Independence Is Overrated

"A guide to Christian living for people who are new to Christian faith"--

"A guide to Christian living for people who are new to Christian faith"--

"A ... new philosophy and ... guide to getting the most out of your money--and out of life--for those who value memorable experiences as much as their earnings"--

Thirty-five essays on philosophical questions raised by ordinary people with avocations in philosophy during the years 2008 and 2009. Gary C. Gibson brings an eclectic reply to common questions with uncommon answers.

Pauline Maier shows us the Declaration as both the defining statement of our national identity and the moral standard by which we live as a nation. It is truly "American Scripture," and Maier tells us how it came to be -- from the Declaration's birth in the hard and tortuous struggle by which Americans arrived at Independence to the ways in which, in the nineteenth century, the document itself became sanctified. Maier describes the transformation of the Second Continental Congress into a national government, unlike anything that preceded or followed it, and with more authority than the colonists would ever have conceded to the British Parliament; the great difficulty in making the decision for Independence; the influence of Paine's []Common Sense[], which shifted the terms of debate; and the political maneuvers that allowed Congress to make the momentous decision. In Maier's hands, the Declaration of Independence is brought close to us. She lets us hear the voice of the people as revealed in the other "declarations" of 1776: the local resolutions -- most of which have gone unnoticed over the past two centuries -- that explained, advocated, and justified Independence and undergirded Congress's work. Detective-like, she discloses the origins of key ideas and phrases in the Declaration and unravels the complex story of its drafting and of the group-editing job which angered Thomas Jefferson. Maier also reveals what happened to the Declaration after the signing and celebration: how it was largely forgotten and then revived to buttress political arguments of the nineteenth century; and, most important, how Abraham Lincoln ensured its persistence as a living force in American society. Finally, she shows how by the very act of venerating the Declaration as we do -- by holding it as sacrosanct, akin to holy writ -- we may actually be betraying its purpose and its power.

Originally published in 2015 under the title: Four ways to click: rewire your brain for stronger, more rewarding relationships.

The Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award-winning author of First Family presents a revelatory account of America's declaration of independence and the political and military responses on both sides throughout the summer of 1776 that influenced key decisions and outcomes.

In an age of rampant xenophobia and the nativist imperative to undo globalization for a return to a bygone, “purer” age, can patently modern identities indefinitely sustain their messages of inclusion and equality? This volume serves to answer this and other pressing existential questions by tracing the development of the Caymanian people from the colonial era into our modern globalized, multicultural age. The emergence of Caymanian nationalism is extensively analyzed and confirmed as a phenomenon that was preceded by fragmented Caymanian identities informed by issues of race and class. Despite this, the native Caymanian people were able to successfully jettison their race-thinking, and in so doing, began to see themselves as members of a singular nationality. This notion of national and cultural solidarity, as this book details, has become a vexing issue, and is now being duly tested given the astonishing numbers of immigrants in Cayman, many of whom are keen to become Caymanians themselves.

New York Times #1 bestselling authors of Teaching Your Children Values and relationship experts Richard and Linda Eyre explore the eight most common myths about marriage and the truth about how to have a successful and fulfilling marriage. Exploring equality versus synergy, completion versus individual quest, harmony versus productive debate, a test drive versus constant commitment, and more, the Eyres show that popular opinions and behaviors toward successful marriages actually reduce the chance of marriage fulfillment. Drawing on more than fifty years of marriage and hundreds of interviews across the world, The 8 Myths of Marriaging is a must-read book for anyone considering marriage or currently nurturing their marriage of many years.