The area of Los Angeles known as South Central is often overshadowed by dismal stereotypes, problematic racial stigmas, and its status as the home to some of the city’s poorest and most violent neighborhoods. Amid South Central’s shifting demographics and its struggles with poverty, sociologist Pamela J. Prickett takes a closer look, focusing on the members of an African American Muslim community and exploring how they help each other combat poverty, job scarcity, violence, and racial injustice. Prickett’s engaging ethnography relates how believers in this longstanding religious community see Islam as a way of life, a comprehensive blueprint for individual and collective action, guiding how to interact with others, conduct business, strive for progress, and cultivate faith. Prickett offers deep insights into the day-to-day lived religion of the Muslims who call this community home, showing how the mosque provides a system of social support and how believers deepen their spiritual practice not in spite of, but through, conditions of poverty. Prickett breaks past the stigmas of urban poverty, revealing a complex and vibrant community by telling the stories of longstanding residents of South Central—like Sister Ava, who offers food to the local unhoused people and finds the sacred in her extensive DVD collection. In addition to her portraits of everyday life among Muslims in South Central, Prickett also provides vivid and accessible descriptions of Ramadan and histories of the mosque, situates this community within the larger story of the Nation of Islam, explores gender issues, and unpacks the interaction between African American Muslims and South Asian and Arab American Muslims, revealing both the global and local significance of this religious tradition.

What happens when speaking the truth becomes illegal? That is the question Pastor Pete Holloway faces when California implements the Hate Speech Reparation and Elimination Act. When the San Francisco pastor is threatened with fines, reeducation, and incarceration for violating the state's new hate speech law, he chooses to flee. But from what? Truth? Responsibility? God? Or his own sin? As he struggles to remain one step ahead of the law, Pete is forced to confront his options. Should he join the resistance and fight back, remain on the run until the Draconian law can be overturned, or should he return to take his stand and face the consequences? As he wrestles with his conscience, he discovers things hidden deep in his heart which must be addressed before he can find resolution and peace. Is he courageous enough to confront them, or has his journey been in vain? Endorsements As the voice of Conservative Christian politics in Kansas, I am constantly in the bull’s-eye of today’s Godless cancel culture. Author David Mathews, through his artistic gift Fugitive of Faith, teaches me that I rest comfortably in God’s hands. I know this brilliant book will be an incredible gift to you as well. Simply put, Fugitive of Faith is a glorious journey through the perils of our progressive society and an honor to read. State Senator Mark B. Steffen, M.D. Since all but a handful of states have hate crimes laws on the books, this fictional look at how a Bible-believing pastor might deal with being accused of violating the law and face both criminal charges and devastating real world effects is especially relevant. As recent events in Canada clearly illustrate, a day of reckoning for members of the clergy may not be as far away as some Christians believe it to be. Fugitive of Faith will serve as a catalyst for soul searching and spark spirited discussion for Christians in all walks of life! Courtney Montgomery Political blogger at The Cerebral Conservative

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Additional title page description: A detailed study of the physical stratigraphy of the uranium-bearing formation in and near the important Gas Hills uranium district of central Wyoming.

Religion is alive and well in the modern world, and the social-scientific study of religion is undergoing a renaissance. For much of this century, respected social theorists predicted the death of religion as inevitable consequence of science, education, and modern economics. But they were wrong. Stark and Bainbridge set out to explain the survival of religion. Using information derived from numerous surveys, censuses, historical case studies, and ethnographic field expeditions, they chart the full sweep of contemporary religion from the traditional denominations to the most fervent cults. This wealth of information is located within a coherent theoretical framework that examines religion as a social response to human needs, both the general needs shared by all and the desires specific to those who are denied the economic rewards or prestige enjoyed by the privileged. By explaining the forms taken by religions today, Stark and Bainbridge allow us to understand its persistence in a secular age and its prospects for the future,

The Igbo people in Nigeria continue to make some movements toward Christianity, but many fail to practice the faith properly. Tribal traditions and old beliefs continue to be mixed with Christian concepts. By exploring the problem from a psychological and pastoral perspective, author Bartholomew N. Okere seeks to discover ways to advance the Christian faith. Okere, an ordained Catholic priest, asks serious questions about the nature of religion: Can someone believe in a supernatural being without any proof that the being is a?ecting his life? Can the notion of God be therapeutic in any sense, especially when people face di? rent life-threatening situations? Can a hungry person sing and praise God on empty stomach? Can the name of God be employed for political gains? The Christian religion in Nigeria has dramatically a?ected the people of Igboland. Discover why this is so important, and learn more about faith, religion, and life in Nigeria in An Appraisal of the Growth of the Christian Faith in Igboland.