The United States of America is becoming a divided nation and it needs help. Americans need new ways of thinking which will allow them to vigorously advocate for their own deeply held beliefs while at the same time remaining true to a common overarching story. This is deeper than just having civil discourse. This is deeper than just respecting the other side. This is deeper than agreeing to disagree. This cuts to the very core idea of how the country can transform into the best possible version of itself; to be successful as a cohesive whole beyond what any one individual or group could possibly imagine.
U.S. representative and vice presidential candidate Paul Ryan outlines his vision for a budget that will "renew confidence in the superiority of human freedom"--P. [4] of cover.
"In The Road to Renewal: Private Investment in U.S. Transportation Infrastructure, R. Richard Geddes surveys the current state of the American transportation system and finds that, like the roads themselves, the existing policy approach is in desperate need of repair. Drawing on the basic economic principles behind supply, demand, competition, and incentives, Geddes argues that a shift toward increased use of public-private partnerships (PPPs)--contractual agreements between public agencies and private parties that allow private participation in the design, construction, operation, and delivery of transportation facilities--could significantly improve the quality of America's transportation infrastructure. By learning to see themselves as customers and investors--rather than mere users--of roads and highways, Americans should expect to receive a reasonable return on their investment: thorough, effective maintenance of America's transportation infrastructure. The Road to Renewal shows how incorporating increased private participation can halt the deterioration of America's transportation system and become the foundation for a safer, more efficient transportation future."--P. [4] of cover.
From the acclaimed author of Unfinished Business, a story of crisis and change that can help us find renewed honesty and purpose in our personal and political lives Like much of the world, America is deeply divided over identity, equality, and history. Renewal is Anne-Marie Slaughter’s candid and deeply personal account of how her own odyssey opened the door to an important new understanding of how we as individuals, organizations, and nations can move backward and forward at the same time, facing the past and embracing a new future. Weaving together personal stories and reflections with insights from the latest research in the social sciences, Slaughter recounts a difficult time of self‐examination and growth in the wake of a crisis that changed the way she lives, leads, and learns. She connects her experience to our national crisis of identity and values as the country looks into a four-hundred-year-old mirror and tries to confront and accept its full reflection. The promise of the Declaration of Independence has been hollow for so many for so long. That reckoning is the necessary first step toward renewal. The lessons here are not just for America. Slaughter shows how renewal is possible for anyone who is willing to see themselves with new eyes and embrace radical honesty, risk, resilience, interdependence, grace, and vision. Part personal journey, part manifesto, Renewal offers hope tempered by honesty and is essential reading for citizens, leaders, and the change makers of tomorrow.
A leading conservative intellectual argues that to renew America we must recommit to our institutions Americans are living through a social crisis. Our politics is polarized and bitterly divided. Culture wars rage on campus, in the media, social media, and other arenas of our common life. And for too many Americans, alienation can descend into despair, weakening families and communities and even driving an explosion of opioid abuse. Left and right alike have responded with populist anger at our institutions, and use only metaphors of destruction to describe the path forward: cleaning house, draining swamps. But, as Yuval Levin argues, this is a misguided prescription, rooted in a defective diagnosis. The social crisis we confront is defined not by an oppressive presence but by a debilitating absence of the forces that unite us and militate against alienation. As Levin argues, now is not a time to tear down, but rather to build and rebuild by committing ourselves to the institutions around us. From the military to churches, from families to schools, these institutions provide the forms and structures we need to be free. By taking concrete steps to help them be more trustworthy, we can renew the ties that bind Americans to one another.
A celebration of resilience: the inspiring story of how Black America survived unimaginable odds and an examination of the real challenges it faces today. This challenging and inspiring collection of essays constructively frames the story of Black America—not as a tragedy involving helpless victims, but as a model for the nation. Scholars and grassroots leaders recount the history—the gritty, painful, but often triumphant account of what blacks accomplished after slavery was ended. Denied access to the institutions of white America, they built their own churches, schools, hotels, and a host of other successful enterprises. Their resilience produced amazing increases in literacy, family formation, and income. Today’s unsung grassroots leaders are the living evidence of the power of resilience. They use their stories of overcoming adversity and their own fallibility to help others. The organizations they create heal their communities. This volume presents the insights of scholars who warn of the dangerous forces that threaten to shackle the ability of blacks to succeed today. They warn that, by accepting the notion that black adversity continues to be the product of systemic racism and is therefore unchangeable, no one would need to step up to the realities of a responsible life. This kind of thinking has led to lowering standards in education and even in the judicial system. The scholars outline positive paths to the future. More than chapters to be passively read, A Pathway to American Renewal is an invitation and a promissory note that points directly to what American renewal might really involve.
The United States of America is becoming a divided nation and it needs help. Americans need new ways of thinking which will allow them to vigorously advocate for their own deeply held beliefs while at the same time remaining true to a common overarching story. This is deeper than just having civil discourse. This is deeper than just respecting the other side. This is deeper than agreeing to disagree. This cuts to the very core idea of how the country can transform into the best possible version of itself; to be successful as a cohesive whole beyond what any one individual or group could possibly imagine.
This book argues that Christians have a stake in the sustainability and success of core cultural values of the West in general and America in particular. Steven M. Studebaker considers Western and American decline from a theological and, specifically, Pentecostal perspective. The volume proposes and develops a Pentecostal political theology that can be used to address and reframe Christian political identity in the United States. Studebaker asserts that American Christians are currently not properly engaged in preventing America’s decline or halting the shifts in its core values. The problem, he suggests, is that American Christianity not only gives little thought to the state of the nation beyond a handful of moral issues like abortion, but its popular political theologies lead Christians to think of themselves more as aliens than as citizens. This book posits that the proposed Pentecostal political theology would help American Christians view themselves as citizens and better recognize their stake in the renewal of their nation. The foundation of this proposed political theology is a pneumatological narrative of renewal—a biblical narrative of the Spirit that begins with creation, proceeds through Incarnation and Pentecost, and culminates in the new creation and everlasting kingdom of God. This narrative provides the foundation for a political theology that speaks to the issues of Christian political identity and encourages Christian political participation.
Falling in Love with Yourself: Love and the Inner Beloved is an easy-to-read introduction to the deepest mysteries of spirituality. Culled from the writings of the greatest philosophic thinkers, it explains core-truths of spirituality, which is not some exotic pursuit. Spirituality is Love. It is not easy to live spirituality. So, this is also a practical guide. It shows how the use of spirituality can brighten, lighten, and enlighten our lives. A new philosophy is described, ranging from the Mindworld to selfdefinition. Mysticism highest spirituality, but not a religion is simply explained. The roles of bliss, judgment, godimage, destiny, ego-Spirit conflicts, passion, compassion, femininity, and other relevant issues are discussed entertainingly but thoroughly.
