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 Free Download Sarah Stewart, "The Zoroastrian Flame: Exploring Religion, History and Tradition " English | ISBN: 1784536334 | 2016 | 400 pages | PDF | 10 MB For many centuries, from the birth of the religion late in the second millennium BC to its influence on the Achaemenids and later adoption in the third century AD as the state religion of the Sasanian Empire, it enjoyed imperial patronage and profoundly shaped the culture of antiquity. The Magi of the New Testament most probably were Zoroastrian priests from the Iranian world, while the enigmatic figure of Zarathushtra (or Zoroaster) himself has exerted continual fascination in the West, influencing creative artists as diverse as Voltaire, Nietzsche, Mozart and Yeats. This authoritative volume brings together internationally recognised scholars to explore Zoroastrianism in all its rich complexity. Examining key themes such as history and modernity, tradition and scripture, art and architecture and minority status and religious identity, it places the modern Zoroastrians of Iran, and the Parsis of India, in their proper contexts. The book extends and complements the coverage of its companion volume, The Everlasting Flame.  Free Download Tom Stuckey, "The Wrath of God Satisfied?: Atonement in an Age of Violence" English | ISBN: 1498263380 | 2012 | 156 pages | EPUB | 748 KB What do Robben Island, Colonel Gadaffi, the earthquake in Haiti, the riots in London, credit crunch, child abuse, and the death of Christ have in common? They are all linked by the common thread of violence. Tom Stuckey reexamines the traditional theories of atonement, which he argues are contextual and utilitarian, as he searches for meaning and hope in these contemporary events. In The Wrath of God Satisfied?, Tom Stuckey argues that because we live in a violent world, we should not dismiss the idea of the wrath of God or the disturbing metaphors of blood, debt, satisfaction, and sacrifice. While not subscribing to the theory of penal substitution, he does not dismiss it. Within a dynamic interpretation of the Trinity, the author draws on the insights of Athanasius, Anselm, Abelard, Luther, Calvin, Julian, Girard, Augustine, Barth, and contemporary theologians to show how divine wrath "being satisfied" poses the question of God in its most acute form. Stuckey sees God's wrath as a necessary shadow cast by the powerful light of hope and argues that wrath cannot be dismissed if justice is to be restored.  Free Download Anthony J Tomasino, "The World of Jesus " English | ISBN: 1498255116 | 2011 | 174 pages | EPUB | 2 MB When did the Romans conquer Judea? Why did Jews and Samaritans hate one another? What did ancient Jewish people know about disease and medicine? Most people recognize that knowledge about the historical events and culture of the ancient world can greatly enhance our understanding of the Bible. But finding trustworthy resources that present the Bible's background in an interesting, accessible format can be a challenge. This series, Putting the Bible in Its Place, is designed to provide serious students of the Bible with the tools they need to draw exciting new insights from the text. In informative, easy-to-read prose, expert authors provide overviews of the events, beliefs, and customs that shaped the world of some of the Bible's most prominent figures. In this volume, The World of Jesus, readers will be introduced to the history and institutions that formed the setting for Jesus' life and ministry. The Greek influence on the East, the might of the Roman Empire, the religious beliefs of the scribes and Pharisees, the daily life of the Galilean working class, and much more will unfold before your eyes. The words and works of Jesus will become less mysterious but even more significant when viewed in the light of their original context.  Free Download Christopher Lee Bolt, "The World in His Hands: A Christian Account of Scientific Law and its Antithetical Competitors" English | ISBN: 153263661X | 2019 | 256 pages | EPUB | 2 MB From the moment we wake until the time we go to sleep, we are bombarded by the benefits of science in the practical elements of everyday life. Electricity, lights, hot showers, breakfast cereals, clothing, cars, cell phones, roads, security systems, computers, communications, traffic lights, climate control, and entertainment are just a sampling of the many benefits of science. In addition to technological advances, medicine and agriculture progress with science as well. Even educational, political, and marketing strategists invoke science to substantiate their claims. Science dominates the collective Western mindset, and we regard it with the utmost respect. Yet society remains generally religious, even though science and religion are frequently thought of as being at odds with one another. How do we reconcile the two?  Free Download Nina Butorac, "The World Transparent: A Catechesis at the Movies" English | ISBN: 1725296985 | 2021 | 262 pages | EPUB | 2 MB The World Transparent examines the spiritual themes that have populated our Western and Christian tradition for many centuries. From a sacramental standpoint, and using forty well-loved films as illustrations, The World Transparent endeavors to guide the reader through a process of formation and towards a mature understanding of the Christian faith; not only as an intellectual exploration, but as a spiritually lived experience. Its focus is on the virtues, as they help to form us to live purposeful lives and attain happiness; on conscience, as it directs our judgment and moral actions; on grace, as it lifts up our nature and works to perfect it; on the sacraments, as they confer the graces that enable us to meet life's struggles; and on the theological virtues of faith, hope, and love, as they immerse us in the order of grace and direct us to the source of our redemption in Christ. Each of these sacred themes is augmented by beauty and by the sacramental qualities found in great art, in powerful stories, and shot through, eminently, by classic, masterful film.  Free Download Bruce L Taylor, "The Word in the Wind: Sermons for the Lectionary, Year A, Advent Through Eastertide" English | ISBN: 153268214X | 2019 | 228 pages | EPUB | 3 MB The growing use and appreciation of the Common Lectionary (Revised) has stimulated renewed attention to the Christian calendar in its fullness and an enrichment of liturgical worship. In this volume, Bruce Taylor offers a collection of theologically rich, sacramentally sensitive, and biblically centered sermons for the Sundays and feast days in the first half of Year A of the Lectionary, featuring Gospel readings from Matthew with attention to the accompanying Old Testament and epistolary texts. Included is a sampling of sermons written as engaging stories, and a sermon presented during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Preachers will find here encouragement for their own homiletical observance of the liturgical year and ecumenical celebrations, and the mutual and intimate relationship between Word and Sacrament. All readers will find a thoughtful and stimulating resource for their own life of faith, witness, and devotion.  Free Download David Graham Griffin, "The Word Became Flesh: A Rapprochement of Christian Natural Law and Radical Christological Ethics " English | ISBN: 1498239277 | 2016 | 290 pages | EPUB | 923 KB Is following Jesus natural? Many would say no, but this book argues yes. Saying no suggests that grace and human nature are alternate moral categories. Saying yes implies that our humanity is gracious in origin, capacity, and intent. Much of this discussion hangs on what is meant by "nature" and "natural," and this book explores these ideas creationly and christologically. Part One considers natural law as commonly found in the classical Christian tradition. Part Two explores the radical christological tradition of Anabaptism. Part Three then proposes the two-nature christology of the Chalcedonian definition as a theological resource enabling their reconciliation. The Chalcedonianism of the modern Barth and the ancient Maximus the Confessor are appropriated, along with scientific theology of T. F. Torrance and Nancey Murphy. If Chalcedon correctly affirms Jesus's humanity as being homoousios (one nature) with our humanity, created like Adam's through the eternal Spirit, then Jesus's life was natural-proper to its created intent. And as his divine nature was homoousios with the Father's nature, he is the human expression of the divine Word which gives creation its contingent moral rationality. As such, the life of Jesus (Anabaptists' concern) is morally normative for all humanity (natural law's concern).  Free Download Laura Trevelyan, "The Winchester: Legend of the West" English | ISBN: 1780764693 | 2016 | 264 pages | PDF | 4 MB The Winchester Rifle, the iconic gun made in New Haven, Connecticut, and sold in its hundreds of thousands around the world, mirrors American expansion at a key period in the young country's history. The lethal repeating rifle became the defining image of America's frontier - and was known amongst Native Americans as the spirit gun". It represented both the pioneering vigour and the brutal force which conquered the West. Laura Trevelyan explores the history of, and the family behind, this renowned representation of American power. The entrepreneurial drive of Oliver Winchester led the rifle to rapidly assume legendary status not long after its release in 1866, gaining endorsements from the likes of Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley and President Teddy Roosevelt. This engaging history sheds light on the story and myth of an American legend."  Free Download Alemayehu Mekonnen, "The West and China in Africa: Civilization Without Justice" English | ISBN: 1498220207 | 2015 | 432 pages | EPUB | 1332 KB The West and China in Africa: Civilization without Justice is an outcome of Dr. Alemayehu Mekonnen's personal intellectual struggle, life experience, and an attempt to understand Christ and his message within the cultural context of Africa. The intellectual struggle has to do with the paradoxical reality of Africa's situation. An attempt to reconcile the seemingly irreconcilable situation of Africa tests and stretches anyone's mind beyond limit. According to archaeological and geological findings, Africa is the first habitat of humanity and yet it is the least habitable place in the world today. The continent is extremely rich with natural resources, but it is known for poverty, disease, malnutrition, and starvation. As some Afro-centric scholars argue, Africa is the birthplace of world civilization and yet it is known for destruction. Social instability is rampant; coup d'etat and counter coup d'etat is common. Displacement and the number of refugees are ever increasing. As a person of African origin and now a US citizen, Mekonnen was able to see realities objectively in the eyes of an African and American. This book explores the myth and reality of Western, Eastern, and African dictators' role in the history of Africa.  Free Download Christopher E S Warburton, "The West African Methodist Collegiate School, 1911-2021: A Byproduct of Missionary Work in West Africa" English | ISBN: 1666704377 | 2021 | 174 pages | EPUB | 7 MB The West African Methodist Collegiate School 1911-2021 presents an intricate analysis of challenging missionary work in Sierra Leone and West Africa. In meticulous detail, the book revisits an era that spans the slave trade and the manumission of slaves, and examines the ways that missionaries helped to educate former slaves and free men for a viable form of existence. The checkered history of the school chronicles the adversities, courage, and determination of men who dared to preserve an educational institution that was designed to provide religious and secular education. In more elaborate terms, the book reveals how changing circumstances and conditions of the twenty-first century can obscure a nineteenth-century concept when socioeconomic challenges and the vicissitudes of war and epidemics become too overpowering. |
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