Religion Theory

On the one hand, we have traditional science, based on the premises of materialism, reductionism, and randomness, with a belief that reality consists solely of matter and energy, that everything can be measured in the laboratory or observed by a telescope. If it can't, it doesn't exist. On the other hand, we have traditional religious dogma concerning God that fails to take into account evolution, a 4.6-billion-year-old Earth, and the conflicting claims of the world's religions.

Although Christian believers agreed with one another that the Bible was authoritative and that it should be interpreted through commonsense principles, there was rampant disagreement about what Scripture taught about slavery. Furthermore, most Americans continued to believe that God ruled over the affairs of people and nations, but they were radically divided in their interpretations of what God was doing in and through the war.

Grace is the defining feature of the Christian faith. Once we understand how undeserving we are and how much favor we’ve been given, grace becomes shocking, thrilling, inspiring, and contagious. Best-selling author and Pastor John MacArthur illuminates this profound concept with verse upon verse of Scripture. He also shows that misunderstandings about grace have led to some of the church’s greatest problems, perhaps because grace is her most precious gift.

Among our greatest fears is the dread of what others would think of us "if they only knew" - the parts of our past we hope to forget, the parts of our present we work to conceal. Yet the part we actually do the best job of hiding is not the unsightly debris of our own mess, but rather the stunning beauty of God's grace. The fear that demands we protect this false image at all costs leads us to unwittingly declare a false gospel at every turn. Jamie Ivey finally grew tired of doing that, tired of being too ashamed and insecure to let others see the full extent of what God was capable of doing with our unworthiness. So she quit hiding.

There is a glory to life that most people—including believers—never see. In this insightful new book, John Eldredge presents the heart as central to life. Not only is the heart essential, the heart God has ransomed is also good. Building on these foundational truths, Eldredge shows listeners why real Christianity is a process of restoration, where the broken parts of our hearts are mended and the captive parts are set free.

Consciousness and Shamanism is the result of the author's Ayahuasca voyage in 2004 to Ecuador, where he was drinking the sacred brew in the presence of an experienced Shuar shaman. He puts up the hypothesis that when the traditional Ayahuasca brew is ingested, it is not, or not directly, the plant's DMT that causes the spiritual voyage as it is assumed in the overwhelming part of the literature on shamanism and entheogens. It is the shaman's super-consciousness impacting directly upon the consciousness of the shaman's client, the seeker of truth who comes to drink the brew.

In this updated classic Bible study, bestselling author and pastor Max Lucado pulls back the curtain on his favorite Bible passage to move you to a profound awareness of God's limitless love, His incalculable sacrifice, and the certainty of His offer of eternal life. With deeply personal accounts of the way this verse shaped Max's own faith journey, this audio Bible study will reveal the gospel story surrounding the promise and unpack God's plan of restoration from the human problems of sin and death. If you know nothing about the Bible, the promise of John 3:16 is where to start.

The September 11 assault on the World Trade Center was the most sophisticated and horrifying in a series of operations masterminded by Osama bin Laden and his Jihad group - an organization that CNN's terrorism analyst Peter Bergen calls Holy War, Inc. One of only a handful of journalists to have interviewed the world's most wanted man face to face, Bergen explains the Jihadist network that operates globally and in secrecy.

Public schools are indoctrinating a generation of children to see themselves as either victims of systemic racial oppression or members of a wicked oppressor class. Leonydus Johnson, a black writer and podcaster, exposes the poisonous ideology embedded in "Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion" programs. We must teach our children the truth that their identity comes not from their race but from Christ.

Según R.C. Sproul, la predestinación no es solo para los calvinistas, sino para «todos» los cristianos bíblicos. En esta edición actualizada y ampliada de Escogidos por Dios, Sproul muestra que la doctrina de la predestinación no crea una imagen caprichosa o rencorosa de Dios, sino que pinta el retrato de un Dios amoroso que provee redención a una humanidad radicalmente corrupta. Hay misterio en los caminos de Dios, pero no contradicción.

Recent days have seen a debate among evangelicals over how the death of Christ is to be interpreted. When a popular British evangelical leader appeared to denounce the idea that God was punishing Christ in our place on the cross as a "twisted version of events," "morally dubious," and a "huge barrier to faith" that should be rejected in favour of preaching only that God is love, major controversy was stirred. Many thought the idea of penal substitution was at the heart of the evangelical understanding of the cross.

Discover the God of the Bible and find meaning in life with Michael O. Borthwick's A Mechanic's Handbook to the God of the Bible. A compelling guide to the complexities of God, making Biblical truths understandable through the use of scripture, personal testimony, and analogies. If you are a believer or a nonbeliever this book has something for you. There are thought-provoking insights, compelling arguments using biblical evidence for the seeker of truth, practical tips to navigate life's challenges, and teachings on God’s forgiveness, purpose, and peace for life.

In What I Believe, Ramadan attempts to set the record straight, laying out the basic ideas he stands for in clear and accessible prose. He describes the book as a work of clarification, directed at ordinary citizens, politicians, journalists, and others who are curious (or skeptical) about his positions. Aware that that he is dealing with emotional issues, Ramadan tries to get past the barriers of prejudice and misunderstanding to speak directly, from the heart, to his Muslim and non-Muslim readers alike.

When you think of the cross, what thoughts come to mind? Some people think of steeples, gold necklaces, and churches. For others, their thoughts go deeper as words like these come to mind: Jesus. Nails. Blood. Pain. Death. Tomb. Empty. Joy. Promise. Life. Savior! The words of the cross are so full of pain. So full of passion. So full of promise - God's promise to each and every one of us. His promise is to do whatever it takes to save your soul. He did this just for you. He Did This Just for You shares the story of salvation in a new light.

What if Jesus didn't die to save us from God? The doctrine of Penal Substitutionary Atonement is not the Gospel. It's a theory that originated in the 1500's under John Calvin. The damage done by this teaching is still being felt today. It's time to abandon this toxic theology in favor of a Christ-centered view of the cross that sets us free from sin and unveils a God of love who would rather die than live without us.

Were the government actions at Ruby Ridge and Waco "planned executions"? Has the national debt been deliberately increased to give international bankers control over the country? Is there a secret organization of top political, economic, military, and religious leaders whose goal is to control the entire planet?

Chris White critiques all the major arguments from Islamic Antichrist proponents such as Joel Richardson and Walid Shoebat in a respectful but poignant way. He uses sound methods of biblical interpretation to show that the Islamic Antichrist theory is seriously flawed.

This is one of Dion Fortune's first works, when she was still writing under her birth name of Violet Firth. Here, she is examining spiritual and metaphysical subject matter through a psychological lens. She looks into the consciousness, dreams, hypnosis, symbolization, and much more.

Max dice de su versículo favorito: «Cada vez que recuerdo estas palabras, son tan frescas y sorprendentes como mi primer encuentro con ellas. La conciencia alucinante del amor ilimitado de Dios, su incalculable sacrificio y la inestimable enseñanza que encierra. ¿Cómo no repasarlo una y otra vez? Quiero que esta generación, y todas las que vengan después, miren de cerca la promesa clave de Dios y elijan el regalo que va más allá de todos los regalos».

Brennan W. Breed claims that biblical interpretation should focus on the shifting capacities of the text, viewing it as a dynamic process rather than a static product. Rather than seeking to determine the original text and its meaning, Breed proposes that scholars approach the production, transmission, and interpretation of the biblical text as interwoven elements of its overarching reception history.