James F McGrath

A personal exploration of questions surrounding psychic healing, s ances, astral projection, and more After an injury threatened his chances of signing a professional baseball contract, R. Alan Streett sought help from Olga Worrall, a world-famous psychic healer. This encounter set in motion his lifelong search for the origin and nature of psychic phenomena. Were they natural or supernatural? From God, or from the devil? Were they mentalists' tricks, or feats of the subconscious mind? Streett invites us to join him in real time as he explores the fascinating world of the paranormal, offering insights into healing, magic, trance channeling, yogic meditation, alternative medicine, astral projection, and the brain's ability to produce spiritual and mystical experiences. Ultimately Streett enables readers to draw some time-tested and cutting-edge conclusions. Exploring the Paranormal is a helpful guide for all who wish to understand the varied forms of spirituality that are so popular today.

The Gospel according to John presents Jesus in a unique way as compared with other New Testament writings. Scholars have long puzzled and pondered over why this should be. In this book, James McGrath offers a convincing explanation of how and why the author of the Fourth Gospel arrived at a christological portrait of Jesus that is so different from that of other New Testament authors, and yet at the same time clearly has its roots in earlier tradition. McGrath suggests that as the author of this Gospel sought to defend his beliefs about Jesus against the objections brought by opponents, he developed and drew out further implications from the beliefs he inherited. The book studies this process using insights from the field of sociology which helps to bring methodological clarity to the important issue of the development of Johannine Christology.

The Gospel according to John presents Jesus in a unique way as compared with other New Testament writings. Scholars have long puzzled and pondered over why this should be. In this book, James McGrath offers a convincing explanation of how and why the author of the Fourth Gospel arrived at a christological portrait of Jesus that is so different from that of other New Testament authors, and yet at the same time clearly has its roots in earlier tradition. McGrath suggests that as the author of this Gospel sought to defend his beliefs about Jesus against the objections brought by opponents, he developed and drew out further implications from the beliefs he inherited. The book studies this process using insights from the field of sociology which helps to bring methodological clarity to the important issue of the development of Johannine Christology.

Deconstruction isn't the end; it's the starting point for something new. This book points you toward what comes next. Among exvangelicals and former fundamentalists, it's common to hear discussions about faith deconstruction--the process of relinquishing long-held religious views that turned out to be uninformed, untrue, or unjust. But it's less common to hear people talk about what happens next. After you reject some or all of your old beliefs, what new beliefs will you put in their place? How will you redefine what the Bible is and what faith means? How will you construct a new worldview? When grappling with these questions, it can be helpful to hear from thoughtful Christians who have asked the same questions themselves. That's why James McGrath--an award-winning New Testament scholar and educator--has created this book. Writing in a personal, conversational style, McGrath shares his experiences of outgrowing a narrowly defined Christianity and learning how to inhabit a more spacious, dynamic Christian faith. In addition to sharing his own story, McGrath offers practical advice for discerning the next steps in your unique faith journey. He doesn't tell you what to think; instead, he introduces you to more expansive ways of thinking about Christianity, the Bible, the church, and more. And he encourages you to bring your whole self to the creative process of learning to live in meaningful relationship with God and with others. For anyone who feels stuck in the deconstruction space, Beyond Deconstruction will empower you to move forward--and will give you hope about what lies ahead.

Progressive Rock, Religion, and Theology examines progressive rock music’s engagement with theology and religion, which spans an array of artists and songs from its early days to the present. Co-written by a musician and a professor of religious studies, this book looks closely not only at lyrics but at the music itself and how the two together serve to foster the exploration of religious and spiritual themes from a wide array of angles. Each chapter covers a key song by ELP, Yes, Genesis, Jethro Tull, Kansas, Rush, and Neal Morse as well as tracing the themes from those songs into other works by the same artist and the music of others. Readers will get to know music that is familiar to them through an academic lens, and will discover that its engagement with theological ideas, if not typically informed by study of academic theologians, is nonetheless at times both intellectually rigorous and profoundly insightful.

Studies of the historical Jesus typically reduce John the Baptist to a subordinate role in the story of Christian origins. This meticulous historical study focuses on John himself, revealing his extensive and enduring influence. In the popular imagination, John the Baptist plays the supporting role of Jesus's unkempt forerunner. But meticulous historical study reveals his wide-reaching and enduring influence on the history of religion. The first study of its kind, John of History, Baptist of Faith sheds light on the historical John the Baptist and his world. James F. McGrath applies historical-critical methodology not only to the New Testament but also to the Mandaean Book of John, a holy text of the last extant gnostic sect. McGrath uses the teachings of John's pupil, Jesus, as a window into his mentor's beliefs. Along the way, he brings new clarity to questions of contention among scholars, such as John's use of immersion as a substitute for temple sacrifice. Bold in its claims yet careful in its method, John of History, Baptist of Faith lends fresh insight into John, Jesus, and their world. McGrath's pioneering monograph will challenge and intrigue students and scholars of the New Testament and Second Temple Judaism.

So you think you know the New Testament? Did you know that Jesus made puns? Did you know that Paul never calls himself or the churches he writes to "Christian?" Did you know that we don't know who wrote the Letter to the Hebrews, or if it's even really a letter? James F. McGrath sheds light on these and many other surprising realities of Scripture in The A to Z of the New Testament. Cutting through common myths and misunderstandings of problematic bible passages, James F. McGrath opens up expert knowledge to laypeople in his friendly introduction to New Testament studies. Each chapter in this fresh, accessible volume begins with a provocative anecdote or fact and then pulls back the curtain to inform curious readers about how scholars approach the issue. Along the way, McGrath explains unfamiliar terminology and methodology to nonspecialists with humor and clarity. You've graduated from Sunday School. Ask the hard questions. Take Scripture on its own terms. Invigorate your Bible study with The A to Z of the New Testament as your guide.

Dehumanization has led to serious misinterpretation of the Gospels. On the one hand, Christians have often made Jesus so much more than human that it seemed inappropriate to ask about the influence other human beings had on him, male or female. On the other hand, women have been treated as less than fully human, their names omitted from stories and their voices and influence on Jesus neglected. When we ask the question this book does, what Jesus learned from women, puzzling questions that have frustrated readers of the Gospels throughout history suddenly find solutions. Weaving cutting edge biblical scholarship together with an element of historical fiction and a knack for writing for a general audience, James McGrath makes the stories of women in the New Testament come alive, and sheds fresh light on the figure of Jesus as well. This book is a must read for scholars, students, and anyone else interested in Jesus and/or in the role of ancient women in the context of their times.

Monotheism is a powerful religious concept shaped by competing ideas and the problems they raised. Surveying New Testament writings and Jewish sources from before and after the rise of Christianity, James F. McGrath argues that even the most developed Christologies in the New Testament fit within the context of first century Jewish monotheism. McGrath pinpoints when the parting of ways took place over the issue of God's oneness, and explores philosophical ideas such as "creation out of nothing" which caused Jews and Christians to develop differing concepts and definitions about God.

Monotheism is a powerful religious concept shaped by competing ideas and the problems they raised. Surveying New Testament writings and Jewish sources from before and after the rise of Christianity, James F. McGrath argues that even the most developed Christologies in the New Testament fit within the context of first century Jewish monotheism. McGrath pinpoints when the parting of ways took place over the issue of God's oneness, and explores philosophical ideas such as "creation out of nothing" which caused Jews and Christians to develop differing concepts and definitions about God.