God As An Old Bearded White Guy In The Sky

This book is a work of theological resistance. It is not so much about the presidency of Donald Trump as it is about what his popularity and rise to power reveal about the state of Christianity and the moral character of the evangelical Right in the United States today. More specifically, it is about the threat of white Christian nationalism, which is the particular form that the nationalist populist movement of Trumpism has adopted for itself. The contributors are all fellows from the Westar Institute’s academic seminar on God and the Human Future, and include many of the leading figures in theology and Continental philosophy of religion. This volume provides a form of theopolitical resistance based on intersectionality. The authors recognize how the various forms of oppression interrelate to contribute to a vast, dynamic, and seeming impenetrable network of systemic injustice and marginalization. These essays demonstrate that politics need not be played as a zero-sum game with a winner-take-all mentality, and that a critical theology is as urgently needed and as relevant now as ever.

Contemporary Christianity is afflicted with two problems: First, our spiritual life is often bland and lukewarm. Distracted and fragmented by our lives, and malnourished on conventional piety, we feel out of touch with the God described in the Bible as a consuming fire." Second, we don't know how to make sense of suffering, especially the pain of spiritual darkness and aridity. The answer to both of these problems is passion. In God in the Dark, Susan Pitchford explores the two faces of passion:desire, the mutual attraction between the soul and God; and suffering, especially our confusion and grief when we find ourselves in dark places. We often misinterpret times of darkness, assuming we've fabled and God has abandoned us. Pitchford suggests that darkness is not a place of abandonment but a place of intimacy and a special call to a deeper relationship with the God who desires us. Once we understand this, we will not have to fear the dark, and when the night closes in around us, we can experience it as an embrace.

As a mysterious virus infects the world's population, a girl embarks on an intensely physical and emotional quest to find a cure in this suspenseful, lyrical, and thought-provoking debut. 5 1/2 x 8 5/16.

Stories of old were communicated interpersonally, conveying information necessary to our survival. This extraordinary power led to mankind’s dominion over the world. Today, our stories are largely fed to us by way of our devices, our black boxes, which are incredible tools for spreading that same knowledge and wisdom globally. However, in the wrong hands, they are terrible weapons of misdirection, encouraging those under their influence to indulge selfish appetites and glorify victimhood, leading them to make the same mistakes that inspired those ancient stories in the first place. These stories shape the human mind to the same degree that we are what we eat, influencing the behavior of individuals and societies alike. Our shared stories, fantastical or otherwise, either reflect eternal truth and wisdom of the ages, or they do not, instead perpetuating a foolishly idealized form of reality. Put another way, they either prepare us for the inevitable obstacles of life, or they lead us to ruin. Such is the cunning of progressivism, an egregiously duplicitous philosophy that at first glance appears benevolent, but leads to devastating personal and societal consequences when put into practice. This book stands as a grand indictment of the illusion of progress, exploring how the seductive draw of its promises is nothing more than a trojan horse, a devil in disguise that threatens mankind’s hard-won order over a chaotic world.

We Are All Learners, Struggling to Pray Prayer can be intimidating. The idea of speaking directly to God can leave you tongue-tied, not sure what words to use, how to begin or how to end. This compelling, multifaith guidebook offers you companionship and encouragement on the journey to a healthy prayer life. Unlocking six secrets about what prayer actually is, it invites you into the practices of prayer, meditation and contemplation, showing you that prayer doesn’t have to be perfect, it doesn’t need formulas and it doesn’t have to be planned. Discover secrets that will expand your prayer life: There Are Multiple Ways of Experiencing the Holy Your Body Is a Source of Energy for Prayer Your Senses Are Vehicles of Prayer Diversity Nourishes Prayer Interconnectedness Gives Prayer Life To Learn about Prayer, You Need to Pray