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Spirituality and Religion September 2019
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Faith : a journey for all
by Jimmy Carter
Explores the meaning of faith and its profound effects on people's lives and the world, as well as how the author's own religious faith has guided, sustained, and challenged him throughout his life
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The Plight of Western Religion : The Eclipse of the Other-worldly
by Paul Gifford
'Religion' can be used to mean all kinds of things, but a substantive definition--based on the premise of superhuman powers--can clarify much. It allows us to attempt to differentiate religion from culture, ethnicity, morality and politics. This definition of religion necessarily implies a perception of reality. Until recent centuries in the West, and in most cultures still, the ordinary, natural and immediate way of understanding and experiencing reality was in terms of otherworldly or spiritual forces. However, a cognitive shift has taken place through the rise of science and its subsequent technological application. This new consciousness has not disproved the existence of spiritual forces, but has led to the marginalisation of the other-worldly, which even Western churches seem to accept. They persist, but increasingly as pressure groups promoting humanist values. Claims of 'American exceptionalism' in this regard are misleading. Obama's religion, Evangelical support for Trump, and the mega-church message of success in the capitalist system can all be cultural and political phenomena. This eclipsing of the other-worldly constitutes a watershed in human history, with profound consequences not just for religious institutions but for our entire world order.
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The third Jihad : overcoming radical Islam's plan for the west
by Michael Youssef
Radical Islam has been waging war against our global civilization throughout history--and now, it's closer than ever to American soil. Dr. Michael Youssef, a Coptic Christian who was born in Egypt and now leads a megachurch in America, knows from firsthand experience that radical Islamists have goals that many American Christians believe are unthinkable. In this book, he warns Western Christians that it doesn't help to ignore what's going on. There's a third jihad underway, and its goal is to take over the West. The Third Jihad is a call for Christians to defend their families, protect their nation, and boldly share the good news of Jesus with their communities--especially their Muslim neighbors. Packed with surprising insights from history, compelling and dramatic stories, and a practical agenda that one person--or one church--can immediately put into practice to make a difference in the world. Rich in encouraging biblical principles and prophetic insights, The Third Jihad leads the reader to an empowering conclusion in our troubling (and even frightening) times. Michael Youssef's insights will inspire Christians to take their faith seriously, share their faith freely, and to truly be salt and light in a world of increasing darkness and decay.
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The prophet
by Kahlil Gibran
"In Kahlil Gibran's inspirational masterpiece--the most famous work of spiritual fiction of the twentieth century--a prophet named Almustafa is about to board a ship to travel back to his homeland after twelve years in exile when he's stopped by a group of people who ask him to share his wisdom before he leaves. In twenty-eight poetic essays, he does so, offering profound and timeless insights on many aspects of life, including love, pain, friendship, family, beauty, religion, joy, sorrow, and death. An immediate success when it was first published in 1923, The Prophet is a modern classic, having been translated into more than forty languages and sold more than nine million copies in the United States alone. The message it imparts, of finding divinity through love, made it the bible of 1960s culture and continues to touch hearts and minds across generations and national borders. This edition is illustrated with twelve of Gibran's famous visionary paintings and features a foreword by Rupi Kaur"
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The patient one
by Shelley Shepard Gray
When Marie Hartman returns home to their Amish community, John Byler must reassess his life and his hopes for the future in order to finally do something about his longtime crush on Marie despite going against his faith.
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That good night : life and medicine in the eleventh hour
by Sunita Puri
"A heart-wrenching and provocative memoir about how the essential parts of one young woman's early life--her mother's work as a surgeon and her spiritual practice--led her to become a doctor and to question the premise that medicine exists to prolong life at all costs. Dr. Sunita Puri's parents grew up in urban India, in extreme poverty. Yet they managed not only to reach America, but her mother become a renowned anesthesiologist too. As a young girl, Puri realized that the gulf between her parents' experiences and her own was nearly impossible to bridge, save for two elements: medicine and faith. Puri spent her childhood in nurse's lounges waiting for her mother to exit the OR, and also in deep conversation with her parents about the role of faith in shaping a compassionate life. As a young woman, Puri followed her mother into medicine. But as the years of her training passed, Puri began to question medicine's power. Were patients' lives being saved, or merely prolonged? What did doctors understand whenpatients use words like "warrior," "survive," "recover"? Eventually, Puri's questions led her to palliative care--a new field, one at work translating the border between medical intervention and quality of life care. By helping patients think through radical medical decisions, Puri balanced the pull of her family's faith and the incessant and sterile push of Western medicine. Written in gorgeous, evocative prose, That Good Night shares Puri's own stories along with her patients' to reveal a nuanced and optimistic portrait of medicine and hospitalization, arming readers with questions that will revolutionize the way we connect with our doctors"
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The Meaning of Trees
by Robert Vennell
"The Meaning of Trees tells the story of plants and people in New Zealand and explores how plants have been used for food, medicine, shelter, spirituality and science. From Jurassic giants to botanical oddballs - these are our native plants, beautifully illustrated with botanical drawings, paintings and photographs."
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Spirituality and Hospice Social Work
by Ann Callahan
"Many hospice social workers must address spiritual issues with their clients, but do not feel competent to do so effectively. This targeted volume draws upon multidisciplinary theory and research to advance a relational model of spiritually sensitive hospice care. The book will help readers elevate their spiritual competence and foster a relationship with their clients that will enrich the experience for all involved. Spirituality and hospice social work helps practitioners understand various forms of spiritual assessment for use with their clients. The book teaches practitioners to recognize a client's spiritual needs and resources, as well as signs of spiritual suffering. It also discusses religious and spiritual practices that clients may use to enhance their spiritual coping. Spirituality and hospice social work stresses the need for interdisciplinary collaboration with other members of the hospice team, along with the value of maintaining professional ethical standards when addressing spiritual issues. Throughout, the importance of spiritual sensitivity and its effect upon client well-being is emphasized."
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Breathing Under Water : Spirituality and the Twelve Steps
by Richard Rohr
"Only people who have suffered in some way can save one another. Deep communion and deep compassion are formed much more by shared pain than by shared pleasure. This, says Richard Rohr, is one of the greatest discoveries of the Twelve Step program, America's most significant and authentic contribution to the history of spirituality. Rohr makes a case that the Twelve Steps relate well to Christian teaching and can rescue any of us who are drowning in addiction and might not even realize it-and we are all addicted in some way. To survive the tidal wave of compulsive behavior and addiction, Christians must learn to breathe under water and discover God's love and compassion. In this exploration of Twelve Step Spirituality, Rohr identifies the core Christian principles in the Twelve Steps, connecting them to the Gospels."
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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