Could our deepest hurts reveal the key to a powerful form of prayer that was lost 17 centuries ago? What can we learn today from the great secret of our most cherished traditions? "There are beautiful and wild forces within us." With these words, the mystic St. Francis described what ancient traditions believed was the most powerful force in the universe-the power of prayer. For more than 20 years, Gregg Braden has searched for evidence of a forgotten form of prayer that was lost to the West following the biblical edits of the early Christian Church. In the 1990s, he found and documented this form of prayer still being used in the remote monasteries of central Tibet. He also found it practiced in sacred rites throughout the high deserts of the American Southwest. In this book, Braden describes this ancient form of prayer that has no words or outward expressions. Then, for the first time in print, he leads us on a journey exploring what our most intimate experiences tell us about our deepest beliefs. Through case histories and personal accounts, Braden explores the wisdom of these timeless secrets, and the power that awaits each of us . . . just beyond our deepest hurt!

Links film history with church history over the past century, illuminating America's broader relationship with religious currents over time Moments of prayer have been represented in Hollywood movies since the silent era, appearing unexpectedly in films as diverse as Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm, Frankenstein, Amistad, Easy Rider, Talladega Nights, and Alien 3, as well as in religiously inspired classics such as Ben-Hur and The Ten Commandments. Here, Terry Lindvall examines how films have reflected, and sometimes sought to prescribe, ideas about how one ought to pray. He surveys the landscape of those films that employ prayer in their narratives, beginning with the silent era and moving through the uplifting and inspirational movies of the Great Depression and World War II, the cynical, anti-establishment films of the 60s and 70s, and the sci-fi and fantasy blockbusters of today. Lindvall considers how the presentation of cinematic prayer varies across race, age, and gender, and places the use of prayer in film in historical context, shedding light on the religious currents at play during those time periods. God on the Big Screen demonstrates that the way prayer is presented in film during each historical period tells us a great deal about America's broader relationship with religion.