History: Fiction or Science? (Chronology, No. 1)

Book Description

Recorded history is a finely-woven magic fabric of intricate lies about events predating the sixteenth century. There is not a single piece of evidence that can be reliably and independently traced back earlier than the eleventh century. This book details events that are substantiated by hard facts and logic, and validated by new astronomical research and statistical analysis of ancient sources.

Customer Reviews:

Calculations are only as good as your numbers.......2007-08-03

Yes, we can all agree that mainstream history is nearly 100% BS due to politics, economics, ego, problems with dating techniques, and various conspiracies. Agreed. But, I've been researching the distinct possibility that human history (in terms of civilizations) are much more ancient than we've been told, so coming across this book was very interesting to me. I wondered how Fomenko could be wrong (if at all) because he is very persuasive in his presentations. Then it dawned on me. If at previous times in prehistory, due to the various catastrophies that are well documented (comets, asteroids, planetary disruptions, plasma discharge, pole reversals, etc) the Earth was in a different position in relation to the sun, different tilt on its axis, different orbit, different rotation (in terms of velocity and DIRECTION), and the continents were in different positions, then would this not cause the ancients to see the sky (constellations) differently? In other words, is Fomenko making erronious assumptions about the physics of the Earth in pre-history, which then corrupt his data with regards to dating the relevant astrology? The last event to seriously disrupt our planet occured roughly 3500 years ago, according to other good researchers, so is it possible Fomenko has been confused by this? The vastly different physics of our planet in the not so distant past may explain this confusion, which is not to say the "mainstream" version of history is correct; on the contrary. I am not an expert in these fields, but wanted to see if this idea could spark discussion.

Pants on fire?.......2007-07-19

Will people ever read before spamming? Yes, Jesuits could not rewrite world history alone, they had help. Anyway, Dr Prof Acad A.Fomenko does not point to jesuits as the driving force of world wide history manipulation in published volumes 1,2,3;, actually he barely mentions the poor devils. Check it with 'Search inside' feature, please. China is rarely mentioned either, in fact, Dr Fomenko is completely eurocentric. Right, his theory contradicts all mainstream schools of history, because in their actual state they are all built on blatantly erroneus chronology. You don't need a mysterious cabal (conspiracy) to falsify history, the falsification is its modus operandi. It is inherent to history(ians) to falsify (distort) events, as it is inherent to humans to boast as it is inherent to power (authority) to legimize itself by referrring to glorious past made to its own order. Dr Prof Fomenko and team have identified scores of instances of such manipulation in Russian, European, etc.. history, and delivered valid statistical proof thereof. His own 'reconstruction' is completely another story. Forget c14 as a valid method of dating. W.Libby has initially discovered a brilliant method of INDEPENDENT dating. Too bad, c14 method has become a joke after a forced marrige with dendrochronology with consensual chronological scale inbuilt. Radiocarbon method can't stand blind tests, but is so very productive as a rubberstamp.

Accepted History & Chronology Must Be Changed. .......2007-04-09

There is no doubt that history as most know it is a sham, & institution's version of History both University & Church is fradulent & inaccurate. Everything was established with an agenda, The real "Dark Ages" are now when we have access to incredible amounts of information past authorities & more important 'common folk' didn't have but our institutions & educators are slow to evolve because of what has ignorantly & arrogantly been taught for too long. This is on many subjects not just Chronology.

For anyone to question "Why would a Mathematician have anything credible to say of History?" The answer is from Dr. Fomenko's preface in the book: "It would be worthwhile to remind the reader that in the XVI-XVII century Chronology was considered to be a subdivision of Mathematics." These volumes could possibly be some of the most important works to date & should be read by everyone with an interest in History, especially professors & educators who have a duty to the public. I have read both books & must say that 'Chronology 1' has some very eye opening & revolutionary information. Even if these volumes are part true the implications are profound & opens the doors to further investigations & questions which must be done. I speak several different lanquages & must say the logic Dr. Fomenko uses with "inflection" of words & words being read from left to right in one region & right to left in another then written backwards, the removal of vowels & get down to basics of words, or different cities & locations having the same name etc. is correct. Vowel usage has always been optional & varied, actually complicating linquistics & study. The first thing one has to understand is that words never had a fixed spelling in history like we do now, the spelling of words was mutable & regional, as well as names & titles of people were vast, varied & changed, NOTHING WAS FIXED or understood linear. Matters of Life & Death as well as financial profiteering yesterday & today were & are made with ignorant, illogical & conspiratorial views of history & reality, it's time people get closer to the Truth & society collectively grow up.

Very Interesting.......2007-03-07

It is a good proposal and I believe it will mature into something even better in the future. I think it deserves to be read.

History as Science Fiction.......2007-01-10

Anatoly Fomenko has written a very intriguing book, full of pictures, charts, and computer 'proof' of his thesis: backwards of AD900 we don't really know what happened or when. Between AD900 and AD1600 there is more certainty, but there is still a lot of fuzzy ground, and things don't get reliable until we get past the 1600's where the printing press made it very difficult for the perpetrators of this timeline manipulation to change anything that had been committed to print. The Dark Ages did not happen. Books were burned for a reason. One organization has doubled the actual length of its existence by expanding the real chronology. Read why.

I had always wondered why Christ died about AD33 and yet men waited until the 11th century to form the Knights Templar, the Cathars, etc and go after the Holy Land by force. Why the 1000 year gap? Turns out there wasn't more than a 10-12 year gap and he proves it using astronomy. This also implies that the planet is not as old as we have been told, and current Christian and other creationist scientists are already championing that idea without being aware of Fomenko's book. The two groups, creationist scientists and the Russian mathematical analysts corroborate each other. Fascinating.

Of course, all this flies in the face of what we have been told traditionally is the 'proper' chronology of western civilization, and most readers will experience 'cognitive dissonance' in reading this book. It means that our history going backwards from AD1600 becomes progressively more incorrect and unreliable until it cannot be trusted at all... in the space of 700-800 years.

Naturally, the curious, open-minded reader will want to know WHO did this, WHY, and did any of the events we think of as really ancient ever happen?
Dr. Fomenko is a respected scientist/mathematician at Moscow State University who has already answered these questions to the satisfaction of his initially skeptical colleagues. Most of them are now believers, a few still refuse to believe (the usual diehards), and of course the western press has ignored Fomenko's work -- for obvious reasons when you read the book. The ones who perpetrated this chronology ruse have a lot to answer for. They are still with us. That's why this book is a well-kept secret.

I gave the book a 4-star rating because I was unable to check out some of his claims; those I checked were as he said. But if even 1/3 of his claims are true, this punches a big hole in what we think is our history, the meaning of western civilization, our educational process (for repeating the ruse as gospel), and the trustworthiness of the organization that perpetrated this ruse, well-intentioned or not.

This book relates to current research into a Young Earth paradigm, to John Keel's discoveries about our planet, and Fr Malachi Martin's insights (in his now out-of-print books). We are indeed sheep who are manipulated and kept ignorant -- for a reason. While knowing what these men have to say may be the "booby prize" (as in: 'what can you do with this knowledge?'), it will provide interesting reading. Didn't someone say: "...and the Truth will set you free."?? For you to judge if this book contains the truth.

The Weekend Crafter: Mosaics: Inspirational Ideas and Practical Projects for the Weekend

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Inspiration PLUS!
Will inspire confidence & creativity in the beginner
This is a complete, concise, little book of mosaics.

The Weekend Crafter: Mosaics: Inspirational Ideas and Practical Projects for the Weekend
Martin Cheek
Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Mosaic | Other Media | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 1579900038

Customer Reviews:

Inspiration PLUS!.......2000-07-07

I got this book for my birthday nearly three years ago. I was so inspired I wanted to do everything in it. I love it. It is fabulous for the beginner with step by step instructions and great photos. And the best part is that it is so simple. Once you've tracked down the tiles, etc - hard to find in New Zealand, it took me two years. And you don't need all the fancy tools the book give handy hints to get around without them. The book features not only the authors work so it appeals to many tastes. This isn't just a great starter it's good even when you know what you're doing - you can refer back to it all the time or just look at if for insipration. Another book by Martin Cheek, MAKING MOSAICS - with a fish on the front is great too. It also has step by step details and more great photos of more great projects. Get them both it's worth it.

Will inspire confidence & creativity in the beginner.......1999-01-20

I have had this book for about 2 years now (from UK)& since my first attempts at mosaic, have found it invaluable. The author gives clear & full instructions from start to finish on all of the projects, which are well illustrated in phototgraphic sequences. Other mosaic books like this seem to be in the same format but lacking such clear instructions which a beginner would have no problems with. I would recommend it to total beginners & more experienced mosaicists alike, perhaps even to someone with an artistic mind who has never considered mosaic would be inspired by this book. Mosaic is becoming ever more popular & this book will allow anyone to create their own designs at home at a fraction of the cost of a professional (& much more satisfying !) I don't think you'll be disappointed............. Have fun !

This is a complete, concise, little book of mosaics........1998-10-29

Martin Cheek is the finest mosaicist on the planet, and his books are a testament to that. (Professional mosaicists will especially love this book because the materials lists are so daunting that beginners are likely to shy away from the craft!) Cheek's work is an inspiration for the already-are and elegant poetry for the wanna-be mosaicists.

Average customer rating:

Excellent introduction to the topic

Paul and the Mosaic Law
Durham-Tubingen Research Symposium on Earliest Christianity and Judaism (3rd : 1994 : University of Durham)
Manufacturer: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Company
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0802844995

Book Description

This volume explores the perennial debate over Paul's understanding of and attitude toward the Mosaic Law. Sixteen outstanding international scholars examine the key passages in the letters of Paul that deal with the Jewish law. Their work not only provides a clearer view of the issues involved but also shows the range of interpretive approaches now being used in this important area of study.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent introduction to the topic.......2000-12-29

A compilation of for the most part excellent articles dealing with the topic, the Apostle Paul and the Mosaic Law. Some of the articles are not for the novice and presume some knowledge of biblical Greek. However, the book does provide a good introduction to what James Dunn refers to as, "the new perspective on Paul." This school of thought is making good headway in resolving longstanding tensions and apparent "contradictions" in Paul's treatment of the Jewish law versus justification by faith. Evangelicals in particular should be paying attention to such works though doing so necessitates reexamining certain presuppositions of Reformed theology, especially those relating to first century Palestinian Judaism. I recommend this to anyone wishing to explore this topic.

Dangerous Memories: A Mosaic of Mary in Scripture

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Dangerous Memories: A Mosaic of Mary in Scripture
Elizabeth A. Johnson
Manufacturer: Continuum International Publishing Group
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Christianity | Religion & Spirituality | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0826416381

Book Description

Beth Johnson takes the 13 gospel appearances of Mary of Nazareth and creates a rich, deep Marian identity from this complex mosaic. The Dangerous Memory of Mary is taken from Beth Johnson's acclaimed Truly Our Sister: A Theology of Mary in the Communion of Saints, with the addition of a new introduction and a short annotated bibliography.

The New Bosnian Mosaic: Identities, Memories and Moral Claims in a Post-war Society

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The New Bosnian Mosaic: Identities, Memories and Moral Claims in a Post-war Society

Manufacturer: Ashgate Publishing
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Japan | Asia | History | Subjects | Books

Bosnia and Herzegovina | Europe | History | Subjects | Books

Russia | History | Subjects | Books

Emigration & Immigration | Administrative Law | Law | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0754645630

Mosaic Modernism: Anarchism, Pragmatism, Culture (New Studies in American Intellectual and Cultural History)

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Mosaic Modernism: Anarchism, Pragmatism, Culture (New Studies in American Intellectual and Cultural History)
David Kadlec
Manufacturer: The Johns Hopkins University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Book Description

In Mosaic Modernism David Kadlec examines the anarchist and pragmatist origins of modernism as a literary/cultural phenomenon. Treating a wide range of historical sources and materials, many of them previously unpublished, Kadlec argues that the formal experiments of leading modernists were spurred by German, French, and British anarchists. He thus offers a dramatically new account of modernism's political genesis and the mosaic, improvisational tendencies of modern literature.

Anarchist polemics against "beginnings, origins, and principles" shaped the avant-garde writings of Ezra Pound and James Joyce. And anarchism influenced American philosophy as well. The pragmatist William James was among those who adapted anarchist premises to lingering exceptionalist visions of American experience and identity. Through the writings of later American philosophers and social theorists--Horace Kallen, John Dewey, and Alain Locke--and through the inventive poems of William Carlos Williams and Marianne Moore, modernism's resistance to deterministic "first principles" came to assume a new shape on American soil.

The antifoundationalist impulse that lay beneath modernism's formal innovations, Kadlec argues, eventually spawned its own foundation in the notion of culture as an indeterminate and contingent measure of American identity. The orthodoxy of this new cultural measure received challenge in the later modernist innovations of the African American folklorist and novelist Zora Neale Hurston. In restoring the centrality of anarchism and pragmatism to a range of modern writers and movements, Mosaic Modernism provides a welcome historical perspective on contemporary conceptions of identity politics.

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Mosaics 1 / New Age Piano (EP)

Manufacturer: Warner Bros Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Music | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0898986532

Book Description

A collection of seven original New Age pieces for the easy piano level. Titles are: The Cedar Grove * Coming Home * Lotus Blossom * Metamorphosis * River Song * Two Roads * Vignette.

Written In The Stars: Ancient Zodiac Mosaics (Marco Polo Monographs 1, ISSN 1527-2265, no. 1)

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The book is a poor introduction to the Zodiac Mosaics.
Becoming a CLASSIC resource!
A masterful study of ZODIAC mosaics and their meaning!
A Serious Look at Astrology

Written In The Stars: Ancient Zodiac Mosaics (Marco Polo Monographs 1, ISSN 1527-2265, no. 1)
Lester J. Ness
Manufacturer: Shangri-La Publications
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Assyria, Babylonia & Sumer | Ancient | History | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0967720117

Book Description

This study of ancient astrology attempts to explain why zodiac mosaics appear in Israeli synagogues. More broadly, it explains how and why Hellenic Jews used astrology. This volume explores origins of synagogue mosaics and provides useful information concerning astrology around the world.

Customer Reviews:

The book is a poor introduction to the Zodiac Mosaics........2004-06-23

The book consists mainly of booklists, and if that is what you are after, it is the book for you. The star given is mainly for the booklist, because the author is clearly not very well versed in his subject.

Simple names are missing in the lists, and conclusions often fails to be correct because the author is guessing - and from lack of correct background information, he is not very good at it. - Some statements are simply wrong.

The author admits not to know much about the Chinese Zodiac - the correct term would have been that he knows even less about the Chinese Zodiac.

Very pictures are shown of the mosaics, you can get better ones from searching the web in fact. The few pictures shown are in black and white and not tecnical adequate for a book boasting of showing the mosaics. The few drawings do not make up for the actual lack of Mosaics.

I recieved a copy of the book in a black cloth binding, and there may be a discrepancy in the book shown and the book I got, but I doubt it.

Becoming a CLASSIC resource!.......2003-01-12

Published only a few years ago, and still in print, this work has already become THE classic resource for the history of astrology especially as it pertains to Jewish faith and practices. Dr. Ness is the ultimate expert in this field and his study is essential.

A masterful study of ZODIAC mosaics and their meaning!.......2002-12-05

Dr. Ness has provided us with the most complete resource for the study of zodiac mosaics in Synagogues and of the history of astrology in general. This book is a must have for all Jewish scholors and astrologers alike!

A Serious Look at Astrology.......1999-12-02

When I found this book, I knew nothing about the serious study or history of astrology. I was amazed to learn a great deal from this study. Dr. Ness presents an engaging, readable, and often humorous look at astrology and Jewish synagogue mosaics. The illustrations are useful and the annotated bibliography is a great resource!

Average customer rating:

It's exactly what the title says!
40 Projects to Make With Glass, Metal, Paper, Beans, Buttons

New Mosaics

Manufacturer: Sterling
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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ASIN: 1579901387

Amazon.com

Exploring a number of unexpected mosaic materials and surfaces, The New Mosaics utilizes basic mosaic-making principles to create soft furnishings, journal covers, jewelry, and more; even the more common choices such as tabletops, frames, boxes, and vases often take a less traditional and sometimes downright funky approach. Besides stone, glass, tile, and metal, materials include fabric, paper, buttons, eggshells, cork, seashells, cardboard, magnets, and found objects. A business-card holder constructed from an old camera housing becomes a travelogue of souvenir plates accented with costume jewelry; a game table sprouts a multitude of playing pieces and small toys; hundreds of bottlecaps unite to form a tramp art wall hanging; tiny rhinestones and faux pearls adorn a delicate toiletry set. A gallery of creations by various artists provides further proof that mosaics can be taken to unusual and often interesting extremes: a staircase, a shower tiled to look like a library, clothing, buildings, and even cars sport a vast array of mosaic motifs, and then of course there's South Dakota's famous Corn Palace, entirely covered with elaborate mosaics of the state's history.

The instructions and illustrations are generally adequate, and in most cases the photographs themselves serve as enough of a guideline to assemble the piece. A few templates are included, but crafters less sure of their artistic abilities may be frustrated at the lack of templates for several of the projects with more intricate designs. Better proofreading would have helped, too: directions for a detailed set of faux-jade jewelry made of polymer clay refer to "the patterns on page 000," and no such patterns appear anywhere in the book. --Amy Handy

Book Description

An exciting new slant on one of today’s most popular crafts, featuring 40 creative mosaic projects—patterns and templates included—using traditional materials in innovative ways. A gallery from around the world illustrates the possibilities. “A wealth of playful and imaginative materials.”—ForeWord Magazine.

Customer Reviews:

It's exactly what the title says!.......2000-07-28

If you're looking to learn the ins and outs of mosaic making, if you're looking to glue shards of tesserae to boards and lamps and things, this isn't the book for you.

If, on the other hand, you simply love the "look" of mosaics, this book will teach you how to recreate it using beads, bottle caps, dice, and everything else listed in the subtitle. Though many of the projects are attractive (like the "Luxurious Journal," made of velvet squares), many are also a little tacky (like a clock made of beans).

A few of the projects involve creating mosaics with actual glass and tile tesserae, but these are generally quickies-for beginners. And although the gallery in the back of the book contains a few terrific pieces, almost all of them are in dozens of other books on mosaic.

It's a nice book for your mosaics library, but it's less than essential.

40 Projects to Make With Glass, Metal, Paper, Beans, Buttons.......2000-06-23

This book show you that you can use many materials to do a mosaic. If you want differents ideas, this is the right book.

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church

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Insights into Diversity and Mosaic
Book Reviews--Christian Century---CHOICE--Journal Scientific Study Religion--Sociology of Religion Quarterly
Phenomenal MUST Read for Emerging Christianity
Beyond conventional labels for religious believers

A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church
Gerardo Marti
Manufacturer: Indiana University Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 0253344824

Book Description

"Anyone wishing to gain a deeper understanding of American evangelical diversity, of the emergent church movement, and of intriguing congregational efforts to bridge ethnic divides, will want to read this book." --Christian Scholar's Review

"Mosaic" in Southern California is one of the largest multiethnic congregations in America, and also one of the most innovative. This book takes us inside this unusual church. It shows how the church has achieved multiethnicity, not by targeting ethnic groups, but by providing multiple havens of inclusion and commonality that render ethnic differences moot. These havens are arenas for multiethnic companionship, cooperation, and camaraderie that arise out of a union of creative volunteer resources and the ambitious global mission of the church. A Mosaic of Believers examines the structure of the church and the innovative aspects of its mission. It reveals a congregation aiming to reconstruct evangelical theology, personal identity, member involvement, and church governance in an attempt to create an institution with greater relevance to the social reality of a new generation. Based on interviews and participation with the congregation and grounded in contemporary sociological theory, the book presents a rich portrait of an emerging religious community.

Customer Reviews:

Insights into Diversity and Mosaic.......2006-09-28

This book does a masterful job of piecing apart Mosaic, how it is structured and how it operates. It provides facts and unique insights behind the scenes and gives the reader what he needs to understand diversity in a local church that is impacting the world.

Book Reviews--Christian Century---CHOICE--Journal Scientific Study Religion--Sociology of Religion Quarterly.......2005-07-21

-- Quoted from CHOICE Reviews by K. D. Lyon (Jones County Junior College), January 2006.

"Through careful ethnography and masterful application of sociological theory, Marti (sociology, Davidson College) provides a rewarding and insightful study of one of the nation's largest multiethnic churches, Los Angeles's Mosaic."

"Principally, Marti attributes Mosaic's remarkable success to five "havens" of inclusion/involvement within the church that allow transcendence of ethnic separateness in favor of spiritual commonalty. The "theological" haven offers a purposeful ideology of evangelical mission that animates other havens, while the haven of "artistic creativity" harnesses a wealth of Hollywood talent and integrates myriad artistic forms into worship. Analyzing the "innovator" haven, Marti explains how congregants viewed as deviant in organizationally conservative churches frequently become "catalytic leadership" within Mosaic. The "age" haven attracts and empowers young people, especially those fleeing "entrapment" in their parents' monoethnic subcultures."

"A superb chapter explores "ethnic" haven in terms of the fluidity, subjectivity, and situational construction of ethnic identity, allowing emphasis, reconfiguration or muting of ethnicity within Mosaic's context and missiology. Engagingly and accessibly written, this excellent book deserves wide readership among everyone interested in US religion, ethnicity, organizations and urban culture."

"Summing Up: Highly recommended. All levels/libraries."

-- Quoted from Journal for Scientific Study of Religion by Elaine Howard Ecklund (University of Buffalo, SUNY, and Rice University), September 2006 (Vol 45/No 3), pp. 467-468.

"Mosaic of Believers is a highly readable volume, following in the footsteps of other congregational ethnographies within the sociology of religion (e.g. works by Nancy Ammerman, Brenda Brasher, and R. Stephen Warner)."

"He shows that Mosaic retains its unique mission, in part, by rewarding change-agents, providing a haven for self-starters and leaders."

"Carefully walking the line between overindulgent navel-gazing and unquestioned objectivism, Marti writes an engaging methodological appendix.... Throughout the volume, he implicitly pushes forward a dialogue on the different roles that insiders and outsiders to a religious community have in ethnographic accounts of such settings."

"Overall, this is a strong volume and I look forward to reading Marti's future work."

-- Quoted from "Multiethnic Mix: A Model of Congregational Diversity?" by R. Stephen Warner (University of Illinois at Chicago), The Christian Century, July 26, 2005 (Vol 122/No 15), pp. 26-29.

"As Marti sees it, the key to building a congregation of people from diverse, often alienated ethnic backgrounds is to appeal to them in ways that trump their differences."

"Marti stresses the malleability of identities and the way that being a follower of Jesus Christ at Mosaic "transcends" ethnicity. In so doing he offers an appealing vision of a church that builds on the dynamism of demography and popular culture to overcome the scandal of religious segregation (as well as the specter of civic balkanization)."

"Clearly, Mosaic is spiritually compelling. Its members are on fire with their faith, eager to share it with everyone in Los Angeles. Its leaders take risks that most pastors would not dare."

"His book will be on the syllabus the next time I teach a course on race, ethnicity and gender in American religion."

-- Quoted from Sociology of Religion: A Quarterly Review by Kathleen Garces-Foley (Cal State Northridge and Marymount University), Fall 2006.

"Marti's analysis is a well-crafted mix of first-person accounts and sociological theory."

"As an assistant pastor at Mosaic during the course of his research, he straddles the religoius insider/outsider tension with ease and precision, and the methodological appendix offers insightful advice for other scholars in this position."

"It also offers valueable insights into the postmodern church movement, and I found the discussion of Mosaic's theological position with regard to premillenialism particularly helpful."

Phenomenal MUST Read for Emerging Christianity.......2005-05-24

This book is an artform. The work is an in-depth glimpse of the inner-workings of the emerging church that many philosophize and prophesize about, yet never have the opportunity to live within. The care and balance that Marti brought to the project as a pastor and scholar was obvious and reassuring. I am confident that Gerardo's work will provide a methodological basis that provides others with the courage to do the same. This book is timely as the denominational form of Christianity continues to slide into oblivion in the U.S. However, it is a refreshing testament to the fact that God has something more in mind. He's not done with Christianity in the U.S. just yet. He is the God of MORE...much more. Marti's book is a refreshing, uplifting testament to the fact that He is alive and working diligently in our world...He just needs some disciples to hear Him and "Follow Me." Clearly, the finished work spawns more questions and opportunities for additional research, as any substantial research endeavor should.

Beyond conventional labels for religious believers.......2004-10-28

Looking under the conventional labels used to depict religious believers, ethnographers and cultural historians are uncovering some unexpected findings. We know, for example, that religious conservatives are likely to vote Republican, but what, exactly, does it mean to be a religious conservative? If the scholarship of historians like R. Marie Griffith or sociologists like Gerardo Marti is any indication, it does not necessarily mean turning one's back on the modern world. [...] Marti's 'A Mosaic of Believers: Diversity and Innovation in a Multiethnic Church,' to be published next month, offers a case study of a Los Angeles-based church that is at one and the same time Southern Baptist in affiliation and conservative theologically and attractive to a young, primarily single Hollywood clientele working at cutting-edge cultural jobs in the entertainment industry. As such books illustrate, the ethnographic trend overlaps with interest in the complexities of religion and American culture and their intersection. While religion has certainly done its share to shape American culture, it is also the case that American culture shapes religion, and in very powerful ways.

-- From Alan Wolfe, "Scholars Infuse Religion With Cultural Light," The Chronicle of Higher Education

Detailed Table of Contents

Acknowledgements
Introduction
   Mosaic Havens: Dual Movement of Escape and Refuge
   Max Weber and the Dynamic Nature of Ethnicity
   Overview

Chapter 1: Multi-Ethnic Churches, Mosaic, and Social Change
   Significance of Multi-ethnic Churches
   Significance of Mosaic
   A Glimpse Into the Future

Chapter 2: Describing Mosaic
   An Oral History
   Unique Aspects of This Congregation

Chapter 3: History, Agency, and the Evangelical Faith: A Reconstruction of Ideology
   Exploring Mosaic's Theological Haven
   Catalytic Preaching and the Shaping of a Congregation
   A Theology of Mission
   The Apostolic Community and the Movement of History

Chapter 4: The Hollywood Connection and the Management of Artistic Talent: A Reconstruction of Involvement
   Exploring Mosaic's Artistic Haven
   Parallels between Mosaic and the Entertainment Industry
   Mobilization as the Core Activity at Mosaic

Chapter 5: Innovation and the Cultivation of Catalytic Leaders: A Reconstruction of Imperative
   Exploring Mosaic's Innovator Haven
   Discovery, Development, and Deployment of Leaders
   Diversification and Innovation through Catalytic Leaders

Chapter 6: Mosaic and the Emerging American Culture: A Reconstruction of an Institution
   Exploring Mosaic's Age Haven
   Reversing the Age Hierarchy
   Cultural Appeal to the Coming Century

Chapter 7: Becoming Mosaic: A Reconstruction of Identity
   Exploring Mosaic's Ethnic Haven
   Charismatic Authority and the Strategic Management of Ethnic Identity
   Charismatic Re-orientation of Ethnic Identity

Conclusion
   Innovation and Diversification in Pursuit of Mission
   Popular Culture, Younger Generations, and the Rejection of Modernity
   Capturing a Movement in Action

Bibliography

Appendix: Methodological Considerations from a Religious Insider
   Qualitative Research and the Dilemma of Researcher Involvement
   Seeking Validity for This Researcher in Studying This Congregation
   Guidelines Offered in Hindsight

Appendix: Women and Leadership at Mosaic

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