In hierdie versamelbundel is daar ‘n groep uiteenlopende mense gevra om elk ‘n onafhanklike essay te skryf na aanleiding van ‘n Bybelteks.

Daar is skrywers, ekonome, musikante, akademici en joernaliste. Die enigste voorwaardes was dat dit persone moet wees wat nie meer kerklik betrokke en/ of ‘n dominee of teoloog is nie. Baie essays is bloot verhale, vertellings, reise of verduidelikings wat met ‘n teks verbind kan word.

Ons almal is medereisigers in hierdie verbygaande wêreldse bestel. Kom ons luister met ‘n oop gemoed na mekaar. Dán staan ons ‘n kans om te verstaan, te begryp, eerder as om te oordeel.

Van die bekende en bekroonde skrywers wat deelneem aan hierdie projek is onder andere Jurie van den Heever, Annelie Botes, Dana Snyman, Pik Botha, Heinz Modler, Lizette Rabe, Dawie Roodt, Rachelle Greeff, Piet Croukamp, Joan Hambidge, Koos Kombuis, Karin Brynard, Jean Oosthuizen, Christine Barkhuizen Le Roux, Lina Spies, Valda Jansen, Valiant Swart, Nathan Trantraal, Churchil Naude, Riku Lätti en Luke Alfred.

The Market has deified itself, according to Harvey Cox's brilliant exegesis. And all of the world's problems-widening inequality, a rapidly warming planet, the injustices of global poverty-are consequently harder to solve. Only by tracing how the Market reached its "divine" status can we hope to restore it to its proper place as servant of humanity. The Market as God captures how our world has fallen in thrall to the business theology of supply and demand. According to its acolytes, the Market is omniscient, omnipotent, and omnipresent. It knows the value of everything, and determines the outcome of every transaction; it can raise nations and ruin households, and nothing escapes its reductionist commodification. The Market comes complete with its own doctrines, prophets, and evangelical zeal to convert the world to its way of life. Cox brings that theology out of the shadows, demonstrating that the way the world economy operates is neither natural nor inevitable but shaped by a global system of values and symbols that can be best understood as a religion. Drawing on biblical sources, economists and financial experts, prehistoric religions, Greek mythology, historical patterns, and the work of natural and social scientists, Cox points to many parallels between the development of Christianity and the Market economy. At various times in history, both have garnered enormous wealth and displayed pompous behavior. Both have experienced the corruption of power. However, what the religious have learned over the millennia, sometimes at great cost, still eludes the Market faithful: humility.

Recent discussions of Thomas Aquinas's treatment of natural law have focused upon the ""self-evident"" character of the first principles, but few attempts have been made to determine in what manner they are self-evident. On some accounts, a self-evident precept must have, at most, a tenuous connection with speculative reason, especially our knowledge of God, and it must be untainted by the stain of ""deriving"" an ought from an is. Yet Aquinas himself had a robust account of the good, rooted in human nature. He saw no fundamental difference between is-statements and ought-statements, both of which he considered to be descriptive. Knowing the Natural Law traces the thought of Aquinas from an understanding of human nature to a knowledge of the human good, from there to an account of ought-statements, and finally to choice, which issues in human actions. The much discussed article on the precepts of the natural law (I-II, 94, 2) provides the framework for a natural law rooted in human nature and in speculative knowledge. Practical knowledge is itself threefold: potentially practical knowledge, virtually practical knowledge, and fully practical knowledge. This distinction within practical knowledge, typically overlooked or underutilized, reveals the steps by which the mind moves from speculative knowledge all the way to fully practical knowledge. The most significant sections of Knowing the Natural Law examine the nature of ought-statements, the imperative force of moral precepts, the special character of per se nota propositions as found within the natural law, and the final movement from knowledge to action.

Engage students with the 'Philosophy of Religion' content for OCR A Level Religious Studies; build their knowledge, deepen their understanding and develop their skills using this accessible textbook, brought to you by subject specialists with examining experience and the leading A Level Religious Studies publisher and OCR's Publishing Partner. - Confidently cover the content your students need to know in an appropriate level of depth with this component textbook that has been written in light of what has been learned from from the first assessment - Enable students to develop and hone the AO2 skills they need, with Analyse and Evaluate tables in every topic outlining the key evaluation points - Help students of all ability levels to build their subject knowledge with key content explained clearly throughout using accessible language - Engage students with the content; each topic begins with a real-life example which puts the content into context and has discussion points throughout to get students actively thinking about key concepts - Encourage students to critically engage with challenging issues and ideas; core, stretch and challenge activities at the end of every topic help students to develop a comprehensive and nuanced understanding - Provide students with the opportunity to check their knowledge and practise exam questions with the 'Wrap-up' section at the end of each topic

"The Thoughtful Guide to God" presents a rational approach to notions of God and soul for those who are disenchanted with organized religion. Reviving concepts of the divine that go back to the earliest human civilizations of both East and West, it shows how ideas have evolved from early scriptural revelations, through the rationalization of the Greek philosophers, to the developments of modern physics. Few works bring together ideas from so many disciplines-from religion, philosophy and science, with all the supporting detail. Packed with references for further reading, it provides a bridge between science and religion, and between many of the different religions of the world. All the terms and concepts are explained so that they are accessible to the general reader. The discoveries of Newton and Galileo, through to Einstein and contemporary scientists, and the ideas of God from a number of Jewish, Christian, Islamic and Hindu thinkers, are presented with brief biographical background to put these personalities in context. Their thoughts are fused with those of Greek and later philosophers that have shaped society in Western Europe to provide a unifying concept of the divine as Communal Soul- a one-world view which it is essential should convince more of the population in the materialist West if Earth and humankind are to survive into the 22nd century.

"?" Is the evolutionary achievement of a dominant intelligence the inevitable precursor to species self destruction? Is this why we are the only member of the genus Homo left on Earth? Is this why, despite our efforts, we have not contacted alien intelligence? This is a book of essay meditations about humankind - a 'Naked Ape' who is still in the process of evolving but is also now having to deal with the problems which arise out of his very recently acquired intelligence. This seems dangerously difficult for him. The world now has developed a very real and immensely complicated and dangerous technological envirnonment which is rapidly replacing his old, natural environment - with, very possibly, disastrous consequences. Human psychology has not kept up with his technology and humankind is having great difficulty in adjusting safely to a now frightening achievement of global domination. Human willingness to revert to the behavioral ideals of nationalism, racism and, in particular, religion, leave this now globally dominant species fragmented by aggressive tribal attitudes, dicing with the destruction of not only humanity itself, but a great deal of life on planet Earth.

In this groundbreaking book, Bishop Wayne Malcolm addresses the possibility and practicalities of national healing through marketplace leadership. At the heart of his thesis is the role that everyday believers play in the four arenas of social authority known as the marketplace. He argues persuasively that the marketplace determines the character and culture of cities and as such should be targeted by the universal church as a legitimate mission field. This book actively encourages an invasion of the marketplace with a view to bringing innovative and ethical leadership to the arenas of politics, business, education and communities. It further lays out a plan for reclaiming cities and re-building broken nations through marketplace leadership. It is the authora s hope that you be inspired and motivated to take your own career and vocation to the new levels of spiritual and social significance in the knowledge that the Scriptures are backing you all the way to the top! Bishop Wayne Malcolm has been called a master motivator and is considered to be a leading performance coach who draws from his wealth of experience as a Christian leader, an international conference speaker and an entrepreneur in the personal development industry. He is affectionately known as the a Business-Bishopa , having authored over 25 books on self-development and entrepreneurship as the relate to the Christian faith and has personally trained thousands of people around the world through workshops, seminars and training programs on the science pf achievement and professional progress. In addition to his global speaking itinerary, the Bishop appears on numerous TV and radio programs and hosts weekly webcasts that attract a global audience. He is the founder and president of the International Christ Ambassadors Network ICAN Community Churches, a Global Academy for Marketplace Leadership and a Global Network of Marketplace Ministers.

The CSB She Reads Truth Bible aims to live at the intersection of beauty, goodness, and Truth. Featuring She Reads Truth devotionals and Scripture reading plans that include supplemental passages for deeper understanding, this Bible invites every woman to count themselves among the She Reads Truth community of "Women in the Word of God every day." The CSB She Reads Truth Bible also features 66 key verses, artfully lettered to aid in Scripture memorization.

The She Reads Truth Bible includes almost 200 devotionals, 66 artist-designed key verses, 35 full-color timelines, 20 full-color maps, 11 full-color charts, reading plans for every book of the Bible, one-year Bible reading plan, detailed book introductions, key verse list, carefully curated topical index, smyth-sewn binding, two colored ribbon markers, and wide margins for journaling and note-taking.

Women’s study Bibles and devotional Bibles are a great resource, but a beautiful and theologically sound Bible like this can be a great encouragement in a woman’s time in God’s Word. .

The CSB She Reads Truth Bible hardcover Bible (also available in genuine leather and leathe touch) features the highly readable, highly reliable text of the Christian Standard Bible® (CSB). The CSB stays as literal as possible to the Bible's original meaning without sacrificing clarity, making it easier to engage with Scripture's life-transforming message and to share it with others.

Amidst the many voices clamoring to interpret the environmental crisis, some of the most important are the voices of religious traditions. Long before modernity's industrialism began the rape of Earth, premodern religious and philosophical traditions mediated to untold generations the wisdom of living as a part of nature. These traditions can illuminate and empower wiser ways of postmodern living. The original writings of Worldviews and Ecology creatively present and interpret worldviews of major religious and philosophical traditions on how humans can live more sustainably on a fragile planet. Contributors include Charlene Spretnak, Larry Rasmussen, Noel Brown, Jay McDaniel, Tu Wei-Ming, Thomas Berry, David Ray Griffin, J. Baird Callicott, Eric Katz, Roger E. Timm, Robert A. White, Christopher Key Chapple, Brian Swimme, Brian Brown, Michael Tobias, Ralph Metzner, George Sessions, and Mary Evelyn Tucker and John Grim. Insights from traditions as diverse as Jain, Jewish, ecofeminist, deep ecology, Christian, Hindu, Bahai, and Whiteheadian will interest all who seek an honest analysis of what religious and philosophical traditions have to say to a modernity whose consciousness and conscience seems tragically narrow, the source of attitudes that imperil the biosphere.

Theologians and leaders from many Churches and from the major world religions, including the last four popes, have acknowledged as unique in Christian history the spiritual gifts poured forth through Chiara Lubich. Her spirituality of unity has the ultimate goal of contributing to the unity for which Jesus prayed to his Father: May they all be one (Jn 17:21). This volume gathers her essential writings and for the first time presents them in a systematic fashion. It is a summa of the charism of unity, which will lead readers to ponder, understand and experience a spirituality particularly suited to the era in which we live. The history of the Church has seen many radicalisms of love ... that of Francis of Assisi, of Ignatius of Loyola. There is also Chiaras radicalism ... which seeks to make this love victorious in every circumstance. Pope John Paul II

Representing the highest quality of scholarship, Gilles Emery offers a much-anticipated introduction to Catholic doctrine on the Trinity. His extensive research combined with lucid prose provides readers a resource to better understand the foundations of Trinitarian reflection. The book is addressed to all who wish to benefit from an initiation to Trinitarian doctrine. The path proposed by this introductory work comprises six steps. First the book indicates some liturgical and biblical ways for entering into Trinitarian faith. It then presents the revelation of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit in the New Testament, by inviting the reader to reflect upon the signification of the word "God." Next it explores the confessions of Trinitarian faith, from the New Testament itself to the Creed of Constantinople, on which it offers a commentary. By emphasizing the Christian culture inherited from the fourth-century Fathers of the Church, the book presents the fundamental principles of Trinitarian doctrine, which find their summit in the Christian notion of "person." On these foundations, the heart of the book is a synthetic exposition of the persons of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit in their divine being and mutual relations, and in their action for us. Finally, the last step takes up again the study of the creative and saving action of the Trinity: the book concludes with a doctrinal exposition of the "missions" of the Son and Holy Spirit, that is, the salvific sending of the Son and Holy Spirit that leads humankind to the contemplation of the Father.

Written by Libby Ahluwalia - an experienced teacher and examiner, and a trusted author - this new textbook fully supports Component 2 of the Eduqas AS and A Level Religious Studies specification. Drawing on the most recent guidance, it will help students prepare for exam success. It is clearly laid out, accessible and concise, containing exactly what students need and no more. AO1 and AO2 content is separated and activities help students develop both skills. It also includes extensive exam support, including annotated model paragraphs.

Visionary theologian and evolutionary theorist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin applied his whole life, his tremendous intellect, and his great spiritual faith to building a philosophy that would reconcile religion with the scientific theory of evolution. In this timeless book, which contains the quintessence of his thought, Teilhard argues that just as living organisms sprung from inorganic matter and evolved into ever more complex thinking beings, humans are evolving toward an "omega point"--defined by Teilhard as a convergence with the Divine.

After years as a Hollywood writer and filmmaker, Kristin Hahn felt a crisis of faith: she had no spiritual group she could call her own. Setting out on a three-year journey, she began an investigation of America's religious traditions, practices, and beliefs.

Crisscrossing the nation, Hahn spent a week cloistered in prayer with convent nuns and a month of Ramadan fasting with Muslims. She went door-to-door with young Mormon missionaries and head-to-head with turbaned Sikh yogis. She sat through marathon meditations with Buddhist masters and spent days in conversation and ceremony with an 0jibwe medicine man. Her explorations exposed her to the rich, ancient culture of the Jews and brought her into the enclaves of Christian Scientists and Amish farmers, as well as the less traditional realms of Scientology, neopagan witchcraft, and the congregations of new-age gurus.

And this was only the beginning.

Openhearted, humorous, and always thoughtful, In Search of Grace offers nourishment for our spiritual hunger -- and a myriad of ways to find a religious home.

Throughout history, humans have dreamed of knowing the reason for the existence of the universe. In The Mind of God, physicist Paul Davies explores whether modern science can provide the key that will unlock this last secret. In his quest for an ultimate explanation, Davies reexamines the great questions that have preoccupied humankind for millennia, and in the process explores, among other topics, the origin and evolution of the cosmos, the nature of life and consciousness, and the claim that our universe is a kind of gigantic computer. Charting the ways in which the theories of such scientists as Newton, Einstein, and more recently Stephen Hawking and Richard Feynman have altered our conception of the physical universe. Davies puts these scientists' discoveries into context with the writings of philosophers such as Plato. Descartes, Hume, and Kant. His startling conclusion is that the universe is "no minor byproduct of mindless, purposeless forces. We are truly meant to be here." By the means of science, we can truly see into the mind of God.

The "New York Times"-bestselling author of "God's Politics" reinvigorates America's hope for the future, offering a roadmap to rediscover the nation's moral center and providing the inspiration and a concrete plan to change today's politics.

Young adults today want authentic answers to their soul-deep questions about God. They want meaningful ways to communicate those answers to others. Most of all, they want to know that they are living a life that matters. In A Good and True Story, philosopher, apologist, and international speaker Paul Gould leads readers on an engaging journey through eleven clues that suggest Christianity is not only true but satisfies our deepest longings. This creative foray into the foundations of Christian truth explores the universe, morality, happiness, pain, beauty, and more for readers looking for culturally informed apologetics. Ideal for college-age and twentysomething readers, small group leaders, and anyone interested in the intersection of faith, philosophy, and culture, A Good and True Story reminds readers that their search for identity and purpose is a gift from a loving and purposeful God.