Winner of the ACE / Mercers' Book Award 2014 Spectacular Miracles confronts an enduring Western belief in the supernatural power of images: that a statue or painting of the Madonna can fly through the air, speak, weep, or produce miraculous cures. Although contrary to widely held assumptions, the cults of particular paintings and statues held to be miraculous have persisted beyond the middle ages into the present, even in a modern European city such as Genoa, the primary focus of this book. Drawing upon rich documentation from northwest Italy and elsewhere, Spectacular Miracles shows how these images “work” in a range of historical contexts. Jane Garnett and Gervase Rosser vividly evoke ritual animation of the image and the phenomenology of the beholder’s experience. These images, they demonstrate, have the subversive potential of the miraculous image to bypass clerical and secular authority, a power enhanced by reproducibility—devotion is hard to control when a copy of a venerated image is held to carry the same supernatural potential as the original, even when in a digital form mediated by the Internet. Engaging with the history, anthropology, and visual culture of images and religion, Spectacular Miracles is a convincing study of the continuing power of faith and art.

The Best Is Yet to Come is an inspirational read that will help you navigate through lifes storms and adversities. You will be challenged to ascend higher, motivated to never quit, and equipped to tackle and conquer whatever life throws at you! Its not overit never is over. Discover secrets and revelations found in the Bible that are key to your victory. Uncover biblical truths and principles to strengthen your walk and strengthen you in the battlefield. Start declaringstart believing that the best is yet to come!

Saints and Signs analyzes a corpus of hagiographies, paintings, and other materials related to four of the most prominent saints of early modern Catholicism: Ignatius of Loyola, Philip Neri, Francis Xavier, and Therese of Avila. Verbal and visual documents – produced between the end of the Council of Trent (1563) and the beginning of the pontificate of Urban VIII (1623) – are placed in their historical context and analyzed through semiotics – the discipline that studies signification and communication – in order to answer the following questions: How did these four saints become signs of the renewal of Catholic spirituality after the Reformation? How did their verbal and visual representations promote new Catholic models of religious conversion? How did this huge effort of spiritual propaganda change the modern idea of communication? The book is divided into four sections, focusing on the four saints and on the particular topics related to their hagiologic identity: early modern theological debates on grace (Ignatius of Loyola); cultural contaminations between Catholic internal and external missions (Philip Neri); the Christian identity in relation to non-Christian territories (Francis Xavier); the status of women in early modern Catholicism (Therese of Avila).

In Romans 7:15, St. Paul expressed frustration with something all of us can relate to, saying, “I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate I do.” Despite our best efforts to live our lives as we ought to, we repeatedly fall into the trap of “not understanding what we do,” and constantly perpetrating the same missteps we have previously vowed never to take again. What is the reason of our deeply ingrained fallibility? Christians do what they hate either because they consciously, deliberately and sinfully transgress Jesus’ commands, or because they are experiencing unintended and often unconscious symptoms of mental ailments. The interconnectedness of sinful and psychologically disordered behaviors is undeniable. Malignant selfishness, which we recognize as sin, is often linked to narcissistic character features. Repeated belligerent acting out may be rooted in a paranoid mindset. Emotional cruelty may be not freely chosen but tied to antisocial personality traits; sinning against the sixth commandment can be driven by the illness of pedophilia. The reverse is also true: most mentally disordered behaviors involve some form of intentional and sinful violation of Jesus’ command. Though the boundary between sin and sickness may appear fuzzy at times, a thorough understanding of their interplay is of utmost importance when faced with matters of freedom of choice, conscience, responsibility and, most of all, pastoral care. This comprehensive handbook on pastoral care successfully integrates the biblical and medical/scientific perspectives on human anthropology, mental illness and sin. It expounds on the signs of all major mental ailments and provides recommendations for their pastoral and medical treatment. Problems from psychoses to mood disorders, suicide to sexual disturbances, anxiety to addictive behaviors, and ailments in between are explained. Readers will find new insights on the ways in which various personality disorders interfere with spiritual functioning. Developmental stages in life are also discussed, together with the spiritual challenges they pose, and the pastoral answers they call for. This work does not shy away from controversial topics, such as post-abortion syndrome, euthanasia, gender ideology, or the psychological aspects of atheism. Soundly faith-based, yet well-grounded in contemporary psychiatric knowledge, this handbook captures a lifetime of learning and healing by practicing psychologist who holds an MD, PhD, and a graduate theology degree. It is an indispensable practical reference for all pastoral workers.

"J R not only focuses on creation itself, but he also addresses the impact of words upon its primal beginning and its controversies." -Congressman Trent Franks God spoke the words of creation, but Scripture does not elaborate on the intricacies of this action. In "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with Creation," author JR McElfresh investigates many of the issues and controversies related to creation and considers the lack of answers to key questions. Designed for pastors, church leaders, and those who desire to learn more about pivotal creation issues and how the universe began, "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with" "Creation "probes into the issues of the relationship between scientific knowledge and the Word of God. This study takes a journey through quarks, quantum mechanics, sound, waveforms, creation's voice, energy, the miracles of Jesus, and a host of discoveries showing the relationship between God himself and the physical laws of the universe. McElfresh elaborates on the importance of the spoken and written word in Scripture, science, and the arena of linguistics in relation to creation; he also discusses the far-reaching impact of words as sounds and visual images on the human mind and thought. "SpiritQuest 2: Interface with Creation "demonstrates that words have immense power and energy and that it is wise to know how to use them.

Can God's nonexistence be established? According to author Theodore M. Drange, it all depends on what is meant by "God". This book expands the frontiers of philosophy by exploring atheism, evil, and the nonexistence of God. Included are examinations of free-will, the possibility of an afterlife, arguments by theists, and more.

Gods Universe in Four Dimensions examines several subjects, such as economics and the cause of the unemployment problem, from a point of view that is a blend of science and philosophy. Author Les Burgesss controversial stances may upset some people, but his belief is that is better to present the truth as he has interpreted than to perpetuate untruths that could lead to misery and destruction. Burgess emphatically supports the Christian faith, and he hopes to convert all potential Christians by explaining how God (and religion) works and why some people believe and others not. He further explores the various ideas and concepts below: Spherical space-time explained A globular map of the universe Distorted view of the universe Why the universe is everlasting Complete theory of Einsteins four dimensions The speed of light and curved space-time How the cosmic horizon works in four dimensions. Progression of time and motion Understanding the Holy Trinity doctrine The justification of God and the Cross The complementary state of the logic of nature and God Metaphysics and miracles Theory of interaction of culture and religion, but only one God New economic recovery and control strategy Gods Universe in Four Dimensions offers a solution to every problem. Logic is universal!