Theism

Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

For all the thousands of books that have been written about religion, few until this one have attempted to examine it scientifically: to ask why—and how—it has shaped so many lives so strongly. Is religion a product of blind evolutionary instinct or rational choice? Is it truly the best way to live a moral life? Ranging through biology, history, and psychology, Daniel C. Dennett charts religion’s evolution from “wild” folk belief to “domesticated” dogma. Not an antireligious screed but an unblinking look beneath the veil of orthodoxy, Breaking the Spell will be read and debated by believers and skeptics alike.

God's Lesser Glory: The Diminished God of Open Theism

Christians throughout history have been strengthened by their confidence that God knows everything about the future. But consider this: What if it simply is not true? What if God can only rely on His best guess about tomorrow--just as you and I do? Would it not affect your trust in Him, your confidence in facing the future, your worship, and your motivation to leave everything in His hands? And yet this is the consequence that has to be faced if you trust what a number of leading voices in evangelicalism are proposing under the doctrine of open theism.
In its redefinition of the nature of divine providence, open theism adjusts the entire picture of God's sovereignty and involvement in our lives. Bruce Ware carefully summarizes and critiques this dangerous doctrine from a thoroughly biblical perspective, providing an excellent treatment of both the classical and openness views. He explores their implications and faithfully pinpoints the subtle ways that open theism undermines our trust in God and lessens His glory in our lives.

The Open Secret: A New Vision for Natural Theology

Natural Theology explores the knowledge of God as it is observed through nature. This book sets forth a new approach to the study of natural theology, reestablishing its legitimacy as a distinct aspect of Christian theology. While remedying some of the criticisms of traditional presentations and perceptions of the concept, this new approach treats natural theology as a cultural phenomenon, broader than Christianity itself yet always possessing a distinctively Christian embodiment.

Beginning with an introduction to human engagement with nature, this volume goes on to explore topics such as beauty, goodness, truth, and the theological imagination; how investigating nature gives rise to both theological and scientific theories; the idea of a distinctively Christian approach to nature; and how natural theology can function as a bridge between the Christianity and other faiths. With a resurgence of interest that is taking place in the field, this book is a first-rate, innovative resource for the study of natural theology.

How We Believe, 2nd Edition: Science, Skepticism, and the Search for God

One hundred years ago social scientists predicted that belief in God would decrease by the year 2000. "In fact ... the opposite is has occurred," Shermer writes in his introduction. "Never in history have so many, and such a high percentage of the population, believed in God. Not only is God not dead as Nietzche proclaimed, but he has never been more alive."

Why do so many believe in the existence of something so inexplicable? That's exactly what Shermer answers in this comprehensive, intelligent, and highly readable discussion about the nature of faith. "People believe in God because the evidence of their senses tell them so," claims Shermer, who is the publisher of Skeptics magazine. Having been a believer and a student of the history of science, Shermer (now an agnostic) is more interested in knowing why and how people believe in God rather than trying to prove who's right or wrong. As a result, this book is not only even-handed and thorough, it is also destined to become a timeless contribution to spirituality as well as science. --Gail Hudson

The Miracle of Theism: Arguments For and Against the Existence of God

Joseph's Bones: Understanding the Struggle Between God and Mankind in the Bible

A bold and radical reinterpretation of the Old Testament. "Brilliant...Nothing quite like it has appeared in years." (Jack Miles, author of God: A Biography )

Imagine if someone who had never heard of Judaism or Christianity read the Old Testament. How could the relationship between God and humanity possibly be understood? In Joseph's Bones, Segal approaches the Bible from this fresh perspective-one framed by the story of the Israelites' fidelity to Joseph-and finds something unexpected: an account of the human condition that reads like an existential novel about the struggle of mankind against the unpredictable and often unwarranted wrath of God. This is a rarity in Biblical interpretation- brilliant and rigorously argued, "a work of stunning originality."

Transcendence and Self-Transcendence: On God and the Soul (Indiana Series in the Philosophy of Religion)

God, Reason and Theistic Proofs (Reason and Religion)

The Coherence of Theism (Clarendon Library of Logic and Philosophy)

This book investigates what it means, and whether it is coherent, to say that there is a God. The author concludes that, despite philosophical objections, the claims which religious believers make about God are generally coherent; and that although some important claims are coherent only if
the words by which they are expressed are being used in stretched or analogical senses, this is in fact the way in which theologians have usually claimed they are being used. This revised edition includes various minor corrections and clarifications.

The Believer's Handbook