Don Juan - a review

Don Juan by Lord Byron
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was a TRIP.
Knowing little about Lord Byron, except he was a Romantic poet (“She walks in beauty like the night…”), and that Don Juan was a profligate womanizer, I wasn’t sure what to expect. Here’s what I learned.

Byron structures and writes his epic like Dante. The chapters are Cantos. He often refers to contemporary figures, criticizing or praising them, while telling a different story with a different point. Following a strict meter and rhyme (mostly), each stanza also has 8 lines. There over 100 stanzas in each of the 16 complete Cantos! The modern reader finds this tiresome, and I did at times. But there is also a freedom to the structure that lets you focus on other things he’s doing.

Unlike Dante, Byron is EXTREMELY self-conscious, referring to his Muse, reputation, giftedness, and humility (!) constantly. He compares himself to all the great epic poets, seeing himself as one of them, or striving to be. Juan is shipwrecked like Odysseus. The book is PACKED with literary references like Dante. You need good footnotes to make sense of much of it. But with Byron you get more the sense that he is showing off his knowledge. He says he is moralizing, but seldom does the way a preacher would (he likes to make fun of moralizing preachers). His long digressions on politics, women, society, religion, etc. are actually the point of the book, I think. Juan’s plot is just a device to hold it together and flip back and forth between.

Juan is set up as Byron’s hero, the paragon of what a virtuous man should be, and it is no Christian vision. Handsome, courtly, facing hardship head on as serenely as pleasure like a good Stoic. He goes from one beautiful woman’s arms to another, and there’s a fair bit of sexual innuendo, especially at the beginning. Byron does not criticize this at all, but comments on (and criticizes) women of high society, assuming it’s fine to pursue them outside of marriage. Juan is a hero for having women desire him. He has a fair number of chauvinistic lines about the capricious changeableness of women. He several times criticizes the institution of marriage outright, as the other Romantics did.

But Byron was a genius writer and not totally wicked. He was an apt social critic, with plenty of clever lines. Here is a sampling of some of his best.

‘Twas for a voyage that the young man was meant,
As if a Spanish ship were Noah’s ark,
To wean him from the wickedness of earth
And send him like a dove of promise forth.
II:8

Our hero (and I trust, kind reader, yours)
Was left upon his way to the chief city
Of the immortal Peter’s polished boors, [Rome]
Who still have shown themselves more brave than witty.
I know its mighty empire now allures
Much flattery, even Voltaire’s, and that’s a pity.
For me, I deem an absolute autocrat
Not a barbarian, but much worse than that.

And I will war at least in words (and should)
My chance so happen – deeds) with all who war
With thought; and of thought’s foes by far most rude,
Tyrants and sycophants have been are are.
I know not who may conquer. If I could
Have such a prescience, it should be no bar
To this my plain, sworn, downright detestation
Of every despotism in every nation.

It is not that I adulate the people.
Without me, there are demagogues enough
And infidels to pull down every steeple
And set up in their stead some proper stuff.
Whether they may sow scepticism to reap hell,
As is the Christian dogma rather rough,
I do not know. I wish men to be free
As much from mobs as kings – from you as me.
IX:23-25

It were much better to be wed or dead
Than wear a heart a woman loves to rend.
XIV:64

But more or less the whole’s a syncope
Or a singultus, emblems of emotion,
The grand antithesis to great ennui,
Wherewith we break our bubbles on the ocean
XV:2
[Here, like a good Romantic, Byron asserts that feeling/emotion is the best antidote to ennui / boredom / nihilism.]


But what’s reality? Who has its clue?
Philosophy? No, she too much rejects.
Religion? Yes, but which of all her sects?

Some millions must be wrong, that’s pretty clear;
Perhaps it may turn out that all were right.
XV:89-90


View all my reviews

Fellowship of the Ring - a review

The Fellowship of the Ring by J.R.R. Tolkien
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fellowship of the Ring

5 stars!

The usual critique of this trilogy is that it is too long on landscape. Sitting outside reading it during the late summer / early autumn, I disagree. Part of the point is to awaken a love for the outdoors again, and it worked for me, this time through.

Besides that, I heavily notated all the theologically laden comments Tolkien makes:
- Evil [the ring] can only be used for evil
- We need companions on the journey for good and against evil
- We are tempted to use power for good when that is not in God’s design
- Things are not always as they seem: Strider appears suspicious at first; Boromir seems kindly but seeks to take the ring. Discernment is needed.
- Do not assume those in charge and assumed to have great knowledge (Saruman) are to be trusted.
- Come together for counsel against evil and share your knowledge [Elrond’s council].
- Be aware of evil set against you, when you are at peace and unaware [Frodo before leaving the Shire]
- Understand the bigger picture, and don’t just stay in your little Shire bubble, so you can act properly.

Much more could be said in a preachy way, but the story is compelling in itself.
Tolle lege.


View all my reviews

That Distant Land - a Review

 

That Distant Land: The Collected Stories by Wendell Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Berry is a gifted writer. He preferences the land, the world, and its value over all else. People are meant to belong to the land. The price of crops means less than value of work. A dying ancestor means more to his community than modern medicine’s care for him.

A collection of 2 dozen short stories, most of which can be read in an evening, I reread this after 15 years or so, and found it valuable.
It’s a good introduction to the Port William world, or a great way to fill in the story after reading Jayber Crow or Hannah Coulter.

Many points brought me to tears out of nostalgia, which critics declaim. Maybe they’re right. Berry longs for a world that has passed away. But the values of that world can reorient our moral compass in very helpful ways.

View all my reviews

Should we give the middle finger to idolatry, Doug?

A breakdown of Doug Wilson's defense of the recent NSA ad with the middle finger to idolatry.

Prologue

I remain a friend of Moscow and all its ventures to build Christian culture and to fight against the rising secular and pagan worldview.  I liked 98% of the NSA ad, and would recommend the school to friends.

However.  

(A critique of each section of Doug's post here.  The ad is here.)

"First, What it Was"

It doesn't help to say it was just a nano-second, and that we'd just be WILLING to go there (use the f-bomb).  If you're willing to go there, and show it, it's as bad as going there.  Showing the picture at all is as good as saying "eff you."

"Where We and Our Critics Disagree"
Doug bifurcates between friends of the college, and those out to get them. Respondents are effeminate wusses, library ladies, and sob sisters; or we are masculine, faithful, fighting friends. Most are in the middle, in neither camp. He is much more sensitive to those out to get them, and I don't discount there are many enemies of his doing that. But there are many like me who don't want to give Nate a pass, and also are not effeminate wusses. This is an ad hominem fallacy on Doug's part. (Any critics are sob sisters.) Also, in this section Doug downplays the gesture: "we didn't actually say the word out loud." This is casuistry. Finally, Doug plays the "who will fight?" card. If you criticize using the f-bomb you aren't willing to fight, in his view. Non sequitur. I've seen this before from him, first hand: if you don't agree with him, you're unwilling to put on your "big boy pants." He quotes Judges 15:11, but Samson and other judges never used the f-bomb, or used the enemy's sinful tactics against them.

"I'll Tell You What's Problematic"
Doug's critique of Strachan falls flat. Just because Strachan positively reviewed a film with several f-bombs in it, doesn't make it inconsistent to critique Christian platforms that PRODUCE it. His reference to "Evangellyfish" also doesn't fly, as Doug didn't use the f-bomb in it. I wouldn't call Doug a grifter, but the ad was definitely made to get attention. To say his critics are out for attention is just to siphon criticism off Moscow onto their critics.

"The Heart of the Difficulty"

This is a decent section, though it depends on inward intent. I believe Doug's intent is sincere and that he is not seeking fame for its own sake. He is seeking attention for a godly purpose. But he assumes his critics are seeking fame in an ungodly manner, which is uncharitable of him. Maybe they actually have a substantial case to consider. Assuming it is not so displays a lack of humility, uncharacteristic of the Doug I know. (I liked his appeal to DeYoung being our next standard bearer.)

Overall, I'd say including the middle finger gesture violates Scripture. We want to renounce idolatry like we saw in the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, but not say "eff you" to it. This tiny portion of the ad was a play to ungodly hatred of wickedness, which we ought to reject.

I urge you: reject both the wickedness itself, and the ungodly, hate-filled response to it.

Judas, Kamala Harris, and God's Providence

 Another great sermon by Doug Wilson, especially the last bit from 40:00 or so, on.

There's also a great passage on what Judas was trying to do, which applies to our political situation today.

https://www.christkirk.com/sermon/acts-of-the-apostles-3/

On the Trinity - Augustine - a review

On the Trinity by Saint Augustine of Hippo by Augustine of Hippo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Augustine breaks the rule that no one can talk for more than 15 minutes about the Trinity without committing some heresy. He takes 288 fine print pages to cover every aspect of Father, Son and Holy Spirit, with no major error. It is a stunning theological and philosophical accomplishment.

This book also proves CS Lewis’ rule of thumb right: read an old book between every 1-2 contemporary ones you read. The way Augustine writes is nothing like people today. It isn’t that he uses big words too much. His grammar and syntax, and way of argumentation is very different. But once you’re used to it, you see that his arguments are incisive, Scriptural, and compelling. My edition had a summary of every short chapter which helped my feeble brain a ton. It would be easy to skim, by only reading those chapter headings, and dipping in further where you want.

Part of his argument is to use an expected Scripture text, and then infer logically a truth of the Trinity. It’s a master class in going from interpretation of Scripture to systematic theology.

This is a challenging read, essential for seminary students, and very helpful for pastors to connect with “mother church,” and keep their minds sharp in this important area.

A rare 5 out of 5 stars!

View all my reviews

Scalia Speaks - a review

 

Scalia Speaks: Reflections on Law, Faith, and Life Well Lived by Antonin Scalia
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a stellar book. A collection of Scalia’s speeches on various topics, I learned a TON and laughed along the way.

I’d say the key take away is that the law, and the Supreme Court, cannot be distilled to the binary we all make politically today of liberal/conservative. A GOP appointee isn’t a guaranteed “conservative vote” on the Supreme Court. The law is a different animal than politics, and it was very enlightening to learn more about it.

Scalia did have his own sort of binary, though. He was an originalist back when the word was anathema. But his case is winning today: we should be constrained by what the constitution and the law says, and not seek to make it say what we want it to say, according to our newer and (of course) better values. Those benighted people of the past, our Founders and legal ancestors, didn’t know anything about gender like we enlightened people know today, so why listen to them?

Scalia’s orthodox Catholicism steeled him against that latter claim. How do we know we know any better? Shouldn’t we heed the wisdom of our forebears? Absolutely.

But originalism is not always conservatism. His take on the Church of the Holy Trinity v. U.S. 1892 case shows that. The church hired an English minister as its pastor. A federal law forbade importing foreigners to work in the U.S., with only certain exceptions. Clerical work was NOT one of them! SCOTUS went with the spirit of the law, unanimously allowing the church to hire a pastor, claiming in part that “this is a Christian nation.” Scalia disagreed with the decision, as there was no such exception in the law. He also disagreed with the assertion that the U.S. is Christian. “Legally it was false. But sociologically I have no doubt it was (in 1892) true” (128). Scalia no doubt would NOT be a Christian Nationalist today.

The speech on Lincoln is astoundingly good, showing the depth of discussion going on in Lincoln’s time, and even in Scalia’s, that is sorely lacking today. Scalia shows that Lincoln was no dummy, nor was he only opposed to slavery cynically while in the White House. Lincoln’s and Scalia’s analysis of Dred Scott’s case shows that precedent is not an iron rule, as earthly judges can err.

He gave several commencement addresses, and at one gave this gem of advice:
“It is much less important how committed you are than what you are committed to. If I have to choose, I will undoubtedly take the less dynamic, indeed even the lazy person, who knows what’s right, than the zealot in the cause of error…. It is your responsibility… not just to be zealous in the pursuit of your ideals, but to be sure that your ideals are the right ones…. Good intentions are not enough” (100).

These are only a few highlights. This is highly recommended reading to raise your level of understanding of legal issues.

View all my reviews

Work Is Not a Curse

 David Bahnsen has a good book out, distilled nicely in this article.

https://wng.org/articles/selling-work-short-1722992245

There a short Q&A with him here.
https://wng.org/articles/a-chat-with-david-bahnsen-1723002311

Needed to straighten out our view of work.

The Memory of Old Jack - a review

The Memory of Old Jack by Wendell Berry
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was a depressing book, but also with a blessed encouragement near the end.

Jack Beechum’s life was full of disappointments. His marriage. His ambition in work. His children following after him. All were failures in his mind, and objectively. His memory of it all as an old man paralyzed him, literally and physically. Yet he left behind a small group of men who respected him and sought to carry on his legacy.

The title has a double meaning, only revealed at the end. While most of the book is Jack remembering his past life and woes, the last few chapters are Jack’s “adopted sons,” those he has mentored and have adopted his values and way of life, remembering HIM, and carrying on his farm, his way, his harvest, his memory.

Wendell Berry is a compelling author, and I commend anything he writes. (Ironically, he was introduced to me by someone who hurt me much, while Berry’s writings have healed me much.) He values the land, work, and the community of the older faithful, probably in that order, above anything else. Including family and church. So his priorities aren’t exactly aligned with a Christian worldview. You could even call it idolatrous of ancestors and place, tradition and soil. But there’s enough overlap with Biblical truth to make it a very worthwhile read. Much of it is “Christ-haunted,” as Dorothy Sayers might say.

Much of his writing is a lament for a bygone age – nostalgic. But as I look ahead to being the oldest generation alive in a decade or three, I’m starting to see the problem Berry presents: some of those up and coming attain the wisdom needed, yet many do not. Sometimes I’m one of those that misses it.

There is a striking lack of God’s sovereignty in Wendell Berry’s picture – He only appears once or twice in the whole book. It’s more a modern-day Ecclesiastes.

But Berry’s books are drenched with salt-of-the-earth wisdom that will edify you deeply.

View all my reviews

The Cruciform Way II - a book review

The Cruciform Way: A Steady Cadence of Christ for Life by Christopher Ian Thoma
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A Lutheran pastor local to me writes compellingly of the Christian life.

Tuned to the church year, one 3-6 page chapter per Sunday, this has been a staple of my Sabbath reading for a while.

Thoma’s solid orthodoxy brings him to apply the gospel of forgiveness and the importance of the visible means of grace, to many areas of life.

A few highlights:

“Video-game manufacturers are the modern day mind-altering drug dealers to this generation” (pg 145).

“What good is standing against the wealth-stealing pestilence of big-government socialism when you can’t rightly govern your tithes and offerings to the Lord with the current freedom you possess?” (199).

In worship, “you will hear a single voice – your pastor’s voice – and it will be for you as the Lord’s own voice announcing you need not fear. You need not be uneasy. You need not be afraid. Through repentance and faith in His merciful love, you belong with Him and He will not push you away” (229).

“Abortion is about a radicalized individualism that takes what it wants and gets rid of what it doesn’t. In America it’s only ‘Baby Joy!’ if we want it. It’s a fetus… if we don’t” (244).

HIGHLY recommended reading.

View all my reviews

The Power of a Praying Husband - book review

 

The Power of a Praying Husband Book of Prayers by Stormie Omartian
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This tiny book comprises about 60 prayers, 4-5 sentences each, that a husband can pray for his wife.
Seems small and trivial, but Omartian packs a lot of relational truth into a small space.
A husband concerned for his wife’s needs will find enlightenment as to what those needs are, and fuel for his prayers here.

I think Omartian is more charismatic than me theologically, but it doesn’t come through in this book hardly at all.

Especially convicting and striking are those times men are called to pray for God to do something for their wives that they cannot do themselves: convict them of sin, bring them joy, etc.

I recommend this book to jump start or deepen your prayer life as a husband for your wife.

View all my reviews

Thirty-Nine Steps review

 

I reread this John Buchan short story, as my wife is staging it as a play.

 

What hit me is how spycraft is mainly about confidence in what you know to be true.  If you don’t trust your view of things, you’ll get played by the other side.  That's a SPIRITUAL lesson, people.

 

It’s a fast-moving flip from one scene to the next.  The main character Hannay changes identities as quickly and deftly.  Written between the world wars, it is instructive in its “out of date-ness.”

 

Recommended reading.

Habitation of Dragons review

Habitation of Dragons by Keith Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Our lives, our souls, are the habitation of dragons.

Keith Miller wrote over 50 years ago, and I found it compelling. An autobiography, he considers the ways he is tempted to various sins. Pride. Envy. Anger. Ambition.

His format is devotional: 2-3 pages of writing, then a few quotes, and a prayer. Easy to read a chapter in 5-10 minutes, per day.

Some will see it as overly “navel-gazing,” but there is a time for introspection and considering one’s sins and temptations. The HONESTY is what struck me most. Miller has a way of vividly describing the (mostly non-physical) temptations that come upon us all.

“To know that I am not alone with the shameful dragons I fight in my inner life is very encouraging,” he writes in the introduction. And so this book is convicting, but also encouraging.

Miller was a teacher and speaker in the church in full time Christian ministry, so I related to much of what he had to say. Some of his dragons were unique to that world, but many were common to all.

Written in 1970, a few things are dated, but surprisingly little.

I highly recommend this book to any Christian pursuing sanctification, especially against sins of the mind.

View all my reviews

Church History - a Review

Church History by Simonetta Carr
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a GREAT book. Geared as a textbook for roughly 7th-12th graders, Carr does an excellent job simplifying complex issues for students without dumbing things down. I used this as a homeschool text for a semester, and it was marvelous.

Carr is known for her shorter biographies of figures around the reformation, and applies her historical research more broadly, here.

Covering all of church history from 30AD to the present, worldwide, is quite a task, and some selectivity is needed. Here are some weaknesses, and then strengths of the book in this area.

Weaknesses:
The coverage is quite uneven. 30-1517AD is covered in 80 pages. Reformation to the present gets 170 pages. This is expected from a book published by “Reformation Heritage Books,” but still disappointing. Alfred the Great gets 2 sentences. Alcuin gets 3.

So many figures of history are given a little box with 2-3 sentences that I got ADD. It became just random facts, instead of a cohesive story.

The “Think about It” questions are helpful to engage students (and provide homework!), but they are often leading to a specific answer, rather than helping to think critically about a subject.

Strengths:
The visuals and high quality paper and binding are VERY well done. The book is beautiful and appealing, including many original portraits and pictures of historical figures, documents and assemblies.

The coverage of the Reformation through Westminster is thorough and excellent.

The coverage of history from 1900 on is the best I’ve seen anywhere, giving much detail and key figures I’d never heard of, worldwide from South Korea to Nigeria.


I don’t know if this is a strength or weakness, but the book is obviously from a Reformed Presbyterian perspective. It “takes sides” on the Arminius controversy and Dordt. Carr also is obviously keen to show that not only Baptists but Presbyterians sent out many missionaries in the 1800s. This makes her selective in modern history, focusing on Machen, Packer and Sproul, while Mohler’s historic reformation to orthodoxy of a major institution is absent.


Reformed homeschoolers should definitely get this book. Classical schools should consider it for their curriculum. We all need to know our history better, and this book provides a path to dip into history for as much time as you have. Either 5 minutes as a family devotion, or a semester as a high school course, Carr’s accomplishment brings you more understanding and spiritual edification from our Church family history.

View all my reviews

Seismic Shifts - a book review

 

Seismic Shifts: The Little Changes That Make a Big Difference in Your Life by Kevin G. Harney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a great book to spur you on to growth in the Christian life.

Continuing my streak of practical Christian living reading, Harney covers most of the basics: Scripture reading, prayer, giving, evangelism. But he also throws in some surprises: eating well. Using your tongue to build up instead of burn down. Resting in God’s peace instead of being anxious.

When I got toward the end, I admit I groaned. 3 chapters each on giving and evangelism! But they were good and many Christians today need to hear this perspective again. We need to be generous with our time and money for others, since we are merely stewarding our lives for God’s glory, not building our own empires. We need to see other people not as evangelism projects but as the image of God to value and love for their own sake, not so we can boast in converting them.

The book is 15 years old, and he is more enthusiastic for the Willow Creek model than I am. But it’s definitely worth the read. Especially if you’re sensing a need for change and growth in your walk with the Lord Jesus.


View all my reviews