Religion and beliefs Books

Book SynopsisThis comprehensive volume brings together a distinguished editorial team, including some of the field's pioneers, to explore the aims, practice, and historical context of interfaith collaboration. Explores in full the background, history, objectives, and discourse between the leaders and practitioners of the world's major religions Examines relations between religions from around the world, moving well beyond the common focus on Christianity, to also cover over 12 major religions Features a wealth of case studies on contemporary interreligious dialogue Charts a long-term shift away from a competitive rivalry between belief systems, and a change in focus towards the more respectful, cooperative approach reflected in institutions such as the World Council of Churches Includes up-to-date commentary on the growing dialogue of recent years, written by some of the leading figures working in the field of interfaith discourse Trade Review"These chapters show that the Companion is not just a status quaestionis of the established theory and practice of interreligious dialogue: it actually tries to contribute to its theoretical and practical development." (Journal of Empirical Theology, 2014) "In summation, Cornille has served up what must surely establish itself as one of the core reference texts in any serious library on interreligious dialogue, encounters, and relations." (Journal of Religious History, 3 September 2014) "Instructively, the volume's impressive breadth and scholarship serve to orient readers to the future and its possibilities rather than to an alleged final word on a given dialogue. Every library and student in this and related disciplines should hold a copy." (Religious Studies Review, 16 June 2014) "Summing Up: Highly recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners." (Choice, 1 February 2014)Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors ix Introduction xii Part I Focal Topics 1 1 The History of Inter-Religious Dialogue 3Leonard Swidler 2 Conditions for Inter-Religious Dialogue 20Catherine Cornille 3 Monastic Inter-Religious Dialogue 34Pierre-François de Béthune, OSB 4 Comparative Theology and Inter-Religious Dialogue 51Francis X. Clooney, SJ 5 Scriptural Reasoning as Inter-Religious Dialogue 64Marianne Moyaert 6 Inter-Religious Worship 87Michael Amaladoss, SJ 7 Art and Inter-Religious Dialogue 99Mary Anderson 8 Inter-Religious Dialogue and Interstitial Theology 117Tinu Ruparell 9 Inter-Religious Dialogue and Social Action 133Paul F. Knitter 10 Inter-Religious Dialogue and Peacebuilding 149S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana 11 Women in Inter-Religious Dialogue 168Jeannine Hill Fletcher Part II Case Studies 185 12 Buddhist–Hindu Dialogue 187David Peter Lawrence 13 Jewish–Christian Dialogue 205Yaakov Ariel 14 Jewish–Muslim Dialogue 224Reuven Firestone 15 Christian–Muslim Dialogue 244Daniel Madigan, SJ 16 Shinto–Buddhist Dialogue 261Aasulv Lande 17 Muslim–Hindu Dialogue 279Anna Bigelow 18 Christian–Confucian Dialogue 296John Berthrong 19 Dialogue between Islam and African Religions 311John Azumah 20 Hindu–Christian Dialogue 325Anantanand Rambachan 21 Native American Spirituality and Christianity 346Achiel Peelman 22 Islam and Buddhism 360Imtiyaz Yusuf 23 Christian–Buddhist Dialogue 376Paul O. Ingram 24 Buddhist–Jewish Relations 394Nathan Katz 25 Hindu–Jewish Encounters 410Barbara A. Holdrege 26 The Implicit Dialogue of Confucian Muslims 438William Chittick and Sachiko Murata 27 A Confucian–Jewish Dialogue 450Galia Patt-Shamir and Ping Zhang 28 The Mormon–Evangelical Dialogue 468Robert L. Millet Index 479

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Book SynopsisThis uniquely comprehensive reference work provides a global account of the history, expansion, diversity, and contemporary issues facing the Anglican Communion, the worldwide body that includes all followers of the Anglican faith.Trade Review“The authors, as one might expect from an episcopal church, include three present or former archbishops, 13 bishops, 20 or so priests and 40-odd academics, many of them professors (with some overlap between the last two groups), so there is plenty of authoritative scholarship and expertise here.” (Reference Reviews, 1 October 2014) “The Wiley-Blackwell Companion to the Anglican Communion (WBCAC) is an unprecedented work on global Anglicanism. It offers a thorough account of the history, structures, members and major themes in Anglican thought, which is as comprehensive as it is comprehensible. As a guide to the Anglican Communion, it leaves no notable stone unturned.” (Churchman, 1 August 2014) “This is a valuable contribution to understanding the Anglican Communion. Summing Up: Recommended. Lower-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners; general readers.” (Choice, 1 December 2013)Table of ContentsNotes on Contributors xi Preface xxiii Acknowledgements xxv Part I History 1 1 Locating the Anglican Communion in the History of Anglicanism 3 Gregory K. Cameron 2 The History of Mission in the Anglican Communion 15 Titus Presler 3 The Emergence of the Anglican Communion in the Nineteenth and Twentieth Centuries 33 William L. Sachs Part II Structures of the Communion 45 4 The Instruments of Unity and Communion in Global Anglicanism 47 Norman Doe 5 The Archbishops of Canterbury, Past and Current 67 Nancy Carol James 6 The Book of Common Prayer 81 J. Robert Wright 7 The Lambeth Conferences 91 Robert W. Prichard 8 Anglican Consultative Councils 105 Samuel Van Culin and Andrew Bennett Terry 9 The Anglican Communion Covenant 119 Andrew Goddard Part III Provinces 135 Africa 136 10 The Anglican Church of Burundi 137 Katherine L. Wood 11 The Church of the Province of Central Africa 143 Katherine L. Wood 12 The Province of the Anglican Church of the Congo 148 Emma Wild-Wood and Titre Ande 13 The Church of the Province of the Indian Ocean 159 Cameron J. Soulis 14 The Anglican Church of Kenya 162 J. Barney Hawkins IV 15 The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) 165 Benjamin A. Kwashi 16 L’Eglise Episcopale au Rwanda 184 Emmanuel Mukeshimana 17 The Anglican Church of Southern Africa 194 Ian S. Markham 18 The Episcopal Church of Sudan 199 Abraham Yel Nhial 19 The Anglican Church of Tanzania 204 Phanuel L. Mung’ong’o and Moses Matonya 20 The Church of the Province of Uganda 221 Christopher Byaruhanga 21 The Church of the Province of West Africa 232 John S. Pobee Asia 239 22 The Church of Bangladesh 240 Shourabh Pholia 23 The Hong Kong Sheng Kung Hui 253 Paul Kwong 24 The Nippon Sei Ko Kai (The Anglican Communion in Japan) 263 Renta Nishihara 25 The Episcopal/Anglican Church in Jerusalem and the Middle East 272 Mouneer Hanna Anis 26 The Anglican Church of Korea 289 Yang Guen-Seok 27 The Church of the Province of Myanmar (Burma) 300 Katharine E. Babson and Saw Maung Doe 28 The Church of North India (United) 319 Dhirendra Kumar Sahu 29 The Church of Pakistan (United) 329 Azad Marshall 30 The Episcopal Church in the Philippines 341 Mary Jane L. Dogue-is 31 The Church of the Province of South East Asia 344 Justyn Terry 32 The Church of South India (United) 355 Ian S. Markham 33 The Church of Ceylon (Extra-Provincial to the Archbishop of Canterbury) 359 Duleep de Chickera Australia and Oceania 373 34 The Anglican Church in Aotearoa, New Zealand, and Polynesia 374 Christopher Honoré 35 The Anglican Church of Australia 387 Robert Tong 36 The Church of the Province of Melanesia 407 J. Barney Hawkins IV 37 The Anglican Church of Papua New Guinea 410 J. Barney Hawkins IV Europe 412 38 The Church of England 413 Mark Chapman 39 The Church of Ireland 426 Robyn M. Neville 40 The Scottish Episcopal Church 441 Brian Smith 41 The Church in Wales 452 Barry Morgan Extra-Provincial to Canterbury 464 42 Dioceses Extra-Provincial to Canterbury (Bermuda, the Lusitanian Church, the Reformed Episcopal Church of Spain, and Falkland Islands) 465 John A. Macdonald North America 474 43 The Anglican Church of Canada 475 Alan L. Hayes 44 Iglesia Anglicana de la Región Central de América 489 Ricardo F. Blanco-Beledo 45 The Anglican Church of Mexico (La Iglesia Anglicana de México) 500 John A. Macdonald 46 The Episcopal Church in the United States of America 508 J. Barney Hawkins IV 47 The Church in the Province of the West Indies 516 Noel Titus 48 The Episcopal Church of Cuba 526 A. Hugo Blankingship, Jr. South America 538 49 Igreja Episcopal Anglicana do Brasil (The Anglican Episcopal Church of Brazil) 539 Gustavo L. Castello Branco and Marcus Throup 50 La Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur (The Anglican Province of the Cono Sur) 547 John A. Macdonald Part IV Themes 553 51 Theology in the Anglican Communion 555 Justyn Terry 52 The Anglican Communion and Ecumenical Relations 569 Michael Nazir-Ali 53 Music in the Anglican Communion 585 William Bradley Roberts 54 Liturgy in the Anglican Communion 594 Nancy Carol James 55 Preaching in the Anglican Communion 606 George L. Carey 56 Women in the Anglican Communion 617 Janet Trisk 57 Human Sexuality in the Anglican Communion 627 Godfrey Mdimi Mhogolo 58 Theological Education in the Anglican Communion 643 Leon P. Spencer 59 Interreligious Relations in the Anglican Communion 657 Ian S. Markham 60 Globalization of the Anglican Communion 666 Grant LeMarquand 61 Missionary Work in the Anglican Communion 677 Timothy J. Dakin 62 Cross Communion Organizations 700 Julian Linnell 63 The Spirituality of the Anglican Communion 714 Elizabeth Hoare 64 Views of Colonization Across the Anglican Communion 726 Robert S. Heaney 65 The Global Anglican Future Conference (GAFCON) 739 Mark D. Thompson Index 750

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Contributors viii About the Editors x Introduction xiRobert A. Segal Part I Approaches 1 1 Anthropology of Religion 3Fiona Bowie 2 Economics of Religion 25Rodney Stark 3 Literature and Religion 44Eric Ziolkowski 4 Phenomenology of Religion 65Thomas Ryba 5 Philosophy of Religion 93Charles Taliaferro 6 Psychology of Religion 113Roderick Main 7 Sociology of Religion 135Titus Hjelm 8 Theology 152Ian S. Markham Part II T opics 169 9 Body 171Yudit Kornberg Greenberg 10 Cognitive Science 184Jesper Sorensen 11 Comparative Method 197Paul Roscoe 12 Death and Afterlife 209Douglas J. Davies 13 Emotion 219Tony Milligan 14 Esotericism 229Karl Baier 15 Ethics 241G. Scott Davis 16 Functionalism 253Robert A. Segal 17 Fundamentalism 265Henry Munson 18 Globalization 277Michael Wilkinson 19 History 289Robert A. Yelle 20 Law 302Winnifred Fallers Sullivan 21 Magic 315Kocku von Stuckrad 22 Modernism and Postmodernism 325Paul-Francois Tremlett 23 Music 335Guy L. Beck 24 Myth 348Robert A. Segal 25 Nationalism 361Mark Juergensmeyer 26 Pilgrimage 371Simon Coleman 27 Ritual 382 Part I by Catherine Bell -- Part II by Jens Kreinath 28 Science 400Ralph O'Connor 29 Secularization 414Steve Bruce 30 Sex and Gender 429Ivan Strenski 31 Terror and Violence 440Lorne L. Dawson Index 451

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsList of Contributors ix Preface xv Introduction: The Formation and Transformations of the Islamic Ecumene 1Armando Salvatore, Johann P. Arnason, Babak Rahimi, and Roberto Tottoli Part I Late Antique Beginnings (to ca. 661) 37 1 Agrarian, Commercial, and Pastoralist Dynamics in the Pre‐Islamic Irano‐Semitic Civilizational Area 39George Hatke 2 Imperial Contests and the Arabs: The World of Late Antiquity on the Eve of Islam 59Isabel Toral‐Niehoff 3 Pre‐Islamic Patterns of Social Organization and Cultural Expression in West Central Arabia 77Mohammed A. Bamyeh 4 Muhammad’s Movement and Leadership 97Anna Aysȩ Akasoy Part II The High Caliphate (ca. 661–946) 115 5 The Trajectory of the High Caliphate: Expansion and Contraction 117Amira K. Bennison 6 Developments within the Religious Sciences during the Rise and Decline of Empire 137Devin Stewart 7 Shi‘is, Sufis, and Popular Saints 159Ahmet T. Karamustafa 8 Contested Fields, Knowledge Mobility, and Discipline Crystallization 177Paul L. Heck Part III The Earlier Middle Period (ca. 946–1258) 195 9 Cosmopolitan Expansion and the Fragmentation of Governance 197Amira K. Bennison 10 Scholarship, Speculative Thought, and the Consolidation of Sunni Authority 215Bruce Fudge 11 Alternative Patterns of Legitimacy: Sunni–Shi‘i Debates on Political Leadership 235Asma Afsaruddin 12 The Crystallization and Expansiveness of Sufi Networkswithin the Urban‐Rural‐Nomadic Nexus of the Islamic Ecumene 253Babak Rahimi and Armando Salvatore Part IV The Later Middle Period (ca. 1258–1453) 273 13 Pax Mongolica and its Impact on Patterns of Governance 275Michele Bernardini 14 Religious Knowledge between Scholarly Conservatism and Commoners’ Agency 291Caterina Bori 15 The Consolidation of Sunni and Shi‘i Legitimacies 311Babak Rahimi 16 Organizational Patterns and Developments within Sufi Communities 329Devin DeWeese Part V Early Modernity and Civilizational Apogee (ca. 1453–1683) 351 17 Early Modern Islamicate Empire: New Forms of Religiopolitical Legitimacy 353Matthew Melvin‐Koushki 18 The ‘Ulama’ as Ritual Specialists: Cosmic Knowledge and Political Rituals 377A. Azfar Moin 19 New Sociopolitical Formations and the ‘Renaissance’ of Philosophy 393Sajjad Rizvi 20 The Apogee and Consolidation of Sufi Teachings and Organizational Forms 413Rachida Chih Part VI Facing the Global Rise of European Power (ca. 1683–1882) 433 21 Global Transformations in the ‘Muslim World’: Connections, Crises, and Reforms 435Ali Yaycioglu 22 Intellectual Creativity in a Time of Turmoil and Transition 459Ethan L. Menchinger 23 Islamicate Knowledge Systems: Circulation, Rationality, and Politics 479Jane H. Murphy 24 From Saints and Renewers to Mahdis and Proto‐Nationalists 499John O. Voll Part VII Colonial Subjection and Postcolonial Developments (ca. 1882–present) 519 25 Struggles for Independence: Colonial and Postcolonial Orders 521SherAli Tareen 26 The ‘Ulama’: Challenges, Reforms, and New Patterns of Social Relevance 543Jakob Skovgaard‐Petersen 27 The Role of Intellectuals within Late‐Colonial and Postcolonial Public Spheres 561Mohammed A. Bamyeh and Armando Salvatore 28 The Sociopolitical Entanglements of Sufism 585Jamal Malik Index 607

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Book SynopsisMarking the 50th anniversary of Lewis death, The Intellectual World of C.S. Lewis sees leading Christian thinker Alister McGrath offering a fresh approach to understanding the key themes at the centre of Lewis theological work and intellectual development.Trade Review“I have read many of Lewis's works repeatedly over the years and have read much of the secondary literature on him. The Intellectual World of C. S. Lewisdoes a good job in placing him in the intellectual context of his time.” (Modern-day Pilgrim, 8 April 2014) “McGrath’s volume is useful to both Lewis scholars and lay readers interested in Lewis or the themes with which he engaged.” (The Way, 1 April 2014) “There are acute and stimulating observations on Surprised by Joy as autobiography cast in a Christian mould, and its reliability as a source for historians. There are two particularly fine chapters showing the long-range influence on Lewis of the tradition of classical, medieval and early modern literature.” (Peter Webster's Blog, 22 January 2014) “Summing Up: Highly recommended. Lower-level undergraduates through researchers/faculty.” (Choice, 1 December 2013) “Many will also be grateful for these two books by Alister McGrath. Both reflect his thorough research, careful weighing of evidence, wide reading, and clarity of expression. . . The book contains useful studies on different aspects of Lewis as a Christian thinker; and I particularly enjoyed the slightly mischievous chapter in which McGrath argues that Lewis should be seen as a “real” theologian, not just the amateur one that he himself claimed to be.” (Church Times, 22 November 2013) “There is more to be said about Lewis as apologist and theologian but McGrath has written what will long be regarded as the essential guide.” (The Church of England Newspaper, 23 June 2013) “McGrath is ingenious and persuasive in searching Lewis’s writings for clues to his private life … [A] devoted and meticulous biography.” (The Times Literary Supplement, 21 June 2013) “Alister McGrath's biography of C.S. Lewis was an incredible exploration of one of the greatest minds in the history of Christian thought. I've always enjoyed reading Lewis because of the way he explains concepts in a way that is refreshing and inspiring. I found McGrath to have that kind of way with words in his exploration of Lewis' life. He takes the exploration a step further in a new companion book to the Lewis biography, THE INTELLECTUAL WORLD OF C.S. LEWIS.” (Tom Farr Reviews, 1 June 2013)"Lewis will go on being read nevertheless, because he is capable of great writing, but precisely which works and what the reception will be is also an open question. There are, however, many useful insights in this collection of essays, especially as regards the approach to Lewis’s modes of thought, with much unspoken about Lewis’s verbal practices." (Oxford Journals 2016)Table of ContentsAcknowledgments vii A Brief Biography of C. S. Lewis ix Introduction 1 1. The Enigma of Autobiography: Critical Reflections on Surprised by Joy 7 2. The “New Look”: Lewis’s Philosophical Context at Oxford in the 1920s 31 3. A Gleam of Divine Truth: The Concept of Myth in Lewis’s Thought 55 4. The Privileging of Vision: Lewis’s Metaphors of Light, Sun, and Sight 83 5. Arrows of Joy: Lewis’s Argument from Desire 105 6. Reason, Experience, and Imagination: Lewis’s Apologetic Method 129 7. A “Mere Christian”: Anglicanism and Lewis’s Religious Identity 147 8. Outside the “Inner Ring”: Lewis as a Theologian 163 Works by Lewis Cited 185 Index 187

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Book SynopsisReformation Thought, 4th edition offers an ideal introduction to the central ideas of the European reformations for students of theology and history. Written by the bestselling author and renowned theologian, Alister McGrath, this engaging guide is accessible to students with no prior knowledge of Christian theology. This new edition of a classic text has been updated throughout with the very latest scholarship Includes greater coverage of the Catholic reformation, the counter-reformation, and the impact of women on the reformation Explores the core ideas and issues of the reformation in terms that can be easily understood by those new to the field Student-friendly features include images, updated bibliographies, a glossary, and a chronology of political and historical ideas This latest edition retains all the features which made the previous editions so popular with readers, while McGrath''s revisions have ensured it remains Trade Review"Anyone looking to understand the theological and sociopolitical world of the Protestant Reformation – and it's present influence – would do well to look nowhere else but this latest edition of Reformation Thought." (Jacob Sweeney's Blog, 17 May 2012) "[McGrath] is one of the best scholars and teachers of the Reformation.... Teachers will rejoice in this wonderfully useful book." (Teaching History (of a previous edition))Table of Contents1 The Reformation: An Introduction 1 The Cry for Reform 2 The Concept of “Reformation” 5 The Lutheran Reformation 6 The Reformed Church 7 The Radical Reformation (Anabaptism) 9 The Catholic Reformation 11 The Importance of Printing 12 The Use of the Vernacular in Theological Debates 15 The Social Context of the Reformation 16 The Religious Concerns of the Reformers: A Brief Overview 20 2 Christianity in the Late Middle Ages 23 The Growth of Popular Religion 23 The Rise in Anti-Clericalism 24 The Rise of Doctrinal Pluralism 27 A Crisis of Authority within the Church 30 An English Case Study: Lollardy 32 3 Humanism and the Reformation 35 The Concept of “Renaissance” 36 The Concept of “Humanism” 37 Classical Scholarship and Philology 38 The New Philosophy of the Renaissance 38 Kristeller’s View of Humanism 39 Ad Fontes – Back to the Fountainhead 40 Northern European Humanism 41 The Northern European Reception of the Italian Renaissance 41 The Ideals of Northern European Humanism 43 Eastern Swiss Humanism 43 French Legal Humanism 44 Erasmus of Rotterdam 46 The Critique of the Vulgate Text 48 Editions of Patristic Writers 50 Humanism and the Reformation – An Evaluation 51 Humanism and the Swiss Reformation 52 Humanism and the Wittenberg Reformation 53 Tensions between the Reformation and Humanism 55 4 Scholasticism and the Reformation 59 “Scholasticism” Defined 60 Scholasticism and the Universities 62 Types of Scholasticism 63 Realism versus Nominalism 63 “Pelagianism” and “Augustinianism” 65 The Via Moderna 67 The Schola Augustiniana Moderna 69 The Impact of Medieval Scholasticism upon the Reformation 70 Luther’s Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism 71 Calvin’s Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism 72 5 The Reformers: A Biographical Introduction 75 Martin Luther (1483–1546) 76 Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531) 81 Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560) 83 Martin Bucer (1491–1551) 84 John Calvin (1509–64) 85 6 The Return to the Bible 91 Scripture in the Middle Ages 92 The Concept of “Tradition” 92 The Vulgate Translation of the Bible 94 The Medieval Vernacular Versions of Scripture 94 The Humanists and the Bible 95 The Bible and the Protestant Reformation 97 The Canon of Scripture 97 The Authority of Scripture 98 The Role of Tradition 100 Methods of Interpreting Scripture 102 The Right to Interpret Scripture 106 The Translation of Scripture 110 The Catholic Response: Trent on Scripture and Tradition 112 7 The Doctrine of Justification by Faith 115 A Foundational Theme: Redemption through Christ 115 Justification and Martin Luther’s Theological Breakthrough 117 Luther’s Early Views on Justification 118 Luther’s Discovery of the “Righteousness of God” 119 The Nature of Justifying Faith 121 Consequences of Luther’s Doctrine of Justification 122 The Concept of “Forensic Justification” 125 Divergences among the Reformers on Justification 128 Justification and the Swiss Reformation 128 Later Developments: Bucer and Calvin on Justification 130 Theological Diplomacy: “Double Justification” 132 The Catholic Response: Trent on Justification 133 The Nature of Justification 134 The Nature of Justifying Righteousness 135 The Nature of Justifying Faith 136 The Assurance of Salvation 137 8 The Doctrine of the Church 141 The Background to the Reformation Debates: The Donatist Controversy 143 The Context of the Reformation Views on the Church 146 Luther on the Nature of the Church 147 The Radical View of the Church 149 Tensions within Luther’s Doctrine of the Church 151 Calvin on the Nature of the Church 152 The Two Marks of the Church 153 The Structures of the Church 154 Calvin on the Church and Consistory 155 Calvin on the Role of the Church 157 The Debate over the Catholicity of the Church 158 The Council of Trent on the Church 161 9 The Doctrine of the Sacraments 163 The Background to the Sacramental Debates 163 The Sacraments and the Promises of Grace 165 Luther on the Sacraments 168 Luther on the Real Presence 171 Luther on Infant Baptism 172 Zwingli on the Sacraments 174 Zwingli on the Real Presence 176 Zwingli on Infant Baptism 179 Luther versus Zwingli: A Summary and Evaluation 181 Anabaptist Views on the Sacraments 183 Calvin on the Sacraments 185 The Catholic Response: Trent on the Sacraments 187 10 The Doctrine of Predestination 191 The Background to the Reformation Debates over Predestination 191 Zwingli on the Divine Sovereignty 193 Melanchthon’s Changing Views on Predestination 195 Calvin on Predestination 197 Predestination in Later Reformed Theology 202 11 The Political Thought of the Reformation 207 The Radical Reformation and Secular Authority 207 Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms 210 Zwingli on the State and Magistrate 216 Bucer on Magistrate and Ministry 218 Calvin on Magistrate and Ministry 219 12 The Religious Ideas of the English Reformation 223 The Social Role of Religious Ideas: Germany and England 223 English Humanism 226 The Origins of the English Reformation: Henry Viii 227 The Consolidation of the English Reformation: Edward vi to Elizabeth I 230 Justification by Faith in the English Reformation 233 The Real Presence in the English Reformation 236 13 The Diffusion of the Thought of the Reformation 241 The Physical Agencies of Diffusion 241 The Vernacular 241 Books 242 The Interchange of People 243 The Diffusion of Ideas: The Key Texts 244 The Catechisms 244 Confessions of Faith 246 Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion 247 14 The Impact of Reformation Thought upon History 253 An Affirmative Attitude Toward the World 254 The Protestant Work Ethic 256 Reformation Thought and the Origins of Capitalism 258 Reformation Thought and Political Change 261 Reformation Thought and the Emergence of the Natural Sciences 263 Reformation Ecclesiologies and the Modern World 266 Conclusion 267

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Book SynopsisReformation Thought, 4th edition offers an ideal introduction to the central ideas of the European reformations for students of theology and history. Written by the bestselling author and renowned theologian, Alister McGrath, this engaging guide is accessible to students with no prior knowledge of Christian theology. This new edition of a classic text has been updated throughout with the very latest scholarship Includes greater coverage of the Catholic reformation, the counter-reformation, and the impact of women on the reformation Explores the core ideas and issues of the reformation in terms that can be easily understood by those new to the field Student-friendly features include images, updated bibliographies, a glossary, and a chronology of political and historical ideas This latest edition retains all the features which made the previous editions so popular with readers, while McGrath''s revisions have ensured it remains Trade Review"Anyone looking to understand the theological and sociopolitical world of the Protestant Reformation – and it's present influence – would do well to look nowhere else but this latest edition of Reformation Thought." (Jacob Sweeney's Blog, 17 May 2012) "[McGrath] is one of the best scholars and teachers of the Reformation.... Teachers will rejoice in this wonderfully useful book." (Teaching History (of a previous edition))Table of Contents1 The Reformation: An Introduction 1 The Cry for Reform 2 The Concept of “Reformation” 5 The Lutheran Reformation 6 The Reformed Church 7 The Radical Reformation (Anabaptism) 9 The Catholic Reformation 11 The Importance of Printing 12 The Use of the Vernacular in Theological Debates 15 The Social Context of the Reformation 16 The Religious Concerns of the Reformers: A Brief Overview 20 2 Christianity in the Late Middle Ages 23 The Growth of Popular Religion 23 The Rise in Anti-Clericalism 24 The Rise of Doctrinal Pluralism 27 A Crisis of Authority within the Church 30 An English Case Study: Lollardy 32 3 Humanism and the Reformation 35 The Concept of “Renaissance” 36 The Concept of “Humanism” 37 Classical Scholarship and Philology 38 The New Philosophy of the Renaissance 38 Kristeller’s View of Humanism 39 Ad Fontes – Back to the Fountainhead 40 Northern European Humanism 41 The Northern European Reception of the Italian Renaissance 41 The Ideals of Northern European Humanism 43 Eastern Swiss Humanism 43 French Legal Humanism 44 Erasmus of Rotterdam 46 The Critique of the Vulgate Text 48 Editions of Patristic Writers 50 Humanism and the Reformation – An Evaluation 51 Humanism and the Swiss Reformation 52 Humanism and the Wittenberg Reformation 53 Tensions between the Reformation and Humanism 55 4 Scholasticism and the Reformation 59 “Scholasticism” Defi ned 60 Scholasticism and the Universities 62 Types of Scholasticism 63 Realism versus Nominalism 63 “Pelagianism” and “Augustinianism” 65 The Via Moderna 67 The Schola Augustiniana Moderna 69 The Impact of Medieval Scholasticism upon the Reformation 70 Luther’s Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism 71 Calvin’s Relation to Late Medieval Scholasticism 72 5 The Reformers: A Biographical Introduction 75 Martin Luther (1483–1546) 76 Huldrych Zwingli (1484–1531) 81 Philipp Melanchthon (1497–1560) 83 Martin Bucer (1491–1551) 84 John Calvin (1509–64) 85 6 The Return to the Bible 91 Scripture in the Middle Ages 92 The Concept of “Tradition” 92 The Vulgate Translation of the Bible 94 The Medieval Vernacular Versions of Scripture 94 The Humanists and the Bible 95 The Bible and the Protestant Reformation 97 The Canon of Scripture 97 The Authority of Scripture 98 The Role of Tradition 100 Methods of Interpreting Scripture 102 The Right to Interpret Scripture 106 The Translation of Scripture 110 The Catholic Response: Trent on Scripture and Tradition 112 7 The Doctrine of Justification by Faith 115 A Foundational Theme: Redemption through Christ 115 Justification and Martin Luther’s Theological Breakthrough 117 Luther’s Early Views on Justification 118 Luther’s Discovery of the “Righteousness of God” 119 The Nature of Justifying Faith 121 Consequences of Luther’s Doctrine of Justification 122 The Concept of “Forensic Justification” 125 Divergences among the Reformers on Justification 128 Justification and the Swiss Reformation 128 Later Developments: Bucer and Calvin on Justification 130 Theological Diplomacy: “Double Justification” 132 The Catholic Response: Trent on Justification 133 The Nature of Justification 134 The Nature of Justifying Righteousness 135 The Nature of Justifying Faith 136 The Assurance of Salvation 137 8 The Doctrine of the Church 141 The Background to the Reformation Debates: The Donatist Controversy 143 The Context of the Reformation Views on the Church 146 Luther on the Nature of the Church 147 The Radical View of the Church 149 Tensions within Luther’s Doctrine of the Church 151 Calvin on the Nature of the Church 152 The Two Marks of the Church 153 The Structures of the Church 154 Calvin on the Church and Consistory 155 Calvin on the Role of the Church 157 The Debate over the Catholicity of the Church 158 The Council of Trent on the Church 161 9 The Doctrine of the Sacraments 163 The Background to the Sacramental Debates 163 The Sacraments and the Promises of Grace 165 Luther on the Sacraments 168 Luther on the Real Presence 171 Luther on Infant Baptism 172 Zwingli on the Sacraments 174 Zwingli on the Real Presence 176 Zwingli on Infant Baptism 179 Luther versus Zwingli: A Summary and Evaluation 181 Anabaptist Views on the Sacraments 183 Calvin on the Sacraments 185 The Catholic Response: Trent on the Sacraments 187 10 The Doctrine of Predestination 191 The Background to the Reformation Debates over Predestination 191 Zwingli on the Divine Sovereignty 193 Melanchthon’s Changing Views on Predestination 195 Calvin on Predestination 197 Predestination in Later Reformed Theology 202 11 The Political Thought of the Reformation 207 The Radical Reformation and Secular Authority 207 Luther’s Doctrine of the Two Kingdoms 210 Zwingli on the State and Magistrate 216 Bucer on Magistrate and Ministry 218 Calvin on Magistrate and Ministry 219 12 The Religious Ideas of the English Reformation 223 The Social Role of Religious Ideas: Germany and England 223 English Humanism 226 The Origins of the English Reformation: Henry VIII 227 The Consolidation of the English Reformation: Edward VI to Elizabeth I 230 Justification by Faith in the English Reformation 233 The Real Presence in the English Reformation 236 13 The Diffusion of the Thought of the Reformation 241 The Physical Agencies of Diffusion 241 The Vernacular 241 Books 242 The Interchange of People 243 The Diffusion of Ideas: The Key Texts 244 The Catechisms 244 Confessions of Faith 246 Calvin’s Institutes of the Christian Religion 247 14 The Impact of Reformation Thought upon History 253 An Affirmative Attitude Toward the World 254 The Protestant Work Ethic 256 Reformation Thought and the Origins of Capitalism 258 Reformation Thought and Political Change 261 Reformation Thought and the Emergence of the Natural Sciences 263 Reformation Ecclesiologies and the Modern World 266 Conclusion 267

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Book Synopsis50 Great Myths about Religions is an intriguing, informative, and often humorous introduction to some of the long standing myths that surround religious belief. This engaging book will get its readers thinking about how and why certain myths have arisen, and their continuing influence on our personal and collective view of religion.Trade Review"...The authors have a serious and deep purpose. Moreover, they have set about the task with some sagacity. Conscious that many people are unwittingly captive to damaging half-truths in religious belief, they set the record straight on key issues and ideas, and, in so doing, have produced a lively book with a bracing and pacey text. It deserves to be widely read." (Church Times, 21 August 2015) "For the non-religious amongst you, this book will provide to hand a ready set of information to counter the door-to-door religion sellers." (SFCrowsnest.org.uk, 1 June 2014) "The Bonus Myths of the final section were mainly well – known and very cleverly handled, with erudition and humour. The Apocalypse is the End of the World; Cherubs are Cute, Childlike Angels; There was a Female Pope Named Joan; and a whole series of fabled statements attributed to the Bible, e.g. Cleanliness is next to Godliness; Hate the Sin, Love the Sinner; Money is the root of all evil; This too shall pass . . . and so on. Well worth reading whatever your faith or belief." (Nurturing Potential, 1 June 2014)Table of Contents1 Introduction: Myths and Misbelieving 1 2 Myths About Religions in General 9 Introduction 9 1. All Societies Have Religions 12 2. Religion Is about the Spiritual 18 3. Religion Is about the Supernatural 21 4. Religion Is about Faith or Belief 23 5. Worship Is an Essential Part of Religion 28 6. Religion Is a Personal Matter 31 7. Science Will Eventually Replace Religion 34 8. Religion Causes Violence 39 3 Myths About Judaism, Jews, and Jewish Scripture 45 Introduction 45 1. The Ancient Israelites Believed in One God 46 2. Moses Wrote the First Five Books of the Bible 50 3. The Book of Genesis Is Incompatible with the Theory of Evolution 53 4. Jews Believe They Were Chosen by God to Receive Special Privileges 60 5. The Jews Killed Jesus 63 6. Blood Libel: Jews Use Christian Blood in Their Rituals 68 7. Benjamin Franklin Advised the US Government to Expel Jews 70 8. The Protocols of the Learned Elders of Zion: Jewish Leaders Plot Global Takeover 73 9. Hanukkah Is for Jews What Christmas Is for Christians 77 4 Myths About Christianity, Christians, and Christian Scripture 80 Introduction 80 1. The Four Gospels Are Eyewitnesses' Accounts of the Life of Jesus 81 2. The Bible Says that When We Die, Our Souls Go to Heaven or Hell 86 3. Jesus Was Born on December 25 in a Stable in Bethlehem 89 4. Jesus Was a Christian 93 5. Jesus Preached Family Values 97 6. The Image of the Crucified Jesus Has Always Been Sacred to Christians 101 7. The Church Suppressed Science in the Middle Ages 105 8. Catholics Are Not Christians 110 9. The United States Was Founded as a Christian Country 115 5 Myths About Islam, Muslims, and the Qur'an 123 Introduction 123 1. Most Muslims Are Arabs and All Arabs Are Muslim 124 2. Muslims Worship a Different God 126 3. The Qur’an Condemns Judaism and Christianity 129 4. “Jihad” Means Holy War 135 5. The Qur’an Encourages Violence 138 6. The Qur’an Condones Mistreatment of Women 142 7. The Qur’an Promises Suicide Bombers 72 Heavenly Virgins 147 8. Muslims Reject Democracy 150 9. Muslims Fail to Speak Out against Terrorism 153 10. American Muslims Want to Impose Islamic Law on the United States 158 6 Myths About Other Western Traditions 163 Introduction 163 1. Zoroastrians Worship Fire 163 2. Voodoo Is Black Magic 166 3. Witches Worship Satan 169 4. Rastafarians Are Marijuana Abusers 175 5. Unitarian Universalists May Believe Whatever They Want 178 7 Myths About Eastern Traditions 181 Introduction 181 1. Hinduism Is a Single Religious Tradition 181 2. Hinduism Promotes the Caste System 185 3. Hindus Worship Idols 187 4. Buddha Is a God for Buddhists 190 5. The Laughing Buddha (Budai, Ho-Ti) Is Buddha 193 8 Myths About Nonbelievers 196 Introduction 196 1. Nonbelievers Are Ignorant about Religion 196 2. Nonbelievers Have no Basis for Morality 198 3. Without Religious Belief, Life Has No Purpose 202 4. Atheism Is Just as Much a Matter of Faith as Religion Is 207 Bonus Myths 210 1. The Bible says, "Cleanliness is next to Godliness," "The Lord works in mysterious ways," "Hate the sin, love the sinner," "God helps those who help themselves," "Money is the root of all evil," "Spare the rod and spoil the child," "To thine own self be true," "This too shall pass," "To err is human, to forgive divine," and "Idle hands are the Devil's workshop" 211 2. The Bible Forbids Eating Pork Because It Causes Illness 216 3. The Apocalypse Is the End of the World Foretold in Scripture 220 4. Satan and His Devils Torture Humans in Hell 224 5. Cherubs Are Cute, Childlike Angels 226 6. Christians Were Systematically Persecuted by the Romans 229 7. There Was a Female Pope Named Joan 233 8. Saint Patrick Drove the Snakes out of Ireland 238 Index 242

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Book SynopsisEngagingly written by one of the world's leading scholars in this field, this comprehensively revised edition tells the story of Christian spirituality from its origins in the New Testament right up to the present day. Charts the main figures, ideas, images and historical periods, showing how and why spirituality has changed and developed over the centuries Includes new chapters on the nature and meaning of spirituality, and on spirituality in the 21st century; and an account of the development and main features of devotional spirituality Provides new coverage of Christian spirituality's relationship to other faiths throughout history, and their influence and impact on Christian beliefs and practices Features expanded sections on mysticism, its relationship to spirituality, the key mystical figures, and the development of ideas of the mystical' Explores the interplay between culture, geography, and spirituality, taking a global perspeTrade Review“This volume would be an excellent text for the upper-level or seminary student. Summing Up: Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals/practitioners.” (Choice, 1 October 2013) Table of ContentsPreface xi 1 What is Spirituality? 1 Origins of the Word “Spirituality” 2 Contemporary Meaning 3 What is Christian Spirituality? 6 Spirituality and Mysticism 7 The Study of Spirituality 9 Spirituality and History 11 Interpretation 12 Types of Spirituality 15 Periods and Traditions 17 Conclusion: Criteria of Judgment 18 2 Foundations: Scriptures and Early Church 23 Christian Spirituality and the Scriptures 24 Scriptural Markers 25 Spirituality in the New Testament 27 Spirituality and the Early Church 30 Liturgy 31 Spirituality and Martyrdom 32 Shrines, Devotion, and Pilgrimage 33 Spirituality and Doctrine 34 Origen 35 Evagrius 36 The Cappadocians 36 Augustine 37 Pseudo-Dionysius 38 Christian Spirituality as Transformation and Mission 39 Theories of Spiritual Transformation 41 Conclusion 43 3 Monastic Spiritualities: 300–1150 47 The Emergence of Monasticism 50 Widows and Virgins 50 Syrian Ascetics 51 Egyptian Monasticism 52 Wisdom of the Desert 53 Monastic Rules 56 Benedictine Expansion 59 The New Hermits 61 The Cistercians 63 The Spiritual Values of Monasticism 65 Spirituality and the Conversion of Europe 67 Local Spiritualities: Ireland 68 Spirituality in the East 70 Syriac Spirituality 73 Conclusion 74 4 Spirituality in the City: 1150–1450 79 The Gregorian Reform 80 Apocalyptic Movements 81 The Vita Evangelica 82 Twelfth-Century Renaissance 83 The Rebirth of Cities 84 Cathedrals and Urban Vision 85 The City as Sacred 86 Universities as Sacred Space 87 Vita Evangelica and Urban Sensibilities 88 The Mendicant Movement 89 Dominic, Francis, Clare, and Bonaventure 90 The Beguines 94 Fourteenth-Century Mysticism 96 Julian of Norwich 98 Crossing Spiritual Boundaries: The Influence of Islam 100 Devotional Spirituality 101 Spirituality and Eastern Christianity 102 The Renaissance 104 Conclusion 106 5 Spiritualities in the Age of Reformations: 1450–1700 110 Seeds of Reform: The Devotio Moderna and Christian Humanism 113 The Crisis of Medieval Spirituality 114 Spirituality and the Lutheran Reformation 115 John Calvin and Reformed Spirituality 117 The Radical Reformation: Anabaptist Spirituality 118 Anglican Spirituality 120 George Herbert 121 Puritan Spirituality 124 Early Quakers 125 The Catholic Reformation 126 The New Orders 126 Ignatius Loyola and Early Ignatian Spirituality 126 Spirituality Beyond Europe 131 Carmelite Mysticism 133 Lay Devotion 135 Seventeenth-Century French Spirituality 137 Russian Spirituality 140 Conclusion 141 6 Spirituality in an Age of Reason: 1700–1900 145 Spirituality in the Roman Catholic Tradition 148 Pietism 150 Wesleyan Spirituality 151 American Puritanism and the Great Awakening 153 Shaker Spirituality 154 Orthodox Spirituality 156 Post-Revolutionary Catholicism 159 The English Evangelicals 161 The Oxford Movement 164 John Henry Newman 166 A Distinctive “American Spirituality” 167 Conclusion 170 7 Modernity to Postmodernity: 1900–2000 173 The Impact on Spirituality 175 The Prophetic-Critical Type 175 Charles de Foucauld (1858–1916) 176 Evelyn Underhill (1875–1941) 177 Dietrich Bonhoeffer (1906–1945) 179 Simone Weil (1909–1943) 181 Dorothy Day (1897–1980) 183 Thomas Merton (1915–1968) 184 Spiritualities of Liberation 186 Gustavo Gutiérrez (1928–) 186 Feminist Spirituality 188 Spiritualities of Reconciliation 190 Ecumenical Spirituality: The Example of Taizé 192 Spirituality and Inter-Religious Dialogue: Bede Griffiths 193 Eastern Orthodox Spirituality 195 Making Spirituality Democratic: The Retreat Movement 197 Making Spirituality Democratic: Pentecostal and Charismatic Spirituality 199 Conclusion 200 8 Twenty-First Century Trajectories 203 Will Christian Spiritualities Survive? 203 A Globalized World 205 Cyberspace 206 Inter-Religious Encounter 208 Christian Spirituality and Secular Spirituality 210 Spirituality, Business, and Economics 210 Spirituality and Healthcare 213 Spirituality and the Meaning of Cities 216 The Spiritual and the Spatial 217 The Spiritual and Urban Virtues 218 Other Factors? 219 The Contemporary Turn to Practice 220 Conclusion 222 Select Bibliography 223 Select Glossary 232 Index 240

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Book SynopsisCreated by two of the field's leading experts, this unique introduction to international religious demography outlines the challenges in interpreting data on religious adherence, and presents a contemporary portrait of global religious belief. Offers the first comprehensive overview of the field of international religious demography detailing what we know about religious adherents around the world, and how we know it Examines religious freedom and diversity, including agnostics and atheists, on a global scale, highlighting trends over the past 100 years and projecting estimates for the year 2050 Outlines the issues and challenges related to definitions, taxonomies, sources, analyses, and other techniques in interpreting data on religious adherence Considers data from religious communities, censuses, surveys, and scholarly research, along with several in-depth case studies on the global Muslim population, religion in China, and the religious demograTrade Review“Todd Johnson and Brian Grim have produced a synthesis of statistics and commentary that will stand as a landmark in the quantitative study of world religions.” (Journal of Contemporary Religion, 1 October 2014) “A very scholarly book with huge amounts of data included in it but with a major contribution to the methodology of taking forward religious demography as a discipline. The World’s Religions in Figuresis strongly recommended for any library with a focus on religion, sociology or world politics.” (Reference Reviews, 1 October 2014) “Todd Johnson and Brian Grim have produced a synthesis of statistics and commentary that will stand as a landmark in the quantitative study of world religions.” (Journal of Contemporary Religion, 1 August 2014) “And in my opinion, this book is a must read for everyone interested in the field of international religious demography.” (Journal for the scientific study of Religion, 10 June 2014) "This book is a comprehensive introduction to religious demography, both by way of method and by way of data and results.” (International Journal for Religious Freedom, 1 October 2013) “It is a technical, critical volume. For those who are seriously engaged in demographic studies and the manner in which international religious traditions have developed, and are now developing, this book will have value and significance. It is a remarkable achievement.” (Association for Mormon Letters, 1 September 2013) Table of ContentsList of Figures xiii List of Tables xiv Foreword xix Acknowledgments xxiv Introduction 1 Part I Overview 7 1 Global Religious Populations, 1910–2010 9 2 Regional Religious Populations, 1910–2010 81 3 Religious Diversity 93 4 Projecting Religious Populations, 2010–50 111 Part II Data and Methods 133 5 Defining Religion and Religious Identity 135 6 Religious Demography as an Emerging Discipline 143 7 Major Sources and Collections of Data 163 8 Analyzing Data on Religion 190 9 Dynamics of Change in Religious Populations 205 Part III Case Studies 227 10 Estimating Changes in the Global Muslim Population 229 11 Factors Driving Change in the Global Muslim Population 258 12 Estimating China’s Religious Populations 286 13 Assessing Religious Populations in the Sudans 313 14 Migration and Religious Diasporas 321 Conclusion 333 Appendix: World Religions by Country 337 Glossary 346 Index 360

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Book Synopsis* * Presents an innovative, reception history approach to the study of Ecclesiastes, by tracing its influence on religion, culture, literature, art and social thought. * Explores a fascinating range of Jewish and Christian readings.Trade Review"Christianson's study of Ecclesiastes's cultural impact is rich and rewarding. [He] beautifully exposits the material that he treats, and suggests by brief reference some other avenues of fruitful exploration. In these ways, Ecclesiastes Through the Centuries serves both as an excellent treatment of the title theme and a good model for other reception histories to follow. The book may be heartily recommended, without reservation." (Bible and Critical Theory) "A fundamental resource on biblical interpretation, especially in the modern world, this book is a winner." (International Review of Biblical Studies) "Students of Ecclesiastes have been waiting a good many years for a book like Eric Christianson's study … Not since the time of Christian David Ginsburg's magisterial commentary Coheleth (commonly called the Book of Ecclesiastes) in 1861 has there been such a thorough survey of the reception history of Ecclesiastes." (Lutheran Theological Journal) "With the text's many difficult and provocative passages, the reception history of Ecclesiastes is always going to be more interesting than that of many biblical books, and in this erudite but entertaining commentary, Christianson takes full advantage of the rich materials at his disposal...The introduction and commentary proper cover many topics, from patristic and rabbinic exegesis through to modern science-fiction, with numerous stops on the way...Christianson is a genial guide throughout, and his own enthusiasm is clear; the book is very well written and accessible, moreover, so that it should appeal to both specialists and a wider public...Overall an excellent book." (Society for Old Testament Study Book List)Table of ContentsSeries Editors’ Preface xi Preface xiii Preface to the Paperback Edition xvii Testimonia 1 The Vagaries of Interpreting Ecclesiastes 1 Charting a Harsh Terrain 4 Qoheleth the Philosopher 5 Wrought by Melancholy 7 Preacher of Joy 9 True to Life 10 Qoheleth and Christianity 14 Qoheleth and Justice 15 Introduction 17 1 A History of Reception Histories 19 2 Reading Strategies and Lines of Influence 22 Pre-Modern Reading: –1500 23 Early Modern Reading: 1500–1800 40 A. Renaissance and Reform 40 B. Sixteenth- and Seventeenth-Century Verse 51 C. On the Way to Modernity 57 Modern Reading: 1800– 65 A. Literature 65 B. Visual Art, Music and Film 75 C. Comparative Studies 84 Ecclesiastes 1 87 The Life and Death of Solomon the Author: 1:1 et passim 89 A. Alive and Well in Pre-Modernity (–1500) 89 B. Embattled in Early Modernity (1500–1800) 95 C. Dead in Modernity – Solomon’s Ghost (1800–) 96 Vanitas Vanitatum: 1:2 et passim 98 A. Despising the World through Vanitas (–1500) 100 B. Renaissance Vanitas: Despising Jerome and Suspecting the Sciences (1500–1800) 106 C. Literary Vanitas: New Points of Reference (1800–) 125 D. The Breadth of Vanitas 140 The Overture Played Out: 1:3–18 142 Ecclesiastes 2 156 Wrestling with the Test of Pleasure: 2:1–10 157 Understanding Wisdom, Folly and God’s Gifts: 2:11–24 161 Ecclesiastes 3:1–8 164 The Totality of Times 165 Ecclesiastes 3:9–6:12 174 On Fate, Knowledge and Anthropology: 3:9–22 175 On Oppression and the Value of Companionship: 4:1–12 180 On Conducting Oneself in the House of God: 5:1–8 183 On the Possibility of Profi t and Relief from hebel: 5:10–6:12 184 Ecclesiastes 7–8 188 The Curious Values of Wisdom: 7:1–12 189 The Incongruity of Experience and the Inaccessibility of Wisdom: 7:13–29 192 About Wisdom, Power and Authority: 8:1–17 201 Ecclesiastes 9:1–12 206 The Wisdom of Death and Life 207 Ecclesiastes 9:13–11:10 216 Wise Conduct in the Light of Uncertainty: 9:13–11:6 217 The Final Call to Joy: 11:7–10 221 Ecclesiastes 12:1–7 225 The Rule of Allegory 227 Beyond Allegory 232 Ecclesiastes 12:8–14 247 The Final Word 249 A Hermeneutical Postscript 256 Understanding the Pervasive Appeal of Qoheleth 256 The Exegetical ‘Fidelity’ of Ecclesiastes’ Reception History 259 How Might This Reception History Inform the Discipline? 261 Bibliography 264 Primary Sources 265 1. Pre-1500 265 2. 1500–1800 267 3. Post-1800 271 Reception Histories of Ecclesiastes 275 1. Jewish and Christian 275 2. Surveys of Academic Approaches 280 3. Literature 281 Specialist Comparative Studies 283 Ecclesiastes General Secondary Sources 285 Other Secondary Sources 291 Appendix – The Quotable Qoheleth: Ecclesiastes in Popular Discourse 296 List of Illustrations 300 Acknowledgements 302 Name Index 303 Subject Index 312

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Book Synopsis"This magnificent collection completely re-imagines the vast and well-trodden field of the Bible and Literature. From Chaucer to T.S. Eliot, The Blackwell Companion to the Bible in English Literature offers a compelling narrative of how the English literary tradition has itself used, re-written and re-visioned sacred texts.Trade Review"This is indeed a true companion, one that succeeds in its aim of being both scholarly and accessible to all lovers of English literature. In short, all students of English literature ought to put aside a month to read and study this book before going up to university." (Church Times) "Probably what comes across most clearly is how, and that, many of the writers chose deliberately to draw on the Bible, and for students increasingly unfamiliar with the Bible, this approach challenges as well as informs." (Reference Reviews) "An extremely useful volume." (The Year's Work in English Studies)Table of ContentsList of Contributors ix Part I Introduction 1 1 General Introduction Rebecca Lemon, Emma Mason, and Jonathan Roberts 3 2 The Literature of the Bible Christopher Rowland 10 3 Biblical Hermeneutics and Literary Theory David Jasper 22 Part II Medieval 39 4 Introduction Daniel Anlezark 41 5 Old English Poetry Catherine A. M. Clarke 61 6 The Medieval Religious Lyric Douglas Gray 76 7 The Middle English Mystics Annie Sutherland 85 8 The Pearl-Poet Helen Barr 100 9 William Langland Sister Mary Clemente Davlin, OP 116 10 Geoffrey Chaucer Christiania Whitehead 134 Part III Early Modern 153 11 Introduction Roger Pooley 155 12 Early Modern Women Elizabeth Clarke 169 13 Early Modern Religious Prose Julie Maxwell 184 14 Edmund Spenser Carol V. Kaske 197 15 Mary Sidney Rivkah Zim 211 16 William Shakespeare Hannibal Hamlin 225 17 John Donne Jeanne Shami 239 18 George Herbert John Drury 254 19 John Milton Michael Lieb 269 20 John Bunyan Andrew Bradstock 286 21 John Dryden Gerard Reedy, S.J. 297 Part IV Eighteenth Century and Romantic 311 22 Introduction Stephen Prickett 313 23 Eighteenth-Century Hymn Writers J. R. Watson 329 24 Daniel Defoe Valentine Cunningham 345 25 Jonathan Swift Michael F. Suarez, S.J. 359 26 William Blake Jonathan Roberts and Christopher Rowland 373 27 Women Romantic Poets Penny Bradshaw 383 28 William Wordsworth Deeanne Westbrook 397 29 S. T. Coleridge Graham Davidson 413 30 Jane Austen Michael Giffin 425 31 George Gordon Byron Wolf Z. Hirst 438 32 P. B. Shelley Bernard Beatty 451 Part V Victorian 463 33 Introduction Elisabeth Jay 465 34 The Brownings Kevin Mills 482 35 Alfred Tennyson Kirstie Blair 496 36 The Brontës Marianne Thormählen 512 37 John Ruskin Dinah Birch 525 38 George Eliot Charles LaPorte 536 39 Christina Rossetti Elizabeth Ludlow 551 40 G. M. Hopkins Paul S. Fiddes 563 41 Sensation Fiction Mark Knight 577 42 Decadence Andrew Tate 587 Part VI Modernist 601 43 Introduction Ward Blanton 603 44 W. B. Yeats Edward Larrissy 617 45 Virginia Woolf Douglas L. Howard 629 46 James Joyce William Franke 642 47 D. H. Lawrence T. R. Wright 654 48 T. S. Eliot David Fuller 667 49 The Great War Poets Jane Potter 681 Index 696

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Book SynopsisThe world''s religions affirm it to be so and recent research across a number of disciplines tell us that Helping others not only benefits those we assist but is good for us as well. The recent and astonishingly generous outpouring of help and donations in response to the earthquake in Haiti is a clear demonstration of this phenomenon, but what if we could be convinced to make helping others a way of life, even when times are hard? Post is author of the widely praised Why Good Things Happen to Good People Filled with inspirational anecdotes about the transformative power of doing good The author is a leader in the study of altruism, compassion, and love as well as the President of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love Beautiful packaging, ideal for gift giving The Hidden Gifts of Helping Others will leave you with the unshakable feeling that the world is an essentially good place.Trade Review"Post (When Good Things Happen to Good People), president of the Institute for Research on Unlimited Love, pens a hopeful text for hopeless times. His own job loss forced him and his family to relocate in 2008, and he writes poignantly of what he's personally lived through. No stranger to the emotional and spiritual difficulties that accompany any major life change, the author shares intimately how he put into practice the biblical principle of "giving unto others" as he worked through his own grief, sorrow, and loss during the transition that uprooted his family. The lessons Post learned make up this practical resource that urges purposeful giving, even while feeling the stings of disappointment and hardship. Post's work is more than a feel-good read. It's today's handbook for survival." (Publishers Weekly, January 10, 2011 “This inspirational, motivational, and feel good book will leave you bursting with an overflowing bucket list of things you will want to do.” Read more: http://kennedybookreviews.blogspot.com/2011/04/hidden-gifts-of-helping-how-power-of.html#ixzz1KCDvNGU0 © 2011 Kennedy Book Reviews. All Rights ReservedTable of ContentsIntroduction: On the Move. 1 Learning to Travel on Life's Mysterious Journey. 2 The Gift of the “Giver's Glow”. 3 The Gift of Connecting with the Neediest. 4 The Gift of Deep Happiness. 5 The Gift of Compassion and Unlimited Love. 6 The Gift of Hope. Epilogue: Always Coming Home. Notes. Acknowledgments. The Author. Index.

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Book SynopsisThe key to extraordinary long--term performance lies in a transformational commitment not to motivating people, but to inspiring them. Lance Secretan's Higher Ground Leadership concepts have been widely used to increase profits and quality, slash staff turnover, and achieve record organizational and personal performance.Table of ContentsForeword. Acknowledgments. Meditation of a New Story Leadrer. Introduction. Chapter 1. Stuck in the Old Story. Chapter 2. Moving from the Old Story to the New Story. Chapter 3. Step One: Defining Our Destiny— The Uniqueness Within that Calls to Be Lived. Chapter 4. Writing Your Own Destiny Statement. Chapter 5. Step Two: Defining Our Cause. Chapter 6. Writing Your Own Cause Statement. Chapter 7. Step Three Defining Your Calling. Chapter 8. Writing Your Own Calling Statement. Chapter 9. Step Four: Aligning Destiny, Cause, and Calling. Chapter 10. Aligning Your Own Destiny, Calling, Cause, and Calling Statements. Chapter 11. Step Five: Serving Followers. Chapter 12. Step Six: Guiding the Contribution of Brilliance. Chapter 13. Step Seven: Magic Ingredient X — Creating the Environment that Inspires Others to Inspire Use. In Summary: The Seven Key Questions. Blessing for a Higher Ground Leader. The Higher Ground Leadership Commitment. Notes. Index.

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Book SynopsisSince the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, Western nations have increasingly recognised religion as a consideration in domestic and foreign policy. In this empirical comparison of the securitization of Islam in Britain, France, and the United States, Robert M. Bosco argues that religion is a category of phenomena defined by the discourses and politics of both religious and state elites.Trade Review“Framing religion as a national security matter is perilous, as this shortbut well-argued volume demonstrates. . . Recommended.” - Choice

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Book SynopsisExamines how musicians from the West African Republic of Benin transform Benin’s cultural traditions, especially the ancestral spiritual practice of vodun and its musical repertoires, as part of the process of healing postcolonial trauma through music and ritual.Table of Contents List of Illustrations Fon-language Pronunciation Guide Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Multiple Temporalities 1. History and Healing in VÒdÚn Practice, Power, and Value 2. Making la Musique Moderne: Cultural Renaissance in Postcolonial Benin Part II: Transforming VÒdÚn 3. GangbÉ Brass Band: Producing VÒdÚn, Producing Livelihood 4. Eyo’nlÉ Brass Band: Transforming the Blues 5. Jomion and the Uklos: Hwedo-Jazz and VÒdÚn in the New African Diaspora Conclusion: Trauma, Translation, Transformation Bibliography Glossary

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Book SynopsisExamines how musicians from the West African Republic of Benin transform Benin’s cultural traditions, especially the ancestral spiritual practice of vodun and its musical repertoires, as part of the process of healing postcolonial trauma through music and ritual.Trade Review“This tour de force study of vÒdÚn music and religion addresses how the two intersect, interpenetrate, and inform each other—and the world at large. A beautifully written book, at once intellectually rigorous and poetic, Transforming VÒdÚn is a must-read for scholars, students, practitioners, and the general public alike—anyone interested in global music, religion, and how Africa has shaped both.”—Suzanne Blier, Harvard University“This is a colorful, nuanced, and dynamically conceived manuscript that makes the sounds and concepts of one of West Africa’s most important music cultures accessible to the wider world. It is destined to sit among the classic works of African musical history.”—Michael E. Veal, Yale University“Transforming VÒdÚn contributes to the literature on Beninese jazz and brass bands and vÒdÚn, approaching these topics from the viewpoint of postcolonial trauma studies, diaspora studies, and music and ritual. For all of these reasons, the manuscript will be of interest to ethnomusicologists and can be used in classes on African music, global pop music, jazz studies, and West African history.”—Patricia Tang, Massachusetts Institute of TechnologyTable of Contents List of Illustrations Fon-language Pronunciation Guide Acknowledgments Introduction Part I: Multiple Temporalities 1. History and Healing in VÒdÚn Practice, Power, and Value 2. Making la Musique Moderne: Cultural Renaissance in Postcolonial Benin Part II: Transforming VÒdÚn 3. GangbÉ Brass Band: Producing VÒdÚn, Producing Livelihood 4. Eyo’nlÉ Brass Band: Transforming the Blues 5. Jomion and the Uklos: Hwedo-Jazz and VÒdÚn in the New African Diaspora Conclusion: Trauma, Translation, Transformation Bibliography Glossary

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Book SynopsisAn examination of an intriguing figure in the religious life of the ancient Mediterranean world, the Phrygian Mother Goddess, known to the Greeks and Romans as Cybele or Magna Mater, the Great Mother. The text presents and analyzes literary, historiographic and archaeological data.

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Book SynopsisLife has often been envisioned as a journey, the river of time carrying us inexorably toward the unknown country - and in our day we increasingly turn to myth and magic, ritual and virtual reality, cloning and cryostasis in the hope of eluding the reality of inevitable end. This book proposes a different way of understanding our last transition.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations 1. Here (?) We Are 2. Practicing Death: Some Rituals of Everyday Life 3. Good Death, Bad Death (I): In Other Times and Places 4. Good Death, Bad Death (II): Here and Now 5. Corpsed Persons 6. Abusing and Eating the Dead 7. Too Many Dead: The Plague and Other Mass Deaths 8. Down to Earth and Up in Flames 9. Journey of the Dead 10. Living Through Notes Sources Cited Index

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Book SynopsisOffers a portrait of a frequently misunderstood religious movement - neo-paganism. This book explores larger issues in the United States regarding the postmodern self, utopian communities, cultural improvisation, and contemporary spirituality.Table of ContentsList of Figures Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: We Cast Our Circles Where the Earth Mother Meets the Sky Father 1. Driving into Fairie: Place Myths and Neopagan Festivals 2. Shrines of Flame and Silence: Mapping the Festival Site 3. The Great Evil That Is in Your Backyard:Festival Neighbors and Satanism Rumors 4. Blood That Matters: Neopagan Borrowing 5. Children of the Devil or Gifted in Magic? The Work of Memory in Neopagan Narrative 6. Serious Playing with the Self: Gender and Eroticism at the Festival Fire Conclusion: The Circle Is Open but Never Broken Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTo be a black woman of faith in the American South is to understand and experience spirituality in a particular way. This work aims to take readers beyond common misconceptions and narrow assumptions about black religion and into the actual complexities of African American women's spiritual lives.Trade Review“Engagingly written with rich and sensitive portrayals.” * African American Review *"This wonderfully written book gives voice to women whose lives and actions may have gone unnoticed outside of their small rural community. Between Sundays is excellent for anyone interested in race and ethnic relations, black feminist theory, women and gender studies, religion and religiosity, class, rural studies, and activism, and how they intersect. It is rare to find a work as finely written as this and that puts a human face on so many sociological concepts and categories." * Contemporary Sociology *“An outstanding contribution to the literature on black religion. With a wonderful personal style, Frederick (Harvard) is able to weave her own story and her interactions with the women’s lives into a finely honed narrative that illuminates both the personal and the social.” * CHOICE *“Marla Frederick has provided her readers with an excellent ethnographic study of black church women in the rural and economically depressed area of Halifax County, North Carolina. . . . It is written in a personable style, well documented and a good length for use with undergraduate students.” * Sociology of Religion *". . . Frederick's book makes an important contribution to our understanding of how culturally mediated interpretive processes engender efficacy." * Social Forces *"Engagingly structured in day-of-the-week chapters, Frederick's book closely examines the many ways Black women's spirituality affects their actions in the time not spent at church. . . . [The book] provide[s a] welcome addition to the social scientific literature on women and religion." * Gender and Society *Table of ContentsPreface First Sunday Introduction Revival: Strange Meetings PROPHETIC ENGAGEMENT Monday "Of the Meaning of Progress" Tuesday Gratitude and Empathy Revival: Reading Church History Wednesday Righteous Discontent Revival: "Are We a Church or a Social Change Organization?" PRIESTLY TRANSFORMATION Thursday Televangelism (and Shifting Discourses of Progress) Revival : "Loosed Women" Friday Financial Priorities Saturday Sexual Politics Second Sunday Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTaking a fresh look at the epigraphical evidence for Greek ritual practice in the context of studies of landscape and political organization, this work illuminates the profoundly gendered nature of Greek cult practice and explains the connections between female rituals and the integrity of the community.Table of ContentsPreface Abbreviations Maps Introduction 1. CLAIMING A HOMELAND Three Landscapes Using the Land Space and Community Genealogy and Gendered Landscapes 2. RITUAL SPACE Drawing the Boundaries between Human and Divine Discovering Sacred Space and Creating Ritual Space Mapping the Urban Community Hierarchies of Sacred Space 3. INVENTING THE CENTER Regional Sanctuaries Finding the Center Civic Centrality Ritual Narratives of Centrality and Judicial Success 4. THE RITUAL BODY Hebe's Hens and Herakles' Roosters "Women, Dogs, and Flies" Body Language and Ritual Gesture " I Write the Oaths of a Woman in Water" Serving the Gods The Delphic Bee 5. THE PLAGUE OF INFERTILITY Male Reproductive Anxiety Bodies of Water and Miniature Landscapes Body Parts Sterility and the Crisis of Paternity 6. LANDSCAPES OF ARTEMIS Borderlands Typologies of Sacred Space Turning Points Boundaries and Combat Epiphany and Crisis The Lay of the Land Unifying Center and Borderland 7. DOMESTICATING ARTEMIS At the Margins The Anger of Artemis The Cycle of Reproduction Inscribing Civic Success The Naked and the Clothed Permanent Press Glossary of Greek Terms Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisAddressing a fundamental dilemma in religious studies, this text explores the tension between humanistic and social scientific approaches to thinking and writing about religion. Daniel Gold develops a line of argument that begins with the aesthetics of academic writing in the field.

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Book SynopsisOffers an overview and valuation of the UFO/alien abduction movement as a social phenomenon positioned between scientific and religious perspectives. This book demonstrates the unique place ufology occupies in the twentieth-century nexus between science and religion.Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction 1. A Short History of the UFO Myth 2. A Short History of Alien Encounters 3. Ufology: On the Cutting Edge or the Fringe of Science? 4. Ufology and the Imaginal 5. Ufology, God-Talk, and Theology Afterword. Final Thoughts on Science, Religion, and UFOs Appendix. A Picture of the UFO Community Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTo the Victorians, the Chinese were invariably inscrutable. The meaning and provenance of this impression--and, most importantly, its workings in nineteenth-century Protestant missionary encounters with Chinese religion--are at the center of Eric Reinders's Borrowed Gods and Foreign Bodies, an enlightening look at how missionaries' religious identity, experience, and physical foreignness produced certain representations of China between 1807 and 1937. Reinders first introduces the imaginative world of Victorian missionaries and outlines their application of mind-body dualism to the dualism of self and other. He then explores Western views of the Chinese language, especially ritual language, and Chinese ritual, particularly the kow-tow. His work offers surprising and valuable insight into the visceral nature of the Victorian response to the Chinese--and, more generally, into the nineteenth-century Western representation of China.

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Book SynopsisLaunches a sensitive investigation into Christian fitness and diet culture. This book analyzes Christianity's intricate role in America's obsession with the body, diet, and fitness. It traces the underpinning of modern-day beauty and slimness ideals - as well as the bigotry against people who are overweight.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction: Perilous Body Gospels A Note on Reading the Images 1. Gluttons for Regimen: Anglo-Protestant Culture and the Reorientation of Appetite The Diet of Angels: Fasting in Early Modern Anglo-American Protestantism Gospels of Physick: Medicine, Methodism, and Mortification Rarefied Flesh: Sexual Regulation, Bodily Pleasure, and Perfection Phrenology and Somatic Authenticity 2. Sculptors of Our Own Exterior: New Thought Physiques "Nothing but a Dense Shadow": The Body as Delusion? Corresponding Bodies Female Sexual Pleasure and Mystical Communion: Reproducing a Civilized Race Regimens Shaping Bodies to Come 3. Minding the Body: Divergent Paths of New Thought Perfectionism Living on Air: Gospels of Fasting, Conquest, and Purgation William Sheldon's Metaphysical Somatotypes God in a Body: Gastronomy and Black Power 4. Pray the Weight Away: Shaping Devotional Fitness Culture Shedd-ing Pounds: Scripture and Devotional Practice in Service to Weight Loss The Burgeoning Christian Diet Culture From Empathy to Authority: Shifting Models of Expertise Religious Devotion to Thinness Outside Mainstream Protestantism 5. "Don't Eat That": Denial, Indulgence, and Exclusion in Christian Diet Culture Poisoned Bodies, Blemished Souls: Food as Taint and Transgression Loved on a Smaller Scale: Women,Weight, and the Divine Lover Above The Power of Perfection: Purified Bodies and Racialized Worlds Epilogue: Bodies in Crisis? Notes Primary Source Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisProvides a portrait of the dynamic role religion plays in the everyday experiences of Americans over the course of their lives. This book draws from a study of close to two hundred mostly Protestant and Catholic men and women who were born in the 1920s and interviewed in adolescence, and again in the 1950s, 1970s, 1980s, and late 1990s.Trade Review"One can envision it inspiring a range of future research in either field, while at the same time encouraging a triangulation of methods and disciplines which can only improve our understanding of American religion. Dillon and Wink's work is highly recommended reading." -- Matthew Loveland Catholic Studies: An On-Line JournalTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface 1. The Vibrancy of American Religion 2. Meet the Parents: The Family Context Shaping Religious Socialization in the 1930s and 1940s 3. Adolescent Religion in the 1930s and 1940s 4. The Imprint of Individual Autonomy on Everyday Religion in the 1950s 5. The Ebb and Flow of Religiousness across the Life Course 6. Individual Transformation in Religious Commitment and Meaning 7. Spiritual Seeking 8. The Activities, Personality, and Social Attitudes of Religious and Spiritual Individuals in Late Adulthood 9. Spiritual Seeking, Therapeutic Culture, and Concern for Others 10. The Buffering Role of Religion in Late Adulthood 11. American Lived Religion Methodological Appendix: Measuring Religiousness and Spiritual Seeking in the IHD Longitudinal Study Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPresents th portrait we have to date of goddesses and sacred female imagery in Western culture - from prehistory to contemporary goddess movements. This title gives a provocative analysis of the meeting of Aztec and Christian female symbols in Mexico and of today's neo-pagan movements in the United States.Trade Review"Clearly written, erudite, lavishly detailed, and with unbiased analysis." - Library Journal "The scholarship in this book is superior, revealing a depth of insight and a scope of knowledge possible only from a scholar who has lived with the concerns of feminist theology for decades. Ruether is a gifted storyteller, and lucidly translates complex ideas and debates. This work is of the highest importance, and Ruether asks the right questions at the right time. The text is groundbreaking." - Nancy Pineda-Madrid, Saint Mary's College of California "Ruether has provided a valuable introduction to an important feminist topic: what can we know about sacred female imagery in Western culture? She guides us through contemporary feminist scholarship, providing engaging narrative, and venturing her own interpretations. Ruether calls for feminists to move beyond divisions created by our different interpretations of prehistory and work together towards our common project of a more peaceful, just, and ecological world." - Carol Hepokoski, Meadville Lombard Theological School"Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Gender and the Problem of Prehistory 2. Goddesses and World Renewal in the Ancient Mediterranean 3. The Hebrew God and Gender 4. Savior Goddesses in the Mystery Religions and Gnosticism 5. The Spiritual Feminine in New Testament and Patristic Christianity 6. Feminine Symbols in Medieval Religious Literature 7. Tonantzin-Guadalupe: The Meeting of Aztec and Christian Female Symbols in Mexico 8. Mary and Wisdom in Protestant Mystical Millennialism 9. Contested Gender Status and Imagining Ancient Matriarchy 10. The Return of the Goddess Conclusion Notes Index

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Book SynopsisFeatures an account of the contribution to immigrant rights made by religious activists in post-1965 and post-9/11 America. This work provides an understanding of the role of religion in social movements and demonstrates the nonviolent power of religious groups to address social injustices.Trade Review"Hondagneu-Sotelo provides a compelling account underlining the importance of the religious perspective in recent immigration activism." Journal Of Sociology & Social Welfare

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Book SynopsisExamines the transformation of Yiddish in the six decades since the Holocaust, tracing its shift from the language of daily life for millions of Jews to a postvernacular language of diverse and expanding symbolic value.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Author's Note Introduction: Postvernacularity, or Speaking of Yiddish 1. Imagining Yiddishland 2. Beyond the Mother Tongue 3. Founded in Translation 4. Yiddish as Performance Art 5. Absolut Tchotchke 6. Wanted Dead or Alive? Notes Index

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a huge range and FREE tracked UK delivery on ALL orders.

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Book SynopsisExplores the healing power of caring and intimacy in a small, closely bonded Apostolic congregation during Botswana's HIV/AIDS pandemic. This book shows how members of the Baitshepi Church make strenuous efforts to sustain loving relationships amid widespread illness and death. It helps discover the Baitshepi's maternal ethos.Trade Review"This book is a valuable contribution to the study of HIV/AIDS... I would highly recommend it to anyone." Easa "This [book] will provoke new, creative, and sustainable ways of designing and implementing AIDS prevention and treatment policies." Journal Royal Anthro Inst "The [book] is rich and detailed, both meticulous and expansive." Somatosphere "A long-awaited contribution from one of the most insightful researchers in the field ... it does not disappoint." American Ethnologist

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Book SynopsisFocuses on one of the most important religious centers in Africa and in the world: the Yoruba city of Ile-Ife in southwest Nigeria. This title presents a study of the spiritual and cultural center of the Yoruba religion, tells how the city went from great prominence to near obliteration and then rose again as a contemporary city of gods.

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Book SynopsisTracing maize from its first appearance and domestication in ancient campsites and settlements in Mexico to its intercontinental journey through most of North and South America, this book tells the story of the technological prowess, social, political, and economic resilience of America's first peoples.Trade Review"Blake lays out a fine and factual feast." -- Bob Grant The Scientist "My recommendation: make yourself a nice bowl of popcorn and settle down with Blake's book for a story as remarkable as the snack you are enjoying." -- Laurence A. Marschall Natural History Magazine "An engrossing scientific excursion." Terrae Incognitae "[Blake's] real triumph lies in his candid explanation and interrogation of modern research methods of maize: everything from archaeological dating and genetic investigation to microscopic analysis and ancient dietary reconstruction. In the end, what emerges is a complex narrative of reciprocal dependence. As Blake succinctly puts it, 'humans grow maize and maize grows humans'." Current World ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Archaeology of Maize 2. The Place of Maize in (Agri)cultural Origin Stories 3. Old Puzzles and New Questions about Maize's Origins and Spread 4. Timing Is Everything: Dating Maize 5. Maize through a Magnifying Glass: Macroremains 6. Maize through a Microscope: Microremains 7. Elemental Maize: Tracing Maize Isotopically 8. Genetically Modifi ed Maize the Old Way-By Agriculture 9. Daily Tools and Sacred Symbols Notes Glossary References Index Contents

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Book SynopsisThe British and Foreign Bible Society is one of the most illustrious Christian charities in the United Kingdom. This title offers a study of how religion goes public in today's world. It traces how a small group of socially committed Christians tackle the challenge of publicity within (what they understand to be) a largely secular culture.Trade Review"...The book thoroughly whets the appetites of those deeply interested in political theology and the place of reason in its public outworking." -- Brian Auten The Calvinist International "Excellent... God's Agents can be read as something of a sequel to Engelke's first book, no matter how different contemporary England may seem to be in comparison with Zimbabwe." Anthropological QuarterlyTable of ContentsA NOTE TO THE READER ACKNOWLEDGMENTS PREFACE INTRODUCTION CHAPTER ONE. Angels in Swindon: On the Production of Ambient Faith CHAPTER TWO. The Semiotics of Relevance: Campaigning to Culture CHAPTER THREE. Kingdom and Christendom CHAPTER FOUR. Doing God: Theos and Public Theology CHAPTER FIVE. Good Trouble and Good Timing: The Theology of Publicity CHAPTER SIX. Reasonable Religion CONCLUSION REFERENCES

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Book SynopsisTracing the theological character of American environmental thought from its Romantic foundations to contemporary nature spirituality, this book explores the religious underpinnings of American environmentalism.Trade Review"A significant scholarly contribution to understanding environmentalism ... Recommended." CHOICE connectTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: Whither Religion? 1. Recreation and Soteriology 2. Congregating around Nature 3. Sacred Space and the American Environmental Imagination 4. Recreation and Spiritual Experience Conclusion: The Mechanics of Religious Change Notes For Further Reading and Research Index

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Book SynopsisPlacing the social history of East Syrian Christians at the center of the Iranian imperial story, this book explains the endurance of a culturally diverse empire across four centuries.Trade Review"An expertly conceived and beautifully written counterpoint to earlier studies of Christian history in the Sasanian Empire... In his meticulous reading of East Syriac sources and the Middle Persian literatures and histories that underlie them, Payne has substantially contributed to a new body of scholarly studies that is quickly revising our understanding of the place of Christianity in the Sasanian period." Marginalia "Overall, A State of Mixture is an important contribution to the religious situation in the Sasaniden Kingdom and the structural development of the relations between Christians and Zoroastrians prior to Islamic expansion; this research merits close attention." PlekosTable of ContentsA Note on Names, Translations, and Transliterations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Myth of Zoroastrian Intolerance: Violence and the Terms of Christian Inclusion 2. Belonging to a Land: Christians and Zoroastrians in the Iranian Highlands 3. Christian Law Making and Iranian Political Practice: The Reforms of Mar Aba 4. Creating a Christian Aristocracy: Hagiography and Empire in Northern Mesopotamia 5. The Christian Symbolics of Power in a Zoroastrian Empire Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIntroduces and investigates the novel concept of doulology, the discourse of slavery, in the homilies of John Chrysostom, the late fourth-century priest and bishop. This book explores the impact of doulology, brings to light the pervasive fissures between ancient Roman slave holding and early Christianity.Trade Review"De Wet's study is an essential contribution to understanding slavery in antiquity." Journal of Global Slavery "Offers a major contribution to the history of ideas in western thought, delineating how a core set of ideas, transformed through a Christian lens, led to the passive acceptance of the (gendered) oppression of other human beings... This is a book to be read by scholars across a wide range of interests and disciplines." Acta Classica "Highly refreshing and a great contribution to the study of Chrysostom." Relegere "de Wet's outstanding monograph is a major contribution to the cultural history of late antiquity." Journal of Early Christian Studies "Comprehensive, reliable and informative...I predict it will become a reference or even a compulsory reading material for early Christian approaches to slavery." AugustinianaTable of ContentsAcknowledgments 1. Introducing Doulology 2. Divine Bondage: Slavery between Metaphor and Theology 3. Little Churches: The Pastoralization of the Household and Its Slaves 4. The Didactics of Kyriarchy: Slavery, Education, and the Formation of Masculinity 5. Whips and Scriptures: On the Discipline and Punishment of Slaves 6. Exploitation, Regulation, and Restructuring: Managing Slave Sexuality 7. Conclusion: Preaching Bondage and the Legacy of Christian Doulology Glossary Bibliography Abbreviations Primary Sources Secondary Sources Index of Ancient Authors Index of Ancient Terms Index of Subjects

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Book SynopsisA translation of one of the great books of the Daoist religious tradition, the Taiping jing, or Scripture on Great Peace, that documents early Chinese medieval thought and lays the groundwork for a more complete understanding of Daoism's origins. It includes notes that contextualize the scripture's political and religious significance.Table of ContentsPreface Conventions Introduction Translation Section 41. How to Distinguish between Poor and Rich Section 42. One Man and Two Women Section 43. How to Promote the Good and Halt the Wicked Section 44. How to Preserve the Three Essentials Section 45. The Three Needs and the Method of [Dealing with] Auspicious and Ominous Events Section 46. You Must Not Serve the Dead More Than the Living Section 47. How to Verify the Trustworthiness of Texts and Writings Section 48. An Explanation of the Reception and Transmission [of Evil] in Five Situations Section 50. An Explanation of the Master's Declaration Section 51. The True Contract Section 52. How to Word Hard to Do Good Section 53. How to Distinguish between Root and Branches Section 54. How to Enjoy Giving Life Wins Favor with Heaven Section 55. How to Classify Old Texts and Give a Title to the Book Section 56. How the Nine Groups of Men Disperse Calamities Inherited from Former Kings Section 57. How to Examine What is True and What is False Dao Section 58. On the Four Ways of Conduct and on [the Relationship between] Root and Branches Section 59. Big and Small Reproaches Section 60. How Books Illustrate [Rule by] Punishment and [by] Virtue Section 61. On Digging Up Soil and Publishing Books Section 62. Dao is Priceless and Overcomes Yi and Di Barbarians Section 63. Officials, Sons, and Disciples of Outstanding Goodness Find Ways for Their Lord, Father, and Master to Become Transcendent Section 64. How to Subdue Others by Means of Dao and Not by Means of Severity Section 65. Threefold Cooperation and Interaction Section 66. On the Need to Study What Is True Appendix: The Composition of the TPJ Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTells the history of Christianity from the sixteenth century by selecting the visual themes of faith that have profoundly influenced its development. This book examines a variety of Christian visual practices, ranging from the imagination, visions of nationhood, the likeness of Jesus, and the role of modern art as a spiritual quest.Trade Review"David Morgan's impressive new book navigates a much contested terrain." Art and ChristianityTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction PART I. WORD AND IMAGE 1. The Shape of the Holy 2. The Visible Word PART II. THE TRAFFIC OF IMAGES 3. Religion as Sacred Economy 4. The Agency of Words 5. Christianity and Nationhood 6. The Likeness of Jesus 7. Modern Art and Christianity Conclusion Notes Selected Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTracing maize from its first appearance and domestication in ancient campsites and settlements in Mexico to its intercontinental journey through most of North and South America, this book tells the story of the artistic creativity, technological prowess, and social, political, and economic resilience of America's first peoples.Trade Review"Blake lays out a fine and factual feast." -- Bob Grant The Scientist "My recommendation: make yourself a nice bowl of popcorn and settle down with Blake's book for a story as remarkable as the snack you are enjoying." -- Laurence A. Marschall Natural History Magazine "An engrossing scientific excursion." Terrae Incognitae "[Blake's] real triumph lies in his candid explanation and interrogation of modern research methods of maize: everything from archaeological dating and genetic investigation to microscopic analysis and ancient dietary reconstruction. In the end, what emerges is a complex narrative of reciprocal dependence. As Blake succinctly puts it, 'humans grow maize and maize grows humans'." Current World ArchaeologyTable of ContentsList of Illustrations Acknowledgments Introduction 1. The Archaeology of Maize 2. The Place of Maize in (Agri)cultural Origin Stories 3. Old Puzzles and New Questions about Maize's Origins and Spread 4. Timing Is Everything: Dating Maize 5. Maize through a Magnifying Glass: Macroremains 6. Maize through a Microscope: Microremains 7. Elemental Maize: Tracing Maize Isotopically 8. Genetically Modifi ed Maize the Old Way-By Agriculture 9. Daily Tools and Sacred Symbols Notes Glossary References Index Contents

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Book SynopsisExamines the life and work of Muhammad Mitwalli Sha rawi, one of Egypt's most beloved and successful Islamic preachers. This book uses Sha rawi and his work as a lens to explore how traditional Muslim authorities have used various media to put forth a unique vision of how Islam can be renewed and revived in the contemporary world.Trade Review"Brinton's chronicle of this littleknown figure in the West not only informs us of some happenings in the Islamic world but hopefully convinces us that Islam is not so different from Christianity in having many different versions, in adapting to modern social and technological circumstances, and in displaying the creative potential to be modern and traditional, orthodox and renewable, at one and the same time." Anthropology Review DatabaseTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Transliterations and Translations Introduction Muhammad Mitwalli Sha‘rawi: Authority and Media in Twentieth- Century Egypt 1. Muhammad Mitwalli Sha‘rawi An Egyptian ‘Alim Preacher of His Time 2. Muhammad Mitwalli Sha‘rawi and Egyptian Society 3. Preaching as a Nexus of ‘Ulama’ Influence 4. Renewal as a Nexus of ‘Ulama’ Discursive Authority 5. Sha‘rawi’s Knowledge Hierarchy 6. Sha‘rawi and Sufism in Egypt 7. Relevance through Language Use 8. Television and the Extension of Authority Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTells the story of the individuals who have struggled to assert the moral legitimacy of a pro-choice position in the Catholic Church. This book addresses questions about the separation of church and state, including what concessions society should make in public policy to matters of religious doctrine, such as the Catholic ban on contraception.Trade Review"For anyone looking around in the wake of the Supreme Court's recent Hobby Lobby decision and asking, 'How did we get here?' [Good Catholics] provides your answer--and then some... An excellent primer on the dynamic issue of religion in reproductive health issues in the US." -- Cecile Richards, President of Planned Parenthood Conscience "Anyone interested in discovering how and why the abortion issue is so inextricably tied up with Catholicism will be fascinated by this important work." Publishers Weekly "The book will likely give off sparks. But if these sparks inspire people to study this potent moral question in an informed manner, it will have done a service to those on both sides of the divide -- and Miller's book is a good place to begin that study." National Catholic Reporter "While evangelical Christians ultimately brought down the contraception mandate, [Miller shows] they had big help from Catholics." Salon "Lends a voice to Catholics who support abortion rights, giving legitimacy to a group that is often overlooked in the abortion debate." Ms. Magazine "A page-turning thriller filled with courageous individuals." -- Lousewies van der Laan, Vice President of the Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe Conscience "Patricia Miller's excellent new book deals primarily with the top-down leadership of the Vatican and the bishops, who, it should be very clear, do not represent the views of most Catholics but are able to spook many politicians into thinking otherwise... Five stars." Free Inquiry "A serious study instead of what could have been a partisan puff piece." -- Mary E. Hunt Women's Review of Books "Thoroughly researched." -- Jim Hinch The Los Angeles Review of BooksTable of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Virgin, the Saint, and the Nun Part I: The History of an Idea 1. The Four Wise Women 2. The Dread Secret 3. Pope Patricia 4. Coming of Age 5. The Cardinal of Choice Part II: The Bishops' Lobby 6. The Bishops' Lobby 7. Showdown at Cairo 8. Matters of Conscience 9. Playing Politics 10. Health Care and Politics Redux Epilogue: The Philippines Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewEco-Alchemy makes a solid case for the importance of anthroposophist initiatives to the evolution of modern environmentalism. . . . It deserves a wide readership among those interested in esoteric spirituality, environmental politics, and the controversial interaction between religion and public affairs. * Reading Religion *"As its name suggests Eco-Alchemy describes an intermixing and re-constituting of ideas and good intentions that have been emerging and manifesting themselves over the last hundred years. [...] The analysis offered in Eco-Alchemy presents a very respectful and balanced picture of anthroposophy and yet does not shy away from describing the shortcomings and errors which have occurred over the years, nor the need to change, transform itself and learn from other progressive movements. It is an important work that should be widely available particularly to those undertaking a study of environmental philosophy." * Camphill Pages *"Eco-Alchemy is a welcome contribution to the study of esotericism and the history of environmentalism, both for its unique insights and for his attention to the influence of esoteric thought and practice on popular culture." * Journal for the Study of Esotericism *"This is an exemplary book and a cause for celebration: a judicious, balanced, and well-informed discussion of Rudolf Steiner’s work." * Journal for the Study of Religion, Nature and Culture *“An especially timely book. . . . A valuable resource for students of new religions, environmentalism, agrarianism, organics, the western esoteric tradition, and, of course, Steiner’s unique addition to the world’s religious ecology. It is an important addition to scholarship on new religions. . . . A fine primer on the religion itself.” * Novo Religio *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction: The Ecology of Environmentalism Seed Rudolf Steiner’s Holistic Vision Roots Biodynamics and the Origins of Organic Agriculture Branches Anthroposophical Initiatives and the Growing Environmental Movement Flowers New Economies for Environmentalism Fruit The Broader Ecology of Camphill Ecology The Boundaries of Anthroposophy Evolution Anthroposophy’s Gifts to the Environmental Movement Notes Index

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Book SynopsisAlef Is for Allah is the first groundbreaking study of the emotional space occupied by children in modern Islamic societies. Focusing primarily on visual representations of children from modern Turkey, Iran, and Pakistan, the book examines these materials to investigate concepts such as innocence, cuteness, gender, virtue, and devotion, as well as community, nationhood, violence, and sacrifice. In addition to exploring a subject that has never been studied comparatively before, Alef Is for Allah extends the boundaries of scholarship on emotion, religion, and visual culture and provides unique insight into Islam as it is lived and experienced in the modern world.Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface on Transliteration and Conventions Acknowledgments 1. Of Children, Objects, and Seeing: An Introduction 2. Emotion and Its Affects 3. Bringing Up Baby: The Construction of Childhood 4. Good Muslim Boys Do Their Homework 5. Cuteness and Childhood in Turkey 6. The Poster Children of Pakistan 7. Toy Guns and the Real Dead in Iran 8. Of Children, Adults, and Tomorrow: A Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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