The Chautauqua Institution was started in 1874 by the Normal Department of the Methodist Episcopal Church as a two-week program to instruct Sunday school teachers of all Protestant denominations. The program proved to be a popular combination of worship, education, and recreation and each year brought thousands of visitors to the beautiful shores of Chautauqua Lake. As Chautauqua became a model of for lifelong learning and the good use of leisure time, hundreds of similar sites were built across the continent. The Chautauqua program included lectures, classes, symphony concerts, opera, theater, art, and recreations such as golf, tennis, swimming, and sailing. In time, the movement embraced all denominations and faiths. Today Chautauqua offers a vacation filled with many opportunities in a setting that could be from a century ago.

Explore the history of the education in this cloistered community, both spiritual and cultural, offered at the Chautauqua Institution in NY State for over 125 years. The Chautauqua Institution, located on Chautauqua Lake in southwestern New York State, is both a cloistered community and a world-renowned educational establishment. Founded in 1874 as a summer camp for Methodist Sunday school teachers, Chautauqua is synonymous with the ideas of spiritual growth, educational study, and intellectual stimulation in conjunction with recreation in an outdoor setting. For over 125 years, Chautauqua has remained an educational and cultural mecca for the common man. Chautauqua Institution, 1874-1974 is a compendium of Chautauqua's growth from its inception at Fair Point to its centennial celebrations. Each chapter's brief introduction acquaints the reader with historic highlights followed by pages of fascinating facts and intriguing images, ranging from rudimentary tents to the grande dame of hotels, from Victorian cottages to Greek-pillared halls. This array of architecture forms the backdrop for countless individuals who were responsible for bringing the founders' vision to fruition and who were the backbone of the Chautauqua Movement.

Winner of the Christopher Medal and a "heart-wrenching" Al Roker's Book Club selection on the Today Show. Zulaikha hopes. She hopes for peace, now that the Taliban have been driven from Afghanistan; a good relationship with her hard stepmother; and one day even to go to school, or to have her cleft palate fixed. Zulaikha knows all will be provided for her--"Inshallah," God willing. Then she meets Meena, who offers to teach her the Afghan poetry she taught her late mother. And the Americans come to her village, promising not just new opportunities and dangers, but surgery to fix her face. These changes could mean a whole new life for Zulaikha--but can she dare to hope they'll come true?

Bestselling and controversial bishop and teacher John Shelby Spong reveals the subversive, mystical wisdom of the writer of the Gospel of John and how his teachings point us forward in the twenty-first century In The Fourth Gospel: Tales of a Jewish Mystic, Spong turns his attention to the Gospel of John, the fourth Gospel in the Bible. Contrary to what is most often believed, he writes that this gospel was misinterpreted by the framers of the fourth-century creeds to be a literal account of the life of Jesus. In fact, it is a literary, interpretive retelling of the events in Jesus’ life through the medium of Jewish worship traditions and fictional characters, from Nicodemus and Lazarus to the “Beloved Disciple.” The Fourth Gospel not only recaptures the original message of this gospel, but also provides us with a radical new dimension to the claim that in the humanity of Jesus the reality of God has been met and engaged. This book offers a fresh way to read the Gospel of John and a unique primer about how to be a Christian in the post-Christian twenty-first century.

Joan Brown Campbell offers a moving collection of prayers for any occasion. Many of the prayers included were delivered at the historic Chautauqua Institution in Southwest New York. Campbell, revered for her dedication and extraordinary leadership to the national ecumenical interfaith community, delivers powerful moments for spiritual connection. For personal reflection or public participation, each prayer offers a new connection to God and a deepened awareness of the world we live in.