William Harmening

In the Belly of a Whale: Tales of a Reluctant Christian

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Truly anyone who spent their youthful years sitting in the back pew of the church daydreaming of baseball, bicycles, and root beer soda, will find refuge in the pages of "In the Belly of a Whale," William Harmening's hilarious dissertation on growing up and searching for spiritual identity in small-town America. His journey leads us through the turbulent sixties and on to the uncertain seventies; from a young boy distracted by youthful pleasures, to a teenage Jesus freak struggling to make sense of the world around him.
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Excerpt from Chapter 5...

"Spiritually, those early years were a time of confusion for me. Perhaps it's too much to expect of a young boy to have even a rudimentary understanding of God and his redeeming nature. For me it was impossible! It seemed the more I read my 'Good News for Modern Man,' the more confused I became. I had little difficulty getting a clear picture of Jesus, his miracles, and his death on the Cross. After all, I had seen the movie! My biggest question was why Jesus didn't simply make himself a machine gun and shoot all the Romans? This seemed to be a recurring question with us boys, especially when we'd play 'Jesus and the disciples.' Our game of choice was definately 'war,' but from time to time we would change pace a bit by acting out the Gospels. The problem was, Danny Casey always insisted on being Jesus. If we argued he'd beat us up! And worse, if we even suggested he die on a cross, again we ran the risk of bodily harm. Danny would only let us get to the point of raising our imaginary hammers to begin driving the nails before he would magically bring forth machine guns, grenades, and in one case even a nuclear bomb to quickly dispatch us to oblivion."

Books by William Harmening

Academic Psychology
Closing the Gap: The Adolescent Search for Self
A text about the role of adolescent identity formation in personality development, particularly as it relates to juvenile delinquency. I am just beginning this text for Charles C. Thomas Publishers.
When the Levee Breaks: Crisis Intervention in the Criminal Justice System
A new textbook I am midway through for Pearson Prentice Hall. I was recruited to write this one. Expected release date in mid-2011.
The Criminal Triad: Psychosocial Development of the Criminal Personality Type
An integrated theory of criminality that looks at the developmental processes leading to deviant behavior. Published by Charles C. Thomas.
Theology
Forgiving Judas: Manifesto for a New Christianity
A critical assessment of the modern day Christian Church.
Mystery at Corinth: Seeking a Jewish Answer to a Christian Mystery
A new interpretation of an ancient mystery.
Juvenile Fiction
The Misadventures of Salem Jack & Finnigan Reeves
A story of friendship, loyalty, and of young boys growing into men.
Autobiographical/ Humor
In the Belly of a Whale: Tales of a Reluctant Christian
Seeking spiritual identity in a small Illinois town during the 1960s-70s.