Amanda Childs, Attorney at Law, also moonlights as parish organist at St. Catherines Episcopal Church, Mainville. A widow, she lost her husband Andrew, an FBI agent, four years ago when he was mysteriously killed. The details of his death were never disclosed by the authorities. Amanda has never remarried. Instead, Amanda has thrown herself into her law practice, as well as immersed herself in the musical and church activities in the small town of Mainville. Her dear friend and constant companion is Marjorie Witherspoon, an older and wealthy woman who lost her husband and daughter, Amandas best friend, in an automobile accident fifteen years earlier. Together they are active in church and community activities. Amandas friend Marjy succumbs in a valiant fight against cancer. Amanda finds herself again alone and struggling with her grief and loneliness. In the aftermath of Marjys death, Amanda discovers herself suddenly named in Marjories new will as trustee for several large projects on behalf of the church, and as residuary legatee, the estate being in excess of fifty million dollars. The day of the memorial service, the Bishop, Stephen Marks, who is celebrating the Eucharist, is handed a letter from Marjorie Witherspoon, to whom he was engaged years ago. He staggers out of church during the service, and suffers a heart attack. Amanda finds him, and her intervention helps save his life. Later at the wake Amanda becomes violently ill and passes out. There are some rumblings in the community that she is actually a closet alcoholic and pill addict. The day after the memorial service, Amanda is visited by an auditor from the Presiding Bishop, who is investigating unexplained disappearances of monies from the diocese and church, the vehicle seemingly through the recital series fund she and Marjorie had set up. Suspicion turns to Amanda, as allegations are made that she has unduly influenced Marjorie Witherspoon in order to inherit, as well as that she has set up a corporation for the embezzlement of funds from the church. Amanda finds herself embroiled in possible scandal and criminal investigation, as Connor Thomson, the auditor retained by the Presiding Bishops office, continues to encounter and engage her in his search for evidence. Her close childhood friend Bill Barnes, another attorney from an old established family in town, a perennial playboy and recent widower, reappears at her side, trying to seduce her into marriage. Amanda is faced with a dilemma of who to trust as she is mired in suspicion and the evidence of fraud points to her. Mysterious incidents threaten her life and keep her on edge. In the meantime she must fend off the accusations of Connor Thomson and the advances of Bill Barnes, while making arrangements to get away to New York to see Malachi Feinstein, the attorney handling Marjories estate, who urges her to meet with him without delay. As Amanda is drawn more and more into danger, she is unaware that the small-town secrets regarding her and those she has loved, events about which she has been in the dark, are about to be revealed.

She's an Oscar-winning actress, a devoted mother, and a down-to-earth Southern belle. And she's only thirty years old. In this fascinating biography of Reese Witherspoon, Lauren Brown chronicles Witherspoon's participation in local talent shows, her Hollywood debut, and her Academy Award for Best Actress. Brown also highlights the actress's emphasis on maintaining her values in an industry that often has none. Laura Jeanne Reese Witherspoon was astonishingly ambitious from a young age. By seven, she appeared in commercials and was already taking adult acting classes. In 1990 she earned her first starring role in the film Man on the Moon, and suddenly Hollywood took notice. Brown delves into Witherspoon's decision to put a hold on her acting career to pursue an education — a hold that couldn't last when the scripts kept rolling in — her work with her production company Type A, and, of course, her high-visibility relationship with Ryan Phillippe, whom she met at her 21st birthday party. The first-ever biography of the star, Reese Witherspoon gives fans a close-up look at Hollywood's golden girl.

This is a story of religious and democratic covenants and controversies in the foundations of America and in the soul of its colleges and universities. Coinciding entangled democratic beliefs and convictions distinctly define the American body politic and are in the foundation of the nation and its colleges and universities.

Reese Witherspoon is an American actress, producer, and entrepreneur who rose to fame in the 1990s with her roles in films such as "Man in the Moon" and "Pleasantville." Witherspoon has since become one of Hollywood's leading ladies, winning numerous awards for her performances in films like "Walk the Line" and "Wild." In addition to her successful acting career, Witherspoon is also a savvy businesswoman, founding the production company Hello Sunshine and launching an online book club called Reese's Book Club. Witherspoon's personal life has also garnered attention over the years. She has been married twice, first to actor Ryan Phillippe, with whom she has two children, and currently to talent agent Jim Toth, with whom she has one child. Witherspoon has also been open about her experiences with sexism in Hollywood and has become a vocal advocate for equal pay and opportunities for women in the industry.

This book explores in unprecedented detail the theological thinking of John Witherspoon during his often overlooked ministerial career in Scotland. In contrast to the arguments made by other historians, it shows that there was considerable continuity of thought between Witherspoon’s Scottish ministry and the second half of his career as one of America’s Founding Fathers. The book argues that Witherspoon cannot be properly understood until he is seen as not only engaged with the Enlightenment, but also firmly grounded in the Calvinist tradition of High to Late Orthodoxy, embedded in the transatlantic Evangelical Awakening of the eighteenth century, and frustrated by the state of religion in the Scottish Kirk. Alongside the titles of pastor, president, educator, philosopher, should be a new category: John Witherspoon as Reformed apologist. This is a fresh re-examination of the intellectual formation of one of Scotland’s most important churchman from the eighteenth century and one of America’s most influential early figures. The volume will be of keen interest to academics working in Religious History, American Religion, Reformed Theology and Calvinism, as well as Scottish and American history more generally.