Ethics Books

This book shows how close we are to the spiritual world and how we can stay in tune with the spirits.

I first heard a part of this story from my Mother when I was young. I found it again later in life, read the whole story, and fell in love with Blaine's story all over again.

Miracles are all around us if we just open our eyes and SEE all that God has revealed to make man's life better!

One Tattered angel is a very great witness that miracles do happen and God is the God of all..... even the little ones.

This awesomely well-written little book is one of the most inspiring and humbling books I have read in a long time. I have given several as gifts and will give more. My sister's comments were that it "should be required reading for everyone." That pretty well sums it up. Highly recommended.

i was on the island of st. martin recently, staying at a small hotel on the beach; to pass some time, i'd noticed they had "used" books on the shelf in the lobby to borrow and saw this little book called "one tattered angel". i started reading it and couldn't put it down. it affected the rest of my trip & my outlook on things, especially the power of prayer. i wanted to take the book with me - i was going to ask the hotel if i could buy it, just in case i couldn't find it anywhere. however, i noticed that it was signed by the author! i realized that the book needed to be left right there, so someone else could have the pleasure of reading it, like i did.

This book touched and inspired me so much that we named our daughter Charity after the subject of this book. This book helps us to better understand what our Heavenly Father expects of us, how very much he loves us and how he compensates for the weaknesses we have been given. There are blessings, even in the toughest of trials. Don't hesitate to buy this book. It may (and should) change your life.

this book will revolutionize the way sociologists look at (evolving) organizations...lots of examples and an excellent organization of topics.

Organizations Evolving is a gem. Writing with grace and clarity, Professor Aldrich establishes how diverse literatures ranging from transaction-cost economics to intepretive theory are premised on evolutionary foundations, and explores their convergences. He deftly synthesizes cutting edge research to illuminate how variation, selection and retention processes unfold at multiple levels within and outside organizations. This book is an exceptional accomplishment and is compulsory reading for all organizational researchers.

First, I found the book to be highly "readable" in a number of ways, including its integration of literature and examples related to organizations of all sizes and ages. This approach created a dynamic "feel" to the book and a sense that the organizations we study are much more "moving targets" than stationary ones. Second, I confess that I am one of those readers who peruses the last section or chapter of a publication first to see where the author is going. I found that the final "invitation" section piqued my interest on a number of intriguing issues for future scholarly work (e.g., challenges of human resources in emergent organizations; the impact of collective organizational action versus individual organizational action) and I am confident others will find this section useful as well in contemplating future research programs. The "invitation" section also offers useful ideas that appeal to a variety of disciplines...for instance, I am already contemplating how I might collaborate with some of my academic colleagues in human resource mgt. and/or org. behavior. Third, since I am currently working on projects related to organizational legitimacy and legitimacy building, I focused my initial reading on sections related to these subjects, and found that Aldrich has, not surprisingly, extended the literature on legitimacy in some interesting and useful ways. For instance, at one point he discusses the potential for tensions to arise between, on the one hand, individualistic action that builds the legitimacy of a new firm, and, on the other hand, mutualistic or collective action that builds the legitimacy of a new population or community of rganizations. Finally, speaking of legitimacy, his purposeful attention throughout the book to organizations at all stages of development (e.g., emergent and existing) helps further legitimize scholarly interest in smaller and/or newer organizations. This is a quality contribution to the field of organization research.

Aldrich is a leading figure in organizational sociology. The organization is, with no doubt, a domain of sociology. But organization is not the object only sociology, especially because the company is the dominant form of organization under capitalism. The firm has been the object of various disciplines. Since the firm is an organization, if one studies the company, he participates in organizational studies. Organizational sociology has also zeroed in on the firm, rather than other form of organization. So now organizational sociology is not much discernible from economic sociology in the empirical research. Both have focused on the firm and the market as research domain. Most universities in the States offer both specialties as one course rather than separate course. Moreover, such a blending of field is intensified as more and more researchers from various disciplines take the firm and market as their research agenda. we¡¯ve seen the ascendance of organizational economics over past decades, breaking decades of ignorance of firm in economics. One-of-a-kind move could be spotted even in political science. ¡®Varieties of Capitalism¡¯ (2001), edited by Peter Hall and David Soskice, for instance, is a example of such a trend. In this book they examine the influence of national regulatory system on the business system and competitive advantage. Now the organizational study is increasingly interdisciplinary affair in social sciences. The more come into play, the more divergent the field become. Aldrich identifies seven perspectives in organizational studies: ecological approach, institutionalism, interpretive approach, organizational learning approach, resource dependence approach, transaction cost economics, and evolutionary approach. The diversity of approaches is not only tolerable but also necessary, given the interdisciplinary nature of organizational studies. But seven perspectives in only one field is too much. So Aldrich attempts to launch the overarching framework based on evolutionary approach, while preserving the value of other approach. The advantage of evolutionary approach lies in its simplicity. It consists of only 4 principles: variation, se4lection, retention, and struggle. Each relates to the other with if-then clauses. But they are abstract in nature. The specific accounts of events should be provided by other niche approaches. Evolution is the name of process, not of substance or what takes place in the field. This is the overall architecture of the book. It seems Aldrich succeeds in the ambitious project to provide the umbrella framework linking competing perspectives under one roof. In doing so, he reviews tons of researches to validate the effectiveness of his proposal. It seems to work with empirical studies. But the devil lies in details. He dumps too many into the limited space in cursory manner. So reader has some difficulty in following through the lines. Overall framework of the book is reasonable, and that it must be the breakthrough in organizational studies. But reading through it is another matter. It¡¯s a painful travail.

Howard Aldrich's ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVING is truly a tour de force. Those who know his 1979 ORGANIZATIONS AND ENVIRONMENTS are familiar with his sharp insights into the field of organizations and his lucid writing. In ORGANIZATIONS EVOLVING, Aldrich develops a compelling, broadly evolutionary, perspective on organizations that integrates the best ideas from diverse organizational theories. He makes the best, most sophisticated, case yet for an evolutionary perspective on the organization.

A distillation of philosophical wisdom. An elegantly written concise little book that is truly excellent. For those philosophically inclined. Manna for the soul for those also religiously inclined. Not difficult, but may benefit by a little familiarity with some basic Thomist philosophy such as in Etienne Gilson's Philosophy of God.

This lecture by Norris Clarke is an extraordinarily clear and creative completion of St Thomas' work on the human person. It's a masterful little gem.

Clarke brings St Thomas's work right up to date by incorporating the insights of personalist philosophers into St Thomas's metaphysics. Thus, Clarke demonstrates that the human person is not just a substance but a relational substance. The relational aspect of being is not accidental to being but is a primordial constituent thereof. "To be fully is to be substance- in- relation" (page 14).

Listen to what Norris says about the Trinity (page 11 and 15):

"For what the doctrine of the Trinity means is that the very inner nature of the Supreme Being itself - is an ecstatic process (beyond time and change) of self communicating love: the Father, un originated possessor of the infinite fullness of the divine nature, communicates ecstatically his entire divine nature to the Second Person, the Son or the Word, in an act of loving self knowledge, so that the only distinction between them is the distinction of two complementary but opposed relations, Giver and Receiver. Then both together, in a single act of mutual love, pour forth the same divine essence again in all its fullness to their love image, the Holy Spirit, the third Person."

"Within the divine being, the relations and procession between the three Persons are not accidental but constitutive of the very nature of the divine substance. Substantiality and relationality are here equally primordial and necessary dimensions of being itself at its highest intensity".

Thus, as we are made in the image of God, our very being is relational. But, we are also substance, namely substance in relation. If we were merely constituted by our relationality, we would have nothing to communicate.

Norris brings out another important insight, namely that the Word shows us that receptivity is itself a positive aspect of perfection of being (page 20). This has important implications for the understanding of the masculine and feminine dimensions of human personality (page 21).

Norris goes on to examine St Thomas's work on the characteristics of persons, namely i) Personal Being as Self-possessing; ii) Personal Being as Self- communicative and relational and iii) Personal Being as self-transcending. Norris is very insightful - what is it about giving that we receive, why to find ourselves, do we need to lose ourselves, why do we need communion to be self affirmed? We are rooted in ourselves but we are also ecstatically transcendent communal beings.

And Norris notes that in out life journey, our self knowledge never reaches completion, wryly observing that even post 70 years of age, there are surprises (page 46). And again, Norris notes the relational aspects of being; "Everywhere our growth and development, positive and negative, are mediated by relations, - though, not we insist, simply reducible to them. (page 67). "In a word, the final goal and perfection of the whole universe is, literally, the communion between persons..." (page 80). "To be: is to be in communion" (page 82). "It is of great importance, then, for a healthy personal development to find some appropriate way of expressing to somebody all the significant levels of being and personality within us, concluding the deepest and most intimate. Paradoxically, it seems that what we don't share, we tend to lose hold of, what we don't give away we can't hold on to (page 92). "Why it must be that way that self-possession must keep pace with self expression is one of the deep mysteries of being (page 93). "Thus the Christian revelation of the Trinity is not abstruse doctrine for theologians alone but has a unique illuminate power as to the meaning of being... (page 112)."

Many thanks Fr Clarke for your brilliant insights!

I was a graduate student in philosophy at Marquette University when Fr. Clarke came to Marquette to deliver the annual "Aquinas Lecture." The book here is the written text of the lecture presented on a sunny but cool Sunday in March of 1993. I attended many lectures as a graduate student and remember only a few, this being one. Fr. Clarke spoke rather softly and you could hear a pin drop in the hall in which the talk was delivered. He was short, and smiled alot. The day after this lecture he came and spoke to the required course on St. Thomas Aquinas which I was in. I remember that talk very well also. He came in and said "I could talk about three topics today, I'll tell you the three topics and then as a class you decide what you want me to talk on." He then gave a unscripted hour and a half long talk on how Aquinas viewed human beings as the highest of material entities, and the lowest of spiritual creatures. I still remember that talk as well. This book is an excellent contemporary discussion of the Thomistic notion of what a human is, presented by one of the best living Thomists. I highly recommend it to Thomists and non-Thomists alike; it is a powerful presentation.

This book by one of the deepest philosophers alive deserves to be regarded as a successor to Martin Buber's "I and Thou". The author was kind enough to be my spiritual advisor and to validate an experience I had during my final semester at Fordham University many years ago.

Father Clarke was my teacher for in several courses at Fordham in the 1950's; I obtained a minor in Philosophy. He also was a spiritual advisor to me in a time of personal difficulty over matters of faith and belief. Finally, he was the most intelligent, modest and gentle man I can remember. If I had listened to him in 1958/9, I would have saved myself much grief, lapsing from the Church for 35 years ..and, who knows what else? Yet, even as we wrestled with my faith/belief, he reduced it all to a simple issue...as he was always able to get to the core of philosophical issues in his classes...and, he left me with hope and the offer to come to him whenever...even though I rejected his advice. He was a great teacher.
I never knew he was the giant in American philosophy that he was; sadly, after graduation from Fordham, I was commissioned in USAF, never returned to NYC, and my grad school career took other paths. Upon idly putting his name in Google, I saw all he had written and obtained 3 of his books, to include the above. It was wonderous to read him; I almost could hear and see him. As ever, he gave insights, makes you wrestle with concepts and shows how St. Thomas is relevant today. His writings, sadly too few are in print,must be experienced...and, I mean must be experienced/read. This one should lead to 2 of his books...they will also be well-worth your time.

This is a book written with courage and conviction. It addresses the potential for harm in the supervisory experience in a way that raises awareness of this dynamic, and names the experience and resultant trauma for those who have been mistreated in these important and powerful relationships. Our human desire to possess certainty, which is illusion at best, is part of what fuels these abuses of power. This book brings such issues to light, using both personal story and professional, theoretical understanding. It will be helpful to anyone in any role of the supervisory relationship.

In the model of corporate whistle blowing, Richard Raubolt tells his story of psychoanalytic training; exposing abuses of power, authority, status and control. In Power Games, he brings together respected analysts who weave a pattern of similar training experiences told with personal angst along with professional theory. Together, they identify the areas of training abuse and propose an alternative method of training that incorporates democratic principles of empathy, and respect for subjective experiences. This is a must read for individuals, like me, who are outside of the professional community of clinical psychotherapy. With an "insider's" help, the shroud is removed and we begin to understand the inner workings of this mental health profession. Collectively we should support the evolution of training practices that will inevitably develop therapists with greater self-understanding, knowledge and a voice of their own.

Richard Raubolt has authored a unique book. The perspectives of the prominent contributors to the book regarding the potential for abuse in psychotherapeutic training and supervision are diverse and eye-opening. The pitfalls of ego and authoritarian teaching on the part of trainers can be devastating and demeaning to potentially talented students of psychotherapy. Dr. Raubolt's courage in his documentation of his own toxic experience in clinical supervision is to be commended. He demonstrates in a very personal and powerful way, the potential for the misuse of power in the very institutions that are mandated to educate and support clinical excellence. This book is well written, informative and boldly honest. It is a "must read" for anyone that is involved in training; educators and students alike.

This is an original,brave book, which does what so many mental health books fail to do: it is unflinchingly honest and personal. Most books on psychotherapy discuss the dynamics of the patient or patients in intricate detail in order to support the author's or authors' version of "Truth"or at least what has been defined as Truth by instructors, supervisors and training analysts. The person of the therapist is homogenized and relegated to a "Stepford" professional existence in far too many training programs. As a result, both psychoanalysis and good writing are dying.
Well, this is not the case in this refreshing and frank discussion of training. While a number of theories are presented that are well articulated they follow rather than diminish the deeply personal experiences of those seeking advanced training and supervision. Complex, ornate and rarified theoretical nuances are not allowed to interfere with descriptions of effective, respectful and democratic training.
Senior supervisors, instructors and training analysts should be among the first to read this book. Candidates may also do well to study the experiences of other professionals before selecting a program of training. Honesty and learning go together best when done hand in hand for both student and teacher. -Dr. Becki J. Telford

In paper after varied, interesting paper, this book stitches together a picture of the painful underbelly of life in psychoanalytic institutes. Even where the best and brightest gather at the pinnacle of mental health thought and treatment, power corrupts as deftly and unconsciously as it does anywhere else in the human species.
For all our scholarship and dedication and aspirations to facilitate healing insight in our patients, it turns out that we have trouble walking our talk with each other. And worse yet, our candiates develop in our shadows.
As Raubolt demonstrates in this relevant and riveting collection of psychoanalytic experience, at least we have the wherewithal to turn an
analytic eye to our own fragility and our possibilities for reform and redepmtion. Both 'cult' and 'culture,' after all, derive from 'cultivation' ---of our own human soil, in this case. Luckily, we keep on tilling, often with humor, courage, resolve. This book speaks deeply to the task before us.

Nancy Spohn, LCSW, May 15, 2007

William Lee Miller has continued (from Lincoln's Virtues which ends with the 1860 election) with his profound insight to show us the crises which Lincoln faced, the alternatives presented to him and the choices he made. Miller shows us the moral universe around Lincoln and how Lincoln fit into it and how Lincoln brought his own self understanding to it.

There are implications for how Lincoln has shaped the America which followed him. You can argue this or that decision, (this is an objective, warts and all, in depth evaluation), but when the smoke clears, we are better people for Lincoln's leadership.

Miller, makes clear the cruel nature of slavery, and counters those who would obfuscate its essential importance to the meaning of the civil war.

Miller shows that the Bush Presidency, one which has publicly used Lincoln as its model for how to deal with its crisis, has missed the point and upended Lincoln's understanding of freedom and its relationship to the laws and customs of humanity. Our current crisis is to understand freedom for our day. It cannot be done in secret, nor with a population mis-led by slight of hand or even calculated lies.

Many of us have wondered through the years "what really made Abraham Lincoln such a great man?" Often we have read histories and biographies that have attempted to answer that question from any number of viewpoints, many of which are superficial and recitative at best. William Lee Miller has produced, I feel, the definitive work of revealing those character traits, moral underpinnings and intellectual methods that Lincoln not only possessed inherently, but actually labored to develop within himself throughout his truly inspired life. Miller has done this in such a way as to lead us step by step through his socratic method of establishing fact, precendent, context and conclusion. When I was finished with the book, I literally said to myself, "this is so clear now. Why haven't more historians been able to see this before?"

Having read dozens of books and articles on President Lincoln by any number of historians/authors, this book I find to be the best, bar none, in outlining in clear terms and logical methods what made Abraham Lincoln so great - the fact that he was both an intellectual AND a moral giant at the same time.

William Lee Miller continues to show his own intellectual and moral gifts with this hugely satisfying work. I already had a very high opinion of Abraham Lincoln before reading this book, but now I stand in awe of this "simple man from the prairie".

Wlliam Lee Miller's new book on US President Abraham Lincoln focuses entirely on the 1861-1865 period when Lincoln was chief executive and the nation suffered through a horrendous Civil War. Miller is an eloquent author and an expert on Lincoln. His book is a combination of narrative laced with a detailed study of several of the moral issues the Kentucky railsplitter faced in office. Among these Gordian Knot problems upon which Lincoln had to decide were:
1. Whether to supply Fort Sumter by sea or allow the Charleston SC.fort to be surrendered to the new Confederate government without a shot being fired? Lincoln had promised to "preserve, protect and defend" the Constitution in his inaugural address on March 4, 1861. He believed the President of the United States should defend our territory so refused to give up on Sumter. The Confederates fired on the fort leading to a declaration of war with the United States. The Civil War would cost over
600,000 lives-2/3 of them because of disease and insanitary conditions.
2. Lincoln made the decision to issue the Emancipation Proclamation freeing slaves in Confederate controlled areas as of January 1, 1863. As a wily politician this act did not apply to slaves held in Union held but slave states. All African-Americans in bondage would be freed by the 13th Amendment of the US Constitution following the great emancipator's death
by assassination on April 15, 1865.
3. Miller cites several examples of Lincoln's mercy to soldiers convicted by court martial. He could be tough refusing to save the life of Nathaniel Gordon a slave ship owner and a man who shot a white officer leading a parade of black soldiers in Norfolk, Va. Lincoln was a kind and merciful man who was without hubris or self-glorification.
4. Lincoln showed mercy to most of the Indians who had been involved in the war launched against white settlers in Minnesota in 1863.
5. Lincoln was a great war leader getting rid of poor generals such as George McClellan and choosing fighters like Grant, Sherman and Sheridan to lead the north to victory. He favored a tolerant policy to the South following the war. Unfortunately he died before Reconstruction which proved to be harsh under Andrew Johnson.
6. The Civil War, says Miller, was not total war as civilians were not targeted for death although their property was destoyed by armies. This especially occurred during Sherman's March to the Sea.
7. Lincoln expressed the highest aspirations of republican government in his great speeches. He was in favor of the common person and had no tolerance for rulership by an aristocratic elite.
Lincoln saw his purpose as President to be dominated by two major themes: 1. The preservation of the United States governed by the Constitution 2. The elimination of chattel slavery and the granting of citizenship to the four million Africa-Americans who lived in America. Lincoln was not a racist but a friend of blacks. He welcomed the black leader Frederick Douglass to the White House.
William Lee Miller's book should be required reading in any course dealing with the American Civil War, Presidential Leadership or the life of Lincoln. This great and good man shows us that morality in high office can be practiced by a skillful politician.
This books should be read in tandem with Miller's earlier book on Lincoln's virtues which takes our sixteenth president through his career up until election as President of the United States.
A book to treasure!

Miller had an almost throwaway line about halfway through the book where he stated his opinion that Lincoln was the most intelligent president we've ever had, bar none -- not even Jefferson.

And, by the time I got done, I came to the impression that this statement (with which I heartily agree) was the fulcrum of the whole book.

Miller breaks Lincoln's Civil War activities down into easily reviewed and analyzed chunks, and in doing so, parses, pulls out, and displays Lincoln's intelligence undergoing presidential growth, meeting the challenges and rising to the occasion.

A couple of other specifics. Miller does an excellent job of defending Lincoln against improperly revisionist historians' (there are properly revisionist historians) charges of racism or similar. Lincoln was moderatly left of center on racial enlightenment, in terms of his day and age, even before becoming president, and grew vastly after taking office. As for colonization ideas, Lincoln was not racist, nor was he alone in proposing colonization, nor was he alone in why he proposed it.

Miller is not a hagiographer, though. He points out that Lincoln did have one notable weakness, indeed somewhat of a failing, in his administration -- Indian affairs. The 1862 Minnesota Sioux uprising and its aftermath are cited as evidence.

That said, had Lincoln served a second term, free from the Civil War, although dealing with Reconstruction, I certainly agree with the implied idea of Miller that Lincoln would have exhibited the same degree of growth in Indian affairs as he did elsewhere.

First off , Miller writes well. Very well. The voice is conversational. And the insights flow: how Lincoln saw the war as a transcedent matter(after all the South withdrew from the union because they lost an election; no fundanmental rights were infringed;how can any republican government survive that?); the way Lincoln mixed mercy, strategically used, with a firmness to do anything(and anything covered a lot of ground for Lincoln) within his power to save the idea of a republican government; how he never let it be about him and his needs, but always about the greater needs of the cause he served( the writing on how he dealt with McClellan ,and the border states is superb; makes you wish our current politicans had more of the stuff of which Lincoln was made). A must read for anyone interested in the war and, more importantly, on what makes a great leader, political or otherwise.

In a world benighted by multi-tasking and information overload, Kierkegaard shows us the importance of single-mindedness. Christ was single-minded; his unswerving desire to do only the will of God the Father defined his life completely. If we wish to follow Jesus faithfully - if we wish to be holy - we must understand the necessity of willing only one thing. To will only one thing, which one thing is the good, is to be pure of heart. Kierkegaard shows that to will anything other than the good ( i.e., the very will of God ) is actually to will more than one thing, and to be double-minded. One of Kierkegaard's most convincing and accessible arguments in the philosophy of religion.

In an age of popular books on self improvement that concentrate on listing habits and prescribing do's and dont's, here is a work that brings matters upstream into the inner landscape of human motivation and will. The existentialist Soren Kierkegaard has left us a challenging, provoking and truthful examination of the heart and mind, from which ensue all of the popular habits and prescriptions. What is double mindedness? How is it formed, and what does it look like? What is the ultimate goal and purpose of the countless habits and traits we read about? How are our deepest motivations and ambitions conflicted, and what duplicitous damage is caused by those inner conflicts? Thousands of books are transactional; this one is transformational. Though not an easy read, Purity of Heart draws the complexity of modern behavioral science into its single common denominator. This book can help to renew one's mind and change one's outlook on life.

Kiekegaard offers the "one thing" (see City Slickers).

Coming from a reformed Christian perspective with very little exposure to Kierkegaard, I was sometimes puzzled by this book but mostly challenged in my spiritual life, relentlessly so. This book made Puritan introspection seem comparatively shallow. If you are looking for extreme depth, you've got it here. He is exploring the idea of double-mindedness found in book of James to prepare the Christian for confession. This work asks questions you may have never thought to ask. Of course he is trying to get the individual to spiritually be laid bare before God in his double-mindedness. Is the work without hope since it should drive the honest person to despair in his own heart's purity? I don't believe the book is without hope. Christ is in there a few times in direct reference, but mostly assumed or implied..in the gaping hole created by our ties to the temporal and lack of eternal-mindedness and inability to truly will one thing. As spiritual shock-therapy, it works for me. It is my second read, the first being in college nearly 20 years ago. Had a similar effect then, but it is still the only Kierkegaard book I've ever read.

I'm dumbfounded that "rob" compared Kierkegaard with Woody Allen. Purity of Heart is all about the purpose and MEANING of existence. It's about reconciliation to the eternal. Woody Allen has no knowledge of the eternal. He's a silly little pundit using philosophy as a means to distract him from utter boredom and complacency. In his films he may drop references and allude to Sartre, Heidegger, Camu and the rest of the existentialists--but that's all he does. He's a geek for philosophy. He doesn't expound upon what they have said. He doesn't challenge them. He just collects their ideas and spreads them out on a table to gaze at. Kierkegaard is much different.

The book is short, engaging, and easy to read. It makes a strong case for keeping sexual sins out of your life and offers practical advice - as well as Biblical encouragement - for developing a lifestyle free of sexual misconduct. This book was well-received by my non-Christian friends, too, so don't hesitate to buy extra copies for them! Well worth the read.

When it comes to Christian purity books, there seem to be two categories: The impure "purity" books, and the fluffy purity books.

Since the first group believes "knowledge is power," the aim is to inform the reader in great detail about every kind of impurity on the market. Rather than being equipped to deal with living in our sex-saturated culture, though, the reader only comes away with step-by-step instructions of what not to do. It's about as affective as an anti-drug campaign that teaches kids how to make homemade narcotics.

On the other side of the purity books scale, the goal is to show how romantic purity can be, rather than how painful, devastating and destructive impurity always is. They promise their readers a "happily ever after" if they'll just follow God's plan for their love life and relationships. Purity then, sadly, becomes a means to an end - a happy marriage and romantic bliss - rather than the pursuit of God Himself ... a life of holiness.

To my surprise and delight, Randy Alcon's book The Purity Principle: God's Safeguards for Life's Dangerous Trails falls into neither of these two common categories.

The Purity Principle is a small book, but it packs a punch. Chock full of Bible verses, real-life examples, and sound biblical advice, it answers questions like, "What exactly is purity?" and "Why does it even matter?" This is a wonderful book for older teens and adults of any age, and any relational status, who would like to gain a better understanding of what biblical purity is, and why it's important.

Much like the book of Proverbs, instead of giving you the lowdown on what not to do, or painting an overly romanticized, fluffy picture of purity, Randy Alcorn removes the glimmer of sexual immorality by sharing the real-life stories of men and women who fell into sin by slowly choosing to walk down the wrong road - one small, fatal step at a time.

The Purity Principle shows how the fear of God and the consequences of disobeying His holy law should be what "drives the sense into us" rather than out. And how this fear of God should be what makes us alert, diligent, watchful and drastic when it comes to protecting our own purity and making sure we don't allow even a hint of sexual immorality into our own lives.


Because The Purity Principle doesn't take a let-me-tell-you-what-not-to-do approach to purity, and it's biblically solid, it could be a helpful book for someone who's currently struggling with issues of morality, while still being an excellent choice for someone who wants to learn how to safeguard their life so they don't find themselves needing to do an about-face later.

Recommended Age: 16+

A 90 page book that pulls no punches. It asks the tough questions and asks us to look at our life and our sexual purity. From the male perspective no matter if you are young or old, single, dating, married, divorced or whatever. In a way it is a quick read but at least for me... made me think alot about the little things that I let slide or try to rationalize so in that I don't have to deal with those situations or issues. I would highly recomed this book to any guy wondering how and or wants to stay sexually pure.

I do a LOT of reading, and this book is second only to the Bible in the way it deals clearly and succinctly with the subject of sexual purity. This title is a good one to keep handy, especially for men, in this day-and-age of slipping sexual morality. Alcorn addresses Biblical sexual conduct (and lack of it) in a frank yet tasteful manner. This book is an excellent investment towards the reader achieving and maintaining sexual purity. It's definitely a keeper!

Most Christians would look at this book and think, "Hmm, I'm okay, why would I need a book like this?" If that's your attitude, then perhaps you should take a couple of hours and read this short, but powerful treatment of a critical Christian subject.

Randy Alcorn doesn't just deliver a screaming screed, but a thorough examination of the reasons for purity and the keys for achieving it. Its not a call to prudishness or legalism. He's not laying out a new set of do's and don't.

Instead, Alcorn takes Scripture and firmly weaves together a portrait of purity and why Christians must work so hard to maintain it in their lives.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book to Christians of all ages, expecially those who are serious about getting all they can out of their years on this earth.

I read this book after my lumpectomy for breast cancer. My doctor was asking me to consider chemotherapy due to lymph node involvement. Since I have other health problems, I was questioning if the chemo would be a wise choice for me personally.
This book gave me alot of information and answered alot of my questions. I felt by reading it I gained alot of knowledge in regards to my health decisions.
I would highly recommend this book for anyone who is dealing with cancer.

If you or someone you know has cancer, get this book.

My mom was diagnosed with cancer 5 years ago. Her oncologist tried to manipulate her into getting chemo and radiation. Even the radiologist who had been consulted said that radiation would not help her cancer.

He had an agenda. He didn't care if it would help her at all. He was the director of the cancer center, you see. He was motivated by greed and the desire to make everyone bow to his wishes.

She still refused chemo due to the information I gave her.

A few years after her diagnosis, she was written up in a journal because her cancer was so rare. In this journal they said that her kind of cancer had NEVER responded to chemo or radiation!

There was no known evidence of chemo being a help to her, yet he was determined to shove it down her throat.

It is 5 years since diagnosis and she is fine. She takes a lot of cleansing herbs and Chinese herbs and is healthier now than she was 5 years ago.

Do not let the cancer industry manipulate and scare you into taking POISON. Chemo is not medicine. It is poison. It is a race to see if the chemo kills you first or if the cancer does.

Usually people die of the effects of the chemo and radiation, not the cancer. Yet family members are so misinformed that even if the patient does not want chemo, the family begs them to take it.

Dr. Moss reveals the real effect of chemotherapy far removed from the advertised benefits that are promoted by the medical establishment. It can open up a whole new world for the reader, one the drug companies would like to leave closed.

It takes a lot of courage for a cancer patient to challenge the "expert" knowledge of his or her cancer doctor. This book gives you that ability. Life-saving? Indeed.

Before you submit to any cancer treatment, you need to read all of this book. It is comprehensive and detailed about every type of chemotherapy and every type of cancer. Side effects are horrific and natural substances which offset them are actually discouraged. Virtually nothing has changed since this book was published in 1995 except some of the drug names.

In 2002, the Journal of the American Medical Association reported that in the previous year, the average oncologist had made $253,000 of which 75% was profit on chemotherapy drugs administered in his/her office. Yet, surveys of oncologists by the Los Angeles Times and the McGill Cancer Center in Montreal show that from 75% to 91% of ongologists would refuse chemotherapy as a treatment for themselves or their families. Why? Too toxic and not effective. Yet, 75% of cancer patients are urged to take chemo by their oncologists.

Dr. Moss includes information on which cancers, all of them rare, chemotherapy works. This list has not changed since it was published by the National Cancer Institute in 1971. One of these is Embryonal Testicular Cancer, for which cyclist Lance Armstrong is the poster boy. Another is Wilm's Tumor. My 3-year old daughter was completely healed of Wilm's Tumor by removal of a kidney and treatment with chemotherapy 45 years ago.

Don't be fooled by terms like "response rate" or "5-year survival." For metastatic cancer (the only kind that kills), the success rate of chemotherapy (defined as long-term remission) is 3%.

Get Dr. Moss' book and dramatically improve your chances of recovery with the knowledge he gives you here.

This book explains how chemotherapy is a poison and how it is truly ineffective in the majority of cancers. With a few exceptions of some very rare cancers, chemotherapy in fact often kills the patient - even before the cancer itself does. I feel very relieved after reading this book that if I were ever faced with this dreadful disease that I would know there are other options. This book alludes to that, as the author apparently has written several others books about alternative, non-toxic treatments. I am going to read his recommended cancer prevention books. I have heard doctors say that in many cases cancer CAN be prevented through diet and excercise as well as through cancer screening and regular health exams. I am going to do all that is within my power to live a healthy life, and this book is one step in validating that people do not always need to resort to poisons in order to live.

I had to buy this book for a general education requirement this year. However, the class turned out to be my favorite (the teacher certainly helped) and I'm keeping the book after the semester is over. Reason and Responsibility contains essays from the greatest philosophers (and some not so great) in order to give the beginner a comprehensive overview of philosophy.

At times, the essays were edited so that parts of the original selection were omitted. I had difficulty writing papers which criticized certain arguments become some claims can only be made from the entire text. However, if you are just reading this for fun as an introduction to philosophy, I highly recommend it.

this is an old edition. but practically there is no difference.
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I have never taken a course in philosophy. But, I think this is not just a text book for Philosophy 101. It is a great collection of essays, on a variety of topics, written by some of the greatet thinkers the world has produced. The editorial introduction for each topic beautifully lays down the ground work. This is followed by writings from eminent scholars representing various positions that have been taken on the issue. It is hard to find so much material in one volume. A must-have book for anyone with even a precursory interest in some of the most fundamental questions posed by life.

I highly recommend Feinberg's 'Reason and Responsibility' to beginning philosophers. Feinberg presents various philosophical topics in an organized manner and selects text that is easy to understand for readers new to philosophy. Readers are weaned into the language of philosophy by first being presented with the jargon in the beginning of each section. It's a great book that covers a variety of topics, from arguments about God's existence to ethics to abortion.

A straight anthology without sufficient background material to help students make sense of the essays. I would not advise it for an Introduction to Philosophy course. Essays in the books focus on issues of reason, the limits of knowledge, and ethics based upon human reason. The selection of essays show a bias toward American positivism and contrary philosophical views (of which there are many) are not represented. The amount of philosophy this book ignores on the book's chosen topics is enormous. This is also a reason not to use this text for an Introductory class. If this was the only text used in an introductory course, students would come away with a very stilted and erroneous view of philosophy. It would be good for an upper division course focused on American positivism where students already have sufficient background in philosophy to understand these specialized essays and understand the selective nature of the text's selections.

"The Secular Conscience" by Austin Dacey presents a sophisticated meditation on secularism and its importance to us today. Mr. Dacey seeks to shake secular liberalism from its complacency lest the Enlightenment project of an open society becomes run over by fundamentalist Christians and totalitarian Islam. Thanks to Mr. Dacey's elegant, mature and well-informed analysis, we gain the courage we need to assert our right to freedom of conscience and to challenge ideologies of belief in the public sphere.

Mr. Dacey recounts the historical process by which the West broke with the Church and separated religion from government. Today, faith has come to be marketed to believers as their own private property and seeks to avoid accountability in political debate even as it exerts considerable influence over policy. Mr. Dacey submits that secularists must drop their predisposition to moral relativism and demand that Christians justify their positions on issues such as stem cell research and evolution based on reasonable standards of evidence and scientific inquiry.

On the other hand, Mr. Dacey explains that Islam has not undergone a process of separation from the state; the Islamic state is more accurately defined as a political form of religion. Mr. Dacey brings attention to courageous individuals who are challenging the blasphemy laws that preclude the free expression of the individual in Islamic society. The author castigates the Western media, feminists and others for their tolerance of intolerance and failing to recognize the threat that Islamic totalitarianism poses to our values; he goes on to implore us to support the youth in Iran and other Islamic states who yearn for a free, secular future.

Throughout the book, Mr. Dacey explores related ethical and philosophical themes and ideas that bring a remarkable depth of meaning to the text. We come to appreciate that the secular conscience is a moral conscience that is based on collective inquiry, reflection and consensus; this kind of dialogue is needed now more than ever if we wish to achieve lasting peace and justice for humankind.

I thank William Podmore for bringing my attention to this outstanding book and highly recommend it to everyone.

THE SECULAR CONSCIENCE: WHY BELIEF BELONGS IN PUBLIC LIFE comes from a philosopher who calls for a rethinking of the nature of conscience and its role in public life. Philosophers and secularism issues can be traced to Spinoza and early hallmarks of rigid thought patterns: this book creates a dialogue useful for college-level students of philosophy, ethics, spiritual studies and social issues alike.

Diane C. Donovan
California Bookwatch

If you have a good brain, and like to use it, this book is for you. There is intellectual interest on every page. This is a work that requires, and deserves, I believe, a measured and thoughtful read. Dacey has written a challenging and rewarding book with a unique point of view. Read properly, "The Secular Conscience" should stimulate those of us interested in social justice to apply its progressive ideas in as many fruitful ways as possible.

Austin Dacey is an American philosopher and a representative at the United Nations of the Center for Inquiry, which promotes the secular, scientific outlook. He is also on the editorial staff of Skeptical Inquirer and Free Inquiry.
In this brilliant and original book, Dacey advocates a public, objective and secular ethics. He argues that matters of conscience are fit subjects for public discussion guided by shared evaluative standards, evidence and experience.

Conscience must be free from coercion, but not free from judgement. Conscience is protected so that we can pursue the vital questions of meaning, truth and value in public dialogue and forums.

But the Roman Catholic Church has decreed, "Freedom of thought or expression ... cannot imply a right to offend the religious sentiments of believers." But this would end freedom of expression, because any criticism of religious doctrines could `offend the religious sentiments of believers'.

The assertion, `I'm right, you're wrong' is not intolerant; it is the nature of thought, as is then moving forward to saying, `and these are the reasons why you should change your mind'. This is not imposing one's opinion on others: persuasion is the opposite of coercion.

To defend one's point of view by saying, "I'm entitled to my opinion" is to refuse debate. The only opinions worth respect are those derived from investigation and debate.

The basis of ethics is independence of mind, with which we can evaluate all ideas and ideologies in the light of reason. Dacey argues that "the secular conscience stands prior to and independent of all religions." Religion is unnecessary to ethics: if God approves an act because it is good, then God is superfluous: if an act is good because God approves it, then there is no ethics, just assertion of authority.

As Dacey writes, "The real sceptics about ethics are those who think that human beings are incapable of fairness, responsibility, care, and compassion without divine enforcement." These sceptics privilege religion at the expense of ethics, faith at the expense of reason, and dogma at the expense of people.

This book has changed the way I talk to people about what was formerly lumped into "religion and politics". When we begin to talk about our individual values and how they might affect or effect the "common good", an intense conversation develops. And without the use of buzzwords, such as "god", "atheist", "democrat", "republican", we realize more clearly who we are personally and as a nation. For me, this is an important book for change at a basic level. By re-forming into today's terms, the great truths of yesteryear, Dacey has done us a real service. However, I gave it a 3 because Dacey's strangely arrogant and dismissive attitude toward those who do not accept GMO, American seed, or indeed, the premise that 'science' will feed the world, was so unlike the remainder of his book that it had to be written with an agenda in mind. The relentless push for control of the world's food supply with a monopoly on seed by Monsanto and others is well-documented so I can only conclude that Dacey is persuaded somehow (by his vegetarianism?) to be less than rigorous in his scholarship in this matter. With that caveat, I am recommending the book to everyone I know.