Posts
At church last Sunday, the preacher talked again about Christians being salt and light in the world, a la Matthew 5:13-16.
I thought that he would say the same things that he said last week,
and, in some cases, he did. But he also presented new material.
He shared with us some things that he had learned about salt. Salt
was precious in the ancient world, and people sometimes even paid in
salt; similarly, he said, we are precious to God.
Salt was cleansing. Similarly, Christians have a cleansing effect on the world through their words and example.
Salt puts out fires. Similarly, Christians help deliver people from the fires of hell by sharing the Gospel with them.
The preacher talked about being a light. As an example, he referred
to a situation in which there was a catastrophe at work, and he was
smiling, and people wondered what was the matter with him. But he was
smiling because he knew whom he served. When people ask him what is the
matter with him, he gets to share with them about Jesus.
The preacher said that it is important for Christians to lift up the name of God before the world. That is light.
The preacher also said that we do not necessarily have to be
persuasive or charismatic to be salt and light. We need, however, to be
sensitive to the Holy Spirit and surrendered to God.
I’ll comment on that last item. I have vacillated in how I have
viewed that. I used to believe it, then I did not believe it. Now I
believe it, albeit with modification. I think that I used to believe it
in the sense that I thought that, notwithstanding my lack of charisma,
God could still use me to make a powerful difference for him, which
would make me popular and feed my own ego. When that did not happen, I
was disappointed. Now, I believe that God can still use un-charismatic
people, whether or not they pack auditoriums. Sometimes, God may anoint
them so that they do pack auditoriums. But God can also use them in
low-key ways.
I’ll stop here.
Tuesday, August 9, 2016
Monday, August 8, 2016
Book Write-Up: Introduction to World Christian History
Derek Cooper. Introduction to World Christian History. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016. See here to purchase the book.
Derek Cooper teaches world Christian history at Biblical Theological Seminary. His book, Introduction to World Christian History, is about Christianity in the world from the first to the twenty-first centuries. Part 1 concerns “Christianity from the first to the seventh centuries,” and it covers Christianity during that time-frame in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Part 2 goes from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries, and it, too, looks at Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Part 3, which covers the fifteenth to the twenty-first centuries, looks at Christianity in Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia.
One would expect a book such as this to be a massive tome, but it is not. It is 254 pages. People can probably debate about whether Cooper does certain topics justice in such a slender volume, but the book is useful and informative in what it does cover. The book looks at Christianity as it existed in these regions, says something about their distinct beliefs (e.g., whether their Christology was or was not Nicene), discusses the issues that the Christianities faced, and addresses whether the Christianities numerically grew where they were.
Cooper also does well to include a glossary in the back.
In terms of critiques, the book’s organization was somewhat scattered. Perhaps it would have been more user-friendly had it been organized differently, by region rather than chronology. Part 1 could have been about Asian Christianity, Part 2 could have been about African Christianity, Part 3 could have covered European Christianity, and a Part 4 could have covered North America, Latin America, and Oceania. Such an organization would have been less distracting for the reader, and it would have provided a more holistic, story-like depiction of the various Christianities in the world.
The index could have included a few more things. Cooper makes the point that there have been scholarly challenges to the usage and understanding of the Nestorian label. This interested me, and I looked in the index to see where else Cooper covered this in the book. Cooper should have included Nestorianism in his index.
A bibliography at the end, divided by region, also would have been helpful for readers desiring to learn more.
The book seems to accept certain folklore uncritically. Cooper did well to refer to that folklore, for that made the book interesting, and perhaps the only stories we have about how Christianity came to certain areas are from folklore. Still, Cooper should have said something about the difficulty in accepting some of that folklore as historically accurate.
There were many times when Cooper was descriptive and offered little analysis. Yet, there were times when he provided analysis.
Whatever critiques one can make, this book is a decent handbook about the history of Christianity from the first to the twenty-first centuries.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Derek Cooper teaches world Christian history at Biblical Theological Seminary. His book, Introduction to World Christian History, is about Christianity in the world from the first to the twenty-first centuries. Part 1 concerns “Christianity from the first to the seventh centuries,” and it covers Christianity during that time-frame in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Part 2 goes from the eighth to the fourteenth centuries, and it, too, looks at Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Europe. Part 3, which covers the fifteenth to the twenty-first centuries, looks at Christianity in Europe, Latin America, Northern America, Oceania, Africa, and Asia.
One would expect a book such as this to be a massive tome, but it is not. It is 254 pages. People can probably debate about whether Cooper does certain topics justice in such a slender volume, but the book is useful and informative in what it does cover. The book looks at Christianity as it existed in these regions, says something about their distinct beliefs (e.g., whether their Christology was or was not Nicene), discusses the issues that the Christianities faced, and addresses whether the Christianities numerically grew where they were.
Cooper also does well to include a glossary in the back.
In terms of critiques, the book’s organization was somewhat scattered. Perhaps it would have been more user-friendly had it been organized differently, by region rather than chronology. Part 1 could have been about Asian Christianity, Part 2 could have been about African Christianity, Part 3 could have covered European Christianity, and a Part 4 could have covered North America, Latin America, and Oceania. Such an organization would have been less distracting for the reader, and it would have provided a more holistic, story-like depiction of the various Christianities in the world.
The index could have included a few more things. Cooper makes the point that there have been scholarly challenges to the usage and understanding of the Nestorian label. This interested me, and I looked in the index to see where else Cooper covered this in the book. Cooper should have included Nestorianism in his index.
A bibliography at the end, divided by region, also would have been helpful for readers desiring to learn more.
The book seems to accept certain folklore uncritically. Cooper did well to refer to that folklore, for that made the book interesting, and perhaps the only stories we have about how Christianity came to certain areas are from folklore. Still, Cooper should have said something about the difficulty in accepting some of that folklore as historically accurate.
There were many times when Cooper was descriptive and offered little analysis. Yet, there were times when he provided analysis.
Whatever critiques one can make, this book is a decent handbook about the history of Christianity from the first to the twenty-first centuries.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Friday, August 5, 2016
Book Write-Up: An Unbroken Heart, by Kathleen Fuller
Kathleen Fuller. An Unbroken Heart. Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2016. See here to buy the book.
An Unbroken Heart is the second book of Kathleen Fuller’s “Amish of Birch Creek” series. The first book of the series is A Reluctant Bride.
I read An Unbroken Heart without having read A Reluctant Bride. I still understood and appreciated An Unbroken Heart, but I recommend that people read A Reluctant Bride first. That way, readers do not have to spend as much energy trying to figure out who the characters are and how they are related to each other. Also, An Unbroken Heart refers rather hastily to an accident that profoundly impacted some of the main character’s lives. That accident is covered a lot more in A Reluctant Bride.
An Unbroken Heart is about Joanna and her boyfriend, Andrew. The book opens with a scene about when they are young and Andrew protects Joanna from bullies. Andrew is reluctant to show love to Joanna, and Joanna is dealing with her own insecurities and temperament, seeing herself as mousy in contrast to her extroverted, assertive sisters. When Andrew and Joanna are about to get married, Joanna breaks off the wedding. She learns to identify her own strengths and to show love to Andrew, even though both of them struggle with outward displays of affection.
Joanna is dealing with the death of her parents from a hit-and-run accident, which occurred in the first book of the series. In this second book, we meet Cameron, the one who caused the hit-and-run accident and lost his wife in that. He is reluctant to turn himself in because he is the single parent of his baby girl, and what will happen to her if he has to spend years in jail?
Another element to this book’s plot is Andrew’s father, who left the family to join the English. We learn more about his background and why he did what he did.
There are other plot-lines, as well, but they do not stand out as saliently in my mind. One of them involves Joanna’s sister, Abigail, who is the subject of the next book of the series, which will be out in September.
This is a good book. The book has enough plot-lines to keep it interesting, without creating a distracting mess. This is a difficult and delicate line to walk. Some authors, such as Amy Clipston, usually focus on one plot-line, and it becomes a bit overdone. Others, by contrast, have so many characters and plot-lines that it is hard to keep track of what is going on. Kathleen Fuller struck a fairly decent balance in An Unbroken Heart.
The book only went so deep with a lot of the characters, however, leaving me still to wonder what makes them tick. The book could have provided more detail about the hole in Andrew’s life after his father left. Still, the book did present characters with whom one could sympathize and empathize, and following their struggles was edifying. This was especially the case with the book’s descriptive presentation of Joanna’s insecurities, how they influenced her relationships, and how she moved past them. The book also provided other characters' backstories, with which one can sympathize.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers, in exchange for an honest review.
An Unbroken Heart is the second book of Kathleen Fuller’s “Amish of Birch Creek” series. The first book of the series is A Reluctant Bride.
I read An Unbroken Heart without having read A Reluctant Bride. I still understood and appreciated An Unbroken Heart, but I recommend that people read A Reluctant Bride first. That way, readers do not have to spend as much energy trying to figure out who the characters are and how they are related to each other. Also, An Unbroken Heart refers rather hastily to an accident that profoundly impacted some of the main character’s lives. That accident is covered a lot more in A Reluctant Bride.
An Unbroken Heart is about Joanna and her boyfriend, Andrew. The book opens with a scene about when they are young and Andrew protects Joanna from bullies. Andrew is reluctant to show love to Joanna, and Joanna is dealing with her own insecurities and temperament, seeing herself as mousy in contrast to her extroverted, assertive sisters. When Andrew and Joanna are about to get married, Joanna breaks off the wedding. She learns to identify her own strengths and to show love to Andrew, even though both of them struggle with outward displays of affection.
Joanna is dealing with the death of her parents from a hit-and-run accident, which occurred in the first book of the series. In this second book, we meet Cameron, the one who caused the hit-and-run accident and lost his wife in that. He is reluctant to turn himself in because he is the single parent of his baby girl, and what will happen to her if he has to spend years in jail?
Another element to this book’s plot is Andrew’s father, who left the family to join the English. We learn more about his background and why he did what he did.
There are other plot-lines, as well, but they do not stand out as saliently in my mind. One of them involves Joanna’s sister, Abigail, who is the subject of the next book of the series, which will be out in September.
This is a good book. The book has enough plot-lines to keep it interesting, without creating a distracting mess. This is a difficult and delicate line to walk. Some authors, such as Amy Clipston, usually focus on one plot-line, and it becomes a bit overdone. Others, by contrast, have so many characters and plot-lines that it is hard to keep track of what is going on. Kathleen Fuller struck a fairly decent balance in An Unbroken Heart.
The book only went so deep with a lot of the characters, however, leaving me still to wonder what makes them tick. The book could have provided more detail about the hole in Andrew’s life after his father left. Still, the book did present characters with whom one could sympathize and empathize, and following their struggles was edifying. This was especially the case with the book’s descriptive presentation of Joanna’s insecurities, how they influenced her relationships, and how she moved past them. The book also provided other characters' backstories, with which one can sympathize.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher through BookLook Bloggers, in exchange for an honest review.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Persecution, Salt, and Light
At church last Sunday, the preacher’s text was Matthew 5:10-16:
The preacher first talked about persecution. He discussed reasons that the early Christians were persecuted: they were misunderstood as cannibals because they ate the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, and they refused to worship the Roman gods, which the Romans believed would influence the gods to withhold blessing from the Roman empire. In giving examples of modern day persecution, the preacher mentioned scenarios of being criticized for being vocal about one’s faith on Facebook and in e-mails.
The preacher then talked about how Christians are the salt of the earth. They add flavor to the world. As salt makes people thirsty, so Christians make people thirsty for what Christians have. Salt was also a preservative in the days before refrigeration, and Christians, too, preserve what is good and decent in the world.
On Christians being the light of the world, the preacher said that Christians are a light in a world of darkness and that people are attracted to the light.
The preacher was also lamenting about how so many Christians tell people to look to Jesus rather than themselves, since they fall short. He was saying that Christians instead need to be role models. He also said that everyone makes mistakes, but what is important is what one does after making the mistakes.
One can nitpick some of this. People are attracted to the light? Jesus appeared to say the opposite in John 3:19-20: people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil! That would coincide more with what the preacher was saying about persecution! And yet, one can understand why light would be attractive, or at least should be: Is not a lighted room where we can see better than a dark room in which we are stumbling around?
I can identify areas of personal disagreement between myself and the sermon. There is the pressure on me to be a walking advertisement before people, which I resent. There is the dualist distinction between Christians and non-Christians, when both are human beings with strengths and weaknesses, trying to make their way in the world. There is the labeling of people who do not want religion crammed down their throat as persecutors.
But here I want to look for common ground. Where I agree is here: Christians should be influenced by Jesus Christ to make a positive difference in the world.
10 Blessed are they which are persecuted for righteousness’ sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
11 Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
12 Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven: for so persecuted they the prophets which were before you.
13 Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savour, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under foot of men.
14 Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.
15 Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.
16 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. (Mat 5:10-16 KJV)
The preacher first talked about persecution. He discussed reasons that the early Christians were persecuted: they were misunderstood as cannibals because they ate the body and blood of Jesus in the Eucharist, and they refused to worship the Roman gods, which the Romans believed would influence the gods to withhold blessing from the Roman empire. In giving examples of modern day persecution, the preacher mentioned scenarios of being criticized for being vocal about one’s faith on Facebook and in e-mails.
The preacher then talked about how Christians are the salt of the earth. They add flavor to the world. As salt makes people thirsty, so Christians make people thirsty for what Christians have. Salt was also a preservative in the days before refrigeration, and Christians, too, preserve what is good and decent in the world.
On Christians being the light of the world, the preacher said that Christians are a light in a world of darkness and that people are attracted to the light.
The preacher was also lamenting about how so many Christians tell people to look to Jesus rather than themselves, since they fall short. He was saying that Christians instead need to be role models. He also said that everyone makes mistakes, but what is important is what one does after making the mistakes.
One can nitpick some of this. People are attracted to the light? Jesus appeared to say the opposite in John 3:19-20: people love darkness rather than light because their deeds are evil! That would coincide more with what the preacher was saying about persecution! And yet, one can understand why light would be attractive, or at least should be: Is not a lighted room where we can see better than a dark room in which we are stumbling around?
I can identify areas of personal disagreement between myself and the sermon. There is the pressure on me to be a walking advertisement before people, which I resent. There is the dualist distinction between Christians and non-Christians, when both are human beings with strengths and weaknesses, trying to make their way in the world. There is the labeling of people who do not want religion crammed down their throat as persecutors.
But here I want to look for common ground. Where I agree is here: Christians should be influenced by Jesus Christ to make a positive difference in the world.
Wednesday, August 3, 2016
Book Write-Up: A Heart Most Certain, by Melissa Jagears
Melissa Jagears. A Heart Most Certain. Minneapolis: Bethany House, 2016. See here to buy the book.
A Heart Most Certain is the first book of The Teaville Moral Society series, but there is also a novella to that series entitled Engaging the Competition.
The setting for A Heart Most Certain is 1905 Kansas, but the action takes place in an urban area in Kansas rather than the prairie. Lydia King’s mother is sick and dying, and her father is a gambler. Lydia figures that her best bet is to marry Sebastian Little, a lawyer and rising politician. Sebastian’s father is the mayor, and his mother heads the Teaville Moral Society, which loudly protests against saloons and prostitution. Lydia hopes that Sebastian will take care of her family.
In an attempt to fit in at the Teaville Moral Society and bolster her credentials to be a politician’s wife, Lydia tries to get a donation from Nicholas Lowe. Nicholas is a wealthy man, and he has a reputation for being stingy and exploitative. But things are not as they appear! Nicholas is actually a devout Christian, and he is privately generous with his money, even if he does not publicly contribute to charities. His cause is to help prostitutes escape their lives of prostitution. Nicholas is doing what nobody else in society will do. Because prostitution carries a stigma, no one else is willing to help prostitutes escape their lives of prostitution by hiring them for other work.
There were times when following the plot was rather difficult. The prose was sophisticated, and that did not always make the plot easy to understand. At the same time, it did add depth to the book, especially when it discussed motivations. The book also did well to interact thoughtfully with such issues as authentic Christian living, hypocrisy, and church discipline. And, while Nicholas is noble, he, too, is subject to critique, for Lydia accuses him of being heavy-handed and controlling in his approach to charity, and readers learn about how Nicholas’ experiences and feet of clay led him to do the charity that he did. Although Nicholas’ hostile attitude towards the church is understandable, he becomes more open-minded toward the end of the book.
Bernadette also deserves discussion. Bernadette is the pastor’s wife, and she takes a break from serving others so that she can become closer to God. The book appears rather sympathetic towards her on this: the idea is that doing a bunch of activities to gain approval from others can drown out God’s voice and is not the proper motivation for service. The book may have a point on that, and yet poor people in need of help do not go away just because someone decides to take a spiritual vacation. The book should have presented that sort of perspective, too, on some level.
Sebastian Little definitely has his flaws, but he is complex.
The Afterword of the book was good because Jagears presented historical information about who actually helped prostitutes in that day and age, and the advantages and disadvantages of that help. Specifically, she discusses a Catholic organization. It did well to help people whom nobody else would help, and yet prostitutes who sought its assistance were required to live apart from society. Jagears refers to a book about this Catholic organization, which is helpful to those who want to learn more.
The discussion questions in the back are also noteworthy. They are thoughtful. They are also heavy on Scripture, more so than most Christian fiction books. There is nothing wrong with Christian books encouraging people to think biblically!
Whatever critiques I may have of this book, it still deserves five stars, particularly on account of the issues with which it thoughtfully interacts.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
A Heart Most Certain is the first book of The Teaville Moral Society series, but there is also a novella to that series entitled Engaging the Competition.
The setting for A Heart Most Certain is 1905 Kansas, but the action takes place in an urban area in Kansas rather than the prairie. Lydia King’s mother is sick and dying, and her father is a gambler. Lydia figures that her best bet is to marry Sebastian Little, a lawyer and rising politician. Sebastian’s father is the mayor, and his mother heads the Teaville Moral Society, which loudly protests against saloons and prostitution. Lydia hopes that Sebastian will take care of her family.
In an attempt to fit in at the Teaville Moral Society and bolster her credentials to be a politician’s wife, Lydia tries to get a donation from Nicholas Lowe. Nicholas is a wealthy man, and he has a reputation for being stingy and exploitative. But things are not as they appear! Nicholas is actually a devout Christian, and he is privately generous with his money, even if he does not publicly contribute to charities. His cause is to help prostitutes escape their lives of prostitution. Nicholas is doing what nobody else in society will do. Because prostitution carries a stigma, no one else is willing to help prostitutes escape their lives of prostitution by hiring them for other work.
There were times when following the plot was rather difficult. The prose was sophisticated, and that did not always make the plot easy to understand. At the same time, it did add depth to the book, especially when it discussed motivations. The book also did well to interact thoughtfully with such issues as authentic Christian living, hypocrisy, and church discipline. And, while Nicholas is noble, he, too, is subject to critique, for Lydia accuses him of being heavy-handed and controlling in his approach to charity, and readers learn about how Nicholas’ experiences and feet of clay led him to do the charity that he did. Although Nicholas’ hostile attitude towards the church is understandable, he becomes more open-minded toward the end of the book.
Bernadette also deserves discussion. Bernadette is the pastor’s wife, and she takes a break from serving others so that she can become closer to God. The book appears rather sympathetic towards her on this: the idea is that doing a bunch of activities to gain approval from others can drown out God’s voice and is not the proper motivation for service. The book may have a point on that, and yet poor people in need of help do not go away just because someone decides to take a spiritual vacation. The book should have presented that sort of perspective, too, on some level.
Sebastian Little definitely has his flaws, but he is complex.
The Afterword of the book was good because Jagears presented historical information about who actually helped prostitutes in that day and age, and the advantages and disadvantages of that help. Specifically, she discusses a Catholic organization. It did well to help people whom nobody else would help, and yet prostitutes who sought its assistance were required to live apart from society. Jagears refers to a book about this Catholic organization, which is helpful to those who want to learn more.
The discussion questions in the back are also noteworthy. They are thoughtful. They are also heavy on Scripture, more so than most Christian fiction books. There is nothing wrong with Christian books encouraging people to think biblically!
Whatever critiques I may have of this book, it still deserves five stars, particularly on account of the issues with which it thoughtfully interacts.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, August 2, 2016
Book Write-Up: Wesley and the Anglicans
Ryan Nicholas Danker. Wesley and the Anglicans: Political Division in Early Evangelicalism. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016. See here to purchase the book.
Ryan Nicholas Danker teaches about the history of Christianity and Methodism at Wesley Theological Seminary. Wesley and the Anglicans is about John Wesley’s relationship with the Anglican church of England, which was the established church.
Danker argues that the split between John Wesley and the Anglican evangelicals in England was largely political rather than theological. According to Danker, Methodism was widely viewed as subversive, and unpleasant memories lingered about the English Civil War, in which religion played a significant role. As the English government under George III cracked down on people deemed to be religious dissidents, evangelicals were pressured to adhere to the Establishment. That contributed to the rupture between Wesley and Anglican evangelicals.
Danker acknowledges religious reasons for the disputes among the Wesleys, the Anglicans, and the Anglican evangelicals, for religious convictions had political ramifications. There were Anglicans who feared John Wesley’s emphasis on having a conversion experience, thinking that this encouraged Christians to look down on their Anglican spiritual leaders as unconverted. Yet, Wesley’s understanding of conversion was influenced by Anglicanism, and he initially saw Methodism as a reformist movement within the Anglican church. But Wesley’s vision could not be contained within Anglican confines. Anglicanism divided England up into parishes, and people were to be loyal to their local parish. Wesley, however, viewed the entire world as his parish. Methodist preachers roamed the countryside and were considered to be in competition with the Anglican clergy. Many Anglicans opposed the Methodist preachers serving communion, believing that the church was the body authorized to administer the sacraments. John Wesley himself agreed with the Anglicans on this, and yet Methodist preachers continued to serve communion. Methodism was not monolithic, as Danker demonstrates, for Wesley disagreed with other Methodist leaders on certain issues, and even with his brother Charles, who supported working within the Anglican system more than John did.
The book is informative, as it draws from primary and secondary sources. There are a lot of people and views in the book to absorb, however, and that includes the tensions within the thinkers themselves. Danker could have organized his story better than he did, in a less scattered manner. Perhaps he could have focused more on telling the stories of the thinkers to present a more coherent or humanizing picture of them, while also emphasizing particular themes, such as the reasons why Wesley was distancing himself from Anglicanism. There were some places in which Danker provided a cogent summary of his argument that pulled things together, and cases in which that was sorely lacking.
Danker also does presume some knowledge of English history on the part of the reader. For instance, he mentions John Wesley’s support for the Jacobites, without really defining who the Jacobites were. Danker did not necessarily need to reinvent the wheel or divert himself from his thesis in providing background information, but perhaps a brief summary of the English revolution and the Jacobites, a glossary, or a timeline could have assisted readers not as familiar with English history.
This book is largely historical, but there was one place in the book that religiously edified me. Samuel Walker was an Anglican evangelical who, like Wesley, organized religious societies. Walker’s approach was similar to that of his archbishop, and Walker’s archbishop wrote: “Hoping for perfection in any human being, is visionary; and murmuring for want of it, is resolving never to be happy; and taking irregular methods to obtain it, is the sure way to be wretched” (quoted on page 121). Walker’s design for people in his society was for them to glorify God and “become more useful among our neighbors” (quoted on page 122). That strikes me as a reasonable, low-key approach to religion, which contrasts with Wesley’s strict and high standards. Danker himself did not contrast Walker with Wesley on their approach to spirituality, but Walker’s approach was salient to me.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Ryan Nicholas Danker teaches about the history of Christianity and Methodism at Wesley Theological Seminary. Wesley and the Anglicans is about John Wesley’s relationship with the Anglican church of England, which was the established church.
Danker argues that the split between John Wesley and the Anglican evangelicals in England was largely political rather than theological. According to Danker, Methodism was widely viewed as subversive, and unpleasant memories lingered about the English Civil War, in which religion played a significant role. As the English government under George III cracked down on people deemed to be religious dissidents, evangelicals were pressured to adhere to the Establishment. That contributed to the rupture between Wesley and Anglican evangelicals.
Danker acknowledges religious reasons for the disputes among the Wesleys, the Anglicans, and the Anglican evangelicals, for religious convictions had political ramifications. There were Anglicans who feared John Wesley’s emphasis on having a conversion experience, thinking that this encouraged Christians to look down on their Anglican spiritual leaders as unconverted. Yet, Wesley’s understanding of conversion was influenced by Anglicanism, and he initially saw Methodism as a reformist movement within the Anglican church. But Wesley’s vision could not be contained within Anglican confines. Anglicanism divided England up into parishes, and people were to be loyal to their local parish. Wesley, however, viewed the entire world as his parish. Methodist preachers roamed the countryside and were considered to be in competition with the Anglican clergy. Many Anglicans opposed the Methodist preachers serving communion, believing that the church was the body authorized to administer the sacraments. John Wesley himself agreed with the Anglicans on this, and yet Methodist preachers continued to serve communion. Methodism was not monolithic, as Danker demonstrates, for Wesley disagreed with other Methodist leaders on certain issues, and even with his brother Charles, who supported working within the Anglican system more than John did.
The book is informative, as it draws from primary and secondary sources. There are a lot of people and views in the book to absorb, however, and that includes the tensions within the thinkers themselves. Danker could have organized his story better than he did, in a less scattered manner. Perhaps he could have focused more on telling the stories of the thinkers to present a more coherent or humanizing picture of them, while also emphasizing particular themes, such as the reasons why Wesley was distancing himself from Anglicanism. There were some places in which Danker provided a cogent summary of his argument that pulled things together, and cases in which that was sorely lacking.
Danker also does presume some knowledge of English history on the part of the reader. For instance, he mentions John Wesley’s support for the Jacobites, without really defining who the Jacobites were. Danker did not necessarily need to reinvent the wheel or divert himself from his thesis in providing background information, but perhaps a brief summary of the English revolution and the Jacobites, a glossary, or a timeline could have assisted readers not as familiar with English history.
This book is largely historical, but there was one place in the book that religiously edified me. Samuel Walker was an Anglican evangelical who, like Wesley, organized religious societies. Walker’s approach was similar to that of his archbishop, and Walker’s archbishop wrote: “Hoping for perfection in any human being, is visionary; and murmuring for want of it, is resolving never to be happy; and taking irregular methods to obtain it, is the sure way to be wretched” (quoted on page 121). Walker’s design for people in his society was for them to glorify God and “become more useful among our neighbors” (quoted on page 122). That strikes me as a reasonable, low-key approach to religion, which contrasts with Wesley’s strict and high standards. Danker himself did not contrast Walker with Wesley on their approach to spirituality, but Walker’s approach was salient to me.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Monday, August 1, 2016
Book Write-Up: Modern Art and the Life of a Culture
Jonathan A. Anderson and William A. Dyrness. Modern Art and the Life of a Culture: The Religious Impulses of Modernism. Downers Grove: IVP Academic, 2016. See here to purchase the book.
Jonathan A. Anderson is an associate professor of art. William A. Dyrness is a professor of theology and culture. Daniel A. Siedell, who writes the Afterword to the book, is an art historian and associate professor of Christianity.
Modern Art and the Life of a Culture challenges the idea that modern art is necessarily secular and a-religious, as if modernity left religion behind. More specifically, Anderson and Dyrness disagree with Hans Rookmaaker's 1970 book, Modern Art and the Death of a Culture. Rookmaaker was a Dutch art historian and Reformed Christian, and Rookmaaker depicted modern art as rather hopeless and nihilistic in terms of the worldview that it presented.
Anderson and Dyrness appear to acknowledge that there is modern art that transgresses boundaries, and that Christian critics understandably see such modern art as antithetical to Christian orthodoxy. And yet, Anderson and Dyrness argue, overall, that modern art interacts with religious themes, often positively.
Anderson and Dyrness profile a variety of modern artists, including (but definitely not limited to) Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Vasily Kandinsky, and Andy Warhol. The book occasionally profiles authors, such as Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick.
In profiling artists, Anderson and Dyrness usually provide some biographical background and discuss specific paintings. Some of the paintings are abstract, but some are of concrete depictions of people, scenery, or objects. Some of the paintings are obviously religious. Some paintings, on the other hand, are not saliently so: Rookmaaker may interpret a certain painting as promoting hopelessness, whereas Anderson and Dyrness disagree with Rookmaaker and posit instead that the painting is actually conveying a hopeful religious message. In many cases, Anderson and Dyrness look at the writings of artists in which the artists discuss religion. That added solidity to their argument.
Anderson and Dyrness argue that many of the artists they profile were Christians, yet they highlight variety in their Christianity. Some were Reformed. Some were Catholic. Some belonged to another branch of Christianity. Some, such as van Gogh, struggled with the Bible, yet Anderson and Dyrness argue that he continued to hold to some form of religious faith. Anderson and Dyrness refer readers to secondary sources that offer alternative viewpoints. Van Gogh's views on religion, for instance, is rather debated within scholarship.
In terms of the religious messages that the paintings conveyed, the messages sometimes related to the presence of the divine within the world or nature, or how nature communicated the way that God is. Some focused on the human realm, including the manual labor that people did. Some, on the other hand, presented God as indescribable and transcendent. Whereas a number of artists focused on what was being represented, Kandinsky actually held that the art itself can have a spiritual influence on a viewer. Some of the religious messages that Anderson and Dyrness discussed were more nebulous than others. Perhaps Anderson and Dyrness could have more effectively brought those messages down to earth for the reader in their description of them, or perhaps the authors did the best that they could in light of the sources that they had.
Anderson and Dyrness occasionally discuss Christian attitudes toward art. For instance, they talk about Calvinist justifications of art. These discussions would have been better had Anderson and Dyrness talked more about the second commandment's prohibition on religious images, since that has influenced Reformed stances towards liturgy and worship.
This book is effective in terms of its overall argument, however: that modern art conveyed religious messages.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
Jonathan A. Anderson is an associate professor of art. William A. Dyrness is a professor of theology and culture. Daniel A. Siedell, who writes the Afterword to the book, is an art historian and associate professor of Christianity.
Modern Art and the Life of a Culture challenges the idea that modern art is necessarily secular and a-religious, as if modernity left religion behind. More specifically, Anderson and Dyrness disagree with Hans Rookmaaker's 1970 book, Modern Art and the Death of a Culture. Rookmaaker was a Dutch art historian and Reformed Christian, and Rookmaaker depicted modern art as rather hopeless and nihilistic in terms of the worldview that it presented.
Anderson and Dyrness appear to acknowledge that there is modern art that transgresses boundaries, and that Christian critics understandably see such modern art as antithetical to Christian orthodoxy. And yet, Anderson and Dyrness argue, overall, that modern art interacts with religious themes, often positively.
Anderson and Dyrness profile a variety of modern artists, including (but definitely not limited to) Vincent van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Vasily Kandinsky, and Andy Warhol. The book occasionally profiles authors, such as Herman Melville, the author of Moby Dick.
In profiling artists, Anderson and Dyrness usually provide some biographical background and discuss specific paintings. Some of the paintings are abstract, but some are of concrete depictions of people, scenery, or objects. Some of the paintings are obviously religious. Some paintings, on the other hand, are not saliently so: Rookmaaker may interpret a certain painting as promoting hopelessness, whereas Anderson and Dyrness disagree with Rookmaaker and posit instead that the painting is actually conveying a hopeful religious message. In many cases, Anderson and Dyrness look at the writings of artists in which the artists discuss religion. That added solidity to their argument.
Anderson and Dyrness argue that many of the artists they profile were Christians, yet they highlight variety in their Christianity. Some were Reformed. Some were Catholic. Some belonged to another branch of Christianity. Some, such as van Gogh, struggled with the Bible, yet Anderson and Dyrness argue that he continued to hold to some form of religious faith. Anderson and Dyrness refer readers to secondary sources that offer alternative viewpoints. Van Gogh's views on religion, for instance, is rather debated within scholarship.
In terms of the religious messages that the paintings conveyed, the messages sometimes related to the presence of the divine within the world or nature, or how nature communicated the way that God is. Some focused on the human realm, including the manual labor that people did. Some, on the other hand, presented God as indescribable and transcendent. Whereas a number of artists focused on what was being represented, Kandinsky actually held that the art itself can have a spiritual influence on a viewer. Some of the religious messages that Anderson and Dyrness discussed were more nebulous than others. Perhaps Anderson and Dyrness could have more effectively brought those messages down to earth for the reader in their description of them, or perhaps the authors did the best that they could in light of the sources that they had.
Anderson and Dyrness occasionally discuss Christian attitudes toward art. For instance, they talk about Calvinist justifications of art. These discussions would have been better had Anderson and Dyrness talked more about the second commandment's prohibition on religious images, since that has influenced Reformed stances towards liturgy and worship.
This book is effective in terms of its overall argument, however: that modern art conveyed religious messages.
I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.
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