Is The Quest For Meaning The Quest For God

'Since the middle of the twentieth century,' writes Elizabeth Johnson, 'there has been a renaissance of new insights into God in the Christian tradition. On different continents, under pressure from historical events and social conditions, people of faith have glimpsed the living God in fresh ways. It is not that a wholly different God is discovered from the One believed in by previous generations. Christian faith does not believe in a new God but, finding itself in new situations, seeks the presence of God there. Aspects long-forgotten are brought into new relationships with current events, and the depths of divine compassion are appreciated in ways not previously imagined.' This book sets out the fruit of these discoveries. The first chapter describes Johnson's point of departure and the rules of engagement, with each succeeding chapter distilling a discrete idea of God. Featured are transcendental, political, liberation, feminist, black, Hispanic, interreligious, and ecological theologies, ending with the particular Christian idea of the one God as Trinity.

A leading historian examines his faith in God, in the light of the historical evidence and his own personal experiences.

What is the meaning of life? What is love? How can I be happy? These are questions that people today often ask rhetorically, as though there were no answer. Others hunt down answers in self-help books, guides from experts, or television. The great Dominican, Venerable Louis of Granada, best known for his work The Sinner's Guide, penned this treatise--The Quest for Happiness--to help us see that we cannot trust in man's own work to bring about happiness. What is the meaning of life? It is not a rhetorical question, rather, the Church has the answer! To know, love and serve almighty God. This book gives the answer of how to proceed on such a quest out of the unhappiness of the world and toward the happiness of God. This new edition of Venerable Louis' work, lightly edited and adjusted for the problems that modern man faces today, is a map to navigate the wasteland of modernity and discover true happiness.

Quest for Meaning through an intimate walk with God is about divine empowerment and spiritual awakening through the incalculable possibilities of prayers and relationship with God. This book underscores the fact that nothing is too immense or trifling to be a theme or subject of prayer. Though prayer is central in vitalizing our existence, all too often, it is not understood, ignored, or avoided. In our deepest valley of despair and despondency, Jesus notices our tears and sufferings; He knows the full magnitude of our aches and has reassured us that He will not leave us to our own stratagem. All He asks of us is to invite Him to dwell in us, the temple of God. There is something simply prophetic and powerful about a heart which even in disillusionment is willing to look up to God in praise and worship as the case is for many despairing African and immigrant children. They struggle with doubt and wrestle with anxiety and discouragements, especially when their prayers go unanswered while lost in the gorge of the shadow. Yet, they have undertaken to categorically love the “Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with your entire mind.” This is a bare-knuckled collection of stimulating and liberating prayers that addresses a broad expanse of existential issues faced by fearless African children in their fragile stations in life. They are passionately praying like Paul asking Father-God the good Shepherd for direction and protection. Although the fear in their eyes and angst in their souls have transformed into futility, their hearts do not panic because they know no satanic weapon formed against them shall flourish. They are assured through prayers that they are more than conquerors through Christ Jesus the enthroned Creator. Quest for Meaning proffers assuring prayers that serve as tonic to cool-off the penury, effrontery and tormenting experiences of the afflicted. “Be anxious of nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:6-7

Thomas Robert Malthus's reputation has lately been rehabilitated in the fields of social biology, demography, environmentalism, and economics. In the midst of this current interest and with the chance to mark the occasion of the bicentenary of the first edition of the Essay on Population (1798), the contributors to this volume take this timely opportunity to examine the historical conditions in which Malthus constructed his theory, and in which the concept of a 'Malthusian' and 'Neo-Malthusian' philosophy first emerged. The essays redress the balance between Malthus's original argument, the immediate responses to Malthus by medics and theologians in Britain and on the Continent, and some of the ways that his ideas were later attacked, appropriated, or misrepresented. Included here are essays that not only re-evaluate the development of Malthus's theory, but also offer critical perspectives on the generation of the 'Malthusian league' and debates about birth control in Britain and on the Continent, and Malthus's influence on the emergence of social science and Darwinian evolutionary biology.

An insightful journey through all the biblical names of God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. Beginning in Babel and ending with a burning Babylon, "The Name Quest" explains the significance that the different names for God have for an everyday relationship with God and for spiritual growth. The names of God are like a rainbow--each name expresses part of the spectrum of the character and attributes of God. Along the way, the author tenderly answers tough questions: Which of the Hebrew names of God is His personal name--Yahweh or Jehovah? What does it mean to pray in Jesus’ name? How can we relate to the Holy God and the Judge? Why is a God of love called the “Jealous God”? What does it mean to call Jesus the Messiah? "The Name Quest" mentions all the names of God in the Bible while explaining their significance in ordinary language. The author weaves together fifteen years of Bible study research with plentiful illustrations and humorous anecdotes. These include lessons learned as a pastor on a Caribbean island. A visit to a Welsh hill farm introduces a chapter about the Good Shepherd. The story of a Hungarian political prisoner illustrates the meaning of Immanuel (or is it Emmanuel?) A rescue from the slopes of an active volcano helps explain salvation and the meaning of Jesus’ Hebrew name Yeshua. Even the clever advertisement on a packet of potato chips offers a lesson about how to grow in faith in God. Unlike chasing rainbows, the spiritual journey has an end. "The Name Quest" is a road map for every Christian’s spiritual journey and it points to the destination--being formed into the image of Jesus Christ.

"Pastor and apologist shows that life is only meaningful if God exists and explains how that knowledge provides clarity for a number of important issues, such as identity, hardship, ethics, and vocation"--