The Seventh-day Adventist church, formally organized in America in 1863, is today one of the fastest-growing Protestant movements in the world and defines itself as a prophetic remnant, raised up and commissioned by God to teach and preach a final message of warning to the world before the imminent return of Christ. From its beginnings, however, a sense of failure was built into the success of the fledgling movement. In order to preserve the message (the imminent return of Christ), Adventists had to erect institutions based on continuity and permanence. A dilemma emerged: medical institutions built to be conducive for separation from the world faced a this-worldly reality filled with requirements from various state entities: registration, approval, and so forth. Thus, Adventist medical institutions confronted constant challenges to their denominational and theological uniqueness. The emergence of this dilemma between aspirations of separateness and this-worldly reality was especially evident in the battle for Adventism’s sectarian identity, ethos, and future at the turn of the twentieth century—between Ellen G. White (a cofounder of the movement) and Dr. John H. Kellogg (an Adventist administrator and surgeon who sought to desectarianize the movement).

The 1993 government assault on the Branch Davidian compound near Waco, Texas, resulted in the deaths of four federal agents and eighty Branch Davidians, including seventeen children. Whether these tragic deaths could have been avoided is still debatable, but what seems clear is that the events in Texas have broad implications for religious freedom in America. James Tabor and Eugene Gallagher's bold examination of the Waco story offers the first balanced account of the siege. They try to understand what really happened in Waco: What brought the Branch Davidians to Mount Carmel? Why did the government attack? How did the media affect events? The authors address the accusations of illegal weapons possession, strange sexual practices, and child abuse that were made against David Koresh and his followers. Without attempting to excuse such actions, they point out that the public has not heard the complete story and that many media reports were distorted. The authors have carefully studied the Davidian movement, analyzing the theology and biblical interpretation that were so central to the group's functioning. They also consider how two decades of intense activity against so-called cults have influenced public perceptions of unorthodox religions. In exploring our fear of unconventional religious groups and how such fear curtails our ability to tolerate religious differences, Why Waco? is an unsettling wake-up call. Using the events at Mount Carmel as a cautionary tale, the authors challenge all Americans, including government officials and media representatives, to closely examine our national commitment to religious freedom.

This is a new release of the original 1949 edition.

A Handbook of Chaplaincy Studies explores fundamental issues and critical questions in chaplaincy, spanning key areas of health care, the prison service, education and military chaplaincy. Leading authors and practitioners in the field present critical insight into the challenges and opportunities facing those providing professional spiritual care. From young men and women in the military and in custody, to the bedside of those experiencing life’s greatest traumas, this critical examination of the role played by the chaplain offers a fresh and informed understanding about faith and diversity in an increasingly secular society. An invaluable compendium of case-studies, academic reflection and critical enquiry, this handbook offers a fresh understanding of traditional, contemporary and innovative forms of spiritual practice as they are witnessed in the public sphere. Providing a wide-ranging appraisal of chaplaincy in an era of religious complexity and emergent spiritualities, this pioneering book is a major contribution to a relatively underdeveloped field and sets out how the phenomenon of chaplaincy can be better understood and its practice more robust and informed.

Counseling Techniques provides a useful resource for any type of counseling practitioner. Presenting a wide variety of the most effective and commonly used techniques associated with various diagnoses, theoretical bases, and client populations, it offers experienced therapists and students alike a single, trustworthy resource for clinical reference and guidance. Each chapter includes a user-friendly, step-by-step explanation of the techniques covered. Sections survey the following: Basic types of techniques (cognitive, behavioral, experiential, and more) Techniques for children, adolescents, adults, couples, and families Techniques for a wide variety of individual and family issues, including emotional dysregulation, shame, loss, sexual abuse, trauma, domestic violence, attachment wounds, and much more Featuring a lineup of top-notch, highly experienced counselors and thoroughly integrated with a Christian worldview, Counseling Techniques will equip therapists and students in various helping disciplines for the frequent clinical issues that arise in all forms of counseling.

This work gives a detailed history and defense of the Advent Movement of the 1840's known as Millerism, the movement from which the Seventh-day Adventist denomination sprang. The book is based on original sources, William Miller's correspondence, contemporaneous books, pamphlets, journals, newspapers. The first half is devoted to the history of the movement, and the second half to an examination of charges made against the Advent believers, such as that they wore ascension robes, that the Millerite preaching filled the asylums, and so forth.