Böcker av Alan Nelson

The radical message of Jesus is that there is only one alternative to the common method of confronting violence with more violence. The Only Alternative: Christian Nonviolent Peacemakers in America explores the spiritually active practice of compassionate nonviolence. Here is a journey through the lives of seven courageous American peacemakers who have embodied Christian nonviolence and dedicated their lives to addressing the suffering caused by racial discrimination, slavery, poverty, militarism, nuclear weapons, prisons, environmental degradation, and the psychology of fear and hatred. Here are highlights from the inspirational ideas and actions of Martin Luther King Jr., Dorothy Day, Thomas Merton, Rufus Jones, Thomas Kelly, Jim Douglass, and Kathy Kelly. They remind us that to be Christian is to use the power of love to transform spiritual, economic, and social violence. The great turning from violence to nonviolence is the story of Christianity in America. There has never been a more urgent time for this revolutionary teaching to be heard, understood, and lived.""It is no longer a choice, my friends, between violence and nonviolence. It is either nonviolence or nonexistence . . ."" --Martin Luther King Jr. Human beings are now facing the stark choice between survival and destruction amid myriad forms of violence. The nonviolent peacemakers within this book can inspire the peacemaker within each of us to cultivate a direct relationship with God and love through contemplation, meditation, writing, and compassionate action based in the life and teachings of Jesus.

Alan Nelson, Ed.D. presents thirty-one questions asked by Jesus, amplifies their meaning to clearly connect with the contemporary reader, and offers an application section to translate new thinking into new ways of living. Recent years have seen the rise of life coaches as a popular approach to personal growth. While a counselor might provide in-depth analysis, a life coach encourages the client to do the practical, productive work of grappling for answers to life's most important questions. No one was more skilled at asking profound questions than Jesus. His questions challenged wrong thinking, penetrated the heart, and provided a catalyst for true change. Excellent for personal study as well as small group discussion, it capitalizes on a growing trend embraced by adults of all ages.