A book that dares to describe individualism as a religion and paint a reality that is primarily virtual, rather than physical. While the authors don’t mind challenging the reader’s view of the self and the world, their main intention is to induce passive receivers of the future to become more active participants. Engaging observations and perceptive interpretations of contemporary society.

A strikingly original exploration of what it might mean to be authentically human in the age of artificial intelligence, from the author of the critically-acclaimed Interior States. • "At times personal, at times philosophical, with a bracing mixture of openness and skepticism, it speaks thoughtfully and articulately to the most crucial issues awaiting our future." —Phillip Lopate “[A] truly fantastic book.”—Ezra Klein For most of human history the world was a magical and enchanted place ruled by forces beyond our understanding. The rise of science and Descartes's division of mind from world made materialism our ruling paradigm, in the process asking whether our own consciousness—i.e., souls—might be illusions. Now the inexorable rise of technology, with artificial intelligences that surpass our comprehension and control, and the spread of digital metaphors for self-understanding, the core questions of existence—identity, knowledge, the very nature and purpose of life itself—urgently require rethinking. Meghan O'Gieblyn tackles this challenge with philosophical rigor, intellectual reach, essayistic verve, refreshing originality, and an ironic sense of contradiction. She draws deeply and sometimes humorously from her own personal experience as a formerly religious believer still haunted by questions of faith, and she serves as the best possible guide to navigating the territory we are all entering.

Religious and computer columnist Mark Kellner begins with an overview of the Internet and various online services and moves on to more detailed descriptions of religious resources available on each service. This book explains where to find everything from the Book of Mormon online to a tour of the Vatican's artwork. Interspersed throughout the book are examples of how people use the Internet for religious experiences.

If the Bible is as Much Fable as Fact, Did God Create Man or Did Man Create God? searches for a reasonable and reasoned foundation upon which to speak of the relationship between God and humanity. The author, Peter Seiler, marshals his education in both science and history in his exploration of the Bibles claims of faith, shedding the light of scientific findings and historical analysis on the biblical texts. Spanning ten parts, the text begins with an extended introduction to the author and his method before conducting a four-part examination of the history of faith from the ancient past through the Enlightenment. Then the author examines, in three parts, the case for the involvement of alien life in human history. Finally, he turns to the future before summarizing his conclusions. If the Bible is as Much Fable as Fact, Did God Create Man or Did Man Create God? will satisfy the hunger of readers who desire to shed the light of reason, bolstered by verifiable facts, upon the claims of faith. It also will intrigue people with deeply held beliefs who desire to know the yearnings of their friends and family members who find those same claims of faith on the far side of a chasm they cannot traverse by a leap of faith. In either case, If the Bible is as Much Fable as Fact, Did God Create Man or Did Man Create God? makes a powerful case for its perspective on the titles question.

The church can be uncertain of itself in our digital age. Some Christians denounce the twenty-first century's media culture while others embrace the latest gadgets and apps as soon as they appear. Many of us are stumbling along amidst the tweets, status updates, podcasts, and blog posts, wondering if we have ventured into a realm beyond the scope of biblical wisdom. Though there is such a thing as 'new media', Andrew Byers reminds us that the actual concept of media is ancient, theological, andeven biblical. In fact, there is such a thing as the media of God. 'TheoMedia' are means by which God communicates and reveals himself - creation, divine speech, inspired writings, the visual symbol of the cross, and more. Christians are actually called to media saturation. But the media that are to most prominently saturate our lives are the media of God. If God creates and uses media, then Scripture provides a theological logic by which we can create and use media in the digital age. This book is not an unqualified endorsement of the latest media products or a tirade against media technology. Instead, Byers calls us to rethink our understanding of media in terms of the media of God in the biblical story of redemption.

Victim No More! Have you ever felt like something was holding you back? Do you feel like you cannot let go of a certain moment in your life? Do you feel like if you could just let go of that particular hour, day, month, year, or decade, your current life would be completely different? Your love life, your marriage, your passion, your peace, your friendships, your career, your relationships in your family, and most importantly, the way you feel about yourself and the world would be different! Have you ever wondered why time does not heal old wounds? Did you think that you were the only one? Do you wear a smile but inside you feel completely different? Do you have a secret that you have never told anyone? Do you have feelings about yourself you don’t dare speak out loud? Do you feel like no matter how many steps forward you make there is always something stopping you from arriving to where you know you deserve or want to be? Do you want to learn how to thrive instead of just survive? You will learn how to heal and move forward to a life beyond your dreams. Then this book is for you.

These pocket-sized prayer books are for adults who struggle with chronic sin. Each book focuses on one issue and offers comfort and the assurance of forgiveness in Christ by providing specific, honest, and encouraging prayers.

Every year, the Indian pilgrimage town of Pushkar sees its population of 20,000 swell by two million visitors. Since the 1970s, Pushkar, which is located about 250 miles southwest of the capital of New Delhi, has received considerable attention from international tourists. Originally hippies and backpackers, today's visitors now come from a wide range of social positions. To locals, though, Pushkar is more than just a gathering place for pilgrims and tourists: it is where Brahma, the creator god, made his home; it is where Hindus should feel blessed to stay, if only for a short time; and it is where locals would feel lucky to be reborn, if only as a pigeon. In short, it is their paradise. But even paradise needs upkeep. In Guest is God, Drew Thomases uses ethnographic fieldwork to explore the massive enterprise of building heaven on earth. The articulation of sacred space necessarily works alongside economic changes brought on by tourism and globalization. Here the contours of what actually constitutes paradise are redrawn by developments in, and the agents of, tourism. And as paradise is made and remade, people in Pushkar help to create a brand of Hindu religion that is tailored to its local surroundings while also engaging global ideas. The goal, then, becomes to show how religion and tourism can be mutually constitutive.