Blue Collar Jesus


Book Description

Blue Collar Jesus: How Christianity supports workers' rights offers the most thorough analysis to date of workers rights from a religious perspective. The book reveals biblical and ethical principles for justice in the work place, and explores the vast and diverse tradition of labor activism among the major Christian factions. From the Roman Catholic Church to the Southern Baptists Convention, Cushman analyzes the history and beliefs that support labor unions. With rich historical and theological insights, Cushman argues persuasively that labor unions are legitimate instruments of God's will for creating a just society. Never before published interviews and archival information makes Blue Collar Jesus a fascinating study of the relationship between labor and religion.




Red Neck, Blue Collar, Atheist


Book Description

Red Neck, Blue Collar, Atheist - Simple Thoughts About Reason, Gods and Faith follows in the footsteps of recent best-sellers such as Christopher Hitchens' God is Not Great, Richard Dawkins' The God Delusion, and Sam Harris' The End of Faith. Whereas Dawkins, Hitchens and Harris have written mainly about the rational basis, the WHY of atheism, this book looks at the HOW - how it feels, how it works, from the inside. Coming from a writer who grew up in Texas and worked as a real cowboy and draft horse teamster (the cover picture even shows the author riding a bull!), as well as a carpenter, roofer and truck driver, the book is based on decades of examining the process in his own mind as he moved from Christianity to atheism. Putting it simply, here are some of the things an atheist might think, and the way he or she might think them. More than once called a master of metaphor in the blogosphere, author Hank Fox tackles the subject of atheism with subtle humor and a friendly, informal tone, in two dozen chapters with names like Sundae Worship, The Parable of the M&Ms, Batman Almighty, The Wellspring of the Gods, Sucking Up to the Virgin Mary, The Evidence of True Things, The Headwaters of Reality, Hello Mr. Death, and Saying Goodbye to Gods. Primarily aimed at young adults, especially those from religious backgrounds and new to thinking about atheism and freethought, this book will also provide ammunition for those of a more intellectual bent faced with the necessity of explaining atheism in simple terms to friends and relatives. Best of all, the book focuses not just on the negatives of religion, but on the positives of atheism - the freedom and mental clarity for individuals, but also the hopeful future for our entire world as we proceed with a social revolution already in progress.




Good Work


Book Description

What Can Blue-Collar Business Teach Us About Work and Faith? The faith and work conversation is alive and well, but most resources focus on white-collar jobs, neglecting the majority of the workforce. When Dave Hataj realized he needed to go home and take over the family gear shop, he didn’t expect it to become a spiritually transformative season of his life. Yet as he began to think about what it meant to be a Christian in business, he discovered just how much our work matters to God and how blue-collar business can change people, communities, and even the world. Drawing on the stories of his business, Edgerton Gears, Dave teaches you how to cultivate true inner goodness, meaning, and mission at work—no matter what you do. Your workplace can and should be a place of significance.




Blue Collar Apologetics


Book Description

Most of us know what we believe as Catholics, but often we're unclear on why we believe it. At a time when vast numbers of Catholics are slipping away from the Faith, God has tasked you and countless other Catholics with understanding it so you will be prepared to defend it. With an easygoing and inviting style, EWTN's John Martignoni doesn't simply introduce you to the major doctrines of the Catholic Faith; he explains why they are true and shows you how to explain them effectively to Protestants and "cafeteria Catholics" alike in ways that will draw them into those truths. Far from a complex survey of obscure theological points, this lively book employs clear, simple language that not only demonstrates the fundamental fact that the Bible is a Catholic book, but also teaches Catholics how to "talk Bible" to non-Catholics. When you are done with this book, you will know the biblical basis for the Church's teachings on the sacraments, Purgatory, Mary, the papacy, and why salvation requires faith and works. You'll also be versed in the strategies for effectively challenging others to examine their beliefs in light of the overwhelming scriptural evidence for Catholicism. Blue Collar Apologetics will also teach you: - How to go on the offensive without being offensive - The rules of engagement for discussing the faith with others - Four techniques that will allow you to talk to anyone about your faith - An easy tactic anyone can use for engaging non-Catholics - How to explain the Marian dogmas using the Bible and common sense - The two key "pillars of Protestantism" -- and how to respond to each - How to counter the ingrained Protestant maxim "Once saved, always saved" - The basics of Eastern Orthodoxy, which every Catholic needs to master Effective, common sense tactics for defending the Faith against atheist attacks




Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs


Book Description

It looked for a while like Michael Collins would spend his life breaking concrete and throwing rocks for the Vittorio Scalese Construction Company. He liked the work and he liked the pay. But a chance remark by one of his coworkers made him realize that he wanted to involve himself in something bigger, something more meaningful than crushing rocks and drinking beer. In his acclaimed first memoir, Hot Lights, Cold Steel, Collins wrote passionately about his four-year surgical residency at the prestigious Mayo Clinic. Blue Collar, Blue Scrubs turns back the clock, taking readers from his days as a construction worker to his entry into medical school, expertly infusing his journey to become a doctor with humanity, compassion and humor. From the first time he delivers a baby to being surrounded by death and pain on a daily basis, Collins compellingly writes about how medicine makes him confront, in a very deep and personal way, the nature of God and suffering—and how delicate life can be.




Blue Collar, White Collar, No Collar


Book Description

Edited byRichard Ford and featuring stories by Russell Banks, Alice Munro, Tobias Wolff,Jhumpa Lahiri, JohnCheever, and many others, Blue Collar,White Collar, No Collar is a profound and groundbreaking anthologyexploring resonant themes of employment, service, and daily obligations asunique windows into our culture, our society, and our very humanity. With ashare of proceeds going to assist the literacynonprofit 826Michigan, this unforgettable collection of short fiction from manyof contemporary literature’s most powerful authors limns the diverse meanings of work in American culture today, even as itlooks to the future of the American workforce and its capacity to succeedcreatively tomorrow.




America's Working Man


Book Description

Over a period of six years, at factory and warehouse, at the tavern across the road, in their homes and union meetings, on fishing trips and social outings, David Halle talked and listened to workers of an automated chemical plant in New Jersey's industrial heartland. He has emerged with an unusually comprehensive and convincingly realistic picture of blue-collar life in America. Throughout the book, Halle illustrates his analysis with excerpts of workers' views on everything from strikes, class consciousness, politics, job security, and toxic chemicals to marriage, betting on horses, God, home-ownership, drinking, adultery, the Super Bowl, and life after death. Halle challenges the stereotypes of the blue-collar mentality and argues that to understand American class consciousness we must shift our focus from the "working class" to be the "working man."




Song of Songs


Book Description

It is the year 17 A.D. in Nazareth. Three young men, all twenty-one years old, begin their training to serve God. Two of the three men leave Nazareth. They are traveling to the holy city of Jerusalem to study and train in the temple. One young man stays in Nazareth. Each day he will go to work in a carpenter shop. In that shop, he will sweat and get blisters on his hands. He will learn to handle grumpy customers. Most of all, he will be immersed in the daily grind of working for a living.




Blue Collar Resistance and the Politics of Jesus


Book Description

To be faithful to the gospel, all ministry must be indigenous; it must participate in the distinctive practices and perspectives of the people among whom ministry is taking place. Because our society tends to ignore or deny the reality of class divisions and prejudice, too many congregational leaders know too little about the world of working class whites. Continuing his groundbreaking work on class and American religion, Sample opens up the lives and lifestyles of working class whites in order to engage with them in authentic and transformational ministry. From the Circuit Rider review: "Tex Sample has written one of the most fun books to read on ministry that you will ever come across. Weaving philosophy, theology, country western lyrics, and stories throughout the book Sample at once delights and provokes us to think about the way in which we live out church in this day and age." (Click here to read the whole review.)




The Abundance Book


Book Description

This classic book introduces readers to a 40-day prosperity plan which points out to readers what "money" really is and teaches a six-step program which shows them how to free their minds from limiting beliefs.