Religion and Spirituality Books

As a Pastor,I've heard many a good sermon and read many spiritual books. But nothing compares to Alan Clement's ability to spellbind the reader with his magnificently written true life stories. He weaves together into a beautiful tapestry his own brand of Buddhist philosophy, political knowledge, science, wisdom and chutzpah that also seems mysteriously to encapsulate the reader as well. What I found even more intriguing in "Instinct For Freedom" are Alan's honestly-written and courageous choices and sacrifices he has made in life in pursuit of spirituality, freedom, truth and enlightenment. Any and all spiritual seekers from any belief system (or none) should definitely read this book.

In reading most spiritual books, I've noticed that there's a subtle gap between the well-meaning view portrayed, and what I actually feel and experience in reading. You know when you get a used book, and the prior reader has underlined and written, "How true!" Well, it's like other spiritual books have an undertone of "I wish it were true."

In contrast, Clements' words are alive with authentic conviction, and the unmistakeable clarion ring of truth. There's not a trace of pontification. This man has lived an incredible life. He's able to capture the essence of real spirituality and deliver it live and wriggling to the reader. I don't know how he does it. But, as a writer myself, I know that there's only one way he could do it. By really living it. And clearly he does.

He came back down from the mountaintop, so listen up, folks, cause he's really got something worth hearing.

...though I think Mr. Clements should not hold his breath while waiting for humanitarian impulses to saturate the planet. If all is one (whether in the quantum, holographic sense, or in the more traditional sense), then it is only "it" rearranging "itself" when living things appear to consume and/or exploit one another. It may only be an infinitely-manifesting (fractal) consciousness at play. In short, I have become skeptical of any and all conclusions drawn by us. Perhaps we are just a dream, as suggested by Chuang Tzu. I doubt whether we are nearly so important as we would have ourselves believe. How much would the earth miss us?

Instinct for Freedom is deeply inspiring and liberating. With his insightful and passionate voice, Clements compellingly urges each and every one of us to uniquely become ALL that we are, and in doing so expand the experience of freedom for ourselves, and for each other.

An absolutely amazing read! Open your heart & mind and experience what it could be like to be a divine human being living life wide-open and in complete freedom - beyond all dogma, nationalism, tribalism & religion.

I had the good fortune of seeing Alan in action during a recent retreat - now here's a guy who lives & loves life with reckless abandon. This planet needs guys like him big time if there's going to be any evolution of human consciousness beyond our current self-centred pettiness.

This is one of the most profound books I've ever read. Slowly the wisdom seeps into and invokes profound change in one's life. This is an experiential guide to personal transformation. There is no other book, I would recommend higher than this little gem. It will change your life. More importantly, if people embodied its message, it may transform the world. Unlike many modern prophets of spirit who are more concerned with morphing prosperity into a cottage industry, this author advocates for an integral approach to spirituality. Read it: you may never be the same again.

A workbook that helps you absorb universal principles.
THe best way is to work on one page a day, and repeart the previous last ones.

Easy reading, highly inspirational. Read it like drinking fine liquore - a little bit at a time, letting the words sink in and be carried on their wisdom on the days that follow.

In those moments when all you can hear is the house creak and the dog change positions, I like to pick up this book and read one or two of what the author calls seed passages. It's that kind of book. The author provides joyfully lively and thought provoking portals for the contemporary seeker's spiritual envisioning regardless of the readers' religious or non-religious identification. It is a small book with big ideas. Mr. Shulman's languaging, explanations and examples, in this his second book, are extremely clear, to the point and easily understood., The profound perspectives offered present many varied opportunities for the healing integration of body, mind, heart, and spirit into a place of embodied fullness and awakened consciousness. I find this book deeply transformative, full of delight and would recommend this book to all seeking devotional insight.

Spiritual awakening teacher Jason Shulman presents The Instruction Manual for Receiving God, a spiritual self-help guide that focuses upon making oneself available to receive the presence of God, rather than seeking God. Drawing upon the Kabbalist and Buddhist Dharma traditions embraced by Shulman, The Instruction Manual for Receiving God consists of 108 "seed passages", each a brief insight into divine mysteries of life, death, and wonder. The Instruction Manual for Receiving God is not meant to be read as a blueprint or lecture book; instead, each of the seed passages is meant to be pondered at length, perhaps absorbed individually over the course of days or weeks, in order to motivate contemplation of the divine and help open up one's heart and spirit. An inspirational and insightful tool. "Ecstasy is not something separate from fear. Ecstasy is something that includes fear in the price of being human."

On the one hand, I want to describe this as a very easy read. And it was. It took me about 4 hours and that was pacing myself. Nancy writes (and speaks) in such an accessible voice. And yet this book dealt with some very deep subjects, not so much deep as in hard to understand but deep as in deep heart issues. She bravely tackles some established "Christian" mindsets, dismantling such ideas as "balanced" and being a "model" Christian. She doesn't just write to or for women either. Get this book, read it, let the words refresh and challenge your soul then pass this treasure on to a friend!

I only thought the book was okay. As a huge devotee of her husband John Ortberg, it didn't match my expectations. It seemed to ramble a bit. Although my favorite part of the book is when she pulls over to the side of the road and exclaims, "Jesus NEVER journaled!." There are so many of my contemporaries who feel that there is something wrong with them if they don't journal, or faithbook/scrapbook, etc. I did use this book as a starting point for journaling.

Many Christian books often feel too academic, or so deeply religious it's difficult to really understand the point the author is trying to convey, especially for someone seeking God. Not so with Nancy Ortberg's newest book. By sharing expertly crafted anecdotes, Ortberg makes understanding Faith approachable. This is a great book that really gets you to think about that which really matters.

Honest, real-life insight into finding and listening to God is not easy to come by in a program-filled, success formula, product marketing driven christian media industry. The sort of insights that Nancy brings are needed if we are to grow up beyond the childish spirituality so many of us put up with.

The chapter on 'longings, aches and pains' was the best for me. "We all need to hear God's voice. Our longings, aches and pains are thin threads to that voice. Stay long enough in the aloneness, and you'll find that the silence of God becomes a whisper, and then the whisper becomes the voice that you recognize." If this sort of notion resonates with you then I would encourage you to buy the book. If you are looking for a program or system, this one isn't for you. Looing for God is a welcome counterpoint to the all-too-often guilt-inducing and often fruitless programatic approach to spiritual maturity.

Nancy does a great job dispelling misbeliefs about God and what it means to be an authentic Christian. I loved her down to earth writing style and would go out of my way to hear her speak. She shot holes in some of my perspectives through her stories and personal mistakes. Thank you for being real and conveying truth with a twist. I will give it away to people who are looking for a very relatable, yet relevant Christian view.

If you want to get to know God in a way that will change how you live everyday, this is the book to help you on that journey. Biblically accurate and a study that you can do on your own or in a group. There are also teaching DVD's that can be purchased of Kay Arthur's teaching for each chapter. I highly recommend this study.

This book on the names of God is awesome! So much information about the character of God, and how one can have a personal relationship with God and live in light of His Word, His truth. Wonderful book ... Wonderful study. Very indepth, and power packed.

Our ladies Sunday school class has been working through this book together. The chapters are about the right length to do in a 45 minute class. We read the chapters and think about the questions during the preceeding week then discuss together. We have found the book to be an excellent study of the names and character of God and may do another of the books in this series.

My small group of young women are enjoying this study very much. This is one of Kay's older studies, but it is timeless and applicable to all ages. They are enthused and we look forward to another Kay Arthur study.

These are the Hebrew names that the chosen people called on the God of our salvation. He is a God who sees, is solomn, is everywhere, is a provider, the most high God, the Lord of Hosts, is the Lord of battles, He is the all sufficient One. He is GOD!
Great teaching tool to understand and know who God is and how He can be all these things in your & my life.

John Ortberg is my Pastor...he is insightful, deep with a great sense of humor when presenting God's messsage to us.

"Love Beyond Reason" falls in line with how I've come to understand Jesus.

I would give it 10 Stars if it were an option.

I have been struggling with letting go of a loved one who is in the throws of alcoholism.
With the help of this writing, I have been brought deeper into my own healing as well as grown in faith & trust.
When we come to Jesus in answering His call to repentance, he accepts us the way we are, but loves us so completely that he won't let us remain that way!

I have read two other of John's books so far.
"If You Want to Walk on Water, You Have to Get Out of the Boat"
"The Life You've Always Wanted"
Each are equally insightful and encouraging!

I plan on making this a staple in my personal library and will give this book as a gift whenever possible.

Many thanks to you, John, for your faithfulness to the Lord and sharing your gift.

God Bless You!

Great book, a MUST read if you're trying to discover more of how much God loves you. This book explains an in depth explanation of God's love for you. Brilliant book.

This is a wonderful book that really depicts God's love for every individual. A must read by John Ortberg!

This book is amazing. I've read it slowly because I want to savor every word. I've been a Christian for a long time and usually I don't like sugar-coated Christianity, but the way this book talks about God's love really humbled me and made me realize the vastness of God's grace. This book discusses God's tremendous unconditional love and encourages us to have that same kind of love for others. One thing Ortberg said that stood out is, as I grow closer to God, am I becoming more approachable (more loving) or less approachable (legalistic and judgemental)? Really made me think about how gracious I am (or not) toward others. I've recommended this book to all my friends.

After having read several of Ortberg's books, I would have to say this is the one that really touched me.

John's gift for storytelling is simply wonderful. He starts the book by discussing our raggedness - but that is hardly the end of the story. He goes on to tell us how the greatness of God heals and redeems us - again and again. He uses biblical depictions that are rich in detail and apply to our lives today.

My favorite chapters were "The Lord of the Second Chance" and "The Roundabout Way."

In "The Lord of the Second Chance," Ortberg gives a detailed account of Peter's great failure and how Jesus restored him. It is a very touching depiction, rich in detail and emotionality.

In "The Roundabout Way," he explains that God is not as concerned with the journey as he is "who" we will be when we arrive at our destination. He discusses the possible reasons for the roundabout way, suffering and how this journey can bring us into a closer relationship with God. From my own experience in the "roundabout way," I can honestly say that I see things much more clearly now.

Another chapter that I found very provoking was the chapter on Grace and how even we, as Christians, sometimes forget that we need to extend grace to others as freely as God has extended it to us.

I have read this book over and over and plan to give it as a gift to several of my friends and family. I highly recommend it!!!

I demarcate (thank goodness that's not a story (-:)) reading Eckhart Tolle's "The Power of Now" The Power of Now: A Guide to Spiritual Enlightenment as a significant event in my awareness of consciousness. Reading Moss's "Mandala of Being "The Mandala of Being: Discovering the Power of Awareness I sense as similarly significant. I find myself struggling not to get into a fruitless intellectual (read ego) exercise of trying to contrast and compare Tolle and Moss and instead see it as one more refrain of "one teaching; many teachers," and smile and enter the Now. Tolle speaks of an infinite number of portals to the Now available in each moment if we will but allow them. Moss's "The Mandala of Being" is such a portal for me and I invite you to taste and see for yourself.

This book not only talks about living in Awareness, but also gives an actual tool that we can use in our most ordinary days. A tool that makes sense. Dr. Moss writes in plain English about practice, action and becoming more enlightened.
This book speaks to the Universal Consciousness that lives in each of us.
It allows us to see ourselves as who we think we are, and to shed those stories to become more present in who we truly are.
A very wonderful, personal, and extraordinary book. I wish everyone on the planet would read it! I went back and bought over 10 more copies to give as gifts. I feel it is that important of a book.

Spend just a single day being completely aware of where your thoughts lead you. How often does your mind wander? How much time do you find yourself recalling or analyzing things that happened in your past? How much time do you spend worrying about what might happen in the future? What stories do you make up about yourself in your wanderings? Are you self-sacrificing, underappreciated, and undervalued? Are you hardworking and eagerly climbing the ladder of success? Are you bitter that everyone else seems to catch a break but you get nothing?

Anyone who has ever tried this exercise knows that the majority of our time is spent anywhere but at the present moment. We fixate on the past, we fantasize about the future, we create self serving stories in our minds, and we judge others. Very little of our time is actually fully focused on what we are doing and feeling in this exact moment. So in essense, we rarely focus on the here and now, on the moment.

The Mandala of Being guides the reader to a better understanding of this very human process explaining that these seemingly harmless distractions actually color the way we see ourselves. Basically, all of these stories do two things. They either feed our ego so that we feel that we are somebody special (hiding the underlying feeling that we are not enough as we are) or we opening berate ourselves. The end result in both cases is the same, it reinforces the notion that somehow we have to be, act, or have something specific in order to be valuable human beings.

The simple solution is to have our thoughts stay in the here and now, to see events for what they really are, and to get in touch with our true selves. This may be easy to say but it is extremely hard to do. The Mandala of Being teaches us how to make a start in this attempt and how to counteract some of the major obstacles on this path.

Dr. Moss brings awareness to all of us. In these chaotic times, I respect him greatly for speaking to the "fear factor" that has been created in our culture. He gives structure to consciously choose to become more "awake" in our own life. If we want a better world, we can not live in fear. I challenge readers to become informed.

If you are interested in living more completely in the now then this book is for you. Richard Moss, MD shows us why and how we habitually obstruct our innate potential for what Richard calls radical aliveness as said by Deepak Chopra.

If you want to take a close look at yourself then this book is for you. How simple and direct Dr. Moss is.

Happy Reading

Chekawa

This book (long out of print) discusses an historic trial that most Jews and supporters of Israel wish had never happened. But the facts of the Kastner trial are there and the history - unpleasant as it is - is factual. There are many unnamed villians as well as known evildoers and this book covers the period just before, during and just after the infamous trial. Revisionism is rampant but, sadly, the facts and legal judgments remain. The wounds are so deep that even now, a revisionist book has recently been published to obfuscate the facts and history. Read "Perfidy" yourself and learn the truth, as horrendous and sad as it is.

I consider 'Perfidy' to be the best,most honest,heart-wrenching story written about any subject.Specifically,it happens to be about not-widely publicized facts about "Zionist leaders" of the Ben-Gurion era ,their very slimy connections to Nazi collaboraters-and a despicable record in saving the Jews of Europe(For anyone who disregards this;Israel's "Zionist leaders"
are also taken apart in Tom Segev's,'The Seventh Million'.).Hecht
prophetically states in his opening sentence:"In my own time,governments have taken the place of people.They have also taken the place of God.Governments speak for people,dream for them,and determine,absurdly,their lives and deaths.."

Hecht,then takes off on the theme of 'Everyman' being crushed by
government "leaders".Israel may have had its "trial of the century" in the 50's(aside from the obviously well known Eichmann
trial).A survivor/author wrote a small pamphlet charging the Israeli government with knowingly appointing Hungarian "Jewish
leader"/Nazi collaborater Rudolf Kastner to a government post.The Israeli government sued "the little guy" for libel-and lost.And Kastner
was assasinated.Hecht concludes with the despicable episode of Israeli's "Dress Yiddish-Think British" Zionist leaders with blocking a "blood for cargo-cargo for blood" deal to save Jews because they were more concerned with playing footsie with the British. If the Hebrew Bible were being written today,Hecht's 'Perfidy' would be in it;read it with an empty stomach.

Wow! This is a must read by anyone who wants to understand the selling out of little Jews by prominent Jews. For so long, this has been whispered about, but these whispers have always been effectively crushed by American Jewry and Israel. The sword of anti-Semitism is quickly drawn whenever the subject is broached.

After reading this book you can no longer doubt the existence, nor effectiveness of sell-out Jews. Their in-actions are no small matter in the ultimate extermination of millions.

Attorney General of Israel, Chaim Cohen summed it up thusly:
"For those (Hungarian Jews) and millions of Jews like them there came true the old curse, 'And lo, they were meant but to be taken like sheep for slaughter, for killing, destruction, crushing and shame.' These should escape? they had no feet on which to run. They should revolt? They had no hands on which to fight. No spirit was left in them..." pg. 164

This statement was uttered in a court as an excuse for the inactions of Israel's government, when they could have saved millions.

The facts are deftly presented in this great and poetically written tale of truth. I won't go into a review of the details, that has been done already. And quite well, I may add. This book will reveal a painful part of Jewish history, that is rarely discussed. It is important to arm yourself with this kind of knowledge to prevent your being hoodwinked by the "leaders" and "protectors" of what is truth. A very worthy investment!!

One of the subjects of this book is the notorous "trucks for jews" deal that Adolf Eichmann and possibly Himmler offered the British in 1944. In short, Eichmann proposed a trading the lives of one million jews for war materials that would be used exclusively against the Soviet Union.

While some people think with their hearts about lives that might have been saved, the true nature of this deal was such that no country would have or should have accepted it.

Trusting the Germans and trying to negotiate with men like Eichmann and Himmler would have been crazy. These are not people anyone can make a deal with as years of events proved. Beyond that, the real nature of the deal on the german side was an attempt to split the allies as a prelude to a seperate peace between Germany and the west while the war would continue with the soviet union.

The alliance could have not have survived the British or Americans giving the Germans war material regardless of the motive. Winning the war was what mattered.

Before giving a brief review of the contents of the book, I must emphasize that this book is a must read for every Jew wherever he or she lives. Spread the word to your friends, and encourage people to read it. There is an effort by organized Jewry both in Israel and in the diaspora to suppress this book and the information it contains. The number of available copies of this is mysteriously shrinking.

Now for the book itself:

Dr. Rudolf Kastner was a Jewish Agency official during WWII who was sent to Hungary to save Hungarian Jews from the holocaust. The top Nazi brass, Eichmann, Krumey, Becher, Wisliczeny, sized him up, and realized that his selfish desire for influence and power could be exploited. To prevent a recurrence of the Warsaw ghetto rebellion, which lasted for 27 days and took enormous German manpower to crush, the Jew-killers needed an "insider" who would deceive the hundreds of thousands of Hungarian Jews into acquiescence. In return for collaborating with the Nazis, Kastner was offered to select about 300 prominent Hungarian Jews to be saved from extermination in Auschwitz.

Kastner agreed. Not only did he deceive the Hungarian Jews, who trusted him blindly because of his credentials as THE top Zionist in Hungary, but he was also responsible to the death of Hanna Senesh, a legendary Israeli parachutist who was sent to Hungary to spy for the British.

During his trial, Kastner lied multiple times under oath. The process of cross-examination painted a picture of a tormented, schizophrenic Kastner, who actually believes he did no wrong.

The entire Bolshevik ruling clique of Israel at the time defended him from the charges of collaboration with the Nazis, because in this trial, they, the ruling clique, were implicated as well. Just like American Jewry during WWII, the Zionist leaders in Israel kept quiet about the extermination of Jews by the Nazi Germans. Both were responsible in great measure for the extent of the genocide---if they did something, it would have been much less than six million. But American Jewry didn't want to be regarded as trouble-makers, and the ruling clique in Israel was the loyal puppy of the British.

The presiding judge ruled against Kastner, and in his opinion implicated the entire government of Israel. This decision had tremendous consequences for Israeli society in the years to come.

Thus the powerful few were shown to be responsible for the slaughter of millions. Hence "Perfidy."

The present ruling clique in Israel is every bit as Bolshevik, militantly secular and as anti-Judaism as the Ben-Gurion mafia of the 1940s and 1950s, and the distinction between Right and Left is virtually meaningless. The present-day American Jewish leadership also did not change much, unfortunately.

"Related" books, such as Lenni Brenner's "51 Documents" are not related at all---most are written by Jew-haters who want to discredit all Jews and their Biblical right to Zion. Perfidy was written by a Jew who loved his fellow Jews, and for whom the exposure of the treason of their leaders in his book caused great emotional pain. It is very different from today's pro-"Palestinian" self-hating assimilated leftist Jewish authors, for whom the K-word is the only apt description.

In Pointers From Nisargadatta Maharaj, devotee Ramesh Balsekar provides further insight into the teachings of what many consider a master of Advaita Vedanta. The teachings are both simple and profound -- and often full of paradox. To "understand" them requires the relinquishment of thought. To "explain" the teachings reduces them to concepts which are inherently false. That is probably why the book it aptly titled "Pointers..." The real truth, according to what Balsekar shares of Nisargadatta's teachings, is "apperceived" directly. And it's based on the deep understanding that there is no individual entity at work...

"The main point in Maharaj's teaching is that in this living-dream of life we are not the dreamed characters, which we think we are, but that we are the dreamer, and it is our mistaken identification with the dreamed character, as a separate independent entity as the 'doer', that causes the illusion of 'bondage'". Pages 202-203

If you have read the classic "I Am That", this is an excellent aid in providing further clarification into our true nature. Enjoy it for all the gifts it brings you.

This book has an amazing feature, which is that it conveys the spirit and presence of Nisargadatta in such a powerful way not even I AM THAT does. The pointers are absolutely clear and straighforward, and they deal with a wide range of cases. No doubt can remain as to the nature of our true self after the reading of this teaching. In a misterious way, Ramesh was able to be the interpreter of the teaching without interfeering with it in this occasion. This teaching (and the way it is presented in this book) is certainly far superior to anything the same Ramesh could have written of its own.

This extraordinary book written by Ramesh S. Balsekar focuses the seekers mind even more pointendly, no pun is intended, than the spiritual classic, I Am That. Aptly titled, Pointers reduces the whole of the seekers spiritual quest into a finite, simple and yet expansive conclusion of unification. If the reader is ready and intuitive, by this I mean to imply his/her spirit is ripened to be plucked from its vine, then no other words beyond Ramesh's Pointers will ever be needed. I highly recommend that all seekers read I Am That as a prelude to Pointers if they wish for the fullest experience possible, they will be rewarded for their patience.

After reading POINTERS From NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ and JEAN DUNN three books on NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ Talks ( PRIOR TO CONSCIOUSNESS , SEEDS OF CONSCIOUSNESS , CONSCIOUSNESS AND THE ABSOLUTE ) It answered why the body was born or should it be said " What were you before you were born " .

Three good POINTS in the book - Consciousness is the illusion . Second - You were before Consciousness and third- the problem with concepts. Understanding these three POINTS made Knowledge and Ignorance seem the same. Perhaps the pupose of life is to understand that what is creating the illusion is consciousness itself.

In one of the NISARGADATTA MAHARAJ books there was a simple sentence that was so powerful and went something like this " THE SEARCH FOR REALITY IS THE MOST DANGEROUS OF ALL UNDERTAKINGS FOR IT DESTROYS THE WORLD IN WHICH YOU LIVE"

Thank you.

If you are ready this book is all you'll ever need, if not it will certainly plant the seeds of awakening. Not only does Ramesh Balsekar translate the words of Maharaj, but goes on to expand and clarify the wisdom of his Guru as only an enlightened disciple can. This is the perfect follow up for Maharaj's classic, I Am That. But Please don't let your mind be put off by Nisargadatta's gritty approach. Because of the Guru's declining health, this book's tone does sound a bit harsh by ignoring common civilities and going straight to the core of truth. Yet that is exactly what we need to realize.

I enjoy being able to carry this in my purse. I use it several times a week. There are some very good applications in the book.

If you're looking for another book "like this one", I recommend DEAR JESUS. It's even better than this one and is the same small size for your purse or desk.

Beth Moore's inspirational words and accompanying scripture "raise me up" on a daily basis. I don't know how she does it, but her writings always seem to hit me where I live. Excellent daily devotinal!

The book is very thoughtful and stimulating. Helps one to actually think about Christ, your moment by moment gift of life, and most of all, to be thankful and humble, if you read the words with your true heart.

This little devotional is a wonderful little book. It is dated of course by the day. So you can use it year after year. The mighty wisdom of Beth Moore is such in inspiration to keep you close to God. I admit some days I don't get my devotional in, but its easy to catch up on or pick up where the next day begins. Love it!!!!!!!

I enjoyed the book very much. There are features that can be used daily.
I'm so glad I found an almost new condition copy on Amazon.

I went to a Sarah Vowell talk. She talked about American History. She had a fascination with Puritans. She disparaged "Sinners in the hand of an Angry God" and Edwards. I wanted to ask her if she will read any other book by Edwards. If so, she would realise that his portrait of the beauty of God and of Holiness is far more powerful than his view of Hell. He is one of the greatest thinkers that the North American continent has ever produced and Vowell was judging him on one short sermon.

Don't get me wrong. This book is dry in spots. The language is a little convoluted. He is so systematic and precise, I wanted to skip ahead, but that would have been a mistake. It took me forever to get through it. I read it because Piper recommended it, but I stuck with it because my soul was being fed. Even in the first few chapters where he is setting up his argument, he throws out sentences about how we should enjoy God, how we should not judged others, and how we can better live the Christ life. He taught me how I should enjoy God and how I should more accurately view salvation. Every body should read this book and read it slowly. The prose lulled me to sleep and then he gave me another insight into the Christian life I never thought about before.

I like Piper, but this book is far better than anything Piper has written. This is one of the main sources where Piper derives his "Christian Hedonism." People criticise Piper because they think he is flippant. They think Christian Hedonism doesn't address suffering and other aspects of the Christian life. They should read this book. Our enjoyment of God and our desire for God is what sustains us in our suffering. It is a thirst we will never fully quenched. It is a well in which we will never reach bottom. Piper's theology is not new and it is not shallow. He draws his theology from the deepest and most thoughtful writers of Christian history. "Religious Affections" will deepen your walk with God.

The Religious Affections is probably the most profound analysis of spiritual experience ever written - and by the most brilliant philosopher/theologian to ever come from North America (and possibly the English language).

Jonathan Edwards wrote this book after the Great Awakening with which he was closely involved. He wrote as both a friend, defending the authenticity of revivals - and also as a critique, warning against putting trust in things which were not certain signs of genuine Spirit-wrought affections.

His treatise takes three parts. In part one he defines his terms and gives twelve reasons why genuine religion (i.e. Christian spirituality - "religion," in Edwards day, did not have the negative connotations that it carries today) consists much in the affections. The affections, for Edwards, are more than mere emotions - they are the strong and lively inclinations of the will, seated in the human heart.

Part two discusses twelve things which are not certain signs of true religious affections. These are things which Edwards warned should not be trusted as evidences of grace OR discarded as evidences that the Holy Spirit has NOT worked in a saving way. They are not indicators one way or the other.

Part three is the most lenghty and examines twelve things which are signs of a true work of the grace, wrought by God's holy Spirit in the heart. This is where Edwards is at his best - carefully, logically, biblically, and passionately describing the true evidences of regeneration. His analysis is keen, his thoughts clear, his argument orderly, his scholarship extensive, his knowledge of Scripture profuse, and his understanding of the human heart profound.

This particular edition - produced by Yale and edited by John Smith - is the best critical edition in print. The introduction and notes on the text are very helpful, as Smith summarizes Edwards' arguments and backgrounds the Puritan writers and their books which Edwards quotes in Religious Affections. This volume also includes Edwards' related correspondence with Thomas Gillespie from Scotland - this being the first time the complete correspondence has been printed in the same volume with the Affections.

This is not an easy book to read. Edwards takes getting used to. But it is very worthwhile. I'm currently reading it for the third time and I continue to find it useful. I highly recommend it for pastors and preachers and all Christians who yearn for a personal and corporate work of the Spirit in revival and spiritual awakening.

This is one of the three Edwards works every Christian should read, along with Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God and The Prevailing Notion of the Freedom of the Will... (the original title was a mile long!). Sinners is the shortest read, then this, then Freedom. This will help you understand the Great Awakening from Edwards perspective, while kindling in you a passion to know God more intimately.

This is one of the great devotional Christian classics of the 18th century, but it still packs a mighty punch today. It began its life as a series of sermons preached by Edwards to his Northampton congregation in 1742 and 1743, and was first published in 1746. Edwards discusses the place of religious fervor and feelings in the Christian life. For those who prefer a more staid and serene Christian existence, Edwards discusses the prevalence of such scripturally based affections as love, joy, desire, compassion, and zeal. He concludes this opening section by asking how can people sit and hear about "the unparalleled love of the innocent, and holy, and tender Lamb of God, manifested in His dying agonies, His bloody sweat, His loud and bitter cries, and bleeding heart, and all this for enemies, to redeem them from deserved eternal burnings, and to bring to unspeakable and everlasting joy and glory, - and yet be cold and heavy, insensible and regardless! Where are the excesses of our affections proper, if not here?"

After this stirring salvo, Edwards then addresses those who have gone overboard in emphasizing emotional experiences by giving 12 false signs which are thought by many to be indicative of someone who is experiencing true religious affections from God. Many people trust in the depthness of their emotions, the zeal for doing churchwork, the experiences they have had when a scripture verse came to mind, the appearance of love in a person's life, etc, but these things in and of themselves are not conclusive proof of God's divine grace.

Then in the body of the book, Edwards discusses 12 clear signs that God is at work in the life, and the chief sign is that there is a greater appreciation and love for God for who He is and not primarily for what you can get from Him.

Another sign that you are expression truly divine religious affections is that you continue to live for Christ every day. If you have one or two days in church where you feel genuinely inspired and then go back to living a life of sin, then you have not experienced a genuine awakening from God, because when God awakens you, you will be changed forever. Everything you do in life will be motivated by a selfless love for God and for His divine qualities and a selfless love for others.

This book was a shattering read for me because I have often looked upon the religious experiences in my life as proof that I was 'in the Lord,' or proof that I was walking with the Lord, when in actuality, a changed life is the proof.

I should also say that the book is a bit wordy. Many sentences are almost a whole paragraph long. You really have to concentrate to get the main idea in certain portions of the book. The reader not used to 18th century writing might have to adjust to these long and sometimes meandering sections.

But you will be greatly rewarded if you give this book the time and study that it deserves.

An essential work on Christian faith and its natural manifestation in human emotion. Written by arguably the greatest Calvinist preacher to ever live.