How can I know God if he is incomprehensible? Is it possible to know God in a way that takes seriously the fact that he is beyond knowledge? Steven Boyer and Christopher Hall argue that the "mystery of God" has a rightful place in theological discourse. They contend that considering divine incomprehensibility invites reverence and humility in our thinking and living as Christians and clarifies a variety of theological topics. The authors begin by investigating the biblical, historical, and practical foundations for understanding the mystery of God. They then spell out its implications for theological issues and practices such as the incarnation, salvation, and prayer, rooting knowledge of God in a concrete life of faith. Evangelical yet ecumenical, this book will appeal to theology students, pastors, church leaders, and all who want intellectual and practical guidance for knowing the unknowable God.
The Lunar Chronicles meets Rook in this queer #OwnVoices science-fantasy novel, perfect for fans of Marissa Meyer and Sharon Cameron. A secret beats inside Anna Thatcher's chest: an illegal clockwork heart. Anna works cog by cog -- donning the moniker Technician -- to supply black market medical technology to the sick and injured, against the Commissioner's tyrannical laws.Nathaniel Fremont, the Commissioner's son, has never had to fear the law. Determined to earn his father's respect, Nathaniel sets out to capture the Technician. But the more he learns about the outlaw, the more he questions whether his father's elusive affection is worth chasing at all.Their game of cat and mouse takes an abrupt turn when Eliza, a skilled assassin and spy, arrives. Her mission is to learn the Commissioner's secrets at any cost -- even if it means betraying her own heart.When these uneasy allies discover the most dangerous secret of all, they must work together despite their differences and put an end to a deadly epidemic -- before the Commissioner ends them first.
Integrating modern psychological insights with Christian biblical teaching, In God's Own Image is a useful tool to the individual or group seeking personal growth, as well as to a counsellor, spiritual director or growth facilitator assisting others in that all important journey of human growth. it proceeds in three main steps: first portraying the ideal of the personality as God meant it to be, then the reality of what we are that includes goodness and deformation, and finally exmining how we can reclaim the ideal, both for ourselves and for those we assist; whether individually or as groups. The material is arranged under three parts. Part I describes the ideal: What god meant us to be. Part II describes the reality: what we actually are with both our original beauty and our fallen nature. Part III describes what we can become, how we can move towards our original beauty. A fundamental attitude to have in the arduous struggle of human growth - whether this concerns one's own growth or one's duty in assisting the growth of others - involves three convictions: 1) Change is difficult. A realistic appraisal of this fact doe not lead to discouragement. On the contrary it leads to perseverance, to patience, endurance, courage, and acceptance of occasional failure - all factors that accompany genuine growth. It helps us avoid the pitfall of looking for quick tangible results. 2) Change is important. In fact conversion and growth are not just important, they are fundamental to a life worth living. Striving towards our ideal self is the most important thing in our lives. For that reason it is worth spending on it every ounce of strength in us. When we are convinced of this then we are motivated to work for it. 3) Change is Possible. It is possible to improve, to be converted and to grow. When we have struggled to overcome one difficulty or another for years without visible success, we may get into the belief that it is hopeless to think of the possibility of overcoming the diffficulties. But the good news about each one of us is that however much the beautiful image of God in us has been tarnished and disfigured, we have the possibility to have it restored to its original beauty.
In the South, one can find any number of bronze monuments to the Confederacy featuring heroic images of Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, J. E. B. Stuart, and many lesser commanders. But while the tarnish on such statues has done nothing to color the reputation of those great leaders, there remains one Confederate commander whose tarnished image has nothing to do with bronze monuments. Nowhere in the South does a memorial stand to Lee's intimate friend and second-in-command James Longstreet. In Lee's Tarnished Lieutenant, William Garrett Piston examines the life of James Longstreet and explains how a man so revered during the course of the war could fall from grace so swiftly and completely. Unlike other generals in gray whose deeds are familiar to southerners and northerners alike, Longstreet has the image not of a hero but of an incompetent who lost the Battle of Gettysburg and, by extension, the war itself. Piston's reappraisal of the general's military record establishes Longstreet as an energetic corps commander with an unsurpassed ability to direct troops in combat, as a trustworthy subordinate willing to place the war effort above personal ambition. He made mistakes, but Piston shows that he did not commit the grave errors at Gettysburg and elsewhere of which he was so often accused after the war. In discussing Longstreet's postwar fate, Piston analyzes the literature and public events of the time to show how the southern people, in reaction to defeat, evolved an image of themselves which bore little resemblance to reality. As a product of the Georgia backwoods, Longstreet failed to meet the popular cavalier image embodied by Lee, Stuart, and other Confederate heroes. When he joined the Republican party during Reconstruction, Longstreet forfeited his wartime reputation and quickly became a convenient target for those anxious to explain how a "superior people" could have lost the war. His new role as the villain of the Lost Cause was solidified by his own postwar writings. Embittered by years of social ostracism resulting from his Republican affiliation, resentful of the orchestrated deification of Lee and Stonewall Jackson, Longstreet exaggerated his own accomplishments and displayed a vanity that further alienated an already offended southern populace. Beneath the layers of invective and vilification remains a general whose military record has been badly maligned. Lee's Tarnished Lieutenant explains how this reputation developed—how James Longstreet became, in the years after Appomattox, the scapegoat for the South's defeat, a Judas for the new religion of the Lost Cause.
In this enchanting follow-up to The Gilded Girl, Maeve and Izzy O'Donnell must adjust to a new life together at the Manhattan School for Magic—but when Maeve's magic goes rogue and their school is in danger, they'll need to lean on one another to make things right. The Manhattan School for Magic is the newest kindling school in New York, but Maeve O’Donnell knows she doesn't deserve her place there. Though her sister, Izzy, is one of the school's founders and a hero to those who can now kindle, Maeve can't control her magic and she lives in fear of anyone—especially Izzy—finding out. When Maeve’s worst fears come true and her magic goes rogue, it damages not only the new school but Izzy’s reputation as well. While trying to repair what she’s broken, Maeve discovers a mysterious garden in the tenement neighborhood of the Tarnish, a hidden place where her magic actually works. As her magic and confidence grow, she befriends the others for whom the garden is a haven: a litter of talking kittens (house dragons, of course) who need Maeve’s help to find their missing mother. But someone else is searching for the kittens, too, someone who doesn’t care how many magical sites they have to destroy to stop magic’s expansion. And Maeve’s unstable magic might be the only way to save her sister’s school from being snuffed out next. The Tarnished Garden is a sparkling middle-grade novel from Alyssa Colman.
Putting Image Repair to the Test:Quantitative Applications of Image Restoration Theory examines content analytic, attitudinal, and behavioral claims to advance current assertions made about image repair discourse, its effects, and the surrounding discourse. The contributors provide empirical data to answer research questions and to test various hypotheses in one substantive volume that builds on prior research in this field. Recommended for scholars in communication studies, public relations, and journalism.
This collection of poems is a mixed bag of lovely, thought provoking, hard knocks and real feelings of a dysfunctional poet, so take an exhilarating and bumpy ride from the heartwrenching If You Feel Like Killing Yourself to a poem for Violinist David Garrett Classical Rock Star. As the title states My Poems, Youll Like Them, Or Not. Enjoy !!!
Robert Wuthnow finds that those who are most involved in acts of compassion are no less individualistic than anyone else--and that those who are the most intensely individualistic are no less involved in caring for others.
