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Book SynopsisA critique of religious dogma historically provides the basis for rational inquiry into the physical and social world. "Critique of Intelligent Design" is a key to understanding the forces of irrationalism that seek to undermine the natural and social sciences. This book illuminates the historical evolution of the materialist critique - that is, explaining the world in terms of itself - from antiquity to the present through engaging the work of Plato, Aristotle, Epicurus, Lucretius, Francis Bacon, Isaac Newton, David Hume, Charles Darwin, Karl Marx, Sigmund Freud, and Stephen Jay Gould among others.Proponents of "intelligent design" - creationism in its contemporary guise - have reignited an age-old war in which they claim to elevate their doctrine to empirical truth and thus incorporate it into science curricula. They attack the modern scientific view elevating both a pseudo-scientific and -cultural renewal in line with their theological orientation and what they perceive as a knowable moral order." Critique of Intelligent Design" is a compelling account of the debate between materialism and religion as well as an overview of the contemporary fight concerning nature, science, history, morality, and knowledge. The authors demonstrate how historical materialism is a crucial social foundation from which to confront intelligent design. They provide a fascinating account of the development of science in opposition to the proponents of "received wisdom." "Critique of Intelligent Design" offers empowering tools to understand and defend critical and scientific reasoning.

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Book SynopsisOne fateful day Edith Stein took from a friend’s bookshelf the autobiography of Saint Teresa of Avila. In it she found the simple truth about human existence. Shortly afterward, she became a Catholic, but her desire to become a Carmelite like Teresa was delayed for some time. Eventually she entered the convent in Cologne. Because of the Nazi persecution of Jews, converted or not, endangered others in her convent, she ask to be moved to a convent in the Netherlands. The German armies of occupation soon followed. It was from the Carmelite convent at Echt that she was taken in 1942, shipped to Auschwitz and executed. Florent Gaboriau sees Edith Stein’s conversion under three aspects: first the conversion of a Jew, then the conversion of a feminist, finally the conversion of a philosopher. Edith saw her conversion as the fulfillment of herself as Jewish; she saw the uniqueness of woman in the light of the faith; she saw her phenomenology as finding its home within Christian philosophy. One of the most brilliant women of her generation, she became a model of sanctity. Her canonization by Pope John Paul II was the occasion for strange reactions. Gaboriau’s account of her conversion, and of the saint she became, puts it all into perspective. "O my God, fill my soul with holy joy, courage and strength to serve You. Enkindle Your love in me and then walk with me along the next stretch of road before me. I do not see very far ahead, but when I have arrived where the horizon now closes down, a new prospect will open before me, and I shall meet it with peace." – Teresa Benedicta of the Cross

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsTranslator’s IntroductionAuthor’s ForewordChapter I: Disposing of three triosI. Three monotheisms? 1. Monotheism is not essentially religious 2. There are not only three monotheisms 3. Do monotheism and polytheism simply oppose one another? 4. The real question 5. Islamic monotheism 6. A mutual recognition of the monotheisms?II. Three religions of Abraham?Common personages 1. The same Abraham? 2. Three religions of Abraham, or only one?III. Three religions of the book? 1. A deceptive expression 2. Three very different books 3. Three relations to the book 4. The idea of revelationIV. Three religions? 1. How do the three religions distinguish themselves from one another? 2. Three books?ConclusionChapter 2: To know GodI. To know 1. What does “to know” mean? 2. To know the singular 3. Self-knowledge, personal knowledge, knowledge of God 4. To look in the right placeII. A particular object 1. “Open your eye, the good one!” 2. Faith and knowledge 3. To know a paradoxical object 4. Faith, will, loveChapter 3: The one GodI. Oneness 1. The dangers of monotheism 2. The rediscovery of polytheism 3. The dogma of the Trinity and political theologyII. Unity 1. “Monotheism”: a vague concept 2. Uniqueness and unity 3. The concrete problemIII. Union: the human model 1. The bond of charity 2. Love and identity 3. To accept the other as otherIV. Union: the Trinitarian model 1. Relation 2. To give rise to the otherConclusion: United to the one God?Chapter 4: God the Father 1. Sexuality and the image of God 2. Masculinity and virility 3. Creation and paternity 4. Uncoupling paternity and virilityConclusionChapter 5: A God who has said everythingI. Nothing more to say 1. Power, or the word 2. A stingy grace? 3. The definitive religion 4. A God reduced to silence 5. The discourse of the God who is muteII. The silence of the flesh 1. Who wants more, really wants less 2. Without return 3. The incarnate Word 4. The TrinityIII. After Everything 1. What to do when everything is said? 2. The word now belongs to us 3. A general ruleConclusionChapter 6: A God who asks nothing of usI. I know what to do 1. The amplitude of the normative 2. What does God ask? 3. The end of the LawII. God’s expectation 1. The vegetal model 2. The Old Testament 3. The New TestamentIII. Responding to the expectation 1. To eat 2. Faith 3. Pride and humility 4. SacrificeConclusion: The “meaning of life”Chapter 7: A God who forgives sinsI. A few clarifications 1. Sin and pleasure 2. Offending God? 3. Sin presupposes forgivenessII. My sin 1. Where is evil? 2. “For every sin, mercy” 3. RemissionConclusionIndex

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Book SynopsisYoung adults today want authentic answers to their soul-deep questions about God. They want meaningful ways to communicate those answers to others. Most of all, they want to know that they are living a life that matters. In A Good and True Story, philosopher, apologist, and international speaker Paul Gould leads readers on an engaging journey through eleven clues that suggest Christianity is not only true but satisfies our deepest longings. This creative foray into the foundations of Christian truth explores the universe, morality, happiness, pain, beauty, and more for readers looking for culturally informed apologetics. Ideal for college-age and twentysomething readers, small group leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith, philosophy, and culture, A Good and True Story reminds readers that their search for identity and purpose is a gift from a loving and purposeful God.Table of ContentsContentsIntroduction: The Search1. The Universe2. Life3. Species4. Humans5. Morality6. Meaning7. Happiness8. Pain9. Love10. Beauty11. ReligionIndex

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Glenn R. Mosley chronicles the history of the movement, including biographical sketches and the philosophies of pioneers and influential leaders linked to the movement's development and growth. These include Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, the founders of Unity; Ernest Holmes, founder of the Science of Mind; Mary Baker Eddy, founder of the Church of Christ Science; Ralph Waldo Trine, philosopher, mystic, teacher, and early mentor of New Thought; Joel Goldsmith, founder of The Infinite Way, among others.

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Book Synopsis This anthology brings together, for the first time, leading essays and book chapters from theologians, philosophers, and scientists on their research on ethics, altruism, and love. Because the general consensus today is that scholarship in moral theory requires empirical research, the arguments of the leading scholars presented in this book will be fundamental to those examining issues in love, ethics, religion, and science. The first half of The Altruism Reader offers essential selections from religious texts, leading contemporary scholars, and cutting-edge ethicists. Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism are represented. Among the highly respected writers are Thomas Aquinas, the Dalai Lama, Thich Nhat Hanh, John Polkinghorne, Stephen Pope, Louis Fischer, Amira Shamma Abdin, Katharine Doob Sakenfeld, and Daniel Day Williams. The book’s second half features primary readings on love and altruism from the sciences. Here the focus is on anthropology, psychology, sociology, biology, and neurology, with material written by Daniel C. Batson, David Sloan Wilson, Robert Wright, Stephen G. Post, Robert Axelrod, Richard Dawkins, Holmes Rolston III, and other renowned scientists and philosophers. “Virtually all people act—and often talk—as if they have some clue about love. We speak about loving food, falling in love, loving God, feeling loved, and loving a type of music. We say that love hurts, love waits, love stinks, and love means never having to say you’re sorry. We use the word and its derivatives in a wide variety of ways . . . . My definition of love is this: To love is to act intentionally, in sympathetic response to others (including God), to promote well-being.” —Thomas Jay Oord Table of Contents Preface vii Part I: Defining Love 1. The Core Meaning of “Love” by Stephen G. Post 2. The Love Racket: Defining Love and Agape for the Love-and-Science Research Program by Thomas Jay Oord Part II: Ancient Religious Writings on Love 3. The Hebrew Scriptures: Psalms 100, 107 4. The Dhammapada: Joy 5. The Bhagavadgita: The Religion of Faith 6. The New Testament: Luke 10:25–37, 1 Corinthians 13, 1 John 4:7–21 7. The Qur’an: The Cow 8. Teaching Christianity: On Christian Doctrine by Augustine of Hippo 9. Summa Theologica: The Treatise on Charity by Thomas Aquinas 10. Agape and Eros: Excerpts by Anders Nygren 11. Love in Any Language by Thomas Jay Oord Part III: Contemporary Religious Writings on Love 12. Loyalty: The Calling of the People of God by Katharine Doob Sakenfeld 13. Understanding Our Fundamental Nature by His Holiness the Dalai Lama 14. Ahimsa: The Path of Harmlessness by Thich Nhat Hanh 15. The Incarnation by Daniel Day Williams 16. Agapeistic Ethics by Gene Outka 17. Philia by Edward Collins Vacek 18. Kenotic Creation and Divine Action by John Polkinghorne 19. Kenosis: Gender Connotations by Sarah Coakley 20. Love in Islam by Amira Shamma Abdin Part IV: The Physics of Altruism 21. Ethics, Cosmology, and Theories of God by Nancey Murphy and George Ellis Part V: The Biology of Altruism 22. Evolutionary Ethics by Robert Wright 23. The Selfish Gene: Excerpts by Richard Dawkins 24. The Robustness of Reciprocity by Robert Axelrod 25. Getting Along by Frans de Waal 26. Bentham’s Corpse by Elliott Sober and David Sloan Wilson 27. The Four Paths to Cooperation by Lee Alan Dugatkin Part VI: Altruism in the Social Sciences 28. Affect and Prosocial Responding by Nancy Eisenberg, Sandra Losoya, and Tracy Spinrad 29. Aversive-Arousal Reduction by Daniel C. Batson 30. Triangulating Love by Robert J. Sternberg 31. Saving Others: Was It Opportunity or Character? by Samuel P. Oliner and Pearl M. Oliner 32. Progress through Love by Stephen G. Post

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Book Synopsis During the Middle Ages, philosophers and theologians argued over the extramental reality of universal forms or essences. In the early modern period, the relation between subjectivity and objectivity, the individual self and knowledge of the outside world, was a rich subject of debate. Today, there is considerable argument about the relation between spontaneity and determinism within the evolutionary process, whether a principle of spontaneous self-organization as well as natural selection is at work in the aggregation of molecules into cells and the development of primitive forms of life into complex organisms. In Subjectivity, Objectivity and Intersubjectivity, Joseph A. Bracken proposes that what is ultimately at stake here is the age-old problem of the relationship between the One and the Many, universality and particularity on different levels of existence and activity within nature. Bracken rejects traditional models of this relationship, wherein either the One or the Many is presupposed to have priority over the other. He instead suggests that a new social ontology—one that is grounded in a theory of universal intersubjectivity—protects both the concrete particularity of individual entities in their specific relations to one another and their enduring corporate reality as a stable community or environment within Nature. What emerges is a bold reimagining of the sometimes strained relationship between religion and science. Bracken's clear writing, sophisticated philosophical analysis, and exemplary scholarship will lend this new work an enthusiastic appreciation by readers with deep interests in philosophy and philosophical theology.

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Book SynopsisThis book draws from previously unpublished letters and interviews with physicists, theologians, and Sir John’s close associates and family to present Sir John’s ideas on pure unlimited love. Post, who was in dialogue with Sir John for fifteen years on this topic and who had founded the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love (www.unlimitedloveinstitute.com), addresses how John Templeton arrived at his philosophy as a youth growing up in Tennessee. Post also shares how classical Presbyterian ideas came to synergize in his mind with the more Eastern influences of American transcendentalism and the Unity School of Christianity and ponders if Sir John truly believed that science and spirituality might fully converge on the same view of Ultimate Reality with their very different ways of knowing. Is Ultimate Reality Unlimited Love? presents Sir John’s hope for spiritual progress with the eventual convergence of ultimate reality and unlimited love.Table of ContentsForeword Preface Part 1: Why This Idea Meant So Much to John Templeton: An Analysis Based on His Writings and Intellectual History since Youth Chapter 1: Sir John’s Biggest Question: An Introduction Chapter 2: The Spiritual and Intellectual Roots of Sir John’s Biggest Question Chapter 3: Sir John’s Humble Approach to Ultimate Reality Chapter 4: A Disciplined Rational Mind and the Power of Love Affirmations in Everyday Life Chapter 5: The Spiritual Mind That Can Experience an Absorbing Field of Pure Unlimited Love That Far Transcends Ordinary Human Love and the Rational Mind Chapter 6: Why Are We Created? Life as an Opportunity to Overcome Hardships, to Win with Love, and to Achieve Joy in God for Eternity Chapter 7: The Healing Power of Unlimited Love in Mind and Body, and in Eliminating the Arrogant Conflict between Religions That Gravely Threatens the Human Future Part 2: Three Primary Evidences of Sir John’s Thesis Consistent with His Core Ideas and Statements Focusing on Their Current Scientific Plausibility Introduction to Part 2: Three Evidences for Sir John’s Thesis Chapter 8: Unlimited Love as Ultimate Reality in Sir John’s Writings Chapter 9: Three Points of Evidence for Unlimited Love as Ultimate Reality Part 3: Statements from Family Members, Associates, and Scholarly Friends Introduction to Part 3 Chapter 10: What Do You Think Sir John Meant by “Unlimited Love as Ultimate Reality”? Chapter 11: How Did You Experience Sir John as a Person Who Tried to Live a Life of Love? A Brief Epilogue: Some Quotations for Reflection Appendix: Sir John’s Letters to Stephen G. Post Regarding Unlimited Love Research Acknowledgments Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisWhat might Heidegger say about Halo, the popular video game franchise, if he were alive today? What would Augustine think about Assassin’s Creed? What could Maimonides teach us about Nintendo’s eponymous hero, Mario? While some critics might dismiss such inquiries outright, protesting that these great thinkers would never concern themselves with a medium so crude and mindless as video games, it is impor­tant to recognize that games like these are becoming the defining medium of our time. We spend more time and money on video games than on books, television, or film, and any serious thinker of our age should be concerned with these games, what they are saying about us, and what we are learning from them. Yet video games remain relatively unexplored by both scholars and pundits alike. Few have advanced beyond out­moded and futile attempts to tie gameplay to violent behavior. With this rumor now thoroughly and repeatedly disproven, it is time to delve deeper. Just as the Museum of Modern Art in Manhattan recently acquired fourteen games as part of its permanent collection, so too must we seek to add a serious consideration of virtual worlds to the pantheon of philosophical inquiry. In God in the Machine, author Liel Leibovitz leads a fas­cinating tour of the emerging virtual landscape and its many dazzling vistas from which we are offered new vantage points on age-old theological and philosophical questions. Free will vs. determinism, the importance of ritual, transcendence through mastery, notions of the self, justice and sin, life, death, and resurrection all come into play in the video games that some critics so quickly write off as mind-numbing wastes of time. When one looks closely at how these games are designed, their inherent logic, and their cognitive effects on players, it becomes clear that playing these games creates a state of awareness vastly different from when we watch television or read a book. Indeed, the gameplay is a far more dynamic process that draws on various faculties of mind and body to evoke sensa­tions that might more commonly be associated with religious experience. Getting swept away in an engaging game can be a profoundly spiritual activity. It is not to think, but rather to be, a logic that sustained our ancestors for millennia as they looked heavenward for answers. As more and more of us look “screenward,” it is crucial to investigate these games for their vast potential as fine instruments of moral training. Anyone seeking a concise and well-reasoned introduction to the subject would do well to start with God in the Machine. By illuminating both where video game storytelling is now and where it currently butts up against certain inherent limitations, Liebovitz intriguingly implies how the field and, in turn, our experiences might continue to evolve and advance in the coming years. Trade Review “Many dismiss video games as a worthless pursuit, and some even go so far as to consider them a harmful and addictive activity that sets individuals towards violence. Liel Leibovitz defies those assumptions while explaining gaming’s allure and place in the world . . . this work is a thoughtful, well-written, and concise scholarly analysis of a popular pastime. As such, it is a recommended resource for college and university libraries.” —Sarah E. Keil, Trevecca Nazarene University, The Christian Librarian “Leibovitz’s book is brief but wildly ambitious, studded with references unexpected in writing on this subject.” —New York Review of Books “God in the Machine shows depth as well as breadth. It would be a fitting addition to a book discussion group or theological reading circle. Whether you come to the same conclusions as the author did or not, God in the Machine will change the way you see gaming from here on out. I recommend the book.” —Michael Philliber "Liel Leibovitz has thought more deeply than anyone I know about the meaning of video games; he has managed to persuade me, without overloading my circuits, that they belong not to the seventh circle of hell—where I’d consigned them— but to the great American tradition that turns a dark theology of sin into redemptive popular entertainment." —Jonathan Rosen, author of The Talmud and the Internet: A Journey Between Worlds

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Book SynopsisWhy is it that the majority of people, from all socio-economic, education, and ethnic backgrounds, ascribe to some sort of faith? What draws us to religion? What pushes us away? And what exactly is religion anyway? Defining religion over the past century has, ironically, led to theories that exclude belief in God, proposing that all systems of thought concerning the meaning of life are religions. Of course, this makes it impossible to distinguish the village priest from the village atheist, or Communism from Catholicism. Worse yet, it makes all religious behavior irrational, presuming that, for example, people knowingly pray to an empty sky. Renowned sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a comprehensive, decisive, God-centered theory of religion in his book, Why God: Explaining Religious Phenomena. While his intent is not to insist that God exists, Stark limits religions to systems of thought based on belief in supernatural beings—to Gods. With this God-focused theory, Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter of Why God? builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies.Why God? is a much needed guide for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of religion and our relationship to it, as well as a firm refutation to those who think religion can exist without the divine. Trade Review "Why God? is a dazzling answer to the question of religion’s persistence in the world despite one premature obituary after another. Everyone who wonders what the future holds for Christianity should read this book—and for that matter, every other book by the essential Rodney Stark." –Mary Eberstadt, author of How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory of Secularization "Stark makes a strong case that the main causal power of religion comes from belief in a conscious supernatural being with whom humans can communicate, and that other conceptions of the supernatural greatly weaken churches and their social effects. The book effectively synthesizes a lifetime of Stark’s religious theory and research." –Randall Collins, author of Interaction Ritual Chains "With his usual combination of insight and brio, Rodney Stark demonstrates why most of the prevailing theories of religion in the social sciences are inadequate—or simply worthless—because they fail to take seriously the role played by the divine. Drawing on a lifetime of work which has shown the centrality of the supernatural in the social scientific study of religion, Stark reveals why the search for explanations and rewards shapes the faith in and guides the exchanges that people seek with supernatural beings." –Steve Pfaff, PhD, professor of sociology, University of Washington – Seattle "Professor Stark returns to theory construction in a domain—the study of religion—that tends to avoid it. He has no patience for the ‘least common denominator’ approach to understanding religious belief. Stark is not afraid of being wrong, and that makes him far more apt than his peers of getting it right." –Mark Regnerus, PhD, associate professor of sociology, University of Texas at Austin "Another milestone publication in the scientific study of religion, Rodney Stark explains the nature and values of religion under modernization and globalization through his exceptional logic and latest data. Readers all over the world will be inspired and deepen their understanding of religion in twenty first century." –Dedong WEI, professor of studies of religion, Renmin University of China “Religion is alive and well across the globe, and Why God? presented an excellent theory as to how and why religious belief is an enduring aspect of human life. In the book, Stark suggested that his ideas are a sociological theory of religion, and he encouraged further research to prove him wrong and develop an even more nuanced understanding of religion. . . . As long as humans have hearts to demand moral goodness and minds to wonder at the universe, they will also have a need for God, Stark suggested. Religion, it seems, is as unavoidable as death and taxes.” – Tyler O’Neil, PJ Media “Sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a sympathetic explanation of why people might come to believe in God that is refreshingly free of jargon and a corrective to more hostile accounts of belief, and which will still illuminate much for those of us within the walls of churches.” – Nick Mattiske, Journey “Starks book is worth reading. . . There is plenty of helpful information and food for thought in here.” –Nick Peters, Deep Waters “An informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking guide for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of religion and our relationship to it, as well as a firm refutation to those who think religion can exist without the divine, will find Why God? to be an absorbing read from beginning to end. A masterpiece of seminal scholarship” – Able Greenspan, Midwest Book ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments / vii Introduction: Ungodly “Theories” and Scurrilous Metaphors / 1 Chapter 1: The Elements of Faith / 17 Chapter 2: Monotheism and Morality / 49 Chapter 3: Religious Experiences, Miracles, and Revelations / 71 Chapter 4: The Rise and Fall of Religious Movements / 103 Chapter 5: Church and Sect: Religious Group Dynamics / 131 Chapter 6: Ecclesiastical Influences / 161 Chapter 7: Religious Hostility and Civility / 181 Chapter 8: Individual Causes and Consequences of Religiousness / 211 Chapter 9: Meaning and Metaphysics / 231 Appendix: Propositions, Definitions, and Deductions / 237 Notes / 261 Bibliography / 267 Index / 281

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Book SynopsisWhy is it that the majority of people, from all socio-economic, education, and ethnic backgrounds, ascribe to some sort of faith? What draws us to religion? What pushes us away? And what exactly is religion anyway? Defining religion over the past century has, ironically, led to theories that exclude belief in God, proposing that all systems of thought concerning the meaning of life are religions. Of course, this makes it impossible to distinguish the village priest from the village atheist, or Communism from Catholicism. Worse yet, it makes all religious behavior irrational, presuming that, for example, people knowingly pray to an empty sky. Renowned sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a comprehensive, decisive, God-centered theory of religion in his book, Why God: Explaining Religious Phenomena. While his intent is not to insist that God exists, Stark limits religions to systems of thought based on belief in supernatural beings—to Gods. With this God-focused theory, Stark explores the entire range of religious topics, including the rise of monotheism, the discovery of sin, causes of religious hostility and conflict, and the role of revelations. Each chapter of Why God? builds a comprehensive framework, starting with the foundations of human motivations and ending with an explanation of why most people are religious. Stark ultimately settles what religion is, what it does, and why it is a universal feature of human societies.Why God? is a much needed guide for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of religion and our relationship to it, as well as a firm refutation to those who think religion can exist without the divine. Trade Review "Why God? is a dazzling answer to the question of religion’s persistence in the world despite one premature obituary after another. Everyone who wonders what the future holds for Christianity should read this book—and for that matter, every other book by the essential Rodney Stark." –Mary Eberstadt, author of How the West Really Lost God: A New Theory of Secularization "Stark makes a strong case that the main causal power of religion comes from belief in a conscious supernatural being with whom humans can communicate, and that other conceptions of the supernatural greatly weaken churches and their social effects. The book effectively synthesizes a lifetime of Stark’s religious theory and research." –Randall Collins, author of Interaction Ritual Chains "With his usual combination of insight and brio, Rodney Stark demonstrates why most of the prevailing theories of religion in the social sciences are inadequate—or simply worthless—because they fail to take seriously the role played by the divine. Drawing on a lifetime of work which has shown the centrality of the supernatural in the social scientific study of religion, Stark reveals why the search for explanations and rewards shapes the faith in and guides the exchanges that people seek with supernatural beings." –Steve Pfaff, PhD, professor of sociology, University of Washington – Seattle "Professor Stark returns to theory construction in a domain—the study of religion—that tends to avoid it. He has no patience for the ‘least common denominator’ approach to understanding religious belief. Stark is not afraid of being wrong, and that makes him far more apt than his peers of getting it right." –Mark Regnerus, PhD, associate professor of sociology, University of Texas at Austin "Another milestone publication in the scientific study of religion, Rodney Stark explains the nature and values of religion under modernization and globalization through his exceptional logic and latest data. Readers all over the world will be inspired and deepen their understanding of religion in twenty first century." –Dedong WEI, professor of studies of religion, Renmin University of China “Religion is alive and well across the globe, and Why God? presented an excellent theory as to how and why religious belief is an enduring aspect of human life. In the book, Stark suggested that his ideas are a sociological theory of religion, and he encouraged further research to prove him wrong and develop an even more nuanced understanding of religion. . . . As long as humans have hearts to demand moral goodness and minds to wonder at the universe, they will also have a need for God, Stark suggested. Religion, it seems, is as unavoidable as death and taxes.” – Tyler O’Neil, PJ Media “Sociologist of religion Rodney Stark offers a sympathetic explanation of why people might come to believe in God that is refreshingly free of jargon and a corrective to more hostile accounts of belief, and which will still illuminate much for those of us within the walls of churches.” – Nick Mattiske, Journey “Starks book is worth reading. . . There is plenty of helpful information and food for thought in here.” –Nick Peters, Deep Waters “An informed and informative, thoughtful and thought-provoking guide for anyone who wants a thorough understanding of religion and our relationship to it, as well as a firm refutation to those who think religion can exist without the divine, will find Why God? to be an absorbing read from beginning to end. A masterpiece of seminal scholarship” – Able Greenspan, Midwest Book ReviewTable of ContentsAcknowledgments / vii Introduction: Ungodly “Theories” and Scurrilous Metaphors / 1 Chapter 1: The Elements of Faith / 17 Chapter 2: Monotheism and Morality / 49 Chapter 3: Religious Experiences, Miracles, and Revelations / 71 Chapter 4: The Rise and Fall of Religious Movements / 103 Chapter 5: Church and Sect: Religious Group Dynamics / 131 Chapter 6: Ecclesiastical Influences / 161 Chapter 7: Religious Hostility and Civility / 181 Chapter 8: Individual Causes and Consequences of Religiousness / 211 Chapter 9: Meaning and Metaphysics / 231 Appendix: Propositions, Definitions, and Deductions / 237 Notes / 261 Bibliography / 267 Index / 281

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Book SynopsisThe environmental crisis is most frequently viewed through the lens of science, policy, law, and economics. In recent years the moral and spiritual dimensions of this crisis are becoming more visible. Indeed, world religions are bringing their texts and traditions, along with their ethics and practices, into dialogue with environmental problems. In a lecture delivered at the University of Utah, Tucker explores this growing movement and highlights why it holds great promise for long term changes for the flourishing of the Earth community.Mary Evelyn Tucker delivered this lecture on April 11, 2013, at the 18th annual symposium sponsored by the Wallace Stegner Center for Land, Resources and the Environment at the S. J. Quinney College of Law, The University of Utah.

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Book SynopsisNo writer or public intellectual of our era has been as sensitive to the role of faith in the lives of ordinary Americans as Robert Coles. Though not religious in the conventional sense, Coles is unparalleled in his astute understanding and respect for the relationship between secular life and sacredness, which cuts across his large body of work. Drawing inspiration from figures like Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Dorothy Day, and Simone Weil, Coles’s extensive writings explore the tug of war between faith and doubt. As Coles himself admits, the “back-and-forthness between faith and doubt is the story of my life.” These thirty-one thought-provoking essays are drawn from Coles’s weekly column in the Catholic publication America. In them, he turns his inquisitive lens on a range of subjects and issues, from writers and painters to his recent reading and film viewing, contemporary events and lingering controversies, recollections of past and present mentors, events of his own daily life, and ordinary encounters with students, patients, neighbours, and friends. Addressing moral questions openly and honestly with a rare combination of rectitude and authorial modesty, these essays position Coles as a preeminent, durable, and trusted voice in the continuing national conversation over religion, civic life, and moral purpose.

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Book SynopsisTo read literature is to read the way literature reads. René Girard’s immense body of work supports this thesis bountifully. Whether engaging the European novel, ancient Greek tragedy, Shakespeare’s plays, or Jewish and Christian scripture, Girard teaches us to read prophetically, not by offering a method he has developed, but by presenting the methodologies they have developed, the interpretative readings already available within (and constitutive of) such bodies of classical writing. In The Prophetic Law, literary scholar, theorist, and critic Sandor Goodhart divides his essays on René Girard since 1983 into four groupings. In three, he addresses Girardian concerns with Biblical scripture (Genesis and Exodus), literature (the European novel and Shakespeare), and philosophy and religious studies issues (especially ethical and Jewish subject matters). In a fourth section, he reproduces some of the polemical exchanges in which he has participated with others—including René Girard himself—as part of what could justly be deemed Jewish-Christian dialogue. The twelve texts that make up the heart of this captivating volume constitute the bulk of the author’s writings to date on Girard outside of his three previous books on Girardian topics. Taken together, they offer a comprehensive engagement with Girard’s sharpest and most original literary, anthropological, and scriptural insights.

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Book SynopsisIntellectual Sacrifice and Other Mimetic Paradoxes is an account of Paolo Diego Bubbio’s twenty-year intellectual journey through the twists and turns of Girard’s mimetic theory. The author analyzes philosophy and religion as “enemy sisters” engaged in an endless competitive struggle and identifies the intellectual space where this rivalry can either be perpetuated or come to a paradoxical resolution. He goes on to explore topics ranging from arguments for the existence of God to mimetic theory’s post-Kantian legacy, political implications, and capacity for identifying epochal phenomena, such as the crisis of the self, in popular culture.Bubbio concludes by advocating for an encounter between mimetic theory and contemporary philosophical hermeneutics - an encounter in which each approach benefits and is enriched by the resources of the other. The volume features a previously unpublished letter by René Girard on the relationship between philosophy and religion.

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Book SynopsisThese original essays debate two ways of theorizing social life. One way is the integrative or holistic model of thought typified in the writings of Confucius. The other, the revolutionary tradition, is suspicious of holism and harmony as principles of social thought because harmony is seen as something that can genuinely occur only when a society has rectified deeply ingrained injustice. This volume evaluates the alternative priorities of order and revolt, harmony and spontaneity, in social life.

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Book Synopsis“A thoughtful perspective on humans' capacity for moral behavior.” —Kirkus Reviews“A comprehensive introduction to religious skepticism.” —Publishers WeeklyIn What It Means to Be Moral: Why Religion Is Not Necessary for Living an Ethical Life, Phil Zuckerman argues that morality does not come from God. Rather, it comes from us: our brains, our evolutionary past, our ongoing cultural development, our social experiences, and our ability to reason, reflect, and be sensitive to the suffering of others.By deconstructing religious arguments for God-based morality and guiding readers through the premises and promises of secular morality, Zuckerman argues that the major challenges facing the world today—from global warming and growing inequality to religious support for unethical political policies to gun violence and terrorism—are best approached from a nonreligious ethical framework. In short, we need to look to our fellow humans and within ourselves for moral progress and ethical action.“In this brilliant, provocative, and timely book, Phil Zuckerman breaks down the myth that our morality comes from religion—compellingly making the case that when it comes to the biggest challenges we face today, a secular approach is the only truly moral one.” —Ali A. Rizvi, author of The Atheist Muslim

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Book SynopsisFor students of the New Testament wanting a background into Greek and Roman philosophy to help them better understand the New Testament text.This book offers a survey of the Greek philosophical tradition from its inception in the Classical period until the final stages of its evolution beginning in the first part of Late Antiquity, covering the pre-Socratics, the Classical philosophers, the major schools of the Hellenistic period (the Stoics, Epicureans, Academics), the rise of Roman philosophy, developments and revivals in the post-Hellenistic period, and the emergence of Christianity as a philosophy. While making Greek and Roman philosophy its central feature, the book's underlying interest is the relevance of these traditions to the early Christian movement, especially the New Testament. For although Christianity is rooted in and ineradicably linked with Judaism, its shoots quickly extended outward into the Greco-Roman world where it was able to flower and propagate only by competing with the intellectual traditions of the Greek-speaking world, above all, the philosophical traditions. A knowledge of these traditions, therefore, is an essential complement to the study of Second Temple Judaism for serious students of the New Testament and early Christianity. It is the purpose of this book to offer such an introduction.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisWhat does it mean to "do theory" in the study of religion today? The terms "method and theory" are now found in course titles, curricula/degree requirements, area/comprehensive exams, and frequently listed as competencies on the CVs of scholars from across a wide array of subfields. Are we really that theoretically and methodologically sophisticated? While a variety of groups at annual scholarly conferences now regularly itemize theorizing among the topics that they examine and carry out, it seems that few of the many examples of doing theory today involve either meta-reflection on the practical conditions of the field or rigorously explanatory studies of religion's cause(s) or function(s). So, despite the appearance of tremendous advances in the field over the past 30 years, it can be argued that little has changed. Indeed, the term theory is today so widely understood as to make it coterminous with virtually all forms of scholarship on religion. This volume seeks to re-examine just what we ought to consider theory to signify. The book consists of distinct chapters penned by leading theorists in the field.The core of the book consists of statements written by an anthropologist of religion, a literary theorist, a specialist in cognitive science of religion, and a philosopher of religion. Each statement is then followed by shorter response papers, and concludes with a response by the theorist.Table of ContentsIntroductionTheory in a Time of ExcessAaron W. HughesPART ONE1. Establishing a Beachhead: NAASR, Twenty Years LaterLuther H. Martin, University of Virginia, and Donald Wiebe, University of TorontoPART TWO2. On the Restraint of TheoryJason N. Blum, Davidson College3. It's Hard Out There for a TheoristMichael J. Altman, University of Alabama4. Signifying "Theory": Toward a Method of Mutually Assured DeconstructionRichard Newton, Elizabethtown College5. On the Restraint of ConsciousnessTara Baldrick-Morrone, Florida State University6. A ReplyJason N. BlumPART THREE7. The High Stakes of Identifying (with) One's Object of StudyK. Merinda Simmons, University of Alabama8. New Materialism and the Objects of Religious StudiesMartha Smith Roberts, University of California, Santa Barbara9. Killing The Scholar: Critical Theory, Relevance, and Objects of StudyThomas J. Whitley, Florida State Univesity10. The Rhetoric of Disinterest for Authorizing our Critical Position: Historicizing Critical-Theory in Religious StudiesStephen L. Young, Brown University11. A Reply K. Merinda SimmonsPART FOUR12. What the Cognitive Science of Religion Is (and is not)Claire White, California State University, Northridge 13. "Show me the Money": Big-Money Donors and the Cognitive Science of ReligionBrad Stoddard, McDaniel Colllege14. Of Elephants and Riders: Cognition, Reason and Will in the Study of ReligionMatt Sheedy, University of Manitoba15. A ReplyClaire WhitePART FIVE16. The Study of Religion, Bricolage, and Brandom Matthew C. Bagger, University of Alabama17. Precision and Excess: Doing the Discipline of Religious StudiesRebekka King, Middle State Tennessee University18. On Druids, The Dude, and Doing Excessive Theory James Dennis Lorusso, Princeton University19. Reliabilism and the Limits of Pragmatism Robyn Faith Walsh, University of Miami20. A Reply Matthew C. BaggerPART SIX21. Theory is the Best Accessory: Branding and the Power of Scholarly CompartmentalizationLeslie Dorrough Smith, University of AlabamaAfterwordFeast and Famine in the Study of ReligionRussell T. McCutcheon, University of Alabama

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Book SynopsisThe church at Philippi is considered to be one of the model churches of the New Testament. But if this were a report at a shareholders' meeting we might be asking ourselves whether the Chairman has really got this right? Is something being hidden? It seems too good to be true! If this were an athlete we might be asking ourselves whether there has been some performance-enhancing substance in the diet! And if this were an end-of-term report we might be asking ourselves if the teacher had got the right child!Can a church really be that good?But there's no doubting that Paul has the right church. Perched on the edge of southern Greece, Philippi was the first city to hear the Christian message in Europe - we have much to learn from the church that grew there. This fresh and lively study book is ideally suited to the more interactive way we learn in today's church.Trade Review"This book on Philippians exudes the warmth of the letter itself. It engages with our lives and is insightfully applied. William is one of the finest leaders I know. His background as a captain in the Royal Greenjackets prepared him well for the leadership in the church. He is a man who recognises the eternal significance of pastoral leadership; it is his compassionate pastoral care, so evident at St Helen's, which reflects itself in his preaching and in this book." -- David Cook, Principal, Sydney Missionary Bible College (Retired Principal, Sydney Missionary and Bible College, Sydney, Australia)Who should this book be given to? Give it to a new Christian, and they will delight to find they really can understand a whole book of the Bible. Give it to a growing Christian, and they will have a model of how the Bible should be handled. Give it to an experienced Christian, and they will be reminded of how refreshing Bible Study can be. Most of all, give to a preacher and we'll all be a good deal better off! -- Evangelicals Now, September 2007

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Book SynopsisThis text stresses the importance of Hume's "An Inquiry Concerning Human Understanding" not only as a philosophical text in its own right, but also as a starting point for developing an understanding of broader philosophical issues. Taking in such thinkers as Pierce, Wittgenstein, Frege and Ryle, the book is written as a companion volume to the "Inquiry". First published in 1961, this is a reprint of the corrected 1966 edition.Trade Review'I think very highly of the book. It has scholarship and fire. Almost a record.' - Gilbert Ryle '[A]dmirably clear to read . . . he ought to give sufficient food for thought to any worthwhile student, and make him read the Inquiry more profitably.' - Mind 'Any subsequent discussion of Hume's secularism will have to begin with Flew.' - John Passmore, The Philosophical Review

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Book SynopsisFilled with wit, humor, and clear metaphor, this exploration into atheism is written specifically for young adults, though any adult interested in learning more about atheism will find value within. Not just focused on atheism, this crash course in logical thinking addresses the issues of indoctrination, whether it be religious, political, or commercial, and makes the case that morality is created through reasoning and logic, not through divine communication. Many hot topics are touched upon, such as traditional arguments for God’s existence, the relationship of evolution and religious belief, the incompatible nature of science and religion, and the harmfulness of both Christianity and Islam.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of nine papers brings together many of Geach's thoughts on such wide topics as resurrection, deductive proof of the existence of God, God's role in ethics, materialism, and the relation of time and prayer. The first three papers are concerned with the survival of the soul after death and what form such survival might take. This includes Geach's argument against materialism in "What Do We Think With?" Two further papers are concerned with arguments about existance, and the remaining papers concern natural theology.

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Book SynopsisIn 1756 a volume of Hume's essays entitled Five Dissertations was printed and ready for distribution. The essays included 'The Natural History of Religion,' 'Of the Passions,' 'Of Tragedy,' 'Of Suicide,' and 'Of the Immortality of the Soul.' The latter two essays made direct attacks on common religious doctrines by defending a person's moral right to commit suicide and by criticizing the idea of life after death. Early copies were passed around, and someone of influence threatened to prosecute Hume's publisher if the book was distributed as is. The printed copies of Five Dissertations were then physically altered, with a new essay 'Of the Standard of Taste' inserted in place of the two removed essays. Hume also took this opportunity to alter two particularly offending paragraphs in the Natural History. The essays were then bound with the new title Four Dissertations and distributed in January, 1757. The essays in Four Dissertations stand together as a unified whole, showcasing his psychology of the passions and demonstrating its application to both religion and aesthetics. This edition also includes Hume's extended Dedication, a passionate endorsement of intellectual and artistic freedom, which has been out of print since the original publication in 1757. The essays on suicide and the immortality of the soul, long separated from the other essays, are here finally put back, as intended by Hume. Included are 'Two Letters on Suicide' from Rousseau's Eloisa.Table of ContentsPreface by James Fieser, Editor of 'The Internet Encyclopedia of Philosophy'. Introduction of 'Four Dissertations' by John Immerwarhr, Villanova University Dedication "Of the Natural History of Religion" "Of the Passions" "Of Tragedy" "Of the Standard of Taste" Introduction of 'Essays on Suicide and the Immortality of the Soul' by John Valdimir Price, University of Edinburgh Preface "On Suicide" "On the Immortality of the Soul" Anti Suicide (Notes on "On Suicide") Immortality of the Soul (Notes on "On the Immortality of the Soul") "Letters on Suicide" (From Rousseau's 'Eloisa')

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Book SynopsisLeszek Kolakowski discusses, in a highly original way, the arguments for and against the existence of God as they have been conducted through the ages. He examines the critiques of religious belief, from the Epicureans through Nietzsche to contemporary anthropological inquiry, the assumptions that underlie them, and the counter-arguments of such apologists as Descartes, Leibniz, and Pascal. His exploration of the philosophy of religion covers the historical discussions of the nature and existence of evil, the importance of the concepts of failure and eternity to the religious impulse, the relationship between skepticism and mysticism, and the place of reason, understanding, and in models of religious thought. He examines why people, throughout known history, have cherished the idea of eternity and existence after death, and why this hope has been dependent on the worship of an eternal reality. He confronts the problems of meaning in religious language. Table of ContentsNotes, Index

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Book SynopsisThis book does some philosophy of religion. It takes as its point of departure what Aquinas calls divine truth (veritas divina), i.e. the collection of truths revealed to man by God. And it tries to make as clear as possible what Aquinas says about some of these revealed truths. Then it agrees or disagrees with what he says, as needed, for reasons of various sorts, whether philosophical, theological, scientific, historical, etc. - of whatever sort, just so long as they are relevant and cogent' to do these things as well as possible, if only in a small way - 'pro nostro modulo', as Aquinas puts it, in describing what he intends to do as the author of the 'Summa Contra Gentiles'. Veritas Divina includes not only certain truths which are attainable by natural reason, like truths abouth certain aspects of the virtue of religion, of prayer, of pain and suffering, of friendship, of death; but also certain truths which are not attainable by natural reason, like truths about the Trinity, the Incarnation, the Eucharist, Purgatory, Heaven, Hell.Table of ContentsIntroduction: What is Philosophy of Religion 1. Revelation, Religious Experience, and Faith 2. Religion and Virtue 3. Prayer 4. The Trinity 5. Friendship 6. The Incarnation 7. Pain and Suffering 8. The Resurrection 9. The Eucharist 10.The Last Things: Death and Purgatory 11.The Last Things: Heaven and Hell preface, notes, index

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