Why was Abraham ordered to sacrifice his son? Was Jacob right in stealing the blessings? Why were we commanded to destroy Amalek? What was Moses' sin in hitting the rock? And how did the Ten Commandments change the Jewish people, and humankind, for good? Essays on Ethics is the second companion volume to Rabbi Jonathan Sacks's celebrated series Covenant & Conversation. Believing the Hebrew Bible to be the ultimate blueprint for Western morality, Rabbi Sacks embarks upon an ethical exploration of the weekly Torah portion, uncovering its message of truth and justice, dignity and compassion, forgiveness and love--

"How can you believe all this stuff? This is the number-one question Catholics get asked and, sometimes, we ask ourselves. Why do we believe that God exists, that he became a man and came to save us, that what looks like a wafer of bread is actually his body? Why do we believe that he inspired a holy book and founded an infallible Church to teach us the one true way to live? Ever since he became Catholic, Trent Horn has spent a lot of time answering these questions, trying to explain to friends, family, and total strangers the reasons for his Catholic faith. Some didn't believe in God, or even in the existence of truth. Others said they were spiritual but didn't think you needed religion to be happy. Some were Christians who thought Catholic doctrines over-complicated the pure gospel. And some were fellow Catholics who had a hard time understanding everything they professed to believe on Sunday. Why We're Catholic assembles the clearest, friendliest, most helpful answers that Trent learned to give to all these people and more. Beginning with how we can know reality and ending with our hope of eternal life, it s the perfect way to help skeptics and seekers (or Catholics who want to firm up their faith) understand the evidence that bolsters our belief and brings us joy" --

Celebrated sex expert and bestselling author Dr. Ruth Westheimer bridges the gap between sex and religion in this provocative exploration of intimacy in the Jewish faith. In this light-hearted, lively tour of Jewish sexuality, Dr. Ruth K. Westheimer and Jonathan Mark team up to reveal how the Jewish tradition is much more progressive than popular wisdom might lead one to believe. Applying Dr. Ruth's acclaimed brand of couples therapy to such Biblical relationships as Abraham and Sarah, and Joseph and Potiphar's wife, the authors enlist Biblical lore to explore such topics as surrogacy, incest, and arranged marriages. They offer a clearer understanding of the intertwining relationships between sexuality and spirituality through incisive investigations of the Song of Songs, Ruth, Proverbs, Psalms, and some of the bawdier tales of the Prophets. One chapter provides a provocative new perspective on the Sabbath as a weekly revival, highlighting not only its spiritual nature, but also its marital and sexual aspects. Focusing specifically on Orthodox forms of Judaism and offering Dr. Ruth's singular interpretations, the book answers such questions as: What night of the week is best for making love? How often should couples have sex? Can traditional Jewish notions of sex and sexuality be reconciled with contemporary beliefs? What roles can and do dreams and fantasy play? In Heavenly Sex, America's favorite sex therapist takes readers on a frank and fascinating journey to the heart of Jewish sexuality as she fits twenty-first century sexual mores into an ancient--and lusty--spiritual tradition

Experience a complete meditation course with one of the West’s most renowned Buddhist teachers. Know Where You're Going provides a full course of instruction in Buddhist meditation and reflection, and contains a wealth of exercises and advice to help the reader grow. As we put these teachings into practice over time, we learn to see things as they really are and discover transcendence right here in our everyday lives. Ayya Khema shows us how to live a wholehearted spiritual life, even amid our day to day concerns and responsibilities. Her teachings unfold simply, free of jargon, and are ideal for the contemporary world. Grounding the practice of more advanced meditations in a deeply cultivated sense of mindfulness, love, and altruism, Khema shows us, step by step, how to access to liberation and freedom. Know Where You're Going was previously published under the title When the Iron Eagle Flies.

"In Tenderness, Eve Tushnet offers hope and companionship for gay Christians who have been hurt by their churches and feel cut off from God. Tushnet shares the tools that helped her find a place in Catholicism as a celibate lesbian, and offers practical guidance from her own journey of learning to trust God's love"--

God and the Ways of Being --The Secret of the Sh'ma --God Above, God Within --The Two and the One --God as Y-H-W-H: "Is-was-will be" is one! --Speak my Name --Seeking God: Look First to Love --In God's Own Image: Seek My Face --Face to Face --Male and Female: An Excursus --One and Two --Creation --One God, two Ways --Creation and the Jewish Question --Creation and the Struggle for Faith --What Comes "First"? --Two Tales --The One and the Many --Who is at the Center? --Evolution: An Ongoing Process --From Aggadah to Halakhah --The First Mitzvah: Be Aware --In God's Image --Celebrating Creation: The Mitzvah of Shabbat --"To Work it and Guard it": Preserving God's World --Vegetarianism: A Kashrut for Our Age --Human Love and Human Pain --The Human Being: Bearer of Divine Compassion --Revelation --Y-H-W-H and Language --Before the Mountain --Human Understanding and Divine Speech --The Inner Mountain --Torah as the Name of God --Revelation and the Inward Journey --The Role of Covenant: A Reinterpretation --Revelation and Torah --Revelation, Will, and Law --The Personal Path: Accepting the Yoke --Sinai and Language --Sinai and Study --Sinai and Community --The Three Festivals: Sinai and the Sacred Cycle --The Word in Our Day --Redemption --The Light of the First Day --Crying Out for the Light --Redemption as Coming Home --The Bible: A Tale of Exile --Homecoming and Teshuvah --Teshuvah and the Sacred Year --The Redemptive Task: Getting to Work.

Its momentum building, the “Jesus Movement” is unfolding, with Episcopalians longing to embody our branch of the movement in the world. John Newton’s contribution is this look at God’s reckless love. His aim is not for the head, but for the heart, to connect people with their passion and love for Jesus Christ, reawakening what may be dormant, because ultimately, it is not clever ideas but passion that mobilizes people. The Jesus Movement is not about our move toward God, but about a God who is for us in Christ Jesus, constantly moving toward fragile and broken humanity, recklessly loving us in all seasons and circumstances. Newton draws heavily from the gospels, and speaks to the grace of God in Jesus Christ. Each chapter begins with a gospel passage used to challenge the way we think about God, love, morality, grace, mission, evangelism, and the church. Three discussion questions in each chapter and the book can be used as a 10-week study, with groups discussing two chapters at a time. Chapters are intentionally short, and each unpacks a specific episode in Jesus’s life that illuminates the reckless love of God in Christ.

The author traces the spiritual face of Judaism in its quest for spiritual perfection through early rabbinic sources and in Jewish philosophy and mysticism.