That liberty and law are attainable human objectives which are also the good by-products of Christian faith.Faith is the best antidote to utopianism, dismissing the dangerous idea of earthly perfection, discouraging people from acting as if t\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe book will be especially satisfying for those who  share the author's feelings without being able to express them with such  deftness, vigour and occasional epigram. Even those unconvinced or... only almost  persuaded will never find it dull. * Contemporary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003e[The Rage Against God] \u003c\/i\u003eoffers insights on the current secular disregard for freedom of belief of expression. * Jersey Evening Post *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rage Against God\u003c\/i\u003e is eminently readable book that not only delivers the case against atheism, but delivers it with style * Christianity *\u003cbr\u003eThe two best-written books were Christopher Hitchens's memoirs \u003ci\u003eHitch 22 \u003c\/i\u003eand his brother Peter's \u003ci\u003eThe Rage Against God.\u003c\/i\u003e Even though the authors set the benchmark for sibling rivalry, their books prove there is something special about them. Both are restless romantics, enemies of cosy consensus, original minds - and products of an education system that wanted all children to be cultured and questioning.    Peter's book reads as if Cardinal Newman were reflecting on life after battle-scarred years as a foreign correspondent, while Christopher's book, if it were a thoroughbred horse, would be by George Orwell out of Kingsley Amis. I can think of no better pair of books for Christmas reflection. -- Michael Gove * Mail on Sunday *\u003cbr\u003eHitchens [..] blames the rampant liberalism of his generation; he was a teenager in the 1960s. They feared the constraints of their parents' lifestyle - post-war rationing coupled to the limitations of life in the suburbs. -- Mark Vernon * The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eA response to [Hitchens'] brother's and Richard Dawkins' 'rage' against those who can be so stupid to believe in God and so irresponsible as to attempt to encourage others. * The Methodist Recorder *\u003cbr\u003eThis book is not meant to be a rebuttal of the contemporary atheist polemicists. It has the more modest aim of influencing atheists to hesitate over their choice. * The Irish Catholic *\u003cbr\u003eA deeply affecting story of a journey to faith, interwoven with moral and spiritual history of the 20th century. * The Church Times *\u003cbr\u003eTop class stuff! * The Good Bookstall website *\u003cbr\u003eThis book is a rattling good read...As we face the General Election, this is perhaps the most important reason for reading it. * Standpoint *\u003cbr\u003eAgreed mortality lives on borrowed time...As Peter Hitchens observes, God offers authoritative moral laws, and judgement upon those who knowingly break them. -- Christopher Howse, * Telegraph *\u003cbr\u003eA thorough going exposé of how godless utopianism- above all in the Soviet Union- has given a uniquely powerful licence to tyranny. -- Charles Moore * The Daily Telegraph, *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rage Against God\u003c\/i\u003e is a magnificent, sustained cry against the aggressive secularism taking control of our weakened culture. -- Quentin Letts * The Spectator *\u003cbr\u003e[A] short, elegant book. ... How can one not enjoy a book that informs the reader that Kim Il Sung was not only the \"Great Leader\" who created the prison state of North Korea, but also a protestant - and an accomplished church organist? * The Independent *\u003cbr\u003eA calmly argued rebuff to several polemic authors...[and] a personal paean of sadness for the Britain of  [Hitchens'] youth. * Ones to Watch, The Bookseller *\u003cbr\u003eA believer's riposte to the book by his atheist brother, Christopher Hitchens, \u003ci\u003eGod Is Not Great.\u003c\/i\u003e -- Simon Hoggart * The Guardian *\u003cbr\u003eAn absolutely must-read book...Peter Hitchens's forthcoming The Rage Against God. * Catholic Herald *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTable of Contents\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/i\u003e  \u003cb\u003ePART 1: A PERSONAL JOURNEY THROUGH ATHEISM\u003c\/b\u003e 1. The Generation Who Were Too Clever to Believe 2. A Loss of Confidence 3. The Seeds of Atheism 4. The Last Battleships 5. Britain's Pseudo-Religion and the Cult of Winston Churchill 6. Homo Sovieticus 7. A Rediscovery of Lost Faith 8. The Decline of Christianity  \u003cb\u003ePART 2: ADDRESSING ATHEISM: THREE FAILED ARGUMENTS\u003c\/b\u003e 9. Are Conflicts fought in the name of religion conflicts about religion? 10. Is It Possible to Determine What Is Right and What Is Wrong without God? 11. Are Atheist states not actually Atheist?  \u003cb\u003ePART 3: THE LEAGUE OF THE MILITANT GODLESS\u003c\/b\u003e  12. Fake Miracles and Grotesque Relics 13. Provoking a Bloody War with the Church 14. The Great Debate  \u003ci\u003eEpilogue\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eIndex\u003c\/i\u003e","brand":"Bloomsbury Publishing PLC","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867237462359,"sku":"9781472970534","price":14.24,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781472970534.jpg?v=1722282362"},{"product_id":"god-an-anatomy-as-heard-on-radio-4-9781509867332","title":"God: An Anatomy - As heard on Radio 4","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize 2022\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize 2022\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eBooks of the Year 2022\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree thousand years ago, in the Southwest Asian lands we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were gods in their own right. One of them was a minor storm deity, known as Yahweh. Yahweh had a body, a wife, offspring and colleagues. He fought monsters and mortals. He gorged on food and wine, wrote books, and took walks and naps. But he would become something far larger and far more abstract: the God of the great monotheistic religions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut as Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou reveals, God’s cultural DNA stretches back centuries before the Bible was written, and persists in the tics and twitches of our own society, whether we are believers or not. The Bible has shaped our ideas about God and religion, but also our cultural preferences about human existence and experience; our concept of life and death; our attitude to sex and gender; our habits of eating and drinking; our understanding of history. Examining God’s body, from his head to his hands, feet and genitals, she shows how the Western idea of God developed. She explores the places and artefacts that shaped our view of this singular God and the ancient religions and societies of the biblical world. And in doing so she analyses not only the origins of our oldest monotheistic religions, but also the origins of Western culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBeautifully written, passionately argued and frequently controversial, \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e is cultural history on a grand scale.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rivetingly fresh and stunning' – \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today' – Dan Snow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA learned but rollicking journey through every aspect of Yahweh's body. A book that will offend some but delight more. * Economist Best Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003eLively . . . [with] a wealth of scholarly detail and much gusto -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eRivetingly fresh and stunning . . . I rather like this inexhaustibly powerful, shouting, bearded giant of a God, a fiery, fierce and startlingly “pagan” God, alive to his very fingertips, laughing at human hubris and singing with unbridled joy.\u003c\/p\u003e -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eA marvelous conspectus of references to the divine body in ancient southwest Asian texts. But more than this, it is about recalibrating our understanding of these difficult texts to better understand ourselves. -- Simon Yarrow * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003eProfessors of Theology are imagined to be dull, gentle souls. This book, however, is a great rebel shout . . . A book that aims to upend the notion of a cloudy, spiritualised creator . . . instructive, vivid and frequently hilarious. * Economist *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003eStavrakopoulou is no literalist — indeed, she’s an atheist — but she maintains that her reading makes far more sense than the traditional ones, and her confident tone never falters.\u003c\/p\u003e -- \u003cfont face=\"verdana, tahoma\"\u003e\u003cspan\u003eDan Hitchens\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/font\u003e * The Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e is a tour de force. Stavrakopoulou has created not just an extraordinarily rich and nuanced portrait of Yahweh himself, but an intricate and detailed account of the cultural values and practices he embodied, and the wider world of myth and history out of which he emerged . . . Stavrakopoulou has taken to heart the biblical injunction to seek the face of God, and what emerges is a deity more terrifyingly alive, more damaged, more compelling, more complex than we have encountered before. More human, you might say. -- Mathew Lyons * New Humanist *\u003cbr\u003eA detailed and scrupulously researched book . . . packed with knowledge and insight -- Karen Armstrong * The New York Times *\u003cbr\u003eBoldly simple in concept, \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy \u003c\/i\u003eis stunning in its execution. It is a tour de force, a triumph, and I write this as one who disagrees with Stavrakopoulou both on broad theoretical grounds and one who finds himself engaged with her in one narrow textual spat after another . . . A stunning book. -- Jack Miles * Catholic Herald *\u003cbr\u003eThe sheer amount of primary evidence examined is staggering . . . Stavrakopoulou’s argumentation is intellectually penetrating, analytically robust, and sophisticated . . . Stavrakopoulou’s book, and her public-facing scholarship, demonstrate what makes an outstanding biblical scholar. * Church Times *\u003cbr\u003eGood Lord, Stavrakopoulou touches that sweet spot that is scholarly, funny, visceral and heavenly. A revelation. -- Adam Rutherford, author of \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow to Argue with a Racist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today. -- Dan Snow\u003cbr\u003eIn both Judaism and Christianity God is conceived as non-physical. In \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e Francesca Stavrakopoulou shows that this was not yet so in the Bible, where God appears in a much more corporeal form. This provocative work will surprise and may shock, but it brings to light aspects of the biblical account of God that modern readers seldom appreciate. -- John Barton, Emeritus Professor at Oriel College, Oxford and author of \u003ci\u003eA History of the Bible\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Stavrakopoulou's stunning dissection of historical religious texts, the real back-story and context of the God of Judaism and Christianity is revealed . . . Where pious theologians have abstracted him into emptiness, Stavrakopolou gives him back his substance, and he’s so much more interesting in this bodily form! Both scholarly and accessible, and full of fascinating stories - I guarantee you’ll never think of this God the same way again. -- Professor Alice Roberts\u003cbr\u003eMarvelous and stimulating . . . scholarly and beautifully illustrated . . . an exciting read! * Methodist Recorder *\u003cbr\u003eThis is an extraordinary book. It’ll rewire your thinking, and it’s so readable you won’t notice till it’s too late. -- Tim Whitmarsh, author of\u003ci\u003e Battling the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWell-researched . . . A refreshing look at ancient Scripture and the people behind it, reminding readers that the concept of ‘God’ in the 21st century is a world away from that of the earliest people of Israel. A challenging, engaging work of scholarship that sheds new light on ancient Hebrew conceptions of the divine. * Kirkus Reviews *","brand":"Pan Macmillan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867411198295,"sku":"9781509867332","price":21.25,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781509867332.jpg?v=1722283162"},{"product_id":"god-an-anatomy-as-heard-on-radio-4-9781509867370","title":"God: An Anatomy - As heard on Radio 4","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWinner of The PEN Hessell-Tiltman Prize\u003cbr\u003eShortlisted for The Wolfson History Prize\u003cbr\u003eA \u003ci\u003eThe Times \u003c\/i\u003eBooks of the Year\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eA fascinating, surprising and often controversial examination of the real God of the Bible, in all his bodily, uncensored, scandalous forms.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e'One of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today' – Dan Snow\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThree thousand years ago, in the lands we now call Israel and Palestine, a group of people worshipped a complex pantheon of deities, led by a father god called El. El had seventy children, who were gods in their own right. One of them was a minor storm deity, known as Yahweh. Yahweh had a body, a wife, offspring and colleagues. He fought monsters and mortals. He gorged on food and wine, wrote books, and took walks and naps. But he would become something far larger and far more abstract: the God of the great monotheistic religions.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eBut as Professor Francesca Stavrakopoulou reveals, God’s cultural DNA stretches back centuries before the Bible was written, and persists in the tics and twitches of our own society, whether we are believers or not. The Bible has shaped ideas about God and religion, but also cultural preferences about human existence and experience; our concept of life and death; attitude to sex and gender;  habits of eating and drinking; the understanding of history.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eExamining God’s body, from his head to his hands, feet and genitals, she shows how the Western idea of God developed. She explores the places and artefacts that shaped our view of this singular God and the ancient religions and societies of the biblical world. And in doing so she analyses not only the origins of our oldest monotheistic religions, but also the origins of Western culture.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBeautifully written, passionately argued and frequently controversial, \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e is cultural history on a grand scale.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003e'Rivetingly fresh and stunning' – \u003ci\u003eSunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTrade Review\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003elearned but rollicking\u003c\/b\u003e journey through every aspect of Yahweh's body. A book that will offend some but delight more. * Economist Best Books of the Year *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eRivetingly fresh and stunning\u003c\/b\u003e . . . I rather like this inexhaustibly powerful, shouting, bearded giant of a God, a fiery, fierce and startlingly “pagan” God, alive to his very fingertips, laughing at human hubris and singing with unbridled joy. -- Christopher Hart * Sunday Times *\u003cbr\u003eLively . . . [with] \u003cb\u003ea wealth of scholarly detail and much gusto\u003c\/b\u003e -- Rowan Williams * New Statesman *\u003cbr\u003eProfessors of Theology are imagined to be dull, gentle souls. This book, however, is \u003cb\u003ea great rebel shout \u003c\/b\u003e. . . A book that aims to upend the notion of a cloudy, spiritualised creator . . . \u003cb\u003einstructive, vivid and frequently hilarious\u003c\/b\u003e. * Economist *\u003cbr\u003eA \u003cb\u003emarvelous\u003c\/b\u003e conspectus of references to the divine body in ancient southwest Asian texts. But more than this, it is about recalibrating our understanding of these difficult texts to better understand ourselves. -- Simon Yarrow * Literary Review *\u003cbr\u003e\u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e is\u003cb\u003e a tour de force\u003c\/b\u003e. Stavrakopoulou has created not just an \u003cb\u003eextraordinarily rich and nuanced \u003c\/b\u003eportrait of Yahweh himself, but an\u003cb\u003e intricate and detailed\u003c\/b\u003e account of the cultural values and practices he embodied, and the wider world of myth and history out of which he emerged . . . Stavrakopoulou has taken to heart the biblical injunction to seek the face of God, and what emerges is a deity more terrifyingly alive, more damaged, more compelling, more complex than we have encountered before. More human, you might say. -- Mathew Lyons * New Humanist *\u003cbr\u003eStavrakopoulou is no literalist — indeed, she’s an atheist — but she maintains that her reading makes far more sense than the traditional ones, and\u003cb\u003e her confident tone never falters\u003c\/b\u003e. -- Dan Hitchens * The Times *\u003cbr\u003eA detailed and scrupulously researched book . . .\u003cb\u003e packed with knowledge and insight\u003c\/b\u003e -- Karen Armstrong * The New York Times *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eBoldly simple in concept\u003c\/b\u003e, \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy \u003c\/i\u003eis stunning in its execution. It is\u003cb\u003e a tour de force, a triumph, a\u003c\/b\u003end I write this as one who disagrees with Stavrakopoulou both on broad theoretical grounds and one who finds himself engaged with her in one narrow textual spat after another . . .\u003cb\u003e A stunning book.\u003c\/b\u003e -- Jack Miles * Catholic Herald *\u003cbr\u003eThe sheer amount of primary evidence examined is staggering . . . Stavrakopoulou’s argumentation is \u003cb\u003eintellectually penetrating, analytically robust, and sophisticated\u003c\/b\u003e . . . Stavrakopoulou’s book, and her public-facing scholarship, demonstrate what makes an \u003cb\u003eoutstanding \u003c\/b\u003ebiblical scholar. * Church Times *\u003cbr\u003eGood Lord, Stavrakopoulou touches that sweet spot that is \u003cb\u003escholarly, funny, visceral and heavenly\u003c\/b\u003e. A revelation. -- Adam Rutherford, author of \u003ci\u003eA Brief History of Everyone Who Ever Lived\u003c\/i\u003e and \u003ci\u003eHow to Argue with a Racist\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eOne of the most remarkable historians and communicators working today. -- Dan Snow\u003cbr\u003eIn both Judaism and Christianity God is conceived as non-physical. In \u003ci\u003eGod: An Anatomy\u003c\/i\u003e Francesca Stavrakopoulou shows that this was not yet so in the Bible, where God appears in a much more corporeal form. \u003cb\u003eThis provocative work will surprise and may shock\u003c\/b\u003e, but it brings to light aspects of the biblical account of God that modern readers seldom appreciate. -- John Barton, Emeritus Professor at Oriel College, Oxford and author of \u003ci\u003eA History of the Bible\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eIn Stavrakopoulou's \u003cb\u003estunning\u003c\/b\u003e dissection of historical religious texts, the real back-story and context of the God of Judaism and Christianity is revealed . . . Where pious theologians have abstracted him into emptiness, Stavrakopolou gives him back his substance, and he’s so much more interesting in this bodily form! \u003cb\u003eBoth scholarly and accessible, and full of fascinating stories \u003c\/b\u003e- I guarantee you’ll never think of this God the same way again. -- Professor Alice Roberts\u003cbr\u003eMarvelous and stimulating . . . scholarly and beautifully illustrated . . . an exciting read! * Methodist Recorder *\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis is an extraordinary book. It’ll rewire your thinking\u003c\/b\u003e, and it’s so readable you won’t notice till it’s too late. -- Tim Whitmarsh, author of\u003ci\u003e Battling the Gods\u003c\/i\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWell-researched . . . A \u003cb\u003erefreshing\u003c\/b\u003e look at ancient Scripture and the people behind it, reminding readers that the concept of ‘God’ in the 21st century is a world away from that of the earliest people of Israel. A \u003cb\u003echallenging, engaging \u003c\/b\u003ework of scholarship that sheds new light on ancient Hebrew conceptions of the divine. * Kirkus Reviews *","brand":"Pan Macmillan","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":48867411329367,"sku":"9781509867370","price":13.49,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0817\/1739\/5799\/files\/9781509867370.jpg?v=1722283161"},{"product_id":"case-for-polytheism-the-9781782797357","title":"Case for Polytheism, The","description":"\u003cb\u003eBook Synopsis\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe philosophy of religion has been dominated by monotheists and atheists for centuries now. But, polytheism deserves to be restored to its respected position, and The Case for Polytheism sets out some reasons why. 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