Anthropology
Showing all 20 results
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Low Anthropology
$22.99Add to cartMany of us spend our days feeling like we’re the only one with problems, while everyone else has their act together. But the sooner we realize that everyone struggles like we do, the sooner we can show grace to ourselves and others.
In Low Anthropology, popular author and pastor David Zahl explores how our ideas about human nature influence our expectations in friendship, work, marriage, and politics. We all go through life with an “anthropology”–ideas about what human beings are like, our potentials and our limitations. A high anthropology can breed perfectionism, anxiety, burnout, loneliness, and resentment. Meanwhile, Zahl invites readers into a biblically rooted and life-giving low anthropology, which fosters hope, deep connection with others, lasting love, vulnerability, compassion, and happiness.
Zahl offers a liberating view of human nature, sin, and grace, showing why the good news of Christianity is both urgent and appealing. By embracing a more accurate view of human beings, readers will discover a lasting hope for others–and themselves.
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Becoming Human : The Holy Spirit And The Rhetoric Of Race
$22.00Add to cartDiscussions of racial difference always embody a story. The dominant story told in our society about race has many components, but two stand out: (1) racial difference is an essential characteristic, fully determining individual and group identity; and (2) racial difference means that some bodies are less human than others.
The church knows another story, says Luke Powery, if it would remember it. That story says that the diversity of human bodies is one of the gifts of the Spirit. That story’s decisive chapter comes at Pentecost, when the Spirt embraces all bodies, all flesh, all tongues. In that story, different kinds of materiality and embodiment are strengths to be celebrated rather than inconvenient facts to be ignored or feared. In this book, Powery urges the church to live up to the inclusive story of Pentecost in its life of worship and ministry. He reviews ways that a theology and practice of preaching can more fully exemplify the diversity of gifts God gives to the church. He concludes by entering into a conversation with the work of Howard Thurman on doing ministry to and with humanity in the light of the work of the Spirit.
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Fertility And Faith
$29.99Add to cartDemography drives religious change. High-fertility societies, like most of contemporary Africa, tend to be fervent and devout. The lower a population’s fertility rates, the greater the tendency for people to detach from organized or institutional religion. Thus, fertility rates supply an effective gauge of secularization trends. In Fertility and Faith, Philip Jenkins maps the demographic revolution that has taken hold of many countries around the globe in recent decades and explores the implications for the future development of the world’s religions.
Demographic change has driven the secularization of contemporary Western Europe, where the revolution began. Jenkins shows how the European trajectory of rapid declines in fertility is now affecting much of the globe. The implications are clear: the religious character of many non-European areas is highly likely to move in the direction of sweeping secularization. And this is now reshaping the United States itself.
This demographic revolution is reshaping Christianity, Buddhism, Islam, Hinduism, and Judaism. In order to accommodate the new social trends, these religions must adapt to situations where large families are no longer the norm. Each religious tradition will develop distinctive emphases concerning morality, gender, and sexuality, as well as the roles of clergy and laity in the faith’s institutional structures.
Radical change follows great upheaval. The tidal shift is well underway. With Fertility and Faith, Philip Jenkins describes this ongoing phenomenon and envisions our collective religious future.
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Studying The Image
$54.00Add to cartThe field of anthropology provides rich insights into the world of people and cultures. But it also presents challenges for Christians in the areas of cultural relativism, evolutionary theory, race and ethnicity, forms of the family, governments and war, life in the global economy, the morality of art, and religious pluralism. Most significantly it raises questions regarding the truth and how we can know it. This book provides the opportunity to investigate such questions with both the informed understanding of anthropological theory and ethnography, and the larger framework and commitment of Christian biblical and theological studies. So equipped, readers are encouraged to investigate for themselves the depths and intricacies of topics in anthropology that are especially relevant for Christians.
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Studying The Image
$34.00Add to cartThe field of anthropology provides rich insights into the world of people and cultures. But it also presents challenges for Christians in the areas of cultural relativism, evolutionary theory, race and ethnicity, forms of the family, governments and war, life in the global economy, the morality of art, and religious pluralism. Most significantly it raises questions regarding the truth and how we can know it. This book provides the opportunity to investigate such questions with both the informed understanding of anthropological theory and ethnography, and the larger framework and commitment of Christian biblical and theological studies. So equipped, readers are encouraged to investigate for themselves the depths and intricacies of topics in anthropology that are especially relevant for Christians.
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Understanding Scientific Theories Of Origins
$100.00Add to cartList Of Figures
List Of Tables
List Of Sidebars
Introduction
AbbreviationsPart 1: Getting Started On The Journey
1. Principles And Methods Of Biblical Interpretation (John H. Walton)
2. A Comprehensive Doctrine Of Creation And Implications For Scientific Study (Robert C. Bishop)
3. Knowledge And Faith In Pursuing Origins Questions (Robert C. Bishop)
4. Creation Through The Lenses Of Science And Theology (Robert C. Bishop)Part 2: Cosmic Origins
5. Cosmic Origins: Genesis 1:1-2:4 (John H. Walton)
6. Electromagnetic Radiation And The Scale Of The Universe (Robert C. Bishop)
7. The Expanding Universe (Robert C. Bishop)
8. The Big Bang Model And Contemporary Cosmology (Robert C. Bishop)
9. Lives And Deaths Of Stars And Fine-Tuning (Robert C. Bishop)
10. Biblical And Theological Perspectives On The Origins Of The Universe (Robert C. Bishop)Part 3: Origin And Geologic History Of Earth
11. Origin Of The Earth And Solar System (Stephen O. Moshier)
12. Historical Roots Of Geology: Catastrophism And Uniformitarianism (Stephen O. Moshier)
13. The Genesis Flood (John H. Walton)
14. The Rock Cycle And Timescales Of Geologic Processes (Stephen O. Moshier)
15. Rocks Of Ages: Measuring Geologic Time (Stephen O. Moshier)
16. Plate Tectonics: A Theory For How The Earth Works (Stephen O. Moshier)
17. Reading Earth’s History In Rocks And Fossils (Stephen O. Moshier)
18. Biblical And Theological Perspectives On Earth History (Stephen O. Moshier And Robert C. Bishop)Part 4: Origin Of Life On Earth
19. From Spontaneous Generation To Abiogenesis (Larry L. Funck)
20. Prebiotic Chemistry: Preparing The Primordial Soup (Larry L. Funck)
21. Biological Information: Proteins And Nucleic Acids (Larry L. Funck)
22. Alternative Scenarios For Life’s Origin (Larry L. Funck)
23. Biblical And Theological Perspectives On The Origin Of Life (Larry L. Funck)Part 5: Origin Of Species And Diversity Of Life
24. Development Of The Theory Of Evolution (Raymond J. Lewis)
25. The Modern Synthesis Of Evolution (Raymond J. Lewis)
26. Exploring The Evidence About Evolution: Phylogeny And Fossils (Raymond J. Lewis)
27. Development Of An Extended Synthesis Of Evolution (Raymond J. Lewis)
28. Biblical And Theological Perspectives On The Origin Of The Diversity Of Life (Raymond J. Lewis And Robert C. Bishop)Part 6: Human Origins
29. Human Origins: Genesis 2-3 (John H. Walton)
30. Human Origins: Evidence From Physical Anthropology (Stephen O. Moshier)Additional Info
The question of origins remains a stumbling block for many. But just as the Psalmist gained insight into God’s character through the observation of nature, modern scientific study can deepen and enrich our vision of the Creator and our place in his creation. In this often contentious field Bishop, Funck, Lewis, Moshier, and Walton serve as our able guides.Based on over two decades of teaching origins together in the classroom, the authors present a textbook exploring mainstream scientific theories of origins in astronomy, cosmology, chemistry, geology, biology, physical anthropology, and genetics. While many authors engage origins from a Christian perspective, this is the first work offering a full-fledged discussion of the scientific narrative of origins, from the Big Bang through humankind, accessible to a lay audience in biblical and theological perspective.
Topics include
Principles of biblical interpretation
Close readings of relevant Genesis texts
A comprehensive Trinitarian doctrine of creation
Cosmic origins
The geologic history of Earth
The origin of life on Earth
The origin of species and diversity of life
Human origins
New creation and creation care
Science educationRather than the familiar scenario where science and faith compete, this book seeks to diffuse tensions by taking the inspiration and authority of the Bible seriously while respecting and honoring God’s revelation through creation. Understanding Scientific Theories of Origins gives the reader a detailed picture of the sciences of origins along with how they fit into the story of God’s creative and redemptive action.
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Historia De La Antropologia Cr – (Spanish)
$35.99Add to cartEn el presente estudio, el profesor Jesus Fernandez Gonzalez expone los procesos de relacion historica entre antropologia cultural y cristianismo, que supone un elemento de intermediacion con la filosofia de la religion o la llamada teologia fundamental. No hay que tener miedo a un cristianismo cultural o a admitir un evolucionismo historico en el seno de la teologia. Cuando la cultura habla de Dios (teologia) piensa en el hombre y cuando la cultura habla del hombre (antropologia) piensa en Dios.
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Geography Of Genius
$18.00Add to cartTag along on this New York Times bestselling “witty, entertaining romp” (The New York Times Book Review) as Eric Winer travels the world, from Athens to Silicon Valley-and back through history, too-to show how creative genius flourishes in specific places at specific times.
In this “intellectual odyssey, traveler’s diary, and comic novel all rolled into one” (Daniel Gilbert, author of Stumbling on Happiness), acclaimed travel writer Weiner sets out to examine the connection between our surroundings and our most innovative ideas. A “superb travel guide: funny, knowledgeable, and self-deprecating” (The Washington Post), he explores the history of places like Vienna of 1900, Renaissance Florence, ancient Athens, Song Dynasty Hangzhou, and Silicon Valley to show how certain urban settings are conducive to ingenuity. With his trademark insightful humor, this “big-hearted humanist” (The Wall Street Journal) walks the same paths as the geniuses who flourished in these settings to see if the spirit of what inspired figures like Socrates, Michelangelo, and Leonardo remains. In these places, Weiner asks, “What was in the air, and can we bottle it?”
“Fun and thought provoking” (Miami Herald), The Geography of Genius reevaluates the importance of culture in nurturing creativity and “offers a practical map for how we can all become a bit more inventive” (Adam Grant, author of Originals).
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Reciprocating Self : Human Developments In Theological Perspective (Revised)
$45.00Add to cart14 Chapters
Additional Info
Jack O. Balswick, Pamela Ebstyne King and Kevin S. Reimer present a model of human development that ranges across all of life’s stages. This revised second edition engages new research from evolutionary psychology, developmental neuroscience and positive psychology. -
Entryway Into Yesteryears
$15.00Add to cart: “Entryway Into Yesteryears” is the history of where we came from. A soul woke inside Shari Harris’s mind and told her the words of God, peace, and love and understanding each other. This is the story of God Christ and His brother, Lord Christ.
Shari started off writing this book for her niece but ended up writing the words of God. God told her to write His words about where we came from and where we go when we die. She asked God why He picked her. God said to trust Him.
This story is how the world came to be from a single hollow rock to Planet Earth. God showed her Heaven, a place of peace and love. This is the story of our yesteryears.
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Human Being : A Theological Anthropology
$39.99Add to cartComprehensive theological study of what it means to be human
This overview of Christian anthropology by Hans Schwarz uniquely emphasizes three things: (1) the biblical testimony, (2) the historical unfolding of Christian anthropology through the centuries, and (3) the present affirmation of Christian anthropology in view of rival options and current scientific evidence.
Schwarz begins by elucidating the special place occupied by human beings in the world, then ponders the complex issue of human freedom, and concludes by investigating humanity as a community of men and women in this world and in the world beyond. While maintaining a strong biblical orientation, Schwarz draws on a wide range of resources, including philosophy and the natural sciences, in order to map out what it means to be human.
Schwarz’s Human Being will interest anyone who is concerned with how in the face of fascinating scientific insights we can intelligently talk today about human sinfulness, human freedom, and human beings as children of the God who created us.
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Perspectives On Ecclesiology And Ethnography
$53.99Add to cartWithin the disciplines of religious studies, systematic theology, and practical theology there exists a divide between empirical and theological analyses of the church. Each volume in the cross-disciplinary series Studies in Ecclesiology and Ethnography attempts to address this gap by exploring the methodological and substantive issues that arise from both theological and empirical studies of the church’s practices and social reality.
Perspectives on Ecclesiology and Ethnography, the inaugural volume in the series, proposes that if theology is to regain its relevance to the church today, theologians must utilize ethnographical tools in order to provide more accurate, disciplined research that is situated in real contexts. Using “ethnography” in its broadest sense — encompassing any form of qualitative research — this volume proposes that the church is both theological and social/cultural, which implies the need for a methodological shift for researchers in theology. Contributions from twelve scholar-practitioners lead the way forward.
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From Creation To New Creation
$14.99Add to cartAcknowledgments
Introduction
1. The Story Of The Promise Of Salvation
2. The Promise Of A People Who Know God
3. The Promise Of A Place Of Blessing
4. The Promise Of A King And A Kingdom
5. The Promise Of Blessing To The Nations
6. Conclusion: Blessing And Curse
Further ReadingAdditional Info
Sometimes its hard to see the wood for the trees. Running through the many gripping and memorable stories the Bible contains is one big story of Gods plan for the world he made, and how he brought it about through Jesus Christ.Packed with diagrams, illustrations and timelines, this accessible Bible overview unlocks the storyline of the whole Bible how God promised and then brought about the plan to save our fallen world. But this is no book of arid theological ideas. It is a story that will encourage effective, active Christian living in today’s world.
Looking at God’s covenantal promises with Abraham, Moses and David, Tim Chester presents the ‘big picture’ of the Bible and helps Christians understand the part in relation to the whole. From Creation to New Creation traces different elements of the promise and introduces:
A people: God’s promise to save a people who will be His people
A land: God’s promise to provide a place of blessing
A king: God’s promise to re-establish his rule of freedom and peace
The nations: God’s promise to bring his salvation to all the peoples of the world -
Culture Inculturation And Theologians
$29.95Add to cart“The split between the Gospel and culture is without doubt the drama of our time,” wrote Paul VI in 1975. Since that time there has been an increasingly urgent awareness that inculturation is an indispensable task of the church. But inculturation, the dialogue between church and cultures, demands first of all that we who would enter into the dialogue understand what “culture” itself means and what dialogue entails. To that end, cultural anthropologist Father Gerald Arbuckle gives us this important volume.
He traces the history of the development of the concept of “culture,” and the too-often negative, rarely positive effects of encounters between church and culture.
He explores how Jesus Christ approached the cultures of his time, and outlines the current treatment of culture and inculturation in church documents and in Catholic theology.
He shows that modest progress in understanding has recently stalled, and there are even forces working to turn that progress into regress.
He concludes with a description of inculturation as it needs to happen-and a sharp critique of those who resist. With a sense of prophetic hope, Arbuckle seeks to help us bridge the lamentable split between Gospel and culture, the drama that continues to unfold in our time. -
Roots And Wings
$23.99Add to cartEvery person has a personal story – a story as big and beautiful as the universe itself. And each of our personal stories is an essential chapter in the Big Story.
We are told that life’s story begins from elements released into space at the death of a star. But what about our destiny? Does that speck of stardust also hold within it a “spark of God”? Is life evolving toward levels of consciousness that we cannot yet even imagine?
This is a book full of questions to inspire deeper thinking. It invites you to participate in an age-old conversation about our origins and our destiny. It encourages you to think about what it might mean to become fully and truly human – and to discover your own response to that perpetual question. -
God From The Machine
$24.95Add to cartList Of Figures And Tables
Simulation
Segregation
Recruitment
Fellowship
Trust
Cooperation
Faith
Culture
References
Index
About The Author
Additional Info
God from the machine” (deus ex machina) refers to an ancient dramatic device where a god was mechanically brought onto the stage to save the hero from a difficult situation. But here, William Sims Bainbridge uses the term in a strikingly different way. Instead of looking to a machine to deliver an already known god, he asks what a computing machine and its simulations might teach us about how religion and religious beliefs come to being. Bainbridge posits the virtual town of Cyburg, population 44,100. Then, using rules for individual and social behavior taken from the social sciences, he models a complex community where residents form groups, learn to trust or distrust each other, and develop religious faith. Bainbridge’s straightforward arguments point to many more applications of computer simulation in the study of religion. God from the Machine will serve as an important text in any class with a social scientific approach to religion. -
God From The Machine
$69.00Add to cartList Of Figures And Tables
Simulation
Segregation
Recruitment
Fellowship
Trust
Cooperation
Faith
Culture
References
Index
About The Author
Additional Info
God from the machine” (deus ex machina) refers to an ancient dramatic device where a god was mechanically brought onto the stage to save the hero from a difficult situation. But here, William Sims Bainbridge uses the term in a strikingly different way. Instead of looking to a machine to deliver an already known god, he asks what a computing machine and its simulations might teach us about how religion and religious beliefs come to being. Bainbridge posits the virtual town of Cyburg, population 44,100. Then, using rules for individual and social behavior taken from the social sciences, he models a complex community where residents form groups, learn to trust or distrust each other, and develop religious faith. Bainbridge’s straightforward arguments point to many more applications of computer simulation in the study of religion. God from the Machine will serve as an important text in any class with a social scientific approach to religion -
Magic Miracles And Religion
$34.95Add to cartPREFACE, OR HOW I SAID GOODBYE TO AN ABSENT-MINDED STUDY OF RELIGIONMy Personal Story And Its Implications.1. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A BELIEVER?How Explanation And Understanding Can Be Combined To Provide A Rational Account Of The Subjective Experience Of Religious Belief.2. A COGNITIVE SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE IN THE STUDY OF RELIGIONHow Cognitive Science And Evolutionary Theory Have Contributed To The Creation Of A New Science Of Religion.3. BREAKING BOUNDARIESHow We Have An Intuitive Capacity To Form Counterintuitive Ideas And To Try To Transcend Our Own Cognitive Limitations.4. TAKE THE BUDDHA FOR EXAMPLEOn Why Buddhism Is A Religion, Too.5. RELIGION – A UNIQUE WORLD BUT IN WHAT SENSE?Religion Is Not Sui Generis But Yet Requires A Unique Combination Of Natural Cognitive And Emotional Processes.6. EXPLAINING MIRACLESWhy We Consider Some Events As Miraculous.7. A NEW THEORY OF MAGICA New Principle For Analytically Distinguishing Between Magic And Religion. 8. TRUE FICTION: PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFWhy There Can No Longer Be Any Philosophy Of Religion That Overlooks Empirical Findings In Psychology.9. RITUALS – WHY INDEED?Why We Perform Rituals? A Simple Answer.10. SINGERS OF TALESHow Traditional Singers Of Tales Produce The Oral Performance Of A Lengthy Epic Never Written Down.11. HOLY BOOK: A TREASURY OF THE INCOMPREHENSIBLEHow The Adoption Of Literacy Changes Religion.12. RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND IDEOLOGYA New Theory Of Ideology As A Cognitive Phenomenon.13. GOD AS ULTIMATE REALITY IN RELIGION AND IN SCIENCEOn Why Some Scientists Want To Believe In God.14. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ACROSS CULTURES How Religious Experiences Can Be Identified Across Cultures.15. DO CULTURES EXIST?The Ontology Of Culture Clarified.
Additional Info
Can scientists study religion? Ilkka Pyysiainen says that they can. While the study of religion cannot be reduced to other disciplines, it must not ignore what other disciplines have learned about human thought and behavior. In this collection of essays, Pyysiainen shows how findings from cognitive science can offer new directions to debates in religion. After providing a historical and theoretical overview of the cognitive science of religion, Pyysiainen demonstrates how knowledge of the mind’s workings can help deconstruct such concepts as “god,” “ideology,” “culture,” “magic,” “miracles,” and “religion.” For scholars of religion or for scholars of the mind-brain, Magic, Miracles, and Religion provides a helpful overview to this emerging field. -
Magic Miracles And Religion
$82.00Add to cartPREFACE, OR HOW I SAID GOODBYE TO AN ABSENT-MINDED STUDY OF RELIGIONMy Personal Story And Its Implications.1. WHAT IS IT LIKE TO BE A BELIEVER?How Explanation And Understanding Can Be Combined To Provide A Rational Account Of The Subjective Experience Of Religious Belief.2. A COGNITIVE SCIENTIFIC PERSPECTIVE IN THE STUDY OF RELIGIONHow Cognitive Science And Evolutionary Theory Have Contributed To The Creation Of A New Science Of Religion.3. BREAKING BOUNDARIESHow We Have An Intuitive Capacity To Form Counterintuitive Ideas And To Try To Transcend Our Own Cognitive Limitations.4. TAKE THE BUDDHA FOR EXAMPLEOn Why Buddhism Is A Religion, Too.5. RELIGION – A UNIQUE WORLD BUT IN WHAT SENSE?Religion Is Not Sui Generis But Yet Requires A Unique Combination Of Natural Cognitive And Emotional Processes.6. EXPLAINING MIRACLESWhy We Consider Some Events As Miraculous.7. A NEW THEORY OF MAGICA New Principle For Analytically Distinguishing Between Magic And Religion. 8. TRUE FICTION: PHILOSOPHY AND PSYCHOLOGY OF RELIGIOUS BELIEFWhy There Can No Longer Be Any Philosophy Of Religion That Overlooks Empirical Findings In Psychology.9. RITUALS – WHY INDEED?Why We Perform Rituals? A Simple Answer.10. SINGERS OF TALESHow Traditional Singers Of Tales Produce The Oral Performance Of A Lengthy Epic Never Written Down.11. HOLY BOOK: A TREASURY OF THE INCOMPREHENSIBLEHow The Adoption Of Literacy Changes Religion.12. RELIGION, SCIENCE, AND IDEOLOGYA New Theory Of Ideology As A Cognitive Phenomenon.13. GOD AS ULTIMATE REALITY IN RELIGION AND IN SCIENCEOn Why Some Scientists Want To Believe In God.14. RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE ACROSS CULTURES How Religious Experiences Can Be Identified Across Cultures.15. DO CULTURES EXIST?The Ontology Of Culture Clarified.
Additional Info
Can scientists study religion? Ilkka Pyysiainen says that they can. While the study of religion cannot be reduced to other disciplines, it must not ignore what other disciplines have learned about human thought and behavior. In this collection of essays, Pyysiainen shows how findings from cognitive science can offer new directions to debates in religion. After providing a historical and theoretical overview of the cognitive science of religion, Pyysiainen demonstrates how knowledge of the mind’s workings can help deconstruct such concepts as “god,” “ideology,” “culture,” “magic,” “miracles,” and “religion.” For scholars of religion or for scholars of the mind-brain, Magic, Miracles, and Religion provides a helpful overview to this emerging field. -
Images Of The Human
$24.95Add to cartNow available in paperback, “Images of the Human” addresses the questions human beings have been asking for centuries. Each chapter focuses on the writings of a different philosopher–from Plato to Nietzsche, St. Augustine to Simone de Beauvior. As a distinctive feature, commentaries explore the unique relationship between what philosophers say and what religion teaches.