Just Human

Humanity’s biggest problem may be its least recognized: the tendency to imagine God as an extraordinarily good version of ourselves. If we fail to properly understand our Maker’s nature, we have the potential to do many things wrong. When we picture God as merely a really good human, we become less concerned about our sinful habits and more likely to doubt or malign him in the face of seemingly undeserved suffering. And when we fashion God in our image instead of the other way around, our theology in general and the counsel we extend to those who suffer becomes weak. We naturally have a diluted view of God’s deity. The Book of Job not only traces a great man’s struggle to overcome this problem in his own life, but also beckons us to join in the fray to defeat this faulty and extremely dangerous vestige of fallen human consciousness.

Curriculum, Spirituality, and Human Rights towards a Just Public Education examines the integration of spirituality—not religion—into U.S. public education and curriculum. The volume challenges celebratory ‘curricularized’ forms of human rights and frames spirituality as a counter-hegemonic human right. Drawing on autobiography as inquiry, Rogério Venturini unpacks his spiritual struggles—‘from within’—and experiences as a progressive spiritual person and educator. The volume examines the subjectivity and objectivity of spirituality, exploring the lethal social impact triggered by the absence of spirituality at the table of the so-called curriculum conversations. This volume places the struggle for spirituality in our field as a political struggle and challenges the epistimicidal nature of such conversations. Venturini draws on critical, anti-colonial, and decolonial frameworks and argues for an epistemological move towards an itinerant curriculum theory, one that responds to the world’s endless epistemological diversity and difference by assuming a non-derivative non-abyssal approach.

This dynamic text on human behavior takes a unique international perspective to introduce students to the concepts of large social systems and development. Social workers now practice in an increasingly global context for reasons ranging from migration to international adoptions to developments in technology. Understanding these global connections is essential to social workers today. Human Behavior in a Just World emphasizes the "common human condition" between people, and encourages students to see the powerful connections between environmental conditions and behavior. The authors address key elements of human behavior through a global lens, and discuss powerful global policy instruments and resources, such as the United Nations. Engaging North American and global case studies illustrate the theories in practice.

Sean McDowell and Jonathan Morrow have penned an accessible yet rigorous look at the arguments of the New Atheists. Writing from a distinctively Christian perspective, McDowell and Morrow lay out the facts so that the emerging generation can make up their own mind after considering all the evidence.

In the art and social change exhibit The Incredible Intensity of Just Being Human, curator and artist Kate Vrijmoet, and artists June Sekiguchi, Holly Ballard Martz, Ezra Dickinson, Ann Teplick, John William Keedy, Valaree Cox, and Lynn Schirmer; with writers David Francis, Gayle Clemans, and Grace Boey shed light on the effect mental illness has on individuals and society.Mental illness inflicts losses on society as a whole, through cultural messages that people who struggle with mental illness are not fit to contribute to the richness and depth of the social fabric.Every year one in four people suffers with mental illness. The cost of depression-related workforce absenteeism, and of lost productivity is $200 billion per year. By talking about mental illness, we reduce the shame surrounding it, creating a space where the prejudices and fears we all have can give way to our compassion and humanity.

Short story. Number twenty-two of Tales of the Executioners, stories about the elite vampire "police force". To protect themselves from one another in the citadel, the Executioners took on human slaves - or guard dogs. Fifty years later, with no attacks, the vampires have decided to get rid of them. To protect the immortal's secrets, the law says the humans must be destroyed. They're only mortals, so why does it bother Migina so much?

If the pandemic of 2020 taught us anything, it is that we need to wake up to our lives. To be more present, more engaged, more in touch. Deri Latimer's experience during the pandemic was transformative. A 33-year-old trauma was triggered in March of 2020, taking the author on a whole new world of discovery about the power of understanding the imprints of trauma and the opportunities those imprints provide. A keynote speaker on all things happy and resilient, Deri found herself completely 'not herself''. As an individual who dedicates her life to healthy practices, she suddenly felt completely out of control. She rode the highest of highs to the lowest of lows before discovering the wisdom of trauma. It is never too late to fully wake up!