The Bible today is weaponized by both liberals and conservatives, each side cherry-picking their favorite verses. Have you ever wondered why the Bible lends itself to supporting contradictory positions in moral debates--why even the devil quotes Scripture? If so, you will enjoy this book. Haunted by Paradise reveals the unity and coherence of the Bible in the light of paradise. The Bible begins in Eden and ends in the new Jerusalem--in between, the Bible is haunted by the memory of paradise lost and the hope for paradise regained. With paradise as the interpretive key, Murphy unlocks biblical ethics. He shows that there is no Old Testament ethics or New Testament ethics--only a unified biblical ethics. In sixteen short chapters, this book addresses urgent moral questions about issues ranging from capital punishment to war, including divine justice, homosexuality, marriage, nature, racism, patriarchy, and work. In each chapter, Murphy shows how the Bible negotiates the tension between divine ideals and human realities.

Alexander Pushkin is Russia’s most beloved poet. Pushkin is a decedent of a noble family on his father’s side and on his mother’s side the great-grandson of Peter the Great’s Blackamoor slave, who was presented with his freedom and became a general in the tsar’s Navy. Pushkin’s poem “Ode to Liberty” brought hope to the Russian people during a time when other countries were defining their democracy. He is considered to be the Shakespeare of Russian literature having inspired many other writers to follow him. He was revered for his masterpiece Eugene Onegin, and like the hero in his masterpiece became changed by the woman he loved. As a poet, he was also known as the patron saint of dueling having fought many duels during his short life, often over a matter of words or women. His last duel was surrounded with mystery involving an anonymous letter accusing his wife of being unfaithful. He fought this duel to defend his wife’s honor and the mystery of the anonymous letter was never solved, until now! Explore the poetry and letters of Pushkin and read about his fascination with dueling, issues with religion, his struggles with censorship, the years he spent in exile while still serving the autocracy, his tribute to his comrades who fought in the Decembrist Uprising and his search for happiness as he finds and marries the most beautiful woman in all of Russia. Author M. A. DuVernet tells a captivating story of a black poet in Russia during the 1800’s, a man who believed in himself and became a legend in spite of the powerful few who hated him.

Does heaven exist? If so, what is it like? And how does one get in? Throughout history, painters, poets, philosophers, pastors, and many ordinary people have pondered these questions. Perhaps no other topic captures the popular imagination quite like heaven. Gary Scott Smith examines how Americans from the Puritans to the present have imagined heaven. He argues that whether Americans have perceived heaven as reality or fantasy, as God's home or a human invention, as a source of inspiration and comfort or an opiate that distracts from earthly life, or as a place of worship or a perpetual playground has varied largely according to the spirit of the age. In the colonial era, conceptions of heaven focused primarily on the glory of God. For the Victorians, heaven was a warm, comfortable home where people would live forever with their family and friends. Today, heaven is often less distinctively Christian and more of a celestial entertainment center or a paradise where everyone can reach his full potential. Drawing on an astounding array of sources, including works of art, music, sociology, psychology, folklore, liturgy, sermons, poetry, fiction, jokes, and devotional books, Smith paints a sweeping, provocative portrait of what Americans-from Jonathan Edwards to Mitch Albom-have thought about heaven.

Paradise Understood: New Philosophical Essays about Heaven systematically investigates heaven, or paradise, as conceived within theistic religious traditions such as Rabbinic Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. It considers a variety of topics concerning what life in paradise would, could, or will be like for human persons. The collection offers novel approaches to questions about heaven of perennial philosophical interest, and breaks new ground by expanding the range of questions about heaven that philosophers have considered. The contributors wrestle with questions about human life in paradise that span the spectrum of the major subfields of philosophical enquiry. By employing both historical and contemporary philosophical resources, the volume makes a pioneering contribution toward answering pressing questions about human life in paradise. It will serve as a platform for future research, reinvigorating philosophical investigation into these neglected topics within philosophy of religion.