"This book explores the manner in which Herman Melville responds to the spiritual crisis of modernity by using the language of the biblical Old Testament wisdom books to moderate contemporary discourses on religion, skepticism, and literature. Melville's work is an example of how romantic literature fills the interpretive lacuna left by contemporary theology. Damien Schlarb argues that attending to Melville's engagement with the wisdom books (Job, Proverbs, and Ecclesiastes) can help us understand a paradox at the heart of American modernity: the simultaneous displacement and affirmation of biblical language and religious culture. In wisdom, which addresses questions of theology, radical scepticism, and the nature of evil, Melville finds an ethos of critical inquiry that allows him to embrace the acumen of modern analytical techniques such as higher biblical criticism, while salvaging simultaneously the spiritual authority of biblical language. Wisdom for Melville constitutes both object and analytical framework in this balancing act. Melville's Wisdom joins other works of postsecular literary studies in challenging its own discipline's constitutive secularization narrative by rethinking modern, putatively secular cultural formations in terms of their reciprocity with religious concepts and texts. Schlarb foregrounds Melville's sustained, career-spanning concern with biblical wisdom, its formal properties, and its knowledge-creating potential. By excavating this project from Melville's oeuvre, Melville's Wisdom shows how he seeks to avoid the spiritually corrosive effects of suspicious reading while celebrating truth-seeking over subversive iniquity"--

Some of our founding fathers of the United States of America made comments about what is essential for our nation to endure. ey pointed not to laws or to the US Constitution, but to virtue. is study is focused on the source of virtue---the fear of the LORD. It is calling people to remember and return to God.

Rising Leader Shows Readers How to Harness Spiritual Wisdom for Sucessful Living When facing life problems, Christians ask God for help, for blessings, for miracles, for intervention. Rarely do they ask for the one thing that can solve the majority of their problems wisdom. While wisdom is valued, it is rarely sought after. It is attributed to Solomon and relegated to Old Testament days. Yet the Bible tells us that wisdom is still calling us today (Proverbs 8:1). Kyle Searcy, respected leader and pastor, has experienced the favor and blessing of wisdom in his own life. Here he shares the secrets to unlocking the power of wisdom, guiding believers along the path of acquiring and harnessing spiritual wisdom. Through personal examples, stories, Scriptures, and biblical examples, he shows how possessing wisdom produces, among other things, favor, special skills, and wealth. Each chapter ends with practical actions to assist readers in pursuing wisdom and enjoying its benefits in their personal situations.

With his mother’s life at stake and the entire world threatened by powerful dragons, the sand in the hour glass is running out for Jak Freedar. He and his allies must find the ancient Orbs of Wisdom and hope they hold the solutions to the problems plaguing humanity and the dragons before it’s too late. This is the final installment in the Dragon Gate saga!

Prince Juna is next in line to become king of a powerful ancient land, but there’s one problem—Juna isn’t very wise and everyone knows it. Terrified of the weight of this position, Juna sets off to attain wisdom from an esteemed guru in a far off forest, but instead he falls into a peculiar course of events filled with exhilarating highs and devastating lows. Will his journey be worth the trouble? Only time will tell . . . Inspired by the wisdom of the Bible and imagery from the Far East, The Prince of Wisdom is a unique retelling of the classic story of the wise guru and the eager apprentice. With gorgeous imagery and practical wisdom, the tale of the prince touches the hearts and minds of readers young and old. Bound to leave a lasting impact in the mind, you’ll find yourself thinking of its precepts “day and night.”

True account of a decade-long apprenticeship with Huichol shamans in the Mexican Sierra Madre • Contains an insider’s view of the Huichol’s shamanic spiritual practices, including their ritual use of peyote • Offers the Huichol path to sustainable healing for individuals and our planet Never conquered by Europeans, the Huichol--known for their use of peyote in spiritual ceremonies--have thoroughly retained their ancient way of life. Growing from a deeply rooted respect and reverence for the natural world, the Huichol’s shamanic spiritual practices focus on living life in harmony with all living things and offer a path to a truly sustainable future. The Shamanic Wisdom of the Huichol is the autobiographical account of Pinkson’s decade-long immersion in the shamanic traditions of the Huichol tribes of the Sierra Madre in Mexico. From his first Huichol pilgrimage to Wiricuta (their sacred homeland) in 1981 to searching the desert for the heart medicine of peyote, Pinkson’s account of his initiation into the medicine teachings of the Huichol brings new life to this ancient eco-centric tradition. Providing a guiding light for those who seek to become part of the solution to our planet’s ecological challenges, Pinkson empowers readers to choose their own path toward healing both on a personal and a planetary level.

Barbara Newman reintroduces English-speaking readers to an extraordinary and gifted figure of the twelfth-century renaissance. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179) was mystic and writer, musician and preacher, abbess and scientist who used symbolic theology to explore the meaning of her gender within the divine scheme of things. With a new preface, bibliography, and discography, Sister of Wisdom is a landmark book in women's studies, and it will also be welcomed by readers in religion and history.

In the early sixties, Stuart Schlegel went into a remote rainforest on the Philippine island of Mindanao as an anthropologist in search of material. What he found was a group of people whose tolerant, gentle way of life would transform his own values and beliefs profoundly. Wisdom from a Rainforest is Schlegel's testament to his experience and to the Teduray people of Figel, from whom he learned such vital, lasting lessons. Schlegel's lively ethnography of the Teduray portrays how their behavior and traditions revolved around kindness and compassion for humans, animals, and the spirits sharing their worlds. Schlegel describes the Teduray's remarkable legal system and their strong story-telling tradition, their elaborate cosmology, and their ritual celebrations. At the same time, Schlegel recounts his own transformation—how his worldview as a member of an advanced, civilized society was shaken to the core by a so-called primitive people. He begins to realize how culturally determined his own values are and to see with great clarity how much the Teduray can teach him about gender equality, tolerance for difference, generosity, and cooperation. By turns funny, tender, and gripping, Wisdom from a Rainforest honors the Teduray's legacy and helps us see how much we can learn from a way of life so different from our own.

Could the Council have something to do with water beast that hit the Sunnydale scene?