A Journey of Faith: Moving from the Middle East to the West


Book Description

First, it describes the life of a mainstream, Christian family living in Egypt. The agony involved for the head of the family (the author) to make the decision of taking his wife and three young daughters from the safety of living among family and friends that provided a hedge against the unknown and uncertainty of moving to another country and a new culture. It describes how Divine intervention tilted the balance in favor going ahead with the decision to move to America. The book entails several circumstances that clearly manifested God's desire for us to leave the country in which we had lived most of our lives. Second, the book describes how the basically Islamic, Arabic culture of the Middle East compares with the essentially Christian culture of the United States. It deals with the subtle underlying teachings of Islam that affect social and spiritual lives of people living in Muslim-majority societies. The book describes how deeply-ingrained ideas can enhance or prohibit advancement of society.




Two Different Religions


Book Description

Religion plays a crucial role in the culture and history of nations. Christianity and Islam command the most followers with two billion and 1.3 billion, respectively. Both started in the Middle East. But each spread through a different path. Some interpret 'jihad' as moral strife against the self while others think of it as an obligation to defend the faith against its enemies. So the question is 'jihad' moral or violent? The book discusses how Islam views Christianity? Did technology alter the way clerics in Muslim-majority countries monopoly teaching the Islamic faith? How did the Internet, satellite television, and smart phones influence social life and extend to the spiritual realm? The second half of the twentieth century had seen some eventful developments in the Middle East. Political changes proved far reaching, sometimes with detrimental outcomes. How did recent events affect Egypt--the most pivotal country in the Arab world? Did fanaticism survive in Egypt?




Smart! What Do You Mean?


Book Description

The mind is the most complex part of the human body. This three-pound organ could conjure thoughts and ideas; store and categorize information for years; think and invent new theories; build computers with astonishing capacities to execute millions of commands and calculations almost instantly. The ever-increasing advances in science allows psychologists and psychiatrists to have a better understanding of which parts of the brain are responsible for which function. Howard Gardner, of Harvard University, recently developed the Theory of Multiple Intelligence. He could point out seven areas of intelligence including the two well-known areas of language and mathematics.




About Learning and Education


Book Description

Developed societies have world-class healthcare and good education. Both command a good portion of the budget and public interest. America has healthcare services that are the envy of the world. But education has been suffering over the past few decades as evidenced by our childrens low scores on the international PISA Test when compared with other industrialized nations in math, science, and reading. Many blamed lack of funding, poverty, and minority students. Education powerhouses, Finland and Korea, regularly recruited their teachers from the top of their graduating class. Students were serious and studied hard; their parents were cognizant of the significance of education and set high expectations for their children. The society respected the teaching profession. Children were aware of their teachers achievements; they were respectful and spared no effort to learn.




Power, Faith, and Fantasy: America in the Middle East: 1776 to the Present


Book Description

“Will shape our thinking about America and the Middle East for years.”—Christopher Dickey, Newsweek Power, Faith, and Fantasytells the remarkable story of America's 230-year relationship with the Middle East. Drawing on a vast range of government documents, personal correspondence, and the memoirs of merchants, missionaries, and travelers, Michael B. Oren narrates the unknown story of how the United States has interacted with this vibrant and turbulent region.




A Journey of Faith Across a Turbulent Century


Book Description

How do you find the courage to go on when everything you knew is gone? That is a question faced by Philipp Weingartner several times in his life. Born into a family of insignificant farm labourers in a town, region, and country erased from our maps, Philipp set out on a journey—both geographical and spiritual—across the front lines of two World Wars, and eventually across an ocean to a new life in Canada. This biographic collaboration between Erich Weingartner and his late father Philipp's writings gives witness to the tenacity of the human spirit. It provides abundant affirmation that commitment to a life of faith can empower ordinary people to become extraordinary in times of great need. Based on diaries, letters, articles and sermons, A Journey of Faith details one man's lived experience of tragedy, survival, and a passion to serve the less fortunate.




The Vanishing


Book Description

The Vanishing reveals the plight and possible extinction of Christian communities across Syria, Egypt, Iraq, and Palestine after 2,000 years in their historical homeland. Some of the countries that first nurtured and characterized Christianity - along the North African Coast, on the Euphrates and across the Middle East and Arabia - are the ones in which it is likely to first go extinct. Christians are already vanishing. We are past the tipping point, now tilted toward the end of Christianity in its historical homeland. Christians have fled the lands where their prophets wandered, where Jesus Christ preached, where the great Doctors and hierarchs of the early church established the doctrinal norms that would last millennia. From Syria to Egypt, the cities of northern Iraq to the Gaza Strip, ancient communities, the birthplaces of prophets and saints, are losing any living connection to the religion that once was such a characteristic feature of their social and cultural lives. In The Vanishing, Janine di Giovanni has combined astonishing journalistic work to discover the last traces of small, hardy communities that have become wisely fearful of outsiders and where ancient rituals are quietly preserved amid 360 degree threats. Di Giovanni's riveting personal stories and her conception of faith and hope are intertwined throughout the chapters. The book is a unique act of pre-archeology: the last chance to visit the living religion before all that will be left are the stones of the past.




Adventures in Saying Yes


Book Description

Adventures Await When You Overcome Fear This is the story of a normal family of five living a very unusual life. The Medearis family has faced Middle Eastern prisons, death threats, being kicked out of a country two times, and war. It hasn't always been easy, but in the midst of it all, the invitation of Jesus to follow and not be afraid has won the day. But this is more than just their story. It's also a guide to help you step out in bold faith. Whether the call of Jesus for you means international intrigue, giving up all you have for the poor, or simply being the suburban neighbor you were always meant to be, it's time to begin your own adventure! To live a life where fear takes a backseat and God takes the wheel. In the end, of course, there are no promises of an easy life or a path free of troubles. But enormous blessings await those who walk in faith. It's time to go where Jesus is calling and do what God is doing. Don't put off the adventure he's been saving just for you. "Reading Adventures in Saying Yes is so much fun you don't realize at first how profound it is. . . . In an era when people, races, religions, and countries are being torn apart by fear, this call to move past fear and follow Jesus into caring connections is essential reading."--Lynne Hybels, Advocate for Global Engagement, Willow Creek Community Church "You'll cry. You'll laugh. You'll shake your head in disbelief. But most of all, you'll never be the same after this book. It will inspire and ignite you to go beyond planning and start saying yes to Jesus' nonstop invitations to join him in what he's already up to in the world."--Leonard Sweet, bestselling author, professor (Drew University, George Fox University, Tabor College), and chief contributor to sermons.com "We are all looking for ways to be inspired and challenged in our life with Jesus. Carl's stories don't just entertain you. They call you to live courageously in the face of your fears."--Jay Pathak, Senior Pastor, Mile High Vineyard Church, and coauthor of The Art of Neighboring "Carl Medearis gives us a rare look into the utterly vulnerable, harrowing, uplifting, and often witty adventures of one who has dared to say yes in the face of fear for the sake of the good news. What's most amazing about this book is that it all actually happened. . . . Brilliant. Simply brilliant."--Ted Dekker, New York Times bestselling author "The gospel of Jesus is not about security and segregation. . . . Adventures in Saying Yes is a compelling call to embody the risky faith and radical hospitality of Jesus!"--Brian Zahnd, Pastor of Word, Life Church (St. Joseph, MO), and author of A Farewell to Mars "This book will press you toward a closer walk, a deeper love, and an undaunted life of following Jesus. Carl disarms the reader with his warm and engaging style, yet delivers deep biblical truth about what it means to be a fearless disciple. As a Lebanese immigrant to the States, I can promise you that Carl clearly understands the culture and made me yearn for home. I was deeply moved by what God will do through us when we simply say yes."--Lina AbuJamra, MD, pediatric ER doctor and author of Stripped "Even if you don't like biographical books by missionaries, you are going to love this one. It's so much more than the story of a family learning how to live gracefully among Muslims. This is a text on overcoming fear, learning how to trust strangers, and allowing God to guide all you do."--Tony Campolo, PhD, Eastern University "Written with real-life integrity and humor, this story explodes with invitations--to risk, to trust, to imagine, to open, to more . . ."--Wm. Paul Young, author of The Shack




Cities of the Middle East and North Africa


Book Description

The first work to offer 5,000 years of authoritative historical coverage of ancient and modern cities in the Middle East and North Africa—from their founding to the present—highlighting each city's cultural, social, political, and economic significance. Cities of the Middle East and North Africa: A Historical Encyclopedia is a comprehensive reference work on major ancient and modern cities in the Middle East and North Africa from their beginnings to today. In an unprecedented work of historical research, renowned experts Bruce Stanley and Michael Dumper provide 5,000 years of authoritative historical coverage as they trace the full trajectory of each city, discuss ties to other cities, and present a comparative analysis of the region through the lens of its cities. The A–Z entries feature extensive information about each city's location, geography, demographics, climate and environmental issues, ancient and classical history, Islamic history, post–1800 C.E. history, architecture, religious significance, cultural issues, society, municipal features, economic issues, and contemporary trends. Introductory essays explore urban general history and historiography, urban planning and modernization, poverty, interaction between cities, social welfare, culture, identity issues, and the place of these cities within the world economy.




Faith in the Face of Empire


Book Description

A Palestinian Christian theologian shows how the reality of empire shapes the context of the biblical story, and the ongoing experience of Middle East conflict.