New Religious

What would Jesus read? Ever heard of the Book of Ahikar? It is an ancient Hebrew legend replete with proverbs, which is explicitly referenced in Tobit, and is also alluded to in Sirach and by Jesus and the Apostles in the New Testament.

The apostle Barnabas may be one of the most overlooked and yet most influential leaders of the New Testament. His impact on the church began with a simple gift to feed hungry believers, then grew into much more. Barnabas was trusted by the original apostles to lead the first organized church outside of Jerusalem, Antioch. He mentored Paul and later Mark, and pioneered the first missionary outreach of the early church. The Barnabas Way follows the journey of this amazing leader across acts, gleaning the important leadership principles that Barnabas leaves along the way.

Parley P. Pratt’s autobiography is one of the great personal stories of early Latter-day Saint church history. It is an eventful and thrilling story of a man’s complete faith in and total commitment to the restored gospel of Jesus Christ, as well as the price he paid and the blessings he received for pursuing such a course.

Revelation, or Apocalypse, or, put differently: The Unveiling. The last book of the New Testament can be read and interpreted in many different ways. Is it an allegory of the everlasting fight between good and evil? Or a foreshadowing of what the future holds? You decide.

On the 14th of August 1941, a Polish monk named Maximilian Maria Kolbe was murdered in Auschwitz. Kolbe's life had been remarkable. Fiercely intelligent and driven, he founded a movement of Catholicism and spent several years in Nagasaki, ministering to the 'hidden Christians' who had emerged after centuries of oppression. A Polish nationalist as well as a monk, he gave sanctuary to fleeing refugees and his death was no less remarkable: he volunteered to die, saving the life of a fellow prisoner. It was an act that profoundly transformed the lives of two Japanese men.

One of the most infamous American freethinkers in his day, Elihu Palmer has been largely forgotten. No cache of his personal papers exists, and his book has been long out of print. Yet his story merits telling, Kirsten Fischer argues, and not only for the dramatic account of a man who lost his eyesight before the age of 30 and still became a book author, newspaper editor, and itinerant public speaker.

How can God let bad things happen? Sophie's baby sister, Hope, is born with Down syndrome, and the Flakes dis her over an annoying new girl. Even her research as medical expert Dr. Devon Downing won't fix things, but Sophie learns love is at work even when she can't see it.

Deepak Chopra's passionate new book, Peace Is the Way, was inspired by a saying from Mahatma Gandhi: "There is no way to peace. Peace is the way." In a world where every path to peace has proved futile, the one strategy that hasn't been tried is the way of peace itself. "We must not bring one war to an end, or 30," Chopra tells us, "but the idea of war itself."

Katy's favorite holiday is Rosh Hashanah, when she gets to pick apples and make applesauce with her mother. But what happens when the tradition is interrupted by the early arrival of her baby cousin?

Soaring to New Heights is a testimonial about a man and his faith in God. From his birth to college, Warren M. Rice tells of his years of trusting God when things seem impossible, but become possible by faith in God. Brain damage from birth, rejected in school as a child, and told that he will never make anything of his life.

Beginning the New Year in a new city isn’t easy, and it definitely isn’t starting out very well for Dina and her family! But when they’re welcomed by warm and generous hosts in their new community it becomes a very happy New Year for all.

Martin Luther King Jr. was the most inspiring civil rights leader in American history. He was a scholar and a very gifted orator, but, before all else, he was a pastor, a theologian, a martyr, a Christian. Spirit-Led Prophet uniquely tells his compelling story from the perspective of his faith. In the midst of a tumultous public life, King prayed for guidance and depended upon God’s spirit to lead him.

Jesus is the central figure of the New Testament and this third volume in the popular Exploring the Bible series examines Jesus in three distinct ways: A man like other men, a Jewish rabbi, and the Christ of Christian faith. Then it's on to the cantankerous Paul, the other New Testament authors, and the wild and baffling book called Revelation. Learn what Nazareth was like in the first century, discover what scholars know and don't know about Jesus as a historical figure, and explore how Paul really wrote all those letters. And who is the Antichrist anyway?

The Chinese New Year is certainly an interesting time of year, not just for those that celebrate it first-hand but for anyone to witness or observe as an important global phenomenon. The changing date of the holiday fluctuates from January to February on today's calendar because, as with all traditional Chinese holidays, it follows the lunar calendar. This tradition can be seen throughout parts of Asia and is not limited to just the mainland of China.

This introductory text focuses on how and why new religions and cults arise. Special chapters on meme theory, Nietzsche, and Ken Wilber. The author argues that the human quest for meaning is inexhaustible and therefore new religions emerge to fulfill this need. Dr. Andrea Diem-Lane is a Professor of Philosophy and has taught courses in religion for nearly 25 years.

Korean American teenagers from New Jersey write about their own experiences and reflections. This book, containing nine essays by Korean American youths from junior and senior high schools in New Jersey, gives an excellent picture of the hopes and fears of Korean American youth throughout the United States of America.

This is a book about God. Not just any God, but a God worth believing in. It's a book about wrestling with death and fear and doubt--and hoping to find something bigger. It's a book about heaven. Often when we think of heaven, what comes to mind is escape. According to Medieval art and modern cartoons, "heaven" is about leaving this world. Heaven is about getting as far away from what we and others have broken as possible. But this is a move of despair, and despair isn't healthy. This is a book about hell. Sometimes we believe ridiculous ideas so long they no longer seem ridiculous. But we need to reimagine hell. The real God would not choose a world that could contain an everlasting torture chamber. Most of all this is a book about Jesus. Not the Jesus we see in bad Christian art, but the Jesus who emerges from a dark corner of history and can't help illuminating everything he touches. In this Jesus, we see a new kind of God. In this Jesus, we see a new future.

Parents celebrate baby’s first grin to baby’s first word, and all the milestones in between in this book featuring Ladino words, the language of the Sephardic Jewish community. Mazal bueno! Go, baby go!

This is a delightful story about a man who has nearly given up on life. God answers each one of his prayers and proves that God still cares. The setting in Post New Orleans' Hurricane Katrina where the homeless rate has skyrocketed. This book displays Christian values, morals, and religious ideologies to prove that the power of prayer is still prevalent. Pull out the Kleenex, because you will enjoy this story about God's power on earth.

First published in 1903, James Allen's As a Man Thinketh has become an inspirational classic. A beautifully thought-provoking work, Allen's contribution to the New Thought Movement continues to encourage each of us to reflect on our thoughts and to work to regain possession of them. Using Proverbs 23:7, "As a man thinketh in his heart, so is he", as inspiration, Allen describes how man is the creator and shaper of his destiny by the very thoughts which he thinks. "A man is literally what he thinks."