Since its founding by Jacques Waardenburg in 1971, Religion and Reason has been a leading forum for contributions on theories, theoretical issues and agendas related to the phenomenon and the study of religion. Topics include (among others) category formation, comparison, ethnophilosophy, hermeneutics, methodology, myth, phenomenology, philosophy of science, scientific atheism, structuralism, and theories of religion. From time to time the series publishes volumes that map the state of the art and the history of the discipline.

Invoking the biblical motif of Jacob's struggle with the Face of God (Genesis 32), Simon D. Podmore undertakes a constructive theological account of 'spiritual trial' (tentatio; known in German mystical and Lutheran tradition as Anfechtung) in relation to enduring questions of the otherness and hiddenness of God and the self, the problem of suffering and evil, the freedom of Spirit, and the anxious relationship between temptation and ordeal, fear and desire. This book traces a genealogy of spiritual trial from medieval German mystical theology, through Lutheran and Pietistic thought (Tauler; Luther; Arndt; Boehme), and reconstructs Kierkegaard's innovative yet under-examined recovery of the category (AnfAegtelse: a Danish cognate for Anfechtung) within the modern context of the 'spiritless' decline of Christendom. Developing the relationship between struggle (Anfechtung) and release (Gelassenheit), Podmore proposes a Kierkegaardian theology of spiritual trial which elaborates the kenosis of the self before God in terms of Spirit's restless longing to rest transparently in God. Offering an original rehabilitation of the temptation of spiritual trial, this book strives for a renewed theological hermeneutic which speaks to the enduring human struggle to realise the unchanging love of God in the face of spiritual darkness.

The Christian has been given the great privilege of knowing God through Jesus Christ. While the Bible clearly shows us who God is, what he has done for us, and what he expects from our lives, that knowledge is nothing more than accumulated information unless acted upon. That knowledge must be wrestled out in everyday life as we seek to truly experience God for who the Bible declares him to be and seek to submit ourselves to his ways. In Struggling with God, author pastor Sam Sumner gives all Christians a basic overview of some key beliefs and practices of the Christian faith. Using examples from his own life and scripture, he shows how God patiently perseveres with those who struggle to know him and live in a way that pleases him. Dealing with such deep themes as the trinity, the struggle between good and evil, the redemptive story, the deity of Christ, and even the Holy Spirit, Struggling with God presents a theology for real life.

This book is about how we go through all types of struggles in our lives and the only way we can and have survived them is with God. Life isn't easy but we have to know that we will have struggles in this life some harder than others, but with God on your side you have the victory over Satan's schemes. The devils wants to destroy our lives because he knows what God has planned for us. This book is about my life and what many didn't know about me. It is also about how God set me free and gave me the victory over the enemy even unto death. As you read this book it will help you to understand and the know that you can survive anything with God.

This book about religious struggle studies four texts from postexilic Judah and applies them first to Judah and then, importantly, to modern America. Two of these texts--the books of Jonah and Job--speak out in favor of the theology of grace and against the theology of retribution, as advocated by the Jerusalem hardliners. This struggle to define God continues even today. Despite the biblical evidence--especially the example of Jesus--many Americans still believe in the God of retribution. Two other texts--the book of Ruth and the story of Rahab--demonstrate that if people reject xenophobia/nativism and misogyny, the entire community is blessed. Since xenophobia/nativism and misogyny are rampant in modern America, this message is rather timely. The last chapter argues that it is the mission of both synagogues and churches to define God correctly and then to help people overcome their resentment and prejudices and become partners with God, but that many predominantly white churches have failed in their mission, as evidenced by the fact that so many of their members voted for Donald Trump.

In Poems of Human Struggle and Gods Love, Margaret Freeman explores the theme of salvation: release from bondage to self-consciousness through the awakening of Christ-consciousness. She believes that this awakening to the glory of God is increasing on earth and she considers aspects of this through her poetry as she tells biblical and contemporary stories and shares personal revelation of the one who holds you dear. Freemans poetry gives voice to our insecurities, doubts and questions and the work of the spirit of Christ to awaken our own spirits to the fullness of the life God has for us, body and soul clothed in light and glory. Transfiguration Adam and Eve were naked; No shame they had to hide: Clothed in light and splendour, A delight to Gods eyes. Until Satan tempted them To believe his lie. He said God couldnt be trusted; Good things he withheld. He said they should seek out the truth The apple would reveal. And so through their own efforts They were bound to self-rule, To striving for perfection- All men became its fool. Their spirits now bound within the soul, And animal skins for clothing, They tried their best to work the soil As Satan stood by laughing. But God has not been outplayed; He came to earth, you see, To tell us he is the way For our spirits to be freed: Bound by grace to Truth and Light- Our transfiguration.

"Broken", is Donnie Bolena's best work on paper. This is Donnie's real life story of how one night in early 2011, Dnnie's life went terrbily wrong and he learned about Gods amazing grace. Donnie Bolena is a very powerful and Electric Author/Inspirational Speaker. As the Author of three amazing books, Donnie is committed to serving God and the needs of you and your family. Using powerful principles of spirituality, he offers practical tools for leading a joyous, abundant and peaceful life. Wherever you may be on your spiritual path, Donnie will help to encourage you to find a supportive community with a wealth of opportunities for personal Christian growth and understanding the amazing power of God and how he works in your life when you surrender to God's will. Donnie aspires to strengthen each person's confidence and joy in Jesus Christ at every point in their life, and encourage personal and spiritual growth through prayer, bible study and active service in your church home and community.

Once “one nation under God,” America today is desperately sick. And the Church seems to have no answers. How can a nation so “churched” be so untouched by the Gospel? Why has “the Glory departed,” leaving a nation racked by political hatred, drug addiction, and shattered families? God, Caesar, and Idols asks these questions and calls the Church to seek God’s Word for answers. Too many Christians no longer make political choices on the basis of eternal truth, but instead make them on the basis of purely financial considerations. It’s time for the Church to break its addiction to humanistic, government schooling and instead “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This book challenges the Church to reject “cheap grace” and the easy temptation to be “tolerant” of society’s rebellion. We must again honor the authority of God’s Word and embrace the life-altering power available when we reject our cultural idols and proclaim “the whole counsel of God” without compromise. Armed with careful scriptural exegesis and supported by the words of great Christians from church history, God, Caesar, and Idols encourages the American Church to again “contend for the faith” in today’s culture—whatever the cost.

The wrestling match with God at Jabbok, where he insisted on a blessing, turned Jacob's life upside down. Before the wrestling match, Jacob was a prolific blessing-chaser and got whatever he wanted in his battles with Esau and Laban. After that night, his fate took an adverse turn: calamities and deaths rushed upon his family. What happened? Didn't God bless him? What was the wrestled blessing all about? The Bible is surprisingly reticent about disclosing the specifics of the blessing. This book investigates the mysteries of the wrestling match, the blessing, and the ensuing years. Why is Jacob's life story relevant to us today? We all want God's blessings, but we may not always understand what we are getting. Jacob's life story illuminates reasons behind suffering, illustrates true blessedness, and impels us to live life with a divine perspective.

This textbook focuses primarily on the content and structure of the Pentateuch. The process which produced the Pentateuch and the long record of its use within Judaism and Christianity are intricate and fascinating stories, but it is the final forms of these five books to which we have the most reliable access. Discussions of historical and theological issues are included when they serve to illustrate the content and structure of the text. After an opening chapter, which introduces the major issues in the study of the Pentateuch, including a summary of the history of scholarship, a full chapter engages each of the five books. Attention to literary shape, texture, and artistry are at the forefront of the discussion, while historical and theological discussions are included where they are most informative. The book also includes many lists of textual data in each chapter. Most of these provide a view of features, which serve to connect and draw together the diverse literature of the Pentateuch. They are intended to serve as starting points for active textual research in a classroom setting. The material in this book is classroom tested and was even developed during successive opportunities to teach courses in the Pentateuch. - Publisher.