This book is a discussion of responsibility and blame focused and shaped by St. Augustine's theology of sin and grace, and the controversies that surround those topics. It critically appropriates ideas central to an influential and controversial figure and doctrine, in conversation with expert readers of Augustine, recent philosophical treatments of free will and responsibility, and a broad array of theological voices.

Stricken, Smitten and Afflicted By: George Zoebl “It’s sort of a Gone With The Wind only with a lot more romance, action, and many soul-searching questions about racism that leaves the reader musing the horrors of this evil over many generations.” “The two simultaneously told stories of Donna Washington entering a segregated high school in 1965 and her great, great grandmother Anita-Ann on a plantation outside Atlanta in 1860 brings you face to face with the Ku Klux Klan and plantation slavery in one big heart-pounding ride of a read.” “Zoebl leaves us to think deep and long about this story as it often matches our own journey for meaning, love and understanding.” “Mix a little Fifty Shades of Gray with a good Tom Clancy action drama and off you go on a rollercoaster ride of pure pleasure.” With two stories being simultaneously told in different time periods, the powers of love are tested. With racism at its worst and highest during two periods in history, different couples show what the powers of love can do to fight the terrible effects of racism.

In June of 2002, war looms and Saddam Hussein still has a brutal grip on a nation in disarray. Sara Daniel travels the length and breadth of Iraq, following the fast-evolving events and interviewing people from all walks of life and all religious and political affiliations: from the Kurds in the north to the rising new politicians in Baghdad and beyond; from the insurgents in Sadr City and Fallujah to the police chief in Basra; from the hospital doctors tending the maimed and wounded to the directors of museums whose collections were ruthlessly pillaged; from ordinary men and women in the streets to those vying to fill the void of power; from American soldiers on deadly street patrol to the highest-ranking officers. Voyage to a Stricken Land offers a cogent, personal history of one of America’s most controversial conflicts.

A king resists a sorcerer’s rule over the Impire in this fantasy series from the Aurora Award–winning author of the Man of His Word novels. Paranoid but almighty, the sorcerer Xinixo had seized control of the Impire. But ruling the imps and most of the world was not enough. He would never feel safe until he was universally loved, so he would smash everything and then rebuild the whole world in his own insane image. Who could resist him? King Rap of Krasnegar and Shandie, the rightful imperor, were still at large and determined to resist the evil, however slender their chances. Their one, faint hope was to enlist the help of the remaining free sorcerers of the world, those not already spellbound by Xinixo. Their quest soon ran into disaster. Their messengers were betrayed or ensnared. A rampaging goblin army had captured Shandie and was about to torture him to death. Rap was mired in a tropical jungle, hoping his wife and children were safe back home in Krasnegar. They were not in Krasnegar and certainly not safe. As the flames of war raged across Pandemia, news of the disasters penetrated even into Thume, the Accursed Land. Outsiders believed that the pixies had been extinct for a thousand years, but they still lived there, hoarding their magic. Their ruler, the Keeper, adamantly refused to meddle in events outside her borders, but one young pixie girl was prepared to rebel against the ancient order . . .

Ten years ago, the exterminated cult was revived. Xuan Daoqi, who came to Sichuan, was rescued by the Palace Masters of the nine sects after his parents died. Under the orders of his superior, Lu Qian returned empty-handed. The incident with the Nine Sects ended, and Xuan Daoqi was involved in the incident in Chengdu. How would Xuan Daoqi, who had coincidentally met the little girl, be able to escape with her? The devil sect seemed to be ready to make a move as there was no news of them. The Demon Cave that had disappeared for a long time also had the intention of dominating the Martial Forest. The mottled night was dominated by an unheard-of shadow. Hidden experts from all over Taiwan were gathered together. A battle was about to begin! However, the relationship between Xuan Daoqi and Yu Yanran would soon be resolved. What would be undone would be a tragedy from ten years ago, a love affair from a thousand years ago ...

Reprint of the original, first published in 1883.

In her debut teaching memoir, Grief-Stricken: Stories of Altered Loss in a Pandemic Haze, the author weaves together pieces of painful grief narratives as they are still being constructed by those most impacted, namely the chief mourners. Joys and challenges are shared as the author and her family learn to process the multiple trials that 2020 presented. Their stories show how they endured the initial anguish and are summoning the courage to live forward with remembrance of those they lost: a daughter, a husband, a mother, and a brother. The bereaved, in their own words, bravely provide the reader with an account of perseverance amid tragedy and ultimately aim to bring hope to other grievers in an uncertain world.