Church Philosophy

The teaching of history has long been the subject of partisan warfare. Religion often plays a prominent role in these debates, as secular progressives and conservative Christians disagree over which historical figures are worthy of study, how (or whether) certain events should be portrayed, and ultimately how tax dollars should be spent. But what about students who are educated outside the public schools, either in religious schools or at home? How are they learning history, and what effect does that have on our democracy?

In Regenesis, George Church and science writer Ed Regis explore the possibilities of the emerging field of synthetic biology. Synthetic biology, in which living organisms are selectively altered by modifying substantial portions of their genomes, allows for the creation of entirely new species of organisms. These technologies - far from the out-of-control nightmare depicted in science fiction - have the power to improve human and animal health, increase our intelligence, enhance our memory, and even extend our life span.

In 1887, with the view of amplifying and completing certain new doctrines which he had merely sketched in "Beyond Good and Evil" (see especially "Aphorism 260"), Nietzsche published "The Genealogy of Morals". This work is perhaps the least aphoristic, in form, of all Nietzsche's productions. For analytical power, more especially in those parts where Nietzsche examines the ascetic ideal, "The Genealogy of Morals" is unequalled by any other of his works.

Success in life is not measured by the absence of difficulty. Success in life is overcoming the difficulties you face with dignity, and emerging with you integrity intact.

In a short and clear account of the development of the European worker since the days of Roman slavery, secular scholar and historian Joseph McCabe sets out a savage indictment of Christianity and its industrial philosophy.

Best-selling author Steven Johnson recounts - in dazzling, multidisciplinary fashion - the story of the brilliant man who embodied the relationship between science, religion, and politics for America's Founding Fathers. The Invention of Air is a title of world-changing ideas wrapped around a compelling narrative, a story of genius and violence and friendship in the midst of sweeping historical change that provokes us to recast our understanding of the Founding Fathers.

Robert P. Jones, CEO of the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI), challenges us to grasp the profound political and cultural consequences of a new reality - that America is no longer a majority white Christian nation.

In It's Dangerous to Believe, Mary Eberstadt documents how people of faith - especially Christians who adhere to traditional religious beliefs - face widespread discrimination in today's increasingly secular society. Eberstadt details how recent laws, court decisions, and intimidation on campuses and elsewhere threaten believers who fear losing their jobs, their communities, and their basic freedoms solely because of their convictions.

Frustrated and feeling betrayed, Americans have come to loathe politics with disastrous results, argues Peter Wehner. In this timely manifesto, the veteran of three Republican administrations and man of faith offers a reasoned and persuasive argument for restoring “politics” as a worthy calling to a cynical and disillusioned generation of Americans.

The call of God to be a pastor is exciting and can be fulfilling in your life.You will see God use you in miraculous ways to reach people and to impact your community. To be effective, however, you must learn to be strategic. You need a plan. You need wisdom. You need people and resources. Your vision is big, but your energy is limited. Whether you are a pastor of a church or have the desire to be a pastor one day, you need to take time to gain insight in to how to be a strategic pastor, not just a passionate pastor.

Politics Reformed makes a provocative contribution to understanding foundational questions in an era of rising fundamentalism and emboldened secularism, inspiring listeners to rethink the importance of religion in political theory and practice, and the role of the covenant tradition in particular.

Jack Call gives a detailed account of what his life was like during the years from 1972 through 1978, as a follower of Art Kleps, the Chief Boo Hoo of the Neo-American Church, whose members subscribe to the belief that psychedelics such as LSD are sacraments, in that they encourage the realization that life is a dream. This true story has many surprising twists and turns, but ends, predictably in hindsight, in disillusionment.

John Locke's theory of toleration is generally seen as advocating the privatization of religion. This interpretation has become conventional wisdom: secularization is widely understood as entailing the privatization of religion, and the separation of religion from power. This audiobook turns that conventional wisdom on its head and argues that Locke secularizes religion, that is, makes it worldly, public, and political. In the name of diverse citizenship, Locke reconstructs religion as persuasion, speech, and fashion.

Align with spiritual values and live your life's purpose. What if fulfilling your life purpose could help create this? What if living your Dharma could, not only help you express your deepest truth, but also help restore the natural harmony to our planet? If you wish to live your life in alignment with your spiritual values, fulfill your soul's purpose and live a life in harmony with Dharma and all beings, then Dharma for Awakening and Social Change is the audiobook for you.

Stephen Robert Cass has been playing and mixing songs in church and for bands for over 50 years. He has 14 album projects and hundreds of studio hours as a musician and producer and wants to help produce your next song demo or worship team mix. Find your new mix philosophy with the five key methods. Take charge behind the mixing console, physical or digital. These five keys, plus two bonus strategies with immediate results for a professional mix, will inform and prepare you, instilling the confidence you need to manage a multitrack recording or a live band.

As a former three-term U.S. Republican senator from Missouri and an ordained Episcopal priest, John C. Danforth has watched the shifts in his party and the Christian church with growing alarm. Now he feels the time has come for a change.

At the heart of the nation's spiritual history are audacious and often violent scenes. But the Puritans and the shining city on the hill give us just one way to understand the United States. Rather than recite American history from a Christian vantage point, Peter Manseau proves that what really happened is worth a close, fresh look.

The proclaimed hope of America rings most hollow for Native peoples, people of color, the rural poor, and other communities pressed to the margins. Author Jonathan Walton exposes the cultural myths and misconceptions about America's identity. Focusing on its manipulation of Scripture and the person of Jesus, he redirects us to the true promises found in the gospel. Walton identifies how American ideology and way of life has become a false religion and reveals that orienting our lives around American nationalism is idolatry.

Seen as godless by the religious and weak by the atheists, secularism mostly has been misunderstood. In How to Be Secular, Berlinerblau argues for a return to America’s hard-won secular tradition; the best way to protect religious diversity and freedom lies in keeping an eye on the encroachment of each into the other. Berlinerblau passionately defends the virtues of secularism, reminds us what it is and what it can protect, and urges us to mobilize around its cause, which is for all Americans to continue to enjoy freedom for - and from - religion.

In this book, Jake Meador diagnoses our society's decline as the failure of a particular story we've told about ourselves: the story of modern liberalism. He shows us how that story has led to our collective loss of meaning, wonder, and good work, and then recovers each of these by grounding them in a different story - a story rooted in the deep tradition of the Christian faith.