An examination of Social Awakenment, History-Long Vision, Holistic Social Understanding & Strategies of Transformation As viewed by five United States Citizens in 2011 Lead author Gene Marshall with coauthors, Ben Ball, Marsha Buck, Ken Kreutziger, and Alan Richard Though vast changes are necessary, we believe humanity can find a vision and plan of action that is both satisfying and realistic. Our aim is to fertilize the fruitful imagination and courage it will require to walk this Road to Eco-Democracy. Wise, insightful, forthright, systemic, and clearly written, with moments of special brilliance. The framing of The Forces of Transformation and The Role and Limitations of Electoral Politics are particularly distinctive and useful contributions. David Korten, author of Agenda for a New Economy, The Great Turning From Empire to Earth Community, and When Corporations Rule the World I hope The Road is read and discussed by groups of friends and neighbors across the country. Sidestepping the political stalemates of the day, the authors name the basic problems facing our society, explain why taking the long view is crucial (but largely missing), and propose the processes by which we might create an eco-democracy. Charlene Spretnak, author of Relational Reality, The Resurgence of the Real, and States of Grace I was enormously cheered by The Road from Empire to Eco-Democracy, which sets out a comprehensive menu of todays myths and why they must be revisited. In contrast, these days Im often depressed, not so much by the disasters unfolding before eyes, but rather by un-integrated, non-systemic band-aid solutions, which have become public policy staples. The Road neither trivializes the challenges nor tumbles into the trap of simplistic solutions. Yet beware, the many proposals in the book are neither trivial nor easy. David Sanborn Scott, Ph.D., Vice-President (for Americas) International Hydrogen Association, Founding Director, Institute for Integrated Energy Systems, Univ. of Victoria, Canada, author of Smelling Land: The Hydrogen Defense Against Climate Catastrophe

The practice of Christianity is going through a transition that is deeper than the Reformation. The Thinking Christian explores two main questions: (1) What is “religion” as a general social process that can link humans to Profound Reality, and (2) what is a meaningful and appropriate mode of Christian theologizing, communal life, and mission to this planet for a viable and vital next Christian practice? These are profound probes, and they are communal and activist guidelines for general readers. Such union of the profound and the practical pertains to the needs of scholars as well.

The Palgrave Handbook of Radical Theology is the definitive guide to radical theology and the commencement for new directions in that field. For the first time, radical theology is addressed and assessed in a single, comprehensive volume, including introductory and historical essays for the beginner, essays on major figures and their thought, and shorter articles on various themes, concepts, and related topics. This book is a seminal work for the radical theology movement. It clarifies origins and demonstrates the exigency and utility of current figures and issues. A useful and essential guide for newcomers and veterans in the field, this volume serves as both a reference work and an introduction to omitted or forgotten topics within contemporary discussions.

In this pathbreaking book, Pierre Charbonnier opens up a new intellectual terrain: an environmental history of political ideas. His aim is not to locate the seeds of ecological thought in the history of political ideas as others have done, but rather to show that all political ideas, whether or not they endorse ecological ideals, are informed by a certain conception of our relationship to the Earth and to our environment. The fundamental political categories of modernity were founded on the idea that we could improve on nature, that we could exert a decisive victory over its excesses and claim unlimited access to earthly resources. In this way, modern thinkers imagined a political society of free individuals, equal and prosperous, alongside the development of industry geared towards progress and liberated from the Earth’s shackles. Yet this pact between democracy and growth has now been called into question by climate change and the environmental crisis. It is therefore our duty today to rethink political emancipation, bearing in mind that this can no longer draw on the prospect of infinite growth promised by industrial capitalism. Ecology must draw on the power harnessed by nineteenth-century socialism to respond to the massive impact of industrialization, but it must also rethink the imperative to offer protection to society by taking account of the solidarity of social groups and their conditions in a world transformed by climate change. This timely and original work of social and political theory will be of interest to a wide readership in politics, sociology, environmental studies and the social sciences and humanities generally.

When a career federal employee is contacted by his old college friend a Baltimore cop for a favor, he opens the door to more drama than the cop explained, including vigilante heroics by 16-year-old intercity basketball players whose fearless involvement to stop a known street criminal sets off a series of bizarre connections to an international drug cartel. Operated by a powerful Korean billionaire with sights set on world domination, the drug business is secondary to the wealthy antagonists real intentions, something the bureaucrat and cop hope to discover while also searching for an assassin beaded on the U. S. Secretary of Agriculture. The answers gel when the billionaires Global Anchor drops on an unsuspecting part of the nations economy.

Experience the transformative power of a Reality too vast to grasp. In Part One embark on a voyage through the enigmatic ‘Land of Mystery,’ where we learn to thrive amidst uncertainty, nourishing our curious beings with approximate yet meaningful insights. Delve into Part Two and explore the tapestry of religious practices inviting the Eternity of Profound Reality to be present in our lives. Finally in Part Three, take in the example of Christian faith, especially where ancient scriptures resonate with newfound relevance in the modern era. Through these pages find balance in being more alive within these challenging times.

Offering a broad-based critique of industrialism, Morrison explores currently emerging ecological democracies, such as the Mondragon Cooperative system in Spain, the Seikatsu Cooperative Clubs in Japan, and Coop Atlantic in Canada. He outlines a dramatic revitalized participatory democracy--which includes community control of finances, a social wage, cooperative econoies, demilitarization, and a solar transition--and shows how to get there from here.