Product Description
If you're looking for a book that reaffirms the belief that God loves us absolutely and unconditionally, this is a book you'll truly enjoy. Readers are welcomed into a thoughtful, contemporary discussion in a pastoral manner without pretense. The author explains how feelings of frustration, loneliness, and even dissatisfaction are really our true self holding out for something more while being guided by God's desire for our complete and total happiness.

Why God Loves Us…No Matter What explores the concept of God's unconditional love in terms everyone can understand. This book will be worthy of conversation at home or among small faith sharing groups! This book can be an important guidepost along anyone's spiritual journey. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Why God Loves Us ... No Matter What
Ken Sedlak opens the book preface with the words, "There is a secret hidden in the gospels.A secret not in the sense of something withheld from us but in the sense of something that cannot be learned from others.The gospels can only point to it until we get the point for ourselves."

This book will show you how to get closer to the secret.Concepts and ideas are not enough and must be used with experience of life to get to know the secret, which is the treasure of divine life within each of us.Our experience of ourselves is an experience of love.God exists as love and we exist as a result of God's love.

Ken's book relates concepts and experience with examples to help us understand ourselves in this context of being loved into existence by God.Experience is revealed by turning the question of "Who am I?"into "Whose am I?" Since our lives are a manifestation of God's love, we are relational creatures.Our lives as love is revealed as our lives in relationships.You and I are the outpouring of love - we are loved absolutely and unconditionally or we would not exist.

Ken relates many examples of life and life's relationships that show the perspective of love as the focus.In relating to this experience we witness a spiritual dimension which permeates our entire being and we know this in the relationships of our lives.Our relationship with God, ourself, and others.

Much of the vantage point provided by Ken is based on the principles of St. Alphonsus Liguori, whose admonition is to reflect on the crib, the cross, and the eucharist as lenses for our experience.In a practical way, Ken shows how the perspective of the crib shows how our lives are vulnerable, finite people, incarnated as spiritual beings into human relationships.The cross is used as a backdrop of showing our lives as loving action, being human means being in human relationships.The eucharist provides us with the perspective of unity and transcendence.

Ken makes the reflections in this book a joy to read and a portal to open the reader's heart to a world infused with an experience of love.In Ken's words: "Faith, a deep and trusting awareness of the loving God is caught not taught."

When you've heard the gospel story: "The kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls.On finding one of great value he went and sold all he had and bought it."(Matt 13:45-46), are you the merchant paying a great price or are you the pearl for whom God has given all he has for your heart?

This is the secret of perspective which Ken provides and which is a joy to hold.With this perspective, you may find a new and loving means with which to see yourself and to live your life.This book is about forgetting all that we thought of as ourselves.All of our routines, concepts, ideas, anxieties, fears, and comforts for at least long enough to accept for a moment that who we are as a creature loved into existence by an infinite and unconditional love.

This read is like a trove of secret treasures.Ken uses the concepts of modern spiritual perspective with examples of love in relationships that points us to the reality to be discovered within and for ourselves.

Very insightful and inspiring book
This wonderful book is a must-read for anyone looking to deeepen their spiritual knowledge and understanding.It is full of insight and love.I highly recommend it! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (5)

Acting Out - Client In Hell
A story of psychodynamic therapy gone disastrously wrong. Psychodynamic therapy can generate violent sexual feelings directed at the therapist (irrespective of client/therapist gender or orientation, incidentally) and at the same time loosen the client's grip on reality, producing perceptual distortions and a feeling of depersonalization. When these become too powerful, the client attempts to relieve herself by "acting out". In Heyward's case, this took the form of an obsession with developing a friendship with her therapist.

"Acting out" in this sense is not some form of adolescent misbehavior, but in many cases a very painful and damaging syndrome which can end in hospitalization or even suicide. I was very unimpressed with "Elizabeth"'s handling of the episode. Her main concern appears to have been to protect herself legally, which was excusable, and emotionally, which was not. From this book, one gathers that she hid behind a wall of denial, both of what was happening and of her client's suffering, and did not take any positive action to relieve that suffering, such as, for instance, arranging psychiatric care or some form of professional third-party involvement. The problem, of course, is that "acting-out" episodes are frequently attributed to therapist incompetence - "good" therapists are supposed to be able to contain them - whereas I suspect it may happen with anyone given the wrong conditions.

The reason I did not give this book five stars is that I do not agree with Heyward's contention that "patriarchal" structures were responsible for her episode. Rather, the issues were informed consent - therapy clients should be properly notified of what may happen to them, emotionally and sexually, before embarking on such a venture - and therapist ethics, in this case the need for therapists to display a sense of responsibility when therapy-induced breakdowns do occur. In effect, "Elizabeth" turned up the heat, found she couldn't take it, and ran out of the kitchen, leaving her client in hell.

Misses the boat
Carter Heyward obviously never got through her transference, a term she dislikes. The book, although it professes to be for others, is really just a thinly-veiled self-serving,narcissistic diatribe against a therapist who, it seems clear from reading the book, established very proper boundaries which were in the patient's best interest. Evidently, Carter has never gotten over the anger she feels towards her therapist. To assume a therapist and patient can be friends outside the therapeutic boundaries denies the very nature of the therapist/patient dynamic.If Carter's therapist had become her friend, she could no longer serve as her therapist.Carter makes some very broad claims based on what seems to be very little training or knowledge of therapy. She overemphasizes the anti-patriarchal, mutuality tirades and her book becomes tiresome and redundant. Too bad her therapist doesn't have the opportunity to adequately defend herself.

A brilliant work & embarrassing to psychotherapy profession!
I found this book to be an excellent study as to how badly a psychotherapist can damage a clients emotional and psychological health, and then blame or discredit the client for bringing on that damage, instead of taking responsibility for harming the client. This is called counter-transference in the profession.

I can also fully understand why many psychotherapists including social workers and psychologists would hate this book; many therapists do not like to take responsibility for counter transference, which is basically hate or abuse directed towards clients. It does not portray the profession in a good light. It does, however, bring out many unfortunate truths inherent within the psychotherapy industry, and also is a premier as to what kind of psychotherapists to avoid. It get's five stars from me!

Revolutionary
Carter writes personally of her own experience in therapy, and theproblems within it as a woman, lesbian, and person. Her therapy crashes,not because it failed AS A WHOLE, but because of the problems of thetherapeutic model-i.e. Therapist as an authority.It is brilliant, asCarter challenges this model, which is rigid and, unfortunately, centuriesold, and presses against fine boundaries which pretend to protect us butactually serve to subtley harm us. She is very sensitive, and anyonewhowould have strong feelings against this book either doesn't understand orhas never felt the kind of passion for someone that Carter writes of. Abrilliant book.

A Challenge to Professional Ethics
Heyward writes from her personal experience of a therapeutic realtionship that has gone bad and her struggle to reconcile herself and her feminist ideals with this experience.Her conclusions challenge the assumptions onwhich current professional ethical standards are based.She calls us tore-think the balance of power in therapeutic relationships and seek newways to relate in feminist models of power and relationships.Mentalhealth professionals will find her analysis disturbing as it shakes thefoundations of our ethical codes.However, Heyward's analysis is anessential voice to be heard if feminist therapists truly seek to remove thepatriarchal assumptions from our professional practice. ... Read more

Product Description
Brigham Young's chief rival in 1844 was James J. Strang, whose followers included former LDS apostles, witnesses to the Book of Mormon, a stake president, the former Presiding Bishop, and the entire Joseph Smith family. Whereas Young identified himself as the church's "caretaker" until a rightful heir stepped forward, Strang embodied the prophetic model, claiming personal visions, accounts of angelic visitations, revelations, and translations from the so-called sealed portion of the Book of Mormon. Publicly opposed to polygamy, Strang secretly wed an eighteen-year-old teacher disguised as his male secretary. Strang was increasingly despotic and was assassinated by his own followers. In "God Has Made Us a Kingdom," the details of the prophet's life and work are skillfully unraveled, showing the significance of his religious career and influence with those who sought the "garden of peace" in a "stronghold of safety." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

Painting the Broader Picture
Although there have been a number of biographies of James J. Strang, Prophet of the Great Lakes Mormons, very little has been written about his followers, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (Strangite).

Vickie Speek's excellent book, "God Has Made Us a Kingdom," is a much needed step toward painting the broader picture.In addition to telling Strang's story in a careful, engaging way, Speek tells the stories of his four plural (or polygamous) wives, both before and after their husband's martyrdom.These narratives enrich our understanding of the lives of early Mormons --- especially the (often ignored) lives of early Mormon women.It should also be mentioned that the history Speek includes of the Strangites after Strang cannot be found in any other book.

Speek's careful treatment of the charges that the Beaver Island Mormons were engaged in church-sanctioned stealing illustrates her fair and neutral approach to the sources.

Overall, this is an excellent book.My only complaint was that it left me wanting to read even more of the always interesting history of the Strangite Mormon church.

The LDS who went to the Great Lakes - their happy and sad moments
The foreword of the book gave me a better idea of what I was going to read. I had longed for this book. Books about the other denominations, sprung out of Joseph Smith (1805-1844) are very limited. If they do exist, they are apologetic, not neutral scholarship.

V C Speek, with her sublime and humble style, diplomatic and investigative, has given me a personal deep understanding of Strang and his people. She has dug in archives, she has read books about the LDS movements, former books about Strang, taken contact with his descendants and the congregation that still cherish this faith. I thought it would be the life story of Strang - I wanted to have some source criticism of his two major works, the Voree plates and the Book of Law. I did get some insight, but more on the surface. Speek didn't want to go into the polemical side of these issues. Good done - she treated these works as natural as all other sides of Strang's life. Normally, Strang becomes the focus in many books and the way she has dedicated the half part of the book to the five wives of Strang and two chapters to the time after his murder and what happened to his people and the controversy between his followers and the islanders, have made a book a sort of a synthesis.

The book starts with the discovery of this denomination in Voree and how Speek starts her voyage thru the archives in different cities to capture this off-shot of Joseph Smith' movement. After his death many sought to be new leaders of the church, one of them his own brother, William Smith. Strang in his own way - thru personal revelation and a letter (put in question) by Joseph himself - became a new prophet for a new people with a new covenant. Even though he had broken with Joseph about the issue of plural marriage, he took with himself the role of translator, prophet and seer. He established a new kingdom according to the kingdom envisioned by Joseph, the Council of Fifty. Strang came to accept plural marriage. He became the king Joseph never had the time to become, he also got his kingdom till both islanders and people of his own put a stop to it. He also became a senator, Joseph had run for president, but never made it.

So much continued, with it also the same troubles: mobs attacking the movement, stealing, rumour spreading about how dangerous and contra-US the movement is. Once again the people had to relive the Missouri and Nauvoo persecutions. With his murder, his wives scattered and what happened - yes, just find out by your self. Left was that island, Beaver Island, civilised, modernised, but empty.

His wives were different in many ways. Each of them was educated, competent and skilled. Speek has captured their sorrows and happy times, thru diaries of their own or others and has shown this spirit of survival and of hope.

The resemblance between Joseph and Strang shows how much belief and faith make us want to change everything. The new revelations of Strang brought new perspectives to the LDS faith. It can be his way, it can be the way he understood his higher power, at the end, I see how much we need faith. When you make a city out of marshes and jungles, you have proven that paradise CAN exist today on earth, NOW.

Both Joseph and Strang left so many broken hearts, so much unresolved. The question of whether they are fraud or prophets haunts them. But Speek catches the people, their every day life, whether cutting trees or gathering berries, wearing funny clothes or not drinking. Finding more, and bringing new pieces to the puzzle of faith and its interaction with us. These people really had a bawl, not always, but they had it. Do we?

Highly recommended especially for college library and American religious history shelves
Award-winning historical researcher Vickie Cleverley Speek presents "God Has Made Us a Kingdom": James Strang and the Midwest Mormons, a meticulously researched accounting of James J. Strang, the prophetic successor to Joseph Smith for Mormons of the Midwest, who formed what would eventually become the Community of Christ. Like Joseph Smith, Strang promoted polygamy, secret ceremonies, baptism for the dead, and communal living, and even crowned himself king of the world. Yet the religious community he formed ultimately faded, with only a tiny handful of followers remaining in the U.S. today. Did polygamy bring about the end of Strang's kingdom, or was it another, less readily apparent force? Expertly researched, "God Has Made Us a Kingdom" brings the story of Strang, his wives, his children, and his followers to vivid life, and is highly recommended especially for college library and American religious history shelves.

A Great American Story
Vickie Speek has written a definitive history on the Strang era on Beaver Island, MI. She pays special attention to Strang's five wives, their children, and developments in the aftermath of Strang's assassination. Unlike van Noord's somewhat dry history of Strang, Speek writes in a compelling narrative style that you won't be able to put down. This book cries out to be a major motion picture. It's a fascinating story from American history.

The Definitive Strang
Vickie Speeks's "God Has Made Us a Kingdom" has joined the many other books on my bookshelf about Strang. Ms Speek's book is so well written and so thoroughly researched that I could dispense with all others on this subject but this one. She has tried very hard (and I believe has been successful) to show the various viewpoints of this contriversial King of Beaver Island. The numerous footnotes attest to her extensive research. ... Read more

Product Description
Here's how to make a life-long impact with teenagers in the church! With these 100 ideas, youth workers will involve teenagers in intergenerational activities, service projects, ministry opportunities, church builders and family events. Whether you're creating a church brochure, evaluating a VBS program, or doing one of the 98 other ideas, teenagers will feel important and stay involved with their church for a lifetime. ... Read more

Product Description

Even before the emergence of the civil rights movement with black churches at its center, African American religion and progressive politics were assumed to be inextricably intertwined. In her revelatory book, Barbara Savage counters this assumption with the story of a highly diversified religious community whose debates over engagement in the struggle for racial equality were as vigorous as they were persistent. Rather than inevitable allies, black churches and political activists have been uneasy and contentious partners.

From the 1920s on, some of the best African American minds—W. E. B. Du Bois, Carter G. Woodson, Benjamin Mays, Nannie Helen Burroughs, Mary McLeod Bethune, Charles S. Johnson, and others—argued tirelessly about the churches’ responsibility in the quest for racial justice. Could they be a liberal force, or would they be a constraint on progress? There was no single, unified black church but rather many churches marked by enormous intellectual, theological, and political differences and independence. Yet, confronted by racial discrimination and poverty, churches were called upon again and again to come together as savior institutions for black communities.

The tension between faith and political activism in black churches testifies to the difficult and unpredictable project of coupling religion and politics in the twentieth century. By retrieving the people, the polemics, and the power of the spiritual that animated African American political life, Savage has dramatically demonstrated the challenge to all religious institutions seeking political change in our time.

Customer Reviews (1)

Overview of important (and overlooked) figures in black religion and religious politics
In Your Spirits Walk Beside Us, Professor Savage sets out to discuss the important history of theorizing about the practice of religion in black America while being attentive to critical thinkers and activists in black history whose rhetoric concerned the link between black social progress and the role of religious institutions.Never generalizing about the arguably ambivalent role afforded to black political movements by individual and collective religious institutions within the US, Savage nevertheless makes sure to highlight the neglected roles of intelligent black women in American religious history whose stories are lost when we acknowledge that they were not afforded the usual positions of authority occupied by black men as religious and political leaders.In addition, Savage paints a realistic and refreshing image of diverse thought within African American religion, illuminating not only the reality of diverse religious traditions but also diversity of opinion and theology within black Protestantism--attitudes about (the existence of) God, about non-Christians (namely, the forgotten black Christian fascination with Gandhi), about white religions, and about the efficacy of black pastors and churches in struggles for social equality.

As ultimately revealed in the final chapter, Savage's construction of a black pantheon of sorts for meaningful, critical intellectual thought about black religion in the US serves to provide the reader a better sense of how to locate modern black leaders in a larger historical debate about the relationship between religion, race, and politics with a focus on two such men, then-presidential candidate Barack Obama and Rev. Jeremiah Wright.As the two men might be considered different ideals for the synthesis of a racial consciousness with an effective, meaningful form of black Christianity, the focus of Savage's history relies on those individuals from history who largely represent the most effective presence of black religious liberalism in American history (and rightly so, given that these women and men made and preserved the black institutions responsible for progress).While attention is given to the reality of a conservative, individualistic, affluent tide in black religion evidenced by modern megachurches, I do feel that such conservative positioning and history needs to be given stronger attention in order to highlight for an audience interested in the intersection of religion and politics how race colors differently the simplistic liberal/conservative divide so easily stereotyped in modern political discourse. But the author's best work remains her ability to make sure that any modern discussion about religion, race, and politics is sensitive to the history of gendered divisions within black social history.Perhaps a more robust discussion of the political divides between black women in religious institutions would complicate Savage's important response to the minimization of black women in African American history and religion, but I believe it would have helped to further illuminate reasons for why such progress in black history was made only by a minority within a minority, one composed of a majority of women. ... Read more

Product Description
"Jason Berry's "Lead Us Not into Temptation" put a national spotlight on the issue of clergy sex abuse of children and has been used in newsrooms across the country. Berry takes us through the lives of traumatized victims and their parents, torn by loyalty to the church, into the machinations of bishops and church lawyers. At root, this is a story about politics, how sexual conflicts within clerical culture have compromised the power structure of the church. This new paperback edition of Berry's investigation includes an updated introduction that takes the scandal into the Vatican." ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Shows The Catholic Church For What It is
This book, educating us about child abuse by Priests of the Roman Catholic Church is not only an "eye opener" but confirms what everyone should know and that is that the Roman Catholic Church is only concerned with money, power and control.If Jesus were here right now, He would kick Ass starting with the Pope and all the way down through the entire Hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church.Having been born born and raised a Roman Catholic I now celebrate the fact that I am no longer a part of that institution.This is not religion.This is filth and corruption to the highest degree.

A necessary, but sad read
Jason Berry's expose of pedophiles hiding behind the title of 'Reverend,' is a necessary read. As Berry digs deep into pedophile activity withinChurch ranks, he brings to light, the devasting effects onhundreds of victims, the Heirarchy's pretended ignorance of the criminal aspects, and the Church's benigh attempts to help their troubled priests.
Berry's own Catholic background serves as a research tool. The author sticks to legal court proceedings, strives to be fair to both the Church and the victims, and gives recognition to the many decent and dismayed priests who assisted in his research.

all true
The heartbreaking story of Mark Brooks and the University of San Diego is especially poignant.I went to the University of San Diego in the time period when Mark Brooks went there, and even tutored Mark in English.I was sexually assaulted by a faculty member at the university, and no one did a thing about him, though I reported the rape. No one cared, I was blamed for the assault, and treated very much like Mark.All that Jason Berry describes about the seminary and the university in the 1980s is absolute truth--the Church not only protected the priests who slept with student seminarians, but also faculty members who engaged in out-of-control sexual harrassment of all shades.I wandered like a zombie in my life for TWENTY YEARS before dealing with the post-traumatic stress and returning to college to earn an advanced degree. The impact on my career, my family life, and my emotional wellness was devastating beyond human belief.A well-balanced account that captures the destructiveness and secrecy around this heartbreaking issue.

beware: virulently anti-Catholic
First half of the book is straightforward reportage of the Gilbert Gauthe case. The second half is a polemic in which Berry propagandizes for open homosexual activity among priests and demands that you idolize a self-aggrandizing pervert "priest" named Michael Peterson.

Many devout Catholics, unlike left-wing reporters like Berry, trace the roots of the abuse scandal to encouragement of homosexual activity in seminaries since the 1960's. If you consider yourself a friend rather than an enemy of the Church, then buy "Goodbye, Good Men" by Michael Rose instead of this.

A Must Read...
Jason Berry is to be commended for his courage, reporting and investigative skills in bringing this tale to the public.As a fellow Catholic I know it must have been a painful experience.It is truely a "must read" and I would just like to say "Thank you" to Mr. Berry. ... Read more

Product Description

Have you ever felt a tug deep inside to serve other human beings with work that matters? Written for all Christians of any affiliation, this primer challenges readers to think seriously about the nature, role, and work of ordained ministry in the church.

This wise book will help you: recognize the importance of choices about theological education; understand the servant role of the ordained minister; identify the unique work and activities of the ordained minister; and clarify the types of ministers who are sought by various churches.

Customer Reviews (2)

This book can help anyone decide on the ministry
If you have any questions on your call, this book can help you narrow your goal.I recently experienced a call from the Lord and this book helped me to find out exactly what type of ministry I want to pursue.

Want to know about the ordained ministry? This is the book
Not only helps you decide if the ministry is for you, also explains thethe roles and responsibilities of ordained ministers and a true picture ofthe sacrifices that must be made. ... Read more

Product Description
What sustains Christians when they are confronted with tragedy and grief? How do Christians live in the changed world of post- 9/11 reality? Stephen Paul Bouman addresses these questions as he shares his own personal story and the stories of others.

In Scripture God's promises are made real, says Bouman. God's faithfulness is expressed on the ground, in places of hurt and hope. The passion emanating from Ground Zero in New York has become, for him, a kind of Holy Land, and it is from that Holy Land that he offers this book as a kind of "diary of an urban bishop," looking at tragedy and loss through the eyes of a pastor called to be a bishop.

With awe and respect for the many people whose faith and compassion have left a mark on his life, Bouman explores the struggle between doubt and faith and the effort to pray in the midst of grief. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Moving experience
I am still reading this book a little at a time.I find it emotionally evocative.Powerful descriptions of life's difficult passages.Treasuring the Lamentations. ... Read more

Product Description
In this refreshing and inspiring book, Brother Michael McGrath invites us on a mystical journey with Thérèse of Lisieux and into the artist that dwells within each of us.

Dispensing with the sugary and overly pious representations of Thérèse, McGrath reveals the real saint and Doctor of the Church through selections from her own writings, written meditations, and 50 pieces of original artwork depicting scenes of her life - from the playful to the painful, human to the holy, seeker to the saint.

The result is that we come to know Thérèse as a multitalented artist of painting, writing, praying, and connecting. We come to see the depth of her devotion to God and power of her spiritual wisdom. And we follow her as a trustworthy guide on our pilgrim path toward God.

Beautifully designed and printed, Journey with Thérèse of Lisieux is a celebration of the artistic Spirit that enlivened Saint Thérèse of Lisieux and enlivens us all. ... Read more

Product Description
Replaced by perfect bound edition ... Read more

Product Description
The Alberts, a Kansas family beset by hard times and too many challenges lost seven of their nine children to the state in the late 1940's; the other two died as toddlers. The Catholic Church convinced the family and the state that the best place for the children was in the local orphanage run by the church. Once there, the children were exploited and subjected to sexual, physical, emotional, and mental abuse by both the nuns and priests. Darlene, the youngest daughter died tragically at age 47. After her death, her brothers discovered the secret life that she led during her time at the home, and later as a young, beautiful woman when she gave birth to the illegitimate child of a priest. They went about searching for the child that she gave up for adoption years earlier. Ironically, that child also was seeking his birth parents at the same time and they were united-too late for mother and son to meet, but Darlene's brothers treasured the opportunity of meeting the boy who grew up to be a fine man. Meanwhile, the boys in the Albert family sought vindication in the Kansas courts until the emotional toll was too great to bear. This is their true, fully documented story told by Don Phillips, a best selling New York Times author, outstanding journalist and master story-teller. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (8)

I have not received it
I don't understand what is going on with my order--I have not received it.I keep checking on it and the delivered date keeps changing.Please either send the book to me or refund my money

Fr Patrick McCafferty
This book is heart-breaking. It is an account of incredible suffering and horrific abuse perpetrated against the children of the Albert family. This book is a story of extraordinary courage and endurance in face of astonishingly difficult odds.

The story of the Albert family should be read everywhere. Furthermore, it should be required reading for Catholic bishops and clergy throughout the world. I hope this book gets picked up and read.

I too am a survivor of child sexual abuse and clergy abuse. I am also a Catholic priest. I know well the horrendous legacy of abuse - the crippling trauma from which healing can be so difficult.

The institution of the Catholic Church is - in so many ways - sinful, sick and dysfunctional. The Church needs repentance, conversion, purification and healing.

The terrified voices of abused children over so many years cry out to God in Heaven on account of the evil perpetrated within the Church. God's Church should have been a place of compassion, love and care for those children in society who were most vulnerable - most in need of gentleness, love and nurturing. Far too many, like the Albert children, experienced just the opposite.

Thankfully, however, more and more of those children who suffered, as a result of the evil and criminal behaviour of perverts and sadists in religious garb, are no longer frightened voices. They are becoming strong and demanding voices - demanding truth, justice and redress.

The adults the Albert children have now become deserve profound awe and immense respect. I hope they find peace, gentleness and healing after all the horror they endured when they were children. May God bless them - the True God of Love.

May that monstrous and false god - the fearsome construct of those who abuse their power and position over the defenceless and the vulnerable - be forever de-throned.

Those predators who happened to be priests and religious - along with their conspiring and conniving superiors and bishops - have actually abused and betrayed Christ Himself in the persons of His little ones.

Jesus is very explicit in what He thinks of those who have scandalised "any of these my little ones". (Matthew Ch. 18:5-6 and verses 10-11). How could so many cardinals, archbishops, bishops, priests and religious have behaved so scandalously in the face of innocent suffering?

How could they have so negated the essential message of the Gospel - both clerical abusers and those in positions of authority who sought to cover up their crimes - by they way they behaved towards the victims?

May God forgive them! May God have mercy on their immortal souls, for one day they will all stand before the Judegement Seat of Jesus Christ. And their attorneys will be of no use to them!

Scandals That Have Rocked The Catholic Church
For the past several years there have been several books written about the scandals that have rocked the Catholic Church.

Unto Us A Child is another one of these horrendous stories only this time with a different twist.

New York Times best selling author Donald R. Phillips relates in Unto Us A Child how an entire family of seven children were placed into an orphanage and subjected to unbelievable acts of cruelty at the hands of some of the nuns and priests who were the administrators of this orphanage.

More particularly, it is the story of the Albert children from Kansas, who, when they were very young, were placed under the care of a Catholic run institution because their parents were too poor to feed them or care for them.
While living in the orphanage they were constantly subjected to vicious behaviour on the part of their caretakers.

How can you rationalize the molestation of the Albert boys by an alcoholic priest...?

Where is justice where another priest had a continuous ... relationship with one of the under-aged Albert sisters eventually leading to her impregnation and probably the cause of her suicide years later?

This same priest today is no longer a member of the clergy; however, he is presently living in a Catholic retirement community, and was never brought before the courts for the crime of [being] with a minor.

Ironically, it was this same priest, who with the alcoholic ..., made sure that the scandal was all hushed up and that the child born out of wedlock was put up for adoption.

Phillips was apprised of this inconceivable and painful story when one of the grandchildren of the Albert family, who worked for him, related this tragedy and asked him if he wanted to write about it.

After careful investigating the various facts and interviewing the Albert brothers (two of the sisters were already deceased), Phillips decided to pursue the matter and "tell all."

There will probably be howls of anger after readers have the opportunity to ponder over the gravity of the crimes committed.

The damning evidence meticulously exposed in the book uncovers lies ... and injustice that underline the enormity of the problem that has beset the Catholic Church in recent years.

No doubt, many readers will shake their heads and ask themselves, how could members of the clergy break the sacred rule "do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

Such a sad story
This is such a sad story, but one that needs to be read.To think that the Catholic church is so callous is heart-breaking, but we have read enough of these types of stories recently to know that it is true.The hierarchy within the church are not only callous but are self-righteous and even hateful, in my view.This family suffered so terribly and unnecessarily, each and every one from the parents down to the 9 children and beyond, that it is a heartache.
This book is so well researched and written, it certainly deserves a higher priority in the bookstores!I just happened to come across it on a table of "new books" in my local bookstore; I am saddened that it won't be widely read, because it needs to be.We cannot continue to blindly trust huge establishments, such as the Catholic (or any) Church; and we must fight injustice all the way, as this family did.Unfortunately, outdated laws are preventing the remaining family members from any sort of justice, let alone compensation, but maybe laws will be changed down the line and these people will find the courage and strength (not to mention money and time) to continue their battle.I am ashamed of the Church.I have come to despise it.Please read this book and see what they have done to our children and to it's members who have taken a wrong step when they were minors......

A Very Sad Story
I agree completely with the review from New York.

This book was not an easy read.It is very disturbing.I have read (and heard on TV) many stories about abuse in the Catholic church, but never one that includes so many members of one family.Of course, the Catholic church felt there was no truth to these stories (and the priest who determined this is now the Bishop in Dodge City, Kansas).I am not sure how he could come to this conclusion since there was a baby that was born after one priest sexually abused one of the daughters from the age of thirteen (Eventually the priest was defrocked after another paternity issue arose).

The Catholic church must address these issues.They WILL NOT go away.The victims deserve justice.

I can see this book being made into a movie.It is truly the most disturbing story I have yet to hear involving abuse in the Catholic church. ... Read more

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Between the Civil War and World War II, Catholic charities evolved from volunteer and local origins into a centralized and professionally trained workforce that played a prominent role in the development of American welfare. Dorothy Brown and Elizabeth McKeown document the extraordinary efforts of Catholic volunteers to care for Catholic families and resist Protestant and state intrusions at the local level, and they show how these initiatives provided the foundation for the development of the largest private system of social provision in the United States.

It is a story tightly interwoven with local, national, and religious politics that began with the steady influx of poor Catholic immigrants into urban centers. Supported by lay organizations and by sympathetic supporters in city and state politics, religious women operated foundling homes, orphanages, protectories, reformatories, and foster care programs for the children of the Catholic poor in New York City and in urban centers around the country.

When pressure from reform campaigns challenged Catholic child care practices in the first decades of the twentieth century, Catholic charities underwent a significant transformation, coming under central diocesan control and growing increasingly reliant on the services of professional social workers. And as the Depression brought nationwide poverty and an overwhelming need for public solutions, Catholic charities faced a staggering challenge to their traditional claim to stewardship of the poor. In their compelling account, Brown and McKeown add an important dimension to our understanding of the transition from private to state social welfare. ... Read more

Product Description
What has Christianity ever done for us?What value is there in seeking to preserve its influence today?In this book, Jonathan Hill answers these questions with some questions of his own. For instance, why do we seal wine bottles with cork? Where did musical notation come from? How did universities get their start? And why was the world's first fully literate society not in Europe, Asia or North America?As Hill tells the story of the centuries-long entanglement between Christianity and Western culture, he shows the profound influence that Christianity has had--from what we drink to how we speak, from how we write to how we mark the seasons. Employing a rich, narrative style packed with events and people and illustrated throughout in full color, he describes the place of Christianity both in history and in the present day.What Has Christianity Ever Done for Us? is an enlightening and often humorous tour of culture and thought, the arts, the landscape, education, society, spirituality and ethics, and social justice. Here is a rich, entertaining and informative read.Features & Benefits

* Describes the influence of Christianity on Western culture

* Shows the value of preserving the influence of Christianity today

* A rich narrative packed with people and events

* Illustrated throughout in full color

* Covers the arts, education, landscape, spirituality, ethics, social justice and more ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

popular review of positive effects
Christianity is the largest religion in the world, and perhaps the most globally indigenous, having spread most everywhere on earth. For many people in our post-Christian world that global reach has become synonymous with economic exploitation, cultural imperialism, military domination, and reactionary intolerance. Think of Cortez in Central America, medieval crusaders, slave-traders in the Congo, or witch hunts in Boston. What often goes unnoticed and unspoken, though, is how broadly and deeply Christianity has shaped the modern world for good. Thus Jonathan Hill's book is a refreshing exception. He does not ignore or soft-pedal the wrongs Christians have done, and even enfolds those dark episodes into his narrative, but in this book he highlights the debt we all owe for the "positive heritage of Christianity."

Almost any realm of human endeavor you might contemplate has in some way been shaped for good by Christianity. Reading and writing, art and architecture, education and literacy, music and politics, the rule of law and care for the poor. Examples and connections abound. The incarnation, in which Christians believe that God became a man, implies the radical notion that human history is important. Belief in the imago dei signals that every person bears a sacred identity that cannot be earned or forfeited. The doctrine of creation signals the rational intelligibility of the world upon which scientific inquiry is based. Hill considers all these areas and more, which means that by necessity his work is quite general. A half-page on Milton or Dostoyevsky, for example, informs you only so well. Still, in our age of specialized expertise, I appreciated his attempt at the big picture and the grand sweep. American readers might not warm to Hill's British idiom, and at times his attempts to inject humor into his casual style come off as strained and distracting. Hill mines the Christian heritage from the early church mothers and fathers down through Tolkien, the Irish rock group U2, and black American blues. Catholics, Orthodox and Protestant traditions all get their due. He introduces you to Christian contributions from Africa, South America, Japan, and beyond. This hard back book is handsomely bound and includes nearly 100 gorgeous color plates of icons, architecture, portraiture, and photography.

Numerous cultural benefits of Christianity
Christianity is the most earthy of religions -- a belief that God became human and lived in human history.If God so honored humanity and the natural world, it has only been natural for serious Christians to do the same.

This book provides many examples of this phenomenon -- Christians influencing the arts, culture, and other natural fields for the glory of God.In the past, the result has benefited both Christianity and the general public, especially in the western world.Modern European nations that have abandoned Christianity see the reverse of this process at work -- those nations are cultural museums, where all of the wholesome art and culture are seen in the rearview mirror.Time to rethink this militant secularism? ... Read more

Product Description
Many Christians, disillusioned with lives of spiritual mediocrity that have been dampened by today’s rampant materialism and cafeteria spirituality, are asking the same question: “Where is the substance that can move our church beyond ho-hum Christianity?” Today’s public fascination with angels, New Age spirituality, and the paranormal is likewise spurring Christ’s followers to look for greater and deeper life transformation through their faith. Real Followers: Beyond Virtual Christianity shows how an ordinary church can be transformed into a radical community—a fellowship of everyday people who began looking for meaning and searching for authenticity. Michael Slaughter describes a movement that is hooked in various generations, from buster to boomer to builder. This resource also includes discussion questions.

Key Features:
• Readers examine culturally relevant concepts to ask the age-old question:“Will you give up your right to yourself, take up the cross, and radically follows Jesus?”
• Readers are presented with a workable example of how to grow their church, with examples from Ginghamsburg Church
• Contains case studies of real people who have begun a “migration in the wrong direction”
• Includes discussion questions Key Benefits:
• Readers learn what it really means to find their destiny as Christ’s followers
• Readers are inspired to take doable steps toward becoming authentic Christ followers ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

I couldn't wait until this book got here...
When I ordered this book from Amazon.com, I couldn't wait till it got here.When I read it I wasn't disappointed.Ginghamsburg Church (www.ginghamsburg.org) has a reputation for leading people into a radical relationship with Jesus Christ and this book by Mike Slaughter tells the stories and the lessons that we all have to learn to become radical disciples.

Great study book for Small Groups
I am about begin an interim ministry position and this book is going with me. Not only will it serve as inspiration for sermons about what it means to be a "Real Follower" of Jesus, but it will be suggested forsmall groups to use. The author of the book, Michael Slaughter, is thepastor of one of the largest most culturally relevant churches in theUSA-Ginghamsburg Church in Ohio. The real life examples of personaltestimony show that this church is really focused on people having moredepth and meaning in their life as a result of the decisions they make whenthey come into a more serious relationship with God through the church.It's what every church should be about. As important as methods andstrategies are for church growth, they are all empty without a focus onhelping people discover the real difference that faith makes. The age oldtruths are retold in a fresh contemporary highly relevant way in this book.I know that many people are going to benefit from the insights in eachchapter. The book will certainly help pastors like myself, but most of allit is going to be valued in the small groups which study and discuss thesignficant and important questions found at the end of each chapter. ... Read more

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It hath been the wisdom of the Church of England, ever since the first compiling of her Public Liturgy, to keep the mean between the two extremes, of too much stiffness in refusing, and of too much easiness in admitting any variation from it.
... Read more