Book Reviews 2019

Art and the Bible, Francis Schaeffer

September 15, 20192019 / Book ReviewsFrancis Schaeffer has long been one of my most favorite authors. As I make my way through his books, I am always astounded at the wisdom of this man and his continued legacy, in both Christianity and the wider world. Two constants in his books are 1) the emphasis on worldview, and 2) utilizing art to demonstrate the lessons of worldview. I was surprised to find this book, then, which combines the two together into one volume. While it is short, it asks the necessary question: how should Christians, with a Christian worldview, see art? The first lesson that Schaeffer presents is that art communicates worldview. He says that even those who create art for “art’s sake” do not neglect this true fact; behind every work lies a worldview, whether the artist is cognizant of that fact or not. This is true of the human forms, for example, of Michelangelo’s Sistine Chapel. The humans there are anatomically correct, to a fault, which demonstrates the emphasis of that era (the Enlightenment) on a new understanding of reason and science. It is also true of the nihilism (the lack of belief in anything consequential in human existence) of Martin Heidegger. All art conveys worldivew. This second lesson is that there is a Christian perspective to art; in other words, there is a Christian worldview that can be present in art. Schaeffer spends most of the first half explaining why Christians should not denigrate art because the Bible presents the usefulness of it. For example, there are blue pomegranates on the robes of the priests of Israel. There are no blue pomegranates in nature; and yet, they are present not for practical reasons but for the esthetic. Further, the Song of Solomon is poetry and can be understood as a beautiful piece of literature. The Bible supports art, and therefore the Christian should be able to appreciate it. Third, Schaeffer spends the second half of the book understanding the Christian role in doing just that: appreciating and understanding art. He uses 11 miniature lessons to explain this. Here are some highlights: Schaeffer speaks about the three different levels of art and worldview: 1) art created through a Christian worldview (the best it understands the whole person ); 2) art through whom the artist believes he see’s through the Christian worldview and yet does not (e.g., Thomas Kinkade painted Christian themes and yet died due to alcoholism); 3) art created without the Christian worldview. In another section, Schaeffer speaks on art and change. Since art changes throughout the years (it is not static like doctrine), Christians should understand and appreciate the medium through which the time supports. For example, the ancient Israelites did not watch movies or television. And yet, just because we can enjoy art through these mediums does not mean we shouldn’t because our ancient predecessors didn’t. In a more controversial analogy, this is often debated in church about worship. Should we only sing psalms and hymns in worship? Schaeffer would argue (and I would agree) that we should adopt the styles of the time in regards to music and art. This is a short overview of this short book. But I believe it is even more critical to understand art and how to interpret it today than in previous times. Pick up this book. [...]

The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World, Robert Jordan

October 6, 20192019 / Book ReviewsSince I have an obvious affinity with Harry Potter, Star Wars, anything Brandon Sanderson and other nerdy things, I have often been told that Robert Jordan’s “Wheel of Time” series was absolutely essential. That, coupled with the fact that Amazon is producing a Wheel of Time series on Amazon Prime, I thought it was time I took the plunge. The result? Eh. It definitely isn’t Tolkein, Lewis, or Sanderson. This first book could be a stand alone or part of a bigger narrative. My biggest problem is that Jordan inculcates readers with a myriad of very confusing characters in a miniscule amount of time. As the old characters meet new ones, storylines diverge (the original party gets separated, for example), and they meet again, it is very possible that you could end up completing the book scratching your head. The other issue is that some names are completely “normal” like Mat and Rand (somewhat normal yea?) and others like Perrin and Morain. The last thing that I felt was a confusing was the world building. Again, there is too much thrown at you at once. It is quite overwhelming and to try to grasp every detail that Jordan tries to cram into this first book is more than I can handle. All of that to say… yes I’ll read the second book. [...]

Rules of Engagement, David Bruns and J. R. Olson

January 15, 20202019I am a big Tom Clancy fan, and while I haven’t read his entire collection of work, I’ve read enough to know it’s fast-paced, intricate, and heavy on military jargon. If all those things appeal to you, Clancy, fast-paced action, intricate plot, and military jargon, this is the book for you. The book follows a series of characters but the basic premise is this: a North Korean defector makes contact with the “Russian Brotherhood” to cause cyber mayhem, the only stipulations being no war. Pak, the defector, enrolls the help of the most wanted terrorist in the world who helped bring down the entire east coast power system. The mission is simple: infect the Chinese and Japanese military with a cyber virus to create mass chaos. The book traces all the players in this conflict as well as some unsung heroes: several midshipmen from the Naval Academy who demonstrate incredible prowess in the cyber world. When the action comes to a head, world leaders are thrown onto the brink of WWIII as they desperately try to stop the virus that has cascaded the major military powers of the world onto each other. For the most part, this is a well-written book. Clancy never delved deep into the cyber aspect of war. As this component is becoming more and more prominent on the world stage, the authors do justice to this forgotten sector. This is tied with more conventional warfare sections, where everything from aircraft carrier, helicopters, SEAL’s, and submarine’s are involved. There are even some elements of hand-to-hand combat that break up the monotony of sitting behind a desk examining code. In this regard, the book reads very well as part-war part-spy thriller that you can’t put down. If I had one critique it would be the presence of the Navy. The authors are both Naval Academy graduates and prior-Navy service members. While I appreciate this, the story had everything to do with the Navy and nothing to do with the Army, Air Force, and Marines. If such a conflict happened in our modern world, no doubt there would be other players involves. Minus this, the authors have written a superb book. 5/5 I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. [...]

Here is a master list of all the books I read this year:

Harry Potter and the Goblet is Fire (2019)

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2019)

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince (2019)

The Bible and Art

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Tartine Bread (Artisan Bread Cookbook, Best Bread Recipes, Sourdough Book)

Getting the Message: A Plan for Interpreting and Applying the Bible

The Wheel of Time: The Eye of the World

Life’s Big Questions: Six Major Themes Traced Through The Bible

Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

The Wheel of Time: The Great Hunt

The Wheel of Time: The Dragon Reborn

The Elephant in the Room: One Fat Man’s Quest to Get Smaller in a Growing America

Gay Girl, Good God: The Story of Who I Was and Who God Has Always Been

George Muller, 1805-1898: Delighted in God

Out of the Salt Shaker

The Wheel of Time: The Shadow Rising

The Wheel of Time: The Fires of Heaven

Christ-Centered Preaching: Redeeming the Expository Sermon

American Exceptionalism and Civil Religion: Reassessing the History of an Idea

To the Golden Shore: The Life of Adoniram Judson

A Peculiar Glory: How the Christian Scriptures Reveal Their Complete Truthfulness

Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life

Family Worship: In the Bible, in History & in Your Home

The Purity Principle

Praying the Bible

Pilgrim’s Progress

Star Wars: Master and Apprentice

Reading the Gospels Wisely: A Narrative and Theological Introduction

James Bond: Casino Royal

James Bond: Moonraker

Star Wars: Dooku: Jedi Lost

Mayflower: A Story of Courage, Community, and War

Leonardo and the Last Supper

Intended for Pleasure: Sex Technique and Sexual Fulfillment in Christian Marriage

Flour Water Salt Yeast: The Fundamentals of Artisan Bread and Pizza

Picasso and the Painting That Shocked the World

Rules of Engagement

Who Chose the Gospels?: Probing the Great Gospel Conspiracy

James Bond: From Russia with Love

James Bond: Goldfinger

Four Portraits, One Jesus: A Survey of Jesus and the Gospels

Learn New Testament Greek

Sphere

One Giant Leap: The Impossible Mission That Flew Us to the Moon

The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America (2019)

Nutrition Made Clear

Destiny of the Republic: A Tale of Madness, Medicine and the Murder of a President

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape, and the Making of Winston Churchill

Star Wars: Thrawn: Alliances (2019)

Star Wars: Thrawn: Treason

The Singularity Trap

Stark Trek: The Antares Maelstrom

Star Wars: From a Certain Point of View

Descriptions and Prescriptions: A Biblical Perspective on Psychiatric Diagnoses and Medications

When Trouble Shows Up: Seeing God’s Love in Hardship

California: A History

A Little History of the World

Pursuing Peace: A Christian Guide to Handling Our Conflicts

The Supremacy of God in Preaching

China in World History

History of India: Captivating History

Call Sign Chaos: Learning to Lead

Skyward: Skyward (2019)

The Unseen Realm: Recovering the Supernatural Worldview of the Bible (2019)

Mission in the Old Testament: Israel as a Light to the Nations

Talking to Strangers: What We Should Know about the People We Don’t Know

Warbreaker

Mistborn: Wax and Wayne: Alloy of Law

Old Testament History

Mistborn: Wax and Wayne: Shadows of Self

Mistborn: Wax and Wayne: The Bands of Mourning

Star Trek: Collateral Damage

Paul: In Fresh Perspective

Arcanum Unbounded: The Cosmere Collection

The End Is Always Near: Apocalyptic Moments, from the Bronze Age Collapse to Nuclear Near Misses

George Whitefield: America’s Spiritual Founding Father

Star Wars: Resistance Reborn

Historical Thinking and Other Unnatural Acts: Charting the Future of Teaching the Past (Critical Perspectives on the Past)

Paul: Apostle of God’s Glory in Christ

Skyward: Starsight

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (2019)

Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (2019)

Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban (2019)

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire (2019)

The Mestizo Augustine: A Theologian Between Two Cultures

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix (2019)

Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince (2019)