Originally published in 1990, educational debate in the western world was dominated by pragmatic, utilitarian values. The prevailing assumption was that education should be geared towards fitting people into the world of work. Dudley Plunkett broke new ground in this debate by seeking to reconcile secular and spiritual values in educational policy and practice. Secular and Spiritual Values presents a critique of the influence of enterprise culture on education. It argues that the resurgence of interest in the spiritual today represents a return to an essential aspect of human nature, and maintains that the spiritual perspective can provide a context for the regeneration of values in education. It indicates a way forward which, while not denying pragmatism, rationalism or holistic values, calls for openness to a spiritual reality that is seen as primary. It also assesses the practical implications and priorities for action if education is to contribute to the exploration of the spiritual as well as the intellectual and emotional dimensions of human experience. This book has grown out of the author's twenty-five years' experience in educational studies, and from his particular preoccupation with values in education. It should still be of interest to those concerned with the nature and purpose of education: teachers, parents, educational policy-makers and administrators and academics in the field.

The Communist bloc has collapsed. Factional strife is on the rise. The West faces an uncertain future. What is the message of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, for these times?
To find an answer, Dudley Plunkett explores the mystery of Mary's recent apparitions in Medjugorje. Since 1981 millions from around thde world have traveled to the tiny Yugoslavian mountain village, believing Mary to be appearing there to a group of teenagers. Plunkett, after his own pilgrimage there, has come to bleve it as well
Many book have reported on the apparitions." Queen of Prophets "pushes the discussion forward: How can these apparitions be understood in light of the Bible and of the Christian traditions of the East and the West? What do the messages of Mary, her pleas for peace, prayer, and simplicity, mean to a rapidly changing world?
With great clarity Plunkett builds a bridge between the consoling and challenging message of the apparitions and the concerns of everyday life. This is a book for these times.

In this spiritual biography, Patricia de Menezes offers her witness to the revelations given her by Jesus over three decades. These centre on the name Divine Innocence, which Jesus revealed to be an attribute of the Holy Trinity manifested in himself. The Holy Family of Nazareth, home of Divine Innocence, is the true home of all people, and a school for holiness, especially for those who have become children of God through baptism. We are shown how precious in the sight of God is every human person that he has created in his image and likeness - a challenge to secular society which refuses to accept the validity of this Christian teaching. One consequence of this is that children are being killed before birth on a vast scale. Jesus requests the Catholic Church to recognise the innocent victims of abortion as companion martyrs of the Holy Innocents of Bethlehem, and therefore saints in heaven. A book of vital concern to Catholics, as well as those who are open to an encouraging message from Heaven.

Many Americans who trace their roots to communities similar to those of Appalachian Kentucky are becoming aware of the extent to which the problems of such communities represent the price paid for keeping alive traditions that are beginning to be missed in the wider society. Using fresh data and ingenious ways of letting local people speak for themselves, Mary Jean Bowman and H. Dudley Plunkett have thrown light on how isolated, small-town people respond to the encroachment of modern America, with its organized economy, mass communications media, reliance on more and more schooling, and persistent drive for social change. The study reveals a pervasive tension between old ways and new aspirations. Sometimes the new is in alliance with the national culture, but often tensions between regional and national ways are acute. The authors put little faith in naive attempts to engineer social change in Appalachia -- attempts they suggest are based on dubious cultural assumptions and misconceived strategies. This study of one region in one nation can be a model for the study of similar patterns of change elsewhere.