{"title":"Karen Armstrong Books","description":"\u003cp\u003eBrowse the books by Karen Armstrong we have in stock, second-hand, in paperback and hardback. Mostly non-fiction, as well as religion and spirituality. Every book ships from our own UK warehouse. Free UK delivery on orders of £10 or more.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"a-history-of-jerusalem-one-city-three-faiths","title":"A History of Jerusalem: One City, Three Faiths","description":"\u003cp\u003e'A History of Jerusalem should be read, not only by travellers and potential travellers in Jerusalem, but by all of us.' Stephen Tummin, Daily Telegraph\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eJerusalem has probably cast more of a spell over the human imagination than any other city in the world.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eHeld by believers to contain the site where Abraham offered up Isaac, the place of the crucifixion of Christ and the rock from which the prophet Muhammed ascended to heaven, Jerusalem has been celebrated and revered for centuries by Jews, Christians and Muslims. Such is the symbolic power of this ancient city that its future status poses a major obstacle to a comprehensive regional peace in the Middle East.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn this comprehensive and elegantly written work, Karen Armstrong traces the turbulent history of the city from the prehistoric era to the present day.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karen-armstrong-books\"\u003eKaren Armstrong\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 475\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780006383475\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.53","offer_id":47907877552305,"sku":"SB-0006383475-C3","price":1.53,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0006383475.jpg?v=1789195744"},{"product_id":"the-spiral-staircase","title":"The Spiral Staircase","description":"\u003cp\u003eA raw, intensely personal memoir of spiritual exploration from one of the world's great commentators on religion.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e \u003cp\u003eAfter seven years in a convent, which she left, dismayed by its restrictions, an experience recounted in 'Through the Narrow Gate', Karen Armstrong struggled to establish herself in a new way of life, and became entrapped in a downward spiral, haunted by despair, anorexia and suicidal feelings.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eDespite her departure from the convent she remained within the Catholic Church until the God she believed in 'died on me', and she entered a 'wild and Godless period of crazy parties and numerous lovers'. Her attempts to reach happiness and carve out a career failed repeatedly, in spectacular fashion. She began writing her bestseller 'A History of God' in a spirit of scepticism, but through studying other religious traditions she found a very different kind of faith which drew from Christianity, Judaism and Islam and, eventually, spiritual and personal calm.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eIn her own words, her 'story is a graphic illustration - almost an allegory - of a widespread dilemma. It is emblematic of a more general flight from institutional religion and a groping towards a form of faith that has not yet been fully articulated but which is nevertheless in the process of declaring itself'. Her lifelong inability to pray and to conform to traditional structures of worship is shared by the many who are leaving the established churches but who desire intensely a spiritual aspect to their lives.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003e'The Spiral Staircase' grapples with the issue of how we can be religious in the contemporary world, and the place and possibility of belief in the 21st-century.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karen-armstrong-books\"\u003eKaren Armstrong\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2005\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 342\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Harper Perennial\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9780007122295\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Harper Perennial","offers":[{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47907962978481,"sku":"SB-0007122292-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/0007122292.jpg?v=1789161738"},{"product_id":"islam-a-short-history-universal-history","title":"Islam: A Short History (UNIVERSAL HISTORY)","description":"\u003cp\u003eIn the public mind, Islam is a religion of extremes, but do we really understand the central tenets of this faith, or why so many people around the world turn to fundamentalism? 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Focusing especially on Christianity but including Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Chinese spiritualities, Armstrong examines the diminished impulse toward religion in our own time, when a significant number of people either want nothing to do with God or question the efficacy of faith. Why has God become unbelievable? Why is it that atheists and theists alike now think and speak about God in a way that veers so profoundly from the thinking of our ancestors?\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eAnswering these questions with the same depth of knowledge and profound insight that have marked all her acclaimed books, Armstrong makes clear how the changing face of the world has necessarily changed the importance of religion at both the societal and the individual level.  Yet she cautions us that religion was never supposed to provide answers that lie within the competence of human reason; that, she says, is the role of logos. The task of religion is “to help us live creatively, peacefully, and even joyously with realities for which there are no easy explanations.” She emphasizes, too, that religion will not work automatically. 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How have the three dominant monotheistic religions—Judaism, Christianity, and Islam—shaped and altered the conception of God? How have these religions influenced each other? In \u003ci\u003eA History of God\u003c\/i\u003e, celebrated religious commentator Karen Armstrong presents a stunningly intelligent journey that spans centuries to understand humanity’s ever-changing relationship to monotheistic religion.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eThe epic story begins with the Jews’ gradual transformation of pagan idol worship in Babylon into true monotheism—a concept previously unknown in the world. Christianity and Islam both rose on the foundation of this revolutionary idea, but these religions refashioned “the One God” to suit the social and political needs of their followers. 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Thus began the holy wars that would focus the power of Europe against a common enemy and become the stuff of romantic legend. In reality the Crusades were a series of rabidly savage conflicts in the name of piety. 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The significance of scripture may not be immediately obvious in our secular world, but its misunderstanding is perhaps the root cause of many of today's controversies.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e In this timely and important book, one of the most trusted and admired writers on the world of faith examines the meaning of scripture. The sacred texts have been coopted by fundamentalists, who insist that they must be taken literally, and by others who interpret scripture to bolster their own prejudices. These texts are seen to prescribe ethical norms and codes of behavior that are divinely ordained: they are believed to contain eternal truths. But as Karen Armstrong shows in this chronicle of the development and significance of major religions, such a narrow, peculiar reading of scripture is a relatively recent, modern phenomenon. For most of their history, the world's religious traditions have regarded these texts as tools that enable the individual to connect with the divine, to experience a different level of consciousness, and to help them engage with the world in more meaningful and compassionate ways.\u003cbr\u003e \u003cbr\u003e At a time of intolerance and mutual incomprehension, \u003ci\u003eThe Lost Art of Scripture\u003c\/i\u003e shines fresh light on the world's major religions to help us build bridges between faiths and rediscover a creative and spiritual engagement with holy texts.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karen-armstrong-books\"\u003eKaren Armstrong\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Hardback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2019\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 605\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Alfred A. 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Countering those who dismiss Islam as fanatical and violent, Armstrong offers a clear, accessible, and balanced portrait of the central figure of one of the world's great religions.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karen-armstrong-books\"\u003eKaren Armstrong\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1995\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 290\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e V. Gollancz\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0575062444\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"V. 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The Axial Age faiths began in recoil from the unprecedented violence of their time. There was a remarkable consensus in their call for an abandonment of selfishness and a spirituality of compassion. 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Whether we are reading about civil war in Algeria or Afghanistan, the struggle for the soul of Turkey, or political turmoil in Pakistan or Malaysia, the Islamic context permeates all these situations.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eKaren Armstrong's elegant and concise book traces how Islam grew from the other religions of the book, Judaism and Christianity; introduces us to the character of Muhammed; and demonstrates that for much of its history, the religion has been a force for enlightenment that promoted liberties for women and allowed the arts and sciences to flourish.\u003c\/p\u003e \u003cp\u003eISLAM shows how this progressive legacy is today often set aside as the faith struggles to come to terms with the economic and political weakness of most of its believers and with the forces of modernity itself.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cdiv class=\"sb-details\"\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAuthor:\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003ca href=\"\/collections\/karen-armstrong-books\"\u003eKaren Armstrong\u003c\/a\u003e (all their books in stock)\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eFormat:\u003c\/strong\u003e Paperback\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublished:\u003c\/strong\u003e 2001\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 192\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher:\u003c\/strong\u003e Phoenix\u003cbr\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eISBN:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9781842125830\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Phoenix","offers":[{"title":"Very Good — £1.50","offer_id":47917547847857,"sku":"SB-1842125834-C2","price":1.5,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true},{"title":"Standard Secondhand — £1.00","offer_id":47917547880625,"sku":"SB-1842125834-C3","price":1.0,"currency_code":"GBP","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0618\/2669\/5345\/files\/1842125834.jpg?v=1789143907"},{"product_id":"fields-of-blood-religion-and-the-history-of-violence","title":"Fields of Blood: Religion and the History of Violence","description":"\u003cp\u003eCountering the atheist claim that believers are by default violent fanatics and religion is the cause of all major wars, Karen Armstrong demonstrates that religious faith is not inherently violent. 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