Is it possible to be a Christian and a sexual being? At times it seems like the Church pits sexuality and spirituality against one another. Yet the cost in creating such a dichotomy has resulted in harmful implications on spiritual growth, sexual intimacy, and moral credibility. The Unauthorized Guide to Sex and the Church traces sexual attitudes and practices in Hebrew culture as presented in the Old Testament through the current issues that confront the church today. It addresses questions such as "How has the church become so notorious for sex scandals amongst its leadership?" "Why is the church unable to present a united front on sexual issues such as marriage/divorce, premarital sex, homosexuality, and abortion?" and "How can I make wise and informed choices about these important issues in light of my beliefs?" Blending historical facts with practical wisdom, this lively exploration looks at how Christian views of sex have developed and changed based on doctrinal, cultural, medical, scriptural, and psychological understandings.

Stars and galaxies, atoms and molecules, all created so to render a divine arena for God to love man and for man to love God. Atoms and molecules of our bodies observe the same physical laws as those stars of the cosmos. Yet divinity rests not with the stars but within each of us whose spirit seeks to touch them. In the twenty-first century, it is now more appropriate to equate gender identity with a spiritual hemisphere (masculine or feminine) than merely biological plumbing (genitalia). I think, too, that the Golden Rule, "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you," falls short of the mark unless the statement applies to animals and plants. Misogyny—the hatred of women. Or more provocatively, is misogyny the hatred of being attracted to women? Evil resides within one's own mind and is pointed toward other people as hate, envy, bigotry, racism, etc. The mind is a wonderful window for the sun to shine in but only works if the shades are open. Men and women participate in the game of sex—the board is the same but men bring checkers and women bring chess pieces! The most marvelous sex organ isn't between the legs, it's between the ears! Let's be clear, worship is not love. Worship is idolatry; love is love. We seek expression, sexual or otherwise, without hindrance to seek and discover self, our unique identity, our inner yearning to reach for infinity left behind yet achingly just ahead. Our souls strive for freedom, and in so doing... "What we commonly call man—the eating, drinking, counting man—does not (as we know him) represent himself. Him we do not respect. But the soul, whose organ he is, would make our knees bend. When it breathes through his intellect it is genius. When it breathes through his will it is virtue. When it flows through his affection it is love" (Walt Whitman).

When deciding on a title, I received information from the Brain and Tissue Bank of the University of Maryland saying their symbol was a butterfly. I have Dystonia, which is a neuro-muscular motor, movement disease (involving the brain, the muscles, and coordination). I am donating my brain to the Brain and Tissue Bank, so contemplated how my life could be compared to a butterfly's metamorphosis. A Butterfly's Metamorphosis: Life Story of Libby Karns is divided into three parts, or phases of a butterfly's life-cycle, as represented on the book's cover. There are 16 chapters, two hymns, and two of my poems. Some of the chapter titles are: A Life-changing Experience Odessa (You get to take a trip with me!); Precocious? Shy? Insecure?; Storybook Characters; Dystonia?/Dystonia; and Useless? Useful?.

The Butterfly Effect: Flutters of Wisdom and Kindness accentuates the compelling need for random acts of kindness. Each reader of this book can remember someone from his or her past who has made an indelible influence on his or her life. A random act of kindness can resonate with goodness for each person who participates in favor. Unfortunately, other types of acts can have an opposite effect. This work contains hundreds of “flutters” of wisdom and kindness from an eclectic composition of sources from Aristotle to Emile Zola, from Plato to Rudyard Kipling, from Booker T. Washington to Leo Tolstoy, Karl Marx to Janis Joplin. This work attempts to synthesize different thought and observations from people, past and present, from different cultures of east and west that will indicate that we all share an impetus to a common goal . . . if we help each other. Though this may be deemed a work of scholarship, it is presented in non-scholarship terms. Though the subject matters (philosophy, sex, religion, and politics) are matters of gravitas, the answers can be quite simple, if we permit them to be. This is not a “how to” book. Each person has the sovereign right to determine his or her destiny. Nevertheless, interesting and controversial points are covered so that each person may make a more informed choice about how to determine well-being. If the reader pledges to help another, thousands of others will be pledging to help the reader. A Zen Buddhist koan asks, “How does the drop of water know it is part of a wave?” A drop always has a ripple. A flutter of kindness or wisdom can shake the world.

Toward Spiritual Sovereignty diagnoses societal samodaya (Buddhist terminology for emotional craving). The author uses extensive knowledge and wisdom from masters of ages past and present to refocus the spirit of man (spiritus mundi) on a wholesome re-creation of the world community. Every soul has the divine right to determine his or her sacred path to their unique destiny upon the horizons of learned choice. Political aggression, (governmental power), religious aggression (proselytizing), and financial aggression (voracious capitalism) provide conflict and work against the realization of happiness and wellbeing. These works are an attempt to advocate for the abolition of hindrance toward those ends, to advocate, without fetter, for spiritual sovereignty of every soul.Each person, Homo Divinitas (man of Divinity) should be able to experience life without threat. Threat can manifest in the form of hunger, poverty, illiteracy, illness, or physical/emotional/spiritual aggression. The 21st century provides an atmosphere of escalating violence, and terror, amidst the Middle East in particular, and the world in general. Such as the Roman Forum prior to the turn of the first millennia after Christ, mankind seems unable or unwilling to cease participation in the spiritual morphine of violence whether real, virtual, or vicarious. Mr. Casperson's authorship proposes effective measures for self-enlightenment and effective ways to cope with violence and political and religious terrorism. Comments and e-dialog are encouraged at the johncasperson.com website blog/site.

This collection of essays examines how God’s justice and mercy intersect in the lives of individuals and their communities, with a view to the establishment of personal and social well-being in the world. The authors, drawn from England and Australia, approach the theme from a variety of methodological and interdisciplinary perspectives. Theological, exegetical, historical, healthcare, moral, and visual arts approaches are brought to bear in an investigation relevant for the identity and mission of the church in a world characterized by cycles of revenge, the perpetration of injustice, and the marginalization and persecution of various ethnic groups. The practical outcome of these studies has wide-ranging relevance for our attitudes toward indigenous peoples, the well-being of single and married people, healthcare throughout the ages, the spiritual care of people (including those suffering dementia), the personal experience of trauma, issues of moral judgement, and the abiding value of the creative arts.