How a Tribe of Desert Nomads Changed the Way Everyone Thinks and Feels
by Thomas Cahill
The Gifts of the Jews reveals the critical change that made western civilization possible. Within the matrix of ancient religions and philosophies, life was seen as part of an endless cycle of birth and death; time was like a wheel, spinning ceaselessly. Yet somehow, the ancient Jews began to see time differently. For them, time had a beginning and an end; it was a narrative, whose triumphant conclusion would come in the future. From this insight came a new conception of men and women as individuals with unique destinies--a conception that would inform the Declaration of Independence--and our hopeful belief in progress and the sense that tomorrow can be better than today. As Thomas Cahill narrates this momentous shift, he also explains the real significance of such Biblical figures as Abraham and Sarah, Moses and the Pharaoh, Joshua, Isaiah, and Jeremiah.
Full of compelling stories, insights and humor, The Gifts of the Jews is an irresistible exploration of history as fascinating and fun as How the Irish Saved Civilization.
Buddhist Meditation for Christians
by John Cowan
In Taking Jesus Seriously, the words of Jesus become clearer when matched with the practices and insights of Buddhist meditation. This book presents a Christian way to implement the words of Jesus by looking inside to see what stands between the reader and God's kingdom. Cowan connects everyday examples and Jesus' words to the method of Buddhist vipassana or insight meditation by offering instruction, perception, and guidance. With practice, readers can begin to notice what is actual, leave anxiety to the Father, accept pain, and see the world as a child would. This book is designed to be read over twelve weeks while practicing 20 - 30 minutes of daily meditations. Each chapter includes questions and answers.
Chapters in Prelude are The Reign of God, Escaping Delusion," *The Practice: Observing Delusion and Reality, - *Replacing Delusions with Material Reality, - and *Escaping the Delusion that We Are Our Feelings and Thoughts. - Chapters in First Interlude: What Am I Doing Here? are *The Delusion that Happiness Results from Fulfilling Desires, - *Distinguishing the Reality of Pain from the Delusion of Suffering, - *The Delusion of Permanence, - and *The Delusion of Person. - Chapters in Second Interlude: The Delusion of Two are *Empty of Delusion, - and *'Now'as Reality, 'Past' and 'Future' as Delusion. - The chapter in Third Interlude: Intention, is *Evolution and the Reign of God. - Also includes Postlude on the Christian Life, My Book Shelf, and an index.
John Cowan has been a student of Zen for over forty years. Currently, he is an Episcopal priest and an interim rector at St. Anne's in Sunfish Lake, Minnesota.
Facing Protestant-Roman Catholic Tensions 
edited by Wayne H. Cowan
A collection of essays by leading theologians on the interactions between these two Christian faiths, providing a dialogue over beliefs, intents and purposes, and the issues confronting them such as abortion, public education, divorce, etc.
Overcoming the Obstacles to Psychological Balance and Compassion a Conversation Between the Dalai Lama and Paul Ekman
by Dalai Lama & Ekman Ph.D, Paul
Two leading thinkers engage in a landmark conversation about human emotions and the pursuit of psychological fulfillment
At their first meeting, a remarkable bond was sparked between the Dalai Lama, one of the world's revered spiritual leaders, and the psychologist Paul Ekman, whose groundbreaking work helped to define the science of emotions. Now these two luminaries share their thinking about science and spirituality, the bonds between East and West, and the nature of our emotional lives.
In this unparalleled series of conversations, the Dalai Lama and Ekman push toward answers to the central questions of emotional experience. What are the sources of hate and compassion? What does science reveal about Buddhist meditation, and what can Buddhism gain from the scientific method? Here, they invite us to join them in an unfiltered view of two great traditions and two great minds.
Accompanied by commentaries on emotion research and Buddhist teachings, their interplay―amusing, challenging, eye-opening, and moving―guides us on a transformative journey in the understanding of emotions.
A Popular History of the Catholic Church
by Philip H. Hughes
A History
by Efraim Karsh
From the first Arab-Islamic Empire of the mid-seventh century to the Ottomans, the last great Muslim empire, the story of the Middle East has been the story of the rise and fall of universal empires and, no less important, of imperialist dreams. So argues Efraim Karsh in this highly provocative book. Rejecting the conventional Western interpretation of Middle Eastern history as an offshoot of global power politics, Karsh contends that the region’s experience is the culmination of long-existing indigenous trends, passions, and patterns of behavior, and that foremost among these is Islam’s millenarian imperial tradition.
The author explores the history of Islam’s imperialism and the persistence of the Ottoman imperialist dream that outlasted World War I to haunt Islamic and Middle Eastern politics to the present day. September 11 can be seen as simply the latest expression of this dream, and such attacks have little to do with U.S. international behavior or policy in the Middle East, says Karsh. The House of Islam’s war for world mastery is traditional, indeed venerable, and it is a quest that is far from over.
by Hans Küng
Catholicism and American Freedom
by John T, McGreevy
Catholicism and American Freedom is a groundbreaking historical account of the tensions (and occasional alliances) between Catholic and American understandings of a healthy society and the individual person, including dramatic conflicts over issues such as slavery, public education, economic reform, the movies, contraception, and abortion. Putting scandals in the Church and the media's response in a much larger context, this stimulating history is a model of nuanced scholarship and provocative reading.
God, Society and the Human Person
by Edward T. Mechmann
The purpose of this book is to draw together and to organize Catholic social teaching as found in the Catechism of the Catholic Church and other Church documents, and to arrange that teaching according to its major foundational principles and themes.
by Joseph Smith
For the twelve million members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide (six million in the United States), The Book of Mormon is literally the word of God, a companion volume to the Bible that contains the everlasting gospel. According to Mormon belief, The Book of Mormon was inscribed on golden plates by generations of prophets, quoted and abridged by the prophet-historian Mormon, and buried in the ground by Mormon's son, Moroni. Fourteen centuries later, in 1823, the angel Moroni led Joseph Smith to the plates hidden in a hillside in upstate New York. Smith translated the ancient language into English through divine revelation. The Book of Mormon narrates the historical, religious, political, and military events that shaped and continue to inform the Church's teachings. This description may be from another edition of this product.
An Oppressive Islamic State Drives It's People Into the Arms of Christ
by The Voice of the Martyrs
An oppressive Islamic state drives its people into the arms of God! Despite the tremendous oppression in Iran, an intense spiritual hunger is breaking out across the country.
The salvation of Jesus Christ is sweeping through one of the most oppressive terrorist nations on earth. How can it be? Read seven testimonies of Muslims who found true freedom.
by The Voice of the Martyrs
To counteract Christian evangelism, Paul set out to expose the false teachings and corruption in the Torah and the Bible. Instead, this Muslim zealot found the true faith in Christ, who changed him, “He did what the God of Mohammed was unable to do.” Raised to hate Christians, never imagining that they could be right, Mozafar discovered something that shook his whole being. After years of intense research, he had no choice but to overcome his fears and face the truth-whatever the cost. After years of railing against God, Khalil was caught by a love that wouldn’t let him go. He cried out to God to know the truth: Who is this person anticipated by all nations by Jews, Christians and Muslims? Unable to bear the struggle any longer, he gave his heart to the One who filled his inner being with joy. Read the compelling stories of eight Muslims in Egypt - the intellectual capital of Islam — as they persevered until they discovered the truth.
An Evangelical Discovers Catholic
by Mark P. Shea
Mark P. Shea presents a lively and at times entertaining look at his conversion to Catholicism from Evangelicalism and his discovery of Christian tradition.
Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus 
How the Jewishness of Jesus can Transform Your Faith
by Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg
A rare chance to know Jesus as his first disciples knew him. What would it be like to journey back to the first century and sit at the feet of Rabbi Jesus as one of his Jewish disciples? How would your understanding of the gospel have been shaped by the customs, beliefs, and traditions of the Jewish culture in which you lived? Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus takes you on a fascinating tour of the Jewish world of Jesus, offering inspirational insights that can transform your faith. Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg paint powerful scenes from Jesus’ ministry, immersing you in the prayers, feasts, history, culture, and customs that shaped Jesus and those who followed him. You will hear the parables as they must have sounded to first-century Jews, powerful and surprising. You will join the conversations that were already going on among the rabbis of his day. You will watch with new understanding as the events of his life unfold. And you will emerge with new excitement about the roots of your own Christian faith. Sitting at the Feet of Rabbi Jesus will change the way you read Scripture and deepen your understanding of the life of Jesus. It will also help you to adapt the rich prayers and customs you learn about to your own life, in ways that both respect and enrich your Christian faith. By looking at the Jewishness of Jesus, Ann Spangler and Lois Tverberg take you on a captivating journey into the heart of Judaism, one that is both balanced and insightful, helping you to better understand and appreciate your own faith.
Restoring the Jewishness of the Gospel 
A Message for Christians
by David H. Stern
A book the whole Church needs to read! A challenge to conventional Christian ideas! Clear thinking about neglected questions such as: • What central truth, ignored for 1,800 years, must be restored if the Church is to fulfill the Great Commission? • How are both the Jews and the Church God’s people? • Is there a difference between Jew and Gentile in the body of the Messiah? • Will God fulfill all of his promises to the Jews? • Does the Law of Moses remain in force today? • Is the Church anti-Semitic? If so, what can you do about it? • Should the Church evangelize Jews today? If so, how? Surprising answers to these and other crucial questions, along with suggestions for godly action, are given in this exciting and insightful book by an Israeli Messianic Jew, a Jew who trusts Yeshua (Jesus).
by Iar Wagler
One fateful starless night, 17-year-old Ira Wagler got up at 2 AM, left a scribbled note under his pillow, packed all of his earthly belongings into in a little black duffel bag, and walked away from his home in the Amish settlement of Bloomfield, Iowa. Now, in this heartwarming memoir, Ira paints a vivid portrait of Amish life—from his childhood days on the family farm, his Rumspringa rite of passage at age 16, to his ultimate decision to leave the Amish Church for good at age 26. Growing Up Amish is the true story of one man’s quest to discover who he is and where he belongs. Readers will laugh, cry, and be inspired by this charming yet poignant coming of age story set amidst the backdrop of one of the most enigmatic cultures in America today—the Old Order Amish.
Past, Present, Future
by E. G. white
Every day we see prophecy fulfilled before our very eyes. Who knew churches would be closed with the stroke of the pen? Who knew so many mandates would happen in rapid succession? Things are winding down in Earth’s history at an alarmingly accelerated pace. People are scared of the events that surround them these days. They know something unusual is happening, but they are afraid because they just don’t understand. Fear of the unknown debilitates so many.
The Great Controversy pulls back the curtain on the past, present, and future. Even in the midst of this chaotic world, we can see God’s hand at work, allowing the end-time events to move forward to completion. E. G. White was anxious to see this book widely circulated (see Colporteur Ministry, 127) because of its powerful warning to the world. We need not be frightened because God has given us everything we need to know for this time. Comprehending this truth will cause the fear to vanish.
