First Things

This book restores to us an understanding that was once settled in the "moral sciences": that there are propositions, in morals and law, which are not only true but which cannot be otherwise. It was understood in the past that, in morals or in mathematics, our knowledge begins with certain axioms that must hold true of necessity; that the principles drawn from these axioms hold true universally, unaffected by variations in local "cultures"; and that the presence of these axioms makes it possible to have, in the domain of morals, some right answers. Hadley Arkes restates the grounds of that older understanding and unfolds its implications for the most vexing political problems of our day. The author turns first to the classic debate between Abraham Lincoln and Stephen Douglas. After establishing the groundwork and properties of moral propositions, he traces their application in such issues as selective conscientious objection, justifications for war, the war in Vietnam, a nation's obligation to intervene abroad, the notion of supererogatory acts, the claims of "privacy," and the problem of abortion.

A guide to managing your time by learning how to balance your life.

The past, present, and future of a movement in crisis What exactly do we mean when we say “evangelical”? How should we understand this many-sided world religious phenomenon? How do recent American politics change that understanding? Three scholars have been vital to our understanding of evangelicalism for the last forty years: Mark Noll, whose Scandal of the Evangelical Mind identified an earlier crisis point for American evangelicals; David Bebbington, whose “Bebbington Quadrilateral” remains the standard characterization of evangelicals used worldwide; and George Marsden, author of the groundbreaking Fundamentalism and American Culture: The Shaping of Twentieth-Century Evangelicalism. Now, in Evangelicals, they combine key earlier material concerning the history of evangelicalism with their own new contributions about present controversies and also with fresh insights from other scholars. The result begins as a survey of how evangelicalism has been evaluated, but then leads into a discussion of the movement’s perils and promise today. Evangelicals provides an illuminating look at who evangelicals are, how evangelicalism has changed over time, and how evangelicalism continues to develop in sometimes surprising ways. Contents Acknowledgments Introduction: One Word but Three Crises Mark A. Noll Part I: The History of “Evangelical History” 1. The Evangelical Denomination George Marsden 2. The Nature of Evangelical Religion David Bebbington 3. The Essential Evangelicalism Dialectic: The Historiography of the Early Neo-Evangelical Movement and the Observer-ParticipantDilemma Douglas A. Sweeney 4. Evangelical Constituencies in North America and the World Mark Noll 5. The Evangelical Discovery of History David W. Bebbington 6. Roundtable: Re-examining David Bebbington’s “Quadrilateral Thesis” Charlie Phillips, Kelly Cross Elliott, Thomas S. Kidd, AmandaPorterfield, Darren Dochuk, Mark A. Noll, Molly Worthen, and David W. Bebbington 7. Evangelicals and Unevangelicals: The Contested History of a Word Linford D. Fisher Part II: The Current Crisis: Looking Back 8. A Strange Love? Or: How White Evangelicals Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Donald Michael S. Hamilton 9. Live by the Polls, Die by the Polls D. G. Hart 10. Donald Trump and Militant Evangelical Masculinity Kristin Kobes Du Mez 11. The “Weird” Fringe Is the Biggest Part of White Evangelicalism Fred Clark Part III: The Current Crisis: Assessment 12. Is the Term “Evangelical” Redeemable? Thomas S. Kidd 13. Can Evangelicalism Survive Donald Trump? Timothy Keller 14. How to Escape from Roy Moore’s Evangelicalism Molly Worthen 15. Are Black Christians Evangelicals? Jemar Tisby 16. To Be or Not to Be an Evangelical Brian C. Stiller Part IV: Historians Seeking Perspective 17. On Not Mistaking One Part for the Whole: The Future of American Evangelicalism in a Global PerspectiveGeorge Marsden 18. Evangelicals and Recent Politics in Britain David Bebbington 19. World Cup or World Series? Mark Noll

A provocative and inspiring look at the future of humanity and science from world-renowned scientist and bestselling author Martin Rees Humanity has reached a critical moment. Our world is unsettled and rapidly changing, and we face existential risks over the next century. Various outcomes—good and bad—are possible. Yet our approach to the future is characterized by short-term thinking, polarizing debates, alarmist rhetoric, and pessimism. In this short, exhilarating book, renowned scientist and bestselling author Martin Rees argues that humanity’s prospects depend on our taking a very different approach to planning for tomorrow. The future of humanity is bound to the future of science and hinges on how successfully we harness technological advances to address our challenges. If we are to use science to solve our problems while avoiding its dystopian risks, we must think rationally, globally, collectively, and optimistically about the long term. Advances in biotechnology, cybertechnology, robotics, and artificial intelligence—if pursued and applied wisely—could empower us to boost the developing and developed world and overcome the threats humanity faces on Earth, from climate change to nuclear war. At the same time, further advances in space science will allow humans to explore the solar system and beyond with robots and AI. But there is no “Plan B” for Earth—no viable alternative within reach if we do not care for our home planet. Rich with fascinating insights into cutting-edge science and technology, this accessible book will captivate anyone who wants to understand the critical issues that will define the future of humanity on Earth and beyond.

This book offers a creative and illuminating discussion of Protestant theology. Veteran teacher Phillip Cary explains how Luther's theology arose from the Christian tradition, particularly from the spirituality of Augustine. Luther departed from the Augustinian tradition and inaugurated distinctively Protestant theology when he identified the gospel that gives us Christ as its key concept. More than any other theologian, Luther succeeds in carrying out the Protestant intention of putting faith in the gospel of Christ alone. Cary also explores the consequences of Luther's teachings as they unfold in the history of Protestantism.

In First Things Mary Jacobus combines close readings with theoretical concerns in an examination of the many forms taken by the mythic or phantasmic mother in literary, psychoanalytic and artistic representations. She carefully explores the ways in which the maternal imaginary informs both unconscious processes and signifying practices at all levels. Her fierce analysis of specific texts and paintings raises questions about the the symbolic and biological maternal body and how they relate to each other in literary and psychoanalytic terms. The invocation of writings by Kleist, Wollstonecraft, Mary Shelley, Malthus and de Sade, along with analysis of French revolutionary iconography and Realist and Impressionist paintings by Eakins and Morisot, make this wide-ranging text a truly interdisciplinary study. First Things sees literary theory and psychoanalysis as mutually illuminating practices. The work of Freud, Klein, Kristeva and Bion shape an inquiry into such topics as population discourse, surrogate motherhood, AIDS, mastectomy and psychoanalysis itself. In addition, Jacobus elaborates on Freud's oedipal preconceptions, Klein's missing theory of signs, memory, melancholia, narcissism and maternal reverie.

Challenging policymakers, educators, reformers, and citizens to replace piecemeal reforms with fundamental redesign, First Things First! calls for a different way of organizing the American primary school. Ruby Takanishi outlines a new framework for integrating early education with primary education (pre-K–5), including both short- and long-term strategies, that starts with 3- and 4-year-olds. Featuring portraits of primary schools that have successfully integrated pre–K, the book includes resources on dual-language learners, dual-generation family engagement, effective philanthropy, rethinking advocacy, and more. The book centers on four basic questions: Why should the United States design a new primary school as children’s first, widely shared educational experience? How can the educators of the new primary school use new knowledge about how children learn to improve their practice? What will it take to create a new primary school that educates all children well? How can the design of the new primary school reflect demographic, social, linguistic, and cultural changes and adapt to the requirements of a global economy? First Things First! reframes the basic structure of traditional primary education, challenging us to get the early years of a 21st-century public education system off to a new and stronger start. “The vision of a new primary school model in this book should be studied by all workers in the fields of education, human development, and social policy. The scholarship in this book is impeccable and the arguments advanced by this leading scholar are most convincing. Further, the book is beautifully written.” —Edward Zigler, Sterling Professor of Psychology Emeritus, Yale University “Takanishi makes a compelling case that enabling all American children to achieve their potential requires both expansion of high-quality preschool and fundamental changes in how our public elementary schools serve young students.” —Sara Mead, Bellwether Education Partners “Dr. Takanishi has laid out a vision and approach to schooling that is comprehensive, forward-looking, and versed in strong evidence. This is must-reading for educators, leaders, policymakers, and researchers.” —Arthur Reynolds, University of Minnesota

“As screenwriter Austin Lively plunges back and forth between two dark, strange places―the fantasy kingdom of Galiana and the weirdness of contemporary Los Angeles―I turned the pages faster, faster, with growing delight. Scary, suspenseful, funny, wonderfully imaginative, Another Kingdom is pure, unadulterated fun.”― Dean Koontz, #1 New York Times Bestselling author "This is a journey you won't want to miss." Gregg Hurwitz, New York Times Bestselling author of the Orphan X series Austin Lively, once just an out-of-luck Hollywood screenwriter, is now a chosen hero caught between two worlds and dual quests in both Los Angeles, California, and the magical medieval world of Galiana. Tasked with taking a talisman across the Eleven Lands to restore the rightful queen to her throne, Austin must evade a murderous, vengeance-seeking wizard who seems to have the Eleven Lands under his control. But just how far does his influence reach, and how can Austin defeat him if the wizard also has access to his darkest memories? Austin’s only hope is to find a missing manuscript by the title, Another Kingdom, but his sister Riley, the one person who may hold the key has gone missing too. With a deranged billionaire set on creating a “utopia” of anarchy and death also on the hunt for the manuscript, Austin must get to Riley before the billionaire’s assassins. Trapped in a house of horrors in one world and a game of cat and mouse in the other, time is running out in both of Austin’s realities as he struggles to piece together the clues and find Another Kingdom. With higher stakes, darker secrets, and bigger monsters, there is no going back for Austin Lively and no guarantee he will escape the nightmare feast.