Dark Religion

It's unnerving, isn't it? When our faith feels ungrounded, untethered . . . unreal. When our certainty is adrift, as though an undercurrent has pulled us away from shore into the deep, into the darkness. And if this is you—if you're in a dark night of the soul—please know that you are not alone. (And you are not as far away from safety as you may feel or fear.) The night is not your enemy. In fact, the night is necessary. Revered author, speaker, and mentor Dr. Alicia Britt Chole offers a groundbreaking perspective that reveals spiritual disillusionment as an unexpected friend.

Indiana's Monroe House is a place of mystery, darkness, and strange occurrences. It has a reputation for occult rituals and violent paranormal activity that has sent visiting investigators running off into the night. The discovery of human bones in the basement, the identity of which remain unexplained to this day, may hold some of the answers. But the Monroe House holds its secrets close, and has been known to lash out at those who spend time within its walls.

Hailed as a "work of art" by the New York Times, this best-selling classic brings a deft touch and understanding spirit to the story of a teenage girl's descent into madness - and the three friends who are determined to walk with her where adults fear to tread.

We all have days when we're overwhelmed with negative feelings. Whether we're stressed, overwhelmed, anxious or depressed, these days can leave us feeling helpless and unmotivated. But it doesn't have to be that way. In this daily devotional, you'll listen to an applicable verse, encouraging words, questions and a song recommendation for 30 different types of tough days we all experience.

Published in the years following 9/11, David Dark's book The Gospel According to America warned American Christianity about the false worship that conflates love of country with love of God. The assessment he brought to these problems and the creative resources for resisting them are now more important than ever. 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.

In this innovative and deeply felt work, Bron Taylor examines the evolution of "green religions" in North America and beyond: spiritual practices that hold nature as sacred and have, in many cases, replaced traditional religions. Tracing a wide range of groups - radical environmental activists, lifestyle-focused bioregionalists, surfers, new-agers involved in "ecopsychology", and groups that hold scientific narratives as sacred - Taylor addresses a central theoretical question.

In Dark Night of the Soul, Saint John of the Cross presents for us a portrait painted from his own experience of one who advances successfully through the struggles of the spiritual life. The "dark night" that St. John describes is not abandonment by God but special consideration from him for those who desire to purify and perfect their souls. With a soul purified from earthly attachments, we can advance through the much quoted but oft misunderstood dark night of the souls into unity with God.

Placed on a ventilator for lung failure in 1999, M.K. McDaniel fought for her life in a drug-induced coma for three weeks. Misfit in Hell to Heaven Expat is based on a story of M.K.’s experiences before, during, and after a dark near-death experience. Her family waited and prayed, totally unaware of the horrors M.K. was bravely facing and miserably enduring in a seemingly eternal hell, culminating in her eventual glimpse of heaven and chat with her deceased fiancé.

Kali, the dark mother of the Hindu pantheon is oft the most misunderstood Goddess in all human spiritual endeavor. Her images often depict her as being an evil and demonic force that few should ever dare call upon whilst others worship her as benign Goddess whom bestows blessings upon her supplicants. She is, in fact, both of these.

We all have nights when negative feelings overwhelm us. Whether we're fearful, discouraged or tired of living, these nights can keep us awake and make the next day worse. But it doesn't have to be that way. Like the first devotional in this series, you'll listen to an applicable verse, encouraging words, questions and a song recommendation for 30 different types of tough nights we all experience.

David Dark is one of today's most respected thinkers, public intellectuals, and cultural critics at the intersection of faith and culture. Since its original release, Dark's Life's Too Short to Pretend You're Not Religious has become essential for those engaged in the conversation on religion in contemporary American society. Now, Dark returns to his classic text and offers us a revised, expanded, and reframed edition that reflects a more expansive understanding, employs inclusive language, and tackles the most pressing issues of the day.

In The Dark Side of the Enlightenment, John V. Fleming shows how the impulses of the European Enlightenment - generally associated with great strides in the liberation of human thought from superstition and traditional religion - were challenged by tenacious religious ideas or channeled into the "darker" pursuits of the esoteric and the occult.

A biblical and theological rationale with practical tools for advancing God's Kingdom. Supernatural Forces in Spiritual Warfare: Wrestling with Dark Angels is a compilation of keynote speaker presentations in an important symposium that was a public legitimizing of academic pursuits in fields related to the supernatural power of God both for local church ministries and for world evangelization.

The word "shaman" means "one who sees in the dark." Shamans consciously choose to live in two different worlds at the same time. They have one foot here in the everyday world and one foot in the world of the spirits. The fact is, we all live in these two different worlds, but are commonly not aware of the other, less visible one. This world does not exist in some other place, but is right beside us, just outside of our usual perceptions.

Take advantage of centuries of knowledge: In this utterly unique grimoire, best-selling author Cerridwen Greenleaf gathers celestial lore, history, and mythology, drawing from the Dark Ages mystical practices of the original Gothic tribes, Scandinavian shamans, and other medieval sources to infuse these spells with the magic of the ancients, allowing the modern listener to tap into that pure power. Herein may be found the keys to rising above the fray and embracing a life of abundance and joy.

With unassuming honesty and candor, Dr. Mark Chironna openly shares what he learned in his own three-year battle with darkness. Integrating the best of theology with Christ-centered psychology, he offers scriptural and holistic truths that will help lead you out of the murky depths. Though it feels as if this dark night will never end, you can walk through your uncertainty, fears, and tears to find the edge of hope again.

Yoga and the Dark Night of the Soul is about the soul’s journey from fear, lamentation, and confusion to sacred love. Based on the timeless teachings of the Bhagavad Gita, this contemporary guide to yoga’s ancient wisdom shows us how to overcome life’s greatest challenges, how to follow our life purpose, how to engage our heart in our yoga practice, and how to write our life story with love and compassion.

When their only child was diagnosed with cystic fibrosis (CF) at the age of two, Maryanne O'Hara and her husband were told that Caitlin could live a long life or be dead in a matter of months. Thirty-one years later, Caitlin lost her battle with this devastating disease following an excruciating two-year wait on the transplant list and a last-minute race to locate a pair of healthy lungs. The sudden spiral of events left Maryanne in an existential crisis, searching to find an answer to the eternal question: Why we are here?

When the darkness of the world feels overwhelming, we wonder, Where can I find light? And even more, How can I be the light? Pediatric nurse Allyson Golden faces the hardest realities of life—and death—every day. She longed to be a light for Christ in every patient’s room, but she didn’t know what that looked like when she could hardly find that light herself.

From one of the most respected thinkers and public intellectuals of our day comes a book that is both a cultural critique of the state of our country and a robust summons to resist complicity. As we move through the world, we constantly weigh our conscience against what David Dark calls "deferential fear"—going along just to get along, especially in relation to our cultural, political, and religious conversations.