Examines the conflict between modern-day Southern Baptists and "liberal" Southern Baptists over control of the Southern Baptist Convention David Morgan captures the essence of the conflict between some modern-day Southern Baptists, who saw themselves as crusaders for truth, as they sought to redeem a new holy land--the Southern Baptist Convention-- from the control of other Southern Baptists they viewed as "liberals." To the so-called liberals, the crusaders were "fundamentalists" on a mission, not to reclaim the SBC in the name of theological truth but to gain control and redirect its activities according to their narrow political, social, and theological perspectives. The New Crusades provides a comprehensive history of the conflict, taking the reader through the bitter and divisive struggles of the late 1980s, that culminated in the 1991 emergence of a moderate faction within the SBC. The fundamentalists had won.

Among the eighteen celebrities I met along my life's journey were U. S. presidents, secretaries of state, hall of fame athletes, award winning writers, a popular entertainer, and a great evangelist, but the focus in this book is on a man who was an obscure biology professor at a small state university until he wrote a book detailing his combat experiences in World War II. That book, WITH THE OLD BREED AT PELELIU AND OKINAWA, has been hailed as one of the ten greatest war books ever written, and it catapulted Professor Eugene B. "Sledgehammer" Sledge into national and international fame. On these pages I recount my personal experiences with him and the other celebrities with whom I had the opportunity to interact.

Ireland, a country dominated for centuries by England, has given the world many fascinating stories. Herein is one of them about love and scandal set against the backdrop of volatile Anglo-Irish politics between 1881 and 1921. It is based on the true story of a man that British officials called a dangerous man and the people of Ireland called their uncrowned king. His countrymen idolized him as he battled to secure home rule for Ireland and fair rents for Irish tenant farmers. At the same time he fought for Ireland in the British Parliament, he carried on a secret love affair with the wife of one of his colleagues in the Irish Party. He loved nothing more than his country, except this woman, whose love he could not do without. He lived with her on the sly for nearly ten years before a scandalous divorce cost him his party leadership and led to his untimely death. He died without achieving home rule for Ireland and without suspecting that the woman he so completely adored would continue his struggle through her son and grandson and ultimately accomplish what he could not. Their story ends in triumph, but also in tragedy.

The religious revival meeting has been a vital part of American culture from the colonial period to the present. Begun by Puritan preachers in the 17th century, it has persisted through the years and decades of our history. This book is about the evangelists who created and perpetuated that revival tradition--from Jonathan Edwards to Billy Graham and the televangelists of our day. The focus is on the evangelists and their unique contributions, but at the same time the book reveals the respective flaws of those dynamic preachers of the Christian gospel.

When in 1845 the Southern Baptist Convention became the biggest Protestant "splinter group" in history--over the issue of slave ownership--women were expected to occupy a place subordinate to men. Since they were to be "silent in church," giving their money was the only way for Southern Baptist women to make a contribution. Over the years Baptist women have gained ground toward equality only to be driven back to their "place." In "Southern Baptist Sisters David Morgan documents this yo-yoing status of women among Southern Baptists, and shows that in the new millennium Southern Baptist women are officially back where they started more than 150 years ago. But Morgan also documents the fact that Southern Baptist women nevertheless have made monumental contributions to the life and work of the denomination, and that many if not most of them fully intend to continue their "mission," regardless.

The format and contents of this book are quite simple. There are three parts. Parts I and II consist of letters to the editor by the compiler--published letters in Part I and selected unpublished ones in Part II. The third part is an appendix that consists of an address the author and compiler presented to the Hemlock Society of San Diego on March 8, 2009. The book's contents will likely be controversial, since the writer lives in perhaps the Reddest of the Red states and his views in most instances are among the Bluest of the Blue--two main exceptions being the author's stand on illegal immigration and his approval of capital punishment for murderers. As for the appendix, it offers a strong argument in favor of "pulling the plug on Grandma," if she wants it pulled. In short, this book is sure to gladden the hearts of some and raise tempers to fever pitch in others.