The doctrines of grace have sparked debate as well as inspiration since the beginning of the Reformation. For their proponents, they form the foundation of orthodox belief. For their critics, they represent an assault on free will and the nature of man. Known more commonly as the TULIP of Calvinism, these five tenets have been maligned and denigrated by those who fail to understand them. Worse yet, the truths behind these five points are being lost to generations of new believers as the tradition behind them is being quickly forgotten. Clarity and biblical reflection on the TULIP of Calvinism is required. Through the imagery and lens of modern medicine, Dr. Thomas J. Kessler sheds new light on these crucial aspects of Calvinism and why they deserve appreciation by Christians abroad. The disease of sin has infected and devastated all of humanity. Is there hope for a cure? If so, how was it procured and to whom has it been applied? Can we have confidence in the eternal healing of such a treatment? Drawing from his experiences as a physician and insights from medicine at large, Dr. Kessler sets the record straight. Calvinism represents the biblical concept of God as our great physician, and the sacrifice of His Son as our only cure.

Corporate greed meets scientific altruism in Morad Zaffron's white-knuckle thriller, The Cure. Dr. Susan Conner, a beautiful but traumatized, drug-dependent widow, goes to work for a global pharmaceutical company dispensing a cure for a lethal virus. At first patients get better, but soon they begin vanishing or dying, and Susan suddenly finds her own life on the line. Believing her salvation might lie with Dr. Vincent Bach, the young scientist who developed the cure, she is desperate to find him; but she is on the run as a fugitive from the police and the FBI and is also being hunted by assassins hired by the drug corporation. A taut, tense medical drama, The Cure explores big business, new medicine, and whether true love can indeed conquer all.

"The cure for death by lightning was handwritten in thick, messy blue ink in my mother’s scrapbook, under the recipe for my father’s favourite oatcakes: Dunk the dead by lightning in a cold water bath for two hours and if still dead, add vinegar and soak for an hour more." So begins Gail Anderson-Dargatz’s extraordinary first novel, a seductive and thrilling book that captures the heart and imagination, as filled with the magic and mystery of life as it is with its lurking evils and gut-wrenching hardships. The Cure for Death by Lightning sold more than a staggering 100,000 copies in Canada alone and became a bestseller in Great Britain, later to be published in the United States and Europe. It was nominated for the Giller Prize, the richest fiction prize in Canada, and received a Betty Trask Award in the U.K. The Cure for Death by Lightning takes place in the poor, isolated farming community of Turtle Valley, British Columbia, in the shadow of the Second World War. The fifteenth summer of Beth Weeks’s life is full of strange happenings: a classmate is mauled to death; children go missing on the nearby reserve; an unseen predator pursues Beth. She is surrounded by unusual characters, including Nora, the sensual half-Native girl whose friendship provides refuge; Filthy Billy, the hired hand with Tourette’s Syndrome; and Nora’s mother, who has a man’s voice and an extra little finger. Then there’s the darkness within her own family: her domineering, shell-shocked father has fits of madness, and her mother frequently talks to the dead. Beth, meanwhile, must wrestle with her newfound sexuality in a harsh world where nylons, perfume and affection have no place. Then, in a violent storm, she is struck by lightning in her arm, and nothing is quite the same again. She decides to explore the dangers of the bush. Beth is a strong, honest, and compassionate heroine, bringing hope and joy into an environment that is often cruel. The character of Beth’s haunted mother infuses the book with life by means of her scrapbook of recipes scattered throughout, with luscious descriptions of food, gardening, and remedies, both practical and bizarre. Seen through Beth’s eyes, the West Coast landscape is full of beauty and mysteries, with its forests and rivers, and its rich native culture. The Globe and Mail commented that The Cure for Death by Lightning was "Canadian to the core," with hints of Susannah Moodie and Margaret Atwood and Alice Munro. Anderson-Dargatz’s vision of rural life has drawn comparisons with William Faulkner and John Steinbeck. A magic realism reminiscent of Latin American literature is also present, as flowers rain from the sky, and men turn into animals. Yet the style of The Cure for Death by Lightning, which the Boston Globe called "Pacific Northwest Gothic," is wholly original. Launched in a year with more than the usual number of excellent first novels (1996 was also the year of Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald and Fugitive Pieces by Anne Michaels), this book with its assured voice heralds a worthy successor to Margaret Atwood, Carol Shields, Margaret Laurence and Alice Munro.

In speaking to you today, my dear brethren, of the dreadful state of the lukewarm soul, my purpose is not to paint for you a terrifying and despairing picture of the soul which is living in mortal sin without even having the wish to escape from this condition. That poor unfortunate creature can but look forward to the wrath of God in the next life. Alas! These sinners hear me; they know well of whom I am speaking at this very moment.... We will go no further, for all that I would wish to say would serve only to harden them more.

A girl comes of age in a tightly knit family hit by tragedies in this arresting story of loss, love, and redemption. Ruby is the youngest child in the tightly knit Bronstein family, a sensitive, observant girl who looks up to her older brothers and is in awe of her stern but gentle father, a Holocaust survivor whose past and deep sense of morality inform the family's life. But when Ruby is ten, her eldest brother enters the hospital and emerges as someone she barely recognizes. It is only the first in a startling series of tragedies that befall the Bronsteins and leave Ruby reeling from sorrow and disbelief. This disarmingly intimate and candid novel follows Ruby through a coming-of-age marked by excruciating loss, one in which the thrills, confusion, and longing of adolescence are heightened by the devastating events that accompany them. As Ruby's family fractures, she finds solace in friendships and the beginnings of romance, in the normalcy of summer camp and the prom. But her anger and heartache shadow these experiences, separating her from those she loves, until she chooses to reconcile what she has lost with whom she has become. Nellie Hermann's insightful debut is a heartbreakingly authentic story of the enduring potential for resilience and the love that binds a family.

This book was written by a mother and educator who has three special needs children, each having a different disorder. All three became successful, because their mother chose to play 'hardball' as their relentless advocate and seeker of knowledge. The information she offers inside this book holds the key for anyone wanting to help their child. Power comes from knowing what to do and not settling for anything less. In addition, the author shares her astounding discovery of a cure for her son's autism. A change in diet along with the use of this special food made a surprising difference in her son's life. A book like this does not come along very often. It is a must-read for ALL parents and educators.