Science and Religion v Spirituality and Health v Character Development v Business and Spirituality
December 2006
Issue 25
Have a person on your gift-giving list that requires a special gift? Just in time for the holiday season, Templeton Foundation Press is promoting our Inspirational book series with a buy two, get one free special! This special includes our newest release, Kindness and Joy: Expressing the Gentle Love, by Harold G. Koenig. Simply preview our inspirational books and add as many as you would like to the shopping cart. When you are through, enter in coupon code TFPH01. This coupon will recalculate your cart to provide you with the proper credit.
Our second special involves the Michael Reagan series. Purchase a copy of Inside the Mind of God and Reflections on the Nature of God and receive a free copy of The Hand of God. This set of inspirational books combines beauty for the mind and spirit by juxtaposing majestic photographs of the body, our Earth, and the cosmos next to illuminating words of scientists, poets, and theologians. All three books are sold for the combined price of $39.90.
To order: http://www.templetonpress.org/specialoffers.asp
Science and the Search for Meaning: Perspectives from International Scientists edited by Jean Staune is the first English translation of a recent French edition that presents “audacious and rigorous” articles by fifteen renowned leaders in the science-religion field, among whom are four Nobel Prize winners. They represent nine countries and seven religions.
Each of the authors in this volume responds in a different way, addressing naturalism, materialism, the nature of consciousness, reductionism, and the quest for meaning. Two paradigms emerge, with those who say that God (or direction) can exist in the universe because we can understand certain things, while others say that God exists because we cannot understand the universe altogether. Their reflections on the accessibility and the mystery of the world show the extraordinary abstract revolution that took place in science during the twentieth century and the way this establishes a bridge between science and religion.
Why the Science and Religion Dialogue Matters: Voices from the International Society for Science and Religion edited by Fraser Watts and Kevin Dutton offers international and multi-faith perspectives from members of the International Society for Science and Religion (ISSR). The essays reflect the ISSR’s goal of a better understanding of how each faith understands the nature and history of the world, with the realization that this dialogue is, as Watts says, “of wide social and cultural importance” in our global society.
Please visit our Web site at www.templetonpress.org and click on the Look Inside feature to view a full table of contents of each of these books.
Templeton Foundation Press is pleased to offer two books that profile both individuals and organizations that are daring to make a difference in this ever-changing world.
A person who wants to make a difference, who wants to do something that changes the lives of others, can create an organization that impacts millions of lives and motivates others to action. Barbara R. Metzler has assembled the inspiring stories of such people in her new book, Passionaries: Turning Compassion into Action. Each person profiled is a leader of a nonprofit volunteer organization that offers a solution for an oppressive social challenge.
Metzler describes the event or circumstance that spurred them to “do something,” the steps they took to get started, and the obstacles they overcame. The passionate entrepreneurs behind these volunteer organizations range in age from six to eighty-nine. Some are physically challenged. Some are former prisoners. And some are working through deep emotional pain. They include recognizable names, such as Paul Newman, Betty Ford, Charles Colson, and Gary Sinise, as well as many other leaders whose names are less known, but whose organizations also create real change.
Street
Saints: Renewing
Elliott introduces social entrepreneurs who have found innovative ways to work, such as combining the care of street kids with the marketing of coffee on the Internet. She tells of people and programs that teach the mentally and physically handicapped to support themselves with micro-enterprises; homeless shelters that help people transition out of homelessness; and drug treatment and welfare-to-work programs that move people into self-sufficiency.
Please visit our Web site at www.templetonpress.org and click on the Look Inside feature to view a full table of contents for these books.
Abraham Lincoln said, “Kindness is the only service that will stand the storm of life and not wash out. It will wear well and will be remembered long after the prism of politeness or the complexion of courtesy has faded.”
In Kindness and Joy: Expressing the Gentle Love, physician Harold G. Koenig explores the nature of kindness and the benefits of kindness both for the giver and the receiver. He also looks at joy and what distinguishes it from other positive emotions. He shows how kindness and joy are related and how acting kindly leads to the experience of joy. His insights and gentle guidance are interspersed with examples from his own life and quotes from others who have learned the benefits of being kind, such as this from James M. Barrie:
Those who bring sunshine into the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves.
Dr. Koenig looks at what kindness is, what it is not, and things that make it hard to be kind: we’re in a rush, we have our own needs, we’re hurt or angry, or we just don’t like a person. Still, when we are kind, we feel better, and the people around us are nicer and easier to get along with. Furthermore, he points out, the scriptures are clear: making time for kindness is not an option, it is a command.
There is a double blessing to being kind—one that researchers are only now beginning to discover of — kindness enhances the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of both the receiver and the giver. Kindness results in joy—almost all the time. And even when kindness is not appreciated, and we don’t feel any joy, we know we are becoming the kind of people we were created to be.
Visit our Web site for more information about this book: http://www.templetonpress.org/
The 2006 Books of Distinction program features nineteen books including The Artful Universe Expanded by John D. Barrow; Bodies and Souls, or Spirited Bodies? by Nancey Murphy; Exploring Reality by John C. Polkinghorne; and Science, Religion, and the Human Experience by James D. Proctor. For complete listing of all titles featured as a Book of Distinction, visit http://www.scienceandreligionbooks.org/bod/
This program launched in
2004 with thirty-nine books, is a marketing and promotion campaign in which
books from publishers in the
Joanna Hill, executive director and publisher of Templeton Foundation Press and manager of Books of Distinction, adds: “Each of the books selected for the Books of Distinction program brings us a bit closer to the possibility of vastly increasing our awareness of spirituality. Whether the topic is scientific research, cosmological speculation, philosophy, psychology, theology, or another field, each book contributes in a significant manner to the growing dialogue between science and religion, to the promotion of ethical values and the development of character, and to a humble approach in all of life’s endeavors.”
For a comprehensive listing of books published in the fields of science and religion, visit the online Science and Religion Bookstore at http://www.scienceandreligionbooks.org/. All books featured on the Science and Religion Bookstore are offered at a twenty percent discount.
Antje Jackelén
“In the context of mainstream Western thought her book presents a rich vista for future study and will be a definitive reference on time in religion/theology and science for many years.”
—Theology and Science,
July, 2006
Faith and Mental Health
Harold G. Koenig, M.D.
“This is a remarkable resource for caregivers, medical schools and schools of theology. In four parts and 14 chapters, author and physician Harold G. Koenig describes 10 ways that religious faith can contribute to mental health and wellness. . . . Helpful for explaining psychotherapy, spiritual direction and coaching of patients with anxiety, depression and even psychotic features”
—St. Anthony Messenger, November, 2006
In the Wake of Disaster
Harold G. Koenig, M.D.
“In the Wake of Disaster serves as a tool for keeping faith in the face of even the worst disasters, and keeping in mind the importance of religious responses to terrorism. The book is a helpful instrument in making the best out of unfortunate events, all the while remembering God’s presence in every situation. ”
—St. Anthony Messenger,
September, 2006
“Dr. Harold G. Koenig presents a persuasive argument for local, state, and federal government policy leaders to make full use of these much-needed services and to integrate religious organizations into the formal disaster response system. The book also offers information on the psychological, social, and spiritual responses to trauma, including the role that religious communities can play in disaster response and recovery.”
—crosswalk.com,
November 17, 2006
“This is a wonderful volume that should be useful to many audiences, such as members of the clergy, leaders in the faith community, and potential volunteers from the faith community. In addition, the book lays out very clearly the role that faith communities have in assisting with the work in the aftermath of terrorism or catastrophe. Without reservation, I recommend this book to the clergy, church leaders, and disaster mental health responders. The only weakness that I see in this particular volume is that it is inevitable that some of the resources included will quickly become dated or obsolete. However, that should not prevent readers and users of this volume from benefiting from its insights. For anyone interested in religious or spiritual responses to terrorism or catastrophe, this is a superb resource.”
— PsycCRITIQUES
December 6, 2006, Vol. 51 (49)
Science and
John C. Polkinghorne
“Recommended reading for academicians, scientists, clergy, and non-specialist general readers with an interest in science and religion.”
—
“Templeton Foundation Press has re-issued a classic resource and performed a valuable service for the science and religion community.”
—Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith,
Volume 58, Number 2
- June 2006
Full reviews may be found on our Web site at www.templetonpress.org.
The current best sellers for Templeton Foundation Press are listed below. The statistics are an accumulation of both domestic and foreign sales and are updated monthly.
Books
1. Kindness and Joy
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=93
2. Passionaries
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=91
3. Noble Purpose
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=61
4. Hand of God, The
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=1
5. Worldwide Laws of Life
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=21
6. Golden Nuggets
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=32
7. Spirituality in Patient Care
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=47
8. Christianity and Process Thought
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=87
9. Human Nature
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=90
10. Why the Science and Religion Dialogue Matters
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=95
Audio Books
1. Power of Forgiving
http://www.templetonpress.org/audio_books.asp
2. The Healing Connection
http://www.templetonpress.org/audio_books.asp
3. Templeton Plan
http://www.templetonpress.org/audio_books.asp
4. Thrift and Generosity
http://www.templetonpress.org/audio_books.asp
E-books
1. Unlimited Love
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=58
2. Spirituality in Patient Care
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=47
3. Research on Altruism and Love
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=59
4. Dimensions of Forgiveness
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=38
5. Words of Gratitude
http://www.templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=17
Templeton Foundation Press is pleased to provide an examination copy of textbooks to qualifying professors. Copies are limited to one copy per title per professor, for possible textbook use only.
For more information or to download the request form, please visit http://www.templetonpress.org/textbookexamination.asp
Books from Templeton Foundation Press are available at better bookstores and through our Web site at www.templetonpress.org. You may also order by calling our distribution center at 800-621-2736. Orders placed through our Web site receive a twenty percent discount.
Templeton Foundation Press
West
Email: tfp@templetonpress.org
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