It is a well put together package of articles by knowledgable and talented authors. The articles shed light on a rich culture and vibrant and strong people. It should be read by anybody with an interest in Africa and Oromo people in particular.

Michael F. Drummy has written a very personal and useful scholarly study of yet another area of Tillich's philosophical theology: the place of nature as part of the whole system. The depth and range of Tillich's lifetime achievement continues to show its power and relevance into the present. Drummy, deeply concerned with the advancing seriousness of ecological crisis, finds in Tillich's works a helpful resource.

That the crisis is deepening seems clear. In 1967 I preached a sermon, inspired by Aldo Leopold's "Sand County Almanac" entitled "An Ecological Conscience", and a minister observing it on the bulletin board, asked, "What the hell is an ecological conscience?". Times have changed!

Drummy, after a Prolegomena, plunges into the Protestant Problematic, surveying the vexed discussion of the view of nature in religion and philosophy and society. In the back of my mind in 1967 was a complaint by a friend, based on the article of Lynn White, Jr., "The Historical Roots of our Ecologic Crisis" in Science, which was very critical of Christianity. Tillich too is critical of Christian theology and of the Enlightenment, and more favorable toward Romanticism. Modern theology has remained too anthropocentric in technology and theology to develop a proper view of nature and being.

The chapter on "Paul Tillich's Theology of Nature" is an exposition of his thought in this area. Tillich lamented the loss of sacraments as a result of loss of participation in nature. One category of interpretation that has been helpful was the use, not of "levels" of reality, but rather the "multi-dimensional unity of life", And finally, the fulfillment of all things, including nature, in "eschatological pan-en-theism".

Drummy engages Tillich in a chapter of "Analysis and Evaluation", in which he discusses five criticisms of Tillich's ontology of love and ecology of being.

I regard this as an excellent study, engaged with a wide range of contemporary discussion, positively relating Tillich to the present ecological crisis, on the basis of a theological vision of the place of nature in the whole of being.

The subject of the Judgement Seat of Christ is rarely taught today. The Laodicean church age that we now live in has become too pre-occupied with the things of this world. Jesus is getting ready to return and most believers in the Church are not ready to meet Him. Paul Benware has done an excellent job in his new book: "Believer's Payday" Every Christian needs to read this book and apply it's teachings to their lives before it is too late. The author accurately describes the current condition of the Church when he says: "The writers of Scripture seem to have a fundamentally different perspective on this life than is found in many evangelical churches in North America" (page 165).

We firmly believe that the lukewarm church needs to repent as described by Peter:

"But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness, but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." (II Peter 3:8-9)

Please notice the very last portion of Peter's admonition: "but is long-suffering toward us, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." Notice that the above verse is written to the Believer since he said "toward us". Also notice what the Lord wants His church to do: "come to repentance".

This one portion of Scripture has been so misunderstood by the majority of the Church. Most preachers use these verses to show that the Lord has not returned yet because He wants more people to be saved. This is NOT what this verse is saying. This verse is saying that the Lord has delayed His return because he wants HIS CHURCH to REPENT!

We firmly believe that the Lord is getting ready to return. Before He comes; however, He wants as many Believers as possible to come to repentance. If the Believer fails to repent before He returns, the above Scripture indicates that they will "perish". Yes, this verse is telling the Believer that if they fail to repent in time then they will perish. To understand what Peter means by perish you need to read Paul Benware's timely book: "The Believer's Payday"

The cry out to the Church today is: Repent, Jesus is coming back again very soon! Make sure you are really ready to meet the Bridegroom!

I heard about this author from a couple of friends who had taken a class from him on comedy and religion (didn't know there was any comedy in religion but there you go). So I looked him up on the net and read samples of his novels and ordered Benedict XVI because it's the only one he's published so far. I'm still laughing. The sample was good but the novel gets better and better and ends up as the best damn comic novel since, you fill in the blank. What sets it off from the standard "bestselling" novel is the characters. Benny Good the charming bastard, Ariel the Southern California airhead, Esther Geld the virginal agent who sets Benny up as pope, Ron Something, whose last name Benny (and the author?) can't remember, Maven Plum, the Barbara Walters of this crazy world-the list goes on and on. Plus the plot. You think you know where things are headed but no, the story takes you in another direction entirely. Breathtaking roll-on-the-floor funny. What we have here is not a failure to communicate, what we have here is an undiscovered comic genius. If you like the Coen brothers you'll love this stuff!

Did I mention the cover is a gas?

What will you be in the near future? What are the job trends that some will follow, and others will profit from? "The Next Big Thing" is always just around the corner, and if you want to be ahead of the curve, you need this book. Witty, spunky, and organized into guide easily digestible bites, this book is packed with smart ideas and essential information that you can use to turn the best future jobs in your favor.

I really enjoyed this first novel by Paul Reidinger. It was such a pleasure to just sit back, relax, and read this story. This very unconventional love story of the 80's was very touching, fresh, and different. Once in a while a book comes along where I just don't want to stop reading it or have it end, and this was one of them.

David and Katherine meet at Stanford College, and very quickly become best friends. Two people that should be lovers, but aren't because David is just coming out and is gay. They share an apartment in San Francisco, and set out to find the right man for each of them. Unknown to each other, they both find the same Mr. Right, a stunning and good-looking guy name Ross. Ross is going to Stanford Law School. What follows after this is a comedy of situations and surprises for all concerned. There are a lot of emotions played out in this easy to read, and short novel. These are characters that you can really care for, who are just discovering adult life, and love.

It's a shame this book is out of print. I managed to find a copy, and I think you should be able to get one from Amazon without any problem. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys an enlightening & pleasant read. I look forward to his next book, "The City Kid." I think I have found another favorite author. Highly Recommended!

Let me tell you, I was looking for this book for years (literally!), and never could find it. Then, a friend made the purchase, and I found out that it was worth the wait. This is definitely a GREAT book. DEFINITELY worth buying.

The Realistis episodic adventure in satire; and though some pages are not politically correct, you feel the sixties are not dead just underground. We get a lot of drug realted acticles mixed with facts realities of the sixties how exciting it was, how it felt, how it was to be a hippie.

BETHESDA arrived in time for my spring break reading, and I really enjoyed being absorbed in a good novel, one that made me think and do some soul searching!! I was absorbed---when I wasn't reading it, I was thinking about when I could get back to it, and when I was reading it, I didn't want to stop!! The neat thing is that since I've finished reading it, I'm still thinking about it. There's a powerful message in this novel for today's church and for believers. Carla and Michael are interesting characters and both learned many lessons through the miracle messages in the pages of this book. They found out that God is always near, blessing in difficult times and in times when they desired to serve others less fortunate, and times of searching how to serve and minister. They learned that they serve a compassionate and caring God.

Today's church can benefit from the message in this novel and be caused to come face to face with the need to be salt and light in today's church, community, and world. It's an interesting and action-packed novel and will be enjoyed by readers. I highly recommend it!! Happy reading to all. . . .

If the cover attracted you to this book, you are not alone.

Pictured are a chocolate donut with a bite from it, a jelly filled donut awaiting its fate and a deputy sheriff badge #507 with the name Paul St. John Fleming inscribed at the bottom of the shield.

"Ahh, copper stories," we might think. We all know the symbols, the jokes. Trouble is, we still wouldn't have a clear idea of what the book contains. These "copper stories" are unexpected. They have heart. They might cause a reader to laugh and cry. They will certainly cause a reader to reassess his view of what a cop does-besides eat donuts.

There is a heart warming story about an English constable who influenced the author to become a cop. One, called "A Cold Day in Hell, " is about the day author Paul St. John Fleming's duty it was to guard a plane that had crashed in a city street; the corpses of two children were in it. Another is a humorous piece about a pie-eyed Santa who Fleming encountered one Christmas eve when he was given a choice to "work Christmas night or work Christmas night." These are mostly vignettes, mostly reprints from columns Fleming wrote for the Salt Lake Tribune, and many are set in Salt Lake City. There are 50 in all.

A little like donuts, these tiny tales are addictive. You probably won't be able to read just one.

Carolyn Howard-Johnson, author of "This is the Place"