Reluctant Saint

Acclaimed biographer Donald Spoto strips away the legends from the life of Francis of Assisi to reveal the true story of a man who has too often been obscured by pious iconography. Drawing on unprecedented access to unexplored archives, plus Francis's own letters, Spoto places Francis within the context of the multifaceted ecclesiastical, political, and social forces of medieval Italy, casting new light on Francis and showing how his emphasis on charity as the heart of the Gospel's message helped him pioneer a new social movement. This nuanced portrait reveals the multifaceted character of a man who can genuinely be said to have changed the course of history.

The killing of a greyhound breeder and rumors of election fraud during the mayoral race in small-town West Texas has Chief of Police Josie Gray searching for answers. "Fields’s excellent seventh Josie Gray mystery . . . does a masterly job evoking the dry, dusty Lone Star landscape"- Publishers Weekly Starred Review Mayoral elections are looming in Artemis. One of the candidates, Mike Striker, wants to build a racetrack while the incumbent mayor, Simon O'Kane, is strongly opposed. The proposal has divided the town: will it provide jobs and money, or will it bring crime and does it profit from animal cruelty? Tensions rise as a greyhound breeder has a number of her dogs stolen - she vows vengeance, only to soon be found dead herself. Meanwhile, fears of election fraud circulate. Is there truth behind the rumors of election rigging? Who stands to gain the most from the racetrack being built? Are animal rights activists taking matters too far? Josie Gray, Chief of Police in Artemis, must discover who is willing to kill for their cause before others in the town get caught in the crossfire - all while a gathering threat from Mexico City hovers over her.

"In this biography, Patrick Streiff, himself a Swiss theologian, traces Fletcher's development as a Christian, a pastor and a theologian, and gives a perceptive account of the inward and outward conflicts which marked his ministry. Based on thorough research in the primary sources, it draws from more than 150 letters written by Fletcher which were completely or partly unknown before, and publishes for the first time theological notes written by Fletcher in his last years. The treatment that emerges is the most complete and authoritative available in English, and relates its subject to the wider historical and philosophical challenges of the day." --Book Jacket.

Almost every grown person remembers with tender sadness, the year he found out who Santa Claus was. Because, after that Christmas, no Christmas was ever the same again, nor was anything else.

"The book is written with two goals in mind. The first is to give film viewers some background and context for evaluating what they see on screen, By and large. Hollywood is not conversant with theological issues; occasionally, movies reveal an appalling ignorance about religion. More often, however, the approach movies take is simply flat-footed and unsophisticated. Giving readers the tools they need to interpret and critique cinematic portrayals of sanctity is one goal of this book.".

A timely portrait of John Henry Newman, whose beatification is set for September 2010, dealing with his exceptional intellect And The sensational events surrounding him.

An incredible Franciscan saint (1603-1663), most famous for his miracles, levitations, and severe penances. He spoke with animals and could smell the stench of sin in penitents. The devil said of him, "Friar Joseph is the worst foe we have."

John Henry Newman was the most eminent English-speaking Christian thinker and writer of the past two hundred years. James Joyce hailed him the 'greatest' prose stylist of the Victorian age. A problematic campaign to canonise Newman started fifty years ago. After many delays John Paul II declared him a 'Venerable'. Then Pope Benedict XVI, a keen student of Newman's works, pressed for his beatification. Finally, in 2019 and after authentication of the second of two miracles attributed to Newman, he was canonised (made a saint) at a ceremony in Rome given by Pope Francis and attended by HRH Prince Charles. In Newman's Unquiet Grave John Cornwell (author of A Thief in the Night and Hitler's Pope) tells the story of the chequered attempts to establish Newman's sanctity against the background of major developments within Catholicism. His life was marked by personal feuds, self-absorption, accusations of professional and artistic narcissism, hypochondria, and same-sex friendships that at times bordered on the apparent homo-erotic. John Cornwell investigates the process of Newman's elevation to sainthood to present a highly original and controversial new portrait of the great man's life and genius for a new generation of religious and non-religious readers alike.