The God Strategy

From the way they speak about God to audiences they visit and policies they support, U.S. politicians increasingly use religion as a partisan weapon. The God Strategy identifies four crucial religious signals used by Republicans and Democrats from Ronald Reagan in 1980 to Barack Obama in 2008.

"Forster and Marston have delivered a stellar book that attempts to present an exegetical and Scriptural framework for the content presented in the book. Instead of beginning from a set of deductive theological assumptions and then attempting to support that system from Scripture, Forster and Marston examine Scripture and attempt to build their case directly from the text. The authors unabashedly admit that their views are very similar to those of Arminian and Weslyan traditions, but they state in the beginning of the book that they do not want to be labeled with these names, but want to construct a theology that is in line with the teachings of the first 300 years of Christianity. Anyone who reads their appendix will come to understand that the teachings presented in this book were the orthodox consensus of the early Church for the first 300 years, and that it was Augustine who introduced serious deviations into the mainstream orthodox Christianity of his time. Forster and Marston begin by describing the battle that is being waged between God and the spiritual forces that oppose Him. They examine the book of Job and see how this relates to the overall struggle. Then the authors examine the 9th chapter of Romans to see if this book is dealing with election and individual destinies, or God's actions within human history. The authors do an excellent job of arguing for their opinion that this chapter is speaking about God's involvement in human history and it deals with God's choosing of one nation or individual over another nation or individual to accomplish His purpose. Other sections of interest in this book are the sections on foreknowledge and predestination and the chapters on faith and works. The section on faith and works was particularly interesting because it relies on much of the teaching of the new perspective which has shed much light on how a 1st century Palestinian Jew would have approached Scriptural issues. The research, argumenation, and exegesis in this book are solid so every chapter is excellent, but the ones mentioned above were two of my favorites."--Amazon.com.

This volume offers a timely and dynamic study of the rise of religion in American politics, examining the public messages of political leaders over the past seventy-five years. The authors show that U.S. politics today is defined by a calculated, deliberate, and partisan use of faith that is unprecedented in modern politics. Beginning with the election of Ronald Reagan in 1980, America has seen a no-holds-barred religious politics that seeks to attract voters, identify and attack enemies, and solidify power. Domke and Coe identify a set of religious signals sent by both Republicans and Democrats in speeches, party platforms, proclamations, visits to audiences of faith, and even celebrations of Christmas. The updated edition of this ground-breaking book includes a new preface, an updated analysis of the last Bush administration, as well as a new final chapter on the Jeremiah Wright controversy, the candidacies of Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin, and Barack Obama's victory.

Most people want to finish life well, yet so few take the time necessary to carefully think through what that entails. Some say it means contentment, happiness, and freedom from pain. Many desire to simply maintain their dignity and enjoy their family and loved ones. These are reasonable goals; yet, there is a more profound, uniquely Christian approach to the end of life. John Dunlop, a medical doctor who has practiced for over thirty years and specializes in geriatrics, combines his medical expertise, firsthand experience with patients, and firm commitment to Scripture to propose nine strategies for finishing life well. He shows how with proper physical, emotional, and spiritual preparation, aging and death need not be a fight to the finish but a purposeful resting in the arms of the Savior. Theologically robust and practically relevant, this book will prove to be a sensitive and helpful resource for anyone facing end-of-life issues.

God's protection, for those who found it in 1918 during the Spanish Flu Pandemic, is still available to Christians today. This book's message has the potential for preparing readers for the coming Bird Flu Pandemic invasion both offensively and defensively. (Social Issues)

In lively and accessible style, Ted Grimsrud portrays God's persevering love as the heart of the Bible's message and challenges Christians to let that love shape their lives today.