A study of the deity of the world's three dominant monotheistic religions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In a dynamic interplay between religion and society's ever-changing beliefs, values, and traditions, human beings' ideas about God have been transformed. Ideas about God have been molded to apply to the spiritual needs of the people who worship him in a particular place and time. The author explores and analyzes the development and progression of the various perceptions of God from the days of Abraham to present times--Adapted from book jacket.
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • The author of Zealot explores humanity’s quest to make sense of the divine in this concise and fascinating history of our understanding of God. In Zealot, Reza Aslan replaced the staid, well-worn portrayal of Jesus of Nazareth with a startling new image of the man in all his contradictions. In his new book, Aslan takes on a subject even more immense: God, writ large. In layered prose and with thoughtful, accessible scholarship, Aslan narrates the history of religion as a remarkably cohesive attempt to understand the divine by giving it human traits and emotions. According to Aslan, this innate desire to humanize God is hardwired in our brains, making it a central feature of nearly every religious tradition. As Aslan writes, “Whether we are aware of it or not, and regardless of whether we’re believers or not, what the vast majority of us think about when we think about God is a divine version of ourselves.” But this projection is not without consequences. We bestow upon God not just all that is good in human nature—our compassion, our thirst for justice—but all that is bad in it: our greed, our bigotry, our penchant for violence. All these qualities inform our religions, cultures, and governments. More than just a history of our understanding of God, this book is an attempt to get to the root of this humanizing impulse in order to develop a more universal spirituality. Whether you believe in one God, many gods, or no god at all, God: A Human History will challenge the way you think about the divine and its role in our everyday lives. Praise for God “Timely, riveting, enlightening and necessary.”—HuffPost “Tantalizing . . . Driven by [Reza] Aslan’s grace and curiosity, God . . . helps us pan out from our troubled times, while asking us to consider a more expansive view of the divine in contemporary life.”—The Seattle Times “A fascinating exploration of the interaction of our humanity and God.”—Pittsburgh Post-Gazette “[Aslan’s] slim, yet ambitious book [is] the story of how humans have created God with a capital G, and it’s thoroughly mind-blowing.”—Los Angeles Review of Books “Aslan is a born storyteller, and there is much to enjoy in this intelligent survey.”—San Francisco Chronicle
This volume deals with the varied forms of shame reflected in biblical, theological, psychological and anthropological sources. Although traditional theology and church practice concentrate on providing forgiveness for shameful behavior, recent scholarship has discovered the crucial relevance of social shame evoked by mental status, adversity, slavery, abuse, illness, grief and defeat. Anthropologists, sociologists, and psychologists have discovered that unresolved social shame is related to racial and social prejudice, to bullying, crime, genocide, narcissism, post-traumatic stress and other forms of toxic behavior. Eleven leaders in this research participated in a conference on The Shame Factor, sponsored by St. Mark's United Methodist Church in Lincoln, NE in October 2010. Their essays explore the impact and the transformation of shame in a variety of arenas, comprising in this volume a unique and innovative resource for contemporary religion, therapy, ethics, and social analysis.
The history of Catholicism is the history of Christian faith. Anthony E. Gilles traces its development—from its beginnings in hushed gatherings within the Roman Empire to its current size and influence—in an accessible and enjoyable style. A revised and updated compilation of the history volumes from his best-selling People of God series, this book will help you understand how the Church developed in relation to, or in rebellion against, the larger culture. It details centuries of crucial turning points from the development of apostolic succession to the implementation of the reforms of Vatican II. Complete with maps, timelines and special "focus" sections on important events and issues, this valuable resource belongs in the collection of every student of Church history.
The value of this book is not to be found only in its important constructive theological proposals. Almost as important as these is his persuasive and illuminating reading of Hegel and his ability to show Hegel's significance for the address of major contemporary theological issues.... Those who desire a solid and intellectually exciting introduction to Hegel's significance for contemporary theological issues could do no better than spend some time with this book. -- Gordon D. Kaufman, Mallinckrodt Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Harvard Divinity School In this book, Hodgson uses Hegel's dialectical triadic logic to define what he calls the triune figuration. His 'Trinity' is God the One (rather than the Father), Love to and in the world (rather than the Son), and Freedom in history (rather than the Spirit).... Jesus in history is the Christian symbol of this historicized God. History is viewed not as a line of evolution nor a circle of recurrence but an open spiral. -- Robert Paul Roth, Professor Emeritus of Systematic Theology, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, Minnesota I am convinced that Hodgson's position is developing a deeply thought-out and valuable attempt to tackle a major aporia in contemporary theology. Rather than a history of salvation, Hodgson prefers a history of freedom.... -- Maurice Wiles, Regius Professor of Divinity Emeritus, Christ Church, Oxford University
With colour illustrations, pictures, and pull-out timelines, this history book brings the whole Bible to life! From Genesis to Revelation, from the beginning of time to the early church, from the first promise of a Saviour to the promise that one day that Saviour will return - this book spans all of time. Find out about how the God of all time spoke to his people and still speaks today through his Word.
