Why is there a world? Does it reflect the presence of God in any way? Did the world spontaneously come into existence or is there a creator? How will it end? Does God Exist? Do religions give a coherent view of His existence and nature? Can we enter into relation with Him? Robert Crawford tries to answer these and other questions by arguing that religion and science complement one another and, while they use different sources and methods, insights can be gleaned from both concerning our nature, the world, and God. Major attention is given to Christianity because modern science arose in that context but the discussion includes the teachings of five other religions in the hope that we can also learn from them.

Foreword by:
A. J. Stockwell

Contemporary philosopher William Desmond has many companions in thought, and one of the most important of these is Augustine. In lucid prose that draws on the riches of a vibrant philosophical-theological tradition, Renee Kohler-Ryan explores Desmond's metaxological philosophy. She elaborates on how Desmond's philosophical work in discovering how humans are constantly "between" remains in conversation with a tradition of thinkers that includes Plato, Augustine, Thomas Aquinas, and Shakespeare. This book concentrates especially on how Desmond both draws upon and develops some of the central insights in Augustine. At the same time, it brings together philosophy, theology, and literature into a rich engagement of ideas that impact the way humans think and live. Whether considering how our elemental wonder at creation brings us closer to God, or how our most intimate revelations about being human happen in the interior space of prayer, reading Desmond with Augustine illuminates a porous and interdisciplinary space of inquiry. Companions in the Between is a unique contribution to the growing body of scholarship on William Desmond's thought. It opens with a foreword from Desmond. Its pages will entice any reader who wants to know more about how contemporary philosophy can contest a space where philosophers are formulaically expected to shy away from divine transcendence.

Two hundred years since Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav's demise, his philosophical writings and literary creation remain lively and provocative materials in both Jewish culture and the New-Age movement. Key elements of Rabbi Nachman's magic and magnetic force are illuminated in this research, which presents Bratslavian mysticism as a unique link in the history of Jewish mysticism. The mystical worldview is the axis of this book, but its branches stretch out to key issues in the Bratslavian world such as belief and imagination, dreams and the land of Israel, melodies and song.

Drawing on cultural studies scholar Kuan-Hsing Chen's threefold notion of decolonization, deimperialization, and de-cold-war, this book provides analyses of the interrelated issues concerning the relationship between Christianity and the United States' imperialist militarism in the Asia Pacific. Contributors explore the effects of US imperialist militarism on the formation of Asian and Asian American collective subjectivity and inter/intra subjectivity. The book investigates the ways in which Christianity (broadly defined), in its own complexity, has been complicit in maintaining and reinforcing US imperialist military agendas in both national and international contexts. Conversely, the volume also discusses the various sites and instances where Christianity has managed to serve as a force of resistance against US imperialist militarism.

The series Religion and Society (RS) contributes to the exploration of religions as social systems- both in Western and non-Western societies; in particular, it examines religions in their differentiation from, and intersection with, other cultural systems, such as art, economy, law and politics. Due attention is given to paradigmatic case or comparative studies that exhibit a clear theoretical orientation with the empirical and historical data of religion and such aspects of religion as ritual, the religious imagination, constructions of tradition, iconography, or media. In addition, the formation of religious communities, their construction of identity, and their relation to society and the wider public are key issues of this series.

This is Volume VII of sixteen of the Oriental series looking at Buddhism. Initially published in 1930, this study discusses the doctrines of the author of the Pali book 'Milindapafiha' and the Milinda-Questions and their and the author's place in Buddhism.

First Published in 2000. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.

A book specially written to help YOU give up busyness in just one hour and get your life back! Following the success of his previous book, Beyond Busyness: Time Wisdom for Ministry, Dr Stephen Cherry has distilled the essence of Time Wisdom into this bite-sized book, essential for anyone seeking to restore some balance in their busy life. Why give up busyness? You might just find you get more done...Busyness has become a disease. The developed world is suffering from an epidemic of major proportions, and the disease at the heart of it is busyness. We are addicted to doing one thing after another with as little down-time as possible. This is a sickness, a spiritual sickness. Why is busyness so bad? * It distorts your perception * It makes you feel self-important * It makes you rude * It's an excuse for impatience * It's an excuse for not getting things done * It's addictive * It burns you out * It's lazy - chronic busyness occurs when you have not asked the important questions or decided on your priorities Learn Time Wisdom in an hour and get your life back! About the Author Stephen Cherry is a Canon of Durham Cathedral and is responsible for the ongoing development of ministers in the Diocese of Durham, and author of Healing Agony and the Archbishop of Canterbury's 2011 Lent Book, Barefoot Disciple. Stephen has degrees in Psychology and Theology, and a PhD on the theology and practice of forgiveness.

This book guides scholars and teachers of theology and religion through a process of self-reflection that leads to intentional, transformative teaching, dialogue, and reform in theological education and religious studies.

All arts and sciences, in their own way, ultimately try to come to grips with reality. What sets philosophy, theology and religion apart is that they grapple with ultimate reality. Over the decades spanned by John Hick's life, in the course of this grappling (reminiscent of Jacob's nocturnal encounter with the angel) philosophy became analytic, theology dialogical and religion comparative along one line of development. In these essays, written in honour of Professor Hick, leading world scholars in these fields share their most recent insights. They are, so to speak, postcards from the cutting edge.

For as long as men and women have pondered the mysteries of their existence, they have answered their own questions with stories of gods and goddesses. This reference text lists all the known gods throughout recorded history. Alphabetically arranged entries provide the name of each deity, the tribe or culture that worshipped the deity, and the god's origins and functions are explained.

Until recently, more scholarly careers were being devoted to the study of the teaching of St Thomas Aquinas than to any other philosophical or theological doctrine, with the possible exception of Marxism. Roman Catholic scholars have tended, however, to isolate his philosophical theology from its neo-Platonism, while others have treated the various parts of his Summa Theologiae without regard to their historical context. Dr Hankey's main contention is that Aquinas was less of an Aristotelian than is commonly supposed, and that a proper appreciation of his work requires us to take fuller notice of his reliance on neo-Platonism. In setting out his case, Dr Hankey pays special attention to the influence of Proclus, whose work receives a critical exposition. The author supports his position by making a careful analysis of the first 45 questions of the Summa Theologiae.

What happens when a five-century tradition of Christian pacifism no longer needs Jesus to support nonviolence? Why does secularity cause this dilemma for Mennonites in their theology of peace? Layton Boyd Friesen offers an ancient theology and spirituality of incarnation as the church's response to the non-resistance of Christ. He explores three key aspects of von Balthasar's Christology to help Mennonite peace theology regain its momentum in the secular age with a contemplative union with Christ. This volume argues that the way to regain a Christ-formed pacifism within secularity is to contemplate and enter the mystery unveiled in the Chalcedonian Definition of Christ, as interpreted by Hans Urs von Balthasar. In this mystery, the believer is drawn into real-time participation in Christ's encounter with the secular world.

This title presents an introduction to the influence of Kant's though on theology and the response from theology. The philosophy of Kant is widely acknowledged to have had a major impact on theology. However, due to the vastness and complexity of Kant's philosophical system, contemporary theologians and ethicists tend to steer clear of his actual writings and often exhibit a misunderstanding of his central ideas on reason, morality and religion. Anderson and Bell aim to make Kant accessible again to new generations of students and to challenge twenty-first century academics to return to Enlightenment rationality. "Kant and Theology" takes a fresh look at freedom, evil and human autonomy in Kant's "Critique of Pure Reason, Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals and Critique of Practical Reason", as well as his "Religion Within the Boundaries of Mere Reason" and "An Answer to the Question: What is Enlightenment?", demonstrating how these core texts can inform debates about a range of topics including salvation, purgatory, ritual practice and the role of reason for religious people today. "The Philosophy and Theology" series looks at major philosophers and explores their relevance to theological thought as well as the response of theology.

In Kerala, Vakkom Moulavi motivated Muslims to embrace modernity, especially modern education, in order to reap maximum benefit. In this process, he initiated numerous religious reforms. However, he held fairly ambivalent attitudes towards individualism, materialism and secularization, defending Islam against the attacks of Christian missionaries.