books tagged “theology”

In The Experience of Nothingness, Michael Novak has two objectives. First, he shows the paths by which the experience of nothingness is becoming common among all those who live in free societies. Second, he details the various experiences that lead to the nothingness point of view. Most discussions of these matters have been so implicated in the European experience that the term "nihilism" has a European ring. Novak, however, articulates this experience of formlessness in an American context.

In his new introduction, the author lists four requirements that must be met by an individual in order for the experience of nothingness to emerge: a commitment to honesty, a commitment to courage, recognition of how widespread the experience of nothingness is, and a virtue of will. Novak writes that these principles are what guide self-described philosophical nihilists. But many people simply borrow the nihilistic conclusions without observing the moral commitments to them. For this reason Novak believes that nihilism is fraudulent as a theory intended to explain the experience of nothingness. Nihilism in practice, he maintains, often results in a form of intolerance. The Experience of Nothingness is a work that will cause many scholars to rethink their beliefs. It should be read by philosophers, theologians, sociologists, political theorists, and cultural historians.

Updated with an edgy, new design, this inspiring devotional from John MacArthur will help children through their growth spurts of faith. After children have come to accept Christ, a whole new series of questions can flood their hearts and minds. What should I do when I don't understand God? Is there a special way to pray? What if I tell someone about Jesus and nothing happens? As he did in I Believe in Jesus, MacArthur takes these and many more complex questions and presents them in a simple style that young minds can easily understand. He reinforces that understanding with Prayer Starters and daily prompts that help kids to apply their newfound wisdom to their lives each day. A helpful guide for young believers, A Faith to Grow On presents foundational doctrines of the Christian faith in short devotional readings for daily growth.

Part melodrama and part parable, Mitch Albom's The Five People You Meet in Heaven weaves together three stories, all told about the same man: 83-year-old Eddie, the head maintenance person at Ruby Point Amusement Park. As the novel opens, readers are told that Eddie, unsuspecting, is only minutes away from death as he goes about his typical business at the park. Albom then traces Eddie's world through his tragic final moments, his funeral, and the ensuing days as friends clean out his apartment and adjust to life without him. In alternating sections, Albom flashes back to Eddie's birthdays, telling his life story as a kind of progress report over candles and cake each year. And in the third and last thread of the novel, Albom follows Eddie into heaven where the maintenance man sequentially encounters five pivotal figures from his life (a la A Christmas Carol). Each person has been waiting for him in heaven, and, as Albom reveals, each life (and death) was woven into Eddie's own in ways he never suspected. Each soul has a story to tell, a secret to reveal, and a lesson to share. Through them Eddie understands the meaning of his own life even as his arrival brings closure to theirs.

Albom takes a big risk with the novel; such a story can easily veer into the saccharine and preachy, and this one does in moments. But, for the most part, Albom's telling remains poignant and is occasionally profound. Even with its flaws, The Five People You Meet in Heaven is a small, pure, and simple book that will find good company on a shelf next to It's A Wonderful Life. --Patrick O'Kelley [via]

Under the Roman emperors, commonly called the Era of the Martyrs, was occasioned partly by the increasing number and luxury of the Christians, and the hatred of Galerius, the adopted son of Diocletian, who, being stimulated by his mother, a bigoted pagan, never ceased persuading the emperor to enter upon the persecution, until he had accomplished his purpose. [via]

For centuries Christians have been brought up on the works of John Foxe, which, outside of the Bible itself, have been among the most widely read documents in history. Foxe's Martyrs has inspired millions to live lives of commitment in the face of persecution. [via]

When Catechism of the Catholic Church broke onto the N.Y. Times bestseller list, its astonishing success confirmed the overwhelming interest of Catholics and Protestants in understanding modern Catholicism. Has the recent openness among denominations affected Catholic teachings? In the new spirit of cooperation, is there any reason why Catholics and Protestants should remain divided?

This powerful and insightful examination of the Catholic Church provides:

• a side-by-side comparison of Scripture with the first new worldwide Catholic catechism in 400 years
• a summary of how modern Catholicism views grace, works, and heaven
• 24 ways the Catholic plan of salvation still stands in contrast to biblical truth
• a balanced overview of how the authority structure of the Roman Catholic Church compares with that of the New Testament church
• an explanation of how participation in the Mass and other sacraments is inconsistent with faith in Christ as Savior

Clear, accurate, significant information to know and share--The Gospel According to Rome

The Insight Meditation twelve-month correspondence course is an unparalleled home immersion in vipassana meditation and philosophy, presented by the cofounders of the Insight Meditation Society, Sharon Salzberg and Joseph Goldstein. Cultivate the sacred environment of a retreat in your own home, with the help of a personal instructor. Includes twelve sequential lessons, an 88-page workbook with interactive exercises, and more. [via]

In affirming my belief in Christs teaching, I could not help explaining why I do not believe, and consider as mistaken, the Churchs doctrine, which is usually called Christianity. [via]

Tolstoy's 1893 book, subtitled "Christianity Not as a Mystical Teaching but as a New Concept of Life," introduced such vital concepts as non-violent resistance to 20th Century figures as Mahatma Gandhi and Martin Luther King. Although Tolstoy is best known as one of the great Russian novelists, his place as a social reformer and peace advocate cannot be underestimated. [via]

Back cover text:
Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, and its sequel Through the Looking Glass, tell the fantastic story of the dream-like adventures of a young girl.

With unabridged text. [via]

Moscow, 1929: a city that has lost its way amid corruption and fear, inhabited by people who have abandoned their morals and forsaken spirituality. But when a mysterious stranger arrives in town with a bizarre entourage that includes a giant talking cat and a fanged assassin, all hell breaks loose. Among those caught up in the strange and inexplicable events that transpire in the capital are the Master, a writer whose life has been destroyed by Soviet repression, and his beloved Margarita. Their adventures reveal a story that began two thousand years ago in ancient Jerusalem - and its resolution will decide their fate. Translated by Michael Karpelson. [via]

Oswald Chambers, a Scotsman who converted to Christianity in his teens under the ministry of Charles Spurgeon, has been affecting Christians with his devotional words since My Utmost for His Highest was first published in 1935. This acknowledged classic contains 365 daily readings that take heady doctrine and make it practical, realistic, and intensely personal. With humor and humility, Chambers speaks plainly to the common man struggling with devotion to Christ in daily living. Worldly cares and self-serving desires begin to lose their appeal as Chambers aides the reader in transforming his mind by viewing life through the instruction of God's Word. Richard Halverson, former chaplain of the United States Senate, attests to this: "no book except the Bible has influenced my walk with Christ at such deep maturing levels." This is Chambers's chief desire, directing the reader to "shut out every other consideration and keep yourself before God for this one thing only--My Utmost for His Highest... determined to be absolutely and entirely for Him and for Him alone." --Jill Heatherly [via]

Though it is the fastest growing religion in the world, Islam remains shrouded by ignorance and fear. What is the essence of this ancient faith? Is it a religion of peace or war? How does Allah differ from the God of Jews and Christians? Can an Islamic state be founded on democratic values such as pluralism and human rights? A writer and scholar of comparative religions, Reza Aslan has earned international acclaim for the passion and clarity he has brought to these questions. In No god but God, challenging the clash of civilizations mentality that has distorted our view of Islam, Aslan explains this critical faith in all its complexity, beauty, and compassion.

Contrary to popular perception in the West, Islam is a religion firmly rooted in the prophetic traditions of the Jewish and Christian scriptures. Aslan begins with a vivid account of the social and religious milieu in which the Prophet Muhammad lilved. The revelations that Muhammad received in Mecca and Medina, which were recorded in the Quran, became the foundation for a radically more egalitarian community, the likes of which had never been seen before.

Soon after his death, the Prophets successors set about the overwhelming task of defining and interpreting Muhammads message for future generations. Their efforts led to the development of a comprehensive code of conduct that was expected to regulate every aspect of the believers life. But this attempt only widened the chasm between orthodox Islam and its two major sects, Shiism and Sufism, both of which Aslan discusses in rich detail.

Finally, No god but God examines how, in the shadow of European colonialism, Muslims developed conflicting strategies to reconcile traditional Islamic values with the social and political realities of the modern world. With the emergence of the Islamic state in the twentieth century, this contest over the future of Islam has become a passionate, sometimes violent battle between those who seek to enforce a rigid and archaic legal code and those who struggle to harmonize the teachings of the Prophet with contemporary ideals of democracy and human rights. According to Reza Aslan, we are now living in the era of the Islamic Reformation. No god but God is a persuasive and elegantly written account of the roots of this reformation and the future of Islamic faith. [via]

The heart of the Christian faith rests upon the confession "Jesus is Lord," yet faithful Christians sometimes overlook the fact that the Lordship of Jesus is firmly rooted in the promises and prophecies of the Old Testament. Moreover, knowing Jesus more fully entails knowing the story of God's salvation that was planned before the foundation of the world. Modern readers tend to forget that the declaration before Abraham was I am underscores the continuity between the promise to Abraham and its fulfillment in Christ. Acquiring a basic understanding of the relationship between the Old and New Testaments with respect to salvation s drama will enrich every reader s faith and appreciation for the Scriptures. [via]

Encouraging, insightful, and challenging, Pastoral Ministry is designed for a new generation of shepherds who seek to lead with the passion of the apostles. Written by MacArthur and his colleagues at The Master's Seminary, this guide outlines the biblical priorities essential to effective ministry.

Other contributors include: Richard L. Mayhue, James F. Stitzinger, Alex D. Montoya, James M. George, Irvin A. Busenitz, James E. Rosscup, Donard G. McDougall, Robert L. Thomas, David C. Deuel, George J. Zemek, and S. Lance Quinn.

An introduction to the developments in philosophy of language in this century, and to the way these developments have impinged upon religious language, particularly Christian discourse. It focuses on exposition of the different approaches, with attention upon central thinkers and texts. [via]

This book is a facsimile reprint and may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. [via]

Protestants & Catholics have battled for centuries over how a sinful man is forgiven by a holy & righteous God. Recently some of evangelical Chritianity's most highly respected leaders have linked hands with Catholics in an unprecedented accord by signing an agreement entitled "Evangelical & Catholics Together"...
Have doctrinal differences been eliminated?
What was decided about justification by faith - the one issue upon which Martin Luther said the church stands or falls?
Which side changed its views?
The authors delve into the hisory of the Catholic church & discuss the sacraments, penance, confession, the rosary, indulgences & Purgatory. [via]

A Challenge to Make Faith Real

As a young politician, William Wilberforce set out to do two things: rouse professing Christians to understand the nature of true faith, and bring about the end of slavery in England's colonies. Real Christianity challenged the ruling classes of early nineteenth-century England more than any other work. Even today Real Christianity is a tool to soundly teach the tenets of evangelical faith and stir the conscience of all Christians.

THE CLASSICS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION meet the growing hunger of many Christians for a deeper understanding and application of faith. The series presents easy-to-read translations and paraphrases of some of the greatest Christian works of all time.

Each book includes a helpful study guide for individual or group use.

DR. JAMES HOUSTON, editor of the CLASSICS OF FAITH AND DEVOTION, is a highly acclaimed scholar and pioneer in the field of evangelical spirituality. He came to North America from England in 1968 to lead Regent College in Vancouver, Canada, a worldwide center of spiritual formation.

Behind the academic and innocently descriptive title of this book is to be found one of the most explosive works of biblical scholarship to be published this century. Certainly many of those who read it on its firs appearance were never the same again, and it signalled the end of what had hitherto been a flourishing literature on 'biblical theology'. 'In recent years,' Professor Bar wrote in his Preface, have come to believe that one of the greatest dangers to sound and adequate interpretation of the Bible comes from the prevailing use of procedu, which, while claiming to rest upon a knowledge of the Israelite and Greek ways of thinking, constantly mishandle and distort the linguistic evidence of the Hebrew and Greek languages as they are used in the Bible. The increasing sense of dependence upon the Bib h. the mode:a church only makes this danger more serious. The fact that these procedures have never to my knowledge been collected, analysed and criticized in detail was the chief stimulus to my undertaking of this task myself.' His conclusions were devastating and drew down on him a good deal of often hurt criticism: however, twenty years later, they still stand and the passage of time has made them more widely accepted Certainly this book, issued for the first time in a paperback edition, ' essential reading for any student of the Bible, if he is to learn from the mistakes of others. [via]

Although The Silmarillion takes place in the same imaginary world as J.J.R Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, and was originally published four years after the author's death and over two decades after the former book, it is set much earlier, in the First Age of the World. The tales and the book which reads as a fusion between a story collection and historical chronicle, are a matter of legend even to the characters of The Lord of the Rings:

In the beginning Eru, the One, who in the Elvish tongue is named Ilúvatar, made the Ainur of his thought; and they made a great Music before him

Many of the earliest books, particularly those dating back to the 1900s and before, are now extremely scarce and increasingly expensive. We are republishing these classic works in affordable, high quality, modern editions, using the original text and artwork. [via]

Often spirituality today is isolated from church teaching and doctrine, as in Joseph Campbells treatment of myth and the many forms of New Age theologies, but doctrine apart from the life of prayer is abstract and sterile. In Spiritual Theology Allen turns to the great teachers of the pastthe church fathers, Augustine, Maximus the Confessor, Bonaventure, Hugh of St. Victor, Calvin and Luther, George Herbertto recover a spirituality that is rich with the doctrines and disciplines of theology.

Allen covers the great questions of the spiritual life: what is the Christian goal? what leads us toward that goal, and what hinders us? what is conversion? how can we discern our progress in the spiritual life? what are the fruits of the Spirit?

A second purpose of the book is to introduce readers to the disciplines and texts of the threefold way, found in the eastern church from the fourth century on. Allen writes simply and clearly of the active life and the development of virtue, and the contemplative life, which includes coming to know God through the Book of Nature and the Book of Scripture as well as directly, face to face, which is the domain of mystical theology.

This book is a basic and accessible introduction to the classic writings and doctrines of the spiritual life. [via]

A modern Christian classic that leads through a spiritual journey. [via]

See "Offer" For Product Description. [via]

Kenneth Leech brings a passion for Christian solidarity and social justice and a spiritual director's pastoral awareness to these reflections on the crucifixion and death of Jesus. Each chapter focuses on a different aspect of the cross: what the cross tells us about the sharing of suffering, and what it can teach us about politics, nonviolence, and the power of evil. Ideal for personal meditation and group study. [via]

The publication of The Woman's Bible in 1895 and 1898 represented the feminist pioneer's last strike at the roots of the ideology behind her gender's subordinate role in society. In keeping with her characteristic radical individualism, Stanton attacks religious orthodoxy on a political rather than scholarly basis. This clarion call to action consists of a book-by-book examination of the Bible, placing events in their historical context, interpreting passages as both allegory and fact, and comparing them with the myths of other cultures. It endures as an extraordinary document because of the questions it addresses, the topics it covers, and its still-resonant sincerity. Unabridged republication of the classic two-volume edition of 1895 and 1898. [via]