Ignorant Historian

“God does not exist for our comfort or happiness or satisfaction, or to provide us with ‘religious experiences,’ as if these were the most interesting and important things in life.” – Knowing God by J. I. Packer

“Regardless of what we say or sing on Sunday morning, rich people who neglect the poor are not the people of God.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 115

“That’s the problem with being desperate for attention.  You never ask who the other person is–he could be a serial killer, for all you know–you’re too busy feeling grateful he picked you to notice.” – Blue Plate Special by Michelle D. Kwasney, p. 306

“Some of the BBC people had to return to Chad, where they were in a medical clinic for three days to recover from what they saw, and smelled, and learned about the nature of what simply must be called evil.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 113

“Some wonder if it is unfair for God to allow so many to have no knowledge of the gospel.  But there is no injustice in God.  The injustice lies in Christians who possess the gospel and refuse to give their lives to making it known among those who haven’t heard.  That is unfair.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 159

“But it was ten years ago, and twenty, that the United States Air Force (in its own words) ‘produced more casualties than any other military action in the history of the world’ in its great fire raid on Tokyo, and Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson appalled by the absence of public protest in America, thought ‘there was something wrong with a country where no on questioned’ such acts committed in its name.” – They Thought They Were Free by Milton Mayer, p. xv

“Carter, nothing good comes easy,” she says, “Adversity is just opportunity in work clothes.” – Carter Finally Gets It by Brent Crawford, p. 24

“…all these material discomforts which were yet to be account as so many privileges soon to be withdrawn kept constantly before her the disadvantages of her state.” – House of Mirth by Edith Wharton

“We express enthusiasm, emotion, and affection for football and other sports, and it begs the question, what would happen in our culture if the church prayed with such passion?  What would happen if Jesus dominated our affections more than the superficial trivialities that garner our attention?” – Radical by David Platt, p. 188 (ignore the misuse of “beg the question” as the quote is worth it)

“It’s sometimes easier to believe what everyone else believes.”  - The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 104

“It is interesting to me that people bother to shout at you, or even to hurt you, when they are planning to kill you.  What lesson will that teach you if you are going to be dead?” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. 153

“Mah-mee believes she does more than her share by donating to charities.  She would rather live her own life of mah-jongg games, while pretending all those starving in the streets are invisible.” – The Samurai’s Garden by Gail Tsukiyama, p. 118

The Translator: a Tribesman’s Memoir of Darfur is the story of Daoud Hari, a member of the persecuted Zaghawa tribe, who returns to the Darfur region of Sudan.

Hari had been in Egypt and Israel seeking employment in order to provide for his family, but got arrested for doing so illegally.  After being held in Israel and then Egypt, he is finally going to be handed over to Sudan.

Fortunately, with some help, he was able to escape to avoid being handed over to the government that wants his people dead.  Now released,  he wants nothing more than to see his family again.

Yet, he doesn’t make that his only goal. He decides to do what he can to help his people by using his language skills to translate for researchers and journalists who will get the word out about the genocide.

I must admit, I was quite ignorant about this region. This was a great introduction for me in to what Hari describes as the complex genocide in Darfur.

Of course, the details of the genocide are quite appalling. But Hari does a good job of not focusing on the graphic natures of the horrors nor glossing them over.

He had some interesting things to say about genocide prevention and the American government. He had good things to say about the American people, but not necessarily about the American government. He says, “The proof of a democracy is surely whether or not a government represents the hearts of its people” (p. 86). In context, he seems to be implying that the American government in fact does not represent its people, as the people want action in Darfur, but the government remains inactive.

I also find it saddening to see the role that imperialism had on the region and the negative consequences still felt today. Of course, I’ve seen the negative impact of forcing “superior” Western political ideals on other peoples in my studies of other regions (even after the Western nation relinquishes sovereignty), but here’s just another example.  We in the United States and Western Europe can’t just sit back and point our fingers…our nations aren’t innocent.

If you are as ignorant about Darfur as I was, I’d recommend this book (and even if you know something about the conflict in Darfur). It’s short and personable, and a easy way to begin to grasp the complexities and atrocities in Darfur.

“I’ve received many emails from opinionated folks saying, ‘I have extensively researched this issue,’ by which they mean, ‘I’ve read a lot of blogs.’ Let’s be clear: neither frequent viewership of Fox News nor owning a copy of An Inconvenient Truth makes one ‘an expert.’ ” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 166

“A human being is like a novel: until the last page you don’t know how it will end. Or it wouldn’t be worth reading…” – We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, p. 162

“We realize that we are saved not just to be forgiven of our sins or to be assured of our eternity in heaven, but we are saved to know God.” – Radical by David Platt, p. 39

[girls are] “an impenetrable fortress of unknowability, really.” – An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, p. 76

“Of all the great world religions, Christianity should value the body most. After all, it taught that God had in some sense taken a human body and used it to redeem the world; everything about the physical should have been sacred and sacramental.” – The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong, p. 219

“I’m at a point now where if preachers can’t come up with something other than inspirational speeches, then maybe they should just read from the word for their sermon.” – a college student quoted in Radical by David Platt, p. 40

“Americans are a charitable people, but what we give away is not quite as astounding when seen in proportion to what we keep.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 130-131

“Poems are short because nobody can keep up that level of stupidness for more than one page.” – Prom by Laurie Halse Anderson

“As for the future, the only way that the world can say no to genocide is to make sure the people of Darfur are returned to their homes and given protection. If the world allows the people of Darfur to be removed forever from their land and their way of life, then genocide will happen elsewhere because it will be seen as something that works.” – The Translator by Daoud Hari, p. X

“For example, you’re probably not expecting me to ask you out for dinner tonight.” – Taub
(immediately)”No thanks.” – House
“You won’t even consider it?”
“I did, just very quickly.” – House episode “The Choice”

“Do you ever wonder whether people would like you more or less if they could see inside you?” – An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, p. 149

Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream is about just that: rescuing American Christians from the deadly kudzu of the “American Dream.”

He’s not saying that America=evil or that everything within our culture is bad, but that there are harmful ideas that we have bought and followed without discernment, becoming normal in the American church.

I don’t really know where to start on this review.  In some ways, I only need to say: go out and buy it (it would be worth buying at twice its $10-12 price tag, and when you’re done with it, lend/give it to someone else).

When I first got my hands on this, I did what I do to every book: look to see how many actual pages it had (secret: I do the math to figure out how many pages I need to read in each book per day to finish it by the date that I want).  At the very end, I noticed it has 5 things he wants the reader to commit to, and leaves room for you to write out how you’re going to carry them out.  I read them before I read the rest of the book, and I thought, “Ehh, those are good, but I’ve heard all that before.”  But when I read the book and then got to that section?

You bet I was praying, asking God’s forgiveness for neglecting these simple things and praying through how I was going to re-implement them in my life.

This book was the perspective change that I needed.  This book is the perspective change that the American church needs.

If you want to know more about what Radical is about, check out the video on the bottom of the homepage of the book’s website.  You can even sign up to read the first chapter for free.  But really, you need to read chapters 6 (“How Much is Enough?: American Wealth in a World of Poverty”) and 7 (“There is No Plan B: Why Going is Urgent, Not Optional”).

Chapter 6 hits on the very topic God has been working on in me: that I’m abundantly wealthy (yes, in a worldly sense) and I squander that wealth on myself (more on this in an upcoming blog post).

In chapter 7, David Platt walks simply through 7 Biblical truths that makes participation in missions mandatory for all Christians (going, praying, sending, and/or supporting).  Nothing new for me, but this was the simplest and most logical presentation I’ve seen.  Kind of a “duh” thing.

While I’ve been blessed to have heard a lot of this before from the ministries I have participated in and my church that I love, I needed to hear it again.  The American Dream is so easy to get caught up in.  It’s easier to join in the pursuit of a better living, fun gadgets, and being well-dressed than it is to live sacrificially and simply so that I can bless others with the blessings He’s blessed me.  After all, I don’t want to be weird, do I?

But indeed, the Christian faith as laid out in the Bible is radical.  When we try to soften it’s commands and examples, we’re wrong.

I don’t know what else to say to convince you to read this book.

“Well, I got a degree, but I’m not going to let it ruin my life.” – Sully, Bones episode “The Girl in the Gator”

“No one around may see the black, indelible spots I am covered with, but I know that I–a criminal–have no right to be among these frank wide-open faces.” – We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, p. 140

“I never want to run away from anything because it is considered cool or fun by the secular world.  I also never want [to] run toward anything because it is considered glam-worthy.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 16

“I was born a seesaw, auntie, and nothing can ever prevent me from teetering.” – Philippa in Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery

“It’s a shame,” he said, “you don’t learn more about the countries you f*** with.” – An Aussie to an American in His Illegal Self by Peter Carey

“Though God wants us to protect our land, we keep treating it like dirt.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 106

“In 1995 the world spent less than US$250 million trying to extinguish the HIV epidemic. These days, Americans spend over eight times that amount, two billion dollars a year, just on Botox injections to extinguish their wrinkles.” – The Wisdom of Whores by Elizabeth Pisani, p. 20

“Exactly, just like children, we must always ask, ‘And what next?’ ” – We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, p. 175

“…it isn’t fair to fault Jesus for failing to offer answers to questions the culture wasn’t asking.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 85

“How very odd, to believe God gave you life, and yet not think that life asks more of you than watching TV.” – An Abundance of Katherines by John Green, p. 33

“Psalm 19:10 says that Scripture is sweeter than honey, but you’d never know that judging by some believers. You see, there are three basic kinds of Bible students. There are the ‘castor oil’ types. To them the Word is bitter–Yech!–but it’s good for what ails them. Then there is the ‘shredded wheat’ kind. To them Scripture is nourishing but dry. It’s like eating a bail of hay. But the third kind is what I call the ‘strawberries-and-cream’ folks. They just can’t get enough of the stuff. How did they acquire that taste? By feasting on the Word.” – Living By the Book by Howard and William Hendricks, p. 19

“If everyone on Earth actually consumed resources the way Americans do, experts estimate that it would take several Planet Earths just to sustain life.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 126

I first heard about Green Like God from Carol (her review is here).  It sounded like a very interesting book.

And then I looked at the author and recognized the name; we had gone to seminary together.  Cool to know the author…or at least know of the author.  I promise that hasn’t influenced my review of this book…he blew me away in spite of the fact that we sat before the same teachers.

When I was about halfway through Green Like God, a friend asked me if this was a worthwhile book.  I said I thought so.  It wasn’t wowing me, but I enjoyed it and felt like there was some good stuff there.

And then I got to the second half of his book, “Our Assignment in God’s World.”  Merritt confronted me with facts that I’ve long since avoided…when most environmental horror facts are presented in a doom-and-gloom way, you become jaded and in my case, uncaring.

And then there was chapter 9, “The Enemy in Us All.”  It’s an absolutely must-read for every American pastor. Scratch that, for every American believer.

Our actions have consequences.  Our affluence is no excuse (if you are reading this right now, yes, you are affluent because you have regular access to a computer, among other blessings).  All the paint in the world won’t fix a broken building, but may mask it for a little while.

Merritt is right to point out that the blame for pollution and the destruction of creation (not to mention the exploitation of other peoples) rests largely on America.  We’ve allowed consumerism and materialism to be the American way.  If we don’t have to live in the filth (or at least we don’t feel like it), then what does it matter, right?

One particular passage struck me:

At the May 7, 2001, White House daily press briefing, Ari Fleischer, White House spokesperson for President George W. Bush, was asked a tough environmental question: “Does the president believe that, given the amount of energy Americans consume per capita–how much it exceeds any other citizens in any other country in the world–does the presdient believe we need to correct our lifestyles to address the energy problem?”

Without hesitiation, Fleischer snapped back, “That’s a big no.  The president believes that it’s an American way of life, and that it should be the goal of policy makers to protect the American way of life.  The American way of life is a blessed one.” (p. 117, emphasis added)

YIKES.  Nine years later, this attitude is still way too common.  What’s worse, we aren’t content to keep this me-first-and-only attitude to ourselves, but spread it around the globe.

So, yeah, I think this is definitely a must-read.  It’s about time someone with a balanced view and a level head addressed this issue.  Our environmental irresponsibility is neither the extinction of the human race nor is it a myth.

And Merritt is right: Christians have every reason to be the best at creation care (after all, our Savior took on human flesh), not the worst.

I’m off to put in to practice what I’ve learned.

“All the questions I have given you are very important,” he said.  ”But the most important question you can ask is, ‘Where is Jesus in your theory?’ ” – quoted in Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 83

“You held out your arms, I walked away / Insolent, I spurned your face / Squandering the gifts you gave to me / and holding close forbidden things” – “The Prodigal,” Sovereign Grace music

“Most Americans don’t hate the environment.  They don’t start forest fires to watch them burn or refuse to carpool because they think the sky looks prettier with a sooty grey hue.  They just think they have more important things to do.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 50

“I do know my own mind,” protested Anne.  ”The trouble is my mind changes and I have to get acquainted with it all over again.” – Anne of the Island by Lucy Maud Montgomery

“[C]hurchmen who look at God, so to speak, through the wrong end of the telescope, so reducing him to pigmy proportions, cannot hope to end up as more than pigmy Christians, and clear-sighted people naturally want something better than this.” – Knowing God by J. I. Packer

“My tendency to pursue more and better is impossible to reconcile with the divine plan.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 133

“You’re not racing?” the officer asked, chaffing him.
“My race is a harder one, ” Alexey Alexandrovitch responded deferentially.
And though the answer meant nothing, the general looked as though he had heard a witty remark from a witty man, and fully relished la pointe de la sauce.
-Leo Tolstoy, Anna Karenina

“I want to write, but more than that, I want to bring out all kinds of things that lie buried deep in my heart.  There is a saying that “paper is more patient than man;” it came back to me on one of my slightly melancholy days, while I sat chin in hand, feeling too bored and limp even to make up my mind whether to go out or stay at home.” – Anne Frank: Diary of a Young Girl

“Overconsumption of energy, and virtually every resource imaginable, has become ‘the American way of life.’  What’s worse is that Americans are the only ones who don’t seem to realize it.” – Green Like God by Jonathan Merritt, p. 117

“But do you know, they interest me more than blind conformity to tradition–somebody else’s tradition–that I see among our own friends.  It seems stupid to have discovered America only to make it into a copy of another country.” – Ellen Olenska, Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton

“While entertaining is having guests with everything prepared and served correctly, hospitality is having people feel comfortable in my home and happy to be there no matter what we are doing or eating.” – Laurie Twibell, Practicing Hospitality, p. 64

“A little knowledge of God is worth more than a great deal of knowledge about him.” – Knowing God by J. I. Packer

Lately I can’t get enough of dystopian/futuristic/end-of-the-world books.  And by large volumes being published today, I assume I’m not the only one.

The Last Christian is the story of a missionary’s daughter, Abby, who returns to the United States in 2088 after spending her life cut off from the world in the jungle of Papua New Guinea.  The America she returns to is not only equipped with the technological advances you’d assume, but is essentially godless.  Christianity is extinct.

Not only that, but a new medical procedure is being done that replaces the natural brain with a synthetic brain (allowing one to live forever)…but not everything is as it seems.

I enjoyed The Last Christian, though one stylistic issue really bugged me.  Most of the book was told in 3rd person, but everything about one of the characters was told in 1st person.  You don’t usually note point-of-view unless it’s not working, and it wasn’t working here.  It threw me every time it switched.  Also, he must have learned to name characters in the same class Vicki Hinze did, because they were mostly vanilla, Anglo names easily to be confused with one another.

But beyond those things, it was well written.  It was an interesting story.  Though I was driven to skim through some of the more technical portions, it was interesting.  I enjoyed reading how Christianity could be included in a dystopian novel, and I think Gregory does it well.  Though it’s very obvious, I don’t think he was being “preachy.”

If you can’t get enough of this genre like I can’t, I’d recommend checking this one out.

I received a free copy of The Last Christian for review from the publisher, but no other compensation.

“I didn’t want to be treated as a girl-like-all-others, but as Anne-on-her-own-merits.” – Anne Frank: The Diary of a Young Girl

“Only women are called on to prove that they are ‘comfortable in this way.” (by taking off their clothes in front of cameras) – Girls Gone Mild by Wendy Shalit, p. 156

” ‘What you mean is,’ I said caustically, ‘that religion is really just for idiots, weaklings, and defectives.’  ’Oh, dear,’ Jennifer grinned rather nervously at me.  ’How awful.  But yes…yes, if I’m honest, I suppose that is what I think.” – The Spiral Staircase by Karen Armstrong, p. 114

“Just because I’m single doesn’t mean I have a forty-eight hour day.  I have the same amount of time as everyone else.” – Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? by Carolyn McCulley, p. 128

“…nowhere in the Establishment clause have I ever seen the words, ‘God-believing people are to be relegated beyond considered judgment.” - Girls Gone Mild by Wendy Shalit, p. 191

“You’ve known me for two years, Sweets.  You should expect to be impressed by me.” – Bones on Bones episode “The rocker in the Rinse Cycle”

“My mathematics–until now the only firm and immutable island in my entire dislocated world–has also broken off its moorings, is also floating, whirling.” - We by Yevgeny Zamyatin, p. 101

“Unfortunately, if a man does not behave like a gentleman and treat women with respect, there is very little a woman can say to change his behavior.” – Girls Gone Mild by Wendy Shalit, p. 277

“Knowing His standards and goals for marriage helps two individuals live together for a greater common goal than their own pleasure and preferences.” – Did I Kiss Marriage Goodbye? by Carolyn McCulley, p. 94

“My friends, adoption is redemption. It’s costly, exhausting, expensive, and outrageous. Buying back lives costs so much. When God set out to redeem us, it killed Him.” – Derek Loux

“We hear so much from feminists about not being ‘objectified by men,’ but we are learning that self-objectification is not a path to lasting confidence, either.” – Girls Gone Mild by Wendy Shalit, p. 165-166

You may have noticed that quite a few quotes from Wendy Shalit’s Girls Gone Mild: Young Women Reclaim Self-Respect and Find It’s Not Bad to Be Good have shown up in my Sunday quote lists.  That’s the thing about a good non-fiction book…there are so many quotable things.

I read Shalit’s book at the recommendation of my SIL.  Shalit’s first book A Return to Modesty was the subject of a lot of controversy (who knew modesty was a controversial subject?), and this 2007 book contains a lot of the same themes.

Actually, not having read her first book, I’m not sure what the difference between the two books  is.  Girls Gone Mild is primarily about the immodesty found in and supported by our culture.  She makes a decent argument for modesty (something that I support) from a secular viewpoint.  Basically, she debunks the idea that taking off your clothes is the ultimate show of confidence.  No arguments here.

But I’m not sure she goes about it in the best way.  She spends what I believe to be too much time merely detailing all the examples of outrageous immodesty, like ridiculously explicit sexual advice to tweens and teenagers.

Most of her research took place in 2006, a year after I graduated from college.  While I have seen and am not surprised by a lot of her examples, some that she purports are representative of college culture in America sound nothing like what I saw on my college campus only a year earlier.  Sure hooking up was big at OU, but co-ed bathrooms and roommates were strictly forbidden and for the most part followed (I lived in the dorms all 4 years).  I think making a huge deal out of minor examples actually weakens her case.

While I would have enjoyed Girls Gone Mild more if she focused more on her thesis and didn’t spend so much time in the evidence, I really enjoyed the interviews she did with the women and girls who have become public figures primarily because of their support of modesty.

The paperback version of this book goes by the name The Good Girl Revolution (which I do think might be a better title).  I’d recommend checking out Wendy Shalit’s writings.  If you’ve read anything by her before, what did you think?