Das achte Land

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Roberta Kells Dorr

"The sadness and the tenderness of life are felt so acutely in the presence of beauty, and love is revealed more in our sorrow than in our joy. -Solomon, from Solomon's Song. The wisest of all kings, beloved son of King David and his wife Bathsheba, builder of a prosperous empire, lover to many wives and concubines-King Solomon was once merely a son of David with no guarantee of ever taking the throne. On the cusp of adulthood, with no direction in life, Solomon found himself infatuated . . . in love with a lowly shepherdess, a young maiden chosen for his father to serve David in his later years. Overhead clouds ceased to discharge life-giving rain, and the anxious people looked to King David for relief from the famine. In their weakness they turned from Yahweh and sacrificed to foreign gods. But the David's eldest son, Adonijah had a plan, one that could cost the Benjamites their lives. Revenge. Solomon was still Bathsheba's eldest son and with it came certain family expectations. His mother wanted nothing less than the throne for her eldest living son. He must marry a princess first, and then he can marry any common woman he desired. Solomon struggled against family expectations and his chief rival, his own brother, Adonijah; he fought against the most disappointing aspect of his quest to become ruler. 'Love is nothing, when pitted against strength and power.'"--

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Jason Hackworth

Faith Based explores how the Religious Right has supported neoliberalism in the United States, bringing a particular focus to welfare--an arena where conservative Protestant politics and neoliberal economic ideas come together most clearly. Through case studies of gospel rescue missions, Habitat for Humanity, and religious charities in post-Katrina New Orleans, Jason Hackworth describes both the theory and practice of faith-based welfare, revealing fundamental tensions between the religious and economic wings of the conservative movement. Hackworth begins by tracing the fusion of evangelical religious conservatism and promarket, antigovernment activism, which resulted in what he calls “religious neoliberalism.” He argues that neoliberalism--the ideological sanctification of private property, the individual, and antistatist politics--has rarely been popular enough on its own to promote wide change. Rather, neoliberals gain the most traction when they align their efforts with other discourses and ideas. The promotion of faith-based alternatives to welfare is a classic case of coalition building on the Right. Evangelicals get to provide social services in line with Biblical tenets, while opponents of big government chip away at the public safety net. Though religious neoliberalism is most closely associated with George W. Bush's Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, the idea predates Bush and continues to hold sway in the Obama administration. Despite its success, however, Hackworth contends that religious neoliberalism remains an uneasy alliance--a fusion that has been tested and frayed by recent events.

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Mellonee V. Burnim, Portia K. Maultsby

Designed for an introductory course in African American music, this title focuses on musical genres & styles, moving chronologically from folk traditions to modern forms. A final section discusses the aesthetics of African American culture & music.

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Hershel Shanks

Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography traces the turbulent history of the Holy City on the 3,000th anniversary of its establishment by King David as the capital of Israel. The reader will follow archaeologists as they discover where Jesus was buried, what Solomon's Temple looked like, and how David captured the city. Here, too, is the painful evidence of the city's repeated destruction - by the Babylonians, led by the rapacious Nebuchadnezzar, and then by the Romans, under Titus. This comprehensive, authoritative, up-to-the-minute account debunks many long-standing theories: Solomon's Stables were not built by Solomon, nor were they a stable, and the Garden of Gethsemane, where Judas betrayed Jesus and where Jesus was arrested, was not a garden but a cave. Jerusalem: An Archaeological Biography is like a visit to Jerusalem, and more instructive: 200 full-color pictures lead the reader through a clear and fascinating text filled with little-known details. This authoritative book is the perfect introduction to the Holy City.