I was looking at Tillich's, A Theology of Peace on Amazon and I came across this synopsis of the book, apparently from "Library Journal" whatever that is. It made this statement.

"Taken as a whole, these essays represent Tillich's effort to think theologically about peace. Always a realist, Tillich warns against utopian dreams of peace on Earth. Striving for peace is a Christian duty, but true peace remains a religious hope only realizable in heaven."

It stuck me as a particularly un-Tillich way of speaking about the issue. It surprised me that a) someone would call Tillich a "realist" and b) say that Tillich's final analysis was that true peace is a hope only "realizable in heaven." For one thing, I think the person who writes this means that Tillich remains "realistic" not necessarily a realist per se. And, correct me if I'm way off base, but I don't think Tillich would describe ideas on hope or peace as something that are only realizable in a "heaven" of the apocalyptic finality type.

For one thing, in one of Tillich's sermons, he writes on hope saying that, "Genuine hope is such only when that hope already has some presence." But more than this, I'm pretty sure Tillich would consider the more traditional concept of heaven and hell with streets of gold and a God on a throne as some kind of symbol pointing to something significant, not a literal reality, at least not as traditionally described. From everything I can tell from Tillich, his idea of the "Kingdom of God" is very much a hope for life, a hope for the transformation of the world.

I guess what I'm saying is that this quote seemed to really misrepresent the thematic "center" of what Tillich might say. Actually, I think I just found Tillician support for the point I was trying to make. As a critique of the quote above about Tillich's views on peace, I offer this direct quote from Tillich:

"There will be victories as well as defeats in these struggles. There will be progress and regressions. But in every victory, every particular progress from injustice to more justice, from suffering to more happiness, from hostility to more peace, from separation to more unity anywhere in mankind, is a manifestation of the eternal in time and space. It is, in the language of men of the Old and New Testament, the coming of the Kingdom of God.

For the Kingdom of God does not come in one dramatic event sometime in the future. It is coming here and now in every act of love, in every manifestation of truth, in every moment of joy, in every experience of the holy. The hope of the Kingdom of God is not the expectation of a perfect stage at the end of history, in which only a few in comparison with the innumerable generations of men, would participate, and the unimaginable amount of misery of all past generations would not be compensated. And it might be that those who would live in it, as "blessed animals" would long for the struggles, the victories and the defeats of the past. No! The hope of mankind lies in the here and now, whenever the eternal appears in time and history. the hope is justified; for there is always a presence and a beginning of what is seriously hoped for."

This is basically saying the OPPOSITE of what the synopsis says. Just goes to show you can never stop thinking and just take for granted what others present as truth.

Even the marxist economic theory is viewed with some prejudice after the 20th century, is always interesting to an Economics student read about the Karl Marx's works. And, if "Das Kapital", his most famous and influent book is very extensive and hard to be read in original, you have a great alternative in Sweezy's book.

Sweezy is graduated in Harvard, and dedicated all his academic life to become the marxism an "integral and respected part of intellectual life of the USA". His "Theory of Capitalist Development" brings the Marx's ideas in an easy and very didactic way, and more: includes the discussion of another marxists, like Bortkiewicz, Bukharin and Rosa Luxemburg.

It's wrong to think about this book as pamphlet of marxism. Sweezy is extremely analytic and critical, comparing the marxist theory with the classic and neo-classic theories, with academic rigor and respect. "Theory of Capitalist Development" is an excellent work, and should be a must-read for everyone who wants to understand the fundaments of a theory which changed the life of million of people.

As the profession of counseling moves forward, there is a growing need for theories to respond to the developing needs of our clientele. "A Theory of Multicultural Counseling and Therapy" (MCT) provides an excellent template for this process to begin. MCT is designed in such a way that it provides practitioners and practitioners-in-training the logical accumulation of years of research on counseling in a diverse society. This text moves counselors away from seeing people of differing cultures in a stereotypical manner toward a more theoretically integrative way of conceptualizing clients. The "common factors" approach used throughout the text focuses on shared characteristics from different schools of counseling and psychotherapy. MCT has arrived as the birth of a forward-looking counseling metatheory both responsive to past data as well as calling for research to challenge and modify it in the future. I strongly feel that all practicing psychologists and counselors should read MCT and that it should be included in the coursework of every trainee. Multicultural practice should no longer be considered a specialty, but instead should be seen as currently normative and the future of our field.

This is the fifth volume in a printed series of catechises on the Catholic faith by Pope John Paul II. If you are looking to learn about The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God, then look no further. This book is a compilation of addresses given by The Holy Father on Our Lady. Easy to read because it's a transcript of his addresses, so it reads like the spoken word. Each address is short (most are 3 pages) so it allows for a natural break, allowing the reader to stop and reflect in prayer. Different style than Scott Hahn's "Hail Holy Queen". Deeper and more reflective. A must read for fan's of the Blessed Mother.

Hundreds, maybe thousands, of books review various therapeutic procedures and treatment strategies, encompassing everything from Freudian analysis to primal scream therapy. Dr. Wachtel, however, shuns this traditional theoretical approach. Instead, he focuses on how what therapists actually *say* to their clients affects the therapy process. Dr. Wachtel clearly and succinctly describes the use of subtle word changes in the therapist's comments (both statements and questions) in order to facilitate further exploration and increase the likelihood of positive outcomes. In addition, he provides specific examples and excerpts from actual therapy sessions to highlight the application of his methods. These simple techniques are applicable to various theoretical orientations, therapist educational backgrounds, and client problems. Thus, this book would be useful to any clinician seeking to enrich his or her therapeutic skills, and I highly recommend it for beginning and seasoned practitioners alike

This is a "must read" book for couples in recovery. In fact, despite the title, any couple can benefit from the wisdom contained in its pages. Dr. Paul, as many know, authored the original "Page 449" sentiments found in the third edition of "Alcoholics Anonymous" (also known as the "Big Book" of A.A.). In this book he expands his thoughts and intentions to cover the way he and his wife of 55 years incorporated the principles and traditions of the A.A. way of life into their relationship.

This is a book that must be sampled a paragraph at a time; written in such a way that significant topics are brought up in a "plain speaking" way, this is a terrific book to be used as a "study guide." Couples can each read a paragraph and then discuss the ideas and concepts contained in the reading.

The chapters devoted to emotional sobriety and interpersonal communication are alone worth the price of the book. Dr. Paul's writing style is simple, straight-forward and utterly human. He uses his own experiences to describe the many pitfalls and missteps on the way to determining the best methods for developing strong, mutually beneficial relationships.

The title of the book is itself, loaded with meaning. But even if your life hasn't been affected by addiction (and recovery), this little book can make a tremendous difference in how you (and your significant other) relate to the rest of the world and each other.

SHOW ME HOW TO FIND PAUL BUNYON STORY WHERE HE COME FROM AND WHERE DO HE LIVED

This book is written in a down-to-earth style and with humor. The author doesn't claim to be a management "guru". He doesn't over-complicate things - he is not trying to sell a complex management process, and so states things clearly and in simple terms.

Although it is possible to make money through fear and deception (witness the large-scale criminal gangs), it does not bring much joy to any of the participants, and it subtracts from rather than adds to the sum total of technological, intellectual and spiritual capital in the world.

The best organisations (and the ones that in the longer term are the most successful) are those that deal with customers and employees with honesty and integrity. They try to produce what the customer wants, at an appropriate price. They provide good service. They know that loyal customers are cheaper to keep and will spend more with them.

It's about passion, conviction and integrity. If you ain't got it, you can't fake it.

Chapter headings:

1. The Fear Factor

2. Learn To Re-Think

3. Change Through Process Management

4. Change Through Systematic Correction

5. Think Change Techniques

6. Change Through Quality Systems

7. Change Through Customers

8. The Cultural Dimension

9. Making It Happen

10. Consulting Consultants

11. Training Your Trainers

12. Does It Work In practice?

After reading the first chapter, I was taken in by the sophistication of this work. It is very deep, and the reader should choose a quiet place with pencil and paper in hand.

One of the most important goals of this work is to establish that modern philosophers (e.g., poststructuralists) did not mean that Ethics are relative - thus values education is not dead yet.

PJO

The original edition of this book was published by The Viking Press in 1978 (I know, because I was its editor), and a very important book it is. I'm delighted to see it back in print, because it got little attention when it first appeared. Few scientists then believed in the importance of animals to the development of human intelligence; now the subject of animal intelligence itself is taken far more seriously, and I'm certain that Paul Shepard's work made a significant contribution to this change.