The Essential Kabbalah: The Heart of Jewish Mysticism

Slavoj Zizek, Slavoj A1/2ia3/4ek

The Puppet and the Dwarf: The Perverse Core of Christianity

One of our most daring intellectuals offers a Lacanian interpretation of religion, finding that early Christianity was the first revolutionary collective. Slavoj Zizek has been called "an academic rock star" and "the wild man of theory"; his writing mixes astonishing erudition and references to pop culture in order to dissect current intellectual pieties. In The Puppet and the Dwarf he offers a close reading of today's religious constellation from the viewpoint of Lacanian psychoanalysis. He critically confronts both predominant versions of today's spirituality--New Age gnosticism and deconstructionist-Levinasian Judaism--and then tries to redeem the "materialist" kernel of Christianity. His reading of Christianity is explicitly political, discerning in the Pauline community of believers the first version of a revolutionary collective. Since today even advocates of Enlightenment like Jurgen Habermas acknowledge that a religious vision is needed to ground our ethical and political stance in a "postsecular" age, this book--with a stance that is clearly materialist and at the same time indebted to the core of the Christian legacy--is certain to stir controversy.

Who Made God?: And Answers to Over 100 Other Tough Questions of Faith

In the quest for the truth, you need to know what you believe and why you believe it. Who Made God? offers accessible answers to over 100 commonly asked apologetic questions. Bringing together the best in evangelical apologists, this guide is standard equipment for Christians who want to understand and talk about their faith intelligently. Part one answers tough questions about the Christian faith such as: - Who made God? - How can there be three persons in one God? - What is God's ultimate purpose in allowing evil? - Where did the universe come from? - How long are the days of creation in Genesis? - Did Jesus rise from the dead? - Are the records of Jesus' life reliable? - Does the Bible have errors in it?Part two answers tough questions about other faiths, including Islam, Mormonism, Hinduism, Transcendental Meditation, Yoga, Reincarnation, Buddhism, and Black Islam. Relevant stories, questions for reflection and discussion, and a comprehensive list of suggested resources help you dig deeper so you can be prepared to give careful answers that explain the reasons for your faith.

Brennan Manning

A Glimpse of Jesus: The Stranger to Self-Hatred

6, Beloved Christian writer Brennan Manning has long been illuminating the transforming power of God's constant love for us in his bestselling books. Now he identifies self-hatred as the reason that so many of us seem unable to accept this incredible, unchanging love. By clearly examining and understanding Jesus' life, we can put self-hatred behind us forever and truly be transformed in the ways God intended.