A careful examination and critique of various forms of the search for perfection in Western history from a liberal humanistic point of view which values diversity and caring.

The following study on Ti1lich's theology is based on a doctoral dissertation, presented to the Ludwig-Maximilian University at Munich in December, 1967. Tillich's theology, however, is not a simple structure to analyze, since it is so systematically interrelated. Certainly every major area of his theo logical system involves all other major areas, and even the minor areas have complex ramifications to the total system itself. The following pages, there fore, can only be construed as one among many viewpoints of his system. Tillich's theological structure might be compared to a painting or some other work of art: one must view it now from this direction, now from that, in order to appreciate the total effect. Certain points should, however, be mentioned here. First of all, a key notion in this system is "essentialization. " This concept rounds off and com pletes Ti1lich's entire work. Unfortunately, Ti1lich himself did not write extensively on this topic, nor did he actually correlate it to the beginning and middle of his system, although it expresses the final telos of his entire theo logical work. I have drawn out of the Systematic Theology as much as possi ble on the subject of "essentialization," and have tried to analyze it in light of other key-concepts in his system.

The idea of progress from the Enlightenment to postmodernism is still very much with us. In intellectual discourse, journals, popular magazines, and radio and talk shows, the debate between those who are "progressivists" and those who are "declinists" is as spirited as it was in the late seventeenth century. In History of the Idea of Progress, Robert Nisbet traces the idea of progress from its origins in Greek, Roman, and medieval civilizations to modern times. It is a masterful frame of reference for understanding the present world. Nisbet asserts there are two fundamental building blocks necessary to Western doctrines of human advancement: the idea of growth, and the idea of necessity. He sees Christianity as a key element in both secular and spiritual evolution, for it conveys all the ingredients of the modern idea of progress: the advancement of the human race in time, a single time frame for all the peoples and epochs of the past and present, the conception of time as linear, and the envisagement of the future as having a Utopian end. In his new introduction, Nisbet shows why the idea of progress remains of critical importance to studies of social evolution and natural history. He provides a contemporary basis for many disciplines, including sociology, economics, philosophy, religion, politics, and science. History of the Idea of Progress continues to be a major resource for scholars in all these areas.

Many of the great thinkers and poets in Christianity and Islam led lives marked by personal and religious struggle. Indeed, suffering and struggle are part of the human condition and constant themes in philosophy, sociology and psychology. In this thought-provoking book, acclaimed scholar Mona Siddiqui ponders how humankind finds meaning in life during an age of uncertainty. Here, she explores the theme of human struggle through the writings of iconic figures such as Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Muhammad Ghazali, Rainer Maria Rilke and Sayyid Qutb - people who searched for meaning in the face of adversity. Considering a wide range of thinkers and literary figures, her book explores how suffering and struggle force the faithful to stretch their imagination in order to bring about powerful and prophetic movements for change. The moral and aesthetic impulse of their writings will also stimulate inter-cultural and interdisciplinary conversations on the search for meaning in an age of uncertainty.

(Book 1 in the Determination Trilogy) He wants it back… My name is Kevin Markos, former anchor for Full News Broadcasting. I say former, because an exhaustion- and frustration-fueled emotional on-air meltdown of apocalyptic proportions means my previously dignified reputation and successful career as a highly respected conservative TV news host and commentator lay in smoking, irreparable ruins. Only one person will hire me now, and it's the last person I want to work for—Democratic Senator ShaeLynn Samuels, who's determined to be the next president of the United States. My reluctance isn't because of her, but because of who's working for her: Christopher Bruunt, the head of her Secret Service detail. A college spring break trip I thought was safely hidden forever in my past, even if it never strayed far from my thoughts, now comes back to haunt me. But if I take this job and succeed, it could resurrect my career and put me at the right hand of the most powerful person in the United States. But how much am I personally willing to sacrifice to claw my way back to the top? Because Christopher never forgot that spring break, either. And he has a few agendas of his own. This MMF contemporary political romance features older main characters, second-chance love, an Alpha Secret Service agent, power exchange, pining, frenemies to lovers, a secret workplace romance at the highest levels of our nation's government, political intrigue, and a satisfying HEA. Book 1 of the Determination Trilogy, a standalone spin-off trilogy set in the world of the Governor Trilogy, the Devastation Trilogy, and others.

How perfectible is human nature as understood in Eastern and Western philosophy, psychology, and religion? Harold Coward examines some of the very different answers to this question. He poses that in Western thought, including philosophy, psychology, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, human nature is often understood as finite, flawed, and not perfectible—in religion requiring God's grace and the afterlife to reach the goal. By contrast, Eastern thought arising in India frequently sees human nature to be perfectible and presumes that we will be reborn until we realize the goal—the various yoga psychologies, philosophies, and religions of Hinduism and Buddhism being the paths by which one may perfect oneself and realize release from rebirth. Coward uses the striking differences in the assessment of how perfectible human nature is as the comparative focus for this book.

First published in 1882, The Perfect Way or The Finding of Christ is Anna Kingsford's attempt to bring together Christianity and the Theosophical tradition, which supposes a system of fundamental truths from which all religions are born and seeks to identify that wisdom so that humans may move further along their path to perfection. This perfection, according to Kingsford, is exemplified by Christ, which she sees as a category of person and not a particular historical person. In this construction, anyone is capable of a becoming a Christ and joining with the Divine. Students of religion and spiritual seekers will find this book an interesting read from a once popular religious and philosophical movement. English physician ANNA BONUS KINGSFORD (1846-1888) was also one of the first women in England to be granted a medical degree and served as onetime president of the Theosophical Society. She is also the author of Clothing with the Sun (1889). English writer EDWARD MAITLAND (1824-1897) assisted Anna Kingsford in writing several books and then opened the Esoteric Christian Union in 1891.