Book picks similar to
Faith in the Public Square: Living Faithfully in 21st Century America by Robert D. Cornwall
politics
religion
social-justice
constructive-theology
Fight: A Christian Case for Non-Violence
Preston Sprinkle - 2013
With prophetic relevance, New York Times bestselling author Preston Sprinkle tackles the controversy surrounding violence and grapples with surprising conclusions. Anyone who has struggled with the morality of violence will appreciate this convincing biblical guide.
Woke Racism: How a New Religion Has Betrayed Black America
John McWhorter - 2021
We want to speak up but fear we'll be seen as unwoke, or worse, labeled a racist. According to John McWhorter, the problem is that a well-meaning but pernicious form of antiracism has become, not a progressive ideology, but a religion--and one that's illogical, unreachable, and unintentionally neoracist.In Woke Racism, McWhorter reveals the workings of this new religion, from the original sin of "white privilege" and the weaponization of cancel culture to ban heretics, to the evangelical fervor of the "woke mob." He shows how this religion that claims to "dismantle racist structures" is actually harming his fellow Black Americans by infantilizing Black people, setting Black students up for failure, and passing policies that disproportionately damage Black communities. The new religion might be called "antiracism," but it features a racial essentialism that's barely distinguishable from racist arguments of the past.Fortunately for Black America, and for all of us, it's not too late to push back against woke racism. McWhorter shares scripts and encouragement with those trying to deprogram friends and family. And most importantly, he offers a roadmap to justice that actually will help, not hurt, Black America.
Dreamers: An Immigrant Generation's Fight for Their American Dream
Eileen Truax - 2013
They grow up here, going to elementary, middle, and high school, and then the country they call home won’t—in most states—offer financial aid for college and they’re unable to be legally employed. In 2001, US senator Dick Durbin introduced the DREAM Act to Congress, an initiative that would allow these young people to become legal residents if they met certain requirements. And now, more than ten years later, in the face of congressional inertia and furious opposition from some, the DREAM Act has yet to be passed. But recently, this young generation has begun organizing, and with their rallying cry “Undocumented, Unapologetic, and Unafraid” they are the newest face of the human rights movement. In Dreamers, Eileen Truax illuminates the stories of these men and women who are living proof of a complex and sometimes hidden political reality that calls into question what it truly means to be American.
Taking America Back for God: Christian Nationalism in the United States
Andrew L Whitehead - 2020
Christian ideals and symbols have long played an important role in American public life, but Christian nationalism is about far more than whether the phrase "under God" belongs in the pledge of allegiance. At its heart, Christian nationalism demands that we must preserve a particular kind of social order, an order in which everyone--Christians and non-Christians, native-born and immigrants, whites and minorities, men and women recognizes their "proper" place in society. The first comprehensive empirical analysis of Christian nationalism in the United States, Taking America Back for God illustrates the influence of Christian nationalism on today's most contentious social and political issues.Drawing on multiple sources of national survey data as well as in-depth interviews, Andrew Whitehead and Samuel Perry document how Christian nationalism shapes what Americans think about who they are as a people, what their future should look like, and how they should get there. Americans' stance toward Christian nationalism provides powerful insight into what they think about immigration, Islam, gun control, police shootings, atheists, gender roles, and many other political issues-very much including who they want in the White House. Taking America Back for God is a guide to one of the most important-and least understood-forces shaping American politics.
The Great American Divorce: Why Our Country Is Coming Apart—And Why It Might Be for the Best
David Austin French - 2020
Muslims and Jews in America: Commonalities, Contentions, and Complexities
Reza Aslan - 2011
Yet, despite their relatively small numbers, the members of these two minority groups often find themselves the focus of a disproportionate amount of media attention, particularly when it comes to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Beyond such international issues, American Jews and American Muslims find themselves struggling with similar inter-communal concerns when it comes to matters like education (for example tensions between student populations of Jews and Muslims on university campuses), politics (such as the swearing in of the first Muslim Congressman in the House of Representatives, Keith Ellison, or the omnipresent emails and robo-calls linking President Obama to the Muslim community that emerged during the 2008 Presidential election), or even pop culture (think of such recent Hollywood productions as Kingdom in Heaven, Munich, Paradise Now, and Traitor, to name but a few). In all of these matters, American Jews and American Muslims have consistently engaged each other in conversation – whether directly or indirectly; constructive or not – in ways that have usually eluded their co-religionists throughout the rest of the world. This has partly to do with America’s ethos as a “melting pot” of different religions, ethnicities, and cultures. But it also has to do with the innovative ways in which Judaism and Islam have absorbed, and been radically altered, by the so-called “American experience.”This book is an exploration of contemporary Jewish-Muslim relations in the United States and the distinct and often creative ways in which these two communities interact with one another in the American context. Each essay discusses a different episode from the recent twentieth and current twenty-first century American milieu that links these two groups together. Some deal with case examples of local inter-communal interaction, such as “dialogue groups,” which can help us better understand national trends of similar activities in other parts of the country. Others focus on national trends themselves, thus giving us greater insights into individual incidents.
The Trial of the Catonsville Nine
Daniel Berrigan - 1970
They removed military draft records, took them outside, and set them afire with napalm. The Catholic activists involved in this protest against the war included Daniel and Philip Berrigan; all were found guilty of destroying government property and sentenced to three years in jail. Dan Berrigan fled but later turned himself in.The Trial of the Catonsville Nine became a powerful expression of the conflicts between conscience and conduct, power and justice, law and morality. Drawing on court transcripts, Berrigan wrote a dramatic accountof the trial and the issues it so vividly embodied. The result is a landmark work of art that has been performed frequently over the past thirty-five years, both as a piece of theater and a motion picture.
The Family: The Secret Fundamentalism at the Heart of American Power
Jeff Sharlet - 2007
They consider themselves the new chosen—congressmen, generals, and foreign dictators who meet in confidential cells, to pray and plan for a "leadership led by God," to be won not by force but through "quiet diplomacy." Their base is a leafy estate overlooking the Potomac in Arlington, Virginia, and Jeff Sharlet is the only journalist to have reported from inside its walls.The Family is about the other half of American fundamentalist power—not its angry masses, but its sophisticated elites. Sharlet follows the story back to Abraham Vereide, an immigrant preacher who in 1935 organized a small group of businessmen sympathetic to European fascism, fusing the far right with his own polite but authoritarian faith. From that core, Vereide built an international network of fundamentalists who spoke the language of establishment power, a "family" that thrives to this day. In public, they host Prayer Breakfasts; in private, they preach a gospel of "biblical capitalism," military might, and American empire. Citing Hitler, Lenin, and Mao as leadership models, the Family's current leader, Doug Coe, declares, "We work with power where we can, build new power where we can't."Sharlet's discoveries dramatically challenge conventional wisdom about American fundamentalism, revealing its crucial role in the unraveling of the New Deal, the waging of the cold war, and the no-holds-barred economics of globalization. The question Sharlet believes we must ask is not "What do fundamentalists want?" but "What have they already done?"Part history, part investigative journalism, The Family is a compelling account of how fundamentalism came to be interwoven with American power, a story that stretches from the religious revivals that have shaken this nation from its beginning to fundamentalism's new frontiers. No other book about the right has exposed the Family or revealed its far-reaching impact on democracy, and no future reckoning of American fundamentalism will be able to ignore it.
The End of All Evil
Jeremy Locke - 2006
Evil is found in words such as force, compulsion, tax, violence, theft, censure, and politics. Notice that in such things, there is no joy. None have any value to humanity. This book defines the doctrine of liberty, and teaches you why choices that affect your life can only rightfully be made by you.
The Eternal Challenge: A Journey Through the Miraculous Qur'an
Abu Zakariya - 2015
To most non-Muslims though, the Qur'an remains a mystery. What do you know about the book that shapes the lives and eternal destinies of over a quarter of the world's population?The Eternal Challenge: A Journey Through the Miraculous Qur'an makes it vividly clear why the Qur'an has captivated the hearts and minds of Muslims around the world. Aimed at Muslims and non-Musilms alike, this book is written in an accessible style which requires no prior knowledge of Islam. It covers what the Qur'an teaches, explores its main themes and provides compelling reasons why it is the word of God.You can order and read this book at: http://www.onereason.org/eternalchall...
Deadly Ambition
Donna Foley Mabry - 2010
The public hates her and so does he. Locke decides that it would be easier for the President to win re-election if he were a grieving widower and plots her murder. Nothing goes according to plan, and the attempted assassination sets off a chain of events that puts Locke only one murder away from gaining the Oval Office for himself. The FBI, the Secret Service, and the CIA can't find the killer, but a veteran cop and the head of the President's security detail work together to unravel the clues. The question is, can they find the solution in time to save the next victim? Fresh as today's headlines, 'Deadly Ambition' takes you to the inside world of Washington D.C.'s power brokers and outrageous characters. There's the slovenly and pragmatic head of the DNC, a Vice President far too fond of women, some of them not old enough to drive, and the Presidential aide whose credit card bills have gotten so far ahead of him that he will do anything to pay them off. There's a Secret Service Agent willing to give his own life to protect his charge, and more than one assassin who believes that killing a President is easy, but knows that getting away with it is the hard part.
The Led Zeppelin Curse: Jimmy Page and the Haunted Boleskine House
Lance Gilbert - 2017
Once I began reading, it was evident that the author’s experience in the occult and the paranormal would provide me with the most truthful and logical analysis of the band I would ever get concerning this topic.”“As a guitarist and lifelong fan of Led Zeppelin and a skeptic of the claims of occult influence on the band, I found this book to be an insightful look into the history of Page and Led Zeppelin.” “Brilliant book, couldn’t put it down....well worth a read.”“I believe the author proved his assumption regarding the Zeppelin curse...his words spoke loudly, and he was intellectually sound in his opinion on many levels. It was extremely well written and obviously the author knew enough about Crowley to write an accurate account of his influence on Page.”"If you have any interest in the band or the occult - this is a must read!” “A necessity for the magical, the mysterious, the musical, and the seriously creepy section of your bookshelf.” “Wow! What can I say? Just pick it up & read it! I promise you will not be able to put it down.”“Probably the most in-depth book that will ever be written on the Led Zeppelin occult/curse subject. The fact that the author has dabbled in rituals heightens the intensity." "I’ve always wondered about the claims of Jimmy and the magic. This book explains a lot of things."“Loved it! A great read for anyone curious about Jimmy Page's fascination with Aleister Crowley and the history of Boleskine House." "The Led Zeppelin Curse has everything that I would want in a read: rock n roll, magic(k) and new information about rock gods that I didn’t already know."“As a fan of Led Zeppelin, mother to a teenaged daughter who wants to be the next John Bonham and obsessive researcher of the occult and paranormal, I really enjoyed this book. It is written in a friendly tone that sounds like Lance Gilbert is chatting directly with you, which I liked.”“Aleister Crowley crops up in so many different group's rock songs and it is worth reading about the influence this man had directly and indirectly on the music of the time and specifically on Led Zeppelin.”Who or what is responsible for The Led Zeppelin Curse? Jimmy Page was known for his intense interest in the occult and in particular the notorious magician Aleister Crowley.
Adam-Ondi-Ahman and the Last Days
Randall Bird - 2011
Don't be left in the dark! This book takes a close look at this sacred site and sheds light on its name, geography, history, and future. Be prepared to meet Christ again on this sacred site.
Black Sheep: My Journey from Evangelical Christianity to Atheism
Cassie Fox - 2019
Raised in the confines of evangelical Christianity from a young age, Cassie Fox served and sought the God she loved with all of her heart. A true believer, she attended Bible college and became an ordained minister, fervently preaching the Gospel to others with passion. After years of living a life dedicated to her faith in God, she learned information that cast her religious beliefs in a different light. In this raw, transparent, and sometimes heartbreaking autobiography, Cassie Fox shares her gripping journey as she battled and agonized over the implications of her newfound understanding until she ultimately found peace and healing in the least expected of places. Walk through this incredible, life changing story of triumph, and discover the message of optimism and hope she found at the end. Buy Black Sheep: My Journey from Evangelical Christianity to Atheism today!