New Times-Courier Article
My semi-regular article in the Ellijay Times-Courier went out last week. You have to subscribe to view it on their website now, so, if you’re interested, you can see it here.
Book Review: The 100 Cupboards Series by N.D. Wilson
100 Cupboards is both the name of the first book and the trilogy by N.D. Wilson, along with the second book Dandelion Fire and the final book The Chestnut King. I love this type of fiction if it is well done. Unfortunately, so much of Christian fiction in this genre has been done poorly. There have been signs of life lately, however, especially with the work of both Andrew Peterson and Jeffrey Overstreet. N.D. Wilson lands himself in that category with this excellent trilogy.
I loved this series of books for many reasons. First, it was a compelling and original story. This is no copycat or mimic here. In the fantasy genre, it is all too difficult to remain within the bounds of the genre while weaving an excellent yarn, and Wilson does that to perfection. The series starts off simply, Wilson doesn’t feel the need to show all his cards in the initial installment, and 100 Cupboards ends with a sense of mystery as to what might come next. Throughout the series, the protagonist, Henry, grows from a lonely, shy, overprotected and underloved boy into a full blown man. First through the love of a family, then through getting caught up into something bigger than himself where he finds purpose and meaning.
There is magic in this world and it is obvious that N.D. Wilson sees it. Never overtly “Christian” in the cheesy, forced kind of way, Wilson presents a world full of truth, of meaning and purpose. He shows why the fantasy genre resonates with so many people, that it closely resembles reality more than most “realistic” fiction novels do, at least if you actually belive the Bible (including the bits we typically skim).
The books have a sympathetic and relatable protagonist in Henry, believable antagonists, memorable characters and true depth of feeling. It is obvious that Wilson knows his literature in the best kind of way, not in the overt ripping off kind of way, but in capturing the feeling and depth and humor and character of stories from the past in a story all his own. I cannot recommend these books enough. Read them to your children. Read them if you love children’s stories. Especially read them if you don’t!
Andrew Peterson
I mostly listen to folk/americana/bluegrass/southern music now, and place a high value on solid, poetic lyrics. This wasn’t always the case. I used to love CCM and Radio Rock and nothing else. Thank God for Andrew Peterson. 11 or 12 years ago, my Dad picked up Peterson’s first album, Carried Along, and it opened up my eyes. I wanted more. More of his influences, more people who wrote like that. First it led me to Rich Mullins, Cademon’s Call and the like, but it’s led me much further now. I still love some Andrew Peterson. One of my favorite albums of all time is his Love and Thunder (that rare album that never gets old and you appreciate it more after every listen) and Behold the Lamb is easily, easily the best “Christmas” album ever. Below is his latest single, of his forthcoming album Counting Stars, which releases July 27 (HT JT)
Christian Response to Global Warming
Justin Taylor has posted an extremely helpful video of a lecture given by Dr. Jay Richards on the proper Christian response to environmentalism and uses Global Warming as a case study. If you don’t have time for the whole video, Justin Taylor’s summary is well worth your time.
Book Review: The Rage Against God by Peter Hitchens
Many of you may have heard of the famous Anti-Theist atheist Christopher Hitchens, author of God is not Great and debate partner with pastor Douglas Wilson in the movie Collison. You also may have hear about Christopher’s brother, Peter, author of the newly released book The Rage Against God. If not, you should have.
At first I was a little nervous about this book. The brother of Christopher Hitchens suddenly has a book deal and is a devout Christian? It could be seen as slightly opportunistic on Peter’s part, a ploy by a Christian publishing house to stick it to the famous Atheist and make a few bucks in the process. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.
For starters, Peter Hitchens memoir about his faith journey is very different than a typical American faith memoir (like Blue Like Jazz for instance). What is the difference? A good dose of British restraint. Hitchens doesn’t feel the need to delve into every sinful deed or thought he ever had. The book is written with simplicity and clarity of prose and purpose that marks a good journalist (which, surprise, Hitchens is and has been for nearly thirty years).
Hitchens recounts the ideas that led him away from his faith during his teenage years and traces those ideological currents as they blossom in his generation. The memoir portion of the book is the best part by far. It is a simple, humble testimony to the providence of God working in the heart of one man. Hitchens writes with surprisingly genuine humility. He doesn’t want to become the next Christian superstar (in fact, he seems repulsed by the idea). He simply has something to say and says it well.
For those of you who appreciate the quick wit and humor of Christopher Hitchens, his brother Peter has it in ample supply as well. Though Peter contends that he and Christopher are nothing alike, I almost forgot a few times that this wasn’t Christopher writing, the styles are so similar (minus Christopher’s arrogance).
The second and third parts of the book weren’t as strong as the first part. In the second part, Peter seeks to answer three major “street-level” objections to the existence of God. He makes several good points, but others have done it better. In the third part he connects the ideological heritage of Communist Russia with the New Atheists, and provides some chilling similarities. He is uniquely qualified for this as his first hand experience in Soviet Russia as a journalist was part of his return to faith.
Overall I was completely surprised by this book and enjoyed it thoroughly. I would highly recommend it to anyone. Here are some quotes:
On changing his brother’s mind with this book, “It is my belief that passions as strong as his are far more likely to be countered by the unexpected force of poetry, which can ambush the human heart at any time. I am grateful, even so, for the opportunity to challenge his certainties (12).”
“Unlike Christians, Atheists have a high opinion of their own virtue (25).”
“It is not the doomed baby that the parents hate. It is the life they might have to live if the baby is born (30).”
“Christianity is without a doubt difficult and taxing, and all of us fail to emulate the perfection of Christ himself. But we are far better for trying than for not trying, and we know that there is forgiveness available for honest failure (144).”
“Again and again, for civilization to exist and advance, human creatures are required to do things they would not ”naturally” do as mammals. Marriage is unnatural. Building for the future is unnatural. Medicine is unnatural. Charity is unnatural. Education is unnatural…The Beaver may be able to build a dam, but it has always been the same dam. Only mankind can advance from making huts of branches to building the Parthenon (145).”
Book Review: The Forgotten Heavens
This book is several things. It’s great fun, a good and interesting read, slightly scary and very useful to anyone who, like me, teaches the Bible to a large group of un-churched teenagers who haven’t yet learned that it isn’t polite to talk about angels, demons and other weird, difficult to explain stuff in the Bible (one of my favorite things about the job).
The only problem is, it’s difficult to find people with good theology who answer the questions and go where this book goes. If you’ve ever read your Authorized Version of the Bible and scratched your head when you see Satyr’s mentioned, if you’ve wondered why the Bible always refers to “under the earth,” or “the deeps,” if you couldn’t figure out all the different words for hell and what they mean, or what an angel really is (hint, not what you see on Touched by an Angel), then this is the book for you.
It is edited by Douglas Wilson and contains six essays on various aspects of the supernatural and cosmological world. Strange? Yes. Rarely discussed in modernistic, materialistic evangelical churches? Yes. Taken seriously by the authors of the Bible Yes. Weighing in at only 124 pages, this book is a short, quick read; by no means comprehensive, but it will give you some theological and biblical legs to stand on when discussing or reading about these topics and will point you in the direction of other good resources.
As Wesley Callihan writes in the final essay in the collection, “Two major difficulties face the modern student of scripture trying to understand a text produced in an ancient culture. One is grasping that of the historical, cultural, and geographic context of the Bible; the other is trying to shed the deadening materialistic baggage the modern world has lumbered him with. By materialism I mean the denial of the supernaturalism which is fundamental to a biblical worldview, and which was universal in the ancient world.” This book surely helps with that.
The Gaslight Anthem – Recent Listening
This is a band I’ve enjoyed for a few years and they released a new album just in time for those long summer drives. This is what Bruce Springsteen would have done if he’d been born 25 years later.
Book Review: How the Irish Saved Civilization
I’ve long been fascinated by Patrick of Ireland (See my post on St. Patrick’s Day for other Patrick resources). Thomas Cahill’s book, How the Irish Saved Civilization is one of my favorites, even though it only contains two chapters on Patrick.
Cahill is the best kind of popular historian. While certainly not writing from a Christian perspective, he takes the importance and influence of Christianity seriously (not a popular stance in historical scholarship these days). In this book, he puts the achievements of Patrick and his Irish missionary spiritual children in their historical context.
He traces the decline of the classical world, and what went wrong, by contrasting the lives of Ausonius, a late Roman poet, with that of Augustine, the late Roman Christian theologian. He holds Augustine up as the last example of a great Classical man, and what was lost when the classical world was lost. While fair to Augustine, he is also honest about him. While I have a great respect for Augustine, no protestant can turn a blind eye to his shortcomings, many of which were the fathers of errors that the reformers would contend with centuries later.
Patrick and his Irish converts “save civilization” from the rocky shores at the edge of Europe through their love of learning and literature. While the rest of the world is in decline, struggling for a new identity and for sheer survival, in Irish monasteries, monks are painstakingly copying much of the literature of the ancient world, along with theological literature. They also teach the children of Ireland, and all of Europe, at no charge. Later, they send monasteries, trade books and educate the children of countries and kings throughout Europe. It is through an earth, straightforward Christianity and love of learning and literature that the Irish save civilization.
I enjoyed this book because, as a lover of the reformation, I see the reformers as heirs to both of these great traditions. The reformers recovered the great theology of Augustine, but were able to critique it. Whereas Augustine hated the flesh and sex the reformers could be fairly open with it, knowing that the material world was not inherently evil but under the lordship of Christ, himself an incarnate human. They were lovers of books and literature as well. Patrick and Augustine are both great heroes of the faith and modern Christians can learn a great deal from them. Thomas Cahill’s book is a great introduction that is extremely well written and fascinating. It is a rare historical page turner. While not perfect by any means (the reader should get some solid balance on these great men from a Christian perspective), I strongly reccomend it.
Is Baptism Equivalent to Circumcision?
Benjamin Keach (1640-1704) lists thirteen disparities between circumcision and baptism as he sought to continue the reformation in the protestant church. The primary issue at hand was the equivalence of circumcision and baptism for including the participant in the covenant of grace. Keach ably demonstrates that no such equivalence exists. His reasons are:
1) The rite of circumcision was a figure of the coming Messiah, baptism is a sign that he has already come, was dead and buried.
2) Circumcision was a token of the covenant with Abraham and his natural seed, including those not in the faith, like Ishmael. Baptism is a sign of the peculiar spiritual privileges made to the saints.
3) The rite of circumcision was a household affair, the rite of baptism is a church affair.
4) The removal of the foreskin was done by the head of the household while the rite of baptism is to be performed under the authority of the church.
5) Circumcision involves the cutting of flesh and the drawing of blood while baptism is done through immersion without blood.
6) The rite of circumcision was exclusively given to boys while the rite of baptism is extended to both sexes.
7) The removal of the foreskin was to be done on a precise day while the rite of baptism is not bound to a day or age.
8. The Jewish rite leaves a visible mark while the Christian mark leaves none.
9) The rite of circumcision was for Abraham’s natural seed, other godly men were not required to receive it unless they were to become part of Abraham’s household. Baptism is for all Christians from all elasticities.
10) The rite of circumcision bound one to fulfill the Mosaic code. Baptism liberates Christians from the yoke of bondage.
11) If baptism made believers part of the covenant of grace then baptism would be useless, Jesus and his followers, though circumcised, received baptism, thus negating the parity between the rites.
12) The rites symbolize different things.
13) Circumcision was a dividing wall between Jew and Gentile, but baptism testifies that Jew and Gentile, male and female, slave and free are all one in Christ Jesus.
I would love to hear from a paedobaptist as this issue and historical debate is fascinating to me.
Sermon: Colossians 3:1-4
I recently had the privilege of preaching at Grace Community Church in Dawsonville, GA. It’s an excellent church and I would highly recommend the preaching, teaching, writing and book selling ministry of Pastor Ray Rhodes, called, Nourished in the Word Ministries.
