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The Book of Isaiah and God's Kingdom: A Thematic-Theological Approach (New Studies in Biblical Theology #Volume 40)
by Andrew AbernethyThe book of Isaiah has nourished the church throughout the centuries. However, its massive size can be intimidating; its historical setting can seem distant, opaque, varied; its organization and composition can seem disjointed and fragmented; its abundance of terse, poetic language can make its message seem veiled—and where are those explicit prophecies about Christ? These are typical experiences for many who try to read, let alone teach or preach, through Isaiah. Andrew Abernethy's conviction is that thematic points of reference can be of great help in encountering Isaiah and its rich theological message. In view of what the structure of the book of Isaiah aims to emphasize, this New Studies in Biblical Theology volume employs the concept of "kingdom" as an entry point for organizing the book's major themes. In many respects, Isaiah provides a people living amidst imperial contexts with a theological interpretation of them in the light of YHWH's past, present and future sovereign reign. Four features of "kingdom" frame Abernethy's study: God, the King; the lead agents of the King; the realm of the kingdom and the people of the King. While his primary aim is to show how "kingdom" is fundamental to Isaiah when understood within its Old Testament context, interspersed canonical reflections assist those who are wrestling with how to read Isaiah as Christian Scripture in and for the church. Addressing key issues in biblical theology, the works comprising New Studies in Biblical Theology are creative attempts to help Christians better understand their Bibles. The NSBT series is edited by D. A. Carson, aiming to simultaneously instruct and to edify, to interact with current scholarship and to point the way ahead.
The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World
by Dalai Lama Desmond Tutu Douglas Carlton Abrams<P>Two great spiritual masters share their own hard-won wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity. <P>The occasion was a big birthday. And it inspired two close friends to get together in Dharamsala for a talk about something very important to them. The friends were His Holiness the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The subject was joy. Both winners of the Nobel Prize, both great spiritual masters and moral leaders of our time, they are also known for being among the most infectiously happy people on the planet. <P>From the beginning the book was envisioned as a three-layer birthday cake: their own stories and teachings about joy, the most recent findings in the science of deep happiness, and the daily practices that anchor their own emotional and spiritual lives. Both the Dalai Lama and Archbishop Tutu have been tested by great personal and national adversity, and here they share their personal stories of struggle and renewal. Now that they are both in their eighties, they especially want to spread the core message that to have joy yourself, you must bring joy to others. <P>Most of all, during that landmark week in Dharamsala, they demonstrated by their own exuberance, compassion, and humor how joy can be transformed from a fleeting emotion into an enduring way of life. <P><b>A New York Times Bestseller</b>
The Book of Mysteries
by Jonathan CahnBack Cover: “Enter a lite-changing, journey... to uncover the MYSTERIES OF GOD, the SECRETS OF THE AGES, and the HIDDEN KEYS to open the doors of a life of joy, blessing, and the fulfillment of YOUR DESTINY. “As you open up The Book of Mysteries, you will be transported on a journey through a desert to encounter a man known only as "the teacher," who will take you on an odyssey to mountaintops, caverns, encampments of tent dwellers, and oil-lit chambers of scrolls, ancient books, and mysterious vessels. “Each day a new mystery will be revealed, including: The Mystery of the Eighth Day, The “Maccabean Blueprint, The Chiasma, The Seven Mysteries of the Age, and much more... even the mystery of your life! “Partake in the voyage and unlock the treasure chest to uncover the mysteries of the ages. And with 365 mysteries, one for each day of the journey--and of the year, The Book of Mysteries is also a daily devotional unlike any other--with things never before revealed, the most important keys of spiritual truth, end-time revelation, and the secrets of overcoming... “It can even change your life!”
The Book of Revelation Through a Woman’s Eyes: A Commentary That Reads More Like A Novel
by Bari BairA Commentary That Reads More Like A Novel
The Book of Separation: A Memoir
by Tova MirvisThe memoir of a woman who leaves her faith and her marriage and sets out to navigate the terrifying, liberating terrain of a newly mapless world Born and raised in a tight-knit Orthodox Jewish family, Tova Mirvis committed herself to observing the rules and rituals prescribed by this way of life. After all, to observe was to be accepted and to be accepted was to be loved. She married a man from within the fold and quickly began a family. But over the years, her doubts became noisier than her faith, and at age forty she could no longer breathe in what had become a suffocating existence. Even though it would mean the loss of her friends, her community, and possibly even her family, Tova decides to leave her husband and her faith. After years of trying to silence the voice inside her that said she did not agree, did not fit in, did not believe, she strikes out on her own to discover what she does believe and who she really is. This will mean forging a new way of life not just for herself, but for her children, who are struggling with what the divorce and her new status as &“not Orthodox&” mean for them. This is a memoir about what it means to decide to heed your inner compass at long last. To free the part of yourself that has been suppressed, even if it means walking away from the only life you&’ve ever known. Honest and courageous, Tova takes us through her first year outside her marriage and community as she learns to silence her fears and seek adventure on her own path to happiness.
The Book of the People: How to Read the Bible
by A.N. WilsonFrom renowned historian, biographer and novelist, A.N. Wilson, a deep personal, literary, and historical exploration of the Bible. In The Book of the People, A. N. Wilson explores how readers and thinkers have approached the Bible, and how it might be read today. Charting his own relationship with the Bible over a lifetime of writing, Wilson argues that it remains relevant even in a largely secular society, as a philosophical work, a work of literature, and a cultural touchstone that the western world has answered to for nearly two thousand years: Martin Luther King was "reading the Bible" when he started the Civil Rights movement, and when Michelangelo painted the fresco cycles in the Sistine Chapel, he was "reading the Bible." Wilson challenges the way fundamentalists—whether believers or non-believers—have misused the Bible, either by neglecting and failing to recognize its cultural significance, or by using it as a weapon against those with whom they disagree. Erudite, witty and accessible, The Book of the People seeks to reclaim the Good Book as our seminal work of literature, and a book for the imagination.
A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep: Selected Writings (Translations from the Asian Classics)
by Zhi LiLi Zhi's iconoclastic interpretations of history, religion, literature, and social relations have fascinated Chinese intellectuals for centuries. His approach synthesized Confucian, Buddhist, and Daoist ethics and incorporated the Neo-Confucian idealism of such thinkers as Wang Yangming (1472–1529). The result was a series of heretical writings that caught fire among Li Zhi's contemporaries, despite an imperial ban on their publication, and intrigued Chinese audiences long after his death. Translated for the first time into English, Li Zhi's bold challenge to established doctrines will captivate anyone curious about the origins of such subtly transgressive works as the sixteenth-century play The Peony Pavilion or the eighteenth-century novel Dream of the Red Chamber. In A Book to Burn and a Book to Keep (Hidden), Li Zhi confronts accepted ideas about gender, questions the true identity of history's heroes and villains, and offers his own readings of Confucius, Laozi, and the Buddha. Fond of vivid sentiment and sharp expression, Li Zhi made no distinction between high and low literary genres in his literary analysis. He refused to support sanctioned ideas about morality and wrote stinging social critiques. Li Zhi praised scholars who risked everything to expose extortion and misrule. In this sophisticated translation, English-speaking readers encounter the best of this heterodox intellectual's vital contribution to Chinese thought and culture.
Borrowed Voices: Writing and Racial Ventriloquism in the Jewish American Imagination
by Jennifer GlaserIn the decades following World War II, many American Jews sought to downplay their difference, as a means of assimilating into Middle America. Yet a significant minority, including many prominent Jewish writers and intellectuals, clung to their ethnic difference, using it to register dissent with the status quo and act as spokespeople for non-white America. In this provocative book, Jennifer Glaser examines how racial ventriloquism became a hallmark of Jewish-American fiction, as Jewish writers asserted that their own ethnicity enabled them to speak for other minorities. Rather than simply condemning this racial ventriloquism as a form of cultural appropriation or commending it as an act of empathic imagination, Borrowed Voices offers a nuanced analysis of the technique, judiciously assessing both its limitations and its potential benefits. Glaser considers how the practice of racial ventriloquism has changed over time, examining the books of many well-known writers, including Bernard Malamud, Cynthia Ozick, Philip Roth, Michael Chabon, Saul Bellow, and many others. Bringing Jewish studies into conversation with critical race theory, Glaser also opens up a dialogue between Jewish-American literature and other forms of media, including films, magazines, and graphic novels. Moreover, she demonstrates how Jewish-American fiction can help us understand the larger anxieties about ethnic identity, authenticity, and authorial voice that emerged in the wake of the civil rights movement.
Boundaries, Identity and belonging in Modern Judaism (Routledge Jewish Studies Series)
by Larry Ray Maria DiemlingThe drawing of boundaries has always been a key part of the Jewish tradition and has served to maintain a distinctive Jewish identity. At the same time, these boundaries have consistently been subject to negotiation, transgression and contestation. The increasing fragmentation of Judaism into competing claims to membership, from Orthodox adherence to secular identities, has brought striking new dimensions to this complex interplay of boundaries and modes of identity and belonging in contemporary Judaism. Boundaries, Identity and Belonging in Modern Judaism addresses these new dimensions, bringing together experts in the field to explore the various and fluid modes of expressing and defining Jewish identity in the modern world. Its interdisciplinary scholarship opens new perspectives on the prominent questions challenging scholars in Jewish Studies. Beyond simply being born Jewish, observance of Judaism has become a lifestyle choice and active assertion. Addressing the demographic changes brought by population mobility and 'marrying out,' as well as the complex relationships between Israel and the Diaspora, this book reveals how these shifting boundaries play out in a global context, where Orthodoxy meets innovative ways of defining and acquiring Jewish identity. This book is essential reading for students and scholars of Jewish Studies, as well as general Religious Studies and those interested in the sociology of belonging and identities.
Boundaries of Loyalty
by Berman Saul J.Talmudic legislation prescribed penalty for a Jew to testify in a non-Jewish court, against a fellow Jew, to benefit a gentile - for breach of a duty of loyalty to a fellow Jew. Through close textual analysis, Saul Berman explores how Jewish jurists responded when this virtue of loyalty conflicted with values such as Justice, avoidance of desecration of God's Name, deterrence of crime, defence of self, protection of Jewish community, and the duty to adhere to Law of the Land. Essential for scholars and graduate students in Talmud, Jewish law and comparative law, this key volume details the nature of these loyalties as values within the Jewish legal system, and how the resolution of these conflicts was handled. Berman additionally explores why this issue has intensified in contemporary times and how the related area of 'Mesirah' has wrongfully come to be prominently associated with this law regulating testimony.
The Bounty Hunter's Redemption
by Janet DeanSTAKING HIS CLAIM Recently widowed Carly Richards is shocked when a bounty hunter declares her seamstress shop belongs to his sister. But Nate Sergeant has proof-the deed her lawless husband gambled away without her knowledge. Now Carly must fight for her home and her son's future. And until a judge arrives to settle ownership, she's not budging...despite Nate's surprisingly kind demeanor-and dashing good looks. Nate's faced the meanest outlaws in the land-but this petite, strong-willed seamstress may be his greatest challenge. He owes his sister his life, so he's determined she'll have the property that's legally hers. But as Nate and Carly battle for ownership, Nate realizes there's something he's overlooked-the hope of building a family with Carly and her adorable son.
Brahmacharya: Celibacy Attained With Understanding
by Dada BhagwanIn the book “Brahmacharya: Celibacy With Right Understanding”, Gnani Purush (embodiment of Self knowledge) Dada Bhagwan offers unique insight into the definition of celibacy and the benefits of brahmacharya.He clarifies common misunderstandings about celibacy, answering questions such as: “How do you define celibacy?”, “What are the spiritual reasons for abstinence from sex, and what are the benefits of abstinence?”, “Does spiritual power increase from brahmacharya, and how is celibacy related to spirituality and practice?”, “Must one take a vow of celibacy to practice brahmacharya?” This book offers a clear road map to celibacy meaning and celibacy benefits, and is an invaluable resource for those wanting to learn how to become more spiritual through the practice of brahmacharya.
Brahmacharya (Sanxipt): બ્રહ્મચર્ય (સંક્ષિપ્ત)
by Dada Bhagwanતમને ચોરી કરવી ગમે? તમને જુઠું બોલવું ગમે? તમને કોઈને મારી નાખવાનું (હિંસા) ગમે? તો પછી વિષયમાં એવું શું છે કે તે પોતાને ગમે છે? તે ફક્ત રોંગ બિલીફના કારણે છે. બીજાઓએ કહ્યું તેથી તમે પણ માનો છો કે વિષયમાં પરમ સુખ છે. પણ તે સત્ય નથી. સ્વાભાવિક રીતે વિચારો, શું તમારી બીજી ઇન્દ્રિયોને તે ગમે છે? શું આંખોને તે ગમે છે? શું કાનો સાંભળે છે ત્યારે તેમને તે ગમે છે? શું જીભ ચાટે તો તે મીઠું લાગે છે? નાકને તે ખરેખર ગમતું હશે, નહિ? કોઈ પણ ઇન્દ્રિયને તે ગમતું નથી. દરેક માણસે વિષયનું પરીણામ શું છે અને બ્રહ્મચર્ય પાળવાના શા ફાયદા છે તે ઓળખવા જોઈએ. પોતાના કાયદેસરના સાથીદાર સાથે પણ ફક્ત એક વખત વિષય ભોગવવાથી, લાખો જીવોની હિંસા થાય છે; અને પોતાના લગ્નના સાથીદાર સિવાય બીજા કોઈ સાથેનો વિષય નરકમાં જવાનું કારણ છે. દરેક જણ સહમત થાય છે કે બ્રહ્મચર્ય પાળવું જોઈએ. પરંતુ તે પાળવું કેમ? કોઈએ કદી તેનો રસ્તો બતાવ્યો નથી. આ પુસ્તકમાં તમે જોશો કે બ્રહ્મચર્ય પાળવાના સચોટ અને સ્પષ્ટ રસ્તા બતાવ્યા છે. વર્તમાન અને ભવિષ્યના વિષયના ભયંકર જોખમ વાંચીને લોકોને ધક્કો લાગશે અને તેઓ કહેશે “અમને આની જાણ જ ન હતી.”
Brave Girls: Beautiful You (Brave Girls)
by Thomas NelsonSometimes it's tough being a girl! Whether you are outgoing or shy, a tomboy or a girly girl, silly or serious, it can be really hard to feel comfortable with yourself. This devotional is filled with stories and thoughts about how God created us to be healthy, strong, and confident--both with our bodies and our minds--because we are daughters of the great heavenly Father. The goal of Brave Girls® is to encourage you to appreciate yourself as God made you and to help you grow strong in your relationship with Him. Beautiful You will help you really see yourself as brave and beautiful inside and out . . . just like God made you!
Brave Girls 365-Day Devotional
by Thomas NelsonAlthough we live in an unpredictable world, God has a command for His precious daughters: Be strong and courageous—that means be very, very BRAVE! Whether your Brave Girl is girly or sporty, book-smart or heart-smart, the superstar or the shy sweetheart, every little girl is a daughter of God, and this devotional has something for her. Full of inspiring stories and devotions written just for her, the Brave Girls 365-Day Devotional will help your precious girl grow stronger in her faith every day. By walking through the pages of this devotional with her new friends Hope, Glory, Honor, Gracie, and Faith, she will develop a deeper understanding of what a relationship with Jesus looks like in her very own life. The perfect companion to Tommy Nelson’s Brave Girls Bible Stories, this daily devotional will help you encourage the brave girls around you to develop a consistent habit of spending time with the Lord. Through relatable characters, fun illustrations, and easy-to-understand writing, this devotional will surely impact your brave girls—and maybe the entire family too! Hope, Glory, Honor, Gracie, and Faith invite you and your favorite Brave Girl to join them on the adventure of a lifetime—growing closer to Jesus!
Breach of Trust: Search And Rescue Plain Truth Breach Of Trust
by Jodie BaileyLETHAL REUNION Meghan McGuire's ready to put her military career behind her and start her dream job helping troubled children-until a man from her past reappears. Tate Walker is supposed to be dead. But now he's standing on her doorstep, telling her she's in danger. Tate never thought he'd see Meghan again...and certainly not as the target of the hacker he's trying to bust. With both of their lives in danger, they have to work together to hunt down the criminal. But when Tate learns about the past Meghan's been hiding, he's not sure if she's still the woman he once loved. Or if he can trust her with his survival-and his heart.
The Bread of the Strong: Lacouturisme and the Folly of the Cross, 1910-1985 (Catholic Practice in North America)
by Jack Lee DowneyContributing to the ongoing excavation of the spiritual lifeworld of Dorothy Day—“the most significant, interesting, and influential person in the history of American Catholicism”—The Bread of the Strong offers compelling new insight into the history of the Catholic Worker movement, including the cross-pollination between American and Quebecois Catholicism and discourse about Christian antimodernism and radicalism. The considerable perseverance in the heroic Christian maximalism that became the hallmark of the Catholic Worker’s personalism owes a great debt to the influence of Lacouturisme, largely under the stewardship of John Hugo, along with Peter Maurin and myriad other critical interventions in Day’s spiritual development. Day made the retreat regularly for some thirty-five years and promoted it vigorously both in person and publicly in the pages of The Catholic Worker. Exploring the influence of the controversial North American revivalist movement on the spiritual formation of Dorothy Day, author Jack Lee Downey investigates the extremist intersection between Roman Catholic contemplative tradition and modern political radicalism. Well grounded in an abundance of lesser-known primary sources, including unpublished letters, retreat notes, privately published and long-out-of-print archival material, and the French-language papers of Fr. Lacouture, The Bread of the Strong opens up an entirely new arena of scholarship on the transnational lineages of American Catholic social justice activism. Downey also reveals riveting new insights into the movement’s founder and namesake, Quebecois Jesuit Onesime Lacouture. Downey also frames a more reciprocal depiction of Day and Hugo’s relationship and influence, including the importance of Day’s evangelical pacifism on Hugo, particularly in shaping his understanding of conscientious objection and Christian antiwar work, and how Hugo’s ascetical theology animated Day’s interior life and spiritually sustained her apostolate. A fascinating investigation into the retreat movement Day loved so dearly, and which she claimed was integral to her spiritual formation, The Bread of the Strong explores the relationship between contemplative theology, asceticism, and radical activism. More than a study of Lacouture, Hugo, and Day, this fresh look at Dorothy Day and the complexities and challenges of her spiritual and social expression presents an outward exploration of the early- to mid–twentieth century dilemmas facing second- and third-generation American Catholics.
Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy
by Alli Worthington Christine CaineHave you ever felt like a fraud or failure as you struggle to find balance in life? Do you find yourself juggling everything in mediocrity and feeling like you’re succeeding at very little? In her no-nonsense way, Alli Worthington tackles the big questions about finding happiness and one’s God-given purpose.Breaking Busy marries popular secular research from the fields of social and positive psychology with solid biblical principles, instilling readers with the confidence that they, too, can move from crazy busy to confident calm. With refreshing candor, uproarious true stories, and a Christian worldview, Alli delivers truths that dismantle common happiness myths. Then she empowers readers to get unstuck, to let go of the good to make way for the great, to know themselves and their Creator, and ultimately to find peace and purpose in this world of crazy.Learn how to stop chasing what leaves you empty and start doing what you were created to do. Identify the common lies you believe and how to strip their power from your life. Recognize how what you say no to determines what you can say yes to. With relatable anecdotes, Alli models for readers real-life guidance on boundaries, relationships, and self-care, humbly examining her own mistakes and walking them through how she learned from her missteps and found peace in a world of busyness.If you long to find real connection in an age of over-connectedness, with both your loved ones and your Creator, Alli Worthington deftly balances intelligent humility and heartwarming humor to help you rediscover your path.
Breaking the Huddle: How Your Community Can Grow Its Witness
by Don Everts Doug Schaupp Val GordonMost Christians are stuck in the huddle.I Once Was Lost
Breaking Through the Haze: How I Overcame Infertility
by Nneka KyariWhen doctors told Nneka Kyari she was infertile, her lifelong dream of raising a family was dashed and she was crushed. But instead of accepting defeat, she took a bold step of faith and asked the Holy Spirit to show her how to overcome her infertility. Breaking Through the Haze is beyond a true life story. It is a testimonial of a heroine of faith, a journey from medical reports of impossibilities to a world of supernatural possibilities, and the processes of God in making champions out of challenges. Nneka Kyari&’s life experience of fears and faith, despair and courage, discovery and recovery, voices of religion and the voice of the Holy Spirit, internal conflicts and conquests, trials and triumphs, is presented to you in this book as a sure prescription of overcoming whatever challenges you may be going through. Today, Nneka is a happy mother of lovely twins Elisabeth and Eric – living proofs of a living God who can change your story for the best. Her story will give you hope that you too can enjoy a victorious Christian life. Goodbye to a sunset of infertility, and welcome to a sunrise of fruitfulness.
Brian McLaren in Focus: A New Kind of Apologetics
by Brian D. Mclaren Scott R. BursonFinally, a balanced appraisal . . . Labeled as both a villain and a hero, Brian McLaren has been celebrated and maligned by the evangelical community. Many have used his extensive writings to understand Christianity in fresh ways, but critics contend that McLaren has strayed too far from the Bible as well as from core Christian beliefs. Finally, this book puts McLaren in focus--showing the development of his ideas over time, giving firm assessments of his positions, and offering suggestions of both the strengths and weaknesses of his thinking. Even more, McLaren speaks for himself in these pages as the author of the foreword, and through his extensive, charitable conversation with the author. Don't miss this important book!
Bride by Arrangement
by Karen KirstMail-Order Matchmaking Newly minted Cowboy Creek sheriff Noah Burgess doesn't want a wife-despite his friends insisting that he needs one. So when they send for a big-city single mother to be his mail-order bride, he's fit to be tied. Even if vivacious Grace Longstreet might just be the only person who can see past Noah's scars...and help him heal. Grace needs a husband to keep her and her twin daughters out of her brother-in-law's grasp. And she'll do anything-including taking on her cousin's identity-to find one. But as the attraction between Grace and the lawman sparks higher, she begins hoping for a real marriage. So she needs to tell the truth...or a mail-order match that's meant to be could crumble.
Bride of a Distant Isle: A Novel (The Daughters of Hampshire #2)
by Sandra ByrdAn unforgettable romance set in Victorian England, Bride of A Distant Isle is the engrossing story of Annabel Ashton, who fights to save her family home and her mother's honor while trying to figure out if the man she loves wants her--or just wants to use her to achieve his own ambitions.Miss Annabel Ashton is a teacher at the Rogers School for Young Ladies in Winchester when she takes a brief visit to her family home, Highcliffe Hall at Milford-on-Sea. She believes her stay will be short but soon learns that she will not be returning to the safety of the school. Instead, she remains at Highcliffe, at the mercy of her cousin, Edward Everedge. Annabel protests, but as the illegitimate daughter of a woman who died in an insane asylum, she has little say. Edward is running out of money and puts the house up for sale to avoid financial ruin. He insists that Annabel marry, promising her to a sinister, frightening man. But as the house gets packed for sale, it begins to reveal disquieting secrets. Jewelry, artifacts, and portraits mysteriously appear, suggesting that Annabel may be the true heir of Highcliffe. She has only a few months to prove her legitimacy, perhaps with assistance from the handsome but troubled Maltese Captain Dell'Acqua. But does he have Annabel's best interests at heart? And then, a final, most ominous barrier to both her inheritance and her existence appears: a situation neither she nor anyone else could have expected. Will Annabel regain her life and property--and trust her heart--before it's too late?
The Bride(zilla) of Christ
by Ronnie Martin Ted KluckSometimes, Church Hurts The Church, the Bride of Christ. That description conjures up images of radiant white bride, eyes sparkling with peace and harmony, right? Maybe that's why it's such a gut-punch when that Bride behaves more like a grade school bully or a hot tempered drill sergeant. What do you do with that reality, a reality that sometime hurts? Ted Kluck and Ronnie Martin aren't interested in 140 characters of tweetable comfort. They'd rather share their own stories of being both the wounded and the wounder. Plus they offer practical, yes-you-can-do-this steps to moving forward in those times not if, but when the Church hurts. Bride(zilla) of Christ is a verbal I.V. dripping with the mercy found only in Christ. Though you've been wronged, or perhaps wronged another, there is cause for great hope. The hurt is not the deepest thing. Grace is deeper still.
A Brief Guide to Spiritual Classics: From Dark Night of the Soul to The Power of Now (Brief Histories)
by James M. RussellThis very readable brief guide examines a wide range of spiritual writing that can be read for enjoyment or inspiration, including some books that come from beyond any religious tradition. While written from within the Christian tradition, and offering introductions to the writings of medieval mystics, Quakers and modern evangelists, both Protestant and Catholic, it also looks at classics of secular spirituality and writings from different religious traditions.Each book is explained to convey a brief idea of what each one has to offer the interested reader, while a 'Speed Read' for each book delivers a quick sense of what each writer is like to read and a highly compressed summary of the main points of the book in question.This is an excellent reference to dip into, but within sections such as Early Christian Classics, Secular Texts, Lives of Inspiration and Alternative Approaches, the books are arranged chronologically, revealing some interesting juxtapositions and connections between them.