Showing titles in Religious Studies

In our increasingly secular world, holy texts are at best seen as irrelevant, and at worst as an excuse to incite violence, hatred and division. So what value, if any, can Scripture hold for us today? And if our world no longer seems compatible with Scripture, is it perhaps because its original purpose has become lost? Today we see the Quran being used by some to justify war and terrorism, the Torah to deny Palestinians the right to live in the Land of Israel, and the Bible to condemn homosexuality and contraception.

From one of the nation's preeminent experts on economic policy, a major reassessment of the foundations of modern economic thinking that explores the profound influence of an until-now unrecognized force—religion. "Friedman has given us an original and brilliant new perspective on the...

This comprehensive, accessible and factual guide to Islam is essential to understanding the world's fastest-growing religion. This essential guide to Islam covers every aspect of the Muslim faith and its history - from the life of the Prophet Muhammad and the teachings of the Koran to Islam in the 21st century. Celebrating the scientific, literary and artistic achievements of the Islamic Golden Age and the ideas of philosophers and theologians across the centuries, it opens a window on the Islamic world.

Nimble and expertly researched, The Devil’s Best Trick brilliantly melds cultural and historical commentary and a suspenseful true-crime narrative. Randall Sullivan, whose reportage and narrative skill has been called “extraordinary” and “enthralling” by Rolling Stone, takes on a bold task in this book that is both biography of the Devil and a look at how evil manifests in the world.

The idea that religion has undergone a radical change since the Christian Reformation—from totalitarian and socially repressive to private and relatively benign—is a familiar part of the story of secularization. It is often invoked to explain and justify the liberal politics and world view of modernity. And it leads to the view that "politicized religions" threaten both reason and liberty. Asad's essays explore and question all these assumptions. 

In the fifth and final installment of his best-selling Jesus series, David Limbaugh digs into the New Testament epistles with passion and imagination, showing that the testimony of Jesus’ earliest followers provides irrefutable proof of his resurrection.

Now a major new series on Disney+ starring Andrew Garfield A provocative look at the twisted roots of American fundamentalism.' Will Self, Evening Standard Books of the Year ‘Excellent . . . a lucid, judicious, even sympathetic account not just of Mormon Fundamentalism but of the seductive...

For most of human history nature was held to be sacred and our God or gods were believed to be present everywhere in nature. When people in the West began to separate God and nature in the 17th century, it was not just a profound breach with thousands of years of accumulated wisdom and experience: it was also the root of how we have come to plunder the natural world and to promote our individual selves in unhealthy and destructive ways. Karen Armstrong argues that if we want to avert the looming environmental catastrophe, it is not enough to change our behaviour.

A compelling examination of the rise of Islam as a global historical actor Until the nineteenth century, Islam was variously understood as a set of beliefs and practices. But after Muslims began to see their faith as an historical actor on the world stage, they needed to narrate Islam's birth...

In this galloping collection of twenty pointed essays, G. K. Chesterton (1874-1936) nimbly punctures the philosophical pretensions of modern non-Christian thinkers and artists—heretics, as he calls them. Chesterton good-naturedly takes on contemporaries Rudyard Kipling, H. G. Wells, James McNeill Whistler, and even his good friend George Bernard Shaw, exposing the muddled logic of their popular ideas with his characteristic wisdom and razor-sharp wit. He also begins to lay the groundwork for Orthodoxy, his subsequent account of a rational and coherent Christian faith.

Lulled to insincerity by religion and the emptiness of routine, this letter reminds listeners of the life and power that should accompany following Christ. Instead of trying not to sin, building walls of good habits, or going through the motions of a “good” life, Scougal ignites a fire of truly seeking communion with our Father and humbling ourselves to His will. In order to walk in His way, we must love as He loves us and let His fruit mold us into His image.

The Middle East keeps erupting, and with a war currently happening in Iran, for many Christians, it raises a nagging question: Is any of this connected to what the Bible predicted long ago? In The Persian Storm, biblical prophecy expert Dr. Mark Hitchcock shows you exactly why Iran will continue...

The Great Physician has provided all believers with the ultimate prescription for excellent health.

Through this alternate rendering of the words of Jesus, The Gospel Crux explores how we can find the peace of God that surpasses all understanding in our lives; the truth that will set your “I” free.

Why did Jews become devoted Democrats, and why did the Democrats turn on them? For the past 100 years, Jews have famously been at the forefront of every liberal cause in America. They were overrepresented in the Civil Rights Movement, in the Labor movement, the pro-choice movement, and the LGBT...

Those seeking to lead a spiritual life inevitably face challenges in their pursuit of spirituality and practice. As spiritual development progresses, facing one’s faults, failures, and unintentional mistakes become disconcerting - even for the most sincere seeker. One may then ask, "What are the benefits of the different types of religion? From the many religions of the world, which practices will accelerate my spiritual growth? In actuality, how to live exactly?"

The Dīghanikāya or Long Discourses of the Buddha is one of the four major collections of teachings from the early period of Buddhism. Its 34 suttas (in Sanskrit, sutras) demonstrate remarkable breadth in both content and style, forming a comprehensive collection. The Art of Listening gives an introduction to the Dīghanikāya and demonstrates the historical, cultural, and spiritual insights that emerge when we view the Buddhist suttas as oral literature.

Reasonable, concise, witty, and wise, Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli have written an informative and valuable guidebook for anyone looking for answers to questions of faith and reason. Topics include: faith and reason, the existence of God, God's nature, how we know God, creation and evolution, providence and free will, miracles, and more.

Suppose a group of superintelligent aliens came to earth. Or suppose that humans developed some advanced A.I. that’s far beyond our mental and physical abilities. If we could somehow communicate with these beings, what might we say to them? We might be too scared to say anything. We might just run and hide. But if we could manage our fear enough to say something, we can imagine some possible scenarios.

Luther’s 95 Theses, written in Latin, were famously posted by Martin Luther on the door of the Castle Church, Wittenberg, on October 31, 1517, an event that came to be considered as the beginning of the Protestant Reformation. The Theses focus on three main issues: selling forgiveness through indulgences, the pope’s claimed power of forgiveness, and the damage indulgences caused to sinners. The first thesis states, "When our Lord and Master Jesus Christ said, "Repent," he willed the entire life of believers to be one of repentance."