The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

At some point or the other, everyone experiences personal crisis, emotionally and mentally, reaching levels of utter despondency and despair. In some instances, these individuals require interventions which literally borders on the miraculous. Many fail to lift themselves out of such circumstances because they do not know how to access the resources which are able to move them to vitality of life and meaningful living. The reading of this book will instill hope for those who have come to the end of the road emotionally and spiritually. I want readers to know that a way out has already been prepared beforehand for them. They will learn why all things are possible, but why it doesnt happen, what process they need to follow to invite the miraculous into their lives and how they can live with vitality and dynamism. The Possibility Zone, The place where faith becomes reality, is a book which explores the realm which possesses all the resources for us to free ourselves from the grip of despondency. It teaches how God has put in place the mechanisms for us to live in vitality and meaningfulness. Examining of the causes of despondency, understanding the nature, design and purpose of the Possibility Zone and implementing the suggested life principles will help people to take hold of their great destinies which lie within their grasp.

The Bible teaches us that we are to be filled with God's Spirit and that God's presence and grace is manifested among his people as they serve, love, and minister to one another. Yet some of the gifts that God offers to his people aren't commonly seen in many churches today. Gifts of prophecy, healing, tongues, and other supernatural gifts of God seem to be absent, and many Christians are unsure how to cultivate an atmosphere where God's Spirit can work while remaining committed to the foundational truth of God's Word. How can Christians pursue and implement the miraculous gifts of the Spirit without falling into fanatical excess and splitting the church in the process? In Practicing the Power, pastor and author Sam Storms offers practical steps to understanding and exercising spiritual gifts in a way that remains grounded in the word and centered in the gospel. With examples drawn from his forty years of ministry as a pastor and teachers, Storms offers a guidebook that can help pastors, elders, and church members understand what changes are needed to see God move in supernatural power and to guard against excess and abuse of the spiritual gifts. If you long to see God's Spirit move in your church and life, and aren't sure why that isn't happening or where to begin, this book is for you.

Throughout its entire history, the discipline of anthropology has been perceived as undermining, or even discrediting, Christian faith. Many of its most prominent theorists have been agnostics who assumed that ethnographic findings and theories had exposed religious beliefs to be untenable. E. B. Tylor, the founder of the discipline in Britain, lost his faith through studying anthropology. James Frazer saw the material that he presented in his highly influential work, The Golden Bough, as demonstrating that Christian thought was based on the erroneous thought patterns of 'savages.' On the other hand, some of the most eminent anthropologists have been Christians, including E. E. Evans-Pritchard, Mary Douglas, Victor Turner, and Edith Turner. Moreover, they openly presented articulate reasons for how their religious convictions cohered with their professional work. Despite being a major site of friction between faith and modern thought, the relationship between anthropology and Christianity has never before been the subject of a book-length study. In this groundbreaking work, Timothy Larsen examines the point where doubt and faith collide with anthropological theory and evidence.

Looking at both historical and contemporary contexts, the author argues that religion has played a major role in suppressing scientific pursuit.

Have you ever struggled to have faith in the midst of the chaos of life? The real world looks nothing like reality television. There's no script to follow; there's no editor to clean up the mistakes. No hair and make up. No stylists. The real world isn't always pretty. It can get messy, it can test your limits and it can be confusing. Get Real is the companion guide to a 6-week bible study that teaches what it means to have real faith in the real world. Each week looks in-depth at a different woman from the Bible to identify six different meanings for the word "real" and how they relate to faith. You will learn that real means: - TRUE - ACTUAL - GENUINE - COMPLETE - SIGNIFICANT - EVERYDAY