The Power of One

Description: We do not like to talk about loneliness. We like even less to talk about the fact that the experience that faith does not automatically heal it. This is a problem, but what if it does not have to be that way? What if we can tap into loneliness as a source of personal empowerment? In The Power of One, Anette Ejsing makes exactly this case. Relying on personal stories, she first shows why romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness are particularly difficult to understand in the context of Christian faith. She then reflects theologically on these three kinds of loneliness, and describes it as a mystery that faith both does and does not heal them. In response to this mystery, she suggests thinking about loneliness as a privilege. Arguing from the perspective of a theology of suffering, she encourages each of us to tell our stories of loneliness from the perspective of the end God has in mind for us. This means accepting and embracing loneliness as a means through which God raises us up and strengthens us to persevere in joy and faith. Learning to do this is a privilege that gives us the opportunity to experience loneliness as a source of personal empowerment. Endorsements: ""This is a wonderful book of wisdom. I hope it will be read widely. Anette Ejsing reflects on our lives in a way that is very impressive."" --Stanley Hauerwas Duke University ""I hope every pastoral care student will have the opportunity to read this book. It combines Augustinian confessions on loneliness for the twenty-first century, piety informed by theology, theology inspired by astute observation of the human, all-too-human, and freedom to agree and to disagree. It is a book that can make you grow beyond the easy solutions."" --Antje Jackel n Bishop of Lund, Sweden ""It is surprising that a book about romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness could be such a joyful and hopeful book. This book is that and more; it is also a beautiful book. Anette Ejsing has a gift for asking the right questions. She also has a gift for answering them in a way that is personal, powerful, and helpful, speaking with equal clarity to both heart and mind. Ejsing's insight, compassion, and clarity make this a book that everyone should read."" --David O'Hara Augustana College About the Contributor(s): Anette Ejsing, PhD, lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the author of Theology of Anticipation: A Constructive Study of C. S. Peirce (2007).

Description: We do not like to talk about loneliness. We like even less to talk about the fact that the experience that faith does not automatically heal it. This is a problem, but what if it does not have to be that way? What if we can tap into loneliness as a source of personal empowerment? In The Power of One, Anette Ejsing makes exactly this case. Relying on personal stories, she first shows why romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness are particularly difficult to understand in the context of Christian faith. She then reflects theologically on these three kinds of loneliness, and describes it as a mystery that faith both does and does not heal them. In response to this mystery, she suggests thinking about loneliness as a privilege. Arguing from the perspective of a theology of suffering, she encourages each of us to tell our stories of loneliness from the perspective of the end God has in mind for us. This means accepting and embracing loneliness as a means through which God raises us up and strengthens us to persevere in joy and faith. Learning to do this is a privilege that gives us the opportunity to experience loneliness as a source of personal empowerment. Endorsements: ""This is a wonderful book of wisdom. I hope it will be read widely. Anette Ejsing reflects on our lives in a way that is very impressive."" --Stanley Hauerwas Duke University ""I hope every pastoral care student will have the opportunity to read this book. It combines Augustinian confessions on loneliness for the twenty-first century, piety informed by theology, theology inspired by astute observation of the human, all-too-human, and freedom to agree and to disagree. It is a book that can make you grow beyond the easy solutions."" --Antje Jackel n Bishop of Lund, Sweden ""It is surprising that a book about romantic, spiritual, and social loneliness could be such a joyful and hopeful book. This book is that and more; it is also a beautiful book. Anette Ejsing has a gift for asking the right questions. She also has a gift for answering them in a way that is personal, powerful, and helpful, speaking with equal clarity to both heart and mind. Ejsing's insight, compassion, and clarity make this a book that everyone should read."" --David O'Hara Augustana College About the Contributor(s): Anette Ejsing, PhD, lives in Copenhagen, Denmark. She is the author of Theology of Anticipation: A Constructive Study of C. S. Peirce (2007).

"The Power of One has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama." -The New York Times "Unabashedly uplifting . . . asserts forcefully what all of us would like to believe: that the individual, armed with the spirit of independence-'the power of one'-can prevail." -Cleveland Plain Dealer In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root in South Africa. There, a boy called Peekay is born. His childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, yet he vows to survive and conceives heroic dreams-which are nothing compared to what life actually has in store for him. He embarks on an epic journey through a land of tribal superstition and modern prejudice where he will learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the power of one. "Totally engrossing . . . presents] the metamorphosis of a most remarkable young man and the almost spiritual influence he has on others . . . Peekay has both humor and a refreshingly earthy touch, and his adventures, at times, are hair-raising in their suspense." -Los Angeles Times Book Review "Marvelous . . . It is the people of the sun-baked plains of Africa who tug at the heartstrings in this book. . . . Bryce] Courtenay draws them all with a fierce and violent love." -The Washington Post Book World "Impressive." -Newsday "A compelling tale." -The Christian Science Monitor

"The Power of One has everything: suspense, the exotic, violence; mysticism, psychology and magic; schoolboy adventures, drama." -The New York Times "Unabashedly uplifting . . . asserts forcefully what all of us would like to believe: that the individual, armed with the spirit of independence-'the power of one'-can prevail." -Cleveland Plain Dealer In 1939, as Hitler casts his enormous, cruel shadow across the world, the seeds of apartheid take root in South Africa. There, a boy called Peekay is born. His childhood is marked by humiliation and abandonment, yet he vows to survive and conceives heroic dreams-which are nothing compared to what life actually has in store for him. He embarks on an epic journey through a land of tribal superstition and modern prejudice where he will learn the power of words, the power to transform lives, and the power of one. "Totally engrossing . . . presents] the metamorphosis of a most remarkable young man and the almost spiritual influence he has on others . . . Peekay has both humor and a refreshingly earthy touch, and his adventures, at times, are hair-raising in their suspense." -Los Angeles Times Book Review "Marvelous . . . It is the people of the sun-baked plains of Africa who tug at the heartstrings in this book. . . . Bryce] Courtenay draws them all with a fierce and violent love." -The Washington Post Book World "Impressive." -Newsday "A compelling tale." -The Christian Science Monitor

For readers of CARELESS PEOPLE: this is the shocking true story of the Facebook engineer who blew the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets. Soon to be a major film, THE SOCIAL RECKONING, directed by Aaron Sorkin. In September 2021, the Wall Street Journal published the 'Facebook Files' - tens of thousands of internal documents leaked by Facebook data engineer Frances Haugen. The files provided damning evidence for what many already suspected: that Facebook set its algorithm to reward extremism, and that the company knew that people were using the platform to incite violence, spread misinformation, and exploit the vulnerabilities of young people. The Power of One tells the gripping inside story, revealing jaw-dropping details about the culture and practices of Facebook, and raising urgent questions about transparency, accountability and the future of social media. It is also the candid and inspiring story of a woman who went against the grain in her fearless quest to expose the truth and sparked a global reckoning over the power of Big Tech.

For readers of CARELESS PEOPLE: this is the shocking true story of the Facebook engineer who blew the whistle on the social network's most guarded secrets. Soon to be a major film, THE SOCIAL RECKONING, directed by Aaron Sorkin. In September 2021, the Wall Street Journal published the 'Facebook Files' - tens of thousands of internal documents leaked by Facebook data engineer Frances Haugen. The files provided damning evidence for what many already suspected: that Facebook set its algorithm to reward extremism, and that the company knew that people were using the platform to incite violence, spread misinformation, and exploit the vulnerabilities of young people. The Power of One tells the gripping inside story, revealing jaw-dropping details about the culture and practices of Facebook, and raising urgent questions about transparency, accountability and the future of social media. It is also the candid and inspiring story of a woman who went against the grain in her fearless quest to expose the truth and sparked a global reckoning over the power of Big Tech.