If thou could’st empty all thyself of self
Like unto a shell dishabited
Then might He find thee on the ocean shelf
And say, ‘This is not dead,’
And fill thee with Himself instead.
But thou art all replete with very thou
And has such shrewd activity
That when He comes He says, ‘This is enou
Unto itself–’twere better let it be.
It is so small and full, there is no room for me.”
–Thomas Brown
If you like both World War II fiction and Christian fiction, We Never Stood Alone should be your next read, for sure. My pastor wrote the book, so maybe I’m prejudiced, but I found it absorbing, impeccably researched, and also full of spiritual and practical truth. I certainly can’t say all three of those things about many books that I read.
The novel is set in the fictional village of Stokely on the Thames River in south central England in 1939 as war clouds loom on the horizon. Free Church pastor Lloyd Robins, worrying over the continual drumbeat of bad news from the continent and the ringing in his bad ear, is trying to remain faithful to the Lord he came to know in the last war and hopeful in the face of the coming storm. His wife, Annie, is his support, but she has her own struggles and storms to walk through. Both Lloyd and Annie, as well as the other members of Stokely Free Church, must learn to sense the indwelling of the Holy Spirit as they necessarily depend on Him in a time of profound danger and uncertainty.
Yes, there are those many, many other members of Stokely Free Church and other inhabitants of the village of Stokely. You almost need a list of characters to keep them all straight, and obliging author that he is, Mr. DeGray has provided just such a list on his blog, World War 2 Christian Fiction. Consult the list when you read, as needed.
When I read good books, I am usually reminded of other good books or movies or even TV series. We Never Stood Alone reminded me both of Downton Abbey and of Jan Karon’s Mitford/Father Tim books. The Downton Abbey connection is, of course, found in the sheer British-ness of the setting and characters as well as the intertwined stories of all the village people in community. Community is a central theme of the book as is the daily efficacy of prayer and Scripture, two Christian disciplines which also intertwine to keep us in community and in Christ’s presence. In this theme of Christian community among broken and average people, the village and people of Stokely in We Never Stood Alone most resemble Jan Karon’s Mitford community of normal, everyday people in the process of being transformed by a loving and immanent God.
To learn more about the book or the author or both, visit the author’s website, ww2christianfiction.com.
To purchase your copy, either as an ebook or in print, try Amazon.
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I have won
Others to sin, and made my sins their door?
Wilt Thou forgive that sin which I did shun
A year or two, but wallow’d in a score?
When Thou hast done, Thou hast not done;
For I have more.
I have a sin of fear, that when I’ve spun
My last thread, I shall perish on the shore;
But swear by Thyself that at my death Thy Son
Shall shine as He shines now and heretofore:
And having done that, Thou hast done;
I fear no more.
We were discussing this idea, along with Mary Magdalene, at church this morning. We have such need of a Savior every day. We all have such need of the gospel, the good news that Christ has paid the penalty for our sins and that we are redeemed in Him, every day. We have need of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit every day, every hour.
Jesus, I believe; help my unbelief.
From Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott:
The elders would have sat and talked all the evening, but the young folks were bent on having their usual Christmas frolic; so, after an hour of pleasant chat, they began to get restless, and having consulted together in dumb show, they devised a way to very effectually break up the family council.
Steve vanished, and, sooner than the boys imagined Dandy could get himself up, the skirl of the bag-pipe was heard in the hall, and the bonny piper came to lead the Clan Campbell in the revel.
“Draw it mild, Stenie, my man; ye play unco weel, but ye mak a most infernal din,” cried Uncle Jem, with his hands over his ears, for this accomplishment was new to him, and “took him all aback,” as he expressed it.
So Steve droned out a Highland reel as softly as he could, and the boys danced it to a circle of admiring relations. Captain Jem was a true sailor, however, and could not stand idle while any thing lively was going on; so, when the piper’s breath gave out, he cut a splendid pigeon-wing into the middle of the hall, saying, “Who can dance a Fore and After?” and, waiting for no reply, began to whistle the air so invitingly that Mrs. Jessie “set” to him laughing like a girl; Rose and Charlie took their places behind, and away went the four with a spirit and skill that inspired all the rest to “cut in” as fast as they could.
Today’s Gifts
A song: Nothing says “Thanksgiving” like a chorus of “Jingle Bells,” Mark Steyn on Jingle Bells
A book (or two): My Friend Amy lists Christmas mysteries for 2010.
A birthday: A Meme and a Celebration, C.S. Lewis, Louisa May Alcott, and Madeleine L’Engle.
A poem: Indwelling by T.E. Brown
“Thus, conservative Protestant theology posits a dualistic human nature: we are essentially sinful, in need of discipline; and we are essentially good, worthy of love.” p. 65, Kingdom of Children: Culture and Controversy in the Homeschooling Movement by Mitchell Stevens
This book by sociologist Mitchell Stevens has a lot of good stuff in it, but I think he has a basic misunderstanding of the theology, and hence the motivations, of Christian homeschoolers. We do believe that humans are inherently sinful, but we and our children are not in need of discipline for our sinfulness. We are sinners in need of grace, in need of a Saviour. No amount of discipline or teaching in ethics or spanking or law-giving is sufficient to turn sinners into saints. Only the forgiveness and grace and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit can change evil into good.
Nor do evangelicals teach and believe that we have a “dualistic human nature” that is “essentially good” and “worthy of love.” I am worthy of nothing. The Bible teaches that my so-called righteousness, my pitiful attempts to do good and follow God’s law, are like filthy rags in the sight of a Truly Good God who made us to be so much more than we have chosen to be. God doesn’t make “junk”, but I have become junk in His sight. Again, I’m not worthy of God’s love, but I get it anyway because, the Bible teaches, that God Himself is Love, not because I am lovable.
So why do evangelical Christians discipline and teach their children at all? Except for the legalists among us, who can be legion, we don’t discipline in order to make the children good. The Bible says that the law of God is given for the purpose of showing us our own sinfulness. So, almost paradoxically, we teach children Biblical ethics so that they can see for themselves how far short of God’s ideal we all fall. And we teach other things — reading, writing, arithmetic, art –not to free the beautiful inner child waiting to blossom, but rather to prepare the child to be a servant to the One who made him. We pray that our children will see their need for a Saviour and will then choose to serve Him with the talents and gifts He has placed in their lives.
This misunderstanding of the evangelical view of human nature and the purpose of education has implications for the rest of Mr. Mitchell’s thesis in his, nonetheless, enlightening book, Kingdom of Children. His primary conclusion is that there is a divide in the homeschooling world between two groups that he calls believers (evangelical Protestant Christians) and inclusives (everyone else). He says that this gap is due, not so much to differences in ideology and belief, but rather differences about “who would be welcome in their associations, who would be in charge, or how decisions would be made.” Homeschoolers do divide over these issues; however, these differences in style and organization are only symptoms of a deeper difference in ideology. True “inclusives” believe, finally, that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you don’t believe your belief system to Truly True. True “believers”, although they are capable of working together with diverse groups in a common cause, in the final analysis, believe. Evangelical Christians believe that the truth of the gospel of Jesus Christ is good news indeed and is true for all people whether they believe it or not. Therefore, they’re not willing to have their children taught belief systems that are antithetical to what they believe is the only possible way of salvation. Also, Christians believe that sin is dangerous and tempting (bad company corrupts good morals), and that children are already undiscerning and tempted to sin and don’t need more temptation in their lives. All these underlying beliefs about who people are and how they work cause most of the splits that I see in the homeschooling world between “inclusives” and “believers”.
That said, I see much more overlap and cooperation between homeschoolers of different ideologies and beliefs than Mr. Mitchell indicates in his book. I am a member of a Christian homeschool co-op. We have a statement of faith that members are required to sign because we are engaged in teaching classes to the children, and we want those classes taught in accordance with our beliefs. However, we have Catholic homeschoolers in our co-op and members from many other Christian denominations. We have families that use a very rigid, school-like curriculum, and families that are much more free-spirited, unschooling types. And we advertise for other groups that plan activities that are more inclusive, and many of our co-op members also attend field trips and support group meetings and classes with homeschoolers of all different backgrounds. I see all kinds of homeschoolers cooperating all the time, and I also, unfortunately, see splits among Christian homeschoolers over issues such as dress codes or affiliations or other issues, large and small, as often as I see splits between evangelical Christians and other groups.
Although I feel that Mr. Stevens didn’t dig deeply enough in his investigation of “culture and controversy in the homeschooling movement,” there are many good insights in his book. I recommend it as a starting point for those who are interested in understanding the history and interactions of the homeschool movement from a sociological perspective. However, if you’re outside that movement, don’t allow Mr. Mitchell’s book to be the last word on the subject; come see for yourself what homeschooling is all about. You might find a lot of interaction and cooperation between many diverse individuals and groups who share one common bond: a desire to rear and educate chlldren in the best possible way.
Kate Douglas Wiggin, b. 1856, author and educator. She wrote Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm and The Birds’ Christmas Carol. Eldest Daughter always thought Rebecca compared rather unfavorably to L.M. Mongomery’s Anne of Green Gables, but I remember enjoying both books and both heroines.
Read Rebecca online. Or better yet, read this story, A Cathedral Courtship, by KDW that I happened upon while googling about the web. Sample quotes from the story of a young American girl and her Aunt Celia who are touring the cathedrals of Europe:
Aunt Celia is one of those persons who are born to command, and when they are thrown in contact with those who are born to be commanded all goes as merry as a marriage bell; otherwise not. Oh, aren’t you thinking of someone just like Aunt Celia right now?
Aunt Celia says we shall have no worthy architecture until every building is made an exquisitely sincere representation of its deepest purpose,–a symbol, as it were, of its indwelling meaning. I should think it would be very difficult to design a lunatic asylum on that basis, but I didn’t dare say so, as Mr. Copley seemed to think it all right. Perhaps a maze? Or a building full of cubicles?
Wiggin also wrote an autobiography, My Garden of Memories, and an adult novel, The Village Watchtower. I may add both to The List.
Edith Mary Pargeter, b. 1913. She wrote several fine historical fiction novels, including The Heaven Tree Trilogy about a thirteenth century family of British stonecarvers. Of course, Pargeter’s more famous series of books
An example of American secular values, but encouraging nevertheless. We can all use some heroes, and these choices are, for the most part, good role models. I especially liked the story about the mechanic who refused to charge a customer for the time the mechanic spent investigating and deciding that he couldn’t fix the car. Now that’s an everyday hero!
Of course, the billboards don’t tell what many of these heroes would acknowledge: the power to do good and to live courageously comes from the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Even those heroes who are not Christians are sustained and strengthened by the hand of God, whether they know it or not.