Reading

Read to weigh and consider

Leave a comment

Do students read Francis Bacon anymore? Here’s a short essay that contains popular quotations from Bacon’s “Essays, Civil and Moral,” posted here for readers of the future.

Studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business. For expert men can execute, and perhaps judge of particulars, one by one; but the general counsels, and the plots and marshalling of affairs, come best, from those that are learned.

To spend too much time in studies is sloth; to use them too much for ornament, is affectation; to make judgment wholly by their rules, is the humor of a scholar. They perfect nature, and are perfected by experience: for natural abilities are like natural plants, that need proyning [i.e. pruning], by study; and studies themselves, do give forth directions too much at large, except they be bounded in by experience. Crafty men contemn studies, simple men admire them, and wise men use them; for they teach not their own use; but that is a wisdom without them, and above them, won by observation. Continue reading Read to weigh and consider →

Uncategorized

Weakened report

Leave a comment

A beautiful weekend, climatologically speaking. I did some stuff that a man’s gotta do in the yard, and a little housecleaning. And went to see “Star Trek,” at last. Not bad. The big thing is that it gave me the same kind of pleasure the old original series used to. Although a serious fan in my youth, my fervor abated with the years. I’m not the kind of obsessive whose whole experience is spoiled because somebody calculated the star date wrong, through failing to factor in Daylight Savings Time. All I ask is some cool visuals, a plausible (my standards are pretty low) story, some attractive women (bring back Jolene Blalock!), and good fights. And they had a sword! A sword on Star Trek! It doesn’t get much better than that, as far as I’m concerned.

Oh well, it could be better, of course. If this movie ever materializes, for instance, and if it’s worthy of its source, it’ll be worth any number of dilithium crystals. Continue reading Weakened report →

Non-fiction

An American Chocolate Maker

Leave a comment

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.

Music

Top ten hymns

Leave a comment

Phil posted a list of his ten favorite hymns this morning. So it seems in order that I post my own, if only to demonstrate how much better Lutheran hymnody is than Calvinist. The order is somewhat arbitrary.

1. “Make Me a Captive, Lord.” My all-time favorite, since I was a teenager. Not only is it set to “Leominster,” one of the most beautiful hymn tunes ever composed, but it has swords and battles. Written by George Matheson, the great, blind Scottish hymn writer.

2. “Wide Open Are Thy Hands.” Based on a hymn by St. Bernard of Clairvaux, it also—by some weird coincidence—is set to “Leominster.” No swords, alas.

3. “O Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go.” Well, what do you know? Another Matheson hymn. Talk about coincidences. There’s a legend that Matheson wrote this after being rejected by a fiancée, who walked out on him after she learned he was going blind. This story is not true, I understand.

4. “Be Thou My Vision.” “Ancient Irish hymn,” according to my hymn book. It’s even got a sword, though the “Be Thou my battle-shield, sword for the fight…” verse generally gets skipped.

5. “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” The best of the Christmas hymns. A lesson in theology all by itself, courtesy of Charles Wesley. And fun to sing. The three beats of “Joyful all,” repeated again in the following line, just require you to throw back your head and let go.

6. “Den Store, Hvide Flokk.” I had to put a Norwegian hymn in here (although it’s actually Danish, but I’m trying to be complimentary). The title means “The Great White Host,” and it’s based on Revelation. It sounds like this.

7. “Amazing Grace.” Well, duh. I especially recommend Sissel’s recording (arranged by Andrae Crouch).

8. “Rock of Ages.” Solid and enduring.

9. “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God.” By some guy named Luther. I actually prefer this one in a Contemporary Praise arrangement, if you can believe it. You’ve got to sing this one with gusto to get it right.

10. “Thee God We Praise.” Sung to the tune of “Finlandia,” another fine Scandinavian composition.

See you in church on Sunday.

Authors, Poetry

Poet Donald Hall

Leave a comment

Books, Inq. has an interesting interview with a poet Donald Hall. Near the beginning of the 38 minute recording, Hall talks about a teacher who ridiculed his poetry for a full class period, and though he cried about it afterward, Hall determined to spend twice the time on his poetry as he had before.

Non-fiction

The Old Testament and American Immigration

Leave a comment

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.

Book Reviews, Creative Culture