Critiquing the world by loving it

The Presence of the Kingdom by Jacques Ellul
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book is hard to qualify. It's a work of social criticism, but from a theological angle. The premise is that the Church has lost her savor because she has adopted the elements and ideologies of the world, or been lured into joining them. The answer is to develop an alternate way of life based on the Incarnation and eschaton that both critiques and embraces the world through loving our neighbors (via our daily work, service, prayer etc.) in the power of the Holy Spirit.

It has some of the best insights to the modern situation I've ever read, although it was written over 70 years ago. It is the introductory work of Jacques Ellul and I was left wanting to read more, although it is quite dense. If you read this, do not fail to read the conclusion; it brings together many of the strands that were left dangling in earlier chapters.

Learning From Our Elders

 

A Review of Live Not By Lies, Rod Dreher, Sentinel Press, 2020

No one would argue that being a Christian in the United States is easier than almost anywhere else. One of our founding pillars was the freedom to practice our religion as we see fit and people have migrated for centuries to enjoy that freedom. Nevertheless, there are changes afoot. Basic moral codes, understand in the West for thousands of years, are not only being questioned but mocked and vilified. Under our current legislation, speaking plainly about what Scripture calls sin can lead to accusation of hate crime. Big businesses, once protectors of the moral status quo (whether for the right reasons or not is another matter), now enforce an actively libertine agenda through their profits and their “training” sessions. Any state who dares to oppose this risks losing the tax dollars that come from those successful businesses.

At the time of this writing Kristi Noem, governor of South Dakota and favorite of social conservatives, just vetoed a bill passed by the South Dakota legislature that would protect women’s sports to only women. She admits it was for fear of the NCAA’s potentially negative response to the bill. This even though the NCAA had yet to address the bill in any form. Just the thought that South Dakota might face collegiate consequences was enough to derail a bill Lyndon Johnson would have thought common sense. But Governor Noem is not alone. Many other red-state, supposedly reliable conservative governors have capitulated to the woke crowd. As the late columnist Joe Sobran said, “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me. Fool me three times, I'm a Republican.”

Yet Christians are still free to practice their beliefs without fear, aren’t they? Yes, but with increasing limitations. States drunk with power during the COVID crisis shut down churches because of the health risk while allowing other institutions and rioting activities to proceed with few precautions. The state of Christian freedom in the U.S. is not what is used to be. That leads me to the excellent book by Rod Dreher, Live Not By Lies.

More than a Christian Veneer

 

In the 1990’s Marvin Olasky, editor at World Magazine, began editing a series of books on Christian worldview. These books included All God’s Children and Blue Suede Shoes, by Ken Meyers, and State of the Arts, by Gene Edward Veith (both of which are excellent). Each book in the series approached a  topic from a specifically Christian perspective. When I read Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning by Douglas Wilson in 2010, it was one of those "light bulb" moments. Revisiting that book recently, I was reminded why.  

I read the book having taught history in a government school for six years. I knew public education was mostly a farce but could not give a thorough explanation as to what should be done in response. Certainly I had ideas which I would usually discuss with my carpool companion as we rode to and from work. But they were essentially to restore rigor and discipline to the classroom. There was no cohesive philosophy of Christian education, just tweaks to the current system with plenty of Bible added.

Reading Recovering the Lost Tools of Learning was an oasis for me. The author, Douglas Wilson, not only had ideas of what Christian education should be, he put those ideas into practice. Wilson, longtime pastor of Christ Church in Moscow, Idaho, helped to start Logos School in Moscow. He wanted to start a school that would be more than public education with a Christian veneer. He and the men of the church wanted an education that would nurture the soul. This is best expressed in the words of English poet John Milton. “The end then of learning is to repair the ruins of our first parents by regaining to know God aright, and out of that knowledge to love him, to imitate him, to be like him, as we may the nearest by possessing our souls of true virtue, which being united to the heavenly grace of faith makes up the highest perfection.” That quote summarizes the message of this book.

Growing Virtue Through Education

 

a Review of Norms and Nobility by David V. Hicks

One of the lesser-known cries of the Protestant Reformers was, “Ad fontes,” which means “back to the sources.” They were calling upon people to return to the writings of the Church Fathers when studying theology. The fathers were guides for many who were leading the Reformation at the time. Recently I decided to go back to a source that, while not ancient, was instrumental in the rise of the modern classical education movement: Norms and Nobility (1981), by David Hicks.

Some books allow for a quick reading and yield their insights without much effort. Not so with Norms and Nobility. Although short, it packs enough wisdom to require multiple, slow readings. Mr. Hicks’ thesis is simple: education will produce some kind of person. Whereas modern education produces utilitarian, empty souls; classical, Christian education aids the formation of virtuous souls. He believes the latter should be the intention of education, as it was in classical Greece, Rome, and the early Christian era. But modern education has abdicated that role in exchange for the diminished role of job preparation. In doing so we have failed the rising generation.

Theology of Leaven

 

Theology of Leaven

Matthew 13:33 “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three measures of meal, till the whole was leavened.”

Many people read Rod Dreher’s The Benedict Option and discussed it afterwards. Many more didn’t read it but criticized it anyway. The most prominent critique was that he was calling for people to “head for the hills,” or become Amish. Of course removing yourself and your family from a bad situation is not always a bad idea, especially if you live in a place where you will be persecuted for your faith (see Acts 8). But Christians should not be known as people who only retreat.

That said, retreat is not what Dreher calls for. He calls for strategic training and redeployment. Now that may sound like a mere euphemism for retreat, but in reality it’s a separate plan.

The Role of Schools in Our Problems

 

A Review of C.S. Lewis' The Abolition of Man

Years ago when I first picked up C.S. Lewis’ The Abolition of Man, I read a bit of the first chapter and liked what I read. But as with some of Lewis’ other works, it gets a bit dense at times. This is not The Chronicles of Narnia. So I put it down. The book remained on my shelf for some time I heard it mentioned for the seventh or eighth time by Christian educators. So I decided to read it all the way through, no matter how dense it was. My reading was thoroughly rewarded. It is a fascinating look at the world of education through the eyes of a twentieth century prophet.

The book was written in 1944, with World War Two ongoing. The three lectures that make up the book describe how modern textbooks and teachers insidiously drain the eternal forms of truth, goodness, and beauty from every part of life. This hollowing out of standards supposedly “frees” us to follow our natural instincts, but that freedom is actually a method of enslaving us to the whims of the broader society and its leaders. What those leaders do with their “slaves” in the name of “man’s power over nature” is attempt to forge a society with themselves in complete power. In other words, he explains how the rules of our world try to take over societies through the side door of coercion, rather than the front door of force.

Learning to Listen

 

A Review of Mortimer Adler's How to Speak How to Listen. New York: Simon and Schuster, 1997.

Communication is becoming a lost art. A mere scan of news channels or one’s Facebook feed demonstrates that many do not appreciate opposing opinions. Recent books like Alan Jacob’s How to Think, or Justin Lee’s Talking Across the Divide address the difficulty of speaking and listening to those who hold differing opinions. But communication is more than being polite when someone contradicts you. It requires thinking, pondering, and gently probing to understand what the other person is saying. It requires careful consideration of how your own words, facial expression, and body language will be understood, and striving to use these methods of expression to appropriately convey your meaning.

Mortimer Adler understood the importance of communication. His most famous work, How to Read a Book, is a timeless guide to understanding what we read. In that work he calls the reader to treat a book’s author like a conversation partner, one whom we should approach with magnanimity. His advice has helped many students gain a better grasp on receiving written communication.

Forty years later he wrote another, less famous book on communication, How to Speak, Hot to Listen. The lessons presented in How to Speak are no less important today than they were when he first penned them. Not only does he present the basics of speaking and listening, he explains the why we should care about the topic to begin with. This book is for those who are interested in communication, but he doesn’t stop there. Adler demonstrates how communication is not the end, but the means to an even greater gift: communion with others.

The book begins with two introductory chapters in which he addresses the problem of communication. The second part of the book explains various methods of public speaking, e.g. rhetoric, sales speech, lectures, etc. and how one should prepare for them. These should not be skipped over lightly because one never knows when it might be necessary to publicly address a group. The third part of the book explains what Adler calls “silent listening,” or how one should listen to public speech. He admonishes hearers to listen actively rather than passively, to carefully consider the message of the speaker and how it applies to the hearer. Part four discusses communication in day-to-day conversation. The most notable chapter of that section to me was chapter nine, “Question and Answer Sessions: Forum”. It details how one should participate when there are public meetings that allow short question and answer times between individuals. It is particularly applicable to our social media age, when short posted statements are often quickly followed by immediate responses. The lessons in this chapter may seem dated, but are still important.

My favorite chapter  was the last one, where Adler discusses the connection of conversation to being human. While all mammals communicate in some fashion, God made man with the ability to have fellowship with others, which is something the animals can never have. He then refers to Rene Descartes, the French philosopher who said that man differs from matter primarily because matter can’t think as man can. To apply this lesson today, artificial intelligence can only respond as it was programmed to respond. No matter how detailed it gets, when it is traced back to its origin, those programmed responses have their origin in man. This differentiation is sorely needed today in an age when more and more interaction is mechanical. One recent commercial showed an only child “communicating” with a robot child, and the parents looking on happily. This exemplifies the problem Adler points out. When the meaning of human communion through communication is lost, the result is the confusion in which we live. The first appendix, a lecture given by Adler to the American Association of Neurological Surgeons, solidly presents further evidence for why machines can never be truly conversant with people.

Dr. Adler’s background as a philosopher is evident in his writing (I mean that as a compliment). As a classical scholar, he uses language to help the reader think about what writes, not just to score quick rhetorical points or quickly persuade the reader. This book might be a challenge for some who only want a quick, self-help book, but it rewards the reader who ponders its meaning. It is evident that he wants to help the reader grow not only as a communicator but as a human being. If communication is indeed a means to communion, Adler’s book will aid all those who pursue that worthy goal.  ow How to Speak

A Renewed Perspective of Education

 

           A Review of Dorothy Sayers' Essay, "The Lost Tools of Learning"

            For generations the education system has been floundering. Having followed the methods of John Dewey and the mechanical philosophy of Frederick Taylor, public schools are a bureaucratic mass measured by test performance and the ability to inculcate the latest social ideas. Countless parents know there are problems but do not know how to address them. Many educators know that the system is failing to provide students with what they need but have grown apathetic after years of striving within the system. Where is the hope for educating our children when such conditions exist and the system itself seems to be on an endless downward spiral?

            Dorothy Sayers’ essay, “The Lost Tools of Learning,” is timelier today than it was when it was written in 1947. The problems she identified then seem only to have multiplied in the more than sixty years hence. Students have greater access to knowledge today than they did in medieval times yet foolishness abounds. There is a world of information available through technology, but no wisdom as to how and when it should be used. And as Mrs. Sayers so aptly expressed in her essay, “Is it not the great defect of our education to-day… that although we often succeed in teaching our pupils "subjects," we fail lamentably on the whole in teaching them how to think?” 

Twilight of the Idols

I've heard much about Frederick Nietzsche over the years and finally got around to read one of his books, Twilight of the Idols. It's been an enlightening read.

I wouldn't recommend Nietzsche to anyone. He's a bold pagan who embraces the pagan worldview without qualification. His writing is full of zest. He loves eugenics, euthanasia, and the development of power. He has a wicked sense of humor and makes fun of Christianity and philosophy at every opportunity.  He was a significant influence on the acerbic H.L. Mencken, who wrote a preface to a later edition of one of Nietzsche's books. The "alt-right" considers him a patron saint, although he would probably appreciate "patron god" more. If a young man has lost his way and struggles with asserting masculinity, Nietzsche would be the worst possible influence.

Why should some people read Nietzsche? Read him if you want to understand history. His influence on German philosophy is impressive. His beliefs laid the foundation for the philosophy of the National Socialist (Nazi) Party in Germany. The superiority of Aryans, anti-Semitism, worship of power and pagan symbols, it's all in Nietzsche. But his thought is not new. He merely condenses the older Germanic pagan beliefs that had been idle for a several centuries following the advent of Christianity in Europe.

We should also read him to shock us out of our intellectual stupor. We've been accustomed to the Christian culture around us for so long that we haven't had to think about why we hold specific beliefs and practice certain ethics. Our forefathers could articulate their debt to Scripture, natural law and Christian tradition as the reason for their beliefs and practices, e.g. care for the poor, the sick, widows, orphans, etc. Nietzsche challenges us to explain ourselves. He presents a bold message of a new world where Christianity will wither away and worldly men will take over. Flabby Christianity isn't sufficient to answer his claims. To answer him requires preparation, thought, and wisdom accrued through time. There are no shortcuts.

The most striking argument he presents is the condemnation of Christianity as an "other-world" religion, i.e., one that only focuses on what comes later and insufficiently appreciates the good of this world. His indictment rings true. We often treat God's good world as if it were the opposite of the original garden of Eden, only taking from one tree and fearing to partake of much else. God made us and He made all the creation good. Although we've perverted much of it through sin, the good of His creation should be enjoyed, not feared (see Joe Rigney, The Things of Earth, for a good introduction to enjoying God's gifts of creation). To delight in Him and His gifts casts down one of the most powerful weapons our great enemy has.

This post barely scratches the surface in explaining the depth of Nietzsche's thought, but I hope it gives you some reasons for reading him. If you are grounded in your faith and are prepared to encounter one of the most robust pagan minds of the last two hundred years, you could do a lot worse than Nietzsche.

Problems with good intentions

An Other Kingdom: Departing the Consumer Culture by Peter Block
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

While I appreciate the vision of this book - and economy based on covenant and common good rather than contract and individualism - I disagree with much of its application. The only way to bring the vision into practice is through excessive government intervention into people's lives. There are many problems with much of our economy, but those can't be fixed by further regulation and redistribution.

Some of their interpretation of other writers is poor. For example, the authors reduce Adam Smith to a modern-day Libertarian. But their view shows a stereotype of Smith rather than a true reading of his work. He was far more nuanced in his approach of political economy than such an surface-reading suggests. Also, the use of Scripture to support their goals is admirable, but it is one-sided, neglecting what Scripture says about the personal responsibility people must take for their choices.

The language of neighborliness, mystery, liturgy, and covenant is humane way of presenting their arguments, but the application left much to be desired.

Attributes of God for beginners

God Is: A Devotional Guide to the Attributes of God by Mark Jones
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Most wouldn't think of a book on the attributes of God as devotional reading, but pastor Mark Jones accomplishes that task. He writes in a style that is clear and pointed. He takes the attributes of God one by one, describes the doctrine involved with that attribute, explains how it is revealed to us in the incarnate Christ, and finally demonstrates how it applies to Christians individually. It isn't a "soft" devotional, by that I mean it isn't one that makes you feel warm and good about yourself, and I appreciate that. Some of these teachings will clash with our sensibilities, but they are taken from Scripture so when that happens, it's because our sensibilities need correction.