Good News for Moderns


Book Description

There are many ways to be a Christian. In Good News for Moderns author Nero James Pruitt shows that within the pages of the New Testament there is room for a diversity of Christianities. This is a diversity that is not talked about often but, when properly understood, expands the perception of what a Christian is. Consider the words of Justin Martyr the second century Christian writer recognized as a saint by the Catholic Church, the Anglicans and the Eastern Orthodox in about 150 AD: We are taught that Christ is the first born of God, and we have shown that He is the reason (word) of whom the whole human race partake. And those who live according to reason are Christians, even though they are counted atheists. Such were Socrates and Heraclitus among the Greeks, and those like them.... Consider the words of John Adams the second President of the United States in 1816: The Ten Commandments and the Sermon on the Mount contain my religion. Consider the words Bill Clinton the forty-second President of the United States: In 1955, I had absorbed enough of my churchs teachings to know that I was a sinner and to want Jesus to save me Finally, consider the words of the writer of the small New Testament Book of III John: Whoever does good is from God... Good News for Moderns is based on Pruitts reading of the scriptures and over one hundred authors of various points of view. In our busy time it is brief slightly more than one hundred thousand words supplemented by slightly less than one hundred thousand words of end-notes. It recognizes that human life moves by fast in what seems like an infinity of time and space and the book closes this way: By listing many who have come before us and the immensity of time and space I have underscored the brevity of our lives because as a Psalmist taught, recognizing our own mortality is the path to wisdom.







The Good News of the Kingdom for a Modern World


Book Description

Nearly 2000 years ago, the Good News of the Kingdom began to be preached throughout the Mediterranean by a carpenters son, Jesus of Nazareth. His teachings restored dignity and religious freedom to all who heeded his message of hope. However, within 400 years, Christianity had lost its way and reverted back to the old ways of clergy/laity distinctions. Ecclesiastical authority brought divisions and sects, and pitted Christian against Christian. The individual disciple lost his spiritual autonomy and was relegated to a position of servitude to a church rather than as a dynamic free son of God. As a result, the Good News as Jesus conceived it has to a large extent been submerged under so much dogma. Christianity today languishes for lack of a new vision of Jesus life and the religion that he practiced. Modern man will refuse to accept a religion which is inconsistent with known facts and out of harmony with his highest conceptions of truth, beauty, and goodness. He will not acquiesce to a religion based on supers-titious bondage and religious fear. Therefore, what is needed is a new revelation of Jesus life illuminated with a new understanding of his Good News of eternal salvation. The purpose of this book is to reintroduce Jesus to mankind. The world needs new leaders, spiritual men and women who will dare to depend solely on Jesus and his incomparable teachings. Until then, worldwide harmony will continue to be the illusive dream of a hopeful minority instead of the tangible reality of a God-knowing human race. And when this Good News is preached in all the inhabited earth, the end of wickedness, sorrow, distress, and anguish will come. (Matthew 24:14)




Modern Loss


Book Description

Inspired by the website that the New York Times hailed as "redefining mourning," this book is a fresh and irreverent examination into navigating grief and resilience in the age of social media, offering comfort and community for coping with the mess of loss through candid original essays from a variety of voices, accompanied by gorgeous two-color illustrations and wry infographics. At a time when we mourn public figures and national tragedies with hashtags, where intimate posts about loss go viral and we receive automated birthday reminders for dead friends, it’s clear we are navigating new terrain without a road map. Let’s face it: most of us have always had a difficult time talking about death and sharing our grief. We’re awkward and uncertain; we avoid, ignore, or even deny feelings of sadness; we offer platitudes; we send sympathy bouquets whittled out of fruit. Enter Rebecca Soffer and Gabrielle Birkner, who can help us do better. Each having lost parents as young adults, they co-founded Modern Loss, responding to a need to change the dialogue around the messy experience of grief. Now, in this wise and often funny book, they offer the insights of the Modern Loss community to help us cry, laugh, grieve, identify, and—above all—empathize. Soffer and Birkner, along with forty guest contributors including Lucy Kalanithi, singer Amanda Palmer, and CNN’s Brian Stelter, reveal their own stories on a wide range of topics including triggers, sex, secrets, and inheritance. Accompanied by beautiful hand-drawn illustrations and witty "how to" cartoons, each contribution provides a unique perspective on loss as well as a remarkable life-affirming message. Brutally honest and inspiring, Modern Loss invites us to talk intimately and humorously about grief, helping us confront the humanity (and mortality) we all share. Beginners welcome.




Good News for Anxious Christians, expanded ed.


Book Description

A talented teacher unpacks the riches of traditional Christian spirituality for Christians burdened by the guilt and anxiety of introspective, in-my-heart spiritual techniques. Phillip Cary explains that knowing God is a gradual, long-term process that comes through the gospel experienced in Christian community. The first edition has sold over 17,000 copies. The expanded edition includes a new afterword that offers further insights since the first edition was published over ten years ago.




Simply Good News


Book Description

The Gospel means good news, but what makes it news? If the message has been around for 2,000 years, what could possibly be newsworthy about it? And what makes it good? Surely not the stories we hear of damnation, violence, and an angry God. Tom Wright believes many Christians have lost sight of what the ‘good news’ of the gospel really is. In Simply Good News, he shows how a first-century audience would have received the gospel message, what the ‘good news’ means for us today and how it can transform our lives.




The News in Modern Standard Arabic


Book Description

The News in Modern Standard Arabic is a much-needed stepping stone for lower-intermediate learners of Arabic who are interested in but not yet ready to tackle media Arabic. The book introduces a variety of topics that will take you beyond everyday vocabulary and help you discuss the news and express yourself intelligently in Arabic. Bonus: Download the accompanying audio tracks for free from our website. YouTuber Arabic teacher Ahmad ElKhodary presents 25 interesting news stories from around the world for reading and listening practice and discussion. The materials in this book are suitable for independent learners and those studying with the guidance of a teacher. The articles are each presented in four formats–with and without diacritics (tashkeel), as audio tracks, and in translation–to help you with your learning goals. Each unit is organized as follows: The Main Text (without tashkeel) Key Words (with a translation matching exercise) The Article (with tashkeel) Comprehension Questions Discussion Questions Expressions and Structures (a multiple-choice exercise) Answer Key (with an English translation of the article) Notes (a lined page for you to take notes at the end of each unit)




An Inquiry Into Modes of Existence


Book Description

In a new approach to philosophical anthropology, Bruno Latour offers answers to questions raised in We Have Never Been Modern: If not modern, what have we been, and what values should we inherit? An Inquiry into Modes of Existence offers a new basis for diplomatic encounters with other societies at a time of ecological crisis.




Good News to the Poor


Book Description

Help them or tell them? Be like Jesus or talk about Jesus? Social action or gospel proclamation? It seems the two are often pitted against each other, as if they are mutually exclusive. But the New Testament paints a different picture where both aspects are valued. In this plea for a renewed understanding of the Christian calling, Chester argues that faithfulness to the gospel necessitates a commitment to evangelism and social involvement. To that end, he structures the book around three basic theses: 1.) evangelism and social action are distinct activities, 2.) proclamation is central, and 3.) evangelism and social action are inseparable. Responding to Christians in both camps, Chester helps people to talk the talk and walk the walk.




Making the Modern World


Book Description

How much further should the affluent world push its material consumption? Does relative dematerialization lead to absolute decline in demand for materials? These and many other questions are discussed and answered in Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization. Over the course of time, the modern world has become dependent on unprecedented flows of materials. Now even the most efficient production processes and the highest practical rates of recycling may not be enough to result in dematerialization rates that would be high enough to negate the rising demand for materials generated by continuing population growth and rising standards of living. This book explores the costs of this dependence and the potential for substantial dematerialization of modern economies. Making the Modern World: Materials and Dematerialization considers the principal materials used throughout history, from wood and stone, through to metals, alloys, plastics and silicon, describing their extraction and production as well as their dominant applications. The evolving productivities of material extraction, processing, synthesis, finishing and distribution, and the energy costs and environmental impact of rising material consumption are examined in detail. The book concludes with an outlook for the future, discussing the prospects for dematerialization and potential constrains on materials. This interdisciplinary text provides useful perspectives for readers with backgrounds including resource economics, environmental studies, energy analysis, mineral geology, industrial organization, manufacturing and material science.