Conrad L. Kanagy – författare

Why are all U.S. Presidents white men? Why does technology enchant us? Why do some people commit suicide? Why are sports so important to Americans? How will the Internet change society? Why do people 'do good'? This very teachable and short new introductory text explores these and other 'riddles' to stir students' sociological curiosity and promote active learning as the sure path toward mastering the fundamentals of the discipline. "Once again, Pine Forge Press has done us Intro teachers a great service with The Riddles of Human Society. The authors have produced a remarkable text, designing it from the point of view of how students actually acquire sociological tools and imagination when reflecting on their social world. … It is written as a conversation with readers, yet is organized with learning tools like chapter summaries, discussion questions, and an in-text glossary. It considers a broad range of topics from micro to macro levels, thus uniquely blending the best of a shorter textbook and a monograph. It will serve very well as a main text for introductory sociology courses. I recommend it highly." Stephen Sharkey, Department of Social Science, Alverno College

This biography is about an immigrant''s daughter who remained in the shadows of her father, husband, sons, and daughter. But it is also about the theological tradition--German Evangelical Pietism--that shaped her and that she helped to shape. That tradition is also hidden--or buried--for its tendency to embarrass modern sensitivities. As such it remains deeply misunderstood. Grounded in the history of the Prussian Union and the pietism of the free mission houses of Germany, it is evangelical in a way that is unrecognizable and bears little resemblance to the evangelicalism of the twenty-first century. In its pietism, it exudes an irenic approach to theological and doctrinal differences, in a way that is altogether misunderstood. It is focused on peacemaking and deeds of loving and just action in the world, rather than theological precision. The sad history of this tradition is that like the story of Lydia--both have been buried in the religious landscape of twentieth-century American Protestantism. It is time that the story of Lydia Hosto Niebuhr be emancipated from a church history that has minimized the story of many of its most important giants simply because they were born at a time when their stories were less valued than the men they supported and the sons they birthed and nurtured in the church. The biography of Lydia Hosto Niebuhr corrects and recalls what has been buried and hidden, and in doing so offers an alternative to the polarization of the political and religious fields of the United States.