Rationality and Religious Commitment shows how religious commitment can be rational and describes the place of faith in the postmodern world. It portrays religious commitment as far more than accepting doctrines—it is viewed as a kind of life, not just as an embrace of tenets. Faith is conceived as a unique attitude. It is irreducible to belief but closely connected with both belief and conduct, and intimately related to life's moral, political, and aesthetic dimensions. Part One presents an account of rationality as a status attainable by mature religious people—even those with a strongly scientific habit of mind. Part Two describes what it means to have faith, how faith is connected with attitudes, emotions, and conduct, and how religious experience may support it. Part Three turns to religious commitment and moral obligation and to the relation between religion and politics. It shows how ethics and religion can be mutually supportive even though ethics provides standards of conduct independently of theology. It also depicts the integrated life possible for the religiously committed—a life with rewarding interactions between faith and reason, religion and science, and the aesthetic and the spiritual. The book concludes with two major accounts. One explains how moral wrongs and natural disasters are possible under God conceived as having the knowledge, power, and goodness that make such evils so difficult to understand. The other account explores the nature of persons, human and divine, and yields a conception that can sustain a rational theistic worldview even in the contemporary scientific age.

Many religious people are alarmed about features of the current age--violence in the media, a pervasive hedonism, a marginalization of religion, and widespread abortion. These concerns influence politics, but just as there should be a separation between church and state, so should there be a balance between religious commitments and secular arguments calling for social reforms. Robert Audi offers a principle of secular rationale, which does not exclude religious grounds for action but which rules out restricting freedom except on grounds that any rational citizen would accept. This book describes the essential commitments of free democracy, explains how religious and secular moral considerations can be integrated to facilitate cooperation in a world of religious pluralism, and proposes ideals of civic virtue that express the mutual respect on which democracy depends.

Every known religious or explicitly irreligious outlook is contested by large contingents of informed and reasonable people. Many philosophers have argued that reflection on this fact should lead us to abandon confident religious or irreligious belief and to embrace religious skepticism. John Pittard critically assesses the case for such disagreement-motivated religious skepticism. While the book focuses on religious disagreement, it makes a number of significant contributions to the more general discussion of the rational significance of disagreement as well.

Ethicist Max Stackhouse challenges libertarian and liberationist arguments that distort the nature and character of love, sexuality, and commitment. He seeks to recover a covenantal ethic, which would recapture the value of strong family relationships. The Family, Culture, and Religion series offers informed and responsible analyses of the state of the American family from a religious perspective and provides practical assistance for the family's revitalization.

James Luther Adams has been a major force in American social ethics and liberal theology for more than half a century, from his work with anti-Nazi preachers in Germany in the late 1930s through his teaching at the University of Chicago and the Harvard Divinity School. Here is his latest collection of inimitable essays.

The Cape Town Commitment, which arose from The Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelization (Cape Town, 2010), stands in the historic line of The Lausanne Covenant (1974) and The Manila Manifesto (1989). It has been translated into twenty-five languages and has commanded wide acceptance around the world. The Commitment is set in two parts. Part 1 is a Confession of Faith, crafted in the language of covenantal love. Part 2 is a Call to Action. The local church, mission agencies, special-interest groups, and Christians in the professions are all urged to find their place in its outworking. This annotated bibliography of The Cape Town Commitment, arranged by topic, has been compiled by specialists in a range of fields. As such, it is the first bibliography of its kind. Arranged in sections for graduate-level teaching Equally useful for research students

Celebrated Theologian Offers Wisdom for Civic Engagement Christian citizens have a responsibility to make political and ethical judgments in light of their faith and to participate in the public lives of their communities--from their local neighborhoods to the national scene. But it can be difficult to discern who to vote for, which policies to support, and how to respond to the social and cultural trends of our time. This nonpartisan handbook offers Christians practical guidance for thinking through complicated public issues and faithfully following Jesus as citizens of their countries. The book focuses on enduring Christian commitments that should guide readers in their judgments and encourages legitimate debate among Christians over how to live out core values. The book also includes lists of resources for further reflection in each chapter and "room for debate" questions to consider.

We regularly attend church, know the hymns by heart, and teach our children about Jesus. We are doing the right things. So why do we feel so empty? Although Jesus promised His followers an abundant life, many Christians struggle with a lack of purpose, fulfillment, and zeal. Underneath all of their Christian activity, they feel cold and, at times, confused about the place and prominence of Jesus Christ in their inner lives. The problem, according to Crawford Loritts, is that we've lost our sense of purpose. While we may have a general sense of direction, we have assumed that somehow we can work out the details or that everything will just fall into place. While we outwardly conform to what we say we believe, we privately confess that we know God wants and deserves more from us. A Passionate Commitment will help you understand God's purpose for your life by challenging the things the world teaches you to hold dear. Crawford Loritts will help you revive your passionate commitment to the God of the universe.

A groundbreaking exploration of the neuroscience of spirituality and a bold new paradigm for health, healing, and resilience—from a New York Times bestselling author and award-winning researcher “A new revolution of health and well-being and a testament to, and celebration of, the power within.”—Deepak Chopra, MD Whether it’s meditation or a walk in nature, reading a sacred text or saying a prayer, there are many ways to tap into a heightened awareness of the world around you and your place in it. In The Awakened Brain, psychologist Dr. Lisa Miller shows you how. Weaving her own deeply personal journey of awakening with her groundbreaking research, Dr. Miller’s book reveals that humans are universally equipped with a capacity for spirituality, and that our brains become more resilient and robust as a result of it. For leaders in business and government, truth-seekers, parents, healers, educators, and any person confronting life’s biggest questions, The Awakened Brain combines cutting-edge science (from MRI studies to genetic research, epidemiology, and more) with on-the-ground application for people of all ages and from all walks of life, illuminating the surprising science of spirituality and how to engage it in our lives: • The awakened decision is the better decision. With an awakened perception, we are more creative, collaborative, ethical, and innovative. • The awakened brain is the healthier brain. An engaged spiritual life enhances grit, optimism, and resilience while providing insulation against addiction, trauma, and depression. • The awakened life is the inspired life. Loss, uncertainty, and even trauma are the gateways by which we are invited to move beyond merely coping with hardship to transcend into a life of renewal, healing, joy, and fulfillment. Absorbing, uplifting, and ultimately enlightening, The Awakened Brain is a conversation-starting saga of scientific discovery packed with counterintuitive findings and practical advice on concrete ways to access your innate spirituality and build a life of meaning and contribution.