- Table View
- List View
What is Christianity?
by Douglas JacobsenWhat Is Christianity? provides a fascinating overview of the world’s largest religion, weaving history, theology, spirituality, denominational divisions, and global growth into a single compelling story. Written in clear and captivating prose that requires no previous knowledge of Christianity, it describes the religion inspired by Jesus as a living faith that is still changing and developing today. Reader-friendly chapters introduce the major traditions of Christianity (Eastern Orthodoxy, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, and Pentecostalism), explaining their spiritual appeal and tracing their evolution over the centuries. Christianity’s recent global expansion is highlighted, but Christianity has been a diverse and multicultural movement from the very beginning. Each chapter provides thought-provoking insights into the beliefs, values, practices, achievements, and failures of Christians as they tried to remain faithful to the message and meaning of Jesus in different times and places. Condenses a vast amount of information into a coherent narrative Explains how and why Christianity has become so incredibly diverse Describes what almost all Christians have always held in common Summarizes the current status of Christianity in each global region Discusses the challenges that Christians worldwide are facing today What Is Christianity? is an ideal introduction to Christianity as a world religion for people who are unfamiliar with Christianity as well as for Christians who want to know more about their own faith and the faith practices of fellow believers from other Christian traditions. An engaging text for general readers, this short volume will also be a stimulating choice for book discussion groups and or for the classroom.
What is Christianity?: Faith & Morality Reconsidered
by Francis Pieper Philip BarteltWe hear from the Apostle Peter that Christians should always be ready to give a confession of the hope that is in them and to defend their faith in an ever-changing world.Originally delivered as an address at a synod convention in 1902, Das Wesen des Christentums or What is Christianity? was written by pastor and professor Francis Pieper.In What is Christianity: Faith and Morality Reconsidered, Pieper takes up Peter's task against those who would confess works, moral improvement, and other man-made projects over and against the confession of Christ and him crucified. He boldly confesses what it means to be a Christian and what Christianity looks like with Christ truly as the center. In so doing, Pieper equips the saints to defend and proclaim the good news of forgiveness of sins on account of Christ alone.Pastor Philip Bartelt (translator of Pieper's presentation) says, "For Pieper, to be Lutheran meant to believe in Jesus Christ as the perfect sacrifice for sins in our stead— that Jesus was put under the law, under our sin, and under our punishment, in our stead and on our behalf, so that by faith we may enjoy perfect freedom, righteousness, and salvation."
What Is Church?: Finding the love of God in the unique community of Jesus
by Dub KarrikerAn informative and emotional voyage of exploration for those active, hurt by, leaving, looking at or curious about the Church.Amid worldwide upheaval, believers and non-believers alike are asking profound questions. One can’t help but do that when something or someone they have depended on for guidance, structure, community, comfort, identity, and meaning has been exposed to the light, shaken to the core, and found to be unreliable and untrustworthy. What is Church? is for believers in Jesus, as well as those deconstructing their faith, seekers, skeptics, and opponents, to inform and help resolve the innate longing for answers, truth, meaning, and belonging by plumbing the depths of divinely revealed knowledge.Drawing on scripture, history, personal relationships, experience, and a deep love for Jesus and the Church, Dub Karriker shares valuable insights that provide a different perspective on the Church and its role in the past, present, and future. Rather than walking a well-worn path of two thousand years of best intentions and church misdeeds, Karriker reveals the Church as intended by its founders, Jesus and His Apostles. No matter what your relationship is with the Christian community, What is Church? is a fascinating, soul-stirring journey of inquiry and answers.
What is Creation Science?
by Dr Henry M. Morris Dr Gary ParkerWhat is the better explanation? Many Christians are not aware that a growing number of legitimate scientists now embrace the Genesis explanation of origins. In What is Creation Science, two of the most respected members of that group have given us the benefit of their knowledge: Dr. Henry Morris, who has served on the faculties of five universities, Dr. Gary Parker, a former evolutionary biologist. Their findings throw the brakes on the "evolution train."
What is Creation Science? (The Henry Morris Signature Collection)
by Henry Morris Gary ParkerExplore the truth of science and faith… and what it means to you! Uncover evidences of Creation in living systems Unravel the questions of Creation and the laws of science Understand the vanishing case for evolution science Many Christians are not aware that many legitimate scientists embrace the Genesis explanation of origins. In What is Creation Science?, two of the most respected members of that group have given us the benefit of their knowledge. The book itself, though technical in places, is remarkably clear, and its focus is on a fair dialogue of the issues. So much so that many thousands of readers have taken to heart Dr. Parker's challenge, to "Think About It!" The creation/evolution question is not an issue that concerns only biologists on the one hand and religious people on the other. In one way or another, the issue permeates every field of academic study and every aspect of national life. It deals with two opposing basic worldviews - two philosophies of origins and destinies, of life and meaning. Consequently, it is (or should be) of special concern to everyone.
What is Found, What is Lost: A Novel
by Anne Leigh ParrishFreddie was raised on faith. It&’s in her blood. Yet when she loses her husband of many years, she can&’t quite bring herself to seek solace from the Almighty, and enters a state of quiet contemplation, instead. Her solitude quickly ends when she meets a man roaming her neighborhood in search of his run-away wife, and later, when her daughter returns home to escape another unwise romance. Soon after, Freddie&’s sister, Holly, visits and their thoughts turn to their wretched childhood at the hands of their neglectful and pious mother. Also present is their grandmother, Anna, known only through photographs and letters, who seems so different – strong, yet remote. Freddie feels she and Anna are connected, not just through blood, but through the raising of difficult daughters. This kinship makes Freddie see that she has been shaped by forces she doesn&’t directly experience, which reminds her about the true basis of faith. With all that to hand, Freddie faces a family crisis that forces her to confront the same questions she&’s asked all her life: What does it mean to believe in God? And does God even care?
What is God?: How to Think about the Divine
by John HaughtSuggests five ways of thinking realistically about God by reflecting on profound human experience of depth, future, freedom, beauty and truth.
What is God?
by Jacob NeedlemanIn his most deeply personal work, religious scholar Needleman cuts a clear path through today's clamorous debates over the existence of God, illuminating an entirely new way of approaching the question of how to understand a higher power. I n this new book, philosopher Jacob Needleman? whose voice and ideas have done so much to open the West to esoteric and Eastern religious ideas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries' intimately considers humanity's most vital question: What is God? Needleman begins by taking us more than a half century into the past, to his own experience as a brilliant, promising, Ivyeducated student of philosophy'atheistic, existential, and unwilling to blindly accept childish religiosity. But an unsettling meeting with the venerated Zen teacher D. T. Suzuki, combined with the sudden need to accept a dreary position teaching the philosophy of religion, forced the young academician to look more closely at the religious ideas he had once thought dead. Within traditional religious texts the scholar discovered a core of esoteric and philosophical ideas, more mature and challenging than anything he had ever associated with Judaism, Christianity, and the religions of the East. At the same time, Needleman came to realize' as he shares with the reader' that ideas and words are not enough. Ideas and words, no matter how profound, cannot prevent hatred, arrogance, and ultimate despair, and cannot prevent our individual lives from descending into violence and illusion. And with this insight, Needleman begins to open the reader to a new kind of understanding: The inner realization that in order to lead the lives we were intended for, the very nature of human experience must change, including the very structure of our perception and indeed the very structure of our minds. In What Is God?, Needleman draws us closer to the meaning and nature of this needed change' and shows how our present confusion about the purpose of religion and the concept of God reflects a widespread psychological starvation for this specific quality of thought and experience. In rich and varied detail, the book describes this inner experience' and how almost all of us, atheists and ?believers? alike, actually have been visited by it, but without understanding what it means and why the intentional cultivation of this quality of experience is necessary for the fullness of our existence.
What Is God?
by Jacob NeedlemanIn his most deeply personal work, religious scholar Needleman cuts a clear path through today's clamorous debates over the existence of God, illuminating an entirely new way of approaching the question of how to understand a higher power. I n this new book, philosopher Jacob Needleman- whose voice and ideas have done so much to open the West to esoteric and Eastern religious ideas in the twentieth and twenty-first centuries-intimately considers humanity's most vital question: What is God? Needleman begins by taking us more than a half century into the past, to his own experience as a brilliant, promising, Ivyeducated student of philosophy-atheistic, existential, and unwilling to blindly accept childish religiosity. But an unsettling meeting with the venerated Zen teacher D. T. Suzuki, combined with the sudden need to accept a dreary position teaching the philosophy of religion, forced the young academician to look more closely at the religious ideas he had once thought dead. Within traditional religious texts the scholar discovered a core of esoteric and philosophical ideas, more mature and challenging than anything he had ever associated with Judaism, Christianity, and the religions of the East. At the same time, Needleman came to realize-as he shares with the reader-that ideas and words are not enough. Ideas and words, no matter how profound, cannot prevent hatred, arrogance, and ultimate despair, and cannot prevent our individual lives from descending into violence and illusion. And with this insight, Needleman begins to open the reader to a new kind of understanding: The inner realization that in order to lead the lives we were intended for, the very nature of human experience must change, including the very structure of our perception and indeed the very structure of our minds. In What Is God?, Needleman draws us closer to the meaning and nature of this needed change-and shows how our present confusion about the purpose of religion and the concept of God reflects a widespread psychological starvation for this specific quality of thought and experience. In rich and varied detail, the book describes this inner experience-and how almost all of us, atheists and "believers" alike, actually have been visited by it, but without understanding what it means and why the intentional cultivation of this quality of experience is necessary for the fullness of our existence.
What Is God?: Can Religion Be Modeled?
by Thomas B. SheridanAn eminent psychologist and engineer presents a provocative analysis of the concept of God through the lens of scientific inquiry.This is a study of the concept of God, not from the perspective of any religious tradition, but as a pervasive social phenomenon that has prevailed through the ages. An expert in engineering and applied psychology, author Thomas B. Sheridan offers unique perspective on the subject. In What Is God?, he asks whether the concept of God can be modeled in denotative language (much as modeling in science, medicine and modern professions) in contrast to connotative language (e.g., myth, metaphor, art and music). Sheridan adopts the assumption of model-based reality, as currently prevalent in physics and some branches of philosophy. That criterion means an entity can be called real for public discourse purposes only to the extent that a credible model can be made of what the entity is or how it works—as opposed to the private reality of thoughts, perceptions, or dreams. What follows is a truly provocative and enlightening through experiment with far-reaching implications.“It is rare to see the ultimate question of God as prime mover examined as a problem open to rigorous scientific inquiry. Thomas Sheridan has now done it with admirable clarity.” —Edward O. Wilson, Pulitzer Prize winning author of The Meaning of Human Existence
What is God Like?: A Portion from The Big Story
by Justin BuzzardEarly in the Bible, we meet a profound and compelling character: God. But who is He? What does He have to do with the life I&’m living now? Is He someone worth knowing?Justin Buzzard, pastor of Garden City Church in Silicon Valley, examines God as a character in our lives, a person we must get to know in order to understand the Bible and the world around us. Is God mad at me? Is He happy? Does He really know what He&’s doing? Based off one of the sermons Justin preached at the launch of Garden City Church, this short piece, taken from his book, The Big Story, will challenge your notions of &“God&” and what He has to do with your life.Moody Collective Portions are short pieces of content taken from our full-length books. Our goal is to introduce our readers to a complete idea in a brief, concise, and inexpensive format. Most portions will take about 20 minutes to read.
What is God Like?: A Portion from The Big Story
by Justin BuzzardEarly in the Bible, we meet a profound and compelling character: God. But who is He? What does He have to do with the life I&’m living now? Is He someone worth knowing?Justin Buzzard, pastor of Garden City Church in Silicon Valley, examines God as a character in our lives, a person we must get to know in order to understand the Bible and the world around us. Is God mad at me? Is He happy? Does He really know what He&’s doing? Based off one of the sermons Justin preached at the launch of Garden City Church, this short piece, taken from his book, The Big Story, will challenge your notions of &“God&” and what He has to do with your life.Moody Collective Portions are short pieces of content taken from our full-length books. Our goal is to introduce our readers to a complete idea in a brief, concise, and inexpensive format. Most portions will take about 20 minutes to read.
What Is God Like?
by Cynthia Geisen Anne FitzgeraldGod is a mystery and, although our attempts to define or explain God always fall short, we can describe our experiences of God. In What Is God Like?: A Book about God . . . Just for Me!, author Cynthia Geisen introduces children to a way of getting to know God that helps them understand all the ways God can be found in the world around us--the God who is so eagerly waiting to be discovered.
What Is God Like?
by Rachel Held Evans Matthew Paul Turner#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The late, beloved Rachel Held Evans answers many children's first question about God in this gorgeous picture book, fully realized by her friend Matthew Paul Turner, the bestselling author of When God Made You.Children who are introduced to God, through attending church or having loved ones who speak about God, often have a lot of questions, including this ever-popular one: What is God like? The late Rachel Held Evans loved the Bible and loved showing God&’s love through the words and pictures found in that ancient text. Through these pictures from the Bible, children see that God is like a shepherd, God is like a star, God is like a gardener, God is like the wind, and more. God is a comforter and support.And whenever a child is unsure, What Is God Like? encourages young hearts to &“think about what makes you feel safe, what makes you feel loved, and what makes you feel brave. That's what God is like.&”
What Is God Like? Reflections on the Attributes of God (2nd edition)
by Len Carlson Lloyd MattsonIn a day of often-airy theology, it is refreshing to find a straightforward declaration of the nature of the God of the Bible set forth in language that even a child can grasp. Len Carlson was a hard-working pastor preacher, who loved his people and Jesus.
What Is God Really Like? Expanded Edition
by Craig GroeschelCraig Groeschel (www.lifechurch.tv) and his church have hosted an international multichurch campaign called One Prayer, a month-long concerted focus on unifying the many different, diverse churches participating by praying together and serving their local communities.In 2009, One Prayer campaign attracted over two thousand churches and over one million church members. Many of these churches are high-profile evangelical churches with pastors who are also successful authors and speakers. The campaign continues to attract interest from more and more churches and ministries. The 2010 campaign, scheduled for June, is expected to grow by 50 percent. This compilation book features chapters by seventeen passionate church leaders, including Andy Stanley, Francis Chan, Jentezen Franklin, Perry Noble, Steven Furtick, and others.
What Is Good and Why: The Ethics of Well-being
by Richard KrautWhat is good? How can we know, and how important is it? In this book Richard Kraut, one of our most respected analytical philosophers, reorients these questions around the notion of what causes human beings to flourish--that is, what is good for us. Observing that we can sensibly talk about what is good for plants and animals no less than what is good for people, Kraut advocates a general principle that applies to the entire world of living things: what is good for complex organisms consists in the maturation and exercise of their natural powers.
What Is Happiness: A Korean Monk's Guide to Life
by Pomnyun Sunim'When I ask people, "Are you happy?" in my talks, very few people say yes.'There are many things that seem to prevent us from being happy in our lives. Usually, things don't turn out the way we want them to. It could be unfulfilled goals, bad habits, a society that's built to benefit only those at the very top, or the loops of self-deprecation that many of us find ourselves falling into. But we can take control of our happiness, whatever life throws at us. We all have the right, and the ability, to be happy regardless of our situation.With his simple yet profound teachings, Buddhist monk Pomnyun Sunim shows us how to combat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. He explains why humans are prone to self-destruction, and redirects our focus to finding happiness.This book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits in Korea, and it's time for the rest of the world to experience and understand exactly what is happiness.
What Is Happiness: A Monk's Guide to a Happy Life
by Pomnyun Sunim'When I ask people, "Are you happy?" in my talks, very few people say yes.'There are many things that seem to prevent us from being happy in our lives. Usually, things don't turn out the way we want them to. It could be unfulfilled goals, bad habits, a society that's built to benefit only those at the very top, or the loops of self-deprecation that many of us find ourselves falling into. But we can take control of our happiness, whatever life throws at us. We all have the right, and the ability, to be happy regardless of our situation.With his simple yet profound teachings, Buddhist monk Pomnyun Sunim shows us how to combat day-to-day anxiety, insecurity, anger, and discouragement. He explains why humans are prone to self-destruction, and redirects our focus to finding happiness.This book has touched countless lives and uplifted spirits in Korea, and it's time for the rest of the world to experience and understand exactly what is happiness.
What Is He Thinking??: What Guys Want Us to Know About Dating, Love, and Marriage
by Rebecca St. JamesIn WHAT IS HE THINKING??, Rebecca interviews a range of men from high-profile types to the guys next door, men that every woman can relate to. Although the interviews focus on single guys ages 20-35, Rebecca also includes words of wisdom from older mentors she respects who have been successfully married for years, such as her dad, life coach, and pastor. The men share their thoughts on topics like how women can respect themselves and the men in their lives, modesty, purity, taking it slow, friendship, letting guys lead, and more. This book gives them the floor to say what they would really like women to know. The men respond candidly to questions like: What is the most attractive quality to you in a woman? Is modesty truly attractive? Is neediness a turn-off? What do you find beautiful? How can we be dependent on God for our identity, not on you? How can we help you with boundaries physically? Rebecca also discusses her own dating life, speaking openly about the single life, her struggle with loneliness, and her hope for the future. She challenges women to see the men in their lives as brothers in Christ and to trust God with their dating lives.
What is Hinduism?: A Student's Introduction (What is this thing called Religion?)
by Michael BaltutisThis book is an engaging introduction to the complex religious tradition of Hinduism. Central to its focus is demonstrating the fundamental diversity within Hinduism through the multiplicity of its core beliefs and traditions.Chapters are divided into four historical categories – Vedic, Ascetic, Classical, and Contemporary Hinduism – with each examining one deity alongside one key term, serving as a twin focal point for a more complex discussion of related key texts, ideas, social structures, religious practices, festivals, and concepts such as ritual and sacrifice, music and devotion, and engagement and renunciation. The organization of this book requires that we see deities as not simply divine individuals who preside over one part of the Hindu world, but that each deity operates as a larger cultural category whose related persons, concepts, and practices provide a vivid lens through which Hindu devotees see and continue to readapt to the world in which they live.With study questions, glossaries, and lists of key contemporary figures, this book is an essential and comprehensive resource for students encountering the multiplicity of Hinduism for the first time.
What is Humanism and Why Does it Matter? (Studies in Humanist Thought and Praxis)
by Anthony B. PinnWe live in a world of social, political, economic, and religious rupture. Ideologies polarise to fuel confrontation within communities, nations and regions of the world. At this point in the twenty-first century, humanism's focus on reason, ethics and justice offers the potential to rethink and re-engage in new ways. "What Is Humanism, and Why Does It Matter?" brings together leading humanist thinkers and activists to examine humanism and how it can work in the world. Humanism is often misunderstood. The movement includes both atheists and agnostics, who seek to make ethical sense of the world based on shared human values and a concern for human welfare, happiness and fulfillment. "What Is Humanism, and Why Does It Matter?" presents an overview and exploration of the meaning and nature of humanism, both as a philosophy and as a way of engaging with the challenges of the world.
What is Hypnosis?
by Tom Fortes MayerThis book debunks the frequent myths of hypnosis as something only done on stage, for entertainment, or as something mysterious and manipulative, instead making plain and simple the power we have to change for the better how we think, feel and behave simply by considering how we use our mind and our language, and the permission (or not) that we give others to influence us. After an insightful introduction about why the subject of Hypnosis is so worth exploring and the many benefits it can bring, each main chapter then addresses a key question: Where did hypnosis come from and how has it developed over time? How does hypnosis really work? Are there different types of hypnosis? How can it change my life? What are the most powerful techniques? How can I bring hypnosis into my daily life? And, finally, what are the wider social benefits of hypnosis and how can it change the consciousness of the world? As such, this book brings readers on an exploratory journey through the world of hypnosis, uncovering its immense therapeutic and healing power, and showing readers how to tap into this power for the purposes of personal transformation, so that we can ?all lead more authentic, connected, contented lives.
What Is Islam?
by Shahab AhmedWhat is Islam? How do we grasp a human and historical phenomenon characterized by such variety and contradiction? What is "Islamic" about Islamic philosophy or Islamic art? Should we speak of Islam or of islams? Should we distinguish the Islamic (the religious) from the Islamicate (the cultural)? Or should we abandon "Islamic" altogether as an analytical term?In What Is Islam?, Shahab Ahmed presents a bold new conceptualization of Islam that challenges dominant understandings grounded in the categories of "religion" and "culture" or those that privilege law and scripture. He argues that these modes of thinking obstruct us from understanding Islam, distorting it, diminishing it, and rendering it incoherent.What Is Islam? formulates a new conceptual language for analyzing Islam. It presents a new paradigm of how Muslims have historically understood divine revelation--one that enables us to understand how and why Muslims through history have embraced values such as exploration, ambiguity, aestheticization, polyvalence, and relativism, as well as practices such as figural art, music, and even wine drinking as Islamic. It also puts forward a new understanding of the historical constitution of Islamic law and its relationship to philosophical ethics and political theory.A book that is certain to provoke debate and significantly alter our understanding of Islam, What Is Islam? reveals how Muslims have historically conceived of and lived with Islam as norms and truths that are at once contradictory yet coherent.
What is Islamic Philosophy?
by Roy JacksonWhat is Islamic Philosophy? offers a broad introduction to Islamic thought, from its origins to the many challenging issues facing Muslims in the contemporary world. The chapters explore early Islamic philosophy and trace its development through key themes and figures up to the twenty-first century. Topics covered include: ethical issues such as just war, abortion, women’s rights, homosexuality and cloning questions in political philosophy regarding what kind of Islamic state could exist and how democratic can (or should) Islam really be the contribution of Islam to ‘big questions’ such as the existence of God, the concept of the soul, and what constitutes truth. This fresh and original book includes a helpful glossary and suggestions for further reading. It is ideal for students coming to the subject for the first time as well as anyone wanting to learn about the philosophical tradition and dilemmas that are part of the Islamic worldview.