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 Revelatory Events written by Ann Taves and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2016-10-25 with total page 379 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 2009-09-28 with total page 229 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: How the sciences of the mind can advance the study of religion The essence of religion was once widely thought to be a unique form of experience that could not be explained in neurological, psychological, or sociological terms. In recent decades scholars have questioned the privileging of the idea of religious experience in the study of religion, an approach that effectively isolated the study of religion from the social and natural sciences. Religious Experience Reconsidered lays out a framework for research into religious phenomena that reclaims experience as a central concept while bridging the divide between religious studies and the sciences. Ann Taves shifts the focus from "religious experience," conceived as a fixed and stable thing, to an examination of the processes by which people attribute meaning to their experiences. She proposes a new approach that unites the study of religion with fields as diverse as neuroscience, anthropology, sociology, and psychology to better understand how these processes are incorporated into the broader cultural formations we think of as religious or spiritual. Taves addresses a series of key questions: how can we set up studies without obscuring contestations over meaning and value? What is the relationship between experience and consciousness? How can research into consciousness help us access and interpret the experiences of others? Why do people individually or collectively explain their experiences in religious terms? How can we set up studies that allow us to compare experiences across times and cultures? Religious Experience Reconsidered demonstrates how methods from the sciences can be combined with those from the humanities to advance a naturalistic understanding of the experiences that people deem religious.

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 Revelations Revealed written by Jesse Urbano and published by . This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: It leaves many good Bible readers and students dismayed. Many preachers won't touch it. Furthermore, scholars, for centuries, have gotten confused, mixing up its elaborate symbols and allegories for the actual and vice versa. How can a book called The Revelation be so concealed? Is it even meant to be understood? Jesse Urbano answers with a resounding YES.Urbano has gathered and compiled the teachings of many pastors, Bible scholars and historians about this wonderful book in the Bible, systematically breaking it down chapter-by-chapter, passage-by-passage, showing that the book's author, Jesus Christ, meant for it to be understood.If you've ever wanted to be able to “look into the book” and “hear what the spirit is saying unto the churches,” this is the guide that will help you to do it.

Download or read book Revelations written by Elaine Pagels and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2012-03-06 with total page 253 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 A Sequential Chronology of End Time Events as Recorded in the Book of Revelation Condensed Edition written by Don T. Phillips and published by Virtualbookworm.com Publishing. This book was released on 2015-09-21 with total page 60 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Book of Revelation is a record (unveiling) of events which were shown to the Apostle John by Jesus Christ. The revelation given to John spanned a period of time from approximately 93 AD until a new heaven and new earth is put into place after the Tribulation Period. Perhaps the greatest problem in properly understanding and interpreting the Revelation Record is that the Book of Revelation is not written in a time-sequenced, chronological narrative. General descriptions of things to come are presented and then later followed by details. In addition, parenthetical passages are inserted to describe or clarify main events. While the Book of Revelation is not presented in a chronological sequence, it is clearly divided into three main divisions: (1) Things which thou (John) hast seen, (2) Things which are (7 letters to 7 churches in Asia Minor and visions of God's Throne) and (3) Things which must be hereafter (The tribulation period, the 1000 year millennial kingdom and New Heavens and New Earth). This book arranges all 22 chapters, 404 verses and 12,000 words in the order in which they occur. It is intended to supplement "The Book of Revelation: Mysteries Revealed" by Don T. Phillips.

Download or read book A John Hick Reader written by John Hick and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2011-07-05 with total page 209 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "Canonical criticism" is not a recognized branch of biblical studies--granting new focus to questions of the authority and truth of the scriptural writings. Developed within a critical sense of the dominant historical-critical tone of biblical studies, canonical criticism as it has been pursued by the American scholars Brevard S. Childs and James A. Sanders stands as witness to the theological necessity of a more literary approach to the Bible.This book both criticizes the "canonical" enterprise, and takes it much further into readings of the canon from the perspective not only of literature, but also art, and in particular the biblical art of Rembrandt. In addition, it remains acutely conscious of the contemporary environment of our reading within the political concerns of feminist criticism, popular absorption in film and the narratives of the screen, and finally the crisis, or crises, which characterize the so-called "postmodern condition."What emerges is at once highly critical of traditional strategies of canonization, and at the same time constructive and concerned to recover the Bible for our own time in readings which move outside the limited academic concerns of the biblical critic or the institutions of the church and religious community.

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 A Theology of the New Testament written by George Eldon Ladd and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 1993-09-02 with total page 784 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ladd's magisterial work on New Testament theology has well served scores of seminary students since 1974. Now this comprehensive, standard evangelical text has been carefully revised by Hagner to include an update of Ladd's survey of the history of the field of New Testament theology, an augmented bibliography, and an entirely new subject index.

Download or read book Revelation written by G. K. Beale and published by Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing. This book was released on 2015-01-02 with total page 576 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: G. K. Beale’s monumental New International Greek Testament Commentary volume on Revelation has been highly praised since its publication in 1999. This shorter commentary distills the superb grammatical analysis and exegesis from that tome (over 1,300 pages) into a book more accessible and pertinent to preachers, students, and general Christian readers. As in the original commentary, Beale views Revelation as an integrated whole, as a conscious continuation of the Old Testament prophetic books, and shows that recognizing Revelation’s nearly constant use of Old Testament allusions is key to unlocking its meaning. Interspersed throughout the volume are more than sixty sets of “Suggestions for Reflection” to help readers better grasp the relevance of Revelation to their lives and our world today.

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 Did it Really Happen written by Jonathan A. Wood and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2019-09-04 with total page 196 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Bible makes remarkable claims about people and events in world history. Creation, Adam and Eve, Israel’s escape from Egypt, the rise and fall of Israel’s kingdom, the birth of the Messiah, Jesus Christ’s life, death, and resurrection, the growth of the church—all points of interest by scholars for the historical veracity of the Scriptures. Yet, the Bible does not appear to present the acts of God in history for the purpose of vindicating historical accuracy of the text. The Bible is a story that reveals the living God through inspired writings that communicate the meaning of historical events. In light of the Bible as the revelation of God, and the high stakes of historical veracity for the claims of the Bible, how should Christians approach the interpretation of the Scriptures in a faithful way? Carl F. H. Henry offers guidance as a foremost theologian regarding God, revelation, and the Scriptures. In Did it Really Happen? Jonathan Wood engages the thought of Carl Henry in dialogue with the major alternatives to revelation, history, and the biblical text. The value of Carl Henry’s approach is shown to provide a path forward for affirming the historicity of the Bible while interpreting the text well.

Download or read book Christianity A Brief Survey written by Michael D. Robinson and published by Wipf and Stock Publishers. This book was released on 2022-05-13 with total page 656 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Christianity is a way of life centered on the person, life, teaching, death, and resurrection of Jesus the Christ. As a religious way of life, Christianity is multifaceted, involving numerous beliefs and practices. This book explores many of the varied facets of the Christian faith, including its foundations in the story of Israel, the person of Jesus, the early Christian community, and the sacred text called the Bible. In turn, Robinson's book examines Christianity's core doctrines, ethical norms, and worship practices, rounding out the study by considering four key contemporary challenges faced by Christian believers--namely, the problem of evil, the relationship of Christianity to other religions and to science, and the role of women in church and society. Among the strengths of this book is that it addresses these multiple features of Christianity in a single volume: it is aptly titled Christianity: A Brief Survey.

Download or read book Elasticized Ecclesiology written by Ulrich Schmiedel and published by Springer. This book was released on 2017-01-17 with total page 319 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This study confronts the current crisis of churches. In critical and creative conversation with the German theologian Ernst Troeltsch (1865-1923), Ulrich Schmiedel argues that churches need to be “elasticized” in order to engage the “other.” Examining contested concepts of religiosity, community, and identity, Schmiedel explores how the closure of church against the sociological “other” corresponds to the closure of church against the theological “other.” Taking trust as a central category, he advocates for a turn in the interpretation of Christianity—from “propositional possession” to “performative project,” so that the identity of Christianity is “done” rather than “described.” Through explorations of classical and contemporary scholarship in philosophy, sociology, and theology, Schmiedel retrieves Troeltsch’s interdisciplinary thinking for use in relation to the controversies that encircle the construction of community today. The study opens up innovative and instructive approaches to the investigation of the practices of Christianity, past and present. Eventually, church emerges as a “work in movement,” continually constituted through encounters with the sociological and the theological “other.”

Download or read book Disputed Questions in Theology and the Philosophy of Religion written by John Hick and published by Yale University Press. This book was released on 1993 with total page 220 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this book a leading philosopher of religion offers fresh insights into some of the disputed religious questions of our time.