Christian life and practice Books

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Book SynopsisAdapted from chapel messages given at Wheaton College, Beauty Is Your Destiny provides readers with an introduction to the theology and practice of beauty.

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Book SynopsisIn Go and Do Likewise, Amy DiMarcangelo explores how the gospel compels Christians to extend God's mercy in their everyday lifedisplaying his compassion, justice, generosity, and love to those who need it most.

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Book SynopsisIn this encouraging and practical book, readers will gain a new perspective on prayer and learn to answer what God has already spokendrawing them into a deeper relationship with the Trinity.

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Book SynopsisThese 20 carefully constructed lessons on key Bible storiesincluding Pentecost, Jesus's letters to the 7 churches, and the new heaven and new earthhelp children in grades K5 grasp God's plan to redeem the world through his Son, Jesus.

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Book SynopsisIn these honest stories about spiritual searching, doubt, and belief, apologetics teacher Randy Newman gives sincere inquirers the opportunity to investigate faith and encounter God's love.

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Book SynopsisThese 16 carefully constructed lessons on key Bible storiesincluding the wall of Jericho, Samson and Delilah, and David and Goliathhelp children in grades K5 grasp God's plan to redeem the world through his Son, Jesus.

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Book SynopsisPastor and bestselling author Dane Ortlund offers words of encouragement and a practical study guide for those seeking to grow deeper in their faith, not by doing more but by going deeper into Christ himself.

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Book Synopsis Evangelicals and Republicans have been powerful—and active—allies in American politics since the 1970s. But as public opinions have changed, are young evangelicals’ political identities and attitudes on key issues changing too? And if so, why? In Rock of Ages, Jeremiah Castle answers these questions to understand their important implications for American politics and society. Castle develops his own theory of public opinion among young evangelicals to predict and explain their political attitudes and voting behavior. Relying on both survey data and his own interviews with evangelical college students, he shows that while some young evangelicals may be more liberal in their attitudes on some issues, most are just as firmly Republican, conservative, and pro-life on abortion as the previous generation. Rock of Ages considers not only what makes young evangelicals different from the previous generation, but also what that means for both t

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Book Synopsis Evangelicals and Republicans have been powerful—and active—allies in American politics since the 1970s. But as public opinions have changed, are young evangelicals’ political identities and attitudes on key issues changing too? And if so, why? In Rock of Ages, Jeremiah Castle answers these questions to understand their important implications for American politics and society. Castle develops his own theory of public opinion among young evangelicals to predict and explain their political attitudes and voting behavior. Relying on both survey data and his own interviews with evangelical college students, he shows that while some young evangelicals may be more liberal in their attitudes on some issues, most are just as firmly Republican, conservative, and pro-life on abortion as the previous generation. Rock of Ages considers not only what makes young evangelicals different from the previous generation, but also what that means for both t

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Book Synopsis'It is in great simplicity that great beauty is revealed, and only then may we discover where God truly hides.'In this moving exploration of the path to understanding God's presence, Liam Lawton considers how we bring spiritual awakening and consolation into our lives, in every circumstance. Taking inspiration from the gentle, age-old wisdom of the Book of Ecclesiastes - 'There is a time for everything, and a season for everything under the sun' - he begins his journey of reflection and contemplation. Over its course, Liam shares remarkable stories of God's revelation in ordinary human life and of the people and events that have touched him during his years of ministry, along with fascinating perspectives on his own spiritual awakening. 'These pages reveal a God who does not intrude upon human living but rather is available to enter into the very depth of it and become present to those who wish for 'eyes to see and ears to hear'. Here are stories of pain and beauty, challenge and

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Book SynopsisWisdom is prized in the Bible as being the one thing we should seek above all others. But what is it, and how do we get it?Trade ReviewThere is always something reassuringly familiar and yet remarkably fresh about any book by RT Kendall...this book makes a contribution to the task of putting wisdom back on our radar. * Inspire Magazine *This book is uplifting and insightful. I would throughly recommend it. * Woman Alive Magazine *

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Book SynopsisNew York Times bestselling author and host of the Joel Osteen Radio on SiriusXM wants you to know that now is the time to get your hopes up and start expecting that better is on the way.   Whether you’re climbing toward the next level, stretching for an out-of-reach goal, or doing your utmost to overcome a challenge, it’s time to step into a better life filled with more. When your patience strains to meet your expectations, you have to remember that where you are now is not where you’re about to be!                                                       In Your Greater Is Coming, #1 New York Times bestselling author Joel Osteen challenges your perception of your present situation

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Book Synopsis Communicate boldly and effectively like never before with the help and guidance of a #1 New York Times bestselling author and trusted Bishop. #1 New York Times bestselling author Bishop Jakes has been speaking in front of audiences large and small for decades, and over the years, he has learned a thing or two about communicating with audiences. Now, for the first time ever, Bishop Jakes shares his wisdom and skills he’s learned to help readers communicate better themselves. Whether you are preparing to speak on stage before thousands or present at the next budget meeting, preach a sermon or deliver a diagnosis, this book is full of practical advice and solutions to help you get your message across. Readers will learn: The process Bishop Jakes uses to create his sermons, which connect with hundreds of thousands each week How to tailor you message for your intended audience The importance of b

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Book SynopsisA journey from where we are to achieving true happiness.Sister Mary David Totah was a nun of the Benedictine contemplative community of St Cecilia''s Abbey on the Isle of Wight. American by birth, she was educated at Loyola University, the University of Virginia and Christ Church, Oxford. After a distinguished teaching career, she entered religious life in 1985. For 22 years until her early death from cancer she guided the young nuns of her abbey with enthusiasm, wisdom and wit.The spirituality to be found in the pages of this book demonstrates to the reader why her influence should have been so great and so deep. Her notes to the novices deal with issues of relevance to a world beyond the cloister: What is the meaning of suffering? How do we cope with living with people who annoy us? How do we relate to a God we cannot see? How do we make the big decisions of life?Sister Mary David''s teaching was both profound and intensely practical, suffused witTrade ReviewA corpus of spiritual sagacity * Catholic Herald *Sr Mary David had an exceptional gift for friendship. The Joy of God, drawn from her notes, letters, and talks to novices ... shows why. Her joy, which was her hallmark, was a gift but it was also a choice, the fruit of effort, of very great, consistent generosity and courage, and of suffering. She was a disciple of joy. * The Tablet *If ever a book title conveyed its content, this one certainly does … That theme of joy, rooted in Christ, runs throughout the chapters, which have been skilfully put together from talks and letters to her novices. They deal with subjects such as growth, freedom, and darkness, and, while written for enclosed nuns, show how such a life develops deep insights into universal subjects. Liberally sprinkled with useful quotations from saints great and small, the book is easy to read. The chapters address how we are to grow in our consecration to Christ, whether that be through baptism or religious profession. * Church Times *Table of ContentsForeword: Sister Mary David Totah - Father Erik Varden OCSO PART ONE: CALLED TO JOY PART TWO: JOURNEY TO JOY Search Decision Growth Freedom Endurance Mercy Darkness Light PART THREE: SURRENDER TO JOY Acceptance-with-Joy: Her Last Lesson Interview Recorded a Few Weeks Before She Died Acknowledgements

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Book SynopsisIn this follow-up to his critically acclaimed book The Shattering of Loneliness, Erik Varden provides a glimpse of the value of a monastic life and a Christian calling in our troubled modern age.Be whole and so be happy.--St. Bernard, founder of the Cistercian orderIn the aftermath of a pandemic and the midst of political upheaval, Erik Varden has observed a growing interest in the monastic life even among those who have no intention of entering a monastery. For in times of anguish and uncertainty, basic principles of monastic life have become particularly appealing. Varden, Trappist monk and now Bishop, invites us to observe and learn from monastic life in our turbulent times. After a very personal introduction, he follows the Church year and seasons, always inspired by scriptural reading. The values he highlights include: tranquility; seeking peace; obedience; personal integrity; not continually passing judgement on others; asceticism as oppoTrade ReviewI have little doubt that this will also become a spiritual bestseller following on from his previous much acclaimed book, The Shattering of Loneliness. -- Dominic Walker * Church Times *Varden's work is the fruit from a tree for the healing of the nations, from a monk who has his feet firmly and incarnationally on the ground. * Lutheran Theological Journal *[Erik’s] homilies are accessible – written in clear, standard English – but rich, sometimes breathtakingly, in their content. * Catholic Herald *These [homilies] are as bracing and enlivening for the reader as they will have been for the congregations who heard them … Varden’s combination of extensive learning, passionate engagement with the history and demandingness of Christian life, and the sharp focus of a keen mind, make his preaching something from which many will benefit. * The Tablet *Varden’s erudition in this edifying work of Catholic monasticism should earn him comparisons to Edith Stein. * Publishers Weekly *Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Introduction PART ONE: WHAT MAKES A MONK 1 Vows 2 Patrimony 3 The Heart's Expansion PART TWO: A MONASTIC YEAR 4 Seasons 5 Ordinary Time 6 Saints Appendix: Vision Notes on the Text Notes

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Book SynopsisWhere is Home?This question troubles many of us. We may live far from where we grew up, away from those we love or in a culture not our own. But we all need somewhere to belong, to find a sense of home in this world.Jo Swinney was born in the UK, but grew up in Portugal and France. She went to an English boarding school, did a gap year in southern Africa and in her twenties studied theology in Canada, where she met her American husband. Now back in the UK, she''s had more reason than most to wonder what ''home'' really means.Is home where you come from - where you live now - where the people you love are - or what?Interweaving a frank and poignant retelling of her own story with theological and psychological insights, Jo''s original and authentic exploration of home in all its many and varied forms is a heartfelt call to find our home in the things that are truly of most value.

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Book Synopsis''What distinguishes Alpha from other initiatives is the easy going, relaxed feel of the proceedings - that and its astonishing success.'' - The TimesTelling Others imparts the vision, excitement and challenge of Alpha, with a practical guide to running a successful course. Perfect as a resource for churches, the book details the principles and structure of Alpha, tips on hosting small groups and giving talks, and guidance on pastoral care. A series of appendices provides suggestions for practicalities such as administration and running daytime and workplace courses, and advice on avoiding common mistakes and pitfalls. The chapters are interspersed with testimonies, written in their own words, from people whose lives have been changed by God through Alpha.

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Book SynopsisThis book tells the story of the process of moving to Bournemouth to set up a new church from scratch, on the back of numerous similar failed attempts in London, and the bumpy and scary journey to success St Swithun''s has travelled since. Tim demonstrates, through his story, how he has pushed through failure and disappointment with tenacity to trust in God and his plan and timing - and how hundreds of people are discovering faith in Jesus Christ as a result.

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Book SynopsisThe contributors to Spirit on the Move examine Pentecostalism's appeal to black women worldwide and the ways it provides them with a source of community, access to power, and way to challenge social inequalities.Trade Review“The editors and contributors of Spirit on the Move have successfully attended to this task without fear of troubling the waters of tidy conclusions in favor or against Black women’s relation to Pentecostalism. Scholars and Pentecostal practitioners can listen to and be taught by the global women portrayed in the pages of this book.” -- Allison Kach * Sociology of Religion *“Should be widely read by the African Studies community and particularly within the (re-emerging!) field of African Christianity.” -- Adam Mohr * African Studies Review *“Spirit on the Move begins with a clear and provocative introduction in which Elizabeth A. Pritchard details the empirical evidence of Pentecostalism’s special appeal to Black women.... This volume [is] a most welcome single-volume contribution to Pentecostal studies, gender studies, and race studies.” -- Devaka Premawardhana * H-Africa, H-Net Reviews *“These essays provide a marvelous introductory text to the intersectional study of Black women and Global Pentecostalism.... [Spirit on the Move] has included Pentecostalism’s appeal to Black women across the diaspora and countries on the continent of Africa.” -- Marcia Clarke * Pneuma *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction / Elizabeth A. Pritchard 1 Part I. Saving Race 1. Voices of God: Blackness and Gender in a Brazilian Black Gospel Music Scene / John Burdick 27 2. Race, Gender, and Christian Diaspora: New Pentecostal Intersectionalities and Haiti / Elizabeth McAlister 44 Part II. Scrutinizing and Sanctifying the Body 3. Women and the Afro-Brazilian Pentecostal War in Mozambique / Linda van de Kamp 67 4. "Dressed as Becometh Holiness": Gender, Race, and the Body in a Storefront Sanctified Church / Deidre Helen Crumbley 89 Part III. Sonic Power 5. West African and Caribbean Women Evangelists: The Wailing Women Worldwide Intercessors / Paula Aymer 109 6. "The Kingdom in the Midst": Sounding Bodies, Aesthetic Labor, and the End Times / Judith Casselberry 128 Part IV. Modeling the State 7. A Critical Approach to Concepts of "Power" and "Agency" in Ghana's Charismatic (or Neo-Pentecostal) Churches / Jane Soothill 151 8. Bless Us with Children: Pregnancy, Prosperity, and Pragmatism in Nigeria's Christ Apostolic Church / Laura Premack 180 References 197 Contributors 221 Index 225

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Book SynopsisPentecostalism is currently the fastest-growing Christian movement, with hundreds of millions of followers. This growth overwhelmingly takes place outside of the West, and women make up 75 percent of the membership. The contributors to Spirit on the Move examine Pentecostalism''s appeal to black women worldwide and the ways it provides them with a source of community and access to power. Exploring a range of topics, from Neo-Pentecostal churches in Ghana that help women challenge gender norms to evangelical gospel musicians in Brazil, the contributors show how Pentecostalism helps black women draw attention to and seek remediation from the violence and injustices brought on by civil war, capitalist exploitation, racism, and the failures of the state. In fleshing out the experiences, theologies, and innovations of black women Pentecostals, the contributors show how Pentecostal belief and its various practices reflect the movement''s complexity, reach, and adaptability to speTrade Review“The editors and contributors of Spirit on the Move have successfully attended to this task without fear of troubling the waters of tidy conclusions in favor or against Black women’s relation to Pentecostalism. Scholars and Pentecostal practitioners can listen to and be taught by the global women portrayed in the pages of this book.” -- Allison Kach * Sociology of Religion *“Should be widely read by the African Studies community and particularly within the (re-emerging!) field of African Christianity.” -- Adam Mohr * African Studies Review *“Spirit on the Move begins with a clear and provocative introduction in which Elizabeth A. Pritchard details the empirical evidence of Pentecostalism’s special appeal to Black women.... This volume [is] a most welcome single-volume contribution to Pentecostal studies, gender studies, and race studies.” -- Devaka Premawardhana * H-Africa, H-Net Reviews *“These essays provide a marvelous introductory text to the intersectional study of Black women and Global Pentecostalism.... [Spirit on the Move] has included Pentecostalism’s appeal to Black women across the diaspora and countries on the continent of Africa.” -- Marcia Clarke * Pneuma *Table of ContentsAcknowledgments ix Introduction / Elizabeth A. Pritchard 1 Part I. Saving Race 1. Voices of God: Blackness and Gender in a Brazilian Black Gospel Music Scene / John Burdick 27 2. Race, Gender, and Christian Diaspora: New Pentecostal Intersectionalities and Haiti / Elizabeth McAlister 44 Part II. Scrutinizing and Sanctifying the Body 3. Women and the Afro-Brazilian Pentecostal War in Mozambique / Linda van de Kamp 67 4. "Dressed as Becometh Holiness": Gender, Race, and the Body in a Storefront Sanctified Church / Deidre Helen Crumbley 89 Part III. Sonic Power 5. West African and Caribbean Women Evangelists: The Wailing Women Worldwide Intercessors / Paula Aymer 109 6. "The Kingdom in the Midst": Sounding Bodies, Aesthetic Labor, and the End Times / Judith Casselberry 128 Part IV. Modeling the State 7. A Critical Approach to Concepts of "Power" and "Agency" in Ghana's Charismatic (or Neo-Pentecostal) Churches / Jane Soothill 151 8. Bless Us with Children: Pregnancy, Prosperity, and Pragmatism in Nigeria's Christ Apostolic Church / Laura Premack 180 References 197 Contributors 221 Index 225

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Book SynopsisExposes the invisible ways in which white Christian privilege disadvantages racial and religious minorities in AmericaThe United States is recognized as the most religiously diverse country in the world, and yet its laws and customs, which many have come to see as normal features of American life, actually keep the Constitutional ideal of religious freedom for all from becoming a reality. Christian beliefs, norms, and practices infuse our society; they are embedded in our institutions, creating the structures and expectations that define the idea of Americanness. Religious minorities still struggle for recognition and for the opportunity to be treated as fully and equally legitimate members of American society. From the courtroom to the classroom, their scriptures and practices are viewed with suspicion, and bias embedded in centuries of Supreme Court rulings create structural disadvantages that endure today. In White Christian Privilege, Khyati Y. Joshi traces Christianity's influenceTrade Review"Looking at America’s history—including slavery and westward expansion—White Christian Privilege explores how Christian privilege and white racial norms impact the lives of all Americans. The book demonstrates how Christian beliefs have been built into the Constitution and beyond, and the sometimes subtle and overlooked ramifications it has for religious minorities." * Publishers Weekly *"'In order to form a more perfect Union,' books such as White Christian Privilege add enormous value to highlighting the gap between illusion and reality." * New York Journal of Books *"Joshi explores the structures of white Christian privilege embedded in American institutions, laws, and culture ... insightful ... outlines examples of those who have the privilege but are blind to it, and some of the inequities suffered by uneven privilege. Recommended for readers interested in historical roots of religious freedom." * Library Journal *"From the first page of White Christian Privilege, Khyati Joshi makes it plain that she is not interested in euphemizing. Nor is she interested in gently nudging her audience— one comprised at least in part by, if not mostly by, the people whose privilege she is illuminating— into a more aware mindset. Instead, Joshi wastes no time by acknowledging the truth." * Englewood Review of Books *"By the time you have finished reading Khyati Joshi’s first chapter, in which she defines such things as 'separation of Church and State' and 'secularization' as optical illusions to mask the overwhelming dominance of Christianity in American culture, you wonder if you might have stumbled upon a gem. By the time you are finished, you might find yourself wondering if you’ve finished a new classic." * Journal of Interreligious Studies *"Books that unpack problems in and questions about religion and race always feel timely in America; however, Joshi’s intersectional and social justice-grounded approach makes this a necessary read for those who desire a more just America. The book’s accessibility for students and the general public make its contribution all the stronger and more important" * Religions Journal *"Joshi explores how Christian privilege and White racial norms affect the lives of all Americans, often in subtle ways that society overlooks. By shining a light on the inequalities these privileges create, Joshi points the way forward, urging readers to help remake America as a diverse democracy with a commitment to true religious freedom." * Anthropology Book Forum *"Insightful and provocative. Taking a social justice approach, this timely book explores how Christianity has been leveraged to maintain and reproduce structures of domination and subordination, a discussion that is much needed and most welcome as debates about borders, migrants, and citizenship inflect public policy and civic engagement." -- Zayn Kassam, John Knox McLean Professor of Religious Studies, Pomona College"Smart and timely, energetic and approachable, this book is destined to be one of those touchstone texts that finds its way to a varied audience eager both to learn and to make meaningful change in American culture." -- Philip Goff, Director, Center for the Study of Religion and American Culture, Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis"Illuminates the myriad ways that social structures, individual actions, and cultural assumptions have brought White Christians outsized power and freedom from responsibility. Thoughtful people of all races and faiths need to read and heed her words." -- Paul Spickard, Distinguished Professor of History, University of California, Santa Barbara"Joshi views subliminal privilege in the common metaphors and underlying assumptions of our society. This privilege is sometimes Christian, sometimes White, and sometimes both. White Christian Privilegesets forth the history and the evidence for this privilege, and then proposes how to change it." -- David R. Blumenthal, Jay and Leslie Cohen Professor of Judaic Studies, Emory University, retired"Joshi’s historical account is one thing, but her ability to bring the reader into her more than two decades of scholarship and practice, offering solutions to long standing issues and concerns within society is some of the most important methodology of the last decade or more. Overall, the book is refreshing, challenging, and timely. The reader should be prepared to experience this book all the way from beginning to end." -- Dr. J Cody Nielson * Journal of Interreligious Studies *"In embracing a head, heart, and hand approach to bringing about religious social justice, Joshi highlights the concept of lived religion—how people within same-named faith communities practice differently, based on personal choice, sociopolitical circumstance, cultural nuance, and other differentiating influences." -- Rosnidar B. Arshad and Christine Clark - University of Nevada * Journal of Church and State *

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Book Synopsis2017 Wilbur Non-Fiction Award RecipientWinner of the 2018 Author's Award in scholarly non-fiction, presented by the New Jersey Studies Academic Alliance Winner, 2020 Kornitzer Book Prize, given by Drew UniversityExamines the oft overlooked role of non-elite black women in the growth of northern suburbs and American Protestantism in the first half of the twentieth centuryWhen a domestic servant named Violet Johnson moved to the affluent white suburb of Summit, New Jersey in 1897, she became one of just barely a hundred black residents in the town of six thousand. In this avowedly liberal Protestant community, the very definition of the suburbs depended on observance of unmarked and fluctuating race and class barriers. But Johnson did not intend to accept the status quo. Establishing a Baptist church a year later, a seemingly moderate act that would have implications far beyond weekly worship, Johnson challenged assumptions of gender and race, advocating for a politics of civic righteousTrade ReviewThis lucid and engrossing reframing of the suburbs adds to a growing body of research uncovering the overlooked and courageous social activism of working-class African-American women. Adams's work should fundamentally alter the way we talk and write about the civil rights movement in the United States, from where and when it happened, to who contributed to its real momentum. -- Morris Davis,Drew UniversityWith care and nuance, Betty Livingston Adams illuminates the social worlds and religious activism of a group of ordinary black working women who made extraordinary contributions to black public life. Well researched, engaging, and accessible, Adamss work adds new dimensions to our understanding of the history of the black womens club movement, their participation in interracial social reform and political organizing, and leadership in black churches. She has done a great service in restoring these women to a place of importance in the narrative of African American religious history. -- Judith Weisenfeld,Agate Brown and George L. Collord Professor of Religion, Princeton UniversityAdams follows the fascinating careers of Violet Johnson (1870-1939) and Florence Spearing Randolph (1866-1951), black women born in the South following emancipation, who traveled to New York City to find work. * Christian Century Magazine *Contributing to scholarship on black women’s Christian activism, this well-researched book uncovers activism among black churchwomen. * Religious Studies Review *

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Book SynopsisIlluminates how white American Protestant women embraced a racially specific version of socialinclusiveness that centered themselves as the normAmidst the global instability of the early twentieth century, white Christian American women embracedthe idea of an empire of Christ that was racially diverse, but which they believed they were uniquelyqualified to manage. America's burgeoning power, combined with women's rising roles within thechurch, led to white Protestant women adopting a feminism rooted in religion and imperialism.Gale L. Kenny examines this Christian imperial feminism from the women's missionary movement tocreate a Christian world order. She shows that this Christian imperial feminism marked a break from anearlier Protestant world view that focused on moral and racial purity and in which interactions amongraces were inconceivable. This new approach actually prioritized issues like civil rights and racialintegrTrade ReviewThrough close examinations of a wide range of practices from mission study to pageants to committee meetings to worship services, Christian Imperial Feminism reveals the ways that Protestant women embraced a Christian cosmopolitanism that simultaneously embraced diversity and sought to manage it…. A thoughtful exploration of Protestant churchwomen as full people with good intentions and deep flaws who took action in a world that they thought they understood far better than they actually did, with effects that they could not always predict. -- Emily Conroy Krutz, Christian Imperialism: Converting the World in the Early American RepublicExpertly written…. Will be of most interest to historians, particularly those working on missions, Christian women, and US Christianity in the twentieth century. -- Hillary Kaell, author of Walking Where Jesus Walked: American Christians and Holy Land Pilgrimage

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Book SynopsisHow a pioneering merchant blended religion and business to create a unique American shopping experienceOn Christmas Eve, 1911, John Wanamaker stood in the middle of his elaborately decorated department store building in Philadelphia as shoppers milled around him picking up last minute Christmas presents. On that night, as for years to come, the store was filled with the sound of Christmas carols sung by thousands of shoppers, accompanied by the store's Great Organ. Wanamaker recalled that moment in his diary, I said to myself that I was in a temple, a sentiment quite possibly shared by the thousands who thronged the store that night. Remembered for his store's extravagant holiday decorations and displays, Wanamaker built one of the largest retailing businesses in the world and helped to define the American retail shopping experience. From the freedom to browse without purchase and the institution of one price for all customers to generous return policies, he helped to implement retaiTrade Review"The John Wanamaker Department Store was one of America's first great temples of consumption. Nicole C. Kirk argues that [it] was more than a successful business enterprise, it was also a successful ministry. John Wanamaker was as committed to evangelicalism and the social gospel as he was to selling silks and satins." -- Marc Levinson * The Wall Street Journal *"[A] trenchant...study of John Wanamaker and Wanamakers department stores through the lens of evangelical Protestantism at the turn of the 20th century....Kirk persuasively shows that Wanamakers Christian faith and business acumen informed one another within his own life and work." * Publishers Weekly *"But there's more to this story than simply the evolution of retail: from small shops to department stores to online retailers that mirror the selection of retail palaces without the physical space. Nicole C. Kirk's new book Wanamaker's Temple delves into how John Wanamaker's religious and political beliefs shaped his retail empire, which at its peak included 16 stores around the mid-Atlantic region." * Smithsonian.com *""In the history of American religion, the intricate relationship between belief and commerce merits the closest attention. Nicole Kirk provides a richly researched and well organized study of one of the high priests of Protestant wealth. And she makes a wonderful contribution to the understanding of religious material culture and the aesthetics of commodity culture as an integral part of the rise of consumerism and the role that Protestantism has played in it. " -- David Morgan,Duke University"Adds a new chapter to a growing literature on the Protestant contours of American business, ably joining scholarship that has roundly challenged any lingering presumptions of declensionist secular separation between Christianity and capitalism in American history." * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *

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Book SynopsisA New York City ethnography that explores men''s unique approaches to Catholic devotionEvery Saturday, and sometimes on weekday evenings, a group of men in old clothes can be found in the basement of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. Each year the parish hosts the Feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel and San Paolino di Nola. Its crowning event is the Dance of the Giglio, where the men lift a seventy-foot tall, four-ton tower through the streets, bearing its weight on their shoulders.Drawing on six years of research, Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada reveals the making of this Italian American tower, as the men work year-round to prepare for the Feast. She argues that by paying attention to this behind-the-scenes activity, largely overlooked devotional practices shed new light on how men embody and enact their religiosity in sometimes unexpected ways.Lifeblood of the Parish evocatively and accessibly presents the sensory and Trade ReviewOffers readers a look into a complicated history between various cultures and communities, one collectively built up over decades and, quite literally, on the shoulders of men. Maldonado-Estrada complicates what masculinity looks like in the Catholic Church, marking it as a process that occurs over years of piety, devotion, but above all work. * National Catholic Reporter *Lifeblood of the Parish is a thoroughly researched, impressively crafted, and beautifully written contribution to the study of religious practice. Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada takes us into the behind-the-scenes places where it becomes possible to understand the relationships of masculinity, ethnicity, and Catholic devotion in new ways. I enthusiastically recommend it to urban sociologists and anthropologists as well as to scholars of religion. -- Robert Wuthnow, Princeton UniversityLifeblood of the Parish is a beautifully crafted ethnography of men’s devotions, the power of place, and the bonds of friendship. This is, without a doubt, the best study of men and religion I’ve ever read. Dr. Maldonado-Estrada has set a very high bar for scholars of religion, and I thank her for this exceptional book. -- Kristy Nabhan-Warren, author of The Virgin of El BarrioIn Lifeblood of the Parish, Alyssa Maldonado-Estrada presents a rich ethnography of Catholic men in Brooklyn crafting their masculinity in tattoos, costumed re-enactments, and the production of devotional artifacts. Devotion, she persuasively argues, is not just prayer and affection for the saints. It is the very production of masculinity. A remarkable contribution to the study of lived religion and its material culture, this book shows how fundamental gender, ethnicity, and community are to understanding religion as material practice. -- David Morgan, Duke UniversityIn this deeply immersive ethnography, Maldonado-Estrada shows how the men of Italian Williamsburg create and perform themselves as men in their fierce devotion to each other, to the neighborhood, and especially to the work of staging of the annual feast of Our Lady of Mount Carmel. For all its joyful masculine exuberance, Maldonado-Estrada is unflinching in her treatment of the event’s racist undertow and homophobia, its exclusion of women, and its ugliness towards upper-middle class newcomers to Brooklyn. There is no better book about the fate of Italian American working-class masculinity and religion in the neoliberal fever dream that is New York City today than Lifeblood of the Parish. This is a major contribution to the literature of contemporary urban religion. -- Robert A. Orsi, author of The Madonna of 115th StreetThe subtitle of Lifeblood of the Parish seems straightforward enough, but Maldonado-Estrada’s sensually sharp observations prove that there’s more at stake than a certain demographic population. In contrast to secularization theories and facile equations of women and devotion, Maldonado-Estrada finds masculine devotion at its most vigorous in basements and pizzerias, with liquor and cigars, tattoos and strong arms, against the background of gentrification and immigration. -- S. Brent Plate, author of A History of Religion in 5 1/2 ObjectsChapter-by-chapter the author’s descriptive language makes readers feel as though they are at the places under study, observing the conspicuous aspects of religion and newly considering the places where religion may be found…By the end of the book, readers should be convinced that religion is not merely found but is actually collectively forged in such spaces and represented on inked bodies and in the conviction with which collective stories of the neighborhood are told. * American Religion *Lifeblood of the Parish turns on its head our understanding of Catholic devotionalism among Italian Americans and among Catholics in the United States more generally…It is difficult to imagine a list of must-read books about Italian American Catholics that does not include Lifeblood of the Parish. * Italian American Review *

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Book SynopsisHonorable Mention, 2019 Barbara T. Christian Literary Award, given by the Caribbean Studies AssociationWinner, 2017 Clifford Geertz Prize in the Anthropology of Religion, presented by the Society for the Anthropology of Religion section of the American Anthropological AssociationFinalist, 2017 Albert J. Raboteau Prize for the Best Book in Africana Religions presented by the Journal of Africana ReligionsAn examination of the religious importance of food among Caribbean and Latin American communitiesBefore honey can be offered to the Afro-Cuban deity Ochún, it must be tasted, to prove to her that it is good. In African-inspired religions throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States, such gestures instill the attitudes that turn participants into practitioners. Acquiring deep knowledge of the diets of the gods and ancestors constructs adherents' identities; to learn to fix the gods' favorite dishes is to be seTrade ReviewReligion in the Kitchenis the product of Pe´rez longstanding interest in the religious phenomena of Black Atlantic communities, and builds on a number of prior projects, revisiting, revising, and creating a thoughtful and fascinating ethnographic text . . . [W]ill fascinate both the academic community and the interested layperson. * Journal of Religious History *[A] major contribution to the scholarship of Black Atlantic traditions, bringing much needed attention to cooking, talking, and the women and gay men who do both . . . With an accessible introduction and opening chapters, Pe´rezs careful, erudite analysis offers methodological direction and a theoretical vocabulary for all scholars interested in the intersection of everyday practice with religious subject formation. * Nova Religio *[W]ell crafted, theoretically engaging, and insightful . . . Pérez adroitly maps those interstitial spaces often historically relegated solely to women and their labor. This book provides a rare view into the liminal space of the Lucumí cloister and the coded dialogues therein . . . By queering her analysis inReligion in the Kitchen, Pérez substantively and subtly illuminates the temple-house communitys cohesion across its various subject positions . . . The role and signification of who cooks, what they cook, for whom they are cooking, who gets to eat and why suddenly opens up new avenues for inquiry and analysis under Pérezs gaze. * Food, Culture & Society *Chapter three is my favorite in the book . . . a prime example of Geertzs model of thick description as applied to religion and food. Readers will no doubt find themselves comparing Pe´rezs work to that of Karen McCarthy Brown (2001) inMama Lola: A Vodou Priestess in Brooklyn, which has become a classic in the field. Pe´rezs questions and conclusions are different than Browns, but I suspect that likeMama Lola, Pe´rezs Religion in the Kitchen will become a go-to book for the study of Afro-Caribbean traditions in the USA. * Material Religion *With clear description and sharp analysis Pérez highlights ways in which cookingand its related activities such as conversationis the stuff of religious engagement and a symbol of connection between humanity and divinity. Anyone concerned with better understanding how ordinary spaces and practices take on religious significance will value this book. -- Anthony Pinn, Agnes Cullen Arnold Professor of Humanities and Professor of Religion, Rice UniversityA deeply researched, contextually rich and ambitious intervention into the literature on Black Atlantic religions. While most scholars of Santería and other Black Atlantic traditions have focused on initiation as the paradigmatic site where religious values are inculcated and religious subjects are `reborn, Pérez directs her attention to a more prosaicand unjustly overlookedsetting: the kitchen. By cooking for the orishas, Pérez asserts, participants are themselves being cooked; that is, they are being socialized into the complex world of Santería aesthetics and ethics. In focusing on the informal spaces and behind-the-scenes work so fundamental to the molding of religious subjects and the perpetuation of Black Atlantic religious forms, Pérez opens up a whole world. Compelling as an ethnography and theoretically astute, Religion in the Kitchenoffers a thought-provoking analysis of how religious norms are internalized and reproduced. A stunning achievement. -- Kelly E. Hayes, author of Holy Harlots: Femininity, Sexuality and Black Magic in BrazilReligion in the Kitchenby Elizabeth Pérez is a stunning achievement, both for its methodological sophistication and its timely focus . . . Situating her analysis within multiple academic venues, including anthropology, history, and the arts, Pérez engages a methodological turn that is of inestimable value to scholars of religion. How fitting that a text about cooking and conversation sets a special place at the table for Africana traditions . . .Religion in the Kitchenis hearty and satisfying fare, served with academic rigor, the 'special sauce' for acuity and balance in the study of religion. * Journal of the American Academy of Religion *Here is a new approach to the syncretic black religions of the Atlantic world. Though Pérez's research site was a Cuban Lucumi (also called Santería) temple in Chicago, her insights and conclusions apply far beyond . . . Research on the aesthetics of everyday life is burgeoning everywhere and not only in philosophy, as this fine example demonstrates. * Choice *Pérez's reorientation of seemingly mundane gastronomical activities towardreligiousfunctionality in an effort to present a different approach to the study of Black Atlanticreligionmakes this book invaluable to scholars and students interested in African diasporicreligionsand anthropology/history ofreligion. * Religious Studies Review *A pleasure to read. The lucid writing … illuminates the spaces in the back of the house, where so much of the crucial work of making food and making family takes place. -- New West Indian Guide

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Book SynopsisIn the seventeenth-century English Atlantic, religious beliefs and practices played a central role in creating racial identity. English Protestantism provided a vocabulary and structure to describe and maintain boundaries between insider and outsider. In this path-breaking study, Heather MiyanoKopelson peels back the layers of conflicting definitions of bodies and competing practices of faith in the puritan Atlantic, demonstrating how the categories of white, black, and Indian developed alongside religious boundaries between Christian and heathen and between Catholic and Protestant.Faithful Bodies focuses on three communities of Protestant dissent in the Atlantic World: Bermuda,Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. In this puritan Atlantic, religion determined insider and outsider status: at times Africans and Natives could belong as long as they embraced the Protestant faith, while Irish Catholics and English Quakers remained suspect. Colonists' interactions with indigTrade ReviewOffers a new way to understand religion, politics, and identity in the English Atlantic World. . . . This is an ambitious undertaking, and Kopelson has done it justice. Faithful Bodies really does it all, with a provocative argument, careful archival research, creative historiographical connections, and evocative, accessible writing. -- Ann M. Little,Colorado State UniversityThis is a fascinating and important new perspective on the body of Christ in early America. With meticulous research and illuminating insight, Kopelson reveals the chain of associations that bound religious communities and colonial societies to an emerging Protestant ethos committed to defining and disciplining corporeal life. Finally, we have a satisfying account of the Puritan attitude to race and sex. -- Vincent Brown,Charles Warren Professor of History, Harvard UniversityThe author of this study makes an important contribution to a growing conversation about race and religion in the puritan Atlantic world. * The Historian *Faithful Bodies offers a complex, nuanced, and rich description of the role that bodies played in shaping Atlantic-wide conversations about race and religion. . . . A remarkably erudite work of scholarship. . . . Richly detailed, intellectually sophisticated, and nuanced. * William and Mary Quarterly *One of the most compelling recent accounts of the complexity of difference in the Atlantic world. . . . While the book is filled with insights ranging from subtle readings of the spiritual meaning of fish and cassava to the regulation of interracial sex, Faithful Bodies stands out in both its extended attention to multiple communities and its broad archive. . . . Kopelson is not content to claim one methodological subfield, and thus readers will find themselves moving, expertly, from interpretations of material remains to a subtle reading of seventeenth-century invocations of the curse of Canaan. . . . In her attention to language and its implication in the material, social, and cultural worlds, she demonstrates that histories need to do more than adhere to disciplinary restrictions. To track differencesof race, of gender, of religionand thus to understand the modern subject is to move across the various registers of its constructionsomething Kopelson does better than most. * Journal of American History *By focusing on bodiesthe ways they worship and labor, the conditions under which they can and cannot reproduce, the punishments they undergoKopelson is able to draw persuasive connections between many different sites of racial and religious formation, ranging from the pearl diving performed by Indians and Africans off the coast of Bermuda to the punishments meted out for fornication a century later in North America. * Early American Literature *Wide ranging but at times incredibly detailed, Faithful Bodies describes the many kinds of embodied devotion and worship that had implications for how Atlantic Puritan communities understood race. * Early American Literature *Heather KopelsonsFaithful Bodiesis a welcome and important addition to a growing body of literature on race, gender, and religion in the early modern Atlantic world. [] Kopelson has a subtle and careful eye for both religious ritual and gender performance that should be noted by scholars of race and religion who sometimes forget that the ideas and beliefs they are tracing were articulatedand policedby people who had bodies. * Church History and Religion Culture *Kopelsons command of detail and careful inference certainly enhances her scholarly authority, and her ability to consistently present action and self-understanding from different points of view across such as wide range of subjects is commendable. * Church History *As compelling as is the specific narrative about the coevolution of categories of religion, faith, and sexuality in the Atlantic world, the books biggest contribution may be the imaginative way Kopelson deploys archival resources to tell stories the archives themselves resist and conceal. * College Literature *Kopelson deftly and creatively interacts in provocative ways with her sources. . . . Offers an innovative and much-needed look into the creation of racial identities in the colonial Atlantic. [Kopelsons] thoughtful and creative readings in Faithful Bodies ought to excite future scholars as they consider analyzing the nexus of racial identities and religious ideologies in the colonial worlds. * American Historical Review *Table of ContentsPart I "One Indian and a Negroe, the first thes Ilands ever had" 25 2 "Joyne interchangeably in a laborious bodily service" 51 3 "Ye are of one Body and members one of another" 74 Part II Performing 101 4 "Extravasat Blood" 107 5 "Makinge a tumult in the congregation" 126 6 "Those bloody people who did use most horrible crueltie" 150 7 "To bee among the praying indians" 171 8 "In consideration for his raising her in the Christian faith" 192

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Book SynopsisIntegrates the perspectives of queer theory, religious studies, and Christian theology into a lively conversation - both transgressive and traditional - about the fundamental questions surrounding the lives of queer Christians.Trade ReviewThough much of the work has been done on queer theory's application to Christianity, the essays here break new ground in their vernacular approaches and will find readers from undergraduates on up across disciplines from religious studies to sociology. * Choice *The authors in this volume deepen the study of sexuality in bold, complex, and poignant ways. Queer Christianities celebrates a plurality of queerness within lived Christianities of the past and present and should not be missed by those prepared for an expansive inquiry. -- Traci C. West,Professor of Ethics and African American Studies, Drew University Theological SchoolQueer Christianitieswill make a fine teaching tool for colleges and seminaries. I can imagine structuring an entire course in religion and sexuality around the themes and problems that the book examines. * Reading Religion *This is a deeply generative and resonant collection. * Sociology of Religion *This rich and diverse collection will add depth and perspective to the sociology of religion. * Sociology of Religion *This innovative anthology introduces fresh perspectives and bold assertions about Christianitys queerness and at times the unanticipated religiosity of queers. * Religious Studies Review *[T]he whole book seems to be full of conclusive contents. * Sexuality & Culture *This is a bold book … It deserves to be widely read. -- Marriage, Families, and SpiritualityTable of ContentsContents Part I: Celibacies 11 1. Celibacy Was Queer: Rethinking Early Christianity 13 David G. Hunter 2. "Queerish" Celibacy: Reorienting Marriage 25 in the Ex-Gay Movement Lynne Gerber 3. Celibate Politics: Queering the Limits 37 Anthony M. Petro 4. How Queer Is Celibacy? A Queer Nun's Story 48 Sister Carol Bernice, CHS Church Interlude I: A Congregation Embodies 53 Queer Theology Jon M. Walton Part II: Matrimonies 65 5. Two Medieval Brides of Christ: Complicating 67 Monogamous Marriage William E. Smith III 6. Gay Rites and Religious Rights: New York's First 79 Same-Sex Marriage Controversy Heather R. White 7. Beyond Procreativity: Heterosexuals Queering Marriage 91 Teresa Delgado 8. Disrupting the Normal: Queer Family Life 103 as Sacred Work Jennifer Harvey Church Interlude II: Healing Oppression Sickness 115 Yvette Flunder Part III: Promiscuities 125 9. Double Love: Rediscovering the Queerness 127 of Sin and Grace Michael F. Pettinger 10. Love Your Friends: Learning from the 137 Ethics of Relationships Mary E. Hunt 11. Calvary and the Dungeon: Theologizing BDSM 148 Nicholas Laccetti

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Book SynopsisDrawing on her own experience as a surrogate mother, Grace Y. Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist and progressive Christian perspective, concluding that certain kinds of surrogacy arrangements can be morally permissible—and should even be embraced. While the use of assisted reproductive technology has brought joy to countless families, surrogacy remains the most controversial path to parenthood. My Body, Their Baby helps readers sort through objections to this way of bringing children into the world. Candidly reflecting on carrying a baby for her childless friends and informed by the reproductive justice framework developed by women of color activists, Kao highlights the importance of experience in feminist methodology and Christian ethics. She shows what surrogacy is like from the perspective of women becoming pregnant for others, parents who have opted for surrogacy (including queer couples), and the surrogate-born children themselves. Developing a constructive framework of ethical norms and principles to guide the formation of surrogacy relationships, Kao ultimately offers a vision for surrogacy that celebrates the reproductive generosity and solidarity displayed through the sharing of traditionally maternal roles.Trade Review"The world needs more scholars like Grace Kao. With thoughtful rigor and deeply human tenderness, she provides a faithful framework for understanding surrogacy. Her cogent, compassionate arguments illuminate a practice that is often consigned to the shadows, and her work shines with creativity, empathy, and care."—Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?"Drawing on her own experience both as a surrogate and a Christian theologian, Kao makes a powerful and rigorously argued Christian ethical case for surrogacy. An invaluable resource for parents, pastors, and all concerned with reproduction and its ethical implications."—Susan A. Ross, Loyola University Chicago, author of Anthropology: Seeking Light and Beauty"Kao's descriptions of her experience as a surrogate succeed in bringing the moral arguments for and against surrogacy into sharper focus. This insightful book shows us how narratives shape our moral visions."—Aline Kalbian, Florida State University, author of Sex, Violence, and Justice"This book breaks the ice on Christian feminist reluctance to think about surrogacy. Painstakingly researched and accessibly written, it will not only inspire needed attention to surrogacy but also influence the whole landscape of Christian ethics of reproduction."—Cristina Traina, Fordham University, author of Erotic Attunement"This book provides an expansive Christian vision for surrogacy that bravely probes complex social ethics questions surrounding it. Kao's accessibly articulated and social justice–oriented guidelines offer a roadmap for decision-making that contributes fresh, thought-provoking analysis to feminist reproductive ethics."—Traci C. West, Drew University Theological School, author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality"Kao masterfully weaves together personal narrative, exploration of data, and engagement with scholarly sources in an accessible theology of surrogacy that is responsive to its complexities and generous to her interlocutors."—Kendra G. Hotz, Rhodes College, author of Dust and BreathTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Primer on Surrogacy: Logistics, Laws, and Trends 2. Does Surrogacy Cause Psychological Harm? 3. Does Surrogacy Violate Distinctive Feminist or Christian Commitments? 4. A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy: Advancing the Argument 5. A Progressive Christian Framework for Surrogacy: Seven Principles 6. Assessing the Ethics of More Complex Surrogacy Arrangements Conclusion

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Book SynopsisDrawing on her own experience as a surrogate mother, Grace Y. Kao assesses the ethics of surrogacy from a feminist and progressive Christian perspective, concluding that certain kinds of surrogacy arrangements can be morally permissible—and should even be embraced. While the use of assisted reproductive technology has brought joy to countless families, surrogacy remains the most controversial path to parenthood. My Body, Their Baby helps readers sort through objections to this way of bringing children into the world. Candidly reflecting on carrying a baby for her childless friends and informed by the reproductive justice framework developed by women of color activists, Kao highlights the importance of experience in feminist methodology and Christian ethics. She shows what surrogacy is like from the perspective of women becoming pregnant for others, parents who have opted for surrogacy (including queer couples), and the surrogate-born children themselves. Developing a constructive framework of ethical norms and principles to guide the formation of surrogacy relationships, Kao ultimately offers a vision for surrogacy that celebrates the reproductive generosity and solidarity displayed through the sharing of traditionally maternal roles.Trade Review"The world needs more scholars like Grace Kao. With thoughtful rigor and deeply human tenderness, she provides a faithful framework for understanding surrogacy. Her cogent, compassionate arguments illuminate a practice that is often consigned to the shadows, and her work shines with creativity, empathy, and care."—Jeff Chu, author of Does Jesus Really Love Me?"Drawing on her own experience both as a surrogate and a Christian theologian, Kao makes a powerful and rigorously argued Christian ethical case for surrogacy. An invaluable resource for parents, pastors, and all concerned with reproduction and its ethical implications."—Susan A. Ross, Loyola University Chicago, author of Anthropology: Seeking Light and Beauty"Kao's descriptions of her experience as a surrogate succeed in bringing the moral arguments for and against surrogacy into sharper focus. This insightful book shows us how narratives shape our moral visions."—Aline Kalbian, Florida State University, author of Sex, Violence, and Justice"This book breaks the ice on Christian feminist reluctance to think about surrogacy. Painstakingly researched and accessibly written, it will not only inspire needed attention to surrogacy but also influence the whole landscape of Christian ethics of reproduction."—Cristina Traina, Fordham University, author of Erotic Attunement"This book provides an expansive Christian vision for surrogacy that bravely probes complex social ethics questions surrounding it. Kao's accessibly articulated and social justice–oriented guidelines offer a roadmap for decision-making that contributes fresh, thought-provoking analysis to feminist reproductive ethics."—Traci C. West, Drew University Theological School, author of Solidarity and Defiant Spirituality"Kao masterfully weaves together personal narrative, exploration of data, and engagement with scholarly sources in an accessible theology of surrogacy that is responsive to its complexities and generous to her interlocutors."—Kendra G. Hotz, Rhodes College, author of Dust and BreathTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. A Primer on Surrogacy: Logistics, Laws, and Trends 2. Does Surrogacy Cause Psychological Harm? 3. Does Surrogacy Violate Distinctive Feminist or Christian Commitments? 4. A Progressive Christian Vision for Surrogacy: Advancing the Argument 5. A Progressive Christian Framework for Surrogacy: Seven Principles 6. Assessing the Ethics of More Complex Surrogacy Arrangements Conclusion

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Book SynopsisWhat can we know about the everyday experiences of Christians during the fourth, fifth, and sixth centuries? How did non-elite men and women, enslaved, freed, and free persons, who did not renounce sex or choose voluntary poverty become Christian? They neither led a religious community nor did they live in entirely Christian settings. In this period, an age marked by “extraordinary” Christians—wonderworking saints, household ascetics, hermits, monks, nuns, pious aristocrats, pilgrims, and bishops—ordinary Christians went about their daily lives, in various occupations, raising families, sharing households, kitchens, and baths in religiously diverse cities. Occasionally they attended church liturgies, sought out local healers, and visited martyrs’ shrines. Barely and rarely mentioned in ancient texts, common Christians remain nameless and undifferentiated. Unfinished Christians explores the sensory and affective dimensions of ordinary Christians who assembled for rituals. With precious few first-person accounts by common Christians, it relies on written sources not typically associated with lived religion: sermons, liturgical instruction books, and festal hymns. All three genres of writing are composed by clergy for use in ritual settings. Yet they may also provide glimpses of everyday Christians’ lives and experiences. This book investigates the habits, objects, behaviors, and movements of ordinary Christians by mining festal preaching by John Chrysostom, Cyril of Jerusalem, Gregory of Nyssa, and Romanos the Melodist, among others. It also mines liturgical instructions to explore the psalms and other songs performed on various feast days. “Unfinished,” then, connotes the creativity and agency of unremarkable Christians who engaged in making religious experiences: the “Christian-in-progress” who learns to work with material and bring something into being; the artisans who attended sermons; and, more widely, the bearers of embodied knowing.Trade Review"In Unfinished Christians, Georgia Frank seeks the sensory and affective experiences of non-elite Christians in late antiquity. She finds them in workshops, nighttime prayer, songs, and processions, and she comprehends them through the metaphor of craft...Frank’s lyrical prose, sensitive insights, transdisciplinary reading, and deep endnotes make this a joyous and enriching contribution to early Christian studies. But Unfinished Christians is also a model for readers in other subfields of the humanities who seek to integrate text, material, and sensation in understanding the formation of religious practices and subjectivities." * Material Religion *

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Book SynopsisThis volume considers two authors who represent different but complementary responses to social injustice and human degradation. The writings of Walter Rauschenbusch and Dorothy Day respond to an American situation that arose out of the Industrial Revolution and reflect especially—but not exclusively—urban life on the East Coast of the United States during the late nineteenth and first half of the twentieth centuries. Although these two authors differ greatly, they both reacted to the extreme social inequality and strife that occurred between 1890 and the beginning of World War II. They shared a total commitment to the cause of social justice, their Christian faith, and an active engagement in the quest for a just social order. But the different ways they reacted to the situation generated different spiritualities. Rauschenbusch was a pastor, writer, historian, and seminary professor. Day was a journalist who became an organizer. The strategic differences between them, however, grew out of a common sustained reaction against the massive deprivation that surrounded them. There is no spiritual rivalry here. They complement each other and reinforce the Christian humanitarian motivation that drives them. Their work brings the social dimension of Christian spirituality to the surface in a way that had not been emphasized in the same focused way before them. They are part of an awakening to the degree to which the social order lies in the hands of the people who support it. Both Rauschenbusch and Day are examples of an explicit recognition of the social dimension of Christian spirituality and a radical acting-out of that response in two distinctly different ways.Table of ContentsI – Introduction to the Authors and Texts | 1 II – The Texts | 21 Walter Rauschenbusch, On Social Sin and Salvation | 23 Selections from A Theology for the Social Gospel -Chapter X: The Social Gospel and Personal Salvation | 25 -Chapter XI: The Salvation of the Super-Personal Forces | 37 -Chapter XII: The Church as the Social Factor of Salvation | 44 Walter Rauschenbusch, On Prayer | 55 Selections from Prayers of the Social Awakening -Against War | 57 -Against Alcoholism | 59 -Against the Servants of Mammon | 61 -Against Impurity | 63 -For the Kingdom of God | 65 -For Those Who Come After Us | 67 -On the Harm We Have Done | 69 -For the Prophets and Pioneers | 71 Dorothy Day, On the Founding of the Catholic Worker | 73 Selections from The Long Loneliness: The Autobiography of the Legendary Catholic Social Activist Paper, People and Work | 75 Labor | 100 III – Socially Engaged Spirituality | 121 Further Reading | 139 About the Series | 141 About the Editors | 147

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Book SynopsisGet hungry for God's Word Many Bible believers aren't Bible readers, while others devour God's Word and are hungry for more. Whether you've read your Bible multiple times, only tasted bits and pieces, or are ready to finally whet your appetite for the first time ever, these forty daily devotionals will help you to taste and see how good and applicable God's Word is to your daily life. The 40-Day Feast invites you to the table to · learn how to ingest and digest whole passages for yourself · discover the transforming power bound up in your Bible · apply its truths to your daily life · awaken a deep hunger for more of God and less of the things that don't satisfy Now is the time to seek and find what God has to say and how we are to live as a result. Pull up a chair! Welcome to the feast! "Wendy's writing always makes me hungry for the Word of God and eager to grow in my love for its Author. The 40-Day Feast is such a gift! It will whet your appetite for God Himself as you grow to understand His Word."--Monica Swanson, author of Boy Mom and Raising Amazing

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Book SynopsisThe Bible calls Jesus the friend of sinners, but it's hard to imagine what friendship with Jesus really looks like. We so often don't even know how to do friendship with the people around us, despite all the options we have to connect. So how are we supposed to feel that close to a holy, perfect, and invisible God? How do we see Jesus as the real person he is? And how do we experience true friendship with him when we struggle to maintain true friendship on earth? Join author Jared C. Wilson as he explores what it means to be a friend of Jesus. Through candid personal stories and insights into the Gospels, Wilson uncovers easily overlooked details of the close relationship Jesus had with his followers. He reveals the ways we often hold Jesus at arm's length and shows how to draw close to him through radical honesty, consistent communication, and unconditional love. If you've found yourself lonely and longing for connection and friendship, it's time to discover the remarkable possibility of closeness with Christ.

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Book SynopsisGod has chosen to reveal himself to humankind in various ways at various times. Each of these encounters occurred in real, physical locations. Even visions--such as Jacob's ladder or John's Apocalypse--came to people in a particular place. Place is inextricably woven into the story of Scripture, and it's one of the most meaningful ways in which we can encounter God today. Linking these locations with Scripture, reflection questions, prayer, and life-changing insight drawn from more than a quarter century of leading travelers through the Holy Land, John A. Beck offers you a devotional like no other. Illustrated with beautiful full-color photos, The Holy Land Devotional features the sites that Christian pilgrims most often visit, allowing you to walk in the footsteps of people like Jacob, Joshua, Gideon, Ruth, David, Martha, Peter, and, of course, Jesus. Whether you've been to the Holy Land, are planning a trip, or just want to know more about the land where Jesus walked, this devotional invites you to grow closer to God as you hear him speaking in and through the Holy Land.

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Book SynopsisIf conventional leadership wisdom is to be believed, Hobby Lobby shouldn't work. So why does it? David Green, the founder of Hobby Lobby and an unlikely leader, grew his company from a $600 startup to a $8 billion company that gives 50 percent of its profits away to fund initiatives all over the world. He blazed his own path in business, drawn not from business gurus but from the pages of Scripture. In this inspirational book, David Green challenges talented leaders with hearts committed to Christ to consider this question: What if God wants to use you to do a new, even greater work? To raise up and encourage the next generation of leaders, David Green shares 12 unconventional principles that drive Hobby Lobby. These core principles can open doors to greater success in business and life. Whether you lead a business or a nonprofit, a small business or a multinational corporation, a start-up or a department, this book will show you how breaking the conventional "rules" of business may be the best decision you ever make.

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Book SynopsisLust is a man's problem, right? Wrong. When we see lust as an exclusively male issue, it leaves Christian women with nowhere to turn when they struggle with the same things. They suffer silently and feel like they will never be free. Jessica Harris has been there, and she has made it her mission to break the silence, banish the shame, and bring women's struggles into the light of God's grace and forgiveness. She understands that when you suffer in silence, you are building a wall of shame between yourself and God that God does not desire for you. In this authentic and honest book, she shows women a road map for restoration that answers the question "Is there grace left for me?" with a resounding and emphatic "Yes!" For any woman who desires to escape the pull of lust, pornography, and sexual shame, this book is a refreshing drink of water that will quench the fire within and point the way toward freedom.

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