Religion and science Books

Book SynopsisNow revised and updated--John Lennox''s acclaimed method of reading and interpreting the first chapters of Genesis without discounting either science or Scripture. What did the writer of Genesis mean by the first day? Are the seven days in Genesis 1 a literal week or a series of time periods? If I believe that the earth is 4.5 billion years old as cosmologists believe, am I denying the authority of Scripture?With examples from history, a brief but thorough exploration of the major interpretations, and a look into the particular significance of the creation of human beings, Lennox suggests that Christians can heed modern scientific knowledge while staying faithful to the biblical narrative. He moves beyond a simple response to the controversy, insisting that Genesis teaches us far more about the God of Jesus Christ and about God''s intention for creation than it does about the age of the earth.With this book, Lennox offers a careful and accessible introduction to a scientifically-savvy, theologically-astute, and Scripturally faithful interpretation of Genesis.Since its publication in 2011, this book has enabled many readers to see that the major controversy with which it engages can be resolved without compromising commitment to the authority of Scripture. In this newly revised and expanded edition, John clarifies his arguments, responds to comments and critiques of the past decade since its first publication. In particular, he describes some of the history up to modern times of Jewish scholarly interpretation of the Genesis creation narrative as well as spelling out in more detail the breadth of views in the Great Tradition of interpretation due to the early Church Fathers. He shows that, contrary to what many people think, much of the difficulty with understanding the biblical texts does not arise from modern science but from attempting to elucidate the texts in their own right.

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Book SynopsisWill technology change what it means to be human? You don''t have to be a computer scientist to have discerning conversations about artificial intelligence and technology. We all wonder where we''re headed. Even now, technological innovations and machine learning have a daily impact on our lives, and many of us see good reasons to dread the future. Are we doomed to the surveillance society imagined in George Orwell''s 1984?Mathematician and philosopher John Lennox believes that there are credible answers to the daunting questions that AI poses, and he shows that Christianity has some very serious, sensible, evidence-based responses about the nature of our quest for superintelligence.2084 will introduce you to a kaleidoscope of ideas: The key developments in technological enhancement, bioengineering, and, in particular, artificial intelligence. The agreements and disagreements that scientists and experts have Table of ContentsPreface 1. Two Big Questions: Humanity: Where from and Where to? 2. Narrow Artificial Intelligence---The Future Is Bright? 3. Narrow AI: Perhaps the Future Is Not So Bright After All? 4. Upgrading Humans 5. Artificial General Intelligence---The Future Is Dark? 6. The Genesis Files: What Is a Human Being? 7. The True “Homo Deus” 8. Future Shock: The Return of the Man Who Is God Appendix: Christian Transhumanism?

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Book SynopsisNEW EDITIONThe Science Delusion is the belief that science already understands the nature of reality. The fundamental questions are answered, leaving only the details to be filled in. In this book (published in the US as Science Set Free), Dr Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's most innovative scientists, shows that science is being constricted by assumptions that have hardened into dogmas. The 'scientific worldview' has become a belief system. All reality is material or physical. The world is a machine, made up of dead matter. Nature is purposeless. Consciousness is nothing but the physical activity of the brain. Free will is an illusion. God exists only as an idea in human minds, imprisoned within our skulls.Sheldrake examines these dogmas scientifically, and shows persuasively that science would be better off without them: freer, more interesting, and more fun.In The God Delusion Richard Dawkins used science to bash God, but here Rupert Sheldrake shows that Dawkins' understanding of what science can do is old-fashioned and itself a delusion. 'Rupert Sheldrake does science, humanity and the world at large a considerable favour.'The Independent'Certainly we need to accept the limitations of much current dogma and keep our minds open as we reasonably can. Sheldrake may help us do so through this well-written, challenging and always interesting book.' Financial TimesTrade Review'Sheldrake powerfully reminds us that science must be pursued with an open mind.' * Robert Jackson, former UK Minister for Science *'This is a terrific, engrossing book that throws open the shutters to reveal our world to be so much more intriguing and profound than could ever have been supposed.' * Dr James Le Fanu, author of The Rise and Fall of Modern Medicine *'The author, a biologist, takes issue with the idea that science already understands the nature of reality - and in doing so, frees up the spirit of enquiry.' * The Times *'There is something rather odd about the current state of science. For Rupert Sheldrake, [it is] facing a 'credibility crunch' on many fronts. He presents this challenging argument by identifying 'ten core beliefs that most scientists take for granted.' He then interrogates each in turn by reformulating it, in the spirit of radical scepticism, as a question. This Socratic method of inquiry proves surprisingly illuminating. A serious mind-expanding book.' * James le Fanu, The Spectator *'Certainly we need to accept the limitations of much current dogma and keep our minds open as we reasonably can. Sheldrake may help us do so through this well-written, challenging and always interesting book.' * Crispin Tickell, Financial Times *'Rupert Sheldrake does science, humanity and the world at large a considerable favour.' * Colin Tudge, The Independent *Rupert Sheldrake shows very convincingly the way that time and again scientists refuse to look at anything outside a very limited set of possibilities. Sheldrake shows powerfully how some professional skeptics simply have no interest in looking into claims for anything outside of our current scientific understanding. A valuable and powerful message. * www.popularscience.co.uk *'Isn't it nice to have some mystery back? Isn't it nice to have doubts?' * Esquire *'We must somehow find different, more realistic ways of understanding human beings - and indeed other animals - as the active wholes that they are, rather than pretending to see them as meaningless consignments of chemicals. Rupert Sheldrake, who has long called for this development, spells out this need forcibly in his new book. He shows how materialism has gradually hardened into a kind of anti-Christian principle, claiming authority to dictate theories and to veto inquiries on topics that don't suit it, such as unorthodox medicine, let along religion. He shows just how unworkable the assumptions behind today's fashionable habits have become. The 'science delusion' of his title is the current popular confidence in certain fixed assumptions - the exaltation of today's science, not as the busy, constantly changing workshop that it actually is but as a final, infallible oracle preaching a crude kind of materialism... His insistence on the need to attend to possible wider ways of thinking is surely right.' * Mary Midgley, The Guardian *'A fascinating, humane and refreshing book that any layman can enjoy, in which he takes ten supposed scientific 'laws' and turns them, instead, into questions... Dr Sheldrake wants to bring energy and excitement back into science... he has already done more than any other scientist alive to broaden the appeal of the discipline, and readers should get their teeth into the important and astounding book.' * Country Life *'This is a delightful, interesting, informative, highly readable and much needed book and we definitely recommend it.' * Greenspirit.org.uk *'This is a book about science and understanding the world that I have been hoping to read for years. It should be on every science student's course.' * The Oldie *'This book is worth reading because of the depth of focus that the author brings to bear not only on the mind and our fixed opinions but also on our unthinking acceptance of the world, as we like to see it, along with our unquestioned assumptions.' * The Middle Way: Journal of the Buddhist Society *'Sheldrake will be seen as a prophet.' * The Sunday Times *An entertaining read. * The Sunday Times *Whether or not we want to follow Sheldrake's further speculations on topics such as morphic resonance, his insistence on the need to attend to possible wider ways of thinking is surely right. * Guardian *The maverick scientist questions the orthodox of "scientific worldview". * Observer *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review...American Cosmic is well worth the attention of scholars interested in how the religious is both created and functions in the contemporary world. * Jeremy Rapport, International Journal for the Study of New Religions *This book deserves to be given attention by those in the religious studies field whose familiarity with UFO Religions is confined to historical cases or more modern personality-driven organizations. * Aaron John Gulyas, Nova Religio *refreshingly engaging * Benjamin E. Zeller, Journal of the American Academy of Religion *The book as a whole is a highly sensitive, and erudite. * Paradigm Explorer *Table of ContentsPreface- A Tour of Silicon Valley with Jacques Vallee Acknowledgements Introduction Chapter 1- The Invisible Tyler D. Chapter 2- James: Master of the Multiverse Chapter 3- Scott Browne's In the Field: The War is Virtual, The Blood is Real Chapter 4- When Star Wars Became Real: The Mechanisms of Belief Chapter 5- The Material Code: Moving Beyond the Disembodied Soul to the Materiality of Quantum Information Chapter 6- The Human Receiver: Matter, Information, Energy... Contact Chapter Seven- Suspended in Space: Levitating, Bilocating Saints and Tyler D.'s Spiritual Conversion in Rome Conclusion- The Artifact

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Book SynopsisBeloved teacher and thought leader Gregg Braden explains how word-specific patterns used by ancient civilisations can help us rewire our brains for resilience and healing.Long before the advent of neuroscience, our ancestors understood intuitively that the words we speak and think can cause deep inner transformation: they created specific word patterns to provide healing, strength and inner power in difficult times, and encoded these in prayers and sacred writings.In this book, Gregg Braden shares Wisdom Codes for the full range of life experiences, including:- healing from loss- giving and receiving love- addressing anger, anxiety and addiction- finding forgivenessEach Wisdom Code - distilled from a quote, a scripture passage or a parable - is accompanied by a brief discussion of what the code means, why it's important and how to apply it in your life.

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Book SynopsisWhen Charles Darwin finished The Origin of Species, he thought that he had explained every clue, but one. Though his theory could explain many facts, Darwin knew that there was a significant event in the history of life that his theory did not explain. During this event, the “Cambrian explosion,” many animals suddenly appeared in the fossil record without apparent ancestors in earlier layers of rock.  In Darwin’s Doubt, Stephen C. Meyer tells the story of the mystery surrounding this explosion of animal life—a mystery that has intensified, not only because the expected ancestors of these animals have not been found, but because scientists have learned more about what it takes to construct an animal. During the last half century, biologists have come to appreciate the central importance of biological information—stored in DNA and elsewhere in cells—to building animal forms.Expanding on the compelling case he presented in his last book, Signature in the Cell, Meyer argues that the origin of this information, as well as other mysterious features of the Cambrian event, are best explained by intelligent design, rather than purely undirected evolutionary processes.

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Book SynopsisIn Breaking the Spell Daniel C. Dennett explores how the great ideas of religion have enthralled us for thousands of years - and whether we could (or should) break free. What is religion and how did it evolve? Is it the product of blind evolutionary instinct or of rational choice? Is the only way to live a good life through religion? Few forces in the world are as potent as religion: it comforts people in their suffering and inspires them to both magnificent and terrible deeds. In this provocative and timely book, Daniel C. Dennett seeks to uncover the origins of religion and discusses how and why different faiths have shaped so many lives, whether religion is an addiction or a genuine human need, and even whether it is good for our health. Arguing passionately for the need to understand this multifaceted phenomenon, Breaking the Spell offers a truly original - and comprehensive - explanation for faith. ''Packed with a mass of intriguing detail and anecdote ... witty and clear prose''  Observer ''He''s the good cop among religion''s critics (Richard Dawkins is the bad cop), but he still makes people angry''  New Statesman ''Dennett writes with brio and humour''  Telegraph ''Elegant, sharp-minded ... clear-eyed but courteous''  Economist Daniel Dennett is one of the most original and provocative thinkers in the world. A brilliant polemicist and philosopher, he is famous for challenging unexamined orthodoxies, and an outspoken supporter of the Brights movement. His books include Brainstorms, Brainchildren, Elbow Room, Consciousness Explained, Darwin''s Dangerous Idea and Freedom Evolves.

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author of Darwin’s Doubt, Stephen Meyer, presents groundbreaking scientific evidence of the existence of God, based on breakthroughs in physics, cosmology, and biology.Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief—that science and belief in God are “at war.” Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer challenges this view by examining three scientific discoveries with decidedly theistic implications. Building on the case for the intelligent design of life that he developed in Signature in the Cell and Darwin’s Doubt, Meyer demonstrates how discoveries in cosmology and physics coupled with those in biology help to establish the identity of the designing intelligence behind life and the universe. Meyer argues that theism—with its affirmati

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Book SynopsisA “brilliant and fascinating” (Eben Alexander, MD, author of Proof of Heaven) exploration—rich with powerful personal stories and convincing research—of the many ways the living can and do accompany the dying on their journey into the afterlife. In 2000, end-of-life therapist William Peters was volunteering at the Zen Hospice Project in San Francisco when he had an extraordinary experience as he was reading aloud to a patient: he suddenly felt himself floating midair, completely out of his body. The patient, who was also aloft, looked at him and smiled. The next moment, Peters felt himself return to his body…but his patient never regained consciousness and died. Perplexed and stunned by what had happened, Peters began searching for other people who’d shared similar experiences. He would spend the next twenty years gathering and meticulously categorizing their stories to identify key patterns and features of what is now known as the “shared crossing” experience. The similarities, which cut across continents and cultures and include awe-inspiring visual and sensory effects, and powerful emotional aftershocks. The book is filled with “moving and tender” (Jack Kornfield, PhD, author of A Path with Heart) tales of spouses seeing their loved ones reach the other side after decades together and bereaved parents who share their children’s entry into the afterlife. Applying rigorous research, Peters digs into the effects of these shared crossing experiences impart—liberation at the sight of a loved one finding joy, a sense of reconciliation if the relationship was fraught—and explores questions like: What can explain these shared death experiences? How can we increase our likelihood of having one? What do these experiences tell us about what lies beyond? And, most importantly, how can they help take away the string of death and better prepare us for our own final moments? How can we have both a better life and a better death?Trade Review“This brilliant and fascinating research about shared death experiences removes the conventional myth of death’s finality and shows how love binds us together beyond the material realm. Highly recommended!” — Eben Alexander, MD, Neurosurgeon and New York Times bestselling author of Proof of Heaven, The Map of Heaven, and Living in a Mindful Universe "A 'must read' for anyone who will die. Read to find the gifts of comfort, peace, and especially the reduction of fear. This book will change your view of dying in a profoundly positive way." — Maggie Callanan, bestselling author of Final Gifts “At Heaven's Door offers moving and tender accounts, real and important, soothing and surprisingly common, that validate and affirm the great mystery that who we are is consciousness. We are spirit beyond our body.” — Jack Kornfield, PhD, author of A Path With Heart "Peters has built upon my foundational research into shared-death phenomena with this very well-researched and thoughtful look at the transpersonal effects of dying on family, friends, and even healthcare providers. I strongly recommend At Heaven’s Door for those who want a well-researched look into what exists beyond the threshold." — Dr. Raymond Moody, bestselling author of Life After Life and Glimpses of Eternity "A growing body of evidence indicates that the death of the physical body is not the end of human consciousness. In At Heaven's Door, William J. Peters makes a vital addition to this all-important conclusion: our existence does not end with bodily death." — Larry Dossey, MD, author of One Mind: How Our Individual Mind Is Part of a Greater Consciousness and Why It Matters "This study based on over 800 cases is a hugely valuable contribution to our understanding not only of death and dying, but of what makes life worthwhile... A truly inspiring read." — The Scientific & Medical Network

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Book SynopsisA leading theologian presents a hopeful account of the universe after Einstein, exploring it as a meaningful drama of awakeningTrade Review“This book is a deep and provocative piece of theology that proposes we engage with the universe as a kind of narrative of awakening and unfolding, as well as an important and useful approach for thinking about theology with respect to modern cosmology.”—Matthew Stanley, New York University “What is really going on in the universe? As Haught argues in his profound and eminently readable book, Christian theology needs to take into account the structure and evolution of the universe as based upon Einstein’s general theory of relativity.”—Helge Stjernholm Kragh, Niels Bohr Institute, Denmark

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Book SynopsisFrom a bestselling author, an incendiary and uproarious assault on the pretensions of scientific atheists (National Review)Militant atheism is on the rise. Prominent thinkers including Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris, Daniel Dennett, and Christopher Hitchens have published best-selling books denigrating religious belief. And these authors are merely the leading edge of a larger movement that includes much of the scientific community. In response, mathematician David Berlinski, himself a secular Jew, delivers a biting defense of religious thought. The Devil''s Delusion is a brilliant, incisive, and funny book that explores the limits of science and the pretensions of those who insist it is the ultimate touchstone for understanding our world.

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Book SynopsisJohn Hedley Brooke offers an introduction and critical guide to one of the most fascinating and enduring issues in the development of the modern world: the relationship between scientific thought and religious belief. Brooke stands back from general theses affirming 'conflict' or harmony'.Trade Review'[John Hedley Brooke] has given us a brilliant, perceptive, subtle, nuanced analysis, which will permanently alter the way scholars and the informed lay public view the relations of science and religion.' David C. Lindberg, Metascience'… arguably the most important historical analysis of science and religion since Andrew Dickson White's History of the Warfare of Science and Theology in Christendom (1898).' Ronald L. Numbers, MetascienceTable of ContentsAcknowledgments; Introduction; 1. Interaction between science and religion: some preliminary considerations; 2. Science and religion in the scientific revolution; 3. The parallel between scientific and religious reform; 4. Divine activity in a mechanical universe; 5. Science and religion in the enlightenment; 6. The fortunes and functions of natural theology; 7. Visions of the past: religious belief and the historical sciences; 8. Evolutionary theory and religious belief; Postscript: science and religion in the twentieth century; Bibliographic essay; Sources of quotations; Index.

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Book SynopsisExplores the connections between materialist research on the atom and Rudolf Steiner's spiritual science.Table of ContentsAuthor's NoteIntroductionI. The Atom - A Historical Background (i) Prelude in Greece (ii) Elements and Principles (iii) The Way of Truth (iv) Atoms (v) Roadblock (vi) Atoms back in Vogue (vii) Making Waves (viii) Rudolf Steiner meets the Atom (ix) Rejection (x) The Age of Electricity (xi) The Electrical Atom and Human ThoughtII. A Background for Quanta (i) Origins (ii) Thermal Radiation (iii) Enter Max PlanckIII. Steiner in the Quantum Age (i) Physical Science and Spiritual Science (ii) The Goethean Alternative (iii) The Primal PhenomenonIV. Bohr's Atom -- Antecedents (i) Periodic Tables (ii) From Siberia with Love (iii) Predictions and Confusions (iv) The Hydrogen Spectrum (v) Cathode Rays (vi) The Unstable AtomV. The Rutherford-Bohr Atom (i) Bohr Gets Involved (ii) The Hydrogen Atom (iii) Beyond HydrogenVI. Late Words from Rudolf Steiner (i) A Science of Dead Matter (ii) The Demonic Atom (iii) Don't be an Ostrich (iv) The Struggle for Human Consciousness (v) So what about the Electron?VII. The Atom After Steiner (i) Waves and Particles (ii) Knabenphysik (iii) "Thou Shalt Make No Mental Image." (iv) Discontinuities and Probabilities (v) HBJ or the Three-Man-Paper (vi) Schrodinger's Wave Mechanics (vii) Indeterminacy (viii) Quantum Physics and the Periodic Table (ix) More about Probability (x) Niels Bohr -- A Goethean Physicist? (xi) Are Particles Real?VIII. EpilogueAppendixEndnotesBibliographyAbout the Author

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Book SynopsisCognitive science joins with Asian contemplative traditions and philosophy to bring revolutionary meaning to the human experience.Trade ReviewIn a game-changing book that is both an intellectual tour de force and the courageous statement of a life's ideal, Thompson brilliantly demonstrates how Indian philosophical thought can join forces with the neurosciences to create a new science of the conscious mind. A must-read for anyone who believes that the future of philosophy is crosscultural. -- Jonardon Ganeri, University of Sussex and the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London Evan Thompson, a philosopher with a deep knowledge of Indo-Tibetan contemplative traditions and modern neuroscience, has written a brilliant and comprehensive book on the nature of awareness and the self. Waking, Dreaming, Being is a dazzling synthesis. Thompson takes on some of the most fundamental questions about the nature of mind and addresses them with remarkable creativity and clarity. This volume is a must read for any serious student of the mind and consciousness. -- Richard J. Davidson, New York Times-bestselling coauthor of The Emotional Life of Your Brain Drawing on multiple sources of knowledge, all tested by first-person experience and critical analysis, Thompson presents an illuminating neurophenomenological account of what it's like to be a conscious human being. -- Stephen LaBerge, author of Exploring the World of Lucid Dreaming Waking, Dreaming, Being powerfully demonstrates how bringing cognitive science, philosophy, and Buddhism into a critical engagement can open innovative ways of exploring the 'hard problem' of consciousness. The blending of philosophical rigor and scientific knowledge with meditative insights, with the author's own remarkable life as the larger background, makes the book a real joy to read. This book will be an invaluable help to anyone who is interested in knowing how the fundamental questions of self, consciousness, and human existence can be explored in a way that combines the best of both East and West. -- Thupten Jinpa, author of Self, Reality and Reason in Tibetan Philosophy With extensive training in Buddhism, brain science, and phenomenology, Evan Thompson is uniquely positioned to reveal how different perspectives on the mind can be mutually illuminating. He begins with the Buddhist insight that there are many forms of consciousness--far more than traditionally recognized in the West--and he shows that these can be associated with deferent brain processes. The result is a richly original and integrated account of human mental life. Whether you are a curious newcomer or a seasoned expert, you have much to learn from this stunning synthesis of ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science. -- Jesse Prinz, author of The Conscious Brain and Beyond Human Nature [an] excellent book. New York Times Book Review Extraordinary and exciting claims... beautiful ideas. Cosmos and Culture Contemplative and groundbreaking, Waking, Dreaming, Being is a welcome addition to college library philosophy shelves. Midwest Book Review Waking, Dreaming, Being is an exceptional and intriguing contribution to the exploration of consciousness as a multidimensional self and makes a convincing argument for the usefulness of philosophical, experiential, and scientific approaches to understanding consciousness. -- Marissa Krimsky Buddhadharma A rich, thought-provoking and poetic tour of a wide variety of phenomena of consciousness... Constructivist Foundations A magnificent tome. Big Think This is a ground-breaking exploration of conciousness and the self as they occur across the states of waking, falling asleep, dreaming, lucid dreaming, deep dreamless sleep, out-of-body experiences and dying. Evan Thompson's rich, beautifully written book interweaves lucid prose with relevant personal anecdotes, bringing the latest neuroscience together with ancient contemplative wisdom to offer valuable insightr into the nature of conciousness and the self. -- Miri Albahari Notre Dame Philosophical Reviews This remarkable book addresses deep philosophical questions from a unique perspective. Choice Waking Dreaming Being will soon be considered a landmark and a tipping point in consciousness investigations.Journal of Mind and Behavior Journal of Mind and Behavior A lucid and comprehensive account of the self as a subject of experience and agent of action. -- George T. Hole Philosophical Practice A fine book by an extraordinary author. Journal of Consciousness StudiesTable of ContentsForeword by Stephen Batchelor Prologue: The Dalai Lama's Conjecture Acknowledgments Introduction 1. Seeing: What Is Consciousness? 2. Waking: How Do We Perceive? 3. Being: What Is Pure Awareness? 4. Dreaming: Who Am I? 5. Witnessing: Is This a Dream? 6. Imagining: Are We Real? 7. Floating: Where Am I? 8. Sleeping: Are We Conscious in Deep Sleep? 9. Dying: What Happens When We Die? 10. Knowing: Is the Self an Illusion? Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisPentecostalism confronts the divide between science and religionTrade ReviewThis is a very interesting collection of articles that explore questions of spirituality in the light of contemporary science and technology. . . . Each of these papers is helpful in addressing crucial questions at the interface of science and Pentecostal spirituality. * Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith *These books represent a body of important work and an ecumenical challenge for theologians and religious leaders . . . We can be grateful to the scholars and editors for making these resources available in a readable but richly researched set of volumes. Vol. 46, No. 1 (Winter, 2011) * JOURNAL of ECUMENICAL STUDIES *Table of ContentsPrefaceIntroduction: Science and the Spirit—Questions and Possibilities in the Pentecostal Engagement with Science / James K. A. Smith and Amos YongPart 1. What Hath Azusa Street to Do with MIT? The Big Questions 1. What Have the Galapagos to Do with Jerusalem? Scientific Knowledge in Theological Context / Telford Work 2. Is There Room for Surprise in the Natural World? Naturalism, the Supernatural, and Pentecostal Spirituality / James K. A. Smith 3. How Does God Do What God Does? Pentecostal-Charismatic Perspectives on Divine Action in Dialogue with Modern Science / Amos YongPart 2. The Spirit of Matter: Questions and Possibilities in the Natural Sciences 4. Does God Have a Place in the Physical Universe? Physics and the Quest for the Holy Spirit / Wolfgang Vondey 5. Does the Spirit Create through Evolutionary Processes? Pentecostals and Biological Evolution / Steve Badger and Mike Tenneson 6. Can Religious Experience Be Reduced to Brain Activity? The Place and Significance of Pentecostal Narrative / Frederick L. Ware 7. Serotonin and Spirit: Can There Be a Holistic Pentecostal Approach to Mental Illness? / Donald F. CalbreathPart 3. The Human Spirit: Questions and Possibilities in the Social and Technological Sciences 8. Can Social Scientists Dance? Participating in Science, Spirit, and Social Reconstruction as an Anthropologist and Afropentecostal / Craig Scandrett-Leatherman 9. Is Integrating Spirit and Sociology Possible? A Postmodern Research Odyssey / Margaret M. Poloma 10. Is There Room for the Spirit in a World Dominated by Technology? Pentecostals and the Technological World / Dennis W. CheekList of ContributorsIndex

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Book SynopsisThis new text is a detailed study of an important process in modern Indian history. During the late nineteenth and early twentieth century, India experienced an intellectual renaissance, which owed as much to the influx of new ideas from the West as to traditional religious and cultural insights. Gosling examines the effects of the introduction of Western science into India, and the relationship between Indian traditions of thought and secular Western scientific doctrine. He charts the early development of science in India, its role in the secularization of Indian society, and the subsequent reassertion, adaptation and rejection of traditional modes of thought. The beliefs of key Indian scientists, including Jagadish Chandra Bose, P.C. Roy and S.N. Bose are explored and the book goes on to reflect upon how individual scientists could still accept particular religious beliefs such as reincarnation, cosmology, miracles and prayer. Science and the Indian TraditionTrade Review"... splendid new book. It is very exciting and contains much more than the exchange between Einstein and Tagore....It really is a very great achievement"- John Bowker, Emeritus Professor of Theology, University of Cambridge.'Be prepared for substantial chapters on a number of intertwined topics, but be prepared also to enjoy this most instructive account of a complex encounter between civilisations and thought-worlds. Somehow Gosling also manages to tell us where physics in general has got to, in a manner which seems rather understandable to the non-expert in that field.'- Marburg Review 'This is a book that is important both for the solid information it offers and for the way it discusses the issues involved with fairness and a rational mind. There is much that is pure science, much more that is philosophy and an understream of religiosity and mysticism' - G. Gispert-Sauch, Journal of Theological Reflection, July 2008'The book is indispensable for those who are interested to learn about the effects of Western Science on the Indian subcontinent and in the interactions between Western and Indo-Pak tradtitions of intellectual thought...A conversation between Rabindranath tagore and Alvert Einstein is also one of the merits of the book which, undoubtedly, makes it an essential and thoroughly entertaining read' - The Frontier Post, September 2008'Students and scholars can draw much inspiration from this storehouse of interdisciplinary data and ideas. It is a most useful volume for all library collections and specialised courses on science and religion.' - Ursula King, Institute for Advanced Studies, University of Bristol and School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London 2009Table of Contents1. Introduction 2. Science in India’s Intellectual Renaissance 3. Tradition Redefined 4. Worldviews in Encounter 5. Relativity and Beyond 6. Indian Science Comes of Age 7. An Investigation into the Beliefs of Indian Scientists 8. How Clear Reason’s Stream? 9. Looking to the Future. Appendix A: The Nature of Reality. Appendix B: Investigation Questionnaire

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Book SynopsisIn this book, Professor Douglas Kelly persuasively argues for a literal interpretation of the six–day account of creation found in Genesis chapters 1 and 2. He assesses both the biblical details and the scientific data to show that there is a convincing and scientifically viable case for this understanding. This new edition, written twenty years after the original, contains important revisions and additional chapters, bringing this insightful and relevant volume up–to–date with developments in this field.Trade ReviewKelly ably engages with several scientific debating points ... He makes the complex clear and sophisticated simple. Yet Kelly's most admirable quality is in handling the text of Scripture, presenting a reasonable and winsome case for creation in six, ordinary, consecutive days, culminating in the worship of God on the Sabbath Day. Highly recommended for keen lay readers, theological students, pastors and professors. -- Jonny Gibson (Associate Professor of Old Testament, Westminster Theological Seminary, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and author of ‘The Moon Is Always Round’)... It is the best work that I have read on this subject. With regard to this exegesis of the biblical text I hope that Douglas Kelly's courageous voice will be listened to. -- Frederick N. Skiff (Professor of Physics, University of Iowa, Iowa City, Iowa)It is an excellent work. I believe it will be an important contribution to the field. -- John Currid (Chancellor’s Professor of Old Testament, Reformed Theological Seminary, Jackson, Mississippi)... demonstrates that credible science supports the Word of God...For those concerned about the issues involved this book is well worth spending time studying. -- Peace and TruthThis book is very accessible for the lay reader as well as being a very thoroughly argued and persuasive text for the student beginning theological studies in Genesis and wanting to know what the key Biblical arguments are for a young earth creation position. I cannot recommend this book more highly. -- Andy McIntosh (Visiting research Professor at the University of Leeds and Adjunct Professor at Mississippi State University)Douglas Kelly is a theologian who also displays a deep understanding of science and philosophy. The result is this thoughtful, thorough and well researched book that will be valuable to anyone wishing to dig deeper. -- Walter E. Brown (Director, Center for Scientific Creation, Phoenix, Arizona )

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Book SynopsisThe New York Times bestselling author of Darwin’s Doubt, Stephen Meyer, presents groundbreaking scientific evidence of the existence of God, based on breakthroughs in physics, cosmology, and biology.Beginning in the late 19th century, many intellectuals began to insist that scientific knowledge conflicts with traditional theistic belief—that science and belief in God are “at war.” Philosopher of science Stephen Meyer challenges this view by examining three scientific discoveries with decidedly theistic implications. Building on the case for the intelligent design of life that he developed in Signature in the Cell and Darwin’s Doubt, Meyer demonstrates how discoveries in cosmology and physics coupled with those in biology help to establish the identity of the designing intelligence behind life and the universe. Meyer argues that theism—with its affirmati

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Book SynopsisIs He Out There? is an interdisciplinary examination of the Christian reaction to Dawkinss The God Delusion. That reaction has offered a wide range of counter-arguments, among them: that Dawkinss demonstration of how God almost certainly doesnt exist addresses an out-dated conception of God; that science and religion are not conflictual as Dawkins contends and indeed may well be converging upon an understanding of how God acts in the universe; that Dawkinss denigration of the Bible depends on an overly literal reading; and that Dawkins assumes a narrative of progress in which human beings take the place of God in controlling the course of history. Is He Out There? responds to these arguments in the context of current scientific understanding, biblical criticism and philosophy. Paul Laffan demonstrates how the desire to meet the challenge posed by Dawkinss viewpoint has led to the perversion of scientific theories and accepted positions in other important fields of inquiry. It suggests that Christianity is wedded to a God who is the cause of the universe a classical conception of cause that is anachronistic; that denying the Bible was read for most of the Christian era as offering a literal account of divine creation is a significant misrepresentation of doctrinal history; and that a complete dismissal of progress requires the dismissal of scientific achievement. The author considers the extent to which attractive, secular values like tolerance and freedom of opinion are Christian in source and whether moral systems require God to underwrite them. The wide-ranging nature of Is He Out There? not only provides a review of the state of contemporary Christian apology but is a measured address of the arguments put forward in The God Delusion and indeed of the substantive commentary on Dawkinss thesis.

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Book SynopsisTwenty papers from the Faraday Institute, by some of the world's leading scientists, philosophers and theologians, on current and future issues surrounding science and faith. Professor Alister McGrath contributes an introductory essay.Trade ReviewThis excellent collection of Faraday Papers reflects the way that thinking has progressed over the past decade and fulfilled some of the aspirations of the Faraday Institute for which it was set up. * Sir Brian Heap, FRS, University of Cambridge *This volume is invaluable for anyone wishing to understand current science and faith debates. Its outstanding feature is its comprehensiveness. It gives historical and philosophical perspective as well as spelling out the wider implications of advances in evolutionary biology, quantum physics, neuroscience, genetics, and geology for Christian faith. I strongly recommend it. * Emeritus Professor Malcolm Jeeves, CBE, F. Med.Sci., FRSE, PPRSE, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, St. Andrews University *I envy the British for their rich resources in profound scholarship at the interface of science and the Christian faith. This book is a testimony to that. Look no further if you are searching for an accessible introduction to a broad spectrum of interesting subjects in this area, from philosophical ponderings about the nature of science, to Bible interpretation, to creation care, to the intriguing questions posed by neuroscience and genetics. Highly recommended! * Professor Cees Dekker, KNAW Royal Academy Professor and Distinguished University Professor at Delft University of Technology *

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Book SynopsisDoes science discredit the Bible, God, religious faith?Absolutely not, says Dr. Michael Guillen, former Harvard physics instructor and Emmy-winning ABC News Science Editor. In Amazing Truths, he uses his entertaining, down-to-earth storytelling skills to reveal ten astonishing truths affirmed by both ancient Scripture and modern science that answer some of our biggest questions: Can faith really move mountains? Does absolute truth exist? Are humans truly unique? Is it possible to communicate with God? How much about the universe do we actually know? How could Jesus have been fully man and fully God? In Amazing Truths, Dr. Guillen explains that faith is not some outdated way of thinking. Faith is a necessary part of science, Christianity, and any intelligent, comprehensive, coherent worldview--vastly more powerful than even logic.Amazing Truths will expand your minTrade Review“An entire generation is being swept up in a false narrative that the Bible and science are incompatible. Too many today, both young and old, believe that faith in the Bible has been discredited by the new religion of science. In Amazing Truths, Dr. Michael Guillen dismantles those myths, presenting hard evidence and sound reason to cause skeptics to reevaluate their own belief system and believers to have renewed confidence in the Bible.” * —Curtis V. Hail, President & CEO, e3 Partners / I Am Second *“As a gifted communicator, Michael Guillen makes science easy to understand. He has done it again with his latest explanations of how the Bible and science complement each other. In a profound and beautiful way he helps us realize that science does not contradict the Bible but in fact supports it. A summer ‘must read’ for all high school grads going to college.” * —Dr. Robert A. Schuller *“For many people today, even self-described Christians, science has replaced the Bible as the ultimate authority in their lives. In Amazing Truths, Michael Guillen explains brilliantly why that secular view is unfounded and offers one that is better informed intellectually and spiritually.” * —Rev. Dr. Greg Hughes, Senior Pastor, Malibu Presbyterian Church *“Here is a truly unusual autobiography: an amazing blend of up-to-date science and the world in which we exist as conscious spiritual beings.” * —Owen Gingerich, Harvard University professor emeritus and author of God’s Planet *“Michael Guillen bridges the seeming gap between science and faith better than anyone I know.” * —Cal Thomas, Syndicated and USA Today columnist/Fox News contributor *“Michael Guillen has always had a unique ability to make fascinating science topics understandable and relevant to people’s lives. Amazing Truths is proof of that.” * —Joan Lunden *“Michael is one of the most original thinkers I’ve ever known. He lives where the creative meets the intellect. I can think of no one more qualified to write this book!” * —Dave Alan Johnson, Writer/producer/ director (Doc, Sue Thomas FBEye, October Baby, Mom’s Night Out, Coffee Shop, Woodlawn) *“Must science and faith be at war? No, says physicist Michael Guillen in this delightfully readable yet thoroughly researched book. Whether you are a believer or a doubter, you’ll be astonished by Amazing Truths.” * —Hattie Kauffman, Former correspondent of ABC and CBS News and author of Falling Into Place *“The lie that faith and science are enemies is never more in danger than when the affable, wonderfully understandable, and winsomely brilliant Dr. Michael Guillen is on the case. If we’d had him as our physics teacher, most of us would be physicists today! Q.E.D.” * —Eric Metaxas, New York Times bestselling author of Miracles and host of the nationally syndicated The Eric Metaxas Show *“The title of this book says it all: Michael Guillen illustrates how science and the Bible are partners in revealing amazing truths about life---and life eternal.” * —Spencer Christian, Weather forecaster/interviewer/host for KGO-TV—formerly at Good Morning America *

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Book SynopsisThe renowned science writer, mathematician, and bestselling author of Fermat's Last Theorem masterfully refutes the overreaching claims the "New Atheists," providing millions of educated believers with a clear, engaging explanation of what science really says, how there's still much space for the Divine in the universe, and why faith in both God and empirical science are not mutually exclusive.A highly publicized coterie of scientists and thinkers, including Richard Dawkins, the late Christopher Hitchens, and Lawrence Krauss, have vehemently contended that breakthroughs in modern science have disproven the existence of God, asserting that we must accept that the creation of the universe came out of nothing, that religion is evil, that evolution fully explains the dazzling complexity of life, and more. In this much-needed book, science journalist Amir Aczel profoundly disagrees and conclusively demonstrates that science has not, as yet, provid

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"Marcelo Gleiser argues that the only hope we have of addressing the current environmental crisis lies in rethinking our relationship to history and to the entire cosmos. The Dawn of a Mindful Universe is a work of great honesty and daring. Its message couldn’t be more alarming, yet it is ultimately optimistic." — Elizabeth Colbert, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Sixth Extinction and Under a White Sky “An extraordinary book. Marcelo Gleiser has brought together cosmology, environmentalism, and spirituality in a personal and poetic call to arms that is nothing short of breathtaking. Most of the time I was smiling and nodding as I read it, and occasionally I was moved to tears.” — William Egginton, author of The Rigor of Angels, The Splintering of the American Mind, and The Man Who Invented Fiction "Marcelo Gleiser is precisely the kind of public intellectual our culture urgently needs: a skilled communicator of complex scientific ideas whose work is animated by a humane and humanistic sensibility. The Dawn of a Mindful Universe, a fascinating and often moving book, is guided by a profound sense of civilizational urgency as it charts a path toward re-enchantment." — Mark O’Connell, author of To Be a Machine and Notes from an Apocalypse "As James Russell Lowell once put it, ‘new occasions teach new duties; time makes ancient good uncouth.’ We are at a novel and fraught moment in our history as a species, and as this book posits, getting through it will require rethinking who we are and why we are here. Gleiser’s argument will send you off on interesting and fruitful tangents of your own!" — Bill McKibben, author of The Flag, the Cross, and the Station Wagon "[A] brave, compelling book of great beauty and urgency. ... Gleiser fully understands the transformative power of science. Unlike many, however, he also sees how worldviews that claim to speak for science have led humanity to the brink of ruin through environmental destruction and the desacralization of the world we communally inhabit. Dawn of a Mindful Universe is a call for a deep reinvention of ourselves in ways that don’t abandon the prosperity that science has made possible but realigns our technological prowess with a new moral stance treating Earth as a sacred community whose fate is always our own." — Adam Frank, astrophysicist "Our future—and whether we have one—depends on us realizing that Earth is the only truly sacred place. Everything flows from our valuation of this miraculous only-known living planet. This book provides that re-framing, that adjustment in attitude and perspective that is so desperately needed now." — Carl Safina, ecologist and author of Alfie and Me "Marcelo Gleiser’s brilliant book is a major contribution to our understanding of the evolution of the living Earth community. It is a tour de force in activating allegiance to life’s complexity, beauty, and continuity. At once erudite and eloquent, this luminous work deserves to be widely read." — Mary Evelyn Tucker, co-author of Journey of the Universe and co-director of the Yale Forum on Religion and Ecology "Dawn of a Mindful Universe is a surprisingly accessible exploration of difficult and pressing topics that affect us all. Author Marcelo Gleiser leads us on a thought-provoking (re)assessment of humanity’s place in the cosmos—digging into our deep past and looking at our collective future. At this historic inflection point, such discussions are a vital part of larger conversations on climate change, societal stability, and scientific breakthrough. Gleiser’s work encourages us to create more mindful interactions with our world, its cultures, and economies." — Gregory W. Brown, co-executive producer of the planetarium show God, Science, and Our Search for Meaning at the Boston Museum of Science and composer of Missa Charles Darwin "Marcelo Gleiser is an accomplished astrophysicist who writes with the heart of a poet. In The Dawn of a Mindful Universe he shines a sharp, critical light on some accepted scientific truisms which have contributed to our dangerously unhealthy relationship with the natural world. He shows how our explorations of the cosmos have brought home the preciousness and uniqueness of our living planetary home, and proposes a necessary re-engagement with the sacred. It is a passionate and moving call for a scientifically informed spiritual reawakening which can help us navigate and transcend the traps we humans have set for ourselves." — David Grinspoon, astrobiologist and award-winning author of Earth in Human Hands "A lively, deeply considered and deeply impassioned argument for why our species' future must embrace biocentrism. Gleiser’s writing and humanity shines in this tour de force of science and scholarship." — Caleb Scharf, senior scientist for astrobiology at NASA Ames and author of The Ascent of Information "A passionate appeal for 'biocentric values that reflect our spiritual reconnection with the Earth.'" — Kirkus Reviews

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Book SynopsisThis investigation of religion by greatest psychoanalyst of the twentieth-century explores the role faith can take in the life of man, what it can mean to us and why as a species we are inclined towards it. Throughout history, some books have changed the world. They have transformed the way we see ourselves and each other. They have inspired debate, dissent, war and revolution. They have enlightened, outraged, provoked and comforted. They have enriched lives and destroyed them. Now Penguin brings you the works of the great thinkers, pioneers, radicals and visionaries whose ideas shook civilization and helped make us who we are.

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Book SynopsisThoughtful observers agree that the planetary crisis we now face-climate change; species extinction; the destruction of entire ecosystems; the urgent need for a more just economic-political order-is pushing human civilization to a radical turning point: change or perish. But precisely how to change remains an open question.In Earth-honoring Faith, Larry Rasmussen answers that question with a dramatically new way of thinking about human society, ethics, and the ongoing health of our planet. Rejecting the modern assumption that morality applies to human society alone, Rasmussen insists that we must derive a spiritual and ecological ethic that accounts for the well-being of all creation, as well as the primal elements upon which it depends: earth, air, fire, water, and sunlight. He argues that good science, necessary as it is, will not be enough to inspire fundamental change. We must draw on religious resources as well to make the difficult transition from an industrial-technological age Trade ReviewIn many ways Earth-Honoring Faith resembles an intricate, colorful song played by a vast collection of deft instrumentalists. Rasmussen is a master at tying together a large number of resources and perspectives, each carefully tuned to play the right notes. Persuasively, even lyrically, he has assembled a grand orchestra to inspire deep reflection and animate meaningful practice. * The Christian Century *This book is important, timely, sorely needed and deeply prophetic- delivering a hard, truthful indictment of the world as it is, but also suggesting visionary, hopeful Earth-honoring ways forward... yes, you should, you need , to read this. * Journal of Lutheran Ethics *Larry Rasmussen has once again penned a masterwork uniting ecological ethics and religious practices broadly envisioned. If the Earth is to survive, ethical theory and spiritual praxis are equally vital. Science informs. Religions motivat. A transformation combining these concepts is urgently needed at this moment in time on our planet. * Catholic Books Review *He [Rasmussen] writes extremely well, with elegance and eloquence, and weaves poetry, narrative, and personal stories into a tapestry informed by keen ethical insight and analysis. His treatment of power relations in the economy and of consumerism is masterful. This book is a must for anyone interested in the environment who is not willing to settle for lazy aphorisms and superficial panaceas. * CHOICE *This book is a tour-de-force, bringing together theological reflection and ethical persuasion to argue for the transformation of religions into their ecological phase. Larry Rasmussen is eloquent, comprehensive, and compelling in his articulation of a vision that is sorely needed for our emerging Earth Community. * Mary Evelyn Tucker, Co-Director of the Forum on Religion and Ecology, Yale University *Larry Rasmussen's new work on religious ethics moves from a lyrical homage to the sacred web of life to a searing indictment of the utilitarian use of nature by both capitalist and socialist industrialization. Drawing on mystical, prophetic, and wisdom traditions, Rasmussen shows that a paradigm shift to an ecologically conscious civilization is possible. Inspired by local communities, an earth-honoring faith becomes a song of songs. * Aruna Gnanadason, author of Listen to the Women, Listen to the Earth *Rasmussen argues persuasively that religion needs to stop perceiving nature as the stage for the human salvation drama and view it instead as the locus for experience of the divine. His scholarship is impeccable and his ability to weave together insights from various fields and scholars is exemplary. Earth-honoring Faith is a grand intellectual endeavor that reflects interdisciplinary thinking at its best. * Jim Martin-Schramm, Professor of Religion, Luther College *By writing so lyrically and in open conversation with so many others struggling to create language for this civilizational transition, Larry Rasmussen shows the awkwardness of inherited language and ideas for discussing the new moral world that humanity needs to learn to inhabit. He demonstrates how to make sense of ancient moral traditions in a new context, and how to bend them into a new imagination of the world. This book is a serious contribution to religious ethics. It will be appreciated not only by scholars in the field but by many thinking readers worried about sustainability crises and looking for cultural resources to reshape our shared moral imagination. * Willis Jenkins, author of Ecologies of Grace *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Prelude ; PART I ; 1 The Creature We Are ; 2 The World We Have ; 3 The Faith We Seek ; 4 The Ethic We Need: Change and Imagination ; 5 The Ethic We Need: Good Theory ; 6 The Ethic We Need: Community Matrix ; 7 The Ethic We Need: Tilling and Keeping ; Interlude ; PART II ; 8 Asceticism and Consumerism ; 9 The Sacred and the Commodified ; 10 Mysticism and Alienation ; 11 Prophetic/Liberative Practices and Oppression ; 12 Wisdom and Folly ; 13 Closing ; Postlude ; Notes ; Bibliography ; Index

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Book SynopsisDrawing on scientific research and logical argument James Jones directly confronts the claims that cognitive science can eliminate, or debunk, religion. He provides an accessibly written, persuasive account of why these claims are not convincing.Trade Review[T]his volume will be useful to students and scholars alike interested in deepening their engagement with the field of cognitive approaches to religion and will be a useful addition to course or module materials for students studying in this area. * Paul-François Tremlett, Religion *certainly deserves the attention of the general public, and offers a welcome antidote to the misrepresentations of cognitive science of religion * Tom Uytterhoeven, ESSSAT *Table of ContentsAcknowledgements ; Introduction: A Voice from the Border of Religion and Science ; Chapter One: Explanations -How Science Seeks to Explain Religion ; Chapter Two: Explaining-What does it Mean to Explain Religion? ; Chapter Three: Physicalism-Is a Purely Physicalist Account Compelling? ; Chapter Four: Beyond Physicalism-Mind and Nature ; Chapter Five: Our Pluralistic Universe - Living on the Border of Science and Religion ; Appendix: Sources, References, and Further Discussions ; Bibliography of Sources Used In Preparing the Text

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Book SynopsisIt is commonly assumed that the creation story of Genesis and its chronology were the only narratives openly available in medieval and early modern Europe and that the discovery of geological time in the eighteenth century came as a momentous breakthrough that shook the faith in the historical accuracy of the Bible. Historians of science, mainstream geologists, and Young Earth creationists alike all share the assumption that the notion of an ancient Earth was highly heterodox in the pre-modern era. The old age of the world is regarded as the offspring of a secularized science.In this book, Ivano Dal Prete radically revises the commonplace history of deep time in Western culture. He argues that the chronology of the Bible always coexisted with alternative approaches that placed the origin of the Earth into a far, undetermined (or even eternal) past. From the late Middle Ages, these notions spread freely not only in universities and among the learned, but even in popular works of meteorology, geology, literature, and art that made them easily accessible to a vernacular and scientifically illiterate public. Religious authorities did not regard these notions as particularly problematic, let alone heretical. Neither the authors nor their numerous readers thought that holding such views was incompatible with their Christian faith. While the appeal of theories centered on the biblical Flood and on a young Earth gained popularity over the course of the seventeenth century, their more secular alternatives remained vital and debated. Enlightenment thinkers, however, created a myth of a Christian tradition that uniformly rejected the antiquity of the world, as opposed to a new secular science ready to welcome it. Largely unchallenged for almost three centuries, that account solidified over time into a still dominant truism. Based on a wealth of mostly unexplored sources, On the Edge of Eternity offers an original and nuanced account of the history of deep time that illuminates the relationship between the history of science and Christianity in the medieval and early modern periods, with lasting implications for Western society.Trade ReviewCalling upon a massive reservoir of evidence that has been hiding in plain sight, this deeply researched and engrossing book not only overturns a long held historical narrative that deep geological time was discovered in the eighteenth century, but also chronicles the formation of that narrative in the crucible of intellectual and political change at the end of the eighteenth century. Dal Prete brilliantly reveals the peaceful coexistence of multiple theories about the age of the earth from the Middle Ages up through the seventeenth century, then their politicization as the new ideology of science asserted eternal war between science and religion, a fable, as Dal Prete lays bare, that has endured up to the present. * Pamela H. Smith, Columbia University *On the Edge of Eternity is an ambitious and provocative rethinking of our understanding of the earth's history from the Middle Ages till the age of Darwin. This superb account of the history of the earth's eternity and the biblical Flood compellingly argues that the earth's antiquity is a very old idea. Widely discussed and debated in medieval and Renaissance Europe, it was an Enlightenment rediscovery rather than discovery. In this engaging and erudite history, Dal Prete invites us to reflect on why we have forgotten the complexity of the past in the invention of deep time in favor of stark and often polemical narratives of science and religion. * Paula Findlen, Stanford University *In this beautifully argued and accessibly written book, Ivano del Prete shows that not only were discussions of earth history a complex and multifaceted affair throughout the millennia before an imagined Enlightenment emancipation, but in actuality it was the new science of the Scientific Revolution that invented Biblical literalism and young earth creationism, not the religious enthusiasts. This brilliantly fresh and insightful history is a must read for anyone wanting to subject our contemporary battle between science and religion to a historical reality check. * J.B. Shank, University of Minnesota *In this erudite and elegant book, Ivano Dal Prete rewrites the history of Western views on the age of the earth. He works as deftly on ancient traditions in philosophy and chronology as on the practical culture of Tuscan miners and merchants, shows that scholars and craftsmen came into active intellectual contact, and brings lost worlds of speculation and exploration back to life. Medieval and Renaissance ideas about earth history were rich and varied, and geological evidence often supported arguments for an eternal world. Before this context, the debates of later centuries, with their multiple efforts to salvage a biblical chronology, take on a radically new meaning. The warfare of science with theology, Dal Prete argues, is not a medieval but a modern phenomenon, born of new commitments, Protestant and Catholic, to biblical authority. * Anthony Grafton, Princeton University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Note on Terminology Introduction Chapter 1 Footprints in the Dust: The Eternity of the World in the Middle Ages Chapter 2 The Medieval Earth Chapter 3 Vernacular Earths, 1250-1500 Chapter 4 A "Pious" History of the Earth? 1500-1650 Chapter 5 The Rise of Diluvialism, 1650-1720 Chapter 6 The Invention of the History of Deep Time, 1700-1770 Chapter 7 Political Fossils, 1740-1800 Conclusion Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book takes a bold new look at ways of exploring the nature, origins, and potentials of consciousness within the context of science and religion. Alan Wallace draws careful distinctions between four elements of the scientific tradition: science itself, scientific realism, scientific materialism, and scientism. Arguing that the metaphysical doctrine of scientific materialism has taken on the role of ersatz-religion for its adherents, he traces its development from its Greek and Judeo-Christian origins, focusing on the interrelation between the Protestant Reformation and the Scientific Revolution. He looks at scientists'' long term resistance to the firsthand study of consciousness and details the ways in which subjectivity has been deemed taboo within the scientific community. In conclusion, Wallace draws on William James''s idea for a science of religion that would study the nature of religious and, in particular, contemplative experience. In exploring the nature of consciousness, Trade ReviewWallace has looked carefully at the religious study of consciousness in both East and West, and no one can walk away from this book without a deeper impression of the profound understanding of religious consciousness that religious thinkers and traditions have achieved. The book will thus be welcomed by those who are interested in the phenomenology of religious consciousness as a tool for the cross-cultural study of religious phenomena. For these purposes it is heartily recommended.--The Journal of the American Academy of ReligionThe Taboo of Subjectivity provides a commendable introduction to issues in the relation of science and religion that humanists with an interest in science will find accessible and reasonably persuasive, and its cross-cultural framework offers students of religion a rewarding illustration of comparative work.--The Journal of ReligionThis is a landmark book in consciousness studies in the grand tradition of William James. Indeed it is the kind of book that James would have written had he been updating his writings 100 years on. * Network *

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Book SynopsisTeaching evolution in the public schools has been a perennial problem in America. From the courthouse in Dayton, Tennessee, in 1925, to modern fights over intelligent design and creation science, evolution and its critics have battled over the role of science and religion in American public life.But the antievolution controversies are not merely political problems. In American Genesis, Jeffrey P. Moran explores the ways in which the evolution struggles also have reverberated beyond the confines of legislatures and courthouses. In addition to offering a careful analysis of antievolutionism''s ideological and strategic development, this wide-ranging social history argues that evolution''s reception has been shaped by four peculiarly American forces: a diverse population, regional divisions, a sometimes shaky Protestant dominance, and a tradition of democratic populism. In each area, the battles over evolution exposed and polarized existing divisions.Using extensive research in newspapers, periodicals, and archives, Moran investigates the critical influence that gender ideals have had in antievolutionism, as well as the complex role women play in modern controversies. Similarly, he analyzes the unexamined relationship between African Americans and antievolution. Moran''s reading of regional differences explains how fundamentalism, a movement born in the North, came to flourish primarily in the South.Throughout the nation, Moran argues, antievolutionist ideology has retained strong continuities from its roots in the early twentieth century, despite its modern packaging as creation science or Intelligent Design. Finally, Moran balances scholars'' understandable focus on the unfamiliar territory of antievolutionism by considering the self-conceptions and preconceptions of modern scientists as activists, teachers, and bystanders in the struggle.Trade ReviewMoran...explores aspects of creationism that receive scant attention elsewhere...A well-written, thoroughly researched, valuable contribution. Highly recommended. * CHOICE *Moran's book has much to offer historians of science who are interested in antievolutionism. Historians of American culture, race, gender, and religion will also profit from reading it. * John M. Lynch, Isis Review *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Preface ; Introduction: Darwin Comes to America ; Chapter One: Monkeys and Mothers ; Chapter Two: Regionalism and the Antievolution Impulse ; Chapter Three: Fighting for the Future of the Race ; Chapter Four: Descent with Modification ; Chapter Five: Creationism and the Campus ; Notes ; Index

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Trade ReviewI have used this book for years * it never fails to engage the students.Nan E. Woodruff, Pennsylvania State University *Excellent for collateral reading in my history and philosophy of education class. * D. Gough, Washington Bible College *An intriguing book well suited to stimulating discussion in an upper-level course. It addresses issues rented to the social and intellectual history of 20th century American. * Daniel B. Murphy, Hanover College *Very valuable in helping students understand the Scopes Trial and modern Creationists. * Lois N. Magner, Purdue University *Very good for supplemental reading in a survey course on religion in America. Lively and stimulating. The book provokes students to get involved. * W. Calvin Smith, University of South Carolina at Aiken *In his brilliant account of the Tennessee 'monkey trial' of 1925, Mr. Ginger gives us a book where history not only records the events of a time but illuminates their significance for all time. * The New Republic *This volume provides a clear, informative and interesting chronicle of the 1925 Scopes trial. It relates the trial to the Zeitgeist of the era. * William Simons, SUNY-Oneonta *

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Book SynopsisFrom creationism to The God Delusion, the public dialogue of science and religion either uses the early chapters of Genesis in a naïve and simplistic way or rejects their relevance to contemporary questions. This is reinforced by the myth that Darwin caused a rejection of a literalistic reading of Genesis 1 and from that point most Christian theology lost any confidence in these texts. The truth is far more complex. Jewish and Christian interpretation of the early chapters of Genesis had a long a fruitful history from the earliest times. In the 19th century, many more important issues were at stake than biblical literalism, and there were many different interpretations of how the discoveries of Darwin helped or hindered the reading of the biblical text. Today, theologians are returning to the importance of Genesis as a partner in dialogue with science, gender, and environmental care. As the distinguished authors of the papers in this volume show, far from Darwin burying these ancient tTrade ReviewIt's a strange world when science can be used to dismiss the Bible, or when the Bible can be used to reject science - strange because God's people have long affirmed that the world and the Bible comprise God's Two Books. The challenge, then, is how to read the pages of both faithfully and to discern in their coordinated witness the character and aims of God. For its willingness to take up this challenge, and to do so accessibly and sensibly, Reading Genesis after Darwin is a genuinely important book. In their sketches of how Genesis was read before, during, and after the days of Darwin, these authors demonstrate how people might take the natural sciences seriously and continue to turn to Genesis 1-3 as sacred scripture. * Joel B. Green, author of Body, Soul, and Human Life: The Nature of Humanity in the Bible (2008). *Table of ContentsACKNOWLEDGEMENTS; CONTRIBUTORS; INTRODUCTION; STEPHEN C. BARTON AND DAVID WILKINSON; PART 1: ENGAGING AGAIN WITH THE SCRIPTURES; WALTER MOBERLY; FRANCIS WATSON; ANDREW LOUTH; RICHARD S. BRIGGS; PART 2: UNDERSTANDING THE HISTORY; JOHN ROGERSON; JOHN HEDLEY BROOKE; DAVID BROWN; EXPLORING THE CONTEMPORARY RELEVANCE; DAVID WILKINSON; DAVID CLOUGH; JEFF ASTLEY; STEPHEN C. BARTON; ELLEN F. DAVIS; MATHEW GUEST; INDEX OF MODERN AUTHORS

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Book SynopsisIn 2006, scientist Richard Dawkins published a blockbuster bestseller, The God Delusion. This atheist manifesto sparked a furious reaction from believers, who have responded with numerous books of their own. By pitting science against religion, however, this debate overlooks what science can tell us about religion. According to evolutionary psychologist Matt J. Rossano, what science reveals is that religion made us human.In Supernatural Selection, Rossano presents an evolutionary history of religion. Neither an apologist for religion nor a religion-basher, he draws together evidence from a wide range of disciplines to show the valuable--even essential--adaptive purpose served by systematic belief in the supernatural. The roots of religion stretch as far back as half a million years, when our ancestors developed the motor control to engage in social rituals--that is, to sing and dance together. Then, about 70,000 years ago, a global ecological crisis drove humanity to the edge of extincTrade Reviewa valuable book * Bruce Buttler, Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith *Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION

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Book SynopsisThis is the first great commentary in the Western European tradition of expounding Aristotle's Metaphysics. Rufus addresses questions such as 'what is truth?' `what is matter?', 'what are numbers?', `how do corruptible and incorruptible substances differ?', and `how do sensible objects act on the soul?'.Table of ContentsAbbreviations Introduction Scriptum in Metaphysicam Aristotelis Proem Liber I Liber II Liber III Liber IV Liber V Liber VI Indices

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe publication is both interesting for scholars dealing with the LDS church, its history, and teachings and for all those trying to gain insight into recent developments in medicine and bioethics and their relation to religion. * Franz Winter, Religious Studies Review *This book can show Mormons the permitted spaces of medicine and what medicine should profoundly signify, informing both medical practice and patient experience. * P. Rodriguez del Pozo, CHOICE *The publication is both interesting for scholars dealing with the LDS church, its history, and teachings and for all those trying to gain insight into recent developments in medicine and bioethics and their relation to religion. * Franz Winter, Religious Studies Review Vol 48.4 *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction: Moral Realities of Latter-day Saint Ethics Chapter 1. Faith, Medicine, and Healing Chapter 2. Creating Life: New Conceptions Chapter 3. The Wisdom of Prevention Chapter 4. Back to the Future: Genes, Disease, and Future Generations Chapter 5. Gifts of Life: Organ and Tissue Donation Chapter 6. Born Dying Chapter 7. Dying Well: Life Endings and Medical Assisted Death Chapter 8. Public Bioethics: Abortion and Medical Marijuana Epilogue. An LDS Case for Universal Health Care Appendix A. LDS Ecclesiastical Statements on Biomedical Ethics Issues Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisIn this ground-breaking study of the Jewish reception of the Copernican revolution, Jeremy Brown examines four hundred years of Jewish writings on the Copernican model. Brown shows the ways in which Jews ignored, rejected, or accepted the Copernican model, and the theological and societal underpinnings of their choices.Throughout New Heavens and a New Earth are deft historical studies of such colorful figures as Joseph Delmedigo, the first Jewish Copernican and a student of Galileo; Tuviah Cohen, who called Copernicus the Son of Satan; Zelig Slonimski, author of a collection of essays on Halley''s Comet; and contemporary Jewish thinkers who use Einstein''s Theory of Relativity to argue that the Earth does not actually revolve around the sun. Brown also provides insightful comparisons of concurrent Jewish and Christian writings on Copernicus, demonstrating that the Jewish reception of Copernicus was largely dependent on local factors and responses.Table of ContentsIntroduction Chapter 1 - Nicolas Copernicus and His Revolution Chapter 2 - The Talmudic View of the Universe Chapter 3 - David Gans and the First Mention of Copernicus in Hebrew Literature Chapter 4 - The First Jewish Copernican: Rabbi Joseph Solomon Delmedigo Chapter 5 - ''Copernicus Is the Son of Satan.'' The First Jewish Rejections of Copernicus Chapter 6 - David Nieto and Copernicanism in London Chapter 7 - The Jewish Encyclopedias Chapter 8 - The Eighteenth Century. Jews and Copernicus in the Newtonian Era Chapter 9 - ''I Have Written a Book For the Young People.'' David Friesenhausen's Mosdot Tevel Chapter 10 - The Nineteenth Century: Copernicus Without Hesitation Chapter 11 - ''Let Copernicus and a Thousand Like Him Be Removed From the World.'' Reuven Landau's Rejection Chapter 12 - The Modern Period Chapter 13 - Relativity and Contemporary Jewish Geocentrists Chapter 14 - Conclusions Appendix Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThe Scribes of Sleep analyzes the dream journals of seven remarkable people -- Aelius Aristides, Myoe Shonin, Lucrecia de León, Emanuel Swedenborg, Benjamin Banneker, Anna Bonus Kingsford, and Wolfgang Pauli -- and employs an interdisciplinary approach to shed light on their meanings, drawing on data science, depth psychology, and religious studies.Table of ContentsI. Seven Dreamers and their Journals 1. Aelius Aristides: Devotee of the Healing God 2. Myoe Shonin: Extreme Visionary 3. Lucrecia de Leon: Prophet of an Empire's Doom 4. Emanuel Swedenborg: Mystical Scientist 5. Benjamin Banneker: Mapping the Heavens 6. Anna Kingsford: Spiritual Dynamo 7. Wolfgang Pauli: Quantum Physicist/Depth Psychologist II. Discovering Patterns of Content 8. Digital Methods of Analyzing Dreams 9. Baseline Patterns in Dream Content 10. Anomalous Patterns in Dream Content III. Interpreting Psychological Meaning 11. Psychoanalysis 12. Archetypal Psychology 13. Cultural Psychology IV. Exploring Dimensions of Religiosity 14. Individualism 15. Mysticism 16. Pluralism Conclusion Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThis book draws on both scientific insights and spiritual wisdom to help the reader focus on what is of value in helping them decide what makes for a good life. In using evidence from psychology, sociology, philosophy, theology, and other disciplines, it helps readers think through choices about what the good life consists of.Trade ReviewThis book offers a very broad panorama about many areas and fields, and an updating for those persons less informed about developments in a vast range of subjects and areas that know a growing production and new insights in the last few years. * Luis Oviedo, Reviews in Science, Religion and Theology *This is an important and necessary book, and one that not only inspires but informs about that central topic * Reviews in Science, Religion and Theology, March 2022 *This is a book for a general reader who already suspects that the 'scientism' (the belief that science alone can establish truth) of the so -- called new atheists is flawed. … The authors identify three crucial, interrelated dimensions of flourishing: the material, the relational and the transcendent. … Their inclusive approach to a wide variety of academic disciplines, tempered in the end by a strong appeal to transcendence, has much to be recommended. * Robin Gill, Theology *This is a book for a general reader who already suspects that the 'scientism' (the belief that science alone can establish truth) of the so-called new atheists is flawed... [The authors] inclusive approach to a wide variety of academic disciplines, tempered in the end by a strong appeal to transcendence, has much to be recommended. * SAGE Perspectives Theology, January 2022 *The struggle for human beings to integrate a thoughtful understanding of the world as described by science and an ambitious hope of human flourishing as described by philosophy or faith is one at which humans have largely failed over the last three hundred years. This book is a major step in the right direction. It is very serious about science and very serious about human beings and their hopes and fears. I warmly commend it for a careful and thoughtful provocation towards a deeper commitment to the flourishing of human beings and of the creation. * Justin Welby, Archbishop of Canterbury *The theme of this highly readable and enlightening book is broad and ambitious. It's the product of the authors' deep engagement with science, ethics and religion, and analyses the requisites for a fulfilled life, highlighting those that too often elude politicians and economists. The text is enlivened with historical allusions and quotations. It offers a wise perspective that's much needed as individuals and societies contend with the anxieties of the present era. * Lord Martin Rees, Astronomer Royal, former President of the Royal Society *In this magisterial book, Andrew Briggs and Michael Reiss address one of the most fundamental issues confronting humanity—human flourishing. Drawing on science and religion, they examine it from the perspective of the material, relational and spiritual. What emerges are profound insights into meaning, purpose, truth, and the reason for being. This book should be read by anyone interested in what it is to be human. * Colin Mayer, Peter Moores Professor of Management Studies, University of Oxford *What enables the good life? Material goods? Supportive relationships? Transcendent purpose? In this state-of-the-art synopsis, scientist Andrew Briggs and bioethicist Michael Reiss weave these and other threads into the fabric of human thriving. With a breath-taking sweep of scholarship that draws insights from multiple disciplines, they illuminate a path toward meaningful well-being and sustainable joy. * David Myers, Professor of Psychology, Hope College, author of The Pursuit of Happiness *A sophisticated and much-needed and insightful integration of science and humanity. As an economist I am embarrassed by my profession's stunted characterisation of humanity as 'Homo economicus', which shrivels us to hedonistic consumers. In reality, as Professors Briggs and Reiss demonstrate, we thrive from morally-guided agency that transcends ourselves and our time on Earth. In this time of uncertainty and pessimism, it is a hopeful guide to meaningful lives. * Sir Paul Collier, Blavatnik School of Government, author of The Future of Capitalism *In a world where human flourishing seems somewhat more elusive and abstract than ever, Professors Briggs and Reiss capture the many dimensions of human flourishing in the 21st century. In doing so, they give us reason to hope and to work toward a world where all people flourish. This is a delightful and uplifting treatise on what it means to be human. * Heather Templeton Dill, President, John Templeton Foundation *In Human Flourishing: Scientific insight and spiritual wisdom in uncertain times, acclaimed scholars Andrew Briggs and Michael Reiss provide insight for navigating a world of uncertainty and complexity to find more meaning, purpose, and happiness all around us. Using a combination of science and ancient wisdom, they demonstrate why love is essential for human flourishing. * Arthur C. Brooks, Professor, Harvard Kennedy School and Harvard Business School, and The New York Times bestselling author *For those of my generation, who grew up with post-war austerity, the twenty-first century promised an era of unparalleled human flourishing. But it was a mirage. Material wealth has led to problems of disparity, over-consumption and climate catastrophe. Social media has produced alienation and a retreat from shared values. Democracy and common decency look increasingly fragile. We have entered a strange new era in which extraordinary promise is coupled with a burgeoning sense of insecurity and uncertainty. Science, the powerful facilitator of progress, also threatens our undoing. In this lucid and comprehensive analysis, Andrew Briggs and Michael Reiss carefully examine the rich tapestry of religious, cultural and scientific factors that define our current predicament, and offer a message of hope, a way ahead founded on that familiar, yet too-often elusive, human quality - love. * Paul Davies, Director of the Beyond Center for Fundamental Concepts in Science, Arizona State University *This book by Briggs and Reiss covers questions that are of critical importance to everyone everywhere: How do we understand human life? What is human flourishing? How do we flourish? The book's rich insights and comprehensive scope will be of benefit to all readers. It provides a roadmap to flourishing in this life, and beyond. * Tyler J. VanderWeele, Loeb Professor of Epidemiology and Director of the Human Flourishing Program, Harvard University *In the midst of a great pandemic, unprecedented poverty, and natural disasters alongside never-before-seen development of new technologies and great wealth, nothing could be more important than wrestling with what it really means for humans to flourish. Here, Briggs and Reiss provide a comprehensive, synthetic and highly readable book that addresses this topic head on. It is the kind of book that should be read and re-read. * Elaine Howard Ecklund, Herbert S. Autrey Chair in Social Sciences, Rice University *As I read this book, Modest Mussorgsky's wonderful Pictures at an Exhibition started playing in my mind. The same sense of multiple perspective, overt spaciousness with periodic attention to intense detail, yet a persistent crescendo in continuity of purpose emerges in this elegant and comprehensive tour of a rich and pan-disciplinary subject. Briggs and Reiss have given a compelling introduction to human flourishing, and show us why, though discussed since the ancient world, it has become ever more pressing in our own times. * Tom McLeish, Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of York *... especially comprehensive in its coverage. Individually, we can all contribute to the good common life, and this book provides a deeply reflective consideration of what this means in increasingly uncertain times. * David Lorimer, Paradigm Explorer, 2022/2 *Individually, we can all contribute to the good common life, and this book provides a deeply reflective consideration of what this means in increasingly uncertain times. * David Lorimer, The Summer *Table of Contents1. Dimensions and Pillars of Human Flourishing Part I. Dimensions of Human Flourishing 2. The Material Dimension 3. The Relational Dimension 4. The Transcendent Dimension Part II. Pillars of Human Flourishing 5. Truth 6. Purpose 7. Meaning Part III. Changing Contexts of Human Flourishing 8. Limits to Predictability 9. Religion and Human Flourishing 10. Human Flourishing in an Age of Technology ConclusionDLActionable love 11. Human Flourishing Fuelled by Love Picture Credits and Sources Index

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Book SynopsisAlister E. McGrath provides a fresh and engaging account of the origins, development, and abiding importance of Christian doctrine. The book explores why Christianity developed doctrines in the first place, and why doctrines continue to be vital to the present and future of Christian communities.Table of ContentsPreface 1: On the Origins of Christian Doctrine 2: Theorizing the Identity of Christ: On Early Christian Doctrinal Development 3: The Functions of Christian Doctrine 4: The Three Worlds of Christian Doctrine: Theoretical, Objective, and Subjective 5: Seeing the Face of God: On the Doctrine of the Incarnation 6: Doctrine: Ontological Disclosure and Coordinating Framework 7: The Doctrine of Salvation: Coherence, Comprehensiveness, and Theological Mapping Conclusion Bibliography

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Book SynopsisOne of the pioneers of the cognitive science of religion, adds insight to the interdisciplinary discussion in this provocatively titled work .... McCauley''s work is erudite, precise, well argued.-Library JournalThe battle between religion and science, competing methods of knowing ourselves and our world, has been raging for many centuries. Now scientists themselves are looking at cognitive foundations of religion--and arriving at some surprising conclusions. Over the course of the past two decades, scholars have employed insights gleaned from cognitive science, evolutionary biology, and related disciplines to illuminate the study of religion. In Why Religion is Natural and Science Is Not, Robert N. McCauley, one of the founding fathers of the cognitive science of religion, argues that our minds are better suited to religious belief than to scientific inquiry. Drawing on the latest research and illustrating his argument with commonsense examples, McCauley argues that religion has existTrade ReviewWhy Religion Is Natural and Science Is Not provides a powerful new paradigm to explore the relationship between science and religion. * Journal of Religion *Table of ContentsChapter One ; Natural Cognition ; Chapter Two ; Maturational Naturalness ; Chapter Three ; Unnatural Science ; Chapter Four ; Natural Religion ; Chapter Five ; Surprising Consequences ; References

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Book SynopsisDuring the sixteenth century, no part of the Christian West saw the development of a more powerful and pervasive astrological culture than the very home of the Reformation movement--the Protestant towns of the Holy Roman Empire. While most modern approaches to the religious and social reforms of that age give scant attention to cosmological preoccupations, this study argues that astrological concepts and imagery played a key role in preparing the ground for the evangelical movement sparked by Martin Luther in the 1520s, as well as in shaping the distinctive characteristics of German evangelical culture over the following century. Spreading above all through cheap printed almanacs and prognostications, popular astrology functioned in paradoxical ways. It contributed to an enlarged and abstracted sense of the divine that led away from clericalism, sacramentalism, and the cult of the saints; at the same time, it sought to ground people more squarely in practical matters of daily life. The art gained unprecedented sanction from Luther''s closest associate, Philipp Melanchthon, whose teachings influenced generations of preachers, physicians, schoolmasters, and literate layfolk. But the apocalyptic astrology that came to prevail among evangelicals involved a perpetuation, even a strengthening, of ties between faith and cosmology, which played out in beliefs about nature and natural signs that would later appear as rank superstitions. Not until the early seventeenth century did Luther''s heirs experience a crisis of piety that forced preachers and stargazers to part ways. Astrology and Reformation illuminates an early modern outlook that was both practical and prophetic; a world that was neither traditionally enchanted nor rationally disenchanted, but quite different from the medieval world of perception it had displaced.Trade ReviewFor most sixteenth-century Lutherans, the stars were a God-given text that complemented the Bible, a text that mirrored both the divine order of the world and its imminent disintegration. Robin Barnes has argued convincingly that we cannot properly understand the historical realities of the Reformation unless we open our eyes to this aspect of their faith. * William R. Shea, Fides et Historia *Astrology and Reformation will be an enjoyable and instructive resource for every scholar of the long 16th century. * Eugene D. Hill, Religion *Table of ContentsContents ; Acknowledgments ; A Note on Sources ; Introduction ; 1. From Athens to Augsburg ; 2. Mathematics and the Sacred ; 3. The Flood ; 4. The Campaign against Superstition ; 5. Confessional Constellations ; 6. Fate and Faith ; 7. Centrifugal Forces ; Postscript ; Literature ; Index

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Book SynopsisViolence has always played a part in the religious imagination, from symbols and myths to legendary battles, from colossal wars to the theater of terrorism. The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence surveys intersections between religion and violence throughout history and around the world. The forty original essays in this volume include overviews of major religious traditions, showing how violence is justified within the literary and theological foundations of the tradition, how it is used symbolically and in ritual practice, and how social acts of violence and warfare have been justified by religious ideas. The essays also examine patterns and themes relating to religious violence, such as sacrifice and martyrdom, which are explored in cross-disciplinary or regional analyses; and offer major analytic approaches, from literary to social scientific studies. The contributors to this volume---innovative thinkers who are forging new directions in theory and analysis related to religioTrade ReviewThe authors of the volume's forty essays, who represent many disciplines including religion, anthropology, sociology, and political science, among others, offer a variety of ways of construing and explaining that relationship in both tradition-specific and cross-cultural contexts. The volume is thus a good resource for teaching as well as for brief introductions to the history of religion and violence in multiple traditions and to theories of religion and violence from multiple disciplines. * Rosemary Kellison, Religious Studies Review *With The Oxford Handbook of Religion and Violence, editors Mark Juergensmeyer, Margo Kitts, and Michael Jerryson have released a timely collection that provides a welcome guide to the emerging field of studies in violence and religion. * Phil Rose, Journal of Contemporary Religion *Table of ContentsContributors ; Introduction: "The Enduring Relationship of Religion and Violence" - Mark Juergensmeyer, Margo Kitts, and Michael Jerryson ; Part I: Overview of Religious Traditions ; 1. Hindu: "Violence and Nonviolence at the Heart of Hindu Ethics" - Veena Das ; 2. Buddhist: "Buddhist Traditions and Violence" - Michael Jerryson ; 3. Sikh: "Sikh Traditions and Violence" - Cynthia Keppley Mahmood ; 4. Jewish: "Religion and Violence in the Jewish Traditions" - Ron Hassner and Gideon Aran ; 5. Christian:"Religion and Violence in Christian Traditions" - Lloyd Steffen ; 6. Islamic: "Muslim Engagement with Injustice and Violence"- Bruce Lawrence ; 7. African: "African Traditional Religion and Violence" - Nathalie Wlodarczyk ; 8. Pacific Island: "Religion and Violence in Pacific Island Societies" - Andrew Strathern and Pamela J. Stewart ; 9. Chinese: "Violence in Chinese Religious Traditions" - Meir Shahar ; Part II: Patterns and Themes ; 10. Evil: "The Religious Problem of Evil" - James Aho ; 11. Sacrifice: "Sacrifice/Human Sacrifice in Religious Traditions" - David Carrasco ; 12. Martyrdom: "Martyrdom in Islam" - David Cook ; 13. Self Mutilation: "Starvation and Self Mutilation in Religious Traditions" - Liz Wilson ; 14. Apocalypse: "Apocalyptic Religion and Violence" - Jamel Velji ; 15. Sacred War: "Cosmic War in Religious Traditions" - Reza Aslan ; 16. Genocide: "Genocide and the Religious Imaginary in Rwanda" - Christopher Taylor ; 17. Terrorism: "Terrorism as Performance Violence" - Mark Juergensmeyer ; 18. Torture: "Christianity and Torture" - Karen King ; 19. Just War: "Just War and Legal Restraints" - John Kelsay ; 20. Abortion: "Religiously Motivated Violence in the Abortion Debate" - Julie Ingersoll ; 21. Contested Sites: "Conflicts over Sacred Ground" - Ron E. Hassner ; 22. Political Violence: "Religion and Political Violence" - Monica Toft ; 23. Death Rituals: "Rituals of Death and Remembrance" - Susumu Shimazono and Margo Kitts ; 24. Violent Death: "Violent Death in Religious Imagination" - Margo Kitts ; Part III: Analytic Approaches ; 25. Sociology: "Religion and Violence from a Sociological Perspective" - John R. Hall ; 26. Anthropology: "Religion and Violence from an Anthropological Perspective" - Pamela J. Stewart and Andrew Strathern ; 27. Psychology: "Religion and Violence from a Psychological Perspective" - James W. Jones ; 28. Political Science: "Religion and Violence from a Political Science Perspective"- Daniel Philpott ; 29. Literary Theory: "Religion and Violence from Literary Perspectives" - Margo Kitts ; 30. Theology: "Religion and Violence from Christian Perspectives" - Charles Kimball ; Part IV: New Directions ; 31 Sacrifice: "Sacrificial Violence: A Problem in Ancient Religions" - Walter Burkert ; 32. Cities: "Cities as One Site for Religion and Violence" - Saskia Sassen ; 33. Armageddon: "Armageddonin Christian, Sunni and Shi'a Traditions" - Michael Sells ; 34. Phenomenal Violence: "Phenomenal Violence and the Philosophy of Religion" - Hent de Vries ; 35. Constructions of Evil : "The Construction of Evil and the Violence of Purification" - David Frankfurter ; 36. Mimetic Theory: "Mimetic Theories of Religion and Violence" - Wolfgang Palaver ; 37. Scarcity: "Religion and Scarcity: A New Theory for the Role of Religion in Violence" - Hector Avalos ; 38. Evolutionary Theory: "Ritual, Religion, and Violence: An Evolutionary Perspective" - Candance S. Alcorta and Richard Sosis ; 39. Rites of Terror: "Divergent Modes of Religiosity and Armed Struggle" - Harvey Whitehouse, with Brian McQuinn ; 40. Sociotheology: "A Sociotheological Approach to Understanding Religious Violence" - Mark Juergensmeyer and Mona Sheik ; Index

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Book SynopsisWilliam Bainbridge contends that the worlds of massively multiplayer online roleplaying games provide a new perspective on the human quest, one that combines the arts and simulates most aspects of real life. The quests in gameworlds also provide meaning for human action, in terms of narratives about achieving goals by overcoming obstacles.Trade RevieweGods may serve as a helpful reference for those researching online gaming, religious symbols, or considering a literary analysis of gaming environments. * Daniel B. Shank, Sociology of Religion *Table of ContentsChapter 1: Disbelief ; Chapter 2: The Culture Game ; Chapter 3: Deities ; Chapter 4: Souls ; Chapter 5: Priests ; Chapter 6: Shrines ; Chapter 7: Magic ; Chapter 8: Morality ; Chapter 9: Cults ; Chapter 10: Death ; Chapter 11: Quests ; Appendix: The Gameworlds

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Book SynopsisApocalyptic AI, the hope that we might one day upload our minds into machines or cyberspace and live forever, is a surprisingly wide-spread and influential idea, affecting everything from the world view of online gamers to government research funding and philosophical thought. In Apocalyptic AI, Robert Geraci offers the first serious account of this cyber-theology and the people who promote it.Drawing on interviews with roboticists and AI researchers and with devotees of the online game Second Life, among others, Geraci illuminates the ideas of such advocates of Apocalyptic AI as Hans Moravec and Ray Kurzweil. He reveals that the rhetoric of Apocalyptic AI is strikingly similar to that of the apocalyptic traditions of Judaism and Christianity. In both systems, the believer is trapped in a dualistic universe and expects a resolution in which he or she will be translated to a transcendent new world and live forever in a glorified new body. Equally important, Geraci shows how this worldviTrade ReviewScholars interested in the intersection of popular science and religion will likely find Geraci's work helpful. Portions of the book, especially the chapter on virtual reality and video games, would also be appropriate for the undergraduate classroom. * Journal of Religion and Popular Culture *Robert Geraci's thoughtful examination of technology-based quests for transcendence offers a serious look at apocalyptic scenarios that, while remaining for now in the realm of science fiction, nonetheless claim significant cultural influence. I don't know when we will see robots with human-like intelligence, but our longing for them, and what that says about us, is what Geraci's book helps us understand. * David S. Touretzky, Research Professor of Computer Science, Carnegie Mellon University *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter 1. Apocalyptic AI ; Chapter 2. Laboratory Apocalypse ; Chapter 3. Transcending Reality ; Chapter 4. "Immaterial" Impact of the Apocalypse ; Chapter 5. The Integration of Religion, Science, and Technology ; Appendix One ; Appendix Two ; Notes ; References ; Index

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