Book Review: Following the Call ed by Charles E Moore; Living the Sermon on the Mount Together

This collection of over 150 essays by many, many different authors, published in 2021, spans church history from its earliest days to the present. It includes a wide variety of viewpoints as to understanding and applying Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 5-7 to our lives. What would these authors say in conversation to each other? Francis of Assisi, Elisabeth Elliot, Soren Kierkegaard, Leo Tolstoy, Augustine of Hippo, Dallas Willard, Francis Chan, Dietrich Bonhoffer, Mother Teresa, Gregory of Nyssa, Charles Spurgeon, N. T. Wright, C. S. Lewis, Clement of Alexandria, the authors of the Didache. How do we respond to their words to us?

The essays follow a division of Jesus’ sermon into four parts: Kingdom character; Kingdom commands; Kingdom devotion; and Kingdom priorities. Each of the 52 chapters include discussion questions, as the intention of the book is to stimulate discussion in weekly small groups. This makes sense since, although most of the authors speak authoritatively, they offer differing perspectives, so the reader(s) need to process the essays. 

Charles Moore is a member of Bruderhof community. Per Wikipedia, 

The Bruderhof (place of brothers) is an Anabaptist Christian movement that was founded in Germany in 1920 by Eberhard Arnold. The movement has communities in the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Austria, Paraguay, and Australia. The Bruderhof practices believer's baptism, non-violence and peacemaking, common ownership, the proclamation of the gospel, and lifelong faithfulness in marriage. The Bruderhof is an intentional community as defined by the Fellowship for Intentional Community.

There are many well-known challenges to the interpretation and application of the Sermon on the Mount, and very many books. Jesus’ commands seem impossible. Only when fully under the anointing of the Holy Spirit could they be kept. The book concludes with Jesus’ admonition that anyone who does not build his or her life on His words is building a house on the sand, which will be destroyed in the storm. In effect, He has set an impossible standard for all but Mother Teresa. Even if we ask God to bless our enemies, and our heart isn’t fully in it, we are judged as hypocrites. How do we reconcile Jesus’ love and death on the cross to save us with His warnings that unless we do all of the impossible commands, we are headed for destruction? What He wants is all of us.

The challenge is practical living out of total devotion to Christ and His commands.  The Bruderhof community holds all things in common. While generosity in obedience to God is straightforward in theory, holding  all things in common only works for very small groups. Over 100 years of history demonstrate that socialism and communism are disasters in larger groups and at the national level. (One need read only a few chapters of Eat The Rich by P. J. O’Rourke.) Although this was practiced in the early church (mentioned only once, Acts 2:44), as the church grew beyond its initial nucleus, it was most likely the early church fathers’ recognition of the practical implications of this primitive communism that wisely prevented a broader implementation. A family usually has a common budget. But even small religious communes of previous centuries typically did not endure more than a generation or two. A small group of believers may choose to hold their earthly belongings in common, that is, taking a lifelong vow of poverty. As Jesus taught, this may be required for the sake of  devotion to Him. But it is not required of everyone. Why are things this way? None of the selected essays in this book address this. Basil the Great, in his essay on Matthew 6:19-21, relates that we are accountable for how we handle the wealth entrusted to us, but a page later says that the money in your vaults belongs to the destitute. There is no context like that in Tim Keller’s Every Good Endeavor to put a balance into work and its fruit.  Jesus points out that the issue is not one of economic theory but of human nature - greed and jealousy. Jesus warned against this multiple times (not to overlook Exodus 20:17 either).  Jesus challenges us to protect our soul by eschewing avarice, but I doubt that He meant we must impoverish all mankind. 

‘Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach him to fish and he will eat for a lifetime’ is too trite (and it’s not in the Bible). Mother Teresa organized the feeding of millions of destitute. But lifting the destitute out of poverty requires more than simple giving. How can the government, with unlimited worldly resources, best aid  the poor nations of the world? Has the Peace Corps significantly aided in lifting third world countries out of poverty? Does letting every able-bodied person in destitute countries move to the US help their nation? Are migrants  improving their own lot in the world without concern for their souls or their nation of origin, or are they looking to engage in an economy that works rather than a dysfunctional failed state run by self-righteous collectivists claiming to do good? How can we help others to improve their lives without the ruin of their soul? This is an example of discussion that is missing.  The essays in the book display the breadth across authors, religious tradition, and the centuries, but the integration of multiple viewpoints under the wisdom of the Holy Spirit requires contemplation and discussion. What is Jesus calling us to?

Book Review: The Dream of Gerontius by John Henry Newman

The Dream of Gerontius, written in the mid-19th century, is a poetic description of the journey of a departed soul from the moment of death until it reaches the throne of judgment. The narrator, Gerontius, is a believer in Christ, a Catholic. Initially, just before death, he is surrounded by a chorus of believers praying for him. After his soul leaves his body, he converses with his guardian angel, who is escorting him to that judgment seat, often serenaded by choruses of angels (with a brief passage by the abode of mocking demons).

But the focus of the poetry is not on the environment (although he wonders at the feeling of not being in his body but somehow not feeling the lack). Gerontius primarily discusses his guilt over the life he lived and the coming discipline and purging that he will necessarily experience, in order to enter into heaven. The emotional impact of that guilt and dread of the tribulations are vividly contrasted with poetic praise of the glory of God.

The theological issue of purgatory is not discussed, because the author was a Cardinal in the Catholic Church. This remains a point of disagreement between Protestant and Catholic theology. Catholic belief is that a process of purging is necessary to cleanse the soul of its  sinfulness before entering heaven, giving account of the deeds of the flesh. (2 Corinthians 5:10) The Protestant understanding of Scripture is that the atonement of Christ is the full and complete payment for all sins of those who receive Christ. Therefore, no suffering on our part can add to the completed work of Christ, and to attempt to do so is to deny the totality of the salvation that the cross of Christ offers. Addressing this theological divide was not Cardinal Newman’s purpose.

However, as a vision of what comes after death, in my view, the key shortcoming is the focus on guilt, without a commensurate focus on redemption. God’s holiness and His love seem like incompatible attributes in our experience, reconciled only through the cross of Christ. But they were thusly reconciled. We can experience God’s holiness and love at the same time. The dread of purgatory omits the joy of receiving and experiencing eternal love. It almost transforms the concept of discipline, of discipleship, from that of a father and son to one of a judge and truant. This seems inconsistent with scripture, for example the repeated metaphor of a marriage feast (e.g., Revelation 19:7-9), and the vision of Stephen as he was being stoned (Acts 7:55-56). Hence, I cannot accept that the vision presented in this book does justice to God’s plan. Perhaps words cannot describe the reality of life in heaven.

Book Report: Every Good Endeavor

In Every Good Endeavor, Tim Keller presents a Biblical view of work that engages the role of believers in the modern workplace. After first addressing the idea that work is a curse, and the Biblical curse on Adam’s work, he reviews the scope of relevant Old and New Testament scriptures. 

One fundamental conclusion is that while work may not always be fulfilling, it is one way in which we are co-laborers with God in His redemption of the earth. It is not just pastors and religious workers who thusly co-labor with God. Nor is it limited to farmers who till the earth to produce food, soldiers who defend God’s people, first responders and medical personnel who fix things gone off track. Even the most menial labor, when offered to God, can become a channel of redemption.

A challenge to the approach of separation from the world is that although good people can get sucked into doing bad things (like an evil maelstrom), unsaved people can do good things, and often do. He explains that every person operates at two levels. At the deepest core of our being, every person knows there are ultimate moral values and that they are accountable. At the rational, conscious level, unbelievers deny the truths of the Bible, may be aggressively atheist, but still hold to strong moral values and act on them. (Or they may excuse themselves by their arguments against the Truth and commit unspeakable evil.) Somehow God weaves this all together to build His kingdom.

Tim Keller’s pastorate includes many who work in financial industry, a place generally believed to be devoid of morality and focused solely on profit. He recounts several examples of people struggling with whether they should change careers, or decisions they have to make, and the potential effects on God’s plan and kingdom. Things related to morality in the immediate situation (co-workers, bosses, customers) may be important, or the sharing of the fruit to support ministries (caring for the destitute, funding churches and missionaries) may be the outcome. There is no simple rule set, and answers aren’t always clear cut. His overall worldview is that work must be placed in context, that is, the context that God places it in. He calls us to work to be productive, but to not worship work or its fruit. To not be slothful - he elaborates on a quote from Dorothy Sayers about the disguises that acedia takes. But the bottom line is to seek Christ and He will put work in its rightful place. 

So sorry to hear the he has left us and gone to his eternal reward, May 19, 2023.

Book Report: A Severe Mercy, by Sheldon Vanauken

 

A simple summary is impossible. The author recounts the total devotion of the depth of his love for his wife, their life together, their conversion to Christianity, her tragic illness and death in her thirties, his grieving, and finally, the spiritual realities he encountered in dealing with her death in the context of faith. With roots in Virginia, evidently from a well-to-do family, he met, fell in love, and married just prior to World War II. He recounts their travels to the Pacific theater of operations, life in the U. S., graduate school at Oxford, their conversion to Christianity, and return to Virginia. The issue became this: after becoming Christians, the author’s wife ‘Davy’ made Christ her first love, without wavering in her love for the author, but he kept his first love focused on her, while  also believing in the truths of Christianity.

 Most married couples have other paths, which occur when the difficulties of married life surface. Either they work through difficulties, or they give up on their marriage. But Sheldon and Davy remained devoted to each other, with no evidence of facing this test over the fifteen years of their love and marriage. And that was the challenge: Christ will ultimately abide no competitors. The Bible gives clear direction for how the love of husband and wife is to be placed in God’s economy. Davy accepted this, but Sheldon resisted. As the author relates it, ultimately it was the mercy of God, which was severe, which allowed him to be tested by removing the obstacle to him putting God first. All this was worked out while the author was in contact with C. S. Lewis, whom he had come to know at Oxford and subsequently corresponded with.

 There are a few interesting asides. One is a letter from C.S. Lewis, written in May 1954, on the Christian view of homosexuality and the potential theology of gay marriage. (Chapter VI, p 147-148)  But the title of the book comes from a C. S. Lewis comment in a letter after all has transpired. Lewis himself  lost his wife after four years of marriage, but this did not happen until after all these events (including his counsel to the author). Lewis wrote A Grief Observed after his wife’s death a few years later. One wonders how his words to Sheldon might have been different after his own grief.  This book was written well after C. S. Lewis’ book and death.

 How does one deal with God’s discipline of His children? It is the age old challenge of reconciling God’s holiness with His love. These were reconciled in the cross of Christ, but we mostly accept that theology and do not plumb the depth of visceral spiritual agony that Jesus experienced in the Garden of Gethsemane in order to have the strength to go through with it. This author draws us into his internal struggle with suffering and unanswered prayer. And thus to plumb the depths of God’s severe mercy. He loves us and acts for our own best, long-term outcome, however painful that may seem at the time. That is the conclusion we can draw from Sheldon Vanauken’s autobiography.

Book report: Eat the Rich, by P. J. O’Rourke

I can’t remember who recommended this book. A satirical (and hilarious) tour of the world to experience first-hand the consequences of the implementation of various theories of economics and governance: free markets, socialism, and communism. Along the way: Wall Street, Albania, Sweden, Cuba, Russia, Tanzania, Hong Kong, and Shanghai. Plus a side stop in a college Econ course to show what is wrong with basic economic textbooks (and introductory classes). [Fundamentally, they ignore the basic realities of life, in favor of theoretical equations that are irrelevant.] The amazing thing is that the author is a self-admitted former hippie and writer for Rolling Stone magazine.

The bottom line is that business and wealth creation are based on a simple principle: Voluntary exchanges, in which each party to the trade gives up something he values less in order to receive something he values more, increase prosperity. Self-interest is thereby harnessed for the good of society as a whole. (Credit to Adam Smith, The Wealth of Nations, 1776) What flows from this are a few statements that liberals and socialists reject:

•      Governments are intrinsically inefficient

•      Economies can’t be designed

•      The rule of law and respect for others’ property is an essential function for prosperity

•      Even though the poor are poorer than the wealthy, they do not improve their state in life by robbing them (criminally or through government-run redistribution).

•      Free markets tell the truth about economics

There is a short digression on the tenth commandment (Exodus 20:17). The author interprets it to mean that God says “hands off other peoples’ stuff”. He does not address the deeper spiritual question of hearts that are set on earthly treasure rather than heavenly (Matthew 6:19-21) because that is not his purpose. (I think a better understanding of the tenth commandment is that God says “hearts off other peoples’ stuff”.)

Fundamentally, the problem with socialism and communism is practical. They have been repeatedly demonstrated to be a complete failure, as recognized by the people living under them, in various places such as Russia, China, Cuba, and Tanzania. The author’s world tour provides innumerable practical examples at the level of daily life for the ordinary person. For poor people to have a better life (food, shelter, clothing, etc.), on a level above prehistoric hunter-gatherers, society as a whole needs to increase wealth. This can only happen through a free market, and will never happen under socialism or communism. And, as a bonus, in an effort to make their system work, communist & socialist leaders impose dictatorial control in a frantic (and fruitless) effort to force people to do what doesn't make sense.

My observation: This is largely why most of Latin America is attempting to emigrate to the United States - not for government handouts, but for the opportunity to participate in an economy that works.

Gen Z - beware! “We are Borg: you will be assimilated; resistance is futile.”

 This line from Star Trek Voyager was first aired in the late 1990’s. As the television episodes aired, the Borg were described as a species of humanoids that were cybernetically connected to each other and the central network via electronic implants. They were thus almost organic robots, although the series showed that they retained some degree of autonomy. Their overarching ethos was that they acted in accordance with moment by moment direction from this collective brain, and thus would be able to defeat any other species that had individual members not so connected.

 This paradigm aired while the internet was still in its infancy, approximately ten years before the “smart phone” was invented. Curiously, it also was right at the milestone marking the beginning of Gen Z birth years.

 In the present day, in a large part of the world, young people feel lost if they do not have their smart phone with them. This is manifested as a loss of direction, boredom, isolation. Although the internet does not provide moment by moment direction on what to say or do, it provides advice from innumerable pundits, connectivity for conversation with friends, and entertainment. We haven’t yet arrived at the Borg collective state. What is most troubling is the epidemic of mental illness and social dysfunction. Whether it is depression, a shooting spree, or hatred spewed in “social media”, continuous connectivity with internet-based platforms enables and often promotes anti-social mindsets and behaviors.

A key part of life first disappeared with radio and television. Once upon a time, silence was a common occurrence for people who were alone. This made it possible for prayer to connect to God, and easier to hear His voice. Radio & TV banished silence, but it is the smartphone and social media that now offers as a surrogate for connecting to God, continuous connection to the hive. Of course, there is an infinite difference between the experience of the presence of an infinite, transcendent God, and hearing the consensus of a large number of humans of limited intelligence and varying degrees of dubious amoral self-righteousness. If they can consense on anything.

These technological capabilities are here to stay. How can society cope with them to stabilize behaviors and live with them?

What most of humankind experienced in history during solitude and quiet was a tension between hearing God’s voice (and then having to decide whether or not to heed it), or occupying themselves (mind, will, emotions) with things of the world, the flesh, and/or the devil. This produced both Mother Teresa and Adolf Hitler. The challenge to adolescents is harder than previous generations, which “merely” had to choose to listen for God’s voice, and then recognize (discern) it. Gen Z, defined by children growing up with “smart phones”, now has to deal with an insidious surrogate in which the postings of friends or influencers are enhanced with a dopamine boost. This is a stronger influence to the flesh than the inner promptings of the Holy Spirit. (It is possible that influencers could be godly encouragers, such as Robert Barron or David Guzik, but they are far less stimulating to the flesh than the latest TikTok craze.) Adolescence is a phase in life during which external stimulation produces a growing visceral response as the body and mind mature into adulthood. The difference in degree between Gen Z stimuli and previous generations is so great that it differs in kind.

 How can we help adolescents cope with this insidious plague of social media?

·         First and foremost, to explain it to them. Teens are young adults, and twenty-somethings should not be allowed a prolonged excuse for irresponsibility. Teens have adult-level reasoning capability, although not the breadth or depth of experience of older compatriots. They can understand this intellectually.

·         Secondly, it is necessary to motivate young people to choose to not become Borg. The promises of Christ are amazing but they are mostly of service in this life, with rewards deferred to eternal bliss with Him. The motivation is meaningful life and a spiritual connection to God Himself. This is not nirvana, but purposeful activity that does not include slavery to social media. In our heart of hearts, we secretly want a meaningful life, but our carnal weaknesses war against it.

It seems doubtful that any program of government or educational or religious rules or practices can win this war. The battle must be waged on an individual basis by those closest.

Book Review: Dynamics of World History, by Christopher Dawson

Christopher Dawson, in Dynamics of World History (first published in 1958), explained his paradigm for history that goes beyond recording events, identifying physical causes and formal causes of historical shifts, to efficient causes and final causes. (He does not use Aristotelean terminology but clearly thinks in this framework). The foundations of history outline these causes, and his critiques of others’ views of history are largely based on their focus on a subset of the sources of culture change and history drivers. The factors that influence history and culture include geography, race, economics, physical environment, climate, knowledge, and religion. Changes on the world level are caused largely by either changes in one or more of these factors, or by the interaction of different cultures (resulting in adaptation and syncretism or war and conquest).  But no subset of the factors is sufficient to explain history.

Dawson's reviews of previous historians range from recognition of insight (Augustine) to critiques of obvious shortcomings of the others: Gibbon, Marx, Wells, Spengler, and Toynbee. He presciently (or perceptively) observed (in 1935) that the ultimate verdict on Communism will be that the house it is building for the new humanity is not a palace but a prison. But he is particularly strong on this point: If God exists and is sovereign and outside of our universe, His intervention cannot be understood by any of the factors that we can read about. This provides a view of history unique to Christianity, that it is the record of God building His kingdom, His city, on earth. This was first clearly articulated in Augustine of Hippo’s  The City of God, written in the fifth century. History is ultimately His story, with His purpose and plan. Although Dawson clearly states this (his view of final causation), most of his writings about history link material causes to efficient causes, not final causes.

The core of Dawson’s approach to understanding history is analysis of  interactions between previously isolated factors or players that result in events and change. One example: throughout most of history, city-dwellers have been culturally and socially isolated from farmers, hunters, miners, etc. - people who dwell in the countryside and only come to the city to do business. And these same factors have brought interactions between divergent cultures around the world.  Dawson touches on briefly is the impact of European culture on indigenous peoples around the world during the 18th and 19th centuries of worldwide empires.  In many cases, the native cultures were deemed primitive and collapsed under Western onslaught. Whether the economic benefits to these peoples outweighed the loss of their native way of life depends on several factors, which were not covered in this book, but alluded to.

It would have been interesting to get his analysis of the modern world, in which transportation and the internet have obliterated cultural separation. One of Dawson’s main paradigms is that when previously isolated social groups start to interact on a continuing basis for some reason, both parties are affected with long-term change. In my view, we need this kind of assessment to understand the state of the world today. It is more than just economics, language, culture, and information; there is a fundamental redefinition of the ground rules of behavior, resulting in mental health-driven crises, such as epidemics of drug abuse, gun violence, suicide, and mass migration. Who today assesses the causal relationship between technology and behaviors?

In sum, with 420 pages of densely packed scholarship, one must persevere to read this book in its entirety. Perhaps there are contemporary writers with this methodical approach, but I have not encountered them. Dawson provides a framework and a way of thinking about history, and cause and effect in understanding our past that bears on our present, from a Christian yet scholarly perspective. He cites scholarly references regarding events that are documented and supported by evidence, rather than Scripture. The bottom line is that history can be understood, and it is to our own hurt that we choose not to do so.