MSI Press Blog

  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...

  (photo Tucsonlocalmedia) Arthur Yavelberg, author of A Theology for the Rest of Us, was recently interviewed in the Tucsonlocalmedia: " Religion Educator Pens A Theology for the Rest of Us ."'  Here is an excerpt: There are questions that have answers, questions without answers, and questions that just lead to more questions. In his new book, “A Theology for the Rest of Us,” local writer Arthur Yavelberg tackles all these types of questions in the hopes of providing some religious illumination in these uncertain times. Now that’s not to say the book aims to convince anyone of anything, but by examining various religions’ insights on topics like free will, the identity of the creator, and why evil exists, Yavelberg provides a map for spiritual awareness.  Yavelberg, who has worked as a teacher of history and comparative religion, as well as the head of Tucson Hebrew Academy, describes the book as “the sum total of his religious theological insight over a lifetime.” But f...

  The following is a guest post from Arthur Yavelberg, author of the highly regarded book,   A Theology for the Rest of Us ,  This is the essence of Hinduism--that we are all part of the dream of Brahman/God. That needs to be properly understood. It doesn't mean, for example, that we "don't exist" and that we "disappear" when Brahman "wakes up." Having been "dreamt" ("created," to use Western terms) by Brahman, we become part of his consciousness--which is eternal. In that context, when the material part of us recognizes its eternal source, our realization and  Brahman's are two sides of the same coin. Put another way, just because our dreams are "dreams" doesn't mean they don't "exist." Such dreams become a part of us and may even be expressions of our natures and unconscious that, until the dream, of which we are not aware. You could say we then recognize that we are both fully human and fully d...

  As part of an interview with author Arthur Yavelberg , Sloan Fremont reviewed Yavelberg's book, A Theology for the Rest of Us , very positively. Here is what Fremont had to say: More about the book,  A Theology for the Rest of Us :  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 wil...

" Arthur Yavelberg’s book,   A Theology for the Rest of Us , surprises us with its clarity and offers a personalized guide for readers on their own spiritual journey of discovery," writes Shane Anderson in the US Insider and concludes: " Yavelberg compares the findings and foundations that Western and Eastern traditions have arrived at and allows his readers to divest their own belief systems and ideologies into the narrative. This rare and open acceptance of our own subjective experience is like a balm against cynicism and despair and allows readers to immerse themselves in the narration." Read the entire review HERE . Read more posts about Yavelberg and his book HERE . BEST INDIE BOOK AWARD LITERARY TITAN BOOK AWARD: SILVER MEDAL Sign up for the MSI Press LLC newsletter Follow MSI Press on  Twitter ,  Face Book , and  Instagram .   Interested in publishing with MSI Press LLC? Check out information on  how to submit a proposal . Interested in receiving a ...

  Gravity is one of the most fundamental forces of nature.  If you remove it, you are left with gravy. The following is a guest post from Arthur Yavelberg, author of the highly regarded book,   A Theology for the Rest of Us ,  No, no quote from Rumi or passage from The Tibetan Book of the Dead. Even so, every mystic, as far as I know, expresses a deep gratitude for the presence of the Divine in all that is.  So, seventh grader at heart that I am, I caught myself laughing quite heartily at this. I dismissed it as just another example of my sophomoric nature. I even had the thought of how silly, maybe even insensitive, it was in the context of a world of such horrific suffering--suffering that has gone on for years and years and years and years.  But then I realized that I not only laughed, but that I am deeply grateful for the laughter and the ability to laugh. Of course, that does not minimize the suffering. As the comedian, Jim Gaffigan, observes: "Laughte...