Since the twin towers crashed to the ground on September 11, there has been no end to attacks on religion. Claims abound that religion is dangerous, that it kills, and that it poisons everything. And if religion is the problem with the world, say the New Atheists, the answer is simple—get rid of it. Of course, things aren’t quite so straightforward. Arguing that the New Athiests' irrational and unscientific methodology leaves them guilty of the very obstinate foolishness they criticize in dogmatic religious folks, this erudite and wide-ranging guide to religion in the modern age packs some debilitating punches and scores big for religious rationalism.

    He has been invited to talk shows and events to discuss everything from the death of Jerry Falwell to the sainthood of Mother Teresa, from U.S. policy in the Middle East to the dangers of religious fundamentalism and beyond. And he is always armed with pithy discourse that is as intelligent as it is quotable.The Quotable Hitchens gathers for the first time the eminent journalist, public intellectual, and all-around provocateur Christopher Hitchen's most scathing, inflammatory, hilarious, and clear-cut commentary from the course of his storied career. Drawn from his many TV appearances, debates, lectures, interviews, articles, and books, the quotations are arranged alphabetically by subject--from atheism and alcoholism to George Orwell and Bertrand Russell, from Islamofascism and Iraq to smoking and sex--and perfectly capture the wit and range of "intellectual willing to show his teeth in the case of righteousness."

    They view atheism as "amoral," heresy, and race betrayal. Historically, the Black Church was a leading force in the fight for racial justice. Today, many black religious leaders have aligned themselves with the Religious Right. While black communities suffer economically, the Black Church is socially conservative on women's rights, abortion, same sex marriage, and church/state separation. These religious "values wars" have further solidified institutional sexism and homophobia in black communities. Yet, drawing on a rich tradition of African American free thought, a growing number of progressive African American non-believers are openly questioning black religious and social orthodoxies. Moral Combat provides a provocative analysis of the political and religious battle for America's soul. It examines the hijacking of civil rights by Christian fascism; the humanist imperative of feminism and social justice; the connection between K-12 education and humanism; and the insidious backlash of Tea Party-style religious fundamentalism against progressive social welfare public policy. Moral Combat also reveals how atheists of color are challenging the whiteness of "New Atheism" and its singular emphasis on science at the expense of social and economic justice. In Moral Combat, Sikivu Hutchinson highlights the cultural influence of African American humanist and atheist social thought in America. She places this tradition within the broader context of public morality and offers a far-reaching vision for critically conscious humanism

    Contributors include Victor Stenger, Robert Price, Hector Avalos, Richard Carrier, Keith Parsons, David Eller, and Taner Edis. Loftus is also the author of the best-selling Why I Became an Atheist: A Former Preacher Rejects Christianity. Taken together, the Loftus trilogy poses formidable challenges to claims for the rationality of the Christian faith. Anyone with an interest in the philosophy of religion will find this compilation to be intellectually stimulating and deeply thought provoking.

    For centuries this promise has been sidelined or misunderstood because of the church's failure to grasp the full meaning of biblical teachings on creation and new creation. The Bible tells the story of the broken and restored relationship between God, people, and land, not just God and people. This is the full gospel, and it has the power to heal the church's long theological divorce between earth and heaven. Jesus' resurrection in the power of the Holy Spirit is the key, and the church as Christ's body is the primary means by which God is reconciling all things through Jesus Christ. Jesus' ultimate healing of all creation is the great hope and promise of the gospel, and he calls the church to be his healing community now through evangelism, discipleship, and prophetic mission. Endorsement: "This book clearly reveals that Snyder's conjunctive theology is congruent with East Asian ways of thinking. The scope of soteriology in his numerous books has been from creation to new creation. This book, however, is exceptionally thorough. It really does reconceive the whole meaning of salvation in a more soundly biblical way." --Ohoon Kwon Mokwon University "In Salvation Means Creation Healed, Howard and Joel speak prophetic truth for Christ's Church, which continues to be deceived by the sirens of Platonic idealism that separate matter and spirit into two different worlds. God is redeeming Creation. A must read!" --Mike Slaughter Ginghamsburg Church "Salvation Means Creation Healed crafts a stunning vision of the breadth of God's Reign in Jesus Christ over all things in both heaven and earth and then invites the church to participate fully. It is compelling. It is challenging. It demands a response." --David Fitch author of The End of Evangelicalism? "In an era of dramatic and irreversible destruction of the earth's resources, Salvation Means Creation Healed is a timely call for Christians to recover a biblical vision of the missio dei as the restoration of all creation. We all need to heed this call toward a fullness of the gospel, pledging ourselves to reconcile the unfortunate divorce between heaven and earth. Our grandchildren's future is at stake." --Cheryl Bridges Johns Church of God Seminary Snyder continues to burst old wineskins with Salvation Means Creation Healed. This is an important biblical, theological and historical examination of how modern evangelicalism has lost its way with regard to creation care and the gospel. Among all the recent publications on creation care, Snyder is the first to show how far back the roots of the "divorce between heaven and earth" really go. Every pastor and serious church leader who needs to get up to speed on what the issues in creation care are all about needs this book. Edward R. Brown, Director Care of Creation Inc. Author, Our Father's World: Mobilizing the Church to Care for Creation Author Biography: Howard A. Snyder holds the Chair of Wesley Studies at Tyndale Seminary in Toronto. His numerous books include The Problem of Wineskins (1975), The Community of the King (1977, 2004), and EarthCurrents: The Struggle for the World's Soul (1995). Joel Scandrett is a visiting professor of theology at Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, and former academic editor at InterVarsity Press. He holds a Ph.D. from Drew University, where he worked closely with Thomas Oden in the development of the Ancient Christian Commentary on Scripture (IVP)."

    

    But what really happened at the Garden of Gethsemane? What really compelled Judas to hang himself from a tree? I, Judas reimagines Iscariot’s relationship to Jesus Christ and explores Judas's orchestration of the elaborate con of the divinity of Jesus Christ, subverting the legend of Judas as he inhabits some of our most notorious literary and historic figures in their darkest hours. Custer, Sexton, Van Gogh: These famous suicides converge through the figure of Judas in a cutting-edge piece of fiction that exposes the dangers of seeking universal truths in myth.

    Pick up any holy book, and you'll find an entertaining collection of silly fantasies-yet millions of people believe them and base their entire lives around them. It would be funny if the world weren't run, and constantly imperiled, by these religions-as it has been since man first made up stories to explain the unexplainable. Now comes Atheist Tales, a collection of speculative-fiction stories with themes to appeal to the disbeliever. After all, if the religious folks can have their books of fairy tales, why can't we have a few of our own? Unlike those fairy tales, the stories herein weren't written by primitive cultures, and they aren't intended to run your life. They aren't numbered by chapter and verse, and you don't have to memorize certain passages and ignore the contradictions and absurdities. They don't impart directives from imaginary deities, nor do they instruct on how to punish sinners. And they don't pretend to be true. This is fiction, not lies. But they do entertain, and they do make you think about what could happen to the world if those of us who choose reason and intellect over delusional fanaticism don't combat the insanity and it's allowed to grow even more out of control. Worshiping the authors of these stories is optional, but we don't recommend it.

    This book contains 101 of his best and most provocative cartoons, including 10 new ones exclusive to this book. Here's what people are saying: "What another creative communicator did with parables, David Hayward does with cartoons... I'm a big fan!" Brian McLaren "David Hayward says in pictures what I would love to say in words. There are times when all the words in the word don't say it as well a rightly crafted image. David Hayward says more of the hopes of God, the struggles of the church and the possible path forward for us all in images than anyone could with words." Doug Pagitt "David Hayward does what cartoonists do best: he makes you laugh, gets you on side, and then catches you unawares with a challenging thought that comes at you sideways. Unmissable!" Maggi Dawn "Through nakedpastor's cartoons, I've been able to join other broken buddies as we pray and play on the fringes of the faith. By deconstructing the mounds of Jesus junk, we can catch fleeting glimpses of God." Becky Garrison "David's cartoon's are often funny, sometimes sad, always honest. I think of them as political cartoons that aren't about politics: they express a longing or a frustration or challenge to think in a new way." Mark Oestreicher

    Anderson Thomson, Jr., MD, with Clare Aukofer, offers a succinct yet comprehensive study of how and why the human mind generates religious belief. Dr. Thomson, a highly respected practicing psychiatrist with credentials in forensic psychiatry and evolutionary psychology, methodically investigates the components and causes of religious belief in the same way any scientist would investigate the movement of astronomical bodies or the evolution of life over time—that is, as a purely natural phenomenon. Providing compelling evidence from psychology, the cognitive neurosciences, and related fields, he, with Ms. Aukofer, presents an easily accessible and exceptionally convincing case that god(s) were created by man—not vice versa. With this slim volume, Dr. Thomson establishes himself as a must-read thinker and leading voice on the primacy of reason and science over superstition and religion.

    It is totally, completely and utterly unfair that Christians receive this constant barrage from atheists who base their attacks on what they think Christians believe. With this in mind, this book analyses the sermons and articles of some of the most prominent Christians in America (and those other inconsequential 'non-American' countries). Using facts, evidence and logic - and a dash of toilet humor - this book directly eviscerates the statements and claims made by these 'Christian Leaders' - these fishers of men and shepherds of 'sheeple'. The only reason you would still call yourself Christian after reading this book is if your name is Christian, which is regrettable, but understandable (though you should really consider changing your name). Blind faith is not a virtue, it's a delusion.

    You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

    We also hear from priests, televangelists, and faith healers, as well as some sensible contemporaries, commenting on what it means to live a life of reason. At the conclusion to the introduction, the author says: "Intelligent and well-meaning people have argued for centuries against the fatal attraction of foolishness, but their efforts have been largely unproductive, partly because many people seem impervious to rational discussion. So perhaps satire is our most effective way of lighting candles in the darkness and communicating effectively to those who are immune to reason. That is, at any rate, the hope, and the rationale, of this book."In this age of suicide bombers and resurgent fundamentalism, we need these lighted candles like never before.