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Horselover Fat begins receiving what he considers to be divine revelations that imply extraterrestrial forces are interfering in the affairs of the Earth.
Hurting people ask heart-felt questions about God and suffering. Some "answers" they receive appeal to mystery: “God’s ways are not our ways”. Some answers say God allows evil for a greater purpose. Some say evil is God's punishment. The usual answers fail. They don't support the truth that God loves everyone all the time. God Can't gives a believable answer to why a good and powerful God doesn't prevent evil. Author Thomas Jay Oord says God’s love is inherently uncontrolling. God loves everyone and everything, so God can't control anyone or anything. This means God cannot prevent evil singlehandedly. God can’t stop evildoers, whether human, animal, organism, or inanimate objects a...
"A masterpiece from the preeminent theologian of love!" A strong case can be made that love is the core of Christian faith. And yet Christians often fail to give love center stage in biblical studies and theology. And most fail to explain what they mean by love. Why is this? Thomas Jay Oord explores this question and offers ground-breaking answers. Oord addresses leading Christian thinkers today and of yesteryear. He explains biblical forms of love, such as agape, philia, hesed, and ahavah. We should understand love’s meaning as uniform, he says, but its expressions are pluriform. Widely regarded as the world's foremost theologian of love, Thomas Jay Oord tackles our biggest puzzles about ...
That love does not control seems obvious to many people. And yet the temptation to control—often with good motives — is strong. The long-term results of yielding to this temptation damage everyone. Contributors to Love Does Not Control explore uncontrolling love and a vision of God as uncontrolling. They do so from their perspectives as therapists, psychologists, and counselors. Writers ponder what uncontrolling love might mean for human healing. Open and relational theology operates as the underlying framework for most contributors. That theology fits nicely with the belief that love is uncontrolling. Open and relational theology rethinks divine power in light of love and postulates wha...
The Dance of the Sea is a tale of fisherfolk that live in an obscure coastal slum village situated in the southernmost tip of the Indian Subcontinent. It is the place where Sebastian becomes an engineer, rising up among the illiterate ruffian masses that have nerves of steel and a proclivity for ethnocentric violence. Sebastian deserts Gloria after their many trysts climax in a passionate lovemaking among the moonlit coconut grove where both lose their virginity. Gloria lives independently and becomes a rare and multi-faceted personality—a successful painter, an entrepreneur, and a social worker—riding well past Sebastian in fame and wealth. Torn between warring in-laws and his poverty-s...
Successful young writer Marjorie McClelland leads a solitary, comfortable life in the quiet, post-prohibition town of Ridgebury, CT. Her tranquil life is disrupted when Creighton Ashcroft, a British heir with time and money to burn, purchases a deserted mansion with a mysterious history on the outskirts of town. Instantly smitten with the talented and beautiful Marjorie, Creighton craftily arranges an intimate meeting, but the mood is spoiled when they stumble across a body while touring the ample grounds of Creighton's new estate. With the intention of reaping the story's literary benefits, the two forge an unlikely partnership and research the mansion's sordid past, but they soon find themselves in the middle of an unfolding series of hidden murders and family deceit. On top of this, the handsome detective assigned to the case has caught Marjorie's attention--and Creighton's suspicious eye. The trio must work together to break through a web of deceptively demure townspeople and the discreet upper class to solve the mystery of the mansion's past before becoming victims themselves. Filled with rumor and humor, this historical thriller delights to its captivating close.
Are humans free, or are we determined by our genes and the world around us? The question of freedom is not only one of philosophy's greatest conundrums, but also one of the most fundamental questions of human existence. It's particularly pressing in societies like ours, where our core institutions of law, ethics, and religion are built around the belief in individual freedom. Can one still affirm human freedom in an age of science? And if free will doesn't exist, does it make sense to act as though it does? These are the issues that are presented, probed, and debated in the following chapters. A dozen experts―specialists in medicine, psychology, ethics, theology, and philosophy--grapple with the multiple and often profound challenges presented by today's brain science. After examining the arguments against traditional notions of free will, several of the authors champion the idea of a chastened but robust free will for today, one that allows us still to affirm the value of first-person experience.
This story begins during the Korean War with Nancy, a simple girl raised by her older brother after her parents die. During her high school years, she meets a Christian friend and becomes a believer through her friend's evangelism. She's excited to be a Christian and vows she'll live the rest of her life as a nun. But life and love intervene. Nancy studies to be a nurse, falls in love with and marries Godo, gives birth to two sons, and ultimately moves to the United States. On her death bed, she confesses her broken vow to her son, Jinwoo. He enters a monastery to fulfill his mother's vow. In A Martyr's Descendant: A Story of a Vowed Son, author Alexander T. Pak tells this story. It's a story of immigrants and sojourners on earth. It tells the tale of those who didn't realize their hopes and dreams. It's not a pretty story, but it communicates a message of hope, a reason to live because it is a story of triumph.
This book fundamentally changes the game for the Church of the Nazarene. A growing number of people are calling for fresh conversations about sexuality and gender. And many want fundamental change. This book gives voice to those people. There are strong reasons the Church of the Nazarene should become fully LGBTQ+ affirming. The writers of these essays – whether queer or straight – lay out those reasons, share their experiences, and explain why change is needed. Love rests at the heart of the denomination’s view of God. And yet its statement about human sexuality does not support the ways of love. At least in America, the Church of the Nazarene is rapidly shrinking. Many people are lea...
Deconstruction is hard! Bad views of God and harmful experiences lead many of us to deconstruct. But we’re right to run from the nonsense we’ve been taught and from those who hurt us. God After Deconstruction will not be welcomed by traditionalists. It’s not a book for people who want the status quo or who think conventional theology works. It isn’t for people who just want to tweak a bit what they’ve been taught. Thomas Jay Oord and Tripp Fuller offer an open and relational vision of God. This vision makes sense; it fits our experience; it’s livable. The open and relational view aligns with our deep intuitions about love and freedom. God After Deconstruction is for those deconst...