AN Earthy Look At Christianity. Many biblical terms have a consistent symbolic significance from Genesis to Revelation eg nudity, light and darkness, virgins, harlots. Nudity occurs in three of the most significant events in the whole Bible, and in every case it is best understood symbolically. This book demonstrates that symbolism is so powerful it can, for example, change the status of Isaiah's virgin birth prophecy from an absurdity to an astonishing fulfilment of prophecy. Harlots (described in the book as God's warning lights) also figure very prominently in the biblical coverage of both Jews and Christians. Another key theme is to show that the raw seed-concepts of the Hebrew Bible evolve so neatly into the Christian New Testament viewpoint over a 1000+ years that readers may conclude uninspired biblical script writers could not have organized it. Here are some quotes from the book that introduce intriguing and/or provocative new trains of thought: 1 "If you think linking sex with religious experience is a bit rich then you need to do some more Bible study." 2 "Indulgence in adultery is the most obvious of the sins proscribed in the Ten Commandments that could trace directly to hormonal influences." 3 "Should we be joining Haters Anonymous, Schadenfreude Anonymous or Egotists Anonymous . . in order to qualify for a better land and to actually enjoy it." 4 "Some of our excretory functions are less than ideal for a brand new earth . . the creator team could have done better by us . . if they wanted to." 5 "It is tacitly assumed God did not conduct experiments in His creation efforts. No need to . . He knows the end from the beginning! But . . ." Other challenging insights emerge in connection with Lot's use of his daughters as sex-sops, the possible symbolic significance of the Mosaic decree to cut off a lady's hand if she squeezed testicles, the massaging of data in St Matthew's genealogies, a religious uncertainty principle, and the reason God doesn't do something to stop the frightful things happening in the world. This is not a book built on hype and emotion.It makes extensive use of scholarly sources but has a light-hearted journalistic approach and is easy to read. In exploring the spiritual import of sexual issues in nature and revelation it offers fresh perspectives on the bitter creation-evolution debate, the gross and genocidal behavior of the chosen people, the currently unacceptable biblical restrictions on human sexual behavior, and the decidedly low-key role of women in organized religion. Innovative, succinct, engaging, thought-provoking, and sometimes shocking!

How is love different from lust or infatuation? Do love and marriage really go together "like a horse and carriage"? Does sex have any necessary connection to either? And how important are love, sex, and marriage to a well-lived life? In the Second Edition of this lively, lucid, and comprehensive book, Raja Halwani explores and elucidates the nature, uses, and ethics of romantic love, sexuality, and marriage. It is structured in three parts: Love examines the nature of romantic love and how it differs from other types of love, such as friendship and parental love. It also investigates the relationship of love to morality and asks what limits morality puts on romantic love and even whether romantic love is inherently moral. Sex demonstrates the difficulty in defining sex and the sexual, and examines what constitutes good and bad sex in terms of pleasure, "naturalness," and moral permissibility. It discusses the nature of sexual desire and its connection to objectification and virtue, all the while looking at specific sexual engagements such as pornography, BDSM, and raced desires. Marriage traces the history of the institution and describes the various forms in which marriage exists and the reasons why people marry. It also investigates the necessity of marriage and ways in which it requires reform. Updates and Revisions in the Second Edition Expands the coverage of love and morality from one to two chapters, incorporating much of the recent literature on love as a moral emotion. Includes a new chapter on sex and virtue ethics. Ends each of the chapters on sex with an "applied" topic, such as pornography, BDSM, prostitution, racial sexual desires, and adultery. Increases coverage of the nature and purpose of marriage, including debates surrounding same-sex marriage, but also moving beyond these debates to include issues on minimal marriage, temporary marriage, polygamy, and other forms of marriage. Updates the Further Reading and Study Questions sections at the end of each chapter and provides an up-to-date comprehensive bibliography at the back of the book. Includes new discussions of topics on the nature of love; love and reasons; distinctions between two types of romantic love; love and its connections to moral theories; definitions of crucial sexual concepts; objectification; virtue and sex; racial sexual desires; and the definition of marriage and whether it is important as an institution.

First comprehensive investigation of the major significance of female sinners turned saints in medieval literature.

Famously, Blake believed that 'without contraries' there could be no 'progression'. Conflict was integral to his artistic vision, and his style, but it had more to do with critical engagement than any urge to victory. The essays in this volume look at conflict as it marked Blake's thinking on politics, religion and the visual arts.

America needs to repent for the kingdom of God is at hand. This is a bold statement when the United States is considered to be the most powerful nation on Earth. Should we repent individually or collectively? In Why America Needs to Repent, author Pastor Dwane Massenburg explores the subject of repentance in today’s world, considering what repentance means and the pressing reasons why America should repent. He addresses a host of related questions: • How do we grapple with America being a predominately Christian nation in the twenty-first century? • Are Jesus’ teachings still relevant? • Are Christians allowed to be different now? • Has God changed his mind about what it means to be a Christian? • How should we act as Christians today? Based upon the Bible, the word of God, Why America Needs to Repent communicates crucial messages about repentance and its relevance and importance in today’s society. We need to repent because we work better together with God; understanding the love of God is the absolute best way to get us to do that. We need to repent because nothing else will work.

In 1732, a blasphemous burlesque of the Christian Atonement was published in England without comment from the government or Church of England. The author explains this absence of censure through a detailed examination of the parameters of blasphemy in 18th century England.

In The Virgin in Song, Thomas Arentzen explores the characterization of Mary in the songs of Romanos the Melodist, one of the greatest liturgical poets of Byzantium. Romanos's hymns shaped a figure, Arentzen argues, who related intimately to her flock in a formative period of Christian orthodoxy.