In the steamy summer of 1787, as America's founding fathers fashioned their Constitution, they told the most powerful institution in their new nation what it must not do: "Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion." Few Americans understand the miracle in world history these ten words represent. For the first time in human experience, the legislative power of a nation was forbidden from legislating the conscience of man. And for over one hundred and fifty years, religion flourished, institutions of faith multiplied, and revivals transformed whole communities. Th elected representatives of the people often called for days of prayer, recognizing that religion is essential to national character. So what happened? Why is it that today a cross-shaped memorial or a religious symbol in a city seal is considered a violation of the Constitution? Why are pastors threatened if they speak out about politics and children kept from even asking about religion in the public schools? Ten Tortured Words separates historical fact from fiction, illuminating the events and personalities that shaped the writing of the Establishment Clause. In his straightforward, award-winning style, cultural historian Stephen Mansfield interprets the societal shifts that have led to the current rift between religion and politics, and takes a surprising look at what lies ahead for freedom of religion in America.

We have been indoctrinated with the lie that belief in God is irrational. As a result, the United States is rapidly becoming a post-Christian nation. At the current rate, by 2040 most Americans will no longer identify as Christian. Mark Stelter relies on his professional experiences as a lawyer, theologian, and former college professor to carefully examine secular materialism and clearly demonstrate that it is the theistic worldview—not the atheistic worldview—that is most supported by the evidence. Stelter explores a variety of topics that include the triumph of secularism in American culture, the shift in worldviews, the separation of church and state, the academic assault on religion, moral truth versus moral relativism, the intolerance of tolerance, and much more. Post-Christian Nation is a well-documented examination of how Christianity—not atheism—prevails when tested by reason, logic, and science.

“Reveals the Oprah story no other dares to tell—and with a two-edged sword that rightly divides the truth from the lies.” —Star Parker, nationally syndicated columnist and media commentator New York Times bestselling author Stephen Mansfield traces the fascinating and influential life of Oprah Winfrey, profiling her quest for spiritual enlightenment—a well-publicized journey featuring a caravan of experts, mystics, and gurus—all claiming to have a prescription for inner peace and personal well-being. Mansfield shows how Oprah’s story fits into our larger cultural experience and reveals why her spiritual discoveries have resonated so loudly in today’s popular culture. In so doing, he sheds needed light on the dangers of a spiritual journey fueled solely by a desire for self-actualization. In the end, we find that the story of Oprah is, in fact, the story of us—of a generation searching desperately for something meaningful to believe in. “Stephen Mansfield offers us an unvarnished account of Winfrey’s life (and our own spiritual wandering) told graciously and irresistibly. You will be thrilled, disturbed, and astounded, but ultimately inspired and uplifted.” —Rabbi Daniel Lapin, American Alliance of Jews and Christians

"It ain’t so much the things we don’t know that get us into trouble," nineteenth-century humorist Josh Billings remarked. "It’s the things we know that just ain’t so." In this bold New York Times bestseller, acclaimed author and talk-radio host Michael Medved zeroes in on ten of the biggest fallacies that millions of Americans believe about our country–in spite of incontrovertible evidence to the contrary. The Big Lies exposed and dissected include: • America was founded on genocide against Native Americans. • The United States is uniquely guilty for the crime of slavery and built its wealth on stolen African labor. • Aggressive governmental programs offer the only remedy for economic downturns and poverty. • The Founders intended a secular, not Christian, nation. Each of the ten lies is a grotesque, propagandistic misrepresentation of the historical record. Medved’s witty, well-documented rebuttal supplies the ammunition necessary to fire back the next time somebody tries to recycle destructive distortions about our nation.

From Homer ("winged words") to Robert Burns ("Beware a tongue that's smoothly hung") to Rudyard Kipling ("Words are, of course, the most powerful drug used by mankind"), writers from all over the world have put pen to paper on the inexhaustible topic of language. Yet surprisingly, their writings on the subject have never been gathered in a single volume. In Words on Words, David and Hilary Crystal have collected nearly 5,000 quotations about language and all its intriguing aspects: speaking, reading, writing, translation, verbosity, usage, slang, and more. As the stock-in-trade of so many professions—orators, media personalities, writers, and countless others—language's appeal as a subject is extraordinarily relevant and wide-ranging. The quotations are grouped thematically under 65 different headings, from "The Nature of Language" through the "Language of Politics" to "Quoting and Misquoting." This arrangement enables the reader to explore a topic through a variety of lenses, ancient and modern, domestic and foreign, scientific and casual, ironic and playful. Three thorough indexes—to authors, sources, and key words—provide different entry points into the collection. A valuable resource for professional writers and scholars, Words on Words is for anyone who loves language and all things linguistic.

This book is dedicated to the memory of these two good friends and all the others from the Army Specialized Training Program (ASTP) at the Texas Western College in El Paso, Texas who gave their lives that the rest of us in the 12th Armored Division might live. John Fuchs and John Haufle were in the 17th Armored Infantry, 12th Armored Division and they were killed in action in Alsace, France in the winter campaign of 1944-45. The rest of us in the 12th Armored Division have had 60 more years to live, getting married, raising families and building careers. It is fitting that we give some time to studying the causes of wars and speaking out to make the changes in the United Nations that are necessary to make it effective in bringing peace.

This narrative is an inspiring rendition of three amazing legacies. A Model Republic is an insightful presentation of the settling and founding of America. Freedom of Religion portrays the origins and beliefs of the seven foremost religions. Modern Science describes the origin and methods of science; and provides a fascinating overview of the creation / evolution issue.