Does heaven exist? If so, what is it like? And how does one get in? Throughout history, painters, poets, philosophers, pastors, and many ordinary people have pondered these questions. Perhaps no other topic captures the popular imagination quite like heaven.
Gary Scott Smith examines how Americans from the Puritans to the present have imagined heaven. He argues that whether Americans have perceived heaven as reality or fantasy, as God's home or a human invention, as a source of inspiration and comfort or an opiate that distracts from earthly life, or as a place of worship or a perpetual playground has varied largely according to the spirit of the age. In the colonial era, conceptions of heaven focused primarily on the glory of God. For the Victorians, heaven was a warm, comfortable home where people would live forever with their family and friends. Today, heaven is often less distinctively Christian and more of a celestial entertainment center or a paradise where everyone can reach his full potential.
Drawing on an astounding array of sources, including works of art, music, sociology, psychology, folklore, liturgy, sermons, poetry, fiction, jokes, and devotional books, Smith paints a sweeping, provocative portrait of what Americans-from Jonathan Edwards to Mitch Albom-have thought about heaven.

In the wake of the 2004 election, pundits were shocked at exit polling that showed that 22% of voters thought "moral values" was the most important issue at stake. People on both sides of the political divide believed this was the key to victory for George W. Bush, who professes a deep and abiding faith in God. While some fervent Bush supporters see him as a man chosen by God for the White House, opponents see his overt commitment to Christianity as a dangerous and unprecedented bridging of the gap between church and state.
In fact, Gary Scott Smith shows, none of this is new. Religion has been a major part of the presidency since George Washington's first inaugural address. Despite the mounting interest in the role of religion in American public life, we actually know remarkably little about the faith of our presidents. Was Thomas Jefferson an atheist, as his political opponents charged? What role did Lincoln's religious views play in his handling of slavery and the Civil War? How did born-again Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter lose the support of many evangelicals? Is George W. Bush, as his critics often claim, a captive of the religious right? In this fascinating book, Smith answers these questions and many more. He takes a sweeping look at the role religion has played in presidential politics and policies. Drawing on extensive archival research, Smith paints compelling portraits of the religious lives and presidencies of eleven chief executives for whom religion was particularly important.
Faith and the Presidency meticulously examines what each of its subjects believed and how those beliefs shaped their presidencies and, in turn, the course of our history.

John Singleton's sequel to 'The Fast and the Furious' - which brought stardom to Vin Diesel. Diesel decided not to reprise his role but Paul Walker did. Former undercover cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) finds himself on the trail of another group of underground car enthusiasts in an attempt to redeem himself after his illegal escapades in the first movie. This time the location is Miami, where O'Connor has been making money out of street racing, and he is asked to bring down the drugs baron Carter Verone (Cole Hauser) in exchange for erasing his criminal record. Enlisting the help of an ex-con (Tyrese), O'Connor once again finds himself raging through the streets in stolen cars.

Vin Diesel, Paul Walker and Dwayne Johnson lead the returning cast across the globe in their most gravity-defying and emotional adventure yet.

Targeted by a cold-blooded black ops assassin with a score to settle (Jason Statham), their only hope is to get behind the wheel again and secure an ingenious prototype tracking device.

Facing their greatest threat yet in places as far away as Abu Dhabi and as familiar as the Los Angeles streets they call home, the crew must come together once again as a team, and as a family, to protect their own.

John Singleton's sequel to 'The Fast and the Furious' - which brought stardom to Vin Diesel. Diesel decided not to reprise his role but Paul Walker did. Former undercover cop Brian O'Conner (Walker) finds himself on the trail of another group of underground car enthusiasts in an attempt to redeem himself after his illegal escapades in the first movie.

This time the location is Miami, where O'Connor has been making money out of street racing, and he is asked to bring down the drugs baron Carter Verone (Cole Hauser) in exchange for erasing his criminal record. Enlisting the help of an ex-con (Tyrese), O'Connor once again finds himself raging through the streets in stolen cars.

Presbyterianism emerged during the sixteenth-century Protestant Reformation. It spread from the British Isles to North America in the early eighteenth century. During the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, Presbyterian denominations grew throughout the world. Today, there are an estimated 35 million Presbyterians in dozens of countries. The Oxford Handbook of Presbyterianism provides a state of the art reference tool written by leading scholars in the fields of religious studies and history. These thirty five articles cover major facets of Presbyterian history, theological beliefs, worship practices, ecclesiastical forms and structures, as well as important ethical, political, and educational issues. Eschewing parochial and sectarian triumphalism, prominent scholars address their particular topics objectively and judiciously.

In Faith and the Presidency, Gary Scott Smith offered comprehensive, even-handed examinations of the role of religion in the lives, politics, and policies of eleven US presidents. In this book he takes on eleven more chief executives, drawing on a wide range of sources, and paying close attention to historical context and America's shifting social and moral values. Smith scrutinizes the convictions, use of religious rhetoric, and character of these eleven presidents by examining their lives, beliefs, policies, elections, and relationships of some of the nation's more colorful, charismatic, and complex leaders: John Adams, James Madison, John Quincy Adams, Andrew Jackson, William McKinley, Herbert Hoover, Harry Truman, Richard Nixon, George H. W. Bush, Bill Clinton, and Barack Obama. Religious commitments, Smith shows, strongly affected policy, from John Quincy Adams' treatment of native Americans and diplomacy, to William McKinley's decision to declare war against Spain in 1898 and take control of the Philippines, to Herbert Hoover's quest to reform prisons and defend civil liberties, to Harry Truman's approach to the Cold War and decision to recognize Israel, to Bill Clinton's promotion of religious liberty and reform of welfare, to Barack Obama's policies on poverty and gay rights. This volume will offer an invaluable resource for anyone interested in the presidency and the role of religion in politics.

In the wake of the 2004 election, pundits were shocked at exit polling that showed that 22% of voters thought 'moral values' was the most important issue at stake. People on both sides of the political divide believed this was the key to victory for George W. Bush, who professes a deep and abiding faith in God. While some fervent Bush supporters see him as a man chosen by God for the White House, opponents see his overt commitment to Christianity as a dangerous and unprecedented bridging of the gap between church and state.
In fact, Gary Scott Smith shows, none of this is new. Religion has been a major part of the presidency since George Washington's first inaugural address. Despite the mounting interest in the role of religion in American public life, we actually know remarkably little about the faith of our presidents. Was Thomas Jefferson an atheist, as his political opponents charged? What role did Lincoln's religious views play in his handling of slavery and the Civil War? How did born-again Southern Baptist Jimmy Carter lose the support of many evangelicals? Was George W. Bush, as his critics often claimed, a captive of the religious right? In this fascinating book, Smith answers these questions and many more. He takes a sweeping look at the role religion has played in presidential politics and policies. Drawing on extensive archival research, Smith paints compelling portraits of the religious lives and presidencies of eleven chief executives for whom religion was particularly important. Faith and the Presidency meticulously examines what each of its subjects believed and how those beliefs shaped their presidencies and, in turn, the course of our history.

Mark Twain's literary works have intrigued and inspired readers from the late 1860s to the present. His varied experiences as a journeyman printer, river boat pilot, prospector, journalist, novelist, humorist, businessman, and world traveller, combined with his incredible imagination and astonishing creativity, enabled him to devise some of American literature's most memorable characters and engaging stories. Twain had a complicated relationship with Christianity. He strove to understand, critique, and sometimes promote various theological ideas and insights. His religious perspective was often inconsistent and even contradictory. While many scholars have overlooked Twain's strong interest in religious matters, others disagree sharply about his religious views-with many labelling him a secularist, an agnostic, or an atheist. In this compelling biography, Gary Scott Smith shows that throughout his life Twain was an entertainer, satirist, novelist, and reformer, but also functioned as a preacher, prophet, and social philosopher. Twain tackled universal themes with penetrating insight and wit including the character of God, human nature, sin, providence, corruption, greed, hypocrisy, poverty, racism, and imperialism. Moreover, his life provides a window into the principal trends and developments in American religion from 1865 to 1910.

Comedy sequel to 'K9' (1988) directed by Charles T. Kanganis and starring James Belushi, Christine Tucci and James Handy. Detective Dooley (Belushi) and his police dog Jerry Lee continue their fight against crime but after ten long years of service they are beginning to feel their age. After they fail to prevent a number of attacks made by a mad gunman, Dooley and Jerry Lee are partnered with the no-nonsense Sergeant Welles (Tucci) and her fearless pet Doberman Zeus. They must all come together as a team in order to catch a dangerous, obsessed stalker whose fixation on Dooley threatens to have dire consequences.

Comedy sequel to 'K9' (1988) directed by Charles T. Kanganis and starring James Belushi, Christine Tucci and James Handy. Detective Dooley (Belushi) and his police dog Jerry Lee continue their fight against crime but after ten long years of service they are beginning to feel their age. After they fail to prevent a number of attacks made by a mad gunman, Dooley and Jerry Lee are partnered with the no-nonsense Sergeant Welles (Tucci) and her fearless pet Doberman Zeus. They must all come together as a team in order to catch a dangerous, obsessed stalker whose fixation on Dooley threatens to have dire consequences.

Third instalment in the 'K-9' series, directed by Richard J. Lewis and starring James Belushi, Gary Basaraba and Kim Huffman. Detective Dooley (Belushi) and his police hound Jerry Lee finally hand in their badges but continue their fight against crime as private detectives. When they interrupt a computer company robbery on their final night as official police officers, it leads to all kinds of trouble. It seems that Jerry Lee has managed to swallow a microchip discarded by the thieves, and this provides the crimebusting duo with the vital first clue in their attempts to unravel the mystery.