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Great Minds Don’t Think Alike: Debates on Consciousness, Reality, Intelligence, Faith, Time, AI, Immortality, and the Human
by Marcelo GleiserDoes technology change who we are, and if so, in what ways? Can humanity transcend physical bodies and spaces? Will AI and genetic engineering help us reach new heights or will they unleash dystopias? How do we face mortality, our own and that of our warming planet? Questions like these—which are only growing more urgent—can be answered only by drawing on different kinds of knowledge and ways of knowing. They challenge us to bridge the divide between the sciences and the humanities and bring together perspectives that are too often kept apart.Great Minds Don’t Think Alike presents conversations among leading scientists, philosophers, historians, and public intellectuals that exemplify openness to diverse viewpoints and the productive exchange of ideas. Pulitzer and Templeton Prize winners, MacArthur “genius” grant awardees, and other acclaimed writers and thinkers debate the big questions: who we are, the nature of reality, science and religion, consciousness and materialism, and the mysteries of time. In so doing, they also inquire into how uniting experts from different areas of study to consider these topics might help us address the existential risks we face today. Convened and moderated by the physicist and author Marcelo Gleiser, these public dialogues model constructive engagement between the sciences and the humanities—and show why intellectual cooperation is necessary to shape our collective future.Contributors include David Chalmers and Antonio Damasio; Sean Carroll and B. Alan Wallace; Patricia Churchland and Jill Tarter; Rebecca Goldstein and Alan Lightman; Jimena Canales and Paul Davies; Ed Boyden and Mark O’Connell; Elizabeth Kolbert and Siddhartha Mukherjee; Jeremy DeSilva, David Grinspoon, and Tasneem Zehra Husain.
The Great Mystery: Science, God and the Human Quest for Meaning
by Dr Alister E McGrathThere is currently huge interest in the question of human nature and identity, and what the human future might look like. Who are we? Why are we here? What is our future? Are we alone? And what can religion bring, alongside biology and anthropology, to these important and exciting questions?The Great Mystery focuses on this fascinating field of study. Alister McGrath, bestselling author and Andreas Idreos Professor of Science and Religion at Oxford University, explores the question of human nature from both scientific and religious perspectives, and weaves together the results to open up and explore some of the deepest and most important questions about who we are, why we matter, and what our future might be. A follow-up to his critically acclaimed Inventing the Universe, in The Great Mystery Alister McGrath once again brings together science with religion to yield an enriched vision of reality, along with rigorous and thoroughly up-to-date scholarship and intellectual accessibility.
The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’s Essential Teachings on Discipleship
by Dallas WillardThe last command Jesus gave the church before he ascended to heaven was the Great Commission, the call for Christians to "make disciples of all the nations." But Christians have responded by making "Christians," not "disciples." This, according to brilliant scholar and renowned Christian thinker Dallas Willard, has been the church's Great Omission."The word disciple occurs 269 times in the New Testament," writes Willard. "Christian is found three times and was first introduced to refer precisely to disciples of Jesus. . . . The New Testament is a book about disciples, by disciples, and for disciples of Jesus Christ. But the point is not merely verbal. What is more important is that the kind of life we see in the earliest church is that of a special type of person. All of the assurances and benefits offered to humankind in the gospel evidently presuppose such a life and do not make realistic sense apart from it. The disciple of Jesus is not the deluxe or heavy-duty model of the Christian -- especially padded, textured, streamlined, and empowered for the fast lane on the straight and narrow way. He or she stands on the pages of the New Testament as the first level of basic transportation in the Kingdom of God."Willard boldly challenges the thought that we can be Christians without being disciples, or call ourselves Christians without applying this understanding of life in the Kingdom of God to every aspect of life on earth. He calls on believers to restore what should be the heart of Christianity -- being active disciples of Jesus Christ. Willard shows us that in the school of life, we are apprentices of the Teacher whose brilliance encourages us to rise above traditional church understanding and embrace the true meaning of discipleship -- an active, concrete, 24/7 life with Jesus.
The Great Opportunity: Making Disciples of Jesus in Every Vocation
by Dave BuehringThe Great Opportunity takes Christians beyond knowing that their faith should affect their work by showing them why and how to make disciples among those who share their vocation.
The Great Partnership: God, Science And The Search For Meaning
by Jonathan SacksWriting with his usual grace and fluency, Jonathan Sacks moves beyond the tired arguments of militant atheists such as Dawkins and Hitchens, to explore how religion has always played a valuable part in human culture and far from being dismissed as redundant, must be allowed to temper and develop scientific understanding in order for us to be fully human. Ranging around the world to draw comparisons from different cultures, and delving deep into the history of language and of western civilisation, Jonathan Sacks shows how the predominance of science-oriented thinking is embedded deeply even in our religious understanding, and calls on us to recognise the centrality of relationship to true religion, and thus to see how this core value of relationship is essential if we are to avoid the natural tendency for science to rule our lives rather than fulfilling its promise to set us free.
The Great Partnership
by Jonathan SacksAn impassioned, erudite, thoroughly researched, and beautifully reasoned book from one of the most admired religious thinkers of our time that argues not only that science and religion are compatible, but that they complement each other--and that the world needs both. "Atheism deserves better than the new atheists," states Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, "whose methodology consists of criticizing religion without understanding it, quoting texts without contexts, taking exceptions as the rule, confusing folk belief with reflective theology, abusing, mocking, ridiculing, caricaturing, and demonizing religious faith and holding it responsible for the great crimes against humanity. Religion has done harm; I acknowledge that. But the cure for bad religion is good religion, not no religion, just as the cure for bad science is good science, not the abandonment of science." Rabbi Sacks's counterargument is that religion and science are the two essential perspectives that allow us to see the universe in its three-dimensional depth. Science teaches us where we come from. Religion explains to us why we are here. Science is the search for explanation. Religion is the search for meaning. We need scientific explanation to understand nature. We need meaning to understand human behavior. There have been times when religion tried to dominate science. And there have been times, including our own, when it is believed that we can learn all we need to know about meaning and relationships through biochemistry, neuroscience, and evolutionary psychology. In this fascinating look at the interdependence of religion and science, Rabbi Sacks explains why both views are tragically wrong.
Great People of the Bible: 15 Studies for Individuals or Groups (Fisherman Bible Studyguide Series)
by Carol PlueddemannThe great people highlighted in this study give encouragement and hope for lives today because Christians have the same resource they had--faith in a great God.
Great Perfection
by Cortland DahlGreat Perfection: Outer and Inner Preliminaries contains detailed instructions on the foundational practices of this tradition from The Excellent Chariot, a practice manual compiled by the Third Dzogchen Rinpoche. Distilling the teachings of the Heart Essence of the Dakinis into an accessible, easy-to-practice format, The Excellent Chariot leads the reader through the entire Buddhist path, starting with basic Buddhist contemplations that work to dislodge deeply ingrained patterns of thinking and behaving, and continuing on to the most advanced and secret meditative practices of the Great Perfection.
The Great Poems of the Bible: A Reader's Companion with New Translations
by James L. KugelFrom the Psalms to the Prophets, from job to Ecclesiastes, much of the Bible is written in poetry. The poems of the Bible include some of its best known and most beloved passages: "The Lord is my shepherd," "Let justice roll down like waters," "By the rivers of Babylon," "Remember your Creator," "Arise, shine, for thy light is come!" These poems live in the hearts of those who are familiar with the Bible and offer rich rewards to anyone who is approaching the world's greatest book for the first time.In The Great Poems of the Bible, Harvard scholar James Kugel presents original translations of the most beautiful and important poems of the Scripture. Taken together, these poems represent the very essence of the Hebrew Bible. Reading them one after another is like taking a guided tour through Scripture, meeting firsthand some of its most important teachings and opening the way to an understanding of the Bible as a whole.Each poem is accompanied by an eloquent and accessible explanation of the poem's language, and a reflection on its meaning. These learned, compact essays introduce readers to the broader spiritual world of ancient Israel. What did people in biblical times believe about God? Where is a person's soul located and what does it do? Is there an afterlife? How does one come to "know" God? Why wasn't Eve meant to be Adam's "helpmate" (Kugel shows how this was just a translator's slip-up), and what does the Bible have to say about the role of women?Kugel's sparkling translations of the poems, together with the fascinating insights that accompany them, distill the very best that the Bible and modern scholarship have to offer. Kugel brings new life to some of history's greatest poems, and offers a new look at a Bible we thought we already knew. Here, in one volume, is a "Bible's bible" that belongs in every home.
The Great Poems of the Bible
by James L. KugelIn The Great Poems of the Bible, James Kugel, acclaimed Harvard scholar and former poetry editor of Harpers Magazine, selects eighteen essential poems from the Hebrew Bible and offers his own original and articulate translations of these core pieces of religious literature. His eloquent renditions are paired with deeply informed discussions about the conditions surrounding each poem, including its history and whatÊthe best religious scholarship and literary criticism tell us about how the poem should be understood. Kugel explains traditions, clarifies often-misunderstood language, and offers readers wonderfully insightful explanations that are indispensable to understanding the poems and, ultimately, the fundamental teachings of the Old Testament.
Great Prophetic Themes (Teach Yourself the Bible)
by Keith BrooksThe Teach Yourself the Bible Series is one of the best New Testament studies you will find anywhere. Each book in the series is packed full of valuable questions on individual chapters of the Bible, check-ups to test your grasp of scriptural truths, and usable suggestions for group study.Grow in your knowledge of God through each New Testament book, then go on to study six aspects of Christianity essential for all believers: doctrine, prayer, eternal life, prophecy, Christian character, and Bible study.The Lord's coming is mentioned 318 times in the 260 chapters of the New Testament, and numerous times in the Old Testament. It is a truth of much importance. Study the great prophetic themes that run throughout the Bible with this valuable book.Strengthen your relationship with the living God with all twenty-five books of the Teach Yourself the Bible Series. Each volume is a timeless, yet practical, study of the Word of God.
The Great Quest: Invitation to an Examined Life and a Sure Path to Meaning
by Os Guinness"The unexamined life is not worth living." —Socrates
The Great Race to Sycamore Street
by J. Samia MairThis topsy turvy adventure on Sycamore Street sees brother and sister Hude and Amani arrive in the country with one thought: it was going to be a long, boring summer.They couldn't be more wrong.With Grandma Hana's new neighbour planning to pull down her prized peach tree and a gang, led by the archer Bobby, marshalling the local lake, Hude and Amani have a hard time getting any peace.In this warm and comical story, find out how, under the watchful eyes of Grandma Hana, Hude and Amani plan to save the peach tree and beat Bobby at his own game before leaving Sycamore Street behind.J. Samia Mair has published two children's books with The Islamic Foundation, Amira's Totally Chocolate World and The Perfect Gift, which have been favourably received. She is currently a staff writer for SISTERS Magazine. Additionally, she has published articles, stories, and poems in books, magazines, anthologies, scientific journals, online news sources, and elsewhere. This is her first chapter book for kids. She lives in Odenton, Maryland.
The Great Red Dragon
by Hilton HotemaIn the Great Red Dragon Hotema explains how all ancient religions were based on Grand Cosmic Unity. That bibles were put together along hundreds of years originally to please Constantine and compiled from what was culled from Ptolemy's vast literary scrolls and manuscripts. For instance the Twelve Signs of the Zodiac became the Twelve Apostles, and many other alterations. In addition within the pages of this book Hotema expounds upon masturbation and warns against excessive copulation which can negatively accelerates the aging illusion of the physical system. The greater the pleasure experienced thru the physical, the greater damage suffered by the mental.Hilton Hotema is the author of numerous books on dietetics, fasting, fruitarianism, breatharianism, vitality, cellular regeneration, longevity, higher consciousness, spirituality, alternative medicine and ancient wisdom.
The Great Reformer: Francis and the Making of a Radical Pope
by Austen IvereighA biography of Pope Francis that describes how this revolutionary thinker will use the power of his position to challenge and redirect one of the world's most formidable religionsAn expansive and deeply contextual work, at its heart The Great Reformer is about the intersection of faith and politics--the tension between the pope's innovative vision for the Church and the obstacles he faces in an institution still strongly defined by its conservative past. Based on extensive interviews in Argentina and years of study of the Catholic Church, Ivereigh tells the story not only of Jorge Mario Bergoglio, the remarkable man whose background and total commitment to the discernment of God's will transformed him into Pope Francis--but the story of why the Catholic Church chose him as their leader.With the Francis Revolution just beginning, this biography will provide never-before-explained context on how one man's ambitious program began--and how it will likely end--through an investigation of Francis's youth growing up in Buenos Aires and the dramatic events during the Perón era that shaped his beliefs; his ongoing conflicts and disillusionment with the ensuing doctrines of an authoritarian and militaristic government in the 1970s; how his Jesuit training in Argentina and Chile gave him a unique understanding and advocacy for a "Church of the Poor"; and his rise from Cardinal to the papacy.
The Great Rescue (NIV): Revised Edition
by ZondervanBe drawn into the epic adventure of experiencing God’s plan. This isn’t your typical sex, alcohol, drugs, and obey-your-parents devotional Bible. Instead, it takes an honest look at the messiness of living in a broken world and walking with God through it. Daily readings and book introductions for every book of the Bible paint a picture of the reality that the Bible teaches—that there is more going on in the world than meets the eye. As you explore what it means to have God himself living inside of you, you will learn how to hear his voice, follow his lead, and recognize him in the good, true, and beautiful in the world. The Great Rescue focuses on intimacy with God and a relationship with him in every area of life. The Bible tells us that God had a plan from the beginning of time, and that we were created for a purpose: to fulfill a unique role in his kingdom. It also tells us that there is a very real conflict going on in our broken world between God and his archenemy. God wants us to be a part of his grand story. He wants us to walk so closely with him that we begin to understand his way of life and to participate in the narrative that is God’s story. It's much more than a new way to act. It’s a new way to see. Devotionals from YW Magazine, an eight-time winner of EPA editorial awards of excellence.
The Great Rift: Literacy, Numeracy, and the Religion-Science Divide
by Michael E. HobartIn their search for truth, contemporary religious believers and modern scientific investigators hold many values in common. But in their approaches, they express two fundamentally different conceptions of how to understand and represent the world. Michael E. Hobart looks for the origin of this difference in the work of Renaissance thinkers who invented a revolutionary mathematical system—relational numeracy. By creating meaning through numbers and abstract symbols rather than words, relational numeracy allowed inquisitive minds to vault beyond the constraints of language and explore the natural world with a fresh interpretive vision. The Great Rift is the first book to examine the religion-science divide through the history of information technology. Hobart follows numeracy as it emerged from the practical counting systems of merchants, the abstract notations of musicians, the linear perspective of artists, and the calendars and clocks of astronomers. As the technology of the alphabet and of mere counting gave way to abstract symbols, the earlier “thing-mathematics” metamorphosed into the relational mathematics of modern scientific investigation. Using these new information symbols, Galileo and his contemporaries mathematized motion and matter, separating the demonstrations of science from the linguistic logic of religious narration. Hobart locates the great rift between science and religion not in ideological disagreement but in advances in mathematics and symbolic representation that opened new windows onto nature. In so doing, he connects the cognitive breakthroughs of the past with intellectual debates ongoing in the twenty-first century.
Great Scenes from the Old Testament: A Pictorial Archive of 160 Illustrations (Dover Pictorial Archive)
by Julius Schnorr von CarolsfeldOne of the most inspired painters of the nineteenth century, Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld (1794 -1872) was also a brilliant engraver and draftsman. This collection, among his major accomplishments, includes scores of engravings that bring to life familiar scenes from the Old Testament - from the creation of the world and the fall of Adam and Eve to the story of Noah and his Ark and David's slaying of Goliath. Imbued with a sense of grace and spontaneity, Schnorr von Carolsfeld's monumental compositions pay minute attention to detail. Each of the 160 beautifully composed images, selected from a rare nineteenth-century publication, is accompanied by a caption citing title and biblical book and chapter.An important reference for students and scholars of scriptural studies, this handsome archive will also serve as an important sourcebook for designers and commercial artists.
The Great Search: Turning to Earth and Soul in the Quest for Healing and Home
by John Philip NewellIn the great tradition of authors who leave church but remain spiritual—such as Barbara Brown Taylor, Rob Bell—the author of Sacred Earth, Sacred Soul forges a new path toward a true spiritual home, embracing a deep connection to the natural world.The story of Adam and Eve’s fall from innocence in the Garden of Eden is a mythical account of humanity’s broken relationship with the divine, with Earth, and with themselves.In contrast, Celtic wisdom is built on a strong bond with Earth. In the prophetic figures that Newell draws from, the Garden of Eden represents the inner garden of our souls and the outer garden of Earth, which are seen as essentially one. To live in relation to what is deepest in us is to live in relation to the ground from which we and all things have come. Where are we today, in relation to our true selves and the sacredness of Earth? And how are we to find our way home again?This life-affirming, nourishing book contemplates these questions at a moment of great spiritual awakening, an era characterized by religious exile on a vast scale. We need a new sense of home spiritually, deeply rooted within ourselves and in our shared journey with each other and Earth.
The Great Secret of Mind: Special Instructions on the Nonduality of Dzogchen
by Keith Dowman Tulku Pema RigtsalDzogchen (Great Perfection) goes to the heart of our experience by investigating the relationship between mind and world and uncovering the great secret of mind's luminous nature. Weaving in personal stories and everyday examples, Pema Rigtsal leads the reader to see that all phenomena are the spontaneous display of mind, a magical illusion, and yet there is something shining in the midst of experience that is naturally pure and spacious. Not recognizing this natural great perfection is the root cause of suffering and self-centered clinging. After introducing us to this liberating view, Pema Rigtsal explains how it is stabilized and sustained in effortless meditation: without modifying anything, whatever thoughts of happiness or sorrow arise simply dissolve by themselves into the spaciousness of pure presence. The book is divided into chapters on the view, meditation as the path, conduct, the attainment, and the four bardos. Each chapter consists of mini-sections that can be read as stand-alone Dharma talks. Pema Rigtsal has studied and lived with several authentic Dzogchen masters and has surprising stories to tell about their unconventional methods to introduce students to the subtle view of Dzogchen.
The Great Shift: Co-Creating a New World for 2012 and Beyond
by Patricia Cori Thomas Kenyon Lee Kryon CarrollThis extraordinary book brings together many sources of important information on the changes occurring within our world, ourselves, and the evolution of consciousness leading up to the year 2012. <P><P>The text is addressed in part to Lightworkers, for whom the energy shift now gearing up has been ongoing for at least the last twenty years. The time is getting closer. The Great Shift is a progress report from the field and the messages are positive. "You don't have to logically do anything but 'show up' with spiritual intent, and the DNA quantum field is activated in your body," Kryon says. He tells us to expect changes and peace we may have never thought to see in our lifetimes, even in the Middle East. He says, "God is not a controlling force. Look for the love."Thomas Kenyon channeling the Hathors, a group consciousness entity, reminds us, "It is your attention to an event that makes it conscious." Kenyon also explains what channeled material is, which is important in understanding how we co-create our own world: "From the standpoint of neuropsychology, channeled information is just another expression of our brain/mind potential . . . a movement into the unknown territory of one's own psyche to see what emerges in terms of contact (with other intelligences) and information." The Hathors message for what is now and what is to come: "It is so simple, it is forgotten. . . . Find a way to live your life in joy and happiness." Mary Magdalene, through Thomas Kenyon, makes it clear that restoring the balance between male and female energies will mean good things for men as well as women and will reignite our creative potency. Patricia Cori channeling the High Council of Sirius reminds us that the future is never predetermined and the past is an illusion--different for each of us.
The Great Shift: Encountering God in Biblical Times
by James L. KugelThe renowned author of How to Read the Biblereveals how a pivotal transformation in spiritual experience during the biblical era made us who we are today. A great mystery lies at the heart of the Bible. Early on, people seem to live in a world entirely foreign to our own. God appears to Abraham and Sarah, Jacob and others; God buttonholes Moses and Isaiah and Jeremiah and tells them what to say. Then comes the Great Shift, and Israelites stop seeing God or hearing the divine voice. Instead, later Israelites are &“in search of God,&” reaching out to a distant, omniscient deity in prayers, as people have done ever since. What brought about this change? The answers come from ancient texts, archaeology and anthropology, and even modern neuroscience. They concern the origins of the modern sense of self and the birth of a worldview that has been ours ever since. James Kugel, whose strong religious faith shines through his scientific reckoning with the Bible and the ancient world, has written a masterwork that will be of interest to believers and nonbelievers alike, a profound meditation on encountering God, then and now.&“Fascinating.&”—The New York Times Book Review&“Biblical exegesis at its best: a brilliant and sensitive reading of ancient texts, all with an eye to making them meaningful to our time by making sense of what they meant in their own.&”—Kirkus Reviews(starred review)&“A magnificent job of bringing important ideas from the academy to a broad readership . . . Kugel gives readers a sense of history&’s convoluted texture, its ironies, and thus its beauty.&”—The Jewish Review of Books
The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World's Largest Religion is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian (Way Of Life Ser.)
by Brian D. MclarenMany people experience Christianity as a system of belief, focused on an exclusive Supreme Being who favours some and rejects others, and is defended by a set of change-averse, self-protecting institutions. In The Great Spiritual Migration, Brian McLaren proposes that this conventional understanding of Christianity is ripe for a conversion: from system of belief to way of life, from exclusive Supreme Being to the loving, healing, reconciling Spirit embodied in Jesus, and from an organised institutional religion that supports an unjust status quo to an organising movement-building religion that helps a better world be born. Drawing from his work as a pastor, speaker, ecumenical networker and activist, McLaren issues a call and offers a plan for radical change that can shift the direction of Christian faith to be more in sync with its founder, more life-giving for individual Christians and congregations - and more of a life-giving resource for the whole world.
The Great Spiritual Migration: How the World's Largest Religion Is Seeking a Better Way to Be Christian
by Brian D. MclarenThe Christian story, from Genesis until now, is fundamentally about people on the move--outgrowing old, broken religious systems and embracing new, more redemptive ways of life. It's time to move again. Brian McLaren, a leading voice in contemporary religion, argues that-- notwithstanding the dire headlines about the demise of faith and drop in church attendance--Christian faith is not dying. Rather, it is embarking on a once-in-an-era spiritual shift. For millions, the journey has already begun. Drawing from his work as global activist, pastor, and public theologian, McLaren challenges readers to stop worrying, waiting, and indulging in nostalgia, and instead, to embrace the powerful new understandings that are reshaping the church. In The Great Spiritual Migration, he explores three profound shifts that define the change: Spiritually, growing numbers of Christians are moving away from defining themselves by lists of beliefs and toward a way of life defined by love Theologically, believers are increasingly rejecting the image of God as a violent Supreme Being and embracing the image of God as the renewing Spirit at work in our world for the common good Missionally, the faithful are identifying less with organized religion and more with organizing religion--spiritual activists dedicated to healing the planet, building peace, overcoming poverty and injustice, and collaborating with other faiths to ensure a better future for all of us With his trademark brilliance and compassion, McLaren invites readers to seize the moment and set out on the most significant spiritual pilgrimage of our time: to help Christianity become more Christian.