Saving Haiti, Saving the World breaks three rules by looking at politics, religion, and ethnicity as they related to each other at the birth of the Revolutionary era and as they do now. It argues that Haiti and the United States mirror one another. By exploring the connectedness of religion, race, and ethnicity in these not-so-opposite countries, the book tackles the question: is Christianity all the problem-solver a democratic republic needs?
Saving Haiti, Saving the World breaks three rules by looking at politics, religion, and ethnicity as they related to each other at the birth of the Revolutionary era and as they do now. It argues that Haiti and the United States mirror one another. By exploring the connectedness of religion, race, and ethnicity in these not-so-opposite countries, the book tackles the question: is Christianity all the problem-solver a democratic republic needs?
Vodou and Christianity in Interreligious Dialogue addresses both historical factors and ideological issues that created antagonism and conflict between Christians and Vodouists in Haiti. The book offers practical solutions and strategies to help create a harmonious and peaceful environment between religious practitioners associated with Vodou and Christianity. Toward this goal, this volume considers various perspectives and theories, such as autobiography, anthropology, ethnographic fieldwork, religious experience, and gender to examine the subject matter. This volume offers practical examples and resources on how to engage in interreligious dialogue and promote interreligious education in Haiti. There are three philosophical and practical ideas underlying this book project: (1) it is grounded on the belief that religion has value, and it could bring social goods to different communities and enhance human dignity and justice; (2) it is premised on the idea that dialogue and cooperation are necessary for nation-building and human development (as democratic ideals) and that one of the leading functions of the world’s religious traditions is to promote both cooperation and dialogue through mutual understanding and for the common good; and (3) that the power and public role of religion in society can be used as a major force of unification and peace-building among divergent factions and schools of thought, and to promote reconciliation, mutual respect, and friendship in the world.
When Zoom worship emerged in Britain during the COVID lockdown of 2020, Christians quickly turned to an art form, a form of theater, to deliver their worship. It was a quest for immanence, the very thing the Reformation dealt with by the elevation of transcendence. What an intriguing thought: Could John Calvin with his dictum regarding piety have practiced Zoom worship? Served as he was with the principle that the finite cannot contain the infinite, we must admit it looks very unlikely! At least in this Calvin saw eye-to-eye with Erasmus, but what of Luther? He may have been a comfortable Zoom worshiper, with his views that “Religious artworks are neither here nor there” and “We may have them or not as we please.” Little did the church realize that it would be a step back into the past, because “what you permit you promote.” The desire to use images was much more sinister than in Medieval times, as these were now images of ourselves! Regardless of the age, the image reigns supreme. What had caused the demise? Was it bereavement? It could not be bereavement of God; rather, it was the loss of the social, the bereavement of “one another.” The need for “one-anothering” had forced the hand of Christians to turn to a practice completely untested. Zoom worship was born—the genie is out, and will never go back in. But in the face of the now-acceptable force of contemporary narcissism, who cares?
On January 12, 2010, the deadliest earthquake in the history of the Western Hemisphere struck the nation least prepared to handle it. Jonathan M. Katz, the only full-time American news correspondent in Haiti, was inside his house when it buckled along with hundreds of thousands of others. In this visceral, authoritative first-hand account, Katz chronicles the terror of that day, the devastation visited on ordinary Haitians, and how the world reacted to a nation in need. More than half of American adults gave money for Haiti, part of a monumental response totaling $16.3 billion in pledges. But three years later the relief effort has foundered. It's most basic promises—to build safer housing for the homeless, alleviate severe poverty, and strengthen Haiti to face future disasters—remain unfulfilled. The Big Truck That Went By presents a sharp critique of international aid that defies today's conventional wisdom; that the way wealthy countries give aid makes poor countries seem irredeemably hopeless, while trapping millions in cycles of privation and catastrophe. Katz follows the money to uncover startling truths about how good intentions go wrong, and what can be done to make aid "smarter." With coverage of Bill Clinton, who came to help lead the reconstruction; movie-star aid worker Sean Penn; Wyclef Jean; Haiti's leaders and people alike, Katz weaves a complex, darkly funny, and unexpected portrait of one of the world's most fascinating countries. The Big Truck That Went By is not only a definitive account of Haiti's earthquake, but of the world we live in today.
The zombie apocalypse hasn't happened—yet—but zombies are all over popular culture. From movies and TV shows to video games and zombie walks, the undead stalk through our collective fantasies. What is it about zombies that exerts such a powerful fascination? In Not Your Average Zombie, Chera Kee offers an innovative answer by looking at zombies that don't conform to the stereotypes of mindless slaves or flesh-eating cannibals. Zombies who think, who speak, and who feel love can be sympathetic and even politically powerful, she asserts. Kee analyzes zombies in popular culture from 1930s depictions of zombies in voodoo rituals to contemporary film and television, comic books, video games, and fan practices such as zombie walks. She discusses how the zombie has embodied our fears of losing the self through slavery and cannibalism and shows how "extra-ordinary" zombies defy that loss of free will by refusing to be dehumanized. By challenging their masters, falling in love, and leading rebellions, "extra-ordinary" zombies become figures of liberation and resistance. Kee also thoroughly investigates how representations of racial and gendered identities in zombie texts offer opportunities for living people to gain agency over their lives. Not Your Average Zombie thus deepens and broadens our understanding of how media producers and consumers take up and use these undead figures to make political interventions in the world of the living.
A seemingly benevolent endeavor to help others in a remote part of the world turned out to be much more life-changing than ever anticipated. A faith-driven desire to put his beliefs into action by taking a mission trip to Haiti led Jeff Newell and his family to experience multiple opportunities for personal and spiritual growth and gain a profound appreciation of the people and culture they encountered. Almost immediately the tables were turned when they found themselves on the receiving end of the many life lessons that were unknowingly, yet subtly being revealed. Come follow their journey in the rural mountains of Haiti as they experience the importance of building relationships, dependency on God, sharing from our need and not our excess, and finding God present in everyday occurrences. Open Your Eyes masterfully captures the essence of nearly two decades of routine daily situations, turning them into both meaningful learning experiences as well as humorous anecdotes. "I have enjoyed reading your book. I was captivated from the first paragraph." Lori Sabol, Tippecanoe County Bar Association President, Lafayette, IN. "Thank you for sharing your vision, your mission, your actions and your reflections. I was inspired, informed and educated by your work." Fequiere Vilsaint, owner of EducaVision, Miami, FL. "I am very grateful to Jeff for writing this book to preserve and to share the lessons learned in the field. I have learned a great deal, as something of a second-generation fellow traveler, from reading these stories, and I am confident that many readers of this book will similarly be gifted." John Nichols, STL, PhD, Rensselaer, IN. "I have read through it twice and found it to be superbly written and a much needed message, not only to be read, but reflected upon by anyone doing mission in any place (including here at home). It is very important to include 'lived experiences and examples' verses just theories and ideas. Jeff had done this very, very well!" Father Ron Schneider, pastor St. Ann Church, Baldwin, MI.
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