История
Различные книги в жанре ИсторияEthics without Principles
Ethics in the West too often equates morality with universal moral principles, thus imposing lifestyles and moral criteria that do not respect differences and local histories. Even Christianity proposes ethics that is based on eternal, absolute and universal truths or principles, independent of sociocultural and historical contexts. The problem is that these universal moral laws become a means of social control to exclude those who are different: non-Christian religions, nonwhite races, non-Western cultures, and poor and marginalized social classes everywhere. To these can be added minorities marginalized because of sexual orientation, physical handicaps, and women of all sectors and cultures. Another kind of ethics is urgent. For these reasons, Christians in Latin America and other parts are seeking innovative ways of envisioning ethics from their marginalized and discriminated social locations in order to find another possible ethics, an ethics that is not universal and not based on eternal truths or principles, but rather is contextual and historical and that takes into account real-life realities. Only an ethics that does this will be liberative. Important steps toward this other possible ethics have been taken by the theology of liberation by developing a contextual and intercultural morality.
Euthanasia, Suicide, and Despair: Can the Bible Help?
Despite its title, this is not a morbid or depressing book, but one that it is hoped will bring encouragement and comfort to all who are experiencing life's difficulties, even to the point of wondering if they wish to continue living. However, the question of whether or not it is morally acceptable for people to receive help to end their lives prematurely is a divisive one, but it is one that cannot be ignored. Some countries have already legalized voluntary euthanasia, whilst others are still wrestling with this ethical dilemma. We all hope that we will never be faced with this situation but, if it does arise, where can we turn for help and guidance? The Bible is one useful resource, as over fifty passages have been identified that relate to coping with desperate life circumstances, along with a few instances where a life has been ended prematurely. In addition to identifying and discussing these passages, this book also provides helpful background on the history of the biblical sources used, along with factors influencing their interpretation. Reading this book should provide strength and courage to persevere through life's adversities.
Faith Confronts Nuclear Power
Faith Confronts Nuclear Power is a theological critique that attempts to call people to action in the battle against nuclear power. Nuclear power is a sophisticated, terribly expensive, and frightfully dangerous way to boil water. What is it doing to the earth our God created? How do we care for the earth if we allow it to continue? Looking at nuclear power through the eyes of faith, a Lutheran pastor, John Gugel, is alarmed at the apparent lack of concern on this issue and seeks to call people to action.
Liberating Speech—Today
In the wake of the furious demonstrations and debates evoked by terrorist attacks in Paris and elsewhere, Dr. Anderson's pithy essays unfold respectful, moderating responses that take seriously the cultural and religious differences that breed resentment between peoples and convulse the media. Written from a Reformed theological perspective, his reflections unfold the dynamics of free and faithful self-expression that promise happier, human-scaled, interpersonal, international, and inter-faith relations. Whether your communications are across the back fence, on the political stump, from the pulpit, writer's desk, or TV stage–whether you are a teacher, corporate agent, public servant, or soldier, you will find yourself reinforced and challenged to deepen the very roots of your calling and speak out in the fullest freedom.
The Art of God
In The Art of God, pastor and musician Jimi Calhoun suggests that the master artist, God, programmed diversity into every aspect of the natural order. Today more of us than ever live in closer proximity to people once viewed as different. The multicultural conversation of the recent past has proven to be inadequate to address the present intercultural reality in which we live.
The question then becomes, how will we live together?
Quite often the presence of difference results in the avoidance of the other.
Many accept this as simply a natural occurrence, but in the world of art, difference does not always trigger division. Art encompasses multiple disciplines and forms. Art welcomes diversity within its borders.
This book traces the evolution of art and music, then extracts principles from a musical motif to encourage the development of an artistic worldview that recognizes the beauty residing in everything and everybody.
The Cardinal and the Deadly
What makes for a good life? The seven deadly vices and seven holy virtues, ingrained in our cultural imagination, help us answer this perennial question. For two millennia, these fourteen character traits have stirred our imagination of human nature and desire. Sometimes, however, lists like the seven deadly sins remain mere caricatures that shame and exclude. The world, however, is not divided up into priests and convicts, saints and sinners, virtuous and vicious people. Much of the time, we live between the boundaries of vice and virtue.
The Cardinal and the Deadly challenges simplistic bifurcations in order to reimagine a more faithful, hopeful, and loving life. It adopts a unique approach to examining the virtues and vices by pairing them in unexpected ways to reveal something significant about being human. Hope redirects greed; wisdom corrects pride; faith enlivens sloth. Bringing ancient and contemporary authors into dialogue, the book offers a concrete and accessible introduction to virtue ethics for students, pastors, and churches. Its ultimate goal is to engage the reader's intellect and imagination, so that we may respond creatively to the ethical challenges of living together.
The Way Out
The African-American community represents a paradox of sorts. While collective success has been achieved in many areas, African-Americans still disproportionately suffer from a variety of social ills. The residual effects from years of slavery and exclusion from the major institutions of American life are still trenchant. Yet, there is hope. As we move forward into a new millennium, our greatest answers can be found by exploring the past. The Christian faith has served as a sustaining force that has been the backbone of this community for generations. This faith, along with a holistic commitment to family, political participation, education, and entrepreneurship, are the key to its future. The Way Out tackles this issue with a mature voice that represents a juxtaposition of faith and public policy. It rejects the culture of partisan gridlock, racial division, and religious cynicism by fostering a fresh and pluralistic discourse about the greatest solutions for our most pressing civic challenges. From the experienced policymaker to the common citizen wanting to make a difference, The Way Out provides tangible solutions through which we can all find ways to engage. It stands firmly at the intersection of religion, race, politics, and culture to light a clear path forward.
Lift Every Voice and Swing
Explores the role of jazz celebrities like Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Mary Lou Williams as representatives of African American religion in the twentieth century Beginning in the 1920s, the Jazz Age propelled Black swing artists into national celebrity. Many took on the role of race representatives, and were able to leverage their popularity toward achieving social progress for other African Americans. In Lift Every Voice and Swing , Vaughn A. Booker argues that with the emergence of these popular jazz figures, who came from a culture shaped by Black Protestantism, religious authority for African Americans found a place and spokespeople outside of traditional Afro-Protestant institutions and religious life. Popular Black jazz professionals—such as Ella Fitzgerald, Cab Calloway, Duke Ellington, and Mary Lou Williams—inherited religious authority though they were not official religious leaders. Some of these artists put forward a religious culture in the mid-twentieth century by releasing religious recordings and putting on religious concerts, and their work came to be seen as integral to the Black religious ethos. Booker documents this transformative era in religious expression, in which jazz musicians embodied religious beliefs and practices that echoed and diverged from the predominant African American religious culture. He draws on the heretofore unexamined private religious writings of Duke Ellington and Mary Lou Williams, and showcases the careers of female jazz artists alongside those of men, expanding our understanding of African American religious expression and decentering the Black church as the sole concept for understanding Black Protestant religiosity. Featuring gorgeous prose and insightful research, Lift Every Voice and Swing will change the way we understand the connections between jazz music and faith.
Убийцы с партийным акцентом
Сергей Павлович Степанов-Прошельцев
Эта книга посвящена одной из самых трагических страниц отечественной истории – бессудному расстрелу последнего российского императора, его семьи и прислуги в Екатеринбурге в июле 1918 года. Автор избегает расхожих выводов и опровергает некоторые официальные, предоставляя возможность читателю самому решить, кто прав, а кто нет.
Самба. Путь к паркету
В книге изложен путь формирования танца Самба. Разобраны истоки и первопричины появления танца как части африканской культуры в Бразилии. Также вы узнаете о вариантах истории происхождения названия. Описаны особенности и ритуальные значения движений. Значительное внимание уделено основным разновидностям и направлениям танца. Приведены примеры танцевальных фигур самбы в Бразилии.Эта книга будет интересна профессиональным исполнителям, педагогам и просто любителям Латино-Американского танца.