Have you ever fallen in love? What would happen if you fell in love with God and He loved you back? On May 30, 2014, seventeen-year-old Mark Rodriguez was gunned down in an apparent random act of violence while driving home from his school's graduation. The story made national headlines when it was discovered that Mark had recently blogged that he could not wait to go to Heaven to be with God. Upon reading his private journals, Mark's parents witnessed an amazing, intimate love relationship between a boy and the Creator who made him. They also discovered Mark's premonition that he was going to die, as well as his determination to change the world, one life at a time. This book contains Mark Rodriguez's private journals. They are a window into the extraordinary inner world of a boy who chose to know God intimately, to love others recklessly, and was willing to die sacrificially.

In The Representation of External Threats, Eberhard Crailsheim and María Dolores Elizalde present a collection of articles that trace the phenomenon of external threats over three continents and four oceans, offering new perspectives on their development, social construction, and representation.

The Oxford Handbook of Mystical Theology provides a guide to the mystical element of Christianity as a theological phenomenon. It differs not only from psychological and anthropological studies of mysticism, but from other theological studies, such as more practical or pastorally-oriented works that examine the patterns of spiritual progress and offer counsel for deeper understanding and spiritual development. It also differs from more explicitly historical studies tracing the theological and philosophical contexts and ideas of various key figures and schools, as well as from literary studies of the linguistic tropes and expressive forms in mystical texts. None of these perspectives is absent, but the method here is more deliberately theological, working from within the fundamental interests of Christian mystical writers to the articulation of those interests in distinctively theological forms, in order, finally, to permit a critical theological engagement with them for today. Divided into four parts, the first section introduces the approach to mystical theology and offers a historical overview. Part two attends to the concrete context of sources and practices of mystical theology. Part three moves to the fundamental conceptualities of mystical thought. The final section ends with the central contributions of mystical teaching to theology and metaphysics. Students and scholars with a variety of interests will find different pathways through the Handbook.

Stephen M. Cherry draws upon a rich set of ethnographic and survey data, collected over a six-year period, to explore the roles that Catholicism and family play in shaping Filipino American community life. From the planning and construction of community centers, to volunteering at health fairs or protesting against abortion, this book illustrates the powerful ways these forces structure and animate not only how first-generation Filipino Americans think and feel about their community, but how they are compelled to engage it over issues deemed important to the sanctity of the family. Revealing more than intimate accounts of Filipino American lives, Cherry offers a glimpse of the often hidden but vital relationship between religion and community in the lives of new immigrants, and allows speculation on the broader impact of Filipino immigration on the nation. The Filipino American community is the second-largest immigrant community in the United States, and the Philippines is the second-largest source of Catholic immigration to this country. This ground-breaking study outlines how first-generation Filipino Americans have the potential to reshape American Catholicism and are already having an impact on American civic life through the engagement of their faith.

This book is a practical, encouraging guide for “the rest of us”: Catholic parents that want to impart the faith to their children but aren’t quite sure where to start. Topics include leading by example, having conversations about faith, reading the Bible as a family, learning about the Saints, praying together, learning what the Mass means, celebrating special/feast days and liturgical seasons (Advent, Lent), and finding community with other Catholic families. Tommy and Karen emphasize that this a doable task and, with humor, let the reader know that there will be plenty of “fails” along the way but not to give up trying to develop a faith-filled family life.

Cultural Anthropology: Global Forces, Local Lives presents all the key areas of cultural anthropology as well as providing original and nuanced coverage of current and cutting-edge topics. An exceptionally clear and readable introduction, it helps students understand the application of anthropological concepts to the contemporary world and everyday life. Thorough treatment is given throughout the text to issues such as globalization, colonialism, ethnicity, nationalism, neoliberalism, and the state. Changes for the third edition include a brand new chapter on medical anthropology and an updated range of cases studies with a fresh thematic focus on China. The book contains a number of features to support student learning, including: A wealth of color images Definitions of key terms and further reading suggestions in the margins Summaries at the end of every chapter An extensive glossary, bibliography and index.