Western Religion

Few would acknowledge that our knowledge of history could be significantly inaccurate. The most common conception of history is one that begins in Greece, the "cradle of Western civilization," then progresses through Rome, and finally Europe and America. However, this merely represents a strictly Western version of history, and one that is often confused with the history of the World. Fortunately though, recent scholarship has begun to elucidate the extent of the indebtedness of Western history to other civilizations, rendering our notion of "Western" civilization obsolete. Rather, a more ...

Popular pastor and speaker Mandy Smith invites us to detox from the deeply ingrained habits of Western culture so we can do kingdom things in kingdom ways again. She explores how we can be transformed by new postures and habits that help us see God already at work in and around us. The way forward isn't more ideas, programs, and problem-solving, but in Jesus's surprising invitation to the kingdom through childlikeness. Ultimately, rediscovering childlike habits is a way for us to remember how to be human.

What are Myth and Culture and what is their importance for understanding the development of societies, human evolution and the search for meaning? What is the purpose of culture and how do cultures evolve? What are the elements of a culture and how can those elements be broken down and the constituent parts of a culture understood and compared? How do cultures interact? How does enculturation occur and how do people interact with other cultures? How do the processes of acculturation and cooptation occur and what does this mean for the development of a society? How can the study of myths and...

From the fall of Constantinople in 1453 until the 18th century, many Western European writers viewed the Ottoman Empire with almost obsessive interest. In this path-breaking audiobook, Noel Malcolm ranges through these vital centuries of East-West interaction, studying all the ways in which thinkers in the West interpreted the Ottoman Empire as a political phenomenon - and Islam as a political religion.

Still unsolved, still baffling, still claiming new victims. Here are the untold stories. A pilot reports a strange haze enveloping his plane, then disappears; 11 hours after fuel starvation, as if calling from a void, he is heard 600 miles away. He requests permission to land, then vanishes forever. A freighter steaming over placid seas disappears without a trace. A pleasure yacht ghosts past without a soul on board. A pilot calls for help because a "weird object" is harassing his plane. A jet collides with an "unknown" and is never found.

Two Southerners thrown together by the Union army. He’s on a quest for vengeance. She’s determined to preserve her family. Lydia Gibson’s life is overturned when the Union Army invades her hometown and burns down the cotton mill where she and her stepdaughter worked. Even worse, she and the other workers are arrested and sent to Marietta, where they wait for the army to send them north. Confederate Sergeant Seth Morgan finally reaches Marietta to check on his family, but the last thing he expects is to meet a woman who sparks attraction he thought he’d never feel again. ...

Tap into the magic all around you with Witchcraft, a guide to ancient potions, spells, chants, rituals, and incantations from around the world. Spells are conveniently organized by purpose: safekeeping spells, healing spells and potions, spells against enemies, counter-spells, luck and fortune spells, love and matchmaking spells, weather and earth spells, spells to cast on animals, power spells, and communing with the dead. This comprehensive compendium is a delightful book that’s full of unexpected treasures.

In this Very Short Introduction Stephen J. Davis discusses the history of monasticism, from our earliest evidence for it, and the different types that have developed from antiquity to the present day. He considers where monasteries are located, from East Asia to North America, and everywhere in between, and how their settings impact the everyday life and worldview of the monks and nuns who dwell there. Exploring how monastic communities are organized, he also looks at how aspects of life like food, sleep, sex, work, and prayer are regimented.

Luca Lewis is done with church. It killed his father, and now he wants nothing to do with the whole thing. Yet, he can’t seem to shake the unwanted conviction his father planted deep in his soul: that maybe something else is possible–something much more important.

Josephine can never afford the one thing she wants most—redemption. Josephine Thorebourne hoped to make her family proud…and disgraced them instead. Now she’ll do anything to make amends, even if it means keeping up her ruse with the confidence man she’s entangled with. His new plan is the only way out. Except the more time they’re aboard ship, the more Josephine suspects she just might be in for a double cross. As steward on a steamship, Owen Kelly can’t fraternize with the passengers, and that’s never been a problem…until he meets Josephine Thorebourne. Even as her grace ...

Holy Father Benedict, the father of monks in the West, is one of the greatest saints of the Church's illustrious halls of fame. His movement to become a hermit and found monasteries, writing the famous Rule of St. Benedict, was the decisive moment of monasticism's growth in the West, under the maxim of ora et labora, "prayer and work." His blessing caused a poisoned cup to shatter and a raven to swipe away poisoned bread; he miraculously saved someone from drowning, and he raised another from the dead. This is the story of the holiest monk of the West, the hero among religious founders.

In this short but stimulating work, Peter Leithart draws upon insights from history, theology, philosophy, and literature to connect two of the most glorious and unique truths of Christianity; its hopeful eschatology and its doctrine of a dynamic, personal Trinity. First, Leithart shows that the biblical view of history is essentially comic and hopeful, in contrast to the classical Greco-Roman view, which is essentially and irredeemably tragic.

For rare-book collectors, an original copy of the Gutenberg Bible - of which there are fewer than 50 in existence - represents the ultimate prize. Here, Margaret Leslie Davis recounts five centuries in the life of one copy, from its creation by Johannes Gutenberg, through the hands of monks, an earl, the Worcestershire sauce king, and a nuclear physicist to its ultimate resting place, in a steel vault in Tokyo.

For decades Americans were vaguely aware that Islamist barbarians were in the deserts of the Middle East and in the mountains of Afghanistan and Pakistan, executing "infidels" and raiding villages with unrecognizable names. The Muslim world seemed far away, remote, and irrelevant to our daily lives. Then came the terrorist attack of 9/11, followed by attacks at Fort Hood, the Boston Marathon, San Bernandino, Orlando, and more. Now terrorists seem to be emerging everywhere, unleashing senseless death and destruction on our nation.

يتناول كتاب آلام العقل الغربي : فهم الأفكار التي قامت بصياغة نظرتنا إلى العالم الموضوع من خلال سبعة أجزاء الجزء الأول في نظرة الإغريق إلى العالم، الجزء الثاني في تحول الحقبة الكلاسيكية، الجزء الثالث في النظرة المسيحية إلى العالم، الجزء الرابع في تحول الحقبة القروسطية، الجزء الخامس في النظرة الحديثة إلى العالم، الجزء السادس في تحول الحقبة الحديثة، الجزء السابع في ذيل...

If forgiveness is possible after genocide, then perhaps there is hope for the comparably smaller rifts that plague our relationships, our communities, and our nation. As We Forgive explores the pain, the mystery, and the hope through seven compelling stories of those who have made this journey toward reconciliation.

In our churches today, we have allowed ourselves to hold to a low view of God instead of seeing Him as Who He really is. And in today’s world of seeking the most likes and followers, many Christian pastors and leaders are finding themselves preaching what people want to hear instead of what God wants to say.

Prayers to Our Lady East and West by Deacon David Lochbihler explores the devotion to the Virgin Mary through a comparative study of the Eastern Orthodox Prayer Rule of the Theotokos and the Western Rosary, celebrating the unity and diversity in Marian prayer traditions. In Prayers to Our Lady East and West, Deacon David Lochbihler offers a heartfelt exploration of Marian devotion, drawing from his personal journey and extensive research.

Lauren Brown, daughter of one of Cripple Creek’s founding families, is an anomaly in town. She wears pants and works the family farm alongside men. She’s strong, loyal, smart, and independent, all qualities that endear her to the townsfolks even when she occasionally gets into trouble for her less than traditionally womanly ways. In particular, her father, Jack, despairs at his daughter’s atypical behavior. When Cripple Creek’s old pastor passes away, Lauren can’t help but think that the young, handsome pastor from the next town over would be a perfect replacement. As it turns out...

Jessamine Grant is strong-willed and independent. All her life, she’s worked hard to carve out her own path, even if it doesn’t always fit with society’s ideas of what women should be allowed to do. While successfully running a boarding house in Cripple Creek, Colorado, makes Jessamine proud, she also can’t help but notice that her dear friends are finding love all around her, and she hasn’t found the same. When she stumbles upon Duke Rollins’ encampment, she’s immediately intrigued by the handsome carpenter. Duke is also captivated by beautiful, stubborn Jessamine, but the ...