From one of the country's most acclaimed writers, a major new novel that depicts the joys and sorrows of modern China. Yang Fei was born on a moving train, lost by his mother, adopted by a young railway worker, raised with simplicity and love—utterly unprepared for the changes that await him and his country. As a young man, he searches for a place to belong in a nation ceaselessly reinventing itself. At forty-one, he meets an unceremonious death, and lacking the money for a burial plot, must roam the afterworld aimlessly. There, over the course of seven days, he encounters the souls of people he's lost, and as he retraces the path of his life, we meet an extraordinary cast of characters: his adoptive father, beautiful ex-wife, neighbours who perished in the demolition of their homes. Vivid, urgent and panoramic, Yang Fei's passage movingly traces the contours of his vast nation - its absurdities, its sorrows and its soul. This searing novel affirms Yu Hua's place as the standard-bearer of Chinese fiction. A former dentist, now a bestselling writer in Asia, Yu Hua is the acclaimed author of five novels, six story collections and four essay collections. His work has been translated into more than twenty languages. He has received many awards, including the James Joyce Award, France's Prix Courrier International, and Italy's Premio Grinzane Cavour. Yu Hua lives in Beijing. ‘What makes his characters truly rich isn’t money, but what they are willing to sacrifice for others.’ Saturday Paper ‘With a mesmerizing vision of what the afterworld might look like, internationally award-winning novelist Hua crafts a discerning critique of contemporary Chinese culture through an evocative allegory revealing fates much worse than death.’ Booklist ‘Arguably China’s best-known contemporary writer (To Live, adapted into Zhang Yimou’s acclaimed film; the Man Asian Prize-shortlisted Brothers), Yu offers a new work that is surprisingly gentler than his previous titles. Although the author retains his signature outlook of an absurdist new China with little regard for humanity—27 fetuses floating down a river, iPhones worth more than life, kidney harvesting from willing young bodies—this latest is ultimately less graphic exposé and more poignant fable about family bonds made not of blood ties but unbreakable heartstrings. It will assuredly reward Yu’s readers, familiar and new.’ STARRED REVIEW, Library Journal ‘Yu doesn’t shy away from the harshness of modern China—but he also highlights the humanity and kindness of ordinary people, their small everyday struggles, and their refusal to bow before the diktats of the government.’ NPR ‘In short The Seventh Day is a discovery; a book that rewards in the story it tells and the thoughts it provokes. Well worth your time.’ Rightz ‘Hua writes to expose and condemn the barbarities of a regime...but he does so with artful allegory and endearing humour, the formality of his prose in Barr’s translation making a very effective foil for his gently barbed fantasy.’ Adelaide Advertiser ‘Hua’s imagination and the completeness and integrity of his vision are compelling.’ Weekend Press ‘Haunting and original, The Seventh Day is a Brothers Grimm tale for grown-ups.’ Weekend Herald ‘Surreal, mordant...For many, this fantasy may be Yu’s most devastating critique of the new Chinese reality.’ New York Times

Seventh-day Adventists and the Civil Rights Movement is the first in-depth study of the denomination's participation in civil rights politics. It considers the extent to which the denomination's theology influenced how its members responded. This book explores why a brave few Adventists became social and political activists, and why a majority of the faithful eschewed the movement. Samuel G. London, Jr., provides a clear, yet critical understanding of the history and theology of the Seventh-day Adventist Church while highlighting the contributions of its members to political reform. Community awareness, the example of early Adventist pioneers, liberationist interpretations of the Bible, as well as various intellectual and theological justifications motivated the civil rights activities of some Adventists. For those who participated in the civil rights movement, these factors superseded the conservative ideology and theology that came to dominate the church after the passing of its founders. Covering the end of the 1800s through the 1970s, the book discusses how Christian fundamentalism, the curse of Ham, the philosophy of Booker T. Washington, pragmatism, the aversion to ecumenism and the Social Gospel, belief in the separation of church and state, and American individualism converged to impact Adventist sociopolitical thought.

This book is a story of how Adventists came to view themselves as a prophetic people, of their growing awareness of a resposibility to take their unique message to all the world, and of their organizational and institutional development as they sought to fulfill their prophetic mission. By the end of this volume, you as a reader and I as a author will find ourselves in the flow of Adventist history. - Millerite Roots. Era of Doctrinal Development. Era of Organizational Development. Era of Institutional and Lifestyle Development. Era of Revival, Reform, and Expansion. Era of Reorganization and Crisis. Era of Worldwide Growth. The Challenges and Possibilities of Maturity.

Seventh-day Adventism was born as a radical millenarian sect in nineteenth-century America. It has since spread across the world, achieving far more success in Latin America, Africa, and Asia than in its native land. In what seems a paradox, Adventist expectation of Christ’s imminent return has led the denomination to develop extensive educational, publishing, and health systems. Increasingly established within a variety of societies, Adventism over time has modified its views on many issues and accommodated itself to the “delay” of the Second Advent. In the process, it has become a multicultural religion that nonetheless reflects the dominant influence of its American origins. This second edition of Historical Dictionary of the Seventh-Day Adventists covers its history through a chronology, an introductory essay, appendixes, and an extensive bibliography. The dictionary section has over 600 cross-referenced entries on key people, cinema, politics and government, sports, and critics of Ellen White. This book is an excellent access point for students, researchers, and anyone wanting to know more about Seventh-day Adventism.

In The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day, Sigve K. Tonstad recovers the profound and foundational understanding of God that can be experienced in the seventh day. He shows that Scripture has consistently asserted that the Sabbath of Creation is the Sabbath of the whole story of how God makes right what has gone wrong in the world. Tonstad argues that the seventh day is the symbol of God¿s faithfulness precisely when God¿s presence seems to be in doubt. He demonstrates how God, through the seventh day, seeks the benefit of all creation. Inevitably, this leads to an investigation of how this universal symbol became obscured. This sweeping work of biblical theology and historical analysis traces the seventh day as it is woven throughout Scripture and the history of Christianity. Its twenty-seven chapters consider, among other things, the relationship of the seventh day to freedom, to social conscience, to the ¿greatest commandment,¿ and to the enigmatic ¿rest that remains.¿ Tonstad engages the move away from the seventh day in early Christian history, the mindset in medieval Christianity, and the sobering long-term implications leading all the way to the Holocaust and the ecological crises in our time. The Lost Meaning of the Seventh Day will engage, illuminate, provoke, and ultimately inspire readers who enjoy a serious work presented in a style that is ¿luminous¿ and a ¿delight to read.¿

Seventh-day Adventism entices members into it using trickery and half-truths. They tell the unenlightened public one thing and insiders yet another. Dr. Kelly explains how he was tricked into joining. He then refutes the theological fiasco called the Investigative Judgment which created the sect. Much of the book looks at the Sabbath with fresh insight. The final part reveals the mysterious realms of Sheol and Hades in order to expose SDA error about the soul. Russell Kelly is also the author of Should the Church Teach Tithing? A Theologian's Conclusions about a Taboo Doctrine-a best seller on Amazon.com under "Tithing" since 2001.