Religion

Perhaps more relevant than ever before, Rob Bell’s Velvet Elvis is his original and bestselling classic. In Velvet Elvis, Bell invites readers to wrestle with their faith, and offers a radical new perspective on Jesus, the church, and Christianity today. We know there's something more. We sense it, we feel it, and we want it. But how do we find it – a spirituality that stands up to the questions of an honest, searching mind? 'This book is for those who need a fresh take on Jesus and what it means for us to live the kind of life he teaches us to live,' writes Rob Bell. This new edition of Velvet Elvis, along with the relaunch of Rob Bell’s three other classic works, offers what Rob does best: original and refreshingly personal perspectives on what Christianity is really about. 'We have to test everything,' writes Bell. 'Do that to this book. Don't swallow it uncritically. Think about it. Wrestle with it. Just because I'm a Christian and I'm trying to articulate a Christian worldview doesn't mean I've got it nailed. I'm contributing to the discussion. God has spoken, and the rest is commentary, right?'

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The ESV Journaling Bible provides the perfect way for you to keep a journal of your spiritual life right in the 2-inch margins of the Bible that you read and study every day.

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The ESV Greek-English Interlinear New Testament features the Greek text laid out word-by-word above an English gloss, making it a helpful resource for all who study the Bible in the original Greek.

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How should today's Church shape its response to the Gospel? How can we set about 'making disciples of all nations' in our post-Christian, multi-faith world? What does 'mission' mean in our times? Here, at last, is a book which addresses these issues - and many more - with honesty and openness. It strips 'mission' of its old associations with colonialism and militarism. It looks anew at the underlying theology, reminding us that our task is God's mission, not a human construct. It explores key aspects of contemporary mission, from the familiar - such as the relation of mission to evangelism, and to people of others faiths - to the unusual and thought-provoking - such as mission and the environment, justice for the poor, and the overcoming of violence. J. Andrew Kirk, who has written and lectured widely on the subject of mission, also reflects on the importance of partnership and community - of mission as a shared enterprise. He brings the fruits of his own broad experience, along with current academic thinking in missiology, and presents this afresh for a wide readership. Brief exercises at the end of each chapter draw the reader personally into the issues covered. Students of mission and Christians who wish to engage with today's world, to integrate faith and life, will find here an inclusive, comprehensive and lucid presentation of all relevant discussions.

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Reveals a long-lost secret of the Church: the early Christians' key to understanding the mysteries of the Mass was the New Testament's Book of Revelation.

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Zen and Japanese Culture is a classic that has influenced generations of readers and played a major role in shaping conceptions of Zen’s influence on Japanese traditional arts. In simple and poetic language, Daisetz Suzuki describes Zen and its historical evolution. He connects Zen to the philosophy of the samurai, and subtly portrays the relationship between Zen and swordsmanship, haiku, tea ceremonies, and the Japanese love of nature. Suzuki uses anecdotes, poetry, and illustrations of silk screens, calligraphy, and architecture. The book features an introduction by Richard Jaffe that acquaints readers with Suzuki’s life and career and analyzes the book’s reception in light of contemporary criticism, especially by scholars of Japanese Buddhism. Zen and Japanese Culture is a valuable source for those wishing to understand Zen in the context of Japanese life and art, and remains one of the leading works on the subject.

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Vamsa is a dynamic genre of Buddhist history filled with otherworldly characters and the exploits of real-life heroes. These narratives collapse the temporal distance between Buddha and the reader, building an emotionally resonant connection with an outsized religious figure and a longed-for past. The fifth-century Pali text Mahavamsa is a particularly effective example, using metaphor and other rhetorical devices to ethically transform readers, to stimulate and then to calm them. Reading the Mahavamsa advocates a new, literary approach to this text by revealing its embedded reading advice (to experience samvega and pasada) and affective work of metaphors (the Buddha's dharma as light) and salient characters (nagas). Kristin Scheible argues that the Mahavamsa requires a particular kind of reading. In the text's proem, special instructions draw readers to the metaphor of light and the nagas, or salient snake-beings, of the first chapter. Nagas are both model worshippers and unworthy hoarders of Buddha's relics. As nonhuman agents, they challenge political and historicist readings of the text. Scheible sees these slippery characters and the narrative's potent and playful metaphors as techniques for refocusing the reader's attention on the text's emotional aims. Her work explains the Mahavamsa's central motivational role in contemporary Sri Lankan Buddhist and nationalist circles. It also speaks broadly to strategies of reading religious texts and to the internal and external cues that give such works lives beyond the page.

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The church needs to do a better job of speaking theologically to single Christians. Challenging prevailing evangelical assumptions about "the problem" of singleness, this book explains why the church needs single people and offers a contemporary theology of singleness relevant to all members of the church. Drawing on the examples of three important figures from the history of Christianity, the book helps today's church form a vision of life in the kingdom of God that is as theologically significant for single people as it is for those who are married.

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It has long been assumed that the more modern we become, the less religious we will be. Yet a recent resurrection in faith has challenged the certainty of this belief. In these original essays and interviews, leading hermeneutical philosophers and postmodern theorists John D. Caputo and Gianni Vattimo engage with each other's past and present work on the subject and reflect on our transition from secularism to postsecularism. As two of the figures who have contributed the most to the theoretical reflections on the contemporary philosophical turn to religion, Caputo and Vattimo explore the changes, distortions, and reforms that are a part of our postmodern faith and the forces shaping the religious imagination today. Incisively and imaginatively connecting their argument to issues ranging from terrorism to fanaticism and from politics to media and culture, these thinkers continue to reinvent the field of hermeneutic philosophy with wit, grace, and passion.

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Juxtaposing Muslim scholars' debates over women's attendance in mosques with historical descriptions of women's activities within Middle Eastern and North African mosques, Marion Holmes Katz shows how over the centuries legal scholars' arguments have often reacted to rather than dictated Muslim women's behavior. Tracing Sunni legal positions on women in mosques from the second century of the Islamic calendar to the modern period, Katz connects shifts in scholarly terminology and argumentation to changing constructions of gender. Over time, assumptions about women's changing behavior through the lifecycle gave way to a global preoccupation with sexual temptation, which then became the central rationale for limits on women's mosque access. At the same time, travel narratives, biographical dictionaries, and religious polemics suggest that women's usage of mosque space often diverged in both timing and content from the ritual models constructed by scholars. Katz demonstrates both the concrete social and political implications of Islamic legal discourse and the autonomy of women's mosque-based activities. She also examines women's mosque access as a trope in Western travelers' narratives and the evolving significance of women's mosque attendance among different Islamic currents in the twentieth century.

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In his probing study of the role of death rites in the making of Islamic society, Leor Halevi imaginatively plays prescriptive texts against material culture and advances new ways of interpreting highly contested sources. His original research reveals that religious scholars of the early Islamic period produced codes of funerary law not only to define the handling of a Muslim corpse but also to transform everyday urban practices. Relying on oral traditions, these scholars established new social patterns in the cities of Arabia, Mesopotamia, and the eastern Mediterranean. They distinguished Islamic rites from Christian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian rites and changed the way men and women interacted publicly and privately. In each chapter Halevi explores a different layer of human interaction, following the movement of the corpse from the deathbed to the grave. In the process he analyzes the real and imaginary relationships between husbands and wives, prayer leaders and mourners, and even dreamers and the dead. He describes how Muslims wailed for the deceased, prepared corpses for burial, marched in funerary processions, and prayed for the dead, highlighting the specific economic and political factors involved in these rituals as well as key religious and sexual divisions. Offering a unique perspective on the making of Islamic social and religious ideals during this early period, Halevi forges a fascinating link between the development of funerary rites and the efforts of an emerging religion to carve out its own, distinct identity. Muhammad's Grave is a groundbreaking history of the rise of Islam and the roots of contemporary Muslim attitudes toward the body and society.

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A groundbreaking new portrait of the apostle Paul, from one of today’s leading historians of antiquity Often seen as the author of timeless Christian theology, Paul himself heatedly maintained that he lived and worked in history’s closing hours. His letters propel his readers into two ancient worlds, one Jewish, one pagan. The first was incandescent with apocalyptic hopes, expecting God through his messiah to fulfill his ancient promises of redemption to Israel. The second teemed with ancient actors, not only human but also divine: angry superhuman forces, jealous demons, and hostile cosmic gods. Both worlds are Paul’s, and his convictions about the first shaped his actions in the second. Only by situating Paul within this charged social context of gods and humans, pagans and Jews, cities, synagogues, and competing Christ-following assemblies can we begin to understand his mission and message. This original and provocative book offers a dramatically new perspective on one of history’s seminal figures.

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The great Buddhist priest Kukai (774-835) is credited with the introduction and establishment of tantric -or esoteric -Buddhism in early ninth-century Japan. In Ryuichi Abe examines this important religious figure -neglected in modern academic literature -and his profound influence on Japanese culture. Offering a radically new approach to the study of early religious history -combining historical research, discourse analysis, literary criticism, and semiology -Abe contends that the importance of Kukai's transmission of esoteric Buddhism to Japan lay not in the foundation of a new sect but in his creation of a general theory of language grounded in the ritual speech of mantra. embeds Kukai within the fabric of political and social life in ninth-century Japan and explains how esoteric Buddhism played a crucial role in many societal changes in Japan -from the growth of monasteries into major feudal powers to the formation of the native phonetic alphabet, kana. As Abe illustrates, Kukai's writings and the new type of discourse they spawned also marked Japan's transition from the ancient order to the medieval world, replacing Confucianism as the ideology of the state. Abe begins by placing Kukai's life in the historical context of medieval Japan and the Ritsuryo state, then explores his interaction with the Nara Buddhist intelligentsia, which was seminal to the introduction of esoteric Buddhism. The author discusses Kukai's magnum opus, () and introduces a number of Japanese and Chinese primary-source texts previously unknown by Western-language scholars. Instead of tracing Kukai's thought through literal readings, explores the rhetorical strategies Kukai employed in his works, shedding valuable light on what his texts meant to his readers and what his goals were in creating a discourse that ultimately transformed Japanese culture. The great Buddhist priest Kukai (774-835) is credited with the introduction and establishment of tantric-or esoteric-Buddhism in early ninth-century Japan. In The Weaving of Mantra, Ryuichi Abe examines this important religious figure-neglected in modern academic literature-and his profound influence on Japanese culture. Offering a radically new approach to the study of early religious history-combining historical research, discourse analysis, literary criticism, and semiology-Abe contends that the importance of Kukai's transmission of esoteric Buddhism to Japan lay not in the foundation of a new sect but in his creation of a general theory of language grounded in the ritual speech of mantra. The Weaving of Mantra embeds Kukai within the fabric of political and social life in ninth-century Japan and explains how esoteric Buddhism played a crucial role in many societal changes in Japan-from the growth of monasteries into major feudal powers to the formation of the native phonetic alphabet, kana. As Abe illustrates, Kukai's writings and the new type of discourse they spawned also marked Japan's transition from the ancient order to the medieval world, replacing Confucianism as the ideology of the state. Abe begins by placing Kukai's life in the historical context of medieval Japan and the Ritsuryo state, then explores his interaction with the Nara Buddhist intelligentsia, which was seminal to the introduction of esoteric Buddhism. The author discusses Kukai's magnum opus, Ten Abiding Stages on the Secret Mandalas (Himitsu mandara jujushinron) and introduces a number of Japanese and Chinese primary-source texts previously unknown by Western-language scholars. Instead of tracing Kukai's thought through literal readings, The Weaving of Mantra explores the rhetorical strategies Kukai employed in his works, shedding valuable light on what his texts meant to his readers and what his goals were in creating a discourse that ultimately transformed Japanese culture.

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Connect the Dots to a Deeper Understanding of God’s Word with The Open Bible.The Bible is a collection of 66 books written by many writers over a vast time period, and yet it’s the unified Word of God. The Open Bible offers clean and easy navigation through Scripture’s interconnected themes and teachings, with a time-tested complete reference system trusted by millions. Plus, The Open Bible gives you even more access into the pages of the Word with book introductions and outlines to provide context and themes from beginning to end.Features include: Topical Index to the Bible—This easy-to-navigate feature quickly displays the scriptural connections between more than 8,000 names, places, concepts, events, and doctrines. Concordance—Quickly find the Bible verses you’re looking for with 4,795 word entries with nearly 36,000 Scripture references—plus 339 entries of significant people in the Bible. The Visual Survey of the Bible—The detailed 24-page visual overview of the Bible unfolds the people, events and themes of scripture at a glance. Life application notes crystallize central spiritual truths. Bible Book Introductions—Extensive at-a-glance outlines plus a detailed overview of the overview help broaden your perspective of each book. How to Study the Bible—Expert advice for both personal and family Bible study, plus helpful principles of Bible interpretation. The Christian’s Guide to the New Life—A complete doctrinal overview of Scripture divided into 32 “Christian Guides,” supported by hundreds of scripture references. A Guide to Christian Workers—Powerful motivation and practical guidance for sharing the Gospel—from contact to conversation, conversion, the certainty of salvation, and more. And more: The Scarlet Thread of Redemption, 82 Prayers of the Bible, Read Your Bible Through the Year, Between the Testaments, Teachings and Illustrations of Christ, Prophecies of the Messiah Fulfilled in Christ, The Parables of Jesus Christ, The Miracles of Jesus Christ, The Laws of the Bible, Detailed Maps, and still more. The exclusive Thomas Nelson NKJV Comfort Print® at a readable 9-point print size

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The full text of the trustworthy New King James Version with robust study notes and dozens of study resources in a convenient size to help you grow deeper in your faith.With more than 2 million copies sold, it's no secret that the NKJV Study Bible is a reliable guide for your journey into God's Word. This Bible provides a complete resource for study, including thousands of notes, articles, extensive cross-references, and features contributed by top evangelical scholars. These multilayered study tools, combined with the accuracy and beauty of the New King James Version, make this Bible a perfect choice to help you understand and deeply engage with Scripture.Features include: Over 15,000 verse-by-verse study notes provide helpful comments on passages of Scripture Bible times and culture notes to better understand what life was like when the Bible was written Word studies with Strong's numbers Extensive cross-reference system with translation notes allow you to find related passages quickly and easily Over 100 articles for an in-depth look at key doctrinal themes to expand your theological understanding In-text maps and charts show a visual representation of various locations and teachings found in the Bible Book introductions, outlines, and timelines provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Prayers of the Bible of nearly 100 prayers in the Bible, who prayed them, and what they prayed about. Prophecies of The Messiah Fulfilled in Christ provides 43 Old Testament prophecies and where they have been fulfilled in the New Testament. Miracles of Christ shows where you can find 37 miracles in the Gospels. Concordance with over 1,000 terms provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Full color maps show the layout of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Ribbon markers make it easy to navigate and keep track of where you were reading Durable and flexible Smyth-sewn binding allows the Bible to lay flat wherever you are reading Easy-to-read 9-point NKJV Comfort Print

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The full text of the trustworthy New King James Version with robust study notes and dozens of study resources in a convenient size to help you grow deeper in your faith.With more than 2 million copies sold, it's no secret that the NKJV Study Bible is a reliable guide for your journey into God's Word. This Bible provides a complete resource for study, including thousands of notes, articles, extensive cross-references, and features contributed by top evangelical scholars. These multilayered study tools, combined with the accuracy and beauty of the New King James Version, make this Bible a perfect choice to help you understand and deeply engage with Scripture.Features include: Over 15,000 verse-by-verse study notes provide helpful comments on passages of Scripture Bible times and culture notes to better understand what life was like when the Bible was written Word studies with Strong's numbers Extensive cross-reference system with translation notes allow you to find related passages quickly and easily Over 100 articles for an in-depth look at key doctrinal themes to expand your theological understanding In-text maps and charts show a visual representation of various locations and teachings found in the Bible Book introductions, outlines, and timelines provide a concise overview of the background and historical context of the book about to be read Prayers of the Bible of nearly 100 prayers in the Bible, who prayed them, and what they prayed about. Prophecies of The Messiah Fulfilled in Christ provides 43 Old Testament prophecies and where they have been fulfilled in the New Testament. Miracles of Christ shows where you can find 37 miracles in the Gospels. Concordance with over 1,000 terms provides an alphabetical listing of important passages by key words Full color maps show the layout of Israel and other biblical locations for better context Ribbon markers make it easy to navigate and keep track of where you were reading Durable and flexible Smyth-sewn binding allows the Bible to lay flat wherever you are reading Easy-to-read 9-point NKJV Comfort Print

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World-changers. Rebels. Rejecters of the status quo. Throughout history, Christians were never meant to have a safe faith. Highlighting people throughout the millennia, this book is a compilation of faith, facts, and art that celebrate the prayer lives of spiritual giants and invigorate your faith.Dangerous Prayers is an inspiring collection of prayers from people who have changed the world. This four-color gift book features: the exploration of 50 dynamic prayers from historical figures, cultural icons, political leaders, saints, and martyrs biographical information on the 50 people featured--from St. Francis of Assisi to Harriet Tubman to Billy Graham portraiture art and an easy-to-follow layout a table of contents for easy reference and a presentation page for gifting a ribbon marker, so you won’t lose your place This valuable resource is perfect for: men and women interested in learning more about prayer, the Christian faith, and spiritual discipline homeschooling families or parents wanting to teach their children about historical Christianity gifting to loved ones who enjoy biographies and history No matter your age, position, or status, praying dangerous prayers will change your life—and likely the world around you as well.

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Laughing at the Devil is an invitation to see the world with a medieval visionary now known as Julian of Norwich, believed to be the first woman to have written a book in English. (We do not know her given name, because she became known by the name of a church that became her home.) Julian “saw our Lord scorn [the Devil's] wickedness” and noted that “he wants us to do the same.” In this impassioned, analytic, and irreverent book, Amy Laura Hall emphasizes Julian's call to scorn the Devil. Julian of Norwich envisioned courage during a time of fear. Laughing at the Devil describes how a courageous woman transformed a setting of dread into hope, solidarity, and resistance.

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Eusebius's account is the only surviving historical record of the Church during its crucial first 300 years. Bishop Eusebius, a learned scholar who lived most of his life in Caesarea in Palestine, broke new ground in writing the History and provided a model for all later ecclesiastical historians. In tracing the history of the Church from the time of Christ to the Great Persecution at the beginning of the fourth century, and ending with the conversion of the Emperor Constantine, his aim was to show the purity and continuity of the doctrinal tradition of Christianity and its struggle against persecutors and heretics.

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Zen Buddhism conveys its profound and powerful truths through epigram, parable and brief, enigmatic and often amusing stories of the masters. In addition to 101 Zen Stories, this volume contains The Gateless Gate, a collection of koans or puzzles that students used to attune their minds to enlightenment, and 10 Bulls, and illustrated account of a bull-hunt which symbolizes the ascending stages of awareness. In Centreing, an ancient Sanskrit text at the roots of Zen, Shiva offers '112 ways to open the invisible door of consciousness'. Zen can never be summed up in a bible or definitive body of doctrine, but for anyone seeking the inspiration and illumination of Zen wisdom, these classic texts make the ideal place to start.

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A groundbreaking account of how the Book of Exodus shaped fundamental aspects of Judaism, Christianity, and IslamThe Book of Exodus may be the most consequential story ever told. But its spectacular moments of heaven-sent plagues and parting seas overshadow its true significance, says Jan Assmann, a leading historian of ancient religion. The story of Moses guiding the enslaved children of Israel out of captivity to become God's chosen people is the foundation of an entirely new idea of religion, one that lives on today in many of the world's faiths. The Invention of Religion sheds new light on ancient scriptures to show how Exodus has shaped fundamental understandings of monotheistic practice and belief.Assmann delves into the enduring mythic power of the Exodus narrative, examining the text's compositional history and calling attention to distinctive motifs and dichotomies: enslavement and redemption; belief and doubt; proper worship and idolatry; loyalty and betrayal. Revelation is a central theme--the revelation of God's power in miracles, of God's presence in the burning bush, and of God's chosen dwelling among the Israelites in the vision of the tabernacle. Above all, it is God's covenant with Israel—the binding obligation of the Israelites to acknowledge God as their redeemer and obey His law—that is Exodus's most encompassing and transformative idea, one that challenged basic assumptions about humankind's relationship to the divine in the ancient world.The Invention of Religion is a powerful account of how ideas of faith, revelation, and covenant, first introduced in Exodus, shaped Judaism and were later adopted by Christianity and Islam to form the bedrock of the world's Abrahamic religions.

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An attractive new edition of the English Standard Version of the Bible, the world’s fastest-growing Bible translation. Ideal as a gift or for personal use. The ESV Thinline Bible complete with high quality, sophisticated, Paisley Tan imitation leather cover, is afantastic value edition of the world’s fastest-growing Bible translation. It is less than an inch thick, but it still contains a concordance and the complete text of the official Anglicised ESV Bible in ahighly readable font size. This edition comes complete with British English text, and its many helpful features include: British English Text Double-column format with black letter text Concordance Gilt page edges

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A fresh, modern translation of key works of the apostolic fathers.The "Apostolic Fathers" wrote what has become some of the most important literature in the early church--letters and epistolary documents, homilies and theological tracts, documents on church order, and apocalyptic literature. In fact, some texts came close to inclusion in the New Testament canon. These translations by Rick Brannan are perfect for use by students, scholars, and everyday Christians interested in these treasures of the early church.Lexham Classics are beautifully typeset new editions of classic works. Each book has been carefully transcribed or translated from the original texts, ensuring an accurate representation of the writing as the author intended it to be read.This volume includes:The First Letter of Clement to the CorinthiansThe Second Letter of Clement to the CorinthiansIgnatius to the EphesiansIgnatius to the MagnesiansIgnatius to the TralliansIgnatius to the RomansIgnatius to the PhiladelphiansIgnatius to the SmyrnaeansIgnatius to PolycarpPolycarp to the PhilippiansThe Didache (The Teaching of the Twelve Apostles)Epistle of BarnabasThe Shepherd of HermasThe Martyrdom of Saint Polycarp (by the Bishop of Smyrna)Epistle to Diognetus

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In this daily devotional, #1 New York Timesbestselling author Joel Osteen shares how God uses the darkness in life for good.All of us will go through dark times that we don't understand: a difficulty with a friend, an unfair situation at work, a financial setback, an unexpected illness, a divorce, or the loss of a loved one. Those types of experiences are part of the human journey, but in his book Blessed in the Darkness, Joel Osteen teaches that if we stay in faith and keep a good attitude when we go through challenges, we will not only grow, but we will see how all things work together for our good. Now, Joel Osteen offers this companion devotional, that will provide motivation with daily readings and inspirational prayers that will encourage you through the darkness, as you seek the light in God's will.If we will go through the dark place in the valley trusting, believing, and knowing that God is still in control, we will come to the table that is already prepared for us, where our cup runs over.

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The King James Version has shaped the church, our worship, and our mother tongue for over 400 years. But what should we do with it today? The KJV beautifully rendered the Scriptures into the language of turn-of-the-seventeenth-century England. Even today the King James is the most widely read Bible in the United States. The rich cadence of its Elizabethan English is recognized even by non-Christians. But English has changed a great deal over the last 400 years--and in subtle ways that very few modern readers will recognize. In Authorized Mark L. Ward, Jr. shows what exclusive readers of the KJV are missing as they read God's word. In their introduction to the King James Bible, the translators tell us that Christians must "heare CHRIST speaking unto them in their mother tongue." In Authorized Mark Ward builds a case for the KJV translators' view that English Bible translations should be readable by what they called "the very vulgar" and what we would call "the man on the street."

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Why is God's beauty often absent from our theology? Rarely do theologians take up the theme of God's beauty--even more rarely do they consider how God's beauty should shape the task of theology itself. But the psalmist says that the heart of the believer's desire is to behold the beauty of the Lord. In The Beauty of the Lord Jonathan King restores aesthetics as not merely a valid lens for theological reflection, but an essential one. Jesus, our incarnate Redeemer, displays the Triune God's beauty in his actions and person, from creation to final consummation. How can and should theology better reflect this unveiled beauty?The Beauty of the Lord is a renewal of a truly aesthetic theology and a properly theological aesthetics.

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A psychiatrist presents a compelling argument for how human purpose and caring emerged in a spontaneous and unguided universe. Can there be purpose without God? This book is about how human purpose and caring, like consciousness and absolutely everything else in existence, could plausibly have emerged and evolved unguided, bottom-up, in a spontaneous universe. A random world--which according to all the scientific evidence and despite our intuitions is the actual world we live in--is too often misconstrued as nihilistic, demotivating, or devoid of morality and meaning. Drawing on years of wide-ranging, intensive clinical experience as a psychiatrist, and his own family experience with cancer, Dr. Lewis helps readers understand how people cope with random adversity without relying on supernatural belief. In fact, as he explains, although coming to terms with randomness is often frightening, it can be liberating and empowering too. Written for those who desire a scientifically sound yet humanistic view of the world, Lewis's book examines science's inroads into the big questions that occupy religion and philosophy. He shows how our sense of purpose and meaning is entangled with mistaken intuitions that events in our lives happen for some intended cosmic reason and that the universe itself has inherent purpose. Dispelling this illusion, and integrating the findings of numerous scientific fields, he shows how not only the universe, life, and consciousness but also purpose, morality, and meaning could, in fact, have emerged and evolved spontaneously and unguided. There is persuasive evidence that these qualities evolved naturally and without mystery, biologically and culturally, in humans as conscious, goal-directed social animals. While acknowledging the social and psychological value of progressive forms of religion, the author respectfully critiques even the most sophisticated theistic arguments for a purposeful universe. Instead, he offers an evidence-based, realistic yet optimistic and empathetic perspective. This book will help people to see the scientific worldview of an unguided, spontaneous universe as awe-inspiring and foundational to building a more compassionate society.

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In this highly anticipated volume, N. T. Wright focuses directly on the historical Jesus: Who was he? What did he say? And what did he mean by it? Wright begins by showing how the questions posed by Albert Schweitzer a century ago remain central today. Then he sketches a profile of Jesus in terms of his prophetic praxis, his subversive stories, the symbols by which he reordered his world, and the answers he gave to the key questions that any world view must address. The examination of Jesus' aims and beliefs, argued on the basis of Jesus' actions and their accompanying riddles, is sure to stimulate heated response. Wright offers a provocative portrait of Jesus as Israel's Messiah who would share and bear the fate of the nation and would embody the long-promised return of Israel's God to Zion.

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Discovering Revelation is the perfect introduction to the interpretation of Revelation. Through a critical assessment of key interpreters and interpretative debates, it encourages in-depth study of the text and a genuine grappling with the theological and historical questions raised. As part of the Discovering Biblical Texts series, Discovering Revelation draws on a range of author-, text- and reader-centred methodological approaches as complementary rather than mutually exclusive ways of understanding the text. It also reflects the growing scholarly attention to the reception history of Biblical texts, increasingly viewed as a vital aspect of interpretation rather than an optional extra. Discovering Revelation is an ideal commentary for students and those looking to dig deeper into the Book of Revelation. You will gain a solid grasp of the structure and content of Revelation, and a thorough understanding of key interpretations and theological concerns that will enhance your own reading of the text.

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Written by one of the world's most distinguished theologians and spiritual writers, here is a book full of hope and help for all who struggle with faith in the face of unremitting suffering.

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BONNIE KRISTIAN shows that a vibrant diversity within Christian orthodoxy-which is simply to say a range of different ways to faithfully follow Jesus-is a strength of our faith, not a weakness.It is all too easy to fail to grasp the diversity of the Christian faith-especially for those who have grown up in one branch of the church and never explored another. We fail to realize how many ways there are to follow Jesus, convinced that our own tradition is the one Christian alternative to nonbelief.A FLEXIBLE FAITH is written for the convinced and confused believer alike. It is a readable exploration of the lively theological diversity that stretches back through church history and across the spectrum of Christianity today. It is an easy introduction to how Christians have historically answered key questions about what it means to follow Jesus. Chapters will include 17 big theological questions and answers; profiles of relevant figures in church history; discussion questions; single-page Q&As-profiles of more unusual types of Christians (e.g., a Catholic nun or a member of an Amish community); and a guide to major Christian denominations today.As Bonnie shares her wrestlings with core issues-such as who Jesus is, what place the Church has in our lives, how to disagree yet remain within a community, and how to love the Bible for what it actually is-she teaches us how to walk courageously through our own tough questions.Following Jesus is big and it is something that individual believers, movements, and denominations have expressed in uncountably different ways over the centuries. In the process of helping us sort things out, Bonnie shows us how to be comfortable with diversity in the Body. And as we learn to hold questions in one hand and answers in the other, we will discover new depths of faith that will remain secure even through the storms of life.

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Behind the scenes at a creationist theme park with a mission to convert visitors through entertainment Opened to the public in July 2016, Ark Encounter is a creationist theme park in Kentucky. The park features an all-timber re-creation of Noah's ark, built full scale to creationist specifications drawn from the text of Genesis, as well as exhibits that imagine the Bible’s account of life before the flood. More than merely religious spectacle, Ark Encounter offers important insights about the relationship between religion and entertainment, religious publicity and creativity, and fundamentalist Christian claims to the public sphere. James S. Bielo examines these themes, drawing on his unprecedented behind-the-scenes access to the Ark Encounter creative team during the initial design of the park. This unique anthropological perspective shows creationists outside church contexts, and reveals their extraordinary effort to materialize a controversial worldview for the general public. Taking readers from inside the park’s planning rooms to other fundamentalist projects and diverse Christian tourist attractions, Bielo illuminates how creationist cultural producers seek to reach both their constituents and the larger culture. The “making of” this creationist theme park, Bielo argues, allows us to understand how fundamentalist culture is produced, and how entertainment and creative labor are used to legitimize creationism. Through intriguing and surprising observations, Ark Encounter challenges readers to engage with the power of entertainment and to seriously grapple with creationist ambitions for authority. For believers and non-believers alike, this book is an invaluable glimpse into the complicated web of religious entertainment and cultural production.

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ESV Scripture Journal: Matthew positions the full text of Matthew opposite lightly lined blank pages for recording notes and prayers—great for personal Bible reading and reflection, group studies, or sermon notes.

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Making use of his true scholar's understanding, yet writing in an approachable and anecdotal style, Tom Wright manages to unravel the great complexity of this extraordinary gospel. He describes it as 'one of the great books in the literature of the world; and part of its greatness is the way it reveals its secrets not just to high-flown learning, but to those who come to it with humility and hope'. Wright's stimulating comments are combined with his own translation of the Bible text. Tom Wright has undertaken a tremendous task: to provide guides to all the books of the New Testament, and to furnish them with his own fresh translation of the entire text. Each short passage is followed by a highly readable discussion with background information. The series is suitable for personal or group use. The format makes it appropriate also for daily study.

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Nick Page's bestselling Tabloid Bible is back by popular demand, and now in full colour and complete with sidebars of shame. The Tabloid Bible tells both well-known and obscure Bible stories as the newspapers and websites of the day might have covered them. ATISHOO! ATISHOO! WALL FALL DOWN! Insurers refuse payouts over Jericho wall collapse. "Aggressive trumpet playing is not covered," they say. ARKING MAD! Nutty Noah builds the world's biggest boat in his garden. "I'm sure he doesn't have planning permission," says irate neighbour. KEEP TAKING THE TABLETS. Moses brings maxims from the mountain! TOWER OF BABEL COLLAPSES. "!ccyshhibothuth mi varg," says suddenly incomprehensible builder. ARMAGEDDON OUT OF HERE! Gigantic explosion splits earth.

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