The new site isn't completed, but it's far enough along for me to make the jump. Please come find me at the New Dappled Thoughts.
Showing posts with label MISC. Show all posts
Showing posts with label MISC. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Thursday, August 16, 2007
Sunday, August 12, 2007
MY "WHAT HAPPENED TO ME" BOOK LIST
I was talking to a brother at church this morning, and we were describing to each other the paths we'd taken to arrive in the Anglican church. We talked especially about things we'd read. It got me thinking about the influences that have fashioned, for good or bad, how I look at the world today. I sat down with a pad and pencil and made a list of only those books whose exclusion would have meant a very different Phil. This isn’t my “You’ve got to read 'em list.” It’s not even my “Favorites” list. It’s the “It is what it is” List- although there are many favorite and precious friends there.
They're listed in chronological order. Some of the titles grew into the next step of my thinking; some made possible the next step, but like scaffolding were discarded when that level was reached.
They're listed in chronological order. Some of the titles grew into the next step of my thinking; some made possible the next step, but like scaffolding were discarded when that level was reached.
And yes, I do realize that some will think I’ve been climbing down into a hole.
Underneath it all is the faith Mom and Dad taught and modeled for me.
1. Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, Two Babylons by Hislop and Chick Tracks- I put these together because they reflect much of what I’ve grown out of. I was hugely fascinated by Dispensational Prophecy type issues and can remember driving home from church on Sunday evenings, seeing a large orange harvest moon out the rear window and being terrified that the moon was turning to blood. Pelaginism was the great enemy of the gospel (although I would have called it works righteousness then). Clearly, Rome had that all wrapped up. In addition I believed that they were Satanic in the most explicit sense. Yeah…I know. I read Loraine Boettner’s horrifically inaccurate Roman Catholicism when I was in Junior High. I gave out many copies through my early thirties. Christ have mercy.
2. War of the Worlds, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Old Man and the Sea. The smell that an old paper back book gives off when you quickly flip its pages takes me back to a small den I had fashioned in the center of a storage room full of boxes. Cave like, you had to crawl on your belly to reach the hidden opening in the center. I spent many hours hidden in that room, re-reading Jules Verne. Reading! I would wait until I met my wife before I'd discover anything better.
Underneath it all is the faith Mom and Dad taught and modeled for me.
1. Late Great Planet Earth by Hal Lindsey, Two Babylons by Hislop and Chick Tracks- I put these together because they reflect much of what I’ve grown out of. I was hugely fascinated by Dispensational Prophecy type issues and can remember driving home from church on Sunday evenings, seeing a large orange harvest moon out the rear window and being terrified that the moon was turning to blood. Pelaginism was the great enemy of the gospel (although I would have called it works righteousness then). Clearly, Rome had that all wrapped up. In addition I believed that they were Satanic in the most explicit sense. Yeah…I know. I read Loraine Boettner’s horrifically inaccurate Roman Catholicism when I was in Junior High. I gave out many copies through my early thirties. Christ have mercy.
2. War of the Worlds, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, and The Old Man and the Sea. The smell that an old paper back book gives off when you quickly flip its pages takes me back to a small den I had fashioned in the center of a storage room full of boxes. Cave like, you had to crawl on your belly to reach the hidden opening in the center. I spent many hours hidden in that room, re-reading Jules Verne. Reading! I would wait until I met my wife before I'd discover anything better.
3. Lord of the Rings had a double significance. I had never seen such a beautiful presentation of Christlikeness. Who wouldn't want a friend like Gandalf. Who wouldn't desire to be seen as Aragorn's true brother. Who couldn't see that sacrafical virtue was more important than personal survival. Beauty, not fear, is the great evangelistic tool. I was introduced to this trilogy by an older Cousin. I thought the world of Robby. He was viewed by many in my extended fundamentalist family as a radical. He read too much. Had strange ideas. He shared these three volumes with me- secretly, and like Gandalf told me to keep them secret and keep them safe. He wanted them back for his own children.
4. Francis Schaeffer Trilogy- First to open my eyes about the universal extent of Christ’s reign. Not very happy with some of the simplifications regarding various thinkers, but paradigm changing when I first read it as a teenager. I didn’t know it then, but I was getting Van Til’s Presupositionalism while very young.
5. Decision Making and the Will of God by Friesin and The Christian and Alcholic Beverages by Kenneth Gentry. I read Decision Making while Sandi and I were dating, and Gentry’s book shortly before we were married. Both were significant in that they shattered certain “givens” about the Christian life. The world was a larger place than I imagined.
6. Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul shook me up badly and made possible my slide into TR style Reformed Theology. Wonderfully important, but needs to be balanced with a fuller understanding of the truthfulness of the revelation of God in Christ- in my opinion.
7. Five Points of Calvinism by Duane Spencer, Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul- three of the books that marked my first self conscious crusader stage. I had an axe to grind, and for the first time I knew what it looked like.
8. What Every Parent Should Know About Infant Baptism by James Sartell, Baptism: Its Mode and Method by Jay Adams and William the Baptist. I envisioned God’s people for the first time as being defined by Covenant. It was only a matter of time before the dispensationalism had to go
9. Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson introduced me to the truth that Covenants- not Dispensations- structure Scripture. Still very fond of this book.
10. The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk, Calhoun’s Disquisition on Government and Liberty or Equality by Kunhelt Ledhn. Original sin made fear and skepticism of those in power necessary- especially the ubiquitous democratic sort of power.
11. Systematic Theology by Robert Dabney. I took to Dabney immediately because of his anti Jacobian emphasis in matters political. I also turned to the younger Hodge’s Outlines of Theology whenever I had a question of how it all worked.
12. An Eschatology of Victory by Marcellus Kik. This along with other similar works (Last Day Madness, Days of Vengeance, etc) was my introduction to Partial Preterism. The world has never looked the same.
13. Theonomy by Greg Bahnsen. This stage was passionate and lasted a while. N.T. Wright has cured me, though.
14. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neal Postman and various essays by Wendell Berry forced me to reconsider what real progress looked like.
15. I’ll Take My Stand by Twelve Southerners and The Southern Tradition at Bay by Richard Weaver. Ditto.
16. Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, The seven novels of Charles Williams and Orthodoxy by Chesterton. All the themes I’ve come to regard as most important in a rubber-meets-the-road sort of way are found in these books. Each acted as an intro to these men’s writing. I wouldn’t be the same person without their wisdom.
17. The Fire that Consumes by Edward Fudge. Although I’m not an annihilationist. This book began my current agnosticism in regards to how much we truly know about what God is finally up too. A more current read, The Evangelical Universalist would count in the same way.
18. Evangelical is Not Enough and Chance or the Dance? by Thomas Howard. I realized that I was Gnostic in my worship and a chronological snob in my convictions. The beginning of the end of my TR days and the conception of the world as two-storied.
19. Centrality of the Resurrection by Richard Gaffin. It’s been republished with another title. I began to understand Vos’s point that salvation is Eschatological and Christ’s resurrection was all about his receiving in this age what Israel believed would come to pass in the Age to Come. Later, Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas did a monumental job of showing why that mattered- although I think he’s unfair to Constantine.
20. Complete Poems of Gerald Manley Hopkins and For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemann. These brothers understood that the world had but one Storey. I wanted to be able to see that world- the one that needed no stairs.
5. Decision Making and the Will of God by Friesin and The Christian and Alcholic Beverages by Kenneth Gentry. I read Decision Making while Sandi and I were dating, and Gentry’s book shortly before we were married. Both were significant in that they shattered certain “givens” about the Christian life. The world was a larger place than I imagined.
6. Holiness of God by R.C. Sproul shook me up badly and made possible my slide into TR style Reformed Theology. Wonderfully important, but needs to be balanced with a fuller understanding of the truthfulness of the revelation of God in Christ- in my opinion.
7. Five Points of Calvinism by Duane Spencer, Redemption Accomplished and Applied by John Murray and Chosen by God by R.C. Sproul- three of the books that marked my first self conscious crusader stage. I had an axe to grind, and for the first time I knew what it looked like.
8. What Every Parent Should Know About Infant Baptism by James Sartell, Baptism: Its Mode and Method by Jay Adams and William the Baptist. I envisioned God’s people for the first time as being defined by Covenant. It was only a matter of time before the dispensationalism had to go
9. Christ of the Covenants by O. Palmer Robertson introduced me to the truth that Covenants- not Dispensations- structure Scripture. Still very fond of this book.
10. The Conservative Mind by Russell Kirk, Calhoun’s Disquisition on Government and Liberty or Equality by Kunhelt Ledhn. Original sin made fear and skepticism of those in power necessary- especially the ubiquitous democratic sort of power.
11. Systematic Theology by Robert Dabney. I took to Dabney immediately because of his anti Jacobian emphasis in matters political. I also turned to the younger Hodge’s Outlines of Theology whenever I had a question of how it all worked.
12. An Eschatology of Victory by Marcellus Kik. This along with other similar works (Last Day Madness, Days of Vengeance, etc) was my introduction to Partial Preterism. The world has never looked the same.
13. Theonomy by Greg Bahnsen. This stage was passionate and lasted a while. N.T. Wright has cured me, though.
14. Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neal Postman and various essays by Wendell Berry forced me to reconsider what real progress looked like.
15. I’ll Take My Stand by Twelve Southerners and The Southern Tradition at Bay by Richard Weaver. Ditto.
16. Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis, The seven novels of Charles Williams and Orthodoxy by Chesterton. All the themes I’ve come to regard as most important in a rubber-meets-the-road sort of way are found in these books. Each acted as an intro to these men’s writing. I wouldn’t be the same person without their wisdom.
17. The Fire that Consumes by Edward Fudge. Although I’m not an annihilationist. This book began my current agnosticism in regards to how much we truly know about what God is finally up too. A more current read, The Evangelical Universalist would count in the same way.
18. Evangelical is Not Enough and Chance or the Dance? by Thomas Howard. I realized that I was Gnostic in my worship and a chronological snob in my convictions. The beginning of the end of my TR days and the conception of the world as two-storied.
19. Centrality of the Resurrection by Richard Gaffin. It’s been republished with another title. I began to understand Vos’s point that salvation is Eschatological and Christ’s resurrection was all about his receiving in this age what Israel believed would come to pass in the Age to Come. Later, Resident Aliens by Stanley Hauerwas did a monumental job of showing why that mattered- although I think he’s unfair to Constantine.
20. Complete Poems of Gerald Manley Hopkins and For the Life of the World by Alexander Schmemann. These brothers understood that the world had but one Storey. I wanted to be able to see that world- the one that needed no stairs.
21. What St. Paul Really Said and The Challenge of Jesus by N.T. Wright. The most startling thing I’ve ever read. Single greatest paradigm shift of my life. Began a journey of reading everything I could find by this man and a realization that I’d never clearly understood the gospel before.
22. Crendenda/ Agenda- a monthly magazine that presented a vision of Christianity that was attractively medieval. It introduced me to Peter Leithart and others who have been hugely influential in my formation. Leithart’s Against Christianity summarizes much of my current axe grinding.
23. Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West. My introduction to the most exciting theological reflections of the last century. Thank God for John Paul the Great!
22. Crendenda/ Agenda- a monthly magazine that presented a vision of Christianity that was attractively medieval. It introduced me to Peter Leithart and others who have been hugely influential in my formation. Leithart’s Against Christianity summarizes much of my current axe grinding.
23. Theology of the Body Explained by Christopher West. My introduction to the most exciting theological reflections of the last century. Thank God for John Paul the Great!
24. At the Corner of East and Now by Frederica Mathewes-Green and Every Earthly Blessing by Esther de Waal. Almost persuaded; time will tell...
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
SOME HOUSEKEEPING
While I'm here, might as well straighten some things up.I've fixed the Pontifications hyperlink to the right. It now connects to the Pontificator's new website.
I moved Fr. Stephen's Orthodox Blog into my Daily Blog list. Glory to God for All Things ought to be checked out as regularly as possible.
I've added a new Blog- Canterbury Tales. Taylor Marshall is a recent convert to the ancient Roman branch of the church. We have a little history (all positive) over on the Theologia Forums. I happened upon his site today, and I'm thrilled to be back in contact. Check him out.
Tuesday, June 12, 2007
TAKING A BREAK
HAVE A FEW OTHER PROJECTS THAT ARE NEEDING MY ATTENTION; SO I'M GOING TO TAKE A BREAK UNTIL THE END OF THIS MONTH.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007
STRUGGLE IS GOOD
I’ve been a failure lately. More so than usual, I mean.I’ve been thinking about what it all means. The exceptional run of spiritual compromise over the last few days reminds me that deep down…I’m a really sorry bastard.
Emotionally it’s meant discouragement and disgust. That’s fair. Those are the appropriate and default responses to sin, but Fr Joseph Huneycutt reminds me that I should also find hope in the ugliness.
The realization that I struggle with X- whatever it is- is good news. It’s the best possible sign given my situation.
We don’t like struggles or conflict. We tend to view them as negative aspects of life- or at least I do. The tempting response, as Fr Joseph explains it, is either to try to dull out the experience with food, shopping, sex etc or to get out of the situation that gave rise to the conflict in the first place. We leave churches, marriages, and other relationships in order to find peace- at least peace for ourselves. We leave behind a lot of hurting and confused people. Sometimes the leaving is necessary, but often these options are simply selfish.
Commitment to the good demands that we are, well…committed to it. Often situations, especially those beyond our control, make that commitment something that must be worked for- something we must struggle to attain.
Struggle is precisely what faithfulness looks like in the lives of compromised and finite people who are committed to the good.
I say “compromised and finite” because every struggle involves the possibility- the inevitability, really- of failing somewhere along the way.
Our Father understands that.
One familiar response, which knowing God as Father should certainly rule out, is the fear of being cast away. We begin with his love. We begin with his forgiveness. He knows us and loves us anyway. Not because we deserve it, not because we no longer struggle and can guarantee our failure will never happen again. But simply because he’s our Father.
Neither Love nor Forgiveness is a goal we journey to attain; they’re the ground the journey takes place on.
My failures speak of me. Maybe, the fear of rejection that sometimes comes after sinning is because I don’t really believe that I’m all that sinful- not really. You know what I mean: the moment before the deed I was loveable, but now I’m not worthy of God’s attention.
Hmmm. The truth is I was never worthy.
Michael Yaconelli has called authentic Christian experience Messy Spirituality. That seems right to me. We’ve fallen to certain temptations in the past because we have a particular weakness for them. Satan’s not going to take them out of the rotation. He’s much too good a manager for that. They get the job done. So, it’s likely that we’ll be facing that same fast ball in the near future. There’s nothing to do but try to smack the thing.
Like every father cheering on his little league player, our God certainly hopes for a base hit, but the only thing he finds totally unacceptable is for us to refuse to leave the dugout.
I may hear the sickening smack of the ball in the catcher’s glove behind me. It certainly got by. Probably took my eye off the ball...again. Coach has warned me about that.
Fair enough.
But the smack isn’t all there is to hear. I need to be listening for the encouraging and enthusiastic “Good swing!” coming from the stands. I’ll be a better player for it.
Friday, March 30, 2007
PATRON SAINTS OF BEER
Here's some interesting information regarding beer and a few of the church's better known members. Perhaps not Lent appropriate...but Easter's coming!
Thursday, March 22, 2007
A PRAYER AT JASMINE'S DEATH
Lord God,
To those who have never had a pet,
this prayer will sound strange,
but to You, Lord of all life and creator of all creatures,
it will be understandable.
My heart is heavy
as I face the loss in death of my beloved Jasmine
who was so much a part of my life.
This pet made my life more enjoyable
and gave me cause to laugh
and to find joy in her company.
I remember the fidelity and loyalty of this pet
and I will miss her being with me.
From her I learned many lessons,
such as the quality of naturalness
and the unembarrassed request for affection.
In caring for her daily needs,
I was taken up and out of my own self-needs
and thus learned to service another.
May the death of this creature of yours
remind me that death comes to all of us,
animal and human,
and that it is the natural passage for all life.
May Jasmine sleep on
in an eternal slumber in your Godly care
as all creation awaits the fullness of liberation. Amen
A Prayer at the Death of a Pet
- Edward Hays
Thanks, Marky
Saturday, March 3, 2007
CONTAGION OF PURITY
Alastair has posted some of my thoughts on our Lord's graciousness towards those of us who are impure.
Check it out!
Check it out!
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