This book is for anyone who has ever given serious thought to questioning the extraordinary claims of the Christian faith. For those who have harbored suspicions about the idea of a loving protector God; or the idea that an eternal paradise awaits us after death; or that there is a divine purpose to our lives – this book will be athought provoking read. The author was once a devout believer in the tenets of the Christian faith. He is now a contented atheist. An Atheist in the Choir Loft puts forward an honest account of what one firm believer discovered when he allowed himself to step back, separate his religious convictions from his identity, and objectively scrutinize the beliefs he had held for most of his life.

Evangelical discourse on the role of arts in the church can be radioactive, and the twenty-one contributors to this book walk right into the "hot zone" to pick up on twenty contentious questions. The volume is a series of written dialogues, each one keyed to a cranky question, one that a skeptic might raise (hence the title). Herein, the gainsayers are taken seriously and given their voice. They even find support in some of the contributors' comments. But apologists for greater use of arts and artists in the church have their say, and things can get edgy. Topics range from the biblically august (the Second Commandment; the regulative principle; Great Commission priorities) to the prudential (expense; "bohemian" influence; weaker brothers) to the programmatic (Christmas festivities; committee makeup). Some of the parties to the discussion are church staffers (pastors and ministers of music); some are professors; several are doctoral students; one is a college student; another, a gallery owner; yet another, a denominational ethicist; and there's a Canadian and a Korean in the mix. The collection of speakers and opinions is illuminating and bracing, and the fruit of their thinking makes for great reading and discussion.

Religious literature fills the world, but literature around non-belief is sparse. This book is my small effort to help rectify that and add to the small but growing body of literature that begins in the Enlightenment (or earlier; Lucretius comes to mind) and stretches in a very thin line to the present. Find out what happens when the United States votes to become officially a Christian nation. Follow along with Lepidus and Derek as they attempt to bring Enlightenment and humanist values to a world that doesn't want them. Visit Hell and speak with Mephistopheles. Find out what happens when a mother faces a challenge to custody of her child simply because she doesn't believe in God.

A rare glimpse into the fascinating, sometimes terrifying, sometimes hilarious world of a modern ceremonial magician. Hailed by critics as the most entertaining author and one of the most widely respected members of the magick community, Lon Milo DuQuette provides a beacon for aspiring magicians everywhere.

A series of earthquakes exposes the fault lines in a teenager’s unconventional life in a powerful crossover novel that explores raw emotion with wit and warmth. After the deadly 2011 earthquakes in Christ Church, New Zealand, Eddy Smallbone must navigate the ruins of his hometown along with the ruins of his personal life. A Catholic-school dropout itching to break free of the eccentric uncle who raised him and newly mourning the death of his dog, Eddy starts his own dog-walking and pet-sitting business. Through his work, he meets and cares for an extraordinary cast of characters, including a precocious seven-year-old girl and a nun and her unruly parrot. Meanwhile, Eddy’s former girlfriend, Boo, is back, and their relationship fraught, to say the least. And his best friend, Thomas Moore, who lives in a cabin behind his parents’ house, is suffering from a mysterious and devastating illness. Layered and resonant, intellectually rigorous, and as soothing as it is shocking, this sophisticated literary novel for mature teens plumbs the depths of trauma and healing. With its sensitive take on important issues—including grief and faith, unplanned pregnancy, and mental illness and self-harm—Eddy’s story will speak volumes to adult readers also.