John Locke's influence on American political culture has been largely misunderstood by his commentators. Though often regarded as the architect of a rationally-ordered and civilized liberalism, this book demonstrates that Locke's thought is culpable for the rather uncivilized expressions of political engagement seen recently in America. By relying upon Eric Voegelin's concept of pneumopathology, Locke is shown to be subtly constructing a liberal ideology and thereby individuals who approach liberalism as closed-minded ideologues, not as deeply responsible and mature citizens. Because Locke's citizens will be slogan chanters instead of deep thinkers, Locke's work does not create a liberalism that provides the best possible regime for humans, but a mere shadow of the best possible regime. In order to demonstrate this, nearly the entirety of Locke's political and other theoretical writings are analyzed, and a picture of Lockean individuals as irrationally selfish and incapable of communal dedication emerges. The problem with liberalism is not liberalism, but merely how it is advocated by Locke. Recommendations for improving the civility of political expression in liberal societies - and thereby liberalism itself - conclude this analysis of Locke's political thought and its effect on America today.

When you hear the name ‘God’, does an image come into your head? Do you think of him as a shining light, or with a human shape, or as an anchor in the storm, a rock, a fortress? As we look towards celebrating the incarnation at Christmas, we consider how God chose to express himself, in a moment in history, as a tiny baby. But what other images describe God in the Bible, and what can we learn about his character through them? How does an invisible God reveal himself to us in scripture and in Jesus? Amy Scott Robinson, a poet and storyteller, answers this question with imagination and a close reading of the text. Week 1: When God appears Week 2: God the creator Week 3: God the owner Week 4: Veiled in flesh Week 5: Visible in creation

Folk tales are stories full of adventure, courage, daring, fighting dragons, trolls, and giants, and overcoming challenges. How many of them have girls as the main heroic characters though? These twelve folk tales from all over the world have been specially selected as they feature strong, adventurous heroines. Some are funny, some make you think, and some - like the story of Fearless Mary - keep you on the edge of your seat with scares and surprises. Meet Louisa Freya, the brave dragon slayer, funny and clever Sigrun, and honest and humble Scarface as well as other heroines from Serbia, Norway, China, Japan, South Africa, and Indonesia. Amy Scott Robinson's distinctive voice, expertise and experience as a performance storyteller makes this a unique and fascinating collection, aimed at readers aged 7-9 years. At the end of each story, Amy shares a bit about where the story comes from, how she has retold it, and what the tale makes her think about when she is hearing or telling it, including Bible verses. These folk tales deserve to be told as often as the more famous and well-known ones. After all, why should boys defeat all the dragons? Enjoy the adventure!

This book analyzes Eric Voegelin's scholarly works from the 1950s and early 1960s and examines the ways in which these works are relevant to the twenty-first century political environment. The collection of essays evaluated in this book cover a wide array of topics that were of great curiosity sixty years ago and still relevant in today's society. The authors in this volume demonstrate that Voegelin's erudition on topics such as revolutionary change, ideological fervor, industrialization, globalism, and the place for reason and how it may be cultivated in complex time's remains as meaningful today as it was then.

‘At the heart of the Christian message is a collection of abstract nouns: love; sin; forgiveness; grace. It is quite difficult to explain what the gospel message is without using some or all of those words. But the problem with abstract nouns is that when we use them, we assume that the person we are talking to understands them, and not only that, we assume that they have the same understanding of the word that we do…’ Lent is traditionally a time of repentance, fasting and prayer as we prepare to celebrate our salvation at Easter. Through daily readings and reflections from Ash Wednesday to Easter Day, Amy Scott Robinson explores different biblical images of repentance, sin, forgiveness and grace, bringing them together in Holy Week as a lens through which to view Christ’s work of reconciliation on the cross. ‘Amy is an expert storyteller, a well of emotion and reflection, and a follower of Jesus with a deep, genuine hunger for the reality of God.’ Adrian Plass, author and speaker

The Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience is a seminal reference work in the burgeoning field of developmental behavioral neuroscience, which has emerged in recent years as an important sister discipline to developmental psychobiology. This handbook, part of the OxfordLibrary of Neuroscience, provides an introduction to recent advances in research at the intersection of developmental science and behavioral neuroscience, while emphasizing the central research perspectives of developmental psychobiology. Contributors to the Oxford Handbook of DevelopmentalBehavioral Neuroscience are drawn from a variety of fields, including developmental psychobiology, neuroscience, comparative psychology, and evolutionary biology, demonstrating the opportunities to advance our understanding of behavioral and neural development through enhanced interactions among parallel disciplines.
In a field ripe for collaboration and integration, the Oxford Handbook of Developmental Behavioral Neuroscience provides an unprecedented overview of conceptual and methodological issues pertaining to comparative and developmental neuroscience that can serve as a roadmap for researchers and a textbook for educators. Its broad reach will spur new insights and compel new collaborations in this rapidly growing field.