Richly illustrated, Enduring Truths examines the freed slave Sojourner Truth, who achieved fame in the nineteenth century as an orator and abolitionist, and who, though illiterate, earned a living on the anti-slavery lecture circuit in part by selling cartes-de-visite of herself. Cartes-de-visitesimilar in format to post cardsoffered a mode of mass communication back in the day. Even then, they were collectible novelties. Virtually every celebrity used them to purvey their own countenance in order to become part of the popular imagination of a society. Sojourner Truth aspired to nothing less. These photographs of her are famous, and they have been commented upon before, but they have not received the kind of in-depth, nuanced cultural analysis offered in this book."

Influenced in part by the writings of Sun Tzu, Carl von Clausewitz, Henri Jomini, and other strategists, most major militaries have adopted principles of war that are widely promulgated. Marvin Pokrant argues that these commonly accepted principles fail to reflect the ideas that led to them. Looking at the fundamental and enduring concepts behind the original principles of war, Pokrant presents nine new principles of war. To illustrate his points Pokrant uses numerous examples drawn from military history, including land, sea, and air warfare from ancient times to the present. By analyzing and reforming the principles of war, Pokrant provides a modern, relevant, and useful way to guide decisions made in times of war.

Christianity Today 2023 Book Award Finalist (Bible & Devotional) Sheltering Mercy helps us rediscover the rich treasures of the Psalms--through free-verse prayer renderings of their poems and hymns--as a guide to personal devotion and meditation. The church has always used the Psalms as part of its prayer life, and they have inspired countless other prayers. This book contains 75 prayers drawn from Psalms 1-75, providing lyrical sketches of what authors Ryan Whitaker Smith and Dan Wilt have seen, heard, and felt while sojourning in the Psalms. While each prayer corresponds to a particular psalm and touches on its themes and ideas, it is not a new translation of the Psalms or an attempt to modernize or contextualize their content or language. Rather, the prayers are responses to the Psalms written in harmony with Scripture. These prayers help us quiet our hearts before God and welcome us into a safe place amid the storms of life. This artful, poetic, and classic devotional book features compelling custom illustrations and beautiful hardcover binding, offering a fresh way to reflect on and pray the Psalms.

In every age God raises up saints who best exemplify the virtues so needed in their day. Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen was one of the most loved and influential teachers in America in the twentieth century. With wisdom coupled with a wonderful sense of humor, Sheen was a master communicator who showed the way to be authentic, down-to-earth, and holy.

In one of the most striking opening scenes ever written, a bizarre ballooning accident and a chance meeting give birth to an obsession so powerful that an ordinary man is driven to the brink of madness and murder by another's delusions. Ian McEwan brings us an unforgettable story—dark, gripping, and brilliantly crafted—of how life can change in an instant.

"This comprehensive history of the U.S. Agency for International Development, the U.S. government’s official bilateral foreign aid agency, deserves to be read by all students of U.S. foreign policy." Foreign Affairs US Foreign aid is one of the most misunderstand functions of our federal government. Consuming less than 1% of the federal government budget, it has nonetheless played an outsized role in political debate. At the center of this controversy and misunderstanding has been the U.S. Agency for International Development, or AID, the government agency created during the Kennedy administration to administer America’s foreign assistance programs, an often-conflicted behemoth with a presence spanning the globe. In this book, journalist and foreign policy expert John Norris provides a compelling and rich story of AID, warts and all. There have been moments of enormous triumph: the eradication of smallpox, the Green Revolution, efforts to bring family planning to millions of women for the first time. There have also been florid, headline-grabbing failures in places like Vietnam and Iraq, missteps born out of ignorance and ethnocentrism, and money that flowed into the coffers of despots like President Mobutu in Zaire. In totality, the work of AID has touched millions and millions of lives in ways that have been truly profound, both good and bad. On the Eve of AID’s 60th anniversary, Norris shares history on an almost epic scale that remains largely untold.

Enduring Truth argues that faithfulness to Scripture is the solution to a “crisis” among African American preaching. Though misinterpreting God’s Word is not restricted to one race or culture, author Aaron Lavender identifies three factors that have precipitated the decline of black preaching specifically: racial segregation, black liberation theology, and prosperity theology. The book’s first chapter recounts the history of the crisis, noting how discrimination in theological education led black ministers to liberal colleges and seminaries that prophetically confronted Jim Crow but taught the social gospel and other forms of theological error. Such schools ultimately were harmful to the spiritual health of black churches. Subsequent chapters discuss the role of biblical exegesis in preaching, develop a theology of preaching, and suggest preaching methods for the postmodern world. Every biblical text has one meaning, according to Lavender. The preacher’s job is to determine and communicate that meaning, then show its relevance in the cultural context of his hearers. Proof-texting and relativism, Lavender writes, are two great enemies of biblical preaching. While focused on the African American context, this volume addresses topics relevant to all preachers. Enduring Truth is suited both for ministry practitioners and preaching courses. It will help readers elevate the Word of God over the worldly allures of any ministry setting.