Rodney Thomas a man of many trials and struggles, but whom has over came them, with a power that's unbelievable to heares that is reading this autobiography.

“The tug of war that goes on inside of us is not a game that we have learned as children. This tug of war is a relentless fight that seems to never end…There is really no exemption when it comes to the fight of one’s soul. Who will pull who over to the other side? Who will give in and who will give up? Who will be the loser and who will be the winner? Will there be a draw? Will someone cheat in order to win? Who has the upper hand on the other side? Who will suffer the most?”The Ja...

A vital resource for educational leaders, Entry Planning for Equity-Focused Leaders introduces an equity-minded process for intentional entry planning that sets the stage for sustainable change within organizations.In this practitioner-focused and action-oriented work, Jennifer Perry Cheatham, Rodney Thomas, and Adam Parrott-Sheffer consolidate their extensive experience centering equity in leadership. They affirm that the entry of a new leader, or the pivot of an establis...

What accounts for the spiritual power and vitality of black preaching? What are the distinctive contributions of black preaching to the life of The United Methodist Church? How must black preaching evolve if it is to rise to the new challenges facing the UMC?Fifteen distinguished preachers from across the connection answer these and other questions in this important and illuminating volume.Gennifer Benjamin Brooks not only edits this collect, she also shares one of her own ...

The historic election of Barack Obama to the presidency of the United States had a significant impact on both America and the world at large. By voting an African American into the highest office, those who elected Obama did not necessarily look past race, but rather didn’t let race prevent them for casting their ballots in his favor. In addition to reflecting the changing political climate, Obama’s presidency also spurred a cultural shift, notably in music, television, and film.In...

Race remains a potent and divisive force in our society. Whether it is the shooting of minority people by the police, the mass incarceration of people of color, or the recent KKK rallies that have been in the news, it is clear that the scars from the United States’ histories of slavery and racial discrimination run too deep to simply be ignored. But what are the most productive ways to deal with the toxic and torturous legacies of American racism?Slavery’s Descendants brin...

The book explores the matter of sexuality from the creation into the long history of Judaism and the church. In this book I highlight how many of the preconceived notions of how God perceives women and roles that He has for them are not the way most people that attend our churches perceive them. We have been dramatically effected by Greek thoughts regarding women and have also been dominated in our thinking by warfare mentality. The value of a person has been weighted by their ability to w...

“It is well that war is so terrible,” Robert E. Lee reportedly said, “or we would grow too fond of it.” The essays collected here make the case that we have grown too fond of it, and therefore we must make the war terrible again. Taking a “freakonomics” approach to Civil War studies, each contributor uses a seemingly unusual story, incident, or phenomenon to cast new light on the nature of the war itself. Collectively the essays remind us that war is always about damage, even at i...

Seeing Jesus as He Really Is takes you on a journey through the Gospels and along the way, you'll see how Jesus really lived, how He radically changed the world, and how Jesus is portrayed through the word of God.Seeing Jesus as He Really Is will help every reader know how to answer the questions that Jesus asked His disciples, "Whom do men say that I am" and "Who do you say that I am?"Chapters include: Jesus and His Methods; The Sweet Presence of...

Winner of an Abraham Lincoln Institute Book AwardThough not blind to Abraham Lincoln's imperfections, Black Americans long ago laid a heartfelt claim to his legacy. At the same time, they have consciously reshaped the sixteenth president's image for their own social and political ends. Frederick Hord and Matthew D. Norman's anthology explores the complex nature of views on Lincoln through the writings and thought of Frederick Douglass, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Mary Mc...

Das Mittelalter, die menschheitsgeschichtlich gigantische Epoche zwischen dem 6. und dem 15. Jahrhundert, soll also "finster" und "dumpf" gewesen sein? Eine Karenzzeit der geistigen, kulturellen und lebenspraktischen Stagnation, die erst durch Reformation und Aufklärung beendet werden konnte? Alles Unfug! Das abwertende Mittelalter-Klischee, das wir alle seit Schultagen mehr oder weniger verinnerlicht haben, ist für den "Gegenaufklärer" Rodney Stark eine bloße Auswirkung anti-katholischer ...

Well-Being as a Multidimensional Concept highlights the ways that culture and community influence concepts of wellness, the experience of well-being, and health outcomes. This book includes both theoretical conceptualizations and practice-based explorations from a multidisciplinary group of contributors, including distinguished, widely celebrated senior experts as well as emerging voices in the fields of health promotion, health research, clinical practice, community engagement, a...