A "witty, entertaining, educational" blend of travel memoir and Civil War history (Scott L. Mingus, Sr, award-winning author of Flames beyond Gettysburg).Gettysburg is a small, charming city nestled in south central Pennsylvania—but its very name evokes passion and angst, enthusiasm and sadness. For about half the year its streets are mainly empty, its businesses quiet, the weather cold and blustery. For the other months, however, the place teems with hun...

This is a book about how to have an inclusive, reflective and civil national conversation. It asks whether the mass media can contribute to meaningful public debate in the run-up to an election.Talk radio in the United States is said to have contributed to a political atmosphere in which the loudest, crudest and simplest arguments prevail. Is there a different model of public talk that can contribute to a kinder, wiser, more empathetic democracy?In the run-up to the 2024 UK...

This book sets out to unearth the hidden genealogies of democracy, and particularly its most widely recognized, commonly discussed and deeply symbolic act, voting. By exploring the gaps between voting and recognition, being counted and feeling counted, having a vote and having a voice and the languor of count taking and the animation of account giving, there emerges a unique insight into how it feels to be a democratic citizen. Based on a series of interviews with a variety of voters and n...

From its inception as a public communication network, the Internet was regarded by many people as a potential means of escaping from the stranglehold of top-down, stage-managed politics. If hundreds of millions of people could be the producers as well as receivers of political messages, could that invigorate democracy? If political elites fail to respond to such energy, where will it leave them?In this short book, internationally renowned scholar of political communication, Stephen...

Ectogenesis, the gestation of the foetus outside of the human body, will not for much longer be in the realm of science fiction; a number of projects attempting to develop ectogenetic technology are currently under way. This book examines the ethical implications of the development of ectogenesis. Examining the implications for abortion ethics in particular, this book also deals with the ethical objections to developing such a technology and the uses to which it may be put, such as creatin...

“Battlestar Galactica meets Master and Commander.”With human civilization on the brink of collapse from famine, privateer Captain Cassandra Farren seeks to escape her troubled military past by signing up for the Avalon Expedition - a desperate multi-national mission to explore a distant nebula in search of life-saving resources, led by the energetic and optimistic Director Elizabeth Ancelet. Cassandra, Elizabeth, and their crews face not only division within the Ex...

Commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Shalem Institute, this collection of experiential and academic essays offers modern contemplative reflections from new and renowned voices in spiritual leadership.Founded in 1973 by the Rev. Dr. Tilden H. Edwards, Jr., Shalem Institute for Spiritual Formation offers retreats, workshops, and groups centered around contemplative spirituality. The culmination of half a century of charitable ministry, this commemorative antholo...

Surgery inevitably inflicts some harm on the body. At the very least, it damages the tissue that is cut. These harms often are clearly outweighed by the overall benefits to the patient. However, where the benefits do not outweigh the harms or where they do not clearly do so, surgical interventions become morally contested. Cutting to the Core examines a number of such surgeries, including infant male circumcision and cutting the genitals of female children, the separation of conjo...

Examining the Doctrine of Human Depravity in Scripture and throughout Church HistoryFor centuries, theologians have debated the doctrine of total depravity—the belief that people are wholly and naturally corrupt due to original sin. Reformed theology upholds this truth, acknowledging it to be essential for understanding the gospel and humanity's need for a Savior.Ruined Sinners to Reclaim persuasively reaffirms the doctrine of total depravity from ...

This Volume in the Preaching the Word Series Features the Themes of Faithfulness, Rebellion, and Redemption in the 12 Minor Prophetic Books of the Old TestamentIn the Old Testament, the faithful lives and messages of the minor prophets display God's judgment as well as his mercy, his warnings to turn from sin and his grace for sinners. Each story of faithfulness, rebellion, and restoration calls on readers to live according to God's will. In this volume of the Preac...

During the Brexit referendum campaign it became clear how easily national conversations around politics could become raucous and bitter. This book explores the nature of talking about politically contentious issues and how our society can begin to develop a more constructive culture of political talk.Uniquely, this study focuses on citizens own experiences and reflections on developing, practising and evaluating their own political voices. Based on seventy in-depth interviews with ...

The Avalon Expedition forges on.Humanity’s final hope for salvation has survived the 3,000 light year journey across the intergalactic void, only to find themselves scattered and vulnerable in a forbidding and alien nebula. Privateer Captain Cassandra Farren, despite her misgivings, has accepted the burden of responsibility for the safety of the Avalon Expedition, but protecting the fleet and it's firebrand civilian director, Elizabeth Ancelet, will prove more comp...