The Moral of the Story

About this book

Part I: The imitation of Christ -- I. Jesus Christ: His birth (Christmas-related stories) -- The revolt in heaven / Samuel Kamaleson -- "Why the chimes rang" / Raymond Macdonald Alden -- "If He had not come" / Nan F. Weeks -- "The innkeeper of Bethlehem" / J.W.G. Ward -- "Merry Tifton!" / D. James Kennedy -- II. Jesus Christ: His life and ministry -- "The creation" / James Weldon Johnson -- "The man born blind" / J.W.G. Ward -- The startling painting / Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- "Alive" / Max Lucado -- The story of the faithful friend and its exegesis in a medieval sermon / Summary of Everyman -- III. Imitating Christ -- The deaths of the apostles / John Foxe -- "In the arena" / Chuck Colson -- "The ministry of Edward Spencer" / Jerry Newcombe -- "Father Zossima's brother" / Fyodor Dostoyevsky -- In His steps / Charles M. Sheldon. Part II: The seven deadly sins -- I. Pride -- The temptation of Christ / from the Gospel According to Luke (NIV) -- The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican / from the Gospel According to Luke (NIV) -- The casket scenes from The Merchant of Venice / William Shakespeare -- Paradise lost / John Milton -- Ben Franklin on pride / from Poor Richard's Almanack -- Proclamation of a national fast day / Abraham Lincoln -- Our solid American citizen / Ralph Linton -- "The teapot" / Hans Christian Andersen -- "The good things of life" / Arthur Gordon -- II. Greed -- Naboth's vineyard / from the Book of I Kings (NIV) -- The healing of Naaman the Leper and the greed of Gehazi / retold by Jesse Hurlbut -- The widow's mite / from the Gospel According to Luke (NIV) -- Ananias and Sapphira / from the Book of Acts (NIV) -- "The stolen fruit" / from The Confessions of St. Augustine -- "The pardoner's tale" / Geoffrey Chaucer -- Ben Franklin on greed / from Poor Richard's Almanack -- III. Envy -- Can and Abel / from the Book of Genesis (NIV) -- Saul and David / retold by Jesse Hurlbut -- "Little Snowdrop" / a classic fairytale, retold by Dinah Craik -- Iago's intentions / by William Shakespeare -- "Headmaster Bard" / by Bjornstjerne Bjornson, translated by Kirsti Saebo Newcombe -- IV. Anger -- The parable of the unmerciful servant / from the Gospel According to Matthew (NIV) -- Michael LeFan on anger / Michael LeFan -- "Tell-tale Heart" / by Edgar Allen Poe -- "The first crèche" / Arthur Gordon -- "The hammer of God" / G.K. Chesterton -- "Tropical paradise lost and found" / retold by Jerry Newcombe -- V. Lust -- The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah / from the Book of Genesis (NIV) -- Joseph and Potiphar's wife / from the Book of Genesis (NIV) -- David and Bathsheba / retold by Jesse Hurlbut -- Amnon and Tamar / from the Book of 2 Samuel (NIV) -- The Roman feast / by Henryk Stenkiewicz, translated by Jeremiah Curtin -- St. Augustine's struggle with lust / from The Confessions of St. Augustine -- "Alypius and the gladiators" / from The Confessions of St. Augustine -- Ben Franklin on lust / from Poor Richard's Almanack -- "Freed from lust" / Steve Gallagher -- VI. Gluttony -- The Bible on gluttony -- Ben Franklin on gluttony / from Poor Richard's Almanack -- The disappearance of Augustus Gloop / Roald Dahl -- Forty-one sausages in one sitting / William Trevor -- "Lenny's las meal" / Robert Newcombe -- "Betty and the pigs" / Lily Guzman -- VII. Sloth -- Ben Franklin on sloth / from Poor Richard's Almanack -- A tale of two diaries -- "How Stonewall Jackson got his name / Robert Folsom -- My intense longing to learn to read / Booker T. Washington -- The actor who gave his all / Lee Buck with Dick Schneider -- The diligence of a polio victim / Michael LeFan. Part III: Faith, hope, and love -- I. Peter walks on the water / from the Gospel According to Matthew (NIV) -- Captured by giant despair / John Bunyan -- "The celestial railroad" / Nathaniel Hawthorne -- "God lives" / Hans Christian Andersen -- The conve