Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

Unlike some other reproductions of classic texts (1) We have not used OCR(Optical Character Recognition), as this leads to bad quality books with introduced typos. (2) In books where there are images such as portraits, maps, sketches etc We have endeavoured to keep the quality of these images, so they represent accurately the original artefact. Although occasionally there may be certain imperfections with these old texts, we feel they deserve to be made available for future generations to enjoy.

What do we do with a God who sanctions violence? Old Testament violence proves one of the most troubling topics in the Bible. Too often, the explanations for the brutality in Scripture fail to adequately illustrate why God would sanction such horrors on humanity. These unanswered questions leave readers frustrated and confused, leading some to even walk away from their faith. In Flood and Fury, Old Testament scholar Matthew Lynch approaches two of the most violent passages in the Old Testament - the Flood and the Canaanite conquest - and offers a way forward that doesn't require softening or ignoring the most troubling aspects of these stories. While acknowledging the persistent challenge of violence in Scripture, Flood and Fury contends that reading with the grain of the text yields surprising insights into the goodness and the mercy of God. Through his exploration of themes related to violence including misogyny, racism, and nationalism, Lynch shows that these violent stories illuminate significant theological insights that we might miss with a surface reading. Flood and Fury challenges us to let go of the need to rescue the Old Testament from itself and listen afresh to its own critiques on violence.

Do you find the violence in the Old Testament a problem? Does it get in the way of reading the Bible - and of faith itself? While acknowledging that there are no easy answers, in God of Violence Yesterday, God of Love Today?, Helen Paynter faces the questions head-on and offers a fresh, accessible approach to a significant issue. For all those seeking to engage with the Bible and gain confidence in the God it portrays, she provides tools for reading and interpreting biblical texts, and points to ways of dealing with the overall trajectories of violence. 'In lucid prose Helen Paynter argues that violence featured in the biblical canon should not be ignored or denied but acknowledged and faced honestly. While history is played out in a broken and often violent world the author shows how the movement of scripture is toward God's creative intention for healing and wholeness. Without providing final answers Paynter offers ways of interpreting even the most violent passages so that we may hear God's word for today.' John Meredith, Editor of Word & Worship 'A rigorous yet accessible exploration of Old Testament violence ideal for individuals or groups wishing to engage with these troubling texts and the issues they raise. I would wholeheartedly recommend this book to anyone interested in the questions it explores. If you are new to the subject, it offers a comprehensive introduction and the reassurance that you are being guided by a capable and safe pair of hands as you begin to engage with challenging and important issues.' Peter King, Diocese of Chichester

The Greatest Escape of African slaves in American history
This unique book from Leonaur collects three pieces concerning the so called 'Schooner Pearl Incident' of 1848. This bid for freedom by seventy-seven slaves from Washington DC, a decade or so before the outbreak of the American Civil War, was the largest ever attempt to escape by slaves in American history and one of the most significant episodes in the struggle by African slaves to gain freedom in the U. S. A. The escape was organised by both white and free black radicals and the plan included a 225 mile sail by the 'Pearl' carrying the slaves to the 'free state' of New Jersey. Ill fortune and bad weather delayed the escapees and they were quickly captured by an armed posse travelling on a steamboat. The re-captured slaves were punished by being sold into the southern states and the incident promoted pro-slavery riots in Washington. These events proved tragic for most of those who participated in the escape and included imprisonment for some of the instigators. 'The Schooner Pearl Incident' nevertheless promoted vigorous political debate about slavery and contributed to the abolition of the slave trade in the District of Columbia. The Edmondson sisters, two of the recaptured slaves, achieved fame when their freedom was purchased by the congregation of a Brooklyn, New York, church. The escape also provided the inspiration for Harriet Beecher Stowe's enduringly famous novel 'Uncle Tom's Cabin.'
Leonaur editions are newly typeset and are not facsimiles; each title is available in softcover and hardback with dustjacket; our hardbacks are cloth bound and feature gold foil lettering on their spines and fabric head and tail bands.

Focusing on the city of Armidale during the period 1830 to 1930, this book investigates the relationship between the development of capitalism in a particular region (New England, Australia) and the expression of ideology within architectural style. The author analyzes how style encodes meaning and how it relates to the social contexts and relationships within capitalism, which in turn are related to the construction of ideology over time.

This volume in Biblical Theology for Life series dives deeply into the topic of human violence. Before exploring what the Bible says about violence, Old Testament scholar Helen Paynter sets out the contours for the study ahead by addressing the various definitions of violence and the theories of its origins, prevalence, and purpose. What is violence? Is there such a thing as "natural violence"? Is violence a human or social construct or can we describe natural phenomena as violent? How does the concept of violence relate to the concept of evil? Violence is everywhere; is it escapable? How do we resist violence? Having queued up the questions, Paynter takes us to the Bible for answers. Starting with the creation narratives in Genesis considered in comparison with the ancient Near Eastern myths and moving to the conquest of Canaan--the most problematic of biblical narratives--she investigates how these deep myths speak to the origins of human violence and its consequences. The prevalence of violence through biblical history is inescapable. Scripture reveals the hydra-like nature of human violence, investigating types of violence including but not limited to: structural violence, verbal violence, sexual violence, violence as public /political act, racialised violence, including "othering." Through the voices of the prophets and then in the teaching of Jesus, the Bible reveals that the seeds of violence exist within every human heart. Even though we see evidence of resistance movements in the Bible, such as the responses to attempted genocide in Exodus and Esther, it is only on the cross that an absorption of violence by God takes place: a defeat of violence by self-sacrifice. Along the way, Paynter considers other relevant biblical themes, including the apocalypse, "crushing the serpent's head," and the concept of divine vengeance, culminating in the resurrected Christ's lack of vengeance against those who did him to death. In light of the New Testament, we will consider how the first Christians responded to the structural violence of slavery and patriarchy and how they began to apply Jesus' redemptive, non-vengeful theology to their own day. The book concludes by discussing of what this means for Christians today. For many of us who live without routine encounters with or threats of violence, we must consider our responsibility in a world where our experience is the exception. With attention to the multi-headed hydra that is violence and the concealed structures of violence in our own Western society, Paynter challenges readers to consider their own, perhaps inherited, privilege and complicity. The question of how we regard "others," both as individuals and as societies, is a deeply relevant and urgent one for the church: The church can and should be a wholly non-othering body. So what implications does this have for the church and, for example, Black Lives Matter or the rampant xenophobia in our society or immigration and global migration issues? How do we resist evil? What does it mean to turn the other cheek when the cheek that has been slapped is not our own? How do we resist the monster without becoming the monster?

Bible readings, reflections and prayers for the days of Holy Week, and a large section of resources, including `Prayers on the seven words from the Cross', `A service of lamentation to liberate us for action', poems, meditations, and reflections ... The sun slowly rises on city streets where saints trail and spread God's light. The sun slowly rises in Glasgow classrooms where folk teach English as a second language to refugees and asylum seekers. The sun slowly rises at islands for world peace and over Iona Abbey. It rises on farms in Palestine where folk plant olive trees and work to grow peace from the ground up. It rises where street pastors hand out bandages and love. It rises in houses of hospitality, in the work of organisations like Church Action on Poverty, in Spirit-filled churches everywhere from Taipei to Orkney, at demos in solidarity with those suffering unjust taxation and benefit cuts. The sun slowly rises at climate marches around the globe. The sun slowly rises at Faslane submarine base where protesters sing and waltz the dance of life and blockade death and pray for the day when all nuclear weapons will be abolished ...

'Holy Ground' contains liturgies and worship resources on a range of subjects and concerns: globalisation, food, water, HIV/Aids, the environment, interfaith dialogue, prisoners of conscience, 20th century martyrs, homelessness, racism, gender, living in community, youth, children, ageing... and much more.

Telling Terror in Judges 19 explores the value of performing a 'reparative reading' of the terror-filled story of the Levite's pilegesh (commonly referred to as the Levite's concubine) in Judges 19, and how such a reparative reading can be brought to bear upon elements of modern rape culture. Historically, the story has been used as a morality tale to warn young women about what constitutes appropriate behaviour. More recently, (mainly male) commentators have tended to write the woman out of the story, by making claims about its purpose and theme which bear no relation to her suffering. In response to this, feminist critics have attempted to write the woman back into the story, generally using the hermeneutics of suspicion. This book begins by surveying some of the traditional commentators, and the three great feminist commentators of the text (Bal, Exum and Trible). It then offers a reparative reading by attending to the pilegesh's surprising prominence, her moral and marital agency, and her speaking voice. In the final chapter, there is a detailed comparison of the story with elements of modern rape culture.

The dramatic events of the days leading up to Easter Sunday are expressed through biblical readings and the reflections of several well-known Iona Community members: Ruth Burgess - Jan Sutch Pickard - Tom Gordon - Brian Woodcock - Peter Millar - Kathy Galloway - Leith Fisher - Joy Mead - John Davies - Yvonne Morland Connecting the denials, betrayals, suffering and eventual new dawn of this life-changing week with what is happening in our own world today, this book accompanies the reader as an insightful guide. To travel through Holy Week with awareness leads to a greater understanding of God and ourselves.

Originally published in 1970 this book was written by a successful trade union leader. It describes the changes which took place in the environment in which trade unions have to function; the vast modern corporations, with their highly professional management and often with an international base making them almost immune to pressure in any one country; the technological revolution; the direct involvement of government in industrial relations, prices and incomes policy and the international pressures which impel government intervention.

Daily readings for four months from a wide range of contributors within the Iona Community. These prayers, liturgies, songs, poems and articles can be used for group or individual reflection and are intended to inspire positive action and change in our lives. Hospitality and welcome, prayer, justice and peace, the environment, healing, social action, church renewal, worship, work, racial justice, women, community, pilgrimage, sexuality, Columban Christianity and Celtic tradition, ecumenism, interfaith dialogue, peacekeeping and non-violence, spirituality, commitment, economic witness, youth.

When editor Neil Paynter called for contributions to Iona of My Heart he wrote: `I'm looking for those human stories from Iona. You know the ones - we all have them. Stories about different folk coming together - people from different countries and backgrounds. Stories of encounter, challenge, exchange, connection, transformation. Stories about people and the power of the Spirit ... Show why Iona and what the Iona Community does there is important to the world. Give it a human face.' This book of four months of daily readings, which reflect the concerns of the Iona Community, is the result. The book can be used for group or individual reflection and is intended to inspire positive action and change in our lives. Contributors include Ron Ferguson, Helen Steven, Nancy Cocks, John Harvey, Molly Harvey, Norman Shanks, Alastair McIntosh, Brian Woodcock, Martin Johnstone, Iain Whyte, Alison Swinfen, Jan Sutch Pickard, Joy Mead, Stephen Wright, Janet Lees, Thom M Shuman, Tom Gordon, Nicola Slee, Yvonne Morland, Kathy Galloway, Peter Millar, Ruth Burgess, John Philip Newell - and many other members, associates and friends of the Iona Community. The royalties from Iona of My Heart will go to the Iona Community's Iona Abbey Capital Appeal. Neil Paynter was a member of the Iona Community's resident staff group on Iona. He is an editor with Wild Goose Publications and of the Community's magazine Coracle.