For The Glory

Rodney Stark's provocative new book argues that, whether we like it or not, people acting for the glory of God have formed our modern culture. Continuing his project of identifying the widespread consequences of monotheism, Stark shows that the Christian conception of God resulted--almost inevitably and for the same reasons--in the Protestant Reformation, the rise of modern science, the European witch-hunts, and the Western abolition of slavery. In the process, he explains why Christian and Islamic images of God yielded such different cultural results, leading Christians but not Muslims to foster science, burn "witches," and denounce slavery. With his usual clarity and skepticism toward the received wisdom, Stark finds the origins of these disparate phenomena within monotheistic religious organizations. Endemic in such organizations are pressures to maintain religious intensity, which lead to intense conflicts and schisms that have far-reaching social results. Along the way, Stark debunks many commonly accepted ideas. He interprets the sixteenth-century flowering of science not as a sudden revolution that burst religious barriers, but as the normal, gradual, and direct outgrowth of medieval theology. He also shows that the very ideas about God that sustained the rise of science led also to intense witch-hunting by otherwise clear-headed Europeans, including some celebrated scientists. This conception of God likewise yielded the Christian denunciation of slavery as an abomination--and some of the fiercest witch-hunters were devoted participants in successful abolitionist movements on both sides of the Atlantic. For the Glory of God is an engrossing narrative that accounts for the very different histories of the Christian and Muslim worlds. It fundamentally changes our understanding of religion's role in history and the forces behind much of what we point to as secular progress.

Stretched for His Glory is a compelling personal story and journey of faith, purpose, and God's glory. From the very first chapter, it catapults the reader into the very challenges and essence of our human existence. It dares to contemplate some of the most intimate questions and feelings of the human experience. Why am I here? What is my true purpose? How do I get to where I am destined to be? This book is not fearful to be honest, open, and transparent. Although it contains a very personal account of the author's journey through life, the principles and lessons are invaluable and are applicable to the entire human family. Stretched for his Glory is truly inspirational, instructional, and an authentic presentation that will saturate every fiber of your being to God's glory!

Have you ever longed for a simple easy reading on the book of Revelation? This is it! Apostle Anne takes you on a spiritual journey that will deepen your love for Christ, create in you a desire to keep on pressing and increase your knowledge and understanding of Gods glory and power; the present and what we expect to come. This book will equip and empower the saints for ultimate victory over Satan and evil while demonstrating Gods great love for mankind. Each chapter takes you beyond the timetable of events and Johns symbolic style of literature to the great truth of the authors revelation of Jesus the Christ.

An intimate history of an ordinary Parisian citizen and his neighbors that reflects on the origins and radicalization of the French Revolution. What was it like to live through one of the most transformational periods in world history? In The Glory and the Sorrow, eminent historian Timothy Tackett answers this question through a masterful recreation of the world of Adrien Colson, a minor lawyer who lived in Paris at the end of the Old Regime and during the first eight years of the French Revolution. Based on over a thousand letters written by Colson to his closest friend, this book vividly narrates everyday life for an "ordinary citizen" during extraordinary times, as well as the life of a neighborhood on a small street in central Paris. It explores the real, day-to-day experience of a revolution: not only the thrill, the joy, and the enthusiasm, but also the uncertainty, the confusion, the anxiety, and the disappointments. While Colson reported on major events such as the storming of the Bastille and the King's flight to Varennes, his correspondence underscores the extent to which the great majority of Parisians--and no doubt of the French population more generally--in no way anticipated the Revolution; the incessant circulation and power of rumors of impending disasters in Paris, not just in the summer of 1789 but continually from the autumn of 1789 throughout the Revolutionary decade; and how this affected popular psychology and behavior. In doing so, this account demonstrates how a Parisian and his neighbors were radicalized over the course of the Revolution. An evocative account of Colson's time and place, The Glory and the Sorrow is a compelling microhistory of Revolutionary France.

Growing up on her family's cotton plantation in eastern Virginia, Amelia Cole has lived a life of comfort and plenty. But many around her are not so fortunate. When a group of slaves are abruptly sold off to a neighboring planter, Amelia is forced to face the harsh reality of the slave system which flourishes all around her. Awakened to the suffering of those in bondage because of the color of their skin, she begins to question the justice of slavery and the society she was born into, wondering where God fits into the picture-if He fits at all. With the help of a slave woman, a traveling preacher, and a drifting laborer with a tragic past, Amelia sets out on a journey to find the truth about the questions that plague her. The answers she discovers will change her life forever.

From the eighteenth century to today, US Army Rangers are the special group of men who have led the way in America's most troubled times. Their missions are fraught with danger and awesome responsibility. Here are stories of the Ranger Officers, whose names became associated forever with the men they commanded. From the French and Indian War to Iraq and Afghanistan, these brave men have led the way in war after war united by comradeship, courage, patriotism, and pride.

Arthur Schlesinger Jr. thought that he might one day become president. He was a protege of Felix Frankfurter and Fred Vinson--a political prodigy who held a series of important posts in the Roosevelt and Truman administrations. Whatever became of Edward F. Prichard, Jr., so young and brilliant and seemingly destined for glory? Prichard was a complex man, and his story is tragically ironic. The boy from Bourbon County, Kentucky, graduated at the top of his Princeton class and cut a wide swath at Harvard Law School. He went on to clerk in the U.S. Supreme Court and become an important figure in Roosevelt's Brain Trust. Yet Prichard--known for his dazzling wit and photographic memory--fell victim to the hubris that had helped to make him great. In 1948, he was indicted for stuffing 254 votes in a U.S. Senate race. J. Edgar Hoover, never a fan of the young genius, made sure he was prosecuted, and so many of the members of the Supreme Court were Prichard's friends that not enough justices were left to hear his appeal. So the man Roosevelt's advisors had called the boy wonder of the New Deal went to jail. Prichard's meteoric rise and fall is essentially a Greek tragedy set on the stage of American politics. Pardoned by President Truman, Prichard spent the next twenty-five years working his way out of political exile. Gradually he became a trusted advisor to governors and legislators, though without recognition or compensation. Finally, in the 1970s and 1980s, Prichard emerged as his home state's most persuasive and eloquent voice for education reform, finally regaining the respect he had thrown away in his arrogant youth.

Based on Hillsong Worship's beloved Grammy-winning, chart-topping song, this fantastical journey of discovery is certain to inspire children who long to know more about Jesus and what draws people to Him. Join little Oliver and his monkey pal as they embark on a quest for the name in the song Oliver’s mother sings. As they travel across land, sea, and space, they encounter beauty, wonder, and power. Each adventure in their epic journey leads them to the matchless name of Jesus—and to the realization that they don’t have to go far to find Him. What a Beautiful Name is the perfect book for sharing with the little adventurers in your world, and its faith-filled message will resound in their hearts long after the last page is read.

After twenty-five years of leading pilgrim groups to Catholic shrines across Europe, tour guide K. Troy has seen it all—long lines, strikes, broken-down buses, rebellious tourists, and countless experiences of God's immense providence. Crafted with wit and charm, In the Stars the Glory of His Eyes gives a first-hand account of Christ's hand at work in all the beautiful messiness of pilgrimage. The stories unfold in some of the most evocative Catholic settings: Vatican City, the Holy House of Nazareth in Loreto, the shrine of Saint Padre Pio in San Giovanni Rotondo, the Carmel of Saint Thérèse in Lisieux, the Cathedral of Wawel in Krakow, the magnificent Abbey of Montecassino, and many other sacred places. Traveling alongside these Irish pilgrims—and helped by Troy's rich historical knowledge—the reader will see these famous shrines with new eyes. With humour and a sense of wonder, the book also gives fascinating details from the lives of such great saints as Mother Teresa, John Paul II, Thérèse of Lisieux, Padre Pio, Catherine of Siena, and many others. Troy shows that through pilgrimage, it is still possible to have a personal encounter, even a friendship, with these heroes of the Church.