Ideas like the "preferential option for the poor"-arguing that people marginalized by the economy have a claim to "special consideration"-have been among the most significant insights in twentieth-century Christian theology. Arising out of various theologies of liberation, options for the poor and for people at the margins of society have provided major new impulses for biblical studies, systematic theology, church history, ecclesial practice, and the academic study of religion. Opting for the margins continues to be an important issue at a time when the gap between rich and poor is growing at an alarming rate both in the United States and in many other parts of the world, and when other gaps (based, for example, on differences in gender or race) continue to linger. Recently, however, options for the margins have been challenged by postmodern shifts in intellectual, social, political, and economic realities that often replace preferential options with other emphases, such as general concerns for pluralism, otherness, and difference. Options for the margins are therefore (at best) reduced to the special interests of certain minority groups, or (at worst) rejected as antiquated and irrelevant for the twenty-first century. The essays in this volume show how some forms of postmodern thought and theology can mask patterns of oppression and provide an excuse for deafness to voices from the margins. The authors, writing from a wide variety of national, ethnic, and theological perspectives, seek to revive the preferential option for the poor for the postmodern world, showing how options for the margins can engage postmodernity in new ways and break new ground in religious, theological, and ethical, as well as social, political, and economic thinking. The essays connect philosophical and theological arguments to the concrete realities of the postmodern world and to uncover new sources of energy in the life and death struggles of people across the globe.

To be a follower of Jesus means to bear witness to the truth of God. In an age when so many contemporary voices portray faith as a form of personal therapy, Gene L. Davenport, Professor Emeritus of Religion at Lambuth University, has consistently reminded us in his own witness that the truth of the Gospel entails confrontation with the world that dwells in darkness. These essays in honor of Davenport address the meaning of witness in the face of racism, sexism, and religious bigotry, to name but some of the forms this darkness takes. The topics range from emerging forms of prayer to religious themes in cowboy music, from the work of white pastors in Mississippi during the growing Civil Rights Movement to the meaning of the Righteous Gentile in Jewish-Christian friendship. Contributors: D. Brent Laytham Randy Cooper Stanley Hauerwas Billy Vaughan James T. Laney Kenneth L. Carder M. Douglas Meeks Phyllis Tickle L. Edward Phillips Tex Sample Cindy Wesley Joseph T. Reiff Margaret J. Meyer Charles Mayo

Federal spending on surface-transportation infrastructure outpaces federal taxes on gasoline and diesel fuel. Increasing fuel efficiency means that fuel-purchase expenditures have dropped, so real revenue generated from these taxes has declined. A percentage tax on crude oil and imported refined-petroleum products consumed in the United States could fund U.S. transportation infrastructure.

"This textbook is a great resource for teaching students how to conduct basic quantitative analysis using Stata. It provides intuitive examples from real data sets. I think it is a great resource for teaching students how to carry their own research projects." —Sabri Ciftci, Kansas State University Popular for its speed, flexibility, and attractive graphics, Stata is a powerful tool for political science students. With Philip Pollock′s Fourth Edition of A Stata® Companion to Political Analysis, students quickly learn Stata via step-by-step instruction, more than 50 exercises, customized datasets, annotated screen shots, boxes that highlight Stata′s special capabilities, and guidance on using Stata to read raw data. This attractive and value-priced workbook, an ideal complement to Pollock’s Essentials of Political Analysis, is a must-have for any political science student working with Stata. Give your students the SAGE edge! SAGE edge offers a robust online environment featuring an impressive array of free tools and resources for review, study, and further exploration, keeping both instructors and students on the cutting edge of teaching and learning.

This textbook offers an easily understandable introduction to the fundamental concepts of financial mathematics and financial engineering. The author presents and discusses the basic concepts of financial engineering and illustrates how to trade and to analyze financial products with numerous examples. Special attention is given to the valuation of basic financial derivatives. In the final section of the book, the author introduces the Wiener Stock Price Model and the basic principles of Black-Scholes theory. The book’s aim is to introduce readers to the basic techniques of modern financial mathematics in a way that is intuitive and easy to follow, and to provide financial mathematicians with insights into practical requirements when applying financial mathematical techniques in the real world.

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