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Abortion, Execution, and the Consequences of Taking Life
by James D. SlackThis book focuses on the relationship between public morality and personal action in the American political community. It emphasizes the responsibilities of citizens and government to find and confirm truth, looking to specific sources: religious scripture and empirical events. Recognizing that we have a natural preference for distraction and distance from both sources of truth, Slack uses qualitative, open-ended interviews and direct observation to uncover the intimate consequences of life-taking in open societies.Abortion and murder/capital punishment are instances in which there is a sequence of events that result in life-taking. The act of murder denies the sanctity of life of someone else. Abortion and capital punishment also deny the sanctity of the lives of others. The intimacy of life-taking is not typically acknowledged or remains hidden. This makes it difficult to assess the consequences for victims, survivors, and the political community as a whole. As a result, there is only a tenuous link between public actions that question the sanctity of human life and the moral compass professed by the American democracy.The volume presumes a theocentric foundation envisioned by the American Founders. It explores the model's first source of truth, biblical scripture, as it applies to the public actions of murder, abortion, and capital punishment. Then it investigates the intimate reality of these acts. These realities are examined in a variety of settings, resulting in a mosaic pattern of public action about capital punishment and abortion. Slack underscores the importance of government's role of providing outward justice, as well as the citizen's responsibility to be supportive of government tasks in order to reconcile the reality of life-taking with the moral compass professed in the American political community.
Abortion, Religious Freedom, and Catholic Politics
by James HitchcockThroughout its history the Catholic Church has taken positions on many subjects that are in one sense political, but in another sense are primarily moral, such as contraception, homosexuality, and divorce. One such issue, abortion, has split not only the United States, but Catholics as well. Catholics had to confront these issues within the framework of a democratic society that had no official religion. Abortion, Religious Freedom, and Catholic Politics is a study of opposing American Catholic approaches to abortion, especially in terms of laws and government policies. After the ruling of Roe vs. Wade, many pro-life advocates no longer felt their sentiments and moral code aligned with Democrats. For the first time, Catholics, as an entire group, became involved in U.S. politics. Abortion became one of the principal points of division in American Catholicism: a widening split between liberal Catholic Democrats who sought to minimize the issue and other Catholics, many of them politically liberal, whose pro-life commitments caused them to support Republicans. James Hitchcock discusses the 2016 presidential campaign and how it altered an already changed political landscape. He also examines the Affordable Care Act, LGBT rights, and the questions they raise about religious liberty.
Abortion to Mercy (The Freedom Series)
by Marcie Schneider Michelle BorquezWhat happens after an abortion? When you can't go back and change the past, is there forgiveness or spiritual recovery? God still has a plan for you. There is always forgiveness and freedom when you turn to Jesus, this world's only redeemer. This minibook includes the story of Marcie Schneider, a woman who hid the dark secret of an abortion, a pain she had to endure alone. Let Marcie's counseling bring healing to you as she shares her story of redemption. This minibook will help you discover how to forgive yourself.After Marcie was pressured into having sex with someone at a party at fifteen years old, her first abortion was monumental in the steps she took thereafter. Feeling weak and invaluable, Marcie continued to seek happiness in the temporary satisfactions of this world. Though Marcie knew that there was more in this world for her than the anger she felt, she didn't realize how close she was to feeling complete freedom in Christ's mercy.Abortion to Mercy includes a Bible study by Paige Henderson that highlights the mercy that Christ has on us, despite sins we've committed. We don't always understand his love and forgiveness for us, which makes it hard for us to love and forgive others. Paige shows you verses from the Bible that will give you wisdom and hope for God's plan for your life.Abortion to Mercy will bring you hope and wholeness. It will speak to your heart and will strengthen your faith. It includes questions and Scripture passages -- along with space to journal.
About-Face Space Race (AstroKids #5)
by Robert ElmerFun and funny, this book will make even reluctant readers eager to turn the pages. When a space scooter race becomes a battle between the boys and girls, who will step in and remind the AstroKids to work as a team?
About My Father's Business: Taking Your Faith to Work
by Regi CampbellMany books stress the need to be "marketplace ministers." An equal or greater number tell us why we should be in marketplace ministry. This book tells us how. About My Father's Business offers proven methodology for becoming a spiritual leader at work, regardless of position or title. Regi Campbell has more than twenty years experience learning and implementing these strategies in companies small and large. With refreshing transparency, he shares his struggles to save his marriage, build his career, and pursue his mission to have influence for Jesus Christ with coworkers. The result is a practical guide for reconciling the quest for corporate accomplishment with the call to be a disciple of Christ 24/7.What happens to your faith at work? Do you struggle to live for Jesus while earning a paycheck? The truth is, when you go to work, you don't have to check your faith at the door. Successful businessman Regi Campbell shows how your witness and your example can make a huge difference in your workplace and impact lives for eternity. God is calling you to more than what's in your job description. Your peers need it. Your Father requires it. It's His business and only you can accomplish it. y to touch their marketplace for God." Pat Gelsinger Author, Balancing Your Family, Faith and Work Sr. VP and CTO, Intel Corporation INSIDE FRONT FLAP Relevant -- Practical -- Compelling What happens to your faith at work? Do you struggle to live for Jesus while earning a paycheck? The truth is, when you go to work, you don't have to check your faith at the door. Successful businessman Regi Campbell shows how your witness and your example can make a huge difference in your workplace and impact lives for eternity. God is calling you to more than what's in your job description. Your peers need it. Your Father requires it. It's His business and only you can accomplish it. -- Doable -- Story Behind the Book"I'm a business guy who committed his life to Jesus Christ in my early thirties. As a brand-new, fired-up believer, I wanted to make a difference for God, but business was all I really knew. I did what most new Christians do--plugged into a church, joined a Bible study, and started family devotions. But the office was still an enigma: a place where I felt no purpose, a place where I was just serving my time. I felt thwarted and stalled from doing anything for God there. I'm thankful the Lord showed me that the marketplace is where I am supposed to be. Even more, He has shown me some useful ways to think about the people I work with...and to help them move toward Jesus Christ. I wrote this book to share the road map that has made workplace evangelism and discipleship doable for me."From the Hardcover edition.
About My Sisters
by Debra GinsbergOn the heels of her poignant and critically acclaimed memoirs, Waiting and Raising Blaze, Debra Ginsberg explores the unique connection she shares with her three sisters.In About My Sisters, Ginsberg examines the special bond she shares with her three sisters, May, Lavander and Deja. As her hippie parents criss-crossed the globe, Debra, the oldest of five children, formed indelible bonds with her three sisters that last to this day. Separated by fifteen years among them, Debra and her sisters represent two different generations, each one of them having something to teach the other. Debra and Maya (the next oldest) became not only babysitters, but also playmates, problem solvers, teachers and surrogate mothers to the youngest two. And the shared experience of being the children of an unconventional, dope-smoking, non-career oriented, nomadic couple bonded them even more. Structured around the course of one year, About My Sisters examines these bonds through the prism of the events of that year, revealing not only a "different" family, but also a unique and amazing relationship that has weathered many storms but never foundered. The four sisters (as well as their parents and brother) still live within ten miles of one another and share meals, holidays, joys, pains, and babysitting duties with an astounding frequency. This is a heart-warming, funny, and poignant look at a family that's much like the one we all wish we had..
About Peace: 108 Ways to Be at Peace When Things Are Out of Control
by Scott ShawThese Zen meditations for modern times can help you find calm amid chaos. Conflict is a part of life. Zen Buddhism was even founded in conflict. No one can give anyone else peace: It comes to those who seek it—in the moment and for the moment only. But even as the pace accelerates and problems escalate, it&’s possible to gain inner peace. The past is gone and the future is unknown—so there&’s no time like the present to use these 108 meditations. They offer a very contemporary respite from internal and external conflict, well suited to the breakneck pace of life today. Their number and their form, however, is steeped in tradition. One hundred and eight is a sacred number in Buddhism, in which there is also the tradition of meditating with malas, strung beads which come in multiples of nine—27, 56, or 108. Their form follows Buddhist tradition as well: They are modern koans, or riddles to ponder, and dharma stories.
About the Beginning of the Hermeneutics of the Self: Lectures at Dartmouth College, 1980
by Michel FoucaultIn 1980, Michel Foucault began a vast project of research on the relationship between subjectivity and truth, an examination of conscience, confession, and truth-telling that would become a crucial feature of his life-long work on the relationship between knowledge, power, and the self. The lectures published here offer one of the clearest pathways into this project, contrasting Greco-Roman techniques of the self with those of early Christian monastic culture in order to uncover, in the latter, the historical origin of many of the features that still characterize the modern subject. They are accompanied by a public discussion and debate as well as by an interview with Michael Bess, all of which took place at the University of California, Berkeley, where Foucault delivered an earlier and slightly different version of these lectures. Foucault analyzes the practices of self-examination and confession in Greco-Roman antiquity and in the first centuries of Christianity in order to highlight a radical transformation from the ancient Delphic principle of “know thyself” to the monastic precept of “confess all of your thoughts to your spiritual guide.” His aim in doing so is to retrace the genealogy of the modern subject, which is inextricably tied to the emergence of the “hermeneutics of the self”—the necessity to explore one’s own thoughts and feelings and to confess them to a spiritual director—in early Christianity. According to Foucault, since some features of this Christian hermeneutics of the subject still determine our contemporary “gnoseologic” self, then the genealogy of the modern subject is both an ethical and a political enterprise, aiming to show that the “self” is nothing but the historical correlate of a series of technologies built into our history. Thus, from Foucault’s perspective, our main problem today is not to discover what “the self” is, but to try to analyze and change these technologies in order to change its form.
About the B'nai Bagels
by E. L. KonigsburgMark Setzer thought studying for his Bar Mitzvah and having his best friend move away created enough aggravation in his life. But then his mother becomes the new manager of his Little League team and drags his older brother, Spencer, along as coach. Miraculously, the team thrives, but in the process Mark learns some unpleasant truths about someone he thought he knew.ed of him.
About the Holy Bible
by Robert G. IngersollThe words `blasphemy', `evil' and `pagan' were hurled at Robert Ingersoll by the organized Christian Church from the moment he made his first declaration from the pulpit. And, in spite of their unanimous rejection, his words live on through today. As shown in this text his prose was terse, biting, cutting and slightly arrogant for he felt it was his purpose to bring the sacred scriptures into the glare of a more realistic realm. Deemed as being written hundreds of years after the fact, he saw the Bible as being nothing more than an exhaggerated series of folk tales that were handed down by a handful of people who, for their own unity and importance, self-proclaimed themselves as being `God's chosen ones'. While Mr. Ingersoll offers no scientific proof that his statements have validity (other than simple common sense) he asks the questions that have triggered the doubt and anger that religionists have repressed throughout the centuries. From Galileo though Darwin through Ingersoll and on to Richard Dawkins, all have the following premises; Truth is found only through active questioning; Faith is generally believing something that has no basis in reality. "Liberty is my religion. Liberty of hand and brain -- of thought and labor, liberty is a word hated by kings -- loathed by popes."
About You
by Dick StaubIn About You, Dick Staub addresses irreligious, religious, spiritual seekers and all kinds of Christians and shows us that Jesus came to satisfy our universal longing for a fully human life, not to establish a narrow us versus them religion. In short, Jesus didn't come to make us Christian; Jesus came to make us fully human. In a fresh exploration of the ancient Biblical stories of creation, fall and redemption, Staub explains that salvation is not about going to heaven when we die; it is about a full and abundant life now. In practical, down-to-earth, language, About You deals with this concept on three levels: anthropologically (our common story and universal human needs), theologically (God's awareness and response to our needs), and practically (how we can attain and maintain a more complete and satisfying life).Staub's previous book (The Culturally Savvy Christian) was selected by Kirkus Reviews for their 2007 Religion and Spirituality edition. This new book is designed to help those who are seeking a way to integrate both a fully alive spirituality and a fully alive humanity--a way that is embodied in the often-misunderstood life and teaching of Jesus Christ. This groundbreaking book illuminates the path towards becoming the best version of yourself.
Above All Else: 60 Devotions for Young Women
by Chelsea CrockettFrom the heart and mind of YouTube sensation BeautyLiciousInsider Chelsea Crockett comes this topical devotional about friendship, relationships, family, self-esteem, and living out your faith. Honest, personal, and filled with hope, this devotional just might be what young women need to hear most in their lives right now. Chelsea speaks to young women, whether they are experiencing their brightest or darkest moments, inspiring readers to overcome challenges, celebrate the beauty of life, and pursue God above all else.But this isn’t just another devotional. Chelsea is an inspiring role model and a leading voice for millions of young adults around the globe. Encouraging young women post by post on Instagram and YouTube, Chelsea inspires readers page by page in Above All Else.Whether it’s body image issues or bullying, beauty and fashion or family and friendship, Chelsea’s got your back to help you put your best self forward. Above All Else:Is perfect for gift giving to your daughter, granddaughter, friend, or any other young woman in your lifeIs written by Chelsea Crockett, aka BeautyLiciousInsider YouTube star, author, and actress featured in the films Wish for Christmas, At Your Own Risk, and Make Mom Over
Above All Things
by Deborah RaneyExpecting their first baby, Judd and Evette McGlin are thrilled to become parents. But the couple faces the ultimate test when Judd learns he already has a child: a six-year-old mixed-race girl born amid secrets and lies. Now, Evette must decide if she can accept the child. She thought she was open-minded--until hidden prejudices threaten the future of an innocent little girl, Evette's marriage and the very notion of who she thinks she is. Above all things, this child needs acceptance and love. Needs Evette to discover what being a mother truly means. Needs Judd to face his past. And needs them to discover what it means to be a family.
Above the Clouds (Chronicles of the Golden Frontier #3)
by Gilbert Morris J. Landon FergusonWhen gold is found in her once-barren mine, Jennifer DeSpain's sudden riches allow her to lavish wealth on her loved ones. But she's about to discover the pressures and temptations that could ruin her most precious relationships.
Above the Fray: The Red Cross and the Making of the Humanitarian NGO Sector
by Shai M. DromiFrom Lake Chad to Iraq, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) provide relief around the globe, and their scope is growing every year. Policymakers and activists often assume that humanitarian aid is best provided by these organizations, which are generally seen as impartial and neutral. In Above the Fray, Shai M. Dromi investigates why the international community overwhelmingly trusts humanitarian NGOs by looking at the historical development of their culture. With a particular focus on the Red Cross, Dromi reveals that NGOs arose because of the efforts of orthodox Calvinists, demonstrating for the first time the origins of the unusual moral culture that has supported NGOs for the past 150 years. Drawing on archival research, Dromi traces the genesis of the Red Cross to a Calvinist movement working in mid-nineteenth-century Geneva. He shows how global humanitarian policies emerged from the Red Cross founding members’ faith that an international volunteer program not beholden to the state was the only ethical way to provide relief to victims of armed conflict. By illustrating how Calvinism shaped the humanitarian field, Dromi argues for the key role belief systems play in establishing social fields and institutions. Ultimately, Dromi shows the immeasurable social good that NGOs have achieved, but also points to their limitations and suggests that alternative models of humanitarian relief need to be considered.
Above the Line: My Wild Oats Adventure
by Shirley MacLaineA funny, fierce, imaginative memoir chronicling New York Times bestselling author and Academy Award winner Shirley MacLaine’s remarkable experiences filming Wild Oats in the Canary Islands and the extraordinary memories her time there brought forth of a past life on the lost continent of Atlantis.Her agent advised her not to get on the plane. The male leads weren’t even cast. The financing was shaky at best. The script had been rewritten countless times. And yet something about Wild Oats lured Shirley MacLaine to the film’s location shoot in the far-off Canary Islands—and straight to the center of one of the most thrilling and paradigm-shifting adventures of her life. The making of the film reads like a screwball comedy, as the cast and crew face unpredictable daily obstacles with ingenuity, grit, and personal sacrifice. Yet the chaos leads Shirley to a revelatory new understanding of the demise of one of history’s most elusive yet endlessly intriguing places. Scholars have long theorized that Spain’s Canary Islands are the remnants of the mighty lost continent of Atlantis. As the movie set descends into pandemonium, Shirley finds fascinating corollaries between the island’s cataclysmic fate and our own dangerous trajectory. Can we learn the lessons the citizens of Atlantis failed to comprehend? The answer is borne out of recovered memories from Shirley’s past life on Atlantis and through a series of meditations that reveal the necessity of unfettered imagination when looking for bold new truths, rendering this evocative, irreverent, and honest memoir essential reading for anyone seeking a broader understanding of what it means to be human—both where we came from and where we are going.
Abraão - o pai da fé
by Domenico Barbera JANDER TEMÍSTOCLES DE OLIVEIRAFalar de Abraão, não é o simples conto de um personagem da antiguidade, famoso qual foi Abraão que a Bíblia apresenta como o pai de um povo, isto é, dos hebreus. Porque se isso é verdade, na medida em que não pode ser contestado, de acordo com o que a Bíblia diz, também é verdade que Abraão não é apenas o pai reconhecido dos judeus, mas também é o pai da fé, como o Novo Testamento o reconhece como tal. A finalidade da nossa intervenção, não é apenas falar sobre isso, mas, principalmente, destacar as características que Abraão tinha que, do ponto de vista da fé, o tornou famoso, não só entre os judeus, mas também no meio do Cristianismo . Na verdade, quando o cristianismo fala de Abraão e lhe segura como exemplo de fé, o faz principalmente em função das características que mostrara em acreditar em Deus e em ter fé Nele, em tudo o que Deus disse e nas promessas que Lhe prometeu.
Abraham (The Petersheim Brothers #2)
by Jennifer BeckstrandKnown as “The Peanut Butter Brothers” for their Wisconsin family business, hardworking Andrew, Abraham, and Austin Petersheim have their plates too full for romance—until their little siblings decide to play matchmaker . . . With their house full to bursting since Mammi and Dawdi moved back in, the Petersheim twins know the only way to get their bedroom back is to get their older brothers married off. But Abraham is so shy, he’ll barely speak to girls. Still, they’ve noticed how he looks at Emma Wengerd at church. Emma is so talkative, Abraham’s quiet ways wouldn’t matter a bit. Soon, the boys have hatched a scheme that sends Abraham right to Emma’s door—and her chicken coop . . . Abraham doubts that pretty, popular Emma would be interested in him. Yet when he finds himself by her side, having to straighten out the twins’ mischief—more than once—he can’t help imagining a future with her. And the more time they spend together, the more Abraham realizes that perhaps no matter how many boys buzz around Emma, with faith, it’s only the right one that counts . . . Praise for Jennifer Beckstrand and her Matchmakers of Huckleberry Hill series “Full of kind, sincere characters struggling with the best ways to stay true to themselves and their beliefs.” —Publishers Weekly “A heart-warming story of faith, hope, and second chances. The story will captivate readers who love the Amish culture and enjoy an endearing romance.” —Amy Clipston, bestselling author of A Seat by the Hearth
Abraham: The Story of a Life
by Joseph BlenkinsoppIn this discursive commentary Joseph Blenkinsopp explores the story of Abraham -- iconic ancestor of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam -- as told in Genesis 11-25. Presented in continuous discussion rather than in verse-by-verse form, Blenkinsopp’s commentary focuses on the literary and theological artistry of the narrative as a whole.Blenkinsopp discussses a range of issues raised in the Abraham saga, including confirmation of God’s promises, Isaac’s sacrifice and the death of Jesus, and Abraham’s other beloved son, Ishmael. Each chapter has a section called “Filling in the Gaps,” which probes some of the vast amount of Jewish, Christian, and Islamic commentary that the basic Genesis text has generated through the ages.In an epilogue Blenkinsopp looks at Abraham in early Christianity and expresses his own views, as a Christian, on Abraham. Readers of Blenkinsopp’s Abraham: The Story of a Life will surely come away with a deeper, richer understanding of this seminal ancient figure.
Abraham
by Alan M. DershowitzPart of the Jewish Encounter seriesOne of the world's best-known attorneys gives us a no-holds-barred history of Jewish lawyers: from the biblical Abraham through modern-day advocates who have changed the world by challenging the status quo, defending the unpopular, contributing to the rule of law, and following the biblical command to pursue justice. The Hebrew Bible's two great examples of advocacy on behalf of problematic defendants--Abraham trying to convince God not to destroy the people of Sodom, and Moses trying to convince God not to destroy the golden-calf-worshipping Children of Israel--established the template for Jewish lawyers for the next 4,500 years. Whether because throughout history Jews have found themselves unjustly accused of crimes ranging from deicide to ritual child murder to treason, or because the biblical exhortation that "justice, justice, shall you pursue" has been implanted in the Jewish psyche, Jewish lawyers have been at the forefront in battles against tyranny, in advocating for those denied due process, in negotiating for just and equitable solutions to complex legal problems, and in efforts to ensure a fair trial for anyone accused of a crime. Dershowitz profiles Jewish lawyers well-known and unheralded, admired and excoriated, victorious and defeated--and, of course, gives us some glimpses into the gung-ho practice of law, Dershowitz-style. Louis Brandeis, Theodor Herzl, Judah Benjamin, Max Hirschberg, René Cassin, Bruno Kreisky, Ruth Bader Ginsburg, and Irwin Cotler are just a few of the "idol smashers, advocates, collaborators, rescuers, and deal makers" who helped to change history. Dershowitz's thoughts on the future of the Jewish lawyer are presented with the same insight, shrewdness, and candor that are the hallmarks of his more than four decades of writings on the law and how it is (and should be!) practiced.From the Hardcover edition. his writings on the law and how it is (and should be!) practiced.
Abraham
by Bruce FeilerIn this timely, provocative, and uplifting journey, the bestselling author of Walking the Bible searches for the man at the heart of the world's three monotheistic religions -- and today's deadliest conflicts. At a moment when the world is asking, "Can the religions get along?" one figure stands out as the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. One man holds the key to our deepest fears -- and our possible reconciliation. Abraham. Bruce Feiler set out on a personal quest to better understand our common patriarch. Traveling in war zones, climbing through caves and ancient shrines, and sitting down with the world's leading religious minds, Feiler uncovers fascinating, little-known details of the man who defines faith for half the world. Both immediate and timeless, Abraham is a powerful, universal story, the first-ever interfaith portrait of the man God chose to be his partner. Thoughtful and inspiring, it offers a rare vision of hope that will redefine what we think about our neighbors, our future, and ourselves.
Abraham: A Journey to the Heart of Three Faiths
by Bruce FeilerWhen the world is asking "Can the religions get along?" Abraham stands as the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. He holds the key to our deepest fears-and our possible reconciliation.
Abraham
by Bruce FeilerIn this timely, provocative, and uplifting journey, the bestselling author of Walking the Bible searches for the man at the heart of the world's three monotheistic religions -- and today's deadliest conflicts. At a moment when the world is asking, "Can the religions get along?" one figure stands out as the shared ancestor of Jews, Christians, and Muslims. One man holds the key to our deepest fears -- and our possible reconciliation. Abraham. Bruce Feiler set out on a personal quest to better understand our common patriarch. Traveling in war zones, climbing through caves and ancient shrines, and sitting down with the world's leading religious minds, Feiler uncovers fascinating, little-known details of the man who defines faith for half the world. Both immediate and timeless, Abraham is a powerful, universal story, the first-ever interfaith portrait of the man God chose to be his partner. Thoughtful and inspiring, it offers a rare vision of hope that will redefine what we think about our neighbors, our future, and ourselves.
Abraham: The First Jew (Jewish Lives)
by Anthony JuliusThe story of Abraham, the first Jew, portrayed as two lives lived by one person, paralleling the contradictions in Judaism throughout its history In this new biography of Abraham, Judaism&’s foundational figure, Anthony Julius offers an account of the origins of a fundamental struggle within Judaism between skepticism and faith, critique and affirmation, thinking for oneself and thinking under the direction of another. Julius describes Abraham&’s life as two separate lives, and as a version of the collective life of the Jewish people. Abraham&’s first life is an early adulthood of questioning the polytheism of his home city of Ur Kasdim until its ruler, Nimrod, condemns him to death and he is rescued, he believes, by a miracle. In his second life, Abraham&’s focus is no longer on critique but rather on conversion and on his leadership over his growing household, until God&’s command that he sacrifice his son Isaac. This test, the Akedah (or &“Binding&”), ends with another miracle, as he believes, but as Julius argues, it is also a catastrophe for Abraham. The Akedah represents for him an unsurpassed horizon—and in Jewish life thereafter. This book focuses on Abraham as leader of the first Jewish project, Judaism, and the unresolvable, insurmountable crisis that the Akedah represents—both in his leadership and in Judaism itself.
Abraham: Model of Faith (Fisherman Bible Studyguide Series)
by James ReapsomeThis study of Abraham's life gives readers an in-depth glimpse into the life of Abraham, and shows them what genuine faith looks like for modern-day Christians.