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| 1433570637
| 4.55
| 473
| unknown
| Oct 13, 2020
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really liked it
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Spurgeon's meditation on Zechariah 4:10, "For who hath despised the day of small things?" is an encouragement to the downtrodden. He specifically focu
Spurgeon's meditation on Zechariah 4:10, "For who hath despised the day of small things?" is an encouragement to the downtrodden. He specifically focus' on those of weak faith and those of working faith. You can read the sermon online here: https://archive.spurgeon.org/sermons/... ...more |
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May 29, 2024
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May 29, 2024
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| 1956267832
| 9781956267839
| 1956267832
| 4.00
| 6
| unknown
| Mar 28, 2023
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it was amazing
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McKevitt & Freckman’s Thinking Biblically and Purposefully About your Wealth is SOLID, CONCISE and WISE. SOLID: I was interested in their business aft McKevitt & Freckman’s Thinking Biblically and Purposefully About your Wealth is SOLID, CONCISE and WISE. SOLID: I was interested in their business after learning both men were Certified Kingdom Advisors, but I didn’t know whether their theology was merely a methodical implementation of the training (perhaps a business move?) or the foundation of the Purposeful Wealth Experience they designed. - If you want to know more about the Kingdom Advisors program to seek certification as a Financial Planner or to locate an advisor in your area, see https://kingdomadvisors.com/find-a-cka - As I had hoped, the book clarified that they have built their entire business (which does not discriminate/ is accessible to believers and non-believers alike) on Biblical principles. Passages chosen and principles articulated demonstrate searching the Scriptures over time to inform, mold and clarify their own decisions and their financial planning work. The first chapters indicate that 1 Timothy 6:6 “Godliness with contentment is great gain” and the Parable of the Rich Man were especially influential in McKevitt & Freckman’s journey toward a Biblical perspective on financial planning. Luke 12:16-20 NASB 16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a rich man was very productive. 17 And he began thinking to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and I will store all my grain and my goods there. 19 And I will say to [a]myself, “You have many goods stored up for many years to come; relax, eat, drink, and enjoy yourself!”’ 20 But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night [b]your soul is demanded of you; and as for all that you have prepared, who will own it now?’ 21 Such is the one who stores up treasure for himself, and is not rich in relation to God.” I appreciated that when the book moves toward practical implementation, Messrs. McKevitt & Freckman focus on the guidance of Biblical Principles for clients to implement according to their own convictions. For example, they provide principles from Scripture on things like investing, ministry resources (time & money), managing debt, tithing/ offering/ giving, retirement, and estate planning, that each individual/ couple needs to work out how to implement in their own unique circumstances. They present their role as decision facilitators, not decision makers. CONCISE: It’s amazing this book is only 123 pages. The information has depth, but the authors demonstrate a humility in acknowledging the hardest work is the purposeful implementation of these principles by their clients and the numerous options that they as advisors provide for their clients’ consideration. The reading level is not difficult. Chapters are short, under 15 pages. Font is large. Layout is spacious, allowing space for pull out quotes and white space (margins and chapter end pages) for notes. Also, a simple but effective chart with two columns, “Default Financial Planning” – a worldly approach, and “Biblically & Purposefully” – a Biblically foundational approach, are contrasted through briefly summarized contrasting points organized into rows. WISE: The authors give snapshots of implementation of these principles by and with their clients, and in their own lives. They also cover anthropologic theology particularly as it relates to work (generation of wealth), retirement (the off ramp of wealth generation and beginning of draw down), and inheritance (what happens to what you leave behind?). I also appreciated that they don’t get bogged down in complicated details. For example, many systems advocate for laborious budget management, which we find exhausting, overly focused on money, and difficult to get any momentum around maintaining when life’s stressful storms blow through. McKevitt & Freckman have developed a way to measure the impact of your spending and facilitate adjustments, without requiring a regular Quicken report on your entire life. Certainly, there is a place for documenting the details in areas where you want to make a change, but I appreciated the approach to limiting that so that it does not takeover your focus or overtake your resources (see pg. 65ff). There are a couple of items I would like to discuss with the authors, not because I necessarily have a disagreement with them, but because the book is written to provoke purposeful implementation. This is another wise strength of the work; it successfully stimulated a great deal of productive discussion with my spouse. Specifically, I have some questions about their proposed general investment strategy, which focuses on indexed funds (“Principle #2: Own it all” pg 77ff). My concerns center around the destructive impact of ESG on the health of companies (and their returns), and whether or not there are options that avoid this destructive concept. For more on ESG, see this review of Paul H Tice’s book, The Race to Zero: How ESG Investing Will Crater the Global Financial System (published February 2024). https://lawliberty.org/book-review/ho... Additionally, in the section on Legacy, I felt the section on Financial Legacy wasn’t as tight as the rest of the book. McKevitt & Freckman are still young men and it could be that their ideas here are not as practiced as those that come earlier in our financial lives. Principles for stewardship were somewhat ambivalent from the surprising idea to avoid treating all inheritors/ children the same to the discussion of giving according to a child’s need (yes, surprise! a Marxist principle!) contrasted with giving according to an inheritor’s competence. The book closes with citations and helpful recommendations for additional reading. I strongly recommend this work and will be purchasing copies to give as gifts to friends and family. For more on McKevitt & Freckman, see their business page: https://gf-wealth.com/ For more on where theology and economy meet, see: Money, Greed, and God: Why Capitalism is the Solution and Not the Problem, Jay Richards, 2009 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
Notes are private!
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1
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Feb 16, 2024
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Sep 18, 2024
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Feb 16, 2024
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Paperback
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| 0525467262
| 9780525467267
| 0525467262
| 4.38
| 378,766
| Oct 14, 1926
| Oct 01, 2001
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it was amazing
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What can I say? A classic. A worthy transition from read-aloud picture books to chapter books. A family favorite, wise beyond the children's years. Th
What can I say? A classic. A worthy transition from read-aloud picture books to chapter books. A family favorite, wise beyond the children's years. The older I get, the more times I travel these stories and pages, the more I appreciate their depth and light. The final story, when Christopher Robin goes away from the 100 Acre Wood, is one of the saddest I've ever read. I cannot get through it without crying. If I was buying today, I would purchase this version. For the history behind the story, there were two delightful picture books published in 2015. Reviews here: Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World's Most Famous Bear, Mattick, 2015 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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not set
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not set
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Sep 14, 2022
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Hardcover
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| 1433580047
| 9781433580048
| 1433580047
| 4.39
| 285
| unknown
| May 10, 2022
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it was amazing
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After reading Simonetta Carr’s excellent biography of B.B. Warfield, I wanted to read some of his work in his own thoughts. Though it does not mention
After reading Simonetta Carr’s excellent biography of B.B. Warfield, I wanted to read some of his work in his own thoughts. Though it does not mention The Emotional Life of Our Lord specifically, I commend it to you as a thought provoking glimpse of Warfield’s brilliant work, most of which was completed at Princeton Theological Seminary (of Princeton, NJ). B.B. Warfield (Christian Biographies for Young Readers), Simonetta Carr, 2019 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Concurrently, I read Dane Ortlund’s Gentle and Lowly, which devotes Chapter 11 – The Emotional Life of Christ to this essay (The Emotional Life of our Lord) by Warfield, my assignment was clear. Gentle and Lowly: God’s Heart for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund, 2020 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Though you won't get the poignant introduction by Sinclair Ferguson (which reviewers seem to think worthwhile), you can read the text of The Emotional Life of Our Lord by Warfield online. The file I located contains 65 pages, which seems long. End Notes, which are basically annotated citations, are enumerated from pages 37-64, which both reduce the length of the main arguments and create many additional roads of thought to explore. Link here: https://www.monergism.com/thethreshol... For this review, I would like to lean in to Warfield’s writing to explain his line of reasoning in illuminating the emotional life of Jesus, what we can learn of Jesus and from Jesus. I’m merely summarizing the highlights of this read through. Warfield’s writing is dense and deep. I imagine I myself, as well as others, would be struck by various other themes or lines of reasoning if reading the essay at a different time in my life or in the future. As I said in the introduction and will say in the conclusion, I highly recommend you take the time to read the essay yourself as it is profoundly conceptualized and executed. Introduction Warfield wrestles with our human limitations in knowing a God-made-man, which are summarized in our tendency to go to extremes in conceptualization of Jesus. “There is a tendency in the interest of the dignity of his person to minimize, and there is a tendency in the interest of the completeness of his humanity to magnify, his affectional movements. The one tendency may run some risk of giving us a somewhat cold and remote Jesus, whom we can scarcely believe to be able to sympathize with us in all our infirmities. The other may possibly be in danger of offering us a Jesus so crassly human as scarcely to command our highest reverence. Between the two, the figure of Jesus is liable to take on a certain vagueness of outline, and come to lack definiteness in our thought.” B.B. Warfield “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. Compassion & Love In this section, Warfield explores the relationship between compassion (internal emotional orientation) and love (external sacrificial action). We have record of Jesus’ expression of love for God, for mankind, and for His people. Warfield also explores Jesus’ compassion toward all people and participation in the human affection of friendship with Mary, Martha and Lazarus. “In point of fact, this [compassion] is the emotion which is most frequently attributed to him. The term employed to express it was unknown to the Greek classics, and was perhaps a coinage of the Jewish dispersion. It first appears in common use in this sense, indeed, in the Synoptic Gospels, where it takes the place of the most inward classical word of this connotation. The Divine mercy has been defined as that essential perfection in God “whereby he pities and relieves the miseries of his creatures”: it includes, that is to say, the two parts of an internal movement of pity and an external act of beneficence. It is the internal movement of pity which is emphasized when our Lord is said to be “moved with compassion” as the term is sometimes excellently rendered in the English versions.” B.B. Warfield “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “No other term is employed by the New Testament writers directly to express our Lord’s compassion. But we read elsewhere of its manifestation in tears and sighs. The tears which wet his cheeks when, looking upon the uncontrolled grief of Mary and her companions, he advanced, with heart swelling with indignation at the outrage of death, to the conquest of the destroyer (Jno. xi. 35), were distinctly tears of sympathy. Even more clearly, his own unrestrained wailing over Jerusalem and its stubborn unbelief was the expression of the most poignant pity: “O that thou hadst known in this day, even thou, the things which belong unto peace” (Lk. xix. 41)!19 The sight of suffering drew tears from his eyes; obstinate unbelief convulsed him with uncontrollable grief. Similarly, when a man afflicted with dumbness and deafness was brought to him for healing we are only told that he “sighed”20 (Mk. vii. 34); but when the malignant unbelief of the Pharisees was brought home to him he “sighed from the bottom of his heart” (Mk. viii. 12).21 “Obstinate sin,” comments Swete appropriately, “drew from Christ a deeper sigh than the sight of suffering (Lk. vii. 34 and cf. Jno. xiii. 20), a sigh in which anger and sorrow both had a part (iii. 4 note). We may, at any rate, place the loud wailing over the stubborn unbelief of Jerusalem and the deep sighing over the Pharisees’ determined opposition side by side as exhibitions of the profound pain given to our Lord’s sympathetic heart, by those whose persistent rejection of him required at his hands his sternest reprobation. He “sighed from the bottom of his heart” when he declared, “There shall no sign be given this generation”; he wailed aloud when he announced, “The days shall come upon thee when thine enemies shall dash thee to the ground.” It hurt Jesus to hand over even hardened sinners to their doom.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. Indignation & Annoyance Going into reading this essay, the section on Indignation & Annoyance was particularly appealing to me, for two reasons. First of all, as previously stated, The Emotional Life of Our Lord came to my attention through it’s citation in: Gentle and Lowly: God’s Heart for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund, 2021 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Secondly, the topic of the Emotional Life of our Lord also interacts with a book I read through Lent 2022 entitled: Fight like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace through Holy Week, Jason Porterfield, 2022 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Warfield’s argumentation through this section is wisely concise. The three points that were particularly impactful to me were: 1) A pure being must be outraged by wickedness, particularly that which causes harm to His beloved children; 2) This holy rage Jesus experienced was not tempered by mercy or grace, His full experience of this emotional strain was a profound aspect of the insult of taking on humanness. 3) Only a God-Man could maintain a righteous anger and perfectly just judgement, wholly embodying both of what to the small mindedness of men look like contradictions. “Precisely what we mean by a moral being is a being perceptive of the difference between right and wrong and reacting appropriately to right and wrong perceived as such. The emotions of indignation and anger belong therefore to the very self-expression of a moral being as such and cannot be lacking to him in the presence of wrong. We should know, accordingly, without instruction that Jesus, living in the conditions of this earthly life under the curse of sin, could not fail to be the subject of the whole series of angry emotions, and we are not surprised that even in the brief and broken narratives of his life experiences which have been given to us, there have been preserved records of the manifestation in word and act of not a few of them.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “John modifies its external sense by annexed qualifications: “He raged in spirit,”“raging in himself”He thus interiorizes the term and gives us to understand that the ebullition of Jesus’ anger expended itself within him. Not that there was no manifestation of it: it must have been observable to be observed and recorded;57 it formed a marked feature of the occurrence as seen and heard.58 But John gives us to understand that the external expression of our Lord’s fury was markedly restrained: its manifestation fell far short of its real intensity…. What John does for us in this particular statement is to uncover to us the heart of Jesus, as he wins for us our salvation. Not in cold unconcern, but in flaming wrath against the foe, Jesus smites in our behalf. He has not only saved us from the evils which oppress us; he has felt for and with us in our oppression, and under the impulse of these feelings has wrought out our redemption.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “The holy resentment of Jesus has been made the subject of a famous chapter in Ecco Homo.The contention of this chapter is that he who loves men must needs hate with a burning hatred all that does wrong to human beings, and that, in point of fact, Jesus never wavered in his consistent resentment of the special wrong-doing which he was called upon to witness. The chapter announces as its thesis, indeed, the paradox that true mercy is no less the product of anger than of pity: that what differentiates the divine virtue of mercy from “the vice of insensibility” which is called “tolerance,” is just the under-lying presence of indignation. Thus — so the reasoning runs, — “the man who cannot be angry cannot be merciful,” and it was therefore precisely the anger of Christ which proved that the unbounded compassion he manifested to sinners “was really mercy and not mere tolerance.”” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. Joy & Sorrow Warfield’s illumination of Jesus’ joy in conquering was inspiring and filled me with hopeful worship. Also covered was a discussion of the emotions Jesus did NOT experience (for example, we have no record of Jesus feeling either awe in the divine presence or gratitude). With all this information and examination of Jesus’ emotional state, Warfield backs away from labeling the “temperament” or “personality” of the Messiah as Jesus handled His emotions with a purity we lack. He does however devote time to a discussion of the completeness of Jesus’ emotion (without division in his nature or experience, without passivity, etc), including their physical expression. It’s all fascinating. “In any event we must bear in mind that our Lord did not come into the world to be broken by the power of sin and death, but to break it. He came as a conqueror with the gladness of the imminent victory in his heart; for the joy set before him he was able to endure the cross, despising shame (Heb. xii. 2). And as he did not prosecute his work in doubt of the issue, neither did he prosecute it hesitantly as to its methods. He rather (so we are told, Lk. x. 21) “exulted in the Holy Spirit” as he contemplated the ways of God in bringing many sons to glory. The word is a strong one and conveys the idea of exuberant gladness, a gladness which fills the heart;77 and it is intimated that, on this occasion at least, this exultation was a product in Christ — and therefore in his human nature — of the operations of the Holy Spirit, whom we must suppose to have been always working in the human soul of Christ, sustaining and strengthening it.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “Meekness in our Lord was not a weak bearing of evils, but a strong forbearance in the presence of evil. It was not so much a fundamental characteristic of a nature constitutionally averse to asserting itself, as a voluntary submission of a strong person bent on an end. It did not, therefore, so much give way before indignation when the tension became too great for it to bear up against it, as coexist with a burning indignation at all that was evil, in a perfect equipoise which knew no wavering to this side or that.’ It was, in a word, only the manifestation in him of the mind which looks not on its own things but the things of others (Phil. ii. 5), and therefore spells “mission,” not “temperament.” We cannot in any case define his temperament, as we define other men’s temperaments, by pointing to his dominant characteristics or the prevailing direction of his emotional discharges.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “Various as they are, they do not inhibit one another; compassion and indignation rise together in his soul; joy and sorrow meet in his heart and kiss each other. Strong as they are — not mere joy but exhultation, not mere irritated annoyance but raging indignation, not mere passing pity but the deepest movements of compassion and love, not mere surface distress but an exceeding sorrow even unto death, — they never overmaster him. He remains ever in control.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. “He is only solicitous that, as Christ did not disdain to stoop to the feeling of our infirmities, we should be eager, not indeed to eradicate our affections, “seeking after that inhuman apatheia commended by the Stoics,” but “to correct and subdue that obstinacy which pervades them, on account of the sin of Adam,” and to imitate Christ our Leader, — who is himself the rule of supreme perfection — in subduing all their excesses. For Christ, he adds for our encouragement, had this very thing in view, when he took our affections upon himself — “that through his power we might subdue everything in them that is sinful.” Thus, Calvin, with his wonted eagerness for religious impression, points to the emotional life of Jesus, not merely as a proof of his humanity, but as an incitement to his followers to a holy life accordant with the will of God. We are not to be content to gaze upon him or to admire him: we must become imitators of him, until we are metamorphosed into the same image.” B.B. Warfield, “The Emotional Life of Our Lord,” 1912. Conclusion Finally, Warfield concludes with an overview of ground covered. This essay is so rich, I could read it repetitively (say, every year) and find new insights into the LORD, His emotional experience/ expression and how to imitate His self-control. “It is germane to our inquiry, therefore, to take note of the fact that among the emotions which are attested as having found place in our Lord’s life experiences, there are those which belong to him not as man but as sin-bearer, which never would have invaded his soul in the purity of his humanity save as he stood under the curse incurred for his people’s sins. The whole series of his emotions are, no doubt, affected by his position under the curse. Even his compassion receives from this a special quality: is this not included in the great declaration of Heb. iv. 15? Can we doubt that his anger against the powers of evil which afflict man, borrowed particular force from his own experience of their baneful working? And the sorrows and dreads which constricted his heart in the prospect of death, culminating in the extreme anguish of the dereliction, — do not these constitute the very substance of his atoning sufferings? As we survey the emotional life of our Lord as depicted by the Evangelists, therefore, let us not permit it to slip out of sight, that we are not only observing the proofs of the truth of his humanity, and not merely regarding the most perfect example of a human life which is afforded by history, but are contemplating the atoning work of the Saviour in its fundamental elements. The cup which he drank to its bitter dregs was not his cup but our cup; and he needed to drink it only because he was set upon our salvation.” Warfield’s writing is rich in thought and substance. This is a mine to which I want to return often. I felt inspired that maybe I should track down some of his other essays or books. Simonetta Carr usually includes a biography in her books, so I think I will start there. As for you, dear fellow pilgrim, I would recommend Warfield’s wisdom to your heart, as words through which the Holy Spirit can work. ...more |
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Aug 2022
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Dec 2022
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Aug 01, 2022
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| 4.10
| 955
| 1960
| Jun 01, 2002
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really liked it
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This story follows a girl, Elaine Nelson, from her home with her mother in London to a Welsh family in the countryside that agrees to take her in whil
This story follows a girl, Elaine Nelson, from her home with her mother in London to a Welsh family in the countryside that agrees to take her in while her single mom travels. I am working on a reading project of a set of six Patricia St. John Books I purchased in the Moody Publisher’s ebook format. The sales blurb states these stories have been updated for the contemporary reader, an edit which some St. John fans dislike. Here is the link to the series: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... In the fall of 2022, I began reading it aloud to my beloved mother, during her latest battle with cancer. We were thoroughly enjoying the narrative, but eager to read MORE! than our time together in the midst of medical transitions allowed. The solution was to buy her a Kindle so she can fly away reading when her body needs to rest. She promptly finished the book – getting far ahead of me! It looks like I will chase her through the remainder of the stories; May her strength endure! Rainbow Garden is a charming escape that nonetheless wades through some deep water. Elaine struggles with the environment, the family members, elusive emotional equanimity, and spiritual confusion that wades into despair. The key for Elaine is found in her contemplation of Psalm 16:11a “Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy” KJV. The Owen’s family is patient, loving, and also in transformation, working through their own trials and challenges associated with growing up and living in a fallen world. The story moves through beautiful scenery, from the quaint valley of the farm, to the lowland beaches of Wales, to the majestic mountain peaks of Snowdonia. For a view into the landscape of the story, see https://www.visitwales.com/destinatio... Rainbow Garden also explores various layers of spiritual formation and the transformative power of a relationship with Jesus Christ in the hearts and lives of the young. I am in awe of St. John’s gentle exploration of spiritual life. As a writer, St. John is patient as she completely avoids the sermonizing that often colors fictional examination of commitment to Christ. Instead, St. John gives her characters time to work out their spiritual life alongside life events, which gives her stories multilayered depth. I am thoroughly enjoying this project of reading through the St. John series I purchased for Kindle. I find myself increasingly grateful for the recommendation to read St. John, and I pass that recommendation on to you. I’ll review each title as I go and the entire set when completed. If you would like to follow along from the beginning, the first story is: Star of Light, Patricia St. John, 1953 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... The next story in the series is: Treasures of the Snow, St. John, 1950 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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Aug 2022
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Oct 15, 2022
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Aug 01, 2022
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| 006290521X
| 9780062905215
| 006290521X
| 4.05
| 455
| Jan 07, 2020
| Jan 07, 2020
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it was amazing
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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 |
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| 9780310238355
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it was amazing
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This is an excellent book dealing with topic of why God allows us to suffer and how to work through it. The fact it is written by someone who knows pe
This is an excellent book dealing with topic of why God allows us to suffer and how to work through it. The fact it is written by someone who knows personal suffering so deeply (Joni became was paralyzed in a diving accident when a teen) only contributes to the books poignancy and authenticity. There are no easy answers here, but there are answers. A book to read and re-read as needed and perhaps not even when "needed" but able to be pondered. The highest recommendation possible. For a later title that explores chronic pain specifically, see: A Place of Healing, Tada, 2002 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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| 0375832246
| 4.26
| 4,082
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it was amazing
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This was a favorite story from childhood. We read it in Richard Scarry's the Best Storybook Ever. The illustration and text are heartwarming and whole
This was a favorite story from childhood. We read it in Richard Scarry's the Best Storybook Ever. The illustration and text are heartwarming and wholesome. The story turns on the warmth, joy and blessing of being a part of a family and aspiring to raise a family. It wasn't until the following article came to my attention online that I discovered it was available as a stand along title. Highly recommended. Sunde, Joseph. "Fatherhood As Vocation in Richard Scarry's The Bunny Book" acton.org, May 8, 2013 https://blog.acton.org/archives/53412... For the full storybook, see... Richard Scarry's Best Storybook Ever, Scarry, 1950 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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it was amazing
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Living with a rare birth defect, early childhood illness, and chronic pain, I occasionally read books about how others cope with the physical, spiritu
Living with a rare birth defect, early childhood illness, and chronic pain, I occasionally read books about how others cope with the physical, spiritual, and social challenges of disability. But I do not do it often. There are not many voices I trust, and a long look down the train tunnel of physical challenges can add, instead of unburdening, heavy freight. Veneetha Risner’s The Scars that Have Shaped Me: How God Meets us in Suffering is one I would recommend. This is an intensely personal testimony of how God has used illness from an early age to shape her life. It is also the story of a women who literally embodies exceptional challenges she would not have chosen for herself. This is a prolife book that avoids pity. Risner illustrates that even a disabled life is a life WORTH LIVING, that is formed in God’s image, walking in God’s presence, and dependent on God’s gentle shepherding. Risner presents an authentic struggle that restricted people engage if we are to be matured through our suffering instead of destroyed by it. The field of this engagement is more apparent for those with physical limitations, while the challenges of those physically whole come in other arenas. The Scars that Have Shaped me took me into the deepest struggles of my soul. As with Risner, I have found that while the source of the difficulty is physical, my deepest battles are in the immaterial soul, not necessarily when the physical pain is the highest, but when the growth of endurance is most painful. Risner writes of despair when life piles on relational, financial, and spiritual struggles – from which the physically disabled are not immune. She asks honest questions of God, some of which I have never discussed with others. And she finds the blessings of illness. Isolation becomes a way to draw near to God alone. Pain forces you to prioritize what you can and cannot do. Insecurity reveals the reality of our complete dependence on God. Our weakness and neediness brings us to a loving Father Who provides, a gentle Shepherd Who guides. Later chapters reference the ministry of Joni Earickson Tada, another trusted source who has buoyed me in my darkest storms. Risner is writing in the same vein. Other books I’ve read by Tada that I particularly recommend include: When God Weeps: Why Our Sufferings Matter to the Almighty, Joni Eareckson Tada, 1997 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Joni: An Unforgettable Story, Jone Eareckson Tada with Joe Musser, 1976 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... And to these Risner’s recommendation added the following to my to-read list: Beside Bethesda, Joni Eareckson Tada, 2014 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... This is not an easy, happy-happy-clap-clap book. Rather, it is one that is good, true and powerful, because it focus’ on a God Who is good, true and powerful. Authentic truth is a salve to authentic pain. This is the God you need when you are living on the cusp of your strength every day. I highly recommend The Scars that Shaped Me to people struggling with chronic illness, who are Risner’s stated primary audience. Rather short chapters allow for reading as you have ability. Somewhat repetitive, you won’t notice when reading through a flair up requires reminders, or when you’ve left it on your nightstand for a few weeks. I was weak and heavy laden. Risner led me to soul rest in Him. I hope you will find soul rest, too. ...more |
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it was amazing
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I first started reading Gentle and Lowly in the February snows of 2021. At about the same time, the beautifully tender song Upper Room, by Dante Brown
I first started reading Gentle and Lowly in the February snows of 2021. At about the same time, the beautifully tender song Upper Room, by Dante Brown was on the radio, questioning, What moves God’s heart? “I just wanna move Your heart, Get caught within Your gaze Right here in Your presence, God, Is where I wanna stay Oh, just to dwell in Your house, Waste my hours and my days on You, Oh, on You Is it a fragrance? Then I pour my oil out Is it a life laid down? Then here I give my vows Is it a song I sing? Then here's every melody Just tell me what moves You, Tell me what moves You… Writer(s): Dante Bowe, Joel Figueroa, Elyssa Marie Smith, Oscar Gamboa https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l4ZlL... It's a beautiful song, but it is also a confused and sorrowful song that is grasping for what God has already revealed. We *know* what moves His heart. We don’t have to stumble around seeking the way. Dane Ortlund’s Gentle & Lowly is providing a more detailed answer to the inquiry of what moves God’s heart. His source of inspiration in addressing this topic is twofold: 1) the Bible, and 2) writers from the Puritan tradition (with some Reformers, most notably, John Calvin, also included). Chapter 2 Poses the question, “…how do we ensure that we are growing in a healthy understanding of the whole counsel of God and a comprehensive and therefore proportionate vision of who Christ is?” In Chapter 2 – His Heart in Action, Ortland gives three arguments supporting of his focus on Jesus’ Matthew 11:29 declaration that He is gentle and lowly: 1) “First, the wrath of Christ and the mercy of Christ are not at odds with one another, like a see-saw, one diminishing to the degree that the other is held up. Rather, the two rise and fall together.” 2) “Second, in speaking specifically of the heart of Christ (and the heart of God in the Old Testament), we are not really on the wrath-mercy spectrum anyway. His heart is his heart. When we speak of Christ’s heart, we are not so much speaking of one attribute alongside others. We are asking who he most deeply is.” 3) “Third, we are simply seeking to follow the biblical witness in speaking of Christ’s heart of affection toward sinners and sufferers. In other words, if there appears to be some sense of disproportion in the Bible’s portrait of Christ, then let us be accordingly disproportionate. Better to be biblical than artificially “balanced.” Yet, contrary to Ortlund’s arguments, I felt the opening presentation of the book to be reductionist. In trying to elevate Matthew 11:29 as the definitive statement of the whole of Jesus’ heart toward the weary and heavy burdened, it seemed Ortlund was denying the complexity of the Godhead as revealed in Scripture. God is not part loving and part just, part forgiving and part wrathful, He is wholly all of His character in perfect expression. In addition, throughout the early chapters, Ortlund is fuzzy on the distinction between the saved and the unsaved. Is Jesus’ heart the same toward the prideful Pharisee, the repentant tax collector, and the Persistent Widow, all of whom He taught of in the 18th Chapter of Luke? I continued to ruminate on these ideas through the next chapters as the river of God’s love and compassion flows through Ortlund’s study of the Puritans. I often returned to Romans 2: “3 But do you suppose this, you foolish person who passes judgment on those who practice such things, and yet does them as well, that you will escape the judgment of God? 4 Or do you think lightly of the riches of His kindness and restraint and patience, not knowing that the kindness of God leads you to repentance? 5 But because of your stubbornness and unrepentant heart you are storing up wrath for yourself on the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God…” (Romans 2:3-5) It IS the kindness of God that leads us to repentance, and we do too often think lightly of it… but it is also true that the stubborn and unrepentant are storing up wrath for the day of judgement. The interruptions of life left my doubts about Ortlund’s approach unresolved, and I eventually abandoned the book…. Until… a 2022 summer sermon series on the Gentleness of God in a Harsh World. Surely, this was a message needed in the strife of our world. Eventually, Pastor Scott Lothery even recommended Gentle & Lowly. You can hear the first sermon (and click through to later installments where the book is cited and recommended) here: https://www.theorchardefc.org/sermon/... On this encouragement, I returned to Gentle & Lowly in the fall of 2022 to find that my heart DID resist the kindness and goodness of God. In order to mine the precious truths Ortlund is presenting, I needed to resolve this book as a discipleship endeavor, intended to strengthen believers in applying God’s goodness to our lives. I dismissed the book as neither an evangelical endeavor intended to persuade unbelievers, nor a corrective warning to the pridefully rebellious or exploitative wicked (such as those Jesus points out in Matthew 18:6-7). Once this was resolved, I was able to not only enjoy, but tremendously profit from Gentle & Lowly’s wise tour of powerful Biblical passages, many of which have been precious to me for decades. For example, Chapter 16 – The Lord, The Lord, Ortlund examines Exodus 34, where Moses cries out for God to “show me your glory!” God hides him in the cleft of a rock as His awesome glory passes Moses by. Ortlund comments: “Merciful and gracious.” These are the first words out of God’s own mouth after proclaiming his name (“the LORD” or “I am”). The first words. The only two words Jesus will use to describe his own heart are gentle and lowly (Matt 11:29). And the first two words God uses to describe who He is are merciful and gracious. God does not reveal His glory as, “The LORD, the LORD, exacting and precise,” or, “The LORD, the LORD, tolerant and overlooking,” or “The LORD, the LORD, disappointed and frustrated.” His highest priority and deepest delight and first reaction –His heart—is merciful and gracious. He gently accommodates Himself to our terms rather than overwhelm us with His.” (Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of God for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortland, pg. 148). In Chapter 17 – His Ways Are Not Our Ways, Ortlund looks at the well-known statement of God’s omniscience from Isaiah 55:8, “My thoughts are not your thoughts…” Drawing from Calvin’s commentary on Isaiah, Ortlund notes the context of the passage is NOT focused on the distance between God and man, but rather, “…God’s ways and thoughts are not our ways and thoughts in that His are thoughts of love and ways of compassion that stretch to a degree beyond our mental horizon…There is indeed a great distance between God and us; we think small thoughts of God’s heart, but He knows His heart is inviolably, expansively, invincibly set on us… [Calvin] says… ‘Men are wont to judge and measure God from themselves; for their hearts are moved by angry passions, and are very difficult to be appeased; and therefore they think that they cannot be reconciled to God, when they have once offended Him. But the LORD shows that He is far from resembling men…’” (Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of God for Sinners and Sufferers, Dane Ortlund, pg. 158-159). Finally, earlier in 2022, I read Fight Like Jesus: How Jesus Waged Peace Throughout Holy Week (2022) by Jason Porterfield. I still haven’t finished my review because I’m still processing the book, which I will probably read again during Holy Week. https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... A key part of Porterfield’s analysis is the examination of the Jesus’ anger, a topic Ortlund addresses in Chapter 11 – The Emotional Life of Our Lord. The title and content of the chapter are drawn from an essay by B.B. Warfield. Wanting more information, on this topic specifically, I located the full text of Warfield’s essay online. The Emotional Life of Our Lord, B.B. Warfield, 1912 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Ortlund and Warfield point out “Fallen emotions not only sinfully overreact; they also sinfully underreact” (Gentle and Lowly, Ortlund, pg 107). Ortlund further explains that only a human being withOUT compassion could respond to injustice with equanimity, and only a human being FULL of compassion could respond to injustice with FULL righteous anger, and only the fully God – fully man Jesus could embody FULL compassion and unarguably JUST fury WITHOUT sin. “What we are saying is that, yes, Christ got angry and still gets angry, for he is the perfect human being, who loves too much to remain indifferent. And this righteous anger reflects his heart, his tender compassion. But because his deepest heart is tender compassion, he is the quickest to get angry and feels anger most furiously – and all without a hint of sin tainting that anger.” (Gentle and Lowly: The Heart of God for Sinners and Sufferers, Dan Ortlund, pg. 110). For more on this, see my reviews linked above of Fight like Jesus (Porterfield, 2022) and The Emotional Life of Our Lord (Warfield, 1912). In the end, by overlooking the sloppy argumentation of Chapter 2, I found Dane Ortlund’s Gentle & Lowly to be a waterfall of wisdom. In August of 2021, a study book and video that can be used for small group participation and discussion were released. I’ve recommended it to our leaders and am hoping to go through the study again in 2023, either with the church small group or maybe even as a family study for the summer. Once you firmly establish Gentle & Lowly as discipleship of believers, I highly recommend it. Gentle & Lowly Study Guide and Video, Dane Ortlund, 2021 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Please note…. It's March of 2021, and there's been a bit of confusion over which Ortlund is which. They are also not to be confused with the OrtBERGs, which are an entirely different family. The focus of this article is Gentle and Lowly author Dane Ortlund's father, Ray. But Ray himself comes from a nationally known ministry family. Reading this helped me get the Ortlunds straight and see the character of the earthly father that may have inspired Dane Ortlund's perspective of Jesus as Gentle and Lowly... https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/ar... ...more |
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liked it
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The title of this collection of essays is captivating. The world *does* seem violent and chaotic. Our souls *do* long for gentleness and peace. Hauerw
The title of this collection of essays is captivating. The world *does* seem violent and chaotic. Our souls *do* long for gentleness and peace. Hauerwas, Vanier and Swinton elevate the image of God among his created people by focusing on ministry to the physically and mentally imperfect, using Vanier’s exemplary L’Arche ministry as a prototype for community life. This value of all people, as created in God’s image, is a strong theme that is explored from many perspectives, particularly in advocacy for the disabled of the L’Arche community. But service within the community as emotional rejuvenation, spiritual healing, and/or criminal rehabilitation is also discussed. Another concept that particularly stood out to me was Vanier’s discussion of being minimized by the world. He developed the idea that when we invest ourselves wholly in the kingdom of God, the world passes us by with its accolades and power. While Hauerwas gives the discussion academic weight (and he probably has more of those accolades and power), Vanier’s writing embodies a humility, meekness and servanthood that is inspiring. The presentation is deep and meaningful, which makes it seem longer than its 115 pages. I have so many highlights from each chapter, nuggets of wisdom, too many to include in a review. Here is a sample of one… “There are three activities that are absolutely vital in the creation of community. The first is eating together around the same table. The second is praying together. And the third is celebrating together.” Living Gently in a Violent World, Hauerwas, Vanier & Swinton From a Christian perspective, one topic was concerning. The ecumenical direction of L’Arche in extending their communities to Hindus, Muslims, etc was troubling to me. Is the power of the community found in the presence of Almighty God? If so, then how can that be replicated without Him? Are we merely teaching unbelievers how to "having the appearance of godliness, but denying its power." (2 Timothy 3:5) Even when run by his people, these precious safe ministries are difficult to preserve, why think that non-believers can accomplish them? Why think the God of Israel will share that glory with another, either gods or humans? Is that not a violation of the First Commandment? Christian faith has lead to many individuals and organizations embracing missions of mercy through time throughout the world. Yet, non-believers claim they can do them ‘just as well’ and merely take them over while minimizing their power and concealing their witness. The organizations to which this has happened are too numerous to account. Though I did not know of L’Arche before reading this book, I would hate to see another ministry lost. Isaiah 42 comes to mind… 5 Thus says God the LORD, Who created the heavens and stretched them out, Who spread out the earth and its [d]offspring, Who gives breath to the people on it And spirit to those who walk in it, 6 “I am the LORD, I have called You in righteousness, I will also hold You by the hand and watch over You, And I will appoint You as a covenant to the people, As a light to the nations, 7 To open blind eyes, To bring out prisoners from the dungeon And those who dwell in darkness from the prison. 8 “I am the LORD, that is My name; I will not give My glory to another, Nor My praise to [e]graven images. 9 “Behold, the former things have come to pass, Now I declare new things; Before they spring forth I proclaim them to you.” This is an important publication for disabled people and those that love them. It is a wonderful resource for advocacy, not only through the encouragement of the text as presented, but also for the copious references and footnotes. Recommended. Update 2021.... Recently, it has come to my attention that Jean Vanier passed away in 2019 at the age of 90. After his death, accusations came to light that he had abused his position of spiritual leadership to engage in illicit sexual relationships with women. Furthermore, Vanier's co-founder at L'Arche was complicit in these activities as an advocate of some sort of sexual spiritual mysticism. However, "The statement from L’Arche notes that the “inquiry made no suggestion that Jean Vanier had inappropriate relationships with people with intellectual disabilities.” While his ministry to the disabled remains unsullied, Vanier's struggle with immorality seems to have been documented to 2005 (Vanier age: 76). For more information on how he strayed, you can start with this article.... https://aleteia.org/2020/02/24/sorrow... ...more |
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really liked it
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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 |
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Sep 09, 2020
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| B0057XJOW0
| 4.13
| 70
| 200
| unknown
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I have long admired Perpetua for her resolve to embrace martyrdom when confronted by the mournful affection of her dear father, the needs of her newbo
I have long admired Perpetua for her resolve to embrace martyrdom when confronted by the mournful affection of her dear father, the needs of her newborn baby, and the violence of the arena. Though I do not understand her dreams, nor think they are for all people for all time as is Scripture, I appreciate how they witness to both her distress and her desire to lean into the LORD through her trials. It is amazing that we can read her testimony 1800 years later via a translation! The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity. Trans. W.H. Shewring. Fordham University: Medieval Sourcebook is available online via the following link: https://sourcebooks.fordham.edu/sourc... Encyclopedia Britannica summarizes the importance of the document: "Perpetua, in full Vibia Perpetua, (born c. 182—died March 7, 203, feast day March 7, Carthage [now a residential suburb of Tunis, Tunisia]), Christian martyr who wrote The Passion of Saints Perpetua and Felicity, a journal recounting her trial and imprisonment that was continued by a contemporary who described Perpetua’s death in the arena. Both her martyrdom and its account have been highly revered by ancient and modern Christians. Her text is one of the rare surviving documents written by a woman in the ancient world. Carthage in the 2nd century AD had a vibrant Christian community that included the Church Father Tertullian. Among those drawn to the growing church was a young mother, Perpetua, the daughter of a prosperous provincial family. Sometime after 201, the Roman emperor Septimius Severus forbade conversion to Christianity or Judaism, and in 203 the governor of Carthage, Hilarian, enforced this edict. Perpetua and four companions were arrested. In clear violation of the emperor’s edict, all five were catechumens (people preparing for baptism). Another Christian voluntarily joined the small group. The six were tried, refused to renounce their faith, and were condemned to death in the arena. Perpetua began her diary with an account of her imprisonment and continued it with descriptions of her trial and her father’s impassioned but fruitless plea for her to renounce her Christian identity. Most of Perpetua’s text concerns her prison dreams (which she believed were prophetic) offering visions of her entry into heaven, her deceased younger brother Dinocrates, and her ordeal in the arena. On the evening before her scheduled death, Perpetua gave her diary to another Christian, who then continued the story of the martyrdom of Perpetua and her fellow Christians. He described how one of Perpetua’s companions—the pregnant slave Felicity—gave birth while in prison; he also wrote of the young Christians’ bravery in the arena when they were attacked by wild beasts and, finally, of Perpetua’s voluntary acceptance of death by the sword. Perpetua’s diary was read annually in Carthage’s churches for centuries. It was so influential that it was praised by orthodox Christians and heretical Montanists alike, and 200 years later the Church Father Augustine (354–430) wrote sermons commenting on the young martyr’s words. Perpetua’s text, with its powerful, personal voice, continues to draw readers." Accessed Jul 9, 2020 https://www.britannica.com/biography/... This witness to Christ by Perpetua, Felicity and Saturnus demonstrates the strong faith of North Africans during the time period, while contributing primary source material to the historical record. But one thing I cannot find is the location of the original manuscript. Has it been lost? Or is it preserved in a Library (the Vatican?), Monastery (St. Catherines?) or Museum (The Carthage Museum) somewhere in the world? Please post links/ information if you have it... ...more |
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| 1781910618
| 9781781910610
| 1781910618
| 4.45
| 209
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really liked it
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This final book from Dr. Roseveare arose out of her contemplation of James 1:2. With the clarity of hindsight, Dr. Roseveare reviews some of the heavi
This final book from Dr. Roseveare arose out of her contemplation of James 1:2. With the clarity of hindsight, Dr. Roseveare reviews some of the heaviest trials of her life, asking herself “Will I count it all joy?” The last couple chapters apply this poignant question to the anxieties of age and infirmity in quest of ‘finishing well.’ I am coming to see that a crucial aspect of effective public Christian ministry is the humility to give all the glory to God. John 3:21 states, “21 But he who practices the truth comes to the Light, so that his deeds may be manifested as having been wrought in God.” In this book, other publications, and the interviews I’ve seen of Dr. Roseveare, she sought to live this out. Giving the credit to God as our King also credits the servant who humbly understands their role in His Kingdom. I continue to appreciate Dr. Roseveare’s combination of this humility with godly devotion, which reminds me of Corrie TenBoom – another strong godly woman who traveled the world speaking through her later years. Too often godly devotion puffs up the believer with pride. That is a temptation that Dr. Roseveare confesses to wresting with, yet we see in her that victory is possible. “I am still learning to accept His will – and see it as good, acceptable and perfect. This is essential so as to rejoice in Him, even if, during the process of it’s fulfillment, I cannot really (or even necessarily) see the ‘why?’ in some of the more difficult times.” (Count it All Joy! Roseveare, 2017, pg 62). Published in February of 2017, after Dr. Roseveare had died December 7, 2016 at age 91, it is easy to imagine these thoughts were on her mind in the final weeks of her life. She finished well. May we all follow the Savior to the feast. This Gospel Coalition post includes video of Dr. Roseveare… https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/bl... Since her obituary is behind a paywall, if you want an overview of Dr. Roseveare’s life, this young adult biography is part of a strong series of quick reads. Since it’s published after Roseveare’s death in 2016, it may have the obituary itself or commentary on it. It has joined my to-read list. Helen Roseveare: Mama Luka, Benge & Benge, 2019 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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Jun 29, 2020
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Jun 15, 2020
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| 1613281560
| 9781613281567
| 1613281560
| 4.51
| 41
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| Oct 18, 2016
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really liked it
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This hardcover volume includes previously publish comic books from The Kings II (1 Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chroni
This hardcover volume includes previously publish comic books from The Kings II (1 Kings, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Songs, 1 & 2 Kings, 2 Chronicles), The Exile (Daniel, Ezra, Isaiah, Nehemiah, Esther), and the Prophets (Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Hosea, Joel, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, A look at the Intertestimental Period), for a total of 50 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... For the final book in the series, which covers the New Testament, see... The Kingstone Bible Trilogy #3, Ayris & Avery, 2016 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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Sep 06, 2019
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| 1613281579
| 9781613281574
| 1613281579
| 4.38
| 40
| unknown
| Oct 18, 2016
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really liked it
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The hardcover volume includes comic books previously published as The Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), Acts (Acts), The Letters (Romans, 1&2 Corin
The hardcover volume includes comic books previously published as The Christ (Matthew, Mark, Luke & John), Acts (Acts), The Letters (Romans, 1&2 Corinthians, Galatians, Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 1&2 Thessalonians, 1&2 Timothy, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, James, 1&2 Peter, 1 2 3 John, Jude), and The Revelation (Revelation) for a total of 49 stories. For a review of the entire trilogy, see... Kingstone Bible Trilogy, Ayris & Avery & Pearl et al, 2016 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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| 1613281552
| 9781613281550
| 1613281552
| 4.54
| 68
| unknown
| Oct 18, 2016
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really liked it
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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 |
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Aug 01, 2019
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| 0061151122
| 9780061151125
| 0061151122
| 4.84
| 31
| Mar 01, 2007
| Feb 27, 2007
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it was amazing
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Why would someone aide an enemy of the state when the consequences to themselves and their loved ones could be so severe? These non-fiction accounts o
Why would someone aide an enemy of the state when the consequences to themselves and their loved ones could be so severe? These non-fiction accounts of the Righteous Among the Nations give 150 answers to the question. In a world throughout which darkness is on the advance, this book shines a beacon of light, encouraging us that we, too, can bring hope, as others have done before us. For all the evil perpetrated by Nazism and Communism, these people who quietly fought through acts of subversion demonstrate an admirable courage that I hope I can imitate myself and reproduce in my children. If you look at the history of totalitarian regimes, it is these common people who are most feared by those consolidating power. Why? Because… 1) A totalitarian government is always weak in numbers. You do not need to consolidate power if the majority wants you in power. This means totalitarians never have the confidence of the masses, and 2) The little people (be they in positions of power or not) resist in ways that are difficult for the rulers to detect. All the dominant can do is try to make it too horrible for people to oppose them, and 3) Totalitarian governments often underestimate the little people. Perhaps their contempt for the ruled blinds them to the willingness of individuals to act independently of their destructive diktats. A theme that emerges is the deep personal struggles of the rescuers that arose because of the desperate situation of the fleeing. The Righteous Among the Nations contains numerous stories of people who had been obedient and devoted citizens struggling with deception and disobedience to government dictates. There are also a couple stories of individuals who were criminals. But among those that were previously law abiding, many weighed their personal commitments to Christianity against the destruction of life awaiting Jewish families and concluded that obedience to God in preserving lives superseded obedience to government. The oppressive governments – and freedom loving governments that tolerated or appeased their wickedness – made sure that those who were apprehended paid the price. While some of the rescuers went on to lives of peaceful success others, such as Paul Gruninger of Switzerland, were ruined by their aide to the Jewish people. After falsifying documents and testimony that aided German and Austrian refugees to cross the border into Switzerland throughout 1938, Paul Gruninger was at the center of what became known as the Gruninger Affair in Switzerland, an injustice that took until 1995 (well after his death in 1972) for the Swiss government to rectify. Convicted of crimes against Switzerland, Gruninger lost his job, his retirement, thousands of francs (in addition to those he and his wife spent aiding refugees), and struggled the remainder of his working life to support his family. For their part, the Swiss government was determined to remain neutral with their expansive neighbor, Germany, and had legitimate fears that a porous border from Germany/ Austria into Switzerland would overrun their country with refugees which was somewhat acceptable to them. What was unacceptable was to bring the German blitzkrieg against them. They felt they had to make an example out of this border commander who – according to their investigation – saved some 3,600 people. Paul Gruninger is one of the people who lived in safety, right across the border from the horror. He could have looked the other way, and obeyed his government, following their orders. But he chose to intervene, to make a way for refugees to escape. “During all those years, he was heard repeating to all who questioned him about his behavior, ‘I would do it all over again today!’ In 1954, years after his dismissal and a life of hardship, he gave the following explanation of his ‘rebellious’ behaviors in the late 1930s: ‘I am not at all ashamed of the court’s verdict. On the contrary, I am proud to have saved the lives of hundreds of oppressed people. My assistance to Jews was rooted in my Christian world outlook… It was basically a question of saving human lives threatened with death. How could I then seriously consider bureaucratic schemes and calculations? Sure, I intentionally exceeded the limits of my authority and often with my own hands falsified documents and certificates, but it was done solely in order to afford persecuted people access into the country. My personal well-being, measured against the cruel fate of these thousands, was so insignificant and unimportant that I never even took it into consideration.’” (The Righteous Among the Nations, Paldiel, pg 141). As Gruninger did, some used positions of leadership to leverage saving thousands. Some of these have become well known through twentieth century media (Schindler, the Ten Boom family, Wallenberg, and more recently Irena Sandler). But most acted as simple fellow human beings, saving who they could – sometimes a single child. I found myself more emotional about the myriad of people who made split second decisions to risk their own lives to help others in need, such as the man living in an apartment building with narrow hallways who pulled people from a line of individuals being arrested! And then followed through for months and years. Some just intervened, got people safely connected to family, friends or acquaintances and did not know for decades if their actions were successful. Others literally saw someone on the street or overhead an arrest taking place and immediately stepped up to claim a vulnerable person or smuggle their children away from danger. This volume presents one of the times that a publisher of the book is an essential part of the book’s character. In this case, the publisher is Yad Vashem, the national Israeli Holocaust Remembrance Museum. The Museum collects both stories of Jews who suffered and died in the Holocaust, as well as remembering Gentile rescuers who saved them. Rescuers, and their biographical information, were identified by Jews who had been saved. In this case, the author, Mordecai Paldiel is also part of the story. The book jacket states: “Mordecai Paldiel was born in 1937 in Antwerp, Belgium. During the Holocaust period, his family fled to France, where they wandered from place to place, finally crossing into Switzerland in September 1943 with the assistance of a French priest, Simon Gallay, who has been honored as one of the Righteous Among the Nations… [description of Paldiel’s educational credentials] … Since 1982, he has been director of the Department for the Righteous at Yad Vashem, which researches and honors non-Jewish rescuers of Jews during the Holocaust.” After collecting testimony from Jewish survivors, Yad Vashem researched information available about each nominated individual/ family to see if additional information could be filled into their biography. Then the individual was considered for the Righteous Among the Nations designation. If you ever have an opportunity to visit Yad Vashem in Jerusalem, it is a stop worth your time. Touring the museum is not entertaining, but it is soul stretching. Not everyone can get to Jerusalem. This text is a wonderful way of bringing The Righteous Among the Nations program to people beyond the museum, beyond the country of Israel, to share their light with the world. I’m grateful for the illumination for myself and others. This volume will remain in our family library. For more information on the witness of Yad Vashem, you can start exploration of their web page with this link “What is Yad Vashem?”… https://www.yadvashem.org/about/yad-v... ...more |
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Jan 27, 2020
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Dec 31, 2020
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Jan 27, 2019
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| B00AQN0B6E
| 4.15
| 785
| Jun 30, 1969
| 1897
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really liked it
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Recognizing the human rights struggle of my own time, I am taking a look back at the abolition of slavery in the United States to specifically examine
Recognizing the human rights struggle of my own time, I am taking a look back at the abolition of slavery in the United States to specifically examine the response of Christians -- white and black, north and south. Alongside a more theological view, I selected a few biographies to listen to people of the time. Louis Hughes’ Thirty Years A Slave: From Bondage to Freedom is one of those books. The facts of Mr. Hughes life, particularly its early challenges associated with slavery are presented in a rational manner, including the primal wound of separation from his dear mother at a young age, the horrific experience of being sold, his repeated attempts to escape, and experiences of barbaric violence. It is important to note the struggles of Mr. Hughes life *even though* he was owned by a master that provided adequate food, clothing and shelter. It is also instructive to note Mr. Hughes craving for learning, efforts to secretly educate himself, and unfailing commitment to loving and serving God. These are perhaps particularly noticeable when you consider that, under the sway of eugenic ‘science’ AmerEuropeans questioned Africans desire to learn, ability to work in their own self-interest, moral rectitude and standing within the human family. Telling his life story and experience with American slavery is Mr. Hughes primary focus, not theology. Nonetheless, I found his theology interesting. Hughes didn’t fall into depressive grooves of questioning God’s allowing slavery or the struggles of his life. Rather, he laid the blame for slavery entirely on the slave owners and those who helped them (traders, hunters, legislators etc). Hughes looked to God for freedom from slavery and sought to praise Him for every blessing. Hughes recalls the good of his master and his family (thanking God for these blessings in dark days), while also testifying to their violence, and the corruption of violence upon those that administered it. His testimony brought to mind the ideas of another nineteenth century believer who prayed for the end of slavery. Elizabeth van Lew, a southern belle who spied for the Union during the Civil War, observed the corrosive effect of injustice on the *oppressor,* as well as the oppressed. While it may appear that some are broken and overcome while others are strong and triumphant, Van Lew hit upon the destructive impact of injustice upon both individuals and their society as a whole. She observed how the practice of slavery, and its defense through succession and war, corrupted the character of slavery advocates as if each act was nourishing the flower of wickedness inside them. Many slaves lost their lives, but the aggressors lost their souls, and jeopardized prosperity of future generations by bringing about the collapse of the society they sought to dominate. In relation to van Lew’s points, Hughes confirms both the twisting of character through progressive evil that van Lew observed, as well as the inspirational flourishing of Hughes’ own soul after horrific trials. America sacrificed tremendous blood and treasure to end slavery. In Mr. Hughes, we see the burden it was upon the slaves themselves. We empathize with his attempts to protect his family, and also his attempts to escape. Understanding his suffering and the back and forth of the war’s impact on his fears and hopes for freedom, his account of the joy of liberation is stunning. Hughes draws us into his attempts to reunify with lost family members so that we feel his overwhelming emotion when successful and heartbroken isolation when they fail. After liberation, Hughes invites us to join in his logical praise of the Union soldiers who rescued his family, and all soldiers that served to preserve the country while overthrowing the peculiar institution. If you have read extensively on slavery and the Civil War, you might not find much new in Mr. Hughes account. But I encourage it to be read, nonetheless, as a first person testimony regarding what American slavery was like in everyday life from his birth in 1832 through liberation. Through the joy and labor of freedom, and by listening to his endurance through cruelty, you will better appreciate the triumph of abolition for individuals and the country. After exhorting you to take the time to listen to Mr. Hughes’ testimony, his own closing words seem the best way to conclude. “I have endeavored, in the foregoing sketch, to give a clear and correct idea of the institution of human slavery, as I witnessed and experienced it – its brutality, its degrading influence upon both master and slave, and its utter incompatibility with industrial improvement and general educational progress. Nothing has been exaggerated or set down in malice, although the scars which I still bear upon my person, and in the wounds of spirit which will never wholly heal, there might be found a seeming excuse for such a course. Whatever of kindness was shown me during the years of my bondage, I still gratefully remember, whether it comes from white master or fellow slave; and for the recognition which has been so generously accorded me since the badge of servitude was removed, I am profoundly and devoutly thankful.” Louis Hughes, closing paragraph of Thirty Years a Slave, 1897 For more… Southern Lady, Yankee Spy: The True Story of Elizabeth Van Lew, Varon, 2005 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... On a theology of Africa for Africans… Is Africa Cursed?, Adeyemo, 2009 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Mr. Hughes book was written in 1897. Years earlier Harriet Beacher Stowe studied accounts like his and wrote the fictional Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which Lincoln credited with starting the Civil War. Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Stowe, 1852 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more |
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Jan 04, 2019
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| 1601786166
| 9781601786166
| 1601786166
| 4.71
| 17
| unknown
| Jul 2018
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it was amazing
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-Have you ever known a wayward child that made foolish or even wicked decisions? -Have you ever felt divided between your mother's faith and your fathe -Have you ever known a wayward child that made foolish or even wicked decisions? -Have you ever felt divided between your mother's faith and your father's profession? -Have you ever had to leave the love of your life to go far away for many months, hoping to make enough money to be together? -Have you ever done many things you were ashamed of in order to try to get ahead in life? -Have you ever had your life miraculously preserved and knew in your soul it was God reaching out to you? -Have you been redeemed by the amazing and transformative grace of God? Simonetta Carr's John Newton goes beyond the slave-trader-turned-abolishionist-wrote- a-hymn narrative to tell us how John Newton struggled through the challenges of his life. She illuminates the societal beliefs and pressures that molded his choices. The societal expectation was that John would follow his father to sea at a young age, and he did. Many people at the time felt slavery was an unfortunate reality, much like people talk about abortion today, so Newton felt justified in his profession. Carr shows us how it was that John Newton got lost along the way, and how God penetrated the hardness of his heart. After finding Christ, Newton couldn't stop talking about him! His best selling testimony was in book stalls beside Robinson Crusoe and Gulliver's Travels, but John's story was true, and his life had been changed. We learn of Newton's transition to respectable landman in business, his call to the ministry and his national advocacy. Carr discusses the alliance Newton formed with William Wilborforce in this and other issues, though I was disappointed that she didn't cover Wilborforce's death and it's impact on Newton. Carr gives insights into Newton's family life including his relationship with his lifelong love, Mary, known as Polly and their adoption of two daughters, hospitality to the mentally ill poet William Cowpur and general details of their home. These glimpses of tender family life are wonderfully complimented by two letters from Newton to one of his daughters that form the conclusion of the book. Consulting Newton's primary source publications, as well as the work of others, Carr's narrative doesn't get bogged down by her commitment to factual representation. Rather, she breathes life into people we have heard of, helping us relate to their trials, their triumphs and thier contributions to the household of faith in Jesus Christ. As is typical of the series, there is a high production value to this work. Photographs of locations and artifacts, original art of scenes from Newton's life, sturdy hard covers and a book that looks and feels beautiful are hallmarks of Christian Biographies for Young Readers. I do think the illustrator, Amal, is new, and I like the way light and color are used to give the illustrations more vibrance without deviating from the style of the series. I continue to purchase each book in this series for our home as they come out and recommend them to any and all who are seeking to walk the path of faith and train others to follow. To hear Newton in his own words, see An Authentic Narrative of Some Remarkable and Interesting Particulars in the Life of John Newton, Communicated in a Series of Letters to Mr. Haweis, Newton, 1765 https://www.goodreads.com/review/edit... For Newton's Literary Contemporaries, see Robinson Crusoe, Defoe, 1719 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Gulliver's Travels, Swift, 1726 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... If you'd like to read the series in chronological order -- or make sure you have each excellent book! -- see the Christian Biographies for Young Readers Goodreads page, here... https://www.goodreads.com/series/8395... ...more |
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it was amazing
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it was amazing
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it was amazing
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Aug 01, 2022
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Oct 15, 2022
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it was amazing
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Apr 15, 2022
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it was amazing
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it was amazing
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Jan 18, 2022
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it was amazing
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| 4.13
|
really liked it
|
Jul 09, 2020
|
Jul 09, 2020
|
|||||
|
| 4.45
|
really liked it
|
Jun 29, 2020
|
Jun 15, 2020
|
|||||
|
| 4.51
|
really liked it
|
Sep 06, 2019
|
Aug 01, 2019
|
|||||
|
| 4.38
|
really liked it
|
Sep 06, 2019
|
Aug 01, 2019
|
|||||
|
| 4.54
|
really liked it
|
Sep 06, 2019
|
Aug 01, 2019
|
|||||
|
| 4.84
|
it was amazing
|
Dec 31, 2020
|
Jan 27, 2019
|
|||||
|
| 4.15
|
really liked it
|
Jan 24, 2019
|
Jan 04, 2019
|
|||||
|
| 4.71
|
it was amazing
|
Jul 27, 2018
|
Jul 24, 2018
|
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