St, Nicholas Day.
“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic his giving, by grace, through faith, and this not of ourselves.” ~Nicholas of Myra, c.288-354 AD.
Today’s gifts:
A song: Santa Claus Is Coming to Town
A booklist: Mother Reader’s 105 Ways to Give a Book
A birthday: Joyce Kilmer, b.1886.
Happy Fourth of July to all who visit Semicolon! My pastor put this video together using Ben Shive’s ballad, 4th of July and some footage of Japanese fireworks:
Consider that wee shall be as a Citty upon a Hill, the eies of all people are uppon us; soe that if wee shall deale falsely with our god in this worke wee have undertaken and soe cause him to withdrawe his present help from us, wee shall be made a story and a byword through the world, wee shall open the mouthes of enemies to speake evill of the wayes of god and all professours for Gods sake; wee shall shame the faces of many of gods worthy servants, and cause theire prayers to be turned into Cursses upon us till wee be consumed out of the good land whether wee are going: And to shutt upp this discourse with that exhortacion of Moses that faithfull servant of the Lord in his last farewell to Israell Deut. 30. Beloved there is now sett before us life, and good, deathe and evill in that wee are Commaunded this day to love the Lord our God, and to love one another to walke in his wayes and to keepe his Commaundements and his Ordinance, and his lawes, and the Articles of our Covenant with him that wee may live and be multiplyed, and that the Lord our God may blesse us in the land whether wee goe to possesse it: But if our heartes shall turne away soe that wee will not obey, but shall be seduced and worshipp other Gods our pleasures, and proffitts, and serve them, it is propounded unto us this day, wee shall surely perishe out of the good Land whether wee passe over this vast Sea to possesse it;
Therefore lett us choose life,
that wee, and our Seede,
may live; by obeyeing his
voyce, and cleaveing to him,
for hee is our life, and
our prosperity. John Winthrop, 1630
May God bless America for as long as He wills her to endure, and may America be a blessing to the world, a shining city on a hill, as the Pilgrims prayed she would be so long ago.
Neither in halls nor yet in bowers,
Born would he not be,
Neither in castles nor yet in towers
That seemly were to see;
But at his Father’s will,
The prophecy to fulfill,
Betwixt an ox and an ass
Jesus, this king, born he was.
Heaven he bring us till!
~Coventry Mystery Play, c.1200. Taken from The Christian Almanac, compiled by George Grant and Gregory Wilbur.
Lully, lullay, Thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Lullay, thou little tiny Child,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
O sisters too, how may we do,
For to preserve this day
This poor youngling for whom we do sing
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
Herod, the king, in his raging,
Charged he hath this day
His men of might, in his own sight,
All children young to slay.
That woe is me, poor Child for Thee!
And ever mourn and sigh,
For thy parting neither say nor sing,
Bye, bye, lully, lullay.
~Coventry Carol, c.1500, commemorating The Massacre of the Innocents ordered by Herod the Great and told about in Matthew 2:16-18.
Clive Staples Lewis was born November 29, 1898. On Christmas Day 1931, C.S. Lewis joined the Anglican Church and took communion.
“The White Witch? Who is she?
“Why, it is she that has got all Narnia under her thumb. It’s she that makes it always winter and never Christmas; think of that!”
“How awful!” said Lucy.
~The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
It was a sledge, and it was reindeer with bells on their harness. But they were far bigger than the Witch’s reindeer, and they were not white but brown. And on the sledge sat a person whom everyone knew the moment they set eyes on him. He was a huge man in a bright red robe (bright as hollyberries) with a hood that had fur inside it and a great white beard that fell like a foamy waterfall over his chest. Everyone knew him because, though you see people of his sort only in Narnia, you see pictures of them and hear them talked about even in our world–the world on this side of the wardrobe door. But when you really see them in Narnia it is rather different. Some of the pictures of Father Christmas in our world make him look only funny and jolly. But now that the children actually stood looking at him they didn’t find it quite like that. He was so big, and so glad, and so real, that they all became quite still. They felt very glad, but also solemn.
~The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
“In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas, and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card. But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival, guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the market-place is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.
I feel exactly as you do about the horrid commercial racket they have made out of Christmas. I send no cards and give no presents except to children.
~Letters to an American Lady.
He comes down; down from the heights of absolute being into time and space, down into humanity; down further still, . . . to the very roots and seabed of the Nature He has created. But He goes down to come up again and bring the whole ruined world up with Him. One has the picture of a strong man stooping lower and lower to get himself underneath some great complicated burden. He must stoop in order to lift, he must almost disappear under the load before he incredibly straightens his back and marches off with the whole mass swaying on his shoulders.
Or one may think of a diver, first reducing himself to nakedness, then glancing in mid-air, then gone with a splash, vanished, rushing down through green and warm water into black and cold water, down through increasing pressure into the death-like region of ooze and slime and old decay; then up again, back to colour and light, his lungs almost bursting, till suddenly he breaks surface again, holding in his hand the dripping, precious thing that he went down to recover.
~Miracles.
The Son of God became a man to enable men to become the sons of God.
~C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
I’ve decided that on Mondays I’m going to revisit the books I read for a course in college called Advanced Reading Survey, taught by the eminent scholar and lovable professor, Dr. Huff. I’m not going to re-read all the books and poems I read for that course, probably more than fifty, but I am going to post to Semicolon the entries in the reading journal that I was required to keep for that class because I think that my entries on these works of literature may be of interest to readers here and because I’m afraid that the thirty year old spiral notebook in which I wrote these entries may fall apart ere long. I may offer my more mature perspective on the books, too, if I remember enough about them to do so.
Author Note:
Methodist preacher and theologian E. Stanley Jones went to India as a missionary in 1907. He began by preaching to the lower caste Indians, the Dalits, but found his mission as he began to give talks and seminars for the more educated classes. He subsequently became friends with poet Rabindranath Tagore and with Hindu leader Mohandas Gandhi.
Jones sympathized with the burgeoning Indian independence movement. He saw Christianity growing among the Indian people, but it was a Christianity that leaned toward syncretism, a philosophy Jones was sometimes accused of holding himself. However, Jones maintained that he held firmly to the fundamentals of the Christian faith, especially to the person and work of Christ. “I don’t hold my faith,” he said; “my faith holds me. It’s Christ or nothing, and you can’t live on nothing. I’ve been a very ordinary man doing extraordinary things because I was linked up with grace.” (TIME magazine, January 1964)
Mr. Jones wrote many books and articles, but his most popular book, The Christ of the Indian Road, was published in 1925. The book gives an account of of Jones’s work among the Indian people and his presentation of the gospel to them.
Quotations:
Life is bigger than processes and overflows them.
A very severe criticism is beating upon this whole question of missions from many angles and sources. Personally, I welcome it. If what we are doing is real it will shine all the more. If it isn’t real, the sooner we find it out the better.
If those who have not the spirit of Jesus are none of his, no matter what outward symbols they possess, then conversely those who have the spirit of Jesus are his, no matter what outward symbols they possess.
Greece said, ‘Be moderate—know thyself.’
Rome said, ‘Be strong—order thyself.’
Confucianism says, ‘Be superior—correct thyself.’
Shintoism says, ‘Be loyal—suppress thyself.’
Buddhism says, ‘Be disillusioned—annihilate thyself.’
Hinduism says, ‘Be separated—merge thyself.’
Mohammedanism says, ‘Be submissive—assert thyself.’
Judaism says, ‘Be holy—conform thyself.’
Materialism says, ‘Be industrious—enjoy thyself.’
Modern Dilettantism says, ‘Be broad—cultivate thyself.’
Christianity says, ‘Be Christlike—give thyself.’â€
The Christ of the Indian Road by E. Stanley Jones is one of the books listed in the book 100 Christian Books That Changed the Century by William J. Peterson and Randy Peterson. SInce I’m planing a detailed study of the twentieth century sometime in the next couple of years, I think this book would be an excellent resource. In the meantime, here’s the list of 100 books. Of the 100, I’ve read 35 or so, dabbled in a few more. It looks like a good list of what influenced evangelical Christianity, in particular, for better or for worse.
I received a review copy of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishers as a result of their seemingly controversial Book Review Bloggers program. In return for the book, I agreed to write a review for my blog and for one other site. I’m not sure what the issue is with that agreement, but there it is up front and transparent.
As for the book itself, subtitled The Untold Story of a Young Billy Graham and the Test of Faith That Almost Changed Everything, it reads like the movie spin-off that it is. It’s not badly written at all, but it’s also not prize-winning biography either. I enjoyed reading about Billy Graham’s early life and ministry, but I felt as if I were reading a screenplay, scene by scene descriptions of Graham’s life, with actual dialog from the movie. After I read the book, I looked at some clips and trailers from the movie, and sure enough it looks as if the book IS the movie, essentially.
There’s one section I’m not so sure about, just because I’m not sure how it would have been filmed. At the climax of the story, Billy wrestles with his doubts brought on by the apostasy of his friend and mentor, Charles Templeton. In the book, the author describes how Satan and his demons battle the hosts of heaven for possession of Billy’s soul. All these unseen powers wait for the decision that will determine whether Billy Graham will become a spokesman of God’s truth, allowing God to change hearts and lives all around the world, or whether he will give in to his own doubts and fears and insecurities and become ineffective for the kingdom of God. It’s a dramatic scene, but I don’t know whether the movie actually shows demons and angels, hovering, waiting for one man’s crisis of the soul to be resolved.
I do know that I have a lot of respect and admiration for evangelist Billy Graham. I enjoyed reading his story even though it was difficult to know how biographically accurate the story was. There is a disclaimer in the front of the book which says:
“This book is the unauthorized retelling of a true story and is based on actual events. Certain items have been adapted for dramatic effect, and some artistic license has been taken to assist in the flow of the storyline.”
I’m really not sure what that means as far as the integrity of the facts in the story, and that uncertainty bothered me as I read. Did Charles Templeton really film an interview with a TV reporter near the end of his life from his hospital bed? Did Billy Graham really experience a life-changing “encounter with the Holy Spirit” after a meeting with Welsh evangelist Stephen Olford? Was there a reconciliation scene between Billy Graham and Charles Templeton before Templeton’s death? More importantly, was there a reconciliation between Templeton and his God before Templeton died? I don’t know since those particular events in the book may have been “adapted for dramatic effect.”
Bottom line, I liked the book, but I wouldn’t recommend it as a source for factual information about the early life of Billy Graham. And the movie, which I haven’t seen, might be a better way to assimilate the story. The audience for this novelization of Billy Graham’s early years is probably limited to fans only —like me.
A friend and I were discussing the truth claims of Christianity and reliability of the gospels, and she made the statement that the “gospel” that was recently discvered that talks about the marriage of Mary Magdalene and Jesus pre-dates the four canonical gospels. I didn’t know if that was true or not, but I doubted that it was.
So I challenged her statement and said I’d look it up. Here’s what I found in a cursory search on the internet:
First of all, The (so-called) Gospel of Philip does not say that Mary Magdalene and Jesus were married, but it is the source for Dan Brown’s fictional account of that marriage.
The book’s origins can be traced to the Gnostic community that arose several years after the death of Valentinus (c. 160); written more than a century after Jesus walked the earth, the book cannot represent eyewitness testimony about him. Some of the brief excerpts found in Gospel of Philip may stem from the early second century; however, the date of the final form of the book is closer to the late 200s. ~The Truth About Da Vinci
See also here, here, and here, all sources, Christian and non Christian which place the composition of The Gospel of Philip later than 100 AD.
As for the canonical gospels, F.F. Bruce says in his book The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable?:
The New Testament was complete, or substantially complete, about AD 100, the majority of the writings being in existence twenty to forty years before this. In this country a majority of modern scholars fix the dates of the four Gospels as follows: Matthew, c. 85-90; Mark, c. 65; Luke, c. 80-85; John, c. 90-100.4 I should be inclined to date the first three Gospels rather earlier: Mark shortly after AD 60, Luke between 60 and 70, and Matthew shortly after 70. One criterion which has special weight with me is the relation which these writings appear to bear to the destruction of the city and temple of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70. My view of the matter is that Mark and Luke were written before this event, and Matthew not long afterwards.
But even with the later dates, the situation is encouraging from the historian’s point of view, for the first three Gospels were written at a time when men were alive who could remember the things that Jesus said and did, and some at least would still be alive when the fourth Gospel was written.
None of the above settles once and for all whether the Christian gospels are historically accurate nor whether the so-called Gospel of Philip has any truth in it, but it should settle the matter of whether or not the Gnostic Gospel of Philip predates the canonical gospels. It doesn’t.
I’ve always thought Mary, Queen of Scots was a fascinating character, even if she was a foolish woman. A couple of weeks ago while I was in San Angelo, I read Queen’s Own Fool: A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots by Jane Yolen and Robert J. Harris, and although the novel portrays Mary sympathetically, I was confirmed in my opinion that she was an unthinking person who made unwise decisions. Yolen and Harris use a real historical character, Mary’s French female jester La Jardiniere, as the central character from whose viewpoint the story is told. According to the authors’ note, “we know only this much about Mary’s French fool La Jardiniere, all from the court records: that she was female, that she was given several expensive dresses, that she was given linen handkerchiefs, and that she was sent home to France with a large payment when the queen went off to England.” Yolen and Harris give this fool a name, Nicola, and a character, honest and loyal to a fault, and they create a story featuring the fool Nicola’s friendship with the queen Mary and the known historical events of Mary’s life. It’s a good story, but again, it’s hard to tell who is the fool and who is the wise leader.
I remember the first historical fiction book I ever read about Mary, Queen of Scots, the book from which I learned the basic outline of Mary’s life and times. It was called Immortal Queen; A Novel of Mary Queen of Scots (seems to be the obligatory subtitle) by Elizabeth Byrd. I just looked on Amazon, and although the book was published in 1956 and is now out of print, it gets excellent reviews from the two reviewers there. I would give it a good grade, too, especially since I re-read it several times until my paperback copy fell apart and since I still remember the facts and the fictional scenarios presented in the novel. Mary is again portrayed sympathetically, although she’s obviously weak and a poor judge of character. Her ill-advised marriages are her downfall, and she’s shown to be complicit in Darnley’s death, but in denial about her own role as an accomplice. Immortal Queen is an adult novel, but the explicit sex of today’s historical fiction for adults is thankfully absent from Byrd’s novel. Queen’s Own Fool, by the way, is a YA novel, but I see no reason that adults wouldn’t enjoy it, too.
Have any of you read any good novels or biographies of Mary, Queen of Scots or her dear cousin Elizabeth I? What about other historical fiction set in that time period? Reading the Past has this note about the plethora of novels about Elizabeth I, saying that she may be the most popular subject for historical fiction.
By the way, Protestant reformer John Knox called Mary a “honeypot” and wanted to burn her as a sorceress. Knox makes a brief appearance in both novels mentioned above. Does anyone know of a good book about John Knox?
Espiscopalians and Anglicans are having their problems these days. ((Also here.) As an encouragement and since I gave a post the week before last to my Catholic brethren and sisters, this week I thought I’d highlight some of my favorite books with an Anglican or Episcopalian setting or background.
The twin Episcopalians are, of course, Jan Karon and Madeleine L’Engle. A Severed Wasp by Ms. L’Engle which takes place in and around the Cathedral of St. John the Divine in New York City is delightfully Episcopalian. It was in this book that I learned that there are orders of Episcopal nuns (how was I to know?) and that a whole microcosm of society can be contained within the walls of a cathedral. In addition, A Severed Wasp tells a great story about faith and betrayal and abuse and forgiveness.
Jan Karon’s Mitford novels are also very Episcopalian. I just read Lauren Winner’s Girl Meets God, and she admits to reading and enjoying the Mitford books with a sort of a guilty pleasure. I don’t feel guilty about them at all. My definition of great literature is still evolving, and the Mitford books are definitely on my list of 100 greatest fiction books of all time, whether anyone else considers them great literature or not. Father Tim, the main character in the Mitford books, is an Episcopal priest, and he lives a life full of small joys and small crises that all add up to a life lived Big in the presence of the Lord Jesus. It’s Christianity as it actually plays out in the lives of everyday people, a quotidian kind of Christianity as my friend at Mental Multivitamin might say. (Thanks for the addition to my vocabulary, MFS.)
C.S.Lewis was Anglican, but the atmosphere of his books is more “mere Christianity.” Dorothy Sayers and P.D. James are more conspicuously Anglican. Parts of their stories take place in Anglican cathedrals and monasteries and other religious places. Death in Holy Orders by P.D. James is set in an Anglican theological college. In Dorothy Sayers’ The Nine Tailors the church and especially the church bells are central to the setting and the plot of the mystery.
Reaching back into Victorian England, there’s Anthony Trollope whose Barsetshire novels are set in a fictional cathedral town populated by all sorts of curates, prebendaries, archdeacons, canons, vicars, and bishops. Very Victorian. Very Church of England. I’ve read Barchester Towers (a long time ago), and I’m in the process of reading Framley Parsonage.. I’ll let you know how I like it when I’m done. I hesitate to say that this quotation from Barchester Towers, which I prophetically recorded about thirty years ago when I read that novel, characterizes the current state of the Anglican communion; however, if the shoe fits . . .
Mr. Arabin:“It is the bane of my life that on important subjects I acquire no fixed opinion. I think, and think, and go on thinking, and yet my thoughts are running ever in different directions.”
I’ve read revews and recommendations for the clerical fiction of Susan Howatch. Has anyone here read her books?
For nonfiction, I like these Anglican and Episcopalian authors and apologists: C.S. Lewis, John R.W. Stott, Os Guinness, and J.I. Packer. The best book the Church of England ever produced was The Book of Common Prayer, a classic if there ever was one.
I’m Baptist born and bred, and by conviction, even though we are members of an Evangelical Free church now, but I’m not afraid of Catholicism or of talking about the differences between Catholics and Protestants with my children. Nor am I afraid of learning from my Catholic brothers and sisters in Christ. There’s something attractive and intriguing about Catholicism, especially as a motif and spiritual background in books. I know there other Catholic-flavored authors (ones I’ve never read) —Graham Greene, Evelyn Waugh, Flannery O’Connor, Walker Percy—but these are some of the books with a Catholic taste that I’ve read and enjoyed.
The Little World of Don Camillo by Giovanni Guareschi. I found this one a long time ago at a used bookstore. I’ve re-read it several times because it’s just fun. A little Catholic priest, Don Camillo, and a Communist mayor have a running feud in which they play out in comedic fashion the tensions and difficulties of post-WW II Italy. If you are offended at the idea of a priest praying before a crucifix and the Christ on the crucifix talking back to him, you won’t appreciate the humor in this book. However, I think it’s a delight.
Karen by Marie Killilea. This true story of a girl with cerebral palsy and her family was popular back in the 1960’s and 70’s. That’s when I first read it. This (Catholic) family is persistent, faithful and inspiring.
I just re-discovered In This House of Brede by Rumer Godden, an excellent story about the lives of women within a closed community of nuns. Not only does the reader get to satisfy his curiosity about how nuns live in a convent, but there’s also a a great plot related to contemporary issues such as abortion, the efficacy of prayer, and the morality of absolute obedience.
The Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters take place in and around a 12th century monastery. This series of twenty medieval murder mysteries is perfect for those who like a taste of Catholicism mixed into their stories. G.K. Chesterton’s Father Brown mysteries feature a simple, unassuming, but quite insightful, priest who solves mysteries by applying his intelligence and powers of observation.
The Hawk and the Dove by Penelope Wilcock, along with the two other books in the trilogy, The Wounds of God and The Long Fall, is set in a medieval monastery and tells the stories of the monks who share in community there. Father Peregrine and the other monks are beautiful models of Christian love in community. I need to re-read these books. I’d recommend them for teenagers and adults.
I finally read A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller this year. I thought it was excellent, but a bit quirky. A different kind of sci-fi.
Tolkien is, of course, very Catholic in an understated way. Especially in The Silmarillion I catch glimpses of a world in which there are Catholic-like hierarchies of beings. Instead of saints and angels interceding before the throne of God, we have the elves and the Numenoreans and the Valar and Maiar serving Iluvatar, the One True God.
Also, Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables and The Hunchback of Notre Dameare very Catholic, but also generically Christian in the best sense of the word. Jean Valjean, the hero of Les Miserables, may be my favorite character in all of literature. And he is saved by the witness and compassion of a Catholic bishop who serves God in humility.
For children:
Tomie DePaola writes beautiful books and illustrates them. Several of his books are about Catholic saints and stories: The Legend of the Poinsettia, The Clown of God, Patrick: Patron Saint of Ireland, Francis: The Poor Man of Assisi, The Lady of Guadalupe, and Mary: The Mother of Jesus. He also has written and published several Bible story books including The Miracles of Jesus, and The Parables of Jesus.
Pegeen by Hilda Van Stockumhas a Catholic setting because it’s set in Ireland, a very Catholic culture.
The Door in the Wall by Marguerite DeAngeli takes place for part of the book in a monastery, and Brother John is the wise mentor to a selfish boy as he learns to give to others instead of thinking always of himself.
Much historical fiction for children and adults has a Catholic flavor since it’s set in times when the culture was essentially Catholic. Read any book set in medieval Europe, and you should get a taste of what a Catholic culture looked and felt like. In fact, since Catholicism permeated that particular time and culture, if a work of fiction set in that time period does not have a distinctively Catholic taste, it’s probably not very historically accurate.
Added link: Joseph Bottum at First Things writes about another Catholic author, Morris West. has anyone read Shoes of the Fisherman or others of his books?
Do you have a Catholic taste in books, and if so, what are your favorites?