This volume is an all-in-one publication introducing students and teachers at all levels of Theology to almost the entire spectrum of theologies and hermeneutics in Africa and the western world. Although a strong emphasis is placed on the contribution of Africa to Christian Theology there is no hidden agenda to tell the reader what the only 'sound' theology is. Contributors had total freedom to expand on their fields of specialization and readers can make up their own minds.

The Secret of Inner Presence begins with author Lin Lipetz's story of her spontaneous spiritual awakening in 1986. Her spiritual awakening created an immediate awareness of a loving Inner Presence within her heart and a connection to another higher level of peace, contentment, and greater knowledge. She now knows that Inner Presence waits patiently to manifest itself within each person, and much of The Secret of Inner Presence is about providing the keys to bring about that shift in consciousness.

As each of the eleven keys is practiced and experienced, the transformation toward a more complete understanding of the core-self will gradually evolve through the loving guidance of the conscious Universe. One of the eleven keys opens the way to intuitively listen to the many voices that will assist in this transformation of the core-self-through healing, new insights, dreams, problem solving, and caring advice. Another key opens the way to deepen intuitively to the level of receiving messages from the Universe and possibly finding the guides that have been available since birth. This process is called Stream of Consciousness writing, and the powerful dialogues and inspirational poems the author has received in this way for many years are found in each chapter.

Chapter by chapter, each of the eleven keys is presented, by both the spiritual Universe and the author, to help guide the reader to a higher dimension of the self.

All the powers of the universe are out there, ready and waiting for us to call on and use to our advantage at any time. The problem blocking most of us is our own thought habits. Through a series of thought-provoking true stories about life, death, and spirit, Beyond the Five Senses explores how each of us has the innate capacity to empower ourselves and gain control over our lives.

Helena Blavatsky's translations of three fragments of ancient Buddhist wisdom, sourced from texts such as The Book of Golden Precepts, are contained in this thought-provoking volume. A valiantly sought collection of sage advice and spiritual instruction, The Voice of the Silence offers readers advice on inner growth. Principally the text echoes the principles of Buddhism, advising readers to put aside personal desires and focus upon fostering the inner wealth of the soul to achieve a life of contentment. Blavatsky's book was published as part of her personal investigations into ancient wisdom pertaining to the human soul and reality. Her hunt turned up the formerly obscure fragments which she painstakingly translated. Although existing scholars generally poured cold water upon her efforts, which they considered a haphazard grouping of ancient precepts and mysticism, the reception was warmer among readers discovering the theosophist principles of spiritualism for the first time.

After twenty years of meditation and studying, Robert Blumetti has complied a modern perspective on the Norse myths for anyone of European ancestry who seeks a personal connection with the Gods of their ancestors. He has discovered a new understanding of the death and resurrection legend of Balder and its meaning for all people of European ancestry in the twenty-first century. "The Book of Balder Rising" is a religious guide on how the old myths can be a path to a new spirituality in the present modern age. Blumetti's new understanding of the old myths is presented as a guide for personal and spiritual transformation.

Discover the meaning and role that the Gods can play in leading you to the dawning of the New Age of Gimli. Blumetti explains how the old Gods still live on within us, and how we can once again make them a living part of our lives. This book is a must read for all who are interested in the old pagan religions of Europe and its a message of hope and joy for the future that will change your life in ways that will amaze you.

Demonstrates definitively that the secularization thesis is correct, and religion is losing its grip on societies worldwide In the decades since its introduction, secularization theory has been subjected to doubt and criticism from a number of leading scholars, who have variously claimed that it is wrong, flawed, or incomplete. In Beyond Doubt, Isabella Kasselstrand, Phil Zuckerman, and Ryan T. Cragun mount a strong defense for the theory, providing compelling evidence that religion is indeed declining globally as a result of modernization. Though defenses of secularization theory have been mounted in the past, we now have many years’ worth of empirical data to illuminate trends, and can trace changes not just at a given point in time but over a trajectory. Drawing on extensive survey data from nations around the world, the book demonstrates that, in spite of its many detractors, there is robust empirical support for secularization theory. It also engages with the most prominent criticisms levied against the theory, showing that data that are said to refute the narrative of religious decline are easily explainable and in keeping with the broader tendency toward secularization. Beyond simply defending secularization theory, the authors endeavor to formalize it, offering clear definitions of relevant terms and creating propositions that can be repeatedly and accurately tested. Beyond Doubt offers the strongest argument to date for the existence of a global secularization trend, and will be a vital resource for students and scholars alike who study religion and secularism.

In Personal Religion and Magic in Mamasa, West Sulawesi, Kees Buijs describes the traditional culture of the Toraja's, which is rapidly vanishing. The focus is on personal religion as it has its centre in the kitchen of each house. In the kitchen and also by the use of magical words and stones the gods are sought for their powers of blessing. This book adds important information to Buijs' earlier Powers of Blessing from the Wilderness and from Heaven (Brill, 2006).

Jonah comes from a dimension beyond our universe, a nonphysical dimension of light, color, and sound. Through medium Hossca Harrison, Jonah has come forth to assist in opening the heart, to bring a message of freedom, and to teach universal loving. "The Teachings of Jonah" was created from an early taped series of Jonah's messages. Author Constance Luciano transcribed and edited these tapes to provide Jonah's teachings in written form. The lessons offered in "The Teachings of Jonah" include: How to get in touch with our spirituality How death is a birth into another reality How our thoughts and understandings determine what type of reality we will be born into when we die How disease is created and what the relationship is between the mind, the emotions, and the body How meditation is a both a tool and a technique How to enhance the true bonding within ourselves, our families, and amongst our loved ones How prophecies and predictions are made and what they are Jonah has helped thousands of people with his messages. His teachings prompt all of us to accept complete responsibility for who and what we are.

This book is another example of the New Thought movement where the author looks at the law of attrac-tion in the sense of thought with the respect of the power of mind. Atkinson points out the similarities between the law of gravitation and the mental law of attraction. He ex-plains that thought vibrations are as real as those manifesting as light, heat, magnetism and electricity. The difference is in the vibratory rate which also ex-plains the fact that thought vibrations cannot usually be perceived by our five senses. The author, rather skillfully, argues that there are huge gaps in the spectrum of light and sound vibrations, wide enough to include other worlds. It is logical that these activities would be perceived by sense organs at-tuned to them. Increasingly sophisticated scientific instruments are able to register more and more of these hidden frequencies.

The Handbook of UFO Religions, edited by esteemed scholar of new religions Benjamin E. Zeller, offers the most expansive and detailed study of the persistent, popular, and global phenomenon of religious engagements with ideas about extraterrestrial life. The present work considers not only new religions founded on ideas about extraterrestrials and UFOs, but how those within more mainstream religions have responded to the science, scientific speculation, and popular culture involving extraterrestrials, UFOs, and related concepts. Global in reach, it includes chapters considering South and East Asia, Europe, and North and South America, and draws on several interdisciplinary methods. In addition, the handbook traces connections between UFO religiosity and cultural patterns such as science and scientism, esoterism and occultism, millennialism, and popular culture.