The president of New York University offers a love letter to America’s most beloved sport and a tribute to its underlying spirituality. For more than a decade, John Sexton has taught a wildly popular New York University course about two seemingly very different things: religion and baseball. Yet Sexton argues that one is actually a pathway to the other. Baseball as a Road to God is about touching that something that lies beyond logical understanding. Sexton illuminates the surprisingly large number of mutual concepts shared between baseball and religion: faith, doubt, conversion, miracles, and even sacredness among many others. Structured like a game and filled with riveting accounts of baseball’s most historic moments, Baseball as Road to God will enthrall baseball fans whatever their religious beliefs may be. In thought-provoking, beautifully rendered prose, Sexton elegantly demonstrates that baseball is more than a game, or even a national pastime: It can be a road to enlightenment.

A compilation of true stories shows what God does to bring people from the brink of death, from the agony of bitterness, guilt, and addiction to a refreshing fruitful life. (Christian)

There are a number of baseball players who live out a profound faith. There are also people of faith who love the game of baseball. To find people who understand the nuances of the game of baseball through a framework of theology is unique. A Theologian and a Baseball Fan: What Could Go Wrong? explores aspects of the game of baseball that evoke images from biblical stories and theological themes. Using a theological framework to analyze the game of baseball provides a much more interesting, if not deeper, experience of the game. It is much more than a game from this perspective. It is much more than life. Baseball becomes a reflection of the deepest meaning of life. Both baseball and faith can be described as journeys. The journey of faith begins in the wilderness as we pursue the call of God in our lives. The journey of baseball comes on two levels--one as a player striving to become a major leaguer and two as a fan whose love of baseball may be generational or dream inspired or both. We begin with the journeys of faith and baseball in section 1. Section 2 looks at the social and cultural context of faith and baseball. Both have experienced and initiated social change. Section 3 identifies how baseball and faith deal with rule breakers or sinners. Section 4 shows the relationship between baseball and faith in their unusual personalities and goals of perfection. Section 5 is a potpourri of theological images that can be found in baseball. Finally, any theological discussion requires consideration of sacrament. Maybe surprisingly, there are sacramental images in baseball. On one level, A Theologian and a Baseball Fan: What Could Go Wrong? is an autobiography of Dan Flanagan. He traces how he was first introduced to baseball through his playing days and into his professional involvement in broadcasting, which gave him access to major league baseball in a way he was unable to achieve as a player. His multiple universes of interest come together in this book. His years of biblical teaching is evident. The breadth of his reading adds interest. His years of playing the game provides a flavor of legitimacy of one who knows the game of baseball. A Theologian and a Baseball Fan: What Could Go Wrong? will challenge you and entertain you as a baseball fan and as a person of faith. It will expand your love of both!

Within the excellent, if underrated, body of adult baseball fiction that emerged in the latter half of the twentieth century, one finds a distinctive subgenre of baseball novels that feature the religious aspirations of their characters and the spiritual qualities of the game of baseball. The Great God Baseball looks at nine of these novels, including lesser known gems and established classics. It endeavors to make them more accessible to casual as well as serious readers, fans and non-fans alike, through discussion of key motifs, analysis of unique narrative structure, and frequent cross-references that locate theworks in a literary context.The Literary Line-Up includes:1. Douglass Wallop, The Year the Yankees Lost the Pennant (1954) 2. James F. Donohue, Spitballs & Holy Water (1977) 3. Jerome Charyn, The Seventh Babe (1979)4. W. P. Kinsella, Shoeless Joe (1982) 5. Eric Rolfe Greenberg, The Celebrant (1983)6. Nancy Willard, Things Invisible to See (1984)7. W. P. Kinsella, The Iowa Baseball Confederacy (1986) 8. David James Duncan, The Brothers K (1992)9. Darryl Brock, Havana Heat (2000)The varied religious experiences portrayed in these superb novels stimulate us to engage our society, our national pastime, our own imagination, and our sense of spiritual awareness. From a literary encounter with the great game of baseball, we emerge, as if from a church, temple, or ball park, different, re-created people. The Great God Baseball seeks to be an agent for this encounter.

Here are poems that celebrate and interpret the game by one of America's finest poets. They are for everyone who has experienced the magic released when three holy things come together: bat, ball and glove. "Ethelbert Miller is one of the most significant and influential poets of our time." --Gwendolyn Brooks If God Invented Baseball is a complete game of baseball poems, a full nine innings pitched by a “master twirler,” whose complete arsenal includes fastballs, curves and change-ups, and the occasional knuckler, to keep readers swinging for the fences, his full artistry on display. Ethelbert Miller's work captures the enjoyment of the game from childhood to old age. Baseball fans will place this book next to their scorecards, peanuts and beer. Poetry readers will equally be delighted. If God Invented Baseball is a book for the ballpark and the home. “Ethelbert's replay of baseball joys and sorrows is a must read. He brings us THE GAME with skill and grace. It is an inside the park home run” -- Clifford Alexander

In Baseball Hits and Bible Bits, pastor and former Minor League pitcher Frank D. Minton shares unforgettable stories and anecdotes about two of his great loves in lifebaseball and the Bible. When Minton was eleven years old, God called him to preach; that call to serve the Lord would never leave his heart. His north high school exploits on the ball fields of Wichita, Kansas, earned him a scholarship at the University of Oklahoma and eventually a contract with the Dodgers organization. After three years in the minors, he realized that following Gods call was more important than making it to the big leagues. He turned down the Dodgers contract offer for a fourth year, leaving baseball behind to become a Baptist minister. It was one of the most difficult decisions of his life, but according to Minton, he traded a diamond for a crown. Baseball poems and songs are sprinkled throughout, and sketches by artist Berth-el Young add dimension and feeling. With stories about baseball greats both past and presentsuch as Sandy Koufax, Josh Hamilton, and Albert Pujolsand rich autobiographical details of a life lived in the service of the Lord, Baseball Hits and Bible Bits has something for just about everybody: from little leaguers to bush leaguers to big leaguers.

The best-selling Humor for the Heart series has become a national favorite, and these humorous editions see the lighter side of the joys, challenges, and adventures of living in today's world. This series includes best-selling authors like Patsy Clairmont, Max Lucado, Barbara Johnson, Chonda Pierce, Marilyn Meberg, Dennis Swanberg, Charles Swindoll, Martha Bolton, Mark Lowry, and many more. The humor in these hilarious books has the power to transform a down day into an optimistic adventure or an OK day into a celebration. These books are guaranteed to lift you above the mundane and give your heart a healthy dose of optimism and hope.