Religion and beliefs Books

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Book SynopsisFeaturing a beautifully crafted press-grain paperback cover, thick book paper, and an introduction to the gospel by Dane Ortlund, the ESV Gospel of John, Share the Good News Edition offers an engaging reading experience of this beloved New Testament book.

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Book SynopsisInstant bestseller: Buddhist teacher Pema Chödrön shares life-changing practices for living with wisdom, confidence, and integrity amidst confusing situations and uncertain timesWe live in difficult times. Life so often seems like a turbulent river threatening to drown us and destroy our world. Why, then, shouldn’t we cling to the certainty of the comfortable—to our deep-seated habits and familiar ways? Because, Pema Chödrön teaches, that kind of fear-based clinging keeps us from the infinitely more powerful experience of being fully alive. The Buddhist teachings she presents here—known as the “Three Commitments”—provide a treasure trove of wisdom for learning to step right into the unknown, to completely and fearlessly embrace the groundlessness of being human, for people of all faiths. When we do, we begin to see not only how much better it feels to live an openhearted life, but we find that we begin to naturally and more effectively reach out to help and heal all those around us.

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Book SynopsisPrayer Journal for Women: 52 Weeks Scripture, Devotional, & Guided Prayer Journal includes Scripture verses, reflections on the Word, and journaling prompts to guide your walk with God and strengthen your faith. Verses are organized thematically:Love & Inner Beauty - Provision & Faithfulness - God's Love - Adversity & Trials - Awe & Sovereignty - Strength Through Faith - Fear - Grace & ForgivenessA perfect companion for individual worship or for group Bible study, this 12-month journal features:A generous 8 x 10 trim size with plenty of space to writeFour full pages for each week of the yearOriginal illustrations on each page by author and artist Shannon RobertsEach week includes: Scripture - An inspiring Bible verse to reflect and meditate on throughout your week, giving you time to memorize the verse and ingrain it into your heart and soul. Reflect - A "Reflect" page with thoughts and questions prompted by the weekly Scripture verse, along with space to record your own thoughts and responses. Journal - Two full pages to journal your praise for God, your prayer requests, the things on your heart, and how you wish to be taught and guided, as well as a Bible verse about the power of prayer. Answered Prayers - A tracker with space to record your prayers, so you can see how God moves in your life throughout the course of a year.

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Book SynopsisIt all began in June 2005 when Bobby Henderson wrote an open letter to the Kansas School Board proposing a third alternative to the teaching of evolution and intelligent design in schools.Bobby is a prophet of sorts, the spiritual leader of a growing, world-wide group of followers who worship the teachings of The Flying Spaghetti Monster (FSM).The FSM appeared to Bobby as a giant ball of spaghetti, with meatballs for eyes, and touched Bobby with His noodly appendage resulting in the revelation that the FSM is the real creator of the universe. The FSM faithful look to Bobby as their prophet and spiritual leader. Shortly after Bobby's revelation a website (www.flyingspaghettimonster.org) came into existence to promote the word. Then came the articles, which were worldwide: The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Guardian (UK), Die Welt (Germany), Surprise (Austria), and many others chimed in to report the existence of the FSM. Bobby received letters of support from academics and Ka

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Book SynopsisIn order to penetrate Tibet and reach Lhasa, Madame Alexandra David-Neel used her fluency of Tibetan dialects and culture, and inked skin and tackled some of the roughest terrain and climate in the World. This title presntes her intensive study and daring adventure in mysterious territories of the East.Trade Review"David-Neel was indisputably a fearless traveler, a rogue's rogue. Her account has the power to awe even today." -- Outside magazine

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Book SynopsisPresents poems which are a bridge between the mystery of being human and the mystery of the divine.

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Book SynopsisExplores essential elements and teachings of the world's predominant faiths. This book emphasizes the inner - rather than the institutional - dimensions of Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam. It conveys the appeal and gifts of each of the traditions and reveals their hold on the human heart and imagination.

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Book SynopsisWealth and abundance are our divine right, learn to embrace prosperity with #1 New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson - preorder her latest, The Mystic Jesus, picking up where A Return to Love left offIn The Law of Divine Compensation, the revered spiritual guide teaches how, with faith in God’s promise of love and abundance for all, we need never fear the future.There are two realms that we have the ability to inhabit: the physical realm and the spiritual realm. In the physical realm, we find ourselves stressed by debt, unemployment, health bills, and more. While these fears are real, we don’t have to find ourselves stuck there. Instead, we can enter the spiritual realm, where God has promised to make abundance and prosperity available to us all. We do not need to be worried; we do not need to be preoccupied with our current financial situation; we do not need to fear the future. We just need to have the right mindset, the right faith that the power of God can and will work with the universe to produce miracles in our lives. If we live our lives to the best of our abilities, God will work with the universe to help give us everything we need.Trade Review"Author, activist, and spiritual leader Marianne Williamson is often considered one of the defining voices for a new generation of spiritual seekers." -- Spirituality and Health magazine "Williamson may be the most renowned spiritual activist and author teaching spiritual principles based on A Course in Miracles. This latest book... addresses the ways we attract miracles or deflect them... with a focus on the particular attitudes that will pave the way to material abundance." -- Publishers Weekly "Williamson focuses on what defines meaningful work and how our jobs can be an extension of our spirituality. As she teaches ... the sense of endless possibility to reshape our lives unfolds." -- Huffington Post "The Law of Divine Compensation assures us that everything will be all right since the universe is set up to work for us. ... We are challenged to believe that miracles do happen and what is lacking can become abundant." -- Spirituality and Practice "Williamson's easy, caring writing style makes almost anything seem possible, and here it is used to best advantage." -- Booklist "If you have trouble allowing money to flow abundantly into your life, by all means, pick up a copy of Marianne Williamson's new book The Law of Divine Compensation. ... This wonderful book... will help you shift your perceptions around money, work, and wealth. -- Law of Attraction magazine In The Law of Divine Compensation, the New York Times bestselling author Marianne Williamson provides a unique perspective on our financial condition,... revealing a path to abundance by way of a powerful spiritual principle called the Law of Divine Compensation. -- Edge Magazine "Marianne conveys her principals in such a way that makes my brain simultaneously jolt to life with excitement and my soul sigh with deep, profound relief." -- Gaiam TV Blog

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Book SynopsisIn this magisterial cultural and intellectual history, Thomas Bauer reconsiders classical and modern Islam by tracing differing attitudes toward ambiguity. Over a span of many centuries, he explores the tension between one strand that aspires to annihilate all uncertainties and a competing tendency that looks for ways to live with complexity.Trade ReviewBoth the non-specialist and the seasoned scholar will come away from this book rethinking at least part of what they thought they know about Islamic culture in its past and present incarnations. * TLS *Thomas Bauer takes his audience on a delightfully opinionated and provocative journey through premodern Islamic cultural and intellectual history. His apt use of the theoretical lens of ambiguity will make readers look at both premodern and modern Islamic cultures—and beyond them at all cultural expressions—with new eyes. -- Ahmed El Shamsy, author of Rediscovering the Islamic Classics: How Editors and Print Culture Transformed an Intellectual TraditionThomas Bauer's A Culture of Ambiguity belongs to the rare class of books that can change our thinking about a whole era of history—here premodern Islam. It is highly innovative and offers new ways of understanding Arabic literature, from the Qur'an via Islamic law to the Arabian Nights. -- Frank Griffel, author of The Formation of Post-Classical Philosophy in IslamIn this wonderful book, Thomas Bauer offers a truly fresh history of how Islam was lived and interpreted before the nineteenth century. With a focus on 'ambiguity,' he tells a fascinating story well beyond hackneyed clichés of 'medieval' bigots and zealots. Elegantly written, often witty, and always erudite, this is an outstandingly enjoyable must-read for anyone interested in Islam. -- Konrad Hirschler, coeditor of The Damascus Fragments: Towards a History of the Qubbat al-khazna Corpus of Manuscripts and DocumentsBauer’s alternative history, postmodern in vision and method, debunks the modernist narrative and repudiates all its teleological claims. It shows that the modernist solution to the human problem has its own flaws as the modernist utopia has its own deficits. * Muslim World Book Review *An exciting and highly recommended publication for both students of Islam and members of the public with an interest in acquiring an informed, critical knowledge of Islam’s complex history. * Journal of Arabic Literature *Table of ContentsForewordIntroduction 1. Cultural Ambiguity2. Does God Speak in Textual Variants?3. Does God Speak Ambiguously? 4. The Blessing of Dissent5. The Islamization of Islam 6. Language: A Serious Business and a Game7. The Ambiguity of Sexual Desire8. The Serene Look at the World 9. In Quest of CertaintyNotes BibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisThe Santo Daime is a syncretic religion whose spiritual practice is based around the sacramental use of ayahuasca. G. William Barnard—an initiate of the religion and a scholar of religious studies—considers the religious practice and transformative inner experiences of the Santo Daime community.Trade ReviewLiquid Light is a monumental achievement, a unique synthesis of psychedelic experience and critical scholarship. Writing as a philosopher, historian, psychologist, and daimista, Barnard takes us deep into the Santo Daime community and its sacramental use ayahuasca. His descriptions of ayahuasca initiation are penetrating, searingly honest, breathtakingly beautiful, and told with self-deprecating humor. Liquid Light is an absolute gem of a book and a milestone in the emerging field of psychedelic philosophy. -- Christopher Bache, author of LSD and the Mind of the Universe: Diamonds from HeavenLiquid Light is a magical mystery tour of Barnard's immersion into the Santo Daime Church. As a professor of religious studies, his journey is set within the sophisticated context of William James and Henri Bergson. It's a wild ride on many levels and an important contribution to our understanding of what it means to be a modern mystic. -- Rachel Harris, author of Listening to Ayahuasca: New Hope for Depression, Addiction, PTSD, and AnxietyLiquid Light is a spiritual-intellectual memoir that moves back and forth between two voices or genres: that of the believing (if often struggling to believe) participant in the religion of Santo Daime and that of the more detached scholar of religion. In his doubled spirit, Barnard answers objections to and criticisms of visionary experience, psychedelic revelation, and the often quite striking experience of mediumship. By so doing, he makes a most welcome and original contribution to the growing literature on Santo Daime and its central sacrament, commonly known as ayahuasca. -- Jeffrey J. Kripal, author of The Superhumanities: Historical Precedents, Moral Objections, New RealitiesIn this book, Barnard describes, in a highly personal and vivid manner, some of the experiences he has been having during the over fifteen years that he has been taking Daime (the name given by the Santo Daime tradition to ayahuasca). The result is a rather unusual blend of rigorous academic thought and vivid descriptions of his own personal spiritual experiences, written in a highly readable style that makes the book difficult to put down. -- Edward MacRae, coeditor of Ayahuasca, Ritual, and Religion in BrazilTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction1. First Encounter with the Daime2. Initial Philosophical Reflections3. Next Steps on the Path4. Céu do Mapiá—Beginnings5. Feitio—the Ritual of Making the Daime6. Early Works in Céu do Mapiá7. Mirações—Visionary/Mystical Experiences in the Santo Daime8. Mediumship in the Santo Daime9. The Holy House in Céu do Mapiá—Rosary Works10. Final Days in Céu do Mapiá11. Ending on a High NoteNotesBibliographyIndex

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Book SynopsisCan an orthodox Christian, committed to the historic faith of the Church and the authority of the Bible, be a universalist? Weaving together philosophical, theological and biblical considerations, the author shows that being a universalist is consistent with the central teachings of the Bible and of historic Christian theology.

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Book SynopsisAn investigation into how the four Gospel writers drew on the Old Testament to demonstrate their belief that Jesus was nothing less than the embodiment of Israel’s God.Trade Review· ‘Hays opens new and striking vistas on texts we thought we knew—and, particularly, on the early church’s remarkable belief in Jesus as the embodiment of Israel’s God.’ -- N. T. WrightYou might have seen Richard Hays’ Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness with a different cover. Originally published by Baylor University Press, there is now a paperback edition courtesy of SPCK and they graciously sent me a copy. I hadn’t read any of Hays’ works, but I see his name frequently and N. T. Wright did dedicate PFG to him. Sometimes I get bored with regular reading so the opportunity to learn a new skill intrigued me. The book itself is derived from a series of lectures Hays delivered at Cambridge in 2013 and 2014. It is a preview of a Gospel focused sequel he is working on toEchoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul. In his preface, Hays mentions several forerunners to the type of work he is doing (Dodd, Wright, Hurtado, Bauckham, to name a few). He then offers an introductory chapter on figural reading, which as you might have figured, is the backwards reading the title refers to. There then follows a short chapter on each Gospel writer’s strategy of doing this. The final chapter offers summary thoughts on retrospective readings and the challenge and benefit of Gospel-shaped hermeneutics. If you leave out the front and back matter, the body of this book (chapters 1-6) is just over 100 pages. As such, it is quick read but a slow digest on reading the Old Testament in light of Christ. It is thought provoking and nowhere near a final word on the method of reading this way. After reading it, I’d like to go back and dig into some of Hays other works and I’ll look forward to the full length title that this book previews. Richard B Hays, Reading Backwards: Figural Christology and the Fourfold Gospel Witness. London: SPCK, May 2015. 155 + xxii pp. Paperback, $26.73. Buy it: Amazon Visit the publisher’s page Thanks to SPCK for the review copy! -- Nathaniel Claiborne * http://nathanielclaiborne.com/ *After Hays’s enormously influential book, Echoes of Scripture in the Letters of Paul (1989), readers have eagerly anticipated a companion volume on the Gospels. This is not it, as Hays says in the Introduction, but it is offered as an interim statement until time permits a fuller study. The book has an introduction, where the concept of ‘figural reading’ or ‘reading backwards’ is expounded, a chapter on each of the canonical Gospels, and a concluding reflection which sums up the thesis of the book, ‘Retrospective Reading: The Challenges of Gospel-Shaped Hermeneutics’. Historical-critical scholars have long pointed out that the New Testament authors interpreted the Scriptures in the light of their Christian beliefs and criticized them for doing so. Conservative scholars responded by trying to show that such beliefs were at least implicit in the ancient texts (‘latent’ is becoming a popular word). Hays, however, accepts the point but denies the criticism, stating that ‘in light of the unfolding story of Jesus, it is both right and illuminating to read backwards and to discover in the Law and the Prophets an unexpected foreshadowing of the later story’ (p. 94). The problem with historical-critical scholarship is that, once an element of dissonance has been discerned, it fails to dig deeper. Hays attempts to correct this by offering fresh readings of the Gospels, where careful attention to echoes and allusions not only brings new insights but also challenges a number of critical consensuses. For example, Mark is said to have a ‘low’ Christology but Hays argues that the text invites readers to search the Scriptures to answer such questions as: ‘Who is the Kyrios?’ (1.2–3); ‘Who can forgive sins but God alone?’ (2.7); ‘Who is the shepherd of Israel?’ (6.34); ‘Who walks on the sea?’ (6.45–52). The answer in each case is Israel’s God, and so while it is true that Mark is not as explicit about Jesus’ divinity as John’s Gospel he is ‘hinting that Jesus is the mysteriously embodied presence of Israel’s God’ (p. 26). Hays does not wish to neglect the many features of Mark that could imply ‘Jesus non-identity with God’ (p. 27) and concludes that we are ‘drawn into the contemplation of a paradoxical revelation that shatters our categories and exceeds our understanding’ (p. 32). He is less comfortable with Matthew since his editorial proof-texts are precisely what he wishes to challenge but he does seek to show that there are riches to discover if the wider context of the citations is explored. As one has come to expect from Hays’s writings, the book is a joy to read and will prompt much discussion. For example, on what basis are echoes and allusions of ‘divine identity’ (he records his debt to Bauckham here) given greater weight than explicit quotations that identify Jesus with the ‘anointed prophet’ (Luke 4.16–21) or ‘servant of God’ (Matt. 12.17–21)? Can Job 9.8, which poetically describes God as the one who ‘trampled the waves of the sea’ really be the key to understanding Mark’s ‘walking on the water’ episode? -- Steve Moyise * Theology journal *

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Book SynopsisAn in-depth study of Romans from today's leading interpreter of Paul.Trade Review‘A master class in close reading of Scripture. . . A stimulus to a richer understanding of the gospel that Paul proclaimed.’ -- Richard B. Hays, Professor Emeritus of New Testaments, Duke divinity School, North Carolina‘An exemplar of a pastorally and exegetically rich analysis.’ -- Esau McCaulley, Associate Professor of New Testament, Wheaton College, Illinois‘Tom Wright is one of the great biblical commentators of our day, whose writing on the Bible will stand the test of time.’ -- Amy Boucher Pye'One of the world's leading New Testament scholars' -- Craig S. Keener'Paul's greatest living interpreter' -- Tom Holland

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Book SynopsisA study of Proverbs that includes a survey of the collections of ancient Near Eastern wisdom literature. It covers such themes as the origins of personified wisdom, what wisdom is, and where wisdom can be heard.

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Book SynopsisA long-awaited abridgement of Raymond Brown's classic and best-selling introduction to the New TestamentTrade Review"During his career, Brown has enlightened and challenged scholars. . . . Highly recommended."—Library Journal"There is likely to be no better one-volume introduction to the New Testament."—Michael Mates, UNRV History

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Book SynopsisAll Along You Were Blooming is a dynamic collection of illustrated poetry and prose inspiring you to live boundlessly right where you are. With every turn of the page, Instagram poet Morgan Harper Nichols invites you into a life of hope, trusting there is purpose in every moment and new mercy every morning.

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Book SynopsisThe Million copy bestseller: control the way you think to banish the damaging emotions of worry, doubt, confusion, depression, anger and condemnation.Trade ReviewI have even recommended this book to friends who don't go to church- and they love it. * Families First *

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Book Synopsis“Lewis shows again why he is the leading journalist of his generation.”—Kyle Smith, ForbesTrade Review"Michael Lewis possesses the rare storyteller's ability to make virtually any subject both lucid and compelling... Combining his easy familiarity with finance and the talents of a travel writer, Mr. Lewis sets off in these pages to give the reader a guided tour through some of the disparate places hard hit by the fiscal tsunami of 2008, like Greece, Iceland and Ireland, tracing how very different people for very different reasons gorged on the cheap credit available in the prelude to that disaster. The book - based on articles Mr. Lewis wrote for Vanity Fair magazine - is a companion piece of sorts to The Big Short: Inside the Doomsday Machine, his bestselling 2010 book about the fiscal crisis... Mr. Lewis's ability to find people who can see what is obvious to others only in retrospect or who somehow embody something larger going on in the financial world is uncanny. And in this book he weaves their stories into a sharp-edged narrative that leaves readers with a visceral understanding of the fiscal recklessness that lies behind today's headlines about Europe's growing debt problems and the risk of contagion they now pose to the world." -- Michiko Kakutani "Lewis's rare gift as a guide through the world of credit default swaps and sovereign debt doesn't come simply from his deep understanding of how the global financial system works ... also his skill as a storyteller, his ability to tell the larger tale through fascinating human stories of greed, excess, and self-delusion." -- Chuck Leddy "[Lewis's] explanations of thorny financial processes are surprisingly compelling, his characters entertaining." -- Jessica Loudis

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Book SynopsisIn LIVING LIKE YOU MEAN IT, author Ronald J. Frederick, does a brilliant job of describing why people are so afraid of their emotions and how this fear creates a variety of problems in their lives. While the problems are different, the underlying issue is often the same. At the core of their distress is what Dr.Trade Review"Finally, someone is helping us get closer to our emotions and who we are—instead of further away from our power. A moving and inspirational read for anyone in the challenging times we're all going through." —Melody L. Beattie, NY Times bestselling author of Codependent No More "What a joy it is to read Dr. Ron Frederick’s Living Like You Mean It. Well informed, accessible and engaging, this wonderful book is full of powerful strategies that will enliven your soul, enrich your relationships, and help you have a more deeply meaningful life. I recommend it with enthusiasm!" —John Bradshaw, NY Times bestselling author of Healing the Shame that Binds You "With compelling insight into the way emotion shapes our lives, Living Like You Mean It invites us on a tremendously useful journey into the mind and brain and shows us how the day-to-day ways we defend against feeling our feelings keeps us from living the lives we really want. But no more! Through practical suggestions, compelling stories, and powerful insights, this book dishes up a readily accessible plan to free us from the prison of our own fear of feeling. Frederick is a liberating guide—and after joining him on this trek, you’ll be ready to feel fully alive!" —Daniel J. Siegel, MD, director, the Mindsight Institute, and author of The Mindful Brain "Brimming with heart and soul, and scientifically sound, Living Like You Mean It is a brilliant book for anyone wanting to get unstuck and live a happier, more fulfilling life." —Marci Shimoff, NY Times bestselling author of Happy for No Reason "Ron Frederick is a master therapist and a gifted teacher. With energy and passion, he guides the reader through the vibrant inner landscape of the emotions. The tools and insights he offers can help prevent depression and anxiety. Even more, they point the way toward a vital and engaged life—a life fully lived." —Henry Emmons, MD, author of The Chemistry of JoyTable of ContentsAcknowledgments vii Introduction xiii Part One: Preparation 1 To Feel or Not to Feel 3 2 How the Heck Did I Get This Way? 23 Part Two: Taking Action 3 Step One: Becoming Aware of Your Feelings 45 4 Step One, Continued: Becoming Aware of Your Defenses 64 5 Step Two: Taming the Fear 87 6 Step Three: Feeling It Through 108 7 Step Four: Opening Up 131 8 Putting It All Together 151 Conclusion: Making a Choice 170 Appendix: Seeking Professional Help 173 Notes 175 The Author 179 Index 181

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Book SynopsisExplores how ancient people who grasped the timeless principles of sacred geometry were able to create flourishing societies. This title features more than 300 colour illustrations that reveal the secret code within the geometrical figures and shows how they express the spiritual meanings in the key numbers of 1 through 12.Trade Review'A delightful book: clear, witty, beautiful and illuminating' - The Spectator'Instructive and illustrative … John Michell has stamped this book with the freshness and originality that are his hallmark. It is a worthy bequest of an extraordinary mind … a source of inspiration for seekers in the arts, mathematics and the Mysteries' - Temenos Academy Review'Utterly gorgeous … 288 full-colour pages of wisdom and wonder … A thing to be cherished, a work of art, it is also a beautifully illustrated geometry primer with philosophical commentary … the text is Michell’s finest prose - cool, succinct and rational' - Fortean Times

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Book SynopsisLooks at the origins, meaning, and uses of Conjure - the African American tradition of healing and harming that evolved from African, European, and American elements - from the slavery period to well into the twentieth century. This work describes Conjure and other related traditions, such as Hoodoo and Rootworking.Trade Review"Chireau has written a marvelous text on an important dimension of African-American religious culture. Expanding beyond the usual focus of scholarship on Christianity, she describes and analyzes the world of magical-medical-religious practice, challenging hallowed distinctions among "religion" and "magic." Anyone interested in African-American religion will need to reckon seriously with Chireau's text on conjure." - Albert J. Raboteau, Princeton University "Deprived of their own traditions and defined as chattel, enslaved Africans formed a new orientation in America. Conjuring - operating alongside of and within both the remnants of African culture and the acquired traditions of North America - served as a theoretical and practical mode of deciphering and divining within this, enabling them to create an alternate meaning of life in the New World. Chireau's is the first full-scale treatment of this important dimension of African American culture and religion. A wonderful book!" - Charles H. Long, Professor of History of Religions University of California, Santa Barbara and author of Significations: Signs, Symbols and Images in the Interpretation of Religion"Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. "Our Religion and Superstition Was All Mixed Up" Conjure, Christianity, and African American Supernatural Traditions 2. "Africa Was a Land a' Magic Power Since de Beginnin' a History" Old World Sources of Conjuring Traditions 3. "Folks Can Do Yuh Lots of Harm" African American Supernatural Harming Traditions 4. "Medical Doctors Can't Do You No Good" Conjure and African American Traditions of Healing 5. "We All Believed in Hoodoo" Conjure and Black American Cultural Traditions Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Understanding Religion is a lucid, creatively structured, and nearly jargon-free introduction to theories and methods for studying religious communities and traditions in diverse societies, bold in scope, and presented in a manner that is undergraduate-friendly, yet sophisticated enough for use in a graduate-level course." * Journal of Interreligious Studies *"Explores themes one might expect in a textbook as well as ones welcomely added, emphasizing a 'deeply political' approach that continually draws the reader’s attention back to whose voice gets expressed in scholarship, and whose does not." * Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations List of Boxes Acknowledgments and Dedications Introduction PART I. WHAT IS RELIGION AND HOW TO APPROACH IT? 1. Religion: Language, Law, and Legacies Case Study 1A: Falun Gong: Religion or Self-Cultivation Practice? Case Study 1B: Christians and Ancestor Veneration: Religion or Culture? 2. Method: Insider-Outsider Debates, Phenomenology, and Reflexivity Case Study 2A: Living between Religious Worlds: Conversion and Reconversion Case Study 2B: Hindu and Christian? Multiple Religious Identities 3. Life: Lived Religion, Syncretism, and Hybridity Case Study 3A: Mexican American Catholicism and Our Lady of Guadalupe Case Study 3B: Thai Buddhism as Lived Religion and Syncretic Practice PART II. THEORIES, METHODOLOGIES, AND CRITICAL DEBATES 4. History: Historical Methodology and the Invention of Tradition Case Study 4A: The Historical Jesus and the Christ of Faith Case Study 4B: Laozi, the Daodejing, and the Origins of Daoism 5. Power: Social Constructionism, Habitus, and Authority Case Study 5A: Mosques, Minarets, and Power Case Study 5B: Individual (New Age/Alternative) Spirituality as Modernity's Ideology 6. Identity: Social Identity Theory, In-Groups, Out-Groups, and Conflict Case Study 6A: Shiv Sena, Hindu Nationalism, and Identity Politics Case Study 6B: Race, Religion, and the American White Evangelical 7. Colonialism: Postcolonialism, Orientalism, and Decolonization Case Study 7A: Beyond "Inventing" Hinduism Case Study 7B: Magic, Superstition, and Religion in Southeast Asia and Africa 8. Brains: The Cognitive Science of Religion and Beyond Case Study 8A: Religion, Non-Religion, and Atheism Case Study 8B: Ancestors, Jesus, and Prosocial Behavior in Fiji 9. Bodies: Material Religion, Embodiment, and Materiality Case Study 9A: Weeping Gods and Drinking Statues Case Study 9B: Embodied Practice at a Christian Shrine 10. Gender: Feminism, Sexuality, and Religion Case Study 10A: Priests, Paul, and Rewriting Texts Case Study 10B: Buddhist Feminisms and Nuns 11. Comparison: Comparative and Contrastive Methodologies Case Study 11A: Comparing Hinduism and Judaism Case Study 11B: A Comparison of Zen Buddhist and Protestant Christian Sitting Practices 12. Ritual: Ritualization, Myth, and Performance Case Study 12A: The Zen Tea Ceremony and Protestant Eucharist as Performance and Ritual Case Study 12B: Buddhist Ordination Rites PART III. RELIGIOUS DIVERSITY AND SOCIETY 13. Diversity: Religious Borders, Identities, and Discourses Case Study 13A: The Memory of Al-Andalusia Case Study 13B: Dominus Iesus and Catholic Christianity in Asia 14. Dialogue: Interreligious Discourse and Critique Case Study 14A: Christian and Muslim Women Reading Scriptures Case Study 14B: Buddhist-Christian Dialogue: History and Discourse 15. Violence: Fundamentalism, Extremism, and Radicalization Case Study 15A: The Invention of Islamic Terrorism Case Study 15B: Buddhism and Violence 16. Secularism: Secularization, Human Rights, and Religion Case Study 16A: Laïcité and the Burkini Ban Case Study 16B: Singapore's Common Space 17. Geography: Place, the Lived Environment, and Environmentalism Case Study 17A: Trees as Monks? Case Study 17B: Protestant Christian Understandings of the "Holy Land" 18. Politics: Governance, the Colonial Wound, and the Sacred Case Study 18A: Ethnicity and Religion: The Singaporean Malay-Muslim Identity Case Study 18B: Saluting the Flag: The Case of Jehovah's Witnesses in the United States Glossary Who's Who Notes Index

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Book SynopsisInspiring and informativedeserves to be widely read.Wall Street JournalThis fun book offers a philosophical take on number systems and revels in the beauty of math.Science NewsBecause we have ten fingers, grouping by ten seems natural, but twelve would be better for divisibility, and eight is well suited to repeated halving. Grouping by two, as in binary code, has turned out to have its own remarkable advantages. Paul Lockhart presents arithmetic not as rote manipulation of numbersa practical if mundane branch of knowledge best suited for filling out tax formsbut as a fascinating, sometimes surprising intellectual craft that arises from our desire to add, divide, and multiply important things. Passionate and entertaining, Arithmetic invites us to experience the beauty of mathematics through the eyes of a beguiling teacher. A nuanced understanding of working with numbers, gently connecting procedures that we once learned by rote with intuitions long since muddled by educationLockhart presents arithmetic as a pleasurable pastime, and describes it as a craft like knitting.Jonathon Keats, New ScientistWhat are numbers, how did they arise, why did our ancestors invent them, and how did they represent them? They are, after all, one of humankind's most brilliant inventions, arguably having greater impact on our lives than the wheel. Lockhart recounts their fascinating storyA wonderful book.Keith Devlin, author of Finding FibonacciTrade ReviewToday’s world is more dependent on numbers than at any time in human history, yet with the ready availability of cheap, reliable devices that handle computation, we have never had less need to master arithmetic. Our newfound freedom from the chore of hand computation makes it both possible and, Paul Lockhart argues in this wonderful new book, desirable to step back and reflect on the entire development of arithmetic over several millennia. What are numbers, how did they arise, why did our ancestors invent them, and how did they represent them? They are, after all, one of humankind’s most brilliant inventions, arguably having greater impact on our lives than the wheel. Lockhart recounts their fascinating story. -- Keith Devlin, mathematician, author of The Man of Numbers and Finding FibonacciWhat an exuberant, exciting invitation to take joy in the wonderful human activity of counting, and to think deeply about its many origins. Marvelously personal, quite surprising at times, and fun to read. -- Barry Mazur, Gerhard Gade University Professor at Harvard University, coauthor of Prime Numbers and the Riemann HypothesisOnce I started reading, the text proved mind-blowing. Some of the most ingrained and fundamental assumptions about the way we count and understand numbers are here deconstructed and shown to be arbitrary… For the mathematical layman, this book will be a very pleasant surprise… I am delighted to say that Lockhart is a fabulously entertaining writer, and that his light-hearted approach managed to keep me cheerfully engaged even when his discussions were most abstract… It’s in equal measures entertaining and educational, and a pleasant surprise on more levels than one. -- Andrea Tallarita * PopMatters *Arithmetic is inspiring and informative, and deserves to be widely read. -- Jane Gleeson-White * Wall Street Journal *Beginning with counting and moving through topics such as multiplication and fractions, Arithmetic provides a nuanced understanding of working with numbers, gently connecting procedures that we once learned by rote with intuitions long since muddled by education…Lockhart presents arithmetic as a pleasurable pastime, and describes it as a craft like knitting. Manipulating calculi on a tabula, you can see what he means. -- Jonathon Keats * New Scientist *More than just an informative survey of the fundamentals of basic arithmetic, this fun book offers a philosophical take on number systems and revels in the beauty of math. * Science News *

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Book SynopsisMaximos the Confessor is one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. The Ambigua is his greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God.

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Book SynopsisMaximos the Confessor is one of the most challenging and original Christian thinkers of all time. The Ambigua is his greatest philosophical and doctrinal work, in which daring originality, prodigious talent for speculative thinking, and analytical acumen are on lavish display. The result is a labyrinthine map of the mind’s journey to God.

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Book SynopsisA contribution to Shi'ite Sufism. It brings us to the core of this movement with an analysis of Ibn 'Arabi's life and doctrines. It begins with a spiritual topography of the twelfth century, emphasizing the differences between exoteric and esoteric forms of Islam. It also relates Islamic mysticism to mystical thought in the West.Table of ContentsList of PlatesPrefaceIntroductionBetween Andalusia and Iran: A Brief Spiritual Topography3The Curve and Symbols of Ibn 'Arabi's Life38At Averroes' Funeral38The Pilgrim to the Orient46The Disciple of Khidr53His Maturity and the Completion of His Work68The Situation of Esoterism77Divine Passion and Compassion105The Prayer of the Heliotrope105The "Pathetic God"112Of Unio Mystica as Unio Sympathetica120Sophiology and Devotio Sympathetica136The Sophianic Poem of a Fedele d'amore136The Dialectic of Love145The Creative Feminine157Prologue179The Creation as Theophany184The Creative Imagination as Theophany, or the "God from Whom All Being Is Created"184The God Manifested by the Theophanic Imagination190The "God Created in the Faiths"195The Recurrence of Creation200The Twofold Dimension of Beings207Theophanic Imagination and Creativity of the Heart216The Field of the Imagination216The Heart as a Subtile Organ221The Science of the Heart237Man's Prayer and God's Prayer246The Method of Theophanic Prayer246Homologations257The Secret of the Divine Responses262The "Form of God"272The Hadith of the Vision272Around the Mystic Ka'aba277Epilogue282Notes and Appendices285List of Works Cited391Index399

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Book SynopsisJesus' promise to you is that you will live triumphantly. But what keeps you from really walking in the joy of the Lord? Victory Over the Darkness spells out practical ways to experience Christian growth based on Christ's promise. Learn to apply the truths of Scripture as a base from which to renew your mind and become the person Christ empowers you to be.

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Book SynopsisHave you ever closed your Bible and thought, What did I just read? In an easy-to-understand way, popular podcaster of The Bible Recap Tara-Leigh Cobble walks readers through a one-year chronological Bible reading plan, explaining each day's passage to help you both understand the entire narrative of the Scriptures and fortify your faith.

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Book SynopsisAll couples deal with anger. How they respond to it makes all the difference in their relationships and their lives. In From Anger to Intimacy, couples learn how to:· resolve conflict, hurt, and pain in a healthy way· overcome feelings of anger, frustration, and rage· learn how to forgive and nurture a forgiving spirit· craft the perfect apology· break sexual addiction and heal after an affair· and much moreThis life-changing book is now available in trade paper.

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Book SynopsisThe gift of discerning of spirits is the powerful, supernatural ability to hear and see into the spiritual realm. Yet it's often overlooked and misunderstood. Full of real-world application, this essential, foundational guide shows how you can sense, discern, and battle in the spiritual realm, expose the hidden threats, and help lead the way to victory.

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Book SynopsisIn a culture where picture-perfect models and career-driven women define beauty and success, popular bloggers and writers uncover the secrets of God-defined womanhood, lasting worth, and true fulfillment.

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