Monthly Archives: November 2018

ECHOES OF EXODUS

I get to read quite a bit.  At the age of sixty, I get a bit impatient when books are long, or frankly much longer than they need to be.  Some long books I am happy to read like the latest works of Jill Lepore and David Blight.  Both of theirs come in at about 800 pages, but are the kind you are a bit sad to finish.  Unfortunately, most writers aren’t the wordsmiths of these two gifted historians.
Echoes of Exodus is on the other side of the length ledger as it is quite short: less than 150 pages of text.  Many shorter books could have made good essays.  Echoes of Exodus is not one of them.  It is clear and engaging.  Even though there are two authors, it flows nicely.
There are many keen insights throughout this fine book.  It is the kind of book that shows all of us Bible readers that there are more riches in store for the careful reader of Scripture.

Highly recommended!

WORLD WAR I IS NOT OVER!

In his memoir, My Early Life (1930), Winston Churchill drew attention to the estrangement of his society from the legacy and the values of the past. He observed:

“I wonder often whether any other generation has seen such astounding revolutions of data and values as those through which we have lived. Scarcely anything, material or established, which I was brought up to believe was permanent and vital, has lasted. Everything I was sure, or was taught to be sure, was impossible has happened.”

Terrific essay and full of far-reaching implications:

https://www.spiked-online.com/2018/11/08/the-first-culture-war/

STUPID THINGS PEOPLE SAY

Yesterday, I preached a sermon to the wonderful folks at Brenham Bible Church.  The sermon was titled “What’s in a Word.”  My sermon focused on the three words: faith, hope, and love.  I showed from God’s Word how these three are commonly misunderstood…even by many of us Christians.

During my preparation I pondered how the popular saying “I am a person of faith” bothers me.  My musings during the recent preparations surfaced a new twist to my dislike of that saying. 

Think about it for a minute.  Every human being, whether they are religious or not, is a “person of faith.”  Non-religious folks gladly place their faith daily in everything from elevators to cars.  And, of course, they place their faith in themselves! 

Saying you are a “person of faith” is about as meaningful as saying you are a person. 

Christians believe that they place their faith IN God.  It is the object of our faith that makes all the difference in the world.

THE MYTH OF CERTAINTY

The Myth of Certainty greatly ministered to me.  It was my companion on a recent trip. 

I often jest that I am a serial, not cereal (!) doubter.  Dan does a terrific job of showing how the struggle to believe can (and should) be incorporated into our Christian lives. 

Dan is a wonderful writer and brings into this conversation some insightful people like Ellul, Kierkegaard, Flannery O’Connor, and Pascal.

Highly recommended!

Image result for The myth of certainty amazon

https://www.amazon.com/Myth-Certainty-Reflective-Christian-Commitment/dp/B00CSGGVUW

 

WISE AND WINSOME BOOK

I am a Protestant of catholic (small c) and evangelical sensibilities.  Even with potential disagreements in reading a book by Roman Catholic authors, I found myself in wide agreement.

A Mind at Peace is a short, thoughtful, accessible, and winsome book.  The authors wear their learning lightly, but the reader is well aware that they have done their homework.

As the title suggests, this book is about helping us have a posture of peace.  The authors do a good job of showing that technology is lethal to this kind of peace.  Neither of the authors are Luddites, but they are keenly aware of the disastrous effects that constant access to computers and smart phones has wrought.

My only slight disagreement may reside with Blum and Hochschild’s more favorable take on Stoicism.  They don’t say much about it, but my perception is that we may disagree some on whether some aspects of Stoicism can be of use to the Christian.

Four out of five stars