Is Reality Secular?

Is Reality Secular?
Author: Mary Poplin
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 324
Release: 2014-01-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830871896

What is the nature of reality? What does it mean to be human? And how do we account for ethics and morality? Mary Poplin examines naturalism, humanism, pantheism and Judeo-Christian theism and explores the fundamental assumptions and limitations of each perspective.

A Secular Age

A Secular Age
Author: Charles Taylor
Publisher: Harvard University Press
Total Pages: 889
Release: 2018-09-17
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0674986911

The place of religion in society has changed profoundly in the last few centuries, particularly in the West. In what will be a defining book for our time, Taylor takes up the question of what these changes mean, and what, precisely, happens when a society becomes one in which faith is only one human possibility among others.

Saving Leonardo

Saving Leonardo
Author: Nancy Pearcey
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group
Total Pages: 4
Release: 2010-09-01
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1433672863

Is secularism a positive force in the modern world? Or does it lead to fragmentation and disintegration? In Saving Leonardo, best-selling award-winning author Nancy Pearcey (Total Truth, coauthor How Now Shall We Live?) makes a compelling case that secularism is destructive and dehumanizing. Pearcey depicts the revolutionary thinkers and artists, the ideas and events, leading step by step to the unleashing of secular worldviews that undermine human dignity and liberty. She crafts a fresh approach that exposes the real-world impact of ideas in philosophy, science, art, literature, and film--voices that surround us in the classroom, in the movie theater, and in our living rooms. A former agnostic, Pearcey offers a persuasive case for historic Christianity as a holistic and humane alternative. She equips readers to counter the life-denying worldviews that are radically restructuring society and pervading our daily lives. Whether you are a devoted Christian, determined secularist, or don't know quite where you stand, reading Saving Leonardo will unsettle established views and topple ideological idols. Includes more than 100 art reproductions and illustrations that bring the book's themes to life. Praise for Saving Leonardo: "A feast for the mind and for the eye. Nancy Pearcey not only is a trustworthy guide for a nuanced discussion on the relationship between culture and the gospel, but she is a gifted teacher as well . . . Saving Leonardo is a rare, precious gift to the churches and universities alike." Makoto Fujimura, artist and author of Refractions: A Journey of Faith, Art, and Culture "Nancy Pearcey has done it again and better than ever. She has taken the complex sophistication of the best cultural analysis and laid it out for any person to grasp, enjoy and use to live out their daily lives honoring Christ. An astounding accomplishment!" James W. Sire, author of The Universe Next Door "G. K. Chesterton said 'the danger when Men stop believing in God is not that they'll believe in nothing; but that they will believe in anything.' Nancy Pearcey understands where believing in anything leads and in this book she reveals where a secular philosophy is taking us. A balanced, fair, and impacting work!" Cal Thomas, syndicated and USA Today columnist "Nancy Pearcey helps a new generation of evangelicals to understand the worldview challenges we now face and to develop an intelligent and articulate Christian understanding . . . Saving Leonardo should be put in the hands of all those who should always be ready to give an answer--and that means all of us." R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president, The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary "Nancy Pearcey is an intellectual prophet in our day and one of Evangelicalism's foremost cultural observers. Saving Leonardo is a tour de force. In it, Pearcey provides a penetrating analysis of the nature of contemporary secularism, a helpful exposition of how we got to the present situation, and a well-crafted strategy for changing the situation. This is her best effort yet . . . a must read." J. P. Moreland, distinguished professor of Philosophy, Biola University and author of The God Question "Nancy Pearcey is unsurpassed in the current generation of Christian thinkers . . . The magic continues with this book. Pearcey's virtues as a writer and thinker are once again fully evident in the range of material that she has mastered, the encyclopedic collection of data that she presents, and the analytic rigor with which she separates truth from error in worldviews. She is a prophetic voice for contemporary Christians." Leland Ryken, Clyde S. Kilby professor of English, Wheaton College "Brilliant . . . The book brings complex, abstract ideas down-to-earth -- or rather, down-to-life. . . . Saving Leonardo bridges the gaps between the arts and the sciences, the theoretical and the practical. The book not only argues for the unity of Christian truth but exemplifies that unity and shows it in action." Gene Edward Veith, provost, Patrick Henry College

This Life

This Life
Author: Martin Hägglund
Publisher: Anchor
Total Pages: 466
Release: 2020-02-04
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1101873736

Winner of the René Wellek Prize Named a Best Book of the Year by The Guardian, The Millions, and The Sydney Morning Herald This Life offers a profoundly inspiring basis for transforming our lives, demonstrating that our commitment to freedom and democracy should lead us beyond both religion and capitalism. Philosopher Martin Hägglund argues that we need to cultivate not a religious faith in eternity but a secular faith devoted to our finite life together. He shows that all spiritual questions of freedom are inseparable from economic and material conditions: what matters is how we treat one another in this life and what we do with our time. Engaging with great philosophers from Aristotle to Hegel and Marx, literary writers from Dante to Proust and Knausgaard, political economists from Mill to Keynes and Hayek, and religious thinkers from Augustine to Kierkegaard and Martin Luther King, Jr., Hägglund points the way to an emancipated life.

Living the Secular Life

Living the Secular Life
Author: Phil Zuckerman
Publisher: Penguin Books
Total Pages: 290
Release: 2015-10-27
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0143127934

A sociology professor examines the demographic shift that has led more Americans than ever before to embrace a nonreligious life and highlights the inspirational stories and beliefs that empower modern-day secular culture.

Restoring the Vocation of a Christian College

Restoring the Vocation of a Christian College
Author: Brad Pardue
Publisher: Wipf and Stock Publishers
Total Pages: 332
Release: 2022-05-19
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1725298120

Restoring the Vocation of a Christian College examines the vocation of a Christian institution of higher learning--to faithfully educate students--and how individual Christian teachers and scholars can participate in this process no matter their discipline. It surveys and engages developments over the last few decades in Christian worldview studies, Christian pedagogy, character formation, and vocational reflection. Through individual essays by college administrators, cocurricular staff, and faculty from a wide range of disciplines, it provides both thoughtful reflection and concrete application of these often abstract concepts to specific institutional settings and the actual classroom experience.

Meaning and Value in a Secular Age

Meaning and Value in a Secular Age
Author: Paul Kurtz
Publisher: Prometheus Books
Total Pages: 363
Release: 2012-06-26
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1616142790

The secular age has confronted human beings with a fundamental challenge. While the naturalistic worldview rooted in science has persuasively shown that traditional religious conceptions of the universe are unsustainable, it has so far offered no compelling secular narratives to replace the religious narratives so entrenched in civilization. In the absence of religion, how do thoughtful contemporary individuals find meaning in a secular world? In this book, philosopher Paul Kurtz argues for a new approach that he calls eupraxsophy. Kurtz first coined the term in 1988 to characterize a secular orientation to life that stands in contrast to religion. Derived from three ancient Greek roots, eupraxsophy literally means "good practice and wisdom." Drawing upon philosophy, science, and ethics, eupraxsophy provides a thoroughly secular moral vision, which respects the place of human values in the context of the natural world and presents an empirically responsible yet hopeful picture of the human situation and the cosmos in which we abide. Editor Nathan Bupp has conveniently gathered together Kurtz’s key writings about the theory and practice of eupraxsophy for the first time in this volume. Written with eloquence and scope, these incisive essays show how Kurtz's brand of humanism moves above and beyond the current "new atheism." Eupraxsophy successfully bridges the cultural divide between science and value and provides a genuine and constructive alternative to religion. Bupp’s informative introduction places the concept of eupraxsophy in historical perspective and shows why it is critically important, and relevant, today.

Religion, Reality, and a Good Life

Religion, Reality, and a Good Life
Author: Eberhard Herrmann
Publisher: Mohr Siebeck
Total Pages: 236
Release: 2004
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9783161483752

"Do we have access to reality as it is conceptualized by us? Against metaphysical realism and postmodern relativism Eberhard Herrmann develops a pragmatic realism. It stresses reality as conceptualized reality while at the same time not ruling out objectivity. Contents include: The Nature of the Enquiry, The Philosophical Problem Formulated, Religion and Philosophy, Philosophy, Reasons for and Against Metaphysical Realism, Critique of Semantic Realism, Pragmatic Realism: Realism from an Internal Perspective, Religious Metaphysical Realism, Religious Metaphysical Anti-Realism, Religious Statements as Purported Assertions, Christian Theism, The Character of Religious Utterances, Pragmatic Realism, The Function of Religion, Two Material Definitions of Truth, Perspectives on Views of Life, The Role of the Emotions in Our Conception of Reality, Emotions and the Conceptualization of Values."

Is Reality Secular?

Is Reality Secular?
Author: Mary Poplin
Publisher: InterVarsity Press
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2014-01-02
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0830844066

What is the nature of reality? What does it mean to be human? And how do we account for ethics and morality? Mary Poplin examines naturalism, humanism, pantheism and Judeo-Christian theism and explores the fundamental assumptions and limitations of each perspective.

Truth and the Church in a Secular Age

Truth and the Church in a Secular Age
Author: David Jasper
Publisher: SCM Press
Total Pages: 173
Release: 2019-07-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0334058163

Together, the collection of essays in this volume seek to explore the place of Christianity, the Church and their claims to uphold the truth in an age of ‘post-truth’. Beginning with a consideration of truth within the biblical tradition, the chapters come from historical, theological and philosophical starting points in their concerns, setting out the groundwork for discussions of Christian truth and science, prayer, ethics and the liturgy. Chapters: *Truth and the Biblical Tradition (Nicholas Taylor) *The Origins of Truth in Philosophy and Theory (David Jasper) *Truth and Christian Theology (Jenny Wright) *Truth and the Anglican Tradition (Trevor Hart) *Truth after Wittgenstein: From Skepticism to Postmodernism (Scott Robertson) *“Scientifically Proved:” How Science Relates to the Truth (Mike Fuller) *Truth and Experience: Prayer and the Practice of Ethics (John McKluckie) *Liturgy as a Repository of Truth (John Davies) *Today’s Church and the Politics of Post-Truth. (Alison Peden) *Truth and the Idea of the Holy (Steven Ballard)