School textbooks in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Egypt and elsewhere in the Arab and Muslim worlds are filled with anti-Western and anti-Israel propaganda. Most readers will be shocked to discover that history and geography textbooks widely used in America's elementary and secondary classrooms contain some of the very same inaccuracies about Jews, Judaism, and Israel. Did you know that 'there is no record of any important Jewish contribution to the sciences?' (World Civilizations, Thomson Wadsworth). Or that 'Christianity was started by a young Palestinian named Jesus?' (The World, Scott Foresman/Pearson). Supplemental materials and other classroom influences are even worse. The Trouble with Textbooks exposes the poor scholarship and untruths in textbooks about Jews and Israel. The problems uncovered in this ground-breaking analysis are instructive, and illustrate the need for reform in the way textbooks are developed, written, marketed, and distributed. Substitute another area_how we teach American history, Western civilization, or comparative religion_and we have another, equally intriguing case study. The Trouble with Textbooks shows what can go terribly wrong in discussing religion, geography, culture, or history_and in this case_all of them. The Trouble with Textbooks tells a cautionary tale for all readers, whatever their background, of how textbooks that Americans depend on to infuse young people with the values for good citizenship and to help acculturate students into the multicultural salad that is American life, instead disparage some groups and teach historical distortions. With millions of young people using these textbooks each year, the denigration of some should be a concern for all.

If you've lost a spouse, child, family member, or friend, you've discovered that few people understand the deep hurt you feel.

Where do you turn for daily comfort and help? Where do you find the tools to move forward? Through a Season of Grief is the first 365-day devotional designed to support and uplift you in that first, most difficult year of bereavement.

These devotions offer biblical comfort and practical teaching that will enable you to take steps forward toward healing each and every day. You will better understand the grieving process and will receive needed encouragement along the way.

More than thirty respected Christian professionals–including Kay Arthur, Jack Hayford, and Luis Palau–share their insights on how to walk through the devastation of grief toward wholeness and hope. You will also hear from people like you who lost a loved one and found God's healing presence in the midst of despair.

This unique devotional is based on GriefShare, a national grief recovery support group program that has helped more than 100,000 families.

Jesus Christ. He is, without question, the most influential person in history. Millions of people claim the truths of the religion that bears His name.

But who exactly "is" Jesus? A popular religious teacher? An ancient martyr? Many today are unsure. Even scholars debate whether the Jesus of history is the Christ of faith. Now, more than ever, we need a clear understanding of the person and work of the man millions call "Savior."" "

In this ninth and final biographical study in the best-selling Great Lives from God's Word series, " "beloved pastor and Bible teacher Charles" "Swindoll introduces you to the carpenter from Nazareth as you have never seen Him before.

This fascinating biography, filled with biblical and historical insights, takes you on an unforgettable journey through the complex and provocative life of Jesus of Nazareth. His unique birth. His astonishing power. His controversial teaching. His shocking death. And His world-changing resurrection.

Refreshingly honest and deep, this in-depth profile reveals" "Jesus with great clarity and offers practical applications for your own life. Whether you're just curious about Jesus or a longtime follower of His life and teachings, you'll experience His life in a new way as you join Dr. Swindoll in "Jesus: The Greatest Life of All."

Are you and your spouse speaking the same language? He sends you flowers when what you really want is time to talk. She gives you a hug when what you really need is a home-cooked meal. The problem isn't love--it's your love language. Each one of us responds well to a different type of expression of love. "The One Year Love Language Minute Devotional" is your daily guide for expressing heartfelt love to your mate in a way that he or she can appreciate it.

Detox Your Spirit is a 40 day devotional directly inspired by the Holy Spirit to transform your life. The number of days is significant, throughout scripture we see lives changed in 40 days. This book is from the bestselling author of 21 Days of Fasting & Prayer. It will help you reactivate and reenergize your spirit. Through the devotions, prayers and declarations, you will overcome every spiritual huddle and receive healing, deliverance and breakthrough in every area of need. You will come to an awareness of your rights in Christ. As you go through this program, God will begin to work on your inner man to bring about transformation that will make your life better. It will also help you discover your purpose and calling in this life.

Widely read, The Bhagavad Gita is a classic of world spirituality while The essential companion to The Bhagavad Gita, The Uddhava Gita has remained overlooked. This new accessible and only English translation in print of The Uddhava Gita offers a previously unexplored path to understanding Hinduism and Krishna s wisdom. Written centuries apart, the ideas of the two dialogues are similar although their approach and contexts differ. The Bhagavad Gita is filled with the urgency of battle while The Uddhava Gita takes place on the eve of Krishna s departure from the world. The Uddhava Gita offers the reader philosophy, sublime poetry, practical guidance, and, ultimately, hope for a more complete consciousness in which the life of the body better reflects the life of the spirit."

"Princess Stories" is the big sister to popular board book "My Princess Bible." "Princess Stories," appropriate for girls ages 4 to 8, is a collection of first-person narrative stories about 29 women in the Bible--and the 30th story is about the reader, who is God's princess too. In each four-page story, the reader gets a rhyming verse about the princess (addressed to "Mirror, mirror on the wall"), a first-person story of the featured Bible woman and the special quality her life reflects, a Bible verse from another passage of Scripture that summarizes/relates to the character trait, and Princess Ponderings--questions that help girls and their parents discuss the stories and relate the lessons to life.Through this book, girls will learn more in-depth stories of women of the Bible and how to apply Scripture to their own lives.

For Christians, eternity is an exciting promise, but many do not know the details of what life will be like in heaven and throughout eternity. "50 Days of Heaven" allows the reader to stop wondering about heaven by teaching the biblical facts regarding what's so wonderful about Heaven. The devotional provides an easy-to-follow, 50-day program that reveals the biblical information on what a Christian's life will be like in heaven. Throughout this journey, the reader will learn and meditate upon the promises, rewards, and expectations that a believer in Christ will enjoy for eternity. This devotional draws on the teachings in Randy Alcorn's best-selling book "Heaven."

For more than forty years there was a single synagogue in the quiet town of Williamette, Oregon. But then disagreements over gender roles, homosexuality, Israeli politics, and other issues tore the synagogue in two. Where there was once one Jewish community under one roof, there are now two hostile congregations one Reconstructionist, one Orthodox across the street from one another. Through a year as a participant in both congregations and in-depth interviews, Zuckerman tells a mesmerizing story of this religious schism. Strife in the Sanctuary then contemplates why religious groups split apart and how religious symbols come to mean different things to different groups. The first book-length study of a single congregation breaking in two, Strife in the Sanctuary provides a welcome ethnographic study for sociologists of religion. Plus, its moving story makes it an excellent read for undergraduate classes or anyone interested in religious divisions.

A deeply biblical and relevant Advent study that focuses on Mary, her song of deliverance and hope (the Magnificat), and her significance beyond the story of Jesus' birth.

The "I Ching" originated in China as a divination manual more than three thousand years ago. In 136 BCE the emperor declared it a Confucian classic, and in the centuries that followed, this work had a profound influence on the philosophy, religion, art, literature, politics, science, technology, and medicine of various cultures throughout East Asia. Jesuit missionaries brought knowledge of the "I Ching" to Europe in the seventeenth century, and the American counterculture embraced it in the 1960s. Here Richard Smith tells the extraordinary story of how this cryptic and once obscure book became one of the most widely read and extensively analyzed texts in all of world literature.

In this concise history, Smith traces the evolution of the "I Ching" in China and throughout the world, explaining its complex structure, its manifold uses in different cultures, and its enduring appeal. He shows how the indigenous beliefs and customs of Japan, Korea, Vietnam, and Tibet "domesticated" the text, and he reflects on whether this Chinese classic can be compared to religious books such as the Bible or the Qur'an. Smith also looks at how the "I Ching" came to be published in dozens of languages, providing insight and inspiration to millions worldwide--including ardent admirers in the West such as Leibniz, Carl Jung, Philip K. Dick, Allen Ginsberg, Hermann Hesse, Bob Dylan, Jorge Luis Borges, and I. M. Pei. Smith offers an unparalleled biography of the most revered book in China's entire cultural tradition, and he shows us how this enigmatic ancient classic has become a truly global phenomenon.

Rabbi Matityahu Glazerson has used his unique approach to uncover the exalted ideas that the words and letters of the holy language, Hebrew, convey. This approach is especially suited to the study of Haggadah, for the holiday of Passover does not only symbolize our redemption but is also symbolic of the holy language. Pharaoh's underlying motive was to break down the barriers that separated the Jew from the Egyptian, thus effecting our spiritual downfall through assimilation. The sages teach that one of the reasons why the Jews in Egypt deserved to be redeemed was that they continued to speak Hebrew. In this way they guaranteed their distinctiveness and their sanctity.

Build a Love that Lasts

At a time when more people are delaying marriage or writing it off altogether, those ready to walk the aisle will appreciate a frank and trusted resource to help them start marriage on the right foot.

This practical guide will help you explore your relationship in depth and will

- provide new insight into your partner and how the two of you relate to one another

- establish your wants and needs as individuals and a couple before your marriage begins

- lay the groundwork for open and honest conversation for a stronger, healthier marriage

- reveal how life events and family background can influence decision making in finances, family, education, faith, and career

- engage you in activities that lead to thought-provoking discussion addressing your past experiences and current expectations

Engaging and easy-to-use, Before You Say "I Do" is full of tried and true wisdom to help you plan for your future and build a lasting relationship with the one you love.

While this new Bible is certainly an inclusive-language translation, it is much more: it is a re-imagining of the scriptures and our relationship to them. Not merely replacing male pronouns, the translators have rethought what kind of language has built barriers between the text and its readers. Seeking to be faithful to the original languages, they have sought new and non-sexist ways to express the same ancient truths. The Inclusive Bible is a fresh, dynamic translation into modern English, carefully crafted to let the power and poetry of the language shine forth-particularly when read aloud-giving it an immediacy and intimacy rarely found in traditional translations of the Bible. The Inclusive Bible contains both the Old and the New Testaments.

As youth look for answers in their lives, point them to this encouraging, informative devotional. Students learn from their peers in 50 relatable devotions that share how the writers flourished in God's care. Youth can take five to dive into short devotions that revive their walk with God and encourage them to keep their faith thriving.

Busy parents, sponsors, and churches look to you for confirmand gifts. The new Blessings and Prayers for Confirmation offers on-the-go devotions with handy, portable prayers, hymns, psalms, and canticles. ESV Scripture takes readers through their day. The book includes the Rite of Confirmation from Lutheran Service Book.