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Books > Biography > Religious & spiritual
This unique new book records and celebrates the extraordinary
wisdom and genius of Frederick William Dwelly, the first Dean of
Liverpool. His creativity in the use of poetry, of music, of the
commissioning of art, and in the use of the Great Space of
Liverpool Cathedral set him apart from his peers and won huge
admiration from all quarters. Above all, his liturgy was always
centred around the value of the human being and he fostered worship
that was dignified, imaginative and relevant for the thousands of
people who attended services. Peter Kennerley's lively account of
the work of a true master of liturgy is set in the context of the
story of the cathedral itself, to create this highly readable,
beautifully illustrated and fascinating volume.
Amid political innovation and social transformation, Revolutionary
America was also fertile ground for religious upheaval, as
self-proclaimed visionaries and prophets established new religious
sects throughout the emerging nation. Among the most influential
and controversial of these figures was Jemima Wilkinson. Born in
1752 and raised in a Quaker household in Cumberland, Rhode Island,
Wilkinson began her ministry dramatically in 1776 when, in the
midst of an illness, she announced her own death and reincarnation
as the Public Universal Friend, a heaven-sent prophet who was
neither female nor male. In The Public Universal Friend, Paul B.
Moyer tells the story of Wilkinson and her remarkable church, the
Society of Universal Friends.Wilkinson's message was a simple one:
humankind stood on the brink of the Apocalypse, but salvation was
available to all who accepted God's grace and the authority of his
prophet: the Public Universal Friend. Wilkinson preached widely in
southern New England and Pennsylvania, attracted hundreds of
devoted followers, formed them into a religious sect, and, by the
late 1780s, had led her converts to the backcountry of the newly
formed United States, where they established a religious community
near present-day Penn Yan, New York. Even this remote spot did not
provide a safe haven for Wilkinson and her followers as they
awaited the Millennium. Disputes from within and without dogged the
sect, and many disciples drifted away or turned against the Friend.
After Wilkinson's "second" and final death in 1819, the Society
rapidly fell into decline and, by the mid-nineteenth century,
ceased to exist. The prophet's ministry spanned the American
Revolution and shaped the nation's religious landscape during the
unquiet interlude between the first and second Great Awakenings.The
life of the Public Universal Friend and the Friend's church offer
important insights about changes to religious life, gender, and
society during this formative period. The Public Universal Friend
is an elegantly written and comprehensive history of an important
and too little known figure in the spiritual landscape of early
America.
Ashraf `Ali Thanawi (1863-1943) was one of the most prominent
religious scholars in Islamic history. Author of over a thousand
books on different aspects of Islam, his work sought to defend the
Islamic scholarly tradition and to articulate its authority in an
age of momentous religious and political change. In this
authoritative biography, Muhammad Qasim Zaman offers a
comprehensive and highly accessible account of Thanawi's
multifaceted career and thought, whilst also providing a valuable
introduction to Islam in modern South Asia.
Oscar Romero: Prophet of Hope is a comprehensive account of the
martyred Archbishop of San Salvador's incredible journey of
holiness and courageous witness in the face of cruel state
oppression. Historian Roberto Morozzo Della Rocca draws directly on
previously unpublished documents - some of which were used as
evidence in the process leading to Romero's beatification in 2015 -
to write the most authoritative biography of Romero to date.
Morozzo tells the complete story of Oscar Arnulfo Romero y
Galdamez, from his humble roots in Ciudad Barros, El Salvador, to
his ordination in Rome and his eventual appointment as Archbishop
of San Salvador. It weaves a sensitive account of Romero's
character - both public and private - with a mature appraisal of
his theology and unfailing commitment to the poor, marginalised and
persecuted of Latin America. The final chapter describes Romero's
movements and words during the final months, weeks and days that
led to his martyrdom - assassinated while celebrating Mass the day
after publicly appealing to soldiers of El Salvador's Revolutionary
Government to refuse their orders to kill.
On June 27, 1844, a mob stormed the jail in the dusty frontier town
of Carthage, Illinois. Clamorous and angry, they were hunting down
a man they saw as a grave threat to their otherwise quiet lives:
the founding prophet of Mormonism, Joseph Smith. They wanted
blood.At thirty-nine years old, Smith had already lived an outsized
life. In addition to starting his own religion and creating his own
Golden Bible",the Book of Mormon,he had worked as a water-dowser
and treasure hunter. He'd led his people to Ohio, then Missouri,
then Illinois, where he founded a city larger than fledgling
Chicago. He was running for president. And, secretly, he had
married more than thirty women.In American Crucifixion , Alex Beam
tells how Smith went from charismatic leader to public enemy: How
his most seismic revelation,the doctrine of polygamy,created a rift
among his people how that schism turned to violence and how,
ultimately, Smith could not escape the consequences of his ambition
and pride.Mormonism is America's largest and most enduring native
religion, and the martyrdom" of Joseph Smith is one of its
transformational events. Smith's brutal assassination propelled the
Mormons to colonize the American West and claim their place in the
mainstream of American history. American Crucifixion is a gripping
story of scandal and violence, with deep roots in our national
identity.
This collection of autobiographical and teaching stories from peace
activist and Zen Master Thich Nhat Hanh is thought provoking and
inspiring. Collected here for the first time, these stories span
his life. There are stories from his childhood and the traditions
of rural Vietnam. There are stories from his years as a teenage
novice, as a young teacher and writer in war torn Vietnam, and of
his travels around the world to teach mindfulness, make pilgrimages
to sacred sites and influence world leaders. The tradition of Zen
teaching stories goes back at least to the time of the Buddha. Like
the Buddha, Thich Nhat Hanh uses story-telling to engage people's
interest so he can share important teachings, insights and life
lessons.
Sassy and adventurous, Jackie Gillies devours life with style and a
smile - and lives it to the shiny brim. Well known to Australian
audiences from The Real Housewives of Melbourne and I'm a
Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! Jackie has another surprising
side: she also works as a psychic medium, booked out months in
advance. Jackie was aware of her psychic gift from a very young
age, but her career began in banking, where she developed her
business skills and entrepreneurial flair. A series of events in
2004 encouraged her to follow her intuition to her true life's
purpose. Jackie believes your thoughts create your reality - and
her positive energy and inspiring spiritual guidance have earned
her the reputation as one of Australia's most sought-after psychic
mediums. This is the story of a young woman from Newcastle who was
on the corporate path, doing all the conventional things, but who
found the courage to follow her gift and create an amazing life.
It's a book for everyone who has a dream. It's also the story of
bringing spirituality into everyday life.
Douceline de Digne, founder of the beguine community of the Ladies
of Roubaud in Provence, was an important woman mystic of her time;
contextual material includes comparison with the beguines of
northern Europe. The Life of Douceline de Digne introduces to an
English-speaking audience a 13th-century woman mystic [d.1274] of
great significance in the study of female spirituality in the
middle ages. Douceline combined an active life of community service
[as Mother of the beguine community the Ladies of Roubaud] with
vigorous mysticism, and was the focus of an intense cult in
Provence after her death. The Life, probably written by Philippa de
Porcellet, a member of Douceline's community in Marseilles, is
complemented by a study of Douceline's importance in terms of her
own spiritual experience, and also as founder and leader of the
community, dedicated followers of Franciscan spirituality; she is
also compared to other holy women of the later middle ages,
especially the beguines of northern Europe.
A bestseller in its original Argentinian, Francis: Life and
Revolution paints an intimate portrait of Jorge Bergoglio by
Elisabetta Pique, a journalist who is also a close friend of the
man who became the 266th and current Pope. The warm, personal
narrative is rich in character and evocation of the subject and
biographer's shared Argentinian heritage, making this unique among
books about Bergoglio. Pique tells the story of his upbringing, and
journey through priesthood to the Vatican, the Curia and ultimately
to his election as Pope. Her text includes her phone conversations
with Bergoglio in the days preceding the announcement, his fears
and modest denials when she told him she believed it would be him,
and a fascinating never-before-reported account of the
deliberations of the Conclave that elected him. Before analysing
the innovations and the polemic changes driven by the new Pope, the
book tells of a good natured and kind man with a wonderful sense of
humour married to strong convictions who risked his own life to
help the victims of illegal repression in Argentina.
In a time when the Pauline dictum decreed that women be silent in
matters of the Church, Johanna Eleonora Petersen (1644-1724) was a
pioneering author of religious books, insisting on her right to
speak out as a believer above her male counterparts. Publishing her
readings of the Gospels and the Book of Revelation as well as her
thoughts on theology in general, Petersen and her writings created
controversy, especially in orthodox circles, and she became a voice
for the radical Pietists--those most at odds with Lutheran
ministers and their teachings. But she defended her lay religious
calling and ultimately printed fourteen original works, including
her autobiography, the first of its kind written by a woman in
Germany--all in an age in which most women were unable to read or
write.
Collected in "The Life of Lady Johanna Eleonora Petersen" are
Petersen's autobiography and two shorter tracts that would become
models of Pietistic devotional writing. A record of the status and
contribution of women in the early Protestant church, this
collection will be indispensable reading for scholars of
seventeenth-century German religious and social history.
Little Henry was raised in India by his bearer, a servant who takes
care of children. He was taught the Hindu religion until a
missionary lady from England taught him about Jesus Christ, and he
embraced salvation wholeheartedly. When she left she told him, by
God's grace, to try to bring his bearer to Christ. It wasn't until
Henry was on his deathbed, at 8 years old, did his bearer come to
Christ. This narrative was very popular in the early 19th century
and reportedly sold numerous editions and was translated into many
languages.
Now available in paperback for the first time, with a new
introduction, the poignant and insightful memoir from Yossi Klein
Halevi, the award-winning journalist and author of the acclaimed
Like Dreamers--a coming-of-age story about a traumatic family
history, radical politics, and spiritual transformation that speaks
to a new generation struggling to understand what it means to be
Jewish in America.
The child of a Holocaust survivor, Yossi Klein Halevi grew up in
1960s Brooklyn perceiving reality through the lens of his family's
brutal past. Increasingly identifying with their history of
suffering, he regarded the non-Jewish world with fear and loathing.
Determined to take action--and seek retribution--he became a
disciple of the late rabbi Meir Kahane and a member of the radical
fringe of the American Jewish community.
In this wry and moving account, Halevi explores the deep-rooted
anger of his adolescence and early adulthood that fueled his
increasingly aggressive activism. He reveals how he started to
question his beliefs--and his self-inflicted suffering as a hostage
of history--and see the world from his own clear perspective.
As a journalist and author, Halevi has dedicated himself to
fostering interfaith reconciliation. Memoirs of a Jewish Extremist
explains how such a transformation can happen--giving hope that
peaceful coexistence between faiths is possible.
The Number One Bestseller Shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards
2021 'A great achievement . . . Brilliant, engaging and essential'
Colm Toibin 'At once intimate and epic, this is a landmark book'
Fintan O'Toole When Dubliner Derek Scally goes to Christmas Eve
Mass on a visit home from Berlin, he finds more memories than
congregants in the church where he was once an altar boy. Not for
the first time, the collapse of the Catholic Church in Ireland
brings to mind the fall of another powerful ideology - East German
communism. While Germans are engaging earnestly with their past,
Scally sees nothing comparable going on in his native land. So he
embarks on a quest to unravel the tight hold the Church had on the
Irish. He travels the length and breadth of Ireland and across
Europe, going to Masses, novenas, shrines and seminaries, talking
to those who have abandoned the Church and those who have held on,
to survivors and campaigners, to writers, historians, psychologists
and many more. And he has probing and revealing encounters with
Vatican officials, priests and religious along the way. The Best
Catholics in the World is the remarkable result of his three-year
journey. With wit, wisdom and compassion Scally gives voice and
definition to the murky and difficult questions that face a society
coming to terms with its troubling past. It is both a lively
personal odyssey and a resonant and gripping work of reporting that
is a major contribution to the story of Ireland. 'Reflective,
textured, insightful and original ... rich with history,
interrogation and emotional intelligence' Diarmaid Ferriter, Irish
Times 'An unblinking look at the collapse of the Church and
Catholic deference in Ireland. Excellent and timely' John Banville,
The Sunday Times 'Engaging and incisive' Caelainn Hogan, author of
Republic of Shame 'Remarkable ... Essential reading for anyone
concerned about history and forgetting' Michael Harding
'Fair-minded ... thoughtful' Melanie McDonagh, The Times 'Very
pacey and entertaining ... and it changed how I regard Ireland and
our history for good. Fantastic' Oliver Callan 'Original,
thought-provoking and very engaging' Marie Collins 'A provocative
insight into a time that many would rather forget' John Boyne
'Challenging' Mary McAleese 'Explores this subject in a way that
I've never seen before' Hugh Linehan, Irish Times
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