Books by Steven Carter

There is a very interesting account found in Acts 17:22–23 in which the Apostle Paul was waiting for Silas and Timothy in Athens. While he waited, he was provoked within his spirit when he found the city was given over to idols. Paul addressed the men of Athens by saying,In all things you are very religious, for as I was passing through and considering the objects of your worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO THE UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore, the One whom you worship without knowing, Him I proclaim to you.It is startling to know that the men of Athens were religious, they had objects of worship, and they had an altar; yet they didn’t even know the God of their worship! We know altars to be a place of sacrifice, prayer, and religion; but the question arises, How do you worship whom you don’t even know? Even Jesus gives us a glimpse into the importance of knowing Him intimately in Matthew 7:22–23:Many will say to Me in that day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?” And then I will declare to them, “I never knew [my emphasis] you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!” (NKJV)Note that Jesus’s emphasis was not on rituals but, rather, on relationship. We must ask ourselves today, are we any different from the men of Athens? I’m afraid that week after week, we fill edifices with people who don’t even know God. Sure, we have objects of worship. We have buildings, instruments, podiums, microphones, lighting, etc., but do we know the God of our worship? With the help of the Holy Spirit, I will declare as the great apostle did to the men of Athens, The Unknown God.

Written with the compassionate language that people have come to rely upon and expect from these proven relationship experts, this book goes beyond an explanation of the condition to help men and women avoid the self-destructive permanence of remaining with people incapable of loving anyone but themselves.

The essence of life in an oligarchy like George Orwell presents in ''1984'' is that freedom of choice is virtually non-existent. But what happens when so many trivial and meaningless choices inundate a culture such as our own and freedom itself becomes devalued? In ''A Do-It-Yourself Dystopia'', through a variety of essays, Steven Carter addresses this and other issues in a wide-ranging search for hidden oligarchies of the American self.

Perhaps love itself will always be a mystery. Why a relationship works or doesn't work, however, is not a total mystery. It is only a challenge that you can easily meet if you have the tools, starting with awareness as the key.

How is terrorism transformed into media entertainment? What is the connection between affirmative action and narcissism? The author addresses these and other questions that have helped to define American popular culture since the nineteen-sixties.

In an era when many scholars and critics can't seem to see the forest of literature for the trees of theory, objective readings of texts are few and far between. Devotions to the Text constitutes a bold act of rebellion against those who would transform texts into mirrors that reflect only their own ideas and/or ideologies.

In Leopards in the Temple: Selected Essays 1990-2000, Steven Carter explores the myriad ways in which technology and its "muses"-media entertainment and advertising, the so-called culture of electronics plus capitalism-are in the process of recycling metaphysical values in postmodern Am

Look around you. The world is more homogenous than you think. Far too often, distinctions among people, places, and things are matters of degree rather than kind. Many are illusory. As satire, Little House of Imaginary Distinctions is meant to complement Steven Carter's previous book, Little House of Oxymorons, published by Hamilton Books in 2010.

This volume features well over 200 fresh and original oxymorons with commentaries-all with a satirical twist. As a satire, Little House of Oxymorons complements Steven Carter's The New Devil's Dictionary, a two-volume "sequel" to Ambrose Bierce's notorious The Devil's Dictionary of a century ago.

The Nothing That Is and the Nothing That Is Not is the final volume in a trilogy on interpretations of otherness in the postmodern era. The first two volumes are A Do-It-Yourself Dystopia: The Americanization of Big Brother (University Press of America, 2002) and Leopards in the Temple: Selected Essays 1990-2000 (University Press of America, 2001).

This book adds parodies Aesop, perhaps the world's best-known author, produced hundreds of fables that have been re-told countless times, on a one-to-one basis. By turns hilarious, poignant, and profound, the more than 200 entries in After Aesop will instruct and entertain a diverse modern audience.

This book breathes new life into two of the world's oldest art forms. At times hilarious, poignant, and profound, the entries in The Judgment of the Crows are certain to instruct and entertain a diverse modern audience. The volume concludes with a handful of "improvisations" on Aesop's fables.

New Aphorisms & Reflections: Second Series, the fifth volume of a major work in progress, features more than 400 entries, some of which are autobiographical. Like its predecessors, New Aphorisms & Reflections includes a sampling of 'meetings of the minds'-dialogues between the author and aphorists and thinkers of the past.

In The Upside-Down Buddha: Parables & Fables: Third Series, Steven Carter continues to breathe new life into two of the world's oldest art forms. By turns hilarious, poignant, and profound, the entries in The Upside-Down Buddha are certain to instruct and entertain a diverse modern audience.

Getting to Commitment offers understanding, inspiration, and a concrete plan of action for any woman, man, or couple who is ready to tackle the eight most destructive demons that make people run from loving relationships.

This is the third volume in a trilogy of fables (and parables) by Steven Carter. Carter's butterflies are naive, worldly, sarcastic, philosophical, and very funny-in short, perfectly human!

Available for the first time in paperback, this follow-up to the phenomenally successful Men Who Can't Love tackles the issue of commitmentphobia, that persistent obstacle to truly satisfying contemporary relationships. Authors Stephen Carter and Julia Sokol explore why modern men and women are torn between the desire for intimacy and the equally intense need for independence. Drawing on numerous interviews and real-life scenarios, and written with humor, insight, and the kind of wisdom gained by personal experience, He's Scared, She's Scared offes guidance for all of us who want genuine, sustained intimacy with our romantic partners.

What Smart Women Know is a straightforward and honest guide from women who have learned the hard way how to be smart about men.