Every Sunday, in nearly all churches, after 30-45 minutes of beautiful music and singing, a short act is played out usually between 10:30 and 11:30 am. Someone steps up to the pulpit while others fan out through the auditorium with small envelopes. Most of those envelopes are inscribed with "God loves a cheerful giver." There are blanks to write in name, address, date, and, of course, the amount of cash or check that will be inserted. Typically, almost all of those envelopes have a place indicating "Tithe"________, "Offering"________, "Children's ministry"____, "Sunday School"________, "Other"_______. The Faithful dutifully contribute their part in this play, passing the filled envelopes to the attendants who whisk them all away to a private office. Meanwhile, a speaker is usually expounding to the congregation why they should contribute, affirming the reasoning directly from the Bible. This is done sometimes with personal testimony and sometimes with an implied threat that if they do not cooperate, they are robbing God. Sometimes they will speak passionately of tithing to the church as an expression of thanks to God and act of worship. Tithing is a long held tradition. Most Christians are too busy to question and search out religious practices for themselves. No one wants to spend the extra effort, time, and study, to pray and seek a higher truth. It is much easier to trust tradition or to merely study an issue, only as far as a denomination or pastor teaches. We have been carefully conditioned not to challenge convention. Sometimes God Himself will challenge us to put aside what others say and teach to delve deeper into a subject in order to find the hidden manna of God's Word. TheTithe That Binds is the fruit of one of those challenges. If you have the courage to read this, you may never see tithing in the same way again.

What does it mean to be black in a nation increasingly infatuated with colorblindness? In The Tie That Binds, Andrea Y. Simpson seeks to answer this crucial question through the prism of ethnic and political identification. Historically, African Americans have voted overwhelmingly Democratic in governmental elections. In recent years, however, politically conservative blacks--from Clarence Thomas to Louis Farrakhan to Ward Connerly–have attracted much of the media's gaze. What is the nature of black conservatives' constituency, and is it as strong and numerous as conservatives would have us believe? To what extent, if at all, does black conservatism stem from a weakened sense of collective racial identity? Simpson tackles the peculiar institution of black conservatism by interviewing college students to determine their political attitudes and the ways in which these are shaped. The result is a penetrating interrogation of the relations between political affiliation, racial identity, and class situation.

Unity in the gospel is essential to the witness of the church. Yet that unity was tested by the release of two documents, Evangelicals and Catholics Together and The Gift of Salvation, which appeared to surrender the historic doctrine of sola fide (faith alone). In response, Christian leaders released a statement called The Gospel of Jesus Christ: An Evangelical Celebration. Getting the Gospel Right, a companion to Sproul's popular Faith Alone, contains the complete text of that statement along with thorough, point-by-point discussion and exposition, to make a strong declaration of the abiding unity of evangelicals regarding the gospel and justification by faith alone.

Inspired by the biblical parable of the prodigal son, The Tie that Binds tells the modern-day story of two sisters, Amy and Beth, whose life choices take them in opposite directions after their mother dies. Firstborn Amy is the responsible sister. Setting aside any thoughts of developing her own dreams, she remains at home to learn the family business-a ski resort in Colorado. Beth, on the other hand, takes money and runs, soon wasting the entire inheritance her father gave her. Becoming a stripper to make ends meet, she shacks up with a man she despises and eventually finds herself pregnant. In desperation, Beth returns home hoping for help-if not for herself, then for her child. But how can Amy embrace a sister who selfishly made all the wrong choices, when she set her own desires aside to make all the right choices? Can Amy and Beth learn to face the pain of their past together? Tackling the topics of loss, identity, forgiveness, and family ties, author Kelly Leigh Halsch writes with an emotional integrity that grounds her story and allows readers to relate its truths to their own lives.

When she walked out, Rachel thought she was through with Lucas Neuman and his high-society family forever. But that was before her little girl became deathly ill...before the man who'd so cruelly betrayed her became her only salvation. Five years apart hadn't eased the pain of Rachel's leaving...or the fierce desire that coursed through Lucas when he saw her again. But it was desperation that brought her to his door: only a bone marrow transplant would save their little girl--the daughter he hadn't known he had. Now time was running out. Was it possible to heal the pain of the past and start over with this woman he had never stopped loving?

Jeeves belongs to a club for butlers, and one of the rules is that every member must contribute to the club book everything about the fellow he's working for. Jeeves is so taken with his employer, Bertie Wooster, that he writes eighteen pages about him--and Bertie, quite naturally, is perturbed. Suppose the book falls into the wrong hands ...

A new book from New York Times Bestselling Author Kate Moretti Love ties. Murder binds. Maggie never felt as though she belonged until Chris Stevens showed her what true happiness meant. Ten years into their marriage, miscarriages and infidelities have scarred them both. Despite their perfect-couple image, Maggie can’t look at Chris with anything but resentment. When a charismatic stranger offers the opportunity for a little harmless flirtation, she jumps into the game. But charm soon turns to malice, and a deadly split-second decision forces Maggie and Chris onto a dangerous path fraught with secrets, lies, and guilt. With no one else to turn to—no one she dares trust—Maggie will ultimately learn just how binding marital ties can be.

A breakthrough account of how women can overcome the social binds that block their success. As Kathleen Hall Jamieson explores society's interlaced traps and restrictions, she draws on hundreds of interviews with women from all walks of life to show the ways they can cut through the restrictions.