Real AnswersReal ReligionReal Holy SpiritualityThere are only two kinds of spirituality in the world. One is false, and one is true. One is the manifestation of the old evil foe who has sent many false spiritualties out into the world, and the other is the holy spirituality found only in faith in the one true God. One is a lie, and one is real.But which is which?There is a cultural perfect storm shredding the spiritual landscape of the United States. I...

The disputes around fracking, and oil and gas policy, follow a long tradition of complicated intergovernmental relationships. Proponents argue that fracking supports new and well-paying jobs, revitalizes state and local economies, and that it can help replace reliance on other fossil fuels. Skeptics and opponents contend that oil and gas production via fracking contaminates air and water resources, causes earthquakes, and can ruin the character of many communities. Examining the intergover...

Church congregations all across the United States are searching for the magic bullet, the secret to attracting people, growing their membership and their cultural relevance. They are looking for the right program, or the right environment, or the right features to help bring people back into the pews. With all of this searching for the right answer, they're missing what's right in front of them: Word and Sacrament.The ancient church saw martyrdom as an honor. Today, we cower in cor...

Although a technique for hydraulic fracturing—more commonly known as fracking—was developed and implemented in the 1970s in Texas, fracking of the Marcellus Shale formation that stretches from West Virginia through Pennsylvania to New York did not begin in earnest until the twenty-first century. Unconventional natural gas production via fracking has ignited debate, challenged regulators, and added to the complexity of twenty-first-century natural resource management. Through a longitudinal...

Water policy in United States is one of the most complex topics in the field of public policy. This book, a comparative study of Texas, California, and Alabama’s drought response, provides for the first time a common framework for analysis to investigate how water scarcity and droughts have interacted with various state-level factors to produce a wide degree of variance in policy innovations. Using Toddi Steelman’s (2010) conceptual framework, the authors examine multiple variables that im...

In Oil and Gas Waste Governance, Zachary Mahafza, Joseph A. Aistrup, Jonathan M. Fisk, and Lorraine W. Wolf tell the story of unconventional oil and gas production, earthquakes, and how they both relate to the much broader conversation centering on private property, energy production, and the role of science within the public policy process, and environmental sustainability.Utilizing a unique national-level dataset that includes human-induced earthquakes associated with oi...

Whether due to climate change, drought, flooding, competing demands, or pollution, watersheds across the globe are under significant duress. To respond to these complex challenges, collaborative approaches to watershed governance have increasingly been adopted in the United States, but very few studies have yet to systematically assess their true effectiveness. This book addresses a significant gap in research by undertaking a comprehensive study of alternative, collaborative structures an...

This book deals with large-scale, systemic corruption, a phenomenon that it identifies as part of the political landscape in most, if not all, societies of the contemporary world. While the analysis is grounded in the political thought of earlier thinkers, especially Edmund Burke, and integrates the insights of several modern analysts of corruption, the volume offers a new, updated theoretical perspective on the topic. This perspective reflects deep concerns with corruption in a world faci...

Canadian Shorts II is a specially selected collection of short stories by established and emerging Canadian authors. Showcasing Canada's diverse writing talent, there is a story for every reader, from Literary Fiction to SciFi Fantasy to Prairie Gothic to Romance-Thriller. Edited by Brenda Fisk. Authors: Joan Baril, Alex Chappell, Bronwynn Erskine, Brenda Fisk, Michael Foy, Allison Gorner, Laurie Hodges Humble, Allan Jones, Halli Lilburn, J. McMullin, Maria Morrison, Stacey O’Sullivan, Joh...

No matter the content area, evidence-based grading puts student growth at the heart of the classroom. Designed for teachers and administrators of grades 6-12, Proficiency-Based Grading in the Content Areas details a five-step approach for implementing evidence-based grading and maintaining its effectiveness over time. This book equips any educator -- from technical to fine arts -- with the tools and support to make this important shift.Use proficiency-based grading...

The Lord warns of a "famine . . . of hearing the word of the Lord" (Amos 8:11). Has this warning come to pass in our day? There is no shortage of preachers, but how often do they miss the mark in actually delivering the word of God to their hearers, leaving them hungry? The authors of these essays seek to equip preachers with resources to offer their hearers a rich feast from the word of the Lord. Writing from a Lutheran perspective, contributors from across the globe provide a fresh appro...

Christianity is not the ability to memorize or recite from books of Scripture or doctrine. It is not magic. It is not a social club, counseling group, or self-help support group. It does not promise that you will be healthy, wealthy, wise, or even happy.Christianity is a truth - a truth first heard at the beginning of time that has echoed to this present age. A truth so profound that no man can master it, yet even a child can learn it.Jonathan Fisk introduces his readers to...