Eastern Religious Studies

Beginning with Jesus' birth, Ken Bailey leads you on a kaleidoscopic study of Jesus throughout the four Gospels. Bailey examines the life and ministry of Jesus with attention to the Lord's Prayer, the Beatitudes, Jesus' relationship to women, and especially Jesus' parables. Through it all, Bailey employs his trademark expertise as a master of Middle Eastern culture to lead you into a deeper understanding of the person and significance of Jesus within his own cultural context.

Eve Tibbs offers a comprehensive, yet very accessible, introduction to the beliefs and practices of the Eastern Orthodox Church for Western listeners. Tibbs has devoted her career to translating the Orthodox faith to an evangelical audience, and she has over 20 years of experience teaching this material to students. Assuming no prior knowledge of Orthodox theology, this survey covers the basic ideas of Eastern Orthodox Christianity, from its origins at Pentecost to the present day.

Deep down, most people think that happiness comes from having or doing something. Here, in Alan Watts’s groundbreaking third book (originally published in 1940), he offers a more challenging thesis: authentic happiness comes from embracing life as a whole in all its contradictions and paradoxes, an attitude that Watts calls the “way of acceptance.” Drawing on Eastern philosophy, Western mysticism, and analytic psychology, Watts demonstrates that happiness comes from accepting both the outer world around us and the inner world inside us,

Composed more than 2,000 years ago, the Dao de jing (Tao Te Ching) set forth an alternative vision of reality in a world torn apart by violence and betrayal. Second only to the Bible, this timeless classic is one of the world's most revered inspirational books. Daoism offers a comprehensive view of experience grounded in a full understanding of the wonders hidden in the ordinary.

Paul was a Hebrew of the Hebrews, steeped in the learning of his people. But he was also a Roman citizen who widely traveled the Mediterranean basin, and was very knowledgeable of the dominant Greek and Roman culture of his day. These two mighty rivers of influence converge in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians. With razor-sharp attention to the text, Kenneth Bailey examines the cultural milieu and rhetorical strategies that shaped this pivotal epistle. Familiar passages take on a new hue as they are stripped of Western interpretations and rendered back into their ancient setting.

Distinguished philosopher Hilary Putnam, who is also a practicing Jew, questions the thought of three major Jewish philosophers of the 20th century - Franz Rosenzweig, Martin Buber, and Emmanuel Levinas -- to help him reconcile the philosophical and religious sides of his life. An additional presence in the book is Ludwig Wittgenstein, who, although not a practicing Jew, thought about religion in ways that Putnam juxtaposes to the views of Rosenzweig, Buber, and Levinas.

What if some of our most familiar Easter traditions were never tested against Scripture? For generations, Christians have celebrated Easter with deep sincerity, reverence, and joy. Yet few believers have ever been invited to examine where many of these traditions came from, or whether they align with the pattern of worship God established in Scripture. Uncovering Easter is not an attack on the resurrection of Jesus Christ. It is a careful, Scripture-centered examination of how cultural customs, historical practices, and religious tradition became intertwined with one of Christianity’s ...

Unlock the Mysteries of Christianity’s Oldest Traditions. Journey into the heart of two ancient Christian faiths that have shaped the spiritual lives of millions. Exploring Eastern Christianity: The Syriac and Ethiopian Churches reveals the hidden richness, profound beliefs, and enduring legacies of the Syriac Orthodox Church and the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church—two of the most fascinating and misunderstood branches of Christianity. Discover the spiritual power of these ancient churches, where prayers have echoed through centuries, and where the faith of the earliest Christians ...

In the dictionary the meaning of relent is to become less severe, harsh, or strict usually from reasons of humanity. Re Lent is a Catholic’s Guide of 40 things to give up for Lent guaranteed to transform your life! The purpose of the season of Lent is to look inward to create the internal conditions to draw closer to God. Choosing to fast or withdraw from the distractions of the world helps to establish this. Re Lent explores 40 negative thought patterns to give up. For example, giving up self-sabotaging beliefs, struggle, fear, attachment, guilt, and lack are discussed. Each of the 40 ...

One part Dashiell Hammett, one part Dan Brown... When Theophilus, a Roman merchant, is tasked by King Herod to find the body of Christ and prove he didn’t rise from the dead, Theophilus goes down a road that will change everything he ever believed in. From the author of The Mouse that Roared. Also previously published under the titles Testament of Theophilus, The Seven Hills, and Merchant of Rome. “Mr. Wibberley has woven several important and widely neglected truths about nascent Christianity into an absorbing story.”—New York Times Book Review

Twenty-seven years ago, Matthieu Ricard gave up a promising career as a scientist to study Tibetan Buddhism—not as a detached observer but by immersing himself in its practice under the guidance of its greatest living masters. Years later, this project was born, and Ricard met with his father, Jean-Francois Revel—a French philosopher who became world famous for his challenges to both Communism and Christianity. At an inn, these two profoundly thoughtful men explored questions that have occupied humankind throughout its history.

Children will benefit from Dharmachari Nagaraja's appealing combination of warmth, wisdom, wit and playfulness in this third book from the At Bedtime series. Growing up in the modern world, our children can often feel distracted, stressed and anxious. The ancient wisdom of Buddhism, with its emphasis on peace, compassion and mindfulness, is the ideal basis for helping any child face the challenges of daily life with increased confidence and calm.

In many ways, we seem to be living in wintry times at present in the Western world. In this new book, Rowan Williams, former Archbishop of Canterbury and a noted scholar of Eastern Christianity, introduces us to some aspects and personalities of the Orthodox Christian world, from the desert contemplatives of the fourth century to philosophers, novelists and activists of the modern era, that suggest where we might look for fresh light and warmth.

What is the connection between physics and consciousness? In this groundbreaking new audiobook, Samuel Avery presents the quantum screen, a paradigm-shifting model of perceptual consciousness and of the world. This model looks to the enigmas of modern physics to demonstrate the primacy of consciousness - the essential oneness of spirit and matter.

Kahlil Gibran reveals his vision of the soul and understanding of the world - past, present, and future - in this rich sampling of more than 20 works. Prose tales, fables, and poems evoke the mystic East and form a world at once powerful, tender, joyous, and melancholy. This collection, penned when Gibran was still a young writer, reveals many of the themes and styles plumbed throughout his life.

Resurrection Disruptions: When Death Gets Interrupted Death thinks it gets the last word. It seals tombs and locks doors. It takes prophets into the wilderness and leaves them under broom trees asking to die. It throws men into furnaces and posts guards at the door. And then it gets interrupted. Resurrection Disruptions is a complete Easter season resource for pastoral preaching, congregational worship, and small group Bible study. Eight Sundays, Easter through Pentecost. Everything a pastor, worship leader, or Christian educator needs to lead a congregation through the fifty days of ...

Mormons, or members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, form a growing population in both numbers and influence. Yet few people have more than a passing knowledge of the document that defines and drives this important movement—the Book of Mormon.A former Mormon and an adult...

Most violent jihadi movements in the 20th century focused on removing corrupt, repressive secular regimes throughout the Muslim world. But following the 1979 Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, a new form of jihadism emerged - global jihad - turning to the international arena as the primary locus of ideology and action. With this book, Glenn E. Robinson develops a compelling and provocative argument about this violent political movement's evolution.

The Human Calling is a vigorously researched and profoundly spiritual narrative history of the world's religious movements as they relate to society's collective understanding of the nature of their relationships with others, looking ahead to what lessons from history can be applied as people navigate an age of technology worship.

Have you ever heard about transcendental meditation? You know that many stars, like the Beatles or Stevie Wonder, performed it, but you have no idea what is about? Do you know that meditation is much more than just Yoga and staying silent? This audiobook is the perfect way for beginners to approach this practice, because it allows them to discover meditation both theoretically and practically.