Mark's #14 - Uneclipsing the Son by Rick Holland

"Don't judge a book by it's cover" - especially this one, because the cover is awful. Outer aesthetics aside, the point and purpose of the book is timely and much needed.

The knowledge of, love for, and glory of Christ should be the all-consuming passion of all Christians.  In fact, this is exactly what Paul prays for Christians in his letter to the Ephesians, "...that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him, ¹⁸ having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, that you may know what is the hope to which he has called you, what are the riches of his glorious inheritance in the saints, ¹⁹ and what is the immeasurable greatness of his power toward us who believe... (Eph. 17-19).

This book does a good job of reminding Christians what it really means to be 'Christian' - To behold the glory and majesty of Christ.

Mark's #13 - The Reason for God by Timothy Keller

New York City pastor and founder of Redeemer Presbyterian Church, Tim Keller, has regularly engaged skeptics of faith in general and Christianity in particular.  In The Reason for God, Keller compiles decades worth of intellectual engagement with these skeptics to put forth a great introduction and defense for the Christian faith.  What C.S. Lewis did for the people of the 1940's through Mere Christianity, Keller does for the modern mind and modern objections to Christianity. Recently at The Harbor, we read and discussed this book in our monthly Apologia meeting.  Though this was the second time we've read this group, I once again benefitted from the read.  In part one, Keller addresses the most common and difficult objections people have, such as;

1. There can't be just one true religion.
2. How could a good God allow suffering?
3. Christianity is a straitjacket
4. The church is responsible for so much injustice
5. How can a loving God send people to Hell?
6. Science has disproved Christianity
7. You can't take the Bible literally

After dealing with these objections, in part two Keller goes from the defensive to the offensive, in presenting the evidence he sees as compelling 'clues of God'.  These include points such as design, beauty, longing, morality, the purpose of the Cross, and the reality of the bodily resurrection of Christ.

While I didn't agree with every point Keller put forth, overall I would highly recommend this book for both Christians and non-Christians alike.

Mark's #12 - The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Over the past few years, as I've tried to read the books I should have read in high school, there have been times when I felt like I had cheated myself for not reading one of the classics of literature earlier in life - The Scarlet Letter does not fall into that category.

The Scarlet Letter is the story of Hester Prynne, her adulterous encounter with the town minister, and her subsequent life of punishment wearing the scarlet letter 'A' for adultery.

Written in 1850, the novel takes place 200 years prior in puritan Boston.  This book is a nasty caricature of Puritan life.  No doubt many negative conceptions of puritanism have been formed by this book.  The reader is left to believe that puritan Boston was a legalistic and graceless society.  However, when one takes time to read the works of any of the major puritan figures (Owen, Edwards, Burroughs, or Sibbes for example), you see that these men had a great understanding of the grace of God.

From a literary standpoint, I quickly tired of the overly dramatic prose.  The story, which explores issues of sin, legalism, and grace (or the lack thereof), goes too far.  The young daughter, Pearl, is constantly saying annoying phrases that no 18-year-old girl would say, let alone  a five-year-old.  By the end, when the minister reveals his own scarlet letter carved on his chest after preaching his 'election' sermon, and then dies, I was irritated by the cheesy predictability of it all.

Conclusion: If you're in high school skip The Scarlet Letter and read The Hunger Games instead (Ron, I know you'll love this line).

Mark's #11 - Radical Together by David Platt (2011)

In 2010 I read and reviewed Radical by David Platt.  That book has been a powerful tool for millions of Christians to refocus on the stunning implications of the gospel for their lives, churches, and the world.  In 2011, at The Harbor, using that book we launched the year long Radical Experiment.   Needless to say, I loved the book.

However, there was some resistance, or perhaps misunderstanding of the book, not only by those who do not want the American Dream challenged, but even by those who share Platt's evangelical theological convictions.  In sum, it was argued that the book put undue pressure and burdens on Christians and misplaced emphasis on actions rather than gospel proclamation.  From these well respected brothers, Platt humbly received their criticism of the book, and thanked them for their mentorship. 

In Radical Together, Platt returns to similar themes of the first book, but with more of an emphasis to clarify what he believes God's Word really does call Christians too.  Here he emphasizes the need for churches to reevaluate every church program in light of the gospel and the mission of God.  He shows that the gospel that saves us from work, also saves us to work... and the gospel, empowered by the Word of God and the Spirit of God is what ultimately does the work, so that in salvation and in the fruit of the works, God gets the glory.

I anticipated that Platt would address his critics and clarify his positions, which he did.  However, I expected, from the book title, that there would be more of a focus on how communities of faith can come together to live out these radical implications hand-in-hand.   This did not seem to be much of an emphasis in the book.  There were plenty of anecdotal stories of individuals and small groups of people doing this, but no game plan or emphasis for churches as a whole.

The other small critique of the book is its length. Minus the group discussion guides in the back, the book is only about 130 pages long. Some people may avoid spending money on such a short book, which is too bad because each chapter has some really encouragement and insights for followers of Christ.

Mark's #10 - Replay by Ken Grimmwood (1986)

If one of the marks of a good book is that it makes you examine your own life, dreams, choices, and future direction, then Replay by Ken Grimmwood is a great book.

Imagine dying of a heart attack in your 40's only to wake up again as an 18-year-old freshman at college.  How would your second life differ from the first?  What regrets from your first life would you try to avoid in the second?  With your accumulated knowledge from your past, and a foreknowledge of the future,  how would your relationships or career choice be different?  Now imagine doing this again, five or six different times... This is the experience for Jeff Winston in Replay.

At first thought, the concept and the opportunity to redo life the right way seems like a pretty cool experience.  Yet, as Grimmwood points out throughout the book, there may be much more of a downside to such experiences than any upside.  These life-cycles seem to be a small snapshot of the Hindu concept of reincarnation (with the goal being to get off of the endless wheel of life and finally reach Nirvana).  For example, anyone you loved and shared experiences with in a previous life would not share those same memories with you in the next life - you would need to painstakingly recreate such experiences.  Any children you had would cease from your existence as each cycle began anew.

As I read the book and followed the often hedonistic pursuits of Jeff and Pamela (a second 'replayer' discovered on the third replay of Jeff's life), along with their pursuit of meaning and transcendence, I felt that this book, in some ways, was a retelling of the biblical book of Ecclesiastes.  Jeff and Pamela experience the meaninglessness of a life of fortune, of fame, of sexual promiscuity and indulgence, of drug and alcohol abuse, and even of loving relationships.

Time and again I had the thought that while life itself is a good gift from God, in this fallen world, life is meant to be lived only once - and that's a good thing.  As the author of Hebrews puts it, "...it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment (Heb. 9:27)."   As a follower of Christ, my hope is not in fortune, fame, worldly success, or even really great earthly relationships in this life.  Ultimately, there is a longing in us for something more, because we were created for something so much more than this life has to offer.  We were created for an endless relationship in perfect love, free from the shackles of sin, with our Creator and Redeemer, along with others that have been redeemed in a perfect place called Heaven.

Reading this book was a good reminder of how short life really is, even if one were given the opportunity to relive it five or six times, it's still just a blink in the spectrum of eternity.  As Jeff and Pamela begin to realize that their 'life-cycles' are almost over, they too seem to wake up to this reality:

It had seemed as if they would have forever, an infinity of choices and second chances.  They had squandered far too much of the priceless time that had been granted them, wasted it on bitterness and guilt and futile quests for nonexistent answers... (pg. 291).

***It should be noted that author Ken Grimwood did not write Replay from the same Christian worldview that I embrace.  As such, there are chapters in the book where the main character goes headlong in to the sins of hedonistic sexual indulgence and illicit drug and alcohol use.  In addition, even by the end of the book, the reader is left longing for answers to the questions of meaning and purpose.  Those answers cannot be found in Replay, but there is another 'Good Book' to which one can find the answers...

Mark's #8 - America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It by Mark Steyn

There are some alarming trends in western culture that led author and journalist Mark Steyn to issue a wakeup call to America.  Whether you agree or disagree, Steyn's points should not be ignored.

Put briefly, Steyn believes that the western world in particular, and the world as a whole is at risk of being dominated by islamic culture, religion, and politics within just a few generations.  His reasoning springs from an analysis of the demographic data, naive multiculturalism, and political correctness trends within western liberal democratic nations - particularly Europe.

• Demographics -  The birth rates of Western European countries have fallen well below the sustainable society rate of 2.1 births per woman.  Some of these countries like France, Italy, Germany, and Spain range from a rate of 1.1 -1.3 births.  So what does this mean?  It means that these big government socialist countries will not be able to sustain their welfare state in the near future, since no one will be around to pay for these luxuries.  Enter into this equation their need for immigrants, mostly from muslim background, their very high birth rates, and their hatred for all infidels, Europe will soon be known as Eurabia.
• Naive Multiculturalism - It's ironic that those most committed to multiculturalism will be some of the first infidels to have their religious and individual liberties stripped away from them once Islamic Sharia law takes hold in a democratic majority.  Those quickest to speak of Islam as "a beautiful religion of peace" will be perplexed by the brutality of such a government.  Once there is an Islamic majority, how do you think feminists, gays and lesbians, and others of an alternative lifestyle will be treated? Islam will play the victim card whenever possible in the West, while at the same time spouting a blatantly racist and exclusivist agenda against infidels.
• Political Correctness - The spirit of our age is one of unprecedented political correctness - and it will be the death of us if we don't respond with a logical force of thought and public engagement.

The only hope for Western civilization, as Steyn sees it (a Canadian by the way), is for America to respond and return to the ideology and fortitude that first made America a super power.   But even here, the trending signs are not encouraging... take for example Barrack Obama's 'Apology to the World' tour.  This does not make Islamist view the infidels of America in a more favorable light.  Rather, in the Islamic mind, actions like these shout weakness and opportunities for more victories by terrorists.

Wake up America.

“Far from being tortured, the prisoners [at Guantanamo] are being handled literally with kid gloves (or simulated kid-effect gloves). The U.S. military hands each jihadist his complimentary copy of the Koran as delicately as white-gloved butlers bringing His Lordship the Times of London. It's not just unbecoming to buy in to Muslim psychoses; in the end, it's self-defeating. And our self-defeat is their surest shot at victory...Even a loser can win when he's up against a defeatist. A big chunk of Western Civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, the jihadists figure: hey, why not us?”

“A big chunk of Western civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, Islam figures: Hey, why not us?”

“The state has gradually annexed all the responsibilities of adulthood - health care, child care, care of the elderly - to the point where it's effectively severed its citizens from humanity's primal instincts, not the least the survival instinct...They corrode the citizen's sense of self-reliance to a potentially fatal degree.”