Here is my attempt to make sense of beauty. Wendel Berry’s novel is a masterpiece, and I commend it to everyone.
Jayber Crow: A Book Review
A Review of the Princess and the Goblin by George MacDonald
Chesterton wrote of the Princess and the Goblin that it “remains the most real, the most realistic, in the exact sense of the phrase the most like life.” This influential literary master adds praise to a book that he claims helped him to see things differently.
Chesterton’s synopsis is like a balm to my soul. I, too, am always eager to see things differently. I am delighted to see ideas and stories shaping people’s lives and helping them navigate their own religious experiences and challenges. Stories are food for the soul of those who thirsts for righteousness.
Timothy Larsen ponders the question in his introduction to the book: “What are you afraid of?” It is the question of fear that decorates this great classic. MacDonald wants to put fear at the forefront of little children. He wants them to grow in maturity, facing dragons and wild beasts.
Princess Irene and Fear
It’s the lovely and innocent Irene, who, as an eight-year-old Princess, has to navigate life in a half-castle because, MacDonald notes, her mother was not very strong. It appears she has died, and now she must journey alone. Her maturity will come through her desire to see life anew, to live, as Chesterton paints it, “most life like.”
While her mother is not involved in her development, it is clear that she embraces the all-encompassing gravitas of a Father/King, who gallops with sophistication and speaks Solomonically. She is a daddy’s girl, and it is her father’s words she treasures in those rare moments of his appearance.
Irene is guided by a relative who takes her by the hand by an invisible thread; invisible, that is, to others, but for Irene, it is the incarnation of love. It takes her back every time to the long-winding stairs of her abode and the embrace of her great-great-grandmother. This mysterious character appears in fantastical ways to bring Irene a sense of the magical. The “old lady” is not some imaginative figure but is very near to her and plays the role of comforter and rescuer throughout the narrative. She is a compass for the young and virtuous little Princess.
Curdie and Rhymes
The other character to grace the pages is the young Curdie, the son of a miner, who does not inherit such care of royal life but lives royally in his adventures and musical rhythms. These rhythms allow him to frighten goblins who are “grotesque both in face and form.” These creatures roam the land seeking to overthrow the kingdom and impose their own world. But Curdie is a determined chorist echoing his rhymes and frightening foe and avenger.
The Union of Innocence and Bravery
It’s this lovely synergy between innocence (Irene) and the brave-hearted song whisperer (Curdie) that offers intrigue to MacDonald’s adventures. Goblins enter the scene to bring misery and death, but innocence and bravery overcome fear.
It is especially delicious to get a glimpse into goblin relationships and delve into their terrifying dynamics. They strategize like humans but lack the very thing that makes humans a delight–compassion and courtesy. On the other hand, MacDonald puts innocence and bravery as the fortifying virtues that make a true society flourish. The humans represent compassion in self-giving patience, and courtesy in discourse and kindness.
Drinking for Joy
This flourishing society, functioning in Spirit-giving life–is constantly threatened by demonic beings who come through wine cellars to destroy the vineyards of righteous humanity. It is through the gift of laughter (wine) that demons drink themselves into oblivion, and the kingdom gets the last laugh.
The familial union and meals between Curdie and his mother and the tender interaction between Irene and her father form this sacred bond to defend the cause against demon snares. They drink for joy, while demons drink for a lost cause.
In the end, righteousness frightens subterranean aberrations, and their bodies–like the rebellious Israelites–are left as examples to us, to humanity, to Chesterton, and to everyone who delights in a little Princess and a young miner’s quest for truth.
The Stone Lectures by Abraham Kuyper Reprinted by Canon Press; Introduction by Uri Brito
It is such a delight to inform you that Kuyper’s “Lectures on Calvinism” has been reprinted by Canon Press. The formatting and the layout are masterful, following the pattern of other Christian Heritage Series reprints. Jake McAtee, the editors, and type-setters excel in their field, and I highly recommend any other book in this series.
My introduction to the book is a layman’s overview of this masterful work which should be required reading for anyone interested in Calvinistic theology. When someone inquires about Calvinism, I do not offer them a defense of TULIP theology but rather Kuyper’s lectures as a robust example of mature Calvinism.
You can now pre-order this book: https://canonpress.com/prod…/calvinism-the-stone-lectures/
“Abraham Kuyper believed that everything began with the Triune God, and everything—body, mind, soul, and strength—needed to be rooted in this commitment to the Triune God. Likewise, if Calvinism is to triumph in the religious realm, the political sphere, the science laboratory, the marketplace of ideas, and the arts, then it must be unashamedly Christian from its first thought to its last.” ~From Uriesou Brito’s Introduction
Review of Steve Martin’s “Born Standing Up”
Steve Martin is a comic genius. He writes about someone he once knew, namely himself. He writes about a past life filled with confusion and illegal aromas. He writes about his history with the sincerity of a comedian who lays it all out before 10 drunken bastards or 45,000 delirious fans.
Steve argues that philosophy led him to contemplate the big realities of life, but that philosophy was the gateway drug to performance. From idiotic lyrics to brilliant and enduring bits, Martin shows the background of a legend; such background is flattering at times, but it is mostly distilled to who you know and being at the right place at the right time.
But until stardom reaches him, in the meanwhile, he argues with life; the life that gave him an unresponsive father whom he only reconciled at his death bed and a life that gave him memorable car trips across the country with others who would become themselves enthralling figures in the history of music, writing, and comedy.
“Born Standing Up” is a trip into the promiscuity of the 60’s, the pursuit of meaning, and ultimately the purposelessness of fame apart from the one who gives us all joy.
The Unreliable Foxe’s Book of Martyrs
Writing for The Gospel Coalition, Jeff Robinson concludes his post on legends about martyrs with this indictment of the famous Foxes’ Book of Martyrs:
Unfortunately, that famous book is not the one you want to get if you want to understand ancient martyrdom, or even the martyrdoms of its primary period (the English Reformation). The work is widely recognized by scholars as offering a one-sided presentation of its subjects. It was written for the purpose of arguing against the Roman Catholic Church, and it spares no excesses in its attempt at driving home its point. Though enormously popular ever since its publication in the 1500s, it’s basically worthless as an accurate source for the martyrs of the ancient church. All scholars know this.
Brief Review of Bryan Chapell’s Holiness by Grace
Bryan Chapell’s work is a tour de force. Pastorally and academically equipped, Dr. Chapel engineers his way through the topic of holiness. While he could easily fall into some of the theological traps along the way, he meticulously works through a myriad of texts and provides deep insight into the work of God in sinners. Holiness is not an impossible task, it is our calling. Holiness is not a legalistic demand of a holy God, but a holy God calls us to holiness because He is holy. But this holiness is not a joyless pursuit. It is a work of grace; the kind of grace that produces joy and promotes godliness.
Holiness is applied to everything we do from parenting to counseling. Filled with helpful insights and stories that engage the mind and the heart, Chapell equips the reader to see our status as saints, our journey as sinners and our destiny as recipients of glory. The book exalts the grace of God in our works by emphasizing that salvation is not by works, but salvation works. Or, as the Reformers stated, “Faith alone saves, but faith is not alone.” The antinomian tendency in certain groups derails our labors as Christians to obey and cherish God’s holy laws. Antinomian theology confuses the work of grace and fails to promote godliness. Our security in Christ is not an excuse to sin, but a call to grow in grace. On the other hand, individual calls to holiness rely too heavily on human ability to overcome sin. Both ideas—antinomianism, and neo-nomism—endanger the journey of holiness.
Ultimately, our holiness should lead us to repentance; a true life of confession. And this repentance should prompt us to doxologize (89). While we struggle with temptations and while God tests our faith, God daily provides the motivation and grace to delight us in our journey.
Brief Review of Marva Dawn’s “A Royal Waste of Time”
Marva Dawn says that worship is a “royal waste of time.” Of course, she is not referring to worship being purposeless, she is speaking of worship as a way of losing our lives (Mat. 10:39). Worship is royal because it invites us to the throne room of God. But worship is a waste of time because in the eyes of the world it is a trivial pursuit. Worship as a royal waste of time enables us to keep heavenly time and forget earthly concerns. A royal waste of time is what we need to do more not less. We need to spend our sense of self-righteousness and gain more from the heavenly clock which calls us promptly to see our unworthiness in the splendor of God’s holiness.
Throughout these many sermons, the writer speaks profoundly to the sense of loss in evangelical worship. Not only has the church over-hyped technology (85) but she has also lost her sense of wonder (118). Dawn addresses the central need of the church which is to restore the centrality of worship and a vision for the God of worship. She works through various components of church life and urges the church to restore what’s been lost with the church’s worldly infatuation. With deep personal care and pastoral tenderness, Marva Dawn addresses a series of letters to concerned parishioners and overwhelmed pastors. The reviewer strongly encourages distributing such letters to pastors.
Filled with a healthy dose of theological insight, Dawn presents a God that is beyond our reach and within our grasp; immanent and transcendent. The church’s loss of identity comes when she believes her time is better spent inventing new ways of worship.
This reviewer did not agree with all her exegesis (especially of Col. 3) but found Dawn to be a unique and necessary voice for our age. Further, there is no greater beauty than the beauty of God’s holiness. Each church needs to be aware that worldly perceptions of the church are not nearly as important and a royal waste of time in the things of God is our urgent cry. Another great addition to this masterful piece is that she speaks from a Lutheran perspective which means part of this royal waste is to see the church calendar as a fundamental way to keep time. Dawn urges the church to sing a new song, to catechize our imagination with wonder for the Triune God.
New Kuyperian Press Publication! Taking Your Faith to Work: How Christians Can Succeed in Secular Careers by Dr. David Goetsch
Kuyperian Press is proud to announce our third publication.
Dr. David Goetsch has been in the academic and business worlds for over four decades and has become a prized consultant in those fields. This latest publication–originally published by American Visiona–is an accessible treatment for the young and older Christian. The question of how we should take our faith to work is an especially salient matter at this day and age. In this work, the author offers not only wise insight into how a Christian ought to conduct himself in secular environmentsb, but also lays out a vision for a disciplined Christian pattern of work.
Review of Bloodlines: Race, Cross, and the Christian by John Piper
Book Review: Jotham’s Journey: A Storybook for Advent
We intended to finish this on Christmas Day, but then sickness came over our home and we only finished it up on December 31st. But the story was so compelling that I was determined to finish it even out of season with the kids. Jotham’s Journey is a dangerous and lovely story of a young boy whose disobedience to his father led him on an adventure he wished he never began. Filled with villains and plots of vengeance, Jotham journeys in search of his father in the days before the birth of Messiah Jesus.
The narrative unfolds beautifully through the landscape of the arid and deserted terrain of Israel in the first century. The story introduces the readers to a diverse group of sects in the first century and how they interpreted the coming Messiah in the prophetic writings.
The story takes us through each day in Advent culminating on the birth of Jesus on Christmas Day. Each portion of the story takes about 10 minues of reading with an additional Bible passage and short reflection. It is succint and captivating. It is splendidly written and written about the Splendor.
Rabbis, caves, fights, swords, shepherds, innkeepers, wise men all join to make Jotham’s Journey an adventure worth telling during the Advent Season.
The writing can at times be difficult to follow for little children. It is helpful to pause at times during the reading to offer a few definitions.
Jotham’s Journey is the first in a series of Advent stories. I highly recommend it.