The Long Snapper - A Second Chance, A Super Bowl, A Lesson for Life by Jeffrey Marx

$12.00 NZD

Category: Religion | Reading Level: very good

Brian Kinchen was a thirty-eight-year-old husband, father of four, and seventh-grade Bible teacher whose professional football career had been over for three years when the New England Patriots called on December 15, 2003. With the Patriots riding a ten-game winning streak and the playoffs only a few we eks away, they needed a fill-in for the obscure but vital job of snapping the ball for their punter and kicker-a long snapper. Brian had received similar invitations to tryouts that yielded only disappointment-the teams always went with a younger guy. But could he really turn away from the chance of a lifetime? The Long Snapper chronicles Brian’s remarkable journey as he and the Patriots seek the ultimate trophy. Unfortunately, the dream come true turns into a personal nightmare as Brian struggles both on and off the field, and the pressure to perform on the biggest stage in professional sports nearly causes him to walk away. Seven weeks after leaving the classroom, however, Brian overcomes his greatest fear and snaps the ball on the historic game-winning field goal with only seconds left in the Super Bowl. As told by Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Jeffrey Marx, The Long Snapper is the story of a man who finally achieves the success he has always wanted. Brian Kinchen’s championship ring is a powerful status symbol for all to see. But his journey forces him to reexamine what really matters, and he realizes the true measure of a man has nothing to do with status: life is not about prestige, it is about passion and purpose. It is about impacting the lives of others. ...Show more

The Big Questions: God by Mark Vernon

$12.00 NZD

Category: Religion | Reading Level: very good

The Big Questions series is designed to let renowned experts address the 20 most fundamental and frequently asked questions of a major branch of science or philosophy. Each 3000-word essay simply and concisely examines a question that has eternally perplexed enquiring minds, and provides answers based o n the latest research. This ambitious project is a unique distillation of humanity's best ideas. In The Big Questions: God, Mark Vernon answers the 20 key questions: Can reason prove the existence of God? Why do people still have religious beliefs? Can drugs induce religious experiences? Have you seen a miracle? If you're not religious, is nothing sacred? Is religion inherently violent? What is Buddhist enlightenment? Is nature divine? Does human suffering rule out God? Are we living in the end times? Will science bring the end of religion? Is religion a mistake of evolution? Can you be spiritual without being religious? What is the literal meaning of Scripture? Can an agnostic pray? What is it like to be a fundamentalist? Is Confucianism a religion? Is there a perennial philosophy? Can we be good without God? Is there life after death? ...Show more

Die Apokalypse aus dem Altgriechischen ubersetst und kommentiert by Kurt Steinmann; Jurgen Kaube

$45.00 NZD

Category: Religion | Reading Level: near fine

The Upraised Hand: The Spiritual Significance of the Rise of the Ringatu Faith by William Greenwood

$65.00 NZD

Category: Maori | Reading Level: very good

To Live Among the Stars. Christian origins in Oceania by John Garrett

$25.00 NZD

Category: Pacific | Reading Level: very good

Science in Medieval Islam - An Illustrated Introduction by Howard R. Turner

$16.00 NZD

Category: Science | Reading Level: very good

During the Golden Age of Islam (seventh through seventeenth centuries A.D.), Muslim philosophers and poets, artists and scientists, princes and laborers created a unique culture that has influenced societies on every continent. This book offers a fully illustrated, highly accessible introduction to an i mportant aspect of that culture--the scientific achievements of medieval Islam.Howard Turner opens with a historical overview of the spread of Islamic civilization from the Arabian peninsula eastward to India and westward across northern Africa into Spain. He describes how a passion for knowledge led the Muslims during their centuries of empire-building to assimilate and expand the scientific knowledge of older cultures, including those of Greece, India, and China. He explores medieval Islamic accomplishments in cosmology, mathematics, astronomy, astrology, geography, medicine, natural sciences, alchemy, and optics. He also indicates the ways in which Muslim scientific achievement influenced the advance of science in the Western world from the Renaissance to the modern era. This survey of historic Muslim scientific achievements offers students and general readers a window into one of the world's great cultures, one which is experiencing a remarkable resurgence as a religious, political, and social force in our own time. ...Show more

Beyond Belief: Islamic Excursions among the Converted Peoples by V. S. Naipaul

$12.00 NZD

Category: Travel | Reading Level: very good

A World without Islam by Graham E. Fuller

$14.00 NZD

Category: Social Science | Reading Level: very good

What if Islam never existed? To some, it's a comforting thought: no clash of civilizations, no holy wars, no terrorists. But what if that weren't the case at all? In A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM, Graham E. Fuller guides us along an illuminating journey through history, geopolitics, and religion to investigate whether or not Islam is indeed the cause of some of today's most emotional and important international crises. Fuller takes us from the birth of Islam to the fall of Rome to the rise and collapse of the Ottoman Empire. He examines and analyzes the roots of terrorism, the conflict in Israel, and the role of Islam in supporting and energizing the anti-imperial struggle. Provocatively, he finds that contrary to the claims of many politicians, thinkers, theologians, and soldiers, a world without Islam might not look vastly different from what we know today. Filled with fascinating details and counterintuitive conclusions, A WORLD WITHOUT ISLAM is certain to inspire debate and reshape the way we think about Islam's relationship with the West. ...Show more

People Like Us: How arrogance is dividing Islam and the West by Waleed Aly

$14.00 NZD

Category: Social Science | Reading Level: very good

No two civilisations have spoken so many words about each other in recent years as those of Islam and the West. And no two seem to have communicated less. People Like Us confronts the themes that define this chasm head-on: women, jihad, secularism, terrorism, reformation and modernity. Its piercing exam ination of these subjects reveals our thoughtless and destructive tendency to assume that the world's problems could be solved if only everyone became more like us. The result is deep mutual ignorance and animosity, reinforced by both Muslim and Western commentators. As a Muslim born and raised in Australia, Waleed Aly stands at the intersection of these two civilisations. In this book, he draws on his knowledge of Western and Islamic intellectual traditions to present an analysis that is surprising and challenging, but always enlightening. ...Show more

Jesus: The Cold Case. Reinvestigating the death of the mosrt famous person in history by Bryan Bruce

$14.00 NZD

Category: Religion | Reading Level: very good

For true crime investigator Bryan Bruce the death of Jesus of Nazareth is the ultimate cold case. The two deceptively simple questions, Who killed Jesus ? And why? serve as the starting point for his landmark re-examination of the mysterious circumstances surrounding the death of the most famous person in history. His conclusion is that the Gospels' account of the arrest, trial and execution of Jesus is so flawed that the traditional Easter story in which the Jew set Jesus up to be executed by the Romans simply does not make any sense. He argues that it is based on a lie told in the first century by Christian writers and copyists trying to spin-doctor their new religion to appeal to the Romans. In the process they laundered the character of Pilate and darkened the character of the Jews. The terrible outcome of this lie takes us right to the gates of Auschwitrz. This deeply researched book is a remarkable achievement, and an extraordinary contribution to the many-layered fascination with life and death of Jesus. ...Show more

Religion in Roman Egypt - Assimilation and Resistance by David Frankfurter

$20.00 NZD

Category: Ancient History | Series: Mythos: the Princeton/Bollingen Series in World Mythology Ser. | Reading Level: very good

This exploration of cultural resilience examines the complex fate of classical Egyptian religion during the centuries from the period when Christianity first made its appearance in Egypt to when it became the region's dominant religion (roughly 100 to 600 C.E. Taking into account the full range of witne sses to continuing native piety--from papyri and saints' lives to archaeology and terracotta figurines--and drawing on anthropological studies of folk religion, David Frankfurter argues that the religion of Pharonic Egypt did not die out as early as has been supposed but was instead relegated from political centers to village and home, where it continued a vigorous existence for centuries. In analyzing the fate of the Egyptian oracle and of the priesthoods, the function of magical texts, and the dynamics of domestic cults, Frankfurter describes how an ancient culture maintained itself while also being transformed through influences such as Hellenism, Roman government, and Christian dominance. Recognizing the special characteristics of Egypt, which differentiated it from the other Mediterranean cultures that were undergoing simultaneous social and political changes, he departs from the traditional decline of paganism/triumph of Christianity model most often used to describe the Roman period. By revealing late Egyptian religion in its Egyptian historical context, he moves us away from scenarios of Christian triumph and shows us how long and how energetically pagan worship survived. ...Show more

A Thousand Years Of Christianity In Hungary by Pal Csefalvay

$25.00 NZD

Category: Art | Reading Level: very good