Download or read book Revelatory Events written by Ann Taves and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 384 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leading scholar sheds critical light on the seemingly revelatory events behind new religions and spiritual movements Unseen presences. Apparitions. Hearing voices. Although some people would find such experiences to be distressing and seek clinical help, others perceive them as transformative. Occasionally, these unusual phenomena give rise to new spiritual paths or religious movements. Revelatory Events provides fresh insights into what is perhaps the bedrock of all religious belief—the claim that otherworldly powers are active in human affairs. Ann Taves looks at Mormonism, Alcoholics Anonymous, and A Course in Miracles—three cases in which insiders claimed that a spiritual presence guided the emergence of a new spiritual path. In the 1820s, Joseph Smith, Jr., reportedly translated the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates unearthed with the help of an angel. Bill Wilson cofounded AA after having an ecstatic experience while hospitalized for alcoholism in 1934. Helen Schucman scribed the words of an inner voice that she attributed to Jesus, which formed the basis of her 1976 best-selling self-study course. In each case, Taves argues, the sense of a guiding presence emerged through a complex, creative interaction between a founding figure with unusual mental abilities and an initial set of collaborators who were drawn into the process by diverse motives of their own. A major work of scholarship, this compelling and accessible book traces the very human processes behind such events.

Download or read book Revelatory Events written by Ann Taves and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-11-08 with total page 378 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A leading scholar sheds critical light on the seemingly revelatory events behind new religions and spiritual movements Unseen presences. Apparitions. Hearing voices. Although some people would find such experiences to be distressing and seek clinical help, others perceive them as transformative. Occasionally, these unusual phenomena give rise to new spiritual paths or religious movements. Revelatory Events provides fresh insights into what is perhaps the bedrock of all religious belief—the claim that otherworldly powers are active in human affairs. Ann Taves looks at Mormonism, Alcoholics Anonymous, and A Course in Miracles—three cases in which insiders claimed that a spiritual presence guided the emergence of a new spiritual path. In the 1820s, Joseph Smith, Jr., reportedly translated the Book of Mormon from ancient gold plates unearthed with the help of an angel. Bill Wilson cofounded AA after having an ecstatic experience while hospitalized for alcoholism in 1934. Helen Schucman scribed the words of an inner voice that she attributed to Jesus, which formed the basis of her 1976 best-selling self-study course. In each case, Taves argues, the sense of a guiding presence emerged through a complex, creative interaction between a founding figure with unusual mental abilities and an initial set of collaborators who were drawn into the process by diverse motives of their own. A major work of scholarship, this compelling and accessible book traces the very human processes behind such events.

Download or read book Revelation written by and published by Canongate Books. This book was released on 1999-01-01 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The final book of the Bible, Revelation prophesies the ultimate judgement of mankind in a series of allegorical visions, grisly images and numerological predictions. According to these, empires will fall, the "Beast" will be destroyed and Christ will rule a new Jerusalem. With an introduction by Will Self.

Download or read book Religious Experience Reconsidered written by Ann Taves and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2011-10-23 with total page 230 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Annotation Ann Taves addresses the subject of religious experience directly and the problems of reductionism and humanistic fears of the sciences indirectly and by example. The orientation of this book is practical more than philosophical.

Download or read book Revelation as Testimony written by Mats Wahlberg and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2014-11-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: According to the pre-modern Christian tradition, knowledge of God is mainly testimonial: we know certain important truths about God and divine things because God himself has told them to us. In academic theology of late this view is often summarily dismissed. But to do so is a mistake, claims Mats Wahlberg, who argues that the testimonial understanding of revelation is indispensable to Christian theology. Criticizing the currently common idea that revelation should be construed exclusively in terms of God s self manifestation in history or through inner experience, Wahlberg discusses the concept of divine testimony in the context of the debate about how any knowledge of God is possible. He draws on resources from contemporary analytic philosophy -- especially John McDowell and Nicholas Wolterstorff -- to argue for the intellectual viability of revelation as divine testimony.

Download or read book Problems of Evil and the Power of God written by Professor James A Keller and published by Ashgate Publishing, Ltd.. This book was released on 2013-05-28 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Why do bad things happen, even to good people? If there is a God, why aren't God's existence and God's will for humans more apparent? And if God really does miracles for some people, why not for others? This book examines these three problems of evil – suffering, divine hiddenness, and unfairness if miracles happen as believers claim – to explore how different ideas of God's power relate to the problem of evil. Keller argues that as long as God is believed to be all-powerful, there are no adequate answers to these problems, nor is it enough for theists simply to claim that human ignorance makes these problems insoluble. Arguing that there are no good grounds for the belief that God is all-powerful, Keller instead defends the understanding of God and God's power found in process theism and shows how it makes possible an adequate solution to the problems of evil while providing a concept of God that is religiously adequate.

Download or read book Revelations written by Elaine Pagels and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 278 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A startling exploration of the history of the most controversial book of the Bible, by the bestselling author of Beyond Belief. Through the bestselling books of Elaine Pagels, thousands of readers have come to know and treasure the suppressed biblical texts known as the Gnostic Gospels. As one of the world's foremost religion scholars, she has been a pioneer in interpreting these books and illuminating their place in the early history of Christianity. Her new book, however, tackles a text that is firmly, dramatically within the New Testament canon: The Book of Revelation, the surreal apocalyptic vision of the end of the world . . . or is it? In this startling and timely book, Pagels returns The Book of Revelation to its historical origin, written as its author John of Patmos took aim at the Roman Empire after what is now known as "the Jewish War," in 66 CE. Militant Jews in Jerusalem, fired with religious fervor, waged an all-out war against Rome's occupation of Judea and their defeat resulted in the desecration of Jerusalem and its Great Temple. Pagels persuasively interprets Revelation as a scathing attack on the decadence of Rome. Soon after, however, a new sect known as "Christians" seized on John's text as a weapon against heresy and infidels of all kinds-Jews, even Christians who dissented from their increasingly rigid doctrines and hierarchies. In a time when global religious violence surges, Revelations explores how often those in power throughout history have sought to force "God's enemies" to submit or be killed. It is sure to appeal to Pagels's committed readers and bring her a whole new audience who want to understand the roots of dissent, violence, and division in the world's religions, and to appreciate the lasting appeal of this extraordinary text.

Download or read book Revelation and the Word of God written by Paul Avis and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2024-05-02 with total page 208 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A unique work of Fundamental Theology, Revelation and the Word of God explores key issues of divine revelation as open questions. They include: Why is revelation so elusive? Existential and philosophical problems of revelation in the context of apologetics. The self-revelation of God in mystery. What does it mean to say, as the Bible does, that God 'speaks' and 'acts'? How does revelation relate to the Bible, history, religious experience and the church? The relational and personalist dimensions of revelation. What the biblical Wisdom tradition contributes to our understanding of revelation. The threefold form of the Word of God: Jesus Christ – the incarnate Word (Logos) and Wisdom (Sophia) of God; the Scriptures that witness to him; and the church's proclamation (kerygma) in preaching, sacraments and other ways. The role of hermeneutics, cultural constraints and imagination in the reception of revelation. Critique (including Feminist Theology) of claimed 'revelation'. Is there revelation today? How do developments in doctrine and practice relate to divine revelation? The liturgy as a vehicle of the Word of God. The Word in pastoral practice. Jesus Christ as the crown and criterion of divine revelation according to the Fourth Gospel.

Download or read book Who Is God written by Richard Bauckham and published by Baker Academic. This book was released on 2020-07-21 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Internationally respected scholar Richard Bauckham offers a brief, engaging study of divine revelation in Scripture. He probes the deep meaning of well-known moments in the biblical story in order to address the key question the Bible is designed to answer: Who is God? Accessible for laypeople and important to scholars, this volume begins by exploring three key events in the Bible in which God is revealed: Jacob's dream at Bethel (the revelation of the divine presence), Moses at the burning bush (the revelation of the divine Name), and Moses on Mount Sinai (the revelation of the divine character). In each case, Bauckham traces these themes through the rest of Scripture. He then shows how the New Testament builds on the Old by exploring three revelatory events in Mark's Gospel, events that reveal the Trinity: Jesus's baptism, transfiguration, and crucifixion. This book is based on the Frumentius Lectures for 2015 at the Ethiopian Graduate School of Theology in Addis Ababa and on the Hayward Lectures for 2018 at Acadia Divinity College, Nova Scotia.

Download or read book God Revelation and Authority Set of 6 written by Carl F. H. Henry and published by Crossway. This book was released on 1999-01-25 with total page 2796 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A monumental six-volume set that presents an undeniable case for the revealed authority of God to a generation that has forgotten who he is and what he has done.

Download or read book Systematic Theology written by Paul Tillich and published by University of Chicago Press. This book was released on 2012-11-30 with total page 313 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This is the first part of Paul Tillich's three-volume Systematic Theology, one of the most profound statements of the Christian message ever composed and the summation and definitive presentation of the theology of the most influential and creative American theologian of the twentieth century. In this path-breaking volume Tillich presents the basic method and statement of his system—his famous "correlation" of man's deepest questions with theological answers. Here the focus is on the concepts of being and reason. Tillich shows how the quest for revelation is integral to reason itself. In the same way a description of the inner tensions of being leads to the recognition that the quest for God is implied in finite being. Here also Tillich defines his thought in relation to philosophy and the Bible and sets forth his famous doctrine of God as the "Ground of Being." Thus God is understood not as a being existing beside other beings, but as being-itself or the power of being in everything. God cannot be made into an object; religious knowledge is, therefore, necessarily symbolic.

Download or read book The Revelation of God And as Human Reception written by Dan Otto Via and published by A&C Black. This book was released on 1997-10-01 with total page 260 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A resourceful and thorough study of an important issue in New Testament and systematic theology, this book is one that takes human action and reception into full account. Where does God's revelation reside--in the event or in the interpretation? If history is about the creation of meaning, what does it mean to say that God reveals God's self in history? Dan Via addresses these and related issues in this original volume.

Download or read book Examining Schellenberg s Hiddenness Argument written by Veronika Weidner and published by Springer. This book was released on 2018-12-29 with total page 267 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book examines the so-called hiddenness argument of the Canadian philosopher John L. Schellenberg. ​The hiddenness of God is a topic evincing a rich tradition in the monotheistic religions of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. Rather recently, an argument emerged claiming that the hiddenness of God reveals on closer inspection the non-existence of God. Some say that Schellenberg ́s hiddenness argument is likely as forceful as the argument from evil rendering theism rather implausible or even false. In this book, an account of the traditional theistic notion of divine hiddenness is presented, which contrasts sharply from Schellenberg ́s use of the term. Moreover, a well-needed detailed exposition of the premises of the hiddenness argument is offered, thereby preparing the ground for an even more in-depth future hiddenness debate. Furthermore, a reply to the argument is given which challenges the truth of one specific subpremise, according to which belief that God exists is necessary in order to personally relate to God. Even though a plausible case is made that the hiddenness argument is unsound, it is beyond dispute that the argument deserves more serious reflection by theists and atheists alike.

Download or read book Revelation Scripture and Church written by Richard R. Topping and published by Routledge. This book was released on 2016-04-08 with total page 252 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How does God's involvement with the generation of Holy Scripture and its use in the life of the Christian church figure into the human work of Scripture interpretation? This is the central question that this book seeks to address. In critical conversation with the influential hermeneutic programs of James Barr, Paul Ricoeur and Hans Frei, Topping demonstrates how God's agency has been marginalized in the task of Scripture interpretation. Divine involvement with the Bible is bracketed out (Barr), rendered in generic terms (Ricoeur) or left implicit (Frei) in these depictions of the hermeneutic field. The result is that each of these hermeneutic programs is less than a ’realist’ interpretative proposal. Talk of God is eclipsed by the terminal consideration of human realities. Topping argues for the centrality of doctrinal description in a lively theological understanding of Scripture interpretation for the life of the church.

Download or read book Divine Revelation written by Paul Avis and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2004-04-23 with total page 225 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Divine revelation is one of the most fundamental of all theological questions. Indeed, some might say, if we could be clear about whether there is a revelation from God - where it is located, what form it takes, and who has the authority to interpret it - we could solve all other theological problems. Although the question of revelation is crucial, it has not received the attention commensurate with its strategic significance in theology. The seminal approaches of Barth, Rahner, and Pannenberg, for example, are conducted at such an abstract and sophisticated level as to be inaccessible to beginners, and although the work of several individual modern theologians is worthwhile, there is a significant lack of comprehensive resources on the topic. Several years in preparation, this volume aims to redress that deficiency. The contributors, originating from England, Scotland, Ireland, the United States, and Canada, represent a spectrum of religious traditions and views. The aim is to provide biblical, historical, contemporary, and reflective resources on the ways in which divine revelation has been understood in the history of Christian theology and is now understood in theological discussion. Ideal for students of theology in universities, colleges, and seminaries, for those attending training courses for the priesthood, and for lay Christians of all denominations, 'Divine Revelation' enables readers to think constructively about this vital topic in a way that is conducive to a critical, informed, and living faith.

Download or read book Risen Indeed written by Gary R. Habermas and published by Lexham Academic. This book was released on 2021-11-03 with total page 194 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A pivotal contribution to the history of apologetics. Gary Habermas has spent a career defending the historicity and truthfulness of the resurrection of Jesus. But his earliest writing on Jesus' resurrection has been unavailable to the broader public, until now. In Risen Indeed: A Historical Investigation Into the Resurrection of Jesus, readers will encounter Gary Habermas' foundational research into the historicity of the resurrection. With a new, extensive, introductory essay on contemporary scholarship regarding the resurrection, Habermas shows how the questions surrounding the historicity of the resurrection and arguments raised by critics are perennially important for Christian faith.

Download or read book God Revelation and Authority God Who Speaks and Shows Vol 4 written by Carl F. H. Henry and published by Crossway. This book was released on 1999-01-25 with total page 678 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Part 4 in a monumental six-volume set that presents an undeniable case for the revealed authority of God to a generation that has forgotten who he is and what he has done.