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Divine Lives: The Descending Current of Bhakti
by Mandala PublishingDivine Lives recounts the lives and teachings of the venerated spiritual masters His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, the founder acarya of the entire Gaudiya community, and His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvami Thakura, the founding acarya of Sri Gopinatha Gaudiya Matha. The Gaudiya Vaisnava tradition stresses the importance for spiritual seekers to receive transcendental knowledge in a bona-fide current of devotion. Genuine spiritual teachers retain the power and glory of this divine flow in their hearts and manifest it through their unadulterated words and proper conduct. Divine Lives highlights the descriptions of two such sublime personalities, His Divine Grace Srila Prabhupada Bhakti Siddhanta Sarasvati Gosvami Thakura, and his disciple, His Divine Grace Srila Bhakti Pramode Puri Gosvami Thakura. In the time of the Gaudiya revolution led by Srila Prabhupada, Srila B. P. Puri Goswami carried a pen and paper wherever he went. His impeccable notes from that time will surely be of great service for many generations to come. Some of his writings are included within in the form of heart-touching glorifications to his spiritual master that have been organized into separate categories for the reader's benefit. After the biography of Srila Prabhupada and an autobiography of Srila B. P. Puri Goswami, Divine Lives concludes with the words of Srila B. P. Puri Goswami Thakura&’s successor and disciple, Srila B. B. Bodhayan Maharaja. In this last section, we learn specific details about Srila B. P. Puri Goswami&’s first meetings with Srila Prabhupada and how he joined this spiritual movement. Also included within are historical articles from the Gaudiya and Chaitanya Vani that have been translated from the original Bengali into English for the first time, as well as rare photos and artifacts from this transformational time in Gaudiya history.
Divine Love and Wisdom
by Emanuel SwedenborgIn Divine Love and Wisdom, Swedenborg uses reason and empirical facts to prove the existence of God and God's divine love. He further posits that we are all an essential part of God's Divine plan, and that without us God's plan could not come to fruition.
Divine Love in Islamic Mysticism: The Teachings of al-Ghazali and al-Dabbagh (Routledge Sufi Series)
by Binyamin AbrahamovThe two theories of divine love that are examined in this book have their foundations in Greek, Jewish, Christian and Muslim ideas. Al-Ghazâlî (twelfth century) was influenced mainly by Plato and Ibn Sina's teachings, while al-Dabbâgh (thirteenth century), who accepted some Ghazâlîan notions, developed a theory of divine love that can be traced back to Neoplatonism. Both scholars created complete theories of divine love that include definitions of love, its causes and signs, the ways to love God, God's love for man, and kinds of love. The book will interest students of theology, philosophy and mysticism in general, and students of Islam in particular.
The Divine Magician: The Disappearance of Religion and the Discovery of Faith
by Peter RollinsPeter Rollins knows one magic trick - now, make sure you watch closely. It has three parts: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige. In The Divine Magician, each part comes into play as Rollins describes the way God works in our world today, and how this connection helps us understand the truly radical message of Christianity.The Divine Magician interrogates traditional religious notions from a refreshingly original perspective, undermining the commonplace debates involving dogma, doctrine, and tradition.Rejecting our preconceptions of what the spiritual and the religious mean, Rollins argues for a deeply material faith that finds meaning not in a set of beliefs, but in a passionate commitment to the world.This incendiary reading of Christianity breaks the boundaries of religion and overturns the tables of conventional wisdom. It offers hope for those seeking a depth and density in life, calling for the existing church to disappear, only to reappear in a fundamentally new and dynamic form.
The Divine Magician: The Disappearance of Religion and the Discovery of Faith
by Peter RollinsIn this mind-bending exploration of traditional Christianity, firebrand Peter Rollins turns the tables on conventional wisdom, offering a fresh perspective focused on a life filled with love.Peter Rollins knows one magic trick—now, make sure you watch closely. It has three parts: the Pledge, the Turn, and the Prestige. In Divine Magician, each part comes into play as he explores a radical view of interacting with the world in love. Rollins argues that the Christian event, reenacted in the Eucharist, is indeed a type of magic trick, one that is echoed in the great vanishing acts performed by magicians throughout the ages. In this trick, a divine object is presented to us (the Pledge), disappears (the Turn), and then returns (the Prestige). But just as the returned object in a classic vanishing act is not really the same object—but another that looks the same—so this book argues that the return of God is not simply the return of what was initially presented, but rather a radical way of interacting with the world. In an effort to unearth the power of Christianity, Rollins uses this framework to explain the mystery of faith that has been lost on the church. In the same vein as Rob Bell&’s bestseller Love Wins, this book pushes the boundaries of theology, presenting a stirring vision at the forefront of re-imagined modern Christianity. As a dynamic speaker as he is in writing, Rollins examines traditional religious notions from a revolutionary and refreshingly original perspective. At the heart of his message is a life lived through profound love. Just perhaps, says Rollins, the radical message found in Christianity might be one that the church can show allegiance to.
Divine Masters, Ancient Wisdom: Activations to Connect with Universal Spiritual Guides
by Kyle GrayA new and fresh guide to the Ascended Masters and how to work with them for greater peace and connection.Discover new tools and wisdom to connect with the enlightened Ascended Masters, and receive their guidance, healing, protection and support on your spiritual path.Bestselling author Kyle Gray offers the first new guide in several years that looks at the Ascended Masters and explains how they can bring healing to the Earth, the cosmos and your life. The Ascended Masters are enlightened souls who once walked the Earth (or other planets) and continue to offer their emotional intelligence and spiritual teachings to the world. You may already know some of them - Mary Magdalene, Buddha and Jesus - but did you know there are many more, and that they are here to support you on your spiritual path? In this book, you will discover: • Many Ascended Masters, from Quan Yin to Saint German and Gaia to the Divine Director • A short history of the Masters and how they ascended for the greater good of humanity • How to call upon the Masters for spiritual protection, to remove blockages and to open up to powerful spiritual connections • What the Council of Light and Etheric Retreats are, and how you can access their wisdom for healing, guidance and connectionKyle shares many powerful exercises and tools - such as Sacred Geometry visualizations, affirmations and meditations - to help you increase your awareness and raise your consciousness.
Divine Match-Up
by Jacquelin ThomasThere's only one boy for Divine.... When Divine Matthews-Hardison left the Hollywood fast lane to live with her aunt and uncle in sleepy Temple, Georgia, she figured she could say good-bye to dating excitement. Who knew she would find a guy she's crazy about in her small-town high school? Madison Hartford is all Divine thinks about...and he's crazy about Divine, too. But when they get "married" at an online wedding site, their friends think they may actually be crazy! Is Divine ready for "I do"? It's not a legal marriage -- more of a role-playing game. But the honeymoon is over when Divine's delicious secret gets out and races around school.... Meanwhile, real wedding bells are ringing for Divine's superstar mother, who's put her painful divorce behind her and found true love. It's all too much for Divine, who's read all about her mom's fiancé in the tabloids and thinks her mother is making a big mistake. But it's Divine who has a lot to learn about what it truly means to love someone, heart and soul.
Divine Merger: What Happens When Jesus Collides with Your Community
by Mark E. StrongWhat would happen if your community had a head-on collision with Jesus? Pastor and community leader Mark Strong says, "You would have exactly what God wants: a divine merger!" He continues: "A divine merger is when the church intentionally integrates with its community. . . . The result is a kingdom transformation." This book is designed to give you the vision and tools you need to fulfill your own God-given mission in your community and church. Ranging from single-person sponsored ministries to church-wide and even multi-church regional ministries, these pages are packed full of ideas. The practical wisdom here will help any follower of Christ, pastor or church leader engage their community. Each chapter concludes with questions for reflection appropriate for either individuals or groups. Are you ready to plan your divine merger?
Divine Messengers: The Untold Story of Bhutan’s Female Shamans
by Guyer-Stevens Francoise PommaretAs mystics, healers, and travelers to the netherworld, female shamans continue to impact the spiritual lives of the Bhutanese. These divine messengers act as mediums for local spirits, cure diseases through prayer, and travel to the realm of the dead. They are sometimes referred to as &“sky-goers,&” &“reincarnations,&” or &“returners from the beyond,&” and their stories are intimately connected with the Buddhist ideas of karma and rebirth.Journalist Stephanie Guyer-Stevens and anthropologist Françoise Pommaret traveled to the Himalayas to meet seven living Bhutanese female shamans and to help make their stories known. Stephanie and Françoise offer an intimate narrative of these shamans&’ spiritual experiences and important roles in society. This book also provides an overview of the history of this tradition and a translation of an autobiography of the famous eighteenth-century divine messenger, Sangay Choezom. This insightful and sensitive account is a rare look inside the world of these brave women.
The Divine Milieu
by Pierre Teilhard De ChardinTeilhard de Chardin's The Divine Milieu expands on the spiritual message so basic to his thought. He shows how man's spiritual life can become a participation in the destiny of the universe. Teilhard de Chardin -- geologist, priest, and major voice in twentieth-century Christianity -- probes the ultimate meaning of all physical exploration and the fruit of his own inner life. The Divine Milieu is a spiritual treasure for every religion bookshelf.
The Divine Mind: Exploring the Psychological History of God's Inner Journey
by Michael GellertA Jungian psychoanalyst with a background in Judaism and Zen Buddhism explores the history of God concepts in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions.This book is about the Abrahamic God’s inner journey, an epic that begins in the Hebrew Bible—the common source of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. This God emerges as a living, textured personality as tormented as a Shakespearean character and as divided against humanity as the devil who personifies his dark side. Yet in heroic fashion, he embarks on a journey to greater consciousness, stretching into himself in the Talmud, New Testament, Qur’an, and Gnostic writings. Then finally, with and through the Jewish, Christian, and Islamic mystics, he discovers his true self as the absolute Godhead. He takes up residence in their psyches as their own Divine Mind or true self. The book suggests that what God learned from his journey might be something that we in turn could learn from and that could help us at the dawn of the twenty-first century. In this way, God’s inner journey becomes a metaphor for our own. Michael Gellert, a Jungian psychoanalyst, treats this story and the sacred writings that convey it as psychological facts—as expressions of the human psyche—regardless of whether or not God actually exists. He shows how the Hebrew Bible presents God as a primitive, barbaric tribal war god while centuries later the mystics portray him as their innermost essence and emptied of all projected, external, anthropomorphic images. Thus, God’s inner journey and the evolution of human consciousness—his story and ours—parallel each other and are integrally related. Rich in historical detail and psychological insights, this is a book that will be welcomed by seekers of every background and orientation.
Divine Money: Islam, Zakat, and Giving in Palestine (Muslim Philanthropy and Civil Society)
by Emanuel SchaeublinZakat giving or mutual aid is a sacred practice in Islam. Where government and public safety nets fail, zakat serves as a form of social security in Muslim communities. In Divine Money, Emanuel Schaeublin shows how zakat institutions and direct zakat donations function in contemporary Palestine. Based on his ethnographic fieldwork in the city of Nablus, Schaeublin traces zakat flows as they provide critical support to households living under military rule and security surveillance. In the neighborhoods of Nablus, the Islamic tradition shapes public life. Many enact simple gifts of money of food as an expression of God's generosity and justice. How do such invocations of the divine enable people to negotiate responsibilities and tensions arising from differences in wealth in Palestinian society? What is the role of zakat in confronting political repression and economic instability?
Divine Mother, Blessed Mother: Hindu Goddesses and the Virgin Mary
by Francis X. Clooney<p>In Divine Mother, Blessed Mother, Francis X. Clooney, S.J., a scholar of Hinduism as well as a Catholic priest and theologian, offers the first full-length comparative study of Hindu goddesses and the Virgin Mary. <p>Clooney begins by looking at three specific goddesses as they are presented and addressed in religiously and theologically rich hymns from the Sanskrit and Tamil traditions: Nullri Laksmi, the eternal consort of Lord Visnu and life-giver to Him and all the world; the great Goddess Devi, in whom the world and gods too exist and flourish; and the lovely Tamil Goddess Apirnullami, who illumines the inmost mind and heart. Clooney then shows how Goddess traditions can be drawn into fruitful conversation with Christian tradition, taking a fresh look at the veneration and theology of Mary, the Mother of Jesus and Mother of God, as displayed in three famous Marian hymns from the Greek, Latin, and Tamil traditions. <p>The book is enriched by the inclusion of fresh and full translations of all of the hymns, including two translated here for the first time. Analyzing these six Hindu and Christian hymns, Clooney examines such questions as: How have Hindu theologians made room for a feminine divine alongside the masculine--and why? How has Christian thinking about divine gender differed from Hindu thinking? What might contemporary feminists learn from the goddess traditions of India? How might the study of Hindu goddesses affect Christian thinking about God and Mary? <p>This is a book to read for its insights into the nature of gender and the divine, for the power of the hymns themselves, and for the sake of a religious adventure, an encounter with three Goddess traditions and Mary seen in a new light.</p>
Divine Multiplicity: Trinities, Diversities, and the Nature of Relation (Transdisciplinary Theological Colloquia)
by Chris Boesel and S . Wesley AriarajahThe essays in this volume ask if and how trinitarian and pluralist discourses can enter into fruitful conversation with one another. Can trinitarian conceptions of divine multiplicity open the Christian tradition to more creative and affirming visions of creaturely identities, difference, and relationality—including the specific difference of religious plurality? Where might the triadic patterning evident in the Christian theological tradition have always exceeded the boundaries of Christian thought and experience? Can this help us to inhabit other religious traditions’ conceptions of divine and/or creaturely reality?The volume also interrogates the possibilities of various discourses on pluralism by putting them in a concrete pluralist context and asking to what extent pluralist discourse can collect within itself a convergent diversity of orthodox, heterodox, postcolonial, process, poststructuralist, liberationist, and feminist sensibilities while avoiding irruptions of conflict, competition, or the logic of mutual exclusion.
The Divine Names: A Mystical Theology of the Names of God in the Qurʾan (Library of Arabic Literature)
by null ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-TilimsānīA Sufi scholar’s philosophical interpretation of the names of GodThe Divine Names is a philosophically sophisticated commentary on the names of God. Penned by the seventh-/thirteenth-century North African scholar and Sufi poet ʿAfīf al-Dīn al-Tilimsānī, The Divine Names expounds upon the one hundred and forty-six names of God that appear in the Qurʾan, including The All-Merciful, The Powerful, The First, and The Last. In his treatment of each divine name, al-Tilimsānī synthesizes and compares the views of three influential earlier authors, al-Bayhaqī, al-Ghazālī, and Ibn Barrajān.Al-Tilimsānī famously described his two teachers Ibn al-ʿArabī and al-Qūnawī as a “philosophizing mystic” and a “mysticizing philosopher,” respectively. Picking up their mantle, al-Tilimsānī merges mysticism and philosophy, combining the tenets of Akbarī Sufism with the technical language of Aristotelian, Neoplatonic, and Avicennan philosophy as he explains his logic in a rigorous and concise way. Unlike Ibn al-ʿArabī, his overarching concern is not to examine the names as correspondences between God and creation, but to demonstrate how the names overlap at every level of cosmic existence. The Divine Names shows how a broad range of competing theological and philosophical interpretations can all contain elements of the truth.An English-only edition.
The Divine Nature: Personal and A-Personal Perspectives (Routledge Studies in the Philosophy of Religion)
by Georg Gasser Simon KittleThis book is the first systematic treatment of the strengths and limitations of personal and a-personal conceptions of the divine. It features contributions from Jewish, Islamic, Chinese, Indian and naturalistic backgrounds in addition to those working within a decidedly Christian framework. This book discusses whether the concept of God in classical theism is coherent at all and whether the traditional understanding of some of the divine attributes need to be modified. The contributors explore what the proposed spiritual and practical merits and demerits of personal and a-personal conceptions of God might be. Additionally, their diverse perspectives reflect a broader trend within the analytic philosophy of religion to incorporate various non-Western religious traditions. Tackling these issues carefully is needed to do justice to the strengths and limitations of personal and a-personal accounts to the divine. The Divine Nature: Personal and A-Personal Perspectives will be of interest to scholars and advanced students working in philosophy of religion and philosophical theology.
Divine Nobodies: Shedding Religion to Find God
by Jim PalmerWhat does a Hip-Hop artist, Waffle House waitress, tire salesman, and disabled girl have to do with discovering spiritual truth? What if embracing authentic Christianity is a journey of unlearning? Welcome to Jim Palmer's world!Don Miller meets Anne Lamott meets Brian McLaren in this tale of shedding religion and plunging into uncharted depths of knowing God. Jim Palmer, emergent pastor, shares his compelling off-road spiritual journey and the unsuspecting people who became his guides."Perhaps God's reason for wanting me," writes Palmer, "is much better than my reason for wanting him. Maybe God's idea of my salvation trumps the version I am too willing to settle for. Seeing I needed a little help to get this, God sent a variety pack of characters to awaken me." For all those hoping there's more to God and Christianity than what they've heard or experienced, each chapter of Divine Nobodies gives the reader permission and freedom to discover it for themselves. Sometimes comical, other times tragic, at times shocking, always honest; Jim Palmer's story offers an inspiring and profound glimpse into life with God beyond institutional church and conventional religion. "I am tempted to say that Jim Palmer could well be the next Donald Miller, but what they have in common, along with an honest spirituality and extraordinary skill as storytellers, is a unique voice . . . Divine Nobodies is a delight to read, and it was good for my soul to read it." -BRIAN MCLAREN Author of The Secret Message of Jesus"You hold in your hands an amazing story of a broken man finding freedom in all the right places-in God's work in the lives of some extraordinarily ordinary people around him. You will thrill to this delightful blend of gut-wrenching honesty and laugh-out-loud hilarity, and in the end you'll find God much closer, the body of Christ far bigger and your own journey far clearer than you ever dreamed." -WAYNE JACOBSEN Author of Authentic Relationships
Divine Omniscience and Human Free Will: A Logical and Metaphysical Analysis (Palgrave Frontiers in Philosophy of Religion)
by Ciro De Florio Aldo FrigerioThis book deals with an old conundrum: if God knows what we will choose tomorrow, how can we be free to choose otherwise? If all our choices are already written, is our freedom simply an illusion? This book provides a precise analysis of this dilemma using the tools of modern metaphysics and logic of time. With a focus on three intertwined concepts - God’s nature, the formal structure of time, and the metaphysics time, including the relationship between temporal entities and a timeless God - the chapters analyse various solutions to the problem of foreknowledge and freedom, revealing the advantages and drawbacks of each. Building on this analysis, the authors advance constructive solutions, showing under what conditions an entity can be omniscient in the presence of free agents, and whether an eternal entity can know the tensed futures of the world. The metaphysics of time, its topology and the semantics of future tensed sentences are shown to be invaluable topics in dealing with this issue. Combining investigations into the metaphysics of time with the discipline of temporal logic this monograph brings about important advancements in the philosophical understanding of an ancient and fascinating problem. The answer, if any, is hidden in the folds of time, in the elusive nature of this feature of reality and in the infinite branching of our lives.
The Divine Plan: John Paul II, Ronald Reagan, and the Dramatic End of the Cold War
by Paul Kengor Robert OrlandoJust six weeks apart in the spring of 1981, Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan took bullets from would-be assassins. Few realized at the time how close both men came to dying. Surviving these near-death experiences created a singular bond between the pope and the president that historians have failed to appreciate. When John Paul II and Reagan met only a year later, they confided to each other a shared conviction: that God had spared their lives for a reason. That reason? To defeat Communism. In private, Reagan had a name for this: "The DP"—the Divine Plan. * * * It has become fashionable to see the collapse of the Soviet empire as inevitable. Hardly. In this riveting book, bestselling author Paul Kengor and writer-director Robert Orlando show what it took to end the Cold War: leaders who refused to accept that hundreds of millions must suffer under totalitarian Communism. And no leaders proved more important than the pope and the president. Two men who seemed to have little in common developed an extraordinary bond—including a spiritual bond between the Catholic pope and Protestant president. And their shared core convictions drove them to confront Communism. To tell the full story of the dramatic closing act of the Cold War, Kengor and Orlando draw on their exhaustive research and exclusive interviews with more than a dozen experts, including well-known historians Douglas Brinkley, H. W. Brands, Anne Applebaum, Stephen Kotkin, John O'Sullivan, and Craig Shirley; the leading biographer of John Paul II, George Weigel; close Reagan advisers Richard V. Allen and James Rosebush; and Cardinal Timothy Dolan and Bishop Robert Barron. You can't understand Pope John Paul II and President Ronald Reagan—or how the Cold War came to such a swift and peaceful end—without understanding how much faith they put in the Divine Plan.
Divine Power and Evil: A Reply to Process Theodicy (Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies)
by Kenneth K. PakEvil perplexes us all and threatens to undermine the meaningfulness of our existence. How can we reconcile the reality of evil with the notion of a God who is perfectly good and powerful? Process theodicy, whose foremost proponent is David Griffin, suggests one answer: because every being possesses its own power of self-determination in order for God to attain the divine aim of higher goodness for the world, God must take the risk of the possibility of evil. Divine Power and Evil responds to Griffin's criticisms against traditional theodicy, assesses the merits of process theodicy, and points out ways in which traditional theism could incorporate a number of Griffin's valuable insights in progressing toward a philosophically and theologically satisfactory theodicy. It provides a new and important contribution to a long-standing debate within philosophy of religion and theology.
The Divine Practice of Angel Numbers: Raise Your Vibration with the Archangels
by Leeza RobertsonRealize Your Divine Self with Angel Ascension EnergyWith special numbers like 000, 555, 1010, and 1111, the angels are trying to help you move into a state of awakening and love. For each number, The Divine Practice of Angel Numbers shares a short affirmation-style message from the angel, a deeper message, a description of the angel, a visualization or meditation, an angel connection prayer, and an exercise for putting the number's energy into a crystal. This book also explores thirteen archangels, such as Metatron and Uriel, and their unique ascension lessons for increasing your joy, health, and well-being. Author Leeza Robertson makes it easy to start receiving blessings and support from the angels for specific purposes like letting go, making deeper soul connections, and transcending negative energy each and every day.A new energy that the angels call ascension energy is sweeping the planet. This book shows how angels use special numbers to connect with you and teach specific ascension energy lessons. You will discover hands-on tips and support for prayer, healing, altar work, automatic writing, rituals, working with chakras, and more. The ascension lessons in this book will support you as you learn to gently open the door and start receiving guidance and love from the angels.Includes a color insert for crystal identification.
Divine Prescriptions
by Doreen VirtueDoreen guides you through a step by step on how to give divine perscriptions through the angels.
Divine Presence as Activity and the Incarnation: Revisiting Chalcedonian Christology (Routledge New Critical Thinking in Religion, Theology and Biblical Studies)
by Alexander S. JensenThis book offers an original perspective on the doctrine of incarnation through a discussion of divine presence and action, arguing for the plausibility of Chalcedonian Christology. It draws on a range of theological and philosophical sources, from St. Athanasius of Alexandria’s approach regarding the presence of the logos asarkos in the world to the relational understanding of personhood put forward by John Zizioulas, Christos Yannaras and others. The suggestion is that divine presence needs to be understood in consistently Trinitarian terms and the book sets out the possibility of a theology of presence which understands God as present and immanent in the world, while, at the same time, remaining transcendent and ineffable. Alexander Jensen maintains that the classical understanding of divine presence, which sees God as being present according to God’s activity, is much more useful in Christology than today’s predominant modern notion of presence as occupying space, and combines this with an ontological understanding of personhood. The book gives an account of the person and work of Christ that takes seriously the insights of historical research and critical biblical interpretation. It takes seriously the full humanity of Jesus of Nazareth and asserts that in this man we encounter God. It will be of particular interest to systematic theologians, as well as those concerned with the history of Christian theology and philosophical theology.
The Divine Private Detective Agency Collection: Sister Eve, Private Eye, The Case of the Sin City Sister, Sister Eve and the Blue Nun (A Divine Private Detective Agency Mystery)
by Lynne HintonSister Eve, Private Eye Sister Eve knows God moves in mysterious ways. And Eve adores a good mystery. Especially a murder. Two decades into her calling at a New Mexico monastery, Sister Evangeline Divine breaks her daily routine when a police officer appears, carrying a message from her father. Sister Eve is no stranger to the law, having grown up with a police captain turned private detective. She's seen her fair share of crime--and knows a thing or two about solving mysteries. But when Captain Jackson Divine needs her to return home and help him recover from surgery, Sister Eve finds herself taking on his latest case. A Hollywood director has disappeared, and the sultry starlet he's been running around with isn't talking. When the missing man turns up dead, Captain Divine's case escalates into a full-blown murder case, and Sister Eve's crime-solving instincts kick in with an almost God-given grace. Soon Sister Eve finds herself soul-searching every step of the way: How can she choose between the vocation in her heart and the job in her blood? The Case of the Sin City Sister She's not your average nun. And now Sister Eve Divine's risking it all, searching for a mission person in Vegas. Sister Eve Divine recently discovered she's got a gift: turns out she's a natural at private detective work. But is it a temptation or a calling? As Eve wrestles with this question, she's taking a leave of absence from the convent, investigating a case with her PI father. But something else troubles Eve. It's been weeks since Eve heard from her sister, Dorisanne. And Eve's gut tells her that something sinister has happened to her difficult sibling. There's only one place Eve can find the answers she's looking for: in Dorisanne's world, under the bright lights of Sin City--Las Vegas, Late night visits to the casino and some clever clues hidden in an address book set Eve on a trail that soon reveals that Dorisanne's life is darker and more complicated than Eve ever expected. In the end, Eve's ability to understand her sister--and herself--may be a matter of life and death. Sister Eve and the Blue Nun When Sister Eve returns to the monastery, the last thing she expects there is murder. After solving several mysteries with her father at the Divine Private Detective Agency, Sister Eve finds herself torn between her calling as a nun and the thrill that comes with detecting. She knows she's been using her father's health as an excuse to extend her leave of absence from the monastery, but that excuse is running thin. She prays that a return visit to the monastery for a conference on the Blue Nun will help bring clarity to her calling, but when the conference speaker is murdered, Sister Eve's two worlds collide. Sister Eve knows the number one suspect, the victim's brother and monk in residence, couldn't possibly have committed the crime, and she's determined to find the real killer. To do so means she must track down some mysterious newly discovered writings from the Blue Nun, said to date from the 17th Century, when the sister bi-located to the New Mexico region from her home in Spain. Could these texts from long ago be the key to today's mystery? And will they offer any guidance to Sister Eve as she chooses which calling to follow
Divine Providence: The Molinist Account (Cornell Studies in the Philosophy of Religion)
by Thomas P. FlintThomas P. Flint develops and defends the idea of divine providence sketched by Luis de Molina, the sixteenth-century Jesuit theologian. The Molinist account of divine providence reconciles two claims long thought to be incompatible: that God is the all-knowing governor of the universe and that individual freedom can prevail only in a universe free of absolute determinism. The Molinist concept of middle knowledge holds that God knows, though he has no control over, truths about how any individual would freely choose to act in any situation, even if the person never encounters that situation. Given such knowledge, God can be truly providential while leaving his creatures genuinely free. Divine Providence is by far the most detailed and extensive presentation of the Molinist view ever written.Middle knowledge is hotly debated in philosophical theology, and the controversy spills over into metaphysics and moral philosophy as well. Flint ably defends the concept against its most influential contemporary critics, and shows its importance to Christian practice. With particular originality and sophistication, he applies Molinism to such aspects of providence as prayer, prophecy, and the notion of papal infallibility, teasing out the full range of implications for traditional Christianity.