So Who is God, Anyway?

So Who is God, Anyway?

Author: G.S. Payne

Publisher: Five Boroughs Media & Publishing, LLC

Published: 2024-05-04

Total Pages: 241

ISBN-13:

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"A well-written and convincing rumination on the divine." --Kirkus Reviews GS Payne, writer, sleuth, and eternally curious ruminator, investigates 2,500 years-plus of philosophical thought on the subject of God. Using the tools of the philosopher (and a lot of humor), Payne traces the thinking of history's greatest brains to arrive initially at a conclusion on the matter of God's existence; then, a philosophical conception of God that is no less than startling, first because it is nothing like the traditional conception of God (he of the beard and sandals on his throne in the sky), and, second, because it is a conception that not only goes back to the beginning of recorded time, but is recognized by every major religion on earth, and yet has been tragically relegated to the fringes by the louder, more fundamentalist branches of mainstream religion. So Who is God, Anyway? delivers splendidly-for doubters, skeptics, recovering fundamentalists, or anyone looking for a fun book to read about some damn big questions! "A well-written and convincing rumination on the divine. Payne is especially skilled at introducing difficult concepts with an engaging, often humorous prose style." -Kirkus Reviews "Five Stars! Edgy but kind exploration of God's existence and nature...the sense of humor seasons the text like a good dash of salt and pepper. If there's one book on God to read this year, please make it 'So Who is God Anyway?' by G.S. Payne." -Reader Views "With wit, humanity, and inviting prose, So Who is God Anyway? explains complex philosophical concepts clearly and accurately...Payne targets an audience of skeptics, but open-minded people of any religious tradition can find value in his musings." -BookLife (Editor's Pick) "A fascinating exploration. With humor, wit, and thought-provoking insights, Payne makes a convincing case that there is more to God than meets the eye...Whether you're seeking personal growth or a new perspective on life, Payne's work will captivate and challenge you to think beyond what you have been taught." -Midwest Book Review "Filled with humor...Payne's exceptional research is delivered as if he's talking to you at his home while you sip a glass of lemonade. Five stars!" -Readers' Favorite "A thoughtful and accessible approach for the lay believer or nonbeliever who wants a firmer basis in understanding what and how to believe." -IndieReader


Book Synopsis So Who is God, Anyway? by : G.S. Payne

Download or read book So Who is God, Anyway? written by G.S. Payne and published by Five Boroughs Media & Publishing, LLC. This book was released on 2024-05-04 with total page 241 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: "A well-written and convincing rumination on the divine." --Kirkus Reviews GS Payne, writer, sleuth, and eternally curious ruminator, investigates 2,500 years-plus of philosophical thought on the subject of God. Using the tools of the philosopher (and a lot of humor), Payne traces the thinking of history's greatest brains to arrive initially at a conclusion on the matter of God's existence; then, a philosophical conception of God that is no less than startling, first because it is nothing like the traditional conception of God (he of the beard and sandals on his throne in the sky), and, second, because it is a conception that not only goes back to the beginning of recorded time, but is recognized by every major religion on earth, and yet has been tragically relegated to the fringes by the louder, more fundamentalist branches of mainstream religion. So Who is God, Anyway? delivers splendidly-for doubters, skeptics, recovering fundamentalists, or anyone looking for a fun book to read about some damn big questions! "A well-written and convincing rumination on the divine. Payne is especially skilled at introducing difficult concepts with an engaging, often humorous prose style." -Kirkus Reviews "Five Stars! Edgy but kind exploration of God's existence and nature...the sense of humor seasons the text like a good dash of salt and pepper. If there's one book on God to read this year, please make it 'So Who is God Anyway?' by G.S. Payne." -Reader Views "With wit, humanity, and inviting prose, So Who is God Anyway? explains complex philosophical concepts clearly and accurately...Payne targets an audience of skeptics, but open-minded people of any religious tradition can find value in his musings." -BookLife (Editor's Pick) "A fascinating exploration. With humor, wit, and thought-provoking insights, Payne makes a convincing case that there is more to God than meets the eye...Whether you're seeking personal growth or a new perspective on life, Payne's work will captivate and challenge you to think beyond what you have been taught." -Midwest Book Review "Filled with humor...Payne's exceptional research is delivered as if he's talking to you at his home while you sip a glass of lemonade. Five stars!" -Readers' Favorite "A thoughtful and accessible approach for the lay believer or nonbeliever who wants a firmer basis in understanding what and how to believe." -IndieReader

God and Stephen Hawking

God and Stephen Hawking

Author: John C. Lennox

Publisher: Lion Books

Published: 2010

Total Pages: 50

ISBN-13: 0745955495

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'The Grand Design', by eminent scientist Stephen Hawking, is the latest blockbusting contribution to the so-called New Atheist debate, and claims that the laws of physics themselves brought the Universe into being, rather than God. In this swift and forthright reply, John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and author of 'God's Undertaker', exposes the flaws in Hawking's logic. In lively, layman's terms, Lennox guides us through the key points in Hawking's arguments - with clear explanations of the latest scientific and philosophical methods and theories - and demonstrates that far from disproving a Creator God, they make his existence seem all the more probable.


Book Synopsis God and Stephen Hawking by : John C. Lennox

Download or read book God and Stephen Hawking written by John C. Lennox and published by Lion Books. This book was released on 2010 with total page 50 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 'The Grand Design', by eminent scientist Stephen Hawking, is the latest blockbusting contribution to the so-called New Atheist debate, and claims that the laws of physics themselves brought the Universe into being, rather than God. In this swift and forthright reply, John Lennox, Oxford mathematician and author of 'God's Undertaker', exposes the flaws in Hawking's logic. In lively, layman's terms, Lennox guides us through the key points in Hawking's arguments - with clear explanations of the latest scientific and philosophical methods and theories - and demonstrates that far from disproving a Creator God, they make his existence seem all the more probable.

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?

What Does God Want of Us Anyway?

Author: Mark Dever

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2010-03-09

Total Pages: 128

ISBN-13: 1433524007

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Originally delivered as sermons by pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, these three studies are now available in one hardcover volume. Dever guides readers to take a step back and look at the Bible from a broader perspective. As we notice new features of an object when viewed from a distance, so too the major themes of Scripture become more apparent when we take in the Bible as a whole. Part of the IXMarks series, this book considers the central messages of the Bible as seen in the promises of God. Dever examines the general narrative of God's Word to answer the question, "What does God wants of us anyway?" Readers looking for a panoramic view of Scripture will be reminded of the faithful, persistent love of God and find themselves drawn into a broader, but deeper, understanding of the maker and keeper of promises.


Book Synopsis What Does God Want of Us Anyway? by : Mark Dever

Download or read book What Does God Want of Us Anyway? written by Mark Dever and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2010-03-09 with total page 128 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Originally delivered as sermons by pastor Mark Dever at Capitol Hill Baptist Church in Washington DC, these three studies are now available in one hardcover volume. Dever guides readers to take a step back and look at the Bible from a broader perspective. As we notice new features of an object when viewed from a distance, so too the major themes of Scripture become more apparent when we take in the Bible as a whole. Part of the IXMarks series, this book considers the central messages of the Bible as seen in the promises of God. Dever examines the general narrative of God's Word to answer the question, "What does God wants of us anyway?" Readers looking for a panoramic view of Scripture will be reminded of the faithful, persistent love of God and find themselves drawn into a broader, but deeper, understanding of the maker and keeper of promises.

How God Becomes Real

How God Becomes Real

Author: T.M. Luhrmann

Publisher: Princeton University Press

Published: 2020-10-27

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 0691211981

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The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.


Book Synopsis How God Becomes Real by : T.M. Luhrmann

Download or read book How God Becomes Real written by T.M. Luhrmann and published by Princeton University Press. This book was released on 2020-10-27 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The hard work required to make God real, how it changes the people who do it, and why it helps explain the enduring power of faith How do gods and spirits come to feel vividly real to people—as if they were standing right next to them? Humans tend to see supernatural agents everywhere, as the cognitive science of religion has shown. But it isn’t easy to maintain a sense that there are invisible spirits who care about you. In How God Becomes Real, acclaimed anthropologist and scholar of religion T. M. Luhrmann argues that people must work incredibly hard to make gods real and that this effort—by changing the people who do it and giving them the benefits they seek from invisible others—helps to explain the enduring power of faith. Drawing on ethnographic studies of evangelical Christians, pagans, magicians, Zoroastrians, Black Catholics, Santeria initiates, and newly orthodox Jews, Luhrmann notes that none of these people behave as if gods and spirits are simply there. Rather, these worshippers make strenuous efforts to create a world in which invisible others matter and can become intensely present and real. The faithful accomplish this through detailed stories, absorption, the cultivation of inner senses, belief in a porous mind, strong sensory experiences, prayer, and other practices. Along the way, Luhrmann shows why faith is harder than belief, why prayer is a metacognitive activity like therapy, why becoming religious is like getting engrossed in a book, and much more. A fascinating account of why religious practices are more powerful than religious beliefs, How God Becomes Real suggests that faith is resilient not because it provides intuitions about gods and spirits—but because it changes the faithful in profound ways.

And Another Thing...

And Another Thing...

Author: Eoin Colfer

Publisher: Hachette Books

Published: 2009-10-12

Total Pages: 364

ISBN-13: 1401394809

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And Another Thing ... will be the sixth novel in the now improbably named Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Eight years after the death of its creator, Douglas Adams, the author's widow, Jane Belson, has given her approval for the project to be continued by the international number one bestselling children's writer, Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl novels. Douglas Adams himself once said, 'I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book. Five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.' Belson said of Eoin Colfer, 'I love his books and could not think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to pastures new.' Colfer, a fan of Hitchhiker since his schooldays, said, 'Being given the chance to write this book is like suddenly being offered the superpower of your choice. For years I have been finishing this incredible story in my head and now I have the opportunity to do it in the real world.' Prepare to be amazed...


Book Synopsis And Another Thing... by : Eoin Colfer

Download or read book And Another Thing... written by Eoin Colfer and published by Hachette Books. This book was released on 2009-10-12 with total page 364 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: And Another Thing ... will be the sixth novel in the now improbably named Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Eight years after the death of its creator, Douglas Adams, the author's widow, Jane Belson, has given her approval for the project to be continued by the international number one bestselling children's writer, Eoin Colfer, author of the Artemis Fowl novels. Douglas Adams himself once said, 'I suspect at some point in the future I will write a sixth Hitchhiker book. Five seems to be a wrong kind of number, six is a better kind of number.' Belson said of Eoin Colfer, 'I love his books and could not think of a better person to transport Arthur, Zaphod and Marvin to pastures new.' Colfer, a fan of Hitchhiker since his schooldays, said, 'Being given the chance to write this book is like suddenly being offered the superpower of your choice. For years I have been finishing this incredible story in my head and now I have the opportunity to do it in the real world.' Prepare to be amazed...

Who Is This God Person, Anyway?

Who Is This God Person, Anyway?

Author: Lee Brown

Publisher: Independently Published

Published: 2019-03-06

Total Pages: 202

ISBN-13: 9781798782989

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[ WHAT IF THE GOD YOU BELIEVE IN DOESN'T EXIST? ]What we belive about God is the firm foundation upon which life, the universe, and everything is built. Even if we say there is no God, each of us has something that defines ultimate reality. This foundation, therefore, is the most important piece of our brain or spirit, science or theology, that we could explore.If every single one of us believes in something that defines all reality, even if it is just ourselves, then where did we get these beliefs? How did we come to believe what we believe about the most important question ever asked? Most importantly, what if the God we belive in, doesn't exist?This book begins with a question... THE question. Who Is This God Person, Anyway? The answer may not be 42, but it does give us the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Pastor and author Lee Brown poses this all important question as he invites you into the most life-changing conversation of all. Sprinkled throughout with personal reflection and life stories, as well as a healthy dose of outright nerdery, "Who Is This God Person, Anyway?" is the perfect book for anyone who has questions about God, the universe, and everything, but doesn't want to spend a bunch of time reading theological tomes.


Book Synopsis Who Is This God Person, Anyway? by : Lee Brown

Download or read book Who Is This God Person, Anyway? written by Lee Brown and published by Independently Published. This book was released on 2019-03-06 with total page 202 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: [ WHAT IF THE GOD YOU BELIEVE IN DOESN'T EXIST? ]What we belive about God is the firm foundation upon which life, the universe, and everything is built. Even if we say there is no God, each of us has something that defines ultimate reality. This foundation, therefore, is the most important piece of our brain or spirit, science or theology, that we could explore.If every single one of us believes in something that defines all reality, even if it is just ourselves, then where did we get these beliefs? How did we come to believe what we believe about the most important question ever asked? Most importantly, what if the God we belive in, doesn't exist?This book begins with a question... THE question. Who Is This God Person, Anyway? The answer may not be 42, but it does give us the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Pastor and author Lee Brown poses this all important question as he invites you into the most life-changing conversation of all. Sprinkled throughout with personal reflection and life stories, as well as a healthy dose of outright nerdery, "Who Is This God Person, Anyway?" is the perfect book for anyone who has questions about God, the universe, and everything, but doesn't want to spend a bunch of time reading theological tomes.

Hallelujah Anyway

Hallelujah Anyway

Author: Anne Lamott

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2017-04-04

Total Pages: 192

ISBN-13: 0735213593

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“Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” —Chicago Tribune The New York Times bestseller from the author of Dusk, Night, Dawn, Almost Everything and Bird by Bird, a powerful exploration of mercy and how we can embrace it. "Mercy is radical kindness," Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It's the permission you give others—and yourself—to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult. In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by "facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves." It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere—"within us and outside us, all around us"—and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it's crucial, as "kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all." Full of Lamott’s trademark honesty, humor and forthrightness, Hallelujah Anyway is profound and caring, funny and wise—a hopeful book of hands-on spirituality.


Book Synopsis Hallelujah Anyway by : Anne Lamott

Download or read book Hallelujah Anyway written by Anne Lamott and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2017-04-04 with total page 192 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: “Anne Lamott is my Oprah.” —Chicago Tribune The New York Times bestseller from the author of Dusk, Night, Dawn, Almost Everything and Bird by Bird, a powerful exploration of mercy and how we can embrace it. "Mercy is radical kindness," Anne Lamott writes in her enthralling and heartening book, Hallelujah Anyway. It's the permission you give others—and yourself—to forgive a debt, to absolve the unabsolvable, to let go of the judgment and pain that make life so difficult. In Hallelujah Anyway: Rediscovering Mercy Lamott ventures to explore where to find meaning in life. We should begin, she suggests, by "facing a great big mess, especially the great big mess of ourselves." It's up to each of us to recognize the presence and importance of mercy everywhere—"within us and outside us, all around us"—and to use it to forge a deeper understanding of ourselves and more honest connections with each other. While that can be difficult to do, Lamott argues that it's crucial, as "kindness towards others, beginning with myself, buys us a shot at a warm and generous heart, the greatest prize of all." Full of Lamott’s trademark honesty, humor and forthrightness, Hallelujah Anyway is profound and caring, funny and wise—a hopeful book of hands-on spirituality.

Hope Anyway

Hope Anyway

Author: Leeana Tankersley

Publisher: Revell

Published: 2021-08-17

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 149343053X

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When we are in the darkness--whatever that is in our own particular story--the temptation is to believe that it's over, it's always going to feel this way, we will never be anywhere else or feel anything other than we do now. We fear the darkness, and for good reason. But it is in the darkness that new life begins. With an openhanded spirit and openhearted vulnerability, Leeana Tankersley reveals the darkest chapter of her own story, the thing she never thought would happen and could do nothing to prevent. Along the way she shares how waiting patiently in the darkness allowed something incredible to take root within her: a defiant and hard-won hope that is not dependent on happy endings. If you have lost your faith, your family, your health, your home, your security, your business, or your very self, Leeana wants you to know that you are not alone or forgotten. You are not doomed to stagnation or stasis. You are not worth less than you once were. Against every last odd, you can hope anyway.


Book Synopsis Hope Anyway by : Leeana Tankersley

Download or read book Hope Anyway written by Leeana Tankersley and published by Revell. This book was released on 2021-08-17 with total page 224 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When we are in the darkness--whatever that is in our own particular story--the temptation is to believe that it's over, it's always going to feel this way, we will never be anywhere else or feel anything other than we do now. We fear the darkness, and for good reason. But it is in the darkness that new life begins. With an openhanded spirit and openhearted vulnerability, Leeana Tankersley reveals the darkest chapter of her own story, the thing she never thought would happen and could do nothing to prevent. Along the way she shares how waiting patiently in the darkness allowed something incredible to take root within her: a defiant and hard-won hope that is not dependent on happy endings. If you have lost your faith, your family, your health, your home, your security, your business, or your very self, Leeana wants you to know that you are not alone or forgotten. You are not doomed to stagnation or stasis. You are not worth less than you once were. Against every last odd, you can hope anyway.

Living with a Wild God

Living with a Wild God

Author: Barbara Ehrenreich

Publisher: Twelve

Published: 2014-04-08

Total Pages: 256

ISBN-13: 1455501751

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From the New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed comes a brave, frank, and exquisitely written memoir that will change the way you see the world. Barbara Ehrenreich is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Educated as a scientist, she is an author, journalist, activist, and advocate for social justice. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, she recounts her quest-beginning in childhood-to find "the Truth" about the universe and everything else: What's really going on? Why are we here? In middle age, she rediscovered the journal she had kept during her tumultuous adolescence, which records an event so strange, so cataclysmic, that she had never, in all the intervening years, written or spoken about it to anyone. It was the kind of event that people call a "mystical experience"-and, to a steadfast atheist and rationalist, nothing less than shattering. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, Ehrenreich reconstructs her childhood mission, bringing an older woman's wry and erudite perspective to a young girl's impassioned obsession with the questions that, at one point or another, torment us all. The result is both deeply personal and cosmically sweeping-a searing memoir and a profound reflection on science, religion, and the human condition. With her signature combination of intellectual rigor and uninhibited imagination, Ehrenreich offers a true literary achievement-a work that has the power not only to entertain but amaze.


Book Synopsis Living with a Wild God by : Barbara Ehrenreich

Download or read book Living with a Wild God written by Barbara Ehrenreich and published by Twelve. This book was released on 2014-04-08 with total page 256 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: From the New York Times bestselling author of Nickel and Dimed comes a brave, frank, and exquisitely written memoir that will change the way you see the world. Barbara Ehrenreich is one of the most important thinkers of our time. Educated as a scientist, she is an author, journalist, activist, and advocate for social justice. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, she recounts her quest-beginning in childhood-to find "the Truth" about the universe and everything else: What's really going on? Why are we here? In middle age, she rediscovered the journal she had kept during her tumultuous adolescence, which records an event so strange, so cataclysmic, that she had never, in all the intervening years, written or spoken about it to anyone. It was the kind of event that people call a "mystical experience"-and, to a steadfast atheist and rationalist, nothing less than shattering. In LIVING WITH A WILD GOD, Ehrenreich reconstructs her childhood mission, bringing an older woman's wry and erudite perspective to a young girl's impassioned obsession with the questions that, at one point or another, torment us all. The result is both deeply personal and cosmically sweeping-a searing memoir and a profound reflection on science, religion, and the human condition. With her signature combination of intellectual rigor and uninhibited imagination, Ehrenreich offers a true literary achievement-a work that has the power not only to entertain but amaze.

God at Work

God at Work

Author: Gene Edward Veith Jr.

Publisher: Crossway

Published: 2011-08-02

Total Pages: 178

ISBN-13: 143351608X

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When you understand it properly, the doctrine of vocation—"doing everything for God's glory"—is not a platitude or an outdated notion. This principle that we vaguely apply to our lives and our work is actually the key to Christian ethics, to influencing our culture for Christ, and to infusing our ordinary, everyday lives with the presence of God. For when we realize that the "mundane" activities that consume most of our time are "God's hiding places," our perspective changes. Culture expert Gene Veith unpacks the biblical, Reformation teaching about the doctrine of vocation, emphasizing not what we should specifically do with our time or what careers we are called to, but what God does in and through our callings—even within the home. In each task He has given us—in our workplaces and families, our churches and society—God Himself is at work. Veith guides you to discover God's purpose and calling in those seemingly ordinary areas by providing you with a spiritual framework for thinking about such issues and for acting upon them with a changed perspective.


Book Synopsis God at Work by : Gene Edward Veith Jr.

Download or read book God at Work written by Gene Edward Veith Jr. and published by Crossway. This book was released on 2011-08-02 with total page 178 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: When you understand it properly, the doctrine of vocation—"doing everything for God's glory"—is not a platitude or an outdated notion. This principle that we vaguely apply to our lives and our work is actually the key to Christian ethics, to influencing our culture for Christ, and to infusing our ordinary, everyday lives with the presence of God. For when we realize that the "mundane" activities that consume most of our time are "God's hiding places," our perspective changes. Culture expert Gene Veith unpacks the biblical, Reformation teaching about the doctrine of vocation, emphasizing not what we should specifically do with our time or what careers we are called to, but what God does in and through our callings—even within the home. In each task He has given us—in our workplaces and families, our churches and society—God Himself is at work. Veith guides you to discover God's purpose and calling in those seemingly ordinary areas by providing you with a spiritual framework for thinking about such issues and for acting upon them with a changed perspective.