C & PC, and Fairy Potter

So it came as a news flash to the literary world, "Albus Dumbledore" is a homosexual! And your boys at Christ and Pop-Culture were hot on the trail of this news story...well maybe not. But it's an interesting development and it gives me a chance to poke some more fun at Rich's "Harry Potter as a Christ-Figure" Theory. So check it out and leave a comment.

Help for the Weary Reader

The Word of the Lord is the theme of Psalm 1, and the Psalmist has great affection for it. “Blessed is the man” who devotes himself to it day and night. “Blessed,” meaning he is happy. The Lord has given to Him the desires of His heart, which for those in the Word of God turns out to be God Himself. The reading of Scripture fulfills what it promises. The more we read the more we want to know God, the more we read the more we get to know God. That is “blessedness!”

The man who reads God’s Word is not the man who seeks wisdom from the wicked world, nor one who models the evil of others, nor one who sits in judgment on the Word of God. The “blessed” man is one who “delights” in the Word and treasures it. This man “hides” God’s Word in His heart, with the intent that He might not sin against God! The man of the Word is one who hates sinning against God, and though He may still fail to obey, he despises sin, repents of it, and turns again to the Word that God might restore unto Him the Joy of His Salvation. The Word is a delight to the “blessed” man, and, in fact, the man is “delighted” because of that very Word. For in the Word he receives what he most desires: God.

This “blessed man” is compared to a fruitful tree, with leaves that do no wither. It is a man whose spiritual life thrives and blossoms and never fails. The Word of God is like rich soil that we sink our roots into for life; it is like the stream in the analogy that continually supplies sustenance to our branches. We prosper because we obey the Word of God, for it is our delight!

It is amazing how the Word of God works, and yet we hesitate so frequently to pick it up and read it. Why? Do we not grasp these facts of the power and beauty of Scripture? Do we not understand the word of God in Hebrews:

For the Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to the divisions of soul and of spirit, of joints and of marrow, and discerning the thoughts and the intentions of the heart. (Hebrews 4:12)

This is not a word assigned to some abstract notion of divine revelation, or some super-spiritual language, or even some divinely inspired meaning above the capabilities of language to grasp. These words are assigned to the canon of Scripture, the Holy Bible, to its very self. The Bible is the Word of God and through the Holy Spirit it is the means to growing our faith, correcting us, rebuking us, teaching us, and sanctifying us. So why, then, if we do know this, do we still experience a dislike of it?

The short answer is sin; it’s also the obvious one and the easiest one. The other answer is much harder to hear, and more specific. For me, in my own case, it is a simple answer of not loving Jesus enough. O, I am thankful that Jesus first loved me and gave Himself up for me that I might be a son of God. But my heart does not seem to daily long for my savior, my mind does not think on Him hourly, nor does my life reflect a dedication to His Word. Where is my love? On self, on things, on others, etc. John Calvin said that our hearts are idol factories, I know from experience, as I am sure he did, that is more true than I wish to affirm. So what is the solution?

We cannot merely diagnose problems and think that it is sufficient spiritual work. No, there must be a plan for change. The answer is simple, but not simplistic. There is a three-fold cord of spiritual growth that we all need: (1) The Bible; (2) Prayer; (3) Fellowship.

It is not as though I forgot what we are talking about (“Why don’t we read the Bible), but the answer, even in the face of this struggle, is still “read the Bible.” Especially when we don’t feel like it we should read! Read short, read long, read great passages, read small ones, read a book or a chapter, or a verse. Read a Psalm everyday of the week, read through the Gospel of Mark. The point is clear, however it is done, read the Bible. We must force ourselves to be in the Word as much as possible. This is not to suggest that if you don’t read it everyday you are sinning or falling away, rather it is to say we should read it as much as we can. The more we do, the more we will love it, and the more we will learn of God and love Him.

Prayer is crucial for ever Christian life and especially for those struggling to be in the Word. The Bible teaches us that God’s desire for us is our sanctification, our spiritual growth. Therefore call upon Him to aid you in this stubborn lack of desire for His Word. Pray that He would increase your affections for the Word, and open it up to you that you may grow and benefit from it. Pray for help from others to encourage you to be in the Bible regularly.

This brings us to the final element, fellowship. Lone-ranger Christians are not Biblical, nor are they successful. The church was established by Christ for our benefit. We need others to help us and especially when we are facing “spiritual depression.” We need the uplift of Godly brothers and sisters, we need their encouragement and prayers, we need their love and support, and perhaps even their firm loving words of rebuke. Fellowship not only holds us accountable to growth, but the more we talk about God’s Word with others the more we will want to be in it.

So if you are struggling with reading Scripture regularly then pray, surround yourself with Christ-like men or women, and insist upon reading the Bible as much as possible! Pray for it, get help with it, and do it! Trust me friends, we won’t regret it if we do…for the Word of God is a delight and God blesses the man who reads it.

Recommending the Imaginative: C.S Lewis

Like Tolkien Lewis stands out among those Christians with an imagination. Lewis was a Scholar, a colleague and friend, in fact, of J.R.R. Tolkien (It was through Tolkien that Lewis eventually came to abandon atheism and believe the gospel). What marks C.S. Lewis is his ability to create a world of beauty and tell the gospel story through creative means.

Lewis' Narnia myth isn't as elaborate, detailed, or cohesive as Tolkien's myth, but it is nonetheless and amazing thing to read The Chronicles of Narnia and see the gospel story unfold before your eyes in that imaginative setting. In writing his seven volume fantasy story Lewis created a world that was not just for kids but one that was for adults too. He is known to have said that a good story is one that is not just good for kids, but which adults can enjoy too.

Lewis works bear several interesting marks as a whole:
* The Christian Faith
* An appreciation of Love and/or Friendship
* A vast knowledge of classical literature
* Greek & Roman Mythology
* Fantasy

All these elements together make for a, sadly, markedly different Christian author. When you read Lewis you will not only find yourself captivated by his storytelling, but you will understand, and love the gospel better because of it. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, has one scene with Aslan and the two girls that gives me chills of excitement every time I read it. Use Lewis, friends, to spur on a godly imagination.

Recommending the Imaginative: J.R.R. Tolkien

John Ronald Tolkien was undoubtedly one of the greatest literary geniuses of the 20th Century. His most famous works include The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy: The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. These works have forever left their mark on the world of fantasy literature, Christian literature, and English literature (a three-fold impact not often attained by men).

What makes these works so amazing is not only their outstanding stories and characters, which Tolkien, as an Oxford English professor crafted beautifully, but it is their epic stature and mythical legacy. The world of Middle Earth is one of the only 20th Century myths to actually withstand the tests of time. The depths to which the author went in giving us back story, and context. The Philology work in Elvish language that Tolkien demonstrates, and the geographich mapping and descriptions are marks of a myth that is unparalleled in almost all English literature, and at least since its publication.

What makes Tolkien's work so significant for this discussion is that Tolkien was a devout Roman Catholic, and played a crucial role in the conversion of his colleague C.S. Lewis from Athiesm to Christianity. His journals are full of religious sentiments, and praises to God, and yet for all his religious devotion Tolkien was a man of art as well. The fact that a man can be both an artist, an imaginator (if you will allow), and a man of God should not go unnoticed. His essays on English Literaure, on Poetry, and on Fiction are some of the most amazing pieces that he wrote outside of the context of the Lord of the Rings. So to you, friends, I recommend J.R.R. Tolkien's works.

Works:
The Hobbit
The Fellowship of the Ring
The Two Towers
The Return of the King
The Silmarillion
The Father Christmas Letters
Farmer Giles of Ham
The Children of Hurin
The Adventures of Tom Bombadil
On Fairy Stories
The Letters of J.R.R Tolkien
Poems and Songs of Middle Earth

Recovering the Imaginative: Read

If the imagination has been on the decline among Evangelical Christianity, and in our culture at large, how can we help the process of recovery that has been slowly returning? The answer is, I believe, three-fold, and the first step is to read good fiction.

It won't take much convincing for you to agree that good fiction is replete with the imaginative. Scenes, characters, events, and other elements of fiction reveal the glorious world of the imagination before us. Poetry is marked by the comparison of lovers to flowers and sunsets (odd comparisons in reality, but just perfect in the imagination). Stories often end with unrealistic events and adventures, and with good guys saving the day and bad guys dying. Drama compresses great lengths of time. And even realist fiction revels in the moral lesson learned from suffering and tragedy. Great examples of imagination in fiction include: Geoffrey Chaucer's The Canterbury Tales (which uses almost every literary convention you could conceive of), C.S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia, J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Homer's Odyssey , John Milton's Paradise Lost, William Shakespeare's A Mid Summer's Night Dream, and Edmund Spenser's The Faerie Queene.

English Literature, of which I am most familiar with, has a long history of world play. That is there is a legacy of the imagination to be found in English literature, most of which in some form or fashion shaped nearly every writer in the Western world. C.S. Lewis himself was strongly influenced by both Edmund Spenser and Thomas Malroy. Inspiration to be imaginative comes largely from seeing it done well. And reading is particularly helpful in instilling imagination in us because we must picture the scenes in the book ourselves. If the author creates a magical world with his words and describes the scene vividly for us, as most of the authors listed above do, then our imaginations cannot help but take flight and create their words in images. Reading, then, doesn't just demonstrate good imagination and creativity, it invites us into it and we partake and experience that imagination!

So to recover the imaginative, read good fiction!

C & PC on Books

There's a new Christ & Pop-Culture episode up. Rich and I have started a new segment on Highlighting Books on Pop-Culture. This week we look at a book by Richard Leonard, a Jesuit priest who reviews films too. See what we think of Movies that Matter.

An Intersting Funny

Growing up we use to read the "funnies" on Sunday mornings over breakfast. It was often a fight to see who got the paper first. One of our family favorites was Calvin & Hobbes. Well I was reading one of those comics this afternoon and thought I'd share with you what I found interesting about it.

The Scene: Calvin and Hobbes are walking through the woods.

Calvin: Isn't it strange that evolution would give us a sense of humor? When you think about it, it's weird that we have a physiological response to absurdity. We laugh at nonsense. We like it. We think it's funny. Don't you think it's odd that we appreciate absurdity? Why would we develop that way? How does it benefit us?

Hobbes: I suppose if we couldn't laugh at things that don't make sense, we couldn't react to a lot of life.

(Calvin is speechless for a moment).

Calvin: I can't tell if that's funny or really scary.


I thought this was an intersting observation about the logical conclusions of the evolutionary worldview. What do you think about it?

Hey Ladies

So I don't do the shopping in my home, thankfully my wife spares me of that annoying responsibility. She rather enjoys it and is good at finding bargains and getting what we need without draining our budget. What can I say, I have a good wife!

But I can only imagine how frustrating shopping gets week in and week out, and furthermore, how hard it can be at times. Thankfully there is someone who not only knows this to be true, but has some helpful advice. Actually it's four ladies, the wife and daughters of theologian C.J. Mahaney. In their latest book Shopping for Time they have some suggestions of how women can get done all that they need to to have orderly homes. Discerning Readers has posted a reveiw of the book, check it out and then see the book for yourself.

Summer Reading Recommendations

The Summer is usually that time of the year when the average American catches up on his or her reading. But what will you read this summer? There are so many books out there, and so little time, you dont' want to waste your summer reading terrible books. So NPR has compiled a list of book recommendations from booksellers. R. Albert Mohler Jr. too has compiled his own summer suggestions. Lest I be left out, I too have my own recommended reading. If you can read all three lists you'll truly have gotten your fill of books this summer. So here they are:

1) The Mayflower by Nathaniel Philbrick --> Philbrick weaves history into a wonderful and gripping narrative that captivates the reader and draws him into the events of the colonial settling of America. He avoids both the pitfalls of European supremacy, and European wickedness in relating the account of the Native American and Colonial interactions. It's a well written book.

2)The Lion, the Witch, & the Wardrobe --> For those who haven't read it, this book will be an fun and quick read. With the Narnia movies being made you will get a better picture of their story and beauty by reading the books along with them. For those who have already read it, I recommend reading it again. What art C.S. Lewis had! You won't be disappointed.

3) Life in the Body by Curtis C. Thoms --> This is a very helpful and thoughtful book on church life and what it means to be a member of a church. Thomas points to the ministry of all members in this book and it is a much needed reminder to church members everywhere that they are called to serve one another and grow together before the Lord.

4) On Sin and Temptation by John Owen, ed. by Justin Taylor and Kelly Kapic --> This modern reprint of the Puritan classics on sin and temptation is a wonderful addition to any Christian's reading list. The indwelling power of sin in the Christian is a far too often overlooked or psychologized in the modern church. Owen gives not only a strong gospel grounded theology for fighting sin, but practical advice for fighting sin, something we all need to be doing this summer. Pick it up friends, you will appreciate it in the long run.

5) Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling --> The final book in the Hary Potter series. Find out what happens to the young wizard in this wonderfully written fantasy novel series.