These twenty-four lectures offer an introduction to the history, literature, and religion of ancient Israel and early Judaism as it is presented in the collection of texts called the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, and the Tanakh. Attention is given not only to the content of the biblical books but also to the debates over their meaning and the critical methods through which they have been interpreted.

The Bible contains more mind-blowing information than most of us can possibly imagine. And it’s anything but trivia. It’s tons of Biblical facts … and big yet neglected ideas, that we all need to know and understand. Here are just a few examples: Did you know the Bible is the likely origin for the fear of the number 13 as well as Friday the 13th? Are you aware that some prayers are actually detestable to God? Did you have any idea that important...

Marilynne Robinson has built a sterling reputation as a writer of sharp, subtly moving prose, not only as a major American novelist, but also as a rigorous thinker and incisive essayist. In When I Was a Child I Read Books she returns to and expands upon the themes which have preoccupied her work with renewed vigor. In "Austerity as Ideology," she tackles the global debt crisis, and the charged political and social political climate in this country...

Offers an introduction to the history, literature, and religion of ancient Israel and early Judaism as it is presented in the collection of texts called the Old Testament, the Hebrew Bible, and the Tanakh. Attention is given not only to the content of the biblical books but also to the debates over their meaning and the critical methods through which they have been interpreted.

FIND WHAT MATTERS MOST. BUILD YOUR LIFE AROUND IT. In an age of distraction, everyone is looking for something that gives purpose and perspective on life. Jesus says it's the kingdom of God. But the kingdom is not just another religious idea. Rather, God's loving reign brings clarity and coherence to all of life - identity, work, play, relationships, justice, character - in a way that is profound and practical. Seek First brings theology to the streets,...

In the classic Miracles, C.S. Lewis, the most important Christian writer of the 20th century, argues that a Christian must not only accept but rejoice in miracles as a testimony of the unique personal involvement of God in his creation.

I AND THOU is one of the most important books of Western Theology. In it, Martin Buber, heavily influenced by the writings of Nietzsche, unites the proto-Existentialist currents of modern German thought with the Judeo-Christian tradition, powerfully updating faith for modern times. Since its first appearance in Germany in 1923, this slender volume has become one of the epoch-making works of our time. This work is the centerpiece of Buber's philosophy....

While the term acedia may be unfamiliar, the vice, usually translated as sloth, is all too common. Sloth is not mere laziness, however, but a disgust with reality, a loathing of our call to be friends with God, and a spiteful hatred of place and life itself. As described by Josef Pieper, the slothful person does not "want to be as God wants him to be, and that ultimately means he does not wish to be what he really, fundamentally is." Sloth is a hellish...

In one of the biggest religion news stories of the new millennium, the Associated Press announced that Professor Antony Flew, the world's leading atheist, now believes in God. Flew is a pioneer for modern atheism. His famous paper, Theology and Falsification, was first presented at a meeting of the Oxford Socratic Club chaired by C. S. Lewis and went on to become the most widely reprinted philosophical publication of the last five decades. Flew...

"This book is a simple but profound guide to what God says about himself. In his signature conversational style, Comer the reader line by line through Exodus 34v6-8 -what some scholars argue is the most quoted verse in the Bible, by the Bible"--Back cover.