On the eve of America's entry into World War II, African American leaders pushed for inclusion in the war effort and, after the war, they mounted a concerted effort to integrate the armed services. Harry S. Truman's decision to issue Executive Order 9981 in 1948, which resulted in the integration of the armed forces, was an important event in twentieth Jon E. Taylor gives an account of the presidential order as an event which forever changed the U.S. armed forces, and set a political precedent for the burgeoning civil rights movement. Including press releases, newspaper articles, presidential speeches, and biographical sidebars, Freedom to Serve introduces students to an underexamined event while illuminating the period in a new way. Critical Moments in American History is a series of supplemental books designed specifically for undergraduate history courses, providing students with the opportunity to examine a specific event within the context of both narrative history and primary source documents.

What do Hobby Lobby, InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, Wheaton College, World Vision, the Little Sisters of the Poor, and the University of Notre Dame have in common? All are faith-based organizations that have faced pressure to act in ways contrary to their religious beliefs. In this book, two policy experts show how faith-based groups--those active in the educational, healthcare, international aid and development, and social service fields--can defend their ability to follow their religiously based beliefs without having to jettison the very faith and faith-based practices that led them to provide services to those in need. They present a pluralist vision for religious freedom for faith-based organizations of all religious traditions. The book includes case studies that document the challenges faith-based organizations face to freely follow the practices of their religious traditions and analyzes these threats as originating in a common, yet erroneous, set of assumptions and attitudes prevalent in American society. The book also includes responses by diverse voices--an Orthodox Jew, a Roman Catholic, two evangelicals, two Islamic leaders, and an unbeliever who is a religious-freedom advocate--underscoring the importance of religious freedom for faith-based organizations.

This book presents one of the first accounts of Christianity in colonial India by a nun. Set in Goa in the early eighteenth century, this translation of Soror Magdalena’s account from Portuguese brings to life a watershed moment in the politics of Christian faith in early colonial India. The volume recounts the nuns’ rebellion against the then Archbishop of Goa, Dom Frei Ignaçio de Santa Teresa. In their account they accused him of mistreating the nuns and implored the Superior General and the King of Portugal to replace him. It sketches the intricate relationships between the nuns themselves, the clerical and secular authorities, the fidalgos and the lower classes, Hindus and Catholics, and nuns and priests. It goes on to discuss the convent’s finances and the controversies surrounding them, the politics of the Church, as well as contemporary preoccupations with miracles and demons. Expertly annotated and introduced by Daniel Michon and David Addison Smith, this book is key to understanding Portuguese colonial rule in India. It will be of great interest to scholars and researchers of South Asian studies, Portuguese studies, religion, especially Christianity, and colonialism.

Exodus shows how God delivers his people and makes it possible for him to dwell among them, so they might make him known among the nations. What does it mean to be liberated from slavery to serve God in our everyday contexts today? Antony Billington’s six-session guide, with his astute mini-features, skillful questions, and timely notes, will help you explore how Exodus shapes our understanding of God, how he saves us, and the part we play in his purposes for the world. You’ll gain fresh insight into its inspiring implications for all of life, Monday through Sunday. Session 1: Exodus 3:1-17 – Hearing God’s Call Session 2:Exodus 12:1-13, 29-32 – Experiencing God’s Deliverance Session 3: Exodus 16:1-26 – Trusting God’s Provision Session 4: Exodus 19:1-6 and 20:1-17 – Becoming God’s People Session 5: Exodus 25:1-9 and 31:1-11– Building God’s Dwelling-Place Session 6:Exodus 32:7-14 and 34:4-7– Encountering God’s Presence