Urban Religion

Urban Legends of the Old Testament surveys 40 of the most commonly misinterpreted passages in the Old Testament. These “urban legends” often arise because interpreters neglect a passage’s context, misuse historical background information, or misunderstand the original language of the text.

How did the preaching of a peasant carpenter from Galilee spark a movement that would grow to include over two billion followers? Who listened to this "good news," and who ignored it? Where did Christianity spread, and how? Based on quantitative data and the latest scholarship, preeminent scholar and journalist Rodney Stark presents new and startling information about the rise of the early church, overturning many prevailing views of how Christianity grew through time to become the largest religion in the world.

The story you are about to hear is told from the perspective of Julien, a young journalist in close proximity to a person the Bible calls the “Beast”. Julien will give us a window into the character of the Antichrist and how our last days could unfold according to Scripture’s ultimate plot. This imagined prophetic narrative will also reveal how this coming prince may alter reality and impact humankind - and eventually transform into the most malevolent human in history.

For modern yogis feeling challenged in our efforts to remain deeply spiritual, contemplative, and centered amid the stresses and complications of urban life, this book serves as both inspiration and guide. Darren Main's fresh, down-to-earth approach to the time-tested practice and philosophy of yoga shows us the way to apply the ancient wisdom of India to every moment and every breath so that even our busiest days can be powerful and mystical adventures.

Journey into the dark recesses of the wilderness with terrifying and true tales of horrific encounters and unexplained phenomena. From bone-chilling run-ins with Bigfoot and elusive cryptozoological creatures, to mind-bending UFOs and ghost sightings, this collection of first-hand stories from soldiers, park rangers, police officers, hunters, campers, hikers, and more will leave you wondering what really lurks beyond the safety of civilization.

It's the dead of night; you are fast asleep. Suddenly, you are wide awake but unable to move. Hunched over you in the shadows is an eight- or nine-foot-tall gaunt entity with spider-thin limbs, dressed in an old-style black suit, its pale face missing eyes, nose, ears, and mouth. You finally manage to cry out. The monstrous thing disappears as suddenly as it appeared. You just had a terrifying encounter with the Slenderman. Who - or what - is the Slenderman? His existence began on the Internet, but he didn't stay online.

In this follow-up to "Outrageous Openness: Letting the Divine Take the Lead" these poems guide the listener ever deeper into union with the inner Divine Beloved. Dedicated to the One who patiently awaits our attention, devotion....and longing.

A burned-out businessman takes an unplanned vacation to his mountain lodge and meets a strange visitor who issues a startling summons. He is to leave his whole life behind and journey into the unknown on a mission which may have world-changing impact. Faced with the agony of this decision, he realizes that he may not have any choice against the hand of destiny. Join him on the path to discovery as he encounters teachers, guides and ragged shamans who change the way he sees the world forever.

Why is the city a battleground of hostile principalities and powers? What is the mission of the church in the city? How can the church be supported in accomplishing that mission? These are the questions that Robert Linthicum treats in his comprehensive and probing biblical theology of the city. In the Bible the city is depicted both as a dwelling place of God and his people and as a center of power for Satan and his minions. The city is one primary stage on which the drama of salvation is played out.

In The Rise and Fall of Protestant Brooklyn, Stuart M. Blumin and Glenn C. Altschuler tell the story of 19th-century Brooklyn's domination by upper- and middle-class Protestants with roots in Puritan New England. This lively history describes the unraveling of the control they wielded as more ethnically diverse groups moved into the "City of Churches" during the 20th century.

For fifty years “Detroit” has been shorthand for all that's wrong with urban America: crime, corruption, decay, racial tension, struggling businesses, failing schools, a declining tax base, and more. Since 1950 Detroit has lost two-thirds of its population, falling from fifth place in the U.S. (just behind Los Angeles) to twenty-fourth (just behind Nashville). Between 2000 and 2017 alone, its population fell 28%, a steeper drop than any other major American city.

For one Lakota author, the words he writes have the power of life...and death. The more he writes, the more real his creations become until they take on a life of their own. Worse, the dead now are drawn to him. Until the unthinkable happens.... He is accused of killing the ghost of Ernest Hemingway. And all Hell literally breaks loose. Now, can the ghosts of Mark Twain and Marlene Dietrich guide him safely though his own fictional world to find the true murderer before his own characters kill him?

A series of savage and brutal murders is taking place by a killer that might not be human. A secret brotherhood first discovered this baffling mix of man and God in 1970. Now, this Son of God, or Satan, is about to proclaim its divinity, through a ritualistic series of slayings. Can Luke Starr, aka DragonMan, a new superhero for our times, stop its relentless threat to mankind? Only time will tell...

In the twinkling of an eye, their lives changed forever. Husbands, wives, children, all lost in what was first called "the disappearance." Now many understand that with millions of Christians called home, the Rapture has irrevocably torn the fabric of their lives. They wander in the wake of events nearly too powerful, too overwhelming to comprehend. Some set out on a personal odyssey to reconnect with family, their past, with some semblance of order in a world menaced by the Muslim mujahideen.

Tales of the Talking Picture is a fabulous science-fiction fantasy novel about a boy who comes into possession of an old oval portrait of a woman named Rhiannon Tanglewyst, who happens to be a witch who has been trapped within the picture for centuries. Rhiannon tells Matthew and his troublesome girlfriend, a Goth named Christina, fantastical tales from the future and the past....

Told with equal parts raw honesty and unbridled compassion, All Day recounts a year in Liza Jessie Peterson's classroom at Island Academy, the high school for inmates detained at New York City's Rikers Island. A poet and an actress who had done occasional workshops at the correctional facility, Peterson was ill prepared for a full-time stint teaching in the GED program for the incarcerated youths.

On a dig in an Egyptian tomb, graduate intern Nathan Eckhoff finds the ancient cloak of Joseph, the dream interpreter who became the Grand Vizier of all Egypt. Upon donning the ancient, extraordinary cloak, visions and perceptions assault Nathan. At the same time, a mysterious being of strange power enters Nathan's life with words and warnings that terrify Nathan. Now Nathan must decide, is he the fulfillment of the prophecy of the Lamed Vovniks, also known as the Thirty-Six righteous people upon whom the fate of the world rests?

Fire and brimstone was not yet falling from the skies over our heads, but the indications of the Apocalypse were already presenting themselves. Make no mistake, the end is looming. Apocalypse Angel is a highly-charged, fast-moving young adult urban fantasy story of apocalyptic good versus evil with a romantic zest. It takes place in the end times loosely based on the Book of Revelation in the New Testament.

Journey into the dark recesses of the wilderness with terrifying and true tales of horrific encounters and unexplained phenomena. From bone-chilling run-ins with Bigfoot and elusive cryptozoological creatures, to mind-bending UFO and ghost sightings, and run ins with horrible humans. This collection of first-hand stories from park rangers, police officers, hunters, campers, hikers, and more will leave you wondering what really lurks beyond the safety of civilization.

Ghosts, ghouls, witches, spectres, demons, the Grim Reaper, vampires, leprechauns, the Devil, as well as a host of other supernatural beings - along with the odd unsolved murder thrown in for good measure – all to be found within the pages of this unique first volume of Tom Slemen's work. Thirty-six stories that will haunt your mind and delight your dark side, all from the pen of one of England's greatest writers on the supernatural – Tom Slemen.