In today's market-driven world, the contemporary church faces pressing questions as it continues to be formed by the powerful forces of neoliberal capitalism. This book builds on theological examinations of capitalism and consumerism to develop a theology of marketing that addresses two key questions. First, even though church marketing seems to help churches grow amidst a climate of declining church affiliation, should the church use it? Second, considering the church's indistinguishability from culture in relation to consumption, how should Christians relate to material goods? To address these questions, Emily Beth Hill develops a framework that draws on the concrete practices of marketing (such as focus groups, big data, branding, and advertising) and the trajectory of their use over time, along with Martin Luther's theology of the Word. Combining Martin Luther's pro me ("for me") theology with marketing concepts, Hill shows that while marketing and the gospel have formal pro me similarities, materially they are quite different: marketing operates as a word of law distinct from the effective, liberating word of the gospel proclaimed for us, and thus the two produce different human identities. While existing examinations of capitalism primarily rely on theologies and discourses of desire, Hill reveals that a theology of the Word illuminates a fruitful new area for reflection on how the church can resist the deformations of capitalism.

A storm is coming. None of us have ever experienced a storm like this. It could arrive very soon. But, as anyone who makes a living as a forecaster will quickly say, "On the other hand . . ." The storm is, of course, an influenza pandemic. Much has been written in the past few years about the virus known as H5N1 and its potential to develop into a pandemic. Some in the scientific community are questioning whether that will ever happen. If H5N1 does become pandemic, we have no basis for predicting whether it will be this year or 10 years from now. After all, H5N1 was first identified in birds in 1961; the first human cases did not appear until 1997.

Lies, lies, too many lies ... Jane Dough washes her hands of her wacky family's deceptive ways. But when a disastrous situation with her homeowners' association threatens Jane's newfound security, and her family pumps up the pressure for her to sell her home, Jane reverts to family misbehavior. She blurts out a lie that she's advertising for a husband to help her out of her jam. It's just one little lie to get everyone off her back, so no harm done, right?

Wrong Someone runs a Husband Wanted ad in Jane's name, and now she's stuck with the consequences of her lie, even though she has no intention of getting married. Meanwhile, there's that little business of losing her property if she doesn't bring it into conformance before the deadline, and with every step forward, she takes two back. And one is a misstep that leads her smack into the middle of a murder.

Either Jane is the unluckiest girl in the world or bad luck is getting good help. Surely not from Mark and Sue, her two best friends, or from the drop-dead gorgeous doctor who comes bearing gifts. And that sexy new neighbor, a hunk of a Texan cowboy, must be on her side. It's a shame she can't tell the truth about what's really going on, but that doesn't give everyone else the right to lie, does it?

Well, maybe it does. Or maybe not. Or maybe Jane just doesn't know the rules ... of lying.

Winner of the Virginia Romance Writers of America Holt Medallion Award of Merit, Gulf Coast Romance Writers of America Silken Sands Readers' Choice STAR Award, and Heartland Romance Writers of America Show Me The Spark Award. Voted one of the Top 10 Historical Romances for 2013 by readers in the RomCon Readers' Crown Awards. A desperate young woman ... Lady Louisa Barrick will do anything to save her estate and the village that depends on it, but when she tries to use a rakish privateer in her scheme, things don't turn out as planned. A duke masquerading as a privateer ... Jonathan Derek Wentworth has a scheme of his own: to track down the ton-based smuggling gang responsible for his father's death. When he's caught in a compromising situation with Lady Louisa, he decides it's better to marry her than to risk being ostracized by the London society whose invitations are vital to his plan. But Louisa refuses to marry him, unless he meets her terms, one of which is a month-long reprieve from consummation. Intent on seduction, Derek doesn't count on his unexpected jealousy wreaking havoc with his emotions, his marriage, and his masquerade. Lucy, still grieving the death of her father, wants desperately to avoid another heartbreak, but fears she may have schemed herself into a marriage with the one man destined to break her heart: a man who isn't what he seems, who obviously can't be trusted, and who will surely leave her the first chance he gets.