My second Hanne Ørstavik. Read Love a few months ago. Returning to The Pastor. Bleak but beautiful. It is a novel about people, landscape (from Fjord My second Hanne Ørstavik. Read Love a few months ago. Returning to The Pastor. Bleak but beautiful. It is a novel about people, landscape (from Fjord to Fjell), religion, gender and words. Ørstavik looks at the power of words to connect and divide us, and how God's words, scripture, are difficult to take from the page to the people. Ironic to read this as a translated novel because a lot of this book deals with translating things. How do we find meaning in grief? How do we show love? How do we reach others? How do we understand ourselves? How do we find God? ...more
A tight little environmental/religous dystopia. Part Handmade's Tale, part environmental collapse. I didn't like it as much as the other novel of hersA tight little environmental/religous dystopia. Part Handmade's Tale, part environmental collapse. I didn't like it as much as the other novel of hers that I recently read (Tender is the Flesh). Still, I really enjoyed the story. Original with nice prose and great character development. ...more
A nice collection of Dan's take on contemporary social/political/religious claims attributed to the Bible. Dan's writing is clean and he's talented atA nice collection of Dan's take on contemporary social/political/religious claims attributed to the Bible. Dan's writing is clean and he's talented at discussing academic ideas about the Bible and related topics in nonacademic ways. He's a fantastic communicator, as his social media following makes clear. He's also a mensch. ...more
Second collection of Fosse's Septology. I'm synched with Fosse's rhythm now. I love his slow burn, his repetition. Certain parts feel like clicking thSecond collection of Fosse's Septology. I'm synched with Fosse's rhythm now. I love his slow burn, his repetition. Certain parts feel like clicking through rosary beads or Misbaha prayer beads. He thought. He thought. He thought. Anyway, on to the last section. I can definitely see his influence on Knausgaard too. Spent a lot of time the last couple days looking at St Andrew's Cross art. ...more
So, I first became aware of John G. Turner when I read his masterful biography of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet. As I non-practicing Mormon, I felt hSo, I first became aware of John G. Turner when I read his masterful biography of Brigham Young: Pioneer Prophet. As I non-practicing Mormon, I felt he did a fantastic job of telling Young's story and also framing Young in his time and space. I missed reading this over Thanksgiving, but figured late December was better than never, so I picked it up. Turner's approach to the Pilgrims using the lens of American Liberty is instructive to informing the myth surrounding liberty and the myth of the Pilgrims....more
A great structure to examine Western Asia, Judaism, and Christianity's early history of a corporeal God. Dr. Stavrakopoulou dives into her intense disA great structure to examine Western Asia, Judaism, and Christianity's early history of a corporeal God. Dr. Stavrakopoulou dives into her intense dissection of God by examining religious writings looking at God's: Feet and Legs, Genitals, Torso, Arms and Hands, and Head. She gets right in there.
I grew up a Mormon so the early view of God(s) having a real body wasn't a big stretch for me. But I was impressed with the depth and exactness of her vision and she examines in detail God the Father and Jesus and those Gods that came before. ...more
I think a lot of errors have been made my MSM trying to review this small book. They fear the last essay, but they lose the context of what he's sayinI think a lot of errors have been made my MSM trying to review this small book. They fear the last essay, but they lose the context of what he's saying in the essays before. This book works together. Essay 1: Is about the power of the word, of journalism, etc. Essay 2: Is essentially how Senegal, in the mind of Coates, his father, and other African Americans is a fantasy (the reality is not the dream that is held by many in the US). Essay 3 uses this framing to talk about 1) how the fact that MSM seldom lets Palestinians tell their own story fails all of us. We hear stories and myths about Palestine and Israel in narratives that are created by the MSM, by Israel, but almost never by the Palestinians themselves. Coates uses his own perspectives as a child of Jim Crowe era America to draw parallels with the Apartheid State that is Israel.
He also recognizes that even using that framing is limited, because despite the parallels, the Palestinian story told by him is still being framed by an outsider (a sympathetic outsider, but an outsider nonetheless). He mostly delivers what he's trying to deliver. That message, however, gets lost because a lot of Zionists aren't ready to hear the reality of what the state of Israel is doing and a lot of the old colonial nations aren't ready to hear it either, because what is happening now in Israel and Palestine is a reflection of what colonial powers have always done: take land that belonged to someone else and dehumanize those that were living there before....more
VSI#140 I don’t know if the subject matter was beyond the scale of VSI, or the author just struggled to give a 30,000 ft review of the Crusades withoutVSI#140 I don’t know if the subject matter was beyond the scale of VSI, or the author just struggled to give a 30,000 ft review of the Crusades without losing the thread, but I was hoping for a lot more from this short survey. It was dry, choppy, and seemed like a couple Crusades essays stitched together than a unified introduction. There were some interesting parts and I liked the author's refusal to pander to the myths or blame or excuse the crusades for more or less than realistic. A big missed opportunity....more
"Despite all claims the Corporation of the Blood of the Lamb makes to be a divinely inspired Church, it seems oddly as eager as any worldly institutio"Despite all claims the Corporation of the Blood of the Lamb makes to be a divinely inspired Church, it seems oddly as eager as any worldly institution to soil its hands in a little impropriety, to cover a few things over if that means furthering the cause of righteousness." - Brian Evenson, Father of Lies
Not Evenson's best, but definitely his angriest. This book might be the equivalent to reading just the darkest bits of Blood Meridian. It will seed a forest of nightmares all with hanging children of God.
It needs to come with a warning label, a retch bucket and a lap to cry on. I have to put it down every 10 pages and just pray into the abyss for my soul (not really, but you got to do something to keep from sliding into this nightmare. Imagine being forced into the mind of an evil man, protected by a fundamentalist kafkaucracy, interested only in protecting its "good" name rather than its children. I'm not sure of you -- but I can think of examples in Texas, Ireland, Boston, Arkansas, Utah, Idaho.
This was written right after Brian was kicked out of BYU for the same book of short stories that got him hired there in the first place.* Talk about a literary hat trick. Brian wrote this book post that period. It is a blood-letting. It goes into an angry place and like Clockwork Orange's Aversion Therapy Scene forces you to observe things most people would want to turn away from. But sometimes shades and shadows tell the truth, sometimes lights on a hill are not designed to guide or inform but rather obfuscate.
* Note: I bought a copy of Altmann's Tongue: Stories and a Novella from the BYU Bookstore (back in the day when that bookstore rocked and didn't just sell trinkets and ice cream). I'm solidly team Evenson here....more
I liked it. Ravenna is like a wonderful cracked mirror to view Constantinople, Rome, and the rest of the Mediterranean. It is also a fascinating windoI liked it. Ravenna is like a wonderful cracked mirror to view Constantinople, Rome, and the rest of the Mediterranean. It is also a fascinating window to enlighten the ebbs and flows of the Catholic and "Eastern" Church's (along with Ravenna's fling with Arianism). Fascinating. I'll expand tomorrow. Night....more
A thought provoking work. Hägglund's basic thesis, developed out of a close inspection of primarily Marx (but decorated with dozens of writers and thiA thought provoking work. Hägglund's basic thesis, developed out of a close inspection of primarily Marx (but decorated with dozens of writers and thinkers), suggests that both capitalism and religious faith limit our ability to maximize our freedom and our quest for the good.
I'm with him about 4/5 of the way. I wish he had edited the book down a bit (he got a bit repetitive and could have probably said the same thing in 1/2 the words). Like I said, I need a bit more time (my leisure) to really clearly communicate the areas I enjoyed (there were many) and the areas I thought were a bit self-indulgent (also many). I think as I get older I get a bit more suspect of so much certainty, whether religious, economic, or philosophic.
This small Evenson book carries a helluva punch.. But don't worry after you've fallen to the ground and been broken, the book will wire you back togetThis small Evenson book carries a helluva punch.. But don't worry after you've fallen to the ground and been broken, the book will wire you back together to endure just a little bit more suffering. The brutality of this book is written with such a distance that the dismembering of a person is treated with the same weight as a branch being broken for a fire, or a sandwich bag being crumpled and thrown into the trash. Do I think I understand what I've read fully. No. The fanaticism and single-mindedness of some of the characters echos throughout most of Evenson's fiction I've come across. No rage, just dry, crumbling horror combined with wonder at the world that exists inside of Brian's brain. ...more
"Solitude is a fluid concept, ranging from the depths of loneliness to the saint's mystic rapture." - Stephen Batchelor, The Art of Solitude
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An "Solitude is a fluid concept, ranging from the depths of loneliness to the saint's mystic rapture." - Stephen Batchelor, The Art of Solitude
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An interesting exploration of solitude. Lots of potential, but I'm not sure Batchelor's experiment (the collaged structure) worked well, so minus one star. Also, a large chunk of this small book is imported from Montaigne, so I'm not sure how much of this is more than an extended greatest hits collected by Batchelor on the topic of solitude. Integrated into his sections on Montaigne, Vermeer, and the Buddha, Batchelor inserts his experiences with solitude, peyote, Ayahuasca, and other hallucinogenics. Those sections seem to capture my entire experience with the book: a bit of insight, accompanied by sweats, nausea, and the need for ginger candy to get the bad taste out of my mouth. OK. Maybe it isn't that bad. It just wasn't that great either.
Reading this makes the experience seem entirely too negative. I wasn't unhappy to re-read a lot of Montaigne. The guy is my JAM. Also, the chapters on Vermeer were pretty damn good too....more
"While this is a book about biblical interpretation, our primary goal is to help us learn to read ourselves." - Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes,"While this is a book about biblical interpretation, our primary goal is to help us learn to read ourselves." - Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes, E Randolph Richards & Brandon J. O'Brien
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I read this on the way to NYC and flying back. While in the City, we visited the Morgan (Library) and saw one of its three Gutenberg Bibles (among many, many others). So, I felt primed and pumped to finish Misreading Scripture with Western Eyes.
A fascinating read that reminds those who read scripture (and I think this applicable to not just the Bible but any religious text read by people from a different time and place). We bring to the text our own biases, our own context, our own age, and our own needs. Some of this is good. It is good to liken these texts to ourselves, carefully. However, according to the authors it is also EASY to misread the Bible (that is their subject) because we view it with Western eyes. Without thinking about the context of scripture when might misread, add to, or passover the actual meaning because of our cultural biases.
This is a carefully written book that understands that not only the readers of this book are coming with their own blinders, but also the authors themselves. They aren't trying to provide an exact map of HOW to read the scriptures, but rather a way to read the scriptures. One of my favorite phrases from the book was "We like to say that generalizations are always wrong and usually helpful." That quote kinda captures the tone of the book. They are aware of themselves; write with humor, and point in a direction rather than at any one dogmatic reading of the scriptures. They want to teach the reader to think differently when reading, not teach them exactly what an exactly right interpretation might mean.
Another Gem from this book was the advice given by C.S. Lewis to read at least one old book for every three new ones:
“Every age has its own outlook. It is especially good at seeing certain truths and especially liable to make certain mistakes. We all, therefore, need the books that will correct the characteristic mistakes of our own period. And that means the old books. . . . Not, of course, that there is any magic about the past. People were no cleverer then than they are now; they made as many mistakes as we. But not the same mistakes.” I loved that. So not only is it misreading it with Western Eyes, but perhaps misreading scripture with Contemporary eyes as well....more
It is hard to capture what this book is. Essentially, it is Mitchell taking his poetic talents, his Jewish and Zen sensibilities, the story of Joseph It is hard to capture what this book is. Essentially, it is Mitchell taking his poetic talents, his Jewish and Zen sensibilities, the story of Joseph in the Book of Genesis and not quite reinventing it, but retelling it both as a poet and almost as a Zen Midrash. He jumps into the text and invites the reader to swim in it and experience it with slightly different eyes. I'm not sure if I loved it so much because it aligns a bit with my own sensibilities (I joke that I'm an Agnostic Zen Mormon) or because there are new insights and perspectives that absolutely resonated with me. I'm not sure it matters. I love the Story of Joseph. I've read the KJV mutliple times, soaked in Alter's translation, enjoyed Crumb's adaption, and even enjoyed the musical. I love what it teaches about family, forgiveness, knowledge, responsibility, and love. I typically avoid reading books multiple times, but this is one I'm sure I'll return to again and again. ...more
"Doesn't the mind understand as simply as the tongue tastes?" - Job
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Loved Mitchell's powerful translation. Sometimes, I'm not exactly sure what m"Doesn't the mind understand as simply as the tongue tastes?" - Job
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Loved Mitchell's powerful translation. Sometimes, I'm not exactly sure what method Mitchell uses to translate/interpret, but it might just be magic. The poetry of Job flowed like blood and pounded like the waves. It burned like fire. I'll write more tomorrow when I have time and the weight of justice and the eyes of God are a bit kinder....more
"We can't begin to see who Jesus was until we remove the layers of interpretation which centuries have interposed between us and him, and which obscur"We can't begin to see who Jesus was until we remove the layers of interpretation which centuries have interposed between us and him, and which obscure his true face, like coat after coat of lacquer upon the vibrant colors of a masterpiece." - Stephen Mitchell, The Gospel According to Jesus
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I'm a big fan of Mitchell's translation (interpretations). So, I was excited to see what approach he would take with Jesus from the Gospels. The first 1/3 of this book (pp 1-97; including about 35 pages of notes) is Mitchell's introduction to the project. He draws inspiration from the Jefferson Bible (aka The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth) where Thomas Jefferson cut the New Testament down to only include the saying of Jesus. Jefferson wanted nothing to get between him and Jesus. In many ways, that too is the approach of Mitchell. He uses modern biblical scholarship and textual analysis to narrow down the "authentic" Jesus from the sectarian passages, the polemical passages and myths added by the early church. One can certainly argue on the edges with what Mitchell includes or excludes, but he does make a viable case for creating a more consistent message out of the often contradictory narratives and teachings of Jesus. I tend to agree with both Jefferson and Mitchell, that "when the accretions are recognized and stripped off, Jesus surprisingly appears in all his radiance. Like the man in Bunyan's riddle, the more we throw away, the more we have."
Interestingly, the Gospel left by Mitchell is only about 25 pages (pp 101 to 126). It is followed by about 150 pages of commentary and finally an appendix of about 30 pages with writings on Jesus by Baruch Spinoza, William Blake, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, Leo Tolstoy, Friedrich Nietzsche, George Bernard Shaw, Mohandas K. Gandhi, and Ramana Maharshi....more
“Christian educators can work to alleviate the harsh, shame-based judgmentalism that marks so much moral teaching and replace it with teachings that g“Christian educators can work to alleviate the harsh, shame-based judgmentalism that marks so much moral teaching and replace it with teachings that give life, hope, and grace. Christian educators can give their full, critical, and honest effort to comparing, measuring, and discerning which traditions and teachings are most life-giving.” ― Dallas Willard, The Divine Conspiracy Continued: Fulfilling God's Kingdom on Earth
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I think there was a lot of potential in this book, but also several glaring weaknesses. I like it when people (religious or otherwise) are thinking about big, transformative, ideas. Dallas Willard, along with Gary Black, Jr., explores how leaders and professionals both within the Christian Church and in the professions (law, medicine, etc) can carry the positive message of Christianity forward.
It is a very optimistic book and seems to have invested its whole pile betting on evangelicalism RIGHT as the US evangelical movement doubled down on Donald Trump. I'm not an evangelical and wouldn't even be considered a Christian by many evangelicals. But I love the teachings of Jesus and see a lot of potential in Christianity. However, I think there is something desperately wrong in US Christianity (or at least how it is messaging). Troubling and wrong. The results can be seen as the youth run for the door. Before the Church (or its leaders) can worry about transforming economics, medicine, law, and business... it needs to get its house in order. Moral leadership is not something most Americans would equate right now with the evangelical movement. That is unfortunate. Willard and Black argue correctly that an educated ministry would help. I'm just afraid that a book like this and a thinker like Willard (who taught philosophy at USC) is a bit too little a lot too late.
The book was Willard's last work, and he died before it was finished. Gary Black, one of Dallas Willard's acolytes finished the book and completed the work. Having not read much of Black or Willard, it is hard to know whose voice is whose. I find it interesting to gather tidbits from many faith traditions to see where they are as a movement. I've heard good things about Willard. This might not have been the best one to start with since it is more of an unfinished, or hybrid work than his others....more
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