Homeschooling is a large and growing phenomenon in U.S.society—the National Center for Education Statistics recentlyreported that in the last decade it grew at twelve times the rateof public school enrollments. Yet information about this populationis terribly incomplete. In this groundbreaking book, Robert Kunzmanuses his unprecedented access to six conservative Christianhomeschooling families to explore the subset of this elusive worldthat most influences public perception and rhetoric about thehomeschooling movement, from its day-to-day life to its broaderaspirations to transform American culture and politics.

In this meticulously researched, unflinching, and reasonedstudy, National Book Award finalist David I. Kertzer presentsshocking revelations about the role played by the Vatican in thedevelopment of modern anti-Semitism. Working in long-sealed Vaticanarchives, Kertzer unearths startling evidence to undermine theChurch’s argument that it played no direct role in the spread ofmodern anti-Semitism. In doing so, he challenges the Vatican’srecent official statement on the subject, We Remember. Kertzer tells an unsettling story that has stirred up controversyaround the world and sheds a much-needed light on the past.

The Zen school of Mahayana Buddhism contends that each one ofus is already a Buddha — the enlightenment we seek is always withinus, waiting to be realized through mindfulness and concertedspiritual work. This truth pushes us toward practice, in the hopesthat we may awaken our potential and live up to what is insideus.?This is a?notion taught widely by ninth century Zen Master LinChi, and in his tradition Thich Nhat Hanh employs the teachings andwritings of Mahayana Buddhism to discuss specific topics inBuddhist study and practice. With these teachings, readers have thetools to awaken the Buddha within.

While Chinese acupuncture and herbalism enjoy widespreadpopularity in the West, traditional Chinese exercisetechniques—with the exception of qi gong—have rarely been taughtoutside China. This book is designed to change that. Written by JunWang, a doctor of Chinese medicine, Cultivating Qi draws on classicChinese texts to introduce these body-mind healing exercises toWestern readers. In simple, accessible language, Wang presents three specific qiexercises: the Yijin Jing, a popular form of calisthenicsassociated with both Chinese Buddhist and Daoist traditions; TaijiNeigong, a series of 34 movements adapted from the Wu-Hao style ofTaiji Quan; and the “Six Healing Breaths,” which combines spokensounds with movements associated with the six major vital organs ofChinese medicine. Written for beginning students of Chinese medicine as well aslaypersons, healthcare practitioners, and martial artists,Cultivating Qi includes clear explanations of Chinese medicalterminology—and provides the

Salonica, located in northern Greece, was long a fascinatingcrossroads metropolis of different religions and ethnicities, whereEgyptian merchants, Spanish Jews, Orthodox Greeks, Sufi dervishes,and Albanian brigands all rubbed shoulders. Tensions sometimesflared, but tolerance largely prevailed until the twentieth centurywhen the Greek army marched in, Muslims were forced out, and theNazis deported and killed the Jews. As the acclaimed historian MarkMazower follows the city’s inhabitants through plague, invasion,famine, and the disastrous twentieth century, he resurrects afascinating and vanished world.

James A. Pike, the fifth bishop of the Episcopal Diocese ofCalifornia, was a man of many faces. To some he was an iconoclast,a man decades ahead of his time who modernized the Church andrendered it more progressive and open to inquiry. To others he wasa heretic, who polarized and desecrated the Church. Alwayscontroversial and charismatic, he took America by storm in the1960s with his best-selling books, and his weekly television talkshow, Dean Pike, which won him a cover story in Time . APassionate Pilgrim is an illuminating biography of Pike, and anexamination of the tragedies, triumphs, and difficulties thatshaped his spectacular rise to fame and his mysterious death in theIsraeli desert.

Every meditation tradition explains that there are two aspectsto any effective meditation practice: insight and concentration. InMindfulness in Plain English, author Bhante Henepola Gunaratana, amonk from Sri Lanka and venerated teacher of Buddhism, offeredbasic instruction on the meaning of insight (or vipassana)meditation through concepts that could be applied to any tradition.In Beyond Mindfulness in Plain English, he presents the levels ofconcentration with the same simplicity and humor that made theprevious book so successful. The focus here is on the Jhanas, thosemeditative states of profound stillness and concentration in whichthe mind becomes fully immersed and absorbed in the chosen objectof attention. Using the Jhanas to guide readers along the path tojoy, happiness, equanimity, and one-pointedness, the authorprovides all of the instruction necessary to utilize meditation asa tool for building a more fulfilling life

In a mixture of travel, adventure, and scholarship, historianTudor Parfitt sets out in search of answers to a fascinatingethnological puzzle: is the Lemba tribe of Southern Africa reallyone of the lost tribes of Israel, descended from King Solomon andthe Queen of Sheba? Beginning in the Lemba villages in South Africa, where hewitnesses customs such as food taboos and circumcision rites thatseem part of Jewish tradition, Parfitt retraces the supposed pathof the Lembas' through Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Tanzania, taking insights like Zanzibar and the remains of the stone city GreatZimbabwe. The story of his eccentric travels, a blend of theancient allure of King Solomon's mines and Prester John withcontemporary Africa in all its beauty and brutality, makes for anirresistible glimpse at a various and rapidly changingcontinent. And in a new epilogue, Parfitt discusses recent DNA evidencethat, amazingly, lends credence to the Lemba's tribal myth.

A noted historian of religion traces manifestations of thesacred from primitive to modern times, in terms of space, time,nature and the cosmos, and life itself. Index. Translated byWillard Trask.

For 2,000 years, Catholicism—the largest religion in the worldand in the United States—has shaped global history on a scaleunequal ed by any other institution. But until now, Catholicsinterested in their faith have been hard-pressed to find anaccessible, affirmative, and exciting history of the Church. Triumph is that history. Inside, you'll discover thespectacular story of the Church from Biblical times and the earlydays of St. Peter—the first pope—to the twilight years of John PaulII. It is a sweeping drama of Roman legions, great crusades, epicbattles, toppled empires, heroic saints, and enduring faith. And,there are stormy controversies: Dark Age skullduggery, theInquistition, the Renaissance popes, the Reformation, the Church'srefusal to accept sexual liberation and contemporary allegationslike those made in Hitler's Pope and Papal Sin. A brawling, colorful history full of inspiring pageantry andspirited polemic, Triumph will exhilarate, amuse, andinfuriate as it exto

Author Robert Sitler’s immersion in Mayan culture began with atransformative spiritual experience more than three decades ago inthe ruins of Palenque, Mexico. Led by a local to a nearby Mayanvillage, Sitler discovered firsthand what traditional Mayan lifewas like—a community of people living in peace with each other andtheir physical surroundings. In The Living Maya, he shares thisexperience and many that followed. In the process, he immersesreaders in a rich indigenous culture and offers a fresh view of the2012 phenomenon, focusing on the valuable lessons Mayan culture canteach us in this time of transition. Personal anecdotes areinterwoven with factual information about the roots of traditionalMayan customs and traditions, presenting a rare multifaceted viewof their simple yet profound way of life. The book showcases Mayaninfant care, community building, ties to nature, attitudes towardthe elderly, and orientation to spirituality. In The Living Maya,Sitler shows how following “the Mayan way” can he

Only once in the history of human consciousness, says Osho,has a thing like Zen come into being. In Zen: Its History andTeachings, the noted mystic explains that Zen has no rituals,no chanting, no mantras, no *ures — only short, evocativeparables and teachings that make it ideal for the modern seeker.Using his characteristic humorous, encouraging style, Osho guidesreaders through the origins and development of this seminalspiritual tradition that is neither religion nor dogma nor creed.He provides a context for those who have not been born into the Zentradition, introducing them to its timeless approach to existence.The book argues that the only preparation for fully experiencingZen's power is meditative awareness, and Osho presents simpletechniques to achieve this awareness. Stunning color photographsthroughout offer further inspiration and illumination.

The second book in the Sirian Revelations Trilogy explores the wisdom ancient Atlantis can offer contemporaryseekers. The lost continent of Atlantis has existed in the collectiveconsciousness of humankind for eons—contemplated as early as 355 BCby Plato and echoing in the modern mind. In this controversialbook, author Patricia Cori provides compelling, often startlinginsights into this lost culture and the lessons it holds for us asboth a high civilization and a metaphor for our current worldsituation, earth changes, growing extraterrestrial phenomena, andgovernment conspiracy theories. Only by embracing and recognizingwhat Atlantis can teach us, says Cori, can we expect to heal anduplift our own increasingly threatened civilization.

The quest for self-knowledge has been a universal human pursuit for millenniums. Who are we? And could our destiny be written in the stars? Why do some commit their wings to life's flames, while others tiptoe through life so cautiously? Chinese Astrology: Exploring the Eastern Zodiac explains our “natural endowment”or“inner being”─our personality from the beginning. This 5,000-year-old art paints a remarkable picture of personality and potential using the archetypes of the 12 signs of the ancient Eastern zodiac. While each one of us possess some qualities of all 12 signs, we each have a dominant sign and birth element. Be prepared for some "ah ha!" moments as you explore this ancient art and gain insight into the characters of those you meet along life’s path. You may notice interesting similarities to your friends and family, and you may never look at yourself the same way again. This is a timeless system that is as pertinent today as it was many centuries ago. In a book that

Breathing Space is the story of Heidi Neumark and theHispanic and African-American Lutheran church-Transfiguration-thattook a chance calling on a pastor from a starkly differentbackground. Despite living and working in a milieu of overwhelmingpoverty and violence, Neumark and the congregation encounter evenmore powerful forces of hope and renewal. This story of a community creating space for new life and breathis also the story of a young woman-working, raising her children,and struggling for spiritual breathing space. Through poignant,intimate stories, Neumark charts her journey alongside herparishioners as pastor, church, and community grow in wisdom andtogether experience transformation.

After ten years spent riddling over the intricacies ofchurch/state law from the ivory tower, law professor Jay Wexlerdecided it was high time to hit the road to learn what reallyhappened in some of the most controversial Supreme Court casesinvolving this hot-button issue. In Holy Hullabaloos, he takes usalong for the ride, crossing the country to meet the people andvisit the places responsible for landmark decisions in recentjudicial history, from a high school football field where fans oncerecited prayers before kickoff to a Santeria church notorious foranimal sacrifice, from a publicly funded Muslim school to acreationist museum. Wexler's no-holds-barred approach toinvestigating famous church/state brouhahas is as funny as it isinformative.

An examination of the influence of the Bible on Western artand literature and on the Western creative imagination in general.Frye persuasively presents the Bible as a unique text distinct fromall other epics and sacred writings. No one has set forth soclearly, so subtly, or with such cogent energy as Frye the literaryaspect of our biblical heritage (New York Times Book Review).Indices.

Presenting sexual profiles on each of the twelve sun signs, aguide details specific dos and don'ts that enable readers topredict which behaviors best enable them to captivate the person oftheir choice.

No religion in the modern world is as feared and misunderstoodas Islam. It haunts the popular imagination as an extreme faiththat promotes terrorism, authoritarian government, femaleoppression, and civil war. In a vital revision of this narrow viewof Islam and a distillation of years of thinking and writing aboutthe subject, Karen Armstrong’s short history demonstrates that theworld’s fastest-growing faith is a much more complex phenomenonthan its modern fundamentalist strain might suggest.

Reading the Gospels without knowing the personality of Jesusis like watching television with the sound turned off. The resultis a dry, two dimensional person doing strange, undecipherablethings. In BEAUTIFUL OUTLAW, John Eldredge removes the religious varnishto help readers discover stunning new insights into the humanity ofJesus. He was accused of breaking the law, keeping bad company,heavy drinking. Of being the devil himself. He was so compellingand dangerous they had to kill him. But others loved himpassionately. He had a sense of humor. His generosity wasscandalous. His anger made enemies tremble. He'd say the mostoutrageous things. He was definitely not the Jesus of the stainedglass. In the author's winsome, narrative approach, he breaks Jesus outof the typical stereotypes, just as he set masculinity free in hisbook, Wild at Heart. By uncovering the real Jesus, readers arewelcomed into the rich emotional life of Christ. All of theremarkable qualities of Jesus burst like fireworks with