Toward a Meaningful Life is a spiritual road map for living based on the teachings of one of the foremost religious leaders of our time: Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Head of the Lubavitcher movement for forty-four years and recognized throughout the world simply as "the Rebbe," Menachem Mendel Schneerson, who passed away in June 1994, was a sage and a visionary of the highest order. Toward a Meaningful Life gives people of all backgrounds fresh perspectives on every aspect of their lives--from birth to death, youth to old a≥ marriage, love, intimacy, and family; the persistent issues of career, health, pain, and suffering; and education, faith, science, and government. We learn to bridge the divisions between accelerated technology and decelerated morality, between unprecedented worldwide unity and unparalleled personal disunity. Although the Rebbe's teachings are firmly anchored in more than three thousand years of scholarship, the urgent relevance of these old-age truths to contemporary life has never been more manifest. At the threshold of a new world where matter and spirit converge, the Rebbe proposes spiritual principles that unite people as opposed to the materialism that divides them. In doing so, he continues to lead us toward personal and universal redemption, toward a meaningful life, and toward God.

"Jewish theologian Peter Ochs argues that a significant and expanding movement in recent Christian theology offers a way for Christians to rededicate themselves to the gospel message and to classical, patristic doctrines of the church without revisiting classical claims that, with the coming of Christ, God has replaced his love of the Jewish people with his love of the church. Ochs examines the christologies and pneumatologies of leading postliberal theologians George Lindbeck, Robert Jenson, Stanley Hauerwas, John Howard Yoder, Daniel Hardy, and David Ford, who argue in their work that God's love of Christ and the church does not replace his love of Israel and the Jews. Another Reformation not only provides a detailed study of the movement of recent postliberal Christian theology in the United States and the United Kingdom but also offers stimulating Jewish-Christian theological exchange. Ochs's realization that some Christian thinkers retain a place for the people of Israel opens up the possibility of new understanding and deepens the Jewish-Christian dialogue" -- Publisher description.

For people who never thought they would read a book of theology--let alone understand it, enjoy it, savor it and have it affect the way they think about their lives. In forty-five intense meditations, each a page or two in length, Stone takes us on explorations of the most basic human struggles: life and death, love and anger, peace and war, covenant and exile.

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.

A fascinating exploration of the many faces of God and what they reveal about our own humanity. He was a whole pantheon in Himself.... He constantly appeared in many and ever-changing roles lest He be frozen and converted into the dumb idols He Himself despised. God was a polyvalent personality who, by mirroring to man His many faces, provided the models that man so needed to survive and flourish. This is the true humanity of God. --from the Introduction In scholarly but accessible terms, with many startling and controversial insights, renowned Bible scholar Dr. Yochanan Muffs examines the anthropomorphic evolution of the Divine Image--from creator of the cosmos to God the father, God the husband, God the king, God the "chess-player," God the ultimate master--and how these different images of God have shaped our faith and world view. Muffs also examines how expressions of divine power, divine will and divine love throughout the Bible have helped develop the contemporary human condition and our enriching dialectic between faith and doubt.

What does it mean to trust in God? How can man love God? If timidity is unwholesome, why does Scripture speak of the fear of God? When should a lie be told? What ought to be our attitude to warfare? Of what relevance is the ideal of holiness to men and women of this age? How can pride be conquered? Can a man love his neighbor as himself? In Jewish Values , these and many other ethical and religious questions are considered in the light of Jewish teachings. It is the author's thesis that a gap exists between traditional views as presented in the classic sources of Judaism and their application in the lives of our contemporaries, but he is convinced that this gap can be bridged. This book is a contribution to the building of such a bridge or, at least, as the author suggests, it is a surveyor's plan of part of the work to be done.

Unlock the powerful truths that shattered ancient beliefs and paved the way for the new and revolutionary religion that became Judaism. This is a unique look at the Torah--the foundation of Jewish existence--and the revolutionary teachings of Moses embedded within it that gave birth to Judaism and influenced the world. Dr. Reuven Hammer presents fourteen radical ideas found in Torah, explains their original intentions, and shows how understanding these "truths" can help you better understand the narrative and laws of Judaism. He shows how when taken together, these value concepts present a picture of human life that is surprisingly modern and relevant to our goals for repairing the world today: * Humanity is one as God is one * Human beings are responsible for their actions and have the choice to do good or evil * Poverty, deprivation, slavery and hatred are evils that must be eradicated * The earth is not ours to destroy * The love of others is a divine command * And much more ...

The ancient wisdom of the great Hebrew mystics makes one essential promise: "There is a better way to live." In his follow-up to the national bestseller "Soul Prints," renowned spiritual leader Marc Gafni addresses the ever-important issue of our erotic connection to the universe. "The Mystery of Love"takes us on an extraordinary journey that illuminates the path toward all-encompassing and enduring love -- one that enables us to experience the full eros of living. With clarity and compassion, Rabbi Gafni teaches us how to live with passion and love in all facets of our lives. "The Mystery of Love" begins with a radical new understanding of loving, drawn from the ancient wisdom texts of the Kabbalist tradition, and explains how ten unique qualities of sexuality (The Hebrew Tantra) can serve as our spiritual guides in the creation of a loving, passionate existence in every dimension of our lives.

The essays collected here, prepared by a think tank of the Elijah Interfaith Academy, explore the challenges associated with sharing wisdom—learning, teachings, messages for good living. How should religions go about sharing their wisdom? These chapters, representing six faith tradition (Jewish, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, and Buddhist), explore what wisdom means in each of these traditions; why and how it should be shared, internally and externally; and the role of love and forgiveness in sharing. This book offers a theory that can enrich ongoing encounters between members of faith traditions by suggesting a tradition-based practice of sharing wisdom, while preserving the integrity of the teaching and respecting the identity of anyone with whom wisdom is shared. Contributors: Pal Ahluwalia, Timothy Gianotti, Alon Goshen-Gottstein, Sallie B. King, Anantanand Rambachan, Meir Sendor, Miroslav Volf

I Am Who Loves the Prophets is a beautiful and haunting meditation on exile, a central experience in the history of the Jewish people but now experienced by diverse peoples and faiths around the world. For Jewish theologian Marc H. Ellis, exile began when he found his voice of dissent after the Holocaust and after what Israel has done and is doing to the Palestinian people. In these meditations, Ellis brings us to an intimate encounter with God as his exile deepens and he finds meaning in the everyday joys and anxieties of life. Ellis's meditations are also conversations with exiles of all stripes, an eclectic group of writers--Franz Kafka, Albert Camus, Samuel Beckett, Adrienne Rich--and spiritual guides--Thomas Merton, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Simone Weil, Shunryu Suzuki. Shall we join the conversation?