{"product_id":"9780802440693_the-rise-of-the-spiritual","title":"The Rise of the Spiritual","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eWhen spirituality shifts, so does society\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cb\u003e--a resource for those who want to make sense of our time and make the most of this cultural opportunity. \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrom bestselling author and cultural expert Mark Sayers \u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSomething has changed. We were told that the future would be secular, that we would move away from religion, towards reason and science. Yet, the spiritual is making a comeback. From TikTok occult influencers to CEOs championing psychedelics, government officials pursuing aliens, to the rise of artificial intelligence cults, the fringe is now mainstream. We find ourselves in a grey zone, in between secularism and religion--the place of magic.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eMagic has always existed, sometimes hidden, sometimes obvious, returning like the seasons. The structures that have supported secularism are crumbling. We are approaching a post-secular era. As this happens, magic will only grow in influence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eThe Rise of the Spiritual \u003c\/i\u003eoffers a lens for understanding our times by tracing the influence of magic across Scripture, history, and contemporary culture. \u003cb\u003eMagic seeks hidden powers to make the impossible possible.\u003c\/b\u003e Yet such a quest always falters. Mark Sayers contrasts the influence of magic within contemporary culture with the only true source of hope and meaning--the Kingdom of God.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart I - Magic and the Spell of Secularism\u003c\/b\u003e shows how magic is a constant feature of human culture. The Scriptures tell the story of a holy rebellion against regimes of magic which trapped humans in cycles of fear, anxiety, and control. The rise of Christianity led to the decline of magic's power. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart II - From Merlin to AI. How Magic Returned and Created the Modern Age \u003c\/b\u003eexamines how magic was smuggled back into the Christian West, becoming one of the sources of the modern world. Magic was a sometimes hidden, yet always powerful influence, from the medieval myth of the magician Merlin, all the way to the rise of artificial intelligence.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003ePart III - The Promise of the Kingdom of God in a Post-Secular Age \u003c\/b\u003eexplores secularism's materialist worldview, the growing longing for transcendence, and how the cross disarms and destabilizes every worldly order of enchantment and control, revealing their ultimate futility apart from Christ. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eReaders discover how Christ reveals the true mystery of God, reconciling heaven and earth through sacrificial love. You'll discover how true re-enchantment is not found in utopian technologies or occult visions, but in the Kingdom life of discipleship, worship, and community where Christ dwells. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eJesus Christ is the answer to the spiritual longings of a post-secular age. Join Mark on a journey to understand our times--and respond to the greatest evangelistic opportunity of our lifetimes.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Mark Sayers","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":41112863178801,"sku":"9780802440693","price":15.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0571\/9926\/3793\/files\/9780802440693.jpg?v=1783427960","url":"https:\/\/bakerbookhouse.com\/products\/9780802440693_the-rise-of-the-spiritual","provider":"Baker Book House ","version":"1.0","type":"link"}