The Poetry of Piety

The Poetry of Piety: An Annotated Anthology of Christian Poetry by Ben Witherington III and Christopher Mead Armitage. Baker Academic, 2002.

I try to read books in various genres: fiction, non-fiction, essays, epics, plays, history, and others. I read poetry not too often. One of the books I read recently argued that poetry should be part of our reading diet. I agreed with the author and began looking for a way to incorporate reading poetry into my reading schedule. My favorite time to read is early in the morning. It is at this time I like to read the Bible, a prayer book, and from one of the Great Books of the Western Civilization. I agree with Lewis on the importance of reading the old books, books from every century. Recently, I ahve been reading from John Calvin's Institutes of the Christian Religion. 

I found The Poetry of Piety on the shelves recently. I was familiar with Ben Witherington. I have read some of his books with great profit. There are 28 chapters in Poetry of Piety. It contains poems that would be familiar to many Christians. Some of the authors included are: George Herbert, John Donne, Phyllis Wheatley, John Henry Newman, C.S. Lewis and others. Some chapters have multiple poems. There are multiple poems for John Donne, George Herbert, and Gerald Manley Hopkins. Christpher Armitage explains the structure of the poem and Witherington discusses the theological meaning of the poem.

One of my favorite poems is Newman's "Lead Kindly Light:"

Lead, kindly light, amid the encircling gloom,
Lead thou me on;
The night is dark, and I am far from home

Another one I like is "The Apologist's Prayer by C. S. Lewis:

 From all my lame defeats and oh! much more
From all the victories I seem to score;
From cleverness shot forth on thy behalf . . .
From all my proofs of thy divinity,
Thou, who wouldst give no sign, deliver me.

Faith, Doubt, and Unbelief Part 4

Ronald Habermas thinks Christians have mistakenly looked at doubt as something to be avoided at all costs. In his paper, “Doubt is a Four Letter Word,” he states that “most Christians claim that queries about faith are negative, writing off all forms of doubt as the antithesis of belief’ (402). He disagrees with this assumption. In his paper, he distinguishes between constructive and destructive doubt. He thinks the religious leaders during the time of Jesus illustrate destructive doubt. These leaders displayed a cynical nature and “sought entrapment [of Jesus] through his own words and deeds” (403). Constructive doubt was illustrated by Doubting Thomas and John the Baptist. They sought answers to their questions. Habermas makes an important point about Thomas: “The primary issue that Doubting Thomas confronted faces many non-believers today: the perceived need personally to validate all facts of the Risen Lord before accepting the Gospel” (404). This can be a stumbling block to both believers and non-believers. Non-believers can be unwilling to accept the Gospel till they validate everything about Jesus before believing in Him. The question is can we believe without having all our questions answered?

            Habermas argues that doubt can be beneficial. He quotes from Tenneyson: “There live more honest faith in honest doubt, believe me, than in half the creeds” (408). Habermas believes these words have been confirmed multiple times in research studies. He notes how participants in these studies have overwhelmingly stated that their faith was “made stronger by questioning early beliefs” (408).

Shakespeare's Twelfth Night

Once a year I lead a discussion of one of Shakespeare's plays for a homeschooling group. This year we selected Twelfth Night as the play we wanted to read and discuss. This play would be considered a romantic comedy. It begins with Orsino moaning his unrequited love. He says, "If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that surfeiting, the appetite may sicken, and so die." This alerts us to one of the themes of the play. Is the idea of love and suffering related? Does everyone in this play who falls in love suffer? Does Orsino enjoy his suffering?

Another theme of this play is the wearing of masks or mistaken identity. In Shakespeare's time, women were not allowed to perform on stage. So, all the roles were performed by boys. Orsino is in Love with Olivia. Olivia is played by a boy. Viola was a boy, pretending to be a girl, pretending to be a boy! Imagine the situation of Orsino. He thinks Viola is a boy and he sends her as a messenger to Olivia. It seems that Orsino's exhibits feelings for Viola who he thinks is a boy. Olivia falls in love with Viola who she thinks is a boy. One can see how this would be quite funny on stage.

There is many kinds of fools in the play. Feste, the official fool seems quite wise. Malvolio is made into a fool. Sir Toby is a type of fool living indulgently with little responsibility. Shakespeare seems to be saying the wise are foolish and the fools are wise.

There seems to be a satire of Puritanism (personified by Malvolio) in the play. Sir Toby Belch tells Malvolio, "Dost thou think, because thou art virtuous, there shall be no more cakes and ale?" This seems to say he is a spoiler of fun and is actually opposed to it. This would be significant since Twelfth Night stands for a festive occasion. Celebrating the coming of the wise men to Jesus. Definitely not a time for sadness. Maria says about Malvolio, "sometimes he is a kind of puritan." Sir Andrew responds: "O, if I thought that I'd beat him like a dog!" What is Shakespeare saying? Is he against Puritan. Malvolio has a trick played on him and in the end there is an appeal for him to be reconciled. Malvolio says, "I'll be revenged on the whole pack of you." At the end, Shakespeare ties in all the lose ends and peace reigns, except for Malvolio. What is Shakespeare saying?

The play ends with a speech from Feste, the fool. He says, "For the rain it raineth every day. . . But that's all one., our play is done, And we'll strive to please you every day." I think that is what Shakespeare is trying to do- to entertain and teach. I think Shakespeare is a Christian Humanist who affirms the good things of this life. I read once that Eric Voegelin read through the Shakespeare plays annually. I do not do that but I do try to read a Shakespeare play regularly. It is one of the works I would bring with me on a desert island.

Faith, Doubt, and Unbelief Part 3

Derek Newton defines faith as “a human enterprise— something that we as human beings seek to exercise towards a person or object (Faith, Doubt, and biblical criticism, 328). He thinks it is misperceived that faith and doubt are “polar opposites.” Newton believes some people falsely believe that doubt “equals loss of faith, as if faith and doubt cannot possibly co-exist in the Christian life” (329). Newton does a good job of contextualizing the double-minded man of James 1:6-8. He observes, “James is calling on his readers to ask for wisdom in the midst of trials” (329). Newton believes that James is “saying that faith is a decision and commitment to trust God . . . in spite of the doubts that may be pressing on us through a whole range of circumstances” (330). He does not think that James is “issuing a blanket statement condemning all doubt” (330). Newton thinks the opposite of faith is unbelief, not doubt. He defines unbelief as a “persistent attitude involving deliberate refusal” (330). In addition, Newton asserts, “Stubborn, willful and deliberate refusal to believe is what receives condemnation in scripture, not the genuine doubts with which the people of God struggle in all ages and in varying circumstances. God has invested all his power and work in ensuring the permanence of our faith and his available grace to help us cope with our doubts” (330). Newton believes that God will sustain us by his grace to keep on believing.

 Addison Hart in his book, Knowing Darkness, argues that skepticism is compatible with faith. He insists that a mature faith includes skepticism. Hart distinguishes it from cynicism. He defines skepticism “to fix one’s gaze on, to look into, to examine, and to observe. It has to do with inquiry, consideration, investigation. It isn’t synonymous with doubt, and it isn’t the antithesis of faith” (17). He seems to be thinking of unbelieving doubt. He insists again: “Skepticism, again, is not the same thing as doubt, but rather the act of looking hard at things for the purpose of discovering and understanding what may be true about them” (18). Hart argues that skepticism is beneficial to the Christian. He writes: Skepticism “is firmly rooted in a Hebrew concept of faith, one that instinctively distrusts human reason, recognizing its fallibilities and limitations, but embraces relational trust in a self-revealing and self-interpreting God. It is a faith open to questioning God, examining His ways, complaining to Him, and even expressing exasperation and impatience at his silence” (23).

            Hart also tries to correct false views of faith: “Faith is not good feelings. It isn’t rationalism. Nor is it superstition” (127). Faith is not “static or flat.” Faith is actually dynamic, ever-changing. Faith is “living, growing, changing, and it is integral to a human being’s very existence and maturing” (129). We do not stand still. So our faith must not stay still neither.

            Why is skepticism necessary for faith? Hart writes: “Skepticism will always preserve him from the false forms of faith—the emotionally dependent, the rationalistic, the irrational, and superstitious. It will also preserve him from the sort of perennial popular and philosophical atheism that has plenty of argument and rebuttal, but not much else. Skepticism will always doubt the value of doubt itself, because doubt—as opposed to faith—explains nothing about the essential mystery of humanity” (133-134).

The Great Divorce by C. S. Lewis

C. S. Lewis, The Great Divorce. HarperSanFrancisco, 1946, 1973.

This is a theological fantasy penned by C. S. Lewis about heaven and hell. It is a response to William Blake's Marriage of Heaven and Hell. An important quote from the book speaking of heaven and hell is "There are only two kinds of people in the end: those who say to God, 'Thy will be done,' and those whom God says, in the end, 'Thy will be done.' All that are in Hell chose it." The book argues that those in hell chose it.

George Macdonald acts as a guide for Lewis to the book. You do not know the book is a dream till the very end. Hell is called the grey city. People from this city are allowed to go to an excursion to another city which is the outskirts of heaven. The people are given the choice to travel to heaven but they must leave their sins behind. The people form hell are called ghosts. The city that leads to heaven hurts the ghosts to walk on the ground. There are a series of conversations or dialogues where the ghosts are offered the choice to go to heaven. The majority of the people refuse because they cannot let go of their sin. Many of these sins are things we recognize in real life. For example, we have a theologian who doesn't believe in miracles. We have a husband who is unwilling to forgive his wife. We have a mother who wants to manage the life of her son and many more.

The Great Divorce is a great read. It both delight and teaches. Lewis is an excellent writer of prose but he is also a great guide to living the Christian life. In addition, he is a clear teacher. He is both a rational thinker with a highly developed imagination. Another important element from Lewis is that one is introduced to many of the great books by reading him. For example, The Great Divorce has similarities to The Divine Comedy, The Pilgrim's Progress, and other works. This is a good book for those wanting to read more of Lewis.

Asperger's Syndrome

The Essential Guide to Asperger's Syndrome by Eileen Bailey and Robert W. Montgomery. Alpha, 2012.

A child with Asperger's Syndrome was recently kidnapped and thankfully was recovered after several days. Many people wondered what was Asperger's Syndrome. It is a disorder of the Autism Spectrum. It is always difficult to raise a special needs child. The Essential Guide to Asperger's Syndrome provides helpful information on raising a child with Asperger's Syndrome. Eileen Bailey has been writing about mental illness for over fifteen years. She has a grandson with Asperger's Syndrome. Robert Montgomery is a clinical psychologist who specializes in Asperger's Syndrome and autism spectrum disorder.

I found the book to be informative and easy to understand. It has many examples and case studies of the concepts explained. It covers the complete lifespan from the toddler years to young adulthood. Part one provides an overview of Asperger's Syndrome. Chapter one explains what it is. Chapter two discusses the symptoms. Chapter three covers Asperger's Syndrome in girls because it is diagnosed predominantly in boys. Chapter four discusses "related conditions." The reason for this is that people tend to have multiple conditions. For example, a child with Asperger's could also have ADHD. Chapter five discusses treatment. Part two of the book describes common behaviors of kids with Asperger's Syndrome. A common behavior is obsession with a special interest. This is covered in part three. Another common characteristic of Asperger's Syndrome is deficiency in social skills. This is covered in part four. Parts five and six discusses education and family life.

The Essential Guide to Asperger's Syndrome lives up to its name. It would be a good place to begin to better understand Asperger's Syndrome. It would be helpful to both the parent and individuals who would be working with the person who has Asperger's. It has many ideas on how to work with the Aspie person. It will serve as an excellent manual that you would refer to often.

Tolkien: A Celebration

Tolkien: A Celebration : Collected Writings on a Literary Legacy edited by Joseph Pearce. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 1999. ISBN: 0898708664

We have been waiting expectantly for The Hobbit movie to come out. To prepare for the movie I read the book to my family. I think it is the third time I have read the book to my family. It is interesting that both Bilbo and Frodo go on adventures once they turn fifty. That is interesting since I will be turning fifty soon.

I was afraid I would be disappointing in the movie since  it is divided into three parts. I enjoyed the movie, however and would see it again. Since that time I have read The Fellowship of the Ring and the Two Towers to my kids. It is the first time I am reading the Lord of Rings to the kids believing it to be above them. There is something to be said for reading great literature together as a family.

I have noticed a book on the shelves of our library on Tolkien: Tolkien: A Celebration. It is edited by Joseph Pearce who has written extensively on Catholic authors. He has even written a book on Tolkien. In his research he came upon some essays on Tolkien that needed to be published. This book is the result of this desire. Tolkien: A Celebration presents a good collection of essays on the literary legacy of Tolkien. It would be an excellent introduction to those beginning to look at the person behind the Lord of the Rings. The essays do a good job in showing how the Lord of Rings is a Christian work. Peter Kreeft has also written an excellent book on Tolkien called the philosophy of Tolkien.

"Recollections of J. R. R. Tolkien" by George Sayer tells how Sayer first met Tolkien and about other meetings they had over the years. George Sayer was a student of C. S. Lewis and has written an excellent biography on Lewis. Stratford Caldecott's essay describes Christian themes in The Similarian and the Lord of the Rings. Robert Murray argues about the parabolic nature of the Lord of the Rings. Stephen R. Lawhead talks about his personal experiences in writing fantasy and how it is connected to the work of Tolkien. Sean McGrath talks about how the Lord of Rings teaches that we must be willing to die if we want to die. This is related to Jesus' teaching that those who want to save their life will lose it; but those who lose their life for the sake of the gospel will attain it.

Anyone interested in exploring the Christian background to The Lord of the Rings would be wise to start with this collection. The essays would be understandable for the general reader and do not require knowledge of the secondary literature on Tolkien. The essays are enjoyable to read and provide much insight into the life and thought of J.R. R. Tolkien.