God's Almost Chosen Peoples


Book Description

Throughout the Civil War, soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict saw the hand of God in the terrible events of the day, but the standard narratives of the period pay scant attention to religion. Now, in God's Almost Chosen Peoples, Li




God's Almost Chosen Peoples


Book Description

Throughout the Civil War, soldiers and civilians on both sides of the conflict saw the hand of God in the terrible events of the day, but the standard narratives of the period pay scant attention to religion. Now, in God's Almost Chosen Peoples, Lincoln Prize-winning historian George C. Rable offers a groundbreaking account of how Americans of all political and religious persuasions used faith to interpret the course of the war. Examining a wide range of published and unpublished documents--including sermons, official statements from various churches, denominational papers and periodicals, and letters, diaries, and newspaper articles--Rable illuminates the broad role of religion during the Civil War, giving attention to often-neglected groups such as Mormons, Catholics, blacks, and people from the Trans-Mississippi region. The book underscores religion's presence in the everyday lives of Americans north and south struggling to understand the meaning of the conflict, from the tragedy of individual death to victory and defeat in battle and even the ultimate outcome of the war. Rable shows that themes of providence, sin, and judgment pervaded both public and private writings about the conflict. Perhaps most important, this volume--the only comprehensive religious history of the war--highlights the resilience of religious faith in the face of political and military storms the likes of which Americans had never before endured.




God's "Almost Chosen People.".


Book Description

The Founding Fathers, in separating the civil from the religious sphere, made religion an inescapable choice, something that could also be more attractive than when it was forced upon their ancesters. Thrown on their own resources, the churches had to win Americans' hearts.




The Chosen People in an Almost Chosen Nation


Book Description

This important volume explores the state of contemporary Jewish life and the unprecedented opportunity for meaningful Jewish-Christian dialogue that America's unique cultural context presents. Selected from the pages of "First Things and written by recognized authors almost all of whom are Jewish the essays and commentaries gathered here take up the broad array of viewpoints, questions, and disputes that comprise the story of Judaism in America. Philosophy, law, psychology, history, anti-Semitism, proselytism, intermarriage, public policy, the State of Israel, and whether Christians can be trusted these and other subjects are addressed in lively, diverse, and frequently provocative ways. Especially valuable are two concluding documents on Jewish-Christian dialogue, one a Jewish statement on Christians and Christianity, the other a reflection on Christians, Jews, and anti-Semitism by the editors of "First Things. For Christian readers, this book will be an enlightening introduction to the distinctive Jewish world. For Jewish readers, this book is an invitation to reflect thoughtfully on the ongoing experience of living as a chosen people in an almost chosen nation. CONTRIBUTORS: Elliot Abrams Hadley Arkes Matthew Berke Midge Decter Marc Gellman Milton Himmelfarb Clifford E. Librach Stephen Miller Alan L. Mittleman Richard John Neuhaus David Novak Jakob J. Petuchowski Isaac C. Rottenberg Jonathan D. Sarna Edward S. Shapiro David Singer Marc D. Stern Aaron Wildavsky Ruth R. Wisse Nicholas Wolfson




Jealous Gods and Chosen People


Book Description

Scholar Leeming offers the first comprehensive narrative study of the mythology of the Middle East, that tumultuous region that was the cradle of civilization. Leeming begins with a brief history, followed by an in-depth discussion of the mythology of the region, ranging from prehistoric figures such as the mother goddess of Catal Huyuk to Mesopotamian gods such as Marduk and mythic heroes such as Gilgamesh, to the pantheon of Egyptian mythology. He also explores the mythology of the three great monotheistic religions of the region: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In a provocative epilogue, Leeming notes that fundamentalists in the area's three religions today all see their way as the only way, forgetting that myths represent truths that are spiritual and philosophical, not historical events that can be used to justify acts of violence.--From publisher description.




When God Wanted to Destroy the Chosen People


Book Description

According to narratives in the Bible the threats of the people’s end come from various sources, but the most significant threat comes, as learned from the Pentateuch, from God himself. What is the theological meaning of this tradition? In what circumstances did it evolve? How did it stand alongside other theological and socio-political concepts known to the ancient authors and their diverse audience?The book employs a diachronic method that explores the stages of the tradition’s formation and development, revealing the authors’ exegetical purposes and ploys, and tracing the historical realities of their time.The book proposes that the motif of the threat of destruction existed in various forms prior to the creation of the stories recorded in the final text of the Pentateuch. The inclusion of the motif within specific literary contexts attenuated the concept of destruction by presenting it as a phenomenon of specific moments in the past. Nevertheless, the threat was resurrected repeatedly by various authors, for use as a precedent or a justification for present affliction.




God's Peoples


Book Description

Akenson brings to light critical similarities among three politically troubled nations: South Africa, Israel, and Northern Ireland.




God's Chosen Peoples


Book Description




Lies We Believe About God


Book Description

From the author of the bestselling novel The Shack and the New York Times bestsellers Cross Roads and Eve comes a compelling, conversational exploration of twenty-eight assumptions about God—assumptions that just might be keeping us from experiencing His unconditional, all-encompassing love. In his wildly popular novels, Wm. Paul Young portrayed the Triune God in ways that challenged our thinking—sometimes upending long-held beliefs, but always centered in the eternal, all-encompassing nature of God’s love. Now, in Wm. Paul Young’s first nonfiction book, he invites us to revisit our assumptions about God—this time using the Bible, theological discussion, and personal anecdotes. Paul encourages us to think through beliefs we’ve presumed to be true and consider whether some might actually be false. Expounding on the compassion fans felt from the “Papa” portrayed in The Shack—now a major film starring Sam Worthington and Octavia Spencer—Paul encourages you to think anew about important issues including sin, religion, hell, politics, identity, creation, human rights, and helping us discover God’s deep and abiding love.




God's Chosen Peoples


Book Description