Why is the Bible so often used as a tool for division and exclusion? And why are so many intelligent and compassionate people embarrassed to say they find wisdom and comfort in the Bible? In this groundbreaking book, the man Time magazine called one of the seven best preachers in America provides answers to these questions and shows what the Bible says about topics that concern Lis all, including joy, suffering, evil, and goodness. With compassion, humor, and insight, lie gives readers the tools and understanding they need to make the ancient wisdom of the Bible a dynamic part of their modern lives.

This Modern Library Paperback Classics edition combines the two most important African American slave narratives into one volume.
Frederick Douglass's Narrative, first published in 1845, is an enlightening and incendiary text. Born into slavery, Douglass became the preeminent spokesman for his people during his life; his narrative is an unparalleled account of the dehumanizing effects of slavery and Douglass's own triumph over it. Like Douglass, Harriet Jacobs was born into slavery, and in 1861 she published Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl, now recognized as the most comprehensive antebellum slave narrative written by a woman. Jacobs's account broke the silence on the exploitation of African American female slaves, and it remains crucial reading. These narratives illuminate and inform each other. This edition includes an incisive Introduction by Kwame Anthony Appiah and extensive annotations.

"From the Trade Paperback edition.

In this, the first in-depth study of the most American of holidays, James Baker sweeps away lingering myths and misconceptions to show how this celebration day was born and grew to be an essential part of our national spirit. Thanksgiving: The Biography of an American Holiday opens with an overview of the popular mythos of the holiday before discussing its possible religious and cultural precedents. This classic Yankee holiday is examined in historical and contemporary detail that embraces everything from proclamations, sermons, and local and regional traditions to family reunions, turkey dinners, and recipes. Thanksgiving's evolving face is illustrated with charming and often revealing period prints that chart our changing attitudes: the influence of Victorian sentiment in Thanksgiving's development, Progressive utilitarianism, intellectual "debunking," patriotic wartime reclamation, and 1960s-era protest. Thanksgiving remains controversial up to the present day, as Mayflower descendants, Native Americans, and commercial exploiters compete for the American public's opinion of the holiday's contemporary significance and its future status. This is an intelligent and illuminating introduction to a beloved holiday and a fascinating cultural history of America and Americana.

The author of the New York Times bestseller The Good Book champions the recovery of the Western moral tradition.

Written by the man Time magazine called one of the seven best preachers in America, The Good Book is a brilliant and inspiring look at the Bible today. Beginning with a bracing crash course in biblical literacy and interpretation, Gomes proceeds to rescue the Bible from those who would misuse its passages to alienate and exclude. In stirring chapters on what the Bible says to us about anti-Semitism, women, homosexuality, and race, Gomes suggests new ways to read and interpret Scripture. Finally, with compassion, humor, and refreshing originality, Gomes seeks to illuminate what the Bible has to say about suffering, joy, evil, temptation, wealth, science, mystery, and the good life. This wise book gives us the tools we need to make the Bible a dynamic, living, and transforming part of our daily lives.
-- A major national bestseller: The Good Book appeared on The New York Times, USA Today, San Francisco Chronicle, Boston Globe, and Wordstock bestseller lists.

"Brilliant and thought-provoking...a wonderful road map to a text that, if read properly, can provide solace and wisdom in troubled times". -- Boston Globe

"This fine work reflects Gomes's great intelligence, open mind, humanity, wisdom, and struggle to understand the meaning of life and God's word". -- Marian Wright Edelman, President, the Children's Defense Fund

"I am thrilled by this book...easily the best contemporaryy book on the Bible for thoughtful people...a triumph of scholarship and devotion". -- The Right Reverend Lord Runcie, 102nd Archbishop of Canterbury

How the Church Domesticated Jesus

With his unique blend of eloquence and insight, the esteemed Harvard minister Peter J. Gomes invites us to hear anew the radical nature of Jesus' message of hope and change. Using examples from ancient times as well as from modern pop culture, "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus" shows us why the good news is every bit as relevant today as when it was first preached.

This Odd and Wondrous Calling offers something different from most books available on ministry. Two people still pastoring reflect honestly here on both the joys and the challenges of their vocation. / Anecdotal and extremely readable, the book covers a diversity of subjects revealing the incredible variety of a pastors day. The chapters move from comedy to pathos, story to theology, Scripture to contemporary culture. This Odd and Wondrous Calling is both serious and fun and is ideal for those who are considering the ministry or who want a better understanding of their own ministers life.

Since 1892, Harvard University, like many distinguished academic institutions, has compiled a hymnal for use in its own worship services. The fourth edition of "The Harvard University Hymn Book" represents the culmination of a ten-year process of revision and re-creation based on the 1964 third edition. Containing over 370 hymns, over 100 more than its predecessor, the book includes many that have become a regular part of worship at The Memorial Church in the years since the publication of the previous edition.

In addition to many familiar hymns old and new, the fourth edition includes selections that were unique to the previous editions, hymns previously unpublished, and other noteworthy "discoveries" that have not appeared in print for many years.

The minister at Harvard University offers forty sermons addressing such issues as commitment, holiness, and patriotism, and explaining the meaning of the recurring seasons of the church year, from Advent to Pentecost and Trinity.