Paper God

Paper God
Author: Andy Nash
Publisher: Pacific Press Publishing Association
Total Pages: 159
Release: 2010-01-01
Genre: Seventh-Day Adventists
ISBN: 9780816323845

A Human-Shaped God

A Human-Shaped God
Author: Charles Halton
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 245
Release: 2021-10-26
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646982215

A Human-Shaped God approaches the humanlike accounts of God in the Old Testament as the starting places for theology and uses them to build a picture of the divine. This understanding of God is then brought into conversation with traditional conceptions that depict God as a being who knows everything that happens, is at every place at the same time, is constant and unchanging, and does not ultimately have material form. But instead of pitting the Old Testament's humanlike view of God against traditional theology and assuming that only one of these understandings is correct, A Human-Shaped God posits that theologians should embrace both of these constructions simultaneously. This is a new way of theological inquiry that embraces both the humanlike characteristics of God and the transcendence of God in traditional theology. By seeing and understanding the humanlike depictions of God in the Old Testament and by using the rich language of traditional theology together in tandem, the reader acquires a much deeper and meaningful understanding of God.

A Surprising God

A Surprising God
Author: Thomas G. Long
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 131
Release: 2021-08-24
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646982150

The world is slowly emerging from the worst global emergency in a century, and the myriad struggles of the contemporary moment—division, isolation, illness, and uncertainty—make living our faith a challenge. For Christians, a number of questions have gained new urgency: Where do we find hope when it seems in such short supply? Where are the signs of God's peace in this divided world? Where do we find a deeper sense of joy? Thomas G. Long and Donyelle C. McCray remind us that these are the questions of Advent in their new daily devotional, A Surprising God. Mindful of the stresses of life today in a world torn apart by conflict, marked by political division, and in the midst of a global health crisis, these devotions for Advent and Christmas invite readers to honest reflection on the challenges of being people of faith in this moment. Long and McCray explore what it means to wait for our salvation, to be open to the surprising thing that God is about to do, and to find hope in God's choice of the small and the insignificant.

Ink

Ink
Author: Amanda Sun
Publisher: Harlequin
Total Pages: 335
Release: 2013-06-25
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
ISBN: 1460315235

Ink is in their blood. On the heels of a family tragedy, Katie Greene must move halfway across the world. Stuck with her aunt in Shizuoka, Japan, Katie feels lost. Alone. She doesn't know the language, she can barely hold a pair of chopsticks and she can't seem to get the hang of taking her shoes off whenever she enters a building. When Katie meets aloof but gorgeous Tomohiro, the star of the school's kendo team, she is intrigued by him…and a little scared. His tough attitude seems meant to keep her at a distance, and when they're near each other, strange things happen. Pens explode. Ink drips from nowhere. And unless Katie is seeing things, drawings come to life. Somehow Tomo is connected to the kami, powerful ancient beings who once ruled Japan—and as feelings develop between Katie and Tomo, things begin to spiral out of control. The wrong people are starting to ask questions, and if they discover the truth, no one will be safe.

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk

If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk
Author: John Pavlovitz
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 266
Release: 2021-09-28
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1646982134

Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible. Imagine for a moment what the world might look like if we as people of faith, morality, and conscience actually aspired to this mantra. What if we were fully burdened to create a world that was more loving and equitable than when we arrived? What if we invited one another to share in wide-open, fearless, spiritual communities truly marked by compassion and interdependence? What if we daily challenged ourselves to live a faith that simply made us better humans? John Pavlovitz explores how we can embody this kinder kind of spirituality where we humbly examine our belief system to understand how it might compel us to act in less-than-loving ways toward others. This simple phrase, "Thou Shalt Not Be Horrible," could help us practice what we preach by creating a world where: spiritual community provides a sense of belonging where all people are received as we are; the most important question we ask of a religious belief is not Is it true? but rather, is it helpful? it is morally impossible to pledge complete allegiance to both Jesus and America simultaneously; the way we treat others is the most tangible and meaningful expression of our belief system. In If God Is Love, Don't Be a Jerk, John Pavlovitz examines the bedrock ideas of our religion: the existence of hell, the utility of prayer, the way we treat LGBTQ people, the value of anger, and other doctrines to help all of us take a good, honest look at how the beliefs we hold can shape our relationships with God and our fellow humans—and to make sure that love has the last, loudest word.

Man Seeks God

Man Seeks God
Author: Eric Weiner
Publisher: Hachette+ORM
Total Pages: 317
Release: 2011-12-05
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1455505706

Bestselling author of Geography of Bliss returns with this funny, illuminating chronicle of a globe-spanning spiritual quest to find a faith that fits. When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that. Weiner, a longtime "spiritual voyeur" and inveterate traveler, realizes that while he has been privy to a wide range of religious practices, he's never seriously considered these concepts in his own life. Face to face with his own mortality, and spurred on by the question of what spiritual principles to impart to his young daughter, he decides to correct this omission, undertaking a worldwide exploration of religions and hoping to come, if he can, to a personal understanding of the divine. The journey that results is rich in insight, humor, and heart. Willing to do anything to better understand faith, and to find the god or gods that speak to him, he travels to Nepal, where he meditates with Tibetan lamas and a guy named Wayne. He sojourns to Turkey, where he whirls (not so well, as it turns out) with Sufi dervishes. He heads to China, where he attempts to unblock his chi; to Israel, where he studies Kabbalah, sans Madonna; and to Las Vegas, where he has a close encounter with Raelians (followers of the world's largest UFO-based religion). At each stop along the way, Weiner tackles our most pressing spiritual questions: Where do we come from? What happens when we die? How should we live our lives? Where do all the missing socks go? With his trademark wit and warmth, he leaves no stone unturned. At a time when more Americans than ever are choosing a new faith, and when spiritual questions loom large in the modern age, Man Seeks God presents a perspective on religion that is sure to delight, inspire, and entertain.

Andrean, Deslar & Paper Gods

Andrean, Deslar & Paper Gods
Author: Jerri O'Powell
Publisher: Jerri O'Powell
Total Pages: 293
Release: 2019-11-06
Genre: Fiction
ISBN:

Andrean, Deslar & Paper Gods Not every female hero has to be a size zero… Follow this polyamorous trio, Andrean, Wayne & Frea, as they struggle to save their love while getting drawn into a planetary civil war on the newest world in the confederation, Deslar. When Andrean, a sentient, nanite, shapeshifting female & Wayne, a starship freighter captain, meet Frea, a lounge singing phenom with the astounding ability to sing in harmony with herself, their fates were forever intertwined. There are greater forces in the galaxy that conspire to keep them apart, not the least of which is the civil war on Deslar. In the few years it had been in the confederacy, Deslar had begun evolving its new human inhabitants into gods and super beings. This ignited the civil war as the Newmen, that’s what they were calling themselves, ‘new men’, decided a change in governance was in order. Our three find themselves smack dab in the middle of the conflict trying to reclaim their love and at the same time save the planet of Deslar from annihilation by its own hands or others. Over three thousand years after the final battle over the soul of mankind, between God, Satan, and Nefarious, destroys the earth, a new chapter begins. The resulting hyperspace blast from the earth’s destruction flings the last of humanity into the furthest reaches of space on their surviving starships. Over a 300 years passes before these star cast seeds of mankind reclaim the stars, and begin to find each other. The first of the new worlds to find each other and reconnect old humanity on new worlds, would eventually form The Confederation of Republic Worlds. This union would be marked with the erection of the Jara Timekeeping Tower on Jara Prime, broadcasting a synced time throughout the known universe. This is the Jara Era.

The Slain God

The Slain God
Author: Timothy Larsen
Publisher: OUP Oxford
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2014-08-29
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0191632058

Throughout its entire history, the discipline of anthropology has been perceived as undermining, or even discrediting, Christian faith. Many of its most prominent theorists have been agnostics who assumed that ethnographic findings and theories had exposed religious beliefs to be untenable. E. B. Tylor, the founder of the discipline in Britain, lost his faith through studying anthropology. James Frazer saw the material that he presented in his highly influential work, The Golden Bough, as demonstrating that Christian thought was based on the erroneous thought patterns of 'savages.' On the other hand, some of the most eminent anthropologists have been Christians, including E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, and Edith Turner. Moreover, they openly presented articulate reasons for how their religious convictions cohered with their professional work. Despite being a major site of friction between faith and modern thought, the relationship between anthropology and Christianity has never before been the subject of a book-length study. In this groundbreaking work, Timothy Larsen examines the point where doubt and faith collide with anthropological theory and evidence.

Conversations with God for Teens

Conversations with God for Teens
Author: Neale Donald Walsch
Publisher: Hampton Roads Publishing
Total Pages: 250
Release: 2012-10-01
Genre: Body, Mind & Spirit
ISBN: 1612831168

Suppose you could ask God any question and get an answer. What would it be? Young people all over the world have been asking those questions. So Neale Donald Walsch, author of the internationally bestselling Conversations with God series had another conversation. Conversations with God for Teens is a simple, clear, straight-to-the-point dialogue that answers teens questions about God, money, sex, love, and more. Conversations with God for Teens reads like a rap session at a church youth group, where teenagers discuss everything they ever wanted to know about life but were too afraid to ask God. Walsch acts as the verbal conduit, showing teenagers how easy it is to converse with the divine. When Claudia, age 16, from Perth, Australia, asks, "Why can't I just have sex with everybody? What's the big deal?", the answer God offers her is: "Nothing you do will ever be okay with everybody. 'Everybody' is a large word. The real question is can you have sex and have it be okay with you?" There's no doubt that the casual question-and-answer format will help make God feel welcoming and accessible to teens. Conversations with God for Teens is the perfect gift purchase for parents, grandparents, and anyone else who wants to provide accessible spiritual content for the teen(s) in their lives.

The Possibility of America

The Possibility of America
Author: David Dark
Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press
Total Pages: 190
Release: 2019-04-09
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 1611649382

Published in the years following 9/11, David Darks book The Gospel according to America warned American Christianity about the false worship that conflates love of country with love of God. It delved deeply into the political divide that had gripped the country and the cultural captivity into which so many American churches had fallen. In our current political season, the problems Dark identified have blossomed. The assessment he brought to these problems and the creative resources for resisting them are now more important than ever. Into this new political landscape and expanding on the analysis of The Gospel according to America, Dark offers The Possibility of America: How the Gospel Can Mend Our God-Blessed, God-Forsaken Land. Dark expands his vision of a fractured yet redeemable American Christianity, bringing his signature mix of theological, cultural, and political analysis to white supremacy, evangelical surrender, and other problems of the Trump era.