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Revelations of Divine Love
by Julian of NorwichThe fourteenth-century anchorite known as Julian of Norwich offered fervent prayers for a deeper understanding of Christ's passion. The holy woman's petitions were answered with a series of divine revelations that she called "shewings." Her mystic visions revealed Christ's sufferings with extreme intensity, but they also confirmed God's constant love for humanity and infinite capacity for forgiveness.Julian of Norwich's Revelations of Divine Love have had a lasting influence on Christian thought. Written in immediate, compelling terms, her experiences remain among the most original and accessible expressions of medieval mysticism. This edition contains both the short text, which is mainly an account of the shewings and Julian's initial analysis of their meaning, and the long text, completed some 20 years later and offering daringly speculative interpretations.
Revelations of Divine Love (Paraclete Essentials Ser.)
by Julian Of Norwich Roger HudlestonThe fourteenth-century anchoress known as Julian of Norwich offered fervent prayers for a deeper understanding of Christ's passion. The holy woman's petitions were answered with a series of divine revelations that she called "showings." Her mystic visions revealed Christ's sufferings with extreme intensity, but they also confirmed God's constant love for humanity and his infinite capacity for forgiveness.Julian of Norwich's Revelations have had a lasting influence on Christian thought. Written in immediate, compelling terms, her experiences remain among the most original and accessible expressions of medieval mysticism. This edition contains both the short text—which is mainly an account of the "showings" themselves and Julian's initial analysis of their meaning—as well as the long text, completed some 20 years later and offering daringly speculative interpretations.
Revelations of the Watchers: The Unfolding Destiny of the Rebel Angels
by Timothy Wyllie• Explains how the new Atlantis was rebuilt using ancient Lemurian construction techniques and how Poseidon was put in charge by nefarious Prince Caligastia • Explores the rise of shamanism, the hidden history of Akhenaten, and the privileged role of the Yazidi people in the spiritual evolution of the planet • Exposes how our planet is one of the worlds on which the rebel angels have been the accorded the privilege of a mortal incarnation During the angelic rebellion 203,000 years ago, which led to the quarantine of Earth and 36 other planets from the Multiverse, Georgia, an angel of Seraphic status, aligned herself with Lucifer and the rebel angels. After the rebellion, Georgia was permitted to remain on this planet and become a Watcher. Writing together with Timothy Wyllie, in this book Georgia provides her personal account of Earth during the second rise of Atlantis. Georgia explains how the new Atlantis was home to the few surviving Lemurians and was rebuilt using ancient Lemurian construction techniques. She reveals how Prince Caligastia put Poseidon in charge of the new Atlantis in order to keep him from interfering with the Prince&’s imposition of monotheism in southern Palestine. She explores the rise of shamanism through the entheogenic use of power plants -- first on the Islands of Mu, then in the Nile Valley, and later among the Aborigines of Australia. She also looks at the hidden history of Pharaoh Akhenaten and the privileged role of the Yazidi people in the spiritual evolution of the planet--and how even today the attempts to extinguish their culture is the work of Caligastia&’s agents. Interwoven with Georgia&’s narrative of Earth&’s ancient history are her observations of Timothy Wyllie&’s current and previous lives, including his involvement with the Process Church, his struggle to leave it, and his spiritual activities after he left. Through her revelations, Georgia exposes the supreme significance of Earth in the larger Multiverse and how our planet is one of the worlds on which the rebel angels have been accorded the privilege of a mortal incarnation. Georgia shares her words, in part, to awaken the 100 million rebel angels currently living their human lives. She reveals how a mortal incarnation for a rebel angel is an opportunity to redeem their past and help prepare for the imminent transformation of consciousness as the rebel-held planets, including Earth, are welcomed back into the Multiverse.
Revelations: Alpha and Omega
by David Allen RigsbyThe Past. Our fifth planet, Tiamait, is in tact. Earth's covered by a water canopy, protecting us from the sun's harmful radiation, creating a globally warm climate. GOD weds ADAM and EVE. All angels honor them. LUCIFER, the Serpent Cherub and firstborn angel, takes offense to honoring creatures made from dust. While God rests, Lucifer looks to destroy mankind. He eats from the forbidden Tree for insight. Knowing Evil, he uses the mortal serpent made in his image to deceive us. Lucifer tricks one-third of all angels resting on Tiamait. Rebellion escalates, but all rebels are cast from Heaven. Adam and Eve face death. Lucifer faces eternal death in Hell after the prophesied Redeemer restores mankind to God. Lucifer's only hope: prevent his birth. Fallen angels mate with women to corrupt mankind's seed, producing giants. Earth becomes violent. God plans a flood. NOAH builds an ark. Knowledge is preserved by constructing pillars of brick and stone... the three Giza pyramids and stone Lion. Adam and Eve are buried within the Pyramids. Tiamait explodes, causing meteorites to destroy Earth's water shield and flood our planet. Dinosaurs are fossilized. Compressed vegetation becomes coal. To prevent the Messiah's birth, giants inhabit His prophesied birthplace. A titan, NIMROD, teaches hydrogen fusion. The sun's power is placed atop a tower to be sent Heavenward, destroying God's gateway. Nimrod's killed by SHEM, Noah's son. Tower construction continues as Nimrod's widow, SEMIRAMIS, forms her Mystery Religion cult. God scatters them, confusing their language. Cult survivors migrate to Eden's remains, Atlantis. Lucifer unites their speech and teaches them flight. Hydrogen isotopes are separated again from water in ziggurats. Fearing mankind's destruction, God destroys Atlantis. Atlanteans escaping to Europe, continue their mystery religion in Egypt. The Lion's head is re-carved: the Sphinx. The Righteous inhabits the Promised Land after defeating giants there. The Redeemer, JESUS CHRIST, is born. He's sacrificed. He's resurrected with 144,000 Saints, including Adam and Eve. Jesus visits South America, as VIRACOCHA. After forty-days on earth, He promises to return someday. Lucifer's last hope: prevent His return. Christ's church in Rome mixes with mystery religions. Mystery Babylon.
Revelations: There's a Light after the Lime
by Mason BethaImagine having it all and leaving it all behind -- to answer a higher calling... REVELATIONS His rise to fame was one of rap's great success stories. He had millions of fans and the prospect of multi-millions of dollars. But just as Mase -- as he was then called -- was poised to sign a deal with Sean "Puffy" Combs' famed Bad Boy Records, he walked away. Revelations is Mason Betha's powerful memoir about a miraculous transformation: his own -- from the material-minded Mase to the pastor he has become. Here, Betha reveals the rhyme and reason behind his choice to trade in his sensational music career for a richer, more spiritual one. As founder of a nondenominational movement called S.A.N.E. (Saving a Nation Endangered) Ministries, Betha has traveled throughout the country to share his messages of peace and prosperity with today's youth. Revelations is his testament to the enduring power of faith, and to the limitless possibilities in a life transformed by God's guiding hand.
Revelations: Visions, Prophecy, and Politics in the Book of Revelation
by Elaine PagelsA profound exploration of the Bible's most controversial book—from the author of Beyond Belief and The Gnostic Gospels The strangest book of the New Testament, filled with visions of the Rapture, the whore of Babylon, and apocalyptic writing of the end of times, the Book of Revelation has fascinated readers for more than two thousand years, but where did it come from? And what are the meanings of its surreal images of dragons, monsters, angels, and cosmic war? Elaine Pagels, New York Times bestselling author and "the preeminent voice of biblical scholarship to the American public" (The Philadelphia Inquirer), elucidates the true history of this controversial book, uncovering its origins and the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions. Brilliantly weaving scholarship with a deep understanding of the human needs to which religion speaks, Pagels has written what may be the masterwork of her unique career. .
Revelatory Events: Three Case Studies of the Emergence of New Spiritual Paths
by Ann TavesUnseen presences. Apparitions. Hearing voices. Although some people would find such experiences to be distressing and seek clinical help, others perceive them as transformative. Occasionally, these unusual phenomena give rise to new spiritual paths or religious movements. Revelatory Events provides fresh insights into what is perhaps the bedrock of all religious belief--the claim that otherworldly powers are active in human affairs.Ann Taves looks at Mormonism, Alcoholics Anonymous, and A Course in Miracles--three cases in which insiders claimed that a spiritual presence guided the emergence of a new spiritual path. In the 1820s, Joseph Smith, Jr., reportedly translated the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates unearthed with the help of an angel. Bill Wilson cofounded AA after having an ecstatic experience while hospitalized for alcoholism in 1934. Helen Schucman scribed the words of an inner voice that she attributed to Jesus, which formed the basis of her 1976 best-selling self-study course. In each case, Taves argues, the sense of a guiding presence emerged through a complex, creative interaction between a founding figure with unusual mental abilities and an initial set of collaborators who were drawn into the process by diverse motives of their own.A major work of scholarship, this compelling and accessible book traces the very human processes behind such events.
Revelry, Rivalry, and Longing for the Goddesses of Bengal: The Fortunes of Hindu Festivals
by Rachel Fell McDermottAnnually during the months of autumn, Bengal hosts three interlinked festivals to honor its most important goddesses: Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri. While each of these deities possesses a distinct iconography, myth, and character, they are all martial. Durga, Kali, and Jagaddhatri often demand blood sacrifice as part of their worship and offer material and spiritual benefits to their votaries. Richly represented in straw, clay, paint, and decoration, they are similarly displayed in elaborately festooned temples, thronged by thousands of admirers. The first book to recount the history of these festivals and their revelry, rivalry, and nostalgic power, this volume marks an unprecedented achievement in the mapping of a major public event. Rachel Fell McDermott describes the festivals' origins and growth under British rule. She identifies their iconographic conventions and carnivalesque qualities and their relationship to the fierce, Tantric sides of ritual practice. McDermott confronts controversies over the tradition of blood sacrifice and the status-seekers who compete for symbolic capital. Expanding her narrative, she takes readers beyond Bengal's borders to trace the transformation of the goddesses and their festivals across the world. McDermott's work underscores the role of holidays in cultural memory, specifically the Bengali evocation of an ideal, culturally rich past. Under the thrall of the goddess, the social, political, economic, and religious identity of Bengalis takes shape.
Reverence for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century
by Albert SchweitzerThis &“little gem of a book&” shares the Nobel laureate&’s profound insights on ethics, ecology, human rights, and more (Jane Goodall). The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to the betterment of mankind. In 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life—and for the many ways he put that philosophy into action. This volume gathers together his thoughts on this profound and deeply influential concept. Based on a fundamental respect and compassion for all living things, Schweitzer&’s philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting drives of egoism and altruism. He applied this ethical perspective to a host of topics, from war and peace to arts, animal rights, and forming a global community. Reverence for Life draws on Schweitzer&’s diverse writings across decades, including excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others. A foreword by former US Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer&’s life round out this essential volume.
Reverence for Life: The Ethics of Albert Schweitzer for the Twenty-First Century
by Albert SchweitzerThis &“little gem of a book&” shares the Nobel laureate&’s profound insights on ethics, ecology, human rights, and more (Jane Goodall). The theologian and humanitarian Albert Schweitzer dedicated his life to the betterment of mankind. In 1952, he was awarded the Nobel Prize for his philosophy of Reverence for Life—and for the many ways he put that philosophy into action. This volume gathers together his thoughts on this profound and deeply influential concept. Based on a fundamental respect and compassion for all living things, Schweitzer&’s philosophy sought to reconcile the conflicting drives of egoism and altruism. He applied this ethical perspective to a host of topics, from war and peace to arts, animal rights, and forming a global community. Reverence for Life draws on Schweitzer&’s diverse writings across decades, including excerpts from previously unpublished letters to John F. Kennedy, Norman Cousins, Bertrand Russell, and others. A foreword by former US Ambassador, Roger Gamble, an introduction by the editor, Harold E. Robles, and a brief biographical sketch of Schweitzer&’s life round out this essential volume.
Reverend Feelgood: All Up In My Business; A Preacher's Passion; Reverend Feelgood (Hallelujah Love Ser. #5)
by Lutishia LovelyIn this installment of Lutishia Lovely's wickedly sexy Hallelujah Love series, an energetic young pastor works overtime to keep the ladies in his congregation deliciously satisfied. . .Nathaniel "Nate" Thicke is a preaching prodigy. At only twenty-eight years old, he's the senior pastor of The Gospel Truth Church. In addition to carrying on the preaching tradition begun by his great-grandfather, Nate is also just plain carrying on wherever the spirit--and the flesh--lead him. And when it leads him to three women from the same family, bickering and backstabbing follow. . . Content with having his pick of the flock, Nate is surprised to discover he's fallen head-over-heels in love, and decides to become a one-woman man. But the other ladies aren't about to give him up so easily. They're prepared to do whatever it takes to get their man back--even if it means adding a few more shocking sins to their list. . . "Worth every moment." --Donna Hill"Lovely once again expertly illuminates the wacky world of the devout and devoutly devilish." --Publishers Weekly"Characters are lively, funny, and realistic. I turned each page eagerly waiting to see what would/could happen next. I cannot wait to see how Ms. Lovely will follow up this story." --APOOO BookClub
Reverend Ike: An Extraordinary Life of Influence
by Mark Victor Hansen Xavier EikerenkoetterThe unlikely and sometimes harrowing journey of an iconic evangelist, known to millions as simply Reverend Ike, will draw you into his remarkable story of rising from extreme poverty and leading millions of poor Blacks to unprecedented financial success, independence, and joyful living by understanding the profound Biblical promises of prosperity.Lovingly known by his ardent and enthusiastic followers as Reverend Ike, Frederick J. Eikerenkoetter II touched millions of lives. He presented people with a new way to think about themselves, about life, and about all the riches of health, happiness, joy, love, success, prosperity, and money that could be theirs—if they only understood the principles that he had come to understand. These were the very transformational principles he taught to the hungry hearts, souls, and minds who showed up at his church meetings, workshops, and radio or TV broadcasts each week. Ike&’s early life was full of family drama, opposition, and extreme poverty. Still, he refused to follow the prevailing belief—even within his own family and community—that Black people were here to suffer. Rev. Ike embodied his work and his purpose to raise others up to a better life. In truth, he was a perfect example of the power of faith in action. He overcame the odds by rising above obscurity and transforming himself to a place of great significance. Around the world, individuals were touched in countless ways and lifted out of poverty, anger, hopelessness, and depression. As Ike&’s ministry grew, his calling captured the attention and devotion of millions. Compared frequently to the internationally revered Reverend Billy Graham, Reverend Ike became one of the most widely known and heard inspirational prosperity teachers of his generation.
Revering God: How to Marvel at Your Maker
by Thaddeus J. WilliamsDiscover profound insight into God's attributes and learn practical ways to live a God-centered life that bridges the gap between abstract theology and awe-inspiring devotion.The chief reason we exist is to glorify and enjoy God. But for many, God remains a vague cloud of cosmic kindness, a super-sized projection of ourselves into the sky, or an impossible-to-please killjoy. Who is God, really? Who is this being we should thank for our next breath?Written in the great tradition of classic discipleship works like A. W. Tozer's The Pursuit of God, J.I. Packer's Knowing God, and R.C. Sproul's The Holiness of God, this discipleship guide stands out as our generation's invitation to good theology that yields profound, reverent, God-centered living.Bestselling author of Confronting Injustice without Compromising Truth invites you to live a more theologically robust and biblical life as you learn how art, cinema, music, philosophy, psychology, apologetics, church history, and most importantly Scripture, can deepen your understanding and enjoyment of God.This book is perfect for those who:Are looking to deepen their faith and understanding of theology.Feel that their grasp of theology has weakened their pure enjoyment of God.Want to rise to the call of selfless discipleship amid the moral chaos of our world.Throughout the book, you'll find stories from brilliant living theologians and leaders, including Joni Eareckson-Tada, Michael Horton, John Perkins, Fred Sanders, each sharing how a particular divine attribute has impacted their personal lives.
Reverse Mentoring
by Earl CrepsEarl Creps is known for his work in connecting the younger generation of postmoderns with their Boomer predecessors. The author of Off-Road Disciplines, Creps, in this new book, takes up the topic of how older church leaders can learn from younger leaders who are more conversant with culture, technology, and social context. In addition to making the benefits of what he calls "reverse mentoring" apparent, he also makes it accessible by offering practical steps to implement this discipline at both personal and organizational levels, particularly in communication, evangelism, and leadership.Creps' new book is a topic of interest both inside and outside the church as older leaders realize that they're not "getting it" when it comes to technologies (iPod, IM, blogging) or cultural issues such as the fact that younger people see the world in an entirely different way. Creps has been personally involved in reverse mentoring for several years and has spoken and written on the subject extensively. He has pastored three churches (one Boomer, one Builder, on X'er) and is currently a church planter in Berkeley, California. He has also served as a consultant and and a seminary professor and administrator, holding a PhD in Communication Studies and a D.Min. from the Assemblies of God Theological Seminary.
Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying I
by Eugene H. PetersonPeterson's eloquent meditation on the Revelation of St. John engages the imagination and awakens the intellect to the vitality and relevance of the last words on scripture, Christ, church, worship, evil, prayer, witness, politics, judgement, salvation, and heaven.
Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination
by Eugene H. PetersonPeterson's eloquent meditation on the Revelation of St. John engages the imagination and awakens the intellect to the vitality and relevance of the last words on scripture, Christ, church, worship, evil, prayer, witness, politics, judgment, salvation, and heaven.
Reversing Entropy: Poems
by Luci ShawFrom the pen of beloved poet Luci Shaw comes a new collection that celebrates inspired creativity as an antidote to chaos. The poet's own words best describe the heart of this pinnacle collection of new work by beloved writer Luci Shaw: Entropy: A measure of the molecular disorder, or randomness, of a system, its lack of order or predictability, resulting in a gradual decline into disorder. Our universe, and the systems within it, constantly shift from their created states of order towards disorder, or chaos. The second law of thermodynamics asserts that entropy, or disorder, always increases with time. Creative human activities such as art, architecture, music, story or film are human efforts to halt and reverse this loss of meaning. Thus, smaller systems, like individual poems, become highly ordered as they receive energy from outside themselves, from the poet. They reverse entropy because they are moving from a state of disorder (all the random ideas, words and phrases available to the writer) into an orderly form designed by the writer to create meaningful images and concepts in the reader's mind (which is where the word "imag-ination" comes from.) This transfer of images, concepts and ideas into the mind of a reader is the task of poetry and the calling of the poet. Just as a composer of music gathers rhythms, notes, melodies, or harmony, organizing them into fugues or sonatas or concertos, so poets work and write to discover ways of arranging their responses to the world in words that introduce meaning and beauty in the mind of the reader. Which is what I've been trying to do for most of my life
Reviewing Leadership: A Christian Evaluation of Current Approaches (Second Edition)
by Robert J. Banks Bernice M. Ledbetter David C. GreenhalghEvaluating Current Approaches to Leadership This book offers a comprehensive evaluation of current approaches to leadership from a discerning Christian perspective. Combining expertise in leadership, theology, and ministry, the authors take a historical look at leadership and how it is viewed and used in today's context. The book is informed by both biblical and leadership studies scholarship and interacts with a number of popular marketplace writings on leadership. It also evaluates exemplary role models of Christian leadership. The second edition has been updated and revised throughout.
Revise Us Again
by Frank ViolaEvery person follows a script for living, a life guide that directs our behavior and shapes our choices. As believers, we find the original script for living woven throughout the Bible. Yet while the Christian message is simple, it can become complicated by our environment, our culture, and our religious ideas and traditions. For this reason, we are all in constant need of revising the scripts by which we live.Author Frank Viola believes we need to revisit and revise what it means to live the Christian life. Drawing from his rich background in ministry, Viola examines ten key areas that impact every believer and explores fresh ways to revise them. Conversational, insightful, and practical, Revise Us Again encourages us to examine those religious habits that we unconsciously pick up from others and rescript them with new habits that line up with our new nature in Christ.
Revising Cognitive and Evolutionary Science of Religion: Religion as an Adaptation (New Approaches to the Scientific Study of Religion #8)
by Konrad Szocik Hans Van EyghenThis unique and pioneering book critically appraises current work from both the cognitive science of religion and the evolutionary study of religion. It addresses the question: Why does the believer possess supernatural or religious beliefs in the combined context of his cognitive biases, their adaptive usefulness measured in terms of survival and reproduction, and the impact of social learning and cultural traits? The authors outlines a pluralistic approach to the study of religion that does not treat religion as an accidental by-product but an adaptation selected by natural selection. Chapters discuss the role of religious components for the evolution of cooperation and altruism, and explore the development of atheism and secular ideas, in cognitive and evolutionary terms. Topics such as the usefulness of religion, the transmission of religious beliefs, and a Darwinian approach to religion are among those addressed. Contrary to standard views, religious biases are regarded as shaped by cultural influences and not merely by natural dispositions. This monograph will particularly appeal to researchers who are looking for a scientific explanation of religion and religious beliefs but who do not stop at the level of narrow cognitive and evolutionary accounts. The work will also be of interest to students of philosophy, sociology, religious studies, theology, or anthropology who seek to explain such fascinating, complex, and unequivocal phenomena as religion and religious components.
Revising Eternity: 27 Latter-day Saint Men Reflect on Modern Relationships
by Stephen Carter Ted Smith Dan Smith John Doe David Nicolay Joey Franklin Kevin Barnwell Scott Blanding Joseph Broom T. Kay Browning Michael Carpenter Tyler Chadwick Kelland Coleman John B Dahl Scot Denhalter Theric Jepson Clyde Kunz Scott Russell Morris Thomas W Murphy Boyd Jay Petersen Robert Raleigh Robert A. Rees Eric Robeck Caleb Scoville Kim Siever Nicholas Don Smith Andrew SpriggsMarriage’s central role in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints distinguishes the faith while simultaneously reflecting widespread American beliefs. But what does Latter-day Saint marriage mean for men? Holly Welker presents a collection of essays exploring this question. The essayists provide insight into challenges involving sexuality, physical and emotional illness, addiction, loss of faith, infidelity, sexual orientation, and other topics. Conversational and heartfelt, the writings reveal the varied experiences of Latter-day Saint marriage against the backdrop of a society transformed by everything from economic issues affecting marriage to evolving ideas about gender. An insightful exploration of the gap between human realities and engrained ideals, Revising Eternity sheds light on how Latter-day Saint men view and experience marriage today.
Revisioning Cambridge Platonism: Sources and Legacy (International Archives of the History of Ideas Archives internationales d'histoire des idées #222)
by Douglas Hedley David LeechThis volume contains essays that examine the work and legacy of the Cambridge Platonists. The essays reappraise the ideas of this key group of English thinkers who served as a key link between the Renaissance and the modern era. The contributors examine the sources of the Cambridge Platonists and discuss their take-up in the eighteenth-century. Readers will learn about the intellectual formation of this philosophical group as well as the reception their ideas received. Coverage also details how their work links to earlier Platonic traditions. This interdisciplinary collection explores a broad range of themes and an appropriately wide range of knowledge. It brings together an international team of scholars. They offer a broad combination of expertise from across the following disciplines: philosophy, Neoplatonic studies, religious studies, intellectual history, seventeenth-century literature, women’s writing, and dissenting studies.The essays were originally presented at a series of workshops in Cambridge on the Cambridge Platonists funded by the AHRC.
Revisioning Christology: Theology in the Reformed Tradition
by Oliver D. CrispConstructive contemporary theology requires serious engagement with the theologians of the past. This book offers a series of studies in the Christology of key representatives in the Reformed tradition engaging their thought for contemporary dogmatics. Thinkers from each of the five centuries in which Reformed theology has flourished are represented - John Calvin; John Owen; Jonathan Edwards; William Shedd; Donald Baillie; and Kathryn Tanner - each of whom in different ways challenge conventional accounts of Christology. The book is organized thematically, linking historic and contemporary discussions of Christology in theology and philosophy by engaging the thinking of these theologians in a collegial way, using their work as means of promoting constructive systematic theology today. Oliver Crisp presents an important contribution to broadening our understanding of Reformed theology by showing how important theologians have taken views often at odds with 'textbook' accounts of the tradition. Written in an accessible style, this book will appeal to a wide range of readers, including upper-level undergraduates, graduate students and scholars of Christian theology, philosophy and religious studies.
Revisioning Transpersonal Theory: A Participatory Vision of Human Spirituality (SUNY series in Transpersonal and Humanistic Psychology)
by Jorge N. FerrerIn his striking debut, Jorge N. Ferrer deconstructs and reconstructs the entire transpersonal project, articulating a more sophisticated, pluralistic, and spiritually grounded transpersonal theory. He brings recent ideas in epistemology and the philosophy of science to bear upon core issues in the psychology and philosophy of religion. The book's first half (Deconstruction) describes the nature and origins of the prevailing vision that has guided transpersonal scholarship so far, and identifies some of its main conceptual and practical limitations: subtle Cartesianism, spiritual narcissism, intrasubjective empiricism, and reductionistic universalism. In the second half of the book (Reconstruction), Ferrer suggests a way of reconceiving transpersonal ideas without these limitations—a participatory vision of human spirituality, one which not only places transpersonal studies in greater alignment with the values of the spiritual quest, but also discloses a rich variety of spiritual liberations, spiritual worlds, and even ultimate realities.
Revisionism and Diversification in New Religious Movements (Routledge Inform Series on Minority Religions and Spiritual Movements)
by Eileen BarkerNew Religious Movements tend to start their lives with a number of unequivocal statements, not only of a theological nature but also about the world and appropriate behaviours for the believer. Yet these apparently inalienable Truths and their interpretations frequently become revised, ’adjusted’ or selectively adopted by different believers. This book explores different ways in which, as NRMs develop, stagnate, fade away, or abruptly cease to exist, certain orthodoxies and practices have, for one reason or another, been dropped or radically altered. Sometimes such changes are adapted by only a section of the movement, resulting in schism. Of particular concern are processes that might lead to violent and/or anti-social behaviour. As part of the Ashgate/Inform series, and in the spirit of the Inform Seminars, this book approaches its topic from a wide range of perspectives. Contributors include academics, current and former members of NRMs, and members of ’cult-watching’ movements. All the contributions are of a scholarly rather than a polemic nature, and brought together by Eileen Barker, the founder of Inform.