Humans, like other primates, are intensely social creatures. One of the major functions of our brains must be to enable us to be as skilful in social interactions as we are in our interactions with the physical world (e.g. recognising objects and grasping them). Furthermore, any differences between human brains and those of our nearest relatives, the great apes, are likely to be linked to our unique achievements in social interaction and communication rather than our motor or perceptual skills. Unique to humans is the ability to mentalise (or mind read), that is to perceive and communicate mental states, such as beliefs and desires. A key problem facing science is to uncover the biological mechanisms underlying our ability to read other minds and to show how these mechanisms evolved. To solve this problem we need to do experiments in which people (or animals) interact with one another rather than behaving in isolation. Such experiments are now being conducted in increasing numbers and many of the leading exponents of such experiments have contributed to this volume. 'The Neuroscience of Social Interactions' will be an important step in uncovering the biological mechanisms underlying social interactions - undoubtedly one of the major programmes for neuroscience in the 21st century.

The purpose of this book is to try and present a series of images that will allow us to understand how it is indeed possible for an invisible being, God, to be part of our material reality, the universe, in an manner that is both significant and consistent with what we currently understand about that reality. This work is organized along theological lines, using theological categories from the Christian faith as a framework on which to paint this new image. This exploration also relies on contemplative practice and teachings as a method for examining reality, as the spiritual tradition will help us see all things new. Such a discussion will be useful on several fronts. One is for the person of faith inside the church who may, consciously or unconsciously, be anxious about discussing a faith built upon a model of reality, the Three-Story Universe, they know to be false. I believe that if this person had another more consistent model or image to draw from that they would be more confident about being a person of faith in the modern world. Hopefully this work will also be of help to the thousands of people who have left the church precisely because they can no longer deal with a faith based upon an image of material reality that is untrue. Perhaps if they had an image of faith and reality that was more consistent they would be able to reconnect with their faith lives in a more meaningful way. Finally, I hope that this work will be useful in interfaith dialogue. People of different faiths continue to kill one another by the thousands often because of differences in doctrine and dogma. But what if the images of our faith began to derive from the common image of the universe that we all, wether we are willing to admit it or not, share? Perhaps we could begin to relate to each other from a stance and posture that was more peaceful.

Wolpert examines 12 prayer practices and connects each to an aspect of spiritual leadership. He discusses how to use and apply prayer in church settings, showing how each component of leadership fits together with the life of prayer.