It is widely believed that the Emperor Constantine’s conversion to Christianity politicized religious allegiances, dividing the Christian Roman Empire from the Zoroastrian Sasanian Empire and leading to the persecution of Christians in Persia. This account, however, is based on Greek ecclesiastical histories and Syriac martyrdom narratives that date to centuries after the fact. In this groundbreaking study, Kyle Smith analyzes diverse Greek, Latin, and Syriac sources to show that there was...

"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."- Abraham Lincoln to Horace GreeleyWashington, August 22, 1862.So the war was not primarily about slavery. Lincoln was interested in preserving the union so that he would continue to have the financial resources of the South to run the government....

Little Kyle is a small seven-year-old when he meets a man, his mothers only ever boyfriend, who he thinks might become his new father. But Rudy, a professional photographer, has other ideas for Little Kyle.

This book documents the history of religious persecution, especially focusing on early Jewish and Christian experiences and the culmination of horrors in the Nazi era, in which six million Jews, over a million Catholics, and many others were put to death for their beliefs. The book then focuses on the many types of religious intolerance in the world today, particularly the genocide against Christians in the Middle East and Africa, and resurgent Anti-Semitism in the Middle East, Europe and ...

Our modern culture values freedom, our ability to make choices, but has largely rejected the biblical truth that our human nature has been corrupted by sin. If we don't understand who we are in God's eyes, we cannot appreciate what he has done for us. This book is an easily readable presentation of the controversial yet biblical doctrines that reveal the stunning beauty of God's plan to redeem his chosen people. These are the doctrines of grace that glorify the sovereign God who rules his ...

We don’t just go to church anymore. We shop for it.In God v. the Consumer, Kyle Smith McGowan explores what happens when faith collides with preference, when worship becomes a product, and when the line between devotion and demand quietly disappears.Blending personal story with cultural critique, this unflinching reflection asks a disruptive question:Have we shaped God in our image—or have we reshaped Him in the image of the marketplace?...

Blackwater Betrayal tells the story of the ruthless, ill-conceived scorched earth actions by the Confederacy of Mill Town, or Milton, on the Blackwater River in the Western Florida Panhandle and the rest of the Pensacola Bay area. It tells the journey of John Geoghegan and how he became a successful blockade runner out of Pensacola. It is the story of Maria Moreno, the Spanish beauty whom John loves and almost loses. It is the story of Johns friend Ben Jernigan, engaged to French-educated ...

"If I could save the Union without freeing any slave I would do it, and if I could save it by freeing all the slaves I would do it; and if I could save it by freeing some and leaving others alone I would also do that."- Abraham Lincoln to Horace GreeleyWashington, August 22, 1862.So the war was not primarily about slavery. Lincoln was interested in preserving the union so that he would continue to have the financial resources of the South to run the government....

A cultural history of how Christianity was born from its martyrs.Though it promises eternal life, Christianity was forged in death. Christianity is built upon the legacies of the apostles and martyrs who chose to die rather than renounce the name of their lord. In this innovative cultural history, Kyle Smith shows how a devotion to death has shaped Christianity for two thousand years.For centuries, Christians have cared for their saints, curating their deat...

This book is written with the intent to inspire people, young and old, to discover the joy of dating! While the book is written primarily for teen-agers and young adults, it provides many ideas that would be suitable for adults who are in the dating scene or a for a married couple's date night. Studies have shown the benefits of a healthy dating life for a youth as they grow to maturity and eventually find a spouse. They have also stressed the value of having a regular date night with a sp...

In Kyle Smith's gripping debut science fiction thriller, "Killer In Orbit," the boundary between Earth and the cosmos becomes a battleground for survival, betrayal, and the darkest aspects of human nature.Detective Bridger Stone, a man haunted by his past and struggling with personal demons, finds himself thrust into a high-stakes mission that will test his resolve and challenge everything he thought he knew about justice. As Earth's first interplanetary colonization attempt unfold...

Key FeaturesBook DescriptionIf you are a Splunk user and want to enter the wonderful world of Splunk application development, then this book is for you. Some experience with Splunk, writing searches, and designing basic dashboards is expected.What you will learnImplement modular input and a custom D3 data visualizationCreate a directory structure and set view permissionsCreate a search view and a dashboard view using ...