On Piper, on Lewis.

On desire, John Piper says this in a blog post from August 3, 2009:

"[...] all the debased enjoyments of the world are echoes of the joys of heaven. The analysis of this is worth a lifetime. And one effect of such an analysis would be to take the notion of “seeker-sensitive” ten miles deeper into Truth. How to penetrate the soul whose every desire is for Heaven while hating Heaven—that is the task."

Blogging about this concept of desire, Piper references the biography The Narnian about C.S. Lewis, and the references made in it to Lewis' own The Screwtape Letters. I love this idea of joy, and both Lewis and Piper have both been hugely influential in my own thinking as I have come to see this truth - namely, that every human desire is a desire for Heaven and for God Himself. Any desire, however big or small, is nothing less than this. Every good gift comes down from God, and is meant to reflect him like rays of light from the sun. As Piper says above, this should be stirring up in a Christian the desire to take unbelievers and fellow believers alike, ten miles deeper into God's Truth than we do. We need to pursue, and help others to pursue a joy in God Himself, because only He can satisfy.

An interesting concept.

Read this article on Britain's first "Atheist summer camp." The camp is backed by Richard Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, and is being portrayed as successful by The Times, and other British newspapers and magazines.

This is truly interesting, in-that these children being sent to this camp are learning about astronomy (and its differences from astrology), along with delving into other avenues of science. An atheist, however, denies his/her only basis for making any claim at all, whether about science or anything else. These poor children are being surrounded by a culture and environment at this camp that is striving to provide an enlightened view of life and the natural world; however, any claim or "truth" taught by these camp couselors and instructors is completely meaningless and carries no weight as these individuals have denied the existence of God Himself as the basis for knowing anything in the first place. The presupposition of the existence of the God of the Scriptures is so transcendent and necessary to any knowledge whatsoever, that even an argument against His existence must rely on that presupposition.

As always, we know that man is sinful at his core and will devise all manner of false explanations and excuses for how the world came into being, and for why evil exists, etc. God alone gives light to the eyes, and only the grace of God makes one able to turn from such things.

Praise God for truth.

And we know that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true; and we are in him who is true, in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life. ~ 1 John 5:20

The late Dr. Greg Bahnsen. A little old, but super relevant in the apologetics arena.

The necessity of reading good books.

For a time lately (as is evidenced by my lack of blogging), I haven't been reading as much as I usually like to, for a variety of reasons.  I've just gotten back into the swing of things a little bit, and it is definitely refreshing.  I just finished Holiness yesterday, which should tell you how slow I have been getting through the books I have going.  

Reading sharpens my mind - I don't know about you but I think more clearly and definitively about God, myself, the world around me, and everything else, when I am getting a regular dose of some reading.  

Holiness has been good, and I will definitely be reading it again in the future (if circumstances allow).  

I have been plugging my way through Bleak House since Christmastime, in my attempt to eventually get through all of Dickens' works.  This is still a very enjoyable read 1/3 of the way through, where I am currently.  It's supposed to be one of, if not the best of Dickens - we'll see how it compares.  I haven't read David Copperfield, but some have said it's possibly the best of Dickens and I just bought a copy a few weeks ago to read over the summer.

    Back to theology, I've started reading a book that's been circulating around church lately - it's called A Gospel Primer and so far it's a very rewarding read.  In all its simplicity it's a very rich book, and a very convicting and encouraging one as well.

Adios.

A song I've liked for a while, and that I just found on YouTube.

Reading, always reading.

I have the privilege of being paid to read a lot, being an English teacher and all. Some of what I read ends up being just plain work, but much of it stays very enjoyable. I have lately had the blessing of reading several things that are making me think in some good ways. Here are the books:
1. Ephesians, and several commentaries on the epistle, all for our Bible study.
2. Holiness, by J.C. Ryle (yes, I will be finishing this soon). This has been one of the best Christian books I have read to date.
3. William Carey by S. Pearce Carey.
4. Lord of the Flies by William Golding (for my 9th graders) - I love this book.
5. Paradise Lost by John Milton (for my 12th graders) - also one of the best things I have ever read. This work gets better and better every time I come to it.
6. Dandelion Wine by Ray Bradbury. My wife and I just recently had the privelege to have Mr. Bradbury come to our library and speak, which inspired me to read more of his works. I had only previously read Fahrenheit 451, but now I'm finding I enjoy his writing more and more.

"When we were young the future was so bright..." The Offspring

I read an intriguing article today (link below), that made some very interesting observations about America's younger generations.  The article comments on Mark Bauerlein's book The Dumbest Generation, which asserts that the younger American generations are putting the future of their culture, and their own experience as human beings at great risk as they embrace a self-focused mindset and therefore stop pursuing education with a view of life that is bigger than themselves.  

As a high school English teacher I am constantly bombarded with very negative feelings from my students about reading old books, and about learning in general.  American children, all the way up to college students and some young adults seem to be under the spell of a cultural movement that exalts self-gratification; this leads them away from things like reading for pleasure, or studying for the sake of understanding God, themselves, humankind, the world around them, or anything else of cultural value.

In French-Canadian filmmaker Denys Arcand’s 1986 movie “Le Déclin de l’Empire Américain” (“The Decline of the American Empire”), a professor observes that throughout history the decline of an empire is always preceded by its citizenry’s preoccupation with self-gratification. Emory University English professor Mark Bauerlein makes a similar argument in his new book, The Dumbest Generation. He feels that the millennial generation places an extraordinary emphasis on personal happiness and, thanks to the technological advancements of the day, enjoys unprecedented peer contact and access to entertainment. “Instead of opening young American minds to the stores of civilization and science and politics, technology has contracted their horizon to themselves, to the social scene around them,” Bauerlein writes. As a result, the millennials are at risk of losing the “great American heritage, forever.”

Go here to read the whole article from American.com.  

I am not sure how to combat this way of thinking.  It is saddening to a certain degree; but it can certainly also serve as an inspiration to those who would write to add to our ongoing cultural experience and conversation, or who would encourage others to go to books to seek out the deeper and more rewarding things of life.

"You don't have to burn books to destroy a culture.  Just get people to stop reading them."  

~ Ray Bradbury