Rodney Clapp

Nothing may influence and affect the faith of Christians in the Western, "developed" world so much as consumerism. Theologians and biblical scholars have often pondered the dangers and the privileges of money. But few have focused on consumption as culture or a way of life, complete with its own set of attitudes, behaviors and purposes for living. The Consuming Passion does exactly that, relying on insightful theologians, psychologists, sociologists, ecologists and economists to probe beneath and better understand what makes consumer culture work - and how people of faith might best respond.

"New Creation introduces readers to the thrilling, biblically-based vision of a whole world created by and to be redeemed by God. Written at an eminently accessible level, it shows how endings (or eschatologies) animate our lives. It rehearses the biblical story from an eschatological angle, emphasizing that Christian eschatology entails a politics. It then delves into how eschatology affects the prieshood of all believers, peace-making, prayer, and creation (including the rocks and trees, dogs and bees, and maybe even sex). With a light hand, it provides biblical cultural background where needed. Throughout, it connects theological groundings to present-day life, Christan discipleship, and contemporary issues. Here is a view of eschoatology that by passes escapist Rapture theology and puts forward a robust, exciting life now and in the age to come, very different from New Yorker cartoons featuring the afterlife as a bland, boring affair of strumming harps on clouds." -- back.

Since 1992, Border Crossings has show cased Henry A. Giroux's extraordinary range as a thinker by bringing together a series of essays that refigure the relationship between post-modernism, feminism, cultural studies and critical pedagogy. With discussions of topics including the struggle over academic canon, the role of popular culture in the curriculum and the cultural war the New Right has waged on schools, Giroux identified the most pressing issues facing critical educators at the turn of the century. In this revised edition, Giroux reflects on the limits and possibilities of border crossings in the 21st century. "Borders" in our post 9/11 world have not been collapsing, he argues, but vigorously rebuilt. In order to have a truly critically engaged citizenry the challenges of these new "borders"- such as the increased militarization of public spaces, the rise of neo-liberalism, and the war in Iraq- must play a vital role in any debate on school and pedagogy.