Lee Harmon's Blog, page 113
October 22, 2011
Book review: No Wonder They Call Him the Savior
by Max Lucado
★★★
Max Lucado was asked by an acquaintance in a coffee house about his faith. "What is it that matters?" the man asked. "Skip the periphery. Go to the essence. Tell me the part that matters." Years later, the answer had solidified for Lucado. The cross of Calvary. That's the essence. "If the account of the cross is true, it's history's hinge. ... If not, it's history's hoax."
This book, then, is a search for the meaning of the cross. Special attention is given to the little details of the Golgotha scene. The words spoken from the cross, the thieves on either side, the graying mother at Christ's feet. No wonder they call him Savior.
Next, the scene shifts from Jesus to the witnesses. All those who played a part, big or small. Finally, the resurrection.
The book is flavored throughout with a number of personal stories. It's highly inspirational, meant for spiritual encouragement. I confess I didn't read the whole thing; when it shifted gears into a study guide 2/3 of the way through, I shut down. Lucado is also a conservative believer, and the assumptions about the Bible's historical accuracy and Jesus' divinity began to weary me. He writes as a friendly minister who assumes we share his traditional Christian outlook. I can't do that, and if the only way to appreciate the story of Jesus is to turn the whole thing into a supernatural religion, then I'm left in the cold.
Three stars from me, but for another person at another stage in their life, I'm sure Lucado's uplifting writing style will hit the mark.
★★★
Max Lucado was asked by an acquaintance in a coffee house about his faith. "What is it that matters?" the man asked. "Skip the periphery. Go to the essence. Tell me the part that matters." Years later, the answer had solidified for Lucado. The cross of Calvary. That's the essence. "If the account of the cross is true, it's history's hinge. ... If not, it's history's hoax."
This book, then, is a search for the meaning of the cross. Special attention is given to the little details of the Golgotha scene. The words spoken from the cross, the thieves on either side, the graying mother at Christ's feet. No wonder they call him Savior.
Next, the scene shifts from Jesus to the witnesses. All those who played a part, big or small. Finally, the resurrection.
The book is flavored throughout with a number of personal stories. It's highly inspirational, meant for spiritual encouragement. I confess I didn't read the whole thing; when it shifted gears into a study guide 2/3 of the way through, I shut down. Lucado is also a conservative believer, and the assumptions about the Bible's historical accuracy and Jesus' divinity began to weary me. He writes as a friendly minister who assumes we share his traditional Christian outlook. I can't do that, and if the only way to appreciate the story of Jesus is to turn the whole thing into a supernatural religion, then I'm left in the cold.
Three stars from me, but for another person at another stage in their life, I'm sure Lucado's uplifting writing style will hit the mark.
October 21, 2011
Genesis 3:6, What Fruit Did Adam & Eve Eat?
And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.
//Jewish tradition holds that the fruit was figs, grapes, or wheat. Another fruit often proposed is the pomegranate, one of the earliest fruits domesticated. It came to be known as a symbol of fertility and immortality. Greek and Persian mythology uses the pomegranate as a representation of life, regeneration, and marriage. The one fruit that no scholar considers seriously is an apple.
But in the fourth century, the word malum appeared in the Vulgate translation of Genesis in the phrase "the tree of good and evil." Malum, in Latin, means both evil and apple. They've been connected ever since.
In the end, Adam and Eve may not have eaten of any fruit at all. Partaking of the "fruit of the tree of good and evil" may have been an allegorical feast, describing the first sin of the flesh, as explained in the very next verse: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.
//Jewish tradition holds that the fruit was figs, grapes, or wheat. Another fruit often proposed is the pomegranate, one of the earliest fruits domesticated. It came to be known as a symbol of fertility and immortality. Greek and Persian mythology uses the pomegranate as a representation of life, regeneration, and marriage. The one fruit that no scholar considers seriously is an apple.
But in the fourth century, the word malum appeared in the Vulgate translation of Genesis in the phrase "the tree of good and evil." Malum, in Latin, means both evil and apple. They've been connected ever since.
In the end, Adam and Eve may not have eaten of any fruit at all. Partaking of the "fruit of the tree of good and evil" may have been an allegorical feast, describing the first sin of the flesh, as explained in the very next verse: And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked.
October 20, 2011
Book review: Angel
by Laura Lee
★★★★★
I reviewed this book a few days ago, labeling it an "uncomfortable page-turner," and its bizarre story still grips me. My primary criterion for ranking is whether or not a book makes me think … obviously, this one does. As such, it deserves additional discussion, and this time around it gets five stars. That the between-the-lines message of the book still grips me is a testament to its importance within its Christian setting.
It feels odd to call this "Christian literature." It's a bit crude, and let's be honest, it contradicts Paul's teachings by 180 degrees. The gay lifestyle isn't "Christian" … at least, not for Christians who consider the Bible the final word. I've studied several arguments for embracing same-sex relationships in the church, and the bottom line is they just aren't scriptural. I've talked with gays who don't feel the Bible contradicts their lifestyle, but the arguments are lame. Sorry, guys. The Bible is clear. There is simply no legitimate way to get around the gay-bashing verses of the Bible … until we realize it's just time to outgrow these verses. Biblical writers could not overcome their unease, but differences in sexual preference do not warrant discrimination in church any more than in business. It's time we grew up.
Back to Laura's book. She tackles an intimidating topic head on, and does so in an unforgettable manner. Five stars, yeah, because this is a Christian topic. Let's climb this social mountain together.
Read the original review here: http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/10/book-review-angel.html
★★★★★
I reviewed this book a few days ago, labeling it an "uncomfortable page-turner," and its bizarre story still grips me. My primary criterion for ranking is whether or not a book makes me think … obviously, this one does. As such, it deserves additional discussion, and this time around it gets five stars. That the between-the-lines message of the book still grips me is a testament to its importance within its Christian setting.
It feels odd to call this "Christian literature." It's a bit crude, and let's be honest, it contradicts Paul's teachings by 180 degrees. The gay lifestyle isn't "Christian" … at least, not for Christians who consider the Bible the final word. I've studied several arguments for embracing same-sex relationships in the church, and the bottom line is they just aren't scriptural. I've talked with gays who don't feel the Bible contradicts their lifestyle, but the arguments are lame. Sorry, guys. The Bible is clear. There is simply no legitimate way to get around the gay-bashing verses of the Bible … until we realize it's just time to outgrow these verses. Biblical writers could not overcome their unease, but differences in sexual preference do not warrant discrimination in church any more than in business. It's time we grew up.
Back to Laura's book. She tackles an intimidating topic head on, and does so in an unforgettable manner. Five stars, yeah, because this is a Christian topic. Let's climb this social mountain together.
Read the original review here: http://www.dubiousdisciple.com/2011/10/book-review-angel.html
October 19, 2011
Matthew 23:9, Call No One Father
And do not call anyone on earth 'father,' for you have one Father, and he is in heaven.
//Some of Jesus' teachings can leave us bewildered. Call no one father? Doesn't this contradict the teaching to respect your parents?
It helps to picture the patriarchal society in which Jesus was born. One's identity was tied to the family clan. Jesus had four brothers and an unknown number of sisters, and these siblings were probably married and forming families of their own. You can imagine that in a small village like Nazareth, Jesus' family could represent a large portion of the population. Family provided protection, identification, and belonging.
At the pinnacle of the family was the father figure, and this person had absolute authority. Everyone owed him obedience and loyalty. He arranged marriages, he decided the duties of the household, he defined everyone's place. This seems to have irked Jesus as one more instance of unnecessary control. Was Jesus slated by his father to marry, and if so, what happened to his designated wife? We don't know. As risky as it was to break ties with family, Jesus did just that. God alone, says Jesus, should direct our lives to this degree.
//Some of Jesus' teachings can leave us bewildered. Call no one father? Doesn't this contradict the teaching to respect your parents?
It helps to picture the patriarchal society in which Jesus was born. One's identity was tied to the family clan. Jesus had four brothers and an unknown number of sisters, and these siblings were probably married and forming families of their own. You can imagine that in a small village like Nazareth, Jesus' family could represent a large portion of the population. Family provided protection, identification, and belonging.
At the pinnacle of the family was the father figure, and this person had absolute authority. Everyone owed him obedience and loyalty. He arranged marriages, he decided the duties of the household, he defined everyone's place. This seems to have irked Jesus as one more instance of unnecessary control. Was Jesus slated by his father to marry, and if so, what happened to his designated wife? We don't know. As risky as it was to break ties with family, Jesus did just that. God alone, says Jesus, should direct our lives to this degree.
October 18, 2011
Book review: Thus Saith Eve
by Chris Wind
★★★★★
This little book finally gives the women of the Bible license to speak, and speak they do! A cantankerous bunch on the whole, yet their contributions (as true as they may be) left me ROFLing. Our Bible, I'm now convinced, is much the poorer for its women being silenced.
There are nineteen chapters, nineteen women in all who get to have their say. Technically speaking, only fifteen of the nineteen speakers are "women of the Bible." Two are extra-canonical, one is a dastardly angel (we call "her" Satan), and one is … well, I was equally astonished to learn that Abel, son/daughter of Adam, also made the feminine list. Can't say I didn't learn anything from this book.
My favorite was Noah's wife. Poor thing, with a ship the size of the football field to clean, and animal excrement everywhere. Yet, she seems quite able to hold her own, and as she rightly points out, if the whole creation was destroyed by a flood, then she is mother to us all. (What she leaves unsaid is whether or not Adam is the father of us all … hmmm.)
Short, but definitely entertaining … and serious between the lines.
★★★★★
This little book finally gives the women of the Bible license to speak, and speak they do! A cantankerous bunch on the whole, yet their contributions (as true as they may be) left me ROFLing. Our Bible, I'm now convinced, is much the poorer for its women being silenced.
There are nineteen chapters, nineteen women in all who get to have their say. Technically speaking, only fifteen of the nineteen speakers are "women of the Bible." Two are extra-canonical, one is a dastardly angel (we call "her" Satan), and one is … well, I was equally astonished to learn that Abel, son/daughter of Adam, also made the feminine list. Can't say I didn't learn anything from this book.
My favorite was Noah's wife. Poor thing, with a ship the size of the football field to clean, and animal excrement everywhere. Yet, she seems quite able to hold her own, and as she rightly points out, if the whole creation was destroyed by a flood, then she is mother to us all. (What she leaves unsaid is whether or not Adam is the father of us all … hmmm.)
Short, but definitely entertaining … and serious between the lines.
October 17, 2011
Matthew 25:25, How Much is a Talent?
And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine.
//In this parable, a man travels to a foreign country, but before he leaves, he gives talents to his servants. Ten to one, five to another, one to a third.
Do you picture a talent as a small, silver coin? If you do, you miss the flavor of the parable. A talent is formed in the shape of a huge ingot; that is, a heavy weight with a handle on top for ease of transport. A talent weighs 75 pounds; over 34 kilograms. A strong man can lug one in each hand. It weighs 6,000 denarii and represents the salary of 6,000 days' work. Sixteen and a half years.
Now we can read over the story with a new understanding. First, these talents are not on loan. They are freely given. Ten talents would provide enough for the servant to live adequately for another 165 years! Five talents would do for 82 more years! The abundance of the gift is important to the story. These servants gladly accept the gift, and put it to good use, doubling what they have been given.
Then we come to the third servant, who received only one. This man does not seem to appreciate it as a gift; rather it is an incredible responsibility! He sees it as nearly more than he can bear, keeping this talent for the day his master returns and he can give it back. How on earth can he hide an entire talent? He finds a way, burying it in the ground.
Now that you understand the dynamics of the story, I'm guessing the parable will speak to you in a different way.
//In this parable, a man travels to a foreign country, but before he leaves, he gives talents to his servants. Ten to one, five to another, one to a third.
Do you picture a talent as a small, silver coin? If you do, you miss the flavor of the parable. A talent is formed in the shape of a huge ingot; that is, a heavy weight with a handle on top for ease of transport. A talent weighs 75 pounds; over 34 kilograms. A strong man can lug one in each hand. It weighs 6,000 denarii and represents the salary of 6,000 days' work. Sixteen and a half years.
Now we can read over the story with a new understanding. First, these talents are not on loan. They are freely given. Ten talents would provide enough for the servant to live adequately for another 165 years! Five talents would do for 82 more years! The abundance of the gift is important to the story. These servants gladly accept the gift, and put it to good use, doubling what they have been given.
Then we come to the third servant, who received only one. This man does not seem to appreciate it as a gift; rather it is an incredible responsibility! He sees it as nearly more than he can bear, keeping this talent for the day his master returns and he can give it back. How on earth can he hide an entire talent? He finds a way, burying it in the ground.
Now that you understand the dynamics of the story, I'm guessing the parable will speak to you in a different way.
October 16, 2011
Book review: The Galilean
by Tom Colgan
★★★★
A play, well-written and well-acted, should first and foremost touch the heart. This one does. Yet, imagination is always necessary when reading plays; its appreciation depends upon the reader's ability to soak up the poetic speech and hear it from the lips of imaginary stage actors. That's how Colgan's writing comes alive.
The story opens in an age of great expectation. John the Baptist fuels the apocalyptic fire of his followers, teaching them to watch for the arrival of the Messiah. Everybody knows something is about to happen. Something big, something God has planned from the beginning. God is about to intervene in history.
Enter Jesus, the Galilean. A man who, two thousand years later, everyone knows by legend, but nobody knows as a person. Colgan, a former Methodist minister who brings sixteen years of research into the Historical Jesus, offers a realistic, yet inspiring portrayal. In his mind, Jesus was a Jew with a radical vision, a deep longing to revitalize his nation to a new way of thinking. A way of compassion. Jesus teaches love for everyone; sinner, sickly, and saint.
While everyone watches for God's big intervention, Jesus wonders if everyone is missing it. What a pity if God's great transformation goes unnoticed? Jesus seeks to bring God down from heaven and make Him accessible to the multitudes. But his vision clashes with the institutionalized religion of the Temple class.
A showdown is coming, and the disciples fear for Jesus' safety. But Jesus fears not death; he fears something else entirely. The Galilean will leave you wondering, quite seriously, whether Jesus' greatest fear came to pass … and what can be done to set things right.
★★★★
A play, well-written and well-acted, should first and foremost touch the heart. This one does. Yet, imagination is always necessary when reading plays; its appreciation depends upon the reader's ability to soak up the poetic speech and hear it from the lips of imaginary stage actors. That's how Colgan's writing comes alive.
The story opens in an age of great expectation. John the Baptist fuels the apocalyptic fire of his followers, teaching them to watch for the arrival of the Messiah. Everybody knows something is about to happen. Something big, something God has planned from the beginning. God is about to intervene in history.
Enter Jesus, the Galilean. A man who, two thousand years later, everyone knows by legend, but nobody knows as a person. Colgan, a former Methodist minister who brings sixteen years of research into the Historical Jesus, offers a realistic, yet inspiring portrayal. In his mind, Jesus was a Jew with a radical vision, a deep longing to revitalize his nation to a new way of thinking. A way of compassion. Jesus teaches love for everyone; sinner, sickly, and saint.
While everyone watches for God's big intervention, Jesus wonders if everyone is missing it. What a pity if God's great transformation goes unnoticed? Jesus seeks to bring God down from heaven and make Him accessible to the multitudes. But his vision clashes with the institutionalized religion of the Temple class.
A showdown is coming, and the disciples fear for Jesus' safety. But Jesus fears not death; he fears something else entirely. The Galilean will leave you wondering, quite seriously, whether Jesus' greatest fear came to pass … and what can be done to set things right.
October 15, 2011
1 Samuel 5:6, Golden Mice and Hemorrhoids
And the hand of Jehovah was heavy upon them of Ashdod, and he laid them waste, and smote them with hemorrhoids. (Darby translation)
//One day, the hated Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it home to the temple of their god, Dagan. The next morning, they awoke to find their god face down, bowing before the Ark. So, they set the statue back up. Again, the next morning, Dagon is prostrate on the ground, this time with his head and arms chopped off.
But the Ark isn't done toying with the Philistines. It smites all the people of the city, Ashdod, with hemorrhoids. So, the Philistines move the ark to Gath. Now all the Gathites develop hemorrhoids.
Finally, the Philistines come to their senses, and send the Ark home. But not empty. As an apology, they prepare gifts of golden images to send with the Ark. Images that have puzzled scholars for some time.
Then [the Philistines] said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords. And ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
Today's puzzle: What does a golden hemorrhoid look like?
//One day, the hated Philistines captured the Ark of the Covenant and brought it home to the temple of their god, Dagan. The next morning, they awoke to find their god face down, bowing before the Ark. So, they set the statue back up. Again, the next morning, Dagon is prostrate on the ground, this time with his head and arms chopped off.
But the Ark isn't done toying with the Philistines. It smites all the people of the city, Ashdod, with hemorrhoids. So, the Philistines move the ark to Gath. Now all the Gathites develop hemorrhoids.
Finally, the Philistines come to their senses, and send the Ark home. But not empty. As an apology, they prepare gifts of golden images to send with the Ark. Images that have puzzled scholars for some time.
Then [the Philistines] said, What is the trespass-offering which we shall return to him? And they said, Five golden hemorrhoids, and five golden mice, the number of the lords of the Philistines; for one plague is upon them all, and upon your lords. And ye shall make images of your hemorrhoids, and images of your mice that destroy the land, and give glory to the God of Israel: perhaps he will lighten his hand from off you, and from off your gods, and from off your land.
Today's puzzle: What does a golden hemorrhoid look like?
October 14, 2011
Book review: The Teaching of the Twelve
by Tony Jones
★★★★
Every Christian should read the Didache (DID-ah-kay). Every one. You can read the whole thing in twenty minutes, so you have no excuse.
Didache simply means teachings. By our best guess, this is the earliest Christian literature not in the Bible. It probably predates one or more Gospels, and may be made up of about four separate writings. The opening portion appears taken directly from the Q source. So early are the teachings of this Didache community that they show no indication of familiarity with any Pauline writings.
The Didache is not a book about believing, but about living. It's not about evangelizing, but about being a neighbor. It's a guidebook about how to share the Eucharist, how to give alms, how to baptize, how to appoint elders and treat prophets, and more. You won't read anything about miracles, the twelve disciples, the crucifixion, or the resurrection. It's just about how to be a Christian.
Jones relates the words of the Didache, provides a short, inspirational analysis, and relates how a group of Christians he knows has taken its teachings and humbly formed a community determined to return to the simple, compassionate teachings of the early church.
★★★★
Every Christian should read the Didache (DID-ah-kay). Every one. You can read the whole thing in twenty minutes, so you have no excuse.
Didache simply means teachings. By our best guess, this is the earliest Christian literature not in the Bible. It probably predates one or more Gospels, and may be made up of about four separate writings. The opening portion appears taken directly from the Q source. So early are the teachings of this Didache community that they show no indication of familiarity with any Pauline writings.
The Didache is not a book about believing, but about living. It's not about evangelizing, but about being a neighbor. It's a guidebook about how to share the Eucharist, how to give alms, how to baptize, how to appoint elders and treat prophets, and more. You won't read anything about miracles, the twelve disciples, the crucifixion, or the resurrection. It's just about how to be a Christian.
Jones relates the words of the Didache, provides a short, inspirational analysis, and relates how a group of Christians he knows has taken its teachings and humbly formed a community determined to return to the simple, compassionate teachings of the early church.
October 13, 2011
Mark 5:2, One Man or Two? Part II of II
When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an evil spirit came from the tombs to meet him.
//Two days ago, I gave an example where Matthew changes the story of one blind man (Bartimaeus) into a story of two blind men. In case you don't believe this is intentional, here's another example. You all know this story well, about the man living among the tombs, out of whom Jesus cast a swarm of evil spirits. In fact, the man's name was Legion, because of the many evil spirits inhabiting him. Jesus chases them out into the pigs, and the pigs rumble pell-mell down the hill into the lake, where they drown.
So. What do you suppose the man's name is in Matthew's version? I bet you never noticed ... according to Matthew, there is no name given, because there are two demon-possessed men in his story!
Matthew 8:28, When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
In Mathew's rendition, Jesus does the same thing, casting the demons out into the pigs. Do you find it odd that Matthew would so fecklessly change one person into two? You shouldn't. Matthew loves to double his characters; it appears to be a unique literary style of his. In Matthew 9:27, like the verses presented two days ago, Matthew again has two blind men. In 4:28-21, he calls his disciples in pairs of brothers (Simon/Andrew, and James/John). In 26:37, he alone again refers to James/John as "the two brothers." In 26:20, he alone mentions "two false witnesses."
I don't have an explanation for this literary habit, but I would enjoy hearing your opinions.
//Two days ago, I gave an example where Matthew changes the story of one blind man (Bartimaeus) into a story of two blind men. In case you don't believe this is intentional, here's another example. You all know this story well, about the man living among the tombs, out of whom Jesus cast a swarm of evil spirits. In fact, the man's name was Legion, because of the many evil spirits inhabiting him. Jesus chases them out into the pigs, and the pigs rumble pell-mell down the hill into the lake, where they drown.
So. What do you suppose the man's name is in Matthew's version? I bet you never noticed ... according to Matthew, there is no name given, because there are two demon-possessed men in his story!
Matthew 8:28, When he arrived at the other side in the region of the Gadarenes, two demon-possessed men coming from the tombs met him. They were so violent that no one could pass that way.
In Mathew's rendition, Jesus does the same thing, casting the demons out into the pigs. Do you find it odd that Matthew would so fecklessly change one person into two? You shouldn't. Matthew loves to double his characters; it appears to be a unique literary style of his. In Matthew 9:27, like the verses presented two days ago, Matthew again has two blind men. In 4:28-21, he calls his disciples in pairs of brothers (Simon/Andrew, and James/John). In 26:37, he alone again refers to James/John as "the two brothers." In 26:20, he alone mentions "two false witnesses."
I don't have an explanation for this literary habit, but I would enjoy hearing your opinions.
