Proclaim The Wonder

Does the rise of science imply the decline of faith? Should preachers protect their flocks from the inroads of scientific naturalism? Or is an informed scientific view of the universe compatible with Christian belief—even a strong source of support for it? This world belongs to God, and the pulpit is a crucial vehicle for celebrating science’s contribution to the understanding of creation. Beginning with a defense of the authority of Scripture, Scott Hoezee distinguishes between science as a physical field of inquiry and scientific naturalism, which often turns science into an atheistic, religious, or philosophical point of view. After establishing the fact that there is no necessary clash between theology and science, Hoezee summarizes some of the more recent discoveries in the fields of physics and cosmology, as well as current ideas about the biological and mental nature of human beings. He highlights intriguing scientific facts and points to the theological interpretations that can be drawn from them. Proclaim the Wonder offers specific suggestions and strategies for integrating science into preaching and provides sample sermons based on key biblical texts.

Unique resource shows preachers how to reference the exciting advancements in science to reveal the handiwork of our Creator.

“I can see how it might be possible for a man to look down upon the earth and be an atheist, but I cannot conceive how he could look up into the heavens and say there is no God.” Abraham Lincoln Our world displays the handiwork of God all around us—in the land and sea, the animals and the plants. But in respect to the sky, the heavens, the universe...there’s a realm of beauty and creation man has not been able to witness, until now. The Heavens Proclaim His Glory is a compilation of stunning photography taken by NASA’s Hubble® Telescope capturing striking images of stars, galaxies, cosmic events, planets, and more. Vivid up-close photographs are paired with a romantic Psalm or quote, as well as a short description of the image. The Heavens will open up a whole new world of worship and praise for our God. Contributors include: Francis Chan, Mike Huckabee, John MacArthur, Stephen Mansfield, Sarah Young, Max Lucado, Jenna Lucado, Henry & Richard Blackaby, Robert Morgan, Kirk Cameron, Homer Hickam, and more.

A footprint materializes mysteriously on a deserted shore; a giant helmet falls from the sky; a traveler awakens to find his horse dangling from a church steeple. Eighteenth-century fiction brims with moments such as these, in which the prosaic rubs up against the marvelous. While it is a truism that the period's literature is distinguished by its realism and air of probability, Eighteenth-Century Fiction and the Reinvention of Wonder argues that wonder is integral to—rather than antithetical to—the developing techniques of novelistic fiction. Positioning its reader on the cusp between recognition and estrangement, between faith and doubt, modern fiction hinges upon wonder. Eighteenth-Century Fiction and the Reinvention of Wonder unfolds its new account of fiction's rise through surprising readings of classic early novels—from Daniel Defoe's Robinson Crusoe to Jane Austen's Northanger Abbey—and brings to attention lesser-known works, most notably Rudolf Raspe's Baron Munchausen's Narrative of His Marvellous Travels. In this bold new account, the eighteenth century bears witness not to the world's disenchantment but rather to wonder's relocation from the supernatural realm to the empirical world, providing a reevaluation not only of how we look back at the Enlightenment, but also of how we read today.

It is not possible to celebrate the birth of Jesus, the Christ, the very Son of God, in a single day. The church gives us a season—from Christmas eve to the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord—to reflect with wonder on what God has done and is doing in our world. The gift of this child who would go on to give his very life for our salvation is the source of our hope in every age and through every storm. In Christmas, Season of Wonder and Hope, meditate with Catherine Upchurch on three New Testament passages that invite us to move through wonder to hope.

Wonder Woman and Philosophy: The Amazonian Mystique explores a wide range of philosophical questions surrounding the most popular female superhero of all time, from her creation as feminist propaganda during World War II up to the first female lead in the blockbuster DC movie-franchise. The first book dedicated to the philosophical questions raised by the complex and enduringly iconic super-heroine Fighting fascism with feminism since 1941, considers the power of Wonder Woman as an exploration of gender identity and also that of the human condition – what limits us and what we can overcome Confronts the ambiguities of Wonder Woman, from her roles as a feminist cause and fully empowered woman, to her objectification as sexual fantasy Topics explored include origin stories and identity, propaganda and art, altruism and the ethics of care, Amazonians as transhumanists, eroticism and graphic novels, the crafting of a heroine, domination, relationships, the ethics of killing and torture, and many more.

Synthesizes the most important recent work on wonder and brings a number of disciplines into conversation. Wonder has been celebrated as the quintessential passion of childhood. From the earliest stages of our intellectual history, it has been acclaimed as the driving force of inquiry and the prime passion of thought. Yet for an emotion acknowledged so widely for the multiple roles it plays in our lives, wonder has led a singularly shadowy existence in recent reflections. Philosophers have largely passed it over in silence; emotion theorists have shunned it as a case that sits awkwardly within their analytical frameworks. So what is wonder, and why does it matter? In this book, Sophia Vasalou sketches a “grammar” of wonder that pursues the complexities of wonder as an emotional experience that has carved colorful tracks through our language and our intellectual history, not only in philosophy and science but also in art and religious experience. A richer grammar of wonder and broader window into its past can give us the tools we need for thinking more insightfully about wonder, and for reflecting on the place it should occupy within our emotional lives. “Vasalou’s book is an important and exciting contribution to the literature. It is not a narrow academic inquiry on an obscure topic, but a sweeping exploration of an emotion that was once recognized as among the most important. Vasalou makes a powerful case for wonder and her book will spark great interest.” — Jesse Prinz, author of Beyond Human Nature: How Culture and Experience Shape the Human Mind “This is a powerful study of wonder, whose major strengths include its engagement of overlooked primary sources (in particular, Adam Smith and Zorba the Greek), its exhaustive treatment of the secondary literature, and its careful attunement to historical complexities.” — Mary-Jane Rubenstein, author of Strange Wonder: The Closure of Metaphysics and the Opening of Awe