Religious issues and debates Books

Book SynopsisTrade ReviewThe book presents the reader with an original and innovative account of current approaches to, and controversies within, religious studies, gathering and interlinking multifaceted voices. * Hannah Griese, Reading Religion *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction The "Religion is..." Statements 1. Definition and the Politics of Semantic Drift: A Reply to Susan Henking I Agree, And Yes, I Do Not: A Response to Craig Martin 2. Complicating Classification: Cognitive Sciences Comes to Religion: A Reply to Jeppe Sinding Jensen Religion in Mind? But Where: In Here-or Our There? 3. Negotiating Critical and Constructive Scholarship in the Study of Religion: A Reply to Martin Kavka On Truth and Lie in a Religious-Studies Sense: A Response to Kurtis R. Schaeffer 4. Defining Temptation: A Reply to Anne Koch Religion-ing/religion*: Tempting Since Aesthetically Irresistible: A Response to Susan Henking 5. Is Judaism a Religion and Why Should We Care?: A Reply to Nicola Denzey Lewis Are World Religions "Religions"? What about Ancient "Religions"? A Response to Shaul Magid 6. Minding Our Manners in World Without the Gods: A Reply to Kathryn Lofton What I Think About: A Response to S. Brent Plate 7. The Circularity in Defining Religion: A Reply to Shaul Magid Colonialism, Monotheism, and Spirituality: A Response to Kocku von Stuckrad 8. The Semantic Subject: Religion and the Limits of Language: A Reply to Craig Martin Religion Is..., Not Like Science 9. Agreed: Religion Is Not a Thing-But Is It an Agent? A Reply to Malory Nye Religion, Capital, and Other 'Things' Which are Not Things: A Response to Nicola Denzey Lewis 10. Is (What Gets Called) Religion an Argument, Discourse, or Ideology: A Reply to Laurie L. Patton Now What? A Response to Malory Nye 11. Religion is..., What it Does: A Reply to Anthony B. Pinn Optics Matter: A Response to Jeppe Sinding Jensen 12. Religion is an Ever-Adapting Ecosystem of Objects: A Reply to S. Brent Plate Evolution, Technology, Art: A Reply to Anne Taves 13. Scripturalization as Management of Difference: A Reply to Kurtis R. Schaeffer Inside/Outside, Then/Now: A Response to Vincent L. Wimbush 14. Critical Voices, Public Debates: A Reply to Kocku von Struckrad The Accountability of Embedded Scholarship: A Response to Laurie L. Patto 15. Let's Talk About Reading: A Reply to Ann Taves A Reader's Guide to Worldviews and Ways of Life: A Response to Martin Kavka 16. Arguments Against the Textualization Regime: A Reply to Vincent L. Wimbush Refracting the Scriptural: A Response to Anne Koch 17. Mapping Religion-religion: A Reply to Laurie Zoloth What Do We Mean When We Say We Teach "Religion?": A Response to Anthony B. Pinn Appendix Definitions of Religion and Critical Comments

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Book SynopsisProtestant orientations to work and economics have shaped wider American culture for several centuries. But not all strands of American Protestantism have elevated secular work to the highest echelons of spiritual significance. This book surveys the efforts of a religious movement within white Protestant fundamentalism and its neo-evangelical successors to make work matter to God.Today, bearing the name the faith and work movement, this effort puts on display the creative capacities of religious and lay leaders to adapt a faith system to the changing social-economic conditions of advanced capitalism. Building from the insights and theory of Max Weber, Andrew Lynn draws on archival research and interviews with movement leaders to survey and assess the surging number of new organizations, books, conferences, worship songs, seminary classes, vocational programming, and study groups promoting classically Protestant and Calvinist ideas of work and vocation. He traces these efforts back to eTrade ReviewIn these days when almost everything about American evangelicalism is controversial, this well-researched, fair-minded book about the evangelical 'faith and work' movement is a welcome contribution. Andrew Lynn has provided a great deal for supporters of the movement, its critics, and all who worry about the moral malaise present in the marketplace to ponder. * Robert Wuthnow, author of Why Religion Is Good for American Democracy *The faith at work movement is an ongoing and evolving social movement, not a flash in the pan or a passing fad. Andrew Lynn brings us a strong contribution to the growing number of scholarly studies of the surprisingly diverse nature of the faith at work movement. Lynn's provocatively titled Saving the Protestant Ethic focuses on and brings us fresh insights into the conservative evangelical Protestant wing of the movement, whose search for meaning and purpose drives their economic activity. * David W. Miller, Princeton University Faith & Work Initiative *This brief summary surely fails to capture the depth and breadth of Lynn's extraordinary descriptive project. He does a masterful job of separating the different theological threads that are woven together by the faith and work movement and contextualizing them in socioeconomic terms. Adherents of re-integrating theology will find the portrait of themselves and their views recognizable...What Lynn's book demonstrates above all is that the faith and work movement has not fallen far from the creative class tree...No one wants to go back to the fundamentalist work ethic. Everyone wants their Monday to matter to God. * Charlie Clark, FareForward *This book represents an impressive achievement, drawing on a multidisciplinary array of deft ethnographic interviews, attentive participant observations, profound understanding of emic group discourse, impressive historical primary sources, nimbly enhanced and refined sociological theory, and quantitative analysis. * Religious Studies Review *Saving the Protestant Ethic explores the faith and work movement within contemporary American Evangelicalism...Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through faculty. * Choice *Table of ContentsIntroduction Part One: The Rise of the Evangelical Faith and Work Movement Chapter One: More Than Toil Chapter Two: The Fundamentalist Work Ethic Chapter Three: The Making of a Movement Chapter Four: The Four Evangelical Theologies of Work Part Two: Contours, Contingencies, and Contending Interests Chapter Five: Whose Work Matters to God? Chapter Six: From the Christian Right to the Corporate Right Chapter Seven: From Culture Wars to Cultural Stewardship Chapter Eight: On Roads Not (Yet) Taken Acknowledgements Appendix A: Research Methods

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Book SynopsisFor decades, Mark Juergensmeyer has been studying the rise of religious violence around the world, including groups like ISIS and Christian militias that have been involved in acts of terrorism. Over the years he came to realize that war is the central image in the worldview of virtually every religious movement engaged in violent acts. Behind the moral justification of using violence are images of great confrontations of war on a transcendent scale. God at War explores the dark attraction between religion and warfare. Virtually every religious tradition leaves behind it a bloody trail of stories, legends, and images of war, and most wars call upon the divine for blessings in battle. This book finds the connection between religion and warfare in the alternative realities created in the human imagination in response to crises both personal and social. Based on the author''s thirty years of field work interviewing activists involved in religious-related terrorist movements around the world, this book explains why desperate social conflict leads to images of war, and why invariably God is thought to be engaged in battle.Trade ReviewThis short book, based on lectures delivered in several venues, will be of interest to anyone interested in religious violence and should be accessible to intermediate and advanced students as well. * Eugene V. Gallagher, Nova Religio *God at War, although a slim book, is of large importance * Janet M. Powers, Religion *Table of ContentsIntroduction: Why Do We Think About War? Chapter 1: The Odd Appeal of War Chapter 2: War as Alternative Reality Chapter 3: Religion as Alternative Reality Chapter 4: The Marriage of War and Religion Chapter 5: Can Religion Cure War?

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Book SynopsisMartyrdom is not only a sharply contested term and act, but it has a long history of provoking controversy. One person''s ''martyr'' is another''s ''terrorist'', and one person''s ''martyrdom operation'' is another''s ''suicide bombing''. Suicide attacks have made recurring questions about martyrdom more pertinent to current discussions. What is martyrdom? Why are some people drawn towards giving up their lives as martyrs? What place does religion play in inciting and creating martyrs? How are martyrs made? Why are some martyrs and martyrdoms remembered more than others? How helpful is the distinction between active and passive martyrdoms? In order both to answer such questions and to understand the contemporary debates about martyrdom, it is helpful to consider its diverse roots. In this Very Short Introduction, Jolyon Mitchell provides a historical analysis to shed light on how the concept and practice of martyrdom has evolved, as well as the different ways in which it is used today. ABOUT THE SERIES: The Very Short Introductions series from Oxford University Press contains hundreds of titles in almost every subject area. These pocket-sized books are the perfect way to get ahead in a new subject quickly. Our expert authors combine facts, analysis, perspective, new ideas, and enthusiasm to make interesting and challenging topics highly readable.Table of ContentsIntroduction ; 1. Contesting martyrdom ; 2. Thinking martyrdom ; 3. Remembering martyrdom ; 4. Romanticising martyrdom ; 5. Touching martyrdom ; 6. Reforming martyrdom ; 7. Politicizing martyrdom ; 8. Conclusion: The end of martyrdom

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the Sociology of Religion draws on the expertise of an international team of scholars providing both an entry point into the sociological study and understanding of religion and an in-depth survey into its changing forms and content in the contemporary world. The role and impact of religion and spirituality on the politics, culture, education and health in the modern world is rigorously discussed and debated. The study of the sociology of religion forges interdisciplinary links to explore aspects of continuity and change in the contemporary interface between society and religion. Using a combination of theoretical, methodological and content-led approaches, the fifty-seven contributors collectively emphasise the complex relationships between religion and aspects of life from scientific research to law, ecology to art, music to cognitive science, crime to institutional health care and more. The developing character of religion, irreligion and atheism and the impacTrade ReviewThis handsome book... is particularly welcome and should find a place in every well-stocked library, both academic and other... I particulary like the mix of experienced and younger scholoars who have been brought together in this volume and applaud the successful attempt to escape from a study of religion informed by Western, primarily Christian, notions of religion. A further question follows from this. Seriously confronting the realities of religion in the twenty-first century makes new demands on social science, which itself emerged from a similar (i.e., Western) context. To what extent, then, can these demands be met within the parameters of the sociology of religion as we know this? Peter Clarke's meticulously edited volume not only underlines the question, but indicates a way forward. He is to be warmly congratulated. * Grace Davie, Theology *The contributors of these chapters have been chosen from an impressive pool of top international academics in the field. Not only has the editor done a great job in finding leading academics to write on the most topical issues, but also all the contributors have written a very informative piece, using the most recent data and theories. All the chapters are a delight to read...This is an impressive volume that will delight the student as much as the erudite in the field. All the academic libraries should order this volume as it will soon become an essential reference to any subject in the sociology of religion. It is a must for anyone who calls himself/herself a sociologist of religion to have a copy of this book on his/her bookshels. * Adam Possamai, Australian Religion Studies Review *Table of ContentsI: THEORY: CLASSICAL, MODERN AND POSTMODERN; I: METHOD; III: RELIGION AND RELATED SPHERES: MORALITY, SCIENCE, IRRELIGION, ART AND SEXUALITY; IV: RELIGION AND THE STATE, THE NATION, THE LAW; V: GLOBALISATION AND ITS RELIGIOUS EFFECTS; VI: STANDARD OR MAINSTREAM RELIGION; VII: THE REPRODUCTION AND TRANSMISSION OF RELIGION; VIII: NEW RELIGION, NEW SPIRITUALITY AND IMPLICIT RELIGION; XI: ENVIRONMENTAL AND SOCIAL ISSUES; X: TEACHING THE SOCIOLOGY OF RELIGION

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Book SynopsisFourteen true stories from Jewish believers and Arab/Palestinian Christians living in Israel and the Palestinian areas.Table of ContentsContentsIntroduction 7Chapter1 David and Leah Ortiz in America 112 David and Leah Ortiz in Israel 333 Muslim-background Believers Living in the West Bank and Israel 494 Michael Kerem – a Jewish Missionary to the Muslim World 735 Andrey Teplinsky – a Russian Jew in Israel 916 Magdi and Rima Anwar – an Egyptian Pastor in Jerusalem 1057 Sandy Shoshani – the Cost of Believing in Yeshua 1208 Nashat Filmon – a Christian Arab in the Old City of Jerusalem 1409 Tzachi Danor – a Moroccan Jew Becomes a Missionary with Jews for Jesus 15510 Shmuel Salway – an Indian Jew Who Finds Yeshua 17211 Mazen Naswari – a Palestinian Pastor in the Old City of Jerusalem 19012 Patrick Radecker – an Outcast from Society Finds Faith in Yeshua 206PostscriptThe Story of The Olive Tree Reconciliation Fund 220Endnotes 232

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Book SynopsisLaudianism was both a way of being Christian and a political ideology. This definitive account of this intensely controversial movement explores how it helped cause the English civil war, but over the long term provided one of the visions of the national church, one that has been in contention to define ''Anglicanism'' ever since--Table of ContentsIntroduction: Part I. Laudianism, where it Came From: 1. A Trinitarian and incarnational theology; 2. Andrewes' political theology; 3. Andrewes' anti-puritanism; 4. Puritan politics; 5. The tree of repentance and its fruits; 6. Absent presences; the role of predestination in Andrewes' divinity; 7. The visible church and its ordinances; Part II. Laudianism, what it was: 8. The house of God; 9. The house of God and the beauty of holiness; 10. The beauty of holiness and ceremonial conformity; 11. Church ceremonies, the authority of the church and the authority of scripture; 12. Prayer; 13. Preaching; 14. The sacrament and the altar; 15. The sacrament and the social body of the church; 16. The altar and visible succession; 17. The feasts and festivals of the church, or putting the sabbath in its place; 18.Sunday sports and the re/constitution of the Christian community and the social order; 19. The sabbath and the Laudian attitude to authority; Part III. Laudianism, what it was n't: 20. Order, puritanism and the state of the English church; 21. Puritan 'privacy', or the forms of puritan voluntary religion anatomized; 22. A religion of the word and the question of authority; 23. Puritanism, popularity and politics; 24. Of moderate puritans and popular prelates; 25. The puritan threat, the church of England and the Personal Rule as a period of reformation; Part IV. Laudianism and Predestination: 26. Laudianism, puritanism and Arminianism revisited; 27. The language of mystery; 28. Fatal necessity; 29. Predestination, the positive case: of justice and mercy, prescience and predestination; 30. Faith, hope and charity; 31. Effort without merit; repentance, amendment and the works of penitence; Part V. Laudianism as Coalition, the Constituent Parts: 32. Dis-aggregating, or the pleasures and benefits of splitting; 33. Of converts, collaborators and apostates, i, puritans; 34. Of converts, collaborators and apostates, ii, Calvinist conformists; 35. Of apparatchiks, zealots and coming men; 36. The Laudian avant garde, (i) young men in a hurry; Cambridge University in the 1630s; 37. The Laudian avant garde, (ii) old men in a hurry; Robert Shelford, James Buck and Edward Kellett; 38. Tacking and trimming; negotiating the end of 'the Laudian moment'; 39. Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisCrime, Criminal Justice and Religion: A Critical Appraisal seeks to bridge a gap in the examination of crime and criminal justice by taking both a historical and a contemporary lens to explore the influence of religion. Offering unique perspectives that consider the impact on modern-day policy and practice, the book scrutinises a range of issues such as abortion, hate crime and desistance as well as reflecting upon the influence religion can have on criminal justice professions.The book acts to renew the importance of, and recognise, the influence and impact religion has in terms of how we view and ultimately address crime and deliver criminal justice. One of the first books to cover the area of crime, criminal justice and religion, the book is split into three parts, with part 1 - ''Contextualising Crime, Criminal Justice and Religion'' - providing an introduction to crime, criminal justice and religion, and reflections on the role religion has had, aTable of ContentsPART 1: Contextualising Crime, Criminal Justice & ReligionChapter 1: Introducing Crime, Criminal Justice & Religion – A Critical AppraisalChapter 2: Crime & Criminal Justice – Reflecting on the influence of religion PART 2: Appraisal of Institutions & Professional PracticeChapter 3: Religion and Police Officers: Exploring the Impact on Police PracticeChapter 4: Professionalisation and policing religious communities: From police recruit to police managementChapter 5: Police legitimacy in divided societies: Exploring the interface of Religion and Social Cohesion Chapter 6: Church-State Relations in US Prison Religion: An Update with RecommendationsChapter 8: The influence of religion on Probation: A reflection on the professionChapter 9: ‘Yes, my Lord’: Examining the impact of religion on the legal profession Chapter 10: What does God require of us: the calling of lawyers in the criminal justice systemPART 3: Appraisal of Contemporary IssuesChapter 11: Human rights, religion and the criminal justice system: Roadblocks, diversions and repairsChapter 12: Religion, Abortion and the Criminal Justice System in Northern IrelandChapter 13: The death penalty, religion and the US CJSChapter 14: Islam and Hate Crime: Exploring IssuesChapter 15: Is far right terrorism another form of religious terrorism? Chapter 16: Religion and Terrorism: What can we learn from the State policy responses to the Christchurch Mosque Shootings?Chapter 17: The challenges of witchcraft and sorcery for national and international justice systemsChapter 18: Understanding Clergy Perpetrated Child Sexual abuse as organised offending: networks v’s individualsChapter 19: Religion and Restorative Justice: a mutual critical dialogueChapter 20: Christianity & Desistance: Exploring ex-prisoner’s journeys in new faith

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Book SynopsisThis book offers scholars, administrators and the broader public an original proposal for the humanities. It argues that these disciplines, while serving society, are intrinsic to our humanity. It offers new bold ideas about how to think with greater humanistic coherence.Trade Review'Recommended.' M. Meola, Choice Magazine'The book offers very interesting reflections about how the humanities proceed and case studies from the author's own experience, to offer insight about its contributions … provides excellent arguments to pursue the Humanities as an academic respectable and needed program … [an] important book.' Lluis Oviedo, Reviews in Science, Religion and Theology'… vibrant and essential for the academic and non-academic world … The book is broadly informed and deserves praise for its accessibility … the book is an easy-to-understand, self-standing defense of the humanities. It is plain and straight, without simplifying things beyond what is needed, given the length and scope of the book.' Maria Kronfeldner, MetascienceTable of ContentsI. What are the Humanities?: 1. Humanities: a tentative definition; 2. Understanding others; 3. Self-involving: philosophy and theology; 4. Responsible scholarship; II. Who Needs the Humanities?: 5. Professionals: how to live with interpretations; 6. Humans; 7. The value of the humanities.

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Book SynopsisA growing chorus of voices has suggested that the world's religions may become critical actors as the climate crisis unfolds, particularly in light of international paralysis on the issue. In recent years, many faiths have begun to address climate change and its consequences for human societies, especially the world's poor. This is the first volume to use social science to examine how religions are helping to address one of the most significant and far-reaching challenges of our time.While there is a growing literature in theology and ethics about climate change and religion, little research has been previously published about the ways in which religious institutions, groups and individuals are responding to the problem of climate change. Seventeen research-driven chapters are written by sociologists, anthropologists, geographers and other social scientists. This book explores what effects religions are having, what barriers they are running into or creating, and what thTrade Review"This book opens a research agenda that is long overdue". - W. Jenkins, Department of Religious Studies, University of VirginiaTable of Contents1. Social Science, Religions, and Climate Change PART I: THE GLOBAL SOUTH 2. A Retreating Goddess? Conflicting Perceptions of Ecological Change near the Gangotri-Gaumukh Glacier 3. Religion, Indigenous Knowledge and Climate Change in a Mountain Region: a Case Study of Thini Village, Mustang, Nepal 4. Climate Change Projects in the Land of Gross National Happiness: Does Religion Play a Role in Environmental Policy in Bhutan? 5. Pursuing Diplomacy Overseas, Fostering Adaptation at Home: The Church of Bangladesh’s Proactive Responses to Climate Change 6. From Theology to a Praxis of "Eco-Jihad": The Role of Religious Civil Society Organizations in Combating Climate Change in Indonesia 7. Churches building resiliency to climate change in Solomon Islands 8. Prophecies and Climate Change in the Mam Altiplano of Guatemala 9. Religious Perspectives on Climate Change in the West Ivoirian Mountainous Region 10. Climate Change and Indigenous African Religion: A Case Study of the Transitional Ecological Zone of Ghana PART 2: THE GLOBAL NORTH 11. Stepping up to the Plate: Climate Change, Faith Communities and Effective Environmental Advocacy in Canada 12. The U.S. Catholic Response to "Climate Change" 13. "How Many Presbyterians Does it Take to Change a Light Bulb?": Confronting Global Climate Change in the Presbyterian Church, U.S.A. 14. Keep Christianity Brown! Climate Denial on the Christian Right in the United States 15. Christian and Muslim Climate Activists Fasting and Praying for the Planet: Emotional Translation of "Dark Green" Activism and Green-Faith Identities 16. "Healing the Land" in the Canadian Arctic: Evangelism, knowledge, and climate change PART 3: THE TRANSNATIONAL CONTEXT 17. An Investigation of Perception of Climate Change Risk, Environmental Values and Development Programming in a Faith-based International Development Organization 18. International Advocacy for Climate Justice 19. How Are the World’s Religions Responding to Climate Change?

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Book SynopsisEric Bain-Selbo argues that the study of religionfrom philosophers to psychologists, and historians of religion to sociologistshas separated out the ends or goals of religion and thus created the conditions by which institutional religion is increasingly irrelevant in contemporary Western culture.There is ample evidence that institutional religion is in trouble, and little evidence that it will strengthen in the future, giving some reason to believe that we are in the process of seeing the end of religion. At the same time, various cultural practices have met in the past and continue to meet today certain fundamental human needsneeds that we might identify as religious that now are being fulfilled through what Bain-Selbo calls the religion of culture. The End(s) of Religion traces the way that the very study of religion has led to institutional religion being viewed as just one human institution that can address our particular religious needs rather than the sole institution to Trade ReviewThis wonderful book has managed to pull off a rather remarkable feat: the drawing of a clean line from foundational analysts of religion to the present and future state of religious studies. Eric Bain-Selbo is at once concise and sprawling; critical yet graceful; cautious while taking risks; and optimistic though starkly real in The End(s) of Religion. * Jeffrey Scholes, Associate Professor of Philosophy and Director of The Center for Religious Diversity and Public Life, University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, USA *Table of ContentsPreface Introduction Very Brief Comments to Get Us Started 1. The Ethical/Philosophical Function of Religion: Kant, Hegel, and So Forth 2. The Sociological Function of Religion: Durkheim and Weber 3. The Psychological Function of Religion: Freud, Jung, and Beyond 4. The Existential Function of Religion: Eliade and Tillich Interlude 5. The Religion of Culture 6. What Happens Next? Some Concluding Remarks Postscript: A Cautionary Tale Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisThere are no atheists in foxholes; or so we hear. The thought that the fear of death motivates religious belief has been around since the earliest speculations about the origins of religion. There are hints of this idea in the ancient world, but the theory achieves prominence in the works of Enlightenment critics and Victorian theorists of religion, and has been further developed by contemporary cognitive scientists. Why do people believe in gods? Because they fear death.Yet despite the abiding appeal of this simple hypothesis, there has not been a systematic attempt to evaluate its central claims and the assumptions underlying them. Do human beings fear death? If so, who fears death more, religious or nonreligious people? Do reminders of our mortality really motivate religious belief? Do religious beliefs actually provide comfort against the inevitability of death? In Death Anxiety and Religious Belief, Jonathan Jong and Jamin Halberstadt begin to answer these questions, drawiTrade ReviewAs a call to arms to newer researchers in [death, anxiety, and religious belief], Jong and Halberstadt have done a great service to the field. Their pithy and highly readable text may well inspire the next generation of researchers. * PsycCRITIQUES *[An] ambitious and scholarly study. * Oxford Today *Scholars of religion and those interested in the psychology of religion will welcome this thorough, scientifically grounded contribution to the literature on psychology of religion and religion theory. Summing Up: Highly recommended. Graduate students, researchers, faculty. * CHOICE *An extraordinarily thorough interdisciplinary integration and synthesis of theory and research on death anxiety and religious belief, including the authors’ cutting-edge contributions to the field, thoughtfully and gracefully written. Bravo. * Sheldon Solomon, Professor of Psychology, Skidmore College, USA *Thorough and accessible, this book offers a comprehensive overview of the psychological literature on religion and death anxiety. The authors clearly describe leading theories in the context of historical debates, systematically review available evidence, and boldly present novel findings that convincingly overturn received wisdoms. This beautifully written and organised book will appeal to a general human science audience, and should become a standard part of training in the scientific study of religion. * Joseph Bulbulia, Associate Professor of Religious Studies, Victoria University, New Zealand *Table of ContentsList of Tables and Figures Preface Acknowledgments 1. The whats and whys of religious belief 2. A history of thanatocentric theories of religion 3. Measuring faith and fear 4. Are people afraid of death? 5. The religious correlates of death anxiety 6. Death anxiety and religion: Causes and consequences 7. The future of immortality, literal and symbolic References Index

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Book SynopsisAt a time when the values of Catholic Ireland are so often viewed in a negative, even hostile, light, Mary Kenny?s approach is a balanced and measured recollection of the Ireland of our times - and of times past, since the foundation of the Irish state a hundred years ago. She focuses on the people and personalities involved in our social history, seeing Ireland from 1922 to 2022 through their stories, and the events in which they were involved. Yes, there have been stark failings in Irish society, involving the position and power of the Catholic church, and these must be honestly described. Yet our values, our heritage, our own family members also included many kind, intelligent and patriotic people doing their best, who built up the Irish state from a fragile beginning. Mary interweaves some of her own life-experiences, and the people she knew into this complex portrait of Irish life providing a stimulating, informative and enjoyable read.

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Book SynopsisThe values of liberalism, pluralism, and democratic governance are under sustained attack from right-wing Christian fundamentalists, white ethnonationalists, and economic populists. At the same time, liberal democracies are failing at cultivating and transmitting the values, wisdom, and virtues that are the perquisites for individual and collective flourishing. Liberal democracies seem increasingly unable to negotiate diverse visions of the good life rooted in regional, ethnic, racial, religious, generational, and socioeconomic differences. Aspiring autocrats and social media organizations exploit these divisions to enhance their power or profit, resulting in increased tribalization and affective polarization. Solving these problems requires a renewed understanding of human flourishing and the wisdom and virtues that make it possible. The House We Live In explores the commonalities underlying three classical approaches to virtue ethics--Aristotelean, Buddhist, and Confucian--to develop a flourishing-based ethics capable of addressing the problems of liberal democracies. The book examines the moral and intellectual virtues that promote flourishing, the diversity of ways in which we may flourish, and the factors all flourishing lives share. It shows how a flourishing-based ethics can serve as a corrective to the historical Western over-emphasis on individualism at the expense of community. Finally, it addresses problems in domestic and foreign policy and the difficulties in talking to each other across the political divide from a flourishing-based perspective. The book is a reaffirmation of pluralism, the liberal democratic tradition, and the necessity of a pragmatic approach to living together despite seemingly incommensurable differences.Table of ContentsPreface Chapter 1. The House We Live In Chapter 2. On Virtue Chapter 3. On Wisdom Chapter 4. On Flourishing Chapter 5. Only Connect Conclusions

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Book SynopsisMany facets of social life are now intrinsically linked to the Internet through increasing dependence of user-centric platforms like blogs, social-networking websites, online forums, and open source websites. The Malaysian Church is not exempt from having to negotiate with an increasingly tech-savvy and networked community of believers. Based primarily on Internet ethnography and interviews with Christian bloggers and church pastors, this book looks at how the Internet is a component of “everyday religion” in the lives of Malaysian Christians at individual, institutional, and national levels. It examines the ways in which online Christian expressions are increasingly integrated into the everyday religious routines of Christians for the development of their personal identities and inter-religious interactions. This book also shows how the spiritual authority of church pastors can be both challenged and reinforced through the creative use of online tools. It addresses some of the creative ways in which Christians utilise the Internet to engage with national socio-political issues within the context of restrictive and controlled mainstream media, as well as the ongoing discourse with Islam in the country. Through a selection of case studies, this book shows that while the Internet may be “free”, the users of the Internet are not necessarily so. While the Internet has provided Malaysian Christians with new tools to experience their faith in new ways, several aspects of “old” offline socio-cultural habits persist online. These, in turn, lead to a robust and growing environment of Internet Christianity in Malaysia. This timely book will be of interest to scholars in religious studies, media and communications, and cultural studies in Southeast Asia.Table of Contents1.Introduction: Online Religion and the Malaysian Context.- 3.Locating the “Everyday” and the “Offline” in Online Christianity.- 4.The Personal Experience: Blogging as Development of Spiritual Identity.- 5.The Institution’s Perspective: Malaysian Pastors as Online Authors and Citizens.- 6.Lessons from a New Online Christian Community.- 7.Engaging Malaysia: A Grassroots Approach to Inter/Intra-Religious Communication.- 8.Re-producing Ideology: A Case Study on Facebook Christian Groups and the Bersih 4.0 Rally.- 8.Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisSheds light on the surprisingly diverse and shared visions for realizing Israel as a democratic Jewish state. Building on Arthur Hertzberg's classic, The Zionist Idea, Gil Troy explores the backstories, dreams, and legacies of more than 170 passionate Jewish visionaries from the 1800s to today.Trade Review"The Zionist Ideas: Visions for the Jewish Homeland–Then, Now, Tomorrow . . . takes a comprehensive approach to unpacking the challenges modern Zionism faces, while simultaneously expanding on the virtues of Jewish self-determination."—Daniel J. Roth, Jerusalem Post"Troy has done an extraordinary job in explaining the Zionist ideas that co-exist within Jewish life. As the subtitle puts it, this book explains the Zionism of the past, the debates going on in the present, and the visions of the future that occupy the minds and hearts of Zionists. Like Hertzberg's original book, it explains and it inspires."—Jack Riemer, Jewish Advocate"Troy has delivered an anthology that will give us plenty to argue about for years to come."—Elliot Jager, Jerusalem Report"Even within our relatively small community, we too often speak to only those who agree with us. No one is better positioned to change this reality than Natan Sharansky, the universally beloved hero of the Jewish people, and Gil Troy, an academic respected equally in Israel and North America, and whose book The Zionist Ideas should be standard fare at every synagogue, JCC, and day school, and given as a gift to every b'nai mitzvah."—Eric Fingerhut, Times of Israel Blog"An excellent cross-section of Zionist thought, ideology and popular culture as well, and a worthy update of Hertzberg's masterpiece. . . . Troy's volume will help us make sense of an increasingly chaotic Zionist world."—Jerome A. Chanes, New York Jewish Week"Reading this is like being on a tour of Zionist thought that Troy is leading us through as he analyzes Zionism's evolution from its early ideology as a national movement to its development of its own."—Reviews by Amos Lassen"The Zionist Ideas is an important update and essential addition to every Jewish studies library. The wealth of ideas found between its pages gives the reader an extraordinary opportunity to explore how his or her own thinking can fit into the spectrum of Zionist thought. Troy's update has revitalized Hertzberg's groundbreaking work and opened a new opportunity for conversation about Zionism and the central place of Israel in Jewish life."—Jonathan Fass, Jewish Book Council"Building on Arthur Hertzberg's classic, The Zionist Idea, Troy explores the backstories, dreams, and legacies of more than 170 passionate Jewish visionaries from the 1800s to today."—Algemeiner"At its core, Troy's anthology is an invitation to readers to consider what it means to be a Zionist, especially in the 21st century."—Jay P. Lefkowitz, Commentary"Instead of replacing Hertzberg, Troy's book will sit neatly on the shelf next to the original. Together, they are the essential primary sources for understanding the complex foundations of Israel and its meaning in the 21st century. Students will be reaching for both of them for a long time to come."—nealgold.netTable of ContentsContents Foreword by Natan Sharansky Acknowledgments Introduction: How Zionism’s Six Traditional Schools of Thought Shape Today’s Conversation Part One. Pioneers: Founding the Jewish State 1. Pioneers: Political Zionism Peretz Smolenskin It Is Time to Plant (1875–77) Let Us Search Our Ways (1881) The Haskalah of Berlin (1883) Leon Pinsker Auto-Emancipation: An Appeal to His People by a Russian Jew (1882) Theodor Herzl The Jewish State (1896) From the Diaries of Theodor Herzl (1895) Third Letter to Baron Hirsch (1895) Max Nordau Zionism (1902) Muskeljudentum, Jewry of Muscle (1903) Jacob Klatzkin Boundaries: Judaism Is Nationalism (1914–21) Chaim Weizmann On the Report of the Palestine Commission (1937) Natan Alterman Shir Moledet (Song of the homeland) (1935) Magash HaKesef (The silver platter) (1947) Albert Einstein Palestine, Setting of Sacred History of the Jewish Race (with Erich Kahler) (1944) 2. Pioneers: Labor Zionism Moses Hess Rome and Jerusalem (1862) bilu bilu Manifesto (1882) Joseph Hayyim Brenner Self-Criticism (1914) Nahman Syrkin The Jewish Problem and the Socialist Jewish State (1898) Ber Borochov Our Platform (1906) Aaron David Gordon People and Labor (1911) Our Tasks Ahead (1920) Rachel Bluwstein My Country (1926) Berl Katzenelson Revolution and Tradition (1934) Rahel Yanait Ben-Zvi The Plough Woman (1931) 3. Pioneers: Revisionist Zionism The Union of Zionists-Revisionists Declaration of the Central Committee of the Union of Zionists-Revisionists (1925) Vladimir Jabotinsky The Fundamentals of the Betarian World Outlook (1934) Evidence Submitted to the Palestine Royal Commission (1937) The Iron Wall ([1923] 1937) Saul Tchernichovsky I Believe (1892) They Say There’s a Land (1923) The Irgun Proclamation of the Irgun Zvai Leumi (1939) Avraham (Yair) Stern Eighteen Principles of Rebirth (1940) Haim Hazaz The Sermon (1942) 4. Pioneers: Religious Zionism Yehudah Alkalai The Third Redemption (1843) Samuel Mohilever Message to the First Zionist Congress (1897) Isaac Jacob Reines A New Light on Zion (1902) Abraham Isaac Kook The Land of Israel (1910–30) The Rebirth of Israel (1910–30) Lights for Rebirth (1910–30) Moshe “Kalphon” HaCohen Mateh Moshe (Moses’s headquarters) (1920) Meir Bar-Ilan (Berlin) What Kind of Life Should We Create in Eretz Israel? (1922) 5. Pioneers: Cultural Zionism Eliezer Ben-Yehudah A Letter of Ben-Yehudah (1880) Introduction to The Complete Dictionary of Ancient and Modern Hebrew (1908) Ahad Ha’am (Asher Zvi Ginsberg) On Nationalism and Religion (1910) The Jewish State and the Jewish Problem (1897) Hayyim Nahman Bialik The City of Slaughter (1903) At the Inauguration of the Hebrew University (1925) Micah Joseph Berdichevski Wrecking and Building (1900–1903) In Two Directions (1900–1903) On Sanctity (1899) Martin Buber Hebrew Humanism (1942) An Open Letter to Mahatma Gandhi (1939) 6. Pioneers: Diaspora Zionism Solomon Schechter Zionism: A Statement (1906) Louis Dembitz Brandeis The Jewish Problem and How to Solve It (1915) Henrietta Szold Letter to Augusta Rosenwald (1915) Horace Mayer Kallen Zionism and Liberalism (1919) Stephen S. Wise Challenging Years (1949) Milton Steinberg The Creed of an American Zionist (1945) Part Two. Builders: Actualizing and Modernizing the Zionist Blueprints 7. Builders: Political Zionism Israel’s Declaration of Independence (1948) David Ben-Gurion The Imperatives of the Jewish Revolution (1944) Speech to Mapai Central Committee (1948) Am Segula: Memoirs (1970) The Law of Return (1950) Isaiah Berlin Jewish Slavery and Emancipation (1953) The Achievement of Zionism (1975) Abba Eban Statement to the Security Council (1967) Teddy Kollek Jerusalem (1977) Chaim Herzog Address to the United Nations General Assembly (1975) Albert Memmi The Liberation of the Jew (1966, 2013) Jews and Arabs (1975) Yonatan (Yoni) Netanyahu Letters from Yoni Netanyahu (1968, 1975) Elie Wiesel One Generation After (1970) A Jew Today (1975, 1978) Natan Sharanksy Fear No Evil (1988) Emmanuel Levinas Politics After (1979) Assimilation and New Culture (1980) Martin Peretz The God That Did Not Fail (1997) 8. Builders: Labor Zionism Golda Meir A Land of Our Own (1973) Address to the United Nations General Assembly (1958) Muki Tsur The Soldiers’ Chat (1967) Amos Oz The Meaning of Homeland (1967) Roy Belzer Garin HaGolan Anthology (1972) The Members of Kibbutz Ketura The Kibbutz Ketura Vision (1994) Yaakov Rotblit Shir LaShalom, A Song for Peace (1969) Leonard Fein Days of Awe (1982) Yitzhak Rabin Our Tremendous Energies from a State of Siege (1994) Shimon Peres Nobel Lecture (1994) Shulamit Aloni I Cannot Do It Any Other Way (1997) 9. Builders: Revisionist Zionism Uri Zvi Greenberg Those Living-Thanks to Them Say (1948) Israel without the Mount (1948–49) Geulah Cohen Memoirs of a Young Terrorist (1943–48) The Tehiya Party Platform (1988) Moshe Shamir For a Greater Israel (1967) The Green Space: Without Zionism, It’ll Never Happen (1991) Menachem Begin The Revolt (1951) Broadcast to the Nation (1948) Statement to the Knesset upon the Presentation of His Government (1977) Yitzhak Shalev We Shall Not Give Up Our Promised Borders (1963) Eliezer Schweid Israel as a Zionist State (1970) The Promise of the Promised Land (1988) Benjamin Netanyahu A Place among the Nations (1993) 10. Builders: Religious Zionism Ben-Zion Meir Chai Uziel Prayer for the State of Israel (1948) On Nationalism (ca. 1940–50) David Edan A Call for Aliyah (ca. 1950) Joseph Ber Soloveitchik Listen! My Beloved Knocks! (1956) Yeshayahu Leibowitz A Call for the Separation of Religion and State (1959) Zvi Yehuda Hakohen Kook On the 19th Anniversary of Israel’s Independence (1967) Abraham Joshua Heschel Israel: An Echo of Eternity (1969) Esther Jungreis Zionism: A Challenge to Man’s Faith (1977) Talma Alyagon-Roz Eretz Tzvi, The Land of Beauty (1976, 2014) Eliezer Berkovits On Jewish Sovereignty (1973) Gush Emunim Friends of Gush Emunim Newsletter (1978) David Hartman Auschwitz or Sinai (1982) The Third Jewish Commonwealth (1985) Commission on the Philosophy of Conservative Judaism Emet V’Emunah: Statement of Principles of Conservative Judaism (1988) Richard Hirsch Toward a Theology of Reform Zionism (2) Ovadia Yosef Oral Torah 14 (1979) 11. Builders: Cultural Zionism Haim Hefer There Were Times (1948) A. M. Klein The Second Scroll (1951) Leon Uris The Exodus Song / This Land Is Mine (1960) Shmuel Yosef Agnon Nobel Prize Speech (1966) Naomi Shemer Jerusalem of Gold (1967) Yehudah Amichai All the Generations before Me (1968) Tourists  (1980) Gershon Shaked No Other Place (1980, 1987) Letty Cottin Pogrebin Deborah, Golda, and Me (1991) Anne Roiphe Generation without Memory (1981) 12. Builders: Diaspora Zionism Arthur Hertzberg Impasse: A Movement in Search of a Program (1949) Some Reflections on Zionism Today (1977) Mordecai M. Kaplan A New Zionism (1954, 1959) Rose Halprin Speech to the Zionist General Council (1950) Jacob Blaustein Statements by Prime Minister David Ben-Gurion and Mr. Jacob Blaustein on the Relationship between Israel and American Jews (1950, 1956) Simon Rawidowicz Babylon and Jerusalem (1957) Two That Are One (1949) Irving “Yitz” Greenberg Twenty Years Later: The Impact of Israel on American Jewry (1968) Yom Yerushalayim: Jerusalem Day (1988) Eugene Borowitz Twenty Years Later: The Impact of Israel on American Jewry (1968) Herman Wouk This Is My God (1969, 1974) Arnold Jacob Wolf Will Israel Become Zion? (1973) Breira National Platform (1977) Hillel Halkin Letters to an American Jewish Friend: The Case for Life in Israel (1977, 2013) Dennis Prager and Joseph Telushkin Nine Questions People Ask about Judaism (1975) Alex Singer Alex: Building a Life (1983, 1986, 1996) Blu Greenberg What Do American Jews Believe? A Symposium (1996) Part Three. Torchbearers: Reassessing, Redirecting, Reinvigorating 13. Torchbearers: Political Zionism Michael Oren Jews and the Challenge of Sovereignty (2006) Tal Becker Beyond Survival: Aspirational Zionism (2011) Michael Walzer The State of Righteousness: Liberal Zionists Speak Out (2012) Aharon Barak Address to the 34th World Zionist Congress in Jerusalem (2002) Yael “Yuli” Tamir A Jewish and Democratic State (2) Ze’ev Maghen John Lennon and the Jews: A Philosophical Rampage (2010) Daniel Gordis The Promise of Israel (2012) Leon Wieseltier Brothers and Keepers: Black Jews and the Meaning of Zionism (1985) Irwin Cotler Speech to the United Jewish Communities General Assembly (2006) Gadi Taub In Defense of Zionism (2014) Bernard-Henri Lévy The Genius of Judaism (2017) Asa Kasher idf Code of Ethics (1994) 14. Torchbearers: Labor Zionism Anita Shapira The Abandoned Middle Road (2012) Ephraim Katchalski-Katzir My Contributions to Science and Society (2005) Ruth Gavison Statement of Principles, Gavison-Medan Covenant (2003) Einat Wilf Zionism: The Only Way Forward (2012) Chaim Gans The Zionism We Really Want (2013) David Grossman Speech at Rabin Square (2006) Nitzan Horowitz On the Steps of Boorishness (2013) Alon Tal Pollution in a Promised Land (2002, 2017) Peter Beinart The Failure of the American Jewish Establishment (2010) Ari Shavit Back to Liberal Zionism (2014) A Missed Funeral and the True Meaning of Zionism (2013) Stav Shaffir Knesset Speech (2015) 15. Torchbearers: Revisionist Zionism Yoram Hazony The End of Zionism? (1995) Israel’s Jewish State Law and the Future of the Middle East (2014) Shmuel Trigano There Is No “State of All Its Citizens” (2015, 2017) Israel Harel We Are Here to Stay (2001) Caroline Glick The Israeli Solution: A One-State Plan for Peace in the Middle East (2014) Ruth Wisse Jews and Power (2007) David Mamet Bigotry Pins Blame on Jews (2006, 2011) The Secret Knowledge: On the Dismantling of American Culture (2011) Ze’ev B. “Benny” Begin The Essence of the State of Israel (2015, 2017) Reuven Rivlin Remarks of President Rivlin: Vision of the Four Tribes (2015) Ayelet Shaked Pathways to Governance (2016) 16. Torchbearers: Religious Zionism Daniel Polisar Is Iran the Only Model for a Jewish State? (1999) Benjamin Ish-Shalom Jewish Sovereignty: The Challenges of Meaning, Identity, and Responsibility (2014) Eliezer Sadan Religious Zionism: Taking Responsibility in the Worldly Life of the Nation (2008) Yaacov Medan Statement of Principles, Gavison-Medan Covenant (2003) Yehuda Amital Reishit Tzemichat Ge’ulatenu: What Kind of Redemption Does Israel Represent? (2005) Benjamin “Benny” Lau The Challenge of Halakhic Innovation (2010) Yedidia Z. Stern Ani Ma’amin, I Believe (2005) Leah Shakdiel The Reason You Are Here Is Because You Are a Jew! (2004) Arnold Eisen What Does It Mean to Be a Zionist in 2015? Speech to the 37th Zionist Congress: (2015) Conservative Judaism Today and Tomorrow (2015) David Ellenson Reform Zionism Today: A Consideration of First Principles (2014) 17. Torchbearers: Cultural Zionism Gil Troy Why I Am a Zionist (2008) Yair Lapid I Am a Zionist (2009) Micah Goodman From the Secular and the Holy (2018) Ronen Shoval Herzl’s Vision 2.0 (2013) A. B. Yehoshua The Basics of Zionism, Homeland, and Being a Total Jew (2017) Erez Biton Address at the President’s House on the Subject of Jerusalem (2016) Bernard Avishai The Hebrew Republic (2008) Saul Singer They Tried to Kill Us, We Won, Now We’re Changing the World (2011) Sharon Shalom A Meeting of Two Brothers Who Had Been Separated for Two Thousand Years (2017) Einat Ramon Zionism: A Jewish Feminist-Womanist Appreciation (2017) Adam Milstein Israeliness Is the Answer (2016, 2017) Rachel Sharansky Danziger A New Kind of Zionist Hero (2015, 2017) 18. Torchbearers: Diaspora Zionism Jonathan Sacks Will We Have Jewish Grandchildren? (1994) Alan Dershowitz The Vanishing American Jew (1997) Yossi Beilin His Brother’s Keeper: Israel and Diaspora Jewry in the Twenty-First Century (2) Scott Shay Getting Our Groove Back: How to Energize American Jewry (2007) Donniel Hartman Israel and World Jewry: The Need for a New Paradigm (2011) Yossi Klein Halevi A Jewish Centrist Manifesto (2015) Ellen Willis Is There Still a Jewish Question? I’m an Anti-Anti-Zionist (2003) Theodore Sasson The New American Zionism (2013) Central Conference of American Rabbis A Statement of Principles for Reform Judaism (1999) The World Zionist Organization Jerusalem Program (1951) Jerusalem Program (2004) Source Acknowledgments Sources

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Book SynopsisSuitable for scientists, theologians, people of faith and people of no faith, as well as general readers eager to understand the God Debate, this title demolishes the 'superstitious' view of God held by most atheists and agnostics, and offers in its place a revolutionary account of the Christian Gospel.Trade Review"'Terry Eagleton's intervention into the debate sparked by Richard Dawkins's The God Delusion is, by turns, thought-provoking, infuriating, inspiring and very, very funny.' London Review of Books 'a gloriously rumbustious counter-blast to Dawkinsite atheism... paradoxes sparkle throughout this coruscatingly brilliant polemic... This is, then, a demolition job which is both logically devastating and a magnificently whirling philippic... Much of what it says is too true.' Paul Vallely, The Independent 'Eagleton's book began as a series of lectures delivered at Yale University. They must have been a riot... He's fantastically rude all round, about 'Ditchkins', about religion itself... It's terrific polemic.' Melanie McDonagh, Evening Standard"

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Book SynopsisA fresh interpretation of Nietzsche's engagement with the work of Paul the Apostle, reorienting the relationship between the two thinkers while embedding modern philosophy within early Christian theology.Trade ReviewWritten in a precise and economical style, crystallizing its points with aphoristic clarity, Nietzsche Versus Paul reconstructs a series of "Christian" moments found throughout the Nietzschean corpus and so reveals a surprisingly consistent, sophisticated, and cunning structure. This contribution goes far beyond the circles of Nietzsche scholarship, where it will certainly be received as a fresh and powerful intervention. Indeed, it is an original conceptualization of atheism, nihilism, secularization, and modernity as well, and will be warmly received by scholars of philosophy and religion, especially, those interested in their intersection. -- Judith Butler, University of California, Berkeley Nietzsche versus Paul is a wonderful, philosophically engaging book, meticulous -- even relentless -- in its argumentation, arresting in its interpretive scope, and dedicated to the surprisingly neglected presence of Christianity in Nietzsche. -- Gil Anidjar, Columbia University A brilliant reconstructive projective which fills a genuine lacuna in recent scholarship in history, philosophy, and theology alike. Nietzsche versus Paul is coherent, well formulated, and of extraordinary importance for all of the larger philosophical and historical discussions which have emerged, surprisingly, to become some of the most pressing 'theory' topics of our time. -- Ward Blanton, University of KentTable of ContentsAcknowledgments List of Abbreviations Introduction 1. From Dionysian Tragedy to Christianity 2. From Judaism to Christianity 3. Jesus-Christ and the Two Worlds of Early Christianity 4. Paul: The First Christian 5. Science and Art After the Death of God 6. Beyond Modern Temporality Notes Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisTable of ContentsContents Sketch of Early Chinese History, with Special Reference to the Huainanzi Introduction 1. Originating in the Way 2. Activating the Genuine 3. Celestial Patterns 4. Terrestrial Forms 5. Seasonal Rules 6. Surveying Obscurities 7. Quintessential Spirit 8. The Basic Warp 9. The Ruler's Techniques 10. Profound Precepts 11. Integrating Customs 12. Responses of the Way 13. Boundless Discourses 14. Sayings Explained 15. An Overview of the Military 16 and 17. A Mountain of Persuasions and A Forest of Persuasions 18. Among Others 19. Cultivating Effort 20. The Exalted Lineage 21. An Overview of the Essentials Glossary of Personal Names Brief Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisFifty new prayers from young and old and from folk around the globe - from Glasgow to Cincinnati, from Malawi to Alaska, including well-known Iona Community writers like John Harvey, Ian M. Fraser, Peter Millar, Yvonne Morland, Chris Polhill, Thom Shuman, Brian Woodcock, the Wild Goose Resource Group and many others - A pocketbook of prayers that might be used in a daily discipline, many on the concerns of the Iona Community - poverty and economic justice, welcome and hospitality, interfaith dialogue, church renewal, peacemaking - A prayer book to use in church worship, and to carry in your coat or handbag out into the world: to connect with the still small voice in the midst of the busyness and babble; to root yourself firmly in the Word. There are prayers here for the renewal of global and local community, and for recharging the battery of your mobile phone: ''Either He is the Lord of everything or He is Lord of nothing,'' wrote George MacLeod, founder of the Iona Community. Also includes a helpful ''scrapbook'' of thoughts on prayer from many sources.

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Book SynopsisKosher Jesus is a project of more than six years research and writing. The book seeks to offer to Jews and Christians the real story of Jesus, a wholly observant, Pharisaic Rabbi who fought Roman paganism and oppression and was killed for it. While many Christians will be confused by its assertion that Jesus never claimed divinity and not only did not abrogate the Torah but observed every letter of the Law, they will find comfort in my tracing most of Jesus principal teachings back to Jewish sources, this before he was stripped of his Jewishness by later writers who sought to portray him as an enemy of his people. This is especially true of Jesus'' most famous oration, the Sermon on the Mount, which is a reformulation of the Torah he studied and to which he was committed. A small sampling: Jesus: (Matt 5:5) Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 37) The meek shall inherit the earth, and delight themselves in the abundance of peace. Jesus: (Matt 5:8) Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see G-d. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 24) Who shall ascend the mount of the Lord the pure-hearted. Jesus: (Matt 5:39) But if anyone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Hebrew Bible: (Lamentations 3:30) Let him offer his cheek to him who smites him Jesus: (Matt 6:33) But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things shall be yours as well. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 37:4) Delight yourself in the Lord, and He shall give you the desires of your heart. Jesus: (Matt 7:7) Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. Hebrew Bible: (Jer 29:13) When you search for me, you will find me; if you seek me with all your heart. Jesus: (Matt 7:23) Then I will declare to them, I never knew you; go away from me, you evildoers. Hebrew Bible: (Psalms 6:9) Depart from me, all you workers of evil... The book is also for Jews who remain deeply uncomfortable with Jesus because of the Church s long history of anti-Semitism, the deification of Jesus, and the Jewish rejection of any Messiah who has not fulfilled the Messianic prophecies. We Jews will forever reject the divinity of any man, the single most emphatic prohibition of our Bible. And we can never accept the Messiahship of any personality, however noble or well-intended, who died without ushering in the age of physical redemption. But as Christians and Jews now come together to love and support the majestic and humane Jewish state, it s time that Christians rediscover the deep Jewishness and religious Jewish commitment of Jesus, while Jews re-examine a lost son who was murdered by a brutal Roman state who sought to impose Roman culture and rule upon a tiny yet stubborn nation who will never be severed from their eternal covenant with the God of Israel.

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Book SynopsisWhy is there suffering, sickness and death? Why is no corner of human life and society immune from egotism, fear, tyranny, betrayal and guilt? What was God thinking when he allowed evil to come into existence?Drawing on the worldview of Rudolf Steiner, the author explains that the roots of evil lie with angelic beings. Schroeder discusses evil's prehistory in heaven and shows how the polarity of two kinds of evil, with good as a balance between them, manifests itself in earthly history, and in the areas of education, work, human relationships, sexuality, religion and technology.With the increased influence of evil in today's world, Schroeder considers how prayer, meditation and angelic guidance through reincarnation give us the possibility to overcome evil in all its forms.Trade Review'This book is most certainly the immensely useful and enlightening creation of a mature and wise anthroposophist. My partner read this book before I did and remarked upon how it was both enormously challenging to read and yet also almost un-put-down-able. It is difficult to imagine a stronger recommendation than this.'-- Richard House, New View'Explains Rudolf Steiner's philosophy of evil and shows how evil can be overcome and transformed -- there is an interesting chapter on evil in fairytale.'-- Scientific & Medical Network Review

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Book SynopsisNorman Wirzba is Professor of Philosophy and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Georgetown College. He is author of The Paradise of God: Renewing Religion in an Ecological Age and editor (with Bruce Ellis Benson) of The Phenomenology of Prayer.Bruce Ellis Benson is Associate Professor and Chair of the Philosophy Department at Wheaton College. He is author of Pious Nietzsche (IUP, 2007). He is editor (with Kevin Vanhoozer and James K. A. Smith) of Hermeneutics at the Crossroads (IUP, 2006).

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Book SynopsisJ. Aaron Simmons is Visiting Assistant Professor of Philosophy at Hendrix College. David Wood is Centennial Professor of Philosophy at Vanderbilt University and Honorary Professor of Philosophy at the University of Warwick. He is author of many books, including Time After Time (IUP, 2007).

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Book SynopsisPatricia Joy Huntington is Professor of Philosophy and Religious Studies at New College of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, Arizona State University. She is author of Ecstatic Subjects, Utopia, and Recognition: Kristeva, Heidegger, and Irigaray and co-editor of Feminist Interpretations of Martin Heidegger.

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Book SynopsisIs Islam fundamentally violent? For influential New Atheists such as Sam Harris, Ayaan Hirsi Ali, and Richard Dawkins, the answer is an emphatic yes, largely because of the Islamic doctrine of jihad. According to this view, when al-Qaeda plotted 9/11 or ISIS planned any one of its recent terrorist attacks, they were acting in accord with Islamic scripture. Jihad, Radicalism, and the New Atheism scrutinizes this claim by comparing the conflicting interpretations of jihad offered by mainstream Muslim scholars, violent Muslim radicals, and New Atheists. Mohammad Hassan Khalil considers contemporary Muslim terrorism to be a grave problem that we must now confront. He shows, however, that the explanations offered for this phenomenon by the New Atheists are highly problematic, and that their own interpretations of the role of violence in Islam exceed those of even radicals such as Osama bin Laden. In showing all of this, Khalil offers critical insights on a most pressing issue.Trade Review'Mohammad Khalil's critique of the 'new atheists' is compelling, rational, and hard-hitting without veering into polemics. The result is a highly lucid, carefully argued and engaging book on a very timely topic that has been begging for such a level-headed, scholarly treatment.' Asma Afsaruddin, Indiana University'… [N]o work has to this point looked at jihadist discourses on war and New Atheist discourses on Islam together as a shared narrative around what it means to be genuinely motivated by religion in modern Islam. Mohammad Khalil's book does just that, and it should be required reading for anyone looking for a way out of the Manicheanism of both jihadism and certain kinds of anti-religious discourse.' Andrew F. March, Law and Social Change Fellow, Islamic Legal Studies Program, Harvard Law School, MassachusettsTable of ContentsPart I. Jihad: 1. War and peace in the foundational texts of Islam; 2. Jihad in Islamic law; Part II. Violent Radicalism: Bin Laden, 9/11, and ISIS: 3. 'So we kill their innocents': Bin Laden and 9/11; 4. 'Our hearts bleed': 9/11 and contemporary Muslim thought; 5. 'We will take revenge': a word on ISIS; Part III. The New Atheism: 6. 'We are at war with Islam': the case of Sam Harris; 7. 'It Is about Islam': the case of Ayaan Hirsi Ali; 8. 'Imagine a world with no religion': a word on Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett.

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Book SynopsisAll religions describe spiritual experience as pleasant, and the goal of the religious pursuit as profoundly joyful. But many religions also condemn sensory pleasures and the desire for objects of pleasure. In this book, Ariel Glucklich resolves this apparent contradiction by showing how religious practices that instill self-control and discipline transform one type of pleasure into the pleasures of mastery and play. Using historical data and psychological analysis, he details how the rituals, mystical practices, moral teachings, and sacred texts of the world''s religions act as psychological instruments that induce well-being. Glucklich also shows that in promoting joy and pleasure, religion also strengthens social bonds and enhances an individual''s pursuit of meaning.Table of ContentsIntroduction: religion, pleasure and evolution; 1. The variety and mystery of religious pleasure; 2. The nature and cultivation of complex pleasure; 3. The discovery of mastery pleasure; 4. Philo's mastery, Plotinus' play and the mystic's joy; 5. Pleasure, play and magical thinking; 6. Church-sect theory and pleasure; 7. Narratives and rituals of pleasure; 8. A scholar's Shabbat in central Virginia; Conclusion.

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Book SynopsisAll religions describe spiritual experience as pleasant, and the goal of the religious pursuit as profoundly joyful. But many religions also condemn sensory pleasures and the desire for objects of pleasure. In this book, Ariel Glucklich resolves this apparent contradiction by showing how religious practices that instill self-control and discipline transform one type of pleasure into the pleasures of mastery and play. Using historical data and psychological analysis, he details how the rituals, mystical practices, moral teachings, and sacred texts of the world''s religions act as psychological instruments that induce well-being. Glucklich also shows that in promoting joy and pleasure, religion also strengthens social bonds and enhances an individual''s pursuit of meaning.Table of ContentsIntroduction: religion, pleasure and evolution; 1. The variety and mystery of religious pleasure; 2. The nature and cultivation of complex pleasure; 3. The discovery of mastery pleasure; 4. Philo's mastery, Plotinus' play and the mystic's joy; 5. Pleasure, play and magical thinking; 6. Church-sect theory and pleasure; 7. Narratives and rituals of pleasure; 8. A scholar's Shabbat in central Virginia; Conclusion.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisFeaturing numerous case studies from various contexts and traditions, The Oxford Handbook of Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding brings together a diverse array of scholars to grapple with the tension between theory and practice, cultural theory, and the legacy of the liberal peace paradigm. This innovative Handbook offers provocative, elastic, and context-specific insights for strategic peacebuilding processes.Trade ReviewThis Handbook in a masterful way introduces the past, present and future issues involved in religion, conflict and peacebuilding * Christoph Stenschke, University of South Africa, Journal of Early Christian History *In expanding the focus to economic, racial, gender, and ethnic justice, the book broadens the concept of violence beyond direct physical violence to the structural and psychological. Included is an interesting discussion of secularism and whether it provides a neutral context for peacemaking or is an exclusivist world view that contributes to violence and Western cultural hegemony. * CHOICE *Table of ContentsPreface Atalia Omer Part One: Mapping the Field 1. Atalia Omer, "Religious Peacebuilding: The Exotic, the Good, and the Theatrical" 2. R. Scott Appleby, "Religious Violence: The Strong, the Weak, and the Pathological" Part Two: The Historical and the Historicist 3. David Little, "Religion, Peace, and the Origins of Nationalism" 4. Scott Hibbard, "Religion, Nationalism, and the Politics of Secularism" 5. Slavica Jakelic, "Secular-Religious Encounters as Peacebuilding" 6. Jason Springs, "Structural and Cultural Violence in Religion and Peacebuilding" Part Three: Contested Issues 7. R. Scott Appleby, "The New Name for Peace? Religion and Development as Partners in Strategic Peacebuilding" 8. Patrick Mason, "Violent and Nonviolent Religious Militancy" 9. Rashied Omar, "Religious Violence and State Violence" 10. John Kelsay, "Peacebuilding and the Comparative Study of Ethics" 11. W. Cole Durham, Jr. and Elizabeth A. Clark, "The Place of Religious Freedom in the Structure of Peacebuilding" 12. Susan Hayward, "Women, Religion, and Peacebuilding" Part Four: Peacebuilding in Practice: Strategies, Resources, Critique 13. Daniel Philpott, "Reconciliation, Politics, and Transitional Justice" 14. Marc Gopin, "Negotiating Secular and Religious Contributions to Social Change and Peacebuilding" 15. Tim Shah, "Secular Militancy as an Obstacle to Peacebuilding" 16. Peter van der Veer, Tam Ngo, and Dan Smyer Yu, "Religion and Peace in Asia" 17. S. Ayse Kadayifci-Orellana, "Peacebuilding in the Muslim World" 18. Eboo Patel and Cassie Meyer, "Youth and Interfaith Conflict Transformation" 19. Peter Ochs, "The Possibilities and Limits of Interreligious Dialogue" 20. Lisa Schirch, "Ritual, Religion, and Peacebuilding" 21. John Paul Lederach, "Spirituality and Religious Peacebuilding" 22. Heather M. DuBois and Janna Hunter-Bowman, "The Intersection of Christian Theology and Peacebuilding" 23. Cecilia Lynch, "Religious Communities and Possibilities for Justpeace" 24. Atalia Omer, "Religion, Nationalism, and Solidarity Activism" Part Five: The Growing Edge of the Conversation 25. Atalia Omer "Religion, Conflict, and Peacebuilding: Synthetic Remarks" Index

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Book SynopsisDuring his 2009 inaugural speech, President Obama described the United States as a nation of Christians and Muslims, Jews and Hindus--and nonbelievers. It was the first time an American president had acknowledged the existence of this rapidly growing segment of the population in such a public forum. And yet the reasons why more and more people are turning away from religion are still poorly understood. In Faith No More, Phil Zuckerman draws on in-depth interviews with people who have left religion to find out what''s really behind the process of losing one''s faith. According to a 2008 study, so many Americans claim no religion (15%, up from 8% in 1990) that this category now outranks every other religious group except Catholics and Baptists. Exploring the deeper stories within such survey data, Zuckerman shows that leaving one''s faith is a highly personal, complex, and drawn-out process. And he finds that, rather than the cliché of the angry, nihilistic atheist, apostates are life-afTrade ReviewEveryone knows, deep down, that there is a conflict between reason and faith-between having good reasons for what one believes and having bad ones. This conflict finds its most poignant expression in the lives of men and women who have lost their belief in God despite their best efforts to maintain it. Faith No More offers a fascinating look at these lives, and at the myriad ways in which thoughtful people can come to their senses." * Sam Harris, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Moral Landscape, Letter to a Christian Nation, and The End of Faith *With Faith No More Philip Zuckerman has given us a fascinating look at how individual contemporary Americans raised in various religions awakened out of a belief in the supernatural. His care in not rounding all these up into any facile overarching theories is itself almost supernatural, and yet in this careful reporting of their stories he manages to offer a great deal of insight. It is a wonderfully informative and provocative study and should be read by everyone interested in the real experience of religion and irreligion." * Jennifer Michael Hecht, author of Doubt: A History *Faith No More helps us understand the diverse routes people take to irreligiosity and the dilemmas they face in a culture that often condemns them. Far from being kneejerk atheists, it turns out that the most secular Americans have actually spent a lot of time wrestling with their faith. Documenting their journeys and placing them in sociological context, this book establishes Phil Zuckerman as one of the most sophisticated analysts of secularity today. * Arlene Stein, Professor of Sociology, Rutgers University *This could-be-dry content proves immensely engaging becuase of Zuckerman's jargin-free exposition and his seamless incorporation of interview material rendered apparently verbatim-verbal tics("like,""you know," etc) and all-in the manner of a good documentart film. * Ray Olson, Booklist *Zuckerman's writing is engaging and straightforward, which makes for enjoyable reading...[Faith No More] is laudable for its rich interview data, readability, and insight into the lived experiences of American apostates. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *This is an absorbing book that puts flesh on the bones of recent identifiable trends in American nonbelief and, in turn, profoundly questions the assumption of a 'spiritual turn' in Western societies. Moreover, it provides distinctive insights into the complexities of belief, nonbelief, doubt and scepticism. * Social Forces *Zuckerman here builds on his previous work which examined 'Society without God,' that is, Nordic countries which rank amongst the least religious places in the world. In this book he combines qualitative interviews and rich descriptions to produce an interesting and well written book. * Catholic Books Review *The interview data are valuable for research on irreligion in America. The book will probably be enjoyed most by readers who, like Zuckerman's subjects, have lost their religion. These readers are likely to feel encouraged that they are not alone, that it takes courage to do what they have done, and that life can be good without religion. * Sociology of Religion *well written and engaging read that sheds light on the stories, emotions, thoughts, experiences and struggles of men and women in the United States who have left faith and religious involvement for a more secular life... * Patrick Mitchel, Evangelical Quarterly *Table of ContentsIntroduction ; Chapter One: Mother was an Exorcist ; Chapter Two: Stopped Making Sense ; Chapter Three: Misfortune ; Chapter Four: To be Mormon, or Not to Be ; Chapter Five: Sex and Secularity ; Chapter Six: Others ; Chapter Seven: Jail, Food Stamps, and Atheism ; Chapter Eight: The Apostate Worldview ; Chapter Nine: All in the Family? ; Chapter Ten: How and Why People Reject Religion ; Conclusion ; Appendix: Research Methods and Sample Characteristics ; Notes ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisIn the last fifteen years a controversial new theory of the origins of biological complexity and the nature of the universe has been fomenting bitter debates in education and science policy across North America, Europe, and Australia. Backed by intellectuals at respectable universities, Intelligent Design Theory (ID) proposes an alternative to accepted accounts of evolutionary theory: that life is so complex, and that the universe is so fine-tuned for the appearance of life, that the only plausible explanation is the existence of an intelligent designer. For many ID theorists, the designer is taken to be the god of Christianity. Niall Shanks has written the first accessible introduction to, and critique of, this controversial new intellectual movement. Shanks locates the growth of ID in the last two decades of the twentieth century in the growing influence of the American religious right. But as he shows, its roots go back beyond Aquinas to Ancient Greece. After looking at the historTrade Review[A] cogent and well-argued alarum...Shanks deftly skewers the scientific pretensions of intelligent design creationists. * Science *

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Trade ReviewThis smart, well-executed set of essays should interest not only tacticians of counterinsurgency warfare but anyone seeking to understand how politicized religion confronts the practical dilemmas of struggling for power. * Jack Snyder, Robert and Renee Belfer Professor of International Relations, Columbia University *Table of ContentsContributors ; 1. Counterinsurgency and the Problem of Sacred Space ; 2. The Golden Temple: A Tale of Two Sieges ; 3. A Mosque, a Shrine, and Two Sieges ; 4. The Battle for the Soul of Pakistan at Islamabad's Red Mosque ; 5. Fighting for the Holy Mosque: The 1979 Mecca Insurgency ; 6. Insurgency and Counter-Insurgency in Iraq's Sacred Spaces ; 7. Iron Fists Without Velvet Gloves: The Krue Se Mosque Incident and Lessons in Counterinsurgency for the Southern Thai Conflict ; 8. Conclusion: Counterinsurgency in Sacred Spaces

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Book SynopsisBuddhism has played a significant role in the current global rise in religious nationalism and violence, but the violent aspects of Buddhist tradition have been neglected in the outpouring of academic analyses and case studies of this disturbing trend. This book offers eight essays examining the dark side of a tradition often regarded as the religion of peace. The authors note the conflict between the Buddhist norms of non-violence and the prohibition of the killing of sentient beings and acts of state violence supported by the Buddhist community (sangha), acts of civil violence in which monks participate, and Buddhist intersectarian violence. They consider contemporary and historical cases of Buddhist warfare from a wide range of traditions - Tibetan, Mongolian, Japanese, Chinese, Sri Lankan, and Thai - critically examining both Buddhist textual sources justifying violence and Buddhist actors currently engaged in violence. They draw not only on archival material but interviews with thTrade ReviewThe book...presents a uniquely Buddhist "heart of darkness" * Katherine Wharton, Times Literary Supplement *Table of Contents1. Buddhism and War ; 2. Making Merit through Warfare ; 3. Sacralized Warfare: The Fifth Dalai Lama and the Discourse of Religious Violence ; 4. Corporal Punishment during Mongolia's Theocratic Period ; 5. A Buddhological Critique of 'Soldier Zen' in Wartime Japan ; 6. Buddhist Monks in China during the Korean War ; 7. Sermons to Soldiers in the Sri Lankan Army ; 8. Militarizing Buddhism: Violence in Southern Thailand ; Concluding Remarks: Afterthoughts

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Book SynopsisStorming Zion offers a compelling explanation for the growing trend of state raids on new and nontraditional religious communities. Stuart Wright and Susan Palmer base their study on a massive data set documenting 116 government raids over the last six decades, primarily in Western countries.Trade ReviewThe book's analysis of expanded government raiding of NRMs in France is a solid addition to ongoing discussions over religious pluralism, laïcité and French church–state relations, and European counter-extremism policy. * Brian Auten, Religious Studies Review *Table of ContentsPreface ; Chapter 1. Government Raids on Religious Communities ; Chapter 2. Countermovement Mobilization and Government Raids ; Chapter 3. The Twelve Tribes ; Chapter 4. The Family International/Children of God\ ; Chapter 5. Branch Davidians ; Chapter 6. The United Nuwaubian Nation ; Chapter 7. The Fundamentalist Latter Day Saints ; Chapter 8. The Church of Scientology ; Chapter 9. Raids in France ; Chapter 10. Exploring the Causes and Consequences of Raids on NRM Communities ; Notes ; References ; Index

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Book SynopsisThe Oxford Handbook of the Study of Religion provides a comprehensive overview of the academic study of religion. Written by an international team of leading scholars, its fifty-one chapters are divided thematically into seven sections. The first section addresses five major conceptual aspects of research on religion. Part two surveys eleven main frameworks of analysis, interpretation, and explanation of religion. Reflecting recent turns in the humanities and social sciences, part three considers eight forms of the expression of religion. Part four provides a discussion of the ways societies and religions, or religious organizations, are shaped by different forms of allocation of resources. Other chapters in this section consider law, the media, nature, medicine, politics, science, sports, and tourism. Part five reviews important developments, distinctions, and arguments for each of the selected topics. The study of religion addresses religion as a historical phenomenon and part six loTable of ContentsList of Figures and Tables List of Contributors Michael Stausberg and Steven Engler: Introduction: Aims, Scope, and Organization Part I. Religion 1: Michael Stausberg & Mark Q. Gardiner: Definition 2: Giovanni Casadio: Historicizing and Translating Religion 3: Michael Stausberg & Steven Engler: Theories of Religion 4: Heinz Streib and Constantin Klein: Religion and Spirituality 5: Lois Lee: Non-religion Part II. Theoretical Approaches 6: Armin W. Geertz: Cognitive Science 7: Peter Seele & Lucas Zapf: Economics 8: John H. Shaver, Benjamin Grant Purzycki, and Richard Sosis: Evolutionary Theory 9: Darlene Juschka: Feminism and Gender Theory 10: Gavin Flood: Hermeneutics 11: Matthew Day: Marxism 12: Arvind Mandair: Postcolonialism 13: Mark Q. Gardiner and Steven Engler: Semantics 14: Robert A. Yelle: Semiotics 15: Paul-François Tremlett: (Post)-structuralism 16: Philip A. Mellor and Chris Shilling: Social Theory Part III. Modes 17: Volkhard Krech: Communication 18: David Morgan: Materiality 19: Jeppe Sinding Jensen: Narrative 20: Axel Michaels and William S. Sax: Performance 21: Rosalind I. J. Hackett: Sound 22: David Chidester: Space 23: David Chidester: Time Part IV. Environments 24: Anne Koch: Economy 25: Benjamin Schonthal: Law 26: Oliver Krüger: Media 27: Adrian Ivakhiv: Nature 28: Pamela Klassen: Medicine 29: Hubert Seiwert: Politics 30: Laura J. Vollmer and Kocku von Stuckrad: Science Carole M. Cusack: Sports Alex Norman: Tourism Part V. Topics 33: Jason C. Bivins: Belief 34: John Corrigan: Emotion 35: Craig Martin: Experience 36: Christoph Auffarth: Gift and Sacrifice 37: Gustavo Benavides: Gods 38: Henrik Bogdan: Initiation and Transitions 39: Manfred Hutter: Priests, Prophets, Sorcerers 40: Hugh B. Urban: Purity 41: Gavin Flood: Salvation Part VI. Processes 42: Steve Bruce: Differentiation 43: Albert de Jong: The Disintegration and Death of Religions 44: Asonzeh Ukah: Expansion 45: Manuel A. Vásquez and David Garbin: Globalization 46: Jörg Rüpke: Individualization and Privatization 47: Olav Hammer: Tradition and Innovation 48: Jeremy Carrette: Objectification and Commodification 49: Paul Christopher Johnson: Syncretism and Hybridization Part VII. The Discipline 50: Michael Stausberg: History 51: Thomas A. Tweed: Relevance

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Book SynopsisSince OUP''s publication in 2000 of Michael Emerson and Christian Smith''s groundbreaking study, Divided by Faith (DBF), research on racialized religion has burgeoned in a variety of disciplines in response to and in conversation with DBF. This conversation has moved outside of sociological circles; historians, theologians, and philosophers have also engaged the central tenets of DBF for the purpose of contextualizing, substantiating, and in some cases, contesting the book''s findings. In a poll published in January 2012, nearly 70% of evangelical churches professed a desire to be racially and culturally diverse. Currently, only around 8% of them have achieved this multiracial status. To an unprecedented degree, evangelical churches in the United States are trying to overcome the deep racial divides that persist in their congregations. Not surprisingly, many of these evangelicals have turned to DBF for solutions. The essays in Christians and the Color Line complicate the research findiTrade ReviewChristians and the Color Line does a fantastic job in advancing the conversation and provoking more critical thought. * Journal for the Scientific Study of Religion *Table of ContentsTable of Contents ; Foreword ; Contributors ; Acknowledgments ; Introduction ; Chapter One ; "Neoevangelicalism and the Problem of Race in America" ; Chapter Two ; "Healing the Mystical Body: Catholic Attempts to Overcome the Racial ; Divide in Chicago, 1930-1960" ; Chapter Three ; "'Glimmers of Hope': Progressive Evangelical Leaders and Racism, ; 1965-2000" ; Chapter Four ; "'Buttcheek to Buttcheek in the Pew': Interracial Relationalism at a ; Mennonite Congregation, 1957-2010" ; Chapter Five ; "Still Divided by Faith? Evangelical Religion and the Problem of Race ; in America, 1977-2010" ; Chapter Six ; "Worshipping to Stay the Same: Avoiding the Local to Maintain Solidarity" ; Chapter Seven ; "Beyond Body Counts: Sex, Individualism, and the Segregated Shape ; of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism" ; Chapter Eight ; "Color-Conscious Structure-Blind Assimilation: How Asian-Americans ; can Unintentionally Maintain the Racial Divide" ; Chapter Nine ; "Knotted Together: Identity and Community in a Multiracial Church" ; Chapter Ten ; "Much Ado About Nothing? Rethinking the Efficacy of Multiracial ; Churches for Racial Reconciliation" ; Theological Afterword ; "The Call to Blackness in American Christianity"

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Book SynopsisIn recent decades, reception history has become an increasingly important and controversial topic of discussion in biblical studies. Rather than attempting to recover the original meaning of biblical texts, reception history focuses on exploring the history of interpretation. In doing so it locates the dominant historical-critical scholarly paradigm within the history of interpretation, rather than over and above it. At the same time, the breadth of material and hermeneutical issues that reception history engages with questions any narrow understanding of the history of the Bible and its effects on faith communities.The challenge that reception history faces is to explore tradition without either reducing its meaning to what faith communities think is important, or merely offering anthologies of interesting historical interpretations. This major new handbook addresses these matters by presenting reception history as an enterprise (not a method) that questions and understands tradition Trade Reviewan important, valuable contribution to its subject * Eric Ziolkowski, Relegere: Studies in Religion and Reception *a rich collection of different and often very valuable materials on the reception history of the Bible. Among the articles some are real treasures * Ulrich Luz, Journal of Theological Studies *This volume is most certainly timely and highly pertinent to recent developments within biblical studies ... a welcome addition * R. I. Kueh, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *Table of ContentsPART ONE; PART TWO; HERMENEUTICAL AND HISTORICAL ISSUES; HEBREW BIBLE; NEW TESTAMENT

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Book SynopsisThe Theology of Jonathan Edwards is the first survey of the religious thought of America''s theologian--Jonathan Edwards--that draws on all of his writings, now available in a 73-volume online Yale critical edition. In 48 chapters, McClymond and McDermott, two of the world''s leading Edwards scholars, treat topics in Edwards''s thought that have rarely been analyzed in depth, and never in coordination with a close analysis of the rest of his theology. Such topics include the implications of his doctrine of the Trinity for the divide between Roman Catholicism and Orthodoxy, his enduring appeal among both conservative and liberal Protestants, his ecclesial and sacramental theologies, his conflicted relationship with the history of Calvinism, the cultural-historical and comparative-religious turn he made toward the end of his career (as the leading colonial thinker on the topic of world religions), the appeals to his ideas in nineteenth- and twentieth-century debates over Methodist, HolinTrade ReviewThis whopping book is without doubt the Big Mac of Jonathan Edwards studies. ... Writing clearly and accessibly, but also authoritatively and yet modestly, they compare their product to the sections of a symphony orchestra, or to a series of viewing stations of both the explored and yet to-be-explored interior of Edwards's writings. * Paul Helm, Journal of Ecclesiastical History *very impressive book on the theology of one of the greatest minds ever given to God's church. Those with an interest in Edwards certainly must get a copy. Ministers or serious-minded Christians would also be well served by having this excellent volume. * William M. Schweitzer, Scottish Bulletin of Evangelical Theology *Table of ContentsPart One: Introduction: Historical, Cultural, and Social Contexts ; Chapter One: Overture to a Symphony ; Chapter Two: Jonathan Edwards: A Theological Life ; Chapter Three: Edwards's Intellectual Context ; Chapter Four: Edwards's Spirituality ; Chapter Five: The Question of Development: Did Edwards Change? ; Part Two: Topics in Edwards's Theology ; Section One: Methods and Strategies ; Chapter Six: Beauty and Aesthetics ; Chapter Seven: Metaphysics ; Chapter Eight: Typology: Scripture, Nature, and All of Reality ; Chapter Nine: Revelation: Scripture, Tradition, and Reason ; Chapter Ten: Apologetics ; Chapter Eleven: Biblical Exegesis ; Chapter Twelve: The Concept of a History of Redemption ; Section Two: The Triune God, the Angels, and Heaven ; Chapter Thirteen: God as Trinity: Father, Son, and Spirit ; Chapter Fourteen: The End of God in Creation ; Chapter Fifteen: Providence and History ; Chapter Sixteen: The Person and Work of Jesus Christ ; Chapter Seventeen: The Role of the Holy Spirit ; Chapter Eighteen: The Angels in the Plan of Salvation ; Chapter Nineteen: Heaven is a World of Love ; Section Three: Theological Anthropology and Divine Grace ; Chapter Twenty: The Affections and the Human Person ; Chapter Twenty-one: Edward's Calvinism and Theology of the Covenants ; Chapter Twenty-two: Free Will and Original Sin ; Chapter Twenty-three: Salvation, Grace, and Faith: An Overview ; Chapter Twenty-four: Conversion: A Divine and Supernatural Light ; Chapter Twenty-five: Justification and Sanctification ; Chapter Twenty-six: The Theme of Divinization ; Chapter Twenty-seven: The Theology of Revivals ; Section Four: Church, Ethics, Eschatology, and Society ; Chapter Twenty-eight: The Church ; Chapter Twenty-nine: Edwards On (and In) the Ministry ; Chapter Thirty: The Sacraments: Baptism and the Lord's Supper ; Chapter Thirty-one: The Voice of the Great God: A Theology of Preaching ; Chapter Thirty-two: Public Theology, Society, and America ; Chapter Thirty-three: True Virtue, Christian Love, and Ethical Theory ; Chapter Thirty-four: Edwards On (and In) Missions ; Chapter Thirty-five: Eschatology ; Chapter Thirty-six: Christianity and Other Religions ; Part Three: Legacies and Affinities: Edwards's Disciples and Interpreters ; Chapter Thirty-seven: Selective Readings: Edwards and the New Divinity ; Chapter Thirty-eight: Mixed Reactions: Princeton and Andover Seminaries, and Nineteenth-Century American Culture ; Chapter Thirty-nine: New Beginnings: The Twentieth Century Recovery of Edwards's Theology ; Chapter Forty: Interpretations, I: Edwards and Modern Philosophy ; Chapter Forty-one: Interpretations, II: Edwards and the Reformed Tradition ; Chapter Forty-two: Interpretations, III: Edwards and the Revival Tradition ; Chapter Forty-three: Interpretations, IV: Edwards and the Catholic and Orthodox Traditions ; Chapter Forty-four: Interpretations, V: Edwards and Contemporary Theology ; Chapter Forty-five: Conclusion: Edwards as a Theological Bridge ; Index

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