General Books : Religion

In this groundbreaking book, Selina O'Grady examines how and why the post-Christian and the Islamic worlds came to be as tolerant or intolerant as they are. She asks whether tolerance can be expected to heal today's festering wound between these two worlds, or whether something deeper than tolerance is needed.

Told through contemporary chronicles, stories and poems, Selina O'Grady takes the reader through the intertwined histories of the Muslim, Christian and Jewish persecutors and persecuted. From Umar, the seventh century Islamic caliph who laid down the rules for the treatment of religious minorities in what was becoming the greatest empire the world has ever known, to Magna Carta John who seriously considered converting to Islam; and from al-Wahaabi, whose own brother thought he was illiterate and fanatical, but who created the religious-military alliance with the house of Saud that still survives today, to Europe's bloody Thirty Years war that wearied Europe of murderous inter-Christian violence but probably killed God in the process.

This book is an essential guide to understanding Islam and the West today and the role of religion in the modern world.

ISBN: 9781843547013
Publication date: 06/08/2020
Price: $27.99
Author: O'Grady, Selina
Format: Paperback

Ancient scriptures from the most popular book of all time, revolutionised to reveal its themes and narratives for a modern generation. Billions of people across the world find solace, meaning and wisdom from reading the Bible. But for some, it can be a difficult book to engage with and understand. In this this pioneering book Karen Sawrey shows you the bible as you never seen it before, using powerful infographics, with data sourced by experts in their fields, to communicate the key biblical themes and narratives. The Info Graphic Bible focuses on the meta narrative, the key points of the major stories and themes, to give the reader insight into the bigger story and help you understand the complex or abstract themes in a relevant way.Through revealing the ancient traditions, showing connections between Old and New Testament themes, and profiling important characters, you are left with a deeper and more memorable interpretation of the scriptures. Covering themes such as the First Family Tree, the Nature and Character of God to the Sacrificial System and Jesus I AM, this fascinating book, painstakingly gathered and presented in this unique and beautiful way will appeal to both the Christian and non-religious readers alike and provide unexpected insight into (one of) the most important book/s ever written.

ISBN: 9780007554614
Publication date: 01/11/2018
Price: $49.99
Author: Sawrey, Karen
Format: Unknown

In our increasingly secular world, holy texts are at best seen as irrelevant, and at worst as an excuse to incite violence, hatred and division. The Quran, the Torah and the Bible are often employed selectively to underwrite arbitrary and subjective views. They are believed to be divinely ordained; they are claimed to contain eternal truths.

But as Karen Armstrong, a world authority on religious affairs, shows in this fascinating journey through millennia of history, this narrow reading of scripture is a relatively recent phenomenon. Armstrong argues that only by rediscovering an open engagement with their holy texts will the world's religions be able to curtail arrogance and intolerance. And if scripture is used to engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways, we will find that it still has a great deal to teach us.

'Magisterial... A dazzling accomplishment' New York Times

'Glorious... Armstrong is the most articulate and generous-hearted exegete of religion writing in English at the present time' A.N. Wilson, New Statesman

ISBN: 9781784705329
Publication date: 23/07/2020
Price: $30.00
Author: Armstrong, Karen
Format: Paperback

One of the most popular and beloved introductions to the concept of faith ever written, 'Mere Christianity' has sold millions of copies worldwide. The book brings together C.S. Lewis's legendary radio broadcasts during the war years, in which he set out simply to 'explain and defend the belief that has been common to nearly all Christians at all times'. Rejecting the boundaries that divide Christianity's many denominations, 'Mere Christianity' provides an unequalled opportunity for believers and nonbelievers alike to absorb a powerful, rational case for the Christian faith.

ISBN: 9780007461219
Publication date: 12/04/2012
Edition: RI
Price: $19.99
Author: Lewis, C. S.
Format: Paperback

Crafted to deliver quality at an affordable price, the NIV Value Thinline Bible is perfect for gifting or personal use. With a new custom typeface, this Bible delivers a more pleasant reading experience, making it even easier to understand God's Word. This highly affordable edition includes black letter text, a quality cover, and presentation page, all in the portable thinline format that is less than one inch thick. Features: * The full text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) translation* Clear, readable 9.4-point print size* Less than one inch thick* Black-letter text* Double-column format* Presentation page

ISBN: 9780310448457
Publication date: 21/11/2017
Price: $25.00
Format: Leather

Crafted to deliver quality at an affordable price, the NIV Value Thinline Bible is perfect for gifting or personal use. With a new custom typeface, this Bible delivers a more pleasant reading experience, making it even easier to understand God's Word. This highly affordable edition includes black letter text, a quality cover, and presentation page, all in the portable thinline format that is less than one inch thick. Features: * The full text of the accurate, readable, and clear New International Version (NIV) translation* Clear, readable 9.4-point print size* Less than one inch thick* Black-letter text* Double-column format* Presentation page

ISBN: 9780310448440
Publication date: 20/11/2017
Price: $25.00
Author: Zondervan
Format: Leather

Pope Francis's impact on the modern world has already proved extraordinary. It is no surprise that he was voted Time magazine's Person of the Year (in 2013), joining the likes of Martin Luther King (1964) and President John F. Kennedy (1961). Francis has turned the Catholic Church upside-down, flung open the windows of the Vatican and started to purge the church of corruption, nepotism and financial skulduggery. But above all he is engaged with the poor, the starving and the marginalised. He has made important visits to troubled spots in the world and invariably people say his appearances change everything.

Pope Francis is in constant dialogue with the outside world and with the universal Catholic Church. He likes being asked questions, finding it easy to respond, and maintains a good relationship with the press. In this new book are some of his most valuable engagements in dialogue form with people of all sorts and kinds. On the one hand, there is his recent engagement with priests in Colombia who are locked in a struggle for human rights. In another lengthy piece, he talks about the importance of scripture, in a way which shows how this is a living source of inspiration. Also included are the texts of the Pope's most recent addresses in Myanmar, Peru and Chile.

Open to God: Open to the World offers a fascinating glimpse into the mind and workings of this entirely different Pope. As we see in these conversations the Franciscan revolution is under way and, in spite of Francis's critics, the revolution will roll on and new horizons will be opened for the one and a half billion Catholics in the world today.

ISBN: 9781472959010
Publication date: 26/07/2018
Price: $24.00
Author: Francis, Pope
Format: Paperback

This new translation of the Buddha's most important, most studied teaching offers a radical new interpretation. In September, 2014 Thich Nhat Hanh completed a profound and beautiful new English translation of the Prajnaparamita Heart Sutra, one of the most important and well-known sutras in Buddhism. The Heart Sutra is recited daily in Mahayana temples and practice centers throughout the world. This new translation came about because Thich Nhat Hanh believes that the patriarch who originally compiled the Heart Sutra was not sufficiently skillful with his use of language to capture the intention of the Buddha's teachings--and has resulted in fundamental misunderstandings of the central tenets of Buddhism for almost 2,000 years. In The Other Shore: A New Translation of the Heart Sutra with Commentaries, Thich Nhat Hanh provides the new translation with commentaries based on his interpretation. Revealing the Buddha's original intention and insight makes clear what it means to transcend duality and pairs of opposites, such as birth and death, and to touch the ultimate reality and the wisdom of nondiscrimination. By helping to demystify the term "emptiness," the Heart Sutra is made more accessible and understandable. Prior to the publication of The Other Shore, Thich Nhat Hanh's translation and commentaries of the Heart Sutra, called The Heart of Understanding, sold more than 120,000 copies in various editions and is one of the most beloved commentaries of this critical teaching. This new book, The Other Shore, supersedes all prior translations.

ISBN: 9781941529140
Publication date: 20/05/2016
Price: $30.00
Author: Hanh, Thich Nhat
Format: Paperback