books in may

My Names Is Asher Lev, by Chaim Potok

I loved this.  Although it took me a bit to really get into the story and its characters, it had the same feel to me as A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.  The coming-of-age.  The setting, to some degree.  But since I have such a love for Judaism and the Jewish culture (especially in America), and as one who believes in Jesus as Messiah, Asher's story resonated with me on a deeper level.  The fact that his Crucifixion was far more offensive to his family and community than his nude paintings gives great insight into their morality.  It's sad.  And beautiful.  For a thinker, I highly recommend this book.

A Room with a View, by E.M. Forster

Yawn.  I'm so sorry - I wanted to enjoy this book.  I wanted it to be dripping with wit and sarcasm and a more scathing insight into the upper class of England during that time.  I wanted The Importance of Being Earnest.  Alas, what I was given was a bland narrative with sometime engaging and intriguing and real characters, and hints of wittiness.  I didn't finish this one, but knew what was coming.  I suppose the end justifies the boringness of the earlier chapters, but I don't care about Lucy and George in the slightest.

What Does the Bible Really Teach About Homosexuality?, by Kevin DeYoung

Such an informative read.  DeYoung really nails the reader with his knowledge and expansive research.  Do not read if you are looking for something other than simply what the title states -- what the Bible has to say on the topic.  There is less pastoral heart here (except in the later chapters); he rather focuses on the interpretation of controversial passages.  If you want to know biblically what to think about homosexuality, read this.  If you don't hold the Bible to be an authority, or know you will disagree with his conclusions anyway, I probably would not recommend it.  

Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

Oh my goodness.  Kevin and I watched this movie the weekend before Memorial Day, and by the end of that following week, I had finished reading the book.  A few that I've talked to about it didn't care for the screen adaptation, but I think it was well done and actually spot on with casting and focus.  Obviously, it's long.  Both the movie and book dwell on Louie's horrific experiences and anguish, rather than on his ultimate redemption and the forgiveness he finds for himself and his captors in Christ.  The book delves far more into this.  Louie Zamperini was an incredible, seemingly indestructible man.  PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.  

An Outline History Of the Wesleyan Church, by Lee M. Haines

Maybe the most boring thing I've read since graduating college (when I was forced to read so many uninteresting books and articles for classes).  However, as my husband is now employed by a Wesleyan church, and I have no experience with the denomination myself, I thought it wise to get to know our new roots a bit more.  So, in that regard, I definitely feel I have a grasp on where the denomination came from, what Wesley himself actually believed and taught, and how the denomination morphed and grew and changed throughout its some odd 200 years of existence.  I just could've done without the record of presidents and leaders and Sunday School initiatives and periodicals.  

well this is embarrassing

It seems that the last time I posted about what I'm reading was... a week after Daphne was born.

So, a year and a half ago.

My bad.

Life is organized chaos lately, and no one better judge me for having little-to-no-time to read let alone WRITE about what I'm reading with a toddler always just around the corner getting into the dog food and one on deck about to make his appearance in ten weeks.  Seriously.

But since I value this, I'm going to continue my reading updates.  Starting with this year's.  So, here goes!

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride, by Cary Elwes

We listened to this on Audible while moving cross-country, and it was the perfect way to spend the time.  Cary Elwes (aka Westley) narrated, and other cast members contributed, so listening is the way to take this one in.  If you're a fan of The Princess Bride at all, you're missing out if you don't pick this up ASAP.  Fun anecdotes and tender moments shared by the cast and director reminded me just how special the film is, why it's such a success, and just how truly quotable and endearing it will always be to my family and me.  Love love love.

The Weight of Glory, by CS Lewis

And now for something completely different.... 

This collection of Lewis's essays and memorable lectures to various organizations, of which The Weight of Glory is most famous, is not exactly light reading.  He addresses important topics, though, that are as relevant now as they were then in the midst of the WWII and post-war England.  Jack once again succeeds to simultaneously crush with his brilliance (half of his arguments go about ten feet over my head?) and encourage with his still-grounded understanding of Christianity.  He's a genius, but he knows all knowledge is nothing if the hope of Christ is not communicated.  

Doxology and Theology: How the Gospel Forms the Worship Leader, by Matt Boswell

I read this in a day.  What a thorough discussion of worship that is equally relevant to the layperson as the worship leader, in my opinion.  In it, a number of worship leaders and pastors communicate various aspects of worship in the church, but I was overwhelmingly encouraged that the majority of them made it a point to comment that while excellence is desirable, excellence in worship is not an end in itself.  It's all in vain if we miss the gospel and the God who requires our praise.  Yes.  This is what I want to see in our churches.  True gospel worship.  Read this book.

Rhythms of Grace: How the Church's Worship Tells the Story of the Gospel, by Mike Cosper

Can you tell I was on a worship kick for a bit there?  This one was good, but definitely for more of an average churchgoer.  And in that respect, it was spot on.  I liked the way Cosper walked through major events of the Bible and how each event corresponded with a new revelation of who God is and what worship should be.  A great biblical overview for students, in particular, I thought.  The rest of it was sort of blah to me, after having just read Doxology and Theology, which had a lot more weight and meat to its teaching.  Still would recommend.

Neither Here nor There: Travels in Europe, by Bill Bryson

Don't get me wrong... I love Bryson.  I've rents' house while Daph and I visited them for a week, just as a bit of light reading.  I've read at least five of his books, and they're all engaging and a fun read.  This one was no less.  But Neither Here nor There is also the first of his that I've read that's not about language, or Shakespeare, or something other than his own personal life.  As interesting as his meanderings through Europe are, it was sort of like turning on a travel show with a narrator whose voice you like who throws in a few cuss words and mildly naughty anecdotes to show he's authentic, and just having that on in the background while you do other stuff around the house.  That may be the best comparison I've ever come up with.  So I came away from this book feeling a bit meh toward it.  Not bad, but won't pick up again.

A History of the World in 6 Glasses, by Tom Standage

The idea of this book is far better than its actualization.  In a nutshell, Tom Standage walks the reader through history, detailing the development of six different beverages that at one stage or another influenced culture in an enduring way.  First, beer in ancient Mesopotamia.  Then, wine in Italy and Greece.  Spirits in America.  Coffee in the Middle East to Britain to America.  Tea in China, India, and Britain.  And finally, Coca-Cola in America and worldwide.  It could have been such a fascinating read, had Standage's writing style been more engaging than a (albeit thoroughly researched) senior thesis.  It ought to have been more lively, as a whole.  To his credit, things started picking up toward the middle, with the development of liquors and the importance of coffee in coffeehouses and the advancements that came about through the discussions that occurred over those beverages.  That is what I wanted in every chapter.  If you have any interest in world history, delicious beverages, and the social influences of pub- or coffeehouse-culture, you may want to pick this up.

Walking with Wesley: A Ninety-Day Devotional, by Nick Harrison

Devotionals are not really my thing, but I picked this one up because Kevin left it on our counter, and I want to know more about the man who founded and inspired the denomination we're now a part of.  I was looking for a bit of an overview of John Wesley's life, and maybe a bit more about his personal beliefs of salvation and living in the power of Christ.  I found those things in this book, but Nick Harrison seems to have an earnest sort of infatuation with the man Wesley, and I just couldn't get past it.  I mean, I realize that the purpose of the devotional was to be encouraged by his life and challenged by his convictions, but he's still a man.  He had faults.  We can't put him on a pedestal like that, Nick Harrison.  For the next book I read on Wesley, I'd like to read about his struggles, about times he was humbled, times he stumbled and needed correction, and how he responded to that.  Do we have record of that?  That's what I want - stories of real human beings with active relationships with God that can be touch-and-go and shaky at times.  That's what's encouraging to me: when people choose God when the going gets rough and it hurts to be faithful, not these saints with no recorded flaws and perfect responses to every person with a question.  That's real life.  Give me a real person's story.  Please and thank you. 

this is pathetic

It's been about three months since my last post.  It's not that I haven't been reading.  Because I have been.  Kinda.  I've been jumping from book to book for a while, and in doing so, haven't thought to write down any thoughts about these particular books.  But it's time for an update.  Please bear with me and my fragmented thoughts/sentences; I'm nearly in my right mind, and will use this occasion to pull the pregnancy card.

Since finishing the Shakespeare book by Bryson, I've sampled:

marriage books (The Sacred Romance, Real Marriage), 

novels/short stories (Ender's Game, The Jungle Books, The Scarlet Pimpernel, The Book Thief),

religious stuff (The Forgiveness Labyrinth, The Vine and the Trellis, The Mass)

other non-fiction (Made in America, The Professor and the Madman)

See?  I have been busy.  But not captured enough to finish one.  Obviously some of these I've read before.... Eh.  My eyes hurt.

Shakespeare: The World as Stage

Shakespeare: The World as Stage, by Bill Bryson

Such a satisfying read.  Finally.  Of course, considering the content, this one's pretty par for the course: it's hard to mess up Shakespeare for me.  (The only one who's ever done that is a certain undergrad professor of mine - who will remain unnamed, although that's probably an unnecessary courtesy.  She said once, literally, "Shakespeare was a pretty good writer for his time," as we read through his masterpiece Hamlet.)  This book is comparatively well-informed and -researched, with a substantial bibliography (many works of which I already own.  Yes!)

Shakespeare is a delightful, engaging, and succinct overview of the main points of one William Shakespeare's life.  Bryson discusses and probes various theories to the overwhelming silence of Shakespeare's life outside his plays and poetry, and gives the reader clear understanding of what we may believe to be true, without tremendous assumption (which, unfortunately, Shakespeare scholars and aficionados are wont to do.) 

In regards to his schooling, for instance, Bryson puts it this way:

Shakespeare's genius had to do not really with facts, but with ambition, intrigue, love, suffering -- things that aren't taught in school.  He had a kind of assimilative intelligence, which allowed him to pull together lots of disparate fragments of knowledge, but there is almost nothing that speaks of hard intellectual application in his plays -- unlike, say, those of Ben Jonson, where learning hangs like bunting on every word.  Nothing we find in Shakespeare betrays any acquaintance with Tacitus, Pliny, Suetonius, or others who influenced Johnson and were second nature to Francis Bacon.  That is a good thing -- a very good thing indeed -- for he would almost certainly have been less Shakespeare and more a showoff had he been better read.  As John Dryden put it in 1668: "Those who accuse him to have wanted learning, give him the greater commendation: he was naturally learn'd."

And so, we love him for his humanity.

Bryson also addresses the various theories as to who Shakespeare "really" was (e.g. Marlowe, Bacon, de Vere.)  He sheds light on the origins of these theories - briefly, thank God - and concludes thusly:

In short it is possible, with a kind of selective squinting, to endow the alternative claimants with the necessary time, talent, and motive for anonymity to write the plays of William Shakespeare.  But what no one has ever produced is the tiniest particle of evidence to suggest that they actually did so.  These people must have been incredibly gifted -- to create, in their spare time, the greatest literature ever produced in English, in a voice patently not their own, in a manner so cunning that they fooled virtually everyone during their own lifetimes and for four hundred years afterward.  The Earl of Oxford, better still, additionally anticipated his own death and left a stock of work sufficient to keep the supply of new plays flowing at the same rate until Shakespeare himself was ready to die a decade or so later.  Now that is genius!

Haha.  Oh, Bill Bryson.  Thank you for charming me once again.  

The Search for God and Guinness

The Search for God and Guinness, by Stephen Mansfield

Such a delightful and engaging read!  From the history of beer itself to the (rather in-depth) history of this particular brewery, Mansfield takes the reader through the social, religious and political journey of the Guinness family.  

I was surprised by the way the Guinness family almost single-handedly saved the city of Dublin during crisis.  The care, the flexibility, and the proactivity of these visionaries demonstrated that this company was grounded with an understanding of the grace of God, and the responsibility to affect change in their community and world.  Seriously.  This family was involved.

Sounds sappy from the way I describe it, and I'm sorry.  It's not.  It's informative.  It's inspiring.  It got a little boring for a significant portion of the mid-chapters.  But stick with it.  

If you're a fan of Guinness the stout, you oughta read this book.  

If you're a fan of history, or Ireland, you oughta read this book.  

If you like missionary stories, you oughta read this book. 

If you like well-written books with a journalistic feel, you oughta read this book.

The Other Tudors

The Other Tudors, by Philippa Jones

Little did I know that Henry VIII, one of my favorite characters in all of history, had multiple illegitimate children, let alone plenty of potential male heirs, had they been legitimate.  I suppose that reveals my naivete toward his lifestyle (and the lifestyle of many in his position in that day).  However, this book opened my eyes, to say the least.  Not in a sensational way; Jones merely presents her research, devoting each chapter to the individuals: mistress or bastard or both, as not every affair resulted in a child.  Though Jones' writing is not sensational, it is sentimental.  Take her conclusion for instance:

Henry VIII was a man who longed for love.  His tragedy was that he was looking for love that could never exist.  He had a vision of the perfect woman, an image of his mother, and no woman could measure up to this fantasy.  Apart from this was the obsessive need for a male heir.  These two, together with the power struggles going on amongst the noble families and foreign diplomats, distorted Henry's natural desire to love and, most of all, to be loved.  

Yuck, really?  Please!  Even I, a fan of Henry's, want to gag at this schmalz.  Beyond this, she seems to consider herself the authority on every matter.  Too many paragraphs begin, "Historian So-and-So states such-and-such a timeline, or what's-her-name was close to the king at this point, but that is incorrect...."  I didn't take a lot of time to peruse her endnotes, but not many of her assertions are backed up in order to truly disprove the actual historians' findings.

That all being said, I enjoyed this book immensely.  Henry is fascinating, sentimental lovesick sap or not, and so are his subsequent children, real or alleged.

8.14 [currently reading]

Currently reading:

Do Hard Things, by Alex and Brett Harris - reading with one of my youth group girls.  Surprisingly, I feel challenged and convicted. 1/4 complete.

The Weight of Glory, by C.S. Lewis - because I cannot get enough of Jack.  (Cannot wait to meet this guy and have tea with him in heaven.)  1/8 complete.

Roll of Thunder, Hear My Cry, by Mildred Taylor - one of my absolute favorite stories.  1/16 complete.

The Cost of Discipleship, by Dietrich Bonhoeffer - reading with another of my youth group girls (soon to be college-bound!)  This one is tough, and we've both been busy.  Unfortunately, on a back-burner for now.  1/32 complete.

I like this mix.  Some fiction, some non.  Each important, in their own way. 

The Help

The Help, by Kathryn Stockett

I realize I'm about a year or two late in reading this gem, but I must admit I have an aversion to reading the "trendy" ones.  So I had to wait.  And, since I picked it up at the airport when I had finished the only book I brought on our trip to Jersey, I guess you could say I was almost forced into reading it now.  But what a glad and unexpected incident!  

This book, as I'm sure you know, discusses at length the racial segregation of the South during the 1960s.  This topic is near and dear to my heart, having grown up at Camp Beechpoint, ministering to and with a primarily African American population.  Racism didn't (and doesn't) make sense to me, honestly.  So, in reading this book, it was tough for me to remember it is set in the '60s.  Not all that long ago.  That was the foremost tragedy to me.  Beyond that, that this tragedy still occurs to a large degree in our country.  Perhaps not to the same extent, and not protected by law, but the culture is still there.  That hurts my heart. 

I loved the theme of reconciliation.  It's an important one.  The book signed for Skeeter by the hundreds of black churchgoers who applauded her stand, the work she did to give them a voice... made me cry.  More so than any other part of the book, I think.  I loved the relationships.  I loved the anecdotes.  

The movie is on its way from Netflix, and I am excited to see faces and voices set to these vibrant and boisterous characters.  They practically leapt off the page at me, anyway.  

If you haven't read this one yet, please do yourself a favor and pick it up.  It's one you certainly won't regret as a gratuitous summer read.  

The Abolition of Man

The Abolition of Man, by C.S. Lewis

Though this book (or, rather, collection of essays) is a mere eighty seven pages, I think I read it about three times by the end of it.  His mastery of the argument and the English language oftentimes goes right over my head; I had to reread sentences, paragraphs... Jack, I know you're brilliant, but what exactly did you just say?

Once I grasped where he was headed, I became completely enmeshed in his defense of objective morality.  I was not expecting literary criticism in the defense, though that, and his understanding of ethics flouted by technological and scientific advances, certainly makes me wonder what he doesn't understand or what arena does not fall under his umbrella of expertise.  Further, the connection he sees between this worldview and education makes it an essential read for any Christian, sociologist, and educator.

"Only the Tao [Lewis' term for the Way of objective truth] provides a common human law of action which can overarch rulers and ruled alike.  A dogmatic belief in objective value is necessary to the very idea of a rule which is not tyranny or an obedience which is not slavery.  I am not here thinking solely, perhaps not even chiefly, of those who are our public enemies at the moment.  The process which, if not checked, will abolish Man, goes on apace among Communists and Democrats no less than among Fascists.  The methods may (at first) differ in brutality.  But many a mild-eyed scientist in a pince-nez, many a popular dramatist, many an amateur philosopher in our midst, means in the long run just the same as the Nazi rulers of Germany.  Traditional values are to be "debunked" and mankind to be cut out into some fresh shape at the will (which must, by hypothesis, be an arbitrary will) of some few lucky people in one lucky generation which has learned how to do it" (81, emphases mine).

Phew.  Will have to read this one again.  You need to, too.  Trust me; it's worth the effort.

The Anglo Files

The Anglo Files, by Sarah Lyall

Oh my goodness, what a delightful read!  The subtitle reads, A field guide to the British, and it is just that: everything you wished someone had told you about the Brits before being immersed in their culture.  Lyall is an American journalist living in London with her Brit husband and two daughters.  Her descriptions are vivid, hilarious, and thought-provoking.

Some topics covered in depth:

• Cricket as metaphor
• Meaning behind the bad food
• Princess Di and the emotional revolution she began
• Loving animals more openly than other people
• The connection between repressed feelings and drinking
• Euphemisms
• Hereditary titles and the House of Lords
• Weather, and speaking about the weather

If you have any interest whatsoever in the British tradition, nation, culture, or identifying yourself as an anglophile, this book is for you!

7.1 [currently reading]

Currently reading:

The Four Loves, C.S. Lewis - still amazed by his brilliance. Reading for fun. 1/2 complete.

The Anglo Files, Sarah Lyall - observations of an American living among Brits, the low-down on the current and traditional society for non-Briton anglophiles like me.  Reading for fun. 1/4 complete.

Why We're Not Emergent, DeYoung and Kluck - arguments against postmodernism in Christianity manifest in churches like Rob Bell's Mars Hill and writers like Brian McLaren.  A call for renewal and revitalization in traditional Christianity.  Reading through with one of our elders and his wife.  1/8 complete.

The Cost of Discipleship, Bonhoeffer - a true pastor of the Church and martyr in Nazi Germany.  Reading to discuss with Faith on our weekly coffee dates.  1/32 complete.

The Call, Guinness - a definitive work on a Christian's purpose; a call to a Person rather than a job or place or things.  Reading with Faith.  Just finished.

It's interesting... I hate reading multiple books at once, but such is my schedule.  

Even more interesting, I think, is that they're all nonfiction.  

Rarely, if ever, am I not reading something fictional.  

Especially in the summertime.  

If you have any recommendations for my next fictional read, feel free!

The Hempleman Story

(This book not reviewed)

The Hempleman Story, researched and compiled by Gene Ebner

My family history.  George Hempleman, the son of a lord in eighteenth century Kassel, Germany, left home and country to marry his love, Margarette Duffe.  Both became indentured servants in the American colonies, separating for four years.  They met, when their times as servants were up, in a church - able to identify one another by a white glove (George had one, Margarette had one).  Fascinating story.  Even more fascinating and excellent, my grandpa (Gene Ebner) traced the children of George and Margarette to my grandma's dad, Earl Rose, detailing the highlights of the lives between them.  I love my heritage, and was excited to have my family's history written out - with pictures, maps and documents!  Thanks, Grampa Gene!  

For further reading, a distant relative (Karen Bowden-Cox) has written a fictional account based on the facts of our common ancestor: Honorable Deception.  Have yet to read, but ought to soon!

Our Search for Happiness

Our Search for Happiness, by M. Russell Ballard

Brief: A good summary of the beliefs of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and an interesting look into the history and perspective of this system of faith.  While I admire the sincerity of faith in the Mormons I know (and love!), I cannot accept it as truth from God.  This is perhaps more of a side not, but, a vibe I got was the importance and centrality of personal happiness... rather than the glory of God.

April 23

He reads much;

He is a great observer, and he looks

quite through the deeds of men.

(Julius Caesar, 1.2.209).

Happy 448th Birthday, dear Shakespeare!

I would be remiss, having a blog solely devoted to books, not to acknowledge the life of English literature-and-language's premier and exemplar.

There is much to be learned from this well-read, observant, and discerning man.

Read some.

Observe some.

What's your favorite:

Sonnet?

History?

Tragedy?

Comedy?

(If you can't answer these questions, please do yourself a favor and read/see Shakespeare.  

And form an opinion.)

For further inspiration, see this article.  

passion week timeline

Find the article and PDF on the Bible Gateway blog here.

Such an awesome tool if you're interested in reading through the events of 

Passion Week as chronological events.  

(i.e.: on Sunday, Jesus...., on Monday, Jesus....)

Read the article, too.  Dr Blomberg gets a nice little (and much-deserved) shout-out.

Here are a few of his nuggets of wisdom on the Gospels on my other blog.

:) 

Enjoy!

street vendor

Yes, you're seeing this right.

an italian leather book cover (with lion emblem)

The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood, with inscription to "Larry" in '48

Theories for Everything: an illustrated history of science from the invention of numbers to string theory

all for under $5 at a roadside stand.  

fare thee well, britannica

According to one journalist, this means Wikipedia wins.

Technology wins.

Traditional research loses.

How do we as readers feel about this?

I, for one, mourn the loss of a literary tradition.

And, frankly, I fear for the future of our collection of knowledge.

Call me a Romantic, but Wikipedia is just not going to cut it.

Goodbye books, hello Internet.  Welcome, e-reader generation!

Fare thee well, Britannica.

Through the Bible

 

Because we'll be leading our youth group through a survey of the Bible, Kev and I have begun to read through it chronologically.  I put together a plan last summer, and enjoyed it immensely, so we thought we'd give it a go!  Feel free to steal/use/judge if you so desire!  It's so good (and important!) to be able to trace the actual narrative of the story, rather than passages out of context and order, etc.  Will check in and give my thoughts once in a while.  :)  Enjoy!

• Genesis 1-11
• Job 1-42
• Genesis 12-50
• Exodus 1-40
• Leviticus 1-27
• Numbers 1-15; Psalm 90
• Numbers 16-36
• Deuteronomy 1-34; Psalm 91
• Joshua 1-24
• Judges 1-21
• Ruth
• 1 Samuel 1-20; Psalm 11, 59
• 1 Samuel 21-24; Psalm 7, 27, 31, 34, 35, 52
• Psalm 54, 56, 120, 140-145; 1 Sam 25-27
• 1 Samuel 28-31; Psalm 18
• Psalm 121,123-125,128-130; 2 Sam 1-4
• Psalm 6, 8-10,14,16,17,19, 21; 1 Chron 1-2
• Psalm 43-45, 49, 84-85, 87; 1 Chron 3-5
• Psalm 73, 77, 78; 1 Chron 6
• Psalm 81, 88, 92-93; 1 Chron 7-10
• Psalm 102-104; 2 Sam 5; 1 Chron 11-12
• Ps 133, 106-107; 2 Sam 6; 1 Chron 13-16
• Ps 1-2, 15, 22-24, 47, 57, 68, 74-76, 79
• Ps 89, 96, 100-101, 105, 132; 2 Sam 7; 1 Chron 17
• Ps 25, 29, 33, 36, 39; 2 Sam 8-9; 1 Chron 18
• Ps 20, 50, 53, 60; 2 Sam 10; 1 Chron 19
• Ps 65-67, 69-70; 2 Sam 11-12; 1 Chron 20
• Ps 32, 51, 63, 86, 122; 2 Sam 13-15
• Ps 3-4, 12-13, 28, 55; 2 Sam 16-18
• Ps 26, 40, 58, 61-62, 64; 2 Sam 19-21
• Ps 5, 38, 41-42; 2 Sam 22-23
• Ps 30, 95, 97-99; 2 Sam 24; 1 Chron 21-22
• Ps 108-110; 1 Chron 23-25
• Ps 127, 131, 138-139; 1 Chron 26-29
• Ps 37, 71, 94, 111-118; 1 Kings 1-2
• Ps 72, 119; 1 Kings 3-4; 2 Chron 1
• Song of Songs; Prov 1-15
• Prov 16-24; 1 Kgs 5-6; 2 Chron 2-3
• 1 Kgs 7-8; 2 Chron 4-5
• 2 Chron 6-7; Ps 136
• Ps 134, 146-150; 1 Kgs 9; 2 Chron 8
• Prov 25-29; Ecclesiastes
• 1 Kgs 10-11; 2 Chron 9; Prov 30-31
• 1 Kgs 12-14; 2 Chron 10-12
• 1 Kgs 15-16; 2 Chron 13-17
• 1 Kgs 17-22; 2 Chron 18-23
• Obadiah; Ps 82-83; 2 Kgs 1-11
• 2 Kgs 12-13; 2 Chron 25
• 2 Kgs 14; 2 Chron 25; Jonah
• 2 Kgs 15; 2 Chron 26; Isaiah 1-4 
• Isaiah 5-8; Amos
• 2 Chron 27; Isaiah 9-12
• Micah; 2 Chron 28; 2 Kgs 16-17
• Isaiah 13-27
• 2 Kgs 18:1-8; 2 Chron 29-32; Ps 48
• Hosea
• Isaiah 28-39; 2 Kgs 18:9-19:37
• Isaiah 40-48; Ps 46, 80, 135
• Isaiah 49-66
• 2 Kgs 20-21; 2 Chron 33; Nahum
• 2 Kgs 22-23; 2 Chron 34-35; Zephaniah
• Jeremiah 1-37
• Jer 38-40; 2 Kgs 24-25; 2 Chron 36
• Habakkuk; Jeremiah 41-52
• Lamentations; Ezekiel 1-8
• Ezekiel 9-48
• Joel; Daniel
• Ezra 1-6; Ps 137; Haggai
• Zechariah; Esther; Ezra 7-10
• Nehemiah; Ps 126
• Malachi

• Luke 1-2; John 1; Matt 1-2
• Matt 3-4; Mark 1; Luke 3-5
• John 2-5; Mark 2
• Matt 12; Mark 3;
• Matt 5-13; Luke 6-8; Mark 4-5
• Matt 14; Mark 6; Luke 9; John 6
• Matt 15-18; Mark 7-9; John 7-8
• John 9-10; Luke 10-17
• John 11; Matt 19; Mark 10
• Matt 20-21; Luke 18-19
• Mark 11-12; Matt 22; John 12
• Matt 23; Luke 20-21
• Mark 13-14; Matt 24-26
• Luke 22; John 13-17
• Matt 27; Mark 15; Luke 23; John 18-19
• Matt 28; Mark 16; Luke 24; John 20-21
• Acts 1-14; James
• Acts 15-16; Galatians
• Acts 17-18; 1 Thess; 2 Thess
• Acts 19; 1 Corinthians
• Acts 20; 2 Corinthians; Romans 1-3
• Romans 4-16
• Acts 20-28; Colossians; Philemon
• Ephesians; Philippians
• 1 Timothy; Titus; 1 Peter
• Hebrews
• 2 Timothy; 2 Peter; Jude
• 1 John; 2 John; 3 John; Revelation 1-11
• Revelation 12-22

Constantine's Sword Review

Constantine's Sword: the Church and the Jews,

by James Carroll

What a fascinating journey it's been.  I sped-read the last forty pages because I just wanted to be done with the thing, but don't let that foster the idea that I wasn't completely absorbed in what Carroll had to say about life, history, and religion.  Because I was.  For the past two months, it's been nearly all I can think about.  So.  Where to begin in this review.

To sum up, as he neared conclusion: 

I had come here with my three questions.  The first:  How did the history of Christian antisemitism contribute to the Holocaust?  The second:  How did the Church abet, or oppose, the Holocaust as it unfolded?  And the third:  How does the Church today negotiate that layered past, both the deep past of antisemitism and the recent past of the Holocaust? (536)

While I by no means agree with everything Carroll had to say about Church history - particularly of the early Church - I can appreciate his call to reform.  Though he writes from a purely Catholic standpoint, we Protestants certainly must fall under his criticism.  Listen to what he has to say about the lack of Catholic repentance for their part (or silence) in the Shoah:

The Final Solution has refused to remain unadjudicated in institutions everywhere.  If Bayer, Swiss banks, the Louvre, owners of apartments in the Eighth Arrondissement, the Ford Motor Company, the US Treasury Department, and the New York Times are made to confront their relationship to this unfinished business of the twentieth century, so with the Catholic Church.  If Argentina can repent, as its president did in June 2000, of having offered refuge to Nazi war criminals, why can't the Vatican repent of having helped some of those same war criminals escape to Argentina?  (555)

What he proposes is reform.  A Vatican III, as he calls it.  Because there is no place for a cross at Auschwitz.  There must be something wrong with the Church as we know it.  "At bottom, what [is] so urgently required of the the Catholic Church [is] a change in what is said, thought, and believed about Jews" (551).  What he says here, on page 560, summarizes not only the highlights of the book as a whole (emboldened), but the measures necessary for true reform within the Church:

The possibility of human recovery from the tragedies of the past adheres, permanently, in the future.  Thus, in addition to anti-Jewish texts, a Vatican Council III would take up the unfinished questions, perhaps even in the order of the chronology we followed, of power (Constantine, Ambrose, Augustine), of Christology (Crusades, Anselm, Abelard), of Church intolerance (Inquisition, Nicolaus of Cusa, the ghetto), of democracy (Enlightenment, Spinoza, modernism), and only then of repentence (Holocaust, silence, Edith Stein).  As this book has demonstrated, the Church's attitude toward Jews is at the dead center of each of these problems, and a fundamental revision of that attitude is the key to the solution of each problem, too.  

Unfortunately, his suggestion extends beyond our reinterpretation of beliefs about the Jewish people. Even further, he suggests we amend what we believe about Jesus, and by extension, the entire world: believers and non-believers alike.  Rather than emphasize Jesus' crucifixion, which places the blame on the Jews who had Him killed, focus on His life of love and service - "a hope for all!" - which demonstrates that the world is already loved and accepted by God.  While his agenda of pluralism is by no means a new doctrine, it is no less disappointing.  He sacrifices integrity with the Scriptures, understanding of the altogether Jewish purpose and role of Jesus as Messiah, and the role of the Church in the life of the world.  As it is said in 1 Corinthians, and is evident here in Carroll's work:

For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, 

but we preach Christ crucified, 

a stumbling block to the Jews and folly to the Gentiles.

(1:22-23)

This work was enlightening: I don't think I ever learned as much Church history from Eddy Field as I did James Carroll.  If content matter such as this could be considered a "delight" to read, I would be the first to say it.  Dense, yes, but so beautifully and honestly portrayed.  Ultimately, I disagree with so many of Carroll's fundamental beliefs; and consequently, his conclusion.

However, I agree the conversation here needs to take place.  Let this be a call to the Church to reform not the measures he proposes, but a revitalization, a return to truth: our Messiah calls us to love our neighbor paired with the insistence that only through Himself is salvation found, and the Apostle's heart's desire and prayer for his people.  A sensitivity must be ever in our words, but urgency and confidence as well.  This is the gospel.

Constantine's Sword

Currently reading Constantine's Sword, by James Carroll.

Briefly, it deals with the relationship between the Church and the Jews throughout history (as you can imagine, it's rather long), and the culmination of that 'relationship' in the Shoah (or, Holocaust).  His argument is intricate, well-researched, and though he himself was a priest, incredibly honest.

I have fallen in love with the way this book is written - nonfiction, history... but you might not realize it at first blush due to Carroll's mastery of the English language.  While I may not agree with all of his conclusions (particularly in his dealing with the early Church and the Reformation), I have found the book to be rather eye-opening and challenging for me, as a believer.

Nearly finished, Carroll is currently dealing with the beginning of Hitler's rise to power, and the foundation of anti-semitism the Church has inadvertently laid for the Nazis to build upon.  Fascinating, scary stuff.

Check back for my final thoughts once I've finished!!