Showing titles in Sociology

How do you know what you know - or what you think you know? Have you ever wondered why you believe in God, why some people don’t believe in God, or what it means to be religious? How do you answer the question, “Who are you?” Norman Orr provides new ways to think about these questions and many more in this book that promotes the idea of embracing biological humanism.

Glen Walsh and Steven Alward were childhood friends in their tight-knit working-class community in Shortland, on the outskirts of Newcastle, New South Wales. Both proud altar boys at the local Catholic church, they went on to attend the city's Catholic boys' highs schools: Glen to Marist Brothers and Steven to St Pius X. Both did well: Steven became a journalist, Glen a priest. But when Glen discovered another priest was sexually abusing boys, he reported the offending to police, breaking Canon Law and his vows to the Catholic 'brotherhood' in the process.

Uncensored grace is what you get from a loving God when all the religious types have gone home, and every last hope for your own effort has ended. What comes to mind first when you think Las Vegas? Maybe glitz and glam. Or dealers and dancers, high rollers and hell raisers. And why not? After all, the town they call Sin City is an American icon, an anything-goes shrine to pleasure, money, sex-and another lucky roll of the dice.

What does it mean when God is presented as male? What does it mean when - from our internal assumptions to our shared cultural imaginings - God is presented as white? These are the urgent questions Chine McDonald asks in a searing look at her experience of being a Black woman in the white-majority space that is the UK church - a church that is being abandoned by Black women no longer able to grin and bear its casual racism, colonialist narratives and lack of urgency on issues of racial justice.

Praying with Jesus: A Journey Through the Lord's Prayer By Daniel Hall, USA TODAY & Wall Street Journal Bestselling Author Discover the timeless wisdom and transformative power of the Lord’s Prayer in this enlightening exploration. More than just a set of sacred words, this prayer is a roadmap to a deeper spiritual life -- one that can bring clarity, peace, and purpose to your daily journey. In Praying with Jesus, Daniel Hall -- a bestselling author known for his practical approach to complex subjects -- guides you through the profound meaning behind each phrase of this beloved prayer. ...

At a new age festival in Byron Bay, journalist Anke Richter is finding her spiritual awakening when she meets a woman - a survivor of the Auckland cult Centrepoint - who will change the course of her life and career. Over the next ten years, Anke pursues a labyrinthine investigation into how and why cults attract, entrap and destroy otherwise ordinary people, asking what the line is between tribe and cult, participant and perpetrator, seduction and sexual abuse.

How should Christians think and act with respect to guns and gun ownership? God and Guns in America provides a thoughtful, measured, robust, and articulate biblical treatment of an issue that is too often treated with more heat than light. Ethicist Michael Austin ultimately defends the view - from a Christian but non-pacifist perspective - that (1) the right to own and use a gun is a conditional right, (2) using a gun to harm another person is only morally permissible as a last resort, and (3) more legal restrictions are needed in the United States.

Are you ready to unravel one of humanity's oldest mysteries? "Hamartiology for Beginners: Understanding Sin and Its Impact on Humanity" takes you on a journey deep into the heart of what it means to grapple with the nature of sin, its consequences, and the hope of redemption. This is more than a theological exploration; it’s a profound look at the forces that shape our lives, our choices, and our world. Discover the Core Questions That Shape Human Existence: What is sin, and why does it matter? How has sin influenced the course of history and culture? What does it mean to seek redemption ...

Making Catholic America offers a new interpretation of American life in the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, demonstrating the surprising success of an often-embattled religious group in securing itself a place in the national community, profoundly altering what it meant to be an American in the modern world.

It's the end of Christianity as we know it. But it's not a catastrophe - it's an opportunity. Thousands are walking away from the church. Christians are grappling with their faith. And both believers and nonbelievers wondering-what's coming next? Fearless and provocative, spiritual trailblazer Christian Piatt offers a roadmap to the future of faith with an unflinching examination of the church today. What's left? Pairing the best "virtues" and worst "scandals" of Christianity, Piatt invites us to abandon institutional religion for deeper, truer faith.

People are constantly judged for their sexual choices, their frequency of sexual activity, their selection of partners, and their decisions regarding birth control, and much of this judgment stems from the element of culture perhaps most preoccupied with sex: religion. Focusing principally on Christianity, What the Bible Really Does (and Doesn't Say) about Sex examines the arguments religious moralizers and sanctimonious politicians make to condone or condemn certain sexual practices and lifestyles.

Dr. Murray Stein’s prolific career has produced a substantial body of writings, lectures, and interviews. His writings, captured in these volumes, span a wide domain of topics including Christianity, individuation, midlife, the practice of analytical psychology, and topics in contemporary society. His deep understanding of analytical psychology is much more than an academic discourse, but rather a deeply personal study of Jung that spans nearly half a century.

Do scientists see conflict between science and faith? Which cultural factors shape the attitudes of scientists toward religion? Can scientists help show us a way to build collaboration between scientific and religious communities? To answer these questions and more, the authors of Secularity and Science: What Scientists Around the World Really Think About Religion completed the most comprehensive international study of scientists' attitudes toward religion ever undertaken, surveying more than 20,000 scientists and conducting in-depth interviews with over 600 of them.

Mark DeYmaz presents seven common obstacles to building a healthy multi-ethnic church, taking the reader beyond merely understanding the need for diversity, to the practical challenges and ramifications of day-to-day leadership within a diverse congregation of faith.

Before Harriet Tubman or Martin Luther King was identified with Moses, African Americans identified those who challenged racial oppression in America with Samson. In Black Samson: The Untold Story of an American Icon, Nyasha Junior and Jeremy Schipper tell the story of how this biblical character became an icon of African American literature.

Hoy la Iglesia vive una situación muy difícil. ¿Se trata de otra de las muchas crisis que ha vivido el cristianismo o de un declive definitivo? Crisis no quiere decir necesariamente final, argumenta Riccardi en este impecable y minucioso retrato de la iglesia actual. La crisis puede ser una oportunidad para abrirse al futuro, renacer, sabiendo que el gran riesgo consiste en contentarse con sobrevivir o en añorar un pasado que se cree mejor. Hoy, la iglesia está llamada a una condición de lucha, esta vez no contra enemigos externos sino contra la indiferencia y el descrédito.

In this groundbreaking new book, acclaimed researcher and author George Barna identifies, describes, and analyzes seven major "faith tribes" in America - documenting who they are, what they believe, how they vote, and what they are passionate about. Barna provides helpful insight into how these groups influence our economy, politics, and values - and what their potential is to change America.

A powerful and deeply personal exploration of a divided country - and a hopeful vision for change. Weaving together history, reportage and memoir, Sarfraz Manzoor journeys around Britain in search of the roots of this division - from the fear that Islam promotes violence, to the suspicion that Muslims wish to live segregated lives, to the belief that Islam is fundamentally misogynistic.

There is a war going on for the future of our country. Most people know that. What they may not know is that if Christians lose, the result won't merely be enduring public policy we disagree with, it will be a prison sentence for those who oppose it. We've all seen the attack coming. First the Supreme Court said kids can't pray in school. Then the Ten Commandments were ripped from the classrooms.

As Christian: The Politics of a Word in America shows, for many American Christians, concepts like liberty and equality are rooted in the transcendent claims about human nature that Christianity offers. Democracy, equality under the law, and other basic principles of American government are seen as depending on the Christian faith's sustenance and support. Yet despite this presumed consensus, differing Christian beliefs have led to dispute and disagreement about what American society and government should look like.