Author: Samir Amin File Type: pdf

Author: Daniel M. Grimley File Type: pdf Few composers have responded as powerfully to place as Frederick Delius (18621934). Born in Yorkshire, Delius resided in the United States, Germany, and Scandinavia before settling in France, where he spent the majority of his professional career. This book examines the role of place in selected works, including On Hearing the First Cuckoo in Spring, Appalachia, and The Song of the High Hills, reading place as a creative and historically mediated category in his music. Drawing on archival sources, contemporary art, and literature, and more recent writing in cultural geography and the philosophy of place, this is a new interpretation of Delius work, and he emerges as one of the most original and compelling voices in early twentieth-century music. As the popularity of his music grows, this book challenges the idea of Delius as a large-scale rhapsodic composer, and reveals a richer and more productive relationship between place and music.**About the Author Daniel M. Grimley is Professor of Music at the University of Oxford and a fellow of Merton College. He has published extensively on early twentieth-century Scandinavian and British music, and his previous books include Grieg Music, Landscape and Norwegian Identity (2006) and Carl Nielsen and the Idea of Modernism (2011). He appears regularly on BBC Radio 3 and at the BBC Proms as a pre-concert speaker.

Author: Elizabeth A. Johnson File Type: pdf For millennia plant and animal species have received little sustained attention as subjects of Christian theology and ethics in their own right. Focused on the human dilemma of sin and redemptive grace, theology has considered the doctrine of creation to be mainly an overture to the main drama of human being`s relationship to God. What value does the natural world have within the framework of religious belief? The crisis of biodiversity in our day, when species are going extinct at more than 1,000 times the natural rate, renders this question acutely important.Standard perspectives need to be realigned theology needs to look out of the window, so to speak as well as in the mirror. Ask the Beasts Darwin and the God of Love leads to the conclusion that love of the natural world is an intrinsic element of faith in God and that far from being an add-on, ecological care is at the centre of moral life. **From Booklist In the empty tomb of Easter, most Christians see the promise of eternal lifefor humans. As an environmentally oriented Catholic theologian, Johnson sees more. In this provocative foray in ecological theology, Johnson celebrates the empty tomb as the hope of resurrection for all earthly creatures. Rejecting a narrow focus on human salvation, Johnson deemphasizes Genesis verses identifying man as the creature uniquely bearing the image of deity and authorized to exercise dominion over creation. Johnson underscores scriptural passages in Job, the Psalms, and Revelation, highlighting the direct spiritual relations that animals and even plants enjoy with God. Besides borrowing from other environmentally conscious religious thinkers, Johnson draws key insights from Darwin, whose The Origin of Species opens a vision of a planetwide community of life. As readers contemplate the human heedlessness that has pushed many species to (near) extinction, they will understand the urgency of Johnsons ecological appeal. The Catholic Bishops censure of Johnsons Quest for the Living God (2007) may make the orthodox wary. But a writer who stirs controversy never lacks readers. --Bryce Christensen Review In Ask the Beasts Elisabeth Johnson combines erudition and theological reflection, a pastoral passion and ethical commitment to show that Darwinian theory of evolution need not stand against a religious belief in God. Instead, she provides a theology of creation that not only integrates an understanding of evolution with a belief in the presence of Gods love and grace in the world, but also encourages us to take up our common responsibility for the earth, its environment, and all its living creatures. The clarity of her exposition and her ability to bring classical theological affirmations to bear on contemporary issues makes this book an accessible and required reading on the burning issues of faith, science, and ecological well-being. Elizabeth Johnsons beautifully written book shows us, more convincingly than any other book that I have ever read, how science and religion can engage in a dialogue which is mutually illuminating. She shows how the narratives of evolution and salvation are not just parallel stories but shed light on each other. The unpredictable creativity of matter is disclosed as the sphere of the working of the ever-fresh Holy Spirit. She brings us to a new understanding of the role of pain and death, and radically deepens our understanding of a cosmic redemption. I will read the Bible with a renewed understanding and pleasure. I have rarely enjoyed a book of theology more. Timothy Radcliffe, O.P. This Spirit-imbued vision of creation yields the kind of strong ecological ethic demanded in our day. Ask the Beasts presents a deeply sacramental, incarnational view of the natural world and our place in it. Stephen J. Pope, The Journal of Religion This book is a call to broaden our focus, beyond the hierarchy we have perceived in Genesis, beyond the individualistic angst of human sin and redemption. It shows us that biblical revelation is bigger than this God is bigger than this. National Catholic Reporter Johnsons work is vivifying, encouraging not only Christian thoughtfulness but also reverence toward the ecosystem on its behalf. An overdue reconciliation of religious belief to scientific cognizance, Ask the Beasts should become the benchmark for conversations between the disciplines. ForeWord Reviews With Ask the Beasts Elizabeth Johnson gives us a gift of the insights, scope of vision and impact of Darwins theory on the way we humans view the history of life on our planet and our responsibility to care for oWith Ask the Beasts Elizabeth Johnson gives us a gift of the insights, scope of vision and impact of Darwins theory on the way we humans view the history of life on our planet and our responsibility to care for our home. Association for Mormon Letters In constructing her dialogue between Charles Darwins account of the origin of species and the Christian story of the ineffable God of mercy and love recounted in the Nicene Creed (xv), Johnson writes so skillfully in her judicious use of a broad swathe of traditional and contemporary literature, and also so beautifully, that this book may well stand out as one of the most important to come from the early twenty-first century. Worship, V. 89 N. 2. Like Darwin marveling at the web of life observed in the tangle of vegetation, insects, birds, and animals along a riverbank and at discovering the grandeur of a view of life that is dynamic rather than static, Johnsons stance is most often one of profound wonder at the complexity, beauty and mystery of creation and of its Creator. Like Darwin marveling at the web of life observed in the tangle of vegetation, insects, birds, and animals along a riverbank and at discovering the grandeur of a view of life that is dynamic rather than static, Johnsons stance is most often one of profound wonder at the complexity, beauty and mystery of creation and of its Creator. Anglican Theological Review Elizabeth Johnsons most recent publication demonstrates not only her facility and keen insight on matters of theology, but also her knowledge of evolutionary theory as introduced by Darwin and updated by other scholars. Johnson is a clear and persuasive writer who substantiates her work with footnotes and an eleven-page select bibliography. Ask the Beasts forwards the conversation between science and theology and is well-suited for any library, but particularly for a theological library. Catholic Library World

Author: Jim Davidson File Type: epub Amazon.com ReviewGuest Reviewer James M. Tabor *James M. Tabor earned an MFA from Johns Hopkins University and is a former Contributing Editor to Outside and SKI Magazines. His writing has also appeared in TIME, The Wall Street Journal, The Washington Post, Smithsonian, Barrons, and many other national magazines. He was the writer and host of the national PBS series, The Great Outdoors and in 2007 was the co-creator and Executive Producer for the History Channel Special, Journey to the Center of the World. His first book was the international-award-winning Forever on the Mountain (2007) and his most recent was Blind Descent. A former Washington, DC police officer, Tabor now lives in Vermont where he is at work on his first novel, *The Deep Zone. On June 21, 1992, Jim Davidson, 29, and his best friend and climbing partner, Mike Price, 34, summited 14,410-foot Mt. Rainier via the challenging Liberty Ridge route. While descending, Davidson plunged into an 80-foot-deep crevasse and pulled his rope-partner Price in, too. Price died, Davidson survived, and The Ledge is Davidsons painstakingly detailed account of their accident, written 19 years post facto.Hundreds of books have described climbing tragedies in such detail. Two things set the best apart. One is the attempt to look beyond obvious vagaries of gear, weather, and happenstance to discover tragedys true, dark roots. The other is an equally strong determination to bring something of value back from the brink. These are much harder quests and, to his credit, Davidson tackles both.That detail, first. Davidson recreates the fatal fall and aftermath as though they happened yesterday, thanks to hours of recollections tape-recorded shortly after the event. Thats important, because on one level, such the success of such narratives depends on details as sharp as ice shards. An example will suffice. After he hit bottom, buried beneath and completely immobilized by cascading snow and ice, Davidson could not breathe.I suck in hard, trying to grab a breath, but my mouth is half-filled with crunchy snow, so I pull in only a small gulp of air. I try chewing the snow to clear it away, but it is too much, as if someone has stuffed a Popsicle into my mouth. I work my jaw and tongue, struggling to push out the rapidly hardening snow clump. But it turns into a dense lump the size of a plum. When I rest for a second, the snowball settles back in my throat and gags me. Having had no chance to save his friend, Davidson had to save himself by climbing out of the crevasse, and the odds against him were long. Davidson was injured, exhausted, and probably in shock. He lacked both the requisite technical aid-climbing experience and most of the proper gear. But he drew strength from recollections of Joe Simpsons against-all-odds self-rescue in Touching the Void. After many hours of struggle, Davidson finally climbed back to the surface. Even then, the ordeal was far from over. It was late and getting dark. He was hurt and had no gear and was alone on a glacier riddled with more crevasses. Im out, but Im not safe, Davidson acknowledged.That turned out to be true in more ways than one. Though he survived and eventually recovered physically, Davidson continued to suffer from psychic injuries, survivors guilt chief among them. In his journal, he wrote, How am I to carry this load alone--the self-doubt, the endless questioning? How can I hope to carry it alone? Mike Price haunted his thoughts and dreams and, laudably, Davidson eschewed the more common rites of exorcism chemical, alcohol, and compensatory self-sacrifice. Instead, over the months, he went mano a mano with every painful what if and found his measure of solaceEach decision, action, and bit of luck is a fork leading to different outcomes, different branches. Some are sturdy and hold fast, some creak under your weight, some fracture and drop you into unexpected turmoil.Not perfect, perhaps, but certainly good enough to live with.Making personal peace with the tragedy was good, but left missing one last arc in the circle of healing. Could something of value be distilled from all the loss and agony? As it turned out, yes. While I was in the crevasse, Joe Simpsons survival tale convinced me that there was a remote chance to escape, and that belief helped spur me to action. Perhaps I have an obligation to share my story...After securing permission from Mike Prices parents, Davidson spoke to his first live audience in September, 2003 at the annual Rainier Mountain Festival. Afterward, among the many grateful listeners was a middle-aged mother with two daughters. I wanted them to hear it, she told Davidson. Now if theyre in an accident...theyll know how much people can do, that we can do incredible things if we try our hardest. And with that, the circle was complete. Since then, according to his publisher, Davidson has delivered his message to more than 30,000 people. The Ledge is part of his ongoing commitment to Mike Price--and to himself--to find meaning in the heart of tragedy.Someone once said that for true value, a book must be about more than it is about. Jim Davidsons The Ledge is. You can read it as a thrilling, chilling tale of adventure and death in the mountains, but it is, ultimately, about more than that. As, come to think of it, are climbing and mountains themselves.ReviewAdvance praise for *The LedgeThrough spare, vivid, and honest storytelling, The Ledge plunges readers into a dark, icy chasm from which escape seems impossible. Then it reveals the strength it takes to look up, and to start climbing.Jim Sheeler, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and author of the National Book Award finalist Final Salute Few can imagine the terror of falling eighty feet into a bottomless abyss or the horror of losing a climbing partner in the process even fewer could survive. Jim Davidson not only survives, he lives to tell the tale and to honor his fallen friend.Jennifer Jordan, author The Last Man on the Mountain and Savage Summit A deeply personal account of friendship, adventure, and epic tragedy, of struggling for life against the toughest of mountaineering odds imaginable.Mike Gauthier, author of Mount Rainier A Climbing Guide*From the Hardcover edition.