Christian theatre has rich roots, from ancient Hebrew dramas to medieval plays, but where does it fit in today's media-saturated society?
"Performing the Sacred "is a fascinating dialogue between a theologian and theatre artist, offering the first full-scale exploration of theatre and theology. The authors illuminate the importance of live performance in a virtual world, of preserving the ancient art form of storytelling by becoming the story. Theologically, theatre reflects Christianity's central doctrines--incarnation, community, and presence--enhancing the human creative experience and simultaneously engaging viewers on multiple levels.
This Engaging Culture series title will be a key volume for those interested in theatre as well as drama practitioners, worship leaders, and culture makers.

No Future in This Country: The Prophetic Pessimism of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner is a history of the career of Bishop Henry McNeal Turner (1834-1915), specifically focusing on his work from 1896 to 1915. Drawing on the copious amount of material from Turner's speeches, editorial, and open and private letters, Andre E. Johnson tells a story of how Turner provided rhetorical leadership during a period in which America defaulted on many of the rights and privileges gained for African Americans during Reconstruction. Unlike many of his contemporaries during this period, Turner did not opt to proclaim an optimistic view of race relations. Instead, Johnson argues that Turner adopted a prophetic persona of a pessimistic prophet who not only spoke truth to power but, in so doing, also challenged and pushed African Americans to believe in themselves. At this time in his life, Turner had no confidence in American institutions or that the American people would live up to the promises outlined in their sacred documents. While he argued that emigration was the only way for African Americans to retain their "personhood" status, he also would come to believe that African Americans would never emigrate to Africa. He argued that many African Americans were so oppressed and so stripped of agency because they were surrounded by continued negative assessments of their personhood that belief in emigration was not possible. Turner's position limited his rhetorical options, but by adopting a pessimistic prophetic voice that bore witness to the atrocities African Americans faced, Turner found space for his oratory, which reflected itself within the lament tradition of prophecy.

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aA groundbreaking book, highly original in concept and persuasive in its execution. Johnson elegantly rewrites the history of American television with an eye to its geographical imaginary.a
--Anna McCarthy, New York University

"Network chieftains, advertising executives, and primetime performers generally fly over the heartland with barely a glance, but itas never far from their thoughts, or ours. In this remarkable analysis of American television, Victoria Johnson cogently explains why Middle America matters: on the screen, in the home, and in public life."
--Michael Curtin, author of "Playing to the Worldas Biggest Audience"

The Midwest of popular imagination is a aHeartlanda characterized by traditional cultural values and mass market dispositions. Whether cast positively -- as authentic, pastoral, populist, hardworking, and all-American -- or negatively -- as backward, narrowminded, unsophisticated, conservative, and out-of-touch -- the myth of the Heartland endures.

Heartland TV examines the centrality of this myth to televisionas promotion and development, programming and marketing appeals, and public debates over the mediumas and its audienceas cultural worth. Victoria E. Johnson investigates how the asquarea image of the heartland has been ritually recuperated on prime time television, from "The Lawrence Welk Show" in the 1950s, to documentary specials in the 1960s, to "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" in the 1970s, to "Ellen" in the 1990s. She also examines news specials on the Oklahoma City bombing to reveal how that city has been inscribed as the epitome of a timeless, pastoral heartland, and concludes with ananalysis of network branding practices and appeals to an imagined ared statea audience.

Johnson argues that non-white, queer, and urban culture is consistently erased from depictions of the Midwest in order to reinforce its areassuringa image as white and straight. Through analyses of policy, industry discourse, and case studies of specific shows, Heartland TV exposes the cultural function of the Midwest as a site of national transference and disavowal with regard to race, sexuality, and citizenship ideals.

Targeting Cell Survival Pathways to Enhance Response to Chemotherapy encompasses recently developed molecular targeting agents and approaches that suppress cell survival signaling. Cell survival signaling attenuates the effectiveness of conventional chemotherapy and numerous mechanisms have been described, and continue to be described, which contribute to cell survival in the face of chemotherapy treatment. Key pathways leading to chemoresistance emanate from growth factor receptors, PI3K, STAT3, anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 family members, autophagy, and the DNA damage response pathway. New advances have underscored the potential of targeting each of these cell survival mechanisms to improve responsiveness to chemotherapy. This book reviews these recent advances and provides a foundational background and hints of new opportunities for basic, translational, and clinical investigators focused on improving therapeutic responses to chemotherapy.

Play & Culture Studies is a bi-annual, peer-reviewed series published by the Association for the Study of Play. For forty years The Association for the Anthropological Study of Play (TAASP), now The Association for the Study of Play (TASP) has served as the premier professional organization in academia dedicated to interdisciplinary research and theory construction concerning play. During that time TASP has promoted the study of play, forged alliances with various organizations advancing the cause for play, organized yearly meetings to disseminate play research, and produced an impressive catalog of play research through a variety of publications. Volume 13 of the Play and Culture Studies Series highlights contributions that reflect upon the rich forty-year history of TASP, that explore current research examining the field of play, and that advance future directions for play research.

A step-by-step guide to genealogical research for students of British American descent or those interested in British Americans.

This major contribution to young adult genealogy studies helps create ethnic pride, self-esteem, and awareness of the extraordinary accomplishments each ethnic group has brought to the American experience. Designed for use in grades 6-12, this important series explores the creation of the American people while promoting the use and understanding of solid research techniques. Oryx American Family Tree Series enhances the social studies curriculum, especially the thematic strands in the New Curriculum Standards for Social Studies.

The father of the intelligent design movement, Phillip Johnson, thinks the new atheists are right How? They've put serious discussion about God back on the public agenda. Despite their conclusions, folks like Richard Dawkins, Sam Harris and Daniel Dennett are asking the right questions. They're making belief in any religion an issue again, especially in the university context where, for decades, questions about faith and reason have been taken off the table for serious discussion. Open debate is exactly what we need on the topics of God, evolution and creation. Together Johnson and John Mark Reynolds help us see the unique opportunity these vociferous and even evangelistic atheists are creating in their attempt to convert us to their unbelief. The authors show that we need not fear or react against these challenges. Rather they point to better ways to engage the opinions of this new, aggressive form of antireligious activity. With skill and insight they energetically take on the question of whether the evidence leads to a materialistic naturalism or points toward a creator God. Be informed. Be encouraged. Join the discussion.