The Religious Studies category has 710 audiobooks on Listento.it, with an average listener rating of 4.6★ across 3,555 ratings. The most-rated is Mere Christianity.
Under the Banner of Heaven
Summary
Jon Krakauer’s literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. In Under the Banner of Heaven, he shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders. At the core of his audiobook is an appalling double murder committed by two Mormon Fundamentalist brothers, Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a revelation from God commanding them to kill their blameless victims. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this "divinely inspired" crime, Krakauer constructs a multilayered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, savage violence, polygamy, and unyielding faith. Along the way, he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest-growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief. Krakauer takes listeners inside isolated communities in the American West, Canada, and Mexico, where some 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists believe the mainstream Mormon Church went unforgivably astray when it renounced polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the leaders of these outlaw sects are zealots who answer only to God. Marrying prodigiously and with virtual impunity (the leader of the largest fundamentalist church took seventy-five "plural wives," several of whom were wed to him when they were fourteen or fifteen and he was in his eighties), fundamentalist prophets exercise absolute control over the lives of their followers, and preach that any day now the world will be swept clean in a hurricane of fire, sparing only their most obedient adherents. Weaving the story of the Lafferty brothers and their fanatical brethren with a clear-eyed look at Mormonism's violent past, Krakauer examines the underbelly of the most successful homegrown faith in the United States, and finds a distinctly American brand of religious extremism. The result is vintage Krakauer, an utterly compelling work of nonfiction that illuminates an otherwise confounding realm of human behavior.
©2003 Jon Krakauer (P)2003 Random House, Inc. Random House Audio, a division of Random House, Inc.
Oswald Chambers
Summary
Oswald Chambers was a man for all time. His was the mind of Christ and so his words are compelling because they reflect the thoughts of our Savior. I am not the first to say that no book outside the Bible has influenced me as much as My Utmost for His Highest. In David McCasland's book we have, at last, the story of this man's life and how, having honored God, God is now honoring him with the only fame that really matters.
©1998 David McCasland (P)2008 christianaudio.com
Church of Cowards
Summary
The average Christian in America does not know what his own religion teaches, nor does he care. He may call himself “Christian”, but he lives his life exactly as he wishes, making no attempt to conform his conduct to the commands and tenets of his religion. Daily Wire writer Matt Walsh confronts his fellow Christians in this bold, clear-eyed book that serves as an urgent reminder of Matthew 7:13 - "For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it."
©2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC (P)2020 Dreamscape Media, LLC
Jesus Is
Summary
Judah Smith digs deep to answer the most common and the most difficult questions about Jesus, a man so few understand and so many desperately need. In Jesus Is, Judah Smith explores a number of topics that reveal Jesus' purpose for coming, what he accomplished while he was here, and what that means for those of us who came after. Jesus is greatly revered, harshly criticized, and sorely misunderstood. Judah breaks down who Jesus is and explains to listeners how understanding that more fully will not only enrich their lives, but also give meaning to them and save them. Jesus Is gives listeners the intimate knowledge that makes for a deeper, lasting relationship with Jesus, allowing them to commune with and grow in him. Judah wants listeners to know that Jesus is more than a good teacher, more than an inspiring leader. He is the point of all life.
©2013 Thomas Nelson (P)2013 Thomas Nelson
Seductive Poison
Summary
Told by a former high-level member of the Peoples Temple and Jonestown survivor, Seductive Poison is the "truly unforgettable" (Kirkus Reviews) story of how one woman was seduced by one of the most notorious cults in recent memory and how she found her way back to sanity. From Waco to Heaven's Gate, the late 20th century saw its share of cult tragedies. But none was quite so dramatic or compelling as the Jonestown massacre of 1978, in which the Reverend Jim Jones and 913 of his disciples perished. Deborah Layton had been a member of the Peoples Temple for seven years when she departed for Jonestown, Guyana, the promised land nestled deep in the South American jungle. When she arrived, however, Layton saw that something was seriously wrong. Jones constantly spoke of a revolutionary mass suicide, and Layton knew only too well that he had enough control over the minds of the Jonestown residents to carry it out. But her pleas for help - and her sworn affidavit to the US government - fell on skeptical ears. In this very personal account, Layton opens up the shadowy world of cults and shows how anyone can fall under their spell. Seductive Poison is both an unflinching historical document and a riveting story of intrigue, power, and murder.
©1999 Deborah Layton (P)2013 Random House Audio
God and the Afterlife
Summary
Based on the largest near-death experience study in history, involving 3,000 people from diverse backgrounds and religious traditions, including nonbelievers, God and the Afterlife presents startling evidence that a supreme being exists - and there is amazing consistency about what he is like. In his best-selling book Evidence of the Afterlife, Dr. Jefferey Long showed us that there is a strong scientific case for life after death. Now he goes further, revealing evidence that God is real. At the Near Death Experience Research Foundation, Dr. Long studied the stories of thousands of people who have journeyed to the afterlife. Though there are a wide variety of differences in how people experience NDEs - some see a bright light, others go through a tunnel, still others experience reviews of their lives - he discovered that many of the accounts shared a remarkably similar description of God: a supreme being who radiated love and grace. Expanding on his analysis begun in Evidence of the Afterlife, God and the Afterlife is the first intensive exploration of the people who have reported going to the frontier of heaven and meeting God and have returned to share their journeys. Groundbreaking and profound, it provides new insight into the human experience and expands our notions of mortality, offering possibility, hope, and comfort. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2015 Jeffrey Long (P)2015 HarperCollins Publishers
Science Set Free
Summary
The best-selling author of Dogs That Know When Their Owners Are Coming Home offers an intriguing new assessment of modern-day science that will radically change the way we view what is possible. In Science Set Free, Dr. Rupert Sheldrake, one of the world's most innovative scientists, shows the ways in which science is being constricted by assumptions that have, over the years, hardened into dogmas. Such dogmas are not only limiting, but dangerous for the future of humanity. According to these principles, all of reality is material or physical; the world is a machine, made up of inanimate matter; nature is purposeless; consciousness is nothing but the physical activity of the brain; free will is an illusion; God exists only as an idea in human minds, imprisoned within our skulls. But should science be a belief-system, or a method of enquiry? Sheldrake shows that the materialist ideology is moribund; under its sway, increasingly expensive research is reaping diminishing returns while societies around the world are paying the price. In the skeptical spirit of true science, Sheldrake turns the 10 fundamental dogmas of materialism into exciting questions, and shows how all of them open up startling new possibilities for discovery. Science Set Free will radically change your view of what is real and what is possible.
©2012 Rupert Sheldrake (P)2012 Random House Audio
Her Gates Will Never Be Shut
Summary
Everlasting hell and divine judgment, a lake of fire and brimstone - these mainstays of evangelical tradition have come under fire once again in recent decades. Would the God of love revealed by Jesus really consign the vast majority of humankind to a destiny of eternal, conscious torment? Is divine mercy bound by the demands of justice? How can anyone presume to know who is saved from the flames and who is not? Reacting to presumptions in like manner, others write off the fiery images of final judgment altogether. If there is a God who loves us, then surely all are welcome into the heavenly kingdom, regardless of their beliefs or behaviors in this life. Yet, given the sheer volume of threat rhetoric in the Scriptures and the wickedness manifest in human history, the pop-universalism of our day sounds more like denial than hope. Mercy triumphs over judgment; it does not skirt it. Her Gates Will Never Be Shut endeavors to reconsider what the Bible and the Church have actually said about hell and hope, noting a breadth of real possibilities that undermines every presumption. The polyphony of perspectives on hell and hope offered by the prophets, apostles, and Jesus humble our obsessive need to harmonize every text into a neat theological system. But they open the door to the eternal hope found in Revelation 21-22: the City whose gates will never be shut; where the Spirit and Bride perpetually invite the thirsty who are outside the city to "Come, drink of the waters of life."
©2009 Brad Jersak (P)2015 Brad Jersak
God - the Failed Hypothesis
Summary
Throughout history, arguments for and against the existence of God have been largely confined to philosophy and theology, while science has sat on the sidelines. Despite the fact that science has revolutionized every aspect of human life and greatly clarified our understanding of the world, somehow the notion has arisen that it has nothing to say about the possibility of a supreme being, which much of humanity worships as the source of all reality. This book contends that, if God exists, some evidence for this existence should be detectable by scientific means, especially considering the central role that God is alleged to play in the operation of the universe and the lives of humans. Treating the traditional God concept, as conventionally presented in the Judeo-Christian and Islamic traditions, like any other scientific hypothesis, physicist Stenger examines all of the claims made for God's existence. He considers the latest Intelligent Design arguments as evidence of God's influence in biology. He looks at human behavior for evidence of immaterial souls and the possible effects of prayer. He discusses the findings of physics and astronomy in weighing the suggestions that the universe is the work of a creator and that humans are God's special creation. After evaluating all the scientific evidence, Stenger concludes that beyond a reasonable doubt the universe and life appear exactly as we might expect if there were no God.
©2007 Victor J. Stenger (P)2016 Pitchstone Publishing
The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents
Summary
The Seven Spiritual Laws of Success was a phenomenon that touched millions of lives. Its author, Deepak Chopra, received thousands of letters from parents who expressed the desire to convey the principles they had learned to their children, along with questions about how to do so. The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents is Dr. Chopra's answer to those parents who wish to raise children with values that satisfy spiritual needs as well as create the experience of abundance. Exploring specific ways to practice the Seven Spiritual Laws as a family, Chopra explains how to convey these laws to children, and how to embody them in age-specific activities each day. The Seven Spiritual Laws for Parents moves us beyond a focus on private triumphs and failures to experience the spiritual nature of communion with family, to share with those closest to us the infinite riches of innocence and love.
©1997 Deepak Chopra (P)1997 Random House, Inc.
Ancient Book of Enoch
Summary
The Holy Spirit inspired Jude to quote Enoch for a reason. The Ancient Book of Enoch opens by addressing those in the Tribulation period. It contains numerous prophecies about the flood and fire judgments and the two comings of the Messiah. It teaches that the Messiah is the son of God and that he will shed his blood to redeem us and even predicts the generation that this would occur! The book of Enoch prophesies a window of time in which the "Second Coming" would occur and prophesies that there will be 23 Israeli Prime Ministers ruling in 58 terms from AD 1948 to the beginning of the Tribulation period and much more. Even though it prophecies that the Bible would be created and says we will be judged by our obedience to the Bible, it also makes it clear that this book is not to be added to the Canon of Scripture. The Ancient Book of Enoch recounts the history of the angels that fell in the days of Jared, Enoch’s father. It testifies to their marriages with human women and their genetic experiments. This commentary includes a previously unknown chapter from the Dead Sea Scrolls that actually explains how they did their genetic tampering. The commentary is from a fundamentalist Christian view, brought to you by Biblefacts Ministries, biblefacts.org.
©2012 Ken Johnson (P)2018 Ken Johnson
Supernormal
Summary
Can yoga and meditation unleash our inherent supernormal mental powers, such as telepathy, clairvoyance, and precognition? Is it really possible to perceive another person's thoughts and intentions? Influence objects with our minds? Envision future events? And is it possible that some of the superpowers described in ancient legends, science fiction, and comic books are actually real, and patiently waiting for us behind the scenes? Are we now poised for an evolutionary trigger to pull the switch and release our full potentials? Dean Radin, Chief Scientist at the Institute of Noetic Sciences (IONS) and best-selling author of The Conscious Universe, presents persuasive new experimental evidence for the existence of such phenomena. He takes us on a thrilling scientific journey and challenges outdated assumptions that these abilities are mere superstition. Focusing on Patanjali's mysterious Yoga Sutras - 2,000 year-old meditation practices believed to release our extraordinary powers - Radin offers powerful evidence confirming that sometimes fact is much stranger, spookier, and more wonderful than the wildest fiction. PLEASE NOTE: When you purchase this title, the accompanying reference material will be available in your Library section along with the audio.
©2013 Dean Radin; Foreword copyright 2013 by Deepak Chopra (P)2018 Tantor
Gunning for God
Summary
Atheism is on the march in the western world, and its enemy is God. Religion, the "New Atheists" claim, is "dangerous", "kills", or "poisons" everything. And if religion is the problem with the world, their answer is simple: Get rid of it. But are things really so straightforward? Tackling the likes of Richard Dawkins, Stephen Hawking, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett head on, John Lennox highlights the fallacies in the their approach, arguing that their irrational and unscientific methodology leaves them guilty of the same obstinate foolishness of which they accuse dogmatic religious folks. Erudite and wide-ranging, Gunning for God packs some debilitating punches. It also puts forward new ideas about the nature of God and Christianity that will give the New Atheists' best friends and worst enemies alike some stimulating food for thought.
©2011 John Lennox (P)2018 Lion Books
Evil Archaeology
Summary
An investigation into the historical and archaeological evidence of demons, curses, and possession, featuring some of the most gruesome artifacts and sites ever discovered Demons, jinn, possession, sinister artifacts, and gruesome archaeological discoveries haunt this new book by Dr. Heather Lynn. Evil Archaeology investigates the archaeological record for artifacts and evidence of evil entities, revealing how demons from the ancient world may be dwelling among us. It also looks at the history and lore behind real relics believed to be haunted and includes historical accounts of demonic possession that go as far back as King Solomon invoking demons to help him build his famed temple. Is there really a prehistoric fertility goddess figure that has been known to bring death to the families of anyone who holds it? Are there real vampire graveyards? Can the archaeological record prove the existence of demons and malevolent entities? Some tantalizing questions Evil Archaeology addresses include: What is the origin of demons? What role did Sumerian demons play in the development of civilization? Are curses real? Can material objects contain evil? What about places? What can we do to protect ourselves, according to historical records? Was Jesus an exorcist?
©2019 Heather Lynn, PhD (P)2019 Tantor
The Lost World of Adam and Eve
Summary
For centuries, the story of Adam and Eve has resonated richly through the corridors of art, literature, and theology. But for most moderns, taking it at face value is incongruous. And even for many thinking Christians today who want to take seriously the authority of Scripture, insisting on a "literal" understanding of Genesis 2-3 looks painfully like a "tear here" strip between faith and science. How can Christians of good faith move forward? Who were the historical Adam and Eve? What if we've been reading Genesis - and its claims regarding material origins - wrong? In what cultural context was this couple, this garden, this tree, this serpent portrayed? Following his groundbreaking Lost World of Genesis One, John Walton explores the ancient Near Eastern context of Genesis 2-3, creating space for a faithful reading of Scripture along with full engagement with science for a new way forward in the human origins debate. As a bonus, an illuminating excursus by N. T. Wright places Adam in the implied narrative of Paul's theology. The Lost World of Adam and Eve is a must-listen book for anyone seeking to understand this foundational text historically, and theologically, and wondering how to view it alongside contemporary understandings of human origins.
©2015 John H. Walton (P)2018 Tantor
The Day Is Now Far Spent
Summary
In this powerful audiobook by the acclaimed spiritual leader and best-selling writer, one he calls his "most important", he analyzes the profound spiritual, moral, and political crisis in the contemporary world. He says that he "considers that the decadence of our time has all the faces of mortal peril." "At the root of the collapse of the West, there is a cultural identity crisis. The West no longer knows who it is, because it no longer knows and does not want to know who made it, who established it, as it was and as it is. Many countries today ignore their own history. This self-suffocation naturally leads to a decadence that opens the path to new, barbaric civilizations." In these words, Cardinal Sarah summarizes the theme of his audiobook. His finding is simple: Our world is on the brink of the abyss. Crisis of faith and of the Church, decline of the West, betrayal by its elites, moral relativism, endless globalism, unbridled capitalism, new ideologies, political exhaustion, movements inspired by Islamist totalitarianism.... The time has come for an unflinching diagnosis. While making clear the gravity of the crisis through which the West has gone, the Cardinal demonstrates that it is possible to avoid the hell of a world without God, a world without man, a world without hope. After the great international success of his first two books, God or Nothing and The Power of Silence, Cardinal Sarah offers a wide-ranging reflection on the crisis of the contemporary world while teaching many important spiritual lessons.
©2019 Ignatius Press (P)2019 Ignatius Press
The Templars
Summary
Arguably one of the most provocative, puzzling, and misunderstood organizations of medieval times, the legendary Knights Templar have always been shrouded in a veil of mystery, while inspiring popular culture from Indiana Jones to Dan Brown. In The Templars, author Michael Haag offers a definitive history of these loyal Christian soldiers of the Crusades - sworn to defend the Holy Land and Jerusalem, but ultimately damned and destroyed by the Pope and his church. A best seller in the United Kingdom - the first history of the enigmatic warriors to include findings from the Chinon Parchment, the long-lost Vatican document absolving the Knights of heresy - The Templars by Michael Haag is a fascinating, must-listen book.
©2011 Michael Haag (P)2017 Tantor
Erasing Hell
Summary
How could a loving God send people to Hell? Will people have a chance after they die to believe in Jesus and go to heaven? With a humble respect for God’s Word, Francis Chan and Preston Sprinkle address the deepest questions you have about eternal destiny. They’ve asked the same questions. Like you, sometimes they just don’t want to believe in Hell. But, as they write, “We cannot afford to be wrong on this issue.” This is not a book about who is saying what. It’s a book about what God says. It’s not a book about impersonal theological issues. It’s a book about people God loves. It’s not a book about arguments, doctrine, or being right. It’s a book about the character of God. Erasing Hell will immerse you in the truth of Scripture as, together with the authors, you find not only the truth but the courage to live it out.
©2011 Francis Chan, Preston Sprinkle (P)2011 Oasis Audio
The Shack Revisited
Summary
Millions have found their spiritual hunger satisfied by William P. Young's number-one New York Times best seller, The Shack - the story of a man lifted from the depths of despair through his life-altering encounter with God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Now C. Baxter Kruger's The Shack Revisited guides readers into a deeper understanding of these three persons to help readers have a more profound connection with the core message of The Shack - that God is love. An early fan of The Shack and a close friend to its author, Kruger shows why the novel has been enthusiastically embraced by so many Christians worldwide. In the words of William P. Young from the foreword to The Shack Revisited, "Baxter Kruger will stun readers with his unique cross of intellectual brilliance and creative genius as he takes them deeper into the wonder, worship, and possibility that is the world of The Shack."
©2012 C. Baxter Kruger (P)2012 Hachette
The Varieties of Religious Experience
Summary
First published in 1905, The Varieties of Religious Experience is a collection of lectures given at the University of Edinburgh in 1901 and 1902. William James was a psychologist and, as such, his interest in religion was not that of a theologian but of a scientist. In these 20 lectures, he discusses the nature and origin of religious belief. The average believer is one who has inherited his religion, but this will not do for James's inquiry. He must find those believers who have a voracious religious faith because these people have also often experienced a number of peculiar psychological episodes, including having visions, hearing voices, and falling into trances. Students of psychology and those interested in the mental process of belief will find these lectures informative.
Public Domain (P)2011 Tantor