Bad Religion

How We Became A Nation Of Heretics

BY ROSS DOUTHAT
In a world populated by "pray and grow rich" gospels and Christian cults of self-esteem, Ross Douthat argues that America's problem isn't too much religion; nor is it intolerant secularism. Rather, it's "bad religion." Conservative and liberal, political and pop cultural, traditionally religious and fashionably "spiritual"--Christianity's place in American life has increasingly been taken over, not by atheism, but by heresy: debased versions of Christian faith that stroke our egos, indulge our follies, and encourage our worst impulses.

Free Press 2012 337 PP. Paper

$16.00 (in stock)

Beyond Tolerance

Searching For Interfaith Understanding In America

BY GUSTAV NIEBUHR
In this book Niebuhr explores the cultural and historical forces that have led to the state of religion today. Niebuhr is most interested in the "quiet countertrend ... directly challeng[ing] violence in God's name, even if it does not replace it. At its heart ... a grassroots educational process in which the goal is to gain knowledge about individual and their belief in a way that lessens fear." Niebuhr discusses Quakers and their difficult early history in colonial America briefly at the beginning of his chapter on the religious imperative of hospitality.

Viking-Penguin Books Ltd. 2008 218 PP. Paper

$5.00 (in stock)

Biblical Pacifism (2nd Ed)

BY DALE BROWN
"The only people on Earth who do not see Christ and his teaching as non violent are Christians." - Gandhi. Dale Brown looks at the old and new testament exploring key passages and then looks at the history of Christian thought to see where Christs words "Love they enemies" changed their meaning and emphasis.

Evangel Press 2003 182 PP. Paper

$16.95 (in stock)

The Birth Of Christianity

Discovering What Happened In The Years Immediately After The Execution Of Jesus

BY JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN
John Dominic Crossan, expert on the historical Jesus, explores the lost years of earliest Christianity, those immediately following the execution of Jesus. He establishes the contextual setting by an interdisciplinary combination of anthropological, historical, and archaeological approaches. He identifies the textual sources by a literary analysis of the earliest discernible layers within our present gospels, both inside and outside the New Testament. Context and text come together to challenge long-standing assumptions about the role of Paul and the meaning of resurrection, and to forge new understanding of the birth of the Christian church.

HarperOne 1999 653 PP. Paper

$21.95 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Catholic Quakerism

BY LEWIS BENSON
Written by a respected scholar on the life works of George Fox, this book examines the universal and thus "catholic" message of the early Christian and early Quaker movements, and how this affects our understanding of Christian history, ethics, ecumenism, community and church order.

Philadelphia Yearly Meeting 1990 94 PP. Paper

$9.00 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Celebration Of Discipline - Study Guide

BY RICHARD FOSTER
A study guide to accompany Celebration,provides a framework for the discussion of each discipline. Foster has a brief essay that gives more insight into each discipline,discussion questions and relevant daily scripture readings. Now over 20 years in print, the book itself served as the catalyst that re-introduced the practice of the spiritual disciplines into contemporary religious life. For each discipline, he considers the biblical basis for the practice, examines its expression in the lives of Jesus, the Apostles, and practitioners throughout church history. He also provides practical guidance in the practice of the disciplines in contemporary life.

HarperSF 1983 78 PP. Paper

$12.99 (in stock)

Christian Atheist

Belonging Without Believing

BY BRIAN MOUNTFORD
Many Friends are drawn to Christianity without accepting its metaphysical claims or dogma. Throughout the history of the Church there have been many people like this. The key to the book is a set of interviews with people who fall broadly into the 'Christian Atheist' category; some are more agnostic and less skeptical than others, but what they have in common is the rejection of traditional belief in God, counterbalanced by an admiration for the aesthetic genius of Christianity (leading to a sense of deeper value), the Christian moral compass, and in some cases the community aspect of Christian life.

O Books 2012 132 PP. Paper

$16.95 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Christianity The First Three Thousand Years

BY DIARMAID MACCULLOCH
The National Book Critics Circle Award-winning author of "The Reformation" returns with the definitive history of Christianity for our time

Viking 2009 1152 PP. Cloth

$45.00 (in stock)

Christianity And The Inner Life

Twenty-first Century Reflections On The Words Of Early Friends-php 402

BY MARGERY POST ABBOTT
In her explorations of the writings of early Friends, Marge Abbott has discovered her own approach to Christian perspectives that speaks to her experiences of the Divine Light. She finds inspiration and fellowship with early and modern Friends for whom Christ is central, without excluding the wisdom and inspiration of other religious traditions. Engagement with evangelical Friends and social justice work have expanded her sense of compassion.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 2009 36 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Common Prayer

A Liturgy For Ordinary Radicals

BY SHANE CLAIBORNE, ENUMA OKORO, AND JONATHAN WILSON-HARTGROVE
Designed to help individuals, families, and congregations pray, sing, and act together across traditions and denominations, Shane Claiborne, Enuma Okoro, and Jonathan Wilson-Hartgrove offer a book of common prayer to help communities join together each day with the same songs, scriptures, and prayers.The music section features over 50 songs from various traditions including African spirituals, traditional hymns, Mennonite gathering songs, and Taize chants. Suggested retail $24.99 our price $19.97

Zondervan 2010 512 PP. Cloth

$24.99 (in stock)

Common Prayer- Pocket

This convenient and portable book includes tools for p rayer scattered throughout to aid those unfamiliar with liturgy and deepen the prayer life of those already familiar with liturgical prayer. Common Prayer Pocket Edition adds new prayers for compline (late evening) and for individual use, such as prayers for travel, protection, and various blessings. It includes a table of days and readings for the morning prayers as well as an annotated list of saints and days to remember. Churches and individuals who desire a deeper prayer life--and those familiar with Shane Claiborne and New Monasticism--will enjoy the tools offered in this book as a fresh take on liturgy.

Zondervan Blank

$12.99 (in stock)

Conversations With God Book 1 Guidebook

NEALE DONALD WALSCH
SECONDHAND COPY. Fair condition. The perfect, indispensable companion to Conversations with God, Book 1. Material is organized in a format ideal for group or individual study.

Hampton Roads 1997 260 PP. Paper

$10.00 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Conversations With God Book 1 (077)

NEALE DAVID WALSCH
SECONDHAND COPY- Gift to George and Elizabeth Watson. I good condition with Dust jacket.Suppose you could ask God the most puzzling questions about existence - questions about love and faith, life and death, good and evil. Suppose God provided clear, understandable answers. It happened to Neale Donald Walsch. It can happen to you. You are about to have a conversation... I have heard the crying of your heart. I have seen the searching of your soul. I know how deeply you have desired the Truth. In pain have you called out for it, and in joy. Unendingly have you beseeched Me. Show Myself. Explain Myself. Reveal Myself. I am doing so here, in terms so plain, you cannot misunderstand

Putnam 1996 211 PP. Cloth

$15.00 USED - availability checked May 22nd 9:03am EDT

Cosmopolitanism

Ethics In A World Of Strangers

BY KWAME ANTHONY APPIAH
Ben Pink Dandelion recommends this book strongly in his 2010 Weed lecture, "We are loved let us love". See his comments below. Reviving the ancient philosophy of "Cosmopolitanism," a school of thought that dates to the Cynics of the fourth century BCE, Appiah traces its influence through history to show how Western intellectuals and leaders have wildly exaggerated the power of difference, and neglected the power of one.

Norton 2007 196 PP. Paper

$15.95 (in stock)

Crazy For God

How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found The Religious Right, And Lived To Take All (or Almost All) Of It Back

BY FRANK SCHAEFFER
By the time he was 19, Frank Schaeffer's parents, Francis and Edith Schaeffer, had achieved global fame as bestselling evangelical authors and speakers, and Frank had joined his father on the evangelical circuit. He would go on to speak before thousands in arenas around America, publish his own evangelical bestseller, and work with such figures as Pat Robertson & Jerry Falwell. But all the while he felt increasingly alienated, precipitating a crisis of faith that would ultimately lead to his departure-even if it meant losing everything. A fascinating insider's look at the American evangelical movement and a deeply affecting personal odyssey of faith told with honesty, empathy, and humor

Da Capo 2007 410 PP. Paper

$16.00 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Creeds And Quakers

What's Belief Got To Do With It? - Php 377

BY ROBERT GRISWOLD
Quaker spiritual authority lies not in creeds - but in the direct communion between individual Friends and the Divine Spirit. The pamphlet asserts that Friends too often hold Quaker testimonies as ideals, as ends in themselves, rather than as fruits of the Spirit. Without spiritual grounding, testimonies become creeds. In the absence of the profound authority of a faith that defies verbal comprehension and words, the historic Quaker witness to the world is in danger.

Pendle Hill Pamphlet 2005 35 PP. Paper

$6.50 (in stock)

Discovering Lectio Divina

Bringing Scripture Into Ordinary Life

BY JAMES C. WILHOIT AND EVAN B. HOWARD
In this practical, easy-to-follow book, authors Wilhoit and Howard introduce readers to the ancient practice of lectio divina, a way of reading scripture that includes meditation, prayer, and contemplation in a process for knowing more intimately and understanding more personally the Word behind the words.

formatio 2012 158 PP. Paper

$15.00 (in stock)

Early Christian Doctrine

Revised Edition

BY J N D KELLY
This revised edition of the standard history of the first great period in Christian thought has been thoroughly updated in the light of the latest historical findings. Dr. Kelly organizes an ocean of material by outlining the development of each doctrine in its historical context. He lucidly summarizes the genesis of Chrisitian thought from the close of the apostolic age to the Council of Chalcedon in the fifth century--a time teeming with fresh and competing ideas. The doctrines of the Trinity, the authority of the Bible and tradition, the nature of Christ, salvation, original sin and grace, and the sacraments are all extensively treated in these pages.

Harper 1978 508 PP. Paper

$14.95 (in stock)

Embracing An Adult Faith

Marcus Borg On What It Means To Be Christian: A 5-session Study

BY MARCUS BORG
Author and Bible scholar Marcus Borg invites us to join him in revisiting Christianity's most fundamental questions: Who is God? What place does Jesus hold in contemporary Christian faith? This workbook, which is meant to accompany a DVD available separately, provides resources for the reader or group leader to join in Borg's five-session faith exploration. The study addresses fundamental questions that adults struggle with as faith matures. It can be used as a resource for personal reflection as well as small group experience.

Morehouse Education Resources 2011 61 PP. Paper

$12.95 (in stock)

The End Of Days (812)

Essential Selections From Apocalyptic Texts - Annotated & Explained

ANNOTATION BY ROBERT CLOUSE
With insightful and broad knowledge of the historical, religious and contemporary contexts of these writings Robert Clouse guides you through the world of apocalyptic literature. He examines key verses from Christian and Hebrew scriptures; visionary writings from Augustine and other Church Fathers; accounts of radical millennial movements of the 1600s; bold sermons from preachers such as Jonathan Edwards and Dwight Moody; and popular books circulating in our own day, including the mega-bestselling Left Behind novels.SECONDHAND COPY that looks brand new.

Skylights 2008 188 PP. Paper

$6.00 USED - availability checked May 22nd 9:03am EDT

The End Of Words

Issues In Contemporary Quaker Theology Republished Together With Creeds And The Search For Unity

BY REX AMBLER
A re-issue of two important essays grappling with what Quakers believe. In The End of Words the author explores the meaning of Quaker faith and practice. He takes up these issues with admirable clarity, setting them in their wider context, and looking for ways to resolve them. Creeds and the Search for Unity is intended mainly as a guide for Quakers wrestling with questions about membership of inter-church bodies.

Britain Yearly Meeting 2004 79 PP Paper

$10.00 (out of stock but can be backordered)

Engaging The Powers

Discernment And Resistance In A World Of Domination

BY WALTER WINK
"For years now Wink has been relentlessly Naming, Unmasking, and now Engaging those artful spiritual dodgers, the principalities and powers. . . . One grows lighthearted amid the riches. His social and political analysis of the braggadacio, the sheer, horrid `normalizing' of domination and death in America in the '90s, is devastating. The exegesis of Revelation 13 is masterfully to the point of our social and political derangement. But there is more, and better: a solid hope of liberation. . . . Extraordinary work." - Daniel Berrigan.

Fortress Press 1992 424 PP. Paper

$23.00 (out of stock but can be backordered)

The Essential Writings Of Christian Mysticism

BY BERNARD MCGINN
This volume presents nearly one hundred selections, from the writings of Origen of Alexandria in the third century to the work of twentieth-century mystics such as Thomas Merton, uniquely organized by subject rather than by author. Part one examines the preparation for encountering God through biblical interpretation and prayer; the second part focuses on the mystics' actual encounters with God; and part three addresses the implications of the mystical life, showing how mystics have been received over time, and how they practice their faith through private contemplation and public actions.

Modern Library 2006 582 PP. Paper

$19.95 (in stock)

Eternal Life

A New Vision: Beyond Religion, Beyond Theism, Beyond Heaven And Hell

BY JOHN SHELBY SPONG
Bishop Spong is known for his controversial ideas and fighting for minority rights. In Eternal Life: A New Vision, a remarkable spiritual journey about his lifelong struggle with the questions of God and death, he reveals how he came to a new conviction about eternal life. God, says Spong, is ultimately one, and each of us is part of that oneness. We do not live on after death as children who have been rewarded with heaven or punished with hell but as part of the life and being of God, sharing in God's eternity, which is beyond the barriers of time and space.

HarperOne 2010 288PP. Paper

$14.99 (in stock)

Exploring Heaven

What Great Christian Thinkers Tell Us About Our Afterlife With God

BY ARTHUR ROBERTS
Drawing on a wealth of Christian thought though the ages, the well known evangelical Quaker theologian illuminates his personal vision of heaven--a world free of evil and suffering, where he believes humans will work and learn, continuing the process of discipleship started on earth. Remaindered books, title not currently available new.

HarperCollins 2003 240 PP. Blank

$5.00 (in stock)

Faith Without Certainty

Liberal Theology In The 21st Century

BY PAUL RASOR
The former Dean of Pendle Hill here explores liberal theology, a religious tradition that is rooted not in authority but in one's own experience and conscience. Much more than a primer, Paul Rasor writes for Protestant Christians, modernist Roman Catholics, post-Christians and humanists and liberal Quakers, on issues that they are all debating in one way or another.

Skinner House 2005 256 PP. Paper

$18.00 (in stock)

The First Paul

Reclaiming The Radical Visionary Behind The Church's Conservative Icon

BY MARCUS J. BORG AND JOHN DOMINIC CROSSAN
Borg and Crossan contend that there are "Three Pauls" in the New Testament: "The Radical Paul" (of the seven genuine letters), "The Conservative Paul" (of the three disputed epistles), and "The Reactionary Paul" (of the three inauthentic letters). By closely examining this progression of Paul's letters - from the authentic to the inauthentic - the authors show how the apostle was slowly but steadily "deradicalized" to fit Roman social norms in regards to slavery , patriarchy, and patronage. In truth, Paul was an appealing apostle of Jesus whose vision of life "In Christ" is remarkably faithful to the message of Jesus Himself.

HarperOne 2009 224 PP. Paper

$13.99 (in stock)

The Harlot's Bible

And Other Quaker Essays

BY CHUCK FAGER
A characteristically eclectic selection of essays on liberal Quakerism today and in the past. Essays range from a tribute to Bill Kreidler to an essay on divorce as a spiritual passage. Presented in Chuck Fager's usual very busy typography.

eNovel.com 2002 185 PP Paper

$14.95 (in stock)

The Heart Of Christianity

Rediscovering A Life Of Faith

BY MARCUS BORG
"[This book] provides a valuable glimpse into the essence of Christianity for those who have left the faith because they no longer believe its doctrines and those who are trying to remain in the faith while questioning its doctrines. With those people in mind, Borg emphasizes the transformational aspect of Christianity by examining the "emerging paradigm" that is gradually replacing the belief-centered paradigm of the last several hundred years. The new paradigm, Borg writes, is about loving God and loving what God loves, rather than rigidly adhering to a specific set of beliefs. . As always, Borg writes with clarity and precision, which should also help the ongoing conversation."-PW

HarperSF 2004 256 PP. Paper

$14.95 (in stock)

Here I Stand

My Struggle For A Christi

SPONG, JOHN SHELBY

Paper

$15.95 (out of stock but can be backordered)