Stopping to Think

Photo by Gabriella Clare Marino on Unsplash An Overview and Interaction with the Basic Ideas of Frederich Nietzsche The Man “Frederich Nietzsche was born in rural Prussia, the son and grandson of Lutheran pastors.” A brilliant philologist, he became a professor at just 24 years old at the University of Basil. While his career was short, cut off in 1889 due to a mental breakdown from which he never recovered, he still is read as one of the most important thinkers of the 19th century, and the modern period. In this paper I want to address three aspects of Nietzsche's thought, and contrast them with a biblical perspective. These three areas are the genealogy of morals, the death of God, and the nature of humanity. Together they help display his desire to make a radical break with the assumed Christianity of his day. From Whence Come Morals? In his book The Genealogy of Morals (1887) Nietzsche “sets out to challenge our most basic assumptions, especially our notions of good and ...

Norse Mythology by Neil Gaiman My rating: 4 of 5 stars Enjoyable, horrifying, fun. Neil Gaiman is a top notch writer, and his narration of the audiobook was excellent as well. I had very little knowledge of Norse Mythology, but my sense is that this is how you should experience it - as if being told the tales of the gods, rather than reading about them in a textbook form. The stories themselves are both fascinating, entertaining, and atrocious. The gods of the North, though superhuman in certain ways, are utterly human in all the ways that matter most. Which, I suppose, is what we should expect from gods made in man’s image. View all my reviews

Ploductivity: A Practical Theology of Tools & Wealth by Douglas Wilson My rating: 5 of 5 stars “My optimism about tools and technology is, at bottom, an optimism about the future history of the world. And that, in its turn, is an optimism that is grounded on the fact that at the darkest point of human history, God in the flesh was crucified by arrogant sinners, by all the important people. Three days after that, the Lord came back from the dead. That means the old world has been overthrown. How could that world not be overthrown? That world is dead because its only power was death, and we serve a Lord who went into death’s maw, and then came out again. That is the ultimate plot turn. That is the central fact of all human history.” (Pg 103) I’m exceedingly inclined toward the technophobia that Wilson rails against in this book. This was a helpful counterweight to my inclinations, and I’m thankful for it. It’s Wilson, so the style is breezy and a blast to read. It was written in a...

  Deeper: Real Change for Real Sinners by Dane C. Ortlund My rating: 5 of 5 stars Deeper does just what the title promises, pushing you down into the heart of Christ, helping the reader to see that real change and growth in grace are possible. But not by looking to yourself or by depending upon your own white-knuckled effort. Rather, we grow in Christ and are energized to pursue holiness as we believe ever more deeply in the wonderful work of Christ which he has already accomplished, and which we receive by faith alone. "I have one thing to say. Look to Christ. You will grow in Christ as you direct your gaze to Christ. If you take your eyes off of Jesus Christ and direct your gaze to your own growth, you will prevent the very growth you desire." (pg 171) I'd love to see this book in the hands of every Christian. View all my reviews

I like to read books, and people like to read Top 10 lists. In celebration of these two facts, here is my annual Top Books list for 2021. (previous lists: 2020 , 2019 , 2018 , 2015  ... yes, I missed a few years) Rise and Triumph of the Modern Self - I feel like a parody of myself for putting this book at the top of my list. Oh well, it's that important. Carl Trueman traces the modern conception of the self, beginning with Rousseau (a starting point he admits is mostly a function of having to start somewhere). He has a shorter and more popular-level version forthcoming . I will probably buy that to give to some folks, but if you want to contemplate how unusual our plastic understanding of personhood is, then pick up the original. The material is dense, but Trueman is an excellent writer, so reading through is an achievable task.  Hearers & Doers  - In this book, Kevin Vanhoozer gives pastors and church leaders a vision for building disciples fit for following Christ ...

  Poirot and Me by David Suchet My rating: 3 of 5 stars I enjoyed this book. But I don't think I'll go passing it around to random people. As someone who grew up watching the Poirot movies, hearing Suchet go through almost every single episode brought back all kinds of memories for me and provided a fascinating glimpse inside the life of a character and stage actor. That said, it made for a rather tedious pace, and if you didn't come already interested in hearing all of this stuff, it wasn't necessarily written in a way that would pull you in. Honestly, I would probably give this book two stars, except I listened to the audio book, which is read by Suchet, and if phone books still exited it would be worth listening to him read one. One of the best voices in the business. View all my reviews

Longtime readers of this blog-and virtually anyone who has any idea that this blog even exists-are most likely aware of my habit of posting a top 10 list of my favorite reads from the previous year. Anyone who knows me in real life also knows that I can be somewhat indecisive, and narrowing this year's list down to 10 seemed like more decisions than I wanted to deal with. So I'm pleading a special case for a special year, and giving a top 16 list.  Other differences from previous lists include my inclusion of re-reads (because I was hit so deeply by my re-reading of Till We Have Faces ), allowing multiples from the same author (the Carson books deserve it), and how I've written (I normally stack these books up in front of myself, but I'm in the process of moving, and so they're pretty well all packed up). 1. Till We Have Faces- CS Lewis I cannot communicate forcefully enough the impact of re-reading this book. I think the first time I read Till We Have Faces was 4...

On Reading Well: Finding the Good Life Through Great Books by Karen Swallow Prior My rating: 4 of 5 stars Prior engages the classical virtues and their role in our lives via a discussion of great literature and the role it can play in shaping said virtues with us. I was a little worried that this would simply be a collection of book reports, as it were, but was pleased to find more. Swallow has thought deeply about each of these virtues, and so is interacting not only with the chosen book for each chapter, but also theology, philosophy, and ethics. The entire book is worth reading. However, if you're on the fence, and happen to be one of those dinosaurs who likes to walk through a Barnes and Noble and thumbing through a book before purchasing, read the chapter on Kindness. It's worth the price of the volume. View all my reviews

Here is a link to an excellent review of C.S. Lewis's masterpiece, Till We Have Faces.  This book is one of the few novels I've ever re-read, and much like the author of this piece, I found the second reading far more rewarding. Lewis is using the metaphor of this myth to pierce into the deepest realities of our souls. Read the review to taste that, pick up the novel to experience it.  An excerpt:  Telling her strange story for posterity, this old queen presents a body of evidence, for her goal is to make a case against the divine. She details her complaints against the gods—their cruelty, hiddenness, jealousy, and trickery. But as she tells the story of hurt and injustice, something else develops. She realizes her case is, in reality, a case against herself. Indignant, she discovers that, after all, she was the cruel and unjust one. Logical and learned, she discovers that, after all, she was the liar and deceiver. (The worst lies she tells are to herself.) Pragmatic an...

It's been a busy year, a fact which becomes more vivid to me a I see precisely one post I've made since last year's Top 10. But I have managed to do a little reading, so I'll share some thoughts with you here. Reading is one of those things which I never have time to do, but which is vital for the life of my mind, my emotional stability, and at times my sanity. So I make time to read. I'm not a voluminous reader, but I try to be a dedicated plodder. If you, too, are strapped for time, I commend this method to you. This Top 10 list comes with caveats. Obviously it is limited to the books I finished in 2019, of which there were only 41. Second , I'm only allowing each author one Top 10 appearance. Third, I'm not counting in any of the books my wife reads to our family at night. Finally, if you're wondering why so few of my more biblical/theological reads crack the top ten: it's because so few are well written. 1. When Breath Becomes Air , P...