The Heretic’s Apprentice(Brother Cadfael, 16), Ellis Peters. Mysterious Press/Open Road (ASIN: B00LUZNZ42), 2014 (First published in 1989).
Summary: The Heretic’s Apprentice is charged with heresy for defending his deceased master’s theological views and held for murder of his accuser.
It has been seven years since William of Lythwood left Shrewsbury on pilgrimage. Then one day, the apprentice who accompanied him returns home with William’s remains. His servant, Elave, has two tasks to fulfill. First, he must transport William’s body to the abbey for burial in its cemetery, since William had patronized the abbey. Questions arose about his beliefs, rumored heterodox. But he had taken communion throughout his journey, and when dying, was shriven of his sins. And he had supported the abbey, and so they honor his wishes.
The other task was to deliver an intricately carved box to William’s foster daughter, containing her dowry. The contents were locked and left so until William’s return, although stowed away in the presence of William’s household. In foster daughter Fortunata’s eyes, Elave is another gift. She had always looked up to him and her love had blossomed into something else. And Elave discovered that the skinny girl had blossomed into a beautiful woman!
One of the household members was Aldwin, the clerk who had taken Elave’s place. Elave’s return has him fearing for his job, even though Elave had assured the lady of the house that he would find employment elsewhere. Aldwin, sadly had not heard this. He also tries to sneak a peak at the contents of the box. Jevan, Girard’s younger brother, who runs the vellum end of the family’s business, interrupts him before he glimpses its contents.
Aldwin conspires with Conan, Girard’s chief shepherd, to trip up Elave. Hearing rumors of William’s heterodox ideas, they question Elave about them. Elave not only defends them but owns them. The next day, he finds himself facing a heresy charge before Abbot Radulfus. Were it up to Radulfus alone, he’d probably have dismissed this as youthful questioning by an intelligent young man, but an Augustinian canon is visiting and joins in hearing the charges, which include questioning the teaching of Augustine. This sounds like heresy. They hold him for trial before the bishop. But he has the liberty of the abbey, and as he thought, to come and go as long as he returned each evening.
Conan and Fortunata were witnesses to the conversation and called to testify, and Fortunata is beside herself and sees through Aldwin’;s plot. When this comes to Lady Lythwood’s ears, she sets Aldwin straight, that Elave had no interest in Aldwin’s job. And Aldwin is mortified, and wants to set things right. Conan tries to dissuade him in a long conversation at a pub, before returning to his flocks. But Aldwin never speaks to the Abbot. Nor does he return home. Instead, Cadfael finds his body in the river. Someone stabbed Aldwin in the back.
This spells more trouble for Elave, who happened to have gone to visit Fortunata, to assure her he held no ill will toward her for her testimony at about the time Alwin pursued his errand. The canon’s assistants rudely arrest him on return to the abbey and all suspicion turns on him though he swears innocence. Neither Cadfael nor Hugh Beringer, the sheriff are so quick. He’s in custody, improving his understanding under the tutelage of Brother Anselm. And it will be some days before the Bishop arrives.
Cadfael and Beringer pursue several questions. What were the original contents of the carved box? Where had Anselm been killed? And where did he go after leaving the pub? Did anyone else have motive and opportunity to kill Aldwin?
It does seem that Peters has used a similar plotline in several stories in the series. A young man accused who falls in love with a young woman. Even so, the plot is twisty enough to make one wonder. What is more interesting is the contrast between the canon and the abbot. One is a zealot for orthodoxy, having seen the consequences of false teaching in France and wanting to save the church in England from a similar fate. The other is the wise shepherd, who understands that faith doesn’t preclude questioning, and that Elave’s ideas were ones held at times by others, some even by a younger Augustine. Will Elave be found innocent of both murder and heresy?
Summary: Focuses on how we discerningly engage people who embrace Christian nationalism with grace and truth.
There is our political discourse. And then there are our relationships with family, neighbors, co-workers, and those who provide us goods and services. Maybe they are people who are part of our church community. For example, they say things that would identify them with Christian nationalism, the idea that America should be run by Christians and protect and promote Christian concerns over those of others (author’s definition). We may think that is off, both theologically and constitutionally. But why, and how do we engage with people we love who hold these views.
Caleb Campbell, as a pastor has struggled with this. He identified 300 people who were no longer friends because they parted ways on these things. This changed when a representative of TurningPointUSA told him that while politics was important, she just wanted to follow Jesus. Then he asked her how she had met Jesus. And she shared that it was at a TurningPoint USA rally. Then his whole paradigm shifted from seeing her as an “enemy” to to a mission field. She was a sister in Christ who had been discipled into a distorted version of Christianity.
In the pages that follow, Campbell first addresses understanding the mission field of Christian nationalism. He differentiates it from patriotism and conservativism and considers it under three I’s: Ideology, Idolatry, and Identity. He uses the image of leviathan, the sea creature symbolizing chaos and evil opposed to the peaceable, good rule of God. By contrast, leviathan works through distorting scripture, fostering anxiety and rage, creating an “us versus them” culture, demanding ultimate allegiance, and making false promises. Then he exposes how the leviathan of Christian nationalism harms us. His most memorable image, describing the syncretic tendencies of mixing nationalism and Christianity is to describe it as the “poop in the brownie mix.”
If we understand leviathan, how do we disarm it? How do we engage with our neighbors? The question is how we steal past watchful dragons and build trust. And how do we set tables instead of flip them? Campbell enumerates several steps: 1) Start with hospitality; 2) Lead with questions; 3) Connect on shared values; 4) Use shibboleths (passwords) and avoid red flags; 5) Honor the good; 6) Engage in humble subversion; and, 7) Offer open invitations to future conversations. Then he offers models of what conversations on various topics would look like, practicing these principles. I would have loved to also hear stories of those who had turned from Christian nationalism to authentic Christian faith through such conversations.
He concludes with hope–not in argument but in Jesus and his power. What is valuable in his approach is that he combines clear eyed discernment of what is wrong with Christian nationalism with love for people that looks for common ground, doesn’t insult their intelligence or motives, and lovingly engages with them, asking questions and exploring ideas rather than offering diatribes.
This is hard work. At times, the sections unpacking Christian nationalism seem harsh. But I would argue that this is necessary. What is wrong in false teaching and those who expound it as teachers must be met with firmness and clarity. Yet those misled by such teaching to stray from the truth of the gospel of king Jesus must be gently helped back onto the path of discipleship. Perhaps the example of the good shepherd who leaves the ninety-nine for the one lost sheep should capture the attention of all of us who care for such things.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Summary: A story that pairs a struggling writer and a struggling environmental group hoping a conference becomes a big story when Gore shows up.
Lenny Beibel is driving his old Toyota Corolla to a rendezvous to pick up two leaders of a fringe environmental group. Rachel Seagrave is the founder of EarthKare and Frederick Wolfram is her earnest but overbearing communications director and assistant. They are meeting the rest of the rag-tag team at a rural Vermont camp owned by EarthKare, which will be the site of what they hope will be a game-changing environmental story. That is, if Al Gore shows up.
Everyone is swinging for the fences here. Lenny is a struggling freelance writer and EarthKare is struggling to hold onto followers. To be sure, they invited Gore months earlier. But his agent keeps stringing them along. Then she offers them a pinch hitter, Henry Marks, a jogger turned motivational speaker with a gig he calls JogThink. His audiences tend to be company retreats and cruise ship passengers. Somehow, the offer becomes a gift–Henry is coming pro bono. Rachel is assured the crowd will love him.
Then another unusual guest makes a fleeting appearance. Oswald’s thrush was thought to be extinct. Then there are several sightings, none long enough to be confirmed, but word gets out to a group of birders. The bird is elusive, the kind you only get to see out of the corner of your eye.
Meanwhile, Henry show up in the midst of preparations for a group of unknown size. And he seems the flake to complement what seems a disaster in the making. His first act is to take the whole group on a jog, not too fast. Slow jogging together spurs creative thinking. Wolfram foresees disaster and sees it as the opportunity to come to the rescue if Henry’s keynote flops. While Wolfram prepares for the worst, both Lenny and Henry do their best to court Rachel. And Rachel is courtable, although neither appear great prospects. The clock is ticking and she is weary of leading EarthKare, despite their urgent mission.
We read on wondering what will become of this trainwreck in the making, especially when a respectable crowd shows up. Bob Katz, a writer I’ve reviewed before, constructs a tale of idealists and bumblers hoping magic will happen in service of their urgent cause. And without preaching, he gets across the point that our situation is such that its not a time to jog but to run like hell but not without hope. You never know when either Oswald’s thrush or Al Gore will turn up.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Summary: A brief and balanced introduction and response to the terminology associated with being “woke.”
Our contemporary political discourse throws around variety of terms, often as epithets, including Critical Race Theory, socialism, liberalism and diversity, equity, and inclusion. Often these come under the umbrella of the culture of “woke.” Often the use of these terms initially had a positive association. For Blacks, in particular, it meant being awake to systems of injustice, often identified by Critical Race Theorists, allowing them to advocate remedies for those injustices. But they have increasingly been used pejoratively by those pushing back against what they perceive as self-righteous excesses.
Historian John G. Stackhouse, Jr. argues that often those who throw around the terms don’t understand the ideas behind them and certainly do not understand the terms as those who originated them do. In this book, he offers a concise guide that seeks to define various terms associated with “wokeness,” assessing both the commendable aspects of the ideas behind the terms as well as the aspects in need of critique. He writes as an evangelical for evangelicals and observes that evangelicals should be familiar with turning good terms into epithets. Whereas many who self-identify as “evangelical” understand the term as meaning “gospel-centered,” in contemporary parlance the term means “religious political conservatives” or something even more derogatory.
The first part of the book takes seven terms, and defines and offers a balanced appraisal of the significance of each. They are: postmodernity; critical theory; liberalism, socialism, and communism; diversity, equity, and inclusion; critical race theory, anti-racism, and political correctness. For example, on its face, anti-racism seems to make sense. Racism does need to be actively opposed. Furthermore, there is good evidence through our history that racism is baked into our societal institutions in ways that advantage whites. To not recognize, and act against this is to collude with the system. Where pushback occurs is in the extreme assumption that if you are white, you are irredeemably racist and there seems to be no way to move forward. As you can see, Stackhouse says uncomfortable things for both those who are on “conservative” and progressive ends of the spectrum.
The second part moves from understanding and critical appraisal to engagement. For example, with regard to “liberal politics” he would observe that liberal politics doesn’t equal liberal Christianity. Often, it is associated with liberty and justice for all, including those on the margins, values consonant with biblical Christianity, while drawing the line art true communism. Likewise, the Christian doctrine of total depravity would expect the pervasive influence of sin in systems and structures as well as individual lives, mirroring Critical Race Theory. We can embrace calls for action against these things while drawing the line at coercive or censoring actions.
As for diversity, equity and inclusion, it would be distinctly un-Christian to support sameness, unfairness, and exclusion. But our efforts shouldn’t result in segmentation rather than community, complaint instead of justice, or grievance instead of reconciliation. Finally, Stackhouse notes a shift from the relativism of post-modernity to a “new moralism” in which different “tribes” have their truth of which they are convinced and willing to go to war over. This calls for great skill and creativity and integrity in relating the gospel, which Stackhouse calls “the Big Story.”
As I’ve contended elsewhere, Stackhouse is advocating that we be “third way people” who do not join the partisans on either side but rather become bridgebuilders and reconcilers. To do this means to understand both the language of one and the critiques of the other. It means weighing all things by the scriptures and finding common ground wherever we can with our calling as kingdom people. As one who stands between, Stackhouse may find criticism from both sides. And that might be an interesting conversation if they hear and understand each other.
[Note: It came to my attention after posting this review that the author was discharged from his position at Crandall University in November of 2023 for inappropriate conduct toward students including inappropriate jokes, behavior, and treatment and an email exchange that amounted to sexual harassment. There was a pattern of similar complaints to his previous employer. I do not usually check the reputation of authors of books, preferring to allow the book to speak for itself. But after becoming aware of this information, I felt it necessary to disclose it so you can take it into consideration in deciding to read the book. There has been too much covering up of this kind of thing in Christian circles, protecting perpetrators to the harm of victims. An article (no paywall) was published in Christianity Today on the author that discusses both the allegations and his attorney’s response if you wish to learn more.]
Despite this being my last month of work, I reviewed nineteen books. Of these, four were in mystery series I’ve been working through by Marsh, Allingham, Peters, and Kreuger. I returned to Stanislaw Lem after a hiatus of several years. I finished the mammoth On The Resurrection: Evidences. And I read the authorized biography of Willie Mays for my baseball book of the summer. Jon Meacham’s And There Was Light on Lincoln underscored the importance of presidential character.
I reviewed a succinct commentary on Galatians, a devotional on gratitude, and a book of prayers for those going through serious illness–very different books. Munther Isaac’s The Other Side of the Wall is a heart-wrenching lament for the plight of the Palestinian people by a Palestinian Christian pastor from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. I had the privilege to interview him. Among the other books I reviewed was memoir of Edwin Yamauchi, that tells the story of a professor who wedded devotion to Christ and his mission, excellence of scholarship, and love for students in a public university setting.
The Reviews
Galatians: A Life in Letters, Johannes W. H. van der Bijl. Langham Global Library (ISBN: 9781839739200), 2024. A narrative commentary on the Letter to the Galatians, reconstructing the circumstances leading to, and the actual composition of the letter. Review
On the Resurrection, Volume 1: Evidences, Gary R. Habermas. B & H Academic (ISBN: 9781087778600), 2024. Evidence for the resurrection of Jesus based upon a minimal historical facts approach comprehensively researched and documented. Review
The Star Diaries: Further Reminiscences of Ijon Tichy, Stanislaw Lem. Harper Voyager (ISBN: 9780544079939), 2012 (First published in 1971). Ijon Tichy’s voyages across the galaxy, satirical short pieces of science fiction by Polish writer Stanislaw Lem. Review
Story, Ritual, Prophecy, Wisdom, Mark W. Hamilton and Samjung Kang-Hamilton. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. (ISBN: 9780802883186), 2024. Four modes of scripture for religious education and their use in teaching the Bible: story, ritual, prophecy, and wisdom. Review
Scales of Justice (Roderick Alleyn, 18), Ngaio Marsh. Felony & Mayhem (ASIN: B00Q3JQMJ0), 2014 (First published in 1955). A giant trout beside a murdered aristocrat from one of four families, all having motives or opportunity for murder, in a small rural village. Review
Willie Mays: The Life, The Legend, James S. Hirsch. Scribners (ISBN: 9781416547914), 2011. Willie Mays’ authorized biography, his passion for every aspect of the game, and his greatness on and off the field. Review
Towards an Incarnational Spiritual Culture, Gordon E. Carkner (Foreword by Iain Provan). Wipf & Stock (ISBN: 9798385203772), 2024. The Incarnation and our quest for identity, addressing the rootless identities of modern gnosticism and expressive individualism. Review
The Confession of Brother Haluin(Chronicles of Brother Cadfael, 15), Ellis Peters. Open Road Integrated Media (ASIN: B00LUZNWTU), 2014 (First published in 1988). From deathbed confession to arduous journey, Brother Haluin’s miraculous recovery results in a journey of penance accompanied by Cadfael. Review
Blood Hollow(Cork O’Connor Number Four), William Kent Krueger. Atria Paperback (ISBN: 9781439157794), 2009. A murder is pinned on Solemn Winter Moon, but Cork thinks otherwise, confronting resistance and wounds from the past. Review
Faith Embodied, Stephen Ko. Zondervan Reflective (ISBN: 9780310151692), 2024. Bringing physical and spiritual health together, a physician/pastor connects senses and bodily functions with our worship of God. Review
The Waters of Siloe, Thomas Merton. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt (ISBN: 9780156949545), 1979 (First published in 1949). A history of the Trappist monks, from Cistercian beginnings to the reforms at La Trappe, foundations in America, and the contemplative life. Review
Irreverent Prayers: Talking to God When You’re Seriously Sick, Elizabeth Felicetti and Samantha Vincent-Alexander. Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing (ISBN: 9780802882639), 2024. Talking to God when you’re seriously sick is modelled in this book by honest, unvarnished prayers written during such illnesses. Review
The Five Spaces, Dustin White. The Brethren Church (ISBN:9781732268180), 2019. Understanding the church’s spaces of discipleship, a study of how the church may leverage the different relational spaces we inhabit. Review
Coroner’s Pidgin (Albert Campion, 12), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504087230), 2023 (First published in 1945). Back from war, Campion finds a corpse in his bed, brought to his flat by an aristocratic lady protecting her son. Review
And There Was Light, Jon Meacham. Random House (ISBN: 9780553393965), 2022. The convictions shaping Lincoln’s public life including his opposition to slavery, the importance of the union, and his belief in providence. Review
Jingjiao: The Earliest Christian Church in China, Glen L. Thompson (foreword by Samuel N. C. Lieu). Wm. B., Eerdmans (ISBN: 9780802883520), 2024. The earliest Christian Church in China came via the Silk Road in the seventh century, substantiated by the Chang’an stele and other documents. Review
An Asian American Ancient Historian and Biblical Scholar, Edwin M. Yamauchi (Foreword by Stephen B. Kellough). Resource Publications (ISBN: 9798385211609), 2024. An Asian American Ancient Historian and Biblical Scholar is the memoir of Edwin M. Yamauchi, professor of history at Miami University, chronicling his family, faith, scholarly work, travels, and church leadership. Review
Book of the Month
Gary R. Habermas On the Resurrection: Evidences runs to over a thousand pages. Yet it is highly readable, thorough, amply documented, and well-argued. Consequently, it is simply the best presentation of the arguments based on evidence for the resurrection that I have read.
Quote of the Month
Irreverent Prayers is a book written by two Episcopal priests facing life threatening afflictions. Specifically, one fought of a MRSA infection of her leg involving months of treatment. The other went through successive surgeries for two different cancers, and was diagnosed with a serious recurrence during the writing of the book. In contrast to the pious language of so many written prayers, those in this book are raw and honest, giving words for what soi many in similar circumstances face. For example, here is a “Prayer When People Call Me Brave or Inspiring”:
“Gracious God, help me to react graciously when well-meaning people call me brave. I’m not brave. I didn’t choose this and wouldn’t if I had a choice. All I do when I’m not in treatment is sit around or sleep, which is hardly inspiring. I should pray that you shield them from knowing that they would react as they must if they were in this situation too, but I would like them not to say stupid things in the future. So please sort it out, God. Amen.”
What I’m Reading
Because I currently have five books awaiting review and five others I am reading, I’m just going to list them, with at most a few words when the title alone doesn’t make clear what the book is about.
Books awaiting review;
Woke, John G. Stackhouse, Jr. Explores this and other epithets in our current political discourse
Waiting for Al Gore, Bob Katz. A gentle satire on environmental activism by an author I like.
Disarming Leviathan, Caleb Campbell. On loving our Christian nationalist neighbors.
The Heretic’s Apprentice, Ellis Peters. Another in the Brother Cadfael series.
Living with Purpose in a Polarizing World, Albert M. Erisman and Randy Pope. Twelve biblical figures, how they engaged their culture, with contemporary illustrations from business and professional settings.
Books I’m Reading
Chasing Sacred, Mikella Van Dyke. On inductive Bible study and how it impacted the author’s life.
Cultures of Growth, Mary C. Murphy. How organizations can foster cultures of growth by the kind of mindset they foster.
Christianity and Constitutionalism, Nicholas Aroney and Ian Leigh, eds. Explores the Christian sources that have and may inform constitutional forms of government.
The Preacher and the Printer, Randy Petersen. On the unlikely friendship between George Whitefield and Ben Franklin.
Metaphysics of Exo-Life, Andrew M. Davis. Draws upon the metaphysics of A.N. Whitehead to formulate a cosmotheology addressing possibilities of extra-terrestrial life.
As you can see, there are lots of interesting reviews coming in the weeks ahead. I’d encourage you to sign up to follow Bob on Books to see them when they are posted! Happy reading friends!
The Month in Reviews is my monthly review summary going back to 2014!It’s a great way to browse what I’ve reviewed. The search box on this blog also works well if you are looking for a review of a particular book.
Today is my last day of employment with the collegiate ministry for whom I’ve worked forty-eight years. I’ve always tried to make clear that the views and books reviewed in this blog do not reflect the views of that organization. After today, that disclaimer will no longer be necessary.
Understandably, I’ve done a good deal of reflecting on this journey, filled with much gratitude. But I’ve not written until now on the impact of my work on my life as a reader. So I thought this a good space.
On one hand, I’ve always been a reader ever since I learned how to read. But work in this context made me a better reader in several ways. For one, several leaders stressed that we can only give out what we have within us and the importance of reading deeply to replenish the well. So I would use summers, when students were away to sink my teeth into deep books: Augustine, Calvin, Luther, Bonhoeffer and others.
A second influence was working alongside people like the late James Sire, whose book How to Read Slowly really taught me to read critically, to not just let books wash over me. Jim was a voracious reader, who introduced me to new authors, like Polish science fiction writer Stanislaw Lem.
A third influence that shaped me was to work among graduate students and faculty. This taught me not to fear opposing views. This, coupled with the conviction that all truth is God’s truth, taught me to read fearlessly. And I learned to have a greater tolerance for ambiguity as part of the process in inquiry.
Finally, we believed God’s love knows no boundaries which has encouraged me to read the works of people of different ethnicity and national origin. There is so much more to the world than the perspective of this White American! All these influences have, I believe, made me a better reader, for which I’m grateful.
Five Articles Worth Reading
Students are returning to college campuses. Appropriately, Bookriot ran an article this week on “A History of The Campus Novel.” Campuses make a great setting for all sorts of fiction, as this article suggests.
I mentioned how limiting only looking at the world from a Western perspective can be. Polish scholar and essayist Małgorzata Gorczyńska in “A Rolled-up Paper Gun” delineates some of the ways Eastern Europeans read and see the world differently.
Have you ever said, “we live in uncertain times.” Emily McCrary-Ruiz-Esparza makes the case in “We Live in Uncertain Times… But Haven’t We Always?” that this is nothing new. And she proposes, “Let us learn to be comfortable with unknowability. We don’t know what will happen next, and we cannot know.” The illusion of certainty may be our greater enemy.
Mat Messerschmidt considers why the works of Friedrich Nietzsche hold so much sway with many young men and how this reflects our crisis of masculinity in “Over Man.”
Finally, you might enjoy listening to this conversation as “Isabel Wilkerson Looks Back at “The Warmth of Other Sons.” This is part of the New York Times conversations with authors appearing on their “Best of the 21st Century” list.
Quote of the Week
Jorge Luis Borges was born August 24, 1899. He offered this speculation with which many of us would resonate:
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of library.”
Miscellaneous Musings
I wish Elizabeth Peters had written fifty Brother Cadfael’s. I’m on number 16 of 22 and I don’t want the series to end. At least Louise Penny has another Gamache coming out this fall and William Kent Krueger is still turning out books in his Cork O’;Connor series.
I reviewedAnd There Was Light by Jon Meacham on Abraham Lincoln. I don’t know if Lincoln was elected for his character and convictions, but it was crucial to his leadership. But in posting this, I learned of another book by the same title, an autobiography of Jacques Lusseyran. Although blind at the age of 7, by 17 he became a leader of the French resistance to the Nazis. I ordered a copy, because the person who recommended it was the one who put me onto William Kent Krueger and she considered this in her top five.
Leonard Riggio died this week. He turned Barnes & Noble into a bookselling giant, a threat to many indie booksellers, at least until Amazon came along, and the suddenly were united against a common competitor. The store near us opened during his era and seems to be thriving under the leadership of James Daunt. The Chicago Sun Timesobituary offers a good profile of his career.
Well, that’s The Weekly Wrap for this week!
Find past editions of The Weekly Wrap under The Weekly Wrap heading on this page.
Summary: An Asian American Ancient Historian and Biblical Scholar is the memoir of Edwin M. Yamauchi, professor of history at Miami University, chronicling his family, faith, scholarly work, travels, and church leadership.
In the spring of 1974, I was a college sophomore on break, visiting a friend at Miami University. On Sunday, we went to his church, Oxford Bible Fellowship, attending the college Sunday School class. The teacher was a university professor, a somewhat owlish history professor known to students as “Dr. Y.” I forget the lesson but remember the questions people asked and the command of ancient Near East scholarship this man had. And I remember his kindness. Though obviously brilliant in his field, there wasn’t the least hint of condescension. He genuinely cared to encourage students in their Christian belief and their confidence in the Bible. Little did I know, this was an introduction to an acquaintance of fifty years.
So it was with great delight that I received a copy of his memoir which only deepened my respect for him as it filled in many gaps in his life story. I learned that he was the child of immigrants from Okinawa living in Honolulu. I did not know that his father took his own life when Edwin was just three years old nor of all the moves he made as a child as his mother moved from job to job to support the family. nor had I heard the story of his conversion through his friendship with Dick Lum and the ministry of Robert W. Hambrook.
From fifteen he aspired to mission work, receiving early training at the Christian Youth Center before studies at Columbia Bible College, followed by completing his undergraduate work at Shelton College. From there he went on to study with Cyrus H. Gordon, a distinguished ancient Near East Scholar at Brandeis University. After further post-doctoral work and a period at Rutgers, which denied him tenure, he came to the history department at Miami in 1969.
From here, the memoir progresses decade by decade, and later, year by year. Generally, for each period he summarizes his scholarly work and publications, his Christian service, and developments with his family. With regard to his scholarship, what stands out are the numerous conference presentations and research trips, and extensive lists of articles, chapters, and books. But perhaps even more important, Yamauchi was a dedicated witness. He lectured on scholarly and apologetic topics at many universities, served on the editorial board of Christianity Today, actively advised InterVarsity chapters at Rutgers and Miami. And he was one of the founding leaders of Oxford Bible Fellowship, to which one of the appendices is devoted.
In true scholarly tradition, we also read of the many former students and other scholars with which Dr. Yamauchi associated. He takes as great a pride in their accomplishments as his own. One appendix is a who’s who of present and former Oxford Bible Fellowship members and what they’ve accomplished. But pride of place belongs to his family. Nearly every chapter describes the accomplishments of Kimi, and his two children. We also see a man who delights not only in ancient artifacts but in sporting events, concerts, and the arts.
This memoir chronicles why, for so many of us, “Dr. Y” is the model of the scholar-Christian. Over his career he combined a forthright but gracious witness to Christ with scholarly excellence and devotion to his students. His scholarship consisted both of technical works advancing knowledge in his field and works of more popular scholarship advancing knowledge of the Bible and its backgrounds. In this memoir, Dr. Yamauchi renders that account in his own words.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Summary:The earliest Christian Church in China came via the Silk Road in the seventh century, substantiated by the Chang’an stele and other documents.
Most renderings of the history of Christianity in China place its arrival in the nineteenth century, a product of Western missions. This lays it open to criticism as a Western imperialist effort, part of the effort to colonize China. Glen L. Thompson, in this book, summarizes the research, rooted in primary documentation, showing this is not so. Rather. he shows that the earliest Christian Church in China came via the Silk Road in the seventh century AD. Furthermore, its origins were not in the European West but the Syriac East.
In fact, Christians, gradually moving east along the Silk Road established churches along that route culminating with churches in northwest China, established by a Syriac priest, Alopen. Christianity was known as “Jingjiao” or the Luminous Teaching. It received official approval in the tang Dynasty, along with other religions. It survived, with some setbacks into the ninth century, and resurfaced briefly in the twelfth century.
This book traces the evidence that has been uncovered for Jingjiao. Most notable is the Chang’an stele, attributed to a monk, Jingjing in the da Qin Monastery. The stele first summarizes the teaching of Jingjiao, which looks very much like orthodox Christianity of a Syriac origin. Then it details the edicts of Taizong and subsequent emperors, granting permission to propagate this Luminous Teaching and traces the rise and fall of Jingjiao through the reigns of subsequent emperors. A second part celebrates the true Lord and the Tang emperors. At the bottom are details of the composition of the stele and the church hierarchy, comprising both Syriac and indigenous personnel. Thompson also discusses additional pillars and scrolls that round out the teaching summarized on the Chang’an stele. He includes appendices showing much of this material, and a line by line translation of the Chang’an stele.
Thompson explores how the material shows the challenges and efforts to contextualize the faith while remaining orthodox. Moreover, the overall consistency of this material of eastern origin with later western teaching lays the groundwork for an apologetic for the faith. It is early on the scene, Gradually, the Syriac elements give way to more indigenous elements. The contemporary Chinese church has gone further in this way. But the story of these early Christians, enjoying the approval of emperors offers great encouragement.
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Disclosure of Material Connection: I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher for review.
Summary: The convictions shaping Lincoln’s public life including his opposition to slavery, the importance of the union, and his belief in providence.
One of the things I’ve appreciated about the writing of Jon Meacham is that he focuses on the formative influences, qualities of character, and deeply held convictions of his subjects. And this what sets his biography of Lincoln apart from the many other fine biographies of the sixteenth president.
Of course he traces the life of Lincoln from his humble upbringings, his law career, early political life, his rise in Republican circles, and his war-marred presidency and its tragic end. Two formative influences stand out. One is his step-mother Sarah, who encouraged his hunger for books and brought order to a struggling household. The other was Mary Todd Lincoln, his wife, who wanted to marry the man “who had the best prospects of being president.” She was at his side in all his political endeavors, the archetypal political spouse.
What she recognized was an ambitious man with a greatness of vision. The Declaration of Independence, even more than the Constitution, shaped him. It’s ringing words, “all men are created equal” form a bedrock conviction in Lincoln. Consequently, he could not envision a good society as one where one man enslaved and lived off the work of another.
Yet he was a also a savvy politician with an acute sense of the possible. This explained his pragmatic approach of only trying to stop the spread of slavery. Preserving the Union, as far as possible, was uppermost in his priorities as President. This frustrated extreme abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass, who eventually reached a very different appraisal. An example of that sense of timing was the Emancipation Proclamation, planned for some time, but only proclaimed after victory at Antietam.
Closely tied to his intuitive sense of was his deep sense of feeling and empathy. Thus, he would struggle with the black bear of depression and would deeply grieve his lost son. Also, he was patient and gentle with a shrewish and increasingly unstable Mary. These same qualities were in evidence when he visited wounded soldiers in field hospitals.
Finally, though not a conventional Christian, Lincoln had a deep conviction of the providence of God in human affairs. He understood he could not bend or appropriate God’s will to his ends. The war would last as long as God willed, though this didn’t prevent him from looking for generals who would fight. He understood grace and forgiveness and had no intent to punish the South at war’s end. One wonders how different Reconstruction might have been were it not for Wilkes’ bullet.
One cannot, in an election year, help but think about presidential character. In the case of Lincoln, Meacham portrays a Lincoln with not only the requisite political skills, savvy, and ambition. He also had depths of character, breadth of vision and spiritual underpinnings to meet the challenges of the moment. Do we want that in those we entrust to our highest office? And if we do not, what does this say of us as a people?
Coroner’s Pidgin (Albert Campion, 12), Margery Allingham. Open Road Media (ISBN: 9781504087230), 2023 (First published in 1945).
Summary: Back from war, Campion finds a corpse in his bed, brought to his flat by an aristocratic lady protecting her son.
He’s been away on a secret mission even he didn’t fully understand. He stops off at his flat for a bath before catching a train to the country to be reunited with Amanda, now his wife. Then he hears voices and activity in his flat. One is his servant Lugg. The other is an aristocratic lady by the sound of her voice. They are in his bedroom. When he emerges, he finds a woman in his bed. Dead.
He doesn’t want to know. He just wants to catch his train. But its too late. The lady is Lady Carados, mother of his friend Johnny Carados, a war hero. The dead girl was found in Johnny’s bed, just before he is to arrive home and marry. Inconvenient. Lugg is the Air Warden in Carados Square and has access to the ambulance. Lady Carados, a force of nature, had enlisted him to get the body out of the way. They hadn’t expected Campion to turn up.
What was made to look like a suicide was murder. And as he investigates, her death emerges as part of a bigger plot. There have been other deaths. Not only that, they are part of an art theft ring with ties back to the Nazis. Although he is a war hero, Chief Inspector Oates has traced the threads back to Johnny Carados. This is despite all the efforts of Lady Carados and Johnny’s friends to shield him. Even Campion refuses to believe it.
Like many of Allingham’s mystery, this one has lots of twists and turns, including the discovery of a rare wine vintage, and the near death of a wine expert from an analgesic given him by Johnny. Then there is a bit of charm in the form of Lugg’s pet pig and good humor in the form of a country woman who has unwittingly provided her lodgings for the stolen art. Meanwhile, Campion just wants to get back to Amanda…
