What does the New Testament have to say about the attitude of Christians and the church toward those who exercise political authority? Few topics have caused more controversy in the history of the church than the relationship between church and state-from the first century to the present. Pilgrim offers an analysis of the various attitudes of New Testament writers on this difficult subject, ranging from submission to overt resistance by the church. The volume also excursus on "Church and State in Luke-Acts" and a concluding chapter on hermeneutics.

This book offers an analysis of the dynamics of Israeli-European relations and discusses significant developments in that relationship from the late 1950s through to the present day. The emphasis is placed on five broad themes that address different dimensions of the relationship: 1) Israeli-E.U. relations and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process; 2) Israeli-E.U. relations in a multilateral context; 3) the bilateral nature of Israeli-E.U. relations; 4) Israeli (mis)perceptions of the E.U.; 5) the future of Israeli-E.U. relations.

This volume represents a comprehensive and detailed case study of the long-running conflict between India and Pakistan - primarily over the contested territory of Kashmir, and the involvement of the United States within that conflict. The book details the history of 'Partition', the critical event in the modern history of the subcontinent and the fundamental catalyst for the enduring rivalry between India and Pakistan. It provides a summary description and analysis of the characteristics - demographic, social-cultural, political, economic and military - of the three primary actors that are party to the conflict: the sovereign states of India and Pakistan and the territory of Kashmir. It explains the history of US policy toward India and Pakistan as individual countries as well as US policy toward the conflict between them, particularly in light of the Indian and Pakistani nuclear tests of 1998 and events since September 11, 2001. In addition, the volume also describes and analyzes the involvement of three other major extra-regional actors.

For policy makers, business leaders, and American citizens, immigration reform is one of the defining issues of our time. In turns both personal and analytical, remaining factual and well-argued throughout, Fariborz Ghadar’s Becoming American makes the case for common sense immigration policies and practices that will not only help strengthen America’s economy and role as world leader, but will also help millions of prospective immigrants and their families start making more out of their lives today, and for generations to come. The author is an Iranian immigrant who fled his homeland decades ago in search of a more stable and successful future. Weaving his personal story into that of the millions of immigrants facing unnecessary hurdles at the global level, he demonstrates the need for our governments and leaders to make policy decisions intelligently – not just based on current circumstances – but with an eye toward a future brighter than our current state of dysfunction, uncertainty, and regrettable bigotry towards those with funny names. Based on our nation’s undeniable history as a nation of immigrants, we cannot fail to address the impact that immigration will have on our future if we want to accurately plan for a thriving, diverse and better tomorrow. Becoming American understand helps readers not only the mindset of America’s immigrant populations, but makes the case for America once more as a place for the world’s hardest workers, loftiest dreamers, and most prosperous people.

Forests of Refuge questions the effectiveness of market-based policies that govern forests in the interest of mitigating climate change. Yolanda Ariadne Collins interrogates the most ambitious global plan to incentivize people away from deforesting activities: the United Nations–endorsed Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiative. Forests of Refuge explores REDD+ in Guyana and neighboring Suriname, two highly forested countries in the Amazonian Guiana Shield with low deforestation rates. Yet REDD+ implementation there has been fraught with challenges. Adopting a multisited ethnographic approach, Forests of Refuge takes readers into the halls of policymaking, into conservation development organizations, and into forest-dependent communities most affected by environmental policies and exploitative colonial histories. This book situates these challenges in the inattentiveness of global environmental policies to roughly five hundred years of colonial histories that positioned the forests as places of refuge and resistance. It advocates that the fruits of these oppressive histories be reckoned with through processes of decolonization.

On the surface, Mexican Americans and Mexican immigrants to the United States seem to share a common cultural identity but often make uneasy neighbors. Discrimination and assimilationist policies have influenced generations of Mexican Americans so that some now fear that the status they have gained by assimilating into American society will be jeopardized by Spanish-speaking newcomers. Other Mexican Americans, however, adopt a position of group solidarity and work to better the social conditions and educational opportunities of Mexican immigrants. Focusing on the Mexican-origin, working-class city of La Puente in Los Angeles County, California, this book examines Mexican Americans' everyday attitudes toward and interactions with Mexican immigrants—a topic that has so far received little serious study. Using in-depth interviews, participant observations, school board meeting minutes, and other historical documents, Gilda Ochoa investigates how Mexican Americans are negotiating their relationships with immigrants at an interpersonal level in the places where they shop, worship, learn, and raise their families. This research into daily lives highlights the centrality of women in the process of negotiating and building communities and sheds new light on identity formation and group mobilization in the U.S. and on educational issues, especially bilingual education. It also complements previous studies on the impact of immigration on the wages and employment opportunities of Mexican Americans.

Servant Leadership addresses a fundamental concern of the contemporary church by asking pertinent questions of the New Testament: Who became a leader in the Jesus movement and in Pauline Christianity? What was the social status of these leaders in the outside world as compared to the importance of such social status within the faith community? What practices characterized their leadership within the communities they served? The book explores models of leadership in the New Testament s two prime exemplars, Jesus and Paul, and in their respective communities of faith. It studies both Paul s statements and actions with regard to leadership issues with specific church communities, using Thessalonians, the Corinthians, the Galatians, and the Philippians correspondence as case studies in the practice of leadership. It concludes with a discussion of leadership challenges in the modern church and how a Pauline or Deutero-Pauline model can work for us today. The author shows how understanding one s followers, as well as the goals and purposes of the group one leads, is a fundamental function of leadership today, even in the corporate world. Similarly, although we expect Christian leadership to be confrontational and assertive at times, it must also be open to creating opportunities for others to exercise their gifts and, therefore, their leadership. Good leaders move others to respond to their own personal calls and commitments.

This volume focuses on the processes by which rulers and states have framed strategy from the fifth century BC to the present.

“A must-read and indispensable guide for those concerned with the bread-and-butter issues of church-and-state relations. . . .” – Peter C. Phan

“The breadth of historical development, the depth of theological and ethical analysis, and the clarity of thought and expression by Kenneth Himes make Christianity and the Political Order an excellent textbook.” – Charles Curran

Beyond electoral campaigns and government structures, the relationship between the political realm and Christianity has always involved the important questions of how we ought to live together, and how we should organize and govern our common life. As the author notes, politics—and the political choices we make—must be "guided by considerations of national and global justice and peace and, for Christians, by the teachings of Jesus," as interpreted by tradition.
Himes examines the relationship between Christianity and politics from the teachings of the Old and New Testaments through the patristic and medieval eras, and from the age of reform to the age of revolution, and throughout the twentieth century into the third millennium. He takes on questions of the role of the church in politics, responsible voting, concerns of globalization, and issues of human rights and war and peace.
With discussion questions and suggestions for further reading, Christianity and the Political Order is a timely and compelling review of the relationship between Christian faith and the political realm both past and present in a classroom-friendly text.

US-Cuba Relations covers the history of the United States' and Cuba's relationship, how both countries are working to mend their relations, and what the future may hold for these close neighbors and their citizens. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO.