Why do humans who seem to be exemplars of virtue also have the capacity to act in atrocious ways? What are the roots of tendencies for sin and evil? A popular assumption is that it is our animalistic natures that are responsible for human immorality and sin, while our moral nature curtails and contains such tendencies through human powers of freedom and higher reason. This book challenges such assumptions as being far too simplistic. Through a careful engagement with evolutionary and psychological literature, Celia Deane-Drummond argues that tendencies towards vice are, more often than not, distortions of the very virtues that are capable of making us good. After beginning with Augustine's classic theory of original sin, the book probes the philosophical implications of sin's origins in dialogue with the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. Different vices are treated in both individual and collective settings in keeping with a multispecies approach. Areas covered include selfishness, pride, violence, anger, injustice, greed, envy, gluttony, deception, lying, lust, despair, anxiety, and sloth. The work of Thomas Aquinas helps to illuminate and clarify much of this discussion on vice, including those vices which are more distinctive for human persons in community with other beings. Such an approach amounts to a search for the shadow side of human nature, shadow sophia. Facing that shadow is part of a fuller understanding of what makes us human and thus this book is a contribution to both theological anthropology and theological ethics.

Why do humans who seem to be exemplars of virtue also have the capacity to act in atrocious ways? What are the roots of tendencies for sin and evil? A popular assumption is that it is our animalistic natures that are responsible for human immorality and sin, while our moral nature curtails and contains such tendencies through human powers of freedom and higher reason. This book challenges such assumptions as being far too simplistic. Through a careful engagement with evolutionary and psychological literature, Celia Deane-Drummond argues that tendencies towards vice are, more often than not, distortions of the very virtues that are capable of making us good. After beginning with Augustine's classic theory of original sin, the book probes the philosophical implications of sin's origins in dialogue with the philosophy of Paul Ricoeur. Different vices are treated in both individual and collective settings in keeping with a multispecies approach. Areas covered include selfishness, pride, violence, anger, injustice, greed, envy, gluttony, deception, lying, lust, despair, anxiety, and sloth. The work of Thomas Aquinas helps to illuminate and clarify much of this discussion on vice, including those vices which are more distinctive for human persons in community with other beings. Such an approach amounts to a search for the shadow side of human nature, shadow sophia. Facing that shadow is part of a fuller understanding of what makes us human and thus this book is a contribution to both theological anthropology and theological ethics.

Robert Bly, renowned poet and author of the ground-breaking bestseller Iron John, mingles essay and verse to explore the Shadow -- the dark side of the human personality -- and the importance of confronting it.

The book consists of the author's various pilgrimages to Orthodox Christian sites in Greece, Constantinople, and Jerusalem and includes historical and theological backgrounds of the sites visited.

How does a man pick up the pieces when his world crashes around him? Misplaced priorities shattered his marriage. Problems almost crushed him. Love motivated him to mend the damage, once he found all the pieces. After only a few months of marriage, Lorraine left Dylan on a wintry night after he'd spent one too many nights out with the guys. Unable to cope with the loss, Dylan escapes the painful feelings by drinking them away. This decision costs him a year-and-a-half of his life after he stops in a little mountain town and ends up in the local jail. When he's released, he returns home in search of a job to get his life...and his wife back. The Missing Piece is not only a love story about a man who loves a woman, but is also a love story about a merciful God who loves mankind, even when he falls. The novel is an emotionally-charged journey of hope and redemption with a touch of spunk, a hint of humor, and a few twists along the way. Fresh dialogue, realistic characters, a powerful message. McCormick does a great job creating her characters and portraying the struggles they endure - The Romance Readers Connection A real treat. Readers who delight in tales that focus on second chance relationships with the Lord and beloved humans will relish Carol McCormick's heartening novel - Harriet Klausner, Amazon's #1 Hall of Fame Reviewer (FIVE STARS) The Missing Piece is a well-written story of Christian life and love that readers everywhere will enjoy - Readers' Favorite Review - Alice DiNizo (FIVE STARS) Inspiring and encouraging. Anyone who desires a restoration to their spirit should read The Missing Piece- Myshelf. com A wonderful, heartwarming Christian romance. This is definitely a story that I recommend to all lovers of Christian romance - Escape to Romance

Sophia's Table has emerged from the first contemplative writing series I offered. Four women writers joined me for what was to be a six-week series. At the completion of the series, they decided to continue on a monthly basis for six months, then again, and once again. The work became more personal as the women's trust deepened into friendship over the course of the year in which they shared their stories. All of us have found writing to be central to leading healthy, balanced lives; to gaining fresh perspective; and to finding meaning and purpose. Each of us has a distinct voice pitched and toned by her unique life experience. Yet Sophias Table is more than a collection of voices. The production of the book itself is a true collaboration of time and talent, engaging the gifts of each of us to bring the book to publication.

The figure of Christ is at the heart of Christian faith and self-understanding, whether conservative or liberal. In this volume, widely acclaimed theologian Celia Deane-Drummond sets out to develop an understanding of Christ that is far more conscious of the evolutionary history of humanity and current evolutionary theories about the natural world. It argues that the concepts of wisdom and wonder have special roles in both theology and science and can point to an integrated, inclusive spirituality and a fuller vision of life and the universe. Book jacket.