With Dostoyevsky's Idiot and Aquinas' Dumb Ox as guides, this book seeks to recover the elemental mystery of the natural law, a law revealed only in wonder. If ethics is to guide us along the way, it must recover its subordination; description must precede prescription. If ethics is to invite us along the way, it cannot lead, either as politburo, or even as public orthodoxy. It cannot be smugly symbolic but must be by way of signage, of directionality, of the open realization that ethical meaning is en route, pointing the way because it is within the way, as only sign, not symbol, can point to the sacramental terminus. The courtesies of dogma and tradition are the road signs and guideposts along the longior via, not themselves the termini. We seek the dialogic heart of the natural law through two seemingly contradictory voices and approaches: St. Thomas Aquinas and his famous five ways, and Fyodor Dostoyevsky's holy idiot, Prince Myshkin. It is precisely the apparent miscellany of these selected voices that provide us with a connatural invitation into the natural law as subordinated, as descriptive guide, not as prescriptive leader.
The first book-length study of the vital role Regular Baptists played in creating the modern Southern Baptist denomination.The origins of the Southern Baptist Convention, the world’s largest Protestant denomination, is most often traced back to the colorful, revivalist Separate Baptist movement that rose out of the Great Awakening in the mid-1700s. During that same period the American South was likewise home to the often-overlooked Regular Baptists, who also experienced a remarkable revitalization and growth. Regular Baptists combined a concern for orderly doctrine and church life with the ardor of George Whitefield’s evangelical awakening. In Order and Ardor, Eric C. Smith examines the vital role of Regular Baptists through the life of Oliver Hart, pastor of First Baptist Church in Charleston, South Carolina, a prominent patriot during the American Revolution, and one of the most important pioneers of American Baptists and American evangelicalism.In this first book-length study of Hart’s life and ministry, Smith reframes Regular Baptists as belonging to an influential revival movement that contributed significantly to creating the modern Southern Baptist denomination, challenging the widely held perception that they resisted the Great Awakening. During Hart’s thirty-year service as the pastor of First Baptist Church, the Regular Baptists incorporated evangelical and revivalist values into their existing doctrine. Hart encouraged cooperative missions and education across the South, founding the Charleston Baptist Association in 1751 and collaborating with leaders of other denominations to spread evangelical revivalism.Order and Ardor analyzes the most intense, personal experience of revival in Hart’s ministry—an awakening among the youths of his own congregation in 1754 through the emergence of a vibrant thirst for religious guidance and a concern for their own souls. This experience was a testimony to Hart’s revival piety—the push for evangelical Calvinism. It reinforced his evangelical activism, hallmarks of the Great Awakening that appear prominently in Hart’s diaries, letters, sermon manuscripts, and other remaining documents.Extensively researched and written with clarity, Order and Ardor offers an enlightened view of eighteenth-century Regular Baptists. Smith contextualizes Hart’s life and development as a man of faith, revealing the patterns and priorities of his personal spirituality and pastoral ministry that identify him as a critically important evangelical revivalist leader in the colonial South.
In 2013, Eric stumbled across a book entitled As a Man Thinketh, by nineteenth century British author and philosopher, James Allen. The principles of the book began a process of deep awakening and personal enlightenment. Through meditation and inner reflection, Eric was able to discover and release many of the erroneous and darkened thoughts and beliefs that are so pervasive in many of the cultures surrounding him. As this process continued for years he began to see truth and error more and more clearly, and found scripture and divine inspiration to be liberating and elevating to his personal peace. He started a blog called Doctrinal Essays describing many of his discoveries, with the hope of sharing the goodness that came to him with others. Many of those essays are included in this first volume of Doctrines of Ascension.
Falling asleep isn't easy for adults.With how busy our lives can be, the stress of the future, and even the worries we feel whenever we're just trying to live, it can take a toll on the body. Most of us end up staying up too late and getting up too early.Not to mention, the grind of the day-to-day life can be quite boring after a bit.If you're someone who used to fall asleep hearing the lull of your parent's words, then this book is for you.In this book, you'll get 10 amazing, whimsical stories, and at the beginning, we'll discuss the benefits of bedtime stories for adults, so you understand why these stories are worth listening to, and why these 10 stories are the perfect way to lull you to sleep.So, sit back, relax, and read these wonderful stories, and you'll see how relaxing it can be for you, and how, with a few small stories, they can relax you, so you're happy, and satisfied.
My Hands Are Clean is the story of Malik Brown, a highly active kid in the third grade. Malik is constantly busy having fun by himself or with others. This includes outdoor activities such as playing in the sandbox and rolling in piles of leaves. His teacher Miss Rios reminds her class everyday to wash their hands with soap and water after playing so they don't get sick from germs. But Malik never pays her any attention. He is the only student who ignores her. Then one day Malik returns to class after lunch tired and dirty. He had a real fun time playing soccer and climbing trees with his friends. When he sits at his desk the classroom door opens and a new kid walks in. Tracy is the prettiest girl Malik had ever seen And lucky for him she happens to sit in the empty desk next to his However, when Malik goes to introduce himself to Tracy and shake her hand, he sees that his are filthy Malik is now ashamed of the dirt on him. He actually panics until he remembers what Miss Rios always told him: Wash your hands Malik dashes off to the bathroom and scrubs his hands clean. He comes back to the class, shakes Tracy's hand and they become good friends. After that awkward incident Malik now remembers to wash his hands clean every day
Postcolonial Naturalism proposes an innovative periodizing schema for historicizing contemporary Anglophone fiction. Engaging and revising the materialist paradigm of the Warwick Research Collective’s concept of “world-literature,” Fredric Jameson’s mapping of modernity’s cultural periods, and Christopher L. Hill’s positing of a transnational naturalism, Eric D. Smith theorizes “postcolonial naturalism” as a structurally determined cultural logic rather than as a literary technique or style. Supported by careful, theoretically and critically sophisticated analyses of exemplary literary works, this important intervention invites us to reconsider the living history of aesthetic naturalism as well as its social and political implications for the practice of world-literature in the aftermath of anticolonial resistance.
Postcolonial Naturalism proposes an innovative periodizing schema for historicizing contemporary Anglophone fiction. Engaging and revising the materialist paradigm of the Warwick Research Collective’s concept of “world-literature,” Fredric Jameson’s mapping of modernity’s cultural periods, and Christopher L. Hill’s positing of a transnational naturalism, Eric D. Smith theorizes “postcolonial naturalism” as a structurally determined cultural logic rather than as a literary technique or style. Supported by careful, theoretically and critically sophisticated analyses of exemplary literary works, this important intervention invites us to reconsider the living history of aesthetic naturalism as well as its social and political implications for the practice of world-literature in the aftermath of anticolonial resistance.
A humorous illustrated gift book with history's biggest fails hailing from politics, pop culture, international relations, business, sports, and more. From skinny-dipping Presidents to toxic tooth fillings to singing pop stars who can't carry a tune, 100 of the Worst Ideas in History is a celebration of humanity's historical--and often hysterical--missteps that have started wars, sunk countries, wrecked companies, scuttled careers, lost millions of dollars, and even endangered the Earth. Interesting stories from history include: How a confused chauffeur helped start World War I Who turned down the greatest product placement opportunity in Hollywood history How a Chicago White Sox game helped hasten the demise of disco The toad that nearly ate Australia The most dangerous children's game ever invented Spanning politics, pop culture, fashion, sports, technology, and more, this irreverent and witty book is packed with fun photos and sidebars, tracing how these thundering brainstorms turned into blundering brain farts--and the astonishing impacts our faux pas and foibles still have on us today. Great for gifting Funny Father's Day gift White elephant gag gift Unique gift for the history major Fun teacher gift
What does it mean to be called? How does one discern his or her calling? There has been much discussion about these topics within the church, and perhaps much confusion as well. What if we could root the nature of the believer's calling and vocation from a missional perspective? This book seeks to understand how a deeper understanding of God's mission can help believers discern the work to which they are called and equip them for missional witness in and through their work. Importantly, rooting our understanding of vocation and calling in God's mission gives space for new emphases within the conversations related to faith and work, including theologically and contextually grounded emphases on creativity, vocational freedom, and vocational discernment, along with innovative educational models which can support believers as they navigate their work as participants in God's mission. When believers connect their gifts, talents, and creativity with God's work in and for the world in a way that is contextually relevant, it opens up opportunities for transformative witness for both believers and for the organizations they serve.
What does it mean to be called? How does one discern his or her calling? There has been much discussion about these topics within the church, and perhaps much confusion as well. What if we could root the nature of the believer's calling and vocation from a missional perspective? This book seeks to understand how a deeper understanding of God's mission can help believers discern the work to which they are called and equip them for missional witness in and through their work. Importantly, rooting our understanding of vocation and calling in God's mission gives space for new emphases within the conversations related to faith and work, including theologically and contextually grounded emphases on creativity, vocational freedom, and vocational discernment, along with innovative educational models which can support believers as they navigate their work as participants in God's mission. When believers connect their gifts, talents, and creativity with God's work in and for the world in a way that is contextually relevant, it opens up opportunities for transformative witness for both believers and for the organizations they serve.
Park S. Nobel pioneered the coupling of cellular physical chemistry with plant physiology, providing a sound physicochemical interpretation of the laws of diffusion to a rapidly expanding field of plant physiological ecology. His classical textbook is the only one of its kind to provide an extensive array of quantitative problems and solutions in the field of plant biophysics and ecophysiology, extending from the molecular to the ecological level. In this festschrift, former graduate students and postdocs, as well as colleagues of Prof. Nobel present a series of reviews that include scales from sub-cellular to global, and topics that range from desert succulent biology to the physiology of alpine plants, encompassing basic research and applications in agronomy and conservation biology. This state-of-the-field survey provides current and useful information for professionals and graduate students, while illustrating the broad span of the influence that Nobel's career has had on modern ecophysiology.
Park S. Nobel pioneered the coupling of cellular physical chemistry with plant physiology, providing a sound physicochemical interpretation of the laws of diffusion to a rapidly expanding field of plant physiological ecology. His classical textbook is the only one of its kind to provide an extensive array of quantitative problems and solutions in the field of plant biophysics and ecophysiology, extending from the molecular to the ecological level. In this festschrift, former graduate students and postdocs, as well as colleagues of Prof. Nobel present a series of reviews that include scales from sub-cellular to global, and topics that range from desert succulent biology to the physiology of alpine plants, encompassing basic research and applications in agronomy and conservation biology. This state-of-the-field survey provides current and useful information for professionals and graduate students, while illustrating the broad span of the influence that Nobel's career has had on modern ecophysiology.
Have the American people grown more politically sophisticated in the past three decades, or do they remain relatively ignorant of the political world? Did a 'great leap forward' take place during the 1960s in which our citizenry became involved and adept voters? In this important book, Eric Smith addresses these and other provocative questions that have long befuddled political scientists and policymakers. Much of the current wisdom about American voters derives from an argument advanced in a volume entitled "The Changing American Voter", written by Nie, Verba, and Petrocik. In this work, the authors contend that the electorate made a 'great leap forward' in political sophistication and ideological thinking between the 1960 and 1964 elections. They argue that people changed in response to a shifting environment, and that, in particular, the surge of protest and ideological rhetoric between 1960 and 1964 engendered a new political savvy and sophistication. In their view, people learned to understand politics better, to relate the issues to the candidates more accurately, and to cast more informed, intelligent votes. In "The Unchanging American Voter", Smith takes issue with this portrait of an engaged American citizenry and replaces it with a quite different picture of the voters of this nation. He posits a more bleak political landscape in which the typical voter knows little about politics, is not interested in the political arena and consequently does not participate in it, and is even unable to organize his or her attitudes in a coherent manner. To support this view, Smith demonstrates how the indices by which Nie, Verba, and Petrocik measured levels of sophistication during the 1960s were methodologically flawed and how a closer examination of supposed changes reveals only superficial and unimportant shifts in the ways voters have approached the ballot box since the 1950s. "The Unchanging American Voter" is an intelligent and original work that provides a new perspective of the American citizenry. It is sure to engender discussion and debate about the dynamics of voting in postwar America.
Trying to survive: In a hostile home and workplace provided insight on the effects of workplace harassment from intimate partners and interpersonal workplace harassment from supervisors and co-workers. This book provided recommendations to organizational leaders and those employees affected on combating this new organizational phenomenon.
Each state government produces large varieties and quantities of useful information that are largely unknown outside their state of origin. This book leads the public to the most useful information sources produced by each state, as well as to depository libraries that will facilitate more effective research. For each of the 50 states, important publications are detailed, along with information on how to obtain them. The publications' topics range from crime statistics to vital statistics, business statistics, health information, statistical abstracts, education directories, state budgets, economic indicators, state laws and legal information, and more.Tapping State Government Information Sources has a broader focus than previously published books in this subject area, most of which have focused solely on depository laws, useful state publications, or indexes to state publications. This book covers all three. The first chapter describes print and electronic sources that provide information about all 50 states. Each state's resources are then described in individual chapters. When possible, information about how to order a copy of the source is given, as are Web addresses for titles that are available online. At the beginning of each state chapter, the state's legal definition of public document or its equivalent is given, which may be of interest to librarians in states that are reexamining their own depository laws.
