AbeBooks.com has the list, including Roverandom, a family story from J.R.R. Tolkien.
Category Archives: Non-fiction
The Way It’s Supposed to Work
Tim Challies says he was drawn in by a blurb.
Polishing God’s Monuments was an unexpected surprise. A book that arrived (as do so many others) without any fanfare, I quickly skimmed the four endorsements and paused only when I saw Bruce Ware’s name and his claim that this title is “so gripping and moving and inspiring that one cannot put the book down.” Based on my respect for Bruce Ware, on the enthusiasm of his endorsement and on the track record of the publisher, Shepherd Press, I decided I should at least give the book a try. Am I ever glad I did!
Manly Non-fiction
Book of the Year
World’s 2009 Book of the Year is essentially a perennial bestseller: The Bible. Specifically, they are praising the ESV Study Bible, which has a hefty preview site.
A Bitter Worldview
James Bowman writes about a book called, Shyness: How Normal Behavior Became a Sickness: “In seeking some scientific sanction for proclaiming his case of jaundice a true and factual picture of the world, the professor has provided us with a good illustration of how bitterness generally is self-generated in a way that real illness can hardly be.”
An American Chocolate Maker
Obit Magazine has a short article on Milton S. Hershey and the new museum in his honor. It isn’t discussed here, but I think a good book or movie could be made of the rivalry between Hershey and Franklin Mars. Of course, it would have to involve aliens at some point, but you know, that’s expected.
The Old Testament and American Immigration
Justin Taylor interviews OT professor James K. Hoffmeier on his new book, The Immigration Crisis: Immigrants, Aliens, and the Bible. It’s a bit weighty, but this is a difficult issue with many lives and livelihoods at stake. Here’s an excerpt:
It seems to me that in the public square those who are using the Bible in the immigration debate assume that the Bible endorses the idea of providing sanctuary for illegal aliens. Do you agree?
The OT Law is very clear about the practice of sanctuary or accessing the cities of refuge. The former was for those living in proximity to the Tabernacle or Temple, while the city of refuge were scattered throughout Israel for easier access.
The purpose of sanctuary was not to avoid the law or one’s sentence, but to get a fair trial in the case and only in the case of accidental death (cf. Ex. 21:12-14; Num. 35:11-15, 22-29; Josh. 20:1-9).
So when American cities offer their cities as sanctuary from federal law, or when churches offer their facilities as a refuge for illegal immigrants who have been tried and order deported, they are neither following the letter or spirit of the OT law.
A recent example of this was the case of Elvira Arellano, a woman who had been ordered deported by a judge because of her undocumented status. She was given sanctuary in a United Methodist Church in Chicago for more than a year. In my view, such a practice neither follows the letter or the spirit of the biblical law regarding sanctuary.
The Way You Talk to People
Hugh suggests, “If you talked to people the way advertising talked to people, they’d punch you in the face.”
Hugh Macleod has a new book on creativity called, Ignore Everybody. Roy Jacobsen appears to recommend it. Is that right, Roy?
Re-reading Lewis and Narnia
Mr. Holtsberry has a review of Laura Miller’s The Magician’s Book: A Skeptic’s Adventures in Narnia.