Many Christians are today sitting happily in the middle of their personal comfort zones, and feel God has confirmed their right to be there. But is this the God of the Bible? This is a book of huge significance for the church today, designed to inspire, encourage and challenge us to seek God's greater anointing. Chapters include 'For the Love of Money', 'Chances are you are a Pharisee if...', 'The Seeker-Sensitive God?' and 'Whatever Happened to Hell?'.

Paul Helm presents a new, expanded edition of his much praised 1988 book Eternal God , which defends the view that God exists in timeless eternity. This is the classical Christian view of God, but it is claimed by many theologians and philosophers of religion to be incoherent. Paul Helm rebuts the charge of incoherence, arguing that divine timelessness is grounded in the idea of God as creator, and that this alone makes possible a proper account of divine omniscience. He develops some of the consequences of divine timelessness, particularly as it affects both divine and human freedom, and considers some of the alleged problems about referring to God. The book thus constitutes a unified treatment of the main concepts of philosophical theology. Helm's revised edition includes four new chapters that develop and extend his account of God and time, taking account of significant work in the area that has appeared since the publication of the first edition, by such prominent figures as William Lane Craig, Brian Leftow, and Richard Swinburne. This new discussion takes the reader into further areas, notably timelessness and creation and the nature of divine causality.

Metaphors for God's Time in Science and Religion examines the exploratory work of metaphors for time in astrophysical cosmology, chaos theory, evolutionary biology and neuroscience. Stephen Happel claims that the Christian God is intimately involved at every level of physical and biological science. He compares how scientists and theologians both generate stories, metaphors and symbols about the universe and asks "who is the God who invents me?"

Heralded as the exponents of a "new atheism," critics of religion are highly visible in today's media, and include the household names of Richard Dawkins, Daniel Dennett and Sam Harris. David Fergusson explains their work in its historical perspective, drawing comparisons with earlier forms of atheism. Responding to the critics through conversations on the credibility of religious belief, Darwinism, morality, fundamentalism, and our approach to reading sacred texts, he establishes a compelling case for the practical and theoretical validity of faith in the contemporary world.
An invitation to engage in a rich dialogue, Faith and Its Critics supports an informed and constructive exchange of ideas rather than a contest between two sides of the debate. Fergusson encourages faith communities to undertake patient engagement with their critics, to acknowledge the place for change and development in their self-understanding whilst resisting the reductive explanations of the new atheism.

This book examines the post-9/11 God debate in the West. Through a close study of prominent English God debaters Richard Dawkins, Karen Armstrong, Christopher Hitchens, and Terry Eagleton, Adrian Rosenfeldt demonstrates that New Atheist and religious apologist ideas and arguments about God, science, and identity are driven by mythic autobiographical narratives and Protestant or Catholic cultural heritage. This study is informed by criticism of the New Atheist polemic as being positivistic, and the religious apologists as propagating "sophisticated theology." In both cases, the God debaters are perceived as disassociating themselves from human lived experience. It is through reconnecting the God debaters' intellectual ideas to their cultural and social background that the God debate can be grounded in a recognisable human reality that eludes reductive distinctions and disembodied abstractions.

These poems reflect a journey from a past delineated by racism, trauma and violence towards a present life of peace and intense natural beauty. Permeated with nostalgia and loss; songs of an immigrant community alienated in their own land, but pierced with fierce hope, faith in redemption, and a determination that we should all belong.

In recent decades, a new scientific approach to understand, explain, and predict many features of religion has emerged. The cognitive science of religion (CSR) has amassed research on the forces that shape the tendency for humans to be religious and on what forms belief takes. It suggests that religion, like language or music, naturally emerges in humans with tractable similarities. This new approach has profound implications for how we understand religion, including why it appears so easily, and why people are willing to fight-and die-for it. Yet it is not without its critics, and some fear that scholars are explaining the ineffable mystery of religion away, or showing that religion is natural proves or disproves the existence of God. An Introduction to the Cognitive Science of Religion offers students and general readers an accessible introduction to the approach, providing an overview of key findings and the debates that shape it. The volume includes a glossary of key terms, and each chapter includes suggestions for further thought and further reading as well as chapter summaries highlighting key points. This book is an indispensable resource for introductory courses on religion and a much-needed option for advanced courses.

Argues that there are sharply conflicting images of God in the Bible and that for Christians the true God can only be the one revealed through the words and actions of the historical Jesus

An examination of the doctrine of God in the theological construction of Stephen Charnock, exploring his use of reason and his commitment to experiential faith. This study explores Charnock's doctrine of the knowledge of God to discover his contributions to the Restoration English Puritan understanding of a balance of head and heart. Charnock paved a distinctive trail in the midst of diverse paths the Restoration Puritans were taking, but he also maintained certain characteristics, which were common to the Puritan way.

This is an extensive study of the sixteenth- and seventeenth-century belief that God actively intervened in human affairs to punish, reward, warn, try, and chastise. Through an exploration of a wide range of dramatic events and puzzling phenomena in which contemporaries detected the divine finger at work, it sheds fresh light on the reception, character, and broader cultural repercussions of the Protestant Reformation in England.

Reasoning about God is an introduction to philosophy of religion, meeting college students where they are with their own doubts and questions. Each chapter begins with a passage from a fictional student, who raises intellectual problems against God, which is followed by the author's informed and easy-to-understand analysis. This debate structure allows student readers to clearly see the clash of ideas, gets them involved in the issues, and encourages their critical thinking (since students are pushed to find flaws in the ideas). It emulates the structure the author followed successfully in his Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction, which is now in its third edition and has been translated five times into other languages. This structure works well in philosophy of religion, even better than in does in ethics. Key Features of Reasoning about God: Written clearly and concisely, making difficult issues easy to understand. Makes a strong case for belief in God, based on various factors - including arguments about fine-tuning, Kalam, and near-death experiences - as well as approaches that are more instinctual or emotional. A major theme of the book is "There are many paths to God." Includes material on both traditional topics of philosophy of religion (like the problem of evil) and other related topics of interest (like whether religion is harmful, life after death, the variety of world religions, and the meaning of life). Explores how science connects to God's existence, arguing that recent science is friendlier toward religion than older science. Written by a Christian author, whose defense of belief in God works with other theistic traditions as well (like Islam and Judaism).

Constructing Moral Concepts of God in a Global Age focuses on what people say and think about God, rather than on arguments about God's existence. It advances a theological method, or step-by-step approach to explore and reframe personal convictions about God and the worldviews shaped by those convictions. Since a moral God is more likely to foster a moral life, this method integrates an ethical check to ensure that understandings of God and their associated worldviews are validly moral. The proposed method builds on the work of twentieth-century theologian Gordon Kaufman during the Kantian phase of his work. It anticipates a person-like God who hears prayers, loves without end, and comforts in times of hardship. To accommodate today's pluralistic and globalized world, the ethical check integrated in the method is a widely collaborative and vetted global ethic, the Parliament of the World's Religions "Declaration Towards a Global Ethic." This volume of constructive philosophical theology is written for seminary students, educators, clergy, study groups, and anyone interested in delving more deeply and systematically into understandings of God, whether their own or those of others.

In this study of the works of Søren Kierkegaard, Murray Rae focuses on his understanding of the Christian faith and the nature of Christian conversion. The transformation of an individual under the impact of revelation is explored both in terms of the New Testament concept of metanoia and in comparison with claims to cognitive progress in other fields.

God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a landmark publication, the first book to address the problem from the perspective of communication studies. In ten thought-provoking essays, communication scholars confront the "God Problem" by describing diverse approaches they have used in field research to study groups that claim to hear God while also balancing respect for informants' claims with their own personal beliefs. *** The intelligence of this exceptional book is a perfect ten. The theoretical depth of every chapter reflects research brilliance. The authors' clarity with ideas, ancient and contemporary, is knowledge production at its substantive best. -Clifford G. Christians, Research Professor of Communications Emeritus, University of Illinois Whether your interests include communication theory, rhetorical criticism, ethnography, or theology, regardless of your faith tradition-or absence of a faith tradition-it is a stimulating read. I highly recommend it. -Steven A. Beebe, Regents' and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Texas State University; Past President, National Communication Association As a religious communication scholar who also identifies as a theist-scholar, I found every chapter empowering, as they encourage the field to reconsider its positionality towards an area of scholarship that attempts to "measure the immeasurable." This book is a must! -Tina M. Harris, Professor, Endowed Chair of Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy, Louisiana State University God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a timely contribution to religious communication and communication studies. The authors examine the absence of God in communication theory and in engagement with others. I highly recommend this relevant work. -Ronald C. Arnett, Professor Emeritus, Duquesne University A much-needed contribution to the growing body of research at the intersection of communication and religion, this scholarly volume gathers work from established and emerging scholars to address a long-standing issue in the field of religious communication: the conundrum of divine-human communication. -Janie M. H. Fritz, Duquesne University; Executive Director, Religious Communication Association

God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a landmark publication, the first book to address the problem from the perspective of communication studies. In ten thought-provoking essays, communication scholars confront the "God Problem" by describing diverse approaches they have used in field research to study groups that claim to hear God while also balancing respect for informants' claims with their own personal beliefs. *** The intelligence of this exceptional book is a perfect ten. The theoretical depth of every chapter reflects research brilliance. The authors' clarity with ideas, ancient and contemporary, is knowledge production at its substantive best. -Clifford G. Christians, Research Professor of Communications Emeritus, University of Illinois Whether your interests include communication theory, rhetorical criticism, ethnography, or theology, regardless of your faith tradition-or absence of a faith tradition-it is a stimulating read. I highly recommend it. -Steven A. Beebe, Regents' and University Distinguished Professor Emeritus, Texas State University; Past President, National Communication Association As a religious communication scholar who also identifies as a theist-scholar, I found every chapter empowering, as they encourage the field to reconsider its positionality towards an area of scholarship that attempts to "measure the immeasurable." This book is a must! -Tina M. Harris, Professor, Endowed Chair of Race, Media, and Cultural Literacy, Louisiana State University God Talk: The Problem of Divine-Human Communication is a timely contribution to religious communication and communication studies. The authors examine the absence of God in communication theory and in engagement with others. I highly recommend this relevant work. -Ronald C. Arnett, Professor Emeritus, Duquesne University A much-needed contribution to the growing body of research at the intersection of communication and religion, this scholarly volume gathers work from established and emerging scholars to address a long-standing issue in the field of religious communication: the conundrum of divine-human communication. -Janie M. H. Fritz, Duquesne University; Executive Director, Religious Communication Association

Reasoning about God is an introduction to philosophy of religion, meeting college students where they are with their own doubts and questions. Each chapter begins with a passage from a fictional student, who raises intellectual problems against God, which is followed by the author's informed and easy-to-understand analysis. This debate structure allows student readers to clearly see the clash of ideas, gets them involved in the issues, and encourages their critical thinking (since students are pushed to find flaws in the ideas). It emulates the structure the author followed successfully in his Ethics: A Contemporary Introduction, which is now in its third edition and has been translated five times into other languages. This structure works well in philosophy of religion, even better than in does in ethics. Key Features of Reasoning about God: Written clearly and concisely, making difficult issues easy to understand. Makes a strong case for belief in God, based on various factors - including arguments about fine-tuning, Kalam, and near-death experiences - as well as approaches that are more instinctual or emotional. A major theme of the book is "There are many paths to God." Includes material on both traditional topics of philosophy of religion (like the problem of evil) and other related topics of interest (like whether religion is harmful, life after death, the variety of world religions, and the meaning of life). Explores how science connects to God's existence, arguing that recent science is friendlier toward religion than older science. Written by a Christian author, whose defense of belief in God works with other theistic traditions as well (like Islam and Judaism).

In a series of clear, short chapters, Leonardo Boff unpacks the mysteries of Trinitarian faith, showing why it makes a difference to believe that God is communion rather than solitude. Instead of God as solitary ruler standing above a static universe, Christian belief in the Trinity means that at the root of everything there is movement, an eternal process of life, outward movement, and love.

Boff shows how the Holy Trinity is, among other things, the image of the perfect community and the image of the church in its ideal form: not a hierarchy of power, but a community of diverse gifts and functions.

Ideal for study or personal reflection.

What Are You Waiting For?

Intimacy with God can happen right now if you want it. A closeness you can feel, a goodness you can taste, a reality you can experience for yourself. That s what the Bible promises, so why settle for less? God is closer than you think, and connecting with him isn t just for monks and ascetics. It s for business people, high school students, busy moms, single men, single women and most important, it s for YOU.

God Is Closer Than You Think shows how you can enjoy a vibrant, moment-by-moment relationship with your heavenly Father. Bestselling author John Ortberg reveals the face of God waiting to be discovered in the complex mosaic of your life. He shows you God s hand stretching toward you. And, with his gift for storytelling, Ortberg illustrates the ways you can reach toward God and complete the connection to your joy and his."

Anthropology--the study of man--is unlike every other study because humans are its subject. And because we are its subject we cannot manage the philosophic and emotional distance necessary to see clearly. Unable to stand apart from ourselves to comprehend our own truth, we are compelled to assume things about ourselves that we cannot prove. In a word, anthropology begins in faith. Lloyd Sandelands approaches the anthropological quest for God by comparing the faiths of modern social science and of the Christian church. Sandelands describes the social scientific faith articulated by Hume, Kant, Rousseau, Schopenhauer among others, as an imagined state of nature that sees the individual as solitary, self-sufficient, and contented. By contrast, the Christian faith unites us as male and female persons in one flesh before God. The challenge in the author's view is to decide which faith to build our lives upon. Sandelands poses questions about the basic terms of human study--what is a person, and what is society?--and how do the different metaphysics of science and Church lead to different anthropologies? A worthwhile anthropology must address the questions of what constitutes human freedom, desire, and the nature of the good. Comparing the answers given by science and by the church, he finds that the one paradoxically denies freedom, denies want, and denies the good, while the other affirms freedom, affirms want, and affirms the good. Between these two anthropologies he finds there is but one true study of man. A companion to Sandelands' Man and Nature in God, his most recent book, An Anthropological Defense of God attempts to establish that an anthropology in God succeeds where an anthropology in science fails. Such success is measured not only by its ideas and findings about man, but even more by its wisdom in teaching us how to live.

The doctrine of the Trinity is one of the most distinguishing marks of Christian faith. This is the first book to present an overview of the role of the Trinity in Christian theology in relation to religious pluralism and other religions. Approaching the study of the relationship between Christianity and other religions from the perspective of the Trinity, this book surveys all the major contributions to the topic by leading theologians at the international and ecumenical level. Veli-Matti Karkkainen points to future challenges and areas in need of development, examining in detail a case study exploring how the Catholic Church has responded to Islam from the perspective of the Trinity. Students of theology and religious studies will find this an invaluable text for courses that discuss religious pluralism and Christianity's relation to other religions. Pastors, other Christian workers, and academics will also find it a handy reference tool for teaching and further study.

I. A Dangerous and/or Useful Kingdom? ............ 5 II. Is There a Concept of the Kingdom of God? . . . . .. . 9 III. The Development of the Concept of a Kingdom of God in the Old Testament ................... 15 IV. Is an Apolitical Kingdom of God Possible? ....... 21 V. The Vicissitudes of Theocracy in Israel ........... 27 VI. New Testament Conceptualization of Messianic Fulfillment . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 37 . . . . . . . . VII. Is an Alternative Messianic Scenario Conceivable? ................... . . . . . . .. . . 43 . VIII. Did Jesus make a Major Mistake? ............. 51 IX. The Dialectics of Christian Interpretation . . . . . .. . . 59 X. Hermeneutical Circle, or circulus vitiosus? ........ 67 XI. Political Milestones: Three Romes, Three Reichs, Three Kingdoms, and a "Holy Roman ." 73 E mplre ................................. . viii XII. Catholic Political Theology: The "Two Cities" and "Two Swords," and Beyond. . . . . . . . . .. . . 83 . XIII. How Visible can a "City of God" be? ......... 101 XIV. Protestant Political Theology: Beyond the "Two Kingdoms" and the "Two Regiments" . . . . .. . . 109 XV. Does Hegelian Political Theology have a Future? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 119 . . . . . . . . . XVI. The Emergence of the Secular Kingdom of God ..................................... 125 XVII. Secularization-a Boon to Mankind? ......... 137 XVIII. Religious Experience, Chosenness, and Political Expression ....................... 145 XIX. Does Democracy need Redefinition? .......... 157 XX. The Dialectics of Democracy ................. 169 XXI. Democracy and the Kingdom of God . . . . . . .. . . 183 XXII. Are Church and State "Mutually Conducive"? .. 195 XXIII. World Federalism and Ecumenical Christianity 205 Conclusion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 221 . . . . . . . . . . BIBLIOGRAPHY. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . 225 . . . . . . .

What does it mean for nature to be sacred? Is anything supernatural or even unnatural? Nature's Transcendence and Immanence: A Comparative Interdisciplinary Ecstatic Naturalism discusses nature's divinizing process of unfolding and folding through East-West dialogues and interdisciplinary methodologies. Nature's selving/god-ing processes are the sacred that is revealed as nature's transcendent and immanent dimensions. Each chapter of Nature's Transcendence and Immanence: A Comparative Interdisciplinary Ecstatic Naturalism shares a part of nature's sacred folds that are complexes within nature that have unusual semiotic density. These discussions serve to help restore a better relationship to nature as a whole through an innovative combination of research and ideas from a variety of traditions and disciplines. This collection not only introduces ecstatic naturalism and deep pantheism as sacred practices of philosophy and theology, but also invites a broader audience from a wide range of academic disciplines such as neuro-psychoanalysis, aesthetics, mythology, neuroscience, and artificial intelligence (AI).