Investigate the citizens of Grand Rapids, even those above suspicion, with author and local history enthusiast Amberrose Hammond as she uncovers a seedy cast of characters from the city's past. Meet career criminals like Clem Blood, who tore off all his clothes during sentencing, only to be presented with a new suit at public expense. Open a love letter from Grand Rapids' own Lonely Hearts killer, who lured his victims by direct mail. Unseal the habeas corpus proceedings for the gruesome details of what the "Grand Rapids Press" called "the most cold blooded crime in the history of the city." Stay out of the shadows, keep your doors locked and enjoy delving into the wicked side of the Furniture City.
Each title in The Applause Libretto Library Series presents a Broadway musical with fresh packaging in a 6 x 9 trade paperback format. Each Complete Book and Lyrics is approved by the writers and attractively designed with color photo inserts from the Broadway production. All titles include introduction and foreword by renowned Broadway musical experts. Long before Dorothy dropped in, two other girls meet in the Land of Oz. One, born with emerald green skin, is smart, fiery, and misunderstood. The other is beautiful, ambitious, and very popular. The story of how these two unlikely friends end up as the Wicked Witch of the West and Glinda the Good Witch makes for the most spellbinding new musical in years.
Prepare for a harrowing ride into the seedy side of Ottawa County history as author Amberrose Hammond unearths morbid tales of sin, scandal and crime. The lovers you find here become enemies, and the jilted, jealous and mistreated favor weaponry to verbal resolution. Ku Klux Klan members don white gowns and leave fiery crosses blazing against the backdrop of night. In this Ottawa County, Eddie Bentz, Baby Face Nelson and a crew of thugs are spraying machine gun fire outside the People's Savings Bank in Grand Haven, arguments end in miserable fashion and the missing often turn up without the capacity to out their wrongdoers.
Prostitution, gambling, moonshine and drugs could all be found behind closed the closed doors of Danville, VA from 1919 to 1933. During Prohibition, the "Law and Order League," of Danville was, of course, "dry," but the city's mayor was personally was known to be "personally wet," and in 1911 citizens were shocked to discover that the police chief was a fugitive from a murder conviction in Georgia. That same period saw lynching, murders and the wreck of the Old '97. HP authors Frankie Bailey and Alice Green will examine the law and disorder of Prohibition era Danville with Wicked Danville: Crime, Justice, and Prohibition in a Southside Virginia City.
In this careful and provocative study, Chad Thornhill considers how Second Temple understandings of election influenced key Pauline texts with sensitivity to social, historical and literary factors. While Paul is able to move beyond ancient categories of a collective view of election, Thornhill shows how he also follows these patterns.
Contemporary myths, particularly science fiction and fantasy texts, can provide commentary on who we are as a culture, what we have created, and where we are going. These nine essays from a variety of disciplines expand upon the writings of Joseph Campbell and the hero's journey. Modern examples of myths from various sources such as Planet of the Apes, Wicked, Pan's Labyrinth, and Spirited Away; the Harry Potter series; and Second Life are analyzed as creative mythology and a representation of contemporary culture and emerging technology.
Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, scholars have traced out the rich and complex traditions of biblical interpretation in Second Temple Judaism. Little attention has been given to Psalm 80, however. Andrew Streett demonstrates that the Psalm, which combines the story of Israel as a vine ravaged by others with hope for a “son” of God who will restore the people’s fortunes, became a rich trove for eschatological hope. This study traces interpretations of the Psalm through many texts and argues that the Psalm was an important biblical text through which early Christians understood the Christ event.
Misusing Scripture offers a thorough and critical evaluation of American evangelical scholarship on the Bible. This strand of scholarship exerts enormous influence on the religious beliefs and practices, and even cultural and political perspectives, of millions of evangelical Christians in the United States and worldwide. The book brings together a diverse array of authors with expertise on the Bible, religion, history, and archaeology to critique the nature and growth of "faith-based" biblical scholarship. The chapters focus on inerrancy and textual criticism, archaeology and history, and the Bible in its ancient and contemporary contexts. They explore how evangelicals approach the Bible in their biblical interpretation, how "biblical" archaeology is misused to bolster distinctive views about the Bible, and how disputed interpretations of the Bible impact issues in the public square. This unique and timely volume contributes to a greater understanding and appreciation of how contemporary American evangelicals understand and use the Bible in their private and public lives. It will be of particular interest to scholars of biblical studies, evangelical Christianity, and religion in the United States.
This volume, a tribute to John J. Collins by his friends, colleagues, and students, includes essays on the wide range of interests that have occupied John Collins’s distinguished career. Topics range from the ancient Near East and the Hebrew Bible to the Dead Sea Scrolls and Second Temple Judaism and beyond into early Christianity and rabbinic Judaism. The contributions deal with issues of text and interpretation, history and historiography, philology and archaeology, and more. The breadth of the volume is matched only by the breadth of John Collins’s own work.
Too often Christmas gets swallowed up in the busyness of shopping and sending cards and wrapping presents. As we rush around, we often miss the wonder of what Christmas is all about. Christmas began with a gift given to the human race two thousand years ago. It was a child, born in a Bethlehem stable and laid in a manger. His birth was announced by wise men guided from the East by a very special star. It was the gift we needed most: a Savior, the Holy Son of God. This is the good news proclaimed by the angel: "Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). Why was God's gift of a Savior so important? There are three reasons: The greatness of the need. The future of the human race was at stake. Sin made havoc of God's creation and brought estrangement from its Creator. The greatness of the gift. Not only was the need great, but the gift was also great! "This is My beloved Son," God said, "in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). The greatness of the cost. Read the inspired portraits of the suffering of Christ in Isaiah 53, Psalm 22, and Psalm 69. The cross was only part of the price He gladly paid. Jesus Christ did not die for His own sins or because He was a victim of circumstances. He came, as God's supreme gift to you and me. The Bible pointedly asks: "How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" (Hebrews 2:3). Have you overlooked the really important gift of Christmas? Is God prompting you to look through the odds and ends of Christmas? God's gift for you is waiting. Don't miss it. Right now, wherever you are, you can receive the costliest gift, Jesus Christ the Savior. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16).
