In The Brothers Karamazov, Fyodor Dostoevsky proposes ministry as the way to resist and overcome the world’s evil. He employs two plotlines to do so. The action plot concerns the events surrounding the murder of Fyodor Karamazov. All evidence points to Dmitri Karamazov. Rational, circumstantial evidence convicts him; yet the reader knows he is innocent. The ministry plot occurs in this dark context where “small acts of love” are performed by The Elder Zosima, Alyosha Karamazov, and many others. These acts of love all answer this unspoken question, “What can be said and done in Jesus’ name that opens the future to new possibilities in contexts heretofore deemed closed and without hope?” Asking and answering this question is the essence of ministry, and since the question can be asked in any context, ministry is possible anywhere. Dostoevsky’s unabashed antisemitism, however, undermines his brilliant analysis. The concluding chapters document how unconfessed sins like antisemitism exert a death-dealing power that undermines our cultures, our communities, and our ministries. The Freedom to Choose Life shows how ministry resists and overcomes evil by these small acts of love and by the global effects of repenting of humanity’s unconfessed sins.

For Time magazine Toynbee was ’an international sage’ and certainly in the same bracket as ‘Einstein, Schweitzer or Bertrand Russell’. Daisaku Ikeda is a figure of global stature, the spiritual leader of a worldwide lay Buddhist organization devoted to the promotion of education, culture and peace. Between 1972 and 1974 Toynbee and Ikeda discussed many of the vital issues which confronted their societies in the early 1970s, all of which remain current and significant. Indeed, topics such as the problems of pollution, dwindling natural resources, conflict and war, the role of religion, and population growth, are even more pressing than they were thirty years ago. In this influential and inspiring volume, which records their wide-ranging conversations, the challenge issued by both men is framed as follows: will humankind choose to salvage its destiny by a revolution in thinking and morals? Or will disaster ensue if it pursues its present course towards self-destruction and the despoliation of the environment? While recognizing that our survival is threatened by the imbalance between human immaturity and technological achievement, the optimistic message of this classic dialogue is that man-made evils have a man-made cure.

This book came from the author's own life lessons. So often we go through life blaming people and circumstances for where our life is at... I want to encourage you to read this book and be empowered to make choices that will give you the life you have always dreamed of. Take your power back....be the author of your life. Every day is a new beginning and hopefully this book will give you some tools to make the most of each new beginning.

In this new edition of his popular book, Craig Dykstra explores the contributions of the traditions, education, worship practices, and disciplines of the Reformed Christian community in helping people grow in faith. In doing so, he makes the case that the Christian church, in its own traditions, has a wealth of wisdom about satisfying spiritual hunger and the desire to know God deeply--wisdom that offers coherent, thoughtful guidance in such diverse settings as congregational life, families, youth groups, and higher education.

In this book, I would like you to come on a journey with me. It is a journey that I have been on, and I want to retrace the route that I have taken. Some parts of the journey may be familiar to you, but other parts may be new and sometimes scary. My journey is by no means at its end yet, but the delight that I have experienced beckons me to tell others and to take others along this journey. Many times along the way, I had to discard the cultural baggage that I had carried along because they became burdensome and prevented me from going further. I then had to adorn a totally new attire and at times change my lenses to see things clearer. I was reluctant to do that at first, but the moment I tried on the new lenses, I saw things that I had never seen before. That was exciting. Things came into much sharper focus. However, the distant view remained hazy, but this only made me more determined to journey on. With each new step I took, I saw a little more. Somehow the haze of the distant hills never lifted. It remained. I was only given a clear view of the immediate surroundings. Over time I became contended with that view knowing that in this journey the delight is limitless. (S K Tham) Those who have struggled with cross-cultural communication of the Word of God will find this book a great assistance. It is not that here at last is a method we can employ that will remove the barriers we face, but there is an explanation and one that is not restricted to any particular Christian cultural group. Siew Kiong Tham has argued that the basic problem is not anthropological or culturalit is theological. Knowing the triune God and having that knowledge effect Christian living and relationships lies at the heart of all we are about as believers and proclaimers. (Rev Dr Ian Pennicook, New Creation Teaching Ministry, NSW) We see our own culture as inviolable. Apart from Christ, it represents our lasting and sacred endeavours. It fits us with the way things are done. Dr Tham shows us that we may not simply overlay our culture with a form of external Christianity. The delivery of grace by the present reigning Lord Jesus can never be drooped over our culture as a better moral system that simply tidies up some minor cultural loose ends. The culture of the Fathers family must break through as the culture of love seen and known only in the Cross. Only there do we discover the Fathers lasting and sacred endeavours to form His culture within humanity. (Brian Arthur, Pastor, Bethel Christian Church)

Contains essays on the transformation of human understanding that is under way in humanistic and social scientific inquiry today.

This practical guide, with a foreword by Nobel Laureate Archbishop Desmond Tutu, will assist those interested in conflict resolution to better understand the psychological processes of parties in conflict and mediation. As Randolph argues, psychology is increasingly perceived by lawyers as a vital tool for resolving conflicts in the litigation environment, whether in commercial, family, community or employment disputes. With an ever-growing demand for mediators across international borders, the psychologically-informed mediator can also provide much needed facilitation in global trade and peace negotiations, as well as being invaluable in helping to resolve a variety of political and international conflicts.

Regardless of race, belief systems, or political ideology, humans share a universal bias for magic pills — these are quacks, scams, or ideas that promise quick and exaggerated results with almost zero effort. Although we may harbor serious doubts about the promised results, something within entices us to gamble no matter how unlikely the odds for success. This explains why fat-burning tea or vibrating waist belts that promise six-pack abs within weeks are still in high demand. CHOOSE LIFE, with wit and tact, calls out this delusion and nudges you to consider a reliable and potent alternative — life principles. These principles do not promise quick or effortless results, but they will consistently distinguish you from the crowd, set you up for success, and offer you the best odds of achieving and holding onto tangible results in the big areas of life.

Have you ever asked yourself, "If the Holy Bible reveals true answers to important topics, why are there so many Christian denominations and so much confusion as to what the Bible says?" A Christian must understand that confusion is certainly not from God. Notice what the Bible says about confusion in 1 Corinthians 14:33 NKJV: "For God is not the author of confusion but of peace, as in all the churches of the saints." This volume seeks only the truth of God as presented in God's Holy Word. Now you can finally understand true answers straight from the pages of your own Bible!