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How Do You Spell God?: Answers to the Big Questions from Around the World
by Marc Gellman Thomas HartmanPeople don't want to learn about religions just because there are religions out there. People want to learn about religions because they know that religions have great answers to the big questions. Award-winning authors Rabbi Marc Gellman and Monsignor Thomas Hartman have produced a unique way of looking at the world's religions. Instead of isolating each religion in its own separate chapter, this book unites the religions by showing how each of them answers these universal questions: How should we live? What happens to us after we die? Why does bad stuff happen to good folks? How can we talk to God? With a refreshing combination of humor and sensitivity, a rabbi and priest show us how Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and the other great religions teach us to live. This wise and often thoughtprovoking book shows us that each religion has its own wisdom and its own wonderful stories. It also explains who works for God, why the world's religions are so different, and why some days of the year have become holy. How Do You Spell God? helps us appreciate religions from all over the world. It will also help us better understand our planet, our families, and ourselves.
How Do You Spell Presbyterian? (Revised)
by James W. AngellIn this informative book from Geneva Press you will learn the basic beliefs, history, and government of the Presbyterian Church U.S.A.
How Do You Walk the Walk You Talk? (40-Minute Bible Studies)
by Kay ArthurThis brand new Bible study series from beloved Bible teacher Kay Arthur and the teaching staff of Precept Ministries tackles important issues in brief, easy-to-grasp lessons you can benefit from personally or as part of a small group. Each book in the series includes six 40-minute studies designed to draw you into God’s Word through basic inductive Bible study. As Kay explains, "Rather than simply reading or listening to what others say about a subject, you are going to see for yourself what God says about it. "Join one of the world’s most respected Bible teachers in a study that will revolutionize your thinking--and your life. You are surrounded by a world that’s watching you, waiting to see if what you say is true--if you really believe what you say and “walk the walk you talk. That thought may seem overwhelming, even intimidating. But Kay Arthur is ready to guide you into a deeper understanding of God’s Word. This study of vital passages from Ephesians will help you discover what God says about the lifestyle of a true believer. And it will equip you to live in a manner worthy of your calling--with the ultimate goal of developing a life marked by maturity, Christlikeness, and peace. Get started on an authentic walk with God that matches your talk. Kay Arthur will show you the way. From the Trade Paperback edition.
How Enlightenment Changes Your Brain: The New Science of Transformation
by Andrew Newberg Mark Robert WaldmanThe bestselling authors of How God Changes Your Brain reveal the neurological underpinnings of enlightenment, offering unique strategies to help readers experience its many benefits. In this original and groundbreaking book, Andrew Newberg, M.D., and Mark Robert Waldman turn their attention to the pinnacle of the human experience: enlightenment. Through his brain- scan studies on Brazilian psychic mediums, Sufi mystics, Buddhist meditators, Franciscan nuns, Pentecostals, and participants in secular spirituality rituals, Newberg has discovered the specific neurological mechanisms associated with the enlightenment experience--and how we might activate those circuits in our own brains. In his survey of more than one thousand people who have experienced enlightenment, Newberg has also discovered that in the aftermath they have had profound, positive life changes. Enlightenment offers us the possibility to become permanently less stress-prone, to break bad habits, to improve our collaboration and creativity skills, and to lead happier, more satisfying lives. Relaying the story of his own transformational experience as well as including the stories of others who try to describe an event that is truly indescribable, Newberg brings us a new paradigm for deep and lasting change.From the Hardcover edition.
How Evolution Explains Everything About Life: From Darwin's brilliant idea to today's epic theory (New Scientist Instant Expert)
by New ScientistHow did we get here? All cultures have a creation story, but a little over 150 years ago Charles Darwin introduced a revolutionary new one. We, and all living things, exist because of the action of evolution on the first simple life form and its descendants.We now know that it has taken 3.8 billions of years of work by the forces of evolution to turn what was once a lump of barren rock into the rich diversity of into plants, animals and microbes that surround us. In the process, evolution has created all manner of useful adaptions, from biological computers (brains) to a system to capture energy from the sun (photosynthesis). But how does evolution actually work? In Evolution, leading biologists and New Scientist take you on a journey of a lifetime, exploring the question of whether life is inevitable or a one-off fluke, and how it got kick-started. Does evolution have a purpose or direction? Are selfish genes really the driving force of evolution? And is evolution itself evolving?ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.
How Evolution Explains Everything About Life: From Darwin's brilliant idea to today's epic theory (New Scientist Instant Expert)
by New ScientistThe journey of a lifetime exploring the question of whether life is inevitable or a one-off fluke, and how it got kick-started.How did we get here? All cultures have a creation story, but a little over 150 years ago Charles Darwin introduced a revolutionary new one. We, and all living things, exist because of the action of evolution on the first simple life form and its descendants.We now know that it has taken 3.8 billions of years of work by the forces of evolution to turn what was once a lump of barren rock into the rich diversity of into plants, animals and microbes that surround us. In the process, evolution has created all manner of useful adaptions, from biological computers (brains) to a system to capture energy from the sun (photosynthesis). But how does evolution actually work? In Evolution, leading biologists and New Scientist take you on a journey of a lifetime, exploring the question of whether life is inevitable or a one-off fluke, and how it got kick-started. Does evolution have a purpose or direction? Are selfish genes really the driving force of evolution? And is evolution itself evolving?ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.(P) 2017 Hodder & Stoughton Limited
How Evolution Explains Everything About Life: From Darwins brilliant idea to todays epic theory (Instant Expert Ser.)
by New ScientistHow did we get here? All cultures have a creation story, but a little over 150 years ago Charles Darwin introduced a revolutionary new one. We, and all living things, exist because of the action of evolution on the first simple life form and its descendants.We now know that it has taken 3.8 billions of years of work by the forces of evolution to turn what was once a lump of barren rock into the rich diversity of into plants, animals and microbes that surround us. In the process, evolution has created all manner of useful adaptions, from biological computers (brains) to a system to capture energy from the sun (photosynthesis). But how does evolution actually work? In Evolution, leading biologists and New Scientist take you on a journey of a lifetime, exploring the question of whether life is inevitable or a one-off fluke, and how it got kick-started. Does evolution have a purpose or direction? Are selfish genes really the driving force of evolution? And is evolution itself evolving?ABOUT THE SERIESNew Scientist Instant Expert books are definitive and accessible entry points to the most important subjects in science; subjects that challenge, attract debate, invite controversy and engage the most enquiring minds. Designed for curious readers who want to know how things work and why, the Instant Expert series explores the topics that really matter and their impact on individuals, society, and the planet, translating the scientific complexities around us into language that's open to everyone, and putting new ideas and discoveries into perspective and context.
How Firm a Foundation
by Dr John D. MorrisFrom one of the world's leading authors on apologetics, this tribute to Christianity's great old hymns will release a refreshing shower of memories. Each of the 28 hymns selected for this volume detail the rich history and background of the music, and the composer. The author is particularly effective in weaving scriptural threads into his study of each song, showing how the writers of our classic hymns loved the Bible and its meaning for our lives. Suitable as a gift for music lovers, or a teaching tool for church study groups, HOW FIRM A FOUNDATION IN SCRIPTURE AND SONG is a magnificent look at a rich past that looks forward to a glorious future.
How Free Can Religion Be?
by Randall P. BezansonRandall P. Bezanson's How Free Can Religion Be? explores the Supreme Court's varied history of interpreting the religious guarantees outlined in the First Amendment. The book discusses eight provocative Supreme Court decisions to track the evolution of Free Exercise and Establishment Clause doctrine, focusing on the court's shift from strict separation of church and state to a position where the government accommodates and even fosters religion. Beginning with samples from the latter half of the nineteenth century, the detailed case studies present new problems and revisit some old ones as well: the purported belief of polygamy in the Mormon Church; state support for religious schools; the teaching of evolution and creationism in public schools; Amish claims for exemption from compulsory education laws; comparable claims for Native American religion in relation to drug laws; and rights of free speech and equal access by religious groups in colleges and public schools.
How God Became God: What Scholars Are Really Saying About God and the Bible
by Richard M. SmoleyThis epic, thrilling journey through Bible scholarship and ancient religion shows how much of Scripture is historically false--yet the ancient writings also resound with theologies that crisscrossed the primeval world and that direct us today toward a deep, inner, authentic experience of the truly sacred.From a historical perspective, the Bible is shockingly, provably wrong--a point supported by today's best archaeological and historical scholarship but not well understood by (or communicated to) the public. Yet this emphatically does not mean that the Bible isn't, in some very real measure, true, argues scholar of mysticism Richard Smoley. Smoley reviews the most authoritative historical evidence to demonstrate that figures such as Moses, Abraham, and Jesus are not only unlikely to have existed, but bear strong composite resemblances to other Near Eastern religious icons. Likewise, the geopolitical and military events of Scripture fail to mesh with the largely settled historical time line and social structures. Smoley meticulously shows how our concepts of the Hebrew and Christian God, including Christ himself, are an assemblage of ideas that were altered, argued over, and edited--until their canonization. This process, to a large degree, gave Western civilization its consensus view of God. But these conclusions are not cause for nihilism or disbelief. Rather, beneath the metaphorical figures and mythical historicism of Scripture appears an extraordinary, truly transcendent theology born from the most sacred and fully realized spiritual and human insights of the antique Eastern world. Far from being "untrue," the Bible is remarkably, extraordinarily true as it connects us to the sublime insights of our ancient ancestors and points to a unifying ethic behind many of the world's faiths.From the Trade Paperback edition.
How God Became Jesus: The Real Origins of Belief in Jesus' Divine Nature---A Response to Bart Ehrman
by Simon Gathercole Craig A. Evans Michael F. Bird Charles E. Hill Chris TillingIn his recent book How Jesus Became God: The Exaltation of a Jewish Preacher From Galilee historian Bart Ehrman explores a claim that resides at the heart of the Christian faith— that Jesus of Nazareth was, and is, God. According to Ehrman, though, this is not what the earliest disciples believed, nor what Jesus claimed about himself. The first response book to this latest challenge to Christianity from Ehrman, How God Became Jesus features the work of five internationally recognized biblical scholars. While subjecting his claims to critical scrutiny, they offer a better, historically informed account of why the Galilean preacher from Nazareth came to be hailed as “the Lord Jesus Christ.” Namely, they contend, the exalted place of Jesus in belief and worship is clearly evident in the earliest Christian sources, shortly following his death, and was not simply the invention of the church centuries later.
How God Became King: The Forgotten Story of the Gospels
by N. T. WrightFoundational: The four gospels come directly from the ancient church and are among the primary sources for the church's teachings. Familiar: Since Christian worship services began, a reading from the gospels has played a central role. Studied: For over two hundred years scholars have challenged and defended the central claims of the gospels: miracles, historical accuracy, the divinity of Jesus, and more. But Forgotten: Still, leading Bible scholar N. T. Wright reveals shocking news: We have all forgotten what the four gospels are about. "Despite centuries of intense and heavy industry expended on the study of all sorts of features of the gospels," Wright writes, "we have often managed to miss the main thing that they, all four of them, are most eager to tell us. What we need is not just a bit of fine-tuning, an adjustment here and there. We need a fundamental rethink about what the gospels are trying to tell us." What Wright offers is an opportunity to confront these powerful texts afresh, as if we are encountering them for the first time. How God Became King reveals the surprising, unexpected, and shocking news of the gospels: this is the story of a new king, a new kind of king, a king who has changed everything, and a king who invites us to be part of his new world.
How God Becomes Real: Kindling the Presence of Invisible Others
by T.M. LuhrmannThe hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faithHow do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith.Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more.A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.
How God Changes Your Brain: Breakthrough Findings from a Leading Neuroscientist
by Andrew Newberg Mark Robert Waldman"How God Changes Your Brain" is a highly practical, easy-to-read guide on the interface between spirituality and neuroscience, filled with useful information that can make your brain and your life better. --Daniel G. Amen, M. D.
How God Heals Without Doctors, Medicine, or Surgery: Healing Packet
by Jonathan Shuttlesworth Adalis ShuttlesworthAn entirely healthy mind and body is not only possible, it’s yours for the taking.You can overcome any challenges that arise against your physical or mental health. This book will show you how.There is no diagnosis too terminal.There is no symptom too debilitating.There’s no chronic illness too persistent.This book is a comprehensive guide designed to empower you to take back what God said in His Word belongs to you—your divine health. It will prove from scripture that:• God’s plan is for you to be healthy• All sickness is spiritual• Healing belongs to you• You can cooperate with God for your healingThe only reason people are sick is because they have not yet received the Word of God to illuminate the darkness in their lives. God didn’t make you sick for His glory. Your agony brings God no glory at all.Imagine yourself fearlessly walking in divine health all the days of your life. If you can see it, God will do it.The choice is yours. You can continue your treatment plan, rely on doctors, medication, or surgery, OR you can decide today that you’re going to rely on the most natural remedy on planet Earth—the Word of God.Each chapter includes:• Numerous eye-opening scriptures you can stand on to build your faith and encourage your spirit• A confession for you to declare aloud—your words have the power to give life or bring death• A series of questions designed to encourage you and reinforce what you’ve readBONUS: Over 10 powerful healing testimonies to grow your faith and fortify your belief in the God who heals!This is not something that might work. It’s not a strategy to add to your list. The principles in this book are guaranteed to work because God’s Word can’t fail. About the Authors:Evangelists Jonathan and Adalis Shuttlesworth are the visionaries of Revival Today Ministries and pastors of Revival Today Church in Pittsburgh, PA and Forth Worth, TX. Their thriving international ministry is on the frontlines of reaching the world with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Jonathan is dedicated to providing readers with Biblical principles that lead to a victorious life. He hosts revival meetings across the country during the week, and returns to preach at Revival Today Church every Sunday. When he’s not busy preaching, he’s broadcasting live on the Revival Today App, providing additional teaching on the Word of God.
How God Loves Us: 40 Days to Discovering His Character in the Fruit of the Spirit
by Jessica ThompsonThe fruit of the Spirit isn&’t just something we display. It&’s the way God loves us!Every Christian cherishes the famous passage in Galatians 5:22–23 that lists the fruit of the Spirit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control. These are the marks of godly character that we strive to display. But has it ever occurred to you that these are also the characteristics of God? Can it be that God loves us with the fruit of the Spirit? And only when we are secure in that love can we display it to others?Jessica Thompson wants to take you deeper into the love that your Heavenly Father has for you. Focusing on the majority of the fruit of the Spirit, she shows how God Himself has these attributes and lavishes them on us. In 40 readings designed for daily devotions, Jessica takes you across the whole arc of the Bible to reveal the character of the triune God. This journey will surely bless you. For the more you behold who He is and the nature of his love, the more you will, by the work of the Spirit, become like Him.&“My hope is that the readers will come away from this book more aware of what a magnificent God we serve. My hope is that the readers will remember their first love. My hope is that the readers will come back to this book again and again when they&’re looking for a place of healing and hope.&” – Jessica Thompson
How God Loves Us: 40 Days to Discovering His Character in the Fruit of the Spirit
by Jessica ThompsonThe fruit of the Spirit isn&’t just something we display. It&’s the way God loves us!Every Christian cherishes the famous passage in Galatians 5:22–23 that lists the fruit of the Spirit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control. These are the marks of godly character that we strive to display. But has it ever occurred to you that these are also the characteristics of God? Can it be that God loves us with the fruit of the Spirit? And only when we are secure in that love can we display it to others?Jessica Thompson wants to take you deeper into the love that your Heavenly Father has for you. Focusing on the majority of the fruit of the Spirit, she shows how God Himself has these attributes and lavishes them on us. In 40 readings designed for daily devotions, Jessica takes you across the whole arc of the Bible to reveal the character of the triune God. This journey will surely bless you. For the more you behold who He is and the nature of his love, the more you will, by the work of the Spirit, become like Him.&“My hope is that the readers will come away from this book more aware of what a magnificent God we serve. My hope is that the readers will remember their first love. My hope is that the readers will come back to this book again and again when they&’re looking for a place of healing and hope.&” – Jessica Thompson
How God Loves Us: 40 Days to Discovering His Character in the Fruit of the Spirit
by Jessica ThompsonThe fruit of the Spirit isn&’t just something we display. It&’s the way God loves us!Every Christian cherishes the famous passage in Galatians 5:22–23 that lists the fruit of the Spirit. Love. Joy. Peace. Patience. Kindness. Goodness. Faithfulness. Gentleness. And self-control. These are the marks of godly character that we strive to display. But has it ever occurred to you that these are also the characteristics of God? Can it be that God loves us with the fruit of the Spirit? And only when we are secure in that love can we display it to others?Jessica Thompson wants to take you deeper into the love that your Heavenly Father has for you. Focusing on the majority of the fruit of the Spirit, she shows how God Himself has these attributes and lavishes them on us. In 40 readings designed for daily devotions, Jessica takes you across the whole arc of the Bible to reveal the character of the triune God. This journey will surely bless you. For the more you behold who He is and the nature of his love, the more you will, by the work of the Spirit, become like Him.&“My hope is that the readers will come away from this book more aware of what a magnificent God we serve. My hope is that the readers will remember their first love. My hope is that the readers will come back to this book again and again when they&’re looking for a place of healing and hope.&” – Jessica Thompson
How God Makes Men: Ten Epic Stories. Ten Proven Principles. One Huge Promise for Your Life.
by Patrick Morley"All through the Bible, we see stories of bold and brash men who followedGod's call into some incredible adventures. In How God Makes Men,Patrick Morley reminds us that God still makes those kinds of guys." --Dave Ramsey, New York Times best-selling authorand nationally syndicated radio show host God's Way for You to Become God's Man Let's face it--men today are under severe attack. The battle line against biblical manhood is clearly drawn and fiercely contested. More than ever, men who want to follow Christ are asking: * Why is it so hard to live an authentic Christian life? * Who will show me how to thrive as a father, a husband, and on the job? * What should I do when I'm being tested to the breaking point? Fortunately, the Bible preserves crucial details about the powerful lessons learned by men who have already faced and answered these questions. In How God Makes Men, renowned expert on men's issues Patrick Morley takes you into Scripture for a first-hand encounter with: * Ten epic stories of the Bible's most talked-about men * Ten proven principles--based on their failures and successes--that show how God works in a man's life, and how you can cooperate with Him in yours * The huge promise that you can become the man God created you to be Don't settle for less. Join Patrick on this epic adventure of becoming God's man. You'll discover how to prevail in tough times and release God's power in every area of your life.From the Trade Paperback edition.
How God Takes Our Little & Makes It Much
by James W. MooreHere is Jim Moore at his best, telling the heart-warming stories as he teaches us about the Bible. In this 6-session, Dr. Moore uses key Scriptures that distinctively shape us as United Methodists. There are two sessions from the Old Testament and four sessions from the New Testament. Each session also lifts up and uses core terms and life application topics taken from the Wesley Study Bible to help you grow as a faithful follower of Jesus as you practice your faith in everyday life.
How God Used R.A. Torrey: A Short Biography as Told Through His Sermons
by Fred SandersSermons to change you, a life to inspire you.Scholar, expositor, storyteller, and evangelist, R. A. Torrey was a master-of-all-trades minister. Crowds worldwide called his preaching &“that famous Torrey thing.&” And that famous Torrey thing won souls. Inside are the most famous, influential, and characteristic of his sermons. Though nearly a century old, they challenge us anew from Scripture and are greatly instructive to any who preach. Drawn from various periods of Torrey&’s ministry, and prefaced with bibliographic commentary, these sermons paint a portrait of a man gripped by God. But even more they grip the reader. They take us into the great halls where God&’s Word bellowed forth from Torrey and left his audiences hushed. It&’s no wonder that Torrey caught the attention of the great evangelist D. L. Moody. Be ready to be provoked. Like an archer who strikes with both accuracy and force, Torrey preached with clarity while cutting deep to the heart. Behind the bow you&’ll see a man fully sold on the kingdom of God, and you&’ll be inspired to follow suit.
How God Used R.A. Torrey: A Short Biography as Told Through His Sermons
by Fred SandersSermons to change you, a life to inspire you.Scholar, expositor, storyteller, and evangelist, R. A. Torrey was a master-of-all-trades minister. Crowds worldwide called his preaching &“that famous Torrey thing.&” And that famous Torrey thing won souls. Inside are the most famous, influential, and characteristic of his sermons. Though nearly a century old, they challenge us anew from Scripture and are greatly instructive to any who preach. Drawn from various periods of Torrey&’s ministry, and prefaced with bibliographic commentary, these sermons paint a portrait of a man gripped by God. But even more they grip the reader. They take us into the great halls where God&’s Word bellowed forth from Torrey and left his audiences hushed. It&’s no wonder that Torrey caught the attention of the great evangelist D. L. Moody. Be ready to be provoked. Like an archer who strikes with both accuracy and force, Torrey preached with clarity while cutting deep to the heart. Behind the bow you&’ll see a man fully sold on the kingdom of God, and you&’ll be inspired to follow suit.
How God Works: The Science Behind the Benefits of Religion
by David DeStenoDrawing on a wealth of new evidence, pioneering research psychologist David DeSteno shows why religious practices and rituals are so beneficial to those who follow them—and to anyone, regardless of their faith (or lack thereof).Scientists are beginning to discover what believers have known for a long time: the rewards that a religious life can provide. For millennia, people have turned to priests, rabbis, imams, shamans, and others to help them deal with issues of grief and loss, birth and death, morality and meaning. In this absorbing work, DeSteno reveals how numerous religious practices from around the world improve emotional and physical well-being. With empathy and rigor, DeSteno chronicles religious rites and traditions from cradle to grave. He explains how the Japanese rituals surrounding childbirth help strengthen parental bonds with children. He describes how the Apache Sunrise Ceremony makes teenage girls better able to face the rigors of womanhood. He shows how Buddhist meditation reduces hostility and increases compassion. He demonstrates how the Jewish practice of sitting shiva comforts the bereaved. And much more. DeSteno details how belief itself enhances physical and mental health. But you don&’t need to be religious to benefit from the trove of wisdom that religion has to offer. Many items in religion&’s &“toolbox&” can help the body and mind whether or not one believes. How God Works offers advice on how to incorporate many of these practices to help all of us live more meaningful, successful, and satisfying lives.
How Good Do We Have to Be? A New Understanding of Guilt and Forgiveness
by Harold S. KushnerHere is the introduction to the book: INTRODUCTION I HAVE BEEN THINKING about the ideas expressed in this book for a long time. Even as a child, I was bothered by the biblical story of the Garden of Eden. A God who punished people so severely for breaking one arbitrary rule was not a God I wanted to believe in, especially since the story seemed to suggest that Adam and Eve had no knowledge of what good and bad meant before they broke the rule. As I grew older, I encountered so many instances of people doing what they thought God had done in the Bible, rejecting someone for making one mistake, for not being perfect. When I was rabbi of a congregation in suburban Boston and members of my synagogue would share their problems with me, I would repeatedly hear of children angry at their parents, parents disappointed in their children, husbands and wives upset with each other, brothers not inviting brothers to a wedding because of an argument that had taken place years earlier. The pattern tended to be the same: somebody did something wrong and someone else responded by withdrawing love, sometimes by withdrawing all contact. And the retaliator felt justified in doing that because, after all, hadn't God done the same thing in the Garden of Eden? I often felt frustrated at the inability of my religious perspective to heal that breach. Fifteen years ago, responding to a personal tragedy, I wrote a book called When Bad Things Happen to Good People. Its message was simple but radical: when something bad happens to you, it is not a case of God punishing you because you deserve it. God is on your side, not on the side of the illness or the injury. This book can be seen as an extension of that earlier one. Its message is equally simple and equally radical: God does not stop loving us every time we do something wrong, and neither should we stop loving ourselves and each other for being less than perfect. If religious teachers tell us otherwise, that is bad religion. If our parents responded to our misbehavior by withdrawing their love, that was a bad response by people who may otherwise have been good parents. I hope that our sense of self-worth, our relationships to our parents, our children, our mates, our siblings, and friends will improve once we learn the lesson that one mistake need not lead to rejection and banishment. And I hope that this book will guide you to gaining that blessing.
How Good Is Good Enough?: Since Nobody's Perfect . . . (Lifechange Bks.)
by Andy StanleySurely there's more than one way to get to heaven? Bestselling author Andy Stanley addresses this popular belief held even among Christians. But believing that all good people go to heaven raises major problems, Stanley reveals. Is goodness not rewarded, then? Is Christianity not fair? Maybe not, he says. Readers will find out why Jesus taught that goodness is not even a requirement to enter heaven - and why Christianity is beyond fair. Andy Stanley leads believers and skeptics alike to a grateful awareness of God's enormous grace and mercy. Good People Go to Heaven... Don't They? Sure they do. It only makes sense. Actually, it doesn't really make any sense at all. Smart, educated, accomplished men and women everywhere are banking their eternities on a theory that doesn't hold water. Chances are, you've never really thought it through. But you owe it to yourself to do so. Find out now what's wrong with the most popular theory about heaven--and what it really takes to get there.