Religion

How deep has Pannenberg''s influence been on American theology? Which particular ideas or themes from his work have been most pervasive to Ameri­can thinkers, and which have encountered the greatest resistance? What implications does his work have beyond explicitly theo­logical contexts--e.g., for philosophy, ethics, environmental concerns, political ac­tion, and the natural sciences? What new forms have his ideas taken as they have been adapted to fit the very different context of American theology? The authors of the twelve critiques in this vol­ume represent a broad cross section of American thought on religion. The essays cover virtually all of the major areas in which Pannenberg has published. An intro­ductory survey provides a comprehensive overview of the critical literature on Pannenberg from the early 1960s to 1986. Together, the essays represent an ac­curate barometer of the influence Pannenberg has had in America, as well as the sorts of reservations that the English-speaking world brings to his work.It has now been many years since Pannenberg''s first visit to the United States. At that time the discussion with Pannenberg fo­cused on the radically historical character of his proposal for theology, centering around revelation and resurrection. In the meantime, Pannenberg''s thought has ex­panded almost encyclopedically into most of the major disciplines studied in a modern university. Without doubt the most comprehensive theologian at work today, his place in the history of twentieth-century theol­ogy is well assured.Carl E. Braaten, Professor of Theology at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, is founding editor of Dialog: A Journey of Theology. Among his many books are Justification: The Article by which the Church Stands or Falls, Principles of Lutheran Theology, and, edited with Robert W. Jenson, Christian Dogmatics (2 vols.). Philip Clayton teaches in the Department of Philosophy at Williams college, Williamstown, Massachusetts.

This is a hardrback reprint edition of S.L. MacGregor Mathers' The Key of Solomon the King first published in 1888. It contains the original text, all 91 illustrations, and over 80 footnotes composed by Mathers, which detail his original research and translation of ancient manuscripts located in British Museums. Also provided by Mathers is the Order of the Pentacles of Solomon, the Ancient Fragment of the Key of Solomon, The Qabalistic Invocation of Solomon, and 15 plates full of figures, seals and charts to aid the reader in their work. Beware of other editions that do not contain all of the original material, as the the book is rendered useless without them.The work is traditionally divided into two books detailing the Key of King Solomon. Book One explains the operation of conjurations, curses, spells and other magical works. Book Two instructs the practitioner on the proper attire, purification rituals and other means of obtaining the goals of the Goetia. Between these two books is the list of plates that contain numerous illustrations and secret seals of Solomon, including the Mystical Seal of Solomon, the Pentacles of Solomon, and the Mystical Alphabet, which impart the mechanisms and requirements for the invocation of spirits and demons and other magical works or spells.Sometimes referred to as the Greater Key of Solomon, this work should not be confused with the Lesser Key of Solomon or Clavicula Salomonis Regis, or Lemegeton, which is based on similar source material and was also researched by S. L. MacGregor Mathers with the aid of Aleister Crowley. It is thought that The Greater Key of Solomon later inspired The Lesser Key as a derivative work: one with its own substantial value through the addition of various illustrations and guides such as the Magic Circle of Solomon, the 72 Seals of Solomon or King Solomon Seals, and the Pentagram of Solomon. But, although both grimoires are inspired by the same material, they are separate and distinct works.It is important to note the Solomon Key is not any one particular book. The material has been collected in various forms and published by many authors, including Armand Delatte, and L. W. de Laurence. The earliest versions of the text can be found in ancient manuscripts in different languages all dating from the 16th century or later and spread across the globe in various libraries or private collections. For example, a Hebrew edition survives in the British Library, while a Latin version is kept at the University of Wisconsin. Various French editions as well as English translations are located throughout the world.According to the mythical history of the document, King Solomon wrote the book for his son Rehoboam and commanded him to hide the book in his sepulchre upon his death. After many years, the book was discovered by a group of Babylonian philosophers repairing Solomon's tomb. None could interpret the text until one of them, Iohé Grevis, suggested that they should entreat the Lord for understanding. The Angel of the Lord appeared to him and extracted a promise that he would keep the text hidden from the unworthy and the wicked, after which he was able to read it plainly. Iohé Grevis then placed a conjuration on the book preventing the unworthy, unwise, and godless from attaining the desired effect of its practices.Scholars however believe the work and its many iterations derive from the ancient practices of Jewish Kabbalah and Arab Alchemy. After time, it is thought Greek and Roman influences were added until, finally, the work was used and molded by high Renaissance magicians. This book, as well as other King Solomon books, such as the Magical Treatise of King Solomon and the Testament of Solomon, were brought back to modern times through the labors of occult practitioners such as S. L. MacGregor Mathers and others around the turn of the last century.

Enmity between the church and the world dates from the Fall of man, so God says in Genesis 3.15. Satan's major strategy is the overthrow of the church by the world, through infiltration and contamination. But seldom has this battle reached the proportions of this present hour, when worldliness threatens every believer and church. And so subtle is the enemy that fatal compromise now comes with an appearance of sound doctrine - in an apparent resurgence of the very best of Reformation and Puritan teaching. This book reveals the new 'gospel' of the so-called 'new Calvinism'. It is a gospel that changes the terms of salvation, and that loves the world and embraces its culture. Here are the objectives of the new Calvinists, taken from their own words. - Dr Peter Masters, Metropolitan Tabernacle [Dr E S Williams was Director of Public Health for Croydon Health Authority for many years. He is the author of The Dark Side of Christian Counselling, Christ or Therapy? and numerous research papers in medical journals.]

The Holy Trinity, volume 3 of the Confessional Lutheran Dogmatics series, explains the difficulties we face in confessing the Trinity in our world today and how we overcome these challenges by placing Christ and the Gospel at the center of our preaching and teaching. The Holy Trinity returns us to Scripture and shows how the Old and New Testaments carefully and decisively present the indivisible oneness and irreducible threeness of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Finally, The Holy Trinity introduces readers to the sound pattern of words used by the Fathers and Lutheran reformers to clarify and defend the trinitarian witness of Scripture. We confess, worship, and glorify the Holy Trinity rightly when we boldly proclaim the pure Gospel of Jesus Christ. Carl Beckwith is professor of church history and doctrine at Beeson Divinity School in Birmingham, Alabama.

A History of Preaching brings together narrative history and primary sources to provide the most comprehensive guide available to the story of the church's ministry of proclamation. Bringing together an impressive array of familiar and lesser-known figures, Edwards paints a detailed, compelling picture of what it has meant to preach the gospel. Pastors, scholars, and students of homiletics will find here many opportunities to enrich their understanding and practice of preaching. Volume 1 contains Edwards's magisterial retelling of the story of Christian preaching's development from its Hellenistic and Jewish roots in the New Testament, through the late-twentieth century's discontent with outdated forms and emphasis on new modes of preaching such as narrative. Along the way the author introduces us to the complexities and contributions of preachers, both with whom we are already acquainted, and to whom we will be introduced here for the first time. Origen, Chrysostom, Augustine, Bernard, Aquinas, Luther, Calvin, Wesley, Edwards, Rauschenbusch, Barth; all of their distinctive contributions receive careful attention. Yet lesser-known figures and developments also appear, from the ninth-century reform of preaching championed by Hrabanus Maurus, to the reference books developed in the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries by the mendicant orders to assist their members' preaching, to Howell Harris and Daniel Rowlands, preachers of the eighteenth-century Welsh revival, to Helen Kenyon, speaking as a layperson at the 1950 Yale Beecher lectures about the view of preaching from the pew. Volume 2, available separately as 9781501833786, contains primary source material on preaching drawn from the entire scope of the church's twenty centuries. The author has written an introduction to each selection, placing it in its historical context and pointing to its particular contribution. Each chapter in Volume 2 is geared to its companion chapter in Volume 1's narrative history. Ecumenical in scope, fair-minded in presentation, appreciative of the contributions that all the branches of the church have made to the story of what it means to develop, deliver, and listen to a sermon, A History of Preaching will be the definitive resource for anyone who wishes to preach or to understand preaching's role in living out the gospel. "...'This work is expected to be the standard text on preaching for the next 30 years, ' says Ann K. Riggs, who staffs the NCC's Faith and Order Commission. Author Edwards, former professor of preaching at Seabury-Western Theological Seminary, is co-moderator of the commission, which studies church-uniting and church-dividing issues. 'A History of Preaching is ecumenical in scope and will be relevant in all our churches; we all participate in this field, ' says Riggs...." from EcuLink, Number 65, Winter 2004-2005 published by the National Council of Churches

A central theme of the philosophy of Kashmir Shaivism is the highly esoteric principal known as spanda. Swami Lakshmanjoo tells us that the word ';spanda' means established stable movement. That is, it is movementless-movement, vibrationless-vibration. It is this secret, mysterious and yet essential principle that Swami Lakshmanjoo clarifies and elucidates in his revelation of the two texts dealing specifically with this principle, the Spanda Karika and the Spanda Sandoha. The theory of spanda is not new. It was hidden in the body of the Tantras and extracted by Vasugupta, founder of the Shiva Sutras, and initiator of monistic Shaivism in the valley of Kashmir. Vasugupta composed the Spanda Karika, a text filled with the fundamentalprecepts (karikas) regarding spanda and the philosophy surrounding it. Ka hemaraja, the chief disciple of the very important and central figure in the tradition of Kashmir Shaivism, Abhinavagupta, is the author of the second pivotal text regarding spanda, the Spanda Sandoha. This text is an extensive exposition (sandoha) on the first verse of the Spanda Karika.

Well-respected pastor Max Anders helps ground new Christians in the faith. Thirty-six, easy to follow chapters deepen your understanding of biblical doctrines, while helping you apply them to everyday life.

Steps to Knowledge takes you on a great journey of discovering Self Knowledge, the mysterious source of your spirituality and inner authority. Following this inner Knowledge leads you to thegreater relationships that you will need in order to find and to fulfill your mission in life.Steps to Knowledge provides the lessons and practices necessary for learning and living The Way of Knowledge. Presented in a selfstudy format, it contains 365 daily "steps" that enable you to experience inner certainty and direction. It is this experience that can sustain and guide you every day and in every situation.Steps to Knowledge is for you if you are ready to undertake your greater work in life and if you have a sense of mission at this critical turning point in our history. This book is here to serveyou.Steps to Knowledge is the Greater Community Way of knowing and seeing. It is not based upon any specific world religion or philosophy. This Teaching has never been presented in the world before. These are new times and this is a new way. You came into the world with the Knowledge of who you are, who you must meet and what you must accomplish. It is time to find this Knowledge and begin to live it.

By 1940 World War II was raging, and one of the most prominent men in the UK was Air Chief Marshal Hugh Caswall Tremenheere Dowding - more widely known as Lord Dowding. Dowding was the commander of RAF Fighter Command during the Battle of Britain and is generally credited with playing a crucial role in Britain's air defence, which contributed to the defeat of Hitler's plan to invade Great Britain.What is less well known is, after the Battle of Britain Dowding devoted most of his life to exploring life after death; what we now refer to as psychical research. He authored four books on the subject: Many Mansions (1943), Lychgate (1945), The Dark Star (1951), and God's Magic (1960).After the war ended, Dowding was often contacted by mothers and loved ones of the airmen who died on his watch, and when he asked his local vicar how he should respond to their grieving, allegedly, the vicar replied, "Tell them they're with God." Not being content with the vicar's answer, Dowding continued his own investigation in an attempt to find the truth to the age-old question, "what happens after we die?" These books are the result of his search.

In the early period of Ancient Egyptian history, earlier than in any other culture, before the Hindus, Buddhists, Kabbalists and Taoists, there was a teaching of the TREE OF LIFE and the teaching of the SERPENT POWER. This was a special teaching describing the secret wisdom about the nature of the universe and of the soul as well as a path to make the journey, through varied phases of spiritual evolution, from mortal to immortal and from earth to heaven and beyond. The goal is to regain ones divine stature and transcendental place. In its earliest form, originated in Ancient Egypt, it was related to theurgical religious system developed in the priests and priestesses of the Ancient Egyptian city of Anu and the Tree was seen as the source of life. This book explains that teaching, which has been available to all, but missed by those who did not possess the keys to unlock its mystic formula. In this volume the Creation teaching of Anu, the TREE OF LIFE metaphysical teachings, disciplines and techniques, from the hieroglyphic texts, are given. This new expanded edition contains original translations of the texts whereby the teachings, that are discussed, originate from. Thus, the avid student of the Ancient Egyptian Mysteries may see the source of the mystic wisdom for themselves directly.The manuscript "The Kemetic Tree of Life" by Dr. Muata Ashby is a profound exploration of ancient Egyptian spirituality and philosophy. Dr. Ashby, a distinguished scholar with a Doctor of Divinity Degree and a Masters degree in Liberal Arts and Religious Studies, has dedicated his life to the study and teaching of ancient African traditions. His extensive research and practice in Egyptian Yoga, Indian Yoga, Chinese Yoga, Buddhism, and mystical psychology, along with his deep understanding of Christian Mysticism, make him a legitimate and authoritative voice in the field. Dr. Ashby has authored over 40 books on yoga philosophy, religious philosophy, and social philosophy based on ancient African principles, and his work has been instrumental in highlighting the advanced social and religious philosophies of ancient Africa, comparable to Eastern traditions such as Vedanta, Buddhism, Confucianism, and Taoism.This manuscript delves into the mystical and metaphysical origins of the Anunian Company of Gods and Goddesses, the philosophy of Shems, and the psycho-spiritual journey through the principles of creation. It provides a detailed description of the Anunian Theurgy Tree of Life Cosmiconomythograph and offers insights into the principles of Heru, Set, Nebthet, Aset, and Asar, among others. The text also explores the disciplines for the Anunian Theurgy Neterian Tree of Life Spiritual Evolution System, offering practical guidance on how philosophy and meditation work to promote higher consciousness.One of the unique aspects of this manuscript is its discussion of Kemet, the ancient name for Egypt, and its rich cultural and spiritual heritage. The text highlights the worship of the Tree Goddess in ancient Egypt and the fundamental role of the Tree Goddess motif in Egyptian art. It also explores the mystical tree and the implications of the Pillar of Asar, providing a comprehensive understanding of the spiritual significance of these symbols in ancient Egyptian religion. Reading this manuscript offers numerous benefits. It provides a deep understanding of ancient Egyptian spirituality and its relevance to modern spiritual practices. I encourage you to purchase this manuscript, read it, and learn from the wisdom contained within its pages. Dr. Ashby's extensive research and deep understanding of ancient Egyptian spirituality offer invaluable insights that can enhance your spiritual journey and broaden your understanding of the world's religious and philosophical traditions. Explore the profound teachings of the Kemetic Tree of Life and discover the timeless wisdom of ancient Egypt.

In this detailed and well-documented look at a religion most are not that familiar with, the authors provide a challenging work for Muslims and non-Muslims alike. (Christian)

Meditation can be defined as a practice of mental exercises aimed at controlling the mind, specifically to quiet unwanted thoughts and distractions. Why is this necessary? Many people profess belief in something greater than themselves but struggle to articulate what that is. If asked, "Who are you?", most would point to their physical body. Yet, there is a deeper reality beyond our physical existence.Many believe in a soul but may not truly understand it, often reacting to death with fear or mourning. In reality, human beings encompass more than just a physical body; there exists a deeper essence known as the Higher Self.Due to distractions and erroneous lifestyles, people often fail to recognize their higher selves and experience life limited to ordinary existence until death. The Higher Self is akin to air: free and expansive when unobstructed, yet trapped within the confines of the individual personality. Just as air caught in a bottle cannot circulate freely, the human soul, when entangled with desires and fears, loses sight of its universal nature.This limited existence, defined by ego-consciousness, leads the soul to mistakenly identify as individual rather than universal. The ego acts as a veil, obscuring the expansive reality of our true selves. Through Yoga Philosophy and Meditation, individuals can break free from this confinement to rediscover their boundless essence.The manuscript primarily explores themes of Meditation, Spiritual Enlightenment, and Ancient Egyptian Wisdom. It emphasizes meditation as a path to inner peace and spiritual awakening, drawing heavily from the mystical teachings of Ancient Egypt.The book highlights the transformative power of meditation in achieving mental clarity and deeper self-understanding. It addresses common issues like anxiety and depression, offering meditation as a viable solution.Targeted at those interested in spirituality and ancient wisdom, the book is suitable for beginners and those with meditation experience. It aims to guide readers toward profound personal transformation through the lens of Ancient Egyptian teachings.Dr. Muata Ashby, a renowned expert in religion and holistic healing, lends credibility to the work with his extensive background. His approach combines ancient wisdom with practical meditation techniques, providing actionable insights for achieving inner peace and enlightenment.The book presents practical applications of meditation, including methods that can be easily incorporated into daily life. Regular practice promises outcomes like improved mental health, emotional stability, and a deeper connection to the divine.Key themes include Kemetic wisdom, Egyptian metaphysics, and insights from the Book of the Dead, along with the significance of hieroglyphs and the importance of spiritual growth.Discover how Ancient Egyptian wisdom can transform your life in Meditation: The Path to Enlightenment. Dr. Muata Ashby reveals the secrets to achieving inner peace and spiritual awakening, blending ancient teachings with modern practices. This comprehensive guide offers insights for personal transformation, addressing common challenges like anxiety and depression through meditation.Whether you are a beginner or experienced, this book equips you with valuable techniques to enhance your spiritual practice. Explore themes of Kemetic wisdom and Hermetic philosophy while gaining tools for mental clarity and emotional stability.Start your journey to enlightenment today and unlock the transformative power of meditation. This book is your essential guide to discovering a deeper connection to the divine and achieving true inner peace.

This inspirational book takes the reader through Advent to the celebration of Christmas through the eyes and beliefs of Celtic Christianity.

Nurturing children in the Christian faith is a privilege given to all of us whose responsibility it is to raise children. God's desire is that our parenting guides each child to meet and know him, and to live with him every day through to eternity.In this fully updated compilation of her Parenting Children for a Life of... series, Rachel Turner explores how the home can become the primary place in which children are nurtured into the reality of God's loving presence and encouraged to grow in a two-way relationship with him that will last a lifetime.This book examines how we can enable our children to know what it means to be in a relationship with God, rather than just know about him - helping our children to be God-connected rather than merely God-smart. Each chapter includes true stories and questions to help us reflect on our own experience as we journey together with our children.