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An invitation not to a faith certain of everything but, rather, to
a faith that welcomes the discomforting questions. Religious
zealotry plagues the world. It drives susceptible people to believe
they have all the truth, all the wisdom, all the divine favor. And
in some cases it even moves them to murder people who, they have
concluded, are enemies of God. In The Value of Doubt, veteran
journalist Bill Tammeus draws deeply on his own Protestant
experience of doubt and faith and, in a series of reflections,
contends that the road to a rich, dynamic, healthy faith inevitably
must run through the valley of the shadow of doubt. The opposite of
faith, he says, is not doubt; rather, the opposite of faith is
false certitude. Tammeus argues in favor of recognizing our
mortality, of adopting the Benedictine virtue of humility and of
realizing that we live by metaphor, by allegory, by myth. It's the
willingness to question, to reconsider, to be comfortable with
ambiguity and paradox that will save faith from the hands of those
who seem to know all the answers before they ever hear the
questions. This lively and challenging look at the religious life
is for anyone seeking to build and enrich an authentic faith and
courageous enough to see doubt as an essential part of it.
Pope Francis has taken the world by storm, captivating Catholics,
Protestants, and non-Christians alike. Sneaking out of the Vatican
at night, washing the feet of inmates, and taking selfies with
young fans is certainly unlike any religious leader we've seen in a
while, and some of the religious establishment is uneasy about it.
The revitalization Francis is bringing to the Catholic Church is
not without precedent, however. Jesus had a similar effect in his
day, drawing crowds with his humility, kindness, and
wisdomaEURO"even as he drew the disapproval of established
religious leaders. The things that have brought Francis such media
attention are the same things that made Jesus so peculiar and
attractive in his day. Thoughtful examination of Jesus' example and
legacy, as well as an honest look at the similarities and
differences between Catholic and Protestant faith, invites
reflection on the heart of Christianity and how we relate to our
fellow Christians. Readers will discover the power of heartfelt
joy, radical love, and passion for justice to shake people out of
religious complacency and into dynamic, contagious faith. Jesus,
Pope Francis, and a Protestant Walk into a Bar looks at what is
universal among Christians, what is unique to Catholics and
Protestants, and how all Christians can practice understanding and
cooperation across differences. Perfect for individual or group
use, discussion questions are also included to encourage further
thought and conversation.
From the middle of the Twentieth Century and, often, from the
middle of the United States came people Bill Tammeus describes as
Middle Americans. This book is about why they mattered and how
America is different today because of their values, approaches and
adaptability as they faced and even helped to shape the enormous
changes that have swept across American life in the last seventy or
more years. This is both a highly personal story of the author's
roots and experiences as a representative Middle American as well
as a much broader story of people who have made an enormous
difference in their communities and their nation.
Hitler's attempt to murder all of Europe's Jews almost succeeded.
One reason it fell short of its nefarious goal was the work of
brave non-Jews who sheltered their fellow citizens. In most
countries under German control, those who rescued Jews risked
imprisonment and death. In Poland, home to more Jews than any other
country at the start of World War II and location of six
German-built death camps, the punishment was immediate execution.
This book tells the stories of Polish Holocaust survivors and their
rescuers. The authors traveled extensively in the United States and
Poland to interview some of the few remaining participants before
their generation is gone. Tammeus and Cukierkorn unfold many
stories that have never before been made public: gripping
narratives of Jews who survived against all odds and courageous
non-Jews who risked their own lives to provide shelter. These are
harrowing accounts of survival and bravery. Maria Devinki lived for
more than two years under the floors of barns. Felix Zandman sought
refuge from Anna Puchalska for a night, but she pledged to hide him
for the whole war if necessary--and eventually hid several Jews for
seventeen months in a pit dug beneath her house. And when teenage
brothers Zygie and Sol Allweiss hid behind hay bales in the Dudzik
family's barn one day when the Germans came, they were alarmed to
learn the soldiers weren't there searching for Jews, but to seize
hay. But Zofia Dudzik successfully distracted them, and she and her
husband insisted the boys stay despite the danger to their own
family. Through some twenty stories like these, Tammeus and
Cukierkorn show that even in an atmosphere of unimaginable
malevolence, individuals can decide to act in civilized ways. Some
rescuers had antisemitic feelings but acted because they knew and
liked individual Jews. In many cases, the rescuers were simply
helping friends or business associates. The accounts include the
perspectives of men and women, city and rural residents, clergy and
laypersons--even children who witnessed their parents' efforts.
These stories show that assistance from non-Jews was crucial, but
also that Jews needed ingenuity, sometimes money, and most often
what some survivors called simple good luck. Sixty years later,
they invite each of us to ask what we might do today if we were at
risk--or were asked to risk our lives to save others.
Hitler's attempt to murder all of Europe's Jews almost succeeded.
One reason it fell short of its nefarious goal was the work of
brave non-Jews who sheltered their fellow citizens. In most
countries under German control, those who rescued Jews risked
imprisonment and death. In Poland, home to more Jews than any other
country at the start of World War II and location of six
German-built death camps, the punishment was immediate execution.
This book tells the stories of Polish Holocaust survivors and their
rescuers. The authors traveled extensively in the United States and
Poland to interview some of the few remaining participants before
their generation is gone. Tammeus and Cukierkorn unfold many
stories that have never before been made public: gripping
narratives of Jews who survived against all odds and courageous
non-Jews who risked their own lives to provide shelter. These are
harrowing accounts of survival and bravery. Maria Devinki lived for
more than two years under the floors of barns. Felix Zandman sought
refuge from Anna Puchalska for a night, but she pledged to hide him
for the whole war if necessary--and eventually hid several Jews for
seventeen months in a pit dug beneath her house. And when teenage
brothers Zygie and Sol Allweiss hid behind hay bales in the Dudzik
family's barn one day when the Germans came, they were alarmed to
learn the soldiers weren't there searching for Jews, but to seize
hay. But Zofia Dudzik successfully distracted them, and she and her
husband insisted the boys stay despite the danger to their own
family. Through some twenty stories like these, Tammeus and
Cukierkorn show that even in an atmosphere of unimaginable
malevolence, individuals can decide to act in civilized ways. Some
rescuers had antisemitic feelings but acted because they knew and
liked individual Jews. In many cases, the rescuers were simply
helping friends or business associates. The accounts include the
perspectives of men and women, city and rural residents, clergy and
laypersons--even children who witnessed their parents' efforts.
These stories show that assistance from non-Jews was crucial, but
also that Jews needed ingenuity, sometimes money, and most often
what some survivors called simple good luck. Sixty years later,
they invite each of us to ask what we might do today if we were at
risk--or were asked to risk our lives to save others.
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