It can be a challenging task to raise a child to love the Lord, discover God’s purpose for his or her life, and be faithful to Him in the midst of a society that seems bent on destroying the home. Seasoned pastor and committed father Keith Pisani digs deep into God’s word and relates lessons from numerous biblical passages, from Genesis through Revelation, to guide parents down an inspirational path to learn how to raise children for the Lord, form a salvation relationship with God through faith in Jesus, and ultimately give Him glory. While relying on applicable scriptures to provide insight on how the family began and sharing principles on parenting from Proverbs, Pisani also includes lessons on child-rearing from other family-related bible passages, a nine-session interactive small group bible study extracted from the text, and principles for parenting. In this modern-day manual, a pastor and experienced father shares scripture, wisdom, and a roadmap that guides parents on an insightful journey to raising Christian children within a challenging society.

Cain made the first blackface turn, blackface minstrels liked to say of the first man forced to wander the world acting out his low place in life. It wasn't the "approved" reading, but then, blackface wasn't the "approved" culture either--yet somehow we're still dancing to its renegade tune. The story of an insubordinate, rebellious, truly popular culture stretching from Jim Crow to hip hop is told for the first time in Raising Cain, a provocative look at how the outcasts of official culture have made their own place in the world. Unearthing a wealth of long-buried plays and songs, rethinking materials often deemed too troubling or lowly to handle, and overturning cherished ideas about classics from Uncle Tom's Cabin to Benito Cereno to The Jazz Singer, W. T. Lhamon Jr. sets out a startlingly original history of blackface as a cultural ritual that, for all its racist elements, was ultimately liberating. He shows that early blackface, dating back to the 1830s, put forward an interpretation of blackness as that which endured a commonly felt scorn and often outwitted it. To follow the subsequent turns taken by the many forms of blackface is to pursue the way modern social shifts produce and disperse culture. Raising Cain follows these forms as they prolong and adapt folk performance and popular rites for industrial commerce, then project themselves into the rougher modes of postmodern life through such heirs of blackface as stand-up comedy, rock 'n' roll, talk TV, and hip hop. Formally raising Cain in its myriad variants, blackface appears here as a racial project more radical even than abolitionism. Lhamon's account of its provenance and persistence is a major reinterpretation of American culture.

Enter the packed courtroom and take your seat as a juror on the Cain v. Abel trial. Soon, the prosecution and defense attorneys (angels from Jewish legend) will call Cain, Abel, Sin, Adam, Eve, and God to the witness stand to present their perspectives on the world's first murder. Great Jewish commentators throughout the ages will also offer contradictory testimony on Cain's emotional, societal, and spiritual influences. As jurors, when we mete out Cain's punishment, must we factor in his family history, psychological makeup, and the human impulse to sin? In this highly eclectic and gripping compilation of insights by Jewish commentators on the Cain and Abel story, courtroom scenes are juxtaposed with the author's commentary, advancing novel insights and introspection. As each of us grapples with Cain's actions, we confront our own darkest traits. If Cain is a symbol for all humanity, what can we do to avoid becoming like him? Furthering this conversation, Rabbi Dan Ornstein includes a discussion and activity guide to promote open dialogue about human brokenness and healing, personal impulses, and societal responsibility.

Utilising Giorgio Agamben’s concepts of homo sacer and drawing from political theory, philosophy, and psychoanalysis, this book creates a theoretical framework from which to analyse interpretations of Genesis 4:1-16 and to propose an alternative reading of the Biblical text that incorporates other texts inside and outside the Biblical canon.

Do you believe that we have discovered the key to immortality, poverty, equality, disease, happiness, economic stability, and climate change? If yes, then you may also believe that humanity's success is due to human evolution and a global transition called ‘the era of Homo Deus’ (the era of the ‘man god’). If your answer is no, then you are probably among those that are confused by the state of the world and the conflicting messages in the pulpit. The Hidden Tree is an examination of this and other philosophies that are the fuel of the largest global transition since the industrial revolution. Using the metaphor of a tree we explore the historical, out-of-sight root system and its evolutionary origin while looking forward to its purpose and goal through the use of God technology, dark intel and the tools of self-determination (humanism). Are we the result of an evolutionary process, or have we been duped into believing the technological revolution and other global transitions have successfully moved us towards a better future?

Eight Questions of Faith is a spiritual exploration of some of life’s biggest questions—questions that have been asked by prophets and kings, mystics and sinners—that continue to be asked by every one of us today. Niles Elliot Goldstein uses eight questions found in the Bible to explore the human journey from cradle to grave, confronting such important existential experiences and themes as mortality, responsibility, forbidden knowledge, sin, and the afterlife. By interweaving texts from the Bible, commentaries, philosophy, psychology, and literature with his own experiences, Goldstein also meditates on midlife. This book will appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike and is aimed at anyone who has ever faced a challenge or wondered what life is all about.