James D. Slack

Author James D. Slack guides the reader through an in-depth examination of policy toward life and death in the United States. Examining human life from the perspective of Imago Dei--the idea of being made in God's image--Slack argues that the taking of human life is the termination of the image of God. Intended to remind citizens and governments of their obligations to determine moral truth, this volume uses theocentric phenomenology to focus on the intimate consequences of abortion and capital punishment. Abortion alternatives as well as execution alternatives are explored as ways to encourage a policy that affirms life. This volume intends to reconcile the truth found in the world with the truth found in scripture. To do so, Slack studies the intimate consequences of murder, abortion, and capital punishment. Using a methodology of direct observation and qualitative open-ended conversations, Slack interviewed eighty-one people about abortion and its alternatives, the death penalty and its alternatives, and justice in society. This second edition is completely revised, placing greater emphasis on the thoughts of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and includes a new chapter.

This book focuses on the relationship between public morality and personal action in the American political community. It emphasizes the responsibilities of citizens and government to find and confirm truth, looking to specific sources: religious scripture and empirical events. Recognizing that we have a natural preference for distraction and distance from both sources of truth, Slack uses qualitative, open-ended interviews and direct observation to uncover the intimate consequences of life-taking in open societies.Abortion and murder/capital punishment are instances in which there is a sequence of events that result in life-taking. The act of murder denies the sanctity of life of someone else. Abortion and capital punishment also deny the sanctity of the lives of others. The intimacy of life-taking is not typically acknowledged or remains hidden. This makes it difficult to assess the consequences for victims, survivors, and the political community as a whole. As a result, there is only a tenuous link between public actions that question the sanctity of human life and the moral compass professed by the American democracy.The volume presumes a theocentric foundation envisioned by the American Founders. It explores the model's first source of truth, biblical scripture, as it applies to the public actions of murder, abortion, and capital punishment. Then it investigates the intimate reality of these acts. These realities are examined in a variety of settings, resulting in a mosaic pattern of public action about capital punishment and abortion. Slack underscores the importance of government's role of providing outward justice, as well as the citizen's responsibility to be supportive of government tasks in order to reconcile the reality of life-taking with the moral compass professed in the American political community.

This book focuses on the training, education, and assistance needs of municipal governments as they prepare to face the challenges of the 21st century. These crises include increased citizen demands, dwindling financial support, technological advances, and demographic trends which result in the additional layering of diversity in the work force. The authors argue that an investment in training represents a commitment to the future of the municipal organization as well as the community itself. An important resource for public administrators and academics.

Analyzes and surveys how 182 nongovernmental organizations affect the development of federal U.S. educational policy. The alphabetically arranged profiles describe the purposes, origins and development, structure and budget, policy concerns and tactics, political activities, and publications of key citizen interest groups in the field of education. Appendices give information about the survey questionnaire, important governmental bodies, and legislative hearings and list the organizations under study; a short bibliography points to important recent books and articles on educational groups in general. The index makes the guide easily accessible to students, teachers, policymakers, and professionals in education, public policy, and government.

Fitzgerald's Craft of Short Fiction offers a comprehensive study of the four collections of short stories that F.Scott Fitzgerald (1896-1940) prepared for publication during his lifetime - ""Flappers and Philosophers"" (1920), ""Tales of the Jazz Age"" (1922), ""All the Sad Young Men"" (1926), and ""Taps at Reveille"" (1935). These authorized collections - which include works from the entire range of Fitzgerald's career, from his undergraduate days at Princeton to his final contributions to Esquire magazine - provide an overview of his development as a short story writer. Originally published in 1989, this volume draws upon Fitzgerald's copious personal correspondence, biographical studies, and all available criticism, and analyzes how Fitzgerald perceived his achievements as a writer of short fiction from both artistic and commercial standpoints. Petry pays close attention to the individual stories, exploring how Fitzgerald's growing technical expertise and the evolution of his themes reflect changes in his personal life.