An excerpt:
For so many women the tragic outcome of indefinite singleness is primarily the product of cultural forces that affect believers and nonbelievers alike-- an open-ended, male-friendly mating structure geared toward low-commitment, shallow, cyclical relationships as opposed to marriage; a protracted education system that doesn't really educate, containing students who embrace perpetual schooling without any commitment or direction to finding a meaningful calling for the purposes of settling into family life; parenting with only minimal expectations of self-sufficiency; under-involvement of fathers in the lives of their children; the defining down of adulthood and the elongation of youthful adolescence; the lack of male leadership; the removal of societal shame for being a perennial bachelor...We no longer have a culture that esteems marriage as a worthy goal, the crowning achievement of one's life. Culturally we think of marriage as optional, and the church agrees, citing God's will as justification for that belief. p. 91
It's quite interesting to read this book at this time, because of the discussion currently on the RUF list-serv. Other Kelly posted a link to an article by Al Mohler, in which he rebukes Christians for thinking as the world does regarding children. The subject is evidently a touchy one, and as we've been talking about it, we've turned towards another touchy subject: marriage and singleness. I had no idea what RUFers thought about singleness (in theory). I do know what I see-- which is exactly what Mrs. Maken describes-- the girls want to get married but are running in the opposite direction (career), and the guys seem to just be sitting around, waiting for life and wife to suddenly drop into their laps. I think the general consensus on the list-serv was, "Who are you (read: anyone) to tell me what to do?" Evidently we aren't allowed to say that God made the world to work a certain way--with families. It's been a frustrating discussion. I tend to just want to say, "Look, here's what the Bible says. Just do it." But, unfortunately, that doesn't usually work.
29 September, 2006
19 September, 2006
13 September, 2006
So, What Kind of Eunuch Are You? &tc.
1. I finally bought the book everyone's been talking about: Getting Serious about Getting Married, by Debbie Maken. I'm in the middle of the 'marraige is a duty' chapter. The book is profound, not so much because Mrs. Maken is a good writer (she's not bad) but because of the subject matter. It's just so un-modern, which I appreciate greatly. I do wish, however, that she would quote more Scripture. I understand her arguments, but I don't know how effective the book will be for someone like Lisa, for example, who wants to get married, but sees singleness as equal with marraige.
This book supplied my post title, as the authoress cited the three reasons a person is exempt from marraige: 1. He was born a eunuch, 2. He was made a eunuch, and 3. He has been given the gift of continence 'for the sake of the kingdom of heaven'. (Matt. 19:11-12) Celibacy is for the celibate.
2. I recently found a list of Dystopian literature on Wikipedia. I printed it off and am making my way through, trying to find some good authors and stories. So far, I've looked at maybe a dozen books and found only one author that I enjoy-Philip K. Dick. He wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and the short stories 'Minority Report' and 'Paycheck', which have all become popular movies. He's very Bradbury-esque.
3. On Sunday night at the graduate student discussion, we heard a man speak on the flat earth myth. It was quite interesting. Apparently, medievals didn't think the earth was flat. Also, there were discussions among the ancients concerning people on other planets and whether or not the sacrifice of Jesus applied to them (if they were fallen). Evidently C.S. Lewis didn't just make all that up. The mind...it boggles.
This book supplied my post title, as the authoress cited the three reasons a person is exempt from marraige: 1. He was born a eunuch, 2. He was made a eunuch, and 3. He has been given the gift of continence 'for the sake of the kingdom of heaven'. (Matt. 19:11-12) Celibacy is for the celibate.
2. I recently found a list of Dystopian literature on Wikipedia. I printed it off and am making my way through, trying to find some good authors and stories. So far, I've looked at maybe a dozen books and found only one author that I enjoy-Philip K. Dick. He wrote Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?, and the short stories 'Minority Report' and 'Paycheck', which have all become popular movies. He's very Bradbury-esque.
3. On Sunday night at the graduate student discussion, we heard a man speak on the flat earth myth. It was quite interesting. Apparently, medievals didn't think the earth was flat. Also, there were discussions among the ancients concerning people on other planets and whether or not the sacrifice of Jesus applied to them (if they were fallen). Evidently C.S. Lewis didn't just make all that up. The mind...it boggles.
04 September, 2006
Why Read Fiction?
I went to SOCAPS last night-- OU's Society of Christian Apologists and Philosophers. I'll be going to this meeting every other Sunday night. On the others, I'll be at RUF's graduate student discussion group. You see, I'm a graduate student now. I'm going for my masters in home economics. ;)
After the meeting last night, we sat around for a while and chatted. The young man who is facilitating discussion argued with me about whether or not fiction has any value or benefit. I said it does, of course, and gave some good reasons, but he didn't understand my arguments and went away saying that fiction was a waste of time. What a shame. I doubt I'll ever be able to convince him, but I'd still like to refine my reasoning on this subject. Of what value is fiction? Here are some of the things I said, in a nutshell:
1. It is enjoyable. (No gnosticism here!)
2. It stretches the mind and makes a person well-rounded.
3. It emphasises relationship, which is the fundamental way the world works.
4. It provides insight into the way other people act and think.
5. It gives fodder for discussion and thought.
6. The Bible is a story. All good stories are the Bible story all over again.
And here are some things I've thought of since then that I should have said:
1. It develops the imagination
2. It shows us how God may work in another person's life.
3. It reveals the truth of myth and legend--stories like St. George and Beowulf, for example. Did they happen, or not? (This last, however, is too big a subject to bring up in passing.)
And that's all I can think of for the moment. That poor boy, he just didn't pay attention to anything I said. I think he only wanted to infuriate me, and didn't care what I thought. Not a very good leader for a philosophy discussion group...
After the meeting last night, we sat around for a while and chatted. The young man who is facilitating discussion argued with me about whether or not fiction has any value or benefit. I said it does, of course, and gave some good reasons, but he didn't understand my arguments and went away saying that fiction was a waste of time. What a shame. I doubt I'll ever be able to convince him, but I'd still like to refine my reasoning on this subject. Of what value is fiction? Here are some of the things I said, in a nutshell:
1. It is enjoyable. (No gnosticism here!)
2. It stretches the mind and makes a person well-rounded.
3. It emphasises relationship, which is the fundamental way the world works.
4. It provides insight into the way other people act and think.
5. It gives fodder for discussion and thought.
6. The Bible is a story. All good stories are the Bible story all over again.
And here are some things I've thought of since then that I should have said:
1. It develops the imagination
2. It shows us how God may work in another person's life.
3. It reveals the truth of myth and legend--stories like St. George and Beowulf, for example. Did they happen, or not? (This last, however, is too big a subject to bring up in passing.)
And that's all I can think of for the moment. That poor boy, he just didn't pay attention to anything I said. I think he only wanted to infuriate me, and didn't care what I thought. Not a very good leader for a philosophy discussion group...
28 August, 2006
Delight
I bought these books and tapes on Saturday at a rummage sale. For one dollar. All of them. One dollar.
Paperbacks:
Farmer Giles of Ham, by Tolkien
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand
Screwtape Letters, by Lewis
Adam Bede, by George Eliot
Howard's End, by E.M. Forster
Hardbacks:
Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
The Black Arrow, by R.L. Stevenson
Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, and Jamaica Inn (one volume), by Daphne du Maurier
I also bought three collections of tapes. They're readings for teachers to use in English literature classes. The first has selections from Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats; the second is stories of heroes, gods, and monsters of Greek mythology; and the third has readings from Longfellow, Whitman, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. Poetry and prose on tape! Six in each set. I'm looking forward to finding out if they were worth...what's one divided by twelve?....eight cents, I think. If they're any good, it'll be the bargain of the year.
Paperbacks:
Farmer Giles of Ham, by Tolkien
Cyrano de Bergerac, by Edmond Rostand
Screwtape Letters, by Lewis
Adam Bede, by George Eliot
Howard's End, by E.M. Forster
Hardbacks:
Portrait of a Lady, by Henry James
Vanity Fair, by William Makepeace Thackeray
The Black Arrow, by R.L. Stevenson
Rebecca, Frenchman's Creek, and Jamaica Inn (one volume), by Daphne du Maurier
I also bought three collections of tapes. They're readings for teachers to use in English literature classes. The first has selections from Wordsworth, Byron, Shelley, and Keats; the second is stories of heroes, gods, and monsters of Greek mythology; and the third has readings from Longfellow, Whitman, Poe, Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne. Poetry and prose on tape! Six in each set. I'm looking forward to finding out if they were worth...what's one divided by twelve?....eight cents, I think. If they're any good, it'll be the bargain of the year.
22 August, 2006
Fahrenheit 451
I recently posed this question to a group of RUFers:
At the end of Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury tells us that each one of the rebels/book-lovers living along the train tracks had become a book--that is, had memorised an entire book, so that they could pass that knowledge on to the generations to come.
If you were stuck in that story, what book would you memorise?
The replies included:
Screwtape Letters by Lewis,
the Space Trilogy by Lewis,
The Great Divorce by Lewis,
The Fall by Albert Camus,
The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton,
the collected verse of Gerard Manly Hopkins,
the collected stories of Flannery O'Connor,
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson,
The Book of Common Prayer, and
Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival Guide.
The person who picked the last also said, 'I mean, if there aren't any books, things are gonna get pretty dicey, no?'
Isn't it interesting how we all seem stuck in the mid-1900s? Why? Do Christians think that those are the only good authors? If so, what ever happened to Beowulf, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, Calvin, Luther, Edwards, Rossetti, Stevenson, Carroll, &tc.? Not to mention all of the authors I've forgotten or don't know yet. It would be a terrible thing to lose those authors and those stories. But I'm afraid that even Presbyterians, who claim higher intelligence than those in other denominations, I say even Presbyterians are turning to modern books for their knowledge and losing touch with our history.
That makes me sad. It makes me sad everytime someone laughs at me because they think I have too many books. Those poor people don't know what they're missing. They are why I will always give books as presents.
At the end of Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury tells us that each one of the rebels/book-lovers living along the train tracks had become a book--that is, had memorised an entire book, so that they could pass that knowledge on to the generations to come.
If you were stuck in that story, what book would you memorise?
The replies included:
Screwtape Letters by Lewis,
the Space Trilogy by Lewis,
The Great Divorce by Lewis,
The Fall by Albert Camus,
The Man Who Was Thursday by Chesterton,
the collected verse of Gerard Manly Hopkins,
the collected stories of Flannery O'Connor,
Christ Plays in Ten Thousand Places by Eugene Peterson,
The Book of Common Prayer, and
Tom Brown's Wilderness Survival Guide.
The person who picked the last also said, 'I mean, if there aren't any books, things are gonna get pretty dicey, no?'
Isn't it interesting how we all seem stuck in the mid-1900s? Why? Do Christians think that those are the only good authors? If so, what ever happened to Beowulf, Dante, Shakespeare, Milton, Calvin, Luther, Edwards, Rossetti, Stevenson, Carroll, &tc.? Not to mention all of the authors I've forgotten or don't know yet. It would be a terrible thing to lose those authors and those stories. But I'm afraid that even Presbyterians, who claim higher intelligence than those in other denominations, I say even Presbyterians are turning to modern books for their knowledge and losing touch with our history.
That makes me sad. It makes me sad everytime someone laughs at me because they think I have too many books. Those poor people don't know what they're missing. They are why I will always give books as presents.
18 August, 2006
Where was I? Ah, yes...
....my birthday. I was given three excellent books: G.K. Chesterton's autobiography, a collection of Dorothy Sayers' letters, and a Scrabble book (you know, how to be a Scrabble genius). I was also treated to dinner twice, which was lovely. I got to eat Greek food and watch Equilibrium with Kelly. It was a good birthday.
In other news, I got a new cookbook about a month ago-- a bread recipes of the world cookbook. It is very awesome. I've made croissants (badly), pretzels (today, actually), Georgian Khachapuri (yummy cheese-filled bread), pane al cioccolato (chocolate!), petit pains au lait (ugly but tasty), and Syrian onion bread. My mother has made onion-cheese loaf, which is one of our favourites so far. And I've been eating lots of bread. I decided that I had to taste them to make sure that they weren't bad. I promise I don't eat very much. Except the chocolate bread. It was quite good. And it didn't have any sweetener, so I managed to avoid that, at least.
Here's my personal favourite so far:
Georgian Khachapuri
2 cups white flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 oz. fresh yeast (=1 1/2 T. active dry yeast)
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
2 T. butter, softened
For the filling:
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. Muenster or Taleggio cheese, cut into small cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T. butter, softened
salt and pepper
For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 T. water
Proof the yeast in the lukewarm milk for 10 minutes (mix and let it get bubbly before adding to the flour).
Lightly grease a Yorkshire pudding (or popover) pan with four 4-inch holes. (I use a muffin tin and make 8-10 buns, or individual pie pans and make 6 buns.) Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix into a dough--it will be dry. Knead in the butter, then knead on a lightlly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a wet dish towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Mix the cheeses, egg, and butter together for the filling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each into an 8-inch circle. (You'll just have to wing it with smaller sized buns. I rolled mine very thinly so that all of the cheese would fit.)
Place one dough circle in one hole of the popover pan and fill with a quarter of the cheese filling (or a sixth, or a tenth, etc.). Gather the overhanging dough into the center and twist to form a topknot. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover with a wet dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350*. Mix the egg yolk and water, and brush over the dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until light golden. Cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
In other news, I got a new cookbook about a month ago-- a bread recipes of the world cookbook. It is very awesome. I've made croissants (badly), pretzels (today, actually), Georgian Khachapuri (yummy cheese-filled bread), pane al cioccolato (chocolate!), petit pains au lait (ugly but tasty), and Syrian onion bread. My mother has made onion-cheese loaf, which is one of our favourites so far. And I've been eating lots of bread. I decided that I had to taste them to make sure that they weren't bad. I promise I don't eat very much. Except the chocolate bread. It was quite good. And it didn't have any sweetener, so I managed to avoid that, at least.
Here's my personal favourite so far:
Georgian Khachapuri
2 cups white flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 oz. fresh yeast (=1 1/2 T. active dry yeast)
2/3 cup lukewarm milk
2 T. butter, softened
For the filling:
2 cups grated sharp cheddar cheese
8 oz. Muenster or Taleggio cheese, cut into small cubes
1 egg, lightly beaten
1 T. butter, softened
salt and pepper
For the glaze:
1 egg yolk
1 T. water
Proof the yeast in the lukewarm milk for 10 minutes (mix and let it get bubbly before adding to the flour).
Lightly grease a Yorkshire pudding (or popover) pan with four 4-inch holes. (I use a muffin tin and make 8-10 buns, or individual pie pans and make 6 buns.) Sift the flour and salt into a medium bowl. Add the yeast mixture to the flour and mix into a dough--it will be dry. Knead in the butter, then knead on a lightlly floured surface until the dough is smooth and elastic (8-10 minutes). Place in a lightly oiled bowl, cover with a wet dish towel, and let rise in a warm place for 1-1 1/2 hours, or until doubled in bulk.
Mix the cheeses, egg, and butter together for the filling. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for 2-3 minutes. Divide into 4 equal pieces and roll each into an 8-inch circle. (You'll just have to wing it with smaller sized buns. I rolled mine very thinly so that all of the cheese would fit.)
Place one dough circle in one hole of the popover pan and fill with a quarter of the cheese filling (or a sixth, or a tenth, etc.). Gather the overhanging dough into the center and twist to form a topknot. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Cover with a wet dish towel and let rise in a warm place for 20-30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350*. Mix the egg yolk and water, and brush over the dough. Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until light golden. Cool for 2-3 minutes in the pan, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm.
Enjoy!
09 August, 2006
What I have read fills my mind.
It feels like a big cotton ball. I've been stuck on modern authors for the past few weeks, and I've noticed that it's like dining solely upon peanut butter crackers and skim milk. I want my Chesterton, my Blackmore. My steak and potatoes. With butter. Lots, of course. That'll be the poetry. And I cannot, must not, forget the bread. I'm allowed to eat this bread as much as I like.
Here's what I've read since June. It's positively shameful.
Four books by Ellis Peters ("good fluff"):
Brother Cadfael's Penance,
Death and the Joyful Woman,
The Rose Rent, and
The Knocker on Death's Door.
Seven (Yes, seven) books by Joanne Harris, a modern authoress whom I have resolved never to read again:
Chocolat,
Jigs and Reels,
Blackberry Wine,
Coastliners,
Holy Fools,
Five Quarters of the Orange, and
Gentlemen and Players.
1, 2, and 3 were actually good, but by the time I got to 7, she had degenerated into complete modern-ness and vulgarity.
Also, I read Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck, which was interesting and not a complete waste of time, and Reformed is Not Enough, by Wilson, which was great. The lonely Really Good Book. How sad.
And now for my big mistake: I borrowed some books from a certain RUF minister I know; a Chesterton, a Wendell Berry, and another modern book which looked interesting at the time, but turned out to be vulgar and obscene. It's called The Time Traveler's Wife, and I highly recommend that you never ever read it or buy it. If it were mine, I would have thrown it away already. It is terrible. It is why my brain seems very small right now. I feel the need for some good old Real Life and then a long session with my old friends on my shelves.
Also, I've resolved to never again pick up a book that I don't know from that man's shelf. I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers. Gaah. I'm babbling.
Here's what I've read since June. It's positively shameful.
Four books by Ellis Peters ("good fluff"):
Brother Cadfael's Penance,
Death and the Joyful Woman,
The Rose Rent, and
The Knocker on Death's Door.
Seven (Yes, seven) books by Joanne Harris, a modern authoress whom I have resolved never to read again:
Chocolat,
Jigs and Reels,
Blackberry Wine,
Coastliners,
Holy Fools,
Five Quarters of the Orange, and
Gentlemen and Players.
1, 2, and 3 were actually good, but by the time I got to 7, she had degenerated into complete modern-ness and vulgarity.
Also, I read Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck, which was interesting and not a complete waste of time, and Reformed is Not Enough, by Wilson, which was great. The lonely Really Good Book. How sad.
And now for my big mistake: I borrowed some books from a certain RUF minister I know; a Chesterton, a Wendell Berry, and another modern book which looked interesting at the time, but turned out to be vulgar and obscene. It's called The Time Traveler's Wife, and I highly recommend that you never ever read it or buy it. If it were mine, I would have thrown it away already. It is terrible. It is why my brain seems very small right now. I feel the need for some good old Real Life and then a long session with my old friends on my shelves.
Also, I've resolved to never again pick up a book that I don't know from that man's shelf. I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers. I will not talk to strangers. Gaah. I'm babbling.
22 July, 2006
Garage Saling is Oh, So Profitable
Recent purchases:
The Lord Peter Wimsey Cookbook--recipes based upon meals eaten in the book series. (An early birthday present from my mother.) (hardback)
The Instant Ethnic Foods Cookbook--recipes for herb & spice mixes from various culinary families: Greek, Italian, French, etc.
The Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck (hardback)
The Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff (hardback)
The Viking Book of Poetry of the English-Speaking World, in two volumes (hardback)
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill (hardback)
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury--an excellent and intriguing modern author- my favourite, if ever there was one.
And something that is not a book--a soft cheese strainer! On Monday, I will buy yoghurt and make cream cheese & whey. Then I will make salsa! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.... ;)
The Lord Peter Wimsey Cookbook--recipes based upon meals eaten in the book series. (An early birthday present from my mother.) (hardback)
The Instant Ethnic Foods Cookbook--recipes for herb & spice mixes from various culinary families: Greek, Italian, French, etc.
The Imperial Woman by Pearl S. Buck (hardback)
The Sword at Sunset by Rosemary Sutcliff (hardback)
The Viking Book of Poetry of the English-Speaking World, in two volumes (hardback)
The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten boom, with John and Elizabeth Sherrill (hardback)
Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury--an excellent and intriguing modern author- my favourite, if ever there was one.
And something that is not a book--a soft cheese strainer! On Monday, I will buy yoghurt and make cream cheese & whey. Then I will make salsa! Praise God from Whom all blessings flow.... ;)
21 July, 2006
Wordsworth on Faith and Gratitude
I'm reading Q's On the Art of Writing today, hoping to finish it before I must give it back to the library on Monday. I came across this example of 'prosified verse' and the subject matter struck me--this is a call to be grateful and take God's gifts with faith, else they turn upon you and become burdens.
These times strike monied worldlings with dismay;
Ev'n rich men, brave by nature, taint the air
With words of apprehension and despair;
While tens of thousands, thinking on the affray,
Men unto whom sufficient for the day
And minds not stinted or untill'd are given,
Sound healthy children of the God of Heaven,
Are cheerful as the rising sun in May.
What do we gather hence but firmer faith
That every gift of noble origin
Is breath'd upon by Hope's perpetual breath;
That Virtue and the faculties within
Are vital; and that riches are akin
To fear, to change, to cowardice, and death?
Now, just take the meat and leave the bones: the last line makes one wonder if he really understands God's gifts, but look at the line that begins, "That Virtue.." and the section that begins, "Men unto whom...". Wordsworth praises those who are thankful for what they have, and exhorts men to follow their example. How interesting!
P.S. Also, the phrase "tens of thousands" coupled with "Sound healthy children of the God of Heaven" reminds me of Rebekah's marraige blessing from her sisters:
Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gates of those who hate them.
These times strike monied worldlings with dismay;
Ev'n rich men, brave by nature, taint the air
With words of apprehension and despair;
While tens of thousands, thinking on the affray,
Men unto whom sufficient for the day
And minds not stinted or untill'd are given,
Sound healthy children of the God of Heaven,
Are cheerful as the rising sun in May.
What do we gather hence but firmer faith
That every gift of noble origin
Is breath'd upon by Hope's perpetual breath;
That Virtue and the faculties within
Are vital; and that riches are akin
To fear, to change, to cowardice, and death?
Now, just take the meat and leave the bones: the last line makes one wonder if he really understands God's gifts, but look at the line that begins, "That Virtue.." and the section that begins, "Men unto whom...". Wordsworth praises those who are thankful for what they have, and exhorts men to follow their example. How interesting!
P.S. Also, the phrase "tens of thousands" coupled with "Sound healthy children of the God of Heaven" reminds me of Rebekah's marraige blessing from her sisters:
Our sister, may you become
thousands of ten thousands,
and may your offspring possess
the gates of those who hate them.
14 July, 2006
Odd, I know.
Cosset: to pamper.
Corset: An extremely tight undergarment, which some women have compared to instruments of torture.
--------------
Aesthetics & Writing
Greg Wilbur of Kingsmeadow Study Center writes this list of medieval aesthetic principles:
Order: tradition, following models
Craftsmanship: attention to detail; skill and learning; mastery of technique
Rooted: firm foundation in biblical truth and culture; rooted in faith and community
Inventive: creative; seeking new ways to express old and eternal truths
Anonymous: workers who created for God’s glory; the aim of the work is more important than who created it
Interdependence: communal; artists worked in community for the edification of the greater community
Spirit: worked within the framework of a Christian culture seeking to convey biblical and theological truth
Eternal: eternal truth more important than realism; stories out of time; timeless truth
http://kingsmeadow.com/wilburblog.html
He writes of art, but it occurs to me that this list applies also to writing (as well as every other part of life). I would appreciate having some guidelines for good writing; I never thought that was what I was learning from reading all of these classics. I suppose I never thought of it at all.
There are so many things to think of...where will I ever find the time?
Order: tradition, following models
Craftsmanship: attention to detail; skill and learning; mastery of technique
Rooted: firm foundation in biblical truth and culture; rooted in faith and community
Inventive: creative; seeking new ways to express old and eternal truths
Anonymous: workers who created for God’s glory; the aim of the work is more important than who created it
Interdependence: communal; artists worked in community for the edification of the greater community
Spirit: worked within the framework of a Christian culture seeking to convey biblical and theological truth
Eternal: eternal truth more important than realism; stories out of time; timeless truth
http://kingsmeadow.com/wilburblog.html
He writes of art, but it occurs to me that this list applies also to writing (as well as every other part of life). I would appreciate having some guidelines for good writing; I never thought that was what I was learning from reading all of these classics. I suppose I never thought of it at all.
There are so many things to think of...where will I ever find the time?
13 July, 2006
Technopoly
I've been toting around Neil Postman's Technopoly for the past few weeks, and reading it here and there when I have nothing else to do. It's quite interesting. I've gotten to the third chapter- he's in the middle of an overview of our journey from a tool-using culture to a technopoly. Technopoly is a word which Postman coined, meaning a society in which technology reigns; in which tools control us instead of vice-versa. One of the most intriguing ideas he's written on so far is the concept of theology as the Queen of the Sciences, and how that way of thinking has changed so much and at the same time as the great technological advances of the past centuries. It seems that as man became more dependent on his inventions he became less aware of his dependence on his Creator. Here's an actual quote from chapter two:
Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo put in place the dynamite that would blow up the theology and metaphysics of the medieval world. Newton lit the fuse. In the ensuing explosion, Aristotle's animism was destroyed, along with almost everything else in his Physics. Scripture lost much of its authority. Theology, once the Queen of the Sciences, was now reduced to the status of Court Jester. (page 34)
What's actually happened is that Biblical theology has been replaced as Queen by television's theology; where we once controlled our use of tools with our theology, now our theology is controlled by our tools, which also control us. I don't mean subliminal messaging, although billboards, commercials, and magazines are quite good at that sort of thing; I mean that we do not think Biblically any more. Theology provides a paradigm for thought about all of life, and instead of learning our theology from the Bible, we've been learning it from television. Instead of learning from the Master, we've been learning from the tools.
Just as Jesus is and must be the King (of everything), Biblical theology is and must be the Queen of the Sciences. If not, we lose our understanding of the fundamental way the world works, and we're just blind men leading other blind men. And we all know what happens when the blind lead the blind.
Copernicus, Kepler, and Galileo put in place the dynamite that would blow up the theology and metaphysics of the medieval world. Newton lit the fuse. In the ensuing explosion, Aristotle's animism was destroyed, along with almost everything else in his Physics. Scripture lost much of its authority. Theology, once the Queen of the Sciences, was now reduced to the status of Court Jester. (page 34)
What's actually happened is that Biblical theology has been replaced as Queen by television's theology; where we once controlled our use of tools with our theology, now our theology is controlled by our tools, which also control us. I don't mean subliminal messaging, although billboards, commercials, and magazines are quite good at that sort of thing; I mean that we do not think Biblically any more. Theology provides a paradigm for thought about all of life, and instead of learning our theology from the Bible, we've been learning it from television. Instead of learning from the Master, we've been learning from the tools.
Just as Jesus is and must be the King (of everything), Biblical theology is and must be the Queen of the Sciences. If not, we lose our understanding of the fundamental way the world works, and we're just blind men leading other blind men. And we all know what happens when the blind lead the blind.
05 July, 2006
Horticultural Lessons
Go to this site and read the posts entitled "--- Horticulture". There are five, I believe, and they are either very funny or very sad.
03 July, 2006
I've been reading...
...a book that isn't on the list of Most Important Books to Read First Before Any Others So Don't Even Think About That One Over There!
It is called "Reformed" is Not Enough. It is excellent. Here is a quote for your enjoyment:
The Lord's Supper is first a memorial of Christ's self-sacrifice; secondly, a sealing of all the benefits of Christ's death unto true believers; third, a spiritual nourishment of all true believers who partake; fourth, a covenant renewal on the part of those who partake; fifth, a bond from Him of the fact that He is our God and we are His people; and sixth, it is communion with our fellow believers, fellow members of the body of Christ.
Page 110
Do you know where the author gets this information? Yes. It was gleaned from the Westminster Confession of Faith. I, for one, had no idea that there was anything that good in it. O, me of little faith in the Divines! I repent in dust and ashes. Off I go to read the Confession...
It is called "Reformed" is Not Enough. It is excellent. Here is a quote for your enjoyment:
The Lord's Supper is first a memorial of Christ's self-sacrifice; secondly, a sealing of all the benefits of Christ's death unto true believers; third, a spiritual nourishment of all true believers who partake; fourth, a covenant renewal on the part of those who partake; fifth, a bond from Him of the fact that He is our God and we are His people; and sixth, it is communion with our fellow believers, fellow members of the body of Christ.
Page 110
Do you know where the author gets this information? Yes. It was gleaned from the Westminster Confession of Faith. I, for one, had no idea that there was anything that good in it. O, me of little faith in the Divines! I repent in dust and ashes. Off I go to read the Confession...
01 July, 2006
A Sonnet, being the twenty-sixth, by Wm. Shakespeare
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,
To thee I send this written embassage,
To witness duty, not to show my wit:
Duty so great, which wit so poor as mine
May make seem bare, in wanting words to show it,
But that I hope some good conceit of thine
In thy soul's thought, all naked, will bestow it:
Till whatsoever star that guides my moving,
Points on me graciously with fair aspect,
And puts apparel on my tattered loving,
To show me worthy of thy sweet respect:
Then may I dare to boast how I do love thee;
Till then, not show my head where thou mayst prove me.
Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit,
To thee I send this written embassage,
To witness duty, not to show my wit:
Duty so great, which wit so poor as mine
May make seem bare, in wanting words to show it,
But that I hope some good conceit of thine
In thy soul's thought, all naked, will bestow it:
Till whatsoever star that guides my moving,
Points on me graciously with fair aspect,
And puts apparel on my tattered loving,
To show me worthy of thy sweet respect:
Then may I dare to boast how I do love thee;
Till then, not show my head where thou mayst prove me.
20 June, 2006
19 June, 2006
I am still alive, and I am still reading.
I finished Amusing Ourselves to Death last month, just in time to read it with my friends for book club.
I finished Moll Flanders last month, too; it had a surprisingly redemptive ending.
I bought Technopoly by Neil Postman; I couldn't help it. It's quite good so far.
I have 13 books checked out from the library. And 5 borrowed from the Badgermum's library. Will I never learn?
On a slightly different topic, I have decided that my favourite place to be is at R & C's house, sitting on the front porch with E in my lap. On the porch swing, of course. Porch swings and rocking chairs are my favourite items of furniture.
To end, here's something I found in my e-mail archives:
When R & C were here we had a long argument about whether or not Jane Austen was a Christian. R was very passionate, and I was angry, until I asked him if he had ever even read any of her books. When he said no, I had to laugh. After that, he had nothing to say that would sway me. And when he began to rail against Rev. Leithart (re: his book on Austen), I asked if he had bothered to read that one either--no again. I was triumphant. That's what he gets for arguing from ignorance.
_________________________
In Defense of Jane
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, November 21, 2005 at 08:22 PM
Reformed writer Andrew Sandlin is taking on Jane Austen:
"I first saw with Jim West the 1995 theatrical permutation of Sense and Sensibility (starring Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson) at its initial release. I disliked it then and deplore it now. In seeing this movie again on TV yesterday I was reminded how I've come increasingly to abominate much of the Victorian era — its conventions, sleights, artificialities, prejudices, scientism, formalism, class structure, hypocritical morality, and sublimated ferocity."
I suppose it's a sign of my own enthrallment to Victorian sensibilities that I rise to the lady's defense. But I am constrained. For starters, Austen was safely in her grave before Victoria came to her throne, so her books do not qualify as Victorian. She lived through the era of romanticism (which Sandlin endorses in his short discussion) and she was not untouched by its sensibility. She writes like Samuel Johnson, but there's a romantic spark running throughout her work.
Besides, one should hardly form an opinion about Jane from those who put her novels on film. Her best qualities as a writer are her wit, style, and social commentary - not things that translate easily to an hour-long visual medium. More importantly perhaps, no one can read far in Austen without recognizing that she abominates conventions, sleights, artificialities, prejudices, etc, etc. She is one of the best social satirists in English - far more devastating and subtle than Dickens (who actually was Victorian).
One of the oddest bits in Sandlin's discussion was this: "I have come to believe that there is no substitute for simple, immediate, unadorned, direct, blunt, bottom-line living." Surely, Sandlin has read deeply enough in postmodernism to know that someone who chooses to live in a simple and unadorned and direct manner has not foregone conventions; the simple and unadorned man simply chooses another set of conventions, a different ordering that is no less artificial than Edwardsean or Victorian refinements. Nakedness is a sartorial choice.
To all of Jane's detractors, I say: Unhand the lady.
__________________
I finished Moll Flanders last month, too; it had a surprisingly redemptive ending.
I bought Technopoly by Neil Postman; I couldn't help it. It's quite good so far.
I have 13 books checked out from the library. And 5 borrowed from the Badgermum's library. Will I never learn?
On a slightly different topic, I have decided that my favourite place to be is at R & C's house, sitting on the front porch with E in my lap. On the porch swing, of course. Porch swings and rocking chairs are my favourite items of furniture.
To end, here's something I found in my e-mail archives:
When R & C were here we had a long argument about whether or not Jane Austen was a Christian. R was very passionate, and I was angry, until I asked him if he had ever even read any of her books. When he said no, I had to laugh. After that, he had nothing to say that would sway me. And when he began to rail against Rev. Leithart (re: his book on Austen), I asked if he had bothered to read that one either--no again. I was triumphant. That's what he gets for arguing from ignorance.
_________________________
In Defense of Jane
posted by Peter J. Leithart on Monday, November 21, 2005 at 08:22 PM
Reformed writer Andrew Sandlin is taking on Jane Austen:
"I first saw with Jim West the 1995 theatrical permutation of Sense and Sensibility (starring Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson) at its initial release. I disliked it then and deplore it now. In seeing this movie again on TV yesterday I was reminded how I've come increasingly to abominate much of the Victorian era — its conventions, sleights, artificialities, prejudices, scientism, formalism, class structure, hypocritical morality, and sublimated ferocity."
I suppose it's a sign of my own enthrallment to Victorian sensibilities that I rise to the lady's defense. But I am constrained. For starters, Austen was safely in her grave before Victoria came to her throne, so her books do not qualify as Victorian. She lived through the era of romanticism (which Sandlin endorses in his short discussion) and she was not untouched by its sensibility. She writes like Samuel Johnson, but there's a romantic spark running throughout her work.
Besides, one should hardly form an opinion about Jane from those who put her novels on film. Her best qualities as a writer are her wit, style, and social commentary - not things that translate easily to an hour-long visual medium. More importantly perhaps, no one can read far in Austen without recognizing that she abominates conventions, sleights, artificialities, prejudices, etc, etc. She is one of the best social satirists in English - far more devastating and subtle than Dickens (who actually was Victorian).
One of the oddest bits in Sandlin's discussion was this: "I have come to believe that there is no substitute for simple, immediate, unadorned, direct, blunt, bottom-line living." Surely, Sandlin has read deeply enough in postmodernism to know that someone who chooses to live in a simple and unadorned and direct manner has not foregone conventions; the simple and unadorned man simply chooses another set of conventions, a different ordering that is no less artificial than Edwardsean or Victorian refinements. Nakedness is a sartorial choice.
To all of Jane's detractors, I say: Unhand the lady.
__________________
10 June, 2006
Books, of course.
I'm not doing much better on the book-reading front...I finished five books in May, and I still haven't finished Lorna Doone. But it's a new month, and I'll try to read more so I can catch up to last year.
Last month I read St. Ives, by R.L. Stevenson, which was a very good story about a French prisoner of war held in Edinburgh; Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry; Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman, which our ladies' book club will be reading; Moll Flanders, by Daniel Defoe, about a harlot who repents, kinda; and The Hermit of Eyton Forest (a Cadfael mystery), by Edith Pargeter.
This month I would like to finish reading Lorna Doone and The Marble Faun (Hawthorne), and work pretty hard on the books on my lists in the sidebar. We'll see how that works out.
I leave you with a quote from The Way of Ignorance, a collection of essays by Wendell Berry:
'The rugged individualism of the left believes that an individual's body is a property belonging to that individual absolutely: the owners of bodies may, by right, use them as they please, as if there were no God, no legitimate government, no community, no neighbors, and no posterity. This supposed right is manifested in the democratizing of "sexual liberation"; in the popular assumption that marriage has been "privatized" and so made subordinate to the wishes of individuals; in the proposition that the individual is "autonomous"; in the legitimation of abortion as birth control--in the denial, that is to say, that the community, the family, one's spouse, or even one's own soul might exercise a legitimate proprietary interest in the use one makes of one's body.'
Last month I read St. Ives, by R.L. Stevenson, which was a very good story about a French prisoner of war held in Edinburgh; Hannah Coulter, by Wendell Berry; Amusing Ourselves to Death, by Neil Postman, which our ladies' book club will be reading; Moll Flanders, by Daniel Defoe, about a harlot who repents, kinda; and The Hermit of Eyton Forest (a Cadfael mystery), by Edith Pargeter.
This month I would like to finish reading Lorna Doone and The Marble Faun (Hawthorne), and work pretty hard on the books on my lists in the sidebar. We'll see how that works out.
I leave you with a quote from The Way of Ignorance, a collection of essays by Wendell Berry:
'The rugged individualism of the left believes that an individual's body is a property belonging to that individual absolutely: the owners of bodies may, by right, use them as they please, as if there were no God, no legitimate government, no community, no neighbors, and no posterity. This supposed right is manifested in the democratizing of "sexual liberation"; in the popular assumption that marriage has been "privatized" and so made subordinate to the wishes of individuals; in the proposition that the individual is "autonomous"; in the legitimation of abortion as birth control--in the denial, that is to say, that the community, the family, one's spouse, or even one's own soul might exercise a legitimate proprietary interest in the use one makes of one's body.'
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