Sacred Places,Catastrophes,Gospel Hoax,Romans,Evil, (eBook Compilation)

material included:

1.The Romans: New Perspectives (Understanding Ancient Civilizations Series) - by by Kevin McGeough 2004

So many myths and legends. So many senators and Caesars. So many documents, archaeological finds, movie-made misconceptions, and scholarly histories. With so much information available on the civilization of ancient Rome, and more discoveries happening all the time, where do you start? A century ago, a coin honoring a previously unknown Roman emperor, Domitianus, was unearthed in France, and dismissed as a fake. In 2004, a discovery of 5,000 such coins near Oxford restored Domitianus to history. It was a stunning reminder that, to archaeologists and historians, the book on the past is never fully closed. The Romans: New Perspectives is the ideal starting point for investigating this extraordinary civilization-its remarkable rise and decline, the scope of its power and wealth, the details of everyday life for its people, and its signature contributions to human culture (food, architecture, government, public works, art, and more). The Romans takes readers from the establishment of the monarchy (circa 753 BCE) through the rise of the republic (circa 509 BCE), the imperial period, and ultimately to the fall of the empire and the coronation of the barbarian king Odoacer. It is an engaging account of current thinking on Roman life and culture informed by a number of dramatic recent discoveries. The book provides a coherent introduction to the field, while pointing the way toward further reading on specific topics and personalities.

2.Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously: Spiritual Politics on America's Sacred Ground - by JoRenee; McGraw, Barbara A Formicola 2005

Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously: Spiritual Politics On America's Sacred Ground ably edited by Barbara A McGraw and Jo Renee Formicola is an informed and informative compilation study of the religious right and the secular left determining the role of religion in American public life. Although America claims one of its most basic fundamental rules is the restriction of religious influence, this much is disproven with the situational analysis given in Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously. Very highly recommended for its enlightening and thought-provoking information, Taking Religious Pluralism Seriously is an excellent read for students of Political Science, Theology, and all non-specialist general readers with an interest in Church/State separation issues.

3.Sacred Places Around the World: 108 Destinations - by Brad Olsen 2004

World travelers and armchair tourists who want to explore the mythology and archaeology of the ruins, sanctuaries, mountains, lost cities, and temples of ancient civilizations will find this guide ideal. Detailed here are the monuments and sites where ancient peoples once gathered to perform sacred rituals and ceremonies to worship various gods and to achieve spiritual enlightenment. Important archaeological, historical, and geological destinations worldwide are profiled, from the Great Pyramid in Egypt and the Forbidden City in China to the Temples of Angkor in Cambodia and Mount Shasta in California. Sites are described in historical and cultural context, and practical contemporary travel information is provided, including detailed maps, drawings, photographs, and travel directions.

4.Henry IV of France and the Politics of Religion 1572-1596 - by N. M. Sutherland 2002

Henry IV's conversion to catholicism in 1593 and Papal absolution in 1595 were traversed by multiple problems and difficulties. These religious events were inseparable from concurrent political, diplomatic and military issues. The subject is therefore examined both within its civil war background and the wider, European context. This treatment is original, not least in its comprehensive coverage of the Papal dimension. Until now, the role of the Papacy has been consistently misinterpreted, while the manner in which the absolution was ultimately achieved has been known only through sketchy and misleading summaries. Volume I covers the period 1572-1589, ending with the murder of Henry III. This act of regicide precipitated the accession of Henry IV during a period of civil war. Volume II covers the remaining years 1589-1596, from Henry's accession to his abjuration and coronation, the end of the war with the Catholic League, the declaration of war with Spain in 1595 and, finally, the negotiation in Rome of his absolution. This fresh account of certain aspects of the life and career of Henry of Navarre makes a substantial contribution to the knowledge and understanding of the history of western Europe in the later sixteenth century, and of France in particular. It will be useful to scholars, research students and teachers, and may also be enjoyed by informed general readers.

5.Evil and the Augustinian Tradition - by Charles T. Mathewes 2001

Recent scholarship has focused attention on the difficulties that evil, suffering, and tragic conflict present to religious belief and moral life. Thinkers have drawn upon many important historical figures, with one significant exception – Augustine. At the same time, there has been a renaissance of work on Augustine, but little discussion of either his work on evil or his influence on contemporary thought.

This book fills these gaps. It explores the “family biography” of the Augustinian tradition by looking at Augustine’s work and its development in the writings of Hannah Arendt and Reinhold Niebuhr. Mathewes argues that the Augustinian tradition offers us a powerful, though commonly misconstrued, proposal for understanding and responding to evil’s challenges. The book casts new light on Augustine, Niebuhr, and Arendt, as well as on the problem of evil, the nature of tradition, and the role of theological and ethical discourse in contemporary thought.

6.The Da Vinci Myth versus the Gospel Truth - by Jerry Newcombe 2006

D. James Kennedy, Ph.D., and Jerry Newcombe offer historical evidence to dispense with The Da Vinci Code fictions, including the outrageous assertions that the New Testament is unreliable and the deity of Christ is a fourth century invention.

7.Engineering Catastrophes: Causes and Effects of Major Accidents (2nd edition) - by John Lancaster 2000

There is much to be gained from the study of catastrophes. Likewise the records of accidents in industry and transport are of great importance, not only by indicating trends in the incidence of loss or casualties, but also as a measure of human behaviour.

8.The Bible and the Third World: Precolonial, Colonial and Postcolonial Encounters - by R. S. Sugirtharajah 2004

This innovative study moves briskly but comprehensively through three phases of the Third World's encounter with the Bible – precolonial, colonial and postcolonial. It recounts the remarkable story of how an inaccessible and marginal book in the ancient churches of India, China and North Africa became an important tool in the hands of both colonizer and colonized; how it has been reclaimed and interrogated in the postcolonial world; and how it is now being re-read by various indigenes, Native Americans, dalits and women.

Drawing on substantial exegetical examples, Sugirtharajah examines reading practices ranging from the vernacular to liberation and the newly emerging postcolonial criticism. His study emphasizes the often overlooked biblical reflections of people such as Equiano and Ramabai as well as better-known contemporaries like Gutiérrez and Tamez. Partly historical and partly hermeneutical, the volume will provide invaluable insights into the Bible in the Third World for students and interested general readers.

9.The Gospel Hoax: Morton Smith's Invention of Secret Mark - by Stephen C. Carlson 2005

Secret Mark first became known to modern scholarship in 1958 when a newly hired assistant professor at Columbia University in New York by the name of Morton Smith visited the monastery of Mar Saba near Jerusalem and photographed its fragments. Secret Mark was announced on the heels of many spectacular discoveries of ancient manuscripts in the Near East, such as the Dead Sea Scrolls and the Nag Hammadi gnostic corpus in the late 1940s, and promised to be just as revolutionary. Secret Mark presents what appears to be a valuable, albeit fragmentary, witness to early Christian traditions, traditions that might shed light on Jesus's most intimate behavior. In this book, Stephen C. Carlson uses state of the art science to demonstrate that Secret Mark was an elaborate hoax created by Morton Smith. Carlson's discussion places Smith s trick alongside many other hoaxes before probing the reasons why so many scholars have been taken in by it.

10.Science & Faith: Friends or Foes? - by C. John Collins 2003

Many believers worry that science undermines the Christian faith. Instead of fearing scientific discovery, Jack Collins believes that Christians should delight in the natural world and study it. God’s truth will stand against any challenge and will enrich the very scientific studies that we fear. Collins first defines faith and science, shows their relation, and explains what claims each has concerning truth. Then he applies the biblical teaching on creation to the topics of “conflict” between faith and science, including the age of the earth, evolution, and miracles. He considers what it means to live in a created world. This book is for anyone looking for a Christian engagement with science without technical jargon.

11.Islam, Muslims, and America:Understanding the Basis of Their Conflict - by Arshad Khan 2003

Khan looks to governments, religious organizations, and individual Muslims and Americans for solutions to resolve the current conflicts. Collectively, they need to remove the root causes of the issues that cause Muslims to perceive America so negatively. Unfortunately, after a brief period of self-evaluation, Americans have shown little interest in understanding the real issues driving anti-Americanism and the frustration with America that is manifest in so many trouble spots in the world.

Muslims, who were highly supportive of and sympathetic to President Bush after 9/11, have been disappointed and upset by his subsequent actions. These include praise for Sharon (when the Israeli army was invading the West Bank) and the war against Iraq on dubious grounds, in contravention of world opinion that was important only so long as it suited America, based on what most Muslims believe is a hidden agenda. Islam, Muslims, and America clarifies how a series of events, spread over centuries, have created the current negative perception of the West and America among Muslims. It is the cumulative effect of these events that has shaped Muslim thinking, beliefs, and attitude.

12.Mars, A Cosmic Stepping Stone: Uncovering Humanity's Cosmic Context - by Kevin Nolan 2008

The questions of our origin and cosmic abundance of life are among the most compelling facing humanity. We have determined much about the nature and origin of the Universe and our place in it, but with virtually all evidence of our origin long since gone from our world and an unimaginably vast Universe still to explore, defining answers are difficult to obtain.
For all of the difficulties facing us however, the planet Mars may act as a ‘cosmic stepping stone’ in uncovering some of the answers. Although different today, the origin and early history of both Earth and Mars may have been similar enough to consider an origin to life on both. But because Mars’ planetary processes collapsed over three billion years ago - just as life was beginning to flourish on Earth - a significant and unique record of activity from that era perhaps relevant to the origin of life still resides there today.
In recognition of this, both the US and Europe are currently engaged in one of the most ambitious programs of exploration ever undertaken. Built on our legacy of Mars exploration from the Viking era and before, a far-reaching, phased, program of robotic exploration now and over the coming decades aims at obtaining definitive answers about the origin and nature of the red planet and what it has to say about the origin and cosmic abundance of life. This book examines these issues in one of the most comprehensive treatments ever written about the planet Mars and our legacy of engagement with it, in language suitable for non-expert and expert alike.
Opening chapters consider the question of life in the Universe and the origin of life on Earth and what challenges face us in uncovering defining answers. With a realization of its importance in this, the next section examines the legacy of our engagement with Mars. From Kepler’s work on its orbit, Schiaparelli’s efforts to resolve its surface features and NASA’s Mariner and Viking programs attempting to determine whether life resides upon the surface, Mars has remained elusive, yet always prodding and extending our capabilities in exploration and our perception of our place in the Universe. Subsequent chapters consider our current understanding of the planet and the recently devised comprehensive program for scientific exploration. All recent, current and upcoming missions and the latest findings are discussed in detail, providing our best understanding yet of a vast and ancient landscape indeed characterized by significant activity relevant to our quest and which also points to a planet far from dead today. Late chapters consider NASA and ESA plans for Mars over the next thirty years, increasingly shaped by the scientific successes to date, unprecedented public interest and by issues of planetary protection. And with mounting political interest, our program for Mars may culminate in a human mission to Mars, perhaps sometime around 2040. The greatest discovery, however, remains to be made. If even one microbe is found on Mars, it will reveal a cosmic context for life with Earth as one place among many harboring life, confirming our cosmic origins and destiny.

13.Civics Today: Citizenship, Economics and You (Alabama Edition) - By Patrick, Saffell, Clayton Remy 2005

CONTENTS

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC Reference Atlas
Alabama Handbook
Reading Skills Handbook
Be an Active Reader
Be an Active Citizen
Why Study Civics?

UNIT 1 FOUNDATIONS OF AMERICAN CITIZENSHIP
Chapter 1 Citizenship and Government in a Democracy
Chapter 2 Roots of American Democracy
Chapter 3 The Constitution
Chapter 4 The Bill of Rights
Chapter 5 The Citizen and the Community

UNIT 2 THE NATIONAL GOVERNMENT
Chapter 6 Congress
Chapter 7 The President and the Executive Branch
Chapter 8 The Judicial Branch

UNIT 3 POLITICAL PARTIES AND INTEREST GROUPS
Chapter 9 Political Parties and Politics
Chapter 10 Voting and Elections
Chapter 11 Influencing Government

UNIT 4 STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT
Chapter 12 State Government
Chapter 13 Local Government
Chapter 14 Dealing With Community Issues

UNIT 5 THE INDIVIDUAL, THE LAW, & THE INTERNET
Chapter 15 Legal Rights and Responsibilities
Chapter 16 Civil and Criminal Law
Chapter 17 Citizenship and the Internet

UNIT 6 THE ECONOMY AND THE INDIVIDUAL
Chapter 18 What is Economics?
Chapter 19 The American Economy
Chapter 20 Demand
Chapter 21 Supply
Chapter 22 Business and Labor

UNIT 7 THE FREE ENTERPRISE SYSTEM
Chapter 23 Government and the Economy
Chapter 24 Money and Banking
Chapter 25 Government Finances

UNIT 8 THE UNITED STATES AND THE WORLD
Chapter 26 Comparing Economic Systems
Chapter 27 Comparing Systems of Governments
Chapter 28 An Interdependent World

Appendix and How to Use an Appendix
Honoring America
Careers Handbook
Government and Economics Data Bank
United State Facts
The Presidents
Historical Documents
Summaries of Supreme Court Cases
Glossary
Spanish Glossary
Index