Traces the Miss America pageant's long and complicated history. Mandy McMichael demonstrates that the pageant is a little explored window into American culture, one that reveals a complex cocktail of all Americans hold dear.

Tracks the Apostle Paul's use of Old Testament texts that directly invoke God's name, Yahweh, for what they can disclose about the earliest Christian beliefs and practices.

The sacred ethos of the American Dream has become a central pillar of American civil religion. The belief that meaning is fashioned from some mixture of family, friends, a stable career, and financial security permeates American culture. Profane Parables examines three films that assault this venerated American myth.

Offers practical advice on how to achieve joy. Each chapter focuses on a different trait needed to move from grief to joy. The primary narrative arc is spiritual, even though stories of struggle, conflict, and loss are recurrent themes.