New Releases by David Shaw

In this companion to his previous book, The Bible in Early English Literature, David Fowler completes his stimulating and broad-ranging study of medieval English literature in the light of biblical tradition. As in the first volume, he both provides a broad general view of literary trends and closely examines representative works that illustrate these trends. The author begins by discussing medieval drama in England--with special attention to the Cornish drama-- as revealed in the cycle plays that enacted the entire history of the world from Creation to Doomsday. He demonstrates how the drama grew out of the liturgy of the Church and developed into a parallel fashion with other kinds of vernacular literature in the later Middle Ages, and he offers a possible explanation of the origin of the morality play in England. This is followed by an examination of representative shorter medieval lyrics. Fowler shows that many of these lyrics were composed to memorialize particular "secular'' and "religious" elements blended subtly and distinctively in Middle English lyrics, often with a complete harmony of sacred and sexual significance. A special section deals with Mary Magdalene in popular tradition, comparing her description in the Bible with her treatment in legend, drama, lyric poetry, and the ballad. The final three chapters focus on particular literary works which the author believes to be outstanding examples of poems composed in the biblical tradition. "The Parliament of Fowls" is selected as the best example of biblical influence in all of Chaucer. The work is seen as a Creation poem with its organizing principles derives from commentaries on the first chapter of Genesis--a new theory of the poem''s structure which the author feels resolves many of the difficulties previously encountered by scholars. Fowler than treats several works of the "Pearl" poet--"Cleanness," "Patience," "Saint Erkenwald," and the "Pearl"--in their particular blend of humor, seriousness, and Christian serenity. In stark contrast, "Piers the Plowman," the final work dealt with, reflects the agony of the turmoil of late fourteenth-century England. The emphasis is on the historical significance of the poem: the importance of the A text as an ideological influence on the leadership of the Peasants'' Revolt in 1381, and the exschatological implications of the later versions (B and C texts). "It is my hope," the author states, "that future studies of ''Piers'' will increasingly take history into account and likewise study the versions of the poem separately. Until we learn to walk from this text out into history, we run the risk of missing the important message that this profound and troubling poem offers to twentieth-century man." This book will be of value both to scholars and students of medieval literature and religion and to general readers interested in the varied and intriguing ways that the Bible has influence vernacular literature.

What is wisdom? Where does it come from? Where can we find it? And what does it mean in our lives? In Secrets of the Oracle, David Shaw explores these questions by turning to the works of wisdom writers, whose words retain their meaning and transformative power even centuries after they were written. Wisdom literature exists in two shaping forms - the aphorism, geared towards the past, and the oracle, a revolutionary impulse looking to the future. Secrets of the Oracle discusses both types of wisdom, finding them in the works of poets and philosophers from Tennyson and Zeno to Yeats and George Berkeley, from Browning and Schleiermacher to T.S. Eliot and F.H. Bradley. The book also discusses the contribution to wisdom of Jesus and the author of Ecclesiastes, of Abraham Lincoln and Norman Maclean. Part celebration of wisdom found and part lament for wisdom lost, Secrets of the Oracle is convincing in its assertion that wisdom articulates what is and offers creative visions of the future.

Kathryn takes you on a journey into the enemy''s camp as she explains her after death experience. She reveals to the reader what she saw and heard as she was walking toward heaven on an amber lit path. The information she discloses in this writing is a wakeup call to anyone involved in spiritual warfare. The devil has truly tricked thousands of Christians to wage war on the wrong battlefield. Backed up by Scripture, this experience will open your eyes to the three battlefronts of warfare the devil has waged against the Christian. After reading this startling revelation, the authors then take you on a journey into the Word of God to unveil the method of warfare we are to be engaged in as Christians. What it is, how to wage it, and how to win it. The authors also take a look at some of the most prominent and popular warfare tactics to determine their validity, such as generational curses, word curses, believer possession, and more. You will gain an understanding of difficult passages like "The kingdom of God suffereth violence and the violent take it by force." Overall, this book will become your new warfare manual as you put into practice the revelations revealed in it. It could revolutionize how you view spiritual warfare.

Since the beginning of time, through the ages, and to the present, man has been seeking to govern himself by his own power. Many of the machinations of man are geared toward structuring a government, whether civil or church, that revolves around either power, safety, or a combination of the two. In the past 2000 years leaders in the Church have rejected a government structure that is based in biblical revelation. Entering the mass of conversation, Shaw reveals a preferred government structure based in the actions of the Creator, both with the nation of Israel and the Church, over a timeline that spans generations. This revelation brings purpose and understanding to the five ministries revealed in Ephesians 4:11-12. All of the five callings are defined so that God''s calling would be recognized in His ministers wherever they are. Shaw also deals with the arguments against the apostle and the prophet being viable in the Church today. What about women in ministry? Any treatise on government would be incomplete without dealing with this controversial subject. Are women allowed to hold an office of ministry according to the Word of God or are they forbidden? Shaw treats this subject carefully and with logic rather than with heated passions or preconceived ideas. What is an elder and what is a bishop? Both of these terms have brought confusion to the Body of Christ. The understating revealed about these two words can completely revolutionize the structure of the Church. Coming back to a Hebraic cultural understanding will release us as the Church to look like Jesus in the earth. With all of the various types of government in the Church, it becomes obvious that we have lost information that would keep us in the divine order of God. When we let God interpret to us what He wants, and we follow it, that can only be followed by the manifestation of His presence corporately.

"Is God Calling You to Ministry?" seeks to answer the question that title asks. If you find that you answer that question in the affirmative, then you need to know how to access the actualization of your destiny. Jesus said to, "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations." He did not say, "converts," He said "disciples." God has so ordained His Church that there was to be a program of discipleship that empowers the Christian through training, equipping, and transference of anointing to proclaim and defend his or her faith. Every Christian is called to go through this process. The only way to realize the fulfillment of one''s destiny is to follow the instructions Jesus had for His church. If we evade discipleship and then think that we will somehow finish our course, we are deluding ourselves. We define what true discipleship and mentoring are so that we can bring this process back to the church and produce leaders that walk in integrity for the next generation.

John James Bezer was a minor but entertaining activist during the later years of the Chartist movement that resulted in two years imprisonment in Newgate. Further involvement on his release and subsequent move to Australia provides an interesting account of a self educated radical of the time. John Arnott was well known as a capable administrator in the Chartist movement. This account is all that is known about this well liked and private man, whose life had an unfortunate ending.

Cloning, embryo research and genetic modification are three of the most controversial issues of our time. Is it ethical to use cloning as a means of reproduction? Are embryos people? Is there a difference between removing genetic disease and creating «designer babies»? This book will attempt to show that these and other problems are ultimately resolvable, given careful and unbiased application of established ethical principles, many of which underlie common morality. These principles, when applied to the problems of the new genetic technologies, form the basis of a new genetic morality. This book applies established principles of biomedical ethics to the new genetic technologies and examines the ethical implications of reproductive and therapeutic cloning, genetic modification and stem cell research from a deontological and a rule-utilitarian perspective. Finally, it seeks to establish what, if anything, is wrong with each of these practices, and why.

Writing at the time of his retirement from an academia that after four decades has become unfamiliar, Shaw (English, U. of Toronto), says in a society where book learning is an anomaly, scholars must breach the citadel of computer wizards and technicians by combining their knowledge of books with the rebel''s power to criticize authority, the prophet''s power to renew tradition, and the poet''s power to create a world that is no less true for being a vision. He insists that scientists, scholars, and professional practitioners must learn from each other. Annotation ©2004 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)

The publishers of International First Impressions Magazine and Remy Martin are delighted to present this truly stellar cast of America''s finest Master Chefs, their restaurants and their celebrated signature dishes, all for your enjoyment. This is a guidebook not only to inform, but to entertain as well. Now for the first time you can read and learn just why the USA is rated so highly in terms of culinary achievement, creativity and presentation. Truly in the Spirit of Excellence, Remy Martin with its classic collection of Cognac has with skill and delicacy achieved the perfect pairing of these fine drinks with these remarkable signature recipes. Innovative, exciting and so very different, this art of marrying food with drink is no better illustrated, than what you are about to read, see and ultimately taste. Finally this book is a tribute to these wonderful human beings who during and immediately after the crisis of September 11th 2001, at great personal risk and cost, gave freely of their services to all those involved with the heroic rescue at Ground Zero, New York City and elsewhere. By purchasing a copy of this book, you will be contributing to the proceeds to the charities, including Windows of Hope, which were set up to bring relief to the victims'' families. Book jacket.

By speaking monologues through the mouths of their characters, poets could bring forward ideas for debate. Focusing on such pricipal creators as Browning and Tennyson, Shaw shows how changes in cultural history can transform a major poetic genre.

"Filled with insightful tips and inside information, The Cheapskate''s Guide to Weddings and Honeymoons shows how to save money by planning an off-season celebration; get discounts and deals at bridal shows; determine the right size for your guest list; get the right gown for the right price; choose the right music, be it a full band or a single DJ; find a photographer or video artist who won''t cost an arm and a leg; determine the pros and cons of wedding consultants and travel agents; avoid getting ripped off by unscrupulous vendors; find the perfect venue for a wedding ceremony, whether in a church or your own backyard; and much more." "The Cheapskate''s Guide to Weddings and Honeymoons also includes informative interviews with wedding industry professionals who share their years of experience on the subject of bridal gowns, wedding photography, and honeymoon planning." "It''s also chockful of advice for finding the perfect (and affordable) honeymoon, discussing the pros and cons of all-inclusive resort packages and exotic cruises and ways to find the least expensive travel and accommodations."--BOOK JACKET.Title Summary field provided by Blackwell North America, Inc. All Rights Reserved

This book covers the whole of Tennyson''s work, from the early poems, through the public poems of his mid-career, to the well-known later poems. The book''s approach provides an awareness of the genius of Tennyson''s use of language as well as the complexity of his sensibility. It draws on recent literary theories to substantiate T.S. Elliot''s claim that Tennyson has three qualities which are seldom found together except in the greatest poets: abundance, variety, and complete competence.

The media critic for the "Los Angeles Times" offers a defense of the pleasures of life, mocking the self-righteous crusades of those out to ruin the fun for everyone else