Gold-medal winner of a Next Generation Book Award, silver-medal winner of the Independent Publishers Book Award. As featured on the PBS NewsHour “A gem of a book.” — LIBRARY JOURNAL (STARRED REVIEW) A step-by-step guide to raising confident, open-minded kids in an age of religious intolerance. Relax, It's Just God offers parents fresh, practical and honest ways to address issues of God and faith with children while promoting curiosity and kindness, and successfully fending off indoctrination. A rapidly growing demographic cohort in America, secular parents are at the forefront of a major and unprecedented cultural shift. Unable to fall back on what they were taught as children, many of these parents are struggling, or simply failing, to address issues of God, religion and faith with their children in ways that promote honesty, curiosity, kindness and independence. The author sifts through hard data, including the results of a survey of 1,000 nonreligious parents, and delivers gentle but straightforward advice to both non-believers and open-minded believers. With a thoughtful voice infused with humor, Russell seamlessly merges scientific thought, scholarly research and everyday experience with respect for a full range of ways to view the world. "Relax, It's Just God" goes beyond the numbers to assist parents (and grandparents) who may be struggling to find the right time place, tone and language with which to talk about God, spirituality and organized religion. It encourages parents to promote religious literacy and understanding and to support kids as they explore religion on their own -- ensuring that each child makes up his or her own mind about what to believe (or not believe) and extends love and respect to those who may not agree with them. Subjects covered include: • Talking openly about our beliefs without indoctrinating kids • Making religious literacy fun and engaging • Talking about death without the comforts of heaven • Navigating religious differences with extended family members • What to do when kids get threatened with hell

Leading the way when the way is changing.

"Gathering the perspectives of educators and psychologists, as well as wisdom from everyday parents, Parenting Beyond Belief offers insights and advice on a wide range of topics including instilling values, finding meaning and purpose, navigating holidays, coping with loss, finding community without religion, and more. The second edition of this secular parenting bestseller brings back reflections from such celebrated freethinkers as Richard Dawkins and Julia Sweeney, and adds new voices including journalist Wendy Thomas Russell, essayist Katherine Ozment, sociologist Phil Zuckerman, and many others" --

A rapidly growing demographic cohort in America, non-religious parents are at the forefront of a major and unprecedented cultural shift. Unable to fall back on what they were taught as children, many of these parents are struggling-or simply failing-to address complicated religious questions and issues with their children in ways that promote curiosity, kindness, and independence. Author Wendy Thomas Russell sifts through hard data-including the results of her own survey of 1,000 nonreligious parents-and delivers gentle but straightforward advice to this often-overlooked segment of the American population. With a thoughtful voice infused with humor, Russell seamlessly merges scientific thought, scholarly research, and everyday experience with respect for a full range of ways to view the world. Relax, It's Just God goes beyond the numbers to give nonreligious parents a toolkit to assist with their unique and complex issues and to usher in a more compassionate generation. Relax, It's Just God aims to help nonreligious parents struggling to find the right time place, tone and language with which to talk about God. It encourages parents to promote religious curiosity, communication and diversity by lightening up and opening up about religion with their kids. By supporting kids as they explore religion on their own, we ensure that they make up their own minds about what to believe, or not believe - and that they extend love and respect to those who may not agree with them.

Surveying the many forms of non-possessive intimate relationships, this book explains how these alternative lifestyle arrangements work, psychologically, and describes the benefits and risks for those involved within contemporary contexts such as swinging, threesomes, polyamory, and recreational sex clubs. The thought that one could have sex with outsiders with the consent and support of your spouse or significant other, and still love and make love with your primary partner, is a radical notion for most men and women. And yet, an increasing number of married and unmarried couples are doing just this, and their relationships are flourishing as a result. Relax, It's Just Sex: Understanding Non-Possessive Intimate Relationships examines a relatively new form of intimate relationship that is increasingly popular among contemporary couples and singles. The book introduces the term "non-possessive intimate relationships" and shows from a psychological perspective how these arrangements work, emotionally and cognitively, for the individuals involved. Licensed clinical psychologist and relationship therapist Leslie Spurr, PhD, explores the psychologically issues involved and then takes a close look at various examples of the non-possessive intimate relationship style within several, mostly covert, contexts, in which relationship partners agree to provide each other with the freedom to engage intimately with outsiders. Written in a nontechnical, accessible style, Relax, It's Just Sex uses humor and references to popular culture, including films, novels, and songs, to engage the reader in content that is primarily informative but also entertaining. This important and eye-opening book makes clear the significance and reasons for the growing popularity of the non-possessive intimate relationship phenomenon and explains why and how this "lovestyle" may constitute a sexual revolution.

You don't get better at English by filling in blanks in grammar exercises. 'Business English' is just a marketing term. Books and dictionaries teach you words most people never use. 'If' is just a regular word with no special grammar. If you can read this description, you can speak and write like a native English speaker, and you don’t need to memorize ‘Business English’ phrases and do hundreds of grammar exercises to do it. Relax, It’s Just English will show you that you already know most of the vocabulary and grammar you need to speak and write better English. There are no exercises, and you won’t find hundreds of rules and exceptions. Over 28 chapters, you will learn shortcuts through some of the trickiest and most important parts of using English, all in a fun and easy-to-read style designed to take some of the pain out of learning the language. Writing work emails, managing tenses, and using the word 'if' are all covered in a simpler, more realistic way than most students of English have heard before, and many other overlooked topics are given needed attention. Perhaps most importantly, you'll unlearn some unnecessary rules you've been taught over the years. Less stress, more authentic language. Relax, it's just English.

Assuming you've seen the title and subtitle, you're probably thinking about reading this because you're looking for answers and change. Are you tired of religion that's confusing, or weak, or discouraging, or that leaves you empty, dry, stuck and unaltered? Do you have questions about Christianity? Do you ever wonder why your experience doesn't match the Bible's promises? Would you love to be able to relax a little? Well, here's our promise to you: this book won't answer all your questions and it won't transform your spiritual life! Help you relax, rethink and refocus it, most likely. Teach you how to open up and give God a chance to bring new life to your tiring religion, probably. Help you do less, live more, and know God better, hopefully. If you reorient yourself to Him, He can answer your questions and transform your life! God will do what no book can! Kerry has been around the church his whole life and has been a pastor for over twenty years. He has served in various Christian Education leadership positions, and in interim and senior pastorates, in several denominations. His life's work has been to call people into a vital and passionate relationship with God. Pastor Kerry has focused his years of reading, study, writing, counsel and teaching on the practical side of faith. Add that experience to his personal story and spiritual adventure, some of which he will share with you, and you should find this book worth your time. "PK" has recently launched RELAX Ministries which can be found at www.relaxministries.com. Kerry lives in and is a native of upstate New York, has been married to his wife Nancy for 23 years, has three children, Kendra, Alanna and Seth, and one grandson, Kaleb.