To find more information on Rowman &amp; Littlefield titles, please visit us at www.rowmanlittlefield.com.

God at the Center: Meditations on Jewish Spirituality

Religion & Spirituality

Blumenthal, David R.

Judaism

Harpercollins

In this powerful book, David Blumenthal maintains that having faith in a post-Holocaust world means admitting that while God is often loving and kind, fair and merciful, God is also capable of acts so unjust they can only be described as abusive. Grounding his argument in Scripture and in the experience of Holocaust survivors and of survivors of child abuse, Blumenthal grapples with how to face a God who has worked "wondrously through us" and who has worked "aw(e)fully against us." Delving into Jewish literary and theological traditions, the author articulates a theology of protest which accepts God as God is, yet defends the innocence of those who are utterly victimized.

Facing the Abusing God: A Theology of Protest

History

World

Westminster/John Knox Press

This book on Jewish prayer contains insights on the meaning of selected phrases and prayers from the traditional liturgy and on the personalist theology behind traditional Jewish prayer. It also includes meditations on the liturgy, and clear instructions on how to pray certain prayers, both normally and mystically.

Keeping God at the Center: Contemplating and Using the Prayerbook

Hamilton Books

Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader, Volume II

Ktav Pub & Distributors Inc

Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader : The Merkabah Tradition and the Zoharic Tradition (The Library of Judaic learning) by David R. Blumenthal.

Understanding Jewish Mysticism: A Source Reader : The Merkabah Tradition and the Zoharic Tradition

Drawing from his course, "The Problem of Evil: A Social Psychological Approach" at Emory University, Blumenthal combines Jewish tradition with insights from the social sciences to analyze the contrasting extremes of human behavior towards others. Then he discusses how to apply the analysis to the moral education of young children, describing methods and approaches that can be used in civil society as well as in faith-based institutions. Paper edition (unseen), $23.95. Annotation c. Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The Banality of Good and Evil: Moral Lessons from the Shoah and Jewish Tradition (Moral Traditions & Moral Arguments)

Christian Books & Bibles

Georgetown Univ Pr

People who helped exterminate Jews during the shoah (Hebrew for "holocaust") often claimed that they only did what was expected of them. Intrigued by hearing the same response from individuals who rescued Jews, David R. Blumenthal proposes that the notion of ordinariness used to characterize nazi evil is equally applicable to goodness. In this provocative book, Blumenthal develops a new theory of human behavior that identifies the social and psychological factors that foster both good and evil behavior. Drawing on lessons primarily from the shoah but also from well-known obedience and altruism experiments, My Lai, and the civil rights movement, Blumenthal deftly interweaves insights from psychology, history, and social theory to create a new way of looking at human behavior. Blumenthal identifies the factors ― social hierarchy, education, and childhood discipline―that shape both good and evil attitudes and actions. Considering how our religious and educational institutions might do a better job of encouraging goodness and discouraging evil, he then makes specific recommendations for cultivating goodness in people, stressing the importance of the social context of education. He reinforces his ideas through stories, teachings, and case histories from the Jewish tradition that convey important lessons in resistance and goodness. Appendices include the ethical code of the Israel Defense Forces, material on non-violence from the Martin Luther King, Jr., Center, a suggested syllabus for a Jewish elementary school, and a list of prosocial sources on the Web, as well as a complete bibliography. If people can commit acts of evil without thinking, why can't even more commit acts of kindness? Writing with power and insight, Blumenthal shows readers of all faiths how we might replace patterns of evil with empathy, justice, and caring, and through a renewed attention to moral education, perhaps prevent future shoahs.

The Banality of Good and Evil: Moral Lessons from the Shoah and Jewish Tradition (Moral Traditions)

Politics & Social Sciences

Sociology

Georgetown University Press

The Place of Faith and Grace in Judaism

Center Judaic Christian Stds

Reference

Encyclopedias & Subject Guides

Jason Aronson, Inc.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Blumenthal, David R.. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Blumenthal, David R.