Solid. One of the better lectures in this series. Thought provoking
347916
A mix of technology and deep beauty is the core of this lecture. Arthur does a great job of providing context for his arguments, and observations. Even better is his inclusive style pulling on the threads of great thoughts and minds to create a rich set of observations on technology. As he points out, keeping some distance from some of the details of what spirituality means for each person keeps this focused on improving the individual experiences with technology without coloring it with metaphysics. Between the calls to action and exposition of open questions this will be a lecture I think I'll find myself coming back to over time.
4850352
Well crafted and thoughtful, this series went beyond the other "beginning Wicca" books in detail and composition. Not a 20  minute introductory essay as many others have published, but a solid survey of the subject matter stated simply without being overwhelming.
4150344
While it does seem that each episode in this series is better than the last, this is still one of my favorites. I have watched it four or five times now. Each time I get something out of it, and each time I find it enjoyable. These DVD presentations are better than the books in my opinion. As you work your way through them, you find a lot of the material is reworked. I do get a little tired of hearing about Jerry and Esther's rafting trip, and the analogy of traveling from Phoenix to San Diego. In this particular DVD, they do not rely on those overused metaphors too much. The opening address is stimulating, even after I have watched it several times.

The audience here seems a particularly rare bunch, and Abraham surfs along on their energy. The first person is a fellow named Happy who wants to write a book to teach people how to be happy. Abraham has a fun time with him. The segment with the modern hippie is vintage Abraham. It is also the first time in this series that Abraham talks about being cut out of the documentary, The Secret. As Abraham says, the secret was cut out of The Secret.

On the second DVD, Abraham gives their take on AA's 12 step program. This is a riot. It is also very insightful. Abraham does give the program its due, saying that it has helped a lot of people. But, as with so much that we do, it is a long difficult path to get where you're going. And perhaps there are a few too many 'mia culpa's along the way.

This episode ends with a woman who answered the call of revenge, winning the admiration of all of her coworkers. Abraham does warn her that if she continues to feel responsible for all of the others, they will hold her back from her own advancement. Abraham's advice is to leave them to find their own way at their own pace, as they surely will.

This set has many great moments in it. It is not to be missed.
242558
Years ago I had the privilege of listening to Prof. Cary speak on Luther and Calvin in regards to the sacraments and salvation. I've been a fan of his ever since. These lectures will make a fan of you also. As a Lutheran pastor I have given a lot of time to the study of both philosophy and religion. I've read Copleston and T.W. Jones on the history of philosophy, as well as diving into original sources. I have spent a good deal of time reading about other religions as well. Yet, I have found few who are able to deliver the content Cary does as clearly and concisely as he does. I mean his study and personal grasp of the subject matter is evident in every lesson, and point. Seriously, if you teach philosophy or religion in any capacity you do yourself a favor to give this lecture series a listen. If you are interested in this subject you will find nothing better that I know of.
This series will better help any listener understand why they personally think the way they do, it will also challenge them to understand why others think the way they think. This will be true of Christians, atheists, Jews and Muslims. Cary, a man of strong convictions himself, is refreshingly respectful of all the positions he covers, whether or not he agrees with them. He is also forthcoming with his own biases.
Cary does buy into "The New Perspective on Paul" as introduced by Sanders and made popular with N.T. Wright. I myself think that this position is a bit flawed. He discuses this position in relation to the Christian concept of legalism and Augustine. Yet, despite this disagreement I find myself compelled to take Cary's advice at the beginning of the lecture series and listen to this one again. I did find his presentation of this position to be the clearest one I've come across. And I'm sure listening to the series as second time will be even more rewarding than it was the first time through. I am also looking forward to listening to his other lecture series.
Cary has a particular gift of exposing how theology and philosophy have impacted each other over the years, and how these developments have changed Islam, Judaism and Christianity over the years, and in turn how these religions have also had impact on philosophy.
2410153
I used this video series as devotionals for a class that I taught and the students responded very well to the challenges of the videos. It made them think about fear and focus. The only thing is that rather than focusing on leadership in general, it focused a lot on church leadership. I understand that this is important, but I feel like some of the students felt "left out" on some of the points because the leaders portrayed were all church leaders and that is not the calling for everyone.

I liked the points and the leader guide, but I would have loved to be able to generalize this to students who may not have a Christian background as an introductory to becoming a catalyst leader by using gifts.

Overall, I think it has some great points. There are times when the interviews are on point and others where the videos run together and the selected topic seems a stretch. I will use it again, but may use with a particular type of audience rather than a general audience.
603423
Ah... those lectures were invaluable.  Pick up a copy and do some thinking!!!
3271818
In Soft Garments is a series of lectures given Fr. Knox at Oxford. I would say the subtitle (Classic Catholic Apologetics) might be slightly misleading to someone thinking they are picking up an explicitly Catholic treatise; very few of the lectures deal with uniquely Catholic ideas, such as a defense of God as prime mover, source of morality, truth, etc. Don't get me wrong, all of these ideas are very important for Catholics; however, the framework for these arguments could be shared by all theists, which, perhaps, gives an added strength to the book. Another strength is that the arguments are very well made and easy to follow, even for a reader not familiar with this kind of literature.

Knox was clearly a very witty man and there are some wonderful quotes and arguments that would be delightful to share with friends. I don't think it's quite the high caliber book that I would agree with Evelyn Waugh's remark "It should be at every bedside", but it's strong enough that I should be happy to hear of anyone who allowed it to reside there.
2749406
Great reading. Mind and heart are constantly attacked by the enemy and this kind of lectures keep us on track again with our Savior.
1211332
So far I haven't come across any body of work that does as well explaining the psychology of human behavior, feelings & thinking.  I believe that the lectures are categorized as spiritual, but, its heavy use of psychology is what appeals to me.  I've read quite a few books on psychology, spiritualism, movtivational etc. None go quite as deep as these do.  Even after reading them for a while you discover that there is always more than you thought to something.  I'd recommend them for anyone wanting to understand more about themselves and/or other people. These lectures are free for any who wishes to read them online.  There are 258 lectures.  All are between 7-12 pages each.  For that reason, you might want to invest in the digital version here.
2341487
Dr. Hahn does a wonderful job of defending the Roman Catholic position concerning the protestant doctrine of 'sola scriptura.'  The first lecture is a well-thought and fair summary of the doctrine from the protestant perspective - indeed it is perhaps one of the best defenses of sola scriptura I have heard.  But then subsequent lectures he takes on the points raised and challenges the assertions and assumptions they raise.  This is a core doctrine for protestant denominations and therefore it is in our interest to explore the question more fully.  Faith untested is a weak faith.  Be careful though, it may just challenge you to re-consider your core beliefs about the church and scripture and send you seeking again for the answers.  But, if you love the exciting rides at the park, this is the lecture series for you.  It could be the ride of your life.
2401602
I like to learn things. I'd like to think I'm getting smarter, not merely older. Listening to Great Courses when I'm driving around in my car, not otherwise overusing my brainpower, has been a wonderful way to achieve that. This book, like all of the other Great Courses lectures I've listened to, definitely made me smarter, and I recommend it without qualification. It put a whole lot of information that I mostly already knew into much better context, and of course taught me much that I did not know, and the theme of comparing and contrasting different civilizations at given periods of human development was an interesting overarching theme.

I have 3 mild criticisms (which are not meant to dissuade anyone from obtaining this excellent series):
1) A "brief history of the world" is an ambitious concept, if not downright self-conflictory, Of necessity (for "briefness") it glosses over, or completely skips, many major world-historical events that I would have liked to be able to better contextualize, had they been included, which they weren't.
2) At the same time, he spends more time than I would have liked indulging in self-reference - that is, talking about the study of World History itself. This is not a deep criticism - in fact, since the field has changed conspicuously since I was in school in the 70's, it's good to be made aware of the ways in which it has changed. But I felt Stearns invoked this too regularly, and spent a bit too much time on it when I just wanted to know about the historical events themselves. It is not surprising that, as an academician in a recently made-over field of study, that he might be more fascinated with the field of study itself, than those outside the field.
3) Some public speakers fill gaps with 'uhms'. Stearns fills his with the word "obviously". He uses it seemingly hundreds of times during the course of these lectures. Obviously we don't know the material he is presenting. So, obviously, what he is telling us might not be particularly obvious. So, obviously, he shouldn't use the word obviously as much as he does. (Believe me - you'd have noticed it yourself, even if I didn't point it out!)
2882118
LaVonne Neff does a wonderful job of providing good solid commentary and thoughtful questions for discussion. this is well written and easy to understand for the layperson who is not well versed in scripture.
486886
I used this book and DVD for a Bible study. I was very pleased with both. Adam Hamilton helps to make sense of a number of issues. While it doesn't necessarily give difinitive answers, it prompts some very thought provoking discussions. I would strongly reccomend this course!
3334873
These lessons are filled with useful tips based on some of the greatest speakers in history. The presenter is likable and he has excellent speaking and teaching skills. I had borrowed the set from a friend but liked them so well that I wanted my own.
486456
Solid stuff. I liked the core concepts but it is hardly revelatory. It is clear to me that he actually has one medium length book written down but based on his data analysis decided to sell it as several short books. Wise move, and follows his "DADA" sequence perfectly. He practices what he preaches.
1768142
Thoughtful and well explained.  While some of Wilson's views are still at least in part speculation, his unparalleled breadth and depth of knowledge gives his views a strong foundation. Well worth reading and understanding.
3640105
Well presented set of lectures exploring the Black Death from a number of perspectives.  Professor Armstrong ranges from epidemiology, theories on what the black death was (as there is some debate over whether it was purely bubonic plague, septicemic plague, and pneumonic plague, or if other diseases were also at play), the pre- and post-plague structure of society, the impact on the arts, and how the medieval world was transformed.  Professor Armstrong is engaging and entertaining and the course is very informative.