Author: Eric Michael Mazur
Publisher: Psychology Press
ISBN: 9780415925648
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 342
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Book Description
Seeking to explore the blurred boundary between religion and pop culture, God in the Details offers a provocative look at the breadth, diversity, and persistence of religious themes in contemporary American consciousness. Representing a diverse range of disciplines, the contributors criticaly assess the ways in which American popular culture reappropriates traditional religious symbols to serve the purposes of particular communities.
Author: Timotheos Tsohantaridis
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781524921873
Category : Bible
Languages : en
Pages : 371
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Book Description
Author: Frank Newport
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1595620621
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 288
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Book Description
Gallup Editor-in-Chief Frank Newport examines religion in America today, reviews just how powerfully intertwined religion is with every aspect of American society, and explores what appears to be religion's vibrant future in the U.S. -- all based on more than a million interviews conducted by Gallup since 2008. Popular books such as The God Delusion have dismissed religion as a delusional artifact of evolution and ancient superstitions. But should millions of Americans' statements of belief and their behavior be dismissed that quickly? The pattern of religious influence in American society suggests mass consequence rather than mass delusion. In God Is Alive and Well, Frank Newport, Gallup's Editor-in-Chief, provides a new evidence-based analysis of Americans' religious beliefs and practices -- and bold predictions about religion's future in the U.S. Most Americans are at least marginally religious, significantly more so than in most developed nations around the world. The majority of Americans believe in God and say that religion is important in their daily lives. And Americans routinely participate in religious rituals. Levels of religious consciousness are not distributed equally. Systematic patterns of differences in religion occur with surprising regularity. An American's religiosity is very much bound up with social position and geographic space. There is an important interplay between religion and life status factors -- age, gender, marital status, having children -- and with achieved status distinctions -- class, education, income. Those who are most religious are demonstrably different across a wide spectrum of outcomes from those who are not. These include lifestyle choices, social participation, ideology, partisanship, and views on political and social issues. Religion can be the driver for highly disruptive social behaviors, up to and including the taking of human life. Unlike citizens of any other country in the world, Americans group themselves into hundreds of distinct micro religious groups and denominations. These groups are constantly evolving, splitting like amoeba to form new groups. The most common pattern today is the development of the "no name" religious group, consisting of Americans who worship only under the banner of their own nondenominational predilections. These religious groupings are sociologically related to social status, geography, politics, and social and political attitudes. The emotional, non-negotiable bases of religion and the nature of its appeal to the most ultimate of rationales mean that highly religious Americans are one of the most potentially influential groups in society. Religious beliefs provide a foundation for much of today's American politics. America is and will remain a religious nation, and it is entirely possible that in many ways, religion will be more, rather than less, important in the years ahead. The foundation for God Is Alive and Well is the perspective of science -- analyzing what people think, do, and believe about religion. Frank Newport's distinction as a well-known social scientist and authority on American life, his media experience, and his unique personal history as the son of a Southern Baptist theologian will increase this book's sales potential. God Is Alive and Well is based in large part on more than a million interviews Gallup has conducted in recent years -- interviews that asked Americans about their religion, their religious beliefs, and their religious behavior. The resulting data provide an unparalleled and unprecedented database of information about Americans and their religions. Written for lay readers using a conversational tone, God Is Alive and Well presents new information with an entertaining style.
Author: Christian Bandea
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 117
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Book Description
Science claims to have won the battle against religions for explaining the fundamental truths of the universe, but God has become collateral damage in the process. We're told that the world was created from nothing and that life appeared and evolved from inanimate matter as a result of a long series of fortunate accidents. However, the scientifically-backed theories for humanity's great questions require a leap of faith at least as big as any religious person has ever had to take, because they're based on speculations. The caste which asserts its ability to mediate the truth about God for the "simple minds" of laymen is no longer made up of priests. Scientists have replaced them and are promoting a world view based on personal interests and aesthetic preferences instead of facts. They deliberately ignore evidence and fabricate truths to disprove the clues that show that the universe is a product of intelligent design. In this bold and provocative book, Christian Bandea exposes the major cover-ups used to hide the presence of God. Science is going through a denial of the divine phase. The specter of intelligent design is already lurking through the established scientific edifice. It's only a question of time before everyone realizes they can no longer conceal or ignore it. Promoters of atheism claim that gaps in scientific knowledge are used as proof of God's existence. As science advances relentlessly, believers are supposedly forced to retreat into narrow corners where the "light of reason" hasn't yet reached. However, history has shown, time and again, that new layers of complexity are revealed each time science considers it has come close to identifying final theories. The "God of the gaps" argument is a distorted interpretation of how our auto-revelatory, self-describing universe is unfolding. What superficially looks like a retreat of deism in front of scientific progress is, in reality, a process in which the clues pointing to the existence of an intelligent designer are becoming more refined as we improve our understanding of the world. Increasingly sophisticated evidence which suggests the presence of God is revealed to us and replaces yesterday's "miracles." The history of our progress as a species shows us that we could be living in an infinitely layered onion of clues about our Creator. Each time we peel off a layer and think we've reached the fundamental core of understanding, new domains of immense complexity are discovered. The God of the gaps is, in fact, the God of the details. About the author Christian Bandea has a Master's degree in contemporary literature. After working for seven years as a journalist, he has built a successful IT career as a network engineer and developer. He lives near Cambridge, UK, with his wife and daughter.
Author: R. Keith Loftin
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
ISBN: 0830863451
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 193
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Book Description
Is morality dependent upon belief in God? Is there more than one way for Christians to understand the nature of morality? Is there any agreement between Christians and atheists or agnostics on this heated issue? In God and Morality: Four Views four distinguished voices in moral philosophy ariticulate and defend their place in the current debate between naturalism and theism. Christian philosophers, Keith Yandell and Mark Linville and two self-identified atheist/agnostics, Evan Fales and Michael Ruse clearly and honestly represent their differing views on the nature of morality. Important differences as well as areas of overlap emerge as each contributor states their case, receives criticism from the others and responds. Of particular value for use as an academic text, these four essays and responses, covering the naturalist moral non-realist, naturalist moral realist, moral essentialist and moral particularist views, will foster critical thinking and contribute to the development of a well-informed position on this very important issue.
Author: Wayne A. Grudem
Publisher: Zondervan Academic
ISBN: 0310493781
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 573
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Book Description
With clear writing—technical terms kept to a minimum—and a contemporary approach, emphasizing how each doctrine should be understood and applied by present-day Christians, Making Sense of Who God is explores the existence of God through inner knowledge and evidence found in Scripture and in nature. Topics include but are not limited to Traditional “Proofs” for God’s Existence: covering cosmological, teleological, ontological, and moral evidence of the Creator; The Trinity: the three distinct persons each equal to the whole being of God; Creation: including the assertion that, when all the facts are understood, there will be “no final conflicts” between Scripture and natural science; and God’s Providence: the Creator’s continued involvement with all created things and human actions that make a difference within God’s providence. Written in a friendly tone, appealing to the emotions and the spirit as well as the intellect, Making Sense of Who God is helps readers overcome wrong ideas, make better decisions on new questions, and grow as Christians.
Author: Bruce David Forbes
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520246898
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 344
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Book Description
PRAISE FOR THE FIRST EDITION: “A solid introduction to the dialogue between the disciplines of cultural studies and religion…. A substantive foundation for subsequent exploration.”—Religious Studies Review “A splendid collection of lively essays by fourteen scholars dealing with religion and popular culture on the contemporary American scene.”—Choice
Author: Florence Mary Fitch
Publisher: HarperCollins
ISBN: 9780688161293
Category : Juvenile Fiction
Languages : en
Pages : 24
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Book Description
Almost all children wonder about God and wish they could see Him. But we don't need to see Him to know what He is like. We need only look around at all the things that are like Him: the warmth of the sun, the strength of the mountains, the nourishment of the rain, the comfort of a parent's loving embrace. Using simple concepts that are understandable to even the very young child, this nondenominational book gently introduces children to the concept of God.
Author: Russ Kick
Publisher: Red Wheel Weiser
ISBN: 1934708372
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 778
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Book Description
In the new mega-anthology from best-selling editor Russ Kick, more than fifty writers, reporters, and researchers invade the inner sanctum for an unrestrained look at the wild and wooly world of organized belief. Richard Dawkins shows us the strange, scary properties of religion; Neil Gaiman turns a biblical atrocity story into a comic (that almost sent a publisher to prison); Erik Davis looks at what happens when religion and California collide; Mike Dash eyes stigmatics; Douglas Rushkoff exposes the trouble with Judaism; Paul Krassner reveals his “Confessions of an Atheist”; and best-selling lexicographer Jonathon Green interprets the language of religious prejudice. Among the dozens of other articles and essays, you’ll find: a sweeping look at classical composers and Great American Songbook writers who were unbelievers, such as Irving Berlin, creator of “God Bless America”; the definitive explanation of why America is not a Christian nation; the bizarre, Catholic-fundamentalist books by Mel Gibson’s father; eye-popping photos of bizarre religious objects and ceremonies, including snake-handlers and pot-smoking children; the thinly veiled anti-Semitism in the Left Behind novels; an extract from the rare, suppressed book The Sex Life of Brigham Young; and rarely seen anti-religious writings from Mark Twain and H.G. Wells. Further topics include exorcisms, religious curses, Wicca, the Church of John Coltrane, crimes by clergy, death without God, Christian sex manuals, the “ex-gay” movement, failed prophecies, bizarre theology, religious bowling, atheist rock and roll, “how to be a good Christian,” an entertaining look at the best (and worst) books on religion, and much more.
Author: Mark Allan Powell
Publisher: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
ISBN: 9780802829269
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 214
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Book Description
We all know that everything we have is a gift from God. But sometimes it s hard to know just how to give back to God. How much is enough? What does the Bible really say? What should giving look like in our everyday lives? Filled with good news for followers of Jesus, Mark Allan Powell s Giving to God shows Christians the way to a better life and a better relationship with their money — and with God. Powell presents stewardship as an act of worship, an expression of faith, and a discipline for spiritual growth. Faithful use of our time, talents, and money starts with a deep, satisfying relationship with the God to whom we belong. We can then learn, says Powell, to give gladly and generously out of our heartfelt connection with God. Informative, concise, and eminently practical (including discussion questions), Giving to God gives us resources for best using the treasures, material and otherwise, that God has given us.
