1493415247
9781493415243
B07BFHMTZB
4.62
1,652
2018
Sep 04, 2018
None
Notes are private!
0
1
Nov 28, 2023
not set
Nov 28, 2023
Kindle Edition
1683441052
9781683441052
1683441052
4.43
200
May 2018
May 31, 2018
liked it
Supported by the non-fiction sections at the end of the text, Man of God concludes this Biblical historical fiction account of the life of Noah. As wi
Supported by the non-fiction sections at the end of the text, Man of God concludes this Biblical historical fiction account of the life of Noah. As with Man of Resolve (The Remnant Trilogy #2), Man of God (The Remnant Trilogy #3) makes some large time jumps. As the narrative unspools, you can see the authors matching the Biblical timeline given for the deaths of Noah’s father (Lamech) and Grandfather (Methusalah) according to the Bible book of Genesis.
One of the most compelling themes from this installment was Noah’s distress over the infertility of his marriage with Emzara. Noah does seem to be an older father with his sons being born when he was 500 years old (Genesis 5:22), which is far older than even his father and grandfather, whose offspring are recorded in their 180s. Genesis does not tell us the age of Adam (and Eve, calculated from creation) at the birth of Cain or Abel, only telling us Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old. Nor do the lineage tables mention daughters. Therefore, we do not know if Noah had daughters or other sons who were lost perhaps prior to his 500th year or in the flood itself.
I found the choice to present Noah building the Ark in seclusion an interesting one, as well as the inclusion of rain and earthquakes prior to the flood. God’s communication with and direction of Noah was well written. The authors capture the glory of the LORD, the content of His message to Noah, and Noah and his family’s confusion on how to follow the LORD’s direction. They also deal with the growing tension of the evil of the outside world and how those in Noah’s party (some of whom are born in seclusion) might respond to being cut off from extended family and events beyond their settlement, culminating in only Noah, his sons, and his sons wives entering the Ark. The question of whether they were the only ones saved/ pleasing to God or whether believers died in the flood was also examined in a thought-provoking way that left resolution in God’s hands, trusting He would do what is right. Navigation of these factual points made for an interesting journey.
I think the text of Genesis 7 implies that Noah, his family, and the animals were loaded before the rain came, which is not the path Chaffey & Adams chose for Noah: Man of God. As the storm picks up, the book closes with the door to the Ark which I found a little abrupt. I would have liked to read about the challenges they faced during the flood, as they moved through the stages of grief and cared for both their and the animals’ daily needs. Emergence from the Ark, Noah’s sacrifice, the Noahic covenant, and Noah’s vineyard, as well as the Curse upon Canaan (Ham’s son) could all be examined in context of God’s regeneration of the earth after the judgement (which 2 Peter talks about as a foreshadowing of the judgement and regeneration of the end).
See my review of the entire series, which also includes some comments on the Ark Encounter:
The Remnant Trilogy, Chaffey & Adams, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
One of the most compelling themes from this installment was Noah’s distress over the infertility of his marriage with Emzara. Noah does seem to be an older father with his sons being born when he was 500 years old (Genesis 5:22), which is far older than even his father and grandfather, whose offspring are recorded in their 180s. Genesis does not tell us the age of Adam (and Eve, calculated from creation) at the birth of Cain or Abel, only telling us Seth was born when Adam was 130 years old. Nor do the lineage tables mention daughters. Therefore, we do not know if Noah had daughters or other sons who were lost perhaps prior to his 500th year or in the flood itself.
I found the choice to present Noah building the Ark in seclusion an interesting one, as well as the inclusion of rain and earthquakes prior to the flood. God’s communication with and direction of Noah was well written. The authors capture the glory of the LORD, the content of His message to Noah, and Noah and his family’s confusion on how to follow the LORD’s direction. They also deal with the growing tension of the evil of the outside world and how those in Noah’s party (some of whom are born in seclusion) might respond to being cut off from extended family and events beyond their settlement, culminating in only Noah, his sons, and his sons wives entering the Ark. The question of whether they were the only ones saved/ pleasing to God or whether believers died in the flood was also examined in a thought-provoking way that left resolution in God’s hands, trusting He would do what is right. Navigation of these factual points made for an interesting journey.
I think the text of Genesis 7 implies that Noah, his family, and the animals were loaded before the rain came, which is not the path Chaffey & Adams chose for Noah: Man of God. As the storm picks up, the book closes with the door to the Ark which I found a little abrupt. I would have liked to read about the challenges they faced during the flood, as they moved through the stages of grief and cared for both their and the animals’ daily needs. Emergence from the Ark, Noah’s sacrifice, the Noahic covenant, and Noah’s vineyard, as well as the Curse upon Canaan (Ham’s son) could all be examined in context of God’s regeneration of the earth after the judgement (which 2 Peter talks about as a foreshadowing of the judgement and regeneration of the end).
See my review of the entire series, which also includes some comments on the Ark Encounter:
The Remnant Trilogy, Chaffey & Adams, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 06, 2023
Jul 19, 2023
Jul 06, 2023
Paperback
1683441249
9781683441243
1683441249
4.33
3
unknown
May 29, 2018
really liked it
Can you highlight the line between the Biblical historical account and creative imagination through fiction? Does creating a back story for a Biblical
Can you highlight the line between the Biblical historical account and creative imagination through fiction? Does creating a back story for a Biblical character based on the text illuminate the Bible or distract us from it?
I’m not sure of the answer to these two questions. I want to say, “yes,” you can highlight the Biblical text in a way that directs people back to it. “Yes,” you can create a backstory to draw people into a study of the Biblical narrative. But I’m not sure many or most readers are either pushed or pulled to the Biblical account by a Biblical historical fiction novel.
I also struggle with: Is it slanderous to write about Noah, a real person, or his wife? Historical fiction of a contemporary setting, World War II for example, tends to include historical figures as secondary characters, often using their documented writings or speeches to express their point of view. The earliest Biblical historical fiction works beginning with Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880 by Lew Wallace) told a story of a fictional ancient family with ties to Biblically referenced ancestry, and living as contemporaries with Jesus. The wisemen, Pontius Pilate, King Herod, etc were referenced as people who shaped culture/ events/ times, but not the main character, who was the purely fictionalized Judah Ben-Hur.
Ben-Hur: A Story of the Christ, Lew Wallace, 1880
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
However, Biblical historical fiction written today often features the Biblical individual as the protagonist for a story arch. Have we, as believers, gone too far? Nonetheless, I delight in Biblical Historical Fiction and do find a push and pull to the Biblical text, which I thoroughly enjoy.
For more on this, see my review of two Biblical fiction narratives on the life of Rahab…
Unashamed: Rahab, Francine Rivers, 2000, with reference to Pearl in the Sand, Trisha Afshar, 2010
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The authors have taken additional care to instruct readers about the tension between Biblical historical fiction and the text of the Bible through several enhancements I have not seen in other works of this genre. The Dear Reader section, which functions as an introduction states,
“As strange as it may seem, one of our main goals in writing this novel was to help readers distinguish between fiction and biblical fact. Yes, you read that correctly. We want to use fiction to teach how to discern between fiction and biblical, historical account. To help with this goal, we will include a non-fiction section at the end of the book that includes answers to multiple questions that may arise as you read, as well as some surprises for readers who have visited or plan to visit the Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky.” Noah: Man of Destiny, Chaffey & Adams, pg 7-8.
In addition, each book ends with a tripartite non-fiction section including: Answering Questions Raised by the Novel, Borrowed from the Bible, and Encounter This. All quotes/ descriptions taken from Noah: Man of Destiny (Remnant Trilogy #1), Chaffey & Adams, pg 267.
* Answering Questions Raised by the Novel
“You may have noticed as you read the novel that several things didn’t line up with what you may have expected. This was done on purpose to help break certain stereotypes about Noah and the pre-Flood world that many Christians assume are from the Bible, but aren’t actually found there. We want you to see clearly what comes directly from the Bible and what comes from traditions people have developed over the years.”
* Borrowed from the Bible
“Since the Bible only includes scant details about Noah’s life and times, we must use artistic license to flesh out his story. We certainly do not want to be seen as adding to Scripture and understand that these are works of fiction, with the exception of a few details that come straight from the Bible. Some places, we curbed the amount of artistic license taken by drawing from other biblical accounts instead. …[In this section] we highlight certain events and customs in our story that will be familiar to those who know their Bibles.
* Encounter This
“We had the incredible opportunity to work behind the scenes at the Ark Encounter for the past few years… We wanted to use our experience to bring this series to life in a creative manner. As such, many of the objects and animals described in the book are on display in the Ark Encounter, so visitors to the theme park can see part of what Noah witnesses in our story. …[This section] lets the reader know what these items are and where they can be found.”
I did find the concluding non-fiction sections helpful in pulling me into both the text of the Bible and the decisions the author’s made in how to tell the story. They covered the authorial decisions I noticed throughout the text with thoughtful, reasoned, and concise articles. The first two sections, “Questions Raised by the Bible” and “Borrowed from the Bible” were excellent, even though I didn’t agree with each decision they made, I appreciated the thoughtful interaction with the Biblical text. I also humbly concede that on the quandaries foundational to an understanding of the pre-flood world, their imaginative guesses are as good as mine.
However, I was increasingly uncomfortable with “Encounter This.” Having purchased the books while we were at the Ark Encounter, I have seen the exhibits, though not since reading the trilogy. At the Ark Encounter, I was uncomfortable with the way the exhibits surrounding the Noah storyline were presented. I think the reason is found in the previously referenced text. Good that Chaffey & Adams want to break certain stereotypes that aren’t from the Bible, but in the very next paragraph they talk about the artistic license to create stereotypes that are not in the Bible! How can one avoid new or fresh stereotypes when creating a backstory for Noah and his family, including naming his wife and son’s wives? In addition, I’m not sure syncretizing your narrative with Biblical images and text remediates the problem. After all, don’t we struggle with cultural syncretization of the Scripture around the world? How is this not the same thing?
Also, the verbiage in Encounter This (and the exhibits at Ark Encounter) highlight the Matthew 6:21 principle: We love that in which we invest (money, talent, etc). It is clear that both authors love *this* Noah family they created, their storyline, and the Ark Encounter which brings their writing to life. HOWEVER, it is not Biblical. I thought more could have – should have—been done to highlight the division between facts of Scripture and creative imagination, especially for young concrete thinkers, who struggle with this balance, visiting the Ark Encounter.
While the book takes these extraordinary measures in the closing non-fiction section, the delineation for Ark Encounter guests was minimized. For example, the signage about artistic license only appears at the entry way and then was not reinforced throughout the exhibit. In addition, this crucial contextual signage *is not included* in the book of signs for the Ark Encounter (that is sold as “all the signs”). While I do not want to venture a review of the Ark Encounter here, I do want to state this disappointment carried over into my experience of the trilogy of novels as the author’s highlighted the close relationship between the novels and the Ark Encounter Exhibits.
Finally, as I said in my review of Noah: Man of God (The Remnant Trilogy #3), ending the series with God’s judgement upon the word and no narrative around His deliverance of Noah and his family *through* the flood felt like not only an abrupt end, but a missed opportunity.
“I would have liked to read about the challenges they faced during the flood, as they moved through the stages of grief and cared for both their and the animals’ daily needs. Emergence from the Ark, Noah’s sacrifice, the Noahic covenant, and Noah’s vineyard, as well as the Curse upon Canaan (Ham’s son) could all be examined in context of God’s regeneration of the earth after the judgement (which 2 Peter talks about as a foreshadowing of the judgement and regeneration of the end).”
Nonetheless, this series is a tremendous accomplishment, which I gave 4 stars. The individual books were more of 3 star experience for me, but the series as a whole is engaging and thought-provoking with good pacing and character development. Readers willing to put in the think time to engage with the Biblical text, will find the Remnant Trilogy is a worthy stimulant. I recommend it with the above cautions to all readers, though I think junior high and older students would benefit most as they can appreciate the distinctions between artistic license and the special revelation of the Biblical text.
Want to start at the beginning? See
Noah: Man of Destiny (The Remnant Trilogy #1)
Chaffey & Adams, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
I’m not sure of the answer to these two questions. I want to say, “yes,” you can highlight the Biblical text in a way that directs people back to it. “Yes,” you can create a backstory to draw people into a study of the Biblical narrative. But I’m not sure many or most readers are either pushed or pulled to the Biblical account by a Biblical historical fiction novel.
I also struggle with: Is it slanderous to write about Noah, a real person, or his wife? Historical fiction of a contemporary setting, World War II for example, tends to include historical figures as secondary characters, often using their documented writings or speeches to express their point of view. The earliest Biblical historical fiction works beginning with Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ (1880 by Lew Wallace) told a story of a fictional ancient family with ties to Biblically referenced ancestry, and living as contemporaries with Jesus. The wisemen, Pontius Pilate, King Herod, etc were referenced as people who shaped culture/ events/ times, but not the main character, who was the purely fictionalized Judah Ben-Hur.
Ben-Hur: A Story of the Christ, Lew Wallace, 1880
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
However, Biblical historical fiction written today often features the Biblical individual as the protagonist for a story arch. Have we, as believers, gone too far? Nonetheless, I delight in Biblical Historical Fiction and do find a push and pull to the Biblical text, which I thoroughly enjoy.
For more on this, see my review of two Biblical fiction narratives on the life of Rahab…
Unashamed: Rahab, Francine Rivers, 2000, with reference to Pearl in the Sand, Trisha Afshar, 2010
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The authors have taken additional care to instruct readers about the tension between Biblical historical fiction and the text of the Bible through several enhancements I have not seen in other works of this genre. The Dear Reader section, which functions as an introduction states,
“As strange as it may seem, one of our main goals in writing this novel was to help readers distinguish between fiction and biblical fact. Yes, you read that correctly. We want to use fiction to teach how to discern between fiction and biblical, historical account. To help with this goal, we will include a non-fiction section at the end of the book that includes answers to multiple questions that may arise as you read, as well as some surprises for readers who have visited or plan to visit the Ark Encounter theme park in Kentucky.” Noah: Man of Destiny, Chaffey & Adams, pg 7-8.
In addition, each book ends with a tripartite non-fiction section including: Answering Questions Raised by the Novel, Borrowed from the Bible, and Encounter This. All quotes/ descriptions taken from Noah: Man of Destiny (Remnant Trilogy #1), Chaffey & Adams, pg 267.
* Answering Questions Raised by the Novel
“You may have noticed as you read the novel that several things didn’t line up with what you may have expected. This was done on purpose to help break certain stereotypes about Noah and the pre-Flood world that many Christians assume are from the Bible, but aren’t actually found there. We want you to see clearly what comes directly from the Bible and what comes from traditions people have developed over the years.”
* Borrowed from the Bible
“Since the Bible only includes scant details about Noah’s life and times, we must use artistic license to flesh out his story. We certainly do not want to be seen as adding to Scripture and understand that these are works of fiction, with the exception of a few details that come straight from the Bible. Some places, we curbed the amount of artistic license taken by drawing from other biblical accounts instead. …[In this section] we highlight certain events and customs in our story that will be familiar to those who know their Bibles.
* Encounter This
“We had the incredible opportunity to work behind the scenes at the Ark Encounter for the past few years… We wanted to use our experience to bring this series to life in a creative manner. As such, many of the objects and animals described in the book are on display in the Ark Encounter, so visitors to the theme park can see part of what Noah witnesses in our story. …[This section] lets the reader know what these items are and where they can be found.”
I did find the concluding non-fiction sections helpful in pulling me into both the text of the Bible and the decisions the author’s made in how to tell the story. They covered the authorial decisions I noticed throughout the text with thoughtful, reasoned, and concise articles. The first two sections, “Questions Raised by the Bible” and “Borrowed from the Bible” were excellent, even though I didn’t agree with each decision they made, I appreciated the thoughtful interaction with the Biblical text. I also humbly concede that on the quandaries foundational to an understanding of the pre-flood world, their imaginative guesses are as good as mine.
However, I was increasingly uncomfortable with “Encounter This.” Having purchased the books while we were at the Ark Encounter, I have seen the exhibits, though not since reading the trilogy. At the Ark Encounter, I was uncomfortable with the way the exhibits surrounding the Noah storyline were presented. I think the reason is found in the previously referenced text. Good that Chaffey & Adams want to break certain stereotypes that aren’t from the Bible, but in the very next paragraph they talk about the artistic license to create stereotypes that are not in the Bible! How can one avoid new or fresh stereotypes when creating a backstory for Noah and his family, including naming his wife and son’s wives? In addition, I’m not sure syncretizing your narrative with Biblical images and text remediates the problem. After all, don’t we struggle with cultural syncretization of the Scripture around the world? How is this not the same thing?
Also, the verbiage in Encounter This (and the exhibits at Ark Encounter) highlight the Matthew 6:21 principle: We love that in which we invest (money, talent, etc). It is clear that both authors love *this* Noah family they created, their storyline, and the Ark Encounter which brings their writing to life. HOWEVER, it is not Biblical. I thought more could have – should have—been done to highlight the division between facts of Scripture and creative imagination, especially for young concrete thinkers, who struggle with this balance, visiting the Ark Encounter.
While the book takes these extraordinary measures in the closing non-fiction section, the delineation for Ark Encounter guests was minimized. For example, the signage about artistic license only appears at the entry way and then was not reinforced throughout the exhibit. In addition, this crucial contextual signage *is not included* in the book of signs for the Ark Encounter (that is sold as “all the signs”). While I do not want to venture a review of the Ark Encounter here, I do want to state this disappointment carried over into my experience of the trilogy of novels as the author’s highlighted the close relationship between the novels and the Ark Encounter Exhibits.
Finally, as I said in my review of Noah: Man of God (The Remnant Trilogy #3), ending the series with God’s judgement upon the word and no narrative around His deliverance of Noah and his family *through* the flood felt like not only an abrupt end, but a missed opportunity.
“I would have liked to read about the challenges they faced during the flood, as they moved through the stages of grief and cared for both their and the animals’ daily needs. Emergence from the Ark, Noah’s sacrifice, the Noahic covenant, and Noah’s vineyard, as well as the Curse upon Canaan (Ham’s son) could all be examined in context of God’s regeneration of the earth after the judgement (which 2 Peter talks about as a foreshadowing of the judgement and regeneration of the end).”
Nonetheless, this series is a tremendous accomplishment, which I gave 4 stars. The individual books were more of 3 star experience for me, but the series as a whole is engaging and thought-provoking with good pacing and character development. Readers willing to put in the think time to engage with the Biblical text, will find the Remnant Trilogy is a worthy stimulant. I recommend it with the above cautions to all readers, though I think junior high and older students would benefit most as they can appreciate the distinctions between artistic license and the special revelation of the Biblical text.
Want to start at the beginning? See
Noah: Man of Destiny (The Remnant Trilogy #1)
Chaffey & Adams, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 06, 2023
Jul 19, 2023
Jul 06, 2023
Paperback
1683440749
9781683440741
1683440749
4.36
223
Jun 2017
Jun 01, 2017
liked it
In the second installment of the Remnant trilogy, Man of Resolve, I was impressed with Chaffey and Adams’ ability to continue to build the pre-flood w
In the second installment of the Remnant trilogy, Man of Resolve, I was impressed with Chaffey and Adams’ ability to continue to build the pre-flood world while guiding the storyline through thought-provoking events that challenged and formed their characters. However, a significant decision made by the characters seemed foolish except for its utility in pushing the narrative forward. I found the interaction between characters a little less stilted or forced in this installment, but the use of modern English slang is still jarring (“Okay”). Also, if you aren’t paying attention, you might not notice the narrative jumps over four centuries part way through, which was a strange contradiction to a narrative created to give color to how Noah and his world changed prior to the Flood. A reader needs to pay attention to the timeline notes before some chapters, because they aren’t included before all chapters.
Man of Resolve (The Remnant Trilogy #2) contains the first reference to God’s commission of Noah to build the Ark (we know from the Biblical book of Genesis that there will be more communication coming, but Noah doesn’t). This well-written vision abounds with Biblical references, imagery, and themes. The authors capture the glory of the LORD and the content of His message to Noah, while also delving into Noah and his family’s contemplation of and confusion over how this would all work out.
Non-fiction sections on “Questions Raised from the Bible” and “Borrowed from the Bible” were once again illuminating. Don’t skip them! I’m enjoying how the series pulls me back to the Biblical text in considering what the pre-flood world may have been like. I’m looking forward to Book 3.
See my review of the entire series, which also includes some comments on the Ark Encounter:
The Remnant Trilogy, Chaffey & Adams, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There’s more!
Noah: Man of God (The Remnant Trilogy #3), Chaffey & Adams
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Man of Resolve (The Remnant Trilogy #2) contains the first reference to God’s commission of Noah to build the Ark (we know from the Biblical book of Genesis that there will be more communication coming, but Noah doesn’t). This well-written vision abounds with Biblical references, imagery, and themes. The authors capture the glory of the LORD and the content of His message to Noah, while also delving into Noah and his family’s contemplation of and confusion over how this would all work out.
Non-fiction sections on “Questions Raised from the Bible” and “Borrowed from the Bible” were once again illuminating. Don’t skip them! I’m enjoying how the series pulls me back to the Biblical text in considering what the pre-flood world may have been like. I’m looking forward to Book 3.
See my review of the entire series, which also includes some comments on the Ark Encounter:
The Remnant Trilogy, Chaffey & Adams, 2018
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There’s more!
Noah: Man of God (The Remnant Trilogy #3), Chaffey & Adams
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jul 06, 2023
Jul 06, 2023
Jul 06, 2023
Paperback
0801075734
9780801075735
0801075734
4.50
1,009
Jun 2023
Jun 27, 2023
it was amazing
None
Notes are private!
1
Dec 11, 2023
not set
Jun 29, 2023
Hardcover
1668008440
9781668008447
1668008440
4.48
1,733
Oct 18, 2022
Oct 18, 2022
it was amazing
From the opening chapters to Bibi: My Story, I did not like the title. This is neither a simple nor sterile personal political biography. Netanyahu’s
From the opening chapters to Bibi: My Story, I did not like the title. This is neither a simple nor sterile personal political biography. Netanyahu’s account is foundationally a love story that spans thousands of years. I’m not talking about men and women, as women come and go throughout the lives of Bibi and his brothers (after all, he is on his third marriage!). Netanyahu remains tight lipped about courtships, marriages, divorces, and how births expanded their family, merely reporting in brief rational paragraphs that they occurred.
The passion of Netanyahu’s memoir, his family, his life, his career, is love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel, in a word, Zionism. This is not a love born in Mr. Netanyahu’s adolescence. It goes back to the mists of the Abrahamic covenant, the exodus from Egyptian slavery, the conquest of pagan Canaanite tribes descendant from Noah, and the Davidic Kingdom, whose star waves on the Israeli flag today over the city of Jerusalem, which was first made capital under King David. Zionism extended through Assyrian exile, Babylonian captivity, Greek persecution, and Roman wars. It never died through the Arabian conquest of the middle east and was not extinguished through the evictions and massacres of the Middle Ages. Noticeable, however, in Mr. Netanyahu’s writing of Zionism is that he does not include meditation on the Israelite God. The Bible is referenced as a historical document that testifies to the link between the people and the land, and evangelical Christians are counted among the strong supporters of the nation of Israel, but Mr. Netanyahu’s argument is purely secular and as such does not discuss the existence, worship or sovereignty of the God of Israel. Is this because he is a secular person? Or because he is writing a political biography and prefers to keep his personal religious convictions to himself to avoid alienating supporters?
Starting in Russia, Netanyahu’s direct progenitors crisscross the globe with notable stops in the United States, Great Britain, throughout Europe, and the city that is the focus of their aspirations, Jerusalem. Into this family, Yonathan, Benjamin, and Iddo are born. The boys grow up with their father’s career taking them between Israel and the United States, into young men and serve in the armed forces for Israel, when personal tragedy strikes the family. This tragedy directs Mr. Netanyahu to assume leadership of an international counterterrorism foundation.
As the autobiography moves into his young adult career, the narration moves from the personal passion which drives Netanyahu to the practical steps he takes to enter Israeli society to promote and protect his beloved country. Eventually, as most know, Netanyahu enters politics, rises through his party, and becomes the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel’s short contemporary history. In the later years, the narrative comes to focus on political crises, leaning toward accounting his successes in economy, security, and diplomacy. Netanyahu also discusses his mistakes or failures as lessons learned and refers back to them to guide future decision points. Personal reflections late in the book are largely lamentations of the difficulties of political attacks against his (third) wife, Sara, and their children. There are plenty of domestic (and international, though those don’t burden the family as much) political attacks to burden Mr. Netanyahu, which are bluntly stated, protested, and defended with some bitterness, especially toward those Israelis who used to be friends or allies. Mr. Netanyahu’s willingness to engage these battles, however depleting they are to him and his family, is what has made him a successful gladiator in the messy arena of Israeli politics.
Netanyahu’s documentation of the Israeli – American alliance is particularly fascinating. For all his domestic political success, it may be international diplomacy where Mr. Netanyahu is at his most brilliant. Presenting a strong defense for his country and its interests before the United Nations, US Presidential Administrations and the US Congress, while trying to engage hostile parties with a magnanimous refusal to resort to ad hominem attacks display his political sensibilities admirably.
Though each US Presidential Administration from President Truman on is discussed, the climax of the narrative comes in Chapter 54, fittingly titled “Never Again,” where Mr. Netanyahu gives his 2016 speech before the United States Congress in opposition to the Obama Administration’s disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. The Prime Minister provides excerpts in the text, but I recommend watching the entire speech for yourself. In this link, Mr. Netanyahu enters the chamber at 22:32, and begins speaking at 26:49 after a brief appearance on screen of his wife, Sara.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pOs9...
From this 2016 highlight, Netanyahu goes on to discuss the Trump and Biden administrations. Chapter 63: COVID 2019-2012, where many have strong reservations about his decisions to pursue full vaccination herd immunity, was revelatory of Mr. Netanyahu’s personal explanation for his actions -- and his conviction of their success.
I also want to draw readers’ attention to the excellent endpaper maps. The book opens with a map of *Israel and the Middle East* on the front pastedown. The back endpaper features *Arab Countries with Peace Agreements with Israel.* I referred to both while reading and found they not only provide geo-political detail, but also aide in centering the narrative from the perspective of tiny Israel to the world at large. The Index was also helpful in making connections that spanned that work. These aides, as well as the two glossy sections of photographs, makes the physical hardbound book preferable to an e-book, though at 700+ pages, the hardcover is a hefty lift.
Reading Bibi: My Story, however inadequately named, gives an engaging overview of the man, the history of Israel, the domestic Israeli political arena, the American-Israeli alliance and the love of Zion shared by Jewish people around the world. Highly recommended. ...more
The passion of Netanyahu’s memoir, his family, his life, his career, is love for the Jewish people and the land of Israel, in a word, Zionism. This is not a love born in Mr. Netanyahu’s adolescence. It goes back to the mists of the Abrahamic covenant, the exodus from Egyptian slavery, the conquest of pagan Canaanite tribes descendant from Noah, and the Davidic Kingdom, whose star waves on the Israeli flag today over the city of Jerusalem, which was first made capital under King David. Zionism extended through Assyrian exile, Babylonian captivity, Greek persecution, and Roman wars. It never died through the Arabian conquest of the middle east and was not extinguished through the evictions and massacres of the Middle Ages. Noticeable, however, in Mr. Netanyahu’s writing of Zionism is that he does not include meditation on the Israelite God. The Bible is referenced as a historical document that testifies to the link between the people and the land, and evangelical Christians are counted among the strong supporters of the nation of Israel, but Mr. Netanyahu’s argument is purely secular and as such does not discuss the existence, worship or sovereignty of the God of Israel. Is this because he is a secular person? Or because he is writing a political biography and prefers to keep his personal religious convictions to himself to avoid alienating supporters?
Starting in Russia, Netanyahu’s direct progenitors crisscross the globe with notable stops in the United States, Great Britain, throughout Europe, and the city that is the focus of their aspirations, Jerusalem. Into this family, Yonathan, Benjamin, and Iddo are born. The boys grow up with their father’s career taking them between Israel and the United States, into young men and serve in the armed forces for Israel, when personal tragedy strikes the family. This tragedy directs Mr. Netanyahu to assume leadership of an international counterterrorism foundation.
As the autobiography moves into his young adult career, the narration moves from the personal passion which drives Netanyahu to the practical steps he takes to enter Israeli society to promote and protect his beloved country. Eventually, as most know, Netanyahu enters politics, rises through his party, and becomes the longest serving Prime Minister in Israel’s short contemporary history. In the later years, the narrative comes to focus on political crises, leaning toward accounting his successes in economy, security, and diplomacy. Netanyahu also discusses his mistakes or failures as lessons learned and refers back to them to guide future decision points. Personal reflections late in the book are largely lamentations of the difficulties of political attacks against his (third) wife, Sara, and their children. There are plenty of domestic (and international, though those don’t burden the family as much) political attacks to burden Mr. Netanyahu, which are bluntly stated, protested, and defended with some bitterness, especially toward those Israelis who used to be friends or allies. Mr. Netanyahu’s willingness to engage these battles, however depleting they are to him and his family, is what has made him a successful gladiator in the messy arena of Israeli politics.
Netanyahu’s documentation of the Israeli – American alliance is particularly fascinating. For all his domestic political success, it may be international diplomacy where Mr. Netanyahu is at his most brilliant. Presenting a strong defense for his country and its interests before the United Nations, US Presidential Administrations and the US Congress, while trying to engage hostile parties with a magnanimous refusal to resort to ad hominem attacks display his political sensibilities admirably.
Though each US Presidential Administration from President Truman on is discussed, the climax of the narrative comes in Chapter 54, fittingly titled “Never Again,” where Mr. Netanyahu gives his 2016 speech before the United States Congress in opposition to the Obama Administration’s disastrous Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) with Iran. The Prime Minister provides excerpts in the text, but I recommend watching the entire speech for yourself. In this link, Mr. Netanyahu enters the chamber at 22:32, and begins speaking at 26:49 after a brief appearance on screen of his wife, Sara.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pOs9...
From this 2016 highlight, Netanyahu goes on to discuss the Trump and Biden administrations. Chapter 63: COVID 2019-2012, where many have strong reservations about his decisions to pursue full vaccination herd immunity, was revelatory of Mr. Netanyahu’s personal explanation for his actions -- and his conviction of their success.
I also want to draw readers’ attention to the excellent endpaper maps. The book opens with a map of *Israel and the Middle East* on the front pastedown. The back endpaper features *Arab Countries with Peace Agreements with Israel.* I referred to both while reading and found they not only provide geo-political detail, but also aide in centering the narrative from the perspective of tiny Israel to the world at large. The Index was also helpful in making connections that spanned that work. These aides, as well as the two glossy sections of photographs, makes the physical hardbound book preferable to an e-book, though at 700+ pages, the hardcover is a hefty lift.
Reading Bibi: My Story, however inadequately named, gives an engaging overview of the man, the history of Israel, the domestic Israeli political arena, the American-Israeli alliance and the love of Zion shared by Jewish people around the world. Highly recommended. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Apr 02, 2023
Jun 03, 2023
Apr 02, 2023
Hardcover
1587431963
9781587431968
1587431963
4.00
373
Oct 01, 2007
Oct 01, 2007
it was amazing
We have a problem in Protestantism. The Protestant Reformation burst into European society with Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses in W
We have a problem in Protestantism. The Protestant Reformation burst into European society with Martin Luther’s posting of the Ninety-Five Theses in Wittenberg in 1517. This the event to which all Protestant denominations anchor their origins. However, there is a gap of well over a thousand years between the time of Jesus Christ and the emergence of Protestantism – a vast expanse of which most Protestant believers are completely ignorant. The fact is that God was at work through those years from the hearts of the apostles, to the church fathers, through the Great East-West Schism of 1054 that divided the Eastern Orthodox from the Western Roman Catholic Churches, and beyond to Valdes’ shepherding of the Waldensians (d. c1205), the monastic movement kicked off by St. Francis of Assisi (d. 1226), John Wycliff’s (d. 1384) ministry to get the Bible to all Englishman in their own language , Jon Hus’ (d. 1415) martyrdom to get the gospel to the Czech’s, or even Erasmus’ (d. 1536) work in reformation and transformation within the Roman Catholic Church. In my anecdotal experience, most Protestant Christians do not know the history of the Christian Church and are therefore unequipped to field questions from both themselves and others (believers and unbelievers).
Into this breach, Professor Bryan Liftin offers Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Liftin, as an evangelical, writes for fellow evangelical travelers in the Protestant tradition (it should be acknowledged there are also evangelical Roman Catholics and evangelical Eastern Orthodox believers). I found him to be a fair, reasonable and charitable guide. The book opens with a first century map of the Mediterranean World and a timeline of important events that span the past, present and future of the Church Fathers. While most of these highlights in the history of Christianity are covered throughout the work, chapters are specifically devoted to the following individuals:
100 – 165 AD Justin Martyr
115 AD d. Ignatius of Antioch
130 – 202 AD Irenaeus of Lyons
170 – 215 AD Tertullian of Carthage
182 – 203 AD Perpetua of Carthage
185 – 254 AD Origen of Alexandria
306 – 373 AD Ephrem the Syrian
349 – 407 AD John Chrysostom
354 – 430 AD Augustine of Hippo
378 – 444 AD Cyril of Alexandria
435 – 460 AD Patrick of Ireland
Litfin’s presentation has several strong points. Each chapter is well organized to include: an opening illustration, reference to where the individual Church Father fits in the timeline via dates and narrative, context of the subject’s life and ministry, copious footnotes, insights into particular challenges the church and faith encountered in the featured individual’s lifetime, Reflections On… section which details how the influence of this Church Father carries into present day evangelicalism, Provocative Questions segment to stimulate personal or group interaction, Good Books to Dig Deeper in the study of the individual, and a Key Referenced Sources Bibliography. Yet, the presentation remains highly approachable and engaging, without feeling overly formulaic. Liftin presents subjects graciously. He articulates points at which evangelicals would disagree with the subject, areas the Church Father may have experienced failure or difficulty, while highlighting how God multiplied the spiritual maturity of imperfect human beings to be His witnesses from their generation, through 1000+ years, into our day. Much of the debate and scholarship of the infant church concerned Who Jesus was, His attributes, relationship to the Father and the salvation He purchased for all that is to be received by believers. Liftin presents the Lord Jesus as the cornerstone in our beautiful Church foundation with brevity and wonder. The book closes with a helpful Epilogue that focuses on application. I found this paragraph from the Epilogue to provide helpful insight into Liftin’s content and style:
“As you have gotten to know some of your fellow sailors from ancient times, it is my prayer that your perspective on the value of church history has widened. In light of what you’ve learned, I hope you’ll continue to carry out the tasks Jesus has assigned you to do, just as he had tasks for the ancient Christians as well. And as you go about your daily life, discharging your God-given responsibilities, I pray you will do so with an awareness that you are part of something bigger than yourself. You are indeed part of the Church Universal: that great sweep of Christianity through the ages, with all its ups and downs, its twists and turns, its heroes, and villains. This is your story, your family heritage. The fathers and mothers of the church are your spiritual ancestors.” (Getting to Know the Church Fathers, Liftin, pg 276).
Finally, an index aides students in locating subjects, events, and topics within the text. On a topic that can easily become bogged down, it’s important to note the entire text is only 280 pages, presented in a reasonable font size.
In everything, Liftin’s expertise as a teacher emerges: Getting to the Know the Church Fathers is an excellent textbook. I can see how it would also make for outstanding group discussion/ learning. Having finished a first read, I’m already looking forward to a second – hopefully with friends!
For another excellent church history resource, see
Church History, Simonetta Carr, 2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
Into this breach, Professor Bryan Liftin offers Getting to Know the Church Fathers: An Evangelical Introduction. Liftin, as an evangelical, writes for fellow evangelical travelers in the Protestant tradition (it should be acknowledged there are also evangelical Roman Catholics and evangelical Eastern Orthodox believers). I found him to be a fair, reasonable and charitable guide. The book opens with a first century map of the Mediterranean World and a timeline of important events that span the past, present and future of the Church Fathers. While most of these highlights in the history of Christianity are covered throughout the work, chapters are specifically devoted to the following individuals:
100 – 165 AD Justin Martyr
115 AD d. Ignatius of Antioch
130 – 202 AD Irenaeus of Lyons
170 – 215 AD Tertullian of Carthage
182 – 203 AD Perpetua of Carthage
185 – 254 AD Origen of Alexandria
306 – 373 AD Ephrem the Syrian
349 – 407 AD John Chrysostom
354 – 430 AD Augustine of Hippo
378 – 444 AD Cyril of Alexandria
435 – 460 AD Patrick of Ireland
Litfin’s presentation has several strong points. Each chapter is well organized to include: an opening illustration, reference to where the individual Church Father fits in the timeline via dates and narrative, context of the subject’s life and ministry, copious footnotes, insights into particular challenges the church and faith encountered in the featured individual’s lifetime, Reflections On… section which details how the influence of this Church Father carries into present day evangelicalism, Provocative Questions segment to stimulate personal or group interaction, Good Books to Dig Deeper in the study of the individual, and a Key Referenced Sources Bibliography. Yet, the presentation remains highly approachable and engaging, without feeling overly formulaic. Liftin presents subjects graciously. He articulates points at which evangelicals would disagree with the subject, areas the Church Father may have experienced failure or difficulty, while highlighting how God multiplied the spiritual maturity of imperfect human beings to be His witnesses from their generation, through 1000+ years, into our day. Much of the debate and scholarship of the infant church concerned Who Jesus was, His attributes, relationship to the Father and the salvation He purchased for all that is to be received by believers. Liftin presents the Lord Jesus as the cornerstone in our beautiful Church foundation with brevity and wonder. The book closes with a helpful Epilogue that focuses on application. I found this paragraph from the Epilogue to provide helpful insight into Liftin’s content and style:
“As you have gotten to know some of your fellow sailors from ancient times, it is my prayer that your perspective on the value of church history has widened. In light of what you’ve learned, I hope you’ll continue to carry out the tasks Jesus has assigned you to do, just as he had tasks for the ancient Christians as well. And as you go about your daily life, discharging your God-given responsibilities, I pray you will do so with an awareness that you are part of something bigger than yourself. You are indeed part of the Church Universal: that great sweep of Christianity through the ages, with all its ups and downs, its twists and turns, its heroes, and villains. This is your story, your family heritage. The fathers and mothers of the church are your spiritual ancestors.” (Getting to Know the Church Fathers, Liftin, pg 276).
Finally, an index aides students in locating subjects, events, and topics within the text. On a topic that can easily become bogged down, it’s important to note the entire text is only 280 pages, presented in a reasonable font size.
In everything, Liftin’s expertise as a teacher emerges: Getting to the Know the Church Fathers is an excellent textbook. I can see how it would also make for outstanding group discussion/ learning. Having finished a first read, I’m already looking forward to a second – hopefully with friends!
For another excellent church history resource, see
Church History, Simonetta Carr, 2022
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
Notes are private!
1
May 26, 2023
Jul 2023
Nov 26, 2022
Paperback
006290521X
9780062905215
006290521X
4.05
455
Jan 07, 2020
Jan 07, 2020
it was amazing
I first read this book in January of 2020, right before life slid into the big change of the COVID-10 pandemic. I had begun learning about intermitten
I first read this book in January of 2020, right before life slid into the big change of the COVID-10 pandemic. I had begun learning about intermittent fasting from the health/ medical field, but was stunned by the silence of Christians, who have practiced fasting as spiritual discipline for thousands of years.
Into this void writes Jay Richards. The book summary released Nov 2019 referenced that Richards had written on this topic for The Stream, so my husband and I started reading the 14 articles we found there in the fall of 2019. Link...
https://stream.org/tag/fastingbodyand...
Then, my husband and I read the book together. Richards also did numerous interviews (podcasts, articles, etc) to promote the book, which can be found around the internet.
My initial 2020 impression was:
“If I could get this book delivered during the pandemic, I’d be sending it to several friends and family members. Richards presentation is even better than I hoped. My husband and I read it. Then, we worked on a Lenten fast that has ended in an Easter feast, with preparation to continue developing a fasting lifestyle.”--- end
I have since revisited the book in January of 2021 and now 2022, and plan on soaking it in again as Lenten preparation for as many years needed until these ideas become a strong foundation for fasting practice. As with his book on economics (Money, Greed and God, link below), Richards provides thorough research of a topic – in this case fasting and nutrition – and then examines the information in light of historical Christian teaching/ practice and Biblical study.
Money, Greed and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem (10th Anniversary Edition), Richards, 2019.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In Eat, Fast, Feast, Richards questions both his Biblical interpretations with scientific discovery and his scientific interpretations with Biblical truth, covering common questions and concerns believers have in the practice of fasting. Some chapters are focused on the pragmatic plan Richards has developed for personal fasting (a KETO diet gradually implemented via intermittent fasting throughout Lent, culminating in a Holy Week fast of longest duration), while others share the Biblical and historic practice of Christianity (including healthy and unhealthy practices and what distinguishes the two). I greatly appreciate Richards’ sensitivity to the entirety of Christian practice by Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant believers. I’m also appreciative of the detailed work done on the Appendices (1 Additional Books, 2 The Six Week Plan at a Glance, 3 How to Prove your Burning Fat for Fuel), Notes, and Index.
I have been told on numerous occasions that fasting is not for my complex medical situation. However, recent studies have indicated fasting might be beneficial. Coming from a family that practiced Lenten fasting through generations, I have long desired to try. Richards’ book gave me enough information to make intermittent fasting a regular part of my life.
As for the physical…
The text is helpfully researched, cited and indexed. I could never fully implement the keto diet (how does one get 80% of calories from fat? pg. 95), but rigorous cutting of carbs has been beneficial in both resetting my body and making longer fasts attainable. I feel better after fasting, even though it’s gotten harder after our initial success in Lent 2020. I’ve also had fails where I intended to fast, but my body/ mind would not let me, forcing me to choose between fasting and functionality in daily duties. Richards’ approach has helped me to become physically (and spiritually) comfortable knowing when to change my plans to fast and how to get back to moving toward long-term goals. Richards practical direction is intended as a starting point on your own fasting journey. As such, the pragmatic tips are well researched and tremendously helpful, but not authoritative. You may need to discuss with your doctor (which I did) if you are medically complicated.
While Richards sparingly comments about his wife, Ginny’s, experience with fasting, (and mentions a friend with PCOS going through the protocol pg. 208-209), Richards’ own practice is the focus. I have the impression their children are (almost or completely) launched and their childbearing years completed. Therefore, his insights are perhaps more applicable to men (both body and lifestyle). As a wife and mother, who has complicated health diagnoses and is raising growing children, I quickly recognized I was unable to implement Richards’ practice entirely.
There is also a significant discussion around women’s health and fasting that Richards does not cover. Women must change fasting practice throughout our life cycle in ways that men do not have to consider (beyond their relationship with their wife). I needed to do more research into how to navigate these personal female and familial dynamics. I found secular articles such as the following helpful, but long for a scholarly spiritual + nutritional practice guide for women.
Jarreau, Dr. Paige. “Your Menstrual Cycle on Intermittent Fasting.” LifeApps.io, October 6, 2020. Accessed April 2, 2022
https://lifeapps.io/fasting/your-mens...
For the spiritual…
I’m thrilled to be able to engaged in fasting as spiritual discipline as my progenitures, and no longer feel separated from the discipline due to my chronic health problems. I appreciate how Richards covers pitfalls encountered by previous believers. His insights have helped me work through areas where my belief or practice were pulling me away from walking more closely with the LORD. Of course, being more intentional about eating has also curbed my greediness for sweets, as I make the practice of setting aside my physical desires to pursue spiritual vitality a regular rhythm of worship. I particularly found the chapters, 9 Fasting for Discipline, Sacrifice, and Holiness, 11 Fasting for Better Prayer, and 16 Fasting to Clear your Mind, valuable in growing my understanding of fasting as spiritual practice. I’m still wrestling with the ideas of 16 Fasting for Spiritual Warfare every time I read through in preparation for Lent, which is tribute to the orthodoxy upon which the chapter is based.
My husband and I read the book and worked through the posted study guide for Lent 2020. Though we haven’t done it again, we recommend, especially if you are discussing/ implementing with a spouse or small group...
https://dk4dsgfbgkmll.cloudfront.net/...
In the last 3 years, Eat, Fast, Feast has become my go-to guide for Christian fasting and Lenten preparation. In this book, Jay Richards has served Christians across denominations in helping us develop a spiritual practice the contemporary church has neglected. Highly recommended. ...more
Into this void writes Jay Richards. The book summary released Nov 2019 referenced that Richards had written on this topic for The Stream, so my husband and I started reading the 14 articles we found there in the fall of 2019. Link...
https://stream.org/tag/fastingbodyand...
Then, my husband and I read the book together. Richards also did numerous interviews (podcasts, articles, etc) to promote the book, which can be found around the internet.
My initial 2020 impression was:
“If I could get this book delivered during the pandemic, I’d be sending it to several friends and family members. Richards presentation is even better than I hoped. My husband and I read it. Then, we worked on a Lenten fast that has ended in an Easter feast, with preparation to continue developing a fasting lifestyle.”--- end
I have since revisited the book in January of 2021 and now 2022, and plan on soaking it in again as Lenten preparation for as many years needed until these ideas become a strong foundation for fasting practice. As with his book on economics (Money, Greed and God, link below), Richards provides thorough research of a topic – in this case fasting and nutrition – and then examines the information in light of historical Christian teaching/ practice and Biblical study.
Money, Greed and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem (10th Anniversary Edition), Richards, 2019.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
In Eat, Fast, Feast, Richards questions both his Biblical interpretations with scientific discovery and his scientific interpretations with Biblical truth, covering common questions and concerns believers have in the practice of fasting. Some chapters are focused on the pragmatic plan Richards has developed for personal fasting (a KETO diet gradually implemented via intermittent fasting throughout Lent, culminating in a Holy Week fast of longest duration), while others share the Biblical and historic practice of Christianity (including healthy and unhealthy practices and what distinguishes the two). I greatly appreciate Richards’ sensitivity to the entirety of Christian practice by Orthodox, Catholic and Protestant believers. I’m also appreciative of the detailed work done on the Appendices (1 Additional Books, 2 The Six Week Plan at a Glance, 3 How to Prove your Burning Fat for Fuel), Notes, and Index.
I have been told on numerous occasions that fasting is not for my complex medical situation. However, recent studies have indicated fasting might be beneficial. Coming from a family that practiced Lenten fasting through generations, I have long desired to try. Richards’ book gave me enough information to make intermittent fasting a regular part of my life.
As for the physical…
The text is helpfully researched, cited and indexed. I could never fully implement the keto diet (how does one get 80% of calories from fat? pg. 95), but rigorous cutting of carbs has been beneficial in both resetting my body and making longer fasts attainable. I feel better after fasting, even though it’s gotten harder after our initial success in Lent 2020. I’ve also had fails where I intended to fast, but my body/ mind would not let me, forcing me to choose between fasting and functionality in daily duties. Richards’ approach has helped me to become physically (and spiritually) comfortable knowing when to change my plans to fast and how to get back to moving toward long-term goals. Richards practical direction is intended as a starting point on your own fasting journey. As such, the pragmatic tips are well researched and tremendously helpful, but not authoritative. You may need to discuss with your doctor (which I did) if you are medically complicated.
While Richards sparingly comments about his wife, Ginny’s, experience with fasting, (and mentions a friend with PCOS going through the protocol pg. 208-209), Richards’ own practice is the focus. I have the impression their children are (almost or completely) launched and their childbearing years completed. Therefore, his insights are perhaps more applicable to men (both body and lifestyle). As a wife and mother, who has complicated health diagnoses and is raising growing children, I quickly recognized I was unable to implement Richards’ practice entirely.
There is also a significant discussion around women’s health and fasting that Richards does not cover. Women must change fasting practice throughout our life cycle in ways that men do not have to consider (beyond their relationship with their wife). I needed to do more research into how to navigate these personal female and familial dynamics. I found secular articles such as the following helpful, but long for a scholarly spiritual + nutritional practice guide for women.
Jarreau, Dr. Paige. “Your Menstrual Cycle on Intermittent Fasting.” LifeApps.io, October 6, 2020. Accessed April 2, 2022
https://lifeapps.io/fasting/your-mens...
For the spiritual…
I’m thrilled to be able to engaged in fasting as spiritual discipline as my progenitures, and no longer feel separated from the discipline due to my chronic health problems. I appreciate how Richards covers pitfalls encountered by previous believers. His insights have helped me work through areas where my belief or practice were pulling me away from walking more closely with the LORD. Of course, being more intentional about eating has also curbed my greediness for sweets, as I make the practice of setting aside my physical desires to pursue spiritual vitality a regular rhythm of worship. I particularly found the chapters, 9 Fasting for Discipline, Sacrifice, and Holiness, 11 Fasting for Better Prayer, and 16 Fasting to Clear your Mind, valuable in growing my understanding of fasting as spiritual practice. I’m still wrestling with the ideas of 16 Fasting for Spiritual Warfare every time I read through in preparation for Lent, which is tribute to the orthodoxy upon which the chapter is based.
My husband and I read the book and worked through the posted study guide for Lent 2020. Though we haven’t done it again, we recommend, especially if you are discussing/ implementing with a spouse or small group...
https://dk4dsgfbgkmll.cloudfront.net/...
In the last 3 years, Eat, Fast, Feast has become my go-to guide for Christian fasting and Lenten preparation. In this book, Jay Richards has served Christians across denominations in helping us develop a spiritual practice the contemporary church has neglected. Highly recommended. ...more
Notes are private!
2
Jan 13, 2022
Mar 05, 2022
Apr 15, 2022
Apr 15, 2022
Mar 05, 2022
Paperback
0802465773
9780802465771
0802465773
4.10
2,037
1953
Feb 01, 2002
really liked it
A Kindle deal and public recommendation from 10ofThose founder, Jonathon Carswell, brought Patricia St. John’s work back to my attention. I have heard
A Kindle deal and public recommendation from 10ofThose founder, Jonathon Carswell, brought Patricia St. John’s work back to my attention. I have heard of St. John’s work from the homeschooling community, but I do not remember reading her as a child.
We read the following St. John’s historical fiction treatment of the Biblical book of Philemon in homeschool. It was okay, but I found Star of Light to be better.
Twice Freed, Patricia St. John, 1970
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed the multilayered story of Star of Light, which explores the dissemination of the message of Jesus into a North African family. Firmly in context, there are no naive confrontations of cultural/ social systems. Rather, the focus is on individual hearts and lives, illustrating how the Gospel penetrates the soul. The narrative moves from young girl Rahma, to her brother Hamed, to their baby sister Kinza, to the English girl, Jenny. Each of these children carry the story forward as we see how events shape their lives and choices. Unpredictable plotting doesn’t feel forced because it is brought about by St. John’s allowance for her beloved characters to be weakened, make mistakes, act foolishly, or carry regrets. I appreciated the gentle tone of the writing, especially when dealing with heavy topics such as personal tragedy, recognition of sin/ failure, and spiritual transformation.
The story stands in marked contrast the vast majority of books published today for the young adult reader. St. John doesn’t flinch from the hardships, contradictions or realities of life in our world while exploring cultural norms/ contexts that may be unfamiliar to the English language reading young adult. Characters are earnest kids facing real difficulty, that seek survival and find something more precious. I can understand why so many view this book as a treasure. I’m thrilled to see this quality writing preserved for future readers through ebooks and the work of 10ofThose.com.
Moody Publishers has a brief biography of Patricia St. John, with links to six of her books they are currently publishing.
https://www.moodypublishers.com/autho...
Goodreads Reviewer Lydia Strickler states that Moody publishers has considerably altered the text of Star of Light. “…somebody decided that modern children could not understand a book published fifty years ago and Moody Press revised it - took away much of the Moorish culture, the harshness, and the British language (sic)…”
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the Patricia St. John set I am reading, it is a Moody Publisher’s set (see Goodreads Reviewer Lydia Strickler above):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The ebook set continues with:
The Tanglewoods’ Secret, Patricia St. John, 1959
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You can purchase a set of nine Patricia St. John books through 10ofThose.com. I’m wondering if these are the original imprints?
https://us.10ofthose.com/patricia-st-... ...more
We read the following St. John’s historical fiction treatment of the Biblical book of Philemon in homeschool. It was okay, but I found Star of Light to be better.
Twice Freed, Patricia St. John, 1970
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I enjoyed the multilayered story of Star of Light, which explores the dissemination of the message of Jesus into a North African family. Firmly in context, there are no naive confrontations of cultural/ social systems. Rather, the focus is on individual hearts and lives, illustrating how the Gospel penetrates the soul. The narrative moves from young girl Rahma, to her brother Hamed, to their baby sister Kinza, to the English girl, Jenny. Each of these children carry the story forward as we see how events shape their lives and choices. Unpredictable plotting doesn’t feel forced because it is brought about by St. John’s allowance for her beloved characters to be weakened, make mistakes, act foolishly, or carry regrets. I appreciated the gentle tone of the writing, especially when dealing with heavy topics such as personal tragedy, recognition of sin/ failure, and spiritual transformation.
The story stands in marked contrast the vast majority of books published today for the young adult reader. St. John doesn’t flinch from the hardships, contradictions or realities of life in our world while exploring cultural norms/ contexts that may be unfamiliar to the English language reading young adult. Characters are earnest kids facing real difficulty, that seek survival and find something more precious. I can understand why so many view this book as a treasure. I’m thrilled to see this quality writing preserved for future readers through ebooks and the work of 10ofThose.com.
Moody Publishers has a brief biography of Patricia St. John, with links to six of her books they are currently publishing.
https://www.moodypublishers.com/autho...
Goodreads Reviewer Lydia Strickler states that Moody publishers has considerably altered the text of Star of Light. “…somebody decided that modern children could not understand a book published fifty years ago and Moody Press revised it - took away much of the Moorish culture, the harshness, and the British language (sic)…”
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This is the Patricia St. John set I am reading, it is a Moody Publisher’s set (see Goodreads Reviewer Lydia Strickler above):
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The ebook set continues with:
The Tanglewoods’ Secret, Patricia St. John, 1959
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
You can purchase a set of nine Patricia St. John books through 10ofThose.com. I’m wondering if these are the original imprints?
https://us.10ofthose.com/patricia-st-... ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jan 11, 2022
Jan 25, 2022
Jan 11, 2022
Paperback
0140068856
9780140068856
0140068856
4.39
666
May 31, 1984
Jan 01, 1984
liked it
Few dispute what Alexander DID, but many unsolvable questions remain pertaining to his character, personality, and motivation for his actions. Reading
Few dispute what Alexander DID, but many unsolvable questions remain pertaining to his character, personality, and motivation for his actions. Reading Ussher’s factual account (see A Persian Boy note below), one could just as easily conclude that in direct opposition to Renault’s fiction, Alexander was a narcissistic, lusty man who sought blood, power, sexual gratification (from men, women, and children) and deity, leaving a trail of dead and wounded around cities he re/named after himself, as he conquered the world for his own glorification. In the end, his abuse of his own body cost him his life prematurely at age 32, and his hubristic lack of preparation for his death either through directive or progeny set up a conflict over inheritance of his realms that shed blood for years beyond his death. For all Renault’s criticism of Alexander’s parents in Fire from Heaven (most of it justified), they did raise a young man equipped for incredible success, while that self-absorbed young man raised up no one to come after him. Although Renault acknowledges Alexander’s lack of preparation for succession, the man she fictionalizes, based on similar facts as Ussher’s, is a man of extraordinary wisdom, grace and ambition, who is “a giver,” a “motivator,” a “friend.” Either extreme is possible as a reasonable interpretation, but I suspect the reality was somewhere between, tilting toward a Macedonian - Greek - Persian hedonism.
Renault’s writing, especially in the first two books is creates a vibrant dynamic among the people, settings and events that loses its poignancy in the third book’s historical timeline. But I do want to warn that the first two books feature lurid depictions of sexual deviancy that are not appropriate for young people – and may not be for adults either! I find myself eager to move on and hesitant to return.
For more on Mary Renault and the impact of her writing, see this eulogy written by Daniel Mendelsohn, a correspondent of Renault’s, after her death.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
Pondering Renault’s presentation of Alexander the Great as a hero, I thought of the greatest hero I know - the savior of men through generations, Jesus Christ, the true son of God. While Alexander aspired to deity, Jesus “6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2). Alexander died in a luxurious Babylonian palace at age 32 of dissipation, war wounds, treachery, or a combination of all three, in complete submission to his human mortality. Jesus humbled Himself at age 33 to a torturous death, “7 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”(Philippians 2). A poor man, Jesus was buried in a friend’s tomb, from which He rose again! “17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10). Alexander lived for his own glory, through war, worship and founding of cities, Jesus died in sacrifice for the wickedness of men.
Many men died for Alexander, perhaps he was a ‘good man’ as contemplated in Romans 5. “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Alexander’s kingdom ended and was divided, Jesus will reign forever.
*** From my review of FIRE FROM HEAVEN (Alexander Trilogy #1), Renault, 1969 …
“I must highlight the final scene. Vividly drawn, the scene takes the strong foreground events and characters developed through the entire book and complements them with all the background themes and sociopolitical context that merge into King Philip’s demise. I think it is a scene that will stay with me whenever I think of the historical events in the future. Exquisite writing.”
“The exploration of Greek sexual practices reminded me strongly of Matthew Rueger’s Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Rueger examines sexual ethics from the perspective of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians, showing convergence and divergence among them. Rueger also demonstrates how the sexual morality of today is bending back to Greco-Roman worldviews, which Renault embraces in this first book on Alexander. Fire From Heaven draws a skillful illustration of Greek cultural mores in practice including how they may have shaped Alexander. Reading the two may be helpful to young adults/ adults.”
Sexual Morality in a Christless World, Matthew Rueger, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
FULL REVIEW: Fire From Heaven (Alexander the Great #1) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*** From my review of A PERSIAN BOY (Alexander Trilogy #2), Renault, 1972 …
“After reading A Persian Boy, I was again sensitized to the fictional quality of the world that Renault built around Alexander. It is a vivid world, attentive to cultural details and historical facts, but nonetheless an imaginary landscape colored by Renault’s worldview. Wanting to balance myself out on the factual side of the historical fiction reading experience, I reviewed Renault’s notes and took a break from the trilogy to skim my best primary source document on Alexander, James Ussher’s famous project first published in 1658. Ussher’s work was edited and translated from the Latin into English by Larry & Marion Price as The Annals of the World in 2003. You can read my full review here…
The Annals of the World, Ussher, 1658
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ussher’s project to assemble all facts he could confirm in chronological order by paragraph includes profuse documentation of the life of Alexander the Great. Born in paragraph 1633, Alexander’s death is recorded at 2367. Ussher’s timeline ends with paragraph 7000 after the destruction of Jerusalem in 79AD at the end of Josephus’ account. The paragraphs during Alexander’s actual life total 734 out of 7000 records, making up over 10% of what Ussher could document of (what we call) the ‘ancient world.’ This quick calculation of Ussher’s documentation of Alexander does not include events of King Phillip’s life (much more spartan data and covered in Renault’s first book of this trilogy, Fire from Heaven) or the numerous documented occurrences/ paragraphs that arose in the disposition of Alexander’s empire after his shockingly premature death (which I imagine are covered in the third book of this trilogy, Funeral Games).”
FULL REVIEW, A Persian Boy (Alexander the Great #2) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*** From my review of FUNERAL GAMES (Alexander Trilogy #3), Renault 1981 …
“As fiction, Renault’s writing and plotting lacks the brilliance of previous titles in this series. It is as if her gift died with Alexander. And perhaps that is the reality principle behind this fictional account. Alexander inspired, lead and goaded everyone around him into accomplishing more than any could on their own, indeed, more than any thought possible. Then, Alexander, demi-god that he was, sunk to mortality through death – an early, premature death, for which he had not prepared himself, or his family, or his kingdom. The music stopped when the snake charmer died. The snakes had no one to call forth their beauty into entrancing dance, leaving only their savagery to direct future actions. Because of the excellence of the writing prior, this is the type of book that you must read to complete the trilogy, but I found it rather forgettable in comparison. “
FULL REVIEW Funeral Games (Alexander the Great #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Renault’s writing, especially in the first two books is creates a vibrant dynamic among the people, settings and events that loses its poignancy in the third book’s historical timeline. But I do want to warn that the first two books feature lurid depictions of sexual deviancy that are not appropriate for young people – and may not be for adults either! I find myself eager to move on and hesitant to return.
For more on Mary Renault and the impact of her writing, see this eulogy written by Daniel Mendelsohn, a correspondent of Renault’s, after her death.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
Pondering Renault’s presentation of Alexander the Great as a hero, I thought of the greatest hero I know - the savior of men through generations, Jesus Christ, the true son of God. While Alexander aspired to deity, Jesus “6 who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped” (Philippians 2). Alexander died in a luxurious Babylonian palace at age 32 of dissipation, war wounds, treachery, or a combination of all three, in complete submission to his human mortality. Jesus humbled Himself at age 33 to a torturous death, “7 And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross”(Philippians 2). A poor man, Jesus was buried in a friend’s tomb, from which He rose again! “17 For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life that I may take it up again. 18 No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord” (John 10). Alexander lived for his own glory, through war, worship and founding of cities, Jesus died in sacrifice for the wickedness of men.
Many men died for Alexander, perhaps he was a ‘good man’ as contemplated in Romans 5. “6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life.” Alexander’s kingdom ended and was divided, Jesus will reign forever.
*** From my review of FIRE FROM HEAVEN (Alexander Trilogy #1), Renault, 1969 …
“I must highlight the final scene. Vividly drawn, the scene takes the strong foreground events and characters developed through the entire book and complements them with all the background themes and sociopolitical context that merge into King Philip’s demise. I think it is a scene that will stay with me whenever I think of the historical events in the future. Exquisite writing.”
“The exploration of Greek sexual practices reminded me strongly of Matthew Rueger’s Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Rueger examines sexual ethics from the perspective of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians, showing convergence and divergence among them. Rueger also demonstrates how the sexual morality of today is bending back to Greco-Roman worldviews, which Renault embraces in this first book on Alexander. Fire From Heaven draws a skillful illustration of Greek cultural mores in practice including how they may have shaped Alexander. Reading the two may be helpful to young adults/ adults.”
Sexual Morality in a Christless World, Matthew Rueger, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
FULL REVIEW: Fire From Heaven (Alexander the Great #1) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*** From my review of A PERSIAN BOY (Alexander Trilogy #2), Renault, 1972 …
“After reading A Persian Boy, I was again sensitized to the fictional quality of the world that Renault built around Alexander. It is a vivid world, attentive to cultural details and historical facts, but nonetheless an imaginary landscape colored by Renault’s worldview. Wanting to balance myself out on the factual side of the historical fiction reading experience, I reviewed Renault’s notes and took a break from the trilogy to skim my best primary source document on Alexander, James Ussher’s famous project first published in 1658. Ussher’s work was edited and translated from the Latin into English by Larry & Marion Price as The Annals of the World in 2003. You can read my full review here…
The Annals of the World, Ussher, 1658
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Ussher’s project to assemble all facts he could confirm in chronological order by paragraph includes profuse documentation of the life of Alexander the Great. Born in paragraph 1633, Alexander’s death is recorded at 2367. Ussher’s timeline ends with paragraph 7000 after the destruction of Jerusalem in 79AD at the end of Josephus’ account. The paragraphs during Alexander’s actual life total 734 out of 7000 records, making up over 10% of what Ussher could document of (what we call) the ‘ancient world.’ This quick calculation of Ussher’s documentation of Alexander does not include events of King Phillip’s life (much more spartan data and covered in Renault’s first book of this trilogy, Fire from Heaven) or the numerous documented occurrences/ paragraphs that arose in the disposition of Alexander’s empire after his shockingly premature death (which I imagine are covered in the third book of this trilogy, Funeral Games).”
FULL REVIEW, A Persian Boy (Alexander the Great #2) here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
*** From my review of FUNERAL GAMES (Alexander Trilogy #3), Renault 1981 …
“As fiction, Renault’s writing and plotting lacks the brilliance of previous titles in this series. It is as if her gift died with Alexander. And perhaps that is the reality principle behind this fictional account. Alexander inspired, lead and goaded everyone around him into accomplishing more than any could on their own, indeed, more than any thought possible. Then, Alexander, demi-god that he was, sunk to mortality through death – an early, premature death, for which he had not prepared himself, or his family, or his kingdom. The music stopped when the snake charmer died. The snakes had no one to call forth their beauty into entrancing dance, leaving only their savagery to direct future actions. Because of the excellence of the writing prior, this is the type of book that you must read to complete the trilogy, but I found it rather forgettable in comparison. “
FULL REVIEW Funeral Games (Alexander the Great #3)
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
not set
Nov 2021
Nov 01, 2021
Paperback
1621570258
9781621570257
1621570258
4.23
114
Jan 01, 2013
Apr 29, 2013
it was amazing
This is one of the most difficult books I have ever read. There is so much suffering, pain, hatred and evil documented here. The ringing of the church
This is one of the most difficult books I have ever read. There is so much suffering, pain, hatred and evil documented here. The ringing of the church bell in commemoration of the death of a beloved, reminded me of reading The Black Book of Communism (another book of bitter medicine), which highlights the slaughter of people around the world by the governmental aspirations of Marxists.
The Black Book of Communism, Courtois, Paczkowski, & Bartosek, 1999
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The difference here is that the wickedness is directed specifically at the Body of Christ, brothers, and sisters, who believe in Jesus. I tried to pray through the items listed, but grew weary at various times, and felt relieved when I was done. To aide me in praying for these countries current needs, I consulted…
Operation World, website and app
https://operationworld.org/
The gem to mine from this publication is Ibrahim’s comparison of the teachings of Islam, the teachings of Christianity and how they interact, as well as application of these principles to history. After explaining the application of the Conditions of Omar in history and contemporary Islamic society, Ibrahim turns to Sharia Law.
“The precarious status of churches and other forms of Christian expression under Sharia law is emblematic of Islam’s innate hostility to Christianity. But Islamic law goes further, denying freedom of speech to all Christians and even freedom of conscience and conviction to Christian converts. Sharia curtails these freedoms by means of three laws that, though separate, often overlap: the laws against apostasy, blasphemy, and proselytism. For example, the Muslim who converts to Christianity is guilty of apostasy. But he can also be seen as a blasphemer, whose very existence is an affront to Islam. And when he speaks about Christianity—as enthusiastic new converts are wont to do—around Muslims, he exposes himself to charges of proselytism. These three Islamic laws effectively ban freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and even freedom of thought.
First we will examine the doctrinal background of these three laws. Then we will consider how and why it is that Christians are most likely to break them. And finally we will look at how the Islamic doctrines enshrined in these laws have played out in practice—by examining some historical patterns and then looking at current applications of the laws. Once again we will see remarkable continuity—from one end of the Islamic world to the other, and from the earliest beginnings of Muslim history to today—in how these laws are understood and enforced.” Crucified Again, Ibrahim, 2013, pg. 95-96.
He then concludes by examining how the tenets of Christianity place adherents at odds with Muslims.
“1. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. There are Christians practically everywhere around the globe, including in much of the Muslim world. Moreover, because much of the territory that Islam seized was originally Christian—including the Middle East and North Africa, the region that today is called the “Arab world”—Muslims are regularly confronted with vestiges of Christianity…
2. Christianity is a proselytizing faith that seeks to win over converts. No other major religion—not Buddhism, Hinduism, or Judaism—has this missionary aspect. These other faiths tend to be coextensive with certain ethnicities. The only other major faith that has as strong a missionary component as Christianity is Islam itself— the one religion that Muslims obviously cannot “apostatize” to….
3. Christianity is the quintessential religion of martyrdom. From its inception—beginning with Jesus, and followed by his disciples and countless others in the early church—many Christians have accepted martyrdom rather than betray their faith, in ancient times at the hands of pagan Romans, and in medieval and modern times at the hands of pious Muslims and other persecutors. Few other religions encourage their adherents to embrace death rather than recant their faith, as Christ himself did: “But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33; see also Luke 14:33)…
Plus, there is one other exacerbating factor. More than any other religion, Christianity is Islam’s historical enemy. Converting to Christianity is seen as something of a double betrayal. Not only is the convert an apostate from Islam—which, as we have seen, can be overlooked as long as the apostate keeps his apostasy to himself, as apostates often do—but the open convert is publicly declaring that he has found something better than Islam in its nemesis, Christianity.” Crucified Again, Ibrahim, 2013, Selections from pg. 107-109.
I found these three aspects of Ibrahim’s analysis (Condition of Omar, 3 Laws of Sharia, Why is Christianity consistently targeted?) to be particularly insightful. And indeed, it is the thesis of Ibrahim’s book to explain the relationship between Islam and Christianity specifically. He is also advocating for the Western World to notice how and why Christians are denied human rights in Muslim society.
As I read in 2021, many of the events referenced in Crucified Again (published in 2013) are dated. However, Raymond Ibrahim maintains a website (https://www.raymondibrahim.com/blog/) that tracks these events on a regular basis to fill the gap. For current news on the state of the church in persecution, Ibrahim also recommends:
World Watch Monitor http://t.co/MGePQn9HSC
International Christian Concern https://t.co/GlLSrvuJ51
While the current-in-2013-testimonies of individual stories across countries serves to provide evidence for Ibrahim’s interpretation of the contemporary record (and the history preceding), it does bog the read down with recitation of horrific violence.
However, as brutal, and consistent as clashes between Christians and Muslims are through history, upon considering these facts to review Crucified Again, it is not only Christians that have been simultaneously targeted and negated by Islamic terrorism. As I was working on this review in October of 2021, three articles appeared, each highlighting the refusal to acknowledge the role of Islamic radicalization in attacking various groups and each claiming the malicious intent of Islam toward a specific group was being ignored, minimized, or covered up.
This article examines Muslim violence in the United States. This discussion is instigated by an attack on a JetBlue plane in September 2021, but it also highlights other incidents that have been concealed in our national reporting. The focus here is not attacks on Christians, but attacks on Americans.
A JetBlue Jihadist? The Great Press Cover-up by Chris Farrell October 23, 2021
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17...
As Israel closes certain Palastinian NGOs implicated in terrorism, this article examines how NGOs are used to launder terrorist resources to attack the Israelis. It also looks at Muslim anti-Semitism as expressed in the commitment of Muslim NGOs (with passing reference to countries) to the destruction of Israel.
https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-human...
Published the same day as the above, this article raises the matter of Muslim violence in the United Kingdom against members of the UK. The murder of David Amass, a UK MP kicks off the investigation which also draws on other incidents throughout the UK…
https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/10...
In 2009 I read The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer (published in 2001). This text first aroused consideration of the issue of violent Muslim extremism in my mind. Spencer also documented both the rise of violence and the somnolence of the West in addressing the threat, the same theme that runs through both Crucified Again (published in 2013) and the three articles (2021) I’ve cited above.
Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades, Robert Spencer, 2001
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Apparently, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, many Muslims *believe* they are at war against Christians, Jews, and Western society as evidence by their own proclamation and actions, such as enacting and enforcing Sharia Law and the Conditions of Omar in country and sending terrorists abroad. Non-Muslims that live throughout the 10/40 window in which Islam has prominence are daily aware of this conflict, many moderate Muslims and non-Muslims have fled to the West to escape this violence (with radicals arriving congruently with the express purpose of instigating it), but those that live in the West remain ignorant.
Sobering reading that makes one want to have their house in order.
Ecclesiastes 7 comes to mind…
“4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise person
Than for one to listen to the song of fools.”
For a different perspective on Christian-Muslim relationship, particularly Muslims in Muslim majority countries having dreams or vision of Jesus and wresting with conversion in this context, see…
Dreams and Visions, Tom Doyle, 2012
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
The Black Book of Communism, Courtois, Paczkowski, & Bartosek, 1999
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The difference here is that the wickedness is directed specifically at the Body of Christ, brothers, and sisters, who believe in Jesus. I tried to pray through the items listed, but grew weary at various times, and felt relieved when I was done. To aide me in praying for these countries current needs, I consulted…
Operation World, website and app
https://operationworld.org/
The gem to mine from this publication is Ibrahim’s comparison of the teachings of Islam, the teachings of Christianity and how they interact, as well as application of these principles to history. After explaining the application of the Conditions of Omar in history and contemporary Islamic society, Ibrahim turns to Sharia Law.
“The precarious status of churches and other forms of Christian expression under Sharia law is emblematic of Islam’s innate hostility to Christianity. But Islamic law goes further, denying freedom of speech to all Christians and even freedom of conscience and conviction to Christian converts. Sharia curtails these freedoms by means of three laws that, though separate, often overlap: the laws against apostasy, blasphemy, and proselytism. For example, the Muslim who converts to Christianity is guilty of apostasy. But he can also be seen as a blasphemer, whose very existence is an affront to Islam. And when he speaks about Christianity—as enthusiastic new converts are wont to do—around Muslims, he exposes himself to charges of proselytism. These three Islamic laws effectively ban freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and even freedom of thought.
First we will examine the doctrinal background of these three laws. Then we will consider how and why it is that Christians are most likely to break them. And finally we will look at how the Islamic doctrines enshrined in these laws have played out in practice—by examining some historical patterns and then looking at current applications of the laws. Once again we will see remarkable continuity—from one end of the Islamic world to the other, and from the earliest beginnings of Muslim history to today—in how these laws are understood and enforced.” Crucified Again, Ibrahim, 2013, pg. 95-96.
He then concludes by examining how the tenets of Christianity place adherents at odds with Muslims.
“1. Christianity is the largest religion in the world. There are Christians practically everywhere around the globe, including in much of the Muslim world. Moreover, because much of the territory that Islam seized was originally Christian—including the Middle East and North Africa, the region that today is called the “Arab world”—Muslims are regularly confronted with vestiges of Christianity…
2. Christianity is a proselytizing faith that seeks to win over converts. No other major religion—not Buddhism, Hinduism, or Judaism—has this missionary aspect. These other faiths tend to be coextensive with certain ethnicities. The only other major faith that has as strong a missionary component as Christianity is Islam itself— the one religion that Muslims obviously cannot “apostatize” to….
3. Christianity is the quintessential religion of martyrdom. From its inception—beginning with Jesus, and followed by his disciples and countless others in the early church—many Christians have accepted martyrdom rather than betray their faith, in ancient times at the hands of pagan Romans, and in medieval and modern times at the hands of pious Muslims and other persecutors. Few other religions encourage their adherents to embrace death rather than recant their faith, as Christ himself did: “But whoever denies me before men, I will deny him before my Father in heaven” (Matthew 10:33; see also Luke 14:33)…
Plus, there is one other exacerbating factor. More than any other religion, Christianity is Islam’s historical enemy. Converting to Christianity is seen as something of a double betrayal. Not only is the convert an apostate from Islam—which, as we have seen, can be overlooked as long as the apostate keeps his apostasy to himself, as apostates often do—but the open convert is publicly declaring that he has found something better than Islam in its nemesis, Christianity.” Crucified Again, Ibrahim, 2013, Selections from pg. 107-109.
I found these three aspects of Ibrahim’s analysis (Condition of Omar, 3 Laws of Sharia, Why is Christianity consistently targeted?) to be particularly insightful. And indeed, it is the thesis of Ibrahim’s book to explain the relationship between Islam and Christianity specifically. He is also advocating for the Western World to notice how and why Christians are denied human rights in Muslim society.
As I read in 2021, many of the events referenced in Crucified Again (published in 2013) are dated. However, Raymond Ibrahim maintains a website (https://www.raymondibrahim.com/blog/) that tracks these events on a regular basis to fill the gap. For current news on the state of the church in persecution, Ibrahim also recommends:
World Watch Monitor http://t.co/MGePQn9HSC
International Christian Concern https://t.co/GlLSrvuJ51
While the current-in-2013-testimonies of individual stories across countries serves to provide evidence for Ibrahim’s interpretation of the contemporary record (and the history preceding), it does bog the read down with recitation of horrific violence.
However, as brutal, and consistent as clashes between Christians and Muslims are through history, upon considering these facts to review Crucified Again, it is not only Christians that have been simultaneously targeted and negated by Islamic terrorism. As I was working on this review in October of 2021, three articles appeared, each highlighting the refusal to acknowledge the role of Islamic radicalization in attacking various groups and each claiming the malicious intent of Islam toward a specific group was being ignored, minimized, or covered up.
This article examines Muslim violence in the United States. This discussion is instigated by an attack on a JetBlue plane in September 2021, but it also highlights other incidents that have been concealed in our national reporting. The focus here is not attacks on Christians, but attacks on Americans.
A JetBlue Jihadist? The Great Press Cover-up by Chris Farrell October 23, 2021
https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/17...
As Israel closes certain Palastinian NGOs implicated in terrorism, this article examines how NGOs are used to launder terrorist resources to attack the Israelis. It also looks at Muslim anti-Semitism as expressed in the commitment of Muslim NGOs (with passing reference to countries) to the destruction of Israel.
https://www.jns.org/opinion/the-human...
Published the same day as the above, this article raises the matter of Muslim violence in the United Kingdom against members of the UK. The murder of David Amass, a UK MP kicks off the investigation which also draws on other incidents throughout the UK…
https://www.spiked-online.com/2021/10...
In 2009 I read The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam by Robert Spencer (published in 2001). This text first aroused consideration of the issue of violent Muslim extremism in my mind. Spencer also documented both the rise of violence and the somnolence of the West in addressing the threat, the same theme that runs through both Crucified Again (published in 2013) and the three articles (2021) I’ve cited above.
Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades, Robert Spencer, 2001
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Apparently, whether we want to acknowledge it or not, many Muslims *believe* they are at war against Christians, Jews, and Western society as evidence by their own proclamation and actions, such as enacting and enforcing Sharia Law and the Conditions of Omar in country and sending terrorists abroad. Non-Muslims that live throughout the 10/40 window in which Islam has prominence are daily aware of this conflict, many moderate Muslims and non-Muslims have fled to the West to escape this violence (with radicals arriving congruently with the express purpose of instigating it), but those that live in the West remain ignorant.
Sobering reading that makes one want to have their house in order.
Ecclesiastes 7 comes to mind…
“4 The mind of the wise is in the house of mourning,
While the mind of fools is in the house of pleasure.
5 It is better to listen to the rebuke of a wise person
Than for one to listen to the song of fools.”
For a different perspective on Christian-Muslim relationship, particularly Muslims in Muslim majority countries having dreams or vision of Jesus and wresting with conversion in this context, see…
Dreams and Visions, Tom Doyle, 2012
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
2
Sep 23, 2021
Sep 03, 2021
Dec 16, 2021
Oct 2021
Sep 23, 2021
Hardcover
160641951X
9781606419519
160641951X
3.97
1,872
Jan 01, 2011
Jun 03, 2011
did not like it
“…when we consider the complicated and extraordinarily unlikely series of events that led to the existence of freedom in our day; when we consider the
“…when we consider the complicated and extraordinarily unlikely series of events that led to the existence of freedom in our day; when we consider the fact that freedom runs counter to what seems to be the natural order of men and that, as will be shown, an incredibly small percentage of human beings have had the blessing of living free; the widespread existence of freedom in our day does indeed seem to be a miraculous event… In the following chapters, we hope to show how, at critical tipping points in world history, certain events took place so as to assure that freedom and democracy would be common in this day.” (Preface, 7 Tipping Points that Saved the World, Stewart & Stewart, pg. vii)
I found this strange brew of history, nationalism, theology and…. Pride? Almost completely unpalatable. The authors are focused on a construction of history that is somewhat oblivious to the complex tapestry that makes up the history of humanity, the earth and our relationship to the Creator.
As a believer, speaking to the author and other readers, there is ONE Tipping Point that saved the world: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
I think Churchill struck the right note:
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947
Three overwhelming thoughts built in my mind as the desire to finish the book drained away:
1) America is not the focal point of history.
2) A strong sense of anthropology. Humanity can and will eventually ruin everything, except for God Himself Who cannot be corrupted. At every juncture, humanity has demonstrated a compulsive ability to be false, faithless, and corrupt.
3) God will not share His glory – full stop. He will not share His glory with either America or our form of government.
Interestingly, it was reading The Imitation of Christ by Tomas A Kempis that brought my review of this book into focus. Written in 1418, while the New World was just being discovered and America was but a nation in God’s sovereignly drawn map, Kempis has far more depth to share illuminating a Biblical perspective on God, history and the human condition.
The Imitation of Christ, Kempis, 1418
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
I found this strange brew of history, nationalism, theology and…. Pride? Almost completely unpalatable. The authors are focused on a construction of history that is somewhat oblivious to the complex tapestry that makes up the history of humanity, the earth and our relationship to the Creator.
As a believer, speaking to the author and other readers, there is ONE Tipping Point that saved the world: the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ the Messiah.
I think Churchill struck the right note:
“Many forms of Government have been tried, and will be tried in this world of sin and woe. No one pretends that democracy is perfect or all-wise. Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of Government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.…” Winston S Churchill, 11 November 1947
Three overwhelming thoughts built in my mind as the desire to finish the book drained away:
1) America is not the focal point of history.
2) A strong sense of anthropology. Humanity can and will eventually ruin everything, except for God Himself Who cannot be corrupted. At every juncture, humanity has demonstrated a compulsive ability to be false, faithless, and corrupt.
3) God will not share His glory – full stop. He will not share His glory with either America or our form of government.
Interestingly, it was reading The Imitation of Christ by Tomas A Kempis that brought my review of this book into focus. Written in 1418, while the New World was just being discovered and America was but a nation in God’s sovereignly drawn map, Kempis has far more depth to share illuminating a Biblical perspective on God, history and the human condition.
The Imitation of Christ, Kempis, 1418
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
Notes are private!
0
not set
not set
May 27, 2021
Hardcover
161458026X
9781614580263
B004JN04G4
4.23
411
Jan 17, 2011
Nov 01, 2010
really liked it
I expected the focus of this book to be a Biblical response to Darwinian evolution. However, it is deeper and broader than I anticipated. The focus of
I expected the focus of this book to be a Biblical response to Darwinian evolution. However, it is deeper and broader than I anticipated. The focus of the work is the outworking of Christianity in response to both Darwin specifically and racism generally. Ham & Ware (which sounds kinda funny? Or am I just low on sleep?) directly call out racism as sin that has existed since we became a multi-lingual/ multi-cultural world. This is a strongly pro-life book advocating for the rights of all people and resisting the urge to reject anyone for any reason. It is important to not that I read the 2019 edition of this book.
“The Bible is clear that all mankind originated from Adam; as image bearers of God, all human have worth (Genesis 1:26-28). This foundational belief motivates Christians to fight for the unborn, the physically disabled, and the elderly, even when many in society see them as unwanted or too big of an intrusion upon their personal pursuit of happiness. Concern for God’s creation has given birth to many social agencies, from the YMCA/ YWCA, to hospitals, to adoption agencies, to ministries to the elderly and physically handicapped.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
They examine the historical timeline of racial expression in the US/ Western/ European world as well as the Biblical text, the global impact of both, the history of the Church (meaning universal Christianity, heavy on Evangelicalism, light on Catholicism, does not comment on Orthodoxy) and it’s actions in response to both racism and Darwin. Then, taking it a step further, Ware takes the lead in outlining principles for ministry and education of those who desire to work cross-culturally, as well as blueprints for development of racially reconciled ministries, both local church and parachurch. Examples of the Church at it’s best, scholarship conferences, essay style appendices, an excellent bibliography, and biographies of the authors close the book.
“While Darwin himself probably never imagined the impact his idea would have on the culturally diverse peoples of the earth, history has shown us how evolutionary thought fuels racism and how racists use evolution to justify their hatred for those who are different from them.” One Race, One Blood Ham & Ware, 2019.
I appreciated the repeated statement that racism is sin. Darwin did not invent the sin of racism, he merely gave it a scientific avoure. As one might expect, the section on how Darwin advanced racsim is well done. Ham is the lead here and he writes about The Origin of Species, subtitled The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life (1859), clarifying that though the direction of Darwin’s teaching toward humanity was everywhere implied, it was not directly stated until The Descent of Man (1871). Darwin’s assertion that those with light melanin were the highest form of humanity, followed by Oriental, South Americans, and finally Blacks continues to astound me with its fallacious thinking and cruel application. I wish I could say these perceptions are vanquished, but I see remnants today.
“Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.” Stephen J. Gould, evolutionist in Ontogeny and Phylogeny, 1977 as quoted in One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
Ken Ham’s testimony of his native Australia’s collusion in exploiting the Aboriginal population is poignant. He also covers South American indigenous people and Native Americans in the United States and Canada, though in somewhat broader strokes as these groups do not figure in Ham’s personal experience. Slavery, with emphasis on the American-British connection, and American Jim Crow laws are also shown to contribute to the problem. While many of these issues begin with the discovery of the New World, prior to Darwin’s time, Ham shows how the issue of racism was fueled by Darwin’s late nineteenth century ideas, even as slavery was abolished. One of the most powerful principles that Ham develops via a review of the burgeoning field of genetics (to which he notes Darwin did not have access) is the idea that Creation from the time of Genesis 1 is not Evolving, but rather DE-volving due to the influence of sin.
“But in nature, mutations are almost always destructive – the opposite of what molecules-to-man evolution requires. Many mutations not only corrupt information, but *they also remove variability from the gene pool.*” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
Natural selection is NOT producing brand-new information leading to higher evolutions. In fact, it is producing a loss of information leading to irreversible devolution.
“Natural selection is basically a downhill process (or a conserving process). Natural selection results in a loss of genetic information and /or redistribution of pre-existing information.” One Race One Blood, Ham, 2019
The Biblical perspective is well summarized in Romans 8, “20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, [i]in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” NASB
Explaining small biologic differences affecting the appearance (skin color, hair type, etc), Ham declares the far more significant differences in people are their immaterial perceptions, beliefs and material actions. These would be most broadly defined as CULTURAL not RACIAL phenomena.
The Chapter entitled One Flesh applies principles revealed to interpersonal relationships such as marriage, family and business. I thought it was particularly strong. The arguments for trans-cultural marriage and family were examined and put into Biblical perspective. The Church is lovingly held accountable for past wrongs and critiqued for where we collectively continue to get it wrong.
The Chapter on Grace Relations specifically deals with the challenges of multi-cultural community. I was particularly struck by Mr. Ware’s strong warning that resistance to inclusive multi-cultural community under the banner of Biblical Christianity *will come from within the Church.* This resistance is directly in conflict to Biblical teaching. I know it is out there, but it continually surprises me. I appreciate the encouragement from Mr. Ware to work through these difficulties.
“The Church tends to adopt man’s ideas and then reinterpret Scripture to fit those preconceived ideas. The result is that the Church is usually conformed to the world rather than transformed by the Word. And then what happens? Man changes his ideas, and the Church has to conform again. This is what happened with Darwinian evolution. So many in the Church adopted evolutionary ideas into the Bible, but now, when it comes to the issue of races, many of the leaders of the world are changing their course. That’s good news, but the Church is left in the dust because it compromised the Word of God on the basis of man’s previous ideas. The Church needs to take the lead again. We need to let the Word speak for itself rather than filtering it through our cultural and worldly thinking.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
It appears that all the appendices are written by Dr. Charles Ware. Appendix A: Hijacking the Civil Rights Bus – Homosexuality (LGBTQ) and the Scriptures was a somewhat surprising inclusion in this work. Ware discusses why the black American population is frustrated by false equivalence of black civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Though it felt like a bit of a distraction, the piece is strongly written and serves to emphasize the importance of this matter to the black community.
“Biblical morality is rooted in the fact that life was designed to be lived within certain parameters. If we step outside of those parameters, the consequences are never positive.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware
Dr. Ware’s effort to address matters of sexuality from a Biblical perspective brought Matthew Rueger’s excellent Sexual Morality in a Christless World (DATE) to mind AGAIN. Ever since I’ve read Rueger, I seem to be returning to his ideas often, which I suppose indicates how much sexuality is a foreground concern in our culture currently.
The other appendices (all by Dr. Ware) include:
B: Misconceptions and/or Common Mistakes about Reconciliation
C: Honest Insight (A guided process for those considering a ministry of racial reconciliation)
D: The Grace Relations Track Assessment Tool (Self-Assessment Metric for personal use and to be completed by a mentor/ close loved one)
E: 15 Steps to Grace, Charles Ware & Ken Davis (Originally published in The Journal of Ministry and Theology, col 19, no 1, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA, pg. 5 in the article “Fergunson: How Should the Church Respond?) Contains 15 Positive Steps for the Church to pursue to promote mutual understanding and bridge the American Black-White divide
I highly recommend those wanting a solutions-oriented approach to race relations based on firm Biblical principles to read One Race, One Blood. Ham & Ware do not back away from past grievances, but they offer insight into and hope to confront some of our culture’s deepest problems. ...more
“The Bible is clear that all mankind originated from Adam; as image bearers of God, all human have worth (Genesis 1:26-28). This foundational belief motivates Christians to fight for the unborn, the physically disabled, and the elderly, even when many in society see them as unwanted or too big of an intrusion upon their personal pursuit of happiness. Concern for God’s creation has given birth to many social agencies, from the YMCA/ YWCA, to hospitals, to adoption agencies, to ministries to the elderly and physically handicapped.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
They examine the historical timeline of racial expression in the US/ Western/ European world as well as the Biblical text, the global impact of both, the history of the Church (meaning universal Christianity, heavy on Evangelicalism, light on Catholicism, does not comment on Orthodoxy) and it’s actions in response to both racism and Darwin. Then, taking it a step further, Ware takes the lead in outlining principles for ministry and education of those who desire to work cross-culturally, as well as blueprints for development of racially reconciled ministries, both local church and parachurch. Examples of the Church at it’s best, scholarship conferences, essay style appendices, an excellent bibliography, and biographies of the authors close the book.
“While Darwin himself probably never imagined the impact his idea would have on the culturally diverse peoples of the earth, history has shown us how evolutionary thought fuels racism and how racists use evolution to justify their hatred for those who are different from them.” One Race, One Blood Ham & Ware, 2019.
I appreciated the repeated statement that racism is sin. Darwin did not invent the sin of racism, he merely gave it a scientific avoure. As one might expect, the section on how Darwin advanced racsim is well done. Ham is the lead here and he writes about The Origin of Species, subtitled The Preservation of Favored Races in the Struggle for Life (1859), clarifying that though the direction of Darwin’s teaching toward humanity was everywhere implied, it was not directly stated until The Descent of Man (1871). Darwin’s assertion that those with light melanin were the highest form of humanity, followed by Oriental, South Americans, and finally Blacks continues to astound me with its fallacious thinking and cruel application. I wish I could say these perceptions are vanquished, but I see remnants today.
“Biological arguments for racism may have been common before 1859, but they increased by orders of magnitude following the acceptance of evolutionary theory.” Stephen J. Gould, evolutionist in Ontogeny and Phylogeny, 1977 as quoted in One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
Ken Ham’s testimony of his native Australia’s collusion in exploiting the Aboriginal population is poignant. He also covers South American indigenous people and Native Americans in the United States and Canada, though in somewhat broader strokes as these groups do not figure in Ham’s personal experience. Slavery, with emphasis on the American-British connection, and American Jim Crow laws are also shown to contribute to the problem. While many of these issues begin with the discovery of the New World, prior to Darwin’s time, Ham shows how the issue of racism was fueled by Darwin’s late nineteenth century ideas, even as slavery was abolished. One of the most powerful principles that Ham develops via a review of the burgeoning field of genetics (to which he notes Darwin did not have access) is the idea that Creation from the time of Genesis 1 is not Evolving, but rather DE-volving due to the influence of sin.
“But in nature, mutations are almost always destructive – the opposite of what molecules-to-man evolution requires. Many mutations not only corrupt information, but *they also remove variability from the gene pool.*” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
Natural selection is NOT producing brand-new information leading to higher evolutions. In fact, it is producing a loss of information leading to irreversible devolution.
“Natural selection is basically a downhill process (or a conserving process). Natural selection results in a loss of genetic information and /or redistribution of pre-existing information.” One Race One Blood, Ham, 2019
The Biblical perspective is well summarized in Romans 8, “20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it, [i]in hope 21 that the creation itself also will be set free from its slavery to corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and suffers the pains of childbirth together until now. 23 And not only this, but also we ourselves, having the first fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting eagerly for our adoption as sons, the redemption of our body.” NASB
Explaining small biologic differences affecting the appearance (skin color, hair type, etc), Ham declares the far more significant differences in people are their immaterial perceptions, beliefs and material actions. These would be most broadly defined as CULTURAL not RACIAL phenomena.
The Chapter entitled One Flesh applies principles revealed to interpersonal relationships such as marriage, family and business. I thought it was particularly strong. The arguments for trans-cultural marriage and family were examined and put into Biblical perspective. The Church is lovingly held accountable for past wrongs and critiqued for where we collectively continue to get it wrong.
The Chapter on Grace Relations specifically deals with the challenges of multi-cultural community. I was particularly struck by Mr. Ware’s strong warning that resistance to inclusive multi-cultural community under the banner of Biblical Christianity *will come from within the Church.* This resistance is directly in conflict to Biblical teaching. I know it is out there, but it continually surprises me. I appreciate the encouragement from Mr. Ware to work through these difficulties.
“The Church tends to adopt man’s ideas and then reinterpret Scripture to fit those preconceived ideas. The result is that the Church is usually conformed to the world rather than transformed by the Word. And then what happens? Man changes his ideas, and the Church has to conform again. This is what happened with Darwinian evolution. So many in the Church adopted evolutionary ideas into the Bible, but now, when it comes to the issue of races, many of the leaders of the world are changing their course. That’s good news, but the Church is left in the dust because it compromised the Word of God on the basis of man’s previous ideas. The Church needs to take the lead again. We need to let the Word speak for itself rather than filtering it through our cultural and worldly thinking.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware, 2019
It appears that all the appendices are written by Dr. Charles Ware. Appendix A: Hijacking the Civil Rights Bus – Homosexuality (LGBTQ) and the Scriptures was a somewhat surprising inclusion in this work. Ware discusses why the black American population is frustrated by false equivalence of black civil rights and LGBTQ+ rights. Though it felt like a bit of a distraction, the piece is strongly written and serves to emphasize the importance of this matter to the black community.
“Biblical morality is rooted in the fact that life was designed to be lived within certain parameters. If we step outside of those parameters, the consequences are never positive.” One Race One Blood, Ham & Ware
Dr. Ware’s effort to address matters of sexuality from a Biblical perspective brought Matthew Rueger’s excellent Sexual Morality in a Christless World (DATE) to mind AGAIN. Ever since I’ve read Rueger, I seem to be returning to his ideas often, which I suppose indicates how much sexuality is a foreground concern in our culture currently.
The other appendices (all by Dr. Ware) include:
B: Misconceptions and/or Common Mistakes about Reconciliation
C: Honest Insight (A guided process for those considering a ministry of racial reconciliation)
D: The Grace Relations Track Assessment Tool (Self-Assessment Metric for personal use and to be completed by a mentor/ close loved one)
E: 15 Steps to Grace, Charles Ware & Ken Davis (Originally published in The Journal of Ministry and Theology, col 19, no 1, Baptist Bible Seminary, Clarks Summit, PA, pg. 5 in the article “Fergunson: How Should the Church Respond?) Contains 15 Positive Steps for the Church to pursue to promote mutual understanding and bridge the American Black-White divide
I highly recommend those wanting a solutions-oriented approach to race relations based on firm Biblical principles to read One Race, One Blood. Ham & Ware do not back away from past grievances, but they offer insight into and hope to confront some of our culture’s deepest problems. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Sep 09, 2020
Nov 06, 2020
Sep 09, 2020
Kindle Edition
0099463490
9780099463498
0099463490
4.04
3,332
1981
Jan 01, 2003
liked it
To open this book, Renault rewinds to the weeks before Alexander’s death as viewed through priests, servants, and soldiers outside of Alexander’s dyin
To open this book, Renault rewinds to the weeks before Alexander’s death as viewed through priests, servants, and soldiers outside of Alexander’s dying room. Alexander is dying and then deceased. Though his influence pervades every page, we no longer see the world from his perspective as Renault wrote in Fire from Heaven (Alexander the Great Book #1). Bagoas’ point of view is likewise abandoned and though we see him briefly through the eyes of others, we are neither privy nor limited to his thoughts and actions, as we were in A Persian Boy (Alexander the Great Book #2).
Funeral Games crosses the empire to report on various key players and events. In particular, Ptolomy emerges as a favorite, as Renault tours protagonists (Alexander, Bagoas, Ptolomy, Roxane, Eumenes, etc.) and antagonists (Meleager, Kassander, Olympias, etc.) from previous titles. As the timeline progresses, she adds a host of new characters (Eurydike, Perdikkas, etc). Yet there is no one to whom we are particularly attached by the writing. Previous titles entranced us with Alexander himself, Hephaestion, Philip and Olympias. We were led into an affection for Bagaos, but hardly knew Alexander’s generals who drive the division of the kingdom to the winds.
As the implications of Alexander’s death and subsequent successions explodes like a pandora’s box, Funeral Games lacks focus on the development of any character. Instead of personal relational dynamic (including sexual overtones) between the principles, Renault routinely sacrifices them to moving the story along through the tirade of historical events. Even Bagaos (previously presented as Alexander’s favorite but otherwise lacking standing) and Alexander’s sister, Kleopatra, (aspiring to save to her own skin and avoid returning to her domineering mother Olympias), are abandoned to account the outcomes of other persons and provinces. Ptolomy, who is clearly a Renault darling, is left in Egypt as events flow through Asia Minor to Macedon. The story has lost heart. The spell of Renault’s writing is broken.
As fiction, Renault’s writing and plotting in Funeral Games lacks the brilliance of previous titles in this series. It is as if her gift died with Alexander. And perhaps that is the reality principle behind this fictional account. Alexander inspired, lead and goaded everyone around him into accomplishing more than any could on their own, indeed, more than any thought possible. Then, Alexander, demi-god that he was, sunk to mortality through death – an early, premature death, for which he had not prepared himself, or his family, or his kingdom. The music stopped when the snake charmer died. The snakes had no one to call forth their beauty into entrancing dance, leaving only their savagery to direct future actions. Because of the excellence of the writing prior, this is the type of book that you must read to complete the trilogy, but I found it rather forgettable in comparison.
You can read my summary review of the series, here
Alexander the Great Trilogy, Mary Renault, 1969-1981
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
Funeral Games crosses the empire to report on various key players and events. In particular, Ptolomy emerges as a favorite, as Renault tours protagonists (Alexander, Bagoas, Ptolomy, Roxane, Eumenes, etc.) and antagonists (Meleager, Kassander, Olympias, etc.) from previous titles. As the timeline progresses, she adds a host of new characters (Eurydike, Perdikkas, etc). Yet there is no one to whom we are particularly attached by the writing. Previous titles entranced us with Alexander himself, Hephaestion, Philip and Olympias. We were led into an affection for Bagaos, but hardly knew Alexander’s generals who drive the division of the kingdom to the winds.
As the implications of Alexander’s death and subsequent successions explodes like a pandora’s box, Funeral Games lacks focus on the development of any character. Instead of personal relational dynamic (including sexual overtones) between the principles, Renault routinely sacrifices them to moving the story along through the tirade of historical events. Even Bagaos (previously presented as Alexander’s favorite but otherwise lacking standing) and Alexander’s sister, Kleopatra, (aspiring to save to her own skin and avoid returning to her domineering mother Olympias), are abandoned to account the outcomes of other persons and provinces. Ptolomy, who is clearly a Renault darling, is left in Egypt as events flow through Asia Minor to Macedon. The story has lost heart. The spell of Renault’s writing is broken.
As fiction, Renault’s writing and plotting in Funeral Games lacks the brilliance of previous titles in this series. It is as if her gift died with Alexander. And perhaps that is the reality principle behind this fictional account. Alexander inspired, lead and goaded everyone around him into accomplishing more than any could on their own, indeed, more than any thought possible. Then, Alexander, demi-god that he was, sunk to mortality through death – an early, premature death, for which he had not prepared himself, or his family, or his kingdom. The music stopped when the snake charmer died. The snakes had no one to call forth their beauty into entrancing dance, leaving only their savagery to direct future actions. Because of the excellence of the writing prior, this is the type of book that you must read to complete the trilogy, but I found it rather forgettable in comparison.
You can read my summary review of the series, here
Alexander the Great Trilogy, Mary Renault, 1969-1981
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
...more
Notes are private!
1
Oct 03, 2021
Oct 29, 2021
Aug 26, 2020
Paperback
0375726829
9780375726828
0375726829
3.96
9,572
Jun 1969
Jun 11, 2002
really liked it
I made a mistake, giving this to my pubescent teen. I now realized someone recommended Mary RAY’s ancient history, not Mary RENAULT. Oops. My son is f
I made a mistake, giving this to my pubescent teen. I now realized someone recommended Mary RAY’s ancient history, not Mary RENAULT. Oops. My son is fascinated by Alexander the Great and was interested, so I approved the read. He told me he did not think it was what I thought, and I found out he was correct when I read it months later. Parent fail. Do not make my same mistake and confuse this book with Mary Ray’s, whose first book in series is A Tent for the Sun (Corinth in Roman Empire Sequence #1), 1971. Ray’s work centers on cities, not historical characters, and I could not find her Ancient Greek books in series format or that she wrote a book about Alexander specifically.
Meanwhile, Mary Renault is known for her attention to Greek history and culture. Fire From Heaven provides insight into Macedonian tribalism (including how it differed from Greek culture), and why King Phillip of Macedon worked for decades seeking Athenian approval for a pan-Greek alliance. Renault’s settings are luxuriously drawn with close attention to sun washed Greek geography. It would be fun to read this as a mini-Greek vacation and look up the sites online as Renault describes them! Alexander himself is a compelling study, even as a boy, which is where this story begins. His mysterious mother, Olympias, and powerful father, Philip of Macedon, are explored in context of their relationship with each other, their times, and their son. The author provides additional insight to her decisions on historical timelines, perspectives, and characters in the End Notes.
I must highlight the final scene. Vividly drawn, the scene takes the strong foreground events and characters and complements them with all the background themes and sociopolitical context that merge into King Philip’s demise. I think it is a scene that will stay with me whenever I think of the historical events in the future. Exquisite writing.
However, Renault is also known for sexual themes which present idealized homosexuality and pederasty (though the latter does not figure directly in Alexander’s storyline). If this title is not in the While both were common in Macedon and Greece, the author states in her End Notes that we do not know how these themes played out in Alexander’s life. Did Alexander participate in homosexual ceremonies/ imagery because he was having a long affair with his friend, Hephaestion, or merely because it was common in his culture? Writers, particularly historical fiction writers, study the past because something resonates in our soul. Mary Renault studied Alexander and found echoes of her lesbian awakening, but we will NOT know until eternity the actual lines of Alexander’s personality or experience. What we do know is that Renault presents Alexander’s sexual awakening as a homosexual one and uses her characters to idealize, normalize and defend homosexual practices.
The exploration of Greek sexual practices reminded me strongly of Matthew Rueger’s Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Rueger examines sexual ethics from the perspective of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians, showing convergence and divergence among them. Rueger also demonstrates how the sexual morality of today is bending back to Greco-Roman worldviews, which Renault embraces in this first book on Alexander. Fire From Heaven draws a skillful illustration of Greek cultural mores in practice including how they may have shaped Alexander. Reading the two may be helpful to young adults/ adults.
I cannot deny this is an excellent novel for many of the reasons above and I’m looking forward to reading the next book of the trilogy. However, it is not a worldview that I embrace. Therefore, I am hesitant to recommend Fire from Heaven.
There’s more!
The Persian Boy (Alexander The Great #2), Renault, 1972
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sexual Morality in a Christless World, Matthew Rueger, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For more on Mary Renault and the impact of her writing, see this eulogy written by Daniel Mendelsohn, a correspondent of Renault’s, after her death.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
A Tent for the Sun, (Roman Empire Sequence #1), Ray, 1971
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bethlehem Books Mary Ray Author Biography Page…
https://bethlehembooks.com/content/ma... ...more
Meanwhile, Mary Renault is known for her attention to Greek history and culture. Fire From Heaven provides insight into Macedonian tribalism (including how it differed from Greek culture), and why King Phillip of Macedon worked for decades seeking Athenian approval for a pan-Greek alliance. Renault’s settings are luxuriously drawn with close attention to sun washed Greek geography. It would be fun to read this as a mini-Greek vacation and look up the sites online as Renault describes them! Alexander himself is a compelling study, even as a boy, which is where this story begins. His mysterious mother, Olympias, and powerful father, Philip of Macedon, are explored in context of their relationship with each other, their times, and their son. The author provides additional insight to her decisions on historical timelines, perspectives, and characters in the End Notes.
I must highlight the final scene. Vividly drawn, the scene takes the strong foreground events and characters and complements them with all the background themes and sociopolitical context that merge into King Philip’s demise. I think it is a scene that will stay with me whenever I think of the historical events in the future. Exquisite writing.
However, Renault is also known for sexual themes which present idealized homosexuality and pederasty (though the latter does not figure directly in Alexander’s storyline). If this title is not in the While both were common in Macedon and Greece, the author states in her End Notes that we do not know how these themes played out in Alexander’s life. Did Alexander participate in homosexual ceremonies/ imagery because he was having a long affair with his friend, Hephaestion, or merely because it was common in his culture? Writers, particularly historical fiction writers, study the past because something resonates in our soul. Mary Renault studied Alexander and found echoes of her lesbian awakening, but we will NOT know until eternity the actual lines of Alexander’s personality or experience. What we do know is that Renault presents Alexander’s sexual awakening as a homosexual one and uses her characters to idealize, normalize and defend homosexual practices.
The exploration of Greek sexual practices reminded me strongly of Matthew Rueger’s Sexual Morality in a Christless World. Rueger examines sexual ethics from the perspective of the Greeks, the Romans, the Jews and the Christians, showing convergence and divergence among them. Rueger also demonstrates how the sexual morality of today is bending back to Greco-Roman worldviews, which Renault embraces in this first book on Alexander. Fire From Heaven draws a skillful illustration of Greek cultural mores in practice including how they may have shaped Alexander. Reading the two may be helpful to young adults/ adults.
I cannot deny this is an excellent novel for many of the reasons above and I’m looking forward to reading the next book of the trilogy. However, it is not a worldview that I embrace. Therefore, I am hesitant to recommend Fire from Heaven.
There’s more!
The Persian Boy (Alexander The Great #2), Renault, 1972
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Sexual Morality in a Christless World, Matthew Rueger, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
For more on Mary Renault and the impact of her writing, see this eulogy written by Daniel Mendelsohn, a correspondent of Renault’s, after her death.
https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/20...
A Tent for the Sun, (Roman Empire Sequence #1), Ray, 1971
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Bethlehem Books Mary Ray Author Biography Page…
https://bethlehembooks.com/content/ma... ...more
Notes are private!
1
Aug 26, 2020
Sep 16, 2020
Aug 26, 2020
Paperback
0758656394
9780758656391
B01GP8H83M
4.43
75
unknown
Jun 28, 2016
it was amazing
Pastor Matthew Rueger takes a unique approach in examining contemporary sexual mores by beginning his analysis in ancient Rome (with it's Greek roots)
Pastor Matthew Rueger takes a unique approach in examining contemporary sexual mores by beginning his analysis in ancient Rome (with it's Greek roots), demonstrating the LGBTQ+ worldview being promoted today is, in fact, a return to ancient culture.
Before I start a full review, I want to give a cautionary note for parents and teachers. This book arose after Pastor Rueger was ‘drafted’ to present a Christian perspective (as an opposing voice) on sexual ethics for a class at the University of Iowa, which became a regular occurrence each semester. Therefore, Rueger’s target audience is college students, those preparing to go to college, and adults interacting with them, although there is clear benefit to his work for all adults who are interested in engaging the topics. Parents and teachers will need to be cautious about when students have both the need and the maturity to engage these topics. Not only are sexual ethics personal and inclined to privacy, but the wickedness (sexual abuse of minors, rape, sexual slavery, etc.), though rationally and factually discussed, is painful to read and could be triggering to those who have experienced sexual trauma.
“My desire in writing this book is to help Christians engage the world in reasoned discussion.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 7)
In Chapter 1, Rueger dives right into the dark pool of Roman worldview as applied to sexual relations. For those unfamiliar with pederasty, prostitution (male & female, religious and secular), glorification of the young male form as the sexual ideal for powerful men, promiscuity, corruption of emperors and senators, and views on the general inferiority of women, the chapter on Rome discusses the exploitative and predatory sexual practices of the penultimate ancient empire, as well as its Greek roots.
Chapter 2 moves to the Jewish context from which Christianity was birthed. He articulates how the Old Testament Scriptures fed the famous rabbis, Hillel and Shammai, who debated how faithful Jews should live out its directives. Eventually, these oral traditions were recorded in the Midrash, which Rueger uses as his primary text for expositing the Jewish perspective on polygamous marriage, penalties for sexual abuse (including abuse of children ☹), and the role and value of women.
Only after laying this foundation does Rueger begin to exposit in Chapter 3 how New Testament sexual ethics were transformational in ancient cultures. Jesus and the apostle Paul, supported by other the New Testament authors, advocated a revolution in sexual ethics. The Christian teaching on sex was distinct from both Roman and Jewish worldviews in which it emerged. Four principles stand out from Rueger’s discussion.
1) Marriage is between one man and one woman for life.
2) The elevation of women as equals before God in marriage.
3) All sexual activity outside marriage as defined was immoral, a sin against God (who made humanity and sex) and a sin against fellow humans who engaged in it illicitly.
4) All people, even those who commit sexual sins, are being called by God to repentence and redemption through Jesus Christ. There is a way forward out of sexual sin to peace with God and others.
Please note that what was revolutionary was not only Jesus, Paul and the New Testament authors taught about sex and sexual immorality, but also what it taught about God's radical redemption of sexual sinners.
“The [actual passages in the Bible about sex] present a message about true love tied to God’s saving love. They warn about the consequences of breaking God’s design not with the spirit of a militant protestor shouting through a bullhorn, but with the spirit of a concerned Father whose wisdom exceeds that of His children. The truth of the Father’s wisdom has proven itself through millenia as these apostolic and prophetic words have been repeated to countless generations. Christians need not fear quoting the Bible as they debate the sexual immorality of our age. Both the letter of God’s Word and the spirit of grace enfolded with His Word remain relevant and effective in standing against the dehumanizing effects of sexual hedonism.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 95-96)
Chapter 4 addresses the challenges of those with same sex attraction both inside and outside the church, as well as the role of the church in reaching out with God’s message of love and protection. The examination of Jesus’ teaching on eunuchs from Matthew 19 is outstanding. Rueger also discusses the pressure on children to identify themselves in sexual terms both at young ages prior to puberty and especially throughout puberty. He explains how censuring Biblical sexual ethics, conferring advantages upon those who deviate from humanity’s sexual design, advocating legitimacy of deviant impulses over conforming impulses and promoting false immutability of sexual preferences are being used to mold the culture to not only a rejection of Biblical teaching, but also a return to Roman hedonism.
Chapter 5 brings forth common views opposing the Biblical position Rueger has developed in Chapters 3 and 4. Drawing from his experience engaging college students in discussion on these topics, Rueger faithfully and rationally recounts common objections to his position. Rueger expounds on Biblical passages, but also examines social science studies and provides helpful historical timelines.
“When I first began my doctoral studies, my advisor offered me the advice, “Beware the sound of one hand clapping.” What he meant was that both sides of an argument need to be considered. It is bad scholarship to try to make one’s point without giving serious consideration to the other side of the debate. I have listened to the proponents of homosexuality as they have made their case for acceptance, heard their objections to my position, and invited discussion and disagreement. I have read articles and books that are contrary to Christian sexual ethics all in an attempt to listen to both hands clapping… Approaching the other side with hostility creates an atmosphere where all one will hear is the sound of one hand clapping. If Christians are going to debate this issue effectively, they have to listen to the other side.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 119-120)
Rueger’s ability to take complex concepts (both for and against his position) and examine them simply, logically and concisely is impressive. This is a meaty work on highly charged issues in today’s culture, and yet it clocks in at 178 pages!
There are a couple weaknesses worth mentioning. I was distracted by the presentation of the book. The abstract cover is appropriate given the topic but out of harmony with the quality of work presented. Additionally, the choice of a squiggly, informal font for headings such as “Pederasty” and “Sex and Children” was disconcerting. Rueger’s work is a tremendous contribution to public discourse, but I hope future editions will revise the presentation away from the cute-sy informal.
Another weakness is that Rueger is focused on homosexuality. Based on his writing and male gender, most of Rueger’s personal engagement with these issues (outside of the university) seems to be with homosexual men. Some reference is made to lesbians, particularly in social science studies. Even though the book was published recently in 2016, transgender issues have seized the forefront of sexual ethics debate in the USA as I am reading in 2020, and Rueger alludes to but does not engage the extension at all. In the LGBTQ+ arena Rueger doesn’t seem to go much beyond the G, though many of his concepts and arguments would be applicable (such as “born this way”, “orientation as identity”, and “false immutability”, etc.). I would like to see future editions either address these classes with their own points directly or at least reference the application of articulated arguments to them.
This book is part of our home library and is highly recommended to adults. While our children may not be ready for it in its entirety until they prepare for university, I feel equipped to engage them in discussion on certain points as they arise. Rueger has given us robust grace and truth in an approachable, concise and well-organized package. I recommend purchasing the book to read, re-read and share.
For illustration of Greek morality, see Mary Renault’s historical fiction about the life of Alexander the Great, which is heavy on sexual themes and brilliant on historical timeline,
Fire from Heaven, Renault, 1969
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Before I start a full review, I want to give a cautionary note for parents and teachers. This book arose after Pastor Rueger was ‘drafted’ to present a Christian perspective (as an opposing voice) on sexual ethics for a class at the University of Iowa, which became a regular occurrence each semester. Therefore, Rueger’s target audience is college students, those preparing to go to college, and adults interacting with them, although there is clear benefit to his work for all adults who are interested in engaging the topics. Parents and teachers will need to be cautious about when students have both the need and the maturity to engage these topics. Not only are sexual ethics personal and inclined to privacy, but the wickedness (sexual abuse of minors, rape, sexual slavery, etc.), though rationally and factually discussed, is painful to read and could be triggering to those who have experienced sexual trauma.
“My desire in writing this book is to help Christians engage the world in reasoned discussion.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 7)
In Chapter 1, Rueger dives right into the dark pool of Roman worldview as applied to sexual relations. For those unfamiliar with pederasty, prostitution (male & female, religious and secular), glorification of the young male form as the sexual ideal for powerful men, promiscuity, corruption of emperors and senators, and views on the general inferiority of women, the chapter on Rome discusses the exploitative and predatory sexual practices of the penultimate ancient empire, as well as its Greek roots.
Chapter 2 moves to the Jewish context from which Christianity was birthed. He articulates how the Old Testament Scriptures fed the famous rabbis, Hillel and Shammai, who debated how faithful Jews should live out its directives. Eventually, these oral traditions were recorded in the Midrash, which Rueger uses as his primary text for expositing the Jewish perspective on polygamous marriage, penalties for sexual abuse (including abuse of children ☹), and the role and value of women.
Only after laying this foundation does Rueger begin to exposit in Chapter 3 how New Testament sexual ethics were transformational in ancient cultures. Jesus and the apostle Paul, supported by other the New Testament authors, advocated a revolution in sexual ethics. The Christian teaching on sex was distinct from both Roman and Jewish worldviews in which it emerged. Four principles stand out from Rueger’s discussion.
1) Marriage is between one man and one woman for life.
2) The elevation of women as equals before God in marriage.
3) All sexual activity outside marriage as defined was immoral, a sin against God (who made humanity and sex) and a sin against fellow humans who engaged in it illicitly.
4) All people, even those who commit sexual sins, are being called by God to repentence and redemption through Jesus Christ. There is a way forward out of sexual sin to peace with God and others.
Please note that what was revolutionary was not only Jesus, Paul and the New Testament authors taught about sex and sexual immorality, but also what it taught about God's radical redemption of sexual sinners.
“The [actual passages in the Bible about sex] present a message about true love tied to God’s saving love. They warn about the consequences of breaking God’s design not with the spirit of a militant protestor shouting through a bullhorn, but with the spirit of a concerned Father whose wisdom exceeds that of His children. The truth of the Father’s wisdom has proven itself through millenia as these apostolic and prophetic words have been repeated to countless generations. Christians need not fear quoting the Bible as they debate the sexual immorality of our age. Both the letter of God’s Word and the spirit of grace enfolded with His Word remain relevant and effective in standing against the dehumanizing effects of sexual hedonism.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 95-96)
Chapter 4 addresses the challenges of those with same sex attraction both inside and outside the church, as well as the role of the church in reaching out with God’s message of love and protection. The examination of Jesus’ teaching on eunuchs from Matthew 19 is outstanding. Rueger also discusses the pressure on children to identify themselves in sexual terms both at young ages prior to puberty and especially throughout puberty. He explains how censuring Biblical sexual ethics, conferring advantages upon those who deviate from humanity’s sexual design, advocating legitimacy of deviant impulses over conforming impulses and promoting false immutability of sexual preferences are being used to mold the culture to not only a rejection of Biblical teaching, but also a return to Roman hedonism.
Chapter 5 brings forth common views opposing the Biblical position Rueger has developed in Chapters 3 and 4. Drawing from his experience engaging college students in discussion on these topics, Rueger faithfully and rationally recounts common objections to his position. Rueger expounds on Biblical passages, but also examines social science studies and provides helpful historical timelines.
“When I first began my doctoral studies, my advisor offered me the advice, “Beware the sound of one hand clapping.” What he meant was that both sides of an argument need to be considered. It is bad scholarship to try to make one’s point without giving serious consideration to the other side of the debate. I have listened to the proponents of homosexuality as they have made their case for acceptance, heard their objections to my position, and invited discussion and disagreement. I have read articles and books that are contrary to Christian sexual ethics all in an attempt to listen to both hands clapping… Approaching the other side with hostility creates an atmosphere where all one will hear is the sound of one hand clapping. If Christians are going to debate this issue effectively, they have to listen to the other side.” (Sexual Immorality in a Christless World, Rueger, pg 119-120)
Rueger’s ability to take complex concepts (both for and against his position) and examine them simply, logically and concisely is impressive. This is a meaty work on highly charged issues in today’s culture, and yet it clocks in at 178 pages!
There are a couple weaknesses worth mentioning. I was distracted by the presentation of the book. The abstract cover is appropriate given the topic but out of harmony with the quality of work presented. Additionally, the choice of a squiggly, informal font for headings such as “Pederasty” and “Sex and Children” was disconcerting. Rueger’s work is a tremendous contribution to public discourse, but I hope future editions will revise the presentation away from the cute-sy informal.
Another weakness is that Rueger is focused on homosexuality. Based on his writing and male gender, most of Rueger’s personal engagement with these issues (outside of the university) seems to be with homosexual men. Some reference is made to lesbians, particularly in social science studies. Even though the book was published recently in 2016, transgender issues have seized the forefront of sexual ethics debate in the USA as I am reading in 2020, and Rueger alludes to but does not engage the extension at all. In the LGBTQ+ arena Rueger doesn’t seem to go much beyond the G, though many of his concepts and arguments would be applicable (such as “born this way”, “orientation as identity”, and “false immutability”, etc.). I would like to see future editions either address these classes with their own points directly or at least reference the application of articulated arguments to them.
This book is part of our home library and is highly recommended to adults. While our children may not be ready for it in its entirety until they prepare for university, I feel equipped to engage them in discussion on certain points as they arise. Rueger has given us robust grace and truth in an approachable, concise and well-organized package. I recommend purchasing the book to read, re-read and share.
For illustration of Greek morality, see Mary Renault’s historical fiction about the life of Alexander the Great, which is heavy on sexual themes and brilliant on historical timeline,
Fire from Heaven, Renault, 1969
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
May 06, 2020
Jun 2020
May 06, 2020
0142402249
9780142402245
0142402249
4.00
7,504
1942
Oct 05, 2006
liked it
Imagine it is 1940. The second coming of international conflict in the young century has sprung again from Europe as German blitzkrieg advances unoppo
Imagine it is 1940. The second coming of international conflict in the young century has sprung again from Europe as German blitzkrieg advances unopposed. The press has reported a large shipment of Norwegian gold bullion was smuggled out of occupied Norway and safely banked in the United States. The Norwegian people have conserved their federal reserve while preventing their enemy from using it against them. This is the foundation background upon which Marie McSwigan built her children’s adventure, Snow Treasure.
It is easy to imagine how this historical fiction account, published in 1942, captured the allied world’s attention when the US was months into the conflict (having entered in December of 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor). At the height of the war, when the Nazi defeat was in no way assured, children (and their parents and teachers!) were inspired by the courageous resourcefulness of the Norwegian youngsters in sledding the gold bricks past Nazi guards.
Although the sense of peril for both the adults and the youngsters is real, Snow Treasure side steps the gruesome aspects of Nazi oppression. The battle for Norway, though it claims men of soldiering age, is far away from the idyllic ice of mountainous villages. The small communities do not count Jewish families among them. The bitter winter contains the intruding Nazi soldiers in their base along the coast; though they do make demands upon the towns, they are easily worked around as the foreigners have little resource to enforce their will. Snow, ice and cold wrap the mountain in the dampen sound of an extended winter. As you might guess, it makes a wonderful winter read!
These aspects of the story render it a gentle introduction to the Nazi expansion while shielding younger readers from its full horror. Meanwhile, it encourages the reader that distressed locals found creative means to work against the Nazis in patriotic support of their beloved homeland. Introduction to Norwegian geography, culture and climate are also benefits of the book. Giving a journalistic account, McSwigan writes in corporeal figures. Snow Treasure doesn’t have the intonation or introspection of a literary novel, but it is a solid start for young or sensitive children encountering WWII, and an enjoyable adventure for older students. Recommended. ...more
It is easy to imagine how this historical fiction account, published in 1942, captured the allied world’s attention when the US was months into the conflict (having entered in December of 1941 after the attack on Pearl Harbor). At the height of the war, when the Nazi defeat was in no way assured, children (and their parents and teachers!) were inspired by the courageous resourcefulness of the Norwegian youngsters in sledding the gold bricks past Nazi guards.
Although the sense of peril for both the adults and the youngsters is real, Snow Treasure side steps the gruesome aspects of Nazi oppression. The battle for Norway, though it claims men of soldiering age, is far away from the idyllic ice of mountainous villages. The small communities do not count Jewish families among them. The bitter winter contains the intruding Nazi soldiers in their base along the coast; though they do make demands upon the towns, they are easily worked around as the foreigners have little resource to enforce their will. Snow, ice and cold wrap the mountain in the dampen sound of an extended winter. As you might guess, it makes a wonderful winter read!
These aspects of the story render it a gentle introduction to the Nazi expansion while shielding younger readers from its full horror. Meanwhile, it encourages the reader that distressed locals found creative means to work against the Nazis in patriotic support of their beloved homeland. Introduction to Norwegian geography, culture and climate are also benefits of the book. Giving a journalistic account, McSwigan writes in corporeal figures. Snow Treasure doesn’t have the intonation or introspection of a literary novel, but it is a solid start for young or sensitive children encountering WWII, and an enjoyable adventure for older students. Recommended. ...more
Notes are private!
1
Jan 11, 2020
Feb 04, 2020
Jan 11, 2020
Paperback
1613281552
9781613281550
1613281552
4.54
68
unknown
Oct 18, 2016
really liked it
This hardcover volume includes previously published titles: The Beginning (Genesis 1-11 & Job), The Patriarchs (Genesis 12-49), The Ten Commandments (
This hardcover volume includes previously published titles: The Beginning (Genesis 1-11 & Job), The Patriarchs (Genesis 12-49), The Ten Commandments (Exodus, Numbers and Joshua), The Judges (Judges & Ruth), and The Kings I (1 & 2 Samuel with Psalm 33), for a total of 39 stories.
For a detailed review of the entire series, see
Kingstone Bible Trilogy, Ayris & Avery & Pearl et al, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There's more! The next book in the series is...
The Kingstone Bible Trilogy Book #2, Ayris & Avery et al, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
For a detailed review of the entire series, see
Kingstone Bible Trilogy, Ayris & Avery & Pearl et al, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
There's more! The next book in the series is...
The Kingstone Bible Trilogy Book #2, Ayris & Avery et al, 2016
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more
Notes are private!
1
not set
Sep 06, 2019
Aug 01, 2019
Hardcover
1683691415
9781683691419
1683691415
4.36
234
Sep 24, 2019
Sep 24, 2019
Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a ca Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a casual style that often includes an undertone of sarcasm. Kid Legends is not as far over the edge or a busy as the “You Wouldn’t Want to be…” series, which I find annoying, but they use a little zest with the subject matter. This upbeat tone, even in the accounting of serious childhood struggles, maintains the positive message that all will come out okay for these kids who grow to be adults that make famous contributions to society. Each title (be it Kid Presidents, Kid Scientists, or Kid Authors) maintains a narrow focus on the childhood of the subjects, avoiding adult lives, and is even a little neglectful of their accomplishments as they sidestep any assessments of their talent, work, life or death. And there is the rub. While the books are fantastic at encouraging kids that the struggles of childhood are common through these enticing biographies, several of the subjects are inappropriate for children to engage with at this stage of their lives. Yet students laugh out loud, want to share tidbits, and thoroughly enjoy these titles. Even better, they are challenged to explore their own passions and interests!
Kid Activists Review....
...more
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a ca Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a casual style that often includes an undertone of sarcasm. Kid Legends is not as far over the edge or a busy as the “You Wouldn’t Want to be…” series, which I find annoying, but they use a little zest with the subject matter. This upbeat tone, even in the accounting of serious childhood struggles, maintains the positive message that all will come out okay for these kids who grow to be adults that make famous contributions to society. Each title (be it Kid Presidents, Kid Scientists, or Kid Authors) maintains a narrow focus on the childhood of the subjects, avoiding adult lives, and is even a little neglectful of their accomplishments as they sidestep any assessments of their talent, work, life or death. And there is the rub. While the books are fantastic at encouraging kids that the struggles of childhood are common through these enticing biographies, several of the subjects are inappropriate for children to engage with at this stage of their lives. Yet students laugh out loud, want to share tidbits, and thoroughly enjoy these titles. Even better, they are challenged to explore their own passions and interests!
Kid Activists Review....
...more
Notes are private!
1
not set
not set
May 03, 2019
Hardcover
1683690745
9781683690740
1683690745
4.34
293
Oct 09, 2018
Oct 09, 2018
liked it
Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a ca Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a casual style that often includes an undertone of sarcasm. Kid Legends is not as far over the edge or a busy as the “You Wouldn’t Want to be…” series, which I find annoying, but they use a little zest with the subject matter. This upbeat tone, even in the accounting of serious childhood struggles, maintains the positive message that all will come out okay for these kids who grow to be adults that make famous contributions to society. Each title (be it Kid Presidents, Kid Scientists, or Kid Authors) maintains a narrow focus on the childhood of the subjects, avoiding adult lives, and is even a little neglectful of their accomplishments as they sidestep any assessments of their talent, work, life or death. And there is the rub. While the books are fantastic at encouraging kids that the struggles of childhood are common through these enticing biographies, several of the subjects are inappropriate for children to engage with at this stage of their lives. Yet students laugh out loud, want to share tidbits, and thoroughly enjoy these titles. Even better, they are challenged to explore their own passions and interests!
Kid Scientists review coming.... ...more
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a ca Kid Legends Series review…
Kid Legends is a multi-author, multi-illustrator series that is a big hit with students. The text and illustration have a casual style that often includes an undertone of sarcasm. Kid Legends is not as far over the edge or a busy as the “You Wouldn’t Want to be…” series, which I find annoying, but they use a little zest with the subject matter. This upbeat tone, even in the accounting of serious childhood struggles, maintains the positive message that all will come out okay for these kids who grow to be adults that make famous contributions to society. Each title (be it Kid Presidents, Kid Scientists, or Kid Authors) maintains a narrow focus on the childhood of the subjects, avoiding adult lives, and is even a little neglectful of their accomplishments as they sidestep any assessments of their talent, work, life or death. And there is the rub. While the books are fantastic at encouraging kids that the struggles of childhood are common through these enticing biographies, several of the subjects are inappropriate for children to engage with at this stage of their lives. Yet students laugh out loud, want to share tidbits, and thoroughly enjoy these titles. Even better, they are challenged to explore their own passions and interests!
Kid Scientists review coming.... ...more
Notes are private!
1
not set
not set
May 03, 2019
Hardcover
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