During his years as Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, well-known Vatican prelate Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger has given three in-depth interviews. The first two interviews have become best selling books: The Ratzinger Report and Salt of the Earth. Because of the tremendous reception those books received, the Cardinal agreed to do another interview with journalist Peter Seewald, who had done the very popular Salt of the Earth interview. This third in-depth interview addresses deep questions of faith and the living of that faith in the modern world. The interview took place over three full days spent at the Benedictine Abbey of Monte Cassino in a setting of the silence, prayer, and hospitality of the monks. For this meeting with the highly regarded Churchman, theologian, and author, the seasoned journalist, who had fallen away from the faith but eventually returned to the Church, once again provided a very stimulating, well-prepared series of wide-ranging questions on profound issues. The Cardinal responds with candor, frankness and deep insight, giving answers that are sometimes surprising and always thought provoking.

At the time of Jesus' birth , the world was full of gods. Thousands of them jostled, competed and merged with one another. In Syria ecstatic devotees castrated themselves in the streets to become priests of Atargatis In Galilee, holy men turned oil into wine, healed the sick, drove out devils, and claimed to be the Messiah. Every day thousands of people were leaving their family and tribes behind them and flocking into brand new multi-ethnic cities. The ancient world was in ferment as it underwent the first phase of globalisation, and in this ferment rulers and ruled turned to religion as a source of order and stability. Augustus, the first emperor of Rome (though he never dared officially to call himself so) was maneuvering his way to becoming worshipped as a god – it was one of the most brilliant makeovers ever undertaken by a ruler and his spin doctors. In North Africa, Amanirenas the warrior queen exploited her god-like status to inspire her armies to face and defeat Rome. In China the usurper Wang Mang won and lost his throne because of his obsession with Confucianism. To explore the power that religious belief has had over societies through the ages, Selina O'Grady takes the reader on a dazzling journey across the empires of the ancient world and introduces us to rulers, merchants, messiahs, priests and holy men. Throughout, she seeks to answer why, amongst the countless religious options available, the empires at the time of Jesus ‘chose' the religions they did? Why did China's rulers hitch their fate to Confucianism, a philosophy more than a religion? And why was a tiny Jewish cult led by Jesus eventually adopted by Rome's emperors rather than the cult of Isis which was far more popular and widespread? The Jesus cult , followed by no more than 100 people at the time of his death, should, by rights, have disappeared in a few generations. Instead it became the official religion of the Roman Empire. Why did Christianity grow so quickly to become the predominant world religion? What was it about its teachings that so appealed to people? And Man Created God looks at why and how religions have had such an immense impact on human history and in doing so uncovers the ineradicable connection between politics and religion - a connection which still defines us in our own age. This is an important, thrilling and necessary new work of history.

"God, the world and man are three themes which have exercised the human mind in every culture and every era. This book studies them in the light of Holy Scripture." "A book of scholarship, it is written in a style accessible to people who have no particular familiarity with biblical studies. But it will typically be used as a textbook and work of reference by students of theology." "An introductory chapter surveys the current state of development of biblical theology. The core of the book studies the themes of God, the world and man in the context of salvation history."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

YOU DESERVE AN AMAZING MAN! So, where is he? Does he even exist? I can tell you that he does and that he is out there, chosen by God Himself and waiting for you to experience an amazing relationship with him. But there are things to consider in order to recognize and receive this man, and that’s where The Man God Has for You: 7 Traits to Help You Determine Your Life Partner comes in. Inside these pages is a guide not just to help you determine if the man of your interest is the right one, but also to help you get to the underlying issues that may prevent you from recognizing if he is truly the one for you. This guide will tackle 3 key points: - Address the misconception of not enough men - Give 7 essential traits to determine if the man you seek is the one God intended for you - Provide guidance on how to heal from your past and be open to the possibilities of embracing love This is not another “how to get a man” guide. This book goes deeper to remove any excess baggage, as well as assess the ways you’ve gone about seeking the man who is for you. A compliment to GOD Where’s My Boaz, this dating and relationship book will help you prepare and position yourself to receive the man who is waiting to receive you. Don't get caught up in a relationship with the man God never intended you to be with…read The Man God Has for You now and get ready to recognize and receive the right one.

Bestselling author of Geography of Bliss returns with this funny, illuminating chronicle of a globe-spanning spiritual quest to find a faith that fits. When a health scare puts him in the hospital, Eric Weiner-an agnostic by default-finds himself tangling with an unexpected question, posed to him by a well-meaning nurse. "Have you found your God yet?" The thought of it nags him, and prods him-and ultimately launches him on a far-flung journey to do just that. Weiner, a longtime "spiritual voyeur" and inveterate traveler, realizes that while he has been privy to a wide range of religious practices, he's never seriously considered these concepts in his own life. Face to face with his own mortality, and spurred on by the question of what spiritual principles to impart to his young daughter, he decides to correct this omission, undertaking a worldwide exploration of religions and hoping to come, if he can, to a personal understanding of the divine. The journey that results is rich in insight, humor, and heart. Willing to do anything to better understand faith, and to find the god or gods that speak to him, he travels to Nepal, where he meditates with Tibetan lamas and a guy named Wayne. He sojourns to Turkey, where he whirls (not so well, as it turns out) with Sufi dervishes. He heads to China, where he attempts to unblock his chi; to Israel, where he studies Kabbalah, sans Madonna; and to Las Vegas, where he has a close encounter with Raelians (followers of the world's largest UFO-based religion). At each stop along the way, Weiner tackles our most pressing spiritual questions: Where do we come from? What happens when we die? How should we live our lives? Where do all the missing socks go? With his trademark wit and warmth, he leaves no stone unturned. At a time when more Americans than ever are choosing a new faith, and when spiritual questions loom large in the modern age, Man Seeks God presents a perspective on religion that is sure to delight, inspire, and entertain.

What can one man do? History is filled with world-changing events that turned on the hinge of a single person taking action. Their decisions and words shaped the world later generations came to inhabit. In The Power of One Man, author Ron Archer examines biblical figures who changed the world in which they lived, then applies those lessons to the challenges men face today—deftly weaving the narrative with stories of both failure and success in his own life in a way that is not only educational, but inspirational. Most of the social problems in our culture stem from an epidemic of fatherlessness. But as Ron’s own life demonstrates, God has a plan to redeem and restore those areas by redeeming and restoring men themselves—one individual at a time. What can God do with just one man? Anything He wants to—if you let Him.