When John W. Whitehead founded The Rutherford Institute as a Christian legal advocacy group in 1982, he was interested primarily in the First Amendment's religion clause, serving clients only when religious freedom was at stake. By the mid-1990s, however, religious rights were but one subset of all the freedoms that he saw threatened by an invasive government. In Suing for America's Soul R. Jonathan Moore examines the foundation and subsequent practices of The Rutherford Institute, helping to explain the rise of conservative Christian legal advocacy groups in recent decades. Moore exposes the effects -- good and bad -- that such legal activism has had on the evangelical Protestant community. Thought-provoking and astute, Suing for America's Soul opens a revealing window onto evangelical Protestantism at large in late-twentieth-century America.
“An extraordinary novel . . . a triumph of insight and storytelling.” —Associated Press “A true masterpiece.” —Glennon Doyle, author of Untamed An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes everything. Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother, Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril, she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered among the most impactful in human history. Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time, place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the height of her powers.
The Declaration of Independence has been the subject of competing interpretations since its adoption by the Continental Congress on the Fourth of July 1776, and for nearly two and a half centuries the political ideas expressed in its preamble have inspired reform movements both at home and abroad. From the early debates on the nature of the American Republic to abolitionism, progressivism, the civil rights movement, and contemporary debates about American economic and foreign policy, the Declaration is, as it has been, a vibrant and dynamic, though perennially disputed, source of American ideals. The present volume brings together a variety of speeches and writings related to the contested meaning and legacy of the Declaration of Independence, and the various documents assembled together demonstrate how competing interpretations of the Declaration have shaped, and been shaped by, political conflict in America. The Declaration is perhaps our "national soul," as Charles Sumner wrote in 1860, but Americans have rarely spoken of it with one voice. American Soul: The Contested Legacy of the Declaration of Independence paints, with broad strokes, a picture of the debates that have shaped a nation.
"Getting Wrecked provides a rich ethnographic account of women battling addiction as they cycle through jail, prison, and community treatment programs in Massachusetts. Since incarceration has become a predominant American social policy for managing the problem of drug use, including the opioid epidemic, this book examines how prisons and jails have attempted concurrent programs of punishment and treatment to deal with inmates struggling with a diagnosis of substance use disorder. An addiction physician and a medical anthropologist, Kimberly Sue powerfully illustrates the impacts of incarceration on women's lives as they seek well-being and better health while confronting lives marked by structural violence, gender inequity, and ongoing trauma"--Provided by publisher.
Once “one nation under God,” America today is desperately sick. And the Church seems to have no answers. How can a nation so “churched” be so untouched by the Gospel? Why has “the Glory departed,” leaving a nation racked by political hatred, drug addiction, and shattered families? God, Caesar, and Idols asks these questions and calls the Church to seek God’s Word for answers. Too many Christians no longer make political choices on the basis of eternal truth, but instead make them on the basis of purely financial considerations. It’s time for the Church to break its addiction to humanistic, government schooling and instead “bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord.” This book challenges the Church to reject “cheap grace” and the easy temptation to be “tolerant” of society’s rebellion. We must again honor the authority of God’s Word and embrace the life-altering power available when we reject our cultural idols and proclaim “the whole counsel of God” without compromise. Armed with careful scriptural exegesis and supported by the words of great Christians from church history, God, Caesar, and Idols encourages the American Church to again “contend for the faith” in today’s culture—whatever the cost.
Discusses the schism between the religious right and mainstream Protestantism, the separation of church and state, and the relationship between science and religion.
This work is not 'just another travelog' ' it is a light-hearted blend of observation, anecdote, humour and history. The book was inspired by a USA coast-to-coast expedition from San Francisco to Washington DC to raise funds for charity (Motor Neurone Disease), undertaken for much of the way in a 30-year-old open top 'classic' car along the historic Route 66. Little escapes critique ' from cow-chip throwing to IndyCar racing; from poker running to the deeply ingrained religiosity of the American people. The story ranges from the sparkling waters of San Francisco Bay, via Amarillo in the Texas panhandle, to shipwreck in the pounding Atlantic surf off Cape Hatteras. The quirks and idiosyncrasies of people and places, and the tragedies and triumphs of American history, are all sympathetically portrayed through the pen of a visitor from Europe. The style is the author's own ' although he likes to think it is inspired by the best of Bryson, RL Stevenson and JK Jerome. Enjoy!
