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Once again, I’ve found a little gem in the Imitation I have to share (emphasis mine): If thou covet then present things over inordinately thou shalt lose the everlasting heavenly things. Let temporal things be in use and everlasting things in desire.

Star Begotten © 1937 Mannor Books 173 pages Do you remember The War of the Worlds? This is a sequel, of sorts. In War, the Martians were defeated by their vulnerability to earth’s ecosystem. Star-Begotten explains plan B. What if, instead of invading earth, they used interplanetary rays to subtly change humans into their own [...]

The Divine Milieu © 1960 Original French Le Milieu Divin ©1957 Perennial: HarperCollins xlvii + 135 = 182 pages “The heavens declare the glory of God,” wrote the Psalmist (Psalm 19:1 ESV). Or to use Paul’s language, “For [God's] invisible attributes, namely, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly perceived, ever since the [...]

The brother of famed atheist Christopher Hitchens is a journalist and a fine writer himself. Here is one of his very true observations from The Rage Against God: Christianity is without doubt difficult and taxing, and all of us fail to emulate the perfection of Christ himself. But we are far better for trying than [...]

The Lions of al-Rassan © 1995 Viking: Penguin 582 pages What do you get when you cram three religions into one peninsula? The Lions of Al-Rassan, of course. Guy Gavriel Kay has created three interesting religions based loosely on Christianity, Islam, and Judaism. The book covers a number of decades as the land trades hands [...]

The Regulators © 1996 Viking: Penguin 475 pages Bachman’s been referred to as King without a conscience. The Regulators certainly fits this description. Released concurrently with King’s Desperation, Regulators deals with the same cast of characters in an alternate reality. The entire book is essentially one big blood-bath. The fast-paced excitement is also the problem [...]

I read some wise words today—especially astute since they came from such a fine scholar. In summing up Paul’s participatory language about Christ (in Christ, with Christ, etc.), he said this (in The Theology of Paul the Apostle). If you listen closely enough, you can almost hear Eugene Peterson saying “amen” in the background: There [...]

Ah, we’ve made it to the chapter that torments Pentecostals: The gift of the Spirit. Why doesn’t Paul’s discussion of this theme follow the pattern established in Acts? It will be good for this Pentecostal-trained boy to hear what Paul has to say on this topic without Lukan interference! . . .

Cat on a Hot Tin Roof © 1955 Signet: Penguin 158 pages I know I’m supposed to adore this book. It’s one of America’s premiere plays. “Winner of the Pulitzer Prize” is proudly stamped on the cover. Unfortunately, it just doesn’t seem to resonate with me. Perhaps it’s because I’m a minister, and this is [...]

Here’s the last of four posts from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin’s The Divine Milieu. This reminds me of George MacDonald’s sermon, “The Consuming Fire”: The fires of hell and the fires of heaven are not two different forces, but contrary manifestations of the same energy.