Embracing Diversity: Faith, Vocation, and the Promise of America

William Nelsen '63 (and Darrell Jodock)

Throughout its history, America has been confronted with two alternative views of its identity. Is it, according to one argument, a deeply Christian nation called to purity and uniformity in the face of a challenging world? Or is it, according to the other argument, a beacon of hope and openness, a land in which a variety of people can work side by side in justice and for a common good?

In this timely and needed book, Embracing Diversity: Faith, Vocation, and the Promise of America, the authors challenge readers--especially readers in Christian communities--to step up to the promise of an America that works for the good of everyone who calls this nation home.

Certainly, part of that challenge is recognizing where America has failed, and the authors do not step back from that challenge. But a tone of hope prevails throughout as a gracious and compelling case is made that America's better angels exist and can motivate us to create a more just society.

The Manual of Clinical Perfusion (3rd Edition)

Kelly D. Hedlund '84

The Manual of Clinical Perfusion (3rd Edition): Compiled and edited by actively working perfusionists, The Manual of Clinical Perfusion is a must have reference tool. All perfusion students, functioning perfusionists, and clinical educators will find this manual invaluable. It is the premier clinical perfusion reference guide for the industry.

The Swords of B'ajj: Truthseeker

By James Buehler '87

The Swords of B'ajj: Truthseeker: Long ago, five nearly indestructible swords were created by the mysterious B'ajj. The first of these swords, Truthseeker, falls into the hands of Bart Taylor, an ordinary teen with ordinary ambitions. After inadvertently saving the beautiful Erin McNamara from her would-be kidnappers and vowing to protect her, Bart is drawn into a conflict on another planet that could bring a vicious overlord's wrath down on Earth. In the face of a colossal battle, the magical sword could be the key to the safekeeping not only of Erin but of an entire solar system.

The Swords of B'ajj: Pathfinder

By James Buehler '87

The Swords of B'ajj: Pathfinder: Steve Wolfe faces a tough decision. Does he track down his kidnapped sister using Pathfinder, his mystic sword, or does he exchange a friend for her safety? While traveling across the United States searching for clues to her whereabouts, he and his friends discover that a little girl also needs their help. Will time run out before they help everyone, or will someone become a sacrifice to save the others?

The Swords of B'ajj: Timeline

By James Buehler '87

The Swords of B'ajj: Timeline: B’ajj has been kidnapped. The existence of his swords and their holders is in danger. Unaware of the secret ability of Timeline to recall them from their point in history, Matthew Walker and the other holders of Timeline are brought back to find him. Can they work together to bring him to safety before he dies? They better, or the swords will never be created.

The Swords of B'ajj: Blockade

By James Buehler '87

The Swords of B'ajj: Blockade: Even though Matthew Walker, the holder of the mystical sword Timeline, has disappeared, can Bart Taylor and Steve Wolfe, holders of Truthseeker and Pathfinder, figure out who is behind the mysterious helicopters tormenting the Earth. Will the arrival of unexpected visitors hinder their efforts? Does the President of the United States of America intervene? Will they have to abandon the trail completely to save their friend, Erin McNamara?

Keeping the Soul in Christian Higher Education: A History of Roanoke College

By Robert Benne '59

Many colleges with historical church ties experience significant tension between the desire to compete in the secularized world of higher education and the desire to remain connected to their religious commitments and communities. Keeping the Soul in Christian Higher Education: A History of Roanoke College features the history of one such school, Roanoke College. Robert Benne not only explores the school's 175-year tradition of educational excellence, but also lays bare its complicated and ongoing relationship with its religious heritage.

Benne examines the vision of ten of Roanoke's presidents and how those visions played out in college life. As he tells the college's story, Benne points to specific strengths and weaknesses of Roanoke's strategies for keeping the soul in higher education and elaborates what other Christian colleges can learn from Roanoke's long quest.

Thanks Be To God!: Memoirs Of A Practical Theologian

By Robert Benne '59

Thanks Be To God!: Memoirs Of A Practical Theologian covers the story of a Lutheran family man and academic and his struggles and joys of his pursuit of discipleship and vocation within the Church.

Good and Bad Ways to Think About Religion and Politics

By Robert Benne '59

In Good and Bad Ways to Think About Religion and Politics, Benne describes and analyzes the wrong ways to relate religion and politics and offers a better way.

Benne calls the two main bad ways of relating religion and politics “separationism” and “fusionism.” Secular separationists decry all involvement of religion in politics; religious separationists, on the other hand, advocate abstaining from politics in the name of religious purity. Fusionism comes in many types, but the type that most concerns Benne is the use of religion―in this case Christianity―for political ends, which turns religion into an instrument for purposes other than its own main reason for being. Rejecting these bad ways of relating religion and politics, Benne offers a better way that he calls critical engagement which derives from the Lutheran tradition, with a few tweaks to adapt the tradition to deal well with the new challenges of our present situation.

As Benne points out, “The question is not so much whether American religion will have political effects. It most definitely will. The more serious questions are: Should it? How should it?” In this book, Benne offers a clear and useful guide to a subject too often characterized by confusion and loud rhetoric.

The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church in Print

By Virginia P. Follstad '54

The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church was the predecessor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. It existed for over a century (1860-1962) and was the largest organization ever founded by Swedish-Americans, as well as the largest of the Swedish-American denominations. In terms of literary output, Swedish-Americans were among the most productive of ethnic groups within North America during the nineteenth and twentieth century. They founded newspapers and magazines, established publishing houses, published books, founded literary societies and interest groups, and recorded their memories and aspirations.

In The Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church in Print, author Virginia P. Follstad has identified over 320 periodicals published by the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church, its agencies, and by various institutions related to it. First naming these journals, magazines, and newspapers, the book then explains their contents, when and by whom they were published, and where materials are located in libraries and archives in the U.S., Canada, and Sweden.

Anyone doing research on Swedish-American history and culture, the history of the Lutheran Church in the U.S. and Canada, Swedish-American church history more broadly, and particularly the history and inner life of the Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church will find this volume an exceedingly generous and helpful guide.

From the End Zone to a Wheelchair: How I Met God

By Doug Harrington ‘91

“This book (From the End Zone to a Wheelchair: How I Met God), is refreshingly honest and goes deep into Doug’s soul and emerges with a confession that will bring tears to your eyes. From the first page to the last, you will be taken on a rollercoaster ride of sex, overindulgence, and self-hate. Doug’s journey to God didn’t start with his accident, it started years before in college when his battle with demons first began. Journey down the down the rabbit hole with Doug and reach for the light. This book is inspirational.” – Rita Mayfield , Illinois State Representative

“The journey that Doug took toward the ‘light’ is nothing short of amazing and is outlined in a wonderful manner. This book is a must-read.” – Eugene Head, principal, dean, teacher, coach

“I was soooo amazed by this book. This autobiography of his life is a true testimony of struggle, survival, strength, and success! He showed how a victim can be victorious through the Lord. His story is a true testimony of strength, hope, faith, and courage!” – Dr. Vernice Wright, NCC, LCPC, CADC, CODP-I, CAMS-II

See more quotes about this book on Amazon.

About the Author:
Doug Smooth Harrington has been an educator and coach for the Houston Independent School District.