Religion: general Books

Book Synopsis"Grace is the breath of God—an invisible essence beyond intellect that moves swiftly amongst us," teaches Caroline Myss. Is it possible to become a living conduit of this powerful force? "Not only is it possible," suggests this bestselling author, "but grace is immediately accessible to you and everyone around you—through humility, devotion, and the courage to follow divine guidance." With Channeling Grace you are invited to ascend to what Myss calls the "altitude of the mystics" and invoke this expansive energy in your life. In session one, Myss explains how to recognize grace in your life by describing some of the countless ways we experience it—both internally as a sudden insightful voice, and externally as synchronicity in the world. In session two, she offers a full set of specific invocations to contact grace directly, navigate your path in times of chaos, gain clarity and direction in your life, and heal yourself or others. "Grace is as real and tangible as sparkling sand on the beach," teaches Myss. "It's ready to dramatically transform your life at any time—if you are willing to acknowledge and embrace it." On Channeling Grace, this renowned teacher offers her expert guidance to help you maintain a steadfast connection to the illuminating divine phenomenon she calls grace.

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Book SynopsisNonie Darwish lived for thirty years in a majority Muslim nation. Everything about her life?family, sexuality, hygiene, business, banking, contracts, economics, politics, social issues, everything?was dictated by the Islamic law code known as Sharia.But Sharia isn't staying in majority Muslim nations. Darwish now lives in the West and brings a warning; the goal of radical Islam is to bring Sharia law to your country. If that happens, the fabric of Western law and liberty will be ripped in two. Under Sharia law: A woman can be beaten for talking to men who are not her relatives and flogged for not wearing a headdress Daughters, sisters, and wives can be legally killed by the men in their family Non-Muslims can be beheaded, and their Muslim killers will not receive the death penalty Certain kinds of child molestation are allowed The husband of a "rebellious" wife can deny her medical care or place her under house arrest Think it can't happen? In 2008, England?once the seat of Western liberty and now the home of many Muslim immigrants?declared that Sharia courts in Britain have the force of law.When Muslim populations reach as little as 1 or 2 percent, says Darwish, they begin making demands of the larger community, such as foot-level faucets for washing before praying in public schools, businesses, and airports. "Airports in Kansas City, Phoenix, and Indianapolis are among those who have already installed foot baths for Muslim cab drivers," writes Darwish. These demands test how far Westerners will go in accommodating the Muslim minority. How far will they push? The Organization of the Islamic Conference works to Islamize international human rights laws and apply Sharia "standards" for blasphemy to all nations. The penalty for blasphemy? Death.Weaving personal experience together with extensive documentation and research, Darwish exposes the facts and reveals the global threat posed by Sharia law. Anyone concerned about Western rights and liberties ignores her warning and analysis at their peril.

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

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Book SynopsisIn Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire, Ann Ward treats the classical writer not as a historian but as a political philosopher. Ward uses close textual analysis to demonstrate that Herodotus investigates recurring themes in the most important forms of government in the ancient world. This analysis of The Histories concludes with reflections on the problems of empire, not only for the Persians and the striving Athenians, but for our own government as well. To this end, Ward contrasts Herodotus on empire with the assumptions underlying speeches and writings of Paul Wolfowitz, Colin L. Powell, Joseph S. Nye, Jr. and Robert W. Merry.Trade ReviewThis rich and comprehensive analysis beautifully captures the political urgency of Herodotus' insights -Norma Thompson, Director of Undergraduate Studies and Senior Lecturer in the Humanities, Yale UniversityAnn Ward's Herodotus and the Philosophy of Empire stands out as perhaps the most ambitious of recent works on Herodotus. -- Elliot Bartky -- The Review of PoliticsTable of Contents Acknowledgments 1. Introduction 2. Egypt and Scythia: The Pious and the Poetic Regimes 3. Persia and Regimes in Theory 4. Athens and Regimes in History Conclusion: Herodotus and the Role of the Historian Epilogue: 9/11 and the Politics of Empire Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEverything evolves, science tells us, including the public language used by scientists to sustain and perpetuate their work. Harkening back to the Protestant Reformation--a time when the promise of scientific inquiry was intimately connected with a deep faith in divine Providence--Thomas Lessl traces the evolving role and public identity of science in the West.As the Reformation gave way to the Enlightenment, notions of Providence evolved into progress. History's divine plan could now be found in nature, and scientists became history's new prophets. With Darwin and the emergence of evolutionary science, progress and evolution collapsed together into what Lessl calls ""evolutionism,"" and the grand scientific identity was used to advance science's power into the world.In this masterful treatment, Lessl analyzes the descent of these patterns of scientific advocacy from the world of Francis Bacon into the world of Thomas Huxley and his successors. In the end, Rhetorical Darwinism proposes that Darwin's power to fuel the establishment of science within the Western social milieu often turns from its scientific course.Rhetorical Darwinism: Religion, Evolution, and the Scientific Identity received the Religious Communication Associatons ""Book of the Year"" award in 2012.Trade Review"With his insights into rhetoric, culture, and the English Reformation, Thomas Lessl makes a plausible case that the reformist science rhetoric of Francis Bacon and Thomas Henry Huxley gave us much more than research institutions--it also paved the way for a public ethos of evolutionism, a vision of 'progress' that keeps science well-funded and prestigious. We may never see Bacon and Huxley--or the creation-evolution debate--the same again." --Larry Witham, author of Where Darwin Meets the Bible: Creationists and Evolutionists in America"I love it! Rhetorical Darwinism is a great read and is a truly important contribution, not just to understanding the impact of Charles Darwin and his theory of evolution, but also to situating the public place of science. I recommend this book highly." --Michael Ruse, Director of the Program in History and Philosophy of Science, Florida State UniversityScience is no mere private pursuit. Rather, the most influential scientific ideas can transform a culture gradually, by first aligning themselves with older cultural ideas and icons, overthrowing the old order in the process. Those who wish to understand how 'evolutionism' insinuated itself into modern culture do no better than to read Lessl's work." --Michael J. Behe, Professor of Biological Science, Lehigh University"Lessl challenges readers to link thinkers and texts in a connected series across centuries and to see how current secular values grew incrementally from religious beliefs." --Jeanne Fahnestock, author of Rhetorical Style: The Uses of Language in PersuasionFrom the beginnings of the scientific revolution, demarcating the boundaries of science has been a problem for the scientific community. Thomas Lessl, comparing 'evolution' with what he calls 'rhetorical Darwinism,' argues persuasively that the scientific establishment has never guarded those borders carefully. -- Christianity TodayThis is a superb piece of scholarship that ranges widely across disciplinary boundaries, shedding light on the underlying humanity of scientific inquiry and, ultimately, on its politics and sociology as well. Lessl asks novel questions about axiology and ontology and, in so doing, he becomes Charles Darwin's amaneusis for a new age. -- Roderick P. Hart, Dean, Shivers/Cronkite Chair in Communication, University of TexasTable of Contents 1. The Social Meaning of Evolutionary Rhetoric 2. Francis Bacon and the Scientific Identity 3. Science in God's Bosom 4. From Two Books to One 5. The New Christianity 6. Positivism in the World of Thomas Huxley 7. Scientism Scientized 8. The Continuing Education of Evolutionism and Science's Battle for the Public Mind

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Book SynopsisIn this timely multidimensional study, historian Jouni Suistola and psychoanalyst Vamık D. Volkan draw on their respective disciplines and their own personal and professional experiences to investigate the historical and psychological roots of terrorism. Specifically, what is it in human nature that allows people to terrorize and kill the other, and what societal factors—whether political, economic, or religious—lead to terrorism? And, in turn, how might terrorist ideologies and groups be defeated, especially when a society’s realistic fears are contaminated with xenophobia, racism, and fantasized dangers? Focusing specifically on modern-day radical Islamist terrorism, the authors argue that studying the minds of individual terrorists can tell us something about those individuals, but that only by examining the deeper historical, political, and society-wide psychological processes at work will we be able to uncover the core causes of terrorism. Only through such understanding, they conclude, will the world be positioned to prevent further radicalization and create lasting and peaceful solutions to the seemingly intractable problem of terrorist violence.Trade Review"A very unique and powerful addition to our understanding of what motivates the use of terrorism as a political tool. The question 'Who are we now?' animates this timely book, exploring the forces that are changing individual and group identity and leading to a rise in religiously motivated terrorism. I especially appreciated the psychocultural dimensions of this work, and the context it provided for creating more systemic approaches to preventing terrorism." Eileen F. Babbitt, PhD, Director, Insitute for Human Security, The Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy, Tufts University"Suistola and Volkan's tour de force brings a depth, density, and clarity of data to their timely yet timeless topic. Their work is enlivened by the authors' sharing of their poignant personal experiences that give striking context to their profound insights about terror's interconnected etiologic variables and mysteries. They successfully organize their book around three vitally important perspectives: the historical, psychoanalytic and systemic. It is no mean accomplishment to keep such focus when religion, politics, and economics pose highly charged challenges for truth-seeking. The authors provide valuable conceptual tools to understand and potentially prevent terror knives' painful cuts, but remain brutally honest about how much work remains to be done." Peter A. Olsson, MD, retired professor, Psychiatry, Baylor College of Medicine; Fellow, American Academy of Psychoanalysis" Religious Knives makes a valuable contribution to the study of terrorism. Written with solid expertise and careful deliberation, it tackles terrorism from several perspectives and presents an in-depth analysis of the root causes of terrorism." Timo Soikkanen, Professor Emeritus, Contemporary History, Turku University, Finland

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Book SynopsisGlobal Phenomenologies of Religion offers a new way of looking at the past, current and future trajectory of the study of religion. The phenomenology of religion was once widely acknowledged to be the core of the study of religion as an autonomous discipline. First used as a term by the Dutch scholar Chantepie de la Saussaye in 1887, it was developed by Gerardus van der Leeuw in the 1930s and 40s, became popular in the 1960s and 70s and then met severe criticism, virtually disappearing by the beginning of the twenty-first century. This book adds to our global understanding of the history of the study of religion. Interviews with scholars from ten different countries offer a lived history, covering more than half a century. The resulting picture is diverse and nuanced, revealing important national and regional differences, and challenging long-held views about the rise and decline of this venerable approach to the study of religion.Table of ContentsIntroduction Satoko Fujiwara, David Thurfjell and Steven Engler 1. Semantic Confusions and the Mysteries of Life —Sweden Interviewee: Ulf Drobin, Stockholm University Interviewer: David Thurfjell 2. Universal Parallels, Meaningful Lives and Predisposed Minds - Finland Interviewees & Interviewers: Veikko Anttonen, University of Turku (retired), and Teuvo Laitila, University of Eastern Finland 3. Phenomenology of Religion Meets Theory of Science: A Lethal Encounter —Germany Interviewees: Peter Antes, Leibniz University of Hannover (retired), and Hubert Seiwert University of Leipzig Interviewer: Katja Triplett, University of Leipzig 4. NEC CUM TE NEC SINE TE: The Phenomenologies of Religion— Italy Interviewee: Giovanni Casadio, University of Salerno Interviewer: Alessandro Testa, Charles University, Prague 5. “What’s Wrong with Philosophy?”— Japan Interviewees: Toshimaro Hanazono, University of Tohoku (retired), and Yoshiko Oda Interviewer: Satoko Fujiwara 6. The Grammar to Read ‘Religion in Culture’: From ‘Phenomenology of Religion’ to ‘Studies of the Religious Phenomenon – South Korea Interviewee: Chin-Hong Chung, Seoul National University Interviewer: Sukman Jang, Seoul National University 7. Philosophical, Existential and Therapeutic Phenomenologies of Religion – Canada Interviewee: Earle H. Waugh, University of Alberta Interviewer: Steven Engler 8. “Why … So Complicated?”; “a Term with No Subscribers”—The United States Interviewees: Charles Long, University of California, Sana Barbara (retired), and Ivan Strenski, University of California, Riverside (retired) Interviewer: Eric Ziolkowski, Lafayette College 9. A Proposal for an Epistemologically Humble Phenomenology – The United Kingdom Interviewee: Denise Cush, Bath Spa University Interviewer: Suzanne Owen, Leeds Trinity University 10. “There Was No Dutch School of Phenomenology of Religion”: Academic Implacability and Historical Accidents – The Netherlands Interviewee: Jan G. Platvoet, Leiden University (retired) Interviewer: Markus Altena Davidsen, Leiden University Afterword Satoko Fujiwara, David Thurfjell and Steven Engler

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Book Synopsis Jesus divides history, your birthday is determined by his! But why should that be? This is a man who evokes the widest polarisation of opinion of any historical figure: devotion from some, vitriolic abuse by others and astonishing indifference from many. Today most people just don't know who he really was, or is, or don't care. People still put forward all kinds of ideas about who he was. Books like 'The Da Vinci Code' propose that he was only a man (in which case why are his descendants so important?). Many religions have other ideas - everyone has an opinion whether based on fact or fiction. Those for and against have often resorted to name- calling, but in the Bible Jesus was both called by, and gave himself, unusual names. Noted theologian, R. C. Sproul, seeks to enlighten us by investigating what those names actually mean. From there he determines what Jesus set out to do. Jesus is no mere historical figure, he is as important in the 21st century as he was when he walked the earth.

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Book SynopsisWilliam Chalmers Burns was surrounded by revival. Not only was he used by God in Scotland, Continental Europe and North America, but he was also a pioneer missionary in China (Where he persuaded a young man called Hudson Taylor to dress in Chinese clothes). In his journals are recorded a first hand account of revival and the life of a spiritual man with an adventurous spirit - a man whose favourite books as a boy were ?The Pilgrim's Progress' and ?The Life of Sir William Wallace' (Braveheart). Trade ReviewThis movingly-written and beautifully-bound biography, journal extracts, letters and sermon notes of one confessedly 'saved by sovereign and infinitely gracious God' indicates time and again what God is pleased to do through a man wholly devoted to His service. -- Peace and Truth"Burns was used mightily of God in his native Scotland but turned his back on the acclaim gained from revival to respond to the passion of his life, sharing the gospel in China. Burns sacrificed material comforts, suffered illness and harassment, and labored unto death in order bring the good news of Jesus Christ to the interior of China. This unique biography by Dr. Michael McMullen, including Burns' letters, sermons and journal entries, will be an inspiration and blessing to all who read it and a model for those in the twenty-first century." -- Jerry Rankin, President, International Mission Board, Southern Baptist Convention (President Emeritus of the Southern Baptist International Mission Board (IMB))Appearing in three equal-length sections - biography, journal extracts and letters - this book provides a unique insight into an extraordinary mans' life. An absorbing and deeply inspiring study. -- Tom Lennie (Well respected author on Scottish revival)Burns' life and work deserve to be as well known and studied as those of McCheyne and Andrew Bonar. This book is highly recommended as the best means we have to this end. -- The Banner of Truth Magazine"Burns was only twenty-four when he preached in Dundee for the saintly Robert Murray McCheyne and we know him best for that great flood of revival. However, Dr. Michael McMullen warmly presents the whole of this godly man's revival preaching and missionary zeal, with portions of his compelling journal, and letters and sermons never before published. God's Polished Arrow is about the sacrifices and massive affect of an eminently holy man." -- Jim Elliff, Midwestern Center for Biblical Revival, Kansas City, Missouri"Sometimes while reading stirring biography I wonder why I read anything else. The life of W.C. Burns falls into this category. Like David Livingstone, John Paton, and Burn's colleague in China--Hudson Taylor, he was a flint-faced pioneer. Few men have seen more of the Lord's evident blessing on their preaching than Burns. Fewer still have seen such dramatic results both in their own homeland and among previously unreached peoples. I am delighted to see Michael McMullen providing the church with a fresh reminder of what God has done--and can do--through men like W.C. Burns." -- Dr. Don Whitney, Associate Professor of Biblical Spirituality, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky (Professor of Biblical Spirituality, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky)

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Book SynopsisOne of “the most comprehensive, erudite, and timely” explorations of power dynamics and authoritarianism in religions, institutions, relationships and even personal struggles (San Francisco Chronicle Book Review)Authoritarian control, which once held societies together, is now at the core of personal, social, and planetary problems, and thus a key factor in social disintegration. Authoritarianism is embedded in the way people think—hiding in culture, values, daily life, and in the very morality people try to live by.In The Guru Papers, authors Joel Kramer and Diana Alstad unmask authoritarianism in areas such as relationships, cults, 12-step groups, religion, and contemporary morality. Chapters on addiction and love show the insidious nature of authoritarian values and ideologies in the most intimate corners of life, offering new frameworks for understanding why people get addicted and why intimacy is laden with conflict. By exposing the inner authoritarian that people use to control themselves and others, the authors show why people give up their power, and how others get and maintain it.

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Book SynopsisBeing Faithful in Diversity considers the facts and natures of religious diversity and examines responses to them. It then explores the more difficult issue about how it is we are to be true to our religious positions and live within the context of religious diversity. The challenges we face include the fact of religious diversity in itself, the decline of old supports for faith, the disappearance of former taken for granted starting places, such as the monarchy, the British empire and Christendom; and finally the rise of and presence of newer forms of inter-religious competition and conflict. Newspapers are full of images of religious conflict overseas and reports of religious competition and conflict at home. Is it possible to negotiate the competing demands and claims between religious groups and the competition and conflict between them and secularist groups?

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Book SynopsisA leading biblical scholar, Hans Heinrich Schmid, believes that righteousness, or the right order of the world, is ''the fundamental problem of our human existence''. It is a key theme in the Hebrew Bible / Old Testament''s theology of creation and salvation, along with associated themes such as justice, steadfast love / loyalty, truth / fidelity, compassion / mercy, sin and disorder / chaos. A number of studies of righteousness have been undertaken but most have tended to focus on Israel''s call to be righteous, as voiced in particular in the Prophetic Books and the Psalter. In contrast, this book focuses on divine righteousness as the basis for all other notions of righteousness, as this is outlined in the foundational teaching or revelation of the Hebrew Bible/Old Testament -- namely, the Torah or Pentateuch. It then undertakes a study of how righteousness in the Prophetic Books, the Psalter and the Book of Job relates to this foundational teaching.

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Book SynopsisThe Hiram Key is a book that will shake the Christian world to its very roots. When Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas, both Masons, set out to find the origins of Freemasonry they had no idea that they would find themselves unraveling the true story of Jesus and the original Jerusalem Church. As a radically new picture of Jesus started to emerge, the authors came to the startling conclusion that the key rituals of modern Freemasonry were practiced by the early followers of Jesus as a means of initiation into their community.

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