48. Festival Days

Festival Days: A History of Jewish Celebrations. Chaim Raphael. 1990. 144 pages. [Source: Bought] [nonfiction] [3 stars]

First sentence: The Jewish calendar includes a host of major and minor celebrations in a continuous, almost non-stop process throughout the year. 

This was a thrift store find. It ended up not being what I was wanting it to be. I was looking for a book about Jewish festivals--feasts, fasts, etc. "all" the holidays of the Jewish calendar. I was hoping for a fact-filled basic overview detailing everything--the what, when, where, how, who, and why. I was hoping it captured impact, meaning, and significance to communities--past and present. 

The book touches on the basics to a small degree, however, I think it was not written with an outsider in mind. It did not seek to explain, to detail, to describe, to elaborate about anything. I think it assumed that the reader would know a lot already. Which could be a fair point indeed. 

It did not seem a "history" to me. I would expect with the description of history that it would trace something from its beginnings to the present day [in this case the 1980s]. It mentioned that there were [at the very, very, very least] three HUGE shifts in how festivals were observed: the Babylonian captivity; the destruction of Jerusalem; and the Holocaust. For the first two it centered around if there is no "Jerusalem" as the center-point and literal PLACE of worship [and fellowship] how do we worship, how do we celebrate, how do we observe. For the last, it was more a focus of when being Jewish, when practicing Judaism becomes dangerous--how do you change your practices? do your circumstances alter how you worship. But this discussion, this "history" lesson, seems to take up very little space. I would have found these subjects fascinating if they had been elaborated on. But again, it was more a slight mention--maybe a sentence or two here and there. 

So if the book doesn't focus on a particular time of history, what does it do? It seems to mainly be about how the Bible [his words, not mine] is not literal, that Moses never existed, that Jews were not monotheistic, that monotheism was a very late development, that all the festival days are rooted in pagan religions and that the Bible itself borrows freely and liberally from multiple pagan cultures. It seemed to want to strip the festivals from their roots as revealed in the Pentateuch. 

The last chapter focuses on how festivals have found their ways into poems and songs through the centuries. 

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Glory of Christ

The Glory of Christ. R.C. Sproul. 1990. 223 pages. [Source: 223 pages.]

First sentence: Glory. The word is charged with meaning. It sets the hearts of Christians soaring. The soul is lifted up by the contemplation of the glory of God and of His Only Begotten Son. It is Christ in His glory who is the object of our worship and adoration. As Christians we join the communion of saints and the host of heaven in lifting up praise and honor to Him.

Each chapter of The Glory of Christ highlights a moment in Jesus' life and ministry. It opens with 'Glory in the Fields' and closes with 'Glory on the Damascus Road.' Most of the chapters focus on his earthly ministry: his birth, his baptism, his miracles, his discipling, his transfiguration, etc. But the last three or four focus on his heavenly ministry. It does not seek to cover every moment of his life--as revealed in the four gospels of the New Testament. His life is viewed through the lens of his GLORY. Which scripture passages have something to say--something to reveal--about Christ's glory.

I think believers are prone to taking the gospels for granted, taking the gospel story for granted. The details of his life aren't seen often with fresh eyes, eyes of awe and wonder. If only they were! The details of his life often fall into the "I already know that..." category, the can-be-skimmed-over-quickly category. And yes, by believers--plural--I'm largely looking at myself. I try to keep things "fresh" by switching translations often. But I think the temptation is always there to rush through the familiar.

R.C. Sproul's book gave me food for thought. Not that Sproul was trying to be "new" and "trendy." (I don't think Sproul ever once tried to be trendy. The focus of Sproul's ministry was on the unchanging TRUTH of the Word of God.)

Quotes:

We are not merely redeemed by the death of Christ; we are also redeemed by the life of Christ. His death on the cross reveals the nadir of his humiliation as He bears the curse for us. But that is only part of His redemptive achievement. It is not enough for us merely to have our sins atoned for. To receive the blessings of the covenant we must possess real righteousness. We need what we cannot supply for ourselves. This merit of righteousness is earned for us by Jesus' life of perfect obedience. (28)

Men may deny the existence of God or refuse to honor Him. But man's unbelief or disobedience do nothing to harm the being of God. God exists whether or not people believe in HIm. His covenant is binding even though we choose to ignore it. Every human being is inescapably bound to a covenant relationship with God. The covenant God made with Adam He made with the representative of the entire human race. (68)

Jesus refused to allow public opinion to steer His ministry. His mandate was from His Father, and He was zealous to perform it regardless of the will of the masses. (100)

Satan wanted Jesus to seek glory without pain, kingship without the cross. Satan feared nothing more from Jesus than His death. The worst thing that could happen to Satan was for Jesus to make atonement for the sins of His people. (105-6)

Moses did not cross over into the Promised Land. He did finally get there, however, by another route. He did not transverse the Jordan River during his life on earth. Presumably the route he traveled to the Promise Land was vertical. He didn't cross over into Israel, he came down to Israel from heaven. After many centuries he finally stood inside the Promised Land as he spoke face to face with the Promised One. (118-9)

To search for glory in the cross of Christ is to turn the values of man upside down. Yet in this darkest hour of human history we see light piercing the shadows, a beam that beckons us to look beyond the obvious, to peer above the shadow to the glory beyond. Without light there can be no shadow. (149)

It is tragedy and victory in the same moment. It is scandal and honor, defeat and triumph, shame and esteem. (149)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book review: Reading Between the Lines

Reading Between the Lines. Gene Edward Veith Jr. 1990. Crossway. 254 pages. [Source: Gift]

First sentence: Will reading become obsolete? Some people think that with the explosion of video technology, the age of the book is almost over. Television monitors, fed by cable networks and video recorders, dominate our culture today.

In the preface, Veith writes: "The capacity to read is a precious gift of God, and this book is designed to encourage people to use this gift to its fullest.

The first two chapters are perhaps the most important. Chapter one is "The Word and the Image: The Importance of Reading." Chapter two is "Vicarious Experience and Vicarious Sin: The Importance of Criticism." I think these two chapters would prove relevant and beneficial to anyone regardless of your background.

Veith then addresses "the forms" of literature. Chapter three is "Nonfiction: The Art of Truth-telling." Chapter four is "Fiction: The Art of Story-Telling." Chapter five is "Poetry: The Art of Singing."

He next turns to the "modes" of literature: tragedy and comedy (chapter six), realism (chapter seven), and fantasy (chapter eight).

The next three chapters tackle the "traditions" of literature. While earlier chapters are more general and broad--giving you tools to help you read--the focus narrows quite a bit in these last chapters. Veith examines various ages of literature: the Middle Ages, the Reformation, the Enlightenment, Romanticism, Modernism, Postmodernism.

The last chapter is probably the most outdated chapter in the entire book. It is "The Makers of Literature: Writers, Publishers, and Readers." In it he addresses many newfangled notions: Christian publishers publishing Christian books by Christian authors; the establishing of Christian bookstores selling Christian books; Christian publications tracking Christian bestsellers, reviewing Christian books, etc; and literary awards being given specifically for Christian books. Veith seems to have his doubts and questions about all of these new notions.

While Crossway published a new edition of this book with a NEW cover. None of the text has been updated. Veith does not address the internet, streaming entertainment like Netflix and Hulu, video games, online bookstores like Amazon and Barnes & Noble, self-publishing, or E-BOOKS. I don't think Veith could have imagined all the happenings in the world from 1990 to 2017.

I think Veith loses a couple of points because he recommends Madeleine L'Engle as a great Christian author people should read. Her nonfiction is TERRIFYING. BAD theology cover to cover.

That being said, some of his statements are just as true as ever.

• Reading the Bible tends to lead to reading other books, and thus to some important habits of mind. (17) Gene Edward Veith Jr.
• Universal literacy, taken for granted today, was a direct result of the Reformation's reemphasis upon the centrality of Bible reading, not only for theologians but for the spiritual life of every Christian. (19) Veith
• Great works of literature may not always articulate an explicitly Christian worldview, but they will still usually be worth reading for their intrinsic merit and will often give unwitting testimony to God's sovereignty over all of life. (28) Veith
• Those of us who know God are freed to enjoy literature on its own terms, without requiring it to be either overly serious or overly trivial. (29) Veith
• Reading provides mental training for empathizing with real people. (31) Veith
• Writing makes thoughts permanent. (149) Veith
• Literature ushers us into the minds of its authors and into the heartbeat of their age. (149) Veith
• Literature can function as a time machine whereby we leave our own day to enter other ages. (149) Veith

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: Abortion

Abortion: A Rational Look at an Emotional Issue. R.C. Sproul. 1990/2010. 256 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: A single issue rarely divides the American people. The few that have include slavery, the civil-rights movement, and the war in Vietnam. Yet another such issue is roiling in the present, an issue of such magnitude that our national solidarity is threatened. To many citizens, it is a matter of life and death, and may be the most serious ethical dilemma ever faced by the United States. The issue is abortion.

Premise/plot: R.C. Sproul carefully and rationally explores both sides of the abortion debate. In the first chapter he sums it up rather well: "At the heart of the abortion issue rests one overarching question: Is abortion a form of murder? In other words, does abortion involve the willful destruction of a living human person?"
He concludes, "The abortion debate is not over whether or not murder should be legalized; it is a debate over whether or not abortion is a kind of murder. There is something wrong, however, with even using the word murder in this discussion. The word itself is highly charged. At times it is used as a virtual synonym for homicide. The law, however, distinguishes between types of homicide. There is a difference between voluntary and involuntary homicide. A further category is manslaughter, both voluntary and involuntary. A clear delineation in the levels of the severity of these crimes exists under the law."

When does life begin? At what point in the continuum of human development do we have a living human person? Does life begin at conception? Does it begin at birth? Or does it begin at some point between these poles of progress, such as at quickening or viability? The answer a person chooses to this question often determines his or her position on the abortion issue.

Sproul has one specific audience in mind: "This book is addressed primarily to those who are not sure about the ethics of abortion. If you remain uncertain, I urge you again not to engage in abortion unless you are absolutely certain for clear and sound reasons (which I'm not aware of) that abortion is an ethically justifiable action. The simple adage of common wisdom applies to you: "When in doubt, don't."

My thoughts: What a great book! I thought it was clearly written--and passionately written too! He's writing to the 'neutral' and 'undecided' crowd of people. Or he says he is. I'm not sure who is most likely to pick up this book and read it cover to cover. I imagine plenty of Christians who are already pro-life will pick it up and read it. I do think it would make for a good book discussion.

Favorite quotes:

• The irony of the United States debate on abortion is that it is a battle over "rights" in a nation that is sharply divided over how to determine what is right about anything.
• In human societies, unjust laws may be passed. People may be given the legal right to do what is morally wrong or may be legally prohibited from doing what is either morally permissible or morally required. Thus, moral rights may be made illegal and immoral activities may become legal. 
• Whatever happens in the United States, however, will not change the nature of truth. Although the perception of reality may change from generation to generation, that does not change reality itself.
• The sanctity of life touches the abortion question when a person has real doubts about whether a fetus is a living human. Here's my reasoning: If we are in doubt at any point about whether or not we are dealing with human life in relation to abortion, the overarching principle of the sanctity of life stimulates us to think carefully and avoid rash judgments. The sanctity-of-life principle underscores the gravity of the question of when human life begins.
• It is precisely because the Bible has such a high view of human dignity that Christians take human sin so seriously.
• When the destruction or the disposal of even potential human life is done cheaply and easily, a shadow darkens the whole landscape of the sanctity of life and human dignity. 
• People are precious. Their lives are of inestimable value. They are gifts. They must never be taken for granted. Things can be replaced-but there is no replacement for a mother, a father, a sister, a brother, an aunt, an uncle, a friend, or a neighbor. Civil societies always recognize this vital principle and build their cultural institutions upon it. They do anything and everything they possibly can to protect the dignity, integrity, and sanctity of life. Because there are no expendable or disposable people, every life is worth honoring, protecting, and saving. Ultimately, the rule of law depends on an absolute respect for the value of people. Why do we display this kind of concern for living individuals but not for the multitude of unborn who die each day and become mere statistics? Perhaps the reason is that people outside the womb are not nameless, abstract statistics.
• If we regard the embryo or fetus as a living human person, then the moral implications of destroying that person prior to birth are enormous. As long as we can convince ourselves that a fetus is not human until birth, we are relieved of those difficulties. 
• There is a strong tendency among people of any nation to take their direction as to what is ethically right from what the law allows or what the society condones. The unspoken assumption is that if it is legal, it is therefore moral. Sadly, this conclusion does not reflect much sober thinking or ethical analysis, yet the syndrome is repeated in culture after culture.
• Once a decision has been reached in a nation's highest court, that decision's subsequent influence on the shaping of public opinion is enormous.
• We can sin mightily while thinking we are acting in perfect virtue.
• For a society to be just, its laws must be just. If an unjust law is passed and enforced, anyone who is coerced to comply with the law is a victim of injustice. 
• No government ever has the moral right to be unjust.
• The most fundamental expression of love is care for, concern for, and protection of human life. The foundational obligation of all government is to protect, sustain, and maintain human life. This is the very reason for the existence of government.
• The unborn have no voting rights and no physical power to avert their destruction. If their interests are to be served and protected, it must be by adults in general and by government in particular. The Supreme Court decided that the state has no compelling interest in the fetus until viability. (One wonders at what point the fetus has a compelling interest in the state.) By denying the unborn the fundamental right to live, the state has reneged on its solemn duty.
• At what line must freedom of choice end? I believe it ends where my freedom of choice steps on another person's inalienable rights of life and liberty. No unborn baby has ever had the right to choose or deny its own destruction. Indeed, as others have said, the most dangerous place in the United States for a human being is inside the womb of a woman.
• For millions of unborn babies, the womb has become a cell on death row.
• You and I are real human beings. We were once helpless to exercise our own precious right to choose. We were once totally dependent on somebody else's choice for our very existence.
• When God forgives us, we are forgiven. When God cleanses us, we are made clean. That is a cause for great celebration.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Book Review: The Mystery of the Holy Spirit

Mystery of the Holy Spirit. R.C. Sproul. 1990/1994. Tyndale. 191 pages.

The poets tell us that in the spring a young man's fancy turns to love. 

This one is subtitled: Discovery the Work of the Living Spirit of the Living God. It's divided into ten chapters:

Who is the Holy Spirit?
The Holy Spirit is God
The Mystery of the Trinity
Essence and Person: Probing the Mystery of the Trinity
The Holy Spirit in Creation
The New Genesis: The Holy Spirit and Regeneration
Safe and Sound by the Holy Spirit
The Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The Fruit of the Spirit
The Other Comforter

I enjoyed this one. I found it very enlightening. This was one of the first R.C. Sproul books I read--the very first was Chosen by God. I am glad I reread this one. I think it is one of the more reader-friendly Sproul books!

 I especially enjoyed the chapters "The New Genesis: The Holy Spirit and Regeneration" and "Safe and Sound by the Holy Spirit."

God is consistent. God is coherent. In a word, God is rational. He is more than just Reason itself, of course. But He is--if we follow the Bible--a consistent Being. Those who favor a God of contradictions and inconsistencies must create their own God, for the true God will not suit them. (49)

The reason we do not cooperate with regenerating grace before it acts upon us and in us is because we cannot. We cannot because we are spiritually dead. We can no more assist the Holy Spirit in the quickening of our souls to spiritual life than Lazarus could help Jesus raise him from the dead. It is probably true that the majority of professing Christians in the world today believe that the order of our salvation is this: faith precedes regeneration. We are exhorted to choose to be born again. But telling a man to choose rebirth is like exhorting a corpse to choose resurrection. The exhortation falls upon deaf ears. (104)

The Christian life is a pilgrimage. In the imagery of the Scripture, it is a journey that we travel by foot. Walking is a relatively slow mode of transportation. Most of us move along this journey at a snail's pace. We do not race and leap through the obstacle course of temptation. There are barriers that impede our progress. At every point we face the speed-bumps of the flesh. (161)

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible