{"title":"Peter Stanford","description":"\u003cp\u003ePeter Stanford’s works invite readers into profound explorations of faith, spirituality, and the human experience. With titles like \u003cem\u003eAngels\u003c\/em\u003e and \u003cem\u003ePilgrimage\u003c\/em\u003e, his writing blends thoughtful reflection with historical context, offering insight into religious traditions and their impact on personal and collective journeys.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eRooted in both \u003cstrong\u003eReligion \u0026amp; Spirituality\u003c\/strong\u003e and \u003cstrong\u003eHistory \u0026amp; Military\u003c\/strong\u003e themes, Stanford’s books illuminate the intersections of belief, history, and culture. Readers can expect thoughtful narratives that delve into sacred stories and spiritual quests with clarity and compassion.\u003c\/p\u003e","products":[{"product_id":"pilgrimage-by-peter-stanford-9780500296639","title":"Pilgrimage","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eA thought-provoking reflection on pilgrimage past and present, and a compelling exploration of its relevance today.\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThe enormous rise in popularity in recent decades of the Camino, the ancient pilgrim path that stretches from France, across northern Spain to Santiago de Compostela, is part of a wider phenomenon being witnessed on other time-honoured pilgrim routes around the globe and across the faiths. But this is happening in a world that in many places is self-avowedly ever more sceptical, secular, and scientific, with formal religious affiliation in steep decline. Why?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eSome argue that tourism is the new religion, and that those who today walk in the footsteps of countless past generations of believers do so to enjoy the holiday experience, the escape from their everyday world, the health benefits of so much exercise, and the companionship, without seeking any sort of spiritual enlightenment. Yet by looking at a diverse range of pilgrimage sites that include Rome, Jerusalem, Lalibela in Ethiopia, the Buddha Trail in northern India, Shikoku in Japan, and the self-styled 'power place' of Machu Picchu in Peru, Peter Stanford draws on his own experience as a pilgrim to argue that something more complex and challenging is going on.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eFinancial crises, increasing inequality, climate change, and worldwide pandemics are causing people to question the very foundations on which their post-religion, twenty-first-century lives are built. \u003cem\u003ePilgrimage\u003c\/em\u003e considers how pilgrimage, with its long history, essential intertwining of arduous journey and openness to personal transformation, is providing the modern age with a means to take a longer, slower, and hence more profound look at life, stretching all the way back to when the first pilgrim put one foot in front of another.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Penguin Random House NZ","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":46833428627692,"sku":"9780500296639","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/2787253482366.jpg?v=1758457374"},{"product_id":"angels-by-peter-stanford-9781473622098","title":"Angels","description":"\u003cdiv class=\"book-description\"\u003e\n\u003cb\u003e'An intriguing exploration of the many roles that angels have played in spiritual life.' - \u003ci\u003eThe Sunday Times\u003c\/i\u003e: Nick Rennison\u003c\/b\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn a 2016 poll, one in 10 Britons claimed to have experienced the presence of an angel, while one in three remain convinced that they have a guardian angel. These are huge numbers and mean that, on some counts, angels are doing better than God.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eIn the secular, sceptical, post-Christian world of the West, continuing faith in angels is both anomaly and comfort. But what exactly are angels, and why have so many in different times and contexts around the globe believed in them? What is their history and role in the great faiths and beyond their walls? Are angels something real, a manifestation of divine concern? Or part of the poetry of religion? And can they continue to illuminate a deeper truth about human existence and the cosmos?\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003eThese are not new questions. They have been asked over millennia, right up to the present day, as writer, journalist and broadcaster Peter Stanford explores in \u003ci\u003eAngels\u003c\/i\u003e, his latest investigation into the history, theology and cultural significance of religious ideas.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003e'There is no better navigator through the space in which art, culture and spirituality meet than Peter Stanford' - Cole Moreton, \u003ci\u003eIndependent on Sunday\u003c\/i\u003e\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e","brand":"Hachette Aotearoa New Zealand","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":47470046183660,"sku":"9781473622098","price":27.99,"currency_code":"NZD","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0705\/7784\/8556\/files\/9781473622098-angels.jpg?v=1775209097"}],"url":"https:\/\/bookhero.pro\/collections\/peter-stanford.oembed","provider":"Book Hero","version":"1.0","type":"link"}