This book is a theory-informed, comparative and historical exploration of the notion of the public sphere within Western and Islamic traditions. It situates the emergence of the modern public sphere in a wider historical and theoretical context than usually done in conventional analyses. The work traces cross-cutting genealogies spanning conventional borders between tradition and modernity, and in particular between the Western and the Islamic world. This approach unsettles received, evolutionary views of the public sphere as an exclusive legacy of Western political cultures. The public sphere is finally reconceived as a complex platform for the modern cultivation of culturally diverse, competing, yet intersecting discourses.

The Handbook of Religion and Mental Health is a useful resource for mental health professionals, religious professionals, and counselors. The book describes how religious beliefs and practices relate to mental health and influence mental health care. It presents research on the association between religion and personality, coping behavior, anxiety, depression, psychoses, and successes in psychotherapy and includes discussions on specific religions and their perspectives on mental health.
Key Features
* Provides a useful resource for religious and mental health professionals
* Describes the connections between spirituality, religion, and physical and mental health
* Discusses specific religions and their perspectives on mental health
* Presents research on the association between religion and personality, coping behavior, anxiety, depression, psychoses, and successes in psychotherapy

This groundbreaking work explores media scholar Sut Jhally's thesis that advertising functions as a religion in late capitalism and relates this to critical theological studies. Sheffield argues that advertising is not itself a religion, but that it contains religious dimensions - analogous to Durkheim's description of objects as totems.

"Prayer in Counseling ... The Practitioner's Handbook" is a bold apologetic for seeing greater use of prayer with the practice of counseling and psychotherapy in faith-based community, pastoral, and mainstream counseling settings. Using the evidence-based results of the best research studies and client surveys on the efficacy of prayer, the choice to integrate prayer with therapy is philosophically and empirically analyzed from every vantage. Practical examples, key filtering questions, and "tried and true" guidelines help the reader find a balance between the two extremes of avoidance/neglect of prayer as well as excessive/unwise usage. Gathering the best wisdom from the existing literature, the author builds a strong case to view prayer and counseling as unique but complementary avenues for dynamic change in a person's life. In light of potential counseling dilemmas and the need for healthy accountability "Prayer in Counseling" provides a roadmap to navigate the challenging ethical considerations of when and how to integrate prayer into therapy. Scriptural hindrances to effective prayer are identified and then contrasted against biblical principles and practical direction to make prayer a powerful, healing, and successful spiritual intervention in the counseling arena.

Sociology has taken a recent and unexpected theological turn that has radical implications for reflexivity. This original study explores these in four areas: visual aspects of reflexivity and theology; Simmel and Mauss on prayer as a form of spiritual capital; identity and the constitution of character; and finally, and most controversially, a reflection on sociological expectations of theology. This is one of the few works that explores a new terrain with profound implications for sociology and theology.

This work is an analysis of the whole frontier between religion and the environment. It deals in turn with their interactions and the effects of each on the other in the major world religions. It considers the religious impact on human uses of time, space, materials, transport, foods, and the environmental effects of religious influence on major topics such as population pressures, morbidity, mortality, marital arrangements, contraception, the treatment of animals, and environmental management.

This study guide by Dane Ortlund helps readers reflect further on the biblical truths found in Gentle and Lowly through discussion questions organized into 10 helpful lessons. Designed for individual and small-group use.

This book examines the relationship between chronic illness, spirituality, and healing from interdisciplinary, multicultural, and interreligious perspectives. Contributors include professionals working in traditional, holistic and integrative clinical settings, as well as religious studies scholars and spiritual practitioners from diverse religious and cultural contexts. Authors consider how biomedical care might be blended with spiritual practice that attends to the well-being of people living with chronic conditions through the mind-body-spirit-environment relationship. The book is relevant to the disciplines of health care, spiritual care, and social services; religious studies, disability studies, and cultural studies; and to people living with chronic illnesses.

This book deals with various manifestations of charity or giving in the contexts of the Christian, Jewish, and Muslim societies in Late Antiquity and Early Middle Ages. Monotheistic charity and giving display many common features. These underlying similarities reflect a commonly shared view about God and his relations to mankind and what humans owe to God and expect from him. Nevertheless, the fact that the emphasis is placed on similarities does not mean that the uniqueness of the concepts of charity and giving in the three monotheistic religions is denied. The contributors of the book deal with such heterogeneous topics like the language of social justice in early Christian homilies as well as charity and pious endowments in medieval Syria, Egypt and al-Andalus during the 11th-15th centuries. This wide range of approaches distinguish the book from other works on charity and giving in monotheistic religions.

The first state-of-the-art, comprehensive resource to encompass the wide breadth of the rapidly growing field of Judaism and health.

For Jews, religion and medicine (and science) are not inherently in conflict, even within the Torah-observant community, but rather can be friendly partners in the pursuit of wholesome ends, such as truth, healing and the advancement of humankind. from the Introduction

This authoritative volume part professional handbook, part scholarly resource and part source of practical information for laypeople melds the seemingly disparate elements of Judaism and health into a truly multidisciplinary collective, enhancing the work within each area and creating new possibilities for synergy across disciplines. It is ideal for medical and healthcare providers, rabbis, educators, academic scholars, healthcare researchers and caregivers, congregational leaders and laypeople with an interest in the most recent and most exciting developments in this new, important field."

The first state-of-the-art, comprehensive resource to encompass the wide breadth of the rapidly growing field of Judaism and health.

For Jews, religion and medicine (and science) are not inherently in conflict, even within the Torah-observant community, but rather can be friendly partners in the pursuit of wholesome ends, such as truth, healing and the advancement of humankind. from the Introduction

This authoritative volume part professional handbook, part scholarly resource and part source of practical information for laypeople melds the seemingly disparate elements of Judaism and health into a truly multidisciplinary collective, enhancing the work within each area and creating new possibilities for synergy across disciplines. It is ideal for medical and healthcare providers, rabbis, educators, academic scholars, healthcare researchers and caregivers, congregational leaders and laypeople with an interest in the most recent and most exciting developments in this new, important field."

From the beginning of time, God has spoken to people in their dreams. Through them he has reached out to both men of God?Isaiah, Daniel, Jeremiah, Jacob, and his dream interpreter son, Joseph?and ungodly men and women, like Pharaoh or Pontius Pilate's wife. Even today, God has not stopped speaking to us in our dreams. We simply stopped listening or being aware of Him.

More than twenty years ago, after God woke him up one night with an incredible dream, author Manny Fernandez set off on a lifelong journey to explore what could be learned from dreams. He made it his mission to teach others how to remember their dreams and, with God's help, interpret their meaning. In his guidebook, Fernandez includes his own diary of dreams, associated Scriptures and explanations, ways to remember and understand God's special messages, an examination of parables, and his ideas for connecting with God through dreams and prayer.

"Wake Up?God's Talking to You" is an innovative teaching tool that guides spiritual seekers through all the ways God speaks to us through dreams and brings us closer to Him.

Do you have a dream? Are you pursuing it? Is there a man in your life who has a dream, but they are simply waiting for it to happen? This book may be just the inspiration that you or that special someone needs. In "So You Have a Dream...Now What? A Man's Guide to Dream Pursuit.," Michael Ford II discusses practical ways to move closer to dream fulfillment while applying scriptural references that will help dreamers in their pursuit. Within the pages of this brief, yet engaging manuscript, you will find humor, personal testimonies, and inspiring dialogue that will certainly help any reader propel themselves to the fulfillment of their dreams; all while pleasing God in the process. The first step in the process is opening this book. Go ahead; turn the page and begin the journey.

What is the nature and impact of faith and religion in prison? This book summarizes contemporary and cutting-edge research on religion in correctional contexts, enabling a scientific understanding of how prisoners use faith in their everyday lives. Religion long has been a tool for correctional treatment. In the United States, religion was the primary treatment modality in the first prisons. Only since the 1980s, however, have social scientists begun to study the nature, extent, practice, and impact of faith and faith-based prison programs. Bringing together the knowledge of scholars from around the world, this single-volume book offers readers a science- and research-based understanding of how prisoners use faith in everyday life, examining the role of religion in prison/correctional contexts from a variety of interdisciplinary and international viewpoints. By considering the perspectives of professionals actually working in corrections or prison settings as well as those of scholars studying religion and/or criminal justice, readers of Finding Freedom in Confinement: The Role of Religion in Prison Life can gain insight into the most contemporary research on religion in correctional contexts. The book contains data-driven, conceptual, and policy-oriented essays that cover major religions such as Christianity, Judaism, and Islam within correctional environments. It also addresses subject matter such as the roles of prison chaplains and correctional officers and the relationships between religion and common aspects of prison life, such as drug abuse, gangs, violence, prisoner identity, rights of prisoners, and rehabilitation. Presents an international scope that covers a diversity of faith traditions Comprises contributions from leading scholars who incorporate various research methodologies, such as surveys, in-depth interviews, participant observation, and content analysis into their writings Moves the discussion of religion in prison away from popular discourse, advocacy works, and media stories that prioritize emotion and sensationalism over empirical verification

"A Beacon of Hope" presents a collection of poetic letters that author Reveral L. Yeargin has been writing since 1986. He has been inspired by the Lord to write words of encouragement and inspiration to share with those who believe in God. Through Yeargin's inspiring poetry, God has spoken with His Spirit so that everyone can read, study, and apply the wisdom from them to their everyday life. Each of these poetic letters is an inspiration of people, places, and things.

These letters have been written to clarify our views because all of us are searching for answers to many of life's challenging questions without knowing where to search to find the answers. "A Beacon of Hope" is vessel for gaining peace of mind for those things that we don't understand, thus allowing us to understand and embrace the paths that have been set before us in love. "

My prayer is that you receive this with an open heart and after you get it continue to trust in God
God can if you trust Him and He will if you continue to place your hope in Him Every tiny tree hopes to become full grown and you should have the desire to please your God
I see you as a complete success because you fixed your heart on climbing the highest mountain
There is no greater place in heaven or on this earth to put your hope than to hope in God"
-from "A Beacon of Hope"

A re-examination of Jewish scripture and teachings about disabilities Few people are untouched by the issue of disability, whether personally or through a friend or relative. Jewish Perspectives on Theology and the Human Experience of Disability shares moving insights from around the world and across the broad spectrum of Judaism on how and why the Jewish community is incomplete without the presence and participation of the disabled. Authors representing each of the three main movements of JudaismOrthodox, Conservative, and Reformexamine theology, scripture, ethics, practical theology, religious education, and personal experience to understand and apply the lessons and wisdom of the past to issues of the present. Authors from Israel, the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia reflect on their theological understandings of specific disabilities and on disability as a whole. Jewish Perspectives on Theology and the Human Experience of Disability re-examines tradition, teachings, and beliefs to shatter stereotypes of Judaism and common interpretations of scripture. This unique book addresses several disabilities (blindness, deafness, intellectual disabilities, autism, learning disabilities), and a wide range of topics, including human rights and disabilities, Jewish laws concerning niddah, misconceptions about disabilities in the Hebrew Bible, Jewish community programs to include people with disabilities, and the need to educate American Jews about Jewish genetic diseases. Jewish Perspectives on Theology and the Human Experience of Disability examines: three methods that allow Jews who are blind to participate in the Torah service the spiritual needs of people with learning disabilities the attitude of Jewish Law toward marriage and parenthood on people with intellectual disabilities how the rabbis of the Mishnah incorporated Greco-Roman beliefs about the connections between hearing, speech, and intelligence into Jewish law a sampling of opinions issued on matters concerning disabilities by the Responsa Committee of the Central Conference of American Rabbis how the Jewish sages have made participation by people with disabilities possible and much more Jewish Perspectives on Theology and the Human Experience of Disability also includes reviews of Judaism and Disability: Portrayals in Ancient Texts from the Tanach through the Bavil and Disability in Jewish Law, as well as comprehensive resource collections. This book is an essential read for clergy and lay leaders involved in the support of people with disabilities, for the families of people with disabilities, and for anyone working with the disabled.

Completely new Bible atlas for student and reader. Contains 79 full-color computer-generated original maps. Carefully annotated to show battles, migrations and invasions. Explanatory captions to show significance of places flagged.

Learn to conduct a client-centered assessment of spiritualityand use the findings to enhance your interventions as well as your clients' psychospiritual coping abilities Even to clinicians practiced in helping clients to manage their stress, the impact of clients' spirituality upon their mental health can be difficult to discern and discuss. Moreover, ethical dilemmas can arise when clinicians feel compelled to intervene with a client's negative religious coping. Spirituality and Mental Health: Clinical Applications can help. This thought-provoking guide for mental health professionals and pastoral counselors provides you with a framework to assess and incorporate client-based spirituality into your practice. The author provides case examples and clinical models related to spirituality and mental health, as well as useful questionnaires for assessing clients. He provides a client-centered ethical framework for integrating spirituality into treatment, and then discusses how to apply it to clients' problems, especially those related to life crises, resentment over past offenses, guilt over past mistakes, and substance abuse. He also discusses how mindfulness meditation can enhance clients' coping ability. Finally, he includes a useful Leader's Guide for the psychoeducational spirituality group, which is designed to educate patients and church groups. Spirituality and Mental Health: Clinical Applications shows how professionals in the above disciplines can address the impact of spirituality on clients by: gaining an understanding of the construct of spirituality assessing spirituality and its interface with clients' presenting problems, particularly when spirituality is central to their values. intervening sensitively in ways that use clients' spiritual perspectives and practices to enhance their coping mechanisms. using the included Leader's Guide to the 5-session psychoeducational spirituality group As the baby boom generation ages, faith becomes a more integral part of that generation's consciousness. Whether you are a psychiatrist, a psychologist, a social worker, or a pastoral counselor, Spirituality and Mental Health: Clinical Applications is a resource that you'll return to again and again as you work to improve the lives of your clients.