{"product_id":"into-the-headwinds-why-belief-has-always-been-hard-and-still-is-9780802882431","title":"Into the Headwinds: Why Belief Has Always Been Hard--And Still Is","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA deeper look at how people individually and collectively form religious beliefs--and what that means for faith in an increasingly secular culture.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eSecularism is increasingly a fact of life in Western society. But that doesn't necessarily mean that faith is harder than it has been before. Even in the past when organized religion enjoyed more widespread cultural acceptance, there were still obstacles to true belief. Today, the obstacles are different, but faith is still viable. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eAcclaimed author Terryl Givens and his son, Nathaniel Givens, combine their respective areas of expertise to offer a fresh take on religious belief through the lens of contemporary research on psychology, cognition, and human nature. They also address two of faith's foremost modern-day antagonists: rationalism, the myth that humans can or should make the majority of their choices based on logical thought, and scientism, the myth that science is the only reliable means of discovering truth. After reckoning with the surprising fact that people often don't even understand their own beliefs and are influenced in ways they seldom perceive, the authors go on to describe genuine faith as an act of will--an effortful response to the deepest yearnings of the mind and heart--that engenders moral responsibility, the ability to embrace uncertainty, the motivation and means to relate to others, and the capacity to apprehend reality through nonrational means. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eWritten for truth seekers who may or may not belong to religious communities, \u003ci\u003eInto the Headwinds \u003c\/i\u003eis less a work of apologetics than an inquiry into the role that faith can and does still play in a society where participation in institutional religion is declining precipitously. Terryl and Nathaniel Givens propose that to reclaim the power of genuine faith we need to first acknowledge the reality that religious belief is hard. It always has been, and it always will be. But perhaps, instead of a hindrance, that is its most important aspect.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eTerryl Givens\u003c\/b\u003e is a Neal L. Maxwell Senior Fellow at Brigham Young University. He formerly held the University of Richmond's Jabez A. Bostwick Chair of English, where he was professor of literature and religion. He is the author and coauthor of numerous books, including \u003ci\u003eAll Things New, The God Who Weeps\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eThe Crucible of Doubt.\u003c\/i\u003e \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cb\u003eNathaniel Givens\u003c\/b\u003e has been published in \u003ci\u003eFirst Things, the Deseret News\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eRealClearReligion\u003c\/i\u003e on the topics of faith and politics. With graduate degrees in economics and systems engineering, he is a data analyst and entrepreneur currently working with an international startup.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"William B. Eerdmans Publishing Company","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":50388051591442,"sku":"9780802882431","price":14.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_045090ba-844e-432c-a3cd-61a34cea0c5f.jpg?v=1728887450","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/into-the-headwinds-why-belief-has-always-been-hard-and-still-is-9780802882431","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}