End The Fed

 
(2009)
Ron Paul


Finished Reading: 03.2012

"The Federal Reserve, the central bank of the United States, provides the nation with a safe, flexible and stable monetary and financial system." - www.federalreserve.gov

Not really. Ron Paul would beg to differ, and he does in this heated demand to abolish the federal agency which supervises the nation's money supply and banking industry. Though a topic few politicians are interested in discussing, let alone we the people with cash in hand, Congressman Paul continues to bring this national security issue to light, seeking a serious economic debate as to whether the Fed should stay or go.

Arguing that a central bank is not necessary, and in fact is "dishonest, immoral, and unconstitutional." Paul recommends a more diversified system without a single government backed entity that unwisely interferes with the free market and removes much of the responsibility and risk from the individual investor and redistributes the mistakes to everyone, all the while increasing inflation and devaluing the currency. Frequently descibing their frequent "printing money out of thin air," he advocates a monetary policy based on real commodities (such as gold) rather than the amount of ink that happens to be in the printing press or digital transaction records, which by the way, is money that doesn't ever need to be printed!

The more money the Federal Reserve prints, all of which isn't backed by gold, silver, or anything real, the less each dollar is worth. I could print money on my printer at home, but good luck buying bread with it as the government has not granted "legal tender" status on my pretty printed pictures, even if I did find someone who was willing to accept it. Both pieces of paper are otherwise worth the same.

The Fed doesn't seem to have plans to slow down the devaluation of our currency anytime soon, as the larger the machine gets the more fuel it needs to burn. But Ron Paul hopes to put the brakes on the Fed as a central issue in his bid for the white house in 2012 as it has been throughout his long political career. Unfortunately, rather than advocating change for a policy that doesn't work, most Americans are content to hope it works better tomorrow than it has for the last 99 years.

For more information: Ron Paul 2012

The Revolution

A Manifesto

(2008)
Ron Paul

Finished Reading: 11.2011

Though a Libertarian hiding in a divergent Republican party, Ron Paul isn't out to fool anyone. The Texas Representative boldly lays out his policy in this Manifesto, published during his second presidential run in 2008. If Ron Paul is nothing else, he is consistent and he is clear. He advocates colorful sweeping change in a political landscape where politicians are only looking to pick out a new shade of beige for the upcoming 2012 elections.

One of Paul's primary platforms is a significant change to U.S. foreign policy.  He calls for a non-interventionist strategy where we just leave other countries alone, allowing them to carry out their own business. Our military would stay home and protect America while we save money, lives, and avoid unwanted blowback and the increasing international hatred that boils across the seas. Paul compares today's politicians with those in the past, concluding that our nation is headed into unnecessary interventionism and away from the original intent of our Founding Fathers. He ties our recent foreign policy actions to our other national problems, particularly the economic catastrophe that he predicted and we now find ourselves wallowing in.

Additionally, Ron Paul touches on the Constitution, economics, personal freedom, and money. These are all important talking points in the election season and each brings fodder for further discussion as I now move away from reviewing the content of the book itself, and delve into broader thoughts...

Most political followers see a big asterisk next to anything Ron Paul says, indicating that he is so far outside the box of American ideals that no one on the left or right takes his strategy ideas seriously. This is amazing that someone could be so ignored. I wonder how the radical agenda of a potential President Ron Paul would pan out? Could he accomplish his stated agenda with a typical Congress of regular partisan Democrats and Republicans?

If the government were to get it's big grubby hands out of the cookie jars, what would happen to the neglected crumbs? Would private enterprise, charity organizations and small local governments, as Paul proposes, pick up and run with the programs that the Federal Government leaves behind? Entirely idealistic, I know, but I'd like to see less forced taxation and more voluntary charitable contribution. But I do believe that the depravity of man is real and we will selfishly hoard for our own. The old question was, "Should this or that be done?" But my new question is, "Should government be the one to do it?"

Libertarianism, which I am just beginning to research, is an interesting blend of conservative and liberal thought, with a focus on liberty. Freedom is the catchy word floating around these days, but liberty seems to be similar and not as well understood. I like one definition that liberty is "not...the absence of interference in one's actions, but as non-dependence... (which) means being in a state of non-dependence from another's arbitrary will."

Extreme policy proposals seem like a waste of time on the surface, when every day the general disagreement is about minuscule details or trivial differences. But radical thoughts can bring about moderate change at a time when a new shade of beige is the only color proposed. If nothing else, a potential President Ron Paul would be like nothing we've ever seen.

Ina May's Guide to Childbirth

(2003)
Ina May Gaskin

Finished Reading: 07.2010

Ever wonder what it's like to give birth? As a man, I have no idea, but I found this collection of birth stories to be incredibly useful and encouraging - and is nothing like you think you know unless you've done it. Often birth finds itself between the restrictive limits of medical recommendation and what is truly possible. This book chronicles what many women have to say about the story of their baby's birth. This isn't just speculation, averages, statistics or norms - these are the actual stories of incredible natural births, something that is often overlooked as possible.

Ina May is a midwife at a rural birthing center in Tennessee. Along with her fellow midwives, she delivers dozens (hundreds?) of natural births each year, and they all seem to come into the world differently. Women flock to this birthing mecca, seeking a counter-cultural environment of peace and harmony - allowing what is natural to take place without much intervention.

Some women have had different experiences with previous labors and seek the natural alternative on The Farm. Dissatisfied with the cold assembly line nature of the typical hospital, these women believe that nature has provided for the female body to embrace the labor process and help them birth a baby without the help of increasingly overused technology. Some things are not improved by the constant push of industry. The typical birth experience is certainly different than a typical life saving emergency, though you wouldn't know it by the way they are similarly handled.

While a home birth or natural birthing center experience isn't for everyone, books like this open our eyes to what else is out there. There is more to birth than the television hospital variety that ranges from pristine babies emerging from behind a sheet (already disconnected from the placenta, fat and chubby) to screaming horrors - women on their backs, strapped to the table, babies being extracted rather than born. As seen here, birth can happen quietly. The first breath of a human in the presence of people who really care, should be noteworthy not strange.

Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire

(2000)
J.K. Rowling

Finished Reading: 05.2010

This fourth episode of the Harry Potter saga feels superior to its predecessors in writing and plot. Having firmly established the characters of Hogwarts and the typical rhythms of the magical world in the first three books, the author seems now to expand the Harry Potter universe exponentially in many interesting directions beyond just Hogwarts and Harry's friends, bringing real villains into the light.

Rather than competing in the typical quidditch season, select students find themselves at the center of attention, competing for the TriWizard Cup. The national sport of the flying broom wielders is cast aside for an entire year, just for three days or so of watching their classmates compete at some exciting challenges. Why can't the witches and wizards keep up their favorite sport in between these events? If quidditch play is resumed next year, all the teams will be rusty from lack of practice. Maybe they have a spell for overcoming sitting on your bum all year?

The character of Mad-Eye Moody is particularly riveting, as he is more than an adequate replacement for the often vacant post of Defense Against the Dark Arts professor. Having experience with overcoming the dark arts himself, he is able to teach the students what they actually need to know. Too bad he doesn't end up quite right at the conclusion, but I hope he will return for some dark arts butt-kicking. Dumbledore seems to be gearing up for a stand against Voldemort and would be mad not to enlist the help of Moody.

There were so many things happening in this book that I can't even begin to comment on them all. Definitely the best Harry Potter book so far...

Mothering Magazine's Having a Baby, Naturally

The Mothering Magazine's Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth

(2003)
Peggy O'Mara

Finished Reading: 05.2010

There are a lot of parenting and pregnancy books out there, but I have found this one to be the most useful so far. The information is presented in an easy to follow way, straight and unfiltered. The things you need to know - it's all in here (with a lean towards natural birth, but the hospital setting is well described as well). All the considerations and options are brought up, starting in the first trimester and working all the way through birth and afterwards. The book deals with how a woman feels emotionally and physically, what she needs nutritionally, and what is actually happening with her body at each stage of development. Although dads can benefit from the whole book by understanding what their wife is going through, there is a special section for men that gives advice on ways to help women most effectively.

I was particularly interested to know what I should expect during the actual birth and how a home birth differs from a hospital birth - in detail. While every birth is different of course, everything is well explained and diagrammed. The various stages of labor, the medications some women take or do not take, the surgical procedures that one could have or not have done and plenty of other interesting stuff. Clearly, giving birth in a hospital is nothing like giving birth at home. It's like comparing a microwavable dinner which comes packaged in a compartmentalized plastic tray to the experience of roasting meat over an open fire that you have hunted and caught yourself. Both methods give you a meal but that is where the similarities end.

Overly mystical and spiritual books on pregnancy and parenting don't interest me, so I skip over the sidebars in this one that recommend birth shrines, soul days, and introspective list making, but luckily these things and excerpts of short poetry are relegated to the sidebars and so you can easily choose whether or not to pay attention. If you're into that sort of thing its here, but you won't be inundated with it like with some books. However, the sidebars do contain some useful herbal remedies for various maladies as well as stretching and yoga exercises.

Whether a couple is still considering whether or not to have a natural birth or if they have already committed to that path, this book is a fantastic guide to the seemingly unknown path that lies ahead.

Kids

How Biology and Culture Shape the Way We Raise Our Children

(2001)
Meredith F. Small

Finished Reading: 04.2010

This book is the second part to Our Babies, Ourselves which covered the first year of human life. Kids picks up from age one, commenting on the next half dozen years, a period of serious development, learning and growing.

While American parents obsess about whether or not their child is in the right learning environment, whether she is maximizing her learning potential for her age, and whether or not she has the right toys which are needed to mold the intellect - most cultures simply let their children learn by observation and then give them something useful to do. While education is important, the author points out that our preoccupation with excessive education at an early age - preschool enrollment and constant chattering with our babies will not necessarily make them smarter. They will learn when their bodies are biologically ready to learn, and not before. Eventually children will speak and read, and the important thing is to encourage the joy of learning.

One chapter that I found to be particularly interesting was the one about gender differences, while the speculative chapters on the evolutionary history of, and reasons why we have a childhood I could have done without. Humans have a childhood while other animals do not, it is pointed out. Many animals are ready to run around on their own soon after birth while some are born helpless but grow quickly into mature adults before too long. This is interesting to note, but doesn't really help with making parenting decisions.

As far as gender goes, children don't know the biological difference between boys and girls for their first few years and so those pink dresses are not really reinforcing anything except their parents acquiescence to cultural norms. While pink dresses don't really hurt anything (except my sense of style), the author thinks our Western culture over does it a bit with established differences between adult male and female dress, hair, makeup and overall perception. Distinguishing gender is of course useful, as it makes it easier to know who to pursue when looking for a mate, but if we all wore brown and did our hair the same way, relationships could become awkward. Since children are not ready for all that, why force them into gender specific activities or to wear gender specific colors?

Similar to Our Babies Ourselves, this books shows we need to ask ourselves why we raise our children the way we do, and decide whether some of our parenting persuasions can be left behind in favor of a parenting style that is primarily beneficial for the child rather than simply a convenience for the parent. There is more than one way to raise a child.

The Passive Solar House

The Complete Guild to Heating and Cooling Your Home

(2006)
James Kachadorian

Finished Reading: 03.2010

The Passive Slab system, developed by Kachadorian in the 1970's, includes a poured concrete slab over standard concrete masonry units. The voids in the CMU's (which are placed side by side, on their sides) are used for air circulation and the movement of heat into the home. With the help of a small fan for air movement, the resident of a passive solar house can enjoy a moderate temperature year round without the use of a active heat source! The light from the sun comes in through the windows, and the heat is trapped because the home is constructed tightly with minimal leakage. Window coverings can help keep the heat from escaping through the glazing at night.

Kachadorian is writing from his experience building homes in the Northeast, in places like Vermont and Connecticut, and based on most of the examples given, assumes we are going to build our solar house in a very cold climate. His houses seem to be built out in the middle of nowhere, but this doesn't affect the design at all, and a solar house can be built in the city or anywhere - in a cold or mild climate. In areas with fewer days of sunshine, it is still beneficial to collect the solar rays that do fall on the site, though it may not be enough to eliminate back-up power.

He includes very detailed instructions on how to calculate the sizes of windows, slabs, and to see how much energy will be gained and lost throughout the day. This method varies some from other Passive House designs, which concentrate rigorously but simply on maintaining a tight envelope with proper air exchange, rather than a fancy slab and operable window coverings. Importantly, whatever type of house is being designed, the architect should consider the location of the sun, and use that ball of gas burning billions of miles away for as much free heat as he can get from it. Keep that electric heater off!

I Am America (And So Can You!)

(2007)
Stephen Colbert

Finished Reading: 01.2010

Nation, Stephen Colbert is of course absolutely absurd. But that is why we love him. He is the face of televised conservative stereotypes, a self-centered hedonist , and the epitome of over-abundant nationalism. I'm a little surprised that the Stars and Stripes are missing from the cover of this hilarious book. Perhaps Colbert is a little too much America, but that is why he is funny, so three likenesses of his face on the covers works as well as a flag. Appropriately, if the character Colbert could become a book, he has become so in this bespectacled binding. Complete with red page edges that scream for you to pick it up off the shelf, an attached red book mark proclaiming "First Edition" to lure people who are impressed by bright things, and a silver seal of literary excellence to proclaim its very legitimacy, I Am America (And So Can You) begs to be judged by its cover. There are at least a half a dozen other interesting things to be said about the front and back cover, as well as the dust jacket fold-ins, but let's not get carried away.

I can't imagine this book makes any sense if you are unfamiliar with the Comedy Central late night show, The Colbert Report. The only thing to know is that Stephen Colbert is as conservative as they come, as Republican as anyone can possibly be, and the greatest ongoing satirical act this side of Kim Jong Il. He doesn't break character. Though we know his character isn't who he really is, I don't think anyone knows who Stephen Colbert really is. Do we want to know? I think he must be America.

This whole situation reminds me of the Truman Show, the 1998 film where Jim Carrey plays a man who thinks he is living a normal life but is actually the subject of an elaborate television show in which he is the main character. The whole world watches him everyday, and he has no idea. Stephen Colbert is the opposite. He definitely has an idea that the world is watching him everyday, as he is the main character of an elaborate political television show that portrays him as a man living a normal conservative life. Yes, we are all watching him, but we think Colbert is a real person. A real Republican. A real American. He even ran for President of the United States in 2008, though he didn't get very far.

Another thing I wonder about is what real conservatives think of the Colbert Report. For myself, I feel I have a healthy mix of conservative and liberal values, so it is probably my liberal side that finds him so funny. I think he is acting this way to make fun of conservatives, of course. But apparently not everyone realizes this is comedy, which is also pretty funny. But back to the book.

Hopefully, Colbert forces us to consider our own political beliefs (as long as they are his beliefs). While reading his chapters, which range from Religion and Race to Animals and Old People, you will find that at times you are laughing (when you are feeling particularly liberal) and at other times you are reading in earnest, nodding in agreement and forgetting to laugh (as a wave of serious conservatism hits you). If you are reading and not laughing, you are drowning in the conservative side of your brain. Which is exactly what I think the real Stephen Colbert is trying to do. Drown us all in humorous absurdity.

"Multi-Grain."

Green Metropolis

Why Living Smaller, Living Closer, and Driving Less Are Keys to Sustainability

(2009)
David Owen

Finished Reading: 01.2010

Most people consider large cities to be the very opposite of an environmentally friendly living situation. When we look at a large city, such as New York City, we see a point source for heavy power and fuel usage and no real concentration of nature for miles. The city is not seen as an environmental goal, but this author argues otherwise, claiming that we are looking at environmentalism all wrong.

Sure, New York City uses more energy than any other city in the country, but it also has a much larger population than anywhere else, and per person actually consumes less energy as each resident of the city has a smaller footprint and uses much less energy than their friends who live in the suburbs. In New York City the population is densely stacked on top of one another, and side by side, and the neighborhoods are set up so that everything one needs for work, entertainment, consumption and living is nearby. Cities are made for people.

The suburbs however, while giving the illusion of a peaceful replication of nature, are doing more harm than good. To live in the suburbs is to live in your car. Where there is more land to spread out homes are generally larger, which means more large appliances and more energy consumption, and a higher use of fertilizers and non-natural cleaners to keep things going. To escape the suburbs and get closer to nature is to perpetuate the suburbs, moving further and further away from the cities but really just bringing a strained out version of the city with you. If suddenly you found yourself without your car, way out there away from things, you would be out of options. Owen says that more nature is destroyed by the low-density development around New York City than by the city center itself. We just don't usually think of it that way.

Of course, the reason the suburbs are so popular is that they give us what we want. More room more independence, and more privacy. This can be achieved by the use of an automobile. The primary stated and unstated goal of drivers and municipalities in every region of the country is to increase traffic flow and get commuters to their destination as quickly as possible, that is, make driving more comfortable and quicker. The author's opinion on this, with the environment in mind, is that we should make driving as difficult, expensive and inconvenient as possible in order to encourage drivers to switch to public transportation, which will probably require people to reconsider some larger aspect of their lives than gas mileage, such as where they live and where they work. Most people would rather make their current living situation as environmentally friendly as possible rather than changing the basic premise of how they live their lives. Who can blame them?

There is a fascinating concept explored in this book about the difference between making cars more efficient and smaller, and getting them off the road all together (not an option for most people). The reasoning goes that we should not be interested in getting people out of cars for the benefit of public transportation, but rather that we need to get people out of cars period - and whatever you do to get around is up to you, whether walking, bicycling, or by public transportation. It is not the car itself that is the greatest concern, but rather the lifestyle it allows and perpetuates. With the automobile we can spread ourselves far and wide, thinly coating civilization over large expanses of land, and the further we go the more we rely on the automobile for the simplest tasks. The author, and he is not alone in this, points out that this way of life may get increasingly difficult in coming years if the cost of cheap, personal transportation increases to more than we are willing to pay. It is not sustainable, so while not change while you have the choice?

I have to admit I feel pretty good about a doom and gloom book like this because it reflects my own thoughts on cities and agrees with the choices I am making every day. But we can always improve. David Owen doesn't have a lot to say about Portland (a few quick statistical mentions) because we are not really the Green Metropolis that Portlanders think they are. Most of the east side of the Willamette river is low density suburbs, and you don't have to go very far in the other directions before you find yourself in a place dependant on automobiles. There are some areas with higher density, but very few people can really get by without a car. Even if they could, they chose not to mostly because of which part of the city they choose to live in.

I would like to see Portland grow to be more dense. In 2010 we have almost 600,000 people within the city limits and that is sure to increase rapidly if the last decade is any indication. Of course there are probably a couple of million people in the "Portland Metropolitan Area," but really, most of those people are not close enough to the dense parts of the city to go without a car. We have the Urban Growth Boundary that disallows most unabated sprawl, and we have transit corridors in the form of light rail and streetcars which are ripe for new denser development. Downtown needs to seep over to the east side, trickling down the already growing mixed-used corridors of Hawthorne, Belmont, Alberta, Etc. Downtown itself is home to far too many empty lots, parking lots and single story dry cleaners. As more people move to the region, we need to make places for them closer to the center of the city, not build more homes out on the frontier fringe.

Owen notices that Americans love little cute things, like the Smart car or the Mini Cooper, but we can't seem to just leave them alone in their smallness - we want to make them just a little bit bigger or add on a little more power. I recently read that Mini Cooper is now developing an SUV of all things, just inches longer than their previous model which was just inches longer than the original Mini. As if a smaller SUV is really what we need.

I also recently read about the new Apple store which opened in New York City. It is basically a one-story pristine glass box, where the computers are on display. There is a basement for the clutter of things that are actually for sale. Architecturally, it is gorgeous. Though it is modern, clean, and seems pretty green, Owen would deride it for excessive glass (which means excessive heating, as no glass is as insulating as any standard insulated wall), ultra low density (one story, one use), and unnecessary disposable materials (the glass stair treads on the breath-taking spiral stair, which leads down to the basement, have to be replaced often from scuffs and wear). Kind of makes you think about things differently. On the other hand, we do need parks and open space, so the Apple store is like a new park to browse through, in between the towers. There are some nice trees across the street which can be clearly seen through the glass.

Can we change the world? Should we try? We are usually content to change the little things in our lives (like recycling and driving more fuel-efficient cars - which are important) but the author argues that these little things just maintain our life as it is, making us feel good about ourselves and masks the true costs to the environment. Can I change the world by social engineering, in my practice of architecture? Probably not. I cannot change the way people live or change what they want. We cannot build a bunch of towers which contain smaller apartments if no one wants to live in them. What we can do is to make the city a better place to live, and start actually caring about the environment and thinking about how our actions affect the Earth and the other bazillion people who live on it. I need to do my best and not give up on the big ideas, and hopefully you will do that same.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time

(2003)
Mark Haddon

Finished Reading: 12.2009

Autism is a disorder of neural development that is characterized by impaired social interaction and communication, and by restrictive and repetitive behavior. -Wikipedia

That is about as much as I knew before reading this fictional narration by a 15 year old autistic boy named Christopher (assumed to have Asperger syndrome). The boy discovers that his neighbor's dog Wellington has been murdered and he sets out to discover the reasons and who is the killer. In his murder mystery adventure, we are inserted into a mind that sees the world very differently than most people. Often autistic people are perceived in certain ways, perhaps as unable to comprehend ideas and what others are trying to say, but here we see from Christopher's own point of view that his world really does make the most sense and everyone else is absolutely incomprehensible.

Christopher lives in England with his father on an ordinary suburban street, and has a very ordered life, maintaining an unchanging daily schedule. He lives in the details that most people ignore, not understanding vague concepts and implied meanings. He doesn't like metaphors because they don't mean anything, and are not at all like the thing they are supposed to be like. He insists that the furniture in a room not be moved, or he will be afraid of the new uncertainty. He doesn't want to be touched by anyone, and avoids eye contact. For the most part, he only talks to his father and his teacher, and definitely not to strangers. Additionally, he has a photographic memory, remembering everything like it is playback on a tape, and loves science and logic. He has superior skills in mathematics, scoring well above his age group on tests.

Christopher has named the chapters of the book by prime numbers rather than the usual counting numbers, because it is more interesting. Thus, in this 226 page book there is a Chapter 233, though there is no Chapter 1 or 4.

Given his difficulty in understanding the world around him, his purposeful investigation of the dog's death leads Christopher to learn more about himself through new interactions with neighbors and new visits to places he has never been to before. He finds himself overloaded with information (since he notices every detail and remembers every detail) and has difficulty continuing his investigation as new details surface. Continually, he comes across adults who do not understand him and don't know how to communicate properly with a boy who doesn't speak or socialize in the way they are accustom to. If they would only take the time to listen to him, rather than quickly deciding he is loony and walking away, a lot of pain and misunderstanding could be avoided.

The boy's view of the world is much simpler than my own view; mine being clouded by occasional grand illusion. I feel this book is a clearer lens for things I've looked at for years and yet have never really seen. Often things really are as simple as they appear, and a unknown explanation may not exist. Even my frequent use of the word things in this very paragraph would not be tolerated by Christopher, as he would like to know more detail about what these vauge things are, which makes for better writing anyway. I will now try to assume less, notice more, and hopefully better understand people like Christopher who are not dumber than the rest of us, only a little different.

Finding The Flow

A Guide for Leading Small Groups and Gatherings

(2008)
Tara Miller
Jenn Peppers

Finished Reading: 01.2010

Finding The Flow is a "how-to" for leading small groups. There is no exciting plot or devastating disaster involving the goldfish on the cover. These orange sea kittens are simply exploring the word wrap possibilities around the letter G.

As the facilitator of a church small group this has been very helpful and timely as our group is dealing with many of the issues discussed in the book. The group began meeting in August 2009, and there has been a core group of six of us for most of that time, with occasional newcomers showing up now and then. I had not really thought about any of these issues before, as I just wanted the group to happen however it happens. Organization seems so lame.

The authors talk about knowing yourself, so that, as the facilitator, I can learn to know what the others are feeling or how they might react in various situations. There is a section on the various stages that a group goes through as it forms and grows. Small groups can't last forever, and eventually run their course. There are important life skills discussed that can be utilized in many situations where we have to deal with other people in a group. Listening, asking questions, dealing with conflicts, and developing new leaders are topics thoroughly explored. Annoying people are placed in the group by God to test us.

Most important is to remember that the purpose of the small group is our spiritual transformation and growth, which we do in community with the help of our group, We need to engage with the Scriptures enough to be moved by it, and this is a good way to organize that engagement.

The Gospel According to Tolkien

Visions of the Kingdom in Middle-earth

(2003)
Ralph C. Wood

Finished Reading: 11.2009

This is a summary of Tolkien's work, seen through the lens of Christianity. The story can be read and enjoyed without this monocle, but the lens provides some different color. Ralph Wood explores Tolkien's creation story (as beautifully told in the Silmarillion), wrestles with the reality of evil, the insistence of good to overcome evil, the redemption of sins, and finally an interesting parallel of the after-life (from The Debate of Finrod and Andreth, which I have not read). In addition to these sources, the author draws heavily from all three volumes of The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit, and various other published histories of Middle-earth.

The Gospel is the fulfillment and completion of all other stories, and the Kingdom can be seen in many places, often in simple clothing, not easily noticed. The author argues that Tolkien's work is influenced by his Christian faith, though The Lord of the Rings is not an allegory with a one to one connection (such as is the case with his contemporary, C.S. Lewis' story of Aslan the Lion playing the part of Jesus Christ in The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe). Rather, the author explores how Middle-earth is a pre-Christian culture that can exist within the framework of historical Christianity. My interpretation of this is that, since there are no Jews in these stories to have received revelation from God (as the chosen people did before the coming of Christ), the Elves, Hobbits and Men of these stories would have their own explanations for what is going on in the world around them, and it is totally conceivable that some future traveler might show up one day from a far away land to link the Gospel to all their experiences.

Much like the Aztecs or Mayans who had no direct connection with the ancient Jewish culture, though they shared a time and a planet, God was yet at work in all peoples. Middle-earth recognizes that there is a God, but doesn't quite know how he works. This shows that God's love, morals, and peace can still be known without direct knowledge of Jesus and his saving work on the cross. Just as the ancient mezzo-American cultures had a spiritual and religious life that isn't nearly Christian, Middle-earth was doing it's own thing the only way it knew how; but the author argues that it can be seen as being closer to Christianity than one would guess at first glance.

Examples of Good and Evil and the Redemption of sin can be found throughout the stories. Frodo is continuously merciful to Gollum. The resurrection of Gandalf was a sacrifice to save the others in the Fellowship. The promise of the coming kingship is realized in Aragorn. Balrogs and Ringwraiths have turned to evil, abandoning any good that once may have been to follow something "precious."

What happens after death is not well-established in Tolkien's major works. Elves are immortal and don't think much on death, but Men are meant to die after a short time on Earth. The Elves can return to the Undying Lands of Valinor (which seems to parallel heaven in some ways) but an after-life for Men is not understood (save "going to join one's Fathers"). In the last chapter of Wood's book, he references an interesting, though little known Tolkien story called The Debate of Finrod and Andreth, where the title characters, one an Elf the other a Man have a conversation about the after-life. He alludes that this story contains the strongest ties in Middle-earth to a Christian after-life, with Men having eternal souls and speaking of knowing God (Illuvitar) who is incarnated and descends bodily to Middle-earth in the "Consummation of All Things," which sounds a lot like the End Times. From the point of view of Tolkien's major works, this idea is seen as a Christian-like hope for a life beyond the present.

In some ways this book is academic and dry as the author searches to find and rationalize what he is looking for in the text. Often the obvious is stated, but perhaps for good points. To learn more about a beloved masterpiece of literature through a new lens is interesting and educational but the best opinions are perhaps given wings on the soaring pages of fantasy.

Some Assembly Required

(2001)
Michael Sorkin

Finished Reading: 11.2009

Architecture criticism can be boring, usually revealing the facts about a new building with some sort of back-story thrown in. Maybe a few academic concepts are dangled before the reader, but opinions offered are often eye rollers, the critic trying to make what should be largely subjective an objective diatribe. Michael Sorkin, however is witty and entertaining, and straight-up funny. Obviously he gives his opinion like the rest, but I find myself generally in agreement and in the end, entertained and impressed. I read Sorkin not for assembled bricks and steel but for his words, many of which require a dictionary.

Some Assembly Required is an engaging collection of essays and articles previously published throughout the 1990's, touching on various topics such as urban design, over-glorified architects, post-modern design failures, and even a surreal futuristic commentary on the evils of Walt Disney. Sorkin lays blame on the Mouse frequently, for his influence on the total destruction of good and wholesome architecture is evident throughout. The Disneyfication of America has left us in a fake, flat, stage-set cardboard world of no certain meaning, where the next things are made to look like the old things and are cherished because that's just how we roll. There is a strange nostalgia for non contextual styles in places where they don't belong.

Particularly noticeable is Sorkin's rebellious nature, writing as the one on the inside who hates that there even is an inside because it is so predictable. I picture him wearing black leather and riding a motorcycle to an architects party where everyone else shows up in black tie. He brings the beer, they bring the slide rules. He isn't afraid to tell the ugly kid that his face is ugly, and that his house is lame. He understands changing culture, and identifies clearly where architecture fails in each individual, unique, contextual cultural instance, meekly giving way to the many times copied (see xeroxed for older essays) and blindly disseminated global, banal, form letter of a culture that doesn't mean anything.

A good variety of places, buildings and individual architects are described and criticised to give the book a nice sampling of scales. I like good writing that attempts to kick the pilotis off the corner of a Corbusier knockoff now and then.

The Children of Hurin

(2007)
J.R.R. Tolkien

Finished Reading: 07.2009

Tolkien began writing what would become The Children of Hurin many years before he wrote the epic Lord of the Rings. However, he never finished this bleak story set in the First Age of Middle-Earth, though he apparently worked on it from time to time. His son Christopher Tolkien has published the story from various gathered fragments and drafts discovered over the years to bring us the story of Turin son of Hurin, with the best intentions towards maintaining the original voice of his father.

While yet a boy, Turin is separated from his family and grows up in a royal household of elves. But darkness reaches across the land, and evil destroys all that was once good, near and far from home. When Turin becomes a man he leaves his adopted home and wanders Middle-Earth to seek his family, joining with outlaws, elvish folk, and dwarves along the way. He valiantly slays orcs and dragons with his mighty sword Anglachel, but it is at the eventual reunion with one of his family that he finally pulls the darkness down upon himself. We discover Turin's fatal blunder long before he does, and we can't help but watch the tragedy unfold with anticipation. There are no hobbits to misdirect our attentions.

Beginning rather slowly with histories and long narrations, the story finally gets underway with vivid description of epic battles and bloody deaths. Dragon slaying is particularly exciting, as are the romantic implications discovered in a wrongful love, downwind to the unraveling of tragedy. The Children of Hurin is a much shorter story than The Lord of the Rings, containing less detail, and relying on story movement and action without tangential chapters devoted to further develop characters. Particularly in the last few chapters, the the characters are very convincing, and the writing is superbly crafted. Though not directly linked to one another, the two stories are a complement, as they share the same fictional universe.

Joyfully, an index of names is provided at the end of the book. Turin, Morwen, Mablung, Glaurung, and Finduilas are some of the many names thrown at us, if you can remember who belongs to which.

A Visual History of the English Bible

The Tumultuous Tale of the World's Best Selling Book

(2008)

Donald L. Brake

Finished Reading: 06.2009

Not only is this Visual History of the English Bible a fascinating tale recounting the slow transformation of God's word from rolled parchment to illuminated manuscript to printed book; it is the relating of History itself - told from a unique perspective not centered on war or politics as is often the case, but rather, on the world as seen through the lens of God's sovereign will to reveal his truth through man's devotion, faith and love.

Prior to reading, I thought I knew a little about church history, but it turns out I only knew a little. This book is rich in providing the back story of how the great leaders of the faith, such as Luther and Calvin, were able to rise to their tasks with the printed Bible in hand. It wasn't always available for the hand that would seek it, though we take it for granted in our modern age of online book ordering and bookstores on every corner (OK, I wish there was a bookstore on every corner).

Interwoven with bloody stories of sacrifice and martyrdom are the personal tales of Donald Brake and his search for rare Bibles to add to his impressive collection, often purchased in England. Little did the translators know that their dangerous work would one day be sought after by this collector. There is no lack of promoting the overextending of ones purchasing power to indulge in an expensive collection. Not being a collector of anything rare or noteworthy, it is hard for me to appreciate this enterprise. However, I am a lover of a great many books and my library shelves grow slowly with the cheapest "quality copies" that I can find, preferring older hardcovers to paperbacks.

I realized I have inadvertently begun a Bible collection of my own. My oldest Bible belonged to my grandfather Walter, a King James Version presented to him by his Aunt Edith in 1935 at his confirmation. Also passed down to me are two Service Testaments from WWII, and a Service Prayer Book, which he carried in that war. I also have a Revised Standard Version that belonged to my father Craig, dated 1970; given to him by his parents. I have added my own Bible to that shelf; A New American Standard was presented to me by my Junior High School for achievement in verse memorization, in 1995.

In addition to providing a stepping stone for me to consider my own Bible collection, Brake's book interested me in the history of the English Monarchy as well as the status of various current Bible translations, both of which I subsequently researched for more information. It seems this book is a gateway to a great many thoughts, surely a distinction of a successful publication. I was unaware of the involvement various Monarchs played in approving or disapproving translations at a whim, sometimes resulting in the death of those who chose to favor the Bishop's Bible over the King James Bible, for example. I was also under-informed of the full force with which the Catholic Church used the ignorance of the "man behind the plow" to hold him in its power. It was the very printing of the Bible in a language that the common man could understand that fueled the Reformation and gave birth to the Protestant faith.

The various translations of the Bible have become like "teams," with one person favoring the NIV and another preferring the NASB. I was a little disappointed that Brake doesn't devote many lines to my personal favorite, the English Standard Version (ESV). Of course it hasn't even been in print for a decade yet, and no blood was spilt over it's introduction, so it's history has yet to be written.

The Sins of the Fathers

Raising kids in a same-sex union

(June 22, 2009 Newsweek)
Lisa Miller

Finished Reading: 06.2009

As the Religion Editor of Newsweek magazine, Lisa Miller often pokes at Christianity with a long stick, thinking she pats it firmly on the shoulder. Often, metal armor is required. In her recent piece on same sex adopting couples, she brings up a dilemma confronting prospective same sex parents. The issue is that some same sex couples want to raise their children with religion, but how do they reconcile their homosexuality with a religion that doesn't recognize their role as parents?

Miller hints that some might find it puzzling that homosexuals would even want to be a part of the church, and in particular she writes about the Catholic Church. Obviously comfortable with their lifestyle, these homosexuals are trying to find an entitled place in a religion that doesn't take comfort in them, and which they do not understand. She references a gay man who is proud to see his children baptized in the Catholic Church. He is proud to see his daughter take Holy Communion, and the sight is to him a beauty and a joy. He is likewise proud of his homosexuality.

I applaud not he, but the Catholic adoption agency that chose to shut its doors rather than comply with mandatory non-discrimination laws regarding same sex parent adopting rights. This organization could not reconcile the civil law with God's law, and chose wisely the higher authority. Less wise is the choice of ignorant homosexuals who don't recognize that their problem with the church and homosexuality is that they are sinners who embrace their sin. But Christianity is to follow Christ; it is not the all-inclusive feel good club of Me. If they would embrace a new life in Christ, there need be no confliction. Then again, this article reminds us that there is a vast divide between religion and true faith, as the name of Jesus isn't even mentioned once. At least Miller got her title right.

Let us not seek for what we can get the Church to do, but rather let us seek after Jesus.

From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Therefore, if anyone is in Christ he is a new creation. The old has passed away, behold, the new has come. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God.

from 2 Corinthians chapter 5

The Reason For God

Belief In An Age of Skepticism

(2008)

Timothy Keller

Finished Reading: 03.2009

This book explores the most common reasons why people do not believe in God. While not attempting to prove that God exists through reason alone, Keller shows that most logical arguments against God don't actually work if we follow through with them, fully working out the logic. The skeptic usually goes into pondering the existence of God, not wanting there to be a God, and so he can reason anything against it. The author wants us to consider faith outside of science and what is provable, whether our skepticism is based on direct reasoning against God or ignorant doubts. This book is relevant to Christians because it is good to ask hard questions about what we believe, as we should not choose our beliefs and then not think upon them again.

Split into two sections, the book begins with seven chapters describing common claims against Christianity, and ends with seven chapters of claims for the truth of God. Following are my comments on some of the ideas presented.

There is a new kind of young Christian emerging particularly in cities, with whom I identify. This type of Christian does not feel a strong affiliation with a traditional mainline denomination, perhaps one reason being that he does not view the world in as black and white a fashion as his parents and grandparents traditionally did, separating their Christian world from the rest of the world, creating a Christian bubble. This type of Christian cares about the world as the one world it is, inhabited with different kinds of people; not two separate worlds in which one we cling to and one we shun. Keller recalls, when first struggling to grasp in his own life, that, "(t)he people most passionate about social justice were moral relativists, while the morally upright didn't seem to care about the oppression going on all over the world (xii). The Christianity he was presented didn't click with him.

The new, fast-spreading multi ethnic orthodox Christianity in the cities is much more concerned about the poor and social justice than Republicans have been, and at the same time much more concerned about upholding classic Christian moral and sexual ethics than Democrats have been (xx)." These Christians don't fit in the traditional molds that have been carved out of the last century and are looking for something new.

Keller makes important points that I agree with, such as:

"Most people in our culture believe that, if there is a God, we can relate to him and go to heaven through leading a good life....Christianity teaches the very opposite....Jesus does not tell us how to live so we can merit salvation. Rather, he comes to forgive and save us through his life and death in our place. God's grace does not come to people who morally outperform others, but to those who admit their failure to perform and acknowledge their need for a Savior (19)."

"If you have known many wise, loving, kind, and insightful Christians over the years, and if you have seen churches that are devout in belief yet civic-minded and generous, you will find the intellectual case for Christianity much more plausible. If, on the other hand, the preponderance of your experience is with nominal Christians (who bear the name but don't practice it) or with self-righteous fanatics, then the arguments for Christianity will have to be extremely strong for you to concede that they have any cogency at all (52)."

"It is often the case that people whose lives have been harder and who are 'lower on the character scale' are more likely to recognize their need for God and turn to Christianity (54)."

"In short, hell is simply one's freely chosen identity apart from God on a trajectory into infinity (78). All God does in the end with people is give them what they most want, including freedom from himself... (C.S.) Lewis writes: ...All that are in Hell choose it. Without that self-choice it wouldn't be Hell (79)."

"Imagine two people arguing over the nature of a cookie. Jack thinks the cookie is poison, and Jill thinks it is not. Jack thinks Jill's mistaken view of the cookie will send her to the hospital or worse. Jill thinks Jack's mistaken view of the cookie will keep him from having a fine desert. Is Jack more narrow-minded than Jill just because he thinks the consequences of her mistake are more dire? I don't believe anyone would think so. Christians, therefore, aren't more narrow minded because they think wrong thinking and behaviour have eternal effects (81)."

"If there is no God, then there is no way to say any one action is 'moral' and another 'immoral' but only 'I like this.'... if there is no God, then all moral statements are arbitrary, all moral valuations are subjective and internal, and there can be no external moral standard by which a person's feelings and values are judged (153-4). If you believe human rights are a reality, then it makes much more sense that God exists than that he does not. If you insist on a secular view of the world and yet you continue to pronounce some things right and some things wrong, then I hope you see the deep disharmony between the world your intellect has devised and the real world (and God) that your heart knows exists (156)."

"If you don't live for Jesus, you will live for something else. If you live for career and you don't do well, you will feel like a failure. If you live for your children and they don't turn out all right you could be absolutely in torment because you feel worthless as a person. If Jesus is your center and Lord and you fail him, he will forgive you. (172)."

Green Martyrdom and the Christian Engagement of Late Capitalism

(2008)

Rodney Clapp

Clapp, Rodney. "Green Martyrdom and the Christian Engagement of Late Capitalism." Cultural Encounters - A Journal For The Theology Of Culture Volume 4 / Number 1 (2008): 7-20.

Finished Reading: 02.2009

Rodney Clapp asserts that consumerism is desire for desires sake, and we are addicted to centering too much of our life on obtaining our desires, which are unfulfillable. Consumer capitalism demands that we make consumption our way of life, our ritual, and our spiritual satisfaction. It pretends to be a comprehensive view of life, where there is nothing beyond obtaining and acquiring.

In America, every single day of the year is a consuming holiday, and the day after an actual holiday is the first day leading up to the next holiday. The day after Thanksgiving kicks off the Christmas shopping season with huge sales! (buy! buy! buy!) Later, when we have settled down to our normal lives after the holidays, Valentines Day populates the countenance of our storefronts, screaming red and flowers and candy! Valentines Day wouldn't be anything to speak of outside the consumerist structure which has been created to take advantage of, ironically, the ancient celebration of St. Valentine, a Christian who was killed and martyred for his faith oh so long ago. We have made consumerism important because we want it to be important, perhaps subliminally covering up what these ancient holidays were really about.

A martyr is someone who endures great suffering on behalf of a belief or principle. If only St. Valentine knew what we were suffering for him. There are no martyrs in consumer capitalism, just as surely as there is no crying in baseball. Baseball players are supposed to be tough as nails, and consumers are supposed to spend money on things they don't need. That's how it goes. Subsistence living is viewed as inferior to the vision of the good life depicted in all desire-based advertising, or as you might call it, "advertising." Theologian Kevin Vanhoozer asks, "Could it be that we do not understand martyrs in our postmodern era because we cannot fathom what it is to be convicted of and committed to the truth?" Too often truth is whatever sells. Does Jesus sell?

Consumerism has been incorporated into American Christianity, and Rodney Clapp argues that, "Christ is not a pleasant add-on or option to an unending array of consumerist products and experiences," as many have come to believe. Christ is often seen only as a way for me to get what I want.

Clapp suggests a society, specifically within the church, that purposefully moves away from consumerism, thinking on our consumption of the environment, our finances, and time. This is green martyrdom: to sacrifice our apparent entitlement to obtain, which we have been reaching for as much of as we can get our hands on, at whatever the costs. We first need to be able to understand martyrdom, which starts with thinking outside ourselves.

I know we used to have martyrs around because now we have a lot of holidays to forget them by. There used to be heroes, too. Now we have celebrities. Celebrities exist for our consumption. We don't want to be like them, the real them, we just crave their attention and their phat rims. Heroes are to be honored and revered for some great deed, but they are far above the common people and we don't really try to be like them, we just look up to them.

Conversely, martyrs are to be emulated, but not for something they have done or something they have, but because the life of a martyr points to something greater than themselves, unlike every other instance of fame, which points inwards at itself. The martyr lives outside himself, and Rodney Clapp makes five strong points to illustrate what a green martyr is, comparatively less committed to the cause as the red martyr who has died for his strongly held beliefs.

1. Green martyrdom means laying the bodies of ourselves and our own on the line for our way of life, rather than making others suffer for it. We should support local economies rather than fight consumptive, distant wars to support our "consumerist way of life," even at the cost of adjusting our standards of living and energy consumption.

2. Green martyrdom means working toward an economy that includes and does not exclude and separate or hide the poor from the rich. We should establish ties with the less economically well off, and integrate rather than get as far away from them as we can. The church needs to involve itself with churches that are less economically well off as well.

3. Green martyrdom means committing our whole selves, body and soul, to church, community, and place for the long haul. We are a society in transit, consuming and moving on. We should commit to a certain place to cultivate relationships and community rather than following consumptive rewards.

4. Green martyrdom means challenging idolatry and naming greed as an acute form of idolatry. We should have conversations about where to draw the line with our greed, which is a sin just as sexual sin is surely wrong.

5. Green martyrdom means admitting the reality of death and living as if we will one day die. We can't take it with us, so we shouldn't try to get more than we need before we die. We shouldn't live our lives for the ultimate end of averting our suffering, for that is futile.

A life lived in this manner doesn't necessarily point to God, as some people can find other reasons for their moral choices, but Christians should recognize that we cannot possibly turn fully towards the good God of the Bible unless we turn fully away from consuming ourselves.

Blue Like Jazz

NonReligious Thoughts on Christian Spirituality

(2003)
Donald Miller

Finished Reading: 02.2009

Most of this book is set in Portland, Oregon. I feel an exciting connection to the people and places described, which is sort of weird. Stumptown Coffee. Pioneer Courthouse Square. Powell's Books. Mark the Cussing Pastor. Tony the Beat Poet.

Donald Miller tells of his growth in Christianity and the struggle between what he has known the religion to be and what he wants his relationship with Jesus to be. He values solid theology and loves Jesus, but wants it to be OK to disagree with the Republican party and hang out with gay people. He wants to be involved in a local church, but also spend time on a secular college campus loving people who hate God; doing things the American church traditionally shys away from.

He doesn't claim to have the math of Jesus all figured out, but he loves Him and wants to obey Him. We learn along with the author as he struggles between the culture of the church and the culture of the world, asking hard questions while smoking pipes and seeking truth from people with tattoos. He makes friends with people different from himself, deep friends who come from different backgrounds, with various problems and differing philosophies. This is a journey that we can relate to because it is real life, not just church life -just like our life. Christianity is like jazz, not like math.

"There are some guys who don't believe in God and can prove he doesn't exist, and some other guys who do believe in God and can prove He does exist, and the argument stopped being about God a long time ago, and honestly, I don't care. I don't believe I will ever walk away from God for intellectual reasons. If I walk away from Him, I will walk away for social reasons, identity reasons, deep emotional reasons, the same reasons that any of us do anything."

Right away in the first few chapters I notice this book reads a lot like J.D. Salinger's Catcher In The Rye. Quick sentences. Rambling thoughts. A lot of interesting information gets into your head really fast. He changes subjects quickly too. Sometimes it makes sense. Sometimes it doesn't. I think this is the way I really think, inside my brain. 

I came to the realization that Miller is not using the word and. This explains the short sentences. I enjoy reading this style of writing, but I didn't know how to describe it until just now. I didn't know what the structure was. As soon as I realized this, I looked very carefully for the next use of the word and. I found it over a whole page later! Maybe a page and a quarter even. Who writes for a whole page without using and? Of course you have to use and now and then. I paid attention to this for the rest of the chapter. Once he writes two pages without using and. By the time I finished the book, however, I noticed that he either stopped using this style or I just got used to it and didn't notice anymore. 

I don't know if I have ever laughed out loud so often while reading a Christian book, as while reading Blue Like Jazz. Miller is just so real. He feels like me. I think we would be friends. In the middle of some very deep, mystical, profound truth or life changing moment, he observes humor in how he is feeling or how he feels he is perceived by others. These moments and feelings are always present during our deep thoughts, but are not usually expressed - simply shrugged off as getting in the way of the point we are trying to make. 

The lines that I think are most funny don't seem quite as funny outside the flow of the text. They aren't jokes, they are just whimsical side observations. While having a quiet moment out in nature, alone with his thoughts and searching for God, Miller calls out to the sky but the stars are silent. He notes that the nearby river is speaking "some vernacular for fish." He calls out again. "Nothing from the stars. Fish language from the river." This doesn't lessen the moment, but makes it more real.