North Americans live in a culture of oppression, enslaved by a false sense that self-centered idealism is morally good and necessary for achieving the common good. This book uses the story of Moses and the Exodus to underscore the relationship between liberation and conversion by presenting a spirituality of conversion for the privileged and developing a connection between the liberation of the oppressed and the conversion of the privileged in North America. The book offers analysis of how this spiritualtradition can evoke personal and sociopolitical change, challenge and enrich the dominant religious and cultural ethos of North America, enhance global relationships, and offer hope for solidarity.--
New York Times bestseller What is Jesus worth to you? It's easy for American Christians to forget how Jesus said his followers would actually live, what their new lifestyle would actually look like. They would, he said, leave behind security, money, convenience, even family for him. They would abandon everything for the gospel. They would take up their crosses daily... But who do you know who lives like that? Do you? In Radical, David Platt challenges you to consider with an open heart how we have manipulated the gospel to fit our cultural preferences. He shows what Jesus actually said about being his disciple--then invites you to believe and obey what you have heard. And he tells the dramatic story of what is happening as a "successful" suburban church decides to get serious about the gospel according to Jesus. Finally, he urges you to join in The Radical Experiment -- a one-year journey in authentic discipleship that will transform how you live in a world that desperately needs the Good News Jesus came to bring.
Research polls, media interviews, and everyday conversations reveal an unsettling truth: citizens, while well-meaning and even passionate about current affairs, appear to know very little about politics. Hundreds of surveys document vast numbers of citizens answering even basic questions about government incorrectly. Given this unfortunate state of affairs, it is not surprising that more knowledgeable people often deride the public for its ignorance. Some experts even think that less informed citizens should stay out of politics altogether. As Arthur Lupia shows in Uninformed, this is not constructive. At root, critics of public ignorance fundamentally misunderstand the problem. Many experts believe that simply providing people with more facts will make them more competent voters. However, these experts fail to understand how most people learn, and hence don't really know what types of information are even relevant to voters. Feeding them information they don't find relevant does not address the problem. In other words, before educating the public, we need to educate the educators. Lupia offers not just a critique, though; he also has solutions. Drawing from a variety of areas of research on topics like attention span and political psychology, he shows how we can actually increase issue competence among voters in areas ranging from gun regulation to climate change. To attack the problem, he develops an arsenal of techniques to effectively convey to people information they actually care about. Citizens sometimes lack the knowledge that they need to make competent political choices, and it is undeniable that greater knowledge can improve decision making. But we need to understand that voters either don't care about or pay attention to much of the information that experts think is important. Uninformed provides the keys to improving political knowledge and civic competence: understanding what information is important to and knowing how to best convey it to them.
The publication of the King James version of the Bible, translated between 1603 and 1611, coincided with an extraordinary flowering of English literature and is universally acknowledged as the greatest influence on English-language literature in history. Now, world-class literary writers introduce the book of the King James Bible in a series of beautifully designed, small-format volumes. The introducers' passionate, provocative, and personal engagements with the spirituality and the language of the text make the Bible come alive as a stunning work of literature and remind us of its overwhelming contemporary relevance.
The NIV is the world's best-selling modern translation, with over 150 million copies in print since its first full publication in 1978. This highly accurate and smooth-reading version of the Bible in modern English has the largest library of printed and electronic support material of any modern translation.
Learn how to inspire your audience with best-selling author Paul McGee! 13 things you'll discover when reading this book... 1. The big lesson Steve Jobs learnt when an advertising exec threw something at him... and how it will help how you communicate. 2. Seven ways to manage your nerves (surprisingly, you don’t want to eliminate them). 3. Why our obsession with body language is totally wrong, and what to focus on instead. 4. Why you must think about a beachball before you next speak. Believe me, it’s essential. 5. A question your audience is always thinking, and how to ensure you provide the answer. 6. The most common mistake experienced presenters make that nervous ones never do. 7. Why so many presentations cure insomnia, and how to make sure you’re serving an extra strong double espresso instead. 8. The number one thing most presenters forget to bring when they’re speaking to others. 9. Discover the most underprepared part of your presentation, and how to avoid making the same mistake. 10. What women’s magazines and TV soap operas have to teach us about audience engagement. 11. What I learnt from a guy with one of the most powerful memories on the planet, and how it can transform your communication. 12. Discover Tony Blair’s biggest fear when Prime Minister, and how you can tackle the same issue with confidence. 13. Why you don’t have to be funny to use humour in your presentation, and three easy ways to do it.
