For the past several weeks, I've been reading T.M. Luhrmann's When God Talks Back: Understanding the American Evangelical Relationship with God. The book addresses a simple, but profound, question from the perspective of a nonbeliever: how can seemingly rational, otherwise normal people claim to discern God's will, to hear God's voice, and, sometimes, to even see or feel spiritual beings? Luhrmann asks this with genuine curiosity, both personal and professional. A psychological anthropologist who has written previous … [Read more...] about When God Talks Back by T.M. Luhrmann
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Best Books for Undergrads: Your Picks
Thanks to everyone who weighed in on my request for the best books for undergrads! Here are the recommendations that we received on the blog, from Facebook, and via email. Tom and I received an amazing variety of responses. Here were some interesting trends: C. S. Lewis was recommended more than any other author, but not a single book of his was mentioned more than once! Only three books were recommended more than once: Augustine's Confessions, J. I. Packer's Knowing God, and Tim Keller's The Reason for … [Read more...] about Best Books for Undergrads: Your Picks
Which conferences do you love to attend?
Today, just a quick question for the ESN community: Which conferences do you love to attend? No boundaries on type - they can be Christian, secular, academic, church-related, artistic, theological, national, local, whatever. Or, if you're the aspirational sort, which conferences would you love to attend if you could? In a mere coincidence, but TEDGlobal2009 is taking place this week in Oxford. Check out their theme: "The Substance of Things Not Seen." Wow. Check out the speakers. Above, in honor of the moon … [Read more...] about Which conferences do you love to attend?