#88, "The Courage to Teach"

"The Courage to Teach"
by Parker J. Palmer

This is a beautifully written book. Palmer has invested a substantial amount of thinking in the topics he talks about, and his depth of scholarship and carefully considered language is reflected in every weighted sentence. The text is part memoir, described in encounters, failures and successes along his career as an educator, and part prescriptive guide for teachers to rediscover their identities as humans and teachers, and ultimately for reforming the state of modern education for the good of all.

Palmer addresses three entities, each larger than the last: the teacher, communities of teachers, and finally teaching institutions. Teachers, he says, must connect, or reconnect, with themselves in order to really fulfill their identities as teachers. There is quite a bit of mystic and Buddhist terminology here, as he exhorts us to "listen to the inner teacher" and "find your truth." From a Christian perspective, I found that once I filtered his terminology into true statements, it made more sense for me. I agree with his premise, that we must live, or strive to live, "undivided" lives, though I think we disagree on what that means. I think, too, that once we--teachers especially, but really all humankind in general--once we have found our identities, we ought to live in community with others, and that real progress can be made once honest, open community is established. He ends by examining some aspects of educational reform, and presses the reader to live with integrity for what is right, even at the cost of prestige, power, or paycheck; a sentiment I stand behind myself. When integrity is gone, from the classroom, the pulpit, the home, we have become hollow men and hollow women. Anyway, I will not philosophize, even though the Mariana-level depth of the thoughts and writing in this book make it hard not to reciprocate with philisophication.

#83, "A Christian Manifesto"

"A Christian Manifesto"
By Francis A. Schaeffer

This was a bit of an odd book. Like the last one I read, it is very short and I finished it in just a day or two. I say it is odd because, though I've read a lot of Schaeffer, I've never read anything of his that was so political and that I wrinkled my nose at quite as much. I think it is important, vitally, crucially important, to read critically; even--maybe especially--when you read something by an author you respect. And by critically I don't mean "as a critic," reading only because you want to say something about the work, but "critically" as in "thoughtfully," considering the merit of the ideas presented on their own terms and deciding whether they are valid or invalid. When the author is one whom you are familiar with, this process becomes the more important because no man is perfect. There is always something to disagree with between any two people, and I think there can be value in disagreement. Disagreement shows me better who I am, what I think. It shows me that I think for myself, that I am not a mere robot copy-and-pasting ideas that others have, but that I have my own ideas about how the world works. Even so, it feels strange to read a book by Francis Schaeffer, one of the greatest Christian minds of the 20th, and have some reservations about what he says.

"A Christian Manifesto" is a response, of sorts, to documents published earlier in the 20th century titled "The Humanist Manifesto" (1 and 2). Schaeffer describes humanism as a worldview diametrically opposed to Christianity--which is quite right--and warns against that worldview becoming mainstream, the "normal." Of course, when this was written in 1982, there was still hope (?) of humanism's downfall and a return to the values of truth as defined by true Christianity. As we know, this hope has been torn to pieces. Schaeffer's worst fear, humanism as the modern standard, has largely come true. Modern man no longer accepts the answer that there is only one true truth--I daresay that even many who call themselves "Christians" would hedge on this point and say there are ways for each of us to find our own path to heaven. It seems to me that humanism is winning the "culture war" and Christianity, at least as it appears in the United States, is largely impotent to curb the widespread change in ideology.

Schaeffer is not at his best here. His points on religion and worldview are as sharp as ever and always on point, but when he gets into politics he loses focus. Perhaps, as I mentioned above, my own view is skewed as a result of growing up and living in what I consider post-Christian America. Even so, he is not a political scientist, but a philosopher and pastor. I can't really pin down what exactly he wrote that made me wrinkle my nose, but, for me, this book missed the mark as a response to humanism--of course, for Schaeffer, even missing the mark still leaves us with excellent thoughts and mindful commentary.

#82, "The Mark of the Christian"

"The Mark of the Christian"
By Francis A. Schaeffer

This short book--essentially an extended essay--is an examination of Jesus' words from John 13:35: "By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.” This love must exist both within and without the Christian community. That is, true Christians must love each other; but at the same time true Christians must love the unbeliever. Schaeffer writes that this love is the "mark" that distinguishes the Christian as set apart, and, further, is the visible testimony that Jesus came from the Father. If Christians cannot love one another, then the non-Christian has every right to doubt the truth of our claims. Love is the ultimate command: first, love toward God, then love for every one of our fellow humans, Christian and non-Christian alike.

This message was especially relevant to me this week, as I was talking with my wife just last weekend about a misanthropic streak that has grown in me as I've gotten older. This cynical and often downright antagonistic feeling is, of course, completely wrong. If I respond to human failure by myself failing, I do not complete Jesus' commands but, in my actions, reject them. I cannot make other people more loving, but I can and must love others better in my own words and deeds, and ask forgiveness daily for my own lack of love. Jesus won't judge me based on other people's actions, but my response to them. This is made all the more important for, as Schaeffer deftly explains, this response, the response of love, is what ought to separate me as a Christian.

#68, "The God Who Is There"

"The God Who Is There"

Francis Schaeffer

A part of Francis Schaeffer's great trilogy of Christian philosophy and apologetics, "The God Who Is There" is focused on contrasting the Christian system of thought with modern humanism (also labeled rationalism). The contrast is described through an examination of presuppositions, the historical radical change from a basic understanding of antithesis to that of synthesis, which formed the basis of modern rationalism, and finally by an overview of the Christian answer to modern humanism's existential problem.

As I've written before, Schaeffer is easy to read, but rather more difficult to comprehend. He uses simple phrases, but often in unconventional ways, which simply means if you aren't paying attention you can easily become confused. This isn't casual reading. You have to invest a bit in order to understand what he is driving at. Yet when the pieces come together, his thinking is filled with power and clarity. I especially appreciate his compassionate spirit and his urging to other believers to use Christian thought not as a weapon, but as a tool in order for them to see their eternal crisis and to turn to the only one who can save them. That is clearly seen in this book. Every page practically shouts the author's caring for the souls in despair that he writes about. If every Christian uses his or her mind and heart like Schaeffer, I wonder what a different world we would live in.

#whatireadin2017

#61, "He Is There and He Is Not Silent"

"He Is There and He Is Not Silent"

Francis A. Schaeffer

This is the third of Francis Schaeffer's great trilogy (preceded by "The God Who Is There" and "Escape From Reason"), and is a direct and concise defense of the existence--indeed, the necessity--of God, and the truth of Christianity. He writes mostly on the subject of epistemology: that branch of philosophy concerned with knowing, and how we know that we know. Fairly dense stuff, but if one pays close attention, I think it is not difficult to understand his reasoning. If you miss something, you are likely to become lost. There are no wasted words here; every sentence is focused and makes a difference. This is not exactly light reading. It requires concentration and thought in order for it to fully bloom in the mind. However, I think that once it has been given sufficient attention, the rewards are an incredible look into the mind of a very great thinker.

Schaeffer argues that the central problem facing mankind in the last half of the 20th century (a problem which bleeds into the 21st) is that of knowing. That is not to say "knowledge," which might be thought of as culminating facts, but "Knowing," in a metaphysical and existential sense. We can know truth about God, the universe, and ourselves, because we can know that God exists, that he must exist. I particularly love his coinage of phrases such as "true truth," "infinite-personal creator" and others. Schaeffer never falters, though he does require, as I've said, quite a bit from his reader. I think it would nearly be required to have read the other two books in this trilogy before tackling this one, as he (if I recall correctly) dives more deeply into concepts such as the "upstairs vs. downstairs," the consequences of the "leap of faith" and his "line of despair," all of which are essential to understanding his philosophy but which are not described here.

In the end, this is required reading for those who wish to understand truly the basis of the Christian faith and the existence of the Christian God.

#whatIreadin2017

2017 Book #13: "The Abolition of Man"

"The Abolition of Man"
By C. S. Lewis

Lewis is a singular thinker and writer, one of the greatest in all history, in my opinion. I didn't remember reading this book until I saw a note written in pencil underneath the chapter 2 title, in my rather recognizable handwriting. I now recall thinking I understood what Lewis was talking about, and feeling rather pleased with myself that I did. Now that I am a bit older, I think that this book is filled with such subtlety and truth and nuance and prophecy that I am sure I must read it a hundred times before I begin to grasp its real meaning. The title is itself an irony. We usually associate abolition with freedom, righteousness; but Lewis warns that discarding fundamental values results in a literal and terrifying abolition--abolishing man as man, leaving nothing behind. Not light reading, but important reading. #whatIreadin2017