And Morning Came


Book Description

The Resurrection is the central mystery of believing Christians. Through scriptural exegesis, cutting-edge scholarship, storytelling, and insightful interpretation, And Morning Came reveals that the Resurrection is not a single event but an ongoing experience of God's grace and power in our daily lives. In this masterful exploration through the Scriptures of the Resurrection, Megan McKenna helps us know each of the Gospel writers, understand the world they lived in, grasp the unique aspects of their Resurrection accounts, and see the connections these accounts have to our lives. Like Matthew, Mark, Luke and John—who wrote their accounts after the life, death and resurrection of Jesus has been experienced and the gift of the Spirit has come to guide the followers of Jesus—we are called to be inspired by this same Spirit and to both see and make real the incarnate God at work in the world from the moment of creation. In a world suffering from war, terror, fear, and economic hardship, this book is welcomed because it is, as McKenna states, "about living, about dying, about rising, about beginnings and endings and how to live resurrection now . . ." A profound book about hope from one of the most popular Christian writers of our time, And Morning Came is an adventure that appeals to the intellect, the heart, and the soul. Ecumenical in scope, it is a call to discover who we really are in light of God's eternal love and to live our lives to the fullest.




Sacred Places of a Lifetime


Book Description

A listing of five hundred sites new and old, famous and unknown, that have been used to connect humanity with its gods.







Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict


Book Description

The 2nd edition of Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace and Conflict provides timely and useful information about antagonism and reconciliation in all contexts of public and personal life. Building on the highly-regarded 1st edition (1999), and publishing at a time of seemingly inexorably increasing conflict and violent behaviour the world over, the Encyclopedia is an essential reference for students and scholars working in the field of peace and conflict resolution studies, and for those seeking to explore alternatives to violence and share visions and strategies for social justice and social change. Covering topics as diverse as Arms Control, Peace Movements, Child Abuse, Folklore, Terrorism and Political Assassinations, the Encyclopedia comprehensively addresses an extensive information area in 225 multi-disciplinary, cross-referenced and authoritatively authored articles. In his Preface to the 1st edition, Editor-in-Chief Lester Kurtz wrote: "The problem of violence poses such a monumental challenge at the end of the 20th century that it is surprising we have addressed it so inadequately. We have not made much progress in learning how to cooperate with one another more effectively or how to conduct our conflicts more peacefully. Instead, we have increased the lethality of our combat through revolutions in weapons technology and military training. The Encyclopedia of Violence, Peace, and Conflict is designed to help us to take stock of our knowledge concerning these crucial phenomena." Ten years on, the need for an authoritative and cross-disciplinary approach to the great issues of violence and peace seems greater than ever. More than 200 authoritative multidisciplinary articles in a 3-volume set Many brand-new articles alongside revised and updated content from the First Edition Article outline and glossary of key terms at the beginning of each article Entries arranged alphabetically for easy access Articles written by more than 200 eminent contributors from around the world







Blood on the Stone


Book Description

Africa's diamond wars took four million lives. They destroyed the lives of millions more and they crippled the economies of Angola, the Congo, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The biggest UN peacekeeping forces in the world-in Sierra Leone, Liberia, the Congo and C te d'Ivoire―are the legacy of 'conflict' or 'blood diamonds'. 'Blood on the Stone' tells the story of how diamonds came to be so dangerous. It describes the history of the great diamond cartel and how it gradually lost control of the precious mineral, as country after country descended into anarchy and wars fuelled by diamonds. The book describes the diamond pipeline, from war-torn Africa to the glittering showrooms of Paris, London and New York. It describes the campaign that began in 1999 and which eventually forced the industry and more than 50 governments to create a global certification system known as the Kimberley Process, aimed at wringing blood diamonds out of the retail trade. This gripping account concludes with a sobering assessment of the certification system, which soon became hostage to political chicanery, mismanagement and vested interests. Too important to fail, the Kimberley Process has been hailed as a regulatory model for Africa's extractive minerals. Behind the scenes, however, it runs the risk of becoming an ineffectual talk shop, standing aside as criminals re-infest the diamond world.










Department of State News Letter


Book Description