MSI Press Blog

Recently,  A Theology for the Rest of Us   by Arthur Yavelberg was recently selected a Pinnacle Book Achievement Award. Book description: If God exists and is good, why is there evil? Avoiding such questions underlies the spiritual emptiness and anxiety in today's world. A Theology for the Rest of Us explores how to approach the divine through Eastern and Western religious traditions without dogma, challenging readers to "be you lamps unto yourselves." In a time of internecine wars and all kinds of abuse of authority and trust, too many good, thoughtful people are "voting with their feet" and turning away from organized religion. Popular "spirituality"-a sort of mysticism-lite articulated in memes-is often unsatisfying as well. A Theology for the Rest of Us is a straightforward approach to the fundamental questions of religion and philosophy: - Does God exist? - Is there free will? - What is 'evil'? This book draws on the traditions of the East...

  Nightwalker The following guest post comes from MSI Press author of the award-winning book,    A Theology for the Rest of Us ,  . "The most terrible loneliness is not the kind that comes from being alone, but the kind that comes from being misunderstood. It is the loneliness of standing in a crowded room, surrounded by people who do not see you, who do not hear you, who do not know the true essence of who you are. And in that loneliness, you feel as though you are fading, disappearing into the background, until you are nothing more than a ghost, a shadow of your former self." — George Orwell, 1984 Followers of George Orwell and his prophetic "1984" might see a sad connection between his feelings and those of Cassandra--the ancient Trojan priestess who was doomed to foretell the future, only to be ignored. Still, from a spiritual perspective, in the darkness of such loneliness, maybe it is possible to take comfort that, despite whatever anyone else may say--some of...

  This month's featured author is Arthur Yavelberg,  author of the multi-award-winning book,  A Theology for the Rest of Us ,  A Theology for the Rest of Us  has earned the following awards: Best Indie Book Award International Impact Book Award Literary Titan Silver Aware American BookFest Best Books Award finalist Want to know more about Arthur? Check out his biography: A teacher and administrator in public and private schools for close to 40 years, Arthur Yavelberg has dedicated his career to making complicated concepts and issues accessible to people of all ages and backgrounds.   Career in Education While most of his students were middle schoolers, he has also been involved in teaching World History, American History, and Comparative Religion in high school and adult education programs around the country. Where many academicians seem to delight in abstruse jargon that confuses more than it explains, his goal has always been to present information in a m...

Excerpt from  A Theology for the Rest of U s  - “What’s it all about, Alfie?” (Dione Warwick) Imagine coming into a large, dark room. You flip on the lights and find there are many tables, 50 or more, that are set with centerpieces, dishes, glasses, silverware, napkins and tablecloths. In the front of the room, there is a row of chairs with a podium and a microphone in the middle of the room. So? What goes through your mind? If your answer is “Nothing” or “All these things got here by accident somehow...maybe random storage…,” then you can stop reading now. That is not to say you are wrong. After all, you were not there when these items were placed in the room; nor did you meet the individual responsible for putting these items there. There is simply no way of knowing “for sure” whether all this stuff was placed in the room intentionally for some purpose. You also might not care one way or the other. Therefore, it would be understandable if you just turned out the lights...