FeuchtBlog

The Ascent of Money, by Niall Ferguson ?????

The review reluctantly receives 5 stars in that I disagree with many of the suppositions and conclusions of the author. Yet, Ferguson makes a fascinating story of the money world that is quite worth reading. His writing style tends to lead to many thought provoking hours if one takes the time to consider the implications of money history. And, as the subtitle states, it is a financial history of the world. Ferguson presents six chapters with an epilogue questioning whether the financial world as we know it will persist. But, that question is not to be approached in this review, as I don’t have a clue. The six chapters neatly divide money history into 1. The history of stocks, 2. The history of bonds, 3. The history of central banks, 4. The history of the insurance industry, 5. The history of the mortgage market, focusing on the US, and 6. Globalization and its implications in the world of finance, including the role of the IMF and World Bank. Ferguson makes a good but not solid case against a gold standard in economics, though he never really challenges the gold standard as such. The strength of this book is that Ferguson is able to show how all monetary systems are not fool-proof, and highly subject to the foibles of man. Perhaps the world economic boon suggests that the economic system with corrections is the best that could be, though a serious crash, perhaps sufficient to enter the world into another dark age, might rule that out. My distress with Ferguson’s book is that he left much unanswered. How did civilizations such as Rome in times past build massive systems without stocks, bonds, derivatives and hedge funds? How was America able to be most successful in the pre-Jekyll Island days? Is it right that there is a massive surge in “money managers” that make ungodly sums of money for doing nothing but gambling? Shouldn’t money managers and corporate executives be held personally responsible for failures since the receive massive personal gain from success? I’ll leave those questions and many more to a subsequent book by Ferguson. In the meantime, go out and get a copy of this book to read-you’ll be glad you did.

St. Thomas Aquinas, by G.K. Chesterton ?

I had read other books by Chesterton, including Orthodoxy and The Everlasting Man, and had appreciated these books as thoughtful writing in a erudite style that was a pleasure to read. Several years ago, I read the other of Chesterton’s biographies on St. Francis of Assisi, and would have given it 5-stars if I was writing book reviews at that time. This tome was a serious disappointment. Chesterton makes it quite clear that Aquinas was his favorite saint, yet abounds in hyperbole and over-statement that is just the opposite of what would be expected of a British author. Chesterton’s point is to exalt the Aristotelianism of Aquinas against the Platonism of Augustine, and ultimately leaves Augustine as a rather diminutive saint, a pessimist, and a breeder of pessimists such as M. Luther. At the end of his short text, he waxes quite long in diatribe against Martin Luther, yet offers nothing substantial, just as the entire text truly offers nothing substantial for me to change my low opinion of Thomas Aquinus. Chesterton is prolific with quite absurd statements, which are thrown out with no defense, such as the argument that Calvin was a Manichean. Please? Chesterton shows not only his ignorance of Calvin (and Augustine, who wrote the definitive arguments against the Manicheans) but also of Aquinas. Another absurd statement will be used as an example… first he states that St. TA was the only real realist, then states later that he was not too much of a realist (???) so as to be like Plato. Please again???? Chesterton’s writing uses repeatedly the word “Catholic”, as though he were trying to differentiate Romanism from the Christianity of Christians. With his use of the word “Catholic”, I plead that I am only a Christian and NOT a Catholic. It is unfortunate that Chesterton’s zeal for his own ideology clouds the ability to rightfully describe St. TA, and I’m left as much in the dark before this book as after reading it as to knowing Thomas Aquinas.

Perhaps the greatest error of Aquinas was to hold rationalism in supreme regard, as parroted by Chesterton. Contrary to Augustine and the Reformers who hold that the entire man is fallen, including his intellect and rationality, Chesterton and other authors portray TA as not considering human rationality to have serious defects. In the end, this would lead to a chasm between the human intellect and the Scriptures, which are believed on faith. That is, Aquinas held that faith follows reason, and Augustine the opposite. Such thinking in Aquinas would explain why modern man would produce the dichotomy between the lower story of experience and the upper story of faith, as described by St. Francis Schaeffer. For this reason, the Reformers were correct in throwing out St. Thomas Aquinas, and Chesterton’s book only reinforced this thought in my mind.

Finding the Will of God, by Bruce Waltke ?????

Bruce Waltke is one of the most renowned Hebrew scholars alive today, yet remains a conservative thinker. This book should become a timeless classic, well written, and thoughtfully considered from the lengthy and vast experience of a professor of Hebrew, especially relating the many questions and fallacies that his students manifested to him. Waltke challenges the idea of finding a will for God in your life, instead, suggesting that the ideal will of God is that you live holy, and that he will give you desires and motivations that lead you where he would have you go. Waltke speaks emphatically about demanding that God’s will for any given decision be sought after by many of the typical means used by Christians today, including circumstantial evidence, random use of Scripture, or a mental “revelation” from God. Instead, he encourages the use of counsel, and use of the church in finding what is right for you. This is a must-read book which I would encourage all to consider reading.

Trail Construction and Maintenance Notebook, produced by the USDA ???

This was a fun-read book, entertaining, since it provided an introduction which most people are unfamiliar with, regarding the thought processes used to design trails, and the methods for maintaining those trails. Needless to say, the “science” of trail building has improved greatly over the years, so that many of the trails that one is used to from years ago, where the trail is a veritable river, or lengthy mud-puddle, reflects poor design of the trail. A trail should manifest minimal maintenance, and should remain comfortable throughout dry and wet weather to walk on the trail. It was used as the supporting text for my trail building class that I attended several weeks ago.

William Carey, by Basil Miller ????

I actually enjoyed reading this book, though it has its serious literary flaws. The book is a story of the life of William Carey. Such a man is a story worth telling, leaving England as a poor laborer, though even then, quite skilled in languages, to become a world-famous linguist and expert on the Indian languages, especially Bangla. His perseverance in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds is a testimony of faith and love for God that is not commonly seen. It was also a reflection of exactly the problems that we were seeing when we were in Bangladesh, including the continually insincere converts, integrity problems with the converts, serious problems with understanding and commitment from the home mission boards, etc. I felt like nothing had changed over the last 200 years. I was also surprised at how vigorously the British government acted to prevent missions from occurring in India–Great Britain is often thought of as the great evangelical enterprise but it was just the opposite, in that evangelization of the world happened in spite of the British crown. So, what were my problems with the book? I never like hyperbole or extrapolation in a biography. Here are two examples. 1) The title “the father of modern missions”. Now I know that Carey played a huge role in modern missions, and probably was more influential than most at getting the work started of translation of the Scriptures into various tongues. I’d be hesitant to call him the grounding father of missions. 2) Frequent statements, like found on page 72, talking about God’s work in settling Carey into the city of Serampore, saying “Truly this was the leading of God”. Indeed it certainly was God’s leading, but even hindsight betrays our ability to know God’s thoughts and intentions, outside of direct revelation from him or through Scripture. It is the same mistake that the Pentecostals make when they speak of God “telling them” something. These criticisms do not diminish the book as a tome worth reading.

To Africa With Love, by James Foulkes, M.D. ???

I enjoyed this read, knowing that I soon would be going to Africa, and appreciated the insights of a veteran missionary surgeon. Foulkes went to Zambia, in a quite rural hospital. The read on this book is very personal, giving you a sense of Foulke’s character, but less of a sense of deeper insights into issues. He had a tendency to be a magical Christian, coming from a Arminian-Wesleyan-Pentecostal tradition. I certainly appreciate his issues with spirit possession, but, he also tended to be a total cowboy, and to get himself into unnecessary trouble. This is not a text that offers any rich insights into either Africa or missions. It is more a personal encounter that is most relevant to those who know Jim, or who have worked in Zambia.

Christianity versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty, by Udo Middelmann ?????

Christianity versus Fatalistic Religions in the War Against Poverty was read at a most timely period in my life. The book arrived in the mail just before departing to Bangladesh with my wife, where we worked for 10 weeks in a Baptist hospital south of Chittagong. Owing to weight restrictions, etc., we were unable to bring the book. That was probably for the best, since the serious questions of “rich” Christians dealing with abject poverty had not come to bear in my mind, and we left Bangladesh quite troubled about a true Christian approach toward poverty. Your book helped tremendously.

Let me explain the situation. As you are aware, Bangladesh actually used to be the richest region in all of Asia. With the coming of the British, they successfully raped Bengal of all its wealth, destroyed its industry, and yet refused to bring in Christianity for fear of “upsetting” the population. It was only a few missionaries like William Carey in Kolkota that any Christianity in Bengal existed at all. The rest of the story you are indubitably aware of, how east and west Pakistan broke away from India in 1947, again, in part because of serious religious and racial friction that the British created to maintain their control of the Indian subcontinent, by dividing the Muslim from the Hindu sub-populations. Bangladesh then achieved independence from Pakistan in 1971 through a viciously bloody civil war. What is left is a small country the size of Wisconsin with a population of 160 million. The average wage is about $200/year. The cost of living is quite low.

We have had the chance to encounter many Nationals while in the country, all of them quite poor, save for a minor handful of wealthy Muslims. Among the poor, Christian or Muslim or Hindu, we noted particular mindset issues…

1. 1.An almost magical belief in certain commodities. We have had many Nationals beg of us to help them purchase a camera and a computer, since those items would create the difference that would allow them to rise to a position of wealth.
2. 2.A terrible sense of use of money. As an example, when one gets married, they are culturally required to provide a large feast for the entire community, which typically sets a young couple many years behind in debt. I suggested that the Christian community band together to create an alternative solution, which did not go over so well.
3. 3.There is a sense of indifference to life. While the Bengali can be a very hard worker, there is also a sense that hard work will only lead to pain, and not achieve a higher social or economic status.
4. 4.A strong sense of sharing of wealth and generosity, but more for cultural status, rather than care for self or family. This would often set somebody back financially and can be quite destructive to family economics, while preserving social status. There is no sense of admitting that one is poor, and that generosity is not sometimes possible.
5. 5.A sense of total absence of integrity. This was true even among the Christians, who simply could not fathom that debt must be repaid, that truthfulness was of greater value than wealth, that integrity in every interaction with another human being must prevail over any economic need that existed. In economic dealings, many of the National Christians (more often than not, actually), when given control over ex-pat finances, have stolen large sums, without any sense of remorse or guilt.
6. 6.Ultimately, the universal desire and focus on wealth rather than character identified the Bengali as just as materialistic as us Westerners.

So, we came home with multiple requests for clothing items, shoes, money, computers, cameras, invitations to the Western world, etc., etc. There was only one young Christian man of the thousands we encountered who told us that he didn’t want our money, but just prayer.

I was very troubled as to how the missionaries dealt with the situation. Often, they would form a revised “caste” system. I was very troubled how they would sometimes treat their Christian National brother or sister much differently than the ex-pat. But, the missionaries have been frequently burned. The examples are exceedingly rare of National Christians that have held true to the faith when offered substantial wealth from the ex-pats for schooling or business in an attempt to get them out of poverty.

So, Betsy and I came home with very troubled minds. Should we have been more generous? Were the missionary rules of no greater than $20 gifts to strict or oppressive? How do I deal with the scriptural command to love my neighbor, and care for my Christian brothers and sisters when they manifest true needs and I have the ability to help?

I feared that this book would be like virtually every other poverty/wealth book out there, a variant of finding a balance between the Marxist/Socialist vs. Capitalist struggle. Thankfully, it was anything but that. The postscript admits that the writing is primarily an ideological approach, yet that is the approach that is missing from all the other Christian books on wealth and poverty that I have read. I need not quote Ron Sider’s “Rich Christians in an Age of Hunger” (I think that’s the name), who takes an essentially Marxist stance toward wealth, and leaves one guilty for not sharing until they have achieved the same level of poverty of those being shared with. Or Ron Nash’s books on economics, with a blind capitalistic mentality that fails to prioritize Christian moral values as the oil that allows the capitalistic gears to turn. Or any book that emphasizes the value of personhood, and our approach to the needy as persons rather than simple economic holes.

There is one thing that Udo mentioned only indirectly, which is that oftentimes poverty can be as a result of governmental mindset rather than individual mindset. Bangladesh has a corrupt government (persistently #1 in a well-known corruption index), moderately oppressive Muslim (we had to be very careful about speaking about Christ) social structure, that causes even right-minded Christians to suffer. There are times when we suffer for another person’s sins. I’m not sure as to the solution, except to encourage truth to be spoken about the true etiology of the suffering.

So, this book was a very welcome read, answering many questions that I had about a Christian approach to poverty. I’m sure more questions will arise. Betsy and I will be headed to Northern Cameroon for two months at the end of September, where we’ll probably see similar circumstances of abject poverty. I will be purchasing a few more copies of your book to hand out to friends and missionaries in the field. Thank you for a thought-provoking text.

23MAY2009 Vol. 5, Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, Pollution and the Death of Man, How Should We then Live, Whatever Happened to the Human Race, A Christian Manifesto. ????

All but the last book of this volume were read by me in Malumghat. Since it belonged to the Malumghat library, I decided I’d read A Christian Manifesto at home. Pollution and the Death of Man speaks of Christians being seriously involved in the environmental movement, since we believe the world to be created by God, and thus have a rational basis for caring for it. How Should We then Live is a short history of philosophy from the viewpoint of Schaeffer’s thesis. This set would have received a five star, except that I felt that the third book,  Whatever happened to the Human Race, which is a treatise on the pro-life movement rationale, was weakened by Dr. Koops’ chapters in the text. The book is an argument against abortion. Unfortunately, Dr. Koop assumes blindly that we should throw every ounce of technology into medicine to preserve life. As a pioneer pediatric surgeon, that is a reasonable thing to do in research, but does not provide practicality when it comes to the practicing physician out of the ivory towers. Thus, he remains clueless of real life. Unfortunately, I have many families of patients with Koop’s mentality insist on maintaining medical care at all cost, since they don’t have to pay, yet really not out of concern for their loved one, since they would rarely ever lift a finger to help out. This is where the third-world model is much better, where, if a patient received medical care, the family was expected to stay in the hospital to also assist in the bedside care of the patient. The end of HSWTL was excellent in Schaeffer providing a theological basis for the pro-life movement. Unfortunately, Koop could have thought out the basis for medical economics a bit better, but seemed to be more self-serving that theologically correct. A Christian Manifesto is written from a legal perspective for the Christian Legal Society, and speaks about the problem of law without a Christian basis leading to anarchy or oppression. Schaeffer calls for civil disobedience when necessary, but to always remember that the laws of God always take precedent over the laws of man.

12MAY2009 Vol. 2, Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, Genesis in Space and Time, No Final Conflict, Joshua and the Flow of Biblical History, Basic Bible Studies, Art and the Bible. ????

I continue on with the works of Francis Schaeffer. These books deal with either expository writings from Genesis and Joshua, and argument for the absence of conflict between science and modern knowledge with Scripture, ending with simple thematic bible studies, consisting mostly of references for personal review. Art and the Bible deviates from these former themes, by focusing purely upon the world-view of art throughout history. I appreciated the art book the most. If all of these texts, Schaeffer competently defends the Scriptures as the true propositional revelation of the God who is there, without mistake or error. This, of course, goes counter to modern thought that it is only a fool who thinks that Scripture is infallible. Yet, Schaeffer, as many authors since have argued, the basis of inerrancy and infallability is not a blind leap of faith, but based partly on the failure of anyone to substantially prove that the Bible contains error. His words need to be reread in modern times, where Scripture tends to have decreasing importance, even among Christians.

07MAY2009 Vol. 1 Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, The God Who Is There, Escape from Reason, He is there and He is not Silent, Back to Freedom and Dignity ?????

As with Vol. 3 &4, these are books that I have read in the past. These texts are the most seminal statements of Schaeffer, the books that led to his rise to fame. During the late 60’s, and early 70’s where student revolts were happening on all the campuses, Francis Schaeffer was also heavily discussed by many intellectuals. I had read these books during that time period, though I confess that they seemed to be a  little challenging to understand. I it is comforting to know that they are now somewhat light reading. I have thoroughly enjoyed re-reading these texts, because I can now see them in a much broader light. They remain significant and true to philosophical principles. I find several issues though of concern. 1) Schaeffer often makes broad statements that are not well backed up, such as Kierkegaard being the father of secular existentialism. He’s probably right, but he never discusses anything from Kierkegaard’s writings that would substantiate that claim. There are numerous other examples that I will spare the reader 2) Schaeffer’s focus tends to be limited to general philosophy and art. He also discusses other cultural activities such as music and literature, both of which I think he could have done a much better job at, and would have better supported his general thesis. Both the discussion of music and literature left out many vitally important artists and writers of the 19th and 20th century, manifesting the “leap to despair” that typifies modern man. I’m surprised that he spends so little time on the scholars of linguistic analysis, and leaves out important characters such as Chomsky and Jacques Derrida, while very briefly discussing Foucault in a highly oblique fashion. All in all, these books are truly great works. Schaeffer has deeply affected many people, myself included. I only wish that his untimely death could have been a bit later, in order to see how he would have engaged the modern world. Perhaps it is best. Schaeffer probably would have been frustrated by the fact that students no longer ask deep, important, probing questions. They are content to live in their upper story world without ever being disturbed about the philosophical inconsistencies of their fantasy world, with the real world about them. Having started college at the end of the student revolutions, several teachers lamented the fact that students were more worried about getting good grades, than demanding answers to the harder philosophical inconsistencies of life. Those of us that continue to think about the serious metaphysical, ethical, and epistemological questions of life will soon be dinosaurs.

01MAY2009 Vol. 4 Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, The Church at the End of the Twentieth Century, The Church Before the Watching World, The Mark of the Christian, Death in the City ?????

As with Vol. 3, these are books that I have read in the past. Now that I know more about the particular history of Francis Schaeffer, these books seem to make more sense. In the first book, Schaeffer speaks of the student revolutions of the 1960’s and the philosophical changes that affected thinking even in the church. Schaeffer goes to length in talking about how the church should respond, by speaking truth as truth, and by showing a community of love for each other. The second book delves deeper into the changes in the church, including evangelical churches, that have been affected by theological liberalism. He discusses the case of the Presbyterian church as to what has been done right and wrong in the church. Specifically, the emphasis is on a tough balance between not wavering in our theology, and yet showing love for each other and the world at large. The Mark of the Christian addresses particularly the importance of Christians as a community showing love to each other. The last book, Death in the City, studies the situation in Jeremiah’s time, as reflective of the church and society today, i.e., both situations being “post-Christian”. He then delves into a study of the first several chapters of Romans and suggests the response of the church being a return to belief in God as a God that is real, and not a leap in the dark thing that we interact with only on coming to faith and at death.

27APR2009 Vol. 3 Complete Works of Francis Schaeffer, No Little People, True Spirituality, The New Superspirituality, Two Contents, Two Realities ????

It’s been 30 years or more since I last read these books, which came out in the early 1970’s. I had owned the Complete Works, but they collected dust on my bookshelf. Now, after having read all of the books that I brought along with me, I discovered these works in the Malumghat Guest House library, apparently with Viggo Olsens’ name in the front. They looked like they had been read 0-1 times. Vol. 1 contains Schaeffer’s most distinct works, but I decided to attack vol. 3 & 4 first. Rather than do individual book reports on each book in the volume, I felt it best to do blanket summaries. This volume relates to a Christian view of spirituality. No Little People is a set of sermons that Schaeffer gave preaching through the Scriptures on various people of Scripture, like, Joseph, David, Elijah, and Christ himself, to name a few. The point was the significance of all people who trust in Christ. True Spirituality comes in two sections, the first is essentially a fast review of basic theology, and the second relates to the application of theology to the Christian view of self (psychology), others, and the church. TNS spoke about trends in the 1970’s on the religious scene that were considered advancements, such as the new Pentecostalism and new forms of legalism that really were not Christian at all on final analysis. The last book, TCTR was a speech that Schaeffer gave detailing four issues that Christians must focus on, including 1. correct doctrine, 2. honest answers to honest questions, 3. true spirituality, and 4. human relations in Christ’s love. Most of what Schaeffer says remains contemporary, in that we continue as Christians to not walk the walk or talk the talk, and our Christianity remains in our own style and invention. His is a plea to return to biblical Christianity.

Bangladesh-Reflections on the Water, by James Novak ????

This was an excellent read after returning from Bangladesh. The book provided a better insight into the history and mentality of the Bangladeshi people. It was written by the experience of a Westerner who spent 30 years in Bangladesh, providing a reasonably fair review of the culture and mindset of a typical Bangladeshi, as well as the problems and hope that the country will have. My only issue with the book is the unfettered praise that the book gives toward the Islam religion, which, in my experience, is part of the reason Bangladesh is in the condition that it is in right now. This is an important read for anybody who comes to spend any time in Bangladesh.

Die Macht der Manipulation, by Peter Hahne ????

Oddly, I stumbled across Thomas Kühn on my last day at Malumghat, and was able to refresh my German with him. Then, the last book I read on our trip was a book in German. This book was excellent, a resurrection of the theme by Neil Postman, Amuzing ourselves to Death, and which is often quoted in the book. Hahne describes how the electronic amuzement industry, including television mostly, is destructive to ourselves, and allows for our manipulation by the mass media. He offers numerous examples and explanations as to how to television industry controls and manipulates our preferences and better judgement. His recommendation is to return to God, and depend on him to provide an alternative World-view to influence our judgement and behavior. This book is worth translating into English.

Knowing God, by JI Packer ?????

I had read this book before, but, being in Bangladesh, I had finished all the books that I had brought along. Glancing over the guest house library, I was left with only a few choices of books that grabbed my attention. I decided that it was time to re-read Knowing God. Having taken a class in systematic theology from Dr. Packer, it was like hearing him afresh, and he writes very similar to the manner in which he speaks. The book is composed of three parts. The first part argues for the necessity of getting to know God better, and the possibility of doing that through Scripture. The second is an exposition on the attributes of God, His wisdom, strength, holiness, and wrath, to name a few. Finally, the third part discusses what God has done for us, including propitiation of our sins, adoption as children. The second read was many years after the first, but read quite freshly. Packer is an extremely capable writer, and this book is an especially worthy of repeated re-reads. Packer calls for a holiness and zeal for God in the Christian life that should be normative for all Christians. This book is not only basic doctrine, but much deeper exploration of our position in Christ. It is not a light read. It cannot be read in a night or two. Packer is thick. And rich. Knowing God is a gold mine worthy of multiple reads by all Christians.

On Duty in Bangladesh, by Jeannie Lockerbie ??

I previously reviewed the book Daktar, which is the story of the founding of the Malumghat Hospital, where we currently are working. This book is the blow by blow details from the eyes of Jeannie Lockerbie, a nurse who was working in Chittagong for the same mission agency at the time of the Independence of Bangladesh. It is actually a stirring story, and witness to God’s provision and protection during a very troubling and dangerous episode in the history of this part of the world. I will save details of the story, since the book is worth reading. What I didn’t like about the book was the heavy dependence on simply experiential accounting of the battle for independence. I really don’t care to know when Jeannie took a shower, or precisely what she ate on a certain day, or what sort of can she had to eat out of. Jeannie also fragments the story line with multiple accounts that do not read chronologically making it a bit tough for someone unfamiliar with the events she is describing. I would have liked to have heard an analysis of exactly what was happening on the world stage, minor details of the Bangladeshi battle movements or Bangladeshi political analysis, etc., etc. Jeannie also assumes that you know certain things about Bangladesh that you wouldn’t have known if you hadn’t lived there. In the end, I’m not left much better informed about the nature of the Bangladeshi Independence nor the life of the church outside of Jeannies’ small circle in Bangladesh during the time of this story. This book contains no character development, and save for the fact that Jeannie attended a Methodist nursing school in New York, I know very little about her or what were the driving factors in her life outside of her Christianity. She offers minimal insight and foresight into situations, and thus seems to be a one-dimensional character, responding to a tragic situation, but not necessarily in an entirely Christian fashion. How so? Perhaps she should have read the life of Mohatmas  Ghandi, or the manner in which Martin Luther handled the peasant revolt. Jeannie seems to confuse Christianity and nationalism, and while wanting to emphasize the difference between political freedom and freedom in Christ to the Bengali people, fails to be convincing. She has no answer to the Christian “freedom fighter” who attends church and then blows up bridges and kills rather than loves the enemy. There is no word of love for the enemy, or of reaching out neutrally to the Pakastani in love, in offering “blind” medical care to all including the wounded Pakistani. Even the closing phrase of the book says in one breath “Victory to Bangladesh- victory to Jesus”. Such a statement creates a dangerous mix of politics and American-style Christianity. It is this same thinking that explains why the predominantly Muslim Bengalis could now treat the Hindus and Hill Tract people with the same mercilessness that they received from the hands of their Pakistani rulers.

All said and done, the casual reader might assume that this is a character assassination. God forbid. The book review section attempts to look at books as literary pieces, analyzing the book for its prose style, readability and quality of the story line, etc. This book, in spite of its problems, is a reflection on a truly saintly person, engaged in a most saintly commission.  This is an example of one of many of the people I have met in Bangladesh that tirelessness and without complaint forsake family and home, the comforts of America and friends, to live in a weary land, laboring under the most adverse conditions to bring hope and Christ to the Bengali people. Thus, a good book, but only two stars.

16APR2009 Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse ????

This is a dual-language book, with one side of the page in the original German, and the other side in a reasonably good English translation. I was able to read first the German, and then to check whether I properly caught the original meaning (assuming a good translation). Hesse was certainly deserving of the Nobel Prize in literature, as he writes well, and it is a shame for those that can only read this text in English. It is the story of  Siddartha, a boy from a well-to-do Indian family, who decides to become an ascetic. He leaves home with his friend Govinda, practicing meditation and fasting according to the style of Hindu ascetics. After 3 years, he goes to meet the Buddha, but abandons his friend Govinda and runs off to live a life of luxury, with plentiful wealth and sex. He is successful, but the voices of the past call him back to the ascetic life. He is discovered by the river by his old friend Govinda, who goes on. Siddartha ends up living with a ferryman. Ultimately, the main courtesan that he was seeing in times of wealth comes to him, bringing an 11 year old son, but dying on the spot from a snake bite (a little bit Hollywood-ish). The son ends up being a total brat that eventually runs away. Siddartha’s ferryman companion dies, and Siddartha soon becomes known as the sage of the river. This fame leads Govinda to seek out this sage and getting advice from him. The advice ends up being the opposite of what the Buddha had taught him, and the book ends.

Not being a Hindu/Buddhist scholar, it would be difficult for me to ascertain how closely Siddartha follows eastern teaching. Hesse did grow up in India, so that there is reason to believe that there might be moderate corollary in teaching. If so, eastern philosophy seems to be a total contradiction of truth. Thus, there is given no ground for belief in morals, for belief in objectivity, or, for belief in anything. Yet, the religion produces sages that speak profoundly, or behave profoundly. This seems to be a total contradiction, since, if truth is non-existent, to possibility of profound thought or action is impossible. Thus, it becomes a self-defeating religion.

Regarding criticism of the book, Hesse writes beautifully, though he does produce a rather contrived tale. It is a delightful story with abundant philosophical thought, though Hesse misses the mark oof making something inane into something profound. Thus, one star off from a five.

Biblical Theology, Old and New Testaments, by Geerhardus Vos ??

This book was sold as one of the classics of biblical theology. Vos was regarded as a foremost scholar of yesteryear. Thus, it seemed compelling to read. The book did have many gems and insights for me, but on the whole, it seemed to be more prolific than profound. As an illustration of the language used, I quote from the first paragraph of the New Testament section “If redemption and revelation form an organism, then, like every other organism, it should be permitted to reveal to us its own articulation, either by way of our observing it, or by our receiving from it the formula of its make-up, where at certain high-points it reaches a consciousness of its inner growth”. If Vos was attempting to be either scholarly or profound, he failed in both, by uttering an essentially meaningless statement.

Typically, I view the work of the biblical theologian as the person who would be writing individual book commentaries, or, perhaps, as Dr. Waltke has so marvelously in intelligently performed in an intelligible style, old testament surveys for summary themes and topics. Vos is excellent at confronting the liberal critics of the time, such as Wellhausen. Yet, I don’t expect a biblical theology text to be essentially a limited apologetic focused on certain well-defined topics. Also, the critics are somewhat dated, in that this book was written in 1929. In that Vos was concentrating on the nature of biblical revelation throughout the span of biblical history, he was behaving more like a systematic rather than a biblical theologian. Vos jumps somewhat sporatically throughout the Scriptures, though he remains chronological, picking and choosing discussion points, again, mostly related to the ongoing biblical criticism of the time. He covers the curses of Adam and Eve, the Noahic episode, the communication of law to Moses, the 8th century BC prophets, John the Baptist, and Christ, while leaving out discussions of the apostolic church, the late minor prophets, and many more biblical episodes.

Thus, I cannot recommend reading this book, save for historical interest. Vos is truly a scholar that many modern conservative scholars lean on, yet, he fails to provide a text that meets the title of the book, that is, a text that introduces one to the topic of biblical theology.

10APR2009 Mammut Comics, Walt Disney ????

This is Donald Duck and Mickey Maus auf Deutsch (in German!). Make fun of me, but it is a great way to keep at least some tabs on the German language. The use of slang and colloquialisms make for great reading, and the few words I don’t know can be figured out from the illustrations and the context, allowing for reading with minimal use of a dictionary. It’s a great way to stay on top of a language.

Molecular Biology of Cancer, by Lauren Pecorino ???

This is a standard textbook of molecular biology with a focus on cancer, and cell regulatory processes. It was written by a British researcher. The book is well organized, succinct, with many helpful blips or recommendations for learning the subject better. It is ideal for student use as a first exposure to the subject. Much effort was spent at discussing the process of cancer research, as well as the clinical application of what we know. My main problems with the book were 1) simplification for teaching purposes often led to too simple of explanation of pathways. He would usually only discuss regulatory pathways that currently were hot for research purposes, rather than including at least a hint of the multiple known pathways. Thus, he was moderately incomplete as a reference text. 2) He frequently appealed to the internet or to reference papers. That is great for the budding young scientist, but not for use as a reference text in your library. We purchase textbooks, expecting them to serve as reasonable summaries of known knowledge. Thus, other textbooks on the molecular biology of cancer serve this purpose better than Pecorino’s text. Of interesting note in the profound complexity of regulatory pathways, of which these pathways become more or more complex over time. It seems like we have just scratched the surface of understanding what makes a cell tick. I find it deeply troubling that scientists in one breath can talk about these impossibly complex systems, yet in the next breath suggest their accidental evolution. Which is one reason why I love science–it continually attests to a Creator.

The Revenge of Conscience, by J. Budziszewski ????

My intention was to start the book Biblical Theology by Geerhardus Vos. The read started out a little thicker than I anticipated. Hopefully, I will be able to review that book within the next month. Dr. Jason Lattin at Malumghat Major Medical Center loaned me this book while over to dinner. Thus, the read. From the stars, you might properly deduct that I thoroughly agreed with Dr. Lattin’s assessment of the text. I would have given this book 5 stars, save for three minor issues which will be discussed later. First, the strengths of the book. Budziszewski is an excellent communicator that writes with a heightened style, which does not lend to a lightning read. Each page is thick, and to progressively pondered. Budziszewski is a political scientist that teaches in Austin, TX, and orients the text on a series of loosely connected essays about politics and Christian faith. The first chapter deals with defining the moral situation in the USA, titled “The Fallen City”. He uses this chapter as a general introduction to the rest of the book. The second chapter, named “The Revenge of Conscience”, discusses the role in natural law in bringing about much of the public dynamics that we observe. Subsequent chapters work through the problem of neutrality, of issue of virtue and vice in politics, and of the Christian approach to “communitarianism”. The last three chapters discuss the issues of the problem with liberalism, followed by the problem with conservatism, followed by an indepth psychological explanation of the pro-death movement. It is these last three chapters that offer the greatest strength to this text, dismantling notions that either political movement is more or less Christian than the other. In an epilogue, Budziszewski offers suggestions for presenting the truth in the public square, by challenging the false notions of either the right or the left. Disagreements? 1) I am a touch uncomfortable with where Budziszewski runs with the notion of natural law. Is natural law really as usable as he proposes to explain the human situation? Perhaps. Yet, natural law tends to be used by (mostly) Catholic theologians to explain much more. I find it difficult to imagine that natural law could be used to order a common consensus of right and wrong, simply because since the human mind in fallen, we have not only a diminished conscience, but also a distorted conscience, from birth. Budziewski certainly realizes that, and yet plays out the role of natural law in a manner that other terminology could have used and suffice. 2) Budziszewski sometimes swims in the wrong swimming pool. In his discussion of communitarianism, he offers that perhaps Stanley Hauerwas is the best example of ideal communitarianism. Having read much Hauerwas, I note that Hauerwas has much to offer, yet much that can be criticized, which would be inappropriate to labor over in this review. 3) Budziszewski offers poor explanation as to the ideal politic. What should be the model for a Christian Volk? He remains silent, and focuses only on one issue, the pro-life issue. Is there an ideal politic prescribed in Scripture, or, is the Bible silent? I argue that there is a politic, which God prescribed to Israel. To what extent and in what manner these laws apply to our society remain an issue for public and theological debate, yet the information is there to discuss and measure us as a society.

The Prodigal God, by Tim Keller ????

This book was read at the recommendation of Pastor David Scott, and a good recommendation it was. I had already read another book by Tim Keller, and found this text about as enjoyable. Keller takes the parable of the Prodigal Son, and expounds on the two sons and the nature of God in both instances. The nature of the sons are discussed as fitting the character of many that we find in church, yet both are offensive to God. Interestingly, both are offensive to those who are exploring the nature of Christianity, and happen to visit a church. This book is a lesson in our attitude toward God, not expecting God to bless us simply because we serve him better than others, or because we deserve it. Keller starts the book out slow, and builds steam, taking until the last chapter to discuss the true implications to the Prodigal Son narrative. In that chapter, he details how God has a great feast preserved for us, and welcomes us. Yet, this feast will be enjoyed by neither the younger nor elder son, but by those who come to the feast on God’s terms for His sake, and not ours. This is a short book, that can be read in 1-2 sittings, and a worthy volume to have digested.

Intelligent Design 101 – General Editor H. Wayne House ?????

This was a delightful compendium of various authors in the Intelligent Design movement, displaying a broad summary, from the science to legal aspects of what is occurring in ID. The writing was quite variable, but still broadly high quality. Most the writing was a re-hash of writings I’ve read before, some of which was very readable, such as Michael Behe’s chapter, others a little more ponderous, such as Casey Luskin delving into the science of evolution vs. ID. I had not read Luskin before, and found him to be rather perceptive, offering new insights. Luskin was able to discuss beyond the issues of irreducible complexity, to discuss the issue of convergence, where similar functions co-develop independent of each other, a event with prohibitively low probability of happening just by accident. He also discussed issues arising from the crisis of Linnean (morphological) and genetic family trees being moderately dissimilar, suggestive that perhaps it is not a tree-like evolutionary scheme, but rather parallel developmental processes from various species to the next. The writers never lapse into the Creation Science Research mold of a young earth, but remain independent of the exact nature of the intelligence that may have brought about the world that we see. The final appendix was a rebuttal of Francis Collin’s text on random evolution of monkeys into man, pointing out his errors in suggesting that such evolution was only accidental. All in all, a worthy read.

Why the Universe is the Way it Is, the Hugh Ross ???

Hugh Ross is the founding father of the organization called Reasons to Believe, and has training as an astronomer. In this text, he details the immense precision of multiple variables required in the founding of the universe following the big bang that would have permitted an environment that was favorable for life. Ross discusses in broad terms the mathematical possibility of the current universe. He details the size, age, and other characteristics of the current universe, identifying only a narrow window of “opportunity” for life to have arisen in the universe. Through it all, he concludes for the extreme unlikeliness that such an event could have happened solely by chance. Unfortunately, most of the evidence given was discussed in very broad, non-scientific terms, and that reference was made that the evidence was detailed on a web-site. That’s fair, but I had expected a touch better discussion than he offers in the book. This book is an “ok” read for a non-scientific mind, but for the one searching for a touch more detailed explanation, this book fails. Ross does offer discussion at the end of the book on the theological implications of the current creation, as to why we are not in a perfect universe, but that we can expect one to come. Based on descriptions in Revelations, Ross offers conjectures as to the nature and physics of the new heaven and earth.

The Cell’s Design, by Fazale Rana ? ? ? ?

In this book, Rana details how various complexities in cell design and function suggest most strongly for an intelligent designer. Rana takes a different approach from classic intelligent design pundits by not quoting probabilities and statistics, but rather, by looking at various nuances in our biological knowledge to argue against an accidental origin to like. An example of what he gives is the prolific observation of convergence. This is where certain enzymes have “evolved” at least twice by different pathways, and yet perform similar functions. This would be considered highly unlikely to occur by accident. Rana speaks about how various pathways that were thought to be highly inefficient and thus suggestive against an intelligent designer, where actually shown to be pathways that were the best design. This is perhaps an opposite analogy to the “god-of-the-gaps” explanation which fills God into unexplained scientific knowledge. Rana’s writing style is at times quite simplistic, but at times, he does pass me by briefly, even though I am rather knowledgeable in cell biology. Thus, I’m not entirely sure who would make the best audience for this book. It is unlike the bookDarwin’s Black Box, which can be read by lay and biological scientist alike with full understanding of the argument. Rana makes excellent arguments for the plausibility of intelligent design. Thus, he proves a reasonable argument for a Creator that demands answer from those who suggest life to be an entirely random process.

In My Place Condemned He Stood, JI Packer and Mark Dever ?????

This book resurrects a number of writings that have already been published in the past regarding the doctrine of penal substitution and propitiation. Unfortunately, it is a topic that has gone by the wayside on pulpits, so most Christians would look at you clueless as to exactly what you were talking about. Unfortunately, these doctrines are the absolute center of Christian orthodoxy, making Christianity different from all the other regions of the world, including Muslim, Buddhism, Hinduism, etc., and also different from the whole of Christian cults or sects, such as Mormonism or JWism, or Christian Science. These doctrines were re-acknowledged by Martin Luther and John Calvin, which fueled the reformation. Yet, such doctrines go as a mystery among most Christians. Most of the chapters are requotes from classic JI Packer, including a chapter out of Knowing God, his preface from Death of Death by John Owen, and several other writings. The book is followed by an excellent reference list of further reading on the topic. One of the chapters by Packer is a touch technical, otherwise, the book should be approachable by most people grounded in the faith. It is a very worthwhile read.

Guilty, by Ann Coulter ???

I didn’t want to give Ann three stars, as she deserves 5 for all the work she went through compiling this book. But then, this book kind of wears on you. In fact, I didn’t finish it, because it seems to just make the same point again and again and again and again. It’s like reading assembly language code–it ends up being nothing but ones and zeros, even though it may be coding something quite significant. Coulter’s thesis is correct regarding media bias and serious bias of the left. Her approach to resolution is rather caustic, and more fitting for a lawyer (which she is) than for a real person. Her book is a  perfect example of having a correct thesis but a wrong approach to stating that thesis. She does make a true point about liberals. But then, she casts liberals into a single confined mold, which I don’t think is appropriate. Liberals tend to be correct on many issues that seem to escape Ann. Thus, Ann gets only three stars.

Momo, by Michael Ende ????

Momo is a children’s book, written entirely in German, by the same author that wrote The Never Ending Story. It is the tale of a small orphan girl living alone in the ruins of an ancient city, adjacent to a large modern city. Over the course of the story, she encounters the Die Graue Herren, the grey men, who go around stealing time from people. In the process, everybody becomes too busy for everything, and has no time for relationships. Momo is eventually able to determine how to fight the grey men through the help of a tortoise and Prof. Hora, and give civilization  its time back. It’s a cute story, written for about the 8th grade level, which is also essentially my level for reading without the excessive use of a dictionary. Mr. Ende tends to have a socialist slant towards life, reflective in this writing, but he does drive home the truth that honesty and loving relationships are more important than wealth and efficiency. Ende’s book doesn’t end with balance, and doesn’t show that both efficiency and relationships are important – it’s an either/or situation for him. His book makes the strongest statement against the state efficiency of the East German government and regimes of the like.

English Standard Version Bible  ??????????

As mentioned elsewhere on this website, I read the bible through and through every year. It’s the only thing I would ever give more than five stars to. It’s a perfect 10. Usually I read a different version or translation every year, and this year, it was the ESV. I particularly like the ESV because it is easy reading that flows well, uses modern English, and I know a number of the translators, including JI Packer (I took a systematic theology class from him), Jack Collins (he came out of Faith Presbyterian Church in Tacoma and frequently visits), and Max Rogland (also from Faith Pres, and a good friend), to name just a few. But…. what about the rating. Actually, I don’t dare rate Scripture, since it usually rates me. Simply put, I consider the Bible as the infallible conversations of God with man. And, God is not silent. In fact, he is quite talkative, if we bother to listen to him through the means that he has provided in the Bible. The Scriptures authenticate that man is not the measure of all things, but rather that God provides an infinite, personal reference point for all measurements, whether they be physical, moral, ethical, or epistemologic. Communication is not a failed venture (see below) because God as The Infinite communicates to man. Thus, infinite truths might be spoken truly but not comprehensively to finite minds such as ours. We have the capability of knowing true truth through God’s communication with man and through our observation of the world. Those truths will not be exhaustive, and often distorted by our fallen minds, but that is not a reason for a fatalistic view that truth cannot be known. To quote the wisest of all men, Solomon noted that “the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom”.

20NOV2008 – 2 Days that Ruined your Health Care, William Waters III, MD ?????

I had started to type up a paper for publication documenting my frustrations with the health care system when I received this book in the mail. After reading it, I realized that Dr. Waters had discussed about half of my contentions with the system. He is a nephrologist that practiced in the Atlanta, Georgia region for a number of years, and remains an academic type at Emory University. The two days are 1) 02OCT1942 when congress voted to allow employers to deduct health care premiums from employee’s taxable income, and 2) 10APRIL1965, when LBJ signed the Medicare law into existence. Owing to those events, Water’s shows how government then had the ability to slowly take over health care. This has led to government control of all aspects of health care, regulated by politicians and beaurocrats who nothing about daily health care delivery determining minute policies that regulate your behavior and practices in the office. The book details how government intervention has lead to increased prices for health care, now making most health care expenses out of the range of the average citizen. He finally discusses the role health savings plans and other solutions to the system. My only disappointment with the book is that he omitted several other important factors that are also of great importance, including 1) the loss of morality in the profession (most doctors would not take the oath of Hippocrates anymore), the loss of purpose in our profession, 2) the crass commercialization of medicine, starting when the AMA caved in to the Feds in the 1970’s to the issue of physician advertising, 3) the litigation scene forcing increased costs, regulation and costly physician behavior, and 4) increasing demands and expectations of many patients resulting in a health care fantasy that progressively forces all the other above problems. Eventually, patients will get what they are willing to pay for… just take a close look at health care in England or Canada. I disagree with Waters in that I do not see health care in the US as being in a state of being able to be fixed. It is time for physicians to quit being sacrificial lambs to the system, let the state have their healthcare, and hope that a better system could possibly rise from the ashes.

Inside Islam, Reza Safa ????

Seeking further insights into the Islam mind, I decided to read this book, which was written by a former militant Shiite Muslim, but converted to the Christian faith. Safa takes a fairly even-handed approach, going light on his Muslim brothers and sisters, which speaking of the inconsistencies of the Islam faith that drove him to Christianity.  I appreciated the book because it was not only easy to read, but contained a tone of writing that left you feeling you talking directly to Reza. What he says seemed to be coming from his heart and emotions, rather than just an emotional diatribe or intellectual comparison of the Islam vs. Christian faith. He was especially able to address the Christian hypocrisy which seems to rule in the West. Apparently, he has Pentecostal leanings. I take it, he now is living  in Norway. His English is superb. His heart for reaching out to Muslims is contagious.

The Heart of Evangelism, Jerram Barrs ?????

I was given this book, since it is currently being used for the Sunday School class at church. At first, I was reluctant to read the book. I had heard Jerram Barrs speak in the past, and he definitely was dreadfully boring. This book is everything but boring. Barrs is definitely a better writer than he is a speaker. Jerram comes out of the L’Abri movement of Francis Schaeffer, who was one of the most influential people in my life, influencing my thought quite profoundly during college years. Jerram addresses the issues of talking about your faith to other people, not like any other “evangelism” text I’ve ever read so far (which is really not many). Throughout the book, one can see the thinking of F. Schaeffer coming through, though with Barr’s distinct style. Schaeffer speaks of pre-evangelism, but Jerram gives concrete meaning to the term. He especially emphasizes the nature of Christ’s teaching while on earth, which though harsh with Pharisees and those who are self-righteous in established religion, was as gentle as a lamb and never insulting, demeaning, or harsh to the “man-on-the-street”. Through it all, Jerram emphasizes that it is not our skills of persuasion that lead people to faith, but rather the Holy Spirit working in peoples’ lives.

Who Told You that You Were Naked, Victor Schlatter ??

I first met Vic Schlatter in 1969, when he had come home from furlough to the mission field. Vic was a energetic, and very magnetic personality, with a tremendous amount of smarts. Before becoming a missionary to the New Guinea Waola tribe, he had worked at Hanford as a nuclear chemist.

In this book, Vic covers some of his pet peeves, including the media bias, organized religion, feminism, political correctness, and the new world order. He does this is a quasi-historical fashion. Vic is not very straight-forward in his writing, putting on paper more the ramblings that would happen if he were speaking to you. All of his writing is laced with constant dry humor, which keeps you reading. Vic seems to have two special theses that he always driving home.

The first is the “Aristotleanization” of organized (and unorganized) contemporary religion. I remember him speaking about the influence of Aristotle on the church even in 1969, so, he hasn’t gotten this off of his mind. Unfortunately, he doesn’t define exactly the nature of this influence, and I remain hard pressed to understand. Certainly, we can blame Thomas Aquinas. But we also have to blame Plato, who, through Plotinus, was a heavy influence on Augustine, and thus the rest of Christendom. Vic tries to “de-Greek-ize” Christianity, which is unfortunately an impossibility, since even the New Testament writers were heavily influenced by their Greek world. As an example, Paul, John  and Peter write instructional letters to various churches, which was unheard of before certain Epicurian philosophers. It is a mistake to define orthodoxy as strictly abiding to a Hebrew mind-set.

So, Vic lapses into his constant and persistent rhetoric regarding the superior and transcendent nature of the Jewish. Now, I certainly have an appreciation for Jews, and have many good friends who are also Jewish, but I don’t view that as making the person any more special than any other race or color of skin on earth. I certainly hold that it is possible that in an age to come, a special relationship with God is again formed, but certainly don’t see that in the current age. Indeed, the Jews are living outside of the Covenant of their own Scriptures, and so stand condemned by God.

I met Vic recently at a funeral of a mutual friend, and inquired of his eschatological stance. He seemed to reject dispensationalism, yet his book still seems to drift toward a style of post-tribulational dispensationalism, though he never mentions a millenium. Perhaps his absence of clarity is Vic’s attempt to “de-Aristotle-ize” and to “Waola-ize” himself. Certainly, his view of the anti-Christ seems to drift from classic dispensational teaching. I would have liked to pick Vic’s mind more as to his true stance. All in all, I found Schlatter’s book entertaining but not terribly informative.

The Dark Side of Islam, R.C. Sproul & Abdul Saleeb ??

This book, written by the well-known theologian R.C. Sproul and an ex-radical Muslim, A. Saleeb, actually talks very little about the dark side of Islam. It is mostly a conversation between the two authors regarding some of the theological differences between the Islam and Christian faith, mostly dealing with the nature of God, sin, salvation, and the person and work of Christ. I found it containing only limited information, and thus not terribly helpful for my poor inquisitive mind, which is asking for a more precise analysis of Islam/Christian differences, which tend to be quite significant. Since I’m now reading “Answering Islam” by Norman Geisler, I might have my questions answered.

Geschichte der deutschen Literatur, Manfred Mai ???

Manfred Mai is a children’s author, and writes about the 8th grade level, so is quite easy for me to read. The other text of his that I have read was the History of Germany, and was quite enjoyable. This was easy to read when Mai was writing, but he includes numerous excerpts, of which multiple writing styles were employed, proving to be a serious challenge to my ability to comprehend. He also spends a little too much time with modern authors—I would have preferred more attention to the classic German literature. All in all, the book was informative, and a decent survey of the breadth of literature in the German tongue.

Just Keep Pedaling, by T.E. Trimbath ?

This book is the story of some dude who works for Boeing and lives in Seattle, who takes the autumn off to ride his bicycle diagonally across America. With a 1 week interruption because of a broken bicycle in Oklahoma, and a year interruption in Pensacola, Florida because of the depletion of funds, he finally makes it to the Florida Keys and then back home. There are many aspects of his trip that I thought were a touch bizarre. He undertakes this entire venture on a bicycle very poorly designed to do this trip. He rides the interstate highway system preferentially. He limits his nights only to motels/hotels, and eats at mostly fast-food restaurants. The account of his travel is told in an awkward fashion, corrected only when he recalls the Florida leg of his venture–each day is started by an e-mail note for the day, and then reiterated in a slightly more expansive form in his general narrative. Thus, you were constantly reading the same account twice over. Better editing would have eliminated that problem. The final insights that you achieve from such an adventure are somewhat skewed by the odd nature in which he did cross-country bicycle travel. His insights are helpful in telling you what helped make the trip a success, and how the over-arching principle was the need for determination to endure in a bicycle saddle for months at a time through the extremes of weather and traffic conditions. His personal style does add to some pleasure to reading his tale, but this book never really gave me the insights was was looking for in deciding whether to perform a similar venture.

The Essential Touring Cyclist, by Richard Lovett  ?????

I’ve considered the possibility of doing some bicycle touring, and so purchased this text to get the low and skinny, as it was fairly high-rated on Amazon.com. It is a fairly basic but well-written book that is easy to read, always applicable, with many helpful hints as to how to survive out there on a bicycle. It covers most expected topics, such as how to choose a touring bicycle, what bags to get for the bike and what to put in them, how to survive the long road, and how to plan a trip, including possible European trips. The book is an excellent choice for anybody just starting out on cycle touring.

Ice Bound, by Dr. Jerri Nielson ?

I was loaned this book by our practice manager as a book that she felt I would enjoy reading. It’s the story of a lady who becomes an ER physician with a completely dysfunctional life, deciding to escape by being a doctor in the South Pole American research station, only to discover that she had a breast cancer. She instituted chemotherapy before being evacuated for definitive care. There are a number reasons why I disliked the book. 1) Mushy details — I don’t care what a person ate at a given time, or the little trivia of survival on the south pole. Compare it to Messner, who mentioned as an afterthought that he lost a few toes on a climb where he also lost his brother. 2) Letters, letters, letters. The correspondence was meaningless to me, and didn’t contribute to the flow of the book. 3) Stories of cancer, and medicine make me nauseated. 4) This is not a story of Dr. Jerri’s heroism, but the heroism of the rascals who had to airdrop the chemotherapy, and then eventually fly in to evacuate her.  5) Details of the South Pole station were practically missing. What research were they doing there? How many people? From where? Etc. Many details that would have made the book more fascinating were missing. Don’t waste your money on this book – it’s not worth reading.

Free Spirit-A Climbers Life, by Reinhold Messner ?????

A wonderful and spell-bounding read on most certainly the greatest climber of the 20th century, Messner accounts in short chapters, a brief reflection on his most significant climbs, and the philosophy of climbing that he created, that of minimalist techniques, eliminating the use of siege techniques and bottled oxygen to achieve the highest peaks in the world, which would later become the accepted norm by even climbers like Ed Viesturs. Messner is the veritable opposite of Viesturs, constantly taking risks, and constantly re-defining the art of climbing. Viesturs would attack a mountain by it’s simplest route, while Messner by its most creative permissible route, often solo. The only thing in common was mental fortitude of push for limits that few other people in the world could do, and incredible luck. Messner did not need a reason or justification for climbing, and admits that it was a combination of shear joy mixed with merciless addiction that kept him pushing for more difficult, in not impossible, routes up a cliff or mountain. He truly will remain one of the greatest climbers of all time.

No Shortcuts to the Top, by Ed Viesturs ???

This book is an autobiography of the life of Ed Viesturs, mostly detailing the events that led to him becoming a Himalayan climber, as well as achieving the peaks of the World’s 14 8000 meter peaks. Such is an astonishing accomplishment, especially since he did each of those peaks without the use of additional bottled oxygen. Apparently, he is now off to other adventures. Ed started out as a veterinarian, but worked summers during veterinarian school as a guide on Mt. Rainier. Eventually, he was invited to accompany an group to the Himalayas on the climb of Kangchenjunga, the third highest peak in the world. This eventually led to his quest for all 14 – 8000ers. Throughout, Ed details his family life, and philosophy of climbing, life, and the world in general. This is where an otherwise fascinating story turns the book into an autobiography that will soon be forgotten. Ed’s final justification for his endeavor is that he can now motivate people, and has been hired by sports teams and major corporations to get their employees to work harder at less pay in order to achieve their “Everest”. For me, it’s a rather shallow raison d’être. For Viesturs, god becomes some amorphous other, best described by the Buddhist leaning toward Animism. Here is a man who knows little about the daily grind, waking up morning after morning, years on end to provide for family and community. He did motivate me in one way through this book. I will take off the next 18 years of my life, hiking, playing, and being my personal best, and then write a book about it. Please take this tongue-in-cheek. The bottom line take-home message of the book for me, is that 1) Ed is a really nice guy, 2) Ed really likes his family, and 3) Ed likes to be alone, away from family, as much as possible, proving to the world that nice guys can climb mountains and do hard things. Don’t get me wrong, few people in the world could have ever done what Ed has done, and I admire his penchant for caution, safety, and willingness to help others out of trouble. Perhaps Ed would best serve humankind by opening a Himalayan climbing school, to motivate and provide the skills for others to repeat what he has done.

Churchill, Hitler, and the Unnecessary War, by Patrick Buchanan ?????

Patrick Buchanan has been an interesting character. I can’t say that I have ever voted for him for president, but have many agreements with him. This book is a relative diversion from the usual treatises of Buchanan, in that he engages himself strictly as a historian. I have blogged several months ago about issues which are now parroted in the volume. You may recall that I discussed  in the 06APR08 blog about the distorted priorities and values that the West held in WWI and II, which should be titled the second thirty years war against Germany. Buchanan outlines the bitterly disastrous foreign policy of Great Britain which in both instances could have prevented the war, and eliminated much greater evils. Buchanan outlines with extreme clarity the wanton hypocrisy of the West in accusing Germany of various sins, yet practicing far greater evils. Buchanan skillfully delineates the moral degeneracy of the West in the many of the war decisions, such as the decision to attack civilian populations in some sort of “retribution” for their war crimes. The author adeptly identifies the total duplicity of Churchill in accusing Chamberlain of “appeasement”, and yet being the greatest “appeaser” of the twentieth century, bringing more harm of countless millions from Churchillian appeasement to Stalin than Chamberlain ever caused. In all, Churchill is rightfully portrayed at the man, who, more than any other in the 20th century, could be responsible for the first and second world wars, as well as the cold war. In the end, Buchanan points out how Bushes’ foreign policy is paralleling the blundering decision making of Churchill, with the anticipated result than any sense of American hegemony in the world will be reduced, and that we can expect to see the USA reduced, like Britain, to a second rate nation among world powers. His advice should be well heeded. This is a must read book, highly informative, and quite powerful in undoing much of the propaganda we were taught as school children.

The Revolution: A Manifesto, by Ron Paul ? ? ? ? ?

I’ve taken a break from reading larger texts, to read this book, which arrived a day before (I actually ordered 3 copies). I’m not much of a political wonk, usually hating the idea of politics, but, Ron Paul is a lonely exception. I supported Ron Paul before he ever became known to the public, voted for him for president, and will write his name in on the ballot, just to avoid whatever bimbos are put up by the Republicrats for us to vote for. Nothing doing! Dr. Paul covers 5 relevant areas. 1) Foreign policy – like many of my previous posts, Paul advocates getting out of everybody else’s space, 130 countries worth of space, to be exact. 2) Support for the constitution – Paul suggests that we return to taking the constitution seriously, rather than allowing politicians to delegitimize sections to meet their convenience or so called public need. 3) Economic freedom – Paul discusses the issue of removing the current tax structure, while concomitantly cutting back massive federal spending, 4) Civil liberties – Dr. Paul discusses how the use of such new institutions such as the Patriot act, government evesdropping, government regulation in health care, drugs, etc. have actually harmed more than helped Americans, and 5) Money – Dr. Paul discusses how the loss of the gold standard and absence of accountability of the federal reserve has led to a massive increase in the money supply while simultaneously devaluing money. All in all, the book is an easy read, and a must for anybody who really cares about the future of America. Dr. Paul is certainly correct in anticipating an eventual collapse of the system to which the feds will fix at the peril of even more of the freedoms that we currently cherish.

Translating Truth, Multiple Authors ????

This book is a discussion about theories of translation of the Scripture into the venacular, and is written by a group of most venerable scholars, most of whom were involved in the ESV translation, including JI Packer, Wayne Grudem, Leland Ryken, Jack Collins, Vern Poythress, and Bruce Winter. My interest in this book stemmed from multiple comments about the use of essentially literal vs. dynamic equivalent translation technique. The book was quite effective at persuading me about the value of essentially literal translation technique. I realize that there was a time when missionaries paid obeisance to dynamic equivalence, claiming that their audience would not understand various words such as “sheep” or “justification”. In the process, the gospel is dumbed down. Indubitably, many passages in Hebrew and Greek have double meanings, and perhaps both meanings are correct. Perhaps the original language is simply uninterpretable of challenging to understand; in those situations, the translator should not attempt to force on the reader a single interpretation. The book was quite readable, although I’m sure I would have understood it better with a better knowledge of Hebrew and Greek. Oh well.

The Climb – Tragic Ambitions on Everest, by Anatoli Boukreev and G. Weston DeWalt ?????

Having just read “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer, I felt it necessary to get another viewpoint of the 1996 Everest Tragedy. Krakauer certainly had a smoother writing style, though Boukreev remains the more believable author. Both detail the facts as they saw them that led to the death of six climbers on Everest in one day, though Boukrrev gives a far more plausible explanation as to the mistakes, and errors in judgment that occurred not only among the guides, but also among the clients in several expedition groups competing with each other for the summit of Everest. Errors is supply tactics, preparation of the client climbers, organization of Sherpas and other personnel, and overestimatation of ones’ own energy and endurance were skillfully laid out by Boukreev, but totally glossed over by Krakauer. Both books will hold you spellbound until the end–such an event needs no elaborate journalism to portray the hopes, the folly and the extreme conditions that all faced attempting to claim the distinction of having climbed the tallest mountain in the world. As for me, I’ll stay a little lower down on terra firma. If you had to choose between the two books, this would be the preferred.

Complete Book of Road Cycling Skills, by Ed Pavelka and the editors of Bicycling Magazine  ????

Okay, I’m torturing you with a review of yet another bicycling book, also written in part by Ed Pavelka, but with a different focus, looking a road biking in general, rather than simply talking about long distance riding. The book is divided into 8 parts, which I will not review, but each focuses on some aspect of bicycling, such as training, riding in traffic, medical problems with bicycling, etc. Each chapter was mostly 3-4 pages long, and thus easy to read in short spurts. All in all, an excellent book for somebody just starting out in the road biking world.

The Pandora Prescription, by James Sheridan  ??

The Pandora Prescription was written by a self-acclaimed US government contract pilot who flew secretive diplomatic missions between Miami and Havana, thus claiming inside knowledge in the underworld of international politics and espionage. The book is a fast-acting chase between a government agent working for the Department of Homeland Security, and Travis, who is attempting to locate and possess a so-called Apollo document. The book takes on the similitude of a Borne series movie, with near omniscient government agents solving in methodological brilliance achieving a fantasy status.

Sheridan attempts to weave within the action his own thoughts on the construct of internal and international politics from a US perspective. His thesis is that following WWII, German agents, who in actuality were planted Soviet double agents, took over and dominated the internal workings of the CIA, making it a partial puppet of Soviet interests. In partial defense of that, he argues how the Kennedy assassination was actually a Soviet action performed through the intermediacy of Cuban agents, willing to seek revenge for US desire to assassinate Castro.

The contents of the Apollo file were documents from a Bilderback conference detailing how the international pharmaceutical industry had actually wished to suppress data regarding Laetrile as the cure for cancer, since it was cheap, effective, and without side effects. Many pages are labored over the thesis that Laetrile is indeed a cure for cancer, the truth of which is suppressed in the interests of maintaining the cost-laden health care industry, which in turn supports the US economy. In the end, the truth ends up in the hands of Soviet agents, who would use it to blackmail US interests.

Unfortunately, Sheridan mixes truth and fiction, attempting multiple theses, including a) the renegade nature of US government, which is a government against the people, and especially true of the Homeland Security, b) the subterfuge of international politics, and “conspiracies/clandestine operatives” such as the Bilderback society and not mentioned Trilateral Commission and Club of Rome, and c) the vast health care conspiracy to suppress the cure for cancer and other ailments. Each of these theses has some truth to it. I simply could not speak with authority regarding either a) or b), but refer you to writings such as are produced by brother Dennis, who has much to say on this topic, which I hold to be mostly accurate and consistent with Sheridan’s thought. Like Sheridan, brother Dennis also has much to say regarding the health care industry, but remains less informed, considering that since there are conspiracies behind every tree and under every rock, it must also be true of health care. As a physician, I certainly have grave concerns about the health care industry, and believe that Pharmaceutical concerns heavily influence the data, and its interpretation. There is not a week that goes by where some drug rep is trying to buy me lunch and pawn some expensive, useless, and toxic drug off onto my prescription pattern. I just look at the demise of tamoxifen and rise of aromatase inhibitors, which are far more expensive with more side effects, but marginally, if at all better than tamoxifen, and certainly with virtually no difference in overall survival. Overall survival is a number, unlike disease free survival or time to progression, that cannot be manipulated. You can’t fudge on the death of a person by more than a day or two.

But what about Laetrile? Are we really hiding the cure for cancer? To even ask the question betrays a naiveté  about cancer. Everybody would love a cure for cancer. The book mentions a small province in Nepal where cancer is not reported. Either they have not the sophistication to identify cancer when it is present (quite probably true) or they die young (also quite true) and so don’t have the chance of getting the old-age disease. Why do people in Cuba and Mexico die of cancer, where they supposedly know the “truth”? Why have the Russians not opened up massive Laetrile clinics for their citizens, since they don’t have drug cartels, yet know the “truth”? I’ve had many patients go to Mexico for the cure, only to come back worse off than before. They should have laid on the beaches and drank their Tequila, rather than wasting their money on worthless cures. Why is Fidel dying of cancer? Odd thing, is it not? Is the drug cartel in Cuba restricting Laetrile from him? Are there cures for other diseases? If so, why haven’t they been discovered before the modern era? It seems like people live at most for 70-80 years, with higher rates found mostly in societies with improved public sanitation and a reasonably adequate diet. Alternative health care varies extremely, from chiropractic, naturopathic, Eastern mystical, Christian Science faith healing, and the list goes on. Having trained at the U. of Illinois, we are all too aware of the Krebiozin incident, proved to be worthless (sterile water with less than 1 part per billion of any active ingredient). Now, maybe Krebiozin was just another pharmaceutical cover-up, yet I don’t see Brazilians flocking to Krebiozin clinics, since this is where that supposed miracle drug came from. In actual fact, all cultures and societies and levels of sophistication have their quacks. We will someday look on what we do as barbaric, and my enthusiasm for what I have to offer my patients is less than ebullient. If one cannot cut it out, then the cancer will probably not be cured. Sheridan’s ignorance of the types and vagaries of cancer and his solution offer me nothing. This book had a “Bourne Identity” style excitement to its plot, some semblance of truth, but overall, a faulty thesis that distracts from enjoyment of the story.

The Returning King, by Vern Poythress   ???

Also subtitled “A Guide to the Book of Revelation”, this book is a cross between a commentary and a narrative explanation of the meaning of Revelation. By that, he approaches his comments in a somewhat commentary style, occasionally pausing to offer insights into obscure phrases or words. Yet, the flow of the book is more intended to simply try to offer a big picture of what the book is all about. Its closest parallel is the book “More than Conquerors” by William Hendriksen. Hendriksen does offer a similar 7 cycle motif to the book, but spends much more detail in detailing the nature of the cycles, and why a book of prophecy would be presented as a series of cycles. By 7 cycles, Hendriksen explains that history is re-told 7 times, each in a differing, and progressive perspective. Hendriksen is also not fearful about taking an opinion about his interpretative camps, making it clear that an amillenial view best fits the 7-cycle motif. I certainly agree with Hendriksen, and feels that, in part, makes Hendriksen’s text a much better text than Poythress has to offer. Poythress attempts to see makes the series of 7 cycles fit either premillenial, amillenial, or postmillenial thinking. I don’t believe it works. Poythress’ text is certainly not without value, and a worthy read, though, “More than Conquerors” remains a superior and more insightful text of providing an amillenial explanation of the last book of the Scriptures.

Systematic Theology, by Wayne Grudem ????

Grudem’s and Berkof’s Systematic Theologies were both required reading when I took a systematic theology class from JI Packer with Regent College in Vancouver, Washington. He encouraged us to read Grudem since, he stated, “there is no God in Berkof”. Grudem’s strengths are often his weaknesses. It is an easy read, perhaps too easy. Many theological words are not used, and it is written at about the 8th grade level. Which is a little bit of a pity, since seminaries are using this as a textbook to train pastors. It would be like going to medical school, and using the anatomy coloring book as your primary text, talking about the collar bone rather than the clavicle, armpit rather than axilla, or belly button rather than umbilicus. True, you need to know both terms. But, I expect seminary students to be trained in a fashion that befits advanced post-graduate learning. Otherwise, throw out college, and send our pastors-to-be to bible school, like the Baptists do.

Grudem tends to be solidly grounded in Reformed thinking, which makes this a pleasure to read. My main complaint is that he tends to be pre-occupied with certain topics and ignores others. Many historical controversies, such as the origin of the soul, are nearly completely ignored. Yet, he spends over 70 pages discussing the role of gifts in the church. Regarding gifts and miracles, Grudem is definitely a non-cessasionist, to which I don’t have a serious problem, except when pushed too hard. Grudem is very reluctant to admit that miracles have always tended to be rare, and he would rather like to think that they are predictable and expected. Regarding prophecy, I tend to agree with him that prophecy is more than just teaching, though I disagree that it is necessarily something more earth-shattering than exhortation. Grudem is also quite eager to defend the pentecostal version of tongues, which I have a serious problem with. He even admits that “tongues interpretation” is only a rough summary of the meaning of what was said, which, in my book, is NOT what is meant by interpretation. I have yet to see a charismatic or pentecostal service which uses tongues in a biblical fashion. I’m also not a pre-millenialist, but won’t object too seriously his stance on that. He fails to offer any suggestion that historic pre-millenialism might have legitimate objections. Grudem’s greatest strength is in discerning which issues are truly worth rolling up your sleeves for a good fight, versus those issues which are not worth being divisive about. All in all, I’d give it 4 stars for laymen’s use, and only 2 star for seminary use.

Long-distance Cycling by Edmund Burke and Ed Pavelka    ????

A helpful manual on how to truly torture yourself on a bicycle. They offer help on how one can ride a bicycle steadily for 120 days (exaggerating a little bit) while sleeping only 2-4 hours a night. In actual fact, it is a nice book for familiarizing one to the thought of riding one’s bicycle farther than around the block. They offer helpful hints on how to increase your stamina, how to prepare for a long ride, how to remedy the most-common ailments of the long-distance cyclist, and how to maintain one’s composure while riding long distances, including what to eat and drink, and how to maintain ones’ well-being and sanity. A helpful read for anyone wishing to ride their bicycle more than 30 miles at a time.

Daktar, Diplomat in Bangladesh, autobiography by Viggo Olsen  ????

Daktar is a heart-stirring autobiography of a surgeon who found Christ while in residency, and decided to bring the gospel message to East Pakistan, now known as Bangladesh. He unfortunately was caught in the civil war of East Pakistan breaking away from West Pakistan, and the massive inhumanity which occurred in the process. Through his trust in Christ, he was able to build a hospital in the heart of mostly Muslim Chittagong region of Bangladesh, and reach many with the gospel. It is to this hospital that Betsy and I hope to spend several months next year, and so was a particularly appealing story. It received only four stars, since parts of it were slightly bizarre, especially the added unnecessary comments by Ms. Lockerbie. Otherwise a stimulating read, especially if one is considering medical missionary work.