Sunday, November 27, 2011
Recent reading
Science
The Smithsonian Intimate Guide to the Cosmos - Visualising the Realities of Space (Dana Derry). Beautifully illustrated. A pictorial guide to the universe, with some informative and interesting comment.
The special theory of relativity (Albert Einstein - of course) - Does this really need an introduction? Time, it seems, shapes not only the universe constraining its limits, but shapes the lives of everyone.
General
The Sound of One Hand Clapping (Richard Flanagan) - Set in Tasmania. The style of writing is unusual but effective. A must read.
Galileo: A Dramatised Life (Gerald Smith) - An interesting approach that traces the life of Galileo in some detail.
Rogue Economics: Capitalisms new reality (Loretta Napoleoni) - If you want to know what drives world economics, Rogue Economics is a must.
Blind Man’s Bluff (Sherry Sontag and Christopher Drew, with Anette Lawrence Drew) - Blind Man’s Bluff traces the history of submarine espionage during the Cold War years. Fascinating reading.
The Brief Life of HMS Trooper (David Renwick Grant) - HMS Trooper served in the Mediterranean during World War II. A technical and personal look at the exploits of Trooper and its crew. If you have an interest in submarine life of that era, this book is a good resource while serving as a tribute to submariners, many of whom were lost as was the Trooper.
White Fang (Jack London) - A classic. More than a story of survival and the pressing need to live in a hostile environment. White Fang is a story about the nature of men, good and bad.
Philosophy and Theology
Bible A must read.
Word Studies in The Greek New Testament (Kenneth Wuest) Wuest has been the richest resource imaginable. Comprising 4 volumes, one of which is the Wuest version of the New Testament (available for multi-function devices, such as the Palm).
Wuest conveys the richness of the Greek language and in doing so elaborates the New Testament demonstrating its consistency.
The Republic (Plato)
Escape From Reason (Francis A. Schaeffer). Escape From Reason is an inspiring work. For those who recognise, or suspect, that discovering the true nature of one’s being is hampered by the conventions of modern thinking, Escape From Reason is a must read.
The Last Superstition (Edward Feser). A rebuttal of atheist writings such as The God Delusion (Richard Dawkins) and that of other prominent atheist authors. A demanding read, but well worth the effort for those wanting to acquire an alternative perspective. Feser exposes the flaws in naturalistic and modernist thinking.
Consciousness And the Existence of God (J.P. Moreland). Very much an academic work, arguing God’s existence in view of human consciousness. Moreland discusses the unlikely emergence of consciousness from physical processes, postulated by a naturalistic world view.
Kingdom Triangle (J.P. Moreland). A must read. Not so academic. Moreland addresses the crisis of this age from the perspective of competing philosophies, Scientific Naturalism and Post Modernism and elaborates the underlying issues that invade human thinking.
Moreland exposes the truths about modern thinking and its departure from God mindedness, demonstrating very clearly where humanity is at, in this day and age.
The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code (Michael Haag and Veronica Haag). More informative than the Da Vinci Code.
The God Delusion (Dawkins). One may ask, why list this here, among such worthy works of Christian insight. Richard is entitled to his views. No matter how much he may abhor theists.
Richard’s scornful, passionate objection and need to reconcile naturalism and theism, is an obvious and predictable imperative, with an equally obvious solution - reject theism.
The Scarlet Letter - Nathaniel Hawthorne. Included here, because it illustrates how man gets the Christian message wrong. Written in the 19th Century, Hawthorne illustrates the hypocritical, legalistic notions of 16th Century Puritans. Grace seldom abounds in a climate of self righteousness. The message forgotten so Readily amid the clamour of the fallen human condition.
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte’ The Wikipedia entry describes Jane Eyre as early feminist writing and moralistic. Seen through secular eyes, that’s as close as one might get to the substance of Jane Eyre.
Given the propensity for secularism to misinterpret Christian concepts, indeed, Spirit led behaviour, in the midst of human weakness, it’s not surprising that Jane Eyre is interpreted as such - a poor substitute for the truths within.
Jane Eyre is however, an exposition of human frailty, beautifully characterized in all its light and shade. Above all a story of redemption and the enduring heart of the Christian soul, empowered by the Spirit of God, in the salvation of Christ.
As far as gender distinctions are concerned, Paul the apostle tells the Romans, that all are one in Christ, that distinctions are neither present nor made. Concluding, that whatever distinctions exist are those made by men, not the vestiges of Christ.
The Lost History of Christianity: The Thousand-Year Golden Age of the Church in the Middle East, Africa, and Asia–and How It Died (Philip Jenkins).
Tracing the decline of Christianity in the East.
The message of the gospel is simple - as Paul put it. “There is only one gospel… …Christ crucified…