This work, impressively documented, avoids fruitless speculation and gets down to the basics of the Christian faith. In a clear writing style the author powerfully articulates the unique activity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and shows how the work of each complements the other." Dr. Kenneth Kinghorn, Dean of the School of Theology, Asbury Theological Seminary "Focus is all-important. This book, biblical throughout, proceeds from the perspective of God's loving grace, and maintains this perspective as the whole revelation of God is unfolded in its light. The Trinity is rightly honored as this theology interacts helpfully with many other theological views and clarifies anew much that traditionally has been valued. This is fresh material that serves the church fruitfully and also speaks meaningfully to contemporary culture--exactly what good theology should do." Rev. Dr. James Earl Massey, Dean Emeritus, Anderson University School of Theology
Hanserd Knollys (1609-91) was a godly pastor/leader and prolific writer among the early Calvinistic Baptists of the seventeenth century. His life and ministry demonstrated a heart for the gospel of Jesus Christ. Despite imprisonment and persecution, he preached the gospel continuously and asked nonbelievers to "open the door" of their hearts to Christ. As for believers, he exhorted them to worship God "in spirit and truth," live holy lives in both "the form and power of godliness," and prepare and watch for the imminent second coming of Christ. As his friend Thomas Harrison said, "He was a Preacher out of the Pulpit as well as in it." It is hoped that this summary of his life and timeless message will spur believers to reach the world with the gospel.
Jesus and Gin is a rollicking tour of the roaring twenties and the barn- burning preachers who led the temperance movement—the anti-abortion crusade of the Jazz Age. Along the way, we meet a host of colorful characters: a Baptist minister who commits adultery in the White House; media star preachers caught in massive scandals; a presidential election hinging on a religious issue; and fundamentalists and liberals slugging it out in the culture war of the day. The religious roar of that decade was a prologue to the last three decades. With the religious right in disarray today after its long ascendancy, Jesus and Gin is a timely look at a parallel age when preachers held sway and politicians answered to the pulpit.
Recent research has demonstrated a loss of verbalization, or grasp of the Christian language, in the emerging generations of Western Christianity. As contemporary culture rejects Christian identity more and more, subsequent generations are losing the ability to proclaim their faith well. This is particularly troubling for those on the theological campus seeking to train and disciple today’s emerging adults as the next generation of ministers. Emerging Voices attempts to identify factors behind this phenomenon and to map out a better way forward, particularly for the theological campus. As contemporary issues such as the elimination of faith from public discourse and the ubiquitous influence of technology shape students in the years before college, what can be done to reclaim the Christian language for students tasked with preaching the gospel? This project combines a deep dive into some of the leading research regarding religion and spirituality in youth and emerging adulthood, alongside of a focused study group. In uniting these approaches, Emerging Voices attempts to give expression to those who most need to be heard in the coming decades of the Christian church in Western culture.
Invented History, Fabricated Power begins with an examination of prehistoric beliefs (in spirits, souls, mana, orenda) that provided personal explanation and power through ritual and shamanism among tribal peoples. On this foundation, spiritual power evolved into various kinds of divine sanction for kings and emperors (Sumerian, Egyptian, Greek, Roman, Indian, Chinese and Japanese). As kingships expanded into empires, fictional histories and millennia-long genealogies developed that portrayed imperial superiority and greatness. Supernatural events and miracles were attached to religious founders (Hebrew, Hindu, Buddhist, Christian, Islamic). A unique variation developed in the Roman Church which fabricated papal power through forgeries in the first millennium CE and the later “doctrine of discovery” which authorized European domination and conquest around the world during the Age of Exploration. Elaborate fabrications continued with epic histories and literary cycles from the Persians, Ethiopians, Franks, British, Portuguese, and Iroquois Indians. Both Marxists and Nazis created doctrinal texts which passed for economic or political explanations but were in fact self-aggrandizing narratives that eventually collapsed. The book ends with the idealistic goals of the current liberal democratic way of life, pointing to its limitations as a sustaining narrative, along with numerous problems threatening its viability over the long term.
A sweeping history of premodern architecture told through the material of stone Spanning almost five millennia, Painting in Stone tells a new history of premodern architecture through the material of precious stone. Lavishly illustrated examples include the synthetic gems used to simulate Sumerian and Egyptian heavens; the marble temples and mansions of Greece and Rome; the painted palaces and polychrome marble chapels of early modern Italy; and the multimedia revival in 19th-century England. Poetry, the lens for understanding costly marbles as an artistic medium, summoned a spectrum of imaginative associations and responses, from princes and patriarchs to the populace. Three salient themes sustained this “lithic imagination”: marbles as images of their own elemental substance according to premodern concepts of matter and geology; the perceived indwelling of astral light in earthly stones; and the enduring belief that colored marbles exhibited a form of natural—or divine—painting, thanks to their vivacious veining, rainbow palette, and chance images.
Based on the most extensive survey ever conducted on religion in America, One Nation Under God delivers surprising revelations about the religious beliefs, practices, and affiliations of Americans. "These statistical findings provide rich material for interpretation of the uniquely American religious experience."--Publishers Weekly.
American Transcendentalism is often seen as a literary movement—a flowering of works written by New England intellectuals who retreated from society and lived in nature. In Transcendentalism and the Cultivation of the Soul, Barry M. Andrews focuses on a neglected aspect of this well-known group, showing how American Transcendentalists developed rich spiritual practices to nurture their souls and discover the divine. The practices are common and simple—among them, keeping journals, contemplation, walking, reading, simple living, and conversation. In approachable and accessible prose, Andrews demonstrates how Transcendentalism's main thinkers, Emerson, Thoreau, Fuller, and others, pursued rich and rewarding spiritual lives that inspired them to fight for abolition, women's rights, and education reform. In detailing these everyday acts, Andrews uncovers a wealth of spiritual practices that could be particularly valuable today, to spiritual seekers and religious liberals.
It's the most important subject in Christianity. It reveals who God is, how God works, how we mature as followers of Jesus, and how we are to conduct ourselves in this sinful world. The subject is suffering. To explore it biblically and inspirationally is to identify the basic elements of a responsible Christian theology that's more than a set of pious abstractions. This subject forces us close to where we hurt, doubt, believe, and relate to our neighbors. God suffers, Jesus cries. The tears of God are the deepest meaning of our history. God's "problem" is not that God is not able to do certain things, but that God loves. The cross of Jesus was in God's heart before it appeared on Golgatha. The pain of God is the healing of humanity. The cross, the worst of human doing and the best of divine revelation, clarifies that we must die to really live. We must share in the sufferings of Jesus.
Jones, Barry Owen (1932– ). Australian politician, writer and lawyer, born in Geelong. Educated at Melbourne University, he was a public servant, high school teacher, television and radio performer, university lecturer and lawyer before serving as a Labor MP in the Victorian Parliament 1972–77 and the Australian House of Representatives 1977–98. He took a leading role in reviving the Australian film industry, abolishing the death penalty in Australia, and was the first politician to raise public awareness of global warming, the ‘post-industrial’ society, the IT revolution, biotechnology, the rise of ‘the Third Age’ and the need to preserve Antarctica as a wilderness. In the Hawke Government, he was Minister for Science 1983–90, Prices and Consumer Affairs 1987, Small Business 1987–90 and Customs 1988–90. He became a member of the Executive Board of UNESCO, Paris 1991–95 and National President of the Australian Labor Party 1992–2000, 2005–06. He was Deputy Chairman of the Constitutional Convention 1998. His books include Decades of Decision 1860– (1965), Joseph II (1968), Age of Apocalypse (1975), and he edited The Penalty is Death (1968). Sleepers, Wake!: Technology and the Future of Work was published by Oxford University Press in 1982, became a bestseller and has been translated into Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Swedish and braille. The fourth edition was published in 1995. Knowledge Courage Leadership, a collection of speeches and essays, appeared in 2016.
Marriage for Life begins by listening to the lived experiences of Catholic, married, HIV-positive women, in order to better understand their struggles. The eight women interviewed in Chicago, Illinois, USA, shared their stories of marriage, of family life, of church involvement, and of living with HIV. Their candid reflections offer a fresh and grounded perspective on the challenges of living with HIV in a US context. After listening to and learning from these women’s experiences, Reimer-Barry constructs a theology of Christian marriage that is life-giving in a world with AIDS. While Catholic teachings have developed and now affirm the equal dignity of women and men, troubling legacies of women’s subordination remain embedded in liturgical practices and theological texts. Arguing that self-care is an indispensable component of a healthy marriage, Reimer-Barry constructs a life-affirming theology of marriage that is sensitive to the struggles of her collaborators. She argues that marriage for life must promote the full flourishing of both partners, respect wives as equal partners with their husbands, and offer a coherent and empowering sexual ethic. Building on the wisdom of her collaborators’ lived experiences, Reimer-Barry examines the need for a more adequate Catholic response to HIV and AIDS, arguing that church communities should promote comprehensive sexual education, affirm both abstinence and condom use for HIV prevention, and actively work to reduce stigmatizing behaviors within church communities. She also unpacks the implications of marriage for life for Catholic liturgical practice, marriage preparation programs, sexual education programs, and family ministries. Modeling her method on what Pope Francis calls the “art of accompaniment,” Reimer-Barry argues that Catholic theology of marriage must be renewed and updated so that all can plainly understand that marriage is for life.
People readily form religious beliefs out of their imaginations, fears, fantasies, and bloated egos. The paranormal is now nearly the norm in the world of popular entertainment, threatening traditional systems of belief. Are today’s “walking dead” real zombies? Are the aliens actually here? What’s keeping you awake at night? Are masses of overscheduled and frustrated people spiritually deceased even though still breathing? Who’s lurking in the shadows, demons of destruction, a loving God seeking our highest well-being, or nothing but our twisted imaginations? How we fragile humans long for safety, ecstacy, community, meaning, and “salvation.” We must beware, however. Numerous charlatans have it all for sale! By contrast, there still is the man Jesus who has paid the highest of prices and is offering all we need as a free gift. In him, insists the Christian faith, death has died and we’ve been set free to be “possessed” by the Spirit of Jesus, thus becoming the living dead. Receiving this gift takes faith, of course, but faith not contrary to reason. In fact, it may be the most reasonable and satisfying thing we could ever do.
Colorful and outrageous, influential yet despicable, J. Frank Norris was a preacher, newspaper publisher, political activist, and all-around subject of controversy. One of the most despised men in traditional Southern Baptist circles, he was also the man most responsible for bringing hard-edged fundamentalism to the South. Barry Hankins traces Norris, the "Texas Cyclone," from his boyhood in small-town Texas to his death in 1952. Despite scandals, Norris was a man of considerable public influence who traveled the owrkd, corresponded with congressmen, and attended president's Hoover's inaguration at Hoover's invitation. Through his preaching career he battled anyone and everyone he saw as part of the leftist conspiracy to foist liberalism and immorality on America. This account reveals a remarkable man who helped shape the current American religious landscape.
Future Israel: Why Christian Anti-Judaism Must Be Challenged is volume three in the NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY STUDIES IN BIBLE & THEOLOGY (NACSBT) series for pastors, advanced Bible students, and other deeply committed laypersons. Author Barry E. Horner writes to persuade readers concerning the divine validity of the Jew today (based on Romans 11:28), as well as the nation of Israel and the land of Palestine, in the midst of this much debated issue within Christendom at various levels. He examines the Bible's consistent pro-Judaic direction, namely a Judeo-centric eschatology that is a unifying feature throughout Scripture. Not sensationalist like many other writings on this constantly debated topic, Future Israel is instead notably exegetical and theological in its argumentation. Users will find this an excellent extension of the long-respected NEW AMERICAN COMMENTARY.
How can we understand the past in the absence of written records? Pre-modern histories of cross-cultural exchange pose a particular problem for medieval historians. They are marked by the long-distance mobility of concepts, individuals, and materials, and many of them cannot be reconstructed from the standard source texts on which historians usually depend. They exist without named makers, both outside and beyond official documents and court chronicles. The same is true of artisans responsible for crafting objects whose circulation and reception defined aesthetic, economic, and technological networks that may not have conformed to political or sectarian boundaries. Authored by two leading medieval historians of the Middle East, Africa, and Europe, Object Lessons addresses the gaps in medieval sources and modern scholarship, arguing for the archival value of objects, images, and monuments. Flood and Fricke examine six case studies that focus on the twelfth and thirteenth centuries. From the stone carvings at the churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia, which have no textual documentation, to medicinal bowls from Iraq for which some data can be gathered from unassociated but contemporary sources, these studies show how imagery and objects traveled across continents. The authors connect the histories of medieval Europe, Africa, and west Asia, and raise significant questions about "out of place" objects and how, in the absence of substantial archival material, we might write their histories. While there have been many publications on the histories of global circulation, most of them focus on the early modern period in Europe. By moving away from histories with abundant written archival material, Object Lessons ventures far beyond the narratives of Europe and into complex, cross-cultural and intercontinental histories of objects and images"--
This expanded edition of the guide to major books in English on the Holocaust is organized into ten subject areas: reference materials, European antisemitism, background materials, the Holocaust years, Jewish resistance
We somehow think that during the eucharistic prayer at Mass we are expected to be quiet, prayerful, and attentive-if we can be, with our children or other neighbors in the pews distracting us. In this inviting book Barry Hudock shows us that the eucharistic prayer is indeed the most dynamic and explosive" moment of Christian worship-in fact, of Christian life. Hudock takes us back to the beginnings of formal eucharistic worship in the early church, then forward to Vatican II and beyond, unpacking and exploring the eucharistic prayers old and new in words and concepts accessible to all of us. He also offers us, as the fruit of the journey, a set of points for a eucharistic prayer spirituality to prepare us for the explosion into life that is the whole purpose of our being.
Brings to life one of the most significant figures in the crusade for women's rights in America This comprehensive biography of Susan B. Anthony traces the life of a feminist icon, bringing new depth to our understanding of her influence on the course of women’s history. Beginning with her humble Quaker childhood in rural Massachusetts, taking readers through her late twenties when she left a secure teaching position to pursue activism, and ultimately tracing her evolution into a champion of women’s rights, this book offers an in-depth look at the ways Anthony’s life experiences shaped who she would become. Drawing on countless letters, diaries, and other documents, Kathleen Barry offers new interpretations of Anthony’s relationship with feminist Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and illuminating insights on Anthony’s views of men, marriage, and children. She paints a vivid picture of the political, economic, and cultural milieu of 19th-century America. And, above all, she brings a very real Susan B. Anthony to life. Here we find a powerful portrait of this most singular woman—who she was, what she felt, and how she thought. Complete with a new preface to honor the 100th anniversary of women’s suffrage and Anthony’s vital role in the fight for voting rights, this thorough biography gives us essential new insight into the life and legacy of an enduring American heroine.
England in the mid-seventeenth-century saw the emergence of numerous religious sects, one of which were the Calvinistic Baptists. During this revolutionary era this group was often accused of heresy by their Reformed contemporaries. At that time Hanserd Knollys, one of the key spokesmen for this body, was personally charged with holding heterodox beliefs, in particular, Antinomianism, Anabaptism and Fifth Monarchism. In addition, subsequent historians have been compelled to defend Knollys against the charge of hyper-Calvinism. All of these charges are serious, and consequently bring into question Knollys' basic orthodoxy. This book systematically examines each of these charges against Knollys by looking at them in their broader historical context, and then comprehensively examining them from Knollys' writings to determine if they are indeed valid. Along the way Knollys' soteriology, ecclesiology and eschatology receive vital and needed elucidation.
One of the most widely read German authors in the world, Hermann Hesse (1877-1962) won the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1946. After his death, his novels enjoyed a revival of popularity, becoming a staple of popular religion and spirituality in Europe and North America. Veneration and Revolt: Hermann Hesse and Swabian Pietism is the first comprehensive study of the impact of German Pietism (the religion of Hesse’s family and native Swabia) on Hesse’s life and literature. Hesse’s literature bears witness to a lifelong conversation with his religious heritage despite that in adolescence he rejected his family’s expectation that he become a theologian, cleric, and missionary. Hesse’s Pietist upbringing and broader Swabian heritage contributed to his moral and political views, his pacifism and internationalism, the confessional and autobiographical style of his literature, his romantic mysticism, his suspicion of bourgeois culture, his ecumenical outlook, and, in an era scarred by two world wars, his hopes for the future. Veneration and Revolt offers a unique perspective on the life and works of one of the twentieth century’s most influential writers.
The Puritans called Baptists "the troublers of churches in all places" and hounded them out of Massachusetts Bay Colony. Four hundred years later, Baptists are the second-largest religious group in America, and their influence matches their numbers. They have built strong institutions, from megachurches to publishing houses to charities to mission organizations, and have firmly established themselves in the mainstream of American culture. Yet the historical legacy of outsider status lingers, and the inherently fractured nature of their faith makes Baptists ever wary of threats from within as well as without. In Baptists in America, Thomas S. Kidd and Barry Hankins explore the long-running tensions between church, state, and culture that Baptists have shaped and navigated. Despite the moment of unity that their early persecution provided, their history has been marked by internal battles and schisms that were microcosms of national events, from the conflict over slavery that divided North from South to the conservative revolution of the 1970s and 80s. Baptists have made an indelible impact on American religious and cultural history, from their early insistence that America should have no established church to their place in the modern-day culture wars, where they frequently advocate greater religious involvement in politics. Yet the more mainstream they have become, the more they have been pressured to conform to the mainstream, a paradox that defines--and is essential to understanding--the Baptist experience in America. Kidd and Hankins, both practicing Baptists, weave the threads of Baptist history alongside those of American history. Baptists in America is a remarkable story of how one religious denomination was transformed from persecuted minority into a leading actor on the national stage, with profound implications for American society and culture.
In 1997, twenty-five years after its first publication, Thematic Catalogues in Music-An Annotated Bibliography (Pendragon Press, 1972) appeared in a completely revised and expanded Second Edition. It contains almost twice as many entries as its predecessor; virtually every one of the original entries has been updated; and the following noteworthy features have been added.1. A second introductory essay detailing trends and innovations in thematic cataloguing brought about by the revolution in technology of the past twenty years. 2. Appendices listing thematic catalogues in series; both by national organizations and publishers; a detailed up-to-date, country-by-country report of activities worldwide; a listing of major computerized databanks. 3. New double-column format. 4. Numerous illustrations and reproductions of pages from thematic catalogues of historical significance. The second edition continues the policy of listing all known thematic catalogues and indexes, including those in doctoral dissertations, masters essays, and computer databanks, as well as in-progress and unpublished works, plus reviews, and literature about thematic cataloguing. The original numbering of the 1972 entries has been retained, with new items appearing in proper alphabetical/chronological sequence but with the addition of decimal numbers and/or letters (363.1 or 960a). Lastly, the original historical introduction and special appendices of the first edition have been retained with emendations where needed.
Transcendentalism isn’t just a phase in Unitarian Universalist history, it is an on-going source of inspiration for Unitarian Universalists today. Drawing upon ancient wisdom and modern knowledge, Transcendentalist spirituality is at once timeless and timely. The Transcendentalists sought to cultivate the soul through such practices as walks in nature, contemplation, solitude, reading, simple living, religious cosmopolitanism, and action from principle. Unitarian Universalists today will find these practices congenial to their own spiritual growth. The Transcendentalists show us that by concerted effort we can become receptive to insights that will elevate our spirit and motivate us in our efforts to make society more just and to protect the natural world.
In Banquet at Delmonico’s, Barry Werth draws readers inside the circle of intellectuals, scientists, politicians, businessmen, and clergymen who brought Charles Darwin’s controversial ideas to post-Civil-War America. Each chapter is dedicated to a crucial intellectual encounter, culminating with an exclusive farewell dinner held in English philosopher Herbert Spencer’s honor at the venerable New York restaurant Delmonico’s in 1882. In this thought-provoking and nuanced account, Werth firmly situates social Darwinism in the context of the Gilded Age. Banquet at Delmonico’s is social history at its finest.
Barry Callen is a ""church theologian"" in the finest sense. In this book he once again brings the commitments nurtured by Pietist, Anabaptist, and Wesleyan theological streams into conversation with the issues and debates in contemporary church life and with the most formative voices in contemporary theology. The result is a convincing reminder that Christian teachings about ""ultimate things"" (eschatology) are much more concerned with providing hope and direction for living faithfully in our present settings than they are with providing timetables for the future. His exposition of the role of the church and sacrament in nurturing such hope is particularly helpful. Randy L. Maddox, Professor of Wesleyan and Methodist Studies, Duke University Divinity School In a day when fanciful end-times speculations abound, the church does well to give heed to voices that call us back to the fundamentals of biblical eschatology. Barry Callen is such a voice. As he so forcefully declares, rather than focusing on dates and times, God calls us to be ""faithful in the meantime."" Stanley J. Grenz, Professor Emeritus of Theology, Ethics, Baptist Heritage, Carey Theological College and Regent College The doctrine of last things is important because faith would be empty if it could not hope for the coming of the kingdom of God. What we have in eschatology are not so much secrets about the future as images of God's final purposes which are meant to impact our every action and judgment. Here we have, thanks to Barry Callen, a responsible, informed, interesting, and up-to-date account of our blessed hope. Clark H. Pinnock, Professor Emeritus of Theology, McMaster Divinity College Barry L. Callen is University Professor and Vice President of Academic Affairs Emeritus, Anderson University, Editor of Aldersgate Press, author of Radical Christianity (1999), Approaching Theology (2015), Heart of the Matter (2016), and Bible Stories for Strong Stomachs (2017).
Alaric, King of the Western Goths, entered Rome with his army, by the Salarian Gate -- outside of which Hannibal had encamped long ago--and took the Imperial City. Eleven hundred and sixty-four years had passed since its legendary foundation under Romulus; four hundred and forty-one since the battle of Actium, which made Augustus Lord in deed, if not in name, of the Roman world. When the Gothic trump sounded at midnight, it announced that ancient history had come to an end, and that our modern time was born. St. Jerome, who in his cell at Bethlehem saw the Capitol given over to fire and flame, was justified from an historical point of view when he wrote to the noble virgin Demetrias, "Thy city, once the head of the universe, is the sepulchre of the Roman people." Even in that age of immense and growing confusion, the nations held their breath when these tidings broke upon them. Adherents of the classic religion who still survived felt in them a judgment of the gods; they charged on Christians the long sequel of calamities which had come down upon the once invincible Empire. Christians retorted that its fall was the chastisement of idolatry. And their supreme philosopher, the African Father St. Augustine, wrote his monumental work, "Of the City of God," by way of proving that there was a Divine kingdom which heathen Rome could persecute in the martyrs, but the final triumph of which it could never prevent. This magnificent conception, wrought out in a vein of prophecy, and with an eloquence which has not lost its power, furnished to succeeding times an Apocalypse no less than a justification of the Gospel. Instead of heathen Rome, it set up an ideal Christendom. But the center, the meeting-place, of old and new, was the City on the Seven Hills.
A free open access ebook is upon publication. Learn more at www.luminosoa.org. Flight during times of persecution has a long and fraught history in early Christianity. In the third century, bishops who fled were considered cowards or, worse yet, heretics. On the face, flight meant denial of Christ and thus betrayal of faith and community. But by the fourth century, the terms of persecution changed as Christianity became the favored cult of the Roman Empire. Prominent Christians who fled and survived became founders and influencers of Christianity over time. Bishops in Flight examines the various ways these episcopal leaders both appealed to and altered the discourse of Christian flight to defend their status as purveyors of Christian truth, even when their exiles appeared to condemn them. Their stories illuminate how profoundly Christian authors deployed theological discourse and the rhetoric of heresy to respond to the phenomenal political instability of the fourth and fifth centuries.
“Succeeds in making Emerson’s ideas and recommended spiritual practices accessible. . . . [For] those interested in nineteenth-century American spiritualism.” —Publishers Weekly Even during his lifetime, Ralph Waldo Emerson was called the Sage of Concord, a fitting title for this leader of the American Transcendentalist movement. Everything that Emerson said and wrote directly addressed the conduct of life, and in his view, spiritual truth and understanding were the essence of religion. Unsurprisingly, he sought to rescue spirituality from decay, eschewing dry preaching and rote rituals. Unitarian minister Barry M. Andrews has spent years studying Emerson, finding wisdom and guidance in his teachings and practices, and witnessing how the spiritual lives of others are enriched when they grasp the many meanings in his work. In American Sage, Andrews explores Emerson's writings, including his journals and letters, and makes them accessible to today's spiritual seekers. Written in everyday language and based on scholarship grounded in historical detail, this enlightening book considers the nineteenth-century religious and intellectual crosscurrents that shaped Emerson's worldview to reveal how his spiritual teachings remain timeless and modern, universal and uniquely American. “An ideal companion for readers working through Emerson's essays, a reading group on spirituality, and any number of classroom situations.” —David M. Robinson, author of Emerson and the Conduct of Life: Pragmatism and Ethical Purpose in the Later Work “In a style that is both scholarly and highly readable, Andrews offers an insightful account of Emerson's teachings. . . . demonstrating how his ideas are relevant to readers of today who are poised between faith and unbelief.” —Phyllis Cole, author of Mary Moody Emerson and the Origins of Transcendentalism: A Family History
Abraham Lincoln has long dominated the pantheon of American presidents. From his lavish memorial in Washington and immortalization on Mount Rushmore, one might assume he was a national hero rather than a controversial president who came close to losing his 1864 bid for reelection. In Abraham Lincoln and the Forge of National Memory, Barry Schwartz aims at these contradictions in his study of Lincoln's reputation, from the president's death through the industrial revolution to his apotheosis during the Progressive Era and First World War. Schwartz draws on a wide array of materials—painting and sculpture, popular magazines and school textbooks, newspapers and oratory—to examine the role that Lincoln's memory has played in American life. He explains, for example, how dramatic funeral rites elevated Lincoln's reputation even while funeral eulogists questioned his presidential actions, and how his reputation diminished and grew over the next four decades. Schwartz links transformations of Lincoln's image to changes in the society. Commemorating Lincoln helped Americans to think about their country's development from a rural republic to an industrial democracy and to articulate the way economic and political reform, military power, ethnic and race relations, and nationalism enhanced their conception of themselves as one people. Lincoln's memory assumed a double aspect of "mirror" and "lamp," acting at once as a reflection of the nation's concerns and an illumination of its ideals, and Schwartz offers a fascinating view of these two functions as they were realized in the commemorative symbols of an ever-widening circle of ethnic, religious, political, and regional communities. The first part of a study that will continue through the present, Abraham Lincoln and the Forge of National Memory is the story of how America has shaped its past selectively and imaginatively around images rooted in a real person whose character and achievements helped shape his country's future.
Amidst growing dissatisfaction with the state of government performance and an erosion of trust in our political class, Competing for Influence asks: what sort of public service do we want in Australia? Drawing on his experience in both the public and private sectors – and citing academic research across the fields of public sector management, industrial organisation, and corporate strategy – Barry Ferguson argues the case for the careful selection and application of private sector management concepts to the public service, both for their ability to strengthen the public service and inform public policy. These include competitive advantage, competitive positioning, horizontal strategy and organisational design, and innovation as an all-encompassing organisational adjustment mechanism to a changeable environment. But these are not presented as a silver bullet, and Ferguson addresses other approaches to reform, including the need to rebuild the Public Sector Act, the need to reconsider the interface between political and administrative arms of government (and determine what is in the ‘public interest’), and the need for greater independence for the public service within a clarified role. This approach, and its implications for public sector reform, is contrasted with the straitjacket of path dependency that presently constricts the field.
During his thirty-seven years at Smith College, Newton Arvin published groundbreaking studies of Hawthorne, Whitman, Melville, and Longfellow that stand today as models of scholarship and psychological acuity. He cultivated friendships with the likes of Edmund Wilson and Lillian Hellman and became mentor to Truman Capote. A social radical and closeted homosexual, the circumspect Arvin nevertheless survived McCarthyism. But in September 1960 his apartment was raided, and his cache of beefcake erotica was confiscated, plunging him into confusion and despair and provoking his panicked betrayal of several friends. An utterly absorbing chronicle, The Scarlet Professor deftly captures the essence of a conflicted man and offers a provocative and unsettling look at American moral fanaticism.
This lucidly written study is unique in that there is no book extant by an economic historian that discusses Talmudic economics in the light of modern economics. Its major focus is on the intricate debates, statements and principles that were forged by the Talmudic Rabbis. This ancient storehouse of learning includes a wealth of economic knowledge of modern sophistication. The book taps these "economic treasures" by way of analytic inquiry. The authors, both economic historians and economists, through their study of the original dialectics in the Talmud, were able to discern a wide range of macro- and micro-economic ideas of major significance. These concepts when viewed from either a contemporary or a modern perspective, display an extraordinary degree of insight and sophistication. Indeed, sections of the Talmud and the reflections of subsequent commentators on those passages, embody a wealth of economic thought that was later to become significant in the reasoning of political economists, or of their professional academic successors.
Wilderness in many parts of the globe is under considerable threat from human development. This has important ramifications not only for fauna and flora but also for human well-being. Wilderness in the Bible addresses this ecological crisis from a biblical and theological perspective. It first establishes the context of a biblical study of wilderness and then passes to an analysis of the attitudes towards in the canonical biblical record. This provides the biblical basis for the development of a theology of wilderness for the twenty-first century. The Australian wilderness is taken as an illuminating case study.
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