tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28922793749140217162024-02-20T22:13:43.475-08:00Quincy Wheeler's BlogIdeas about life... and Jesus, Who is LifeQuincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.comBlogger25125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-41013168633402820222021-08-09T10:37:00.010-07:002021-08-09T13:30:17.077-07:00We are the Reason I'm Depressed<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClHpMpzsyKTMvXPDYT0QrRDbl6MYKzKccagAp2lem_Q95-ZAKS4RPrWaeefhpj8MLAjy0mJWbodxLDvT3zQsdTgnHBgbRC3rWZRQMg8glG11wPB0pdpLtsXbHTsCwFAtf7atCiaMOAQ/s1400/81NEqfcX7ZL._SL1400_.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1400" data-original-width="1400" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjClHpMpzsyKTMvXPDYT0QrRDbl6MYKzKccagAp2lem_Q95-ZAKS4RPrWaeefhpj8MLAjy0mJWbodxLDvT3zQsdTgnHBgbRC3rWZRQMg8glG11wPB0pdpLtsXbHTsCwFAtf7atCiaMOAQ/s320/81NEqfcX7ZL._SL1400_.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><p>(A person whose opinion I respect has told me that this post comes off as me being self-righteous and condescending. I don't know how else to respond except to say that it I do not see myself as being more righteous than anyone else and I don't look down on anyone who disagrees with me. I've been on the opposite side of the climate change debate and I certainly don't think I was a bad person because of it. But, I'm glad that people cared enough about me to appeal to my understanding of Scripture and my logic to help me come to what I believe is a better understanding of things. That's what I am trying to do below).</p><p>I have said something about myself for years now that I'm no longer sure is true, and that is that I'm a relentless optimist. I always believe that we're going to figure our way out of the messes we make, and find a way to become better, kinder people. But, to come clean with all of you, after the experiences of 2020-2021, I'm struggling to hold on to my relentless optimism.</p><p>I think that Christians are, at their core, pro-life. And, I don't mean that in the sense of where someone stands on policies around abortion, but that people who follow Jesus would do anything they could to help people live - whether they are unborn people or elderly people, whether they are innocent toddlers or prodigal sons of death row, whether they are soliders in the U.S. Army or Muslims in the Middle-East, Christians want people to live so that they can have a chance at redemption.</p><p>I have been struggling with anger and grief over the past year over the realization that many Christians whom I love and respect have been willing to believe lies about the COVID-19 pandemic and the vaccines that were developed to end the pandemic. Rather than say, "Oh, hey, geez, 1-3% of people dying from an extremely transmissible disease is way too many people," some Christians were content to describe COVID-19 as a flu, to quote inaccurate statistics about its fatality rate, and some even laugh-face reacted to stories about people dying after refusing to believe COVID-19 was dangerous. Some even insulted my wife for being a nurse and saying that the pandemic is real and dangerous, and some mocked people for wearing masks, and, generally, acted about masks like spoiled children being asked by their parents to wear a jacket when it was cold outside. This has caused me immense grief. I have seen people get very sick and die from COVID. The death rate in the U.S. over the past year clearly shows how devastating the pandemic has been... and yet, many people whom I know love Jesus cannot seem to realize that this is serious. Jesus blessed us with scientists researching mRNA vaccines for decades who could put that research into action to give us a safe and effective vaccine so we could go back to a normal life... and people would rather find a YouTube doctor or a fringe Facebook post that backs up their fears about a vaccine than receive the blessing God has given us in the scientific and medical community that has researched and developed this vaccine.</p><p>All this makes me sad. It also makes me angry, but not so much at Christians, as at the sources of authority who have manipulated Christians into believing these dangerous lies. Many of the Christians who don't get the vaccine or don't wear masks are sincere, faithful followers of Jesus whom I love with all of my heart. Which makes the fact that we are so divided on something that seems so obvious to me even more distressing! And, my depression about the pandemic deepens when I think about another issue that is going to become more and more prominent every day of our lives in the years to come... climate change.</p><p>The United Nations released a report today <a href="https://www.reuters.com/business/environment/key-takeaways-un-climate-panels-report-2021-08-09/" target="_blank">on climate change and the future of our planet</a>. It makes clear that human activity is a driving force behind the climate changes we are experiencing, and outlines what needs to happen to arrest those changes and save our planet. I was reminded of a great article from Jesus-lover and Scientist, Dr. Richard Lindroth, of BioLogos, on <a href="https://biologos.org/articles/our-climate-crisis-2-degrees-11-years-17-words">what we need to know about climate change.</a> Dr. Lindroth, who very kindly did <a href="https://youtu.be/iRCncRkLzBw" target="_blank">an interview with me</a> last summer, shares about our need to embrace strategies that require mitigation, adaptation and suffering, saying that if we do enough mitigation and adaptation, we can reduce the amount of suffering that we all have to experience. BioLogos has many great writers on this subject, who talk about how to <a href="https://biologos.org/articles/climate-conversations-heres-how-to-do-it-better" target="_blank">frame conversations on climate change</a>, about <a href="https://biologos.org/common-questions/why-should-christians-care-for-creation">why Christians should care about climate change,</a> and what <a href="https://biologos.org/articles/what-can-one-person-do-a-creation-care-dialogue" target="_blank">practical things we can do to help with climate change</a>. I love BioLogos because the scientists who write here are believers in Jesus. They are not part of some Marxist/Socialist plot to take over world. They care about human life, human souls, and the planet God has given humans to steward.</p><p>I have felt for the past 18 months that the pandemic is a preview of how we will handle the climate change crisis. Many of us will take it seriously. We will try to listen to the government and experts on the sacrifices we can make to help. We will think about the precious sanctity of human life and try to do what we can to protect and preserve the planet that sustains that life. I hope I can be part of this group. But, some of the rest of us will continue to doubt scientists, and I fear I may find myself in this group. We will find scientists outside the consensus of the scientific community who say what our itching ears want to hear. We will refuse to hear the earnest plea of Christians who are scientists who ask us to see the theological and Biblical reasons to care about climate change. We will dismiss stories of climate change natural disasters, climate change refugees, and climate change-related causes for things like pandemics, famines and building collapses out of a desire to ignore the evidence staring us in the face that the planet is being negatively affected by human activity that we can change. Many of us will say, "The planet has always experienced change, this is nothing new," instead of saying, "If there is anything we can do that can possibly help save human lives, please tell me what it is, and I will do it." We will do so without intent to hurt anyone, but also without a sincere desire to have our beliefs challenged by scientists who understand the data and have spent lifetimes studying what it means (I am not one of these scientists, just to clarify).</p><p>Instead of being depressed about this, I know what I need to do. I need to work on my conservation habits. I need to eat less meat, ride my bike to work, go on fewer long trips, and do all I can to reduce my carbon footprint. But, the reason why the pandemic was so divisive is the same reason I'm experiencing apathy about doing things to combat climate change - this only works if at least 75-80% of us are on the same team, pulling in the same direction. If 40-50% of us can't even admit that there is a game being played, so-to-speak, we are all going to lose. THAT'S why people are angry when we don't wear our masks when asked to do so, and when we cite personal freedom (which, of course, we have freedom to do what endangers others) as our reason for not getting vaccinated. We are telling people that we are not on the team, and, in fact, we are playing for the opposing team. The same reality is going to take place with climate change, and I just don't know what is going to change that reality. THAT'S why I'm depressed about the pandemic and climate change.</p><p>So, I'm going to start small... if someone told me that I could cut my meat consumption by 40% and give Elliot and Auggie, our two toddler sons, a less dangerous future, I'd do it in a heart-beat. If someone told me that by riding my bike to work, I could save a child I'll never meet in an island nation threatened by rising sea levels, I'd do it without a second-thought. Now, I know that my small decisions don't have that power... we ALL will have to make sacrifices, together, as a team. But, if I want to be a relentless optimist, if I want to be a pro-life Christian, I need to worry about me doing what I can, first.</p><p>If you have read this, thank you. If you are still skeptical about climate change, please check out <a href="https://skepticalscience.com/" target="_blank">Skeptical Science</a> which is a website designed to help those who are skeptical work through their questions and concerns. If you are interested in seeing how faith and science work together to glorify God, PLEASE visit <a href="https://biologos.org/">BioLogos's website.</a> Google practical ways that we can all help with <a href="https://www.nrdc.org/stories/how-you-can-stop-global-warming">Climate Change.</a></p>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-46429749163479741502020-07-05T12:46:00.000-07:002020-07-16T14:05:42.760-07:00Books for Fans of the Lord of the Rings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-o4GJqAOjMWR8zuve2VD6JfkMSjXO_Qnv5ifUF92jgIfTYRwczJSNLpi82r_G-BijK4FvudeLSUuM8ueYZ5nRTFxU7rybBH97sy9lEq9FVuH3ipAkBGEKymn1uZECwvXMlWAr3u3yA/s1600/prydain.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="499" data-original-width="342" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9-o4GJqAOjMWR8zuve2VD6JfkMSjXO_Qnv5ifUF92jgIfTYRwczJSNLpi82r_G-BijK4FvudeLSUuM8ueYZ5nRTFxU7rybBH97sy9lEq9FVuH3ipAkBGEKymn1uZECwvXMlWAr3u3yA/s320/prydain.jpg" width="219" /></a></div>
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My family and I have always been huge fans of the Lord of the Rings, as an exciting story, with rich and memorable characters, set in a world built with amazing depth, and filled with themes that inspire us to be better people. The only problem is that after you finish reading everything that Tolkien wrote, you wish someone else could write something similar. So, I've been searching my whole life for similar efforts by other authors, and I thought I would create an ongoing list of those resources which I have read and enjoyed.<br />
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1. <b>The Chronicles of Narnia - C.S. Lewis (Ages 9+)</b><br />
I'm sure Tolkien was appalled by Lewis's use of allegory and somewhat haphazard world-building attempts, but I don't think any collection gave my imagination more scope and inspired me to be a better human being like the LOTR did more than Lewis's.<br />
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2. <b>The Space Trilogy - C.S. Lewis (Ages 13+)</b><br />
There is a brief moment where in Lewis's final work of this Trilogy, That Hideous Strength, he briefly makes the book a crossover with the LOTR. I imagine Tolkien didn't love that, but Lewis does a better job world(s)-building here, and his ideas, as always, are born of unparalleled genius.</div>
3. <b>Watership Down - Richard Adams (Ages 9+)</b><br />
Who would believe that a book about rabbits would have such amazing world-building and be full of characters that inspire one to be a more courageous and noble human being? There is also a book called "Tales from Watership Down" that is well worth reading.<br />
4. <b>Time Quintet - Madeline Le'Engle (Ages 14+)</b><br />
I would skip "An Acceptable Time" the concluding effort to this series, but there is a depth and resonance to this series that reminds me of the Lord of the Rings. It can also get creepy when needed, which is an underrated aspect of the LOTR.<br />
5. <b>Series of Unfortunate Events - Lemony Snicket (Ages 11+)</b><br />
Somewhat a satire, somewhat a fantasy, somewhat a mystery, Series of Unfortunate Events surprises you how it sucks you into its world and makes you feel immensely for its characters.<br />
6. <b>The Pendragon Cycle - Stephen Lawhead (Ages 15+)</b><br />
Tolkien was always clear that the Lord of the Rings was meant to be set in a real world environment, even with its elves, hobbits, dwarves, orcs, trolls, etc. So, I find that some historical novels do a great job getting at the feeling of the LOTR, probably because they are based on a world that human beings have been building for many thousands of years. Lawhead's re-imagining of the Arthur legend is well-worth reading.<br />
7. <b>The Chronicles of Prydain - Lloyd Alexander</b> (Ages 9+)<br />
These books based on Welsh myths have a LOTR feel at several points, with a cuter, gentler Gollum-type character. Highly underrated. The 12 year old Quincy was thrilled to find these with a LOTR craving after finishing the Tolkien omnibus.<br />
8. <b>The Scions of Shannara - Terry Brooks</b> (Ages 13+)<br />
Slightly older Quincy was thrilled to find these books. I find some of the Shannara books that Brooks has written to be derivative of Tolkien, but this series has plenty of originality and some good world-building. I highly enjoyed them.<br />
9. <b>The Buried Giant - Kazuo Ishiguro</b> (Ages 14+)<br />
This book has heavy metaphor, but the metaphor is beautiful (I honestly think about it almost daily), and it has dragons and plenty of fantasy elements.<br />
10.<b> Harry Potter Series - J.K. Rowling</b> (Ages 12+)<br />
Rowling built a beautiful world under-girded with Christian morality. The issue of magic is important to keep in mind, but I think she keeps it effectively separate from the Satanic magic that actually exists in the world. If it offends you conscience, however, don't read it.<br />
11. <b>The Cadfael Chronicles - Ellis Peters</b> (Ages 14+)<br />
Amazing mysteries containing romance, swashbuckling sword fights, and a beautiful world of history. Also, Brother Cadfael shows us the heart of Jesus in how he responds to every situation.<br />
12. <b>Bloodstone Chronicles - Bill Myers </b>(Ages 10+)<br />
Highly allegorical, but very clever, original and fun for teens. I don't know that anything helped me understand the atonement of Jesus better than the second book in this series, and I think about the lessons of the last book in the series constantly.<br />
13. <b>The Trilogy - Henryk Sienkiewicz</b> (Ages 14+)<br />
It's dense, but there is a lot to like about these novels diving into the history of Poland's people. Romance, battles, good and evil. I need to re-read them when I have the chance<br />
14. <b>The Once and Future King - T.H. White </b>(Ages 12+)<br />
This is another great re-telling of the story of King Arthur, a story with which Tolkien was familiar. Archimedes the owl was a genius addition.<br />
15. <b>The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques </b>(Ages 11+) - Jacques does a great job building a world and giving you characters to love. The series gets a bit repetitive, but definitely hits LOTR-type notes! Check it out!<br />
16. <b>King Raven Trilogy - Stephen Lawhead</b> (Ages 13+)<br />
I've always loved the Robin Hood legend, and Lawhead places it in its most realistic historical context here, and gives some good spiritual lessons to go with it. As always, he can write a stirring adventure with the best of them.<br />
17. <b>Earthsea Cycle - Ursula K. Le Guin </b>(Ages 11+)<br />
Le Guin built a beautiful world here, and the plot, but the characters are a bit shallow for me.<br />
18. <b>Wings of Dawn - Sigmund Brower</b> (Ages 10+)<br />
A great standalone adventure. I HIGHLY recommend it, and it has some great spiritual themes.<br />
19. <b>The Dun Cow Trilogy - Walter Wangerin, Jr.</b> (Ages 12+)<br />
A very unique allegory about the redemption of Christ as seen in the animal kingdom.<br />
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I will continue to add to this list as I explore other works of fantasy/historical/science fiction that remind me of the Lord of the Rings.Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-73463400363661534792018-11-13T08:18:00.002-08:002018-11-13T11:01:57.375-08:00A Parable of My LifeAt a Biblical Imagination conference, I was challenged to write a parable for my life. What I wrote turned out to be more an allegory than anything else. Here it is:<br />
<br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
My life is like an at-bat with
one-out in the bottom of the ninth in a championship game. My team is down by a
run with chances at ultimate victory slipping quickly from our grasp. I come up
to the plate, but I’m facing the most intimidating pitcher in the game. His
fastball blazes in with incredible speed and unerring accuracy. His curveball
drops with terrifying and humiliating deception. The crowd filling the stadium
around me waits with uneasy anticipation, fearing even to hope that my meager
abilities are a match for this buzz-saw force, at whose feet countless of his
enemy batters had fallen. I dig into the batter’s box, blurring the marks that
outline the rules for this encounter, knowing I need every possible benefit of
the doubt to have the chance. Before I know it, the first pitch pounds the
catcher’s mitt, a strike. The umpire marks me down for the first sign of my
impending failure, the count against me now indicating that all my strengths,
talents and abilities will not be enough to survive this battle. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
I try to remember every piece of
advice I’ve been given. I draw on every ounce of heart and courage I’ve
acquired. I let the love of the fans, my teammates, my wife Chelsea and my
family give me a confidence I don’t really feel inside. WHAP! Strike two. I
stand virtually condemned. My eyes have failed me. I’d seen that pitch as high
and my perception is clearly off. The umpire has no mercy, nor do I deserve
any. If I fail to swing, I deserve to be sent below, to the dugout, unable to
achieve victory by my own strength. I make up my mind that I will swing on this
next pitch, I’m not going to go down without a fight. As the unstoppable force
opposing me delivers his next pitch, I prepare to deliver all my force to
punish the ball, only to realize that it’s a hard curveball thrown too far
inside. I quickly try to check my swing, to undo what I have done, as the ball
bears in on my hands. Pain shouts in my brain as the ball glances off my hand,
and immediately the catcher appeals to the first base umpire, shouting, “He swung!”
I bow my head, knowing that I had certainly swung and canceled out my chance to
reach base through a hit-by-pitch. I glance up to see confirmation of my
defeat, only to see the first-base umpire’s “Safe!” signal. Somehow, I was
going to first, not of my own merit, but because of the grace of an
unexpectedly lax law-keeper, giving me and my team undeserved life. The
protests of the catcher and the buzz-saw on the mound are to no avail. The
authority of mercy trumps all, and I find myself on first base, still with a
chance to find my way home. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The batter after me is the driving
force of our team, Clete “the Ghost” Haggio. The Ghost is the driving force of
our team. He encourages everyone, he’s always willing to give advice or share
resources. Amazingly, he has been my teammate since Little League, drafted the
same time as me to the same team, and has accompanied me all the way during my
climb through the minors. The Ghost has always been cheering for me and
strengthening me when I doubted myself. I know exactly what he will do and as
soon as the pitcher delivers, I break for second base. The Ghost’s
perfectly-placed bunt leaves the third-baseman no choice but to throw to first
as I slide safely into scoring position. The Ghost’s incredible speed is not quite
enough this time; the third-baseman makes an amazing play to get him. My
friend, constant counselor, my encourager has submitted himself for the good of
the team to give us hope. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
The pitcher growls as he receives a
new ball. While frustrated, he is confident in his ability to overcome these
unforeseen developments. With two outs, our chances are still slim, our doom
still imminent. As Joshua Christo steps to the plate, I give him a quick
salute. Born to immigrant parents in Bethlehem, Pennyslvania, Josh was
discovered as a late bloomer while playing his senior year at Nazareth College, and he worked steadily in the
minor league system for a while, developing as a catcher known for his adept handling of
pitchers and umpires.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has always seemed
far more interested in the success of his teammates than his own, constantly pointing to our value, perpetually reminding us of the victory possible for us
together with him leading our club. The only hope we have now is that Josh will
intervene. I take my lead from second, doing everything in my power to put
myself in a position to let Josh pull through. The pitcher wastes no time in
delivering a 100-mph heater for a strike. Then, the second pitch, a curveball,
hits the dirt, and bounces to the backstop. I break for third and find myself
90 feet from home, through no skill of my own. This game has brought me to within a few steps of unimaginable joy, yet I cannot do anything now to get to the
Promised Land. I watch as Josh swings over a curveball for strike two. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="text-indent: .5in;">
Now, I am resigned to our fate.
Even if I scored, we wouldn’t win the game, just tie and hope for a miraculous
win in extra innings. The best that luck, talent, education and the rules could
get me was a tie, a postponement of eventual defeat. My hopes rested entirely
on the shoulders of Josh – Josh who was only on this team because he cared so
much about us. He had gathered national attention for donating his entire
salary to local homeless shelters and migrant communities. And, yet, all that goodness would not
provide him any advantage against this closer of doom on the mound. I held my breath
for the final pitch. Joshua Christo swung and connected. The ball flew out
towards the fence, and delirious happiness began to break like a sunrise across
my mind. From as good as dead in a two-strike count to victorious life, Josh
had hammered that pitch into the seats, a two-run shot to win the game and
bring me safely home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-55485140093158999192018-02-18T18:54:00.014-08:002024-02-19T05:59:14.814-08:00Quincy's Rankings of U.S. Presidents<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJI2yVihXd-U3CiL3pcrmxmUSdxZiBiiKyZJevXYve7cQaJXBb44TaheHNwSltMBjCmkyfKGMfryPIG8n_Qk3V9qwKyK1yNrpg7_sqRoK3S2rDuIgQZryT4fo-CzndvPKH7mbiyXuDA/s1600/seal+of+president.png" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrJI2yVihXd-U3CiL3pcrmxmUSdxZiBiiKyZJevXYve7cQaJXBb44TaheHNwSltMBjCmkyfKGMfryPIG8n_Qk3V9qwKyK1yNrpg7_sqRoK3S2rDuIgQZryT4fo-CzndvPKH7mbiyXuDA/s320/seal+of+president.png" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Since I was 9 years old, I have loved reading about the U.S Presidents. On my own, I memorized the order of the Presidents and I can still weirdly recite that order today. I made it my goal to own and read a biography of every U.S. President, and I completed that goal in 2023. With this in mind, I have undertaken to rank the Presidents based on four categories: (1) Leadership - essentially, were they able to get things done? (2) Policies - essentially, did the policies they promoted further the good of the country? (3) Character - essentially, did they display high moral character in personal and public life? (Note: Presidents who were slave-owners could not score higher than 2 in Character). (4) Legacy - essentially, did their presidency influence the country positively and does their time as President have a positive, lasting influence today? For those who were tied in their ranking scores, I tried to evaluate who was the better president in general as objectively as I could to break the ties. So, each number represents where I think each President ranks out of the 40 who completed at least 2 years of a term (I have not ranked Joe Biden as his first term has not yet been completed).</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Please note: I have tried to make this list with as little bias toward my own political views as possible. For example, I am typically in favor of limited federal government, but I recognize that there are times that an active federal government is the only right course of action for a President and the country. If I have a bias in this list, it's towards Presidents who were able to further the good of the country by finding a middle ground. So, please don't believe that I hate your favorite President because I ranked him too low. I'll also say that the more recent the Presidency, the more difficult it is to rank that Presidency accuracy, so I'm sure that as I read more and more time passes, some of these grades will change.</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">I hope this list will encourage someone to do some reading on the lives of the Presidents, and, most importantly, inspire us to look for inspiring, moral, effective leadership in future Presidents. As I updated this list for this year, I realized anew some of the futility of it. The vast majority of men on this list have glaring flaws; actions or character traits that lead us to look at their legacies with skepticism and even disdain. So, while recognizing that you could justly argue for every slave-owning President to be at the bottom of the list, that as many great things as FDR did, his running Japanese internment camps tarnishes all of the good he oversaw, and so on... I have tried to give each person their due credit for noteworthy accomplishments while not avoiding the harm they did to the nation. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br />Presidents listed in following order...</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Rank<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Name<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Leadership<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Policies<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Character<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Legacy<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Total</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> 1-40 5-1 5-1 5-1 5-1 20-4</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>THE BEST OF THE BEST</b>: We were fortunate with the leaders who came to power at the crucial moments of both the U.S.’s founding and its being put asunder in the Civil War. <b>Lincoln’s</b> incredible abilities to unite his political rivals and keep those under him focused on the goal of preserving the country and ending the forces that threatened to divide them. Lincoln loses one point for the repeated suspension of habeas corpus, but this is more of a sad necessity of being a War President than anything else. He also executed Dakota Indians in the Dakota War. He did try to commute as many executions as politically possible, but this is a character mark. Lincoln was did not always hold the right views, but he virtually always found his way to the truth through his experiences; he was an expert manipulator and I am of the view, historically-speaking, that he always had as his intention to accomplish abolition, but he used any rhetorical tactic he could to keep people at the negotiating table. He is known as the Greatest President for a good reason. <b>Washington’s </b>ability to lead without coming close to dictatorial status is crucial. His decision to voluntarily stepping aside after his second term almost single-handedly established the nation as a democratic republic. Washington was a slave-holder, but he did decry slavery and release his slaves in his will. It is not enough, but it is at least a sign that he recognized a great evil in his life.</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Abraham Lincoln<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>4</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>18</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>George Washington<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>16</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>ELITES</b>: Each President in this section lead the country at an absolutely elite level, but each had their flaws. <b>FDR</b> took drastic steps to help the citizens of the country escape from the Depression and, then, to defeat the threats posed by the Axis powers in World War II. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Eisenhower</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> had a huge influence on the development of new technologies and the highway systems. He also governed from the center and reading about his years of power makes one pine for that kind of even-handed political dealing, but he could have certainly been more forceful in his support of racial issues and his administration was particularly unfair to Latinos. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">With that said, , Roosevelt cheated on his wife, created a Japanese prison camp, and paved the way for some big government initiatives that remain somewhat unwieldy (while also helping millions). </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Eisenhower's open faith was refreshing, but he could have used to be more mindful of the importance of not mixing church and state, </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Eisenhower's administration's record on issues of race was also very poor. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">In both cases, however, I am confident that with the benefit of historical perspectives on their failings, each man would have been able to see and correct many of the errors that beset them and lead the country effectively.</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Franklin D. Roosevelt</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">5</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">15</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Dwight D. Eisenhower</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">15</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b><br /></b></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>PRE and POST-WAR EXCELLENCE:</b> <b>Theodore Roosevelt </b>makes his appearance in this category, just as he does on Mount Rushmore. We also had a good run from 1945-1963, with three reasonable, high-minded leaders who were able to get some bipartisan support in leading the nation through the couple decades following World War II. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">TR</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was a strong leader, without a doubt, and his dealing with corruption and support of the National Parks system had far reaching effects. However, a thorough examination of his record leaves one with the impression of a man who had a little more style than substance. I’m not sure I’d have the guts to say that to his face, however, and he was able to make deals to accomplish an agenda without sacrificing his principles, a key to effective leadership. He espoused some racist beliefs that guided some of his policies, and that is reflected here as well.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Kennedy</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was easy to like and inspired a fervent following of a populace believing in an optimistic form of government that fairly represents its constituents, but made some youthful, prideful mistakes, and his philandering lost him significant points in the character category. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">5.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Theodore Roosevelt</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">14</span><br /><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"></div><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">6. John F. Kennedy<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>4</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>4</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>14</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>UNDERRATED GREATS:</b> I would say this section contains Presidents who are often ranked lower than what I think they deserve by historians. <b>Grant</b> committed to reconstruction, crushed the Klu-Klux Klan, and provided stability for a nation seeking to heal after the Civil War. However, his misplaced loyalty to army friends allowed rampant corruption to seep into his administration, though his own awareness or involvement in it seems to be negligible. He also abandoned the cause of Reconstruction toward the end of his second term. <b>LBJ </b>certainly had his high-points – working for racial equality, attempting to use the federal government’s powers to help people in need, reforming immigration, and working for civil rights progress – and also his low-points – prolonging and intensifying the Vietnam War, deceiving the public in regards to the war, and personal infidelity to his wife. Though I disagree with many of his policies, there’s no doubting his effectiveness as a leader. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">McKinley</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> led a reformed government with a moral conscience he brought to bear on all affairs of state, but his reach sometimes appeared a bit limited. However, when all said and done, his presidency set the pattern for a more responsive and active chief executive, a legacy that continues (with pluses and minuses) today. His assassination unfortunately cut short a Presidential career that might have seen him rise to the top 5. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Barack Obama </b><span>was a model of an excellent dad and husband and endured plenty of criticism unfairly because of his race, but his steady leadership helped the country pull out of a Recession and saw the capture and killing of notorious terrorist Osama bin Ladin. Obama failed to negotiate consistent compromises with a Republican Congress and the long-term effects of his healthcare plan and other increases in federal government powers and the deficit leave his legacy an uncertain factor. I also deducted points for his promotion of drone assassinations. </span></span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">James Monroe</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> united the yet fledgling nation in an unprecedented fashion and established an expansive identity for the United States under one of the most skilled cabinets ever assembled.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Monroe was an unrepentant slave-holder who made no move toward abolition</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">7.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Ulysses S. Grant<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>13</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">8.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Lyndon B. Johnson</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> 4</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">13</span><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span>9.</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>William McKinley</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>4</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>13</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span>10. Barack Obama<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 3 3 4 3 13<br />11. James Monroe 4 3 2 4 13</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b><br /></b></span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>RESPECTABLE LEADERS: </b>This group of capable men had their share of turmoil, but weathered the storms to carve out meaningful legacies. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Harrison’s</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> personality was a bit too abrasive to win him many political friends, but his presidency saw some important anti-trust laws passed, six more states be admitted to the Union, and a strengthening of the Navy which would be crucial for later years. Harrison also pushed for measures to preserve racial equality, but nothing was accomplished because of his inability to navigate the political world. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">John Quincy Adams</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was less politically adept than his father, but had great ideas including a national highway system and federal encouragement of the study of astronomy. His was mostly a failed Presidency, but his passionate attacks on slavery as a congressman after his Presidency and defense of the Amistead case dramatically helped his character and legacy ratings. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Arthur </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">was a political hack thrust unexpectedly into the Presidency, who showed an undiscovered conscience in continuing the reforming efforts of his predecessor and standing up for the rights of the oppressed with limited political sway. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">12. Benjamin Harrison 3 3 4 2 12<br />13.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">John Quincy Adams</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">1</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">2</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">5</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">5</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px; white-space: pre;"> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">12</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">14.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Chester A. Arthur<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>12</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><br /></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>UNEVEN PERFORMERS:</b> </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Reagan </b>was able to pull the nation through the Cold War, to work with the opposite party to enact needed compromises and to set the country up for an economic recovery. However, rickle-down economics is not an effective strategy for long-term growth, and Reagan was inattentive to the cries for justice from people of color and other minorities, overseeing a good degree of harm to those communities, whether intentional or not. He also promoted a neo-populism that has had disastrous effects.</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> <b>James K. Polk</b> was a slave-holding President, which dramatically decreases his character score, and he entered an unnecessary war against Mexico. However, he was able to navigate numerous challenges and restore the nation to financial stability while enhancing U.S. territorial holdings. <b>Grover Cleveland’s </b>style of limited government saw the country through some tumultuous years in two non-consecutive terms at the turn of the 20th Century, but his personal dealings were not always morally circumspect. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Jefferson</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was a slaveholder who raped and had children with one of his slaves, and while his pushing the nation toward recognition of states' rights while also overseeing nation-building efforts like the Louisiana purchase deserve a noteworthy place in terms of legacy, he was also a very hands-off administrator which led to factionalism. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Coolidge</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> supplied moral leadership when Harding died, and his fiscal policies seem to have sparked some booming economic times – however, those times were followed by the Great Depression and much debate has ensued as to how much Coolidge was to blame for that event. Coolidge also had a surprisingly good record speaking for racial equality, but failed to stand up against a racially-motivated immigration bill from Congress, perhaps because of depression that besotted him after the loss of his young son to blood poisoning. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">John Adams’</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> personality, skills and character were absolutely crucial to the American cause during the Revolution, but his uncompromising nature and prickly manner hindered his effectiveness as a President. However, he was avowedly against slavery, he stood up for the separation of church and state, and he established the Presidency as a force to be reckoned with even after Washington’s retirement. Though not the most intellectually-gifted of Presidents, </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Madison</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was limited by the communication methods of his day in his turbulent and sometimes disastrous management of the War of 1812, but his continuation of Jeffersonian republicanism helped lead to the prosperity of the Monroe era of Good Feelings. Madison was also a slaveholder, which lowers his character score. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">15. Ronald Reagan 3 3 2 3 11<br />16.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>James K. Polk<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>11</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">17.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Grover Cleveland<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>11<br />18. Harry S. Truman 3 3 3 2 11<br />19. Thomas Jefferson 4 3 1 3 11<br />20.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Calvin Coolidge<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>11</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">21.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>John Adams<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>5<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>11</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">22.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>James Madison<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>2 </span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>10</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>THE MIDDLERS:</b> <b>Clinton</b> ranks a lot higher on many other lists, but, I cannot point to many specific accomplishments of his administration, and he seemed to draft off of strong economic models built by his predecessors. He certainly was an expert politician, but his moral lapses are well-documented, and their legacy continues to bear sordid fruit today. <b>Hayes</b>, meanwhile, was a moral paragon, but also suffers from a lack of tangible results. He stood for reform, bravely held to a vow to seek one term, but made no attempt to support Reconstruction efforts and remained stymied from pushing any notable agenda due to his one-term vow and a very sketchy electoral process that empowered him. <b>George H.W. Bush</b> attempted to continue the policies of the Reagan administration from a more centrist perspective. His administration won the Gulf War, but their nation-building and foreign interference led to conflicts in later years, including those when his son was President, and questions about his moral character have emerged in these later years. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Martin Van Buren</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was a political savant with a real rags-to-riches story who failed to show as much aplomb in the White House while facing financial crises and the burden of living into Jacksonian principles. He was not a friend to abolitionists or First Nations peoples, but his opposition to slavery in his post-White House years is worth noting. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Jimmy Carter’s</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> moral fiber bumps him up on this list, but he was not a particularly effective President. His commitment to his own ideas often seemed to keep him from recognizing the best policies and practices to keep the U.S. safe and prosperous. He did broker a peace between Israel and Egypt that remains in place to this day, and, from almost all accounts, is a very good person. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Andrew Jackson</b> killed the National bank, advancing the cause of the common citizen, and kept disgruntled states from Secession. However, his support of slavery, terrible treatment of Native Americans and general lack of political negotiating skills are huge blemishes on his record. <b>Woodrow</b> </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Wilson</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> held abhorrent views on race and suffered from some dictatorial tendencies, but he navigated the nation through World War I and influenced increased involvement by the Federal Government in the lives of its citizens, for good or ill. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">23.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Bill Clinton<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">24.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Rutherford B. Hayes 2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">25.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>George H.W. Bush<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">26.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Martin Van Buren<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span><span>3</span><span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">27.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Jimmy Carter<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>9</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">28. Andrew Jackson<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 3 2 1 2 8<br />29. Woodrow Wilson<span> </span><span> </span><span> 2 2 2 2 8</span></span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>BRACE YOURSELF FOR THE MEDIOCRE:</b> </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Taft</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> essentially became President because Theodore Roosevelt wanted him to be President, halfheartedly attempted to promote the progressive cause, and then lost re-election only to become a good Chief Justice. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Ford</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was a good and honest man who pardoned a twisted and dishonest man, providing just enough stability to the office of the President to allow the nation to begin to recover a sense of trust in its Executive Branch. That’s about all he did, but it’s probably all he could have done. </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Hoover </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">failed to recognize the signs of the oncoming Great Depression and his efforts to push back against it were futile. </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">George W. Bush</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was able to prevent large-scale follow-up attacks in the aftermath of 9/11 but missed some clear warnings that preceded it. That and the now clear illegitimacy of the War in Iraq, a lack of concern for certain minority groups, his reckless increase of the deficit, and the financial recession of his terms’ later years lessen his score. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">30.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>William Howard Taft<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>8</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">31.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Gerald Ford<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>8</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">32.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Herbert Hoover<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>4<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>7<br />33. George W. Bush 2 1 3 2 7</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>THE BOTTOM OF THE BARREL:</b> These five Presidents ruined their respective chances at making a positive impact on the nation and world through their leadership of the executive branch of government. There are Presidents from the 1850’s and 1860’s, 1910’s, 1970’s and 2010's on this list. They all have in common a lack of legacy, as none receive much respect from historians. Here you will find </span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Tyler </b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">who</span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> was a slave-holder and eventually joined the Confederacy. Despite accomplishing the annexation of Texas and establishing a hold in the Pacific, Tyler's appalling commitment to white supremacist thinking tainted every accomplishment of the first Vice President to take over for a President who died in office. And Tyler was the best of this bad bunch, which includes </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">a crook who promoted nationalist ethnocentrism (</span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Nixon</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">), a corrupt philanderer <b>(Harding)</b>, </span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><span>two inept pushovers (</span><b>Pierce </b><span>and</span><b> Buchanan</b><span>)</span>, a man who trafficked in jingoism, oversaw a riot on the U.S Capitol after losing an election, and showed zero effort to work for a common good of the country, instead simply seeking his own power (</span><b style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Trump</b><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">) and an incompetent, racist mountebank <b>(Johnson)</b></span><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">. <b>Millard Fillmore</b> also was a weak-kneed political flunky who did nothing to combat the issues threatening to tear the Union of the States apart.</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">34. John Tyler<span> </span><span> </span><span> </span><span> 2 2 1 1 6</span><br />35.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Franklin Pierce<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">36.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>James Buchanan<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>3<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">37.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Warren G. Harding<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span> 2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">38.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Richard Nixon<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>2<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>6<br />39. Donald J. Trump 1 2 1 1 5<br />40. Millard Fillmore 1 1 2 1 5</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">41.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Andrew Johnson<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>1<span style="white-space: pre;"> 4</span></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>INCOMPLETE GRADES</b> – Combined, these Presidents did not even serve a total of two years. It seems, unfair, then to judge their abilities and policies. It is especially sad in the case of Garfield and Harrison, as both displayed moral courage to enact positive changes in government, both pushing back against their respective era’s electioneering and spoils systems. Garfield’s support of the plight of black citizens makes his assassination most poignantly tragic. </span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">1.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>James A. Garfield</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">2.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>William Henry Harrison</span></div><div class="MsoNormalCxSpFirst" style="line-height: normal;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">3.<span style="white-space: pre;"> </span>Zachary Taylor</span></div></div>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-39586492703814711682015-10-22T06:44:00.001-07:002015-10-22T06:44:00.028-07:00Best Costume Award: A Halloween Poem<div class="MsoNormal">
<u>Best Costume Award.</u><br /> The time has come to mask yourself.<br /> Disguised as goblin, gnome or elf,<br /> Patrol the streets and ask for treats.<br /> Expect a fright and make a sight<br /> That chills the feet and leaves heartbeats<br /> To race in spite of lighted night.<br /> But, for a cloak that won’t be seen,<br /> Dress up as me for Halloween.</div>
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<br />Though I’m not famed like Superman -<br /> Both myth and wealth have yet to pan -<br /> Tell I to you of all that’s true:<br /> My front’s the best to stop a guess.<br /> My gaze can fool and hands pull wool<br /> O’er eyes - I dress to hide the mess<br /> Inside the man – oh you’d be keen<br /> To dress as me for Halloween.</div>
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<br />Won’t find my hide inside a shop -<br /> You’ll have to rush, I mean, don’t stop<br /> To find a place that sells a face<br /> That screens a soul of pain and strife<br /> As joy. I’ll praise without a trace<br /> Of true belief that comes from life.<br /> What lurks beneath this look, this sheen?<br /> Go out as me for Halloween.</div>
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<br />Let’s look for ways to shed these scales<br /> To stop this show, to drop these veils.<br /> Refuse to come as white-washed tombs.<br /> Instead we’ll find our cups and minds<br /> Are clean as rooms that knew no dooms<br /> Placed down by signs of sin and binds.<br /> I’ll not pretend, here’s what I mean -<br /> I won’t dress as me for Halloween.</div>
Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-72244135775710878422015-09-02T09:23:00.002-07:002015-09-02T09:23:50.238-07:00Five Reasons Christians Should Read Khaled HosseiniI've just finished reading "A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Afghan-American author, Khaled Hosseini. This is the last of his three novels I've read, and I've been impressed with him as an author, a theologian and a person. I want to take this opportunity to share with you five reasons to give his books a try, specifically if you are a follower of Jesus:<br />
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1. <b>His books preach tolerance, compassion and empathy without being preachy.</b> The number one rule of writing is "show, don't tell" and Hosseini is an expert at letting his character's actions speak the words of life for which our world is in desperate need. It can get a little exhausting to read of abuse after abuse perpetrated against Afghanistan's women and marginalized, but there's little doubt of the accuracy of Hosseini's portrayals.<br />
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2. <b>Reading a Hosseini novel shows the beauty as well as the darkness in Islam. </b>I am frustrated by Christians who believe that Islam is an entirely evil religion. Islam is a false religion, of course, because it does not proclaim the word of God whose name is love in Jesus. But, it does not mean that it doesn't also contain truth and beauty at many points. As they say, a broken clock is still right twice a day. Hosseini's books provide great connection points for Christians trying to find common ground and understanding with Muslims - and if you're not trying for that, you SHOULD be.<br />
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3. <b>Hosseini's books are not anti-American in any form. </b>He shows the tragedies committed in Afghanistan without passing judgment on the political entities involved. With that said, certainly the U.S. DOES need called to account for its actions in Afghanistan at certain points, and you could glean some insight into the problems we've caused there in his books.<br />
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4. <b>The books are a good mix of drama, introspection and fantasy. </b>My favorite is his latest, "And the Mountains Echoed," which has become one of my most beloved books. However, his earliest and best-known book, "Kite Runner," is certainly just as worthy of a read.<br />
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5. <b>Hosseini is writing today, he's writing well, and he's writing in a way that will expand your mind and open your heart.</b> That is what all good art, especially fiction, can do. Give him a shot!Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-91883716215170791642015-08-31T13:54:00.003-07:002015-08-31T14:00:23.351-07:00Reading Dostoyevsky: Thoughts on his novel "Demons" translated by Pevear and VolokhonskyAs I read and reread Dostoyevsky, I finished reading his novel called "Demons" also sometimes titled "The Possessed." The book is an especially fascinating read in light of later works such as Solzhenitsyn's Gulag, First Circle and Cancer Ward, as well as Orwell's classics Animal Farm and 1984, as it's clear that Dostoyevsky saw the fatal flaws at the core of the socialist movement beginning in Russia in the late nineteenth century. However, Dostoyevsky's treatment of the movement stands the test of time as it speaks in relevant and powerful tones regarding modern political movements from both the right and the left that subscribe to societal programming, communal initiatives and social revolution to bring meaning and order to life. Dostoyevsky argues that in these movements lurk demons which destroy movements and societies by ordering their desires and efforts toward self, thereby disordering their aims toward debauchery and licentious behavior. Instead, Dostoyevsky believes that Jesus must cast the demons out of humanity and free them to live into the wholeness God has created within them.<br />
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Though it is long, the novel is well worth the read, full of humor, intrigue, intellect, and even some horror. I can't help but wonder how different Russia might have looked had they taken the warnings Dostoyevsky penned to heart, and I also wonder how his words might be applied to our various political fads of today.<br />
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Some notable quotes from the novel follow (note that these are quotes from the perspective of characters in the novel, and do not necessarily reflect Dostoyevsky's views or main points):<br />
"You may be sure that all those who cease to understand their people and lose their connection with them, at once, in the same measure, also lose the faith of their fathers, and become either atheists or indifferent." - p. 38<br />
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"The more socialist a man is, the further he goes, the more he loves property. ...Why is that?" - p. 77<br />
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"God is the pain of the fear of death. He who overcomes pain and fear will himself become God. ...He who only kills himself to kill fear will at once become God." - p. 115-116<br />
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"They must find out that they're good, then they'll all become good at once, all, to a man." - p. 238<br />
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"Nations are formed and move by another ruling and dominating force, whose origin is unknown and inexplicable. This force is the force of the unquenchable desire to get to the end, while at the same time denying the end. It is the force of a ceaseless and tireless confirmation of its own being and a denial of death." - p. 250<br />
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"Acquire God by labor. The whole essence is there, or else you'll disappear like vile mildew." - p. 255<br />
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"Every man is worth an umbrella." - p. 270<br />
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"If your God found it necessary to offer a reward for love, it means your God is immoral." - p. 397<br />
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"Desire and suffering are for us; for our slaves there will be no desires." - p. 418<br />
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"Mankind can live without the Englishman, it can live without Germany, it can live only too well without the Russian man, it can live without science, without bread, and it only cannot live without beauty, for then there would be nothing at all to do in the world!" - p. 486<br />
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"It has always seemed to me that you would bring me to some place where there lives a huge, evil spider, as big as a man, and we would spend our whole life there looking at him and being afraid. That's how our mutual love would pass." - p. 525<br />
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"Something unusual, altogether unexpected, trembled in his soul. Three years of separation, three years of broken marriage, had dislodged nothing from his heart. And perhaps every day of those three years he had dreamed of her, the dear being who had once said to him: 'I love you.'" - p. 569<br />
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"God, when he was creating the world, said at the end of each day of creation: 'Yes, this is true, this is good.' This... this is not tenderheartedness, but simply joy. You don't forgive anything, because there's no longer anything to forgive. You don't really love - oh, what is here is higher than love! What's most frightening is that it's so terribly clear, and there's such joy. If it were longer than five seconds - the soul couldn't endure it, and would vanish. In those five seconds I live my life through, and for them I would give my life, because it's worth it. To endure ten seconds one would have to change physically." - p. 590<br />
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<b>On Children:</b> "There were two, and suddenly, there's a third human being, a new spirit, whole, finished, such as doesn't come from human hands; a new thought and a new love, it's even frightening... and there's nothing higher in the world!" - p. 593<br />
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"This generation must be re-educated to make it worthy of freedom. There are still many thousands of Shatovs [innocent murder victims] ahead of us." - p. 607<br />
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"Without Christ, the whole planet with everything on it is madness only. There has not been one like Him before or since, not ever, even to the point of miracle. This is the miracle, that there has not been and never will be such a one. And if so, if the laws of nature did not pity even This One, did not pity even their own miracle, but made Him to live amidst a lie and die for a lie, then the whole planet is a lie, and stands upon a lie and a stupid mockery." - p. 618<br />
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"For years I have been searching for the attribute of my divinity, and I have found it: the attribute of my divinity is - Self-will! ...I kill myself to show my insubordination and my new fearsome freedom." - p. 619<br />
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"God is necessary for me if only because He is the one being who can be loved, eternally..." - p. 663<br />
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"Even if you do not attain to reconciliation with yourself and forgiveness of yourself, even then He will forgive you for your intention and for your great suffering... for there are no words or thoughts in human language to express all the ways and reasons of the Lamb 'until his ways are openly revealed to us.' Who can embrace Him who is unembraceable, who can grasp the whole of Him who is infinite?" - p. 711<br />
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<br />Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-68647872833190318642015-08-10T19:42:00.003-07:002015-08-10T19:43:20.265-07:00Reading Dostoyesky: Thoughts and quotes from "Notes from a Dead House" (translated by Pevear and Volokhonsky)One of Dostoyevsky's earlier novels, "Notes from a Dead House" was recently released in a new translation by a husband and wife couple who have been steadily and heroically working through Dostoyevsky's works for us English-speaking readers. The novel is a fictional reflection on the four years the author himself spent in a Siberian prison camp. As with all Dostoyevsky works, it is brilliant and filled with heart and incredible insight into the human condition and the spiritual depths that flood every moment of our existence. The following are some of my favorite quotes from the novel:<br />
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"I may be mistaken, but it seems to me that you can know a person by his laughter, and if from some first encounter you like the laughter of some completely unknown person, you may boldly say that he is a good man." - p. 38<br />
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About a Muslim prisoner: "Nurra came up to me and gave me a friendly pat on the shoulder. Then again and again, and so it went on for three days. On his part, I guessed and later learned, this meant that he was sorry for me, that he felt how hard this first acquaintance with prison was for me, that he wanted to show me his friendship, cheer me up, and assure me of his protection. Kind and naive Nurra!" - p. 60<br />
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"Whenever I came back from work, the first thing I did before going anywhere, was to hurry behind the barracks with Sharik the dog leaping ahead of me and squealing for joy, to hug his head, to kiss it, kiss it, with some sort of sweet and at the same time tormentingly bitter feeling wringing my heart. And I remember it was even pleasant for me to think, as if flaunting my own hurt to myself, that now I had one being left in the world who loved me and was attached to me, my friend, my only friend - my faithful dog Sharik." - p. 94<br />
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"Every convict feels that he is not at home, but as if on a visit." - p. 96<br />
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"Chekunov twisted it somehow strangely, bared his teeth, and nodding quickly, as if accidentally , towards the dead man, said to the sergeant: "He had a mother, too!" - and walked away. I remember it was as if those words pierced me... and what made him speak them and how did they enter his head?" - p. 180<br />
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"To acknowledge one's guilt and ancestral sin is little, very little; it is necessary to break with them completely. And that cannot be done quickly." - p. 197<br />
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"He was of an ardent and rapturous character, like all puppies, who from joy at seeing their master would squeal, bark, come to lick his face, and are ready to lose control of all their other feelings in front of you: 'Proprieties mean nothing, if only you see my rapture!'" - p. 243<br />
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"Here in prison everyone was a dreamer - and that jumped into your eyes." - p. 250<br />
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The book ends with the appendix "The Peasant Marey" in which Dostoyevsky tells the story of being a child and running away from the fear of a wolf in the woods and being comforted by Marey, one of his father's peasant workers, who showed a deep compassion and regard for the comfort and spiritual well-being of a child for whom he very well might have felt resentment. This appendix wraps up the message of the novel nicely - the house may be dead, but, inside, each of us is painfully, inexorably, unalterably alive. Those who live out of an inward source of true compassion and love-filled hope shine out as lights to all of us looking for the day when our visit ends and we find ourselves finally back home.Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-1051043232689490692015-07-15T21:35:00.003-07:002015-07-15T21:41:28.118-07:00To Kill To Kill a Mockingbird<div class="MsoNormal">
Atticus Finch is not a racist.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let me clarify: The Atticus Finch character in To Kill a
Mockingbird is not a racist. Now that Go Set a Watchman has been published,
there are revisionist readers going back to discover traces of racism in his behavior. They say, "Atticus did not want to take Tom Robinson’s case – clearly, he felt black
people were inferior." "Atticus asked Scout to consider things from the lynch mob’s
point of view – clearly, he was a secret fan of lynch mobs." "Atticus had Jem work for
the racist Ms. Dubose – clearly he felt she had a point." (This idea is
unintelligible in the context of the novel). "Atticus hired Calpurnia as a cook –
clearly, he would have been a slaveholder if he could have been." If you read To
Kill a Mockingbird, you cannot think these answers are true. Atticus didn’t
want Tom Robinson’s case because he hoped such a case would never come before
him, and because he didn’t want his children to go through what they went through –
he would have admitted this last was a selfish desire, but can you blame a
single father for wanting to protect his children? Atticus was willing to be
torn apart by the lynch mob himself – and, guess what? Had he been lynched, he still would have
wanted his children to understand things from their point of view – to see how
people can be so blinded by prejudice that they are no longer able to do the
good they normally do.<o:p></o:p></div>
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There is no instance in the novel where Atticus treats
African-Americans as worthy of less respect than whites in his community. He
says any white man who cheats or mistreats a black man is trash. He even
defends May Ella Ewell for kissing a black man, arguing that it was a natural
feeling for her. He demands the jury do its duty in setting Tom Robinson free,
calls upon them to do so in the “name of God.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Is Atticus perfect? No. Could he have done even more for the
black community? Yes. Would the Atticus of To Kill a Mockingbird have admitted
this? I believe so with all my heart. I even believe it with a heart that is
somewhat broken by the quotes shared from Go Set a Watchman in which Atticus apparently
defends segregation, racial inequality and the Ku Klux Klan. That is a
DIFFERENT Atticus. That is an entirely different version of the man who was
willing to lose his life, his livelihood, and his family to defend the cause of
a black man, and do so to the best of his ability, instead of going through the
motions to accept the inevitable. He is genuinely distraught when Tom Robinson
is killed, because he cares about him.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I love Harper Lee. I am sure that her book is great, and I’m
sure had she made the efforts to edit and rewrite it, Atticus would be
different. Perhaps he would have wrong attitudes Scout would confront, but he would
not and could not be a racist who believed African-Americans were an inferior race and be at all consistent with the character we see in To Kill a Mockingbird. Lee challenges us with the question of how to look at people
we love when they disappoint us by choosing the wrong – and that’s a great
question to ponder. But, the Atticus who disappoints Scout in Go Set a Watchman
cannot be the Atticus of To Kill a Mockingbird.<o:p></o:p></div>
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From the first day I read To Kill a Mockingbird, I have
desired to be the same person at home as I am on the public streets, just like
Atticus. I’ve desired to stand up for the right and for the oppressed at any
cost. And, Jesus is the one who enables me to hold to that stance. I don’t need
Atticus Finch or any made-up character to bring that life about in me. But, if
I have a choice, I want to hang on to a hero, to keep my Atticus with me. We have so few heroes left. And,
I mourn the day that Atticus is no longer sitting in his room reading, getting
up in the middle of the night to check on us, and firmly dedicating himself to
standing up for the poor and the marginalized at all costs. I mourn the loss of
someone who has meant so much to so many, and I can’t help but doubt that
Harper Lee really desired this turn of events to take place.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
As I read reviews of the novel this week, I was brought back
to the ending lines of To Kill a Mockingbird, some of the most beautiful in all
of literature. It says, about Atticus, <i>“He turned out the light and went into
Jem’s room. He would be there all night, and he would be there when Jem waked
up in the morning.”</i> I was filled with sadness that, now, for the first time,
for many people Atticus will not be there when we wake up in the morning. His
place will be filled by a dark and strange caricature who seeks to confirm our
deepest fears that no one is truly who they seem to be, that each of us are
devoured by a dark fear that corrupts even the best of motives. Instead of
believing that redemption is possible for all of us when we have the courage to
defend the right, we are left to wonder if redemption has ever really reached
any of us, or if we are all left alone to struggle ahead and hope for the best.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Harper Lee is a genius, and clearly she loves her fellow
human beings and wants nothing less than full equality for all. I agree with all
my heart. I disagree, however, that this new/old version of Atticus Finch will
help us get there. But, I imagine MY Atticus saying that the choice is up to
each of us. Perhaps he would say something like: “You never really needed me,
anyway. What you really need is fear of God and love of your neighbor. You need
to believe in the best in each one of us, and be aware of the worst. You need
to do what I could only do in your dreams in real life. Write the message of
justice, compassion and righteousness on the pages of your life, and let them
be the living reality that defines your future and that of your children.”<o:p></o:p></div>
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Forgive me for imagining Atticus saying that, and then
turning out the light in my room, going into the room next to me, and sitting
down to read again. Forgive me for imagining that he’ll still be there all
night, and he’ll be there when I get up in the morning. And, in that morning, I
pray the world will be a better place. </div>
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Because, you see, for me, Atticus is the true mockingbird. He was made-up, brought into existence out of love, and existed in the pure world of fiction, and his only
purpose in life was to sing a song of courageous love that made me wish for
more and believe I could be more. Today, I feel like my mockingbird’s been killed, and
it feels like a sin. So, I’m going to blindly hold on to him, and
hope that, somehow, his song can outlast the night.<o:p></o:p></div>
Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-47773251711803871132015-06-03T08:23:00.005-07:002015-06-03T08:37:56.408-07:00Reading Dickens: Highlights of the Old Curiosity ShopBelow you will find quotes and summary thoughts as I finished reading Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop"<br />
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<b>On the subject of little children</b>: <i>"It is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."</i><br />
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<i>"Oh these holidays! Why will they leave us some regret? Why cannot we push them back only a week or two in our memories, so as to put them at once at that convenient distance whence they may be regarded either with a calm indifference or a pleasant effort of recollection? Why will they hang about us like the flavor of yesterday's wine? ...Such is the difference between yesterday and today. We are all going to the play or coming home from it."</i><br />
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<b>A working class man talking about a fire in his furnace</b>: <i>"It's like a book to me, the only book I ever learned to read, and many an old story it tells me. It's music, for I should know its voice among a thousand, and there are other voices in its roar. It has its pictures too. You don't know how many strange faces and features I trace in the red-hot coals. It's my memory, that fire, and shows me all my life."</i><br />
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<b>The soul's feelings on the physical body it leaves at death</b>: <i>"It still felt for it a love like that which captives have been known to bear towards the cell in which they have been long confined, and even at parting hung upon its narrow bounds affectionately."</i><br />
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<i>"There is nothing innocent or good that dies and is forgotten. Let us hold to that faith, or none. An infant, a prattling child, dying in its cradle, will live again the better thoughts of those who loved it, and play its part, through them, in the redeeming actions of the world, though its body be burnt to ashes or drowned in the deepest sea. There is not an angel added to the Host of Heaven, but does its blessed work on earth in those that love it here. Forgotten! oh, if the good deeds of human creatures could be traced to their source, how beautifully would even death appear; for how much charity, mercy, and purified affection, would be seem to have their growth in dusty graves."</i><br />
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<i>"You haven't seen a silver pencil case this morning, have you?"<br />"I didn't meet many in the street," rejoined Mr. Swiveller. "I saw one - a stout pencil-case of respectable appearance - but as he was in company with an elderly penknife and a young toothpick, with whom he was in earnest conversation, I felt a delicacy in speaking to him"</i><br />
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<i>"When Death strikes down the innocent and young, for every fragile form from which he sets the panting spirit free, a hundred virtues rise, in shapes of mercy, charity, and love, to walk the world and bless it. ...In the Destroyer's steps there springs up bright creations that defy his power, and his dark path becomes a way of light to Heaven." </i><br />
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The reason that you read a sprawling Dickens' work is to unearth treasures like these. As well as to run into larger than life characters, who in caricature remind you of the people you run into at church, or see shopping at Wal-mart, walking the city streets, or who go to your family reunions. The Old Curiosity Shop is admittedly melodramatic in spots, not the best of Dicken's works, but still classic literature. As a theme, the book seems to emphasize that nothing is wasted. Even in tragedy, seeds of hope are planted that blossom into flowers of redemption that result in continuing fruit of life for years to come. I recommend taking up the challenge of reading it!Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-28672606752749334302014-10-29T19:02:00.006-07:002014-10-29T19:02:59.890-07:00Communicators of the Gospel<b><span style="font-family: "Calibri","sans-serif"; font-size: 11.0pt; line-height: 115%; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-ascii-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA; mso-bidi-theme-font: minor-bidi; mso-fareast-font-family: Calibri; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-theme-font: minor-latin; mso-hansi-theme-font: minor-latin;">Communicators of the Gospel – Why those aspiring
for a career in ministry should consider a Bachelors of Arts in Communications
Studies.<br />
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<i>Quincy Wheeler,
Associate Pastor in East Ohio Conference of the United Methodist Church, B.A.
in Communications Studies from Baldwin-Wallace, M. Div. from Ashland
Theological Seminary.</i></div>
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As I begin my post-seminary career in ministry, I am
thankful on a daily basis for my decision to major in Communications Studies in
my undergrad work at Baldwin-Wallace. When I first looked at Baldwin-Wallace, I
debated majoring in Religion, as I knew that I wanted to be involved in
ministry. However, knowing that seminary would help further my knowledge of
Scripture, theology and church life, I tried to identify a course of study that
would be most helpful to me as a minister of the Gospel. After a brief
consideration, the clear choice became to enroll in Baldwin-Wallace’s
Communication Studies program.<o:p></o:p></div>
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I would like to outline ten ways that my communication
studies degree continues to help me, on a daily basis, engage in my work as a
pastor. I will also try to distinguish what elements a Communication Studies
degree provides that may not be found in a degree in Religion.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(1)<b>Communications Studies honed my public speaking skills</b>.
In whatever ministry you try, you will need to speak publically. Communication
studies taught me how to develop a well-organized speech, how to speak without
looking at notes, and how to use gestures, vocal movement and diction to drive
home a point.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(2)<b>Communication Studies developed my conflict resolution
skills.</b> Conflict resolution is probably the single most important skill to
learn going into ministry. It is rarely covered in religion or seminary
coursework, from my experience.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(3)<b>Studying Communication theory assisted me in
understanding dynamics at work in the personal and public settings for
ministry</b>. Ministry entirely consists of caring for people as people interact
with you and with each other. Communications offers insight into those
interactions.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(4)<b>Executing a research project for my Communication Studies
degree allowed me to discover ways to collect, interpret and apply meaningful
data for ministry purposes.</b> Performing an experiment-based research project
taught me data-collecting and analytical skills I utilize every day.<o:p></o:p></div>
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(5)<b>Communications Studies increased my self-awareness of my
communication style and my understanding of those around me whose styles differ
from my own. </b>I am simply more aware of the communication needs and tendencies
of others around me than I would have ever been, had Communication Studies not
informed me that those needs and tendencies are there, and offered me tools on
how to manage them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(6)Communications Studies' lessons are easily contextualized.</b> The
problem with philosophical and theological truths is that they are not always
easily applied. Psychology, also, gets confusing when trying to mix it with the
healing power of the Holy Spirit. Communication Studies includes aspects of
psychological and philosophical truths that can be easily translated into
ministerial contexts.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(7)The primary challenge of the Church in the modern age is
encoding the Message… message-encoding just happens to be the primary learning
outcome of Communication Studies.</b> We have to communicate the Gospel to a
society that increasingly does not believe in God, nor does it accept the
revelation of God in Scripture as authoritative. We must discover how to
communicate the Good News so that it sounds like good news and reaches a new
generation. Communication Studies provides a wealth of information on how to
make messages meaningful, relevant and transformative.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(8)Communications Studies focus on group dynamics and
organizational communication processes, both incredibly important aspects of
ministry which receive little attention in seminary.</b> As I chair committees and
serve on ministry teams, I constantly turn to insights I received in my
undergraduate studies in Communications. As I continue to interact with staff
members and help with church visioning, I remember and apply lessons I learned
in my Organizational Communication classes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(9)Communication Studies teach the importance of good
listening skills, which is often-times overlooked as we seek to engage in the
task of communicating the gospel.</b> A pastor who is unwilling to listen to his
people will soon speak a message that no one wants to hear, let alone
understand. The study of communication demands development of listening skills.<o:p></o:p></div>
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<b>(10)Communication Studies add important marketing and public
relation insights which seminary training rarely addresses.</b> Packaging of the
Gospel has to be noticeable and appropriate, concerns amply addressed in
Communication classes.<o:p></o:p></div>
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As I continue into a career in ordained ministry, I am
constantly grateful that I chose to major in Communication Studies. If you are attending a non-Bible college, I would highly recommending minoring in
Religion (for basics in Scripture and theology) and majoring in Communication Studies before seminary. I really benefited from and loved my seminary training. However, the focus of seminary was at least 75% on knowledge-based learning,
and maybe 25% on practical matters relating to communicating the Gospel.
Between the preparation offered by Communication Studies and the education
received at Seminary, however, I feel adequately prepared for ministry and
effectively resourced for the challenge of preaching the Gospel in any context.<o:p></o:p></div>
Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-34518822034193844002014-08-21T20:20:00.003-07:002014-08-21T20:20:29.681-07:00Five Reasons from Great Literature to Watch the Film, "The Giver"I highly recommend that everyone see the movie <em>The Giver</em> because it has a theistic worldview that portrays life as valuable and understand the true nature of love. As I watched the movie for the second time, I heard and saw a variety of things that reminded me of different works of literature I have read. So, in interest of getting you to watch the movie, here are five connections I made:<br />
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1. <u>The Terrible Burden of Free Will</u>. The primary argument between the Giver and the Chief Elder is whether people are capable of handling the free choice. The Chief Elder argues that "people are week. When given the choice, they choose wrong." Did you know that this same argument occurs in unforgettable fashion in Fyodor Dostoyevsky's book, <em>The Brother's Karamazov</em>? In the chapter entitled, "the Grand Inquisitor," a Spanish church official confronts Jesus Christ with the accusation that His devotion to protecting human free will was the greatest mistake of all history. And, you have to read the book to see Jesus' response, and Dostoyevsky's, to this charge. (Might be quicker to watch <em>the Giver</em>, but I recommend watching AND reading!)<br />
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2. <u>The Risk of Love</u>. The Giver and Jonas argue that the price of love is worth the cost of suffering, pain and loss. The movie even includes a Christmas carol at the end that, to me, brings to mind the moment when God demonstrated His willingness to embrace our suffering nature by becoming incarnate in Jesus. This theme is found in many Scriptures, but extremely prominent in C.S. Lewis' books <em>Out of the Silent Planet</em> and <em>Perelandra</em>. In <em>Out of the Silent Planet</em>, the angel who rules Mars and its people speaks of how God, on earth, has "taken strange counsel and dared terrible deeds." One of the greatest theological conundrums is the risk that God takes in becoming human... all out of love.<br />
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3. <u>Sameness is not Equality</u>. The Community eliminates race and envy by eliminating all significant differences and demanding obedience to a social standard. <em>In Wrinkle in Time</em>, Madeline Le'Engle evaluates the differences between being the same and being equal, establishing that sameness eliminates the need and desire to love, and love brings an equality to all humanity.<br />
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4. <u>Life is Precious and Valuable</u>. The turning point of the movie involves the life of a baby, which certainly speaks to our culture in which infant life is often seen as an inconvenient consequence of sex. In Kazuo Ishiguro's book, <em>Never Let Me Go</em>, a dystopian reality in which colonies of clone humans are raised, educated and harvested for their organs illustrates the incredible value of life. The book revolves around the desire of one of the clones to have a baby, and challenges its readers to think through the meaning of existence.<br />
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5. <u>All Things are a Miracle</u>. The film teaches us to see all the events of our lives and wonders of the world around us as miracles. No book (outside the Bible) teaches this lesson better than G.K. Chesterton's <em>Orthodoxy</em>. Chesterton tells us that trees grow fruit because they are magic trees. Water runs downhill because it is enchanted. And, God commands the sun to rise, the flowers to bloom, the body to breathe anew each day, each moment because He never ceases to take joy in His creation. Can we do the same.Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-15250933403439365192014-07-08T08:12:00.000-07:002015-05-13T18:23:39.992-07:00Short Reviews of Fifty Books - Part 2 - Quincy's List<div class="clearfix" style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 12px; line-height: 15.359999656677246px; zoom: 1;">
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My last post reviewed the books on the list of top 50 books to read before you die. As part of a course I am doing for seminary, I have now added reviews of 50 books I have read additional to that list that I have enjoyed and/or felt were significant. As the above list had two non-fiction books (the Bible and the Diary of Anne Frank), a book of short stories (Men Without Women), poetry (The Canterbury Tales), a play (Hamlet), as well as books written primarily for adults and primarily for children, I have also tried to include some of this diversity in my own list (while, as with the first list, the majority of these selections are novels). Also, between the two lists, no author was allowed to have more than one book (thus, no repeated selections from Shakespeare, Lewis, Dickens, Chesterton, Dostoyevsky, etc.).<br />
<ol style="padding: 0px 10px 0px 25px;">
<li><strong>On the Incarnation by Athanasius</strong> – My personal favorite of the early church fathers, Athanasius here presents a Biblical defense of the divinity of Christ, and describes the significance of His incarnation in beautiful terms that would define Christian spirituality for all time.</li>
<li><strong>The City of God by Augustine of Hippo</strong> – Taken together with Athanasius (who speaks from a more Eastern spirituality while Augustine speaks more from a Western approach), Augustine provides the basis for almost all of modern theology. His ideas are beautiful and Biblically-based with far-reaching impact in religion, science and philosophy.</li>
<li><strong>Paradise Lost by John Milton</strong> – I believe that Milton’s epic describing the creation and fall of man and the redemptive work of God is unequaled by any other writer who has tackled these themes. Milton’s description of the Son’s willingness to become human brought me to tears the first time I read it. I believe all Christians should read at least some of Paradise Lost.</li>
<li><strong>The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky</strong> <strong>– </strong>Dostoyevsky wrote with a strong belief in Christ and the sacred nature of the divine image stamped on the human heart informing all his works. The story of this book is fascinating and horrifying, mysterious and hilarious, enriching and devastating. In order to engage with the problem of human suffering from a Christian perspective, read this book.</li>
<li><strong>Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis</strong> – Though Lewis, one of the foremost theologians of the past century, wrote many amazing works of fiction, I find his retelling of the myth of Cupid and Psyche to be the best, both spiritually and aesthetically-speaking. The book displays the true nature of love which causes us to become our true selves as seen by the Divine Lover rather than engage in an idolatrous worship of the false self to which our wayward hearts are drawn.</li>
<li><strong>Holy Sonnets by John Donne</strong> – Donne is my favorite poet, and, in these poems, he displays his deep faith and correspondingly deep struggle with faith. As he is unwilling to offer simple spiritual platitudes or empty human philosophy, his passion and desire for Jesus drip from every line. Please note especially Sonnet number 10 and Sonnet number 14.</li>
<li><strong>The First Circle by Alexander Solzhenitsyn</strong> – In my continuing love for Russian authors, brilliant Solzhenitsyn emerged from Communist Russia to challenge the world with its need to come to grips with a personal morality emerging from the love of God and neighbor. In this book, he describes the creation of hell in human existence by those who worship the god of self. There is a scene toward the end of the novel with a cartoon cat on a paper cup that you HAVE to read.</li>
<li><strong>Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton</strong> – Paton’s story of redemption and forgiveness with the South African apartheid as the background shines with truth about God and the nature of suffering among his creatures. Pastor Kumalo struggles but holds on to the truth in the middle of the fire of temptation and hatred.</li>
<li><strong>The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton</strong> –<strong> </strong>In this book Chesterton dreams a nightmare of life without order, in which physical existence provides the only meaning for life. In the midst of this story, Chesterton’s abiding belief in the goodness and joy inherent in knowing God emerges as the one, true source of hope. Chesterton is my favorite author.</li>
<li><strong>Descent into Hell by Charles Williams</strong> – This novel uses the genre of horror and suspense to present a picture of what it means to carry one another’s burdens, a command of Scripture which Williams takes literally, with practical applications in the spiritual realm. Williams’ tremendous literary skill brings Christian spiritual warfare into classic literature.</li>
<li><strong>Watership Down by Richard Adams – </strong>Adam’s fantasy world of rabbits, their wars and epic journeys, is extremely well-written and provides one of the best pictures of self-sacrificial leadership available in literature. The characters are memorable and the story is exciting.</li>
<li><strong>Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor</strong> – O’Connor breaks all the rules of writing in order to create this book of short stories which provides unparalleled insight into the fallen psychosis of modern humanity, and the grace scattered therein by the love of God.</li>
<li><strong>Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner</strong> – I find Stegner to be a highly underrated American author with an ability to see through the stark isolation of the post-pioneer American West to the longing within every human heart to love and to be loved. In this story, he does so by examining the tragedy that occurs in a marriage between a Western couple made up of an Eastern girl and a son of the pioneers, and the lingering effects on their descendants.</li>
<li><strong>Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro</strong> – Munro gets my vote for the best active, living author today. Her short stories display a devastatingly perceptive insight into life, with an ability to bring the mundane and unnoticed to brilliant light with simple images and unfailingly well-chosen prose. This is just one of many excellent short story collections by the author.</li>
<li><strong>The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder</strong> – I think all Christians should read this book to gain an eternal perspective. Wilder displays with heart-breaking effectiveness the eternal nature of love, using a tragedy to bring his characters and readers face-to-face with timeless truth.</li>
<li><strong>Phantastes by George MacDonald</strong> – A challenging read (not long, yet hard to understand), but also an unforgettable encounter with truth and beauty as viewed through a fantasy of unrequited love. The book blends traditional forms of poetry, prose, free verse and epic writing seamlessly, all from a deeply Spiritual, Biblical worldview.</li>
<li><strong>The Chosen by Chaim Potuk</strong> – Potuk examines the lives of two Jewish teens in Brooklyn in the 1940’s, using cultural and religious mores to bring out a delightfully obvious and yet incredibly potent metaphor about God’s Will and the nature of human suffering. Please read this book.</li>
<li><strong>Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy</strong> – If you read Thomas Hardy, you will quickly gather two things: (1) He is an incredibly gifted storyteller, and (2) he had relationship troubles. This is one of the happier of his novels, in which readers find a story that speaks about the true nature of married love, which Hardy believes is founded on friendship and self-sacrifice. Additionally, all Hardy books deal, at some level, with questions of the meaning of existence.</li>
<li><strong>Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery</strong> – Though some of Montgomery’s stories descend to the level of sentimentalism, most of her books are extremely well-written, overflowing with a hilarious and thought-provoking ability to perceive and describe people who seem like they walked into her pages out of our lives. Anne is an admirable heroine in all ways.</li>
<li><strong>The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers</strong> – Sayers is the first of several incredibly talented female writers of mystery stories to be featured on this list. In Lord Peter Whimsy, Sayers came up with a shining example of both nobility and the angst that often accompanies it. She also finds clever ways to remind us of the hope found in faith in the goodness of God and of His people.</li>
<li><strong>The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie</strong> – Christie is truly the master of the short detective novel and in this book and in <em>Then There Were None</em> her powers to surprise and shock her readers are clearly on display. Hercule Poirot speaks out a clear moral vision of “I do not approve of murder” as he wreaks his unflinching vengeance on those who take life.</li>
<li><strong>The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner</strong> – Here, Faulkner attempts to imagine the mind of a mentally incapacitated man, with echoes of Joyce’s Ulysses present, and carries off the literary effort spectacularly. While reading Faulkner is always uncomfortable as he refuses to soften the hard blows life deals to those who fall before its strokes, I think it’s important for Christians to enter the sphere of great suffering to find the hope and humanity there. <strong>Content Issues</strong>: Some language and mild sexual innuendo.</li>
<li><strong>Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson</strong> – You are probably familiar with this story from various movies, but the adventure of Jim and company in search of the long-lost treasure is exciting, well-written and contains great depth in an effort to examine good-and-evil, compassion and greed, and courage and fear.</li>
<li><strong>Dracula by Bram Stoker</strong> – Stoker’s book has some issues in writing style, but it has a clearly developed spirituality of good and evil, in which the fight with the dreaded vampire requires the strength and fortitude of all those involved. It’s an exciting and entertaining read! <strong>Content Issues:</strong> Slightly gory at times.</li>
<li><strong>Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott</strong> - Scott’s noble tale of a 12th Century English knight and his fair love, as well as the fairer girl whose love for Ivanhoe goes unreturned is truly beautiful. His novel also presents an implicit argument for equality among races and clearly demonstrates the nobility of sacrificing oneself for the good of others. Plus, it has Robin Hood in it. It’s just a great read.</li>
<li><strong>A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters</strong> – In this often overlooked treasure, Peters creates the memorable character of Brother Cadfael, a Welsh, ex-Crusader turned Benedictine monk in medieval England who spreads a message of grace and redemption among all with whom he interacts. The best thing about this book is that it is the first in a lengthy series, each story including a romance, a murder mystery and meaningful reflection on the truth of God’s love.</li>
<li><strong>Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe</strong> – Stowe’s novel, which as Lincoln said “started a big war,” speaks with moral vision and spiritual strength across the centuries. Her writing style is not particularly excellent, at times dripping with sentimentality, but she towers among many other authors for the depth of her faith and conviction to present the truth.</li>
<li><strong>God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut</strong> – Vonnegut is not a Christian, yet, he often borrows lumber from the moralist’s lumberyard to infuse his sardonic stories with the light of the possibility of better days ahead for his belabored heroes and heroines. In this book, he examines the life of a man of privilege who decides to care for the needs of the ordinary. It is well-written and filled with incisive challenges to many assumptions of modern life, as all Vonnegut books are. Vonnegut is a great writer to read in order to be challenged, which I think is important for all Christians.<strong>Content Issues:</strong> Some profanity and mild sexual innuendo.</li>
<li><strong>Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro</strong> – Ishiguro would get my vote for best active, living writer after Munro, as he has written several excellent books. This book follows the life of an English serving-man who realizes he is losing the life that he has always known, while at the same time discovering hidden longings to express feelings, to find love, and to appreciate beauty. It is a beautiful and strangely heart-rending story.</li>
<li><strong>Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz</strong> – Sienkiewicz, a Polish author, often fills his books with violently brave Polish warriors unswervingly dedicated to protecting their families and honoring their Lord. In this book, however, Sienkiewicz follows the persecution of Christians under Nero by telling the story of the love between a Christian and a secular Roman. The book is well-written and, most notably, contains many memorable moments that challenge us to go deeper in our dedication to following Jesus.</li>
<li><strong>The Princess Bride by William Golding</strong> – Many Christians have no doubt seen the Princess Bride movie, but may not know that there is a book that is just as good, if not better, than the film production. The book tells an enchanting love story, but also delves into philosophy and questions about the meaning of life, proclaiming the truth that true love conquers all.</li>
<li><strong>The Moviegoer by Walker Percy</strong> – Percy’s life is fascinating; raised in a well-respected, liberal Protestant family in the South U.S., he became a devout Catholic following tragic events in which his grandfather and parents committed suicide. This story follows a young man in the South who discovers a growing sense of isolation and dissatisfaction with the world that leads him to wonder if there is more to life. Beautifully written and haunting.</li>
<li><strong>The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley</strong> – Bradley started writing novels in his late 60’s, and his books are a refreshing interruption of post-modernism with the free-spirited, chemistry-loving sleuth, Flavia de Luce, an 11 year-old girl in the countryside of post-War England. Rather than being simply mystery stories, Flavia’s adventures seek to find the underlying order and beauty which will make sense of a world trying to recover its reason.</li>
<li><strong>A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline Le’Engle</strong> – Le’Engle’s book is written about the problem of evil and directed toward children and young adults. As Meg, Charles Wallace and their friend Calvin search the universe for a missing father, Le’Engle introduces deep themes regarding suffering, equality, and the power of love.</li>
<li><strong>Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury</strong> – Bradbury is a talented and creative writer, and in this book, he imagines a world without books, and, so, gets at the heart of why reading and writing are important. His tale of suspense and a dystopian world makes a strong case for the human need to express oneself in art.</li>
<li><strong>The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne</strong> – Hawthorne novels get a lot of hate because people are often forced to read them in school, but his classic tale of a forbidden romance and living amidst the condemnation of a community truly explores some timeless themes of forgiveness and courage in the aftermath of a terrible mistake.</li>
<li><strong>The Kiterunner by Khaled Hosseini</strong> – A beautiful story of tragedy and redemption, this book explores the conflict between the unbelievable power of hatred and the unending strength of forgiveness. The setting is Afghanistan, and the friendship of two young boys there. <strong>Content Issues</strong>: Some language and a scene in which a child is raped (not described graphically).</li>
<li><strong>The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov</strong> – This play follows a Russian family through the end of serfdom in Russia and the beginning of a more modern era. The play finds an incredibly subtle point of balance between comedy and tragedy, examining what makes our lives worth living.</li>
<li><strong>Right Ho, Jeeves! By P.G. Wodehouse</strong> – While I debated taking this book off the list, I decided that being able to make people laugh is an incredibly important gift in a writer. No one has a greater awareness of the absurd, a more unerring ability to turn a phrase to make you laugh out loud than P.G. Wodehouse. Remember, a cheerful heart is good medicine!</li>
<li><strong>Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert</strong> – At surface level, this story seems to be about a woman who decides to commit adultery, and, I don’t know about you, but I would rather not read a story about that. However, if you read this book, you will encounter layers and layers of meaning, in which Flaubert brilliantly explores the never-ending consequences of human choice.</li>
<li><strong>The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle</strong> – Sherlock Holmes was my first literary love, and I think Doyle does not get enough credit for his creativity and development of complexities within his characters. This is my favorite of his novels, full of excitement and heart.</li>
<li><strong>Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan</strong> – As with <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em>, <em>Pilgrim’s Progress</em>is not included primarily for writing skill, but for truth in spiritual content. Bunyan is the master of allegory, and reading this book is a devotional experience as well as an entertaining one.</li>
<li><strong>Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides</strong> – This book is a historical account of the rescue of American soldiers from Japanese prison camps at the end of World War II. This is absolutely my favorite piece of historical writing, and it speaks to the value of every human life. It also makes me proud to be a United States’ citizen, as we are probably the only country that would use valuable resources and irreplaceable assets to rescue soldiers who were as good as dead.</li>
<li><strong>In His Steps by Charles Sheldon</strong> – Continuing in the line with <em>Uncle Tom’s Cabin</em>and <em>Pilgrim’s Progress</em>, this book is not very well-written, but it is very challenging and encouraging to a person’s Christian walk. The question under consideration is what difference it would make if we were each to determine to live as Jesus lives, and love as He loves. Reading this book never fails to bring me closer to my Lord, and that is about as high a compliment as I can give.</li>
<li><strong>Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov</strong> – This modern addition to Russian novels I love follows the journey of Viktor and his pet penguin through post-Soviet society in Russia, learning how to love and how to avoid being killed by the mafia. The book is well-written, funny, strange and, ultimately, hopeful. I am excited to hear that Kurkov wrote a sequel to it. <strong>Content Issues</strong>: Some profanity.</li>
<li><strong>It’s a Magical World by Bill Watterson</strong> – The primarily American genre of the comic strip deserves some attention, and, while I love Walt Kelly and Charles Schultz, I think the greatest comic strip in terms of artistic ability and skill at addressing issues of significant philosophical and spiritual value was Calvin and Hobbes. Plus, it’s hilarious!</li>
<li><strong>What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver </strong>– This collection of short stories is powerful and challenging. Carver is a very masculine writer, and his stories get straight to the heart with no interest in beating around the bush. He is an excellent writer.</li>
<li><strong>The Trial by Franz Kafka</strong> – As one of the early giants of post-modernist writing, Kafka deals constantly with isolationism and meaning-making in a world without purpose. This book is a challenging read, but engaging with it in the attempt to find how Jesus provides hope in our despair provides an excellent chance for moral and intellectual growth.</li>
<li><strong>Beloved by Toni Morrison</strong> – Morrison’s evocative ghost story deals with the long-lasting effects of physical and spiritual bondage, and the freedom that is found in forgiveness and love. <strong>Content Issues</strong>: Some sexual imagery and mild language.</li>
<li><strong>The End of Baseball by Peter Schilling, Jr.</strong> – I am a big fan of sports in general and baseball in specific. In this creative novel, Schilling imagines a world in which a baseball executive breaks the color barrier by filling a professional baseball team with players from the Negro Leagues. This is definitely the most obscure book on the list, but it is written at a good level and inspires us to think about how being willing to go against the way of the world brings freedom. <strong>Content Issues: </strong>Some sexual innuendo and some strong language.</li>
</ol>
</div>
Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-71777574469200015012014-04-21T10:14:00.001-07:002014-04-21T10:14:17.523-07:00Short Reviews of the 50 Books to Read Before You Die<div class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; line-height: 15.0pt; margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="color: #333333; font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">My
friend Austin wants me to note that some of these books I "read" by
listening to unabridged audiobooks. I tried to explain that you can actually
get MORE out of a book by listening to it, but he still says it's not
technically "reading." Anyway, here is a review of each of the 50
books on the list of "50 Books to Read Before You Die" sold in many
bookstores on a bookmark. I have ranked them based on which I thought were the
best, but please note that some of them I do NOT recommend reading.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<ol start="1" type="1">
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Bible</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The only book that is not
simply a book. Perhaps this might be a good time to plug my favorite
versions: 1984 translation of NIV, New King James, Holman Christian
Standard Version and New American Standard. I rank these based on
readability and accuracy to my limited knowledge of the original text
(incorporating both word-for-word and dynamic equivalence necessary for
accurate translation).<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">To Kill a
Mockingbird by Harper Lee </span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">– Not only the greatest American Novel, the greatest
fiction work of all time. The symbolism stays carefully hidden beneath the
surface at all times, letting the action drive the story. Yet, but scratch
the surface, and the human problem and the Divine solution scream out at
you. <b>Content Issues:</b> Use of profanity and discriminatory
language, but this is presented as wrong.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Hamlet by
William Shakespeare</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Though I put To Kill a Mockingbird as the
greatest work of fiction, Shakespeare was the world’s greatest writer.
Hamlet is my favorite of his plays, with timeless reflections on the fleeting
nature of human life and the struggle of existence.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Lord
of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Unfortunately, the Lord of the Rings often
gets discounted as some kind of glorified fantasy novel, brought to
popularity by a subculture of devoted fans. The book is actually a
sophisticated look at life, truth and God through a carefully crafted
mythology.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Grapes of
Wrath by John Steinbeck</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I think Steinbeck is one of the best writers
the world has produced, and his account of the perseverance of the human
spirit in the face of great trials soars. However, I do have to mention
that his collectivist ideology leaks through into monologues that I feel
are somewhat forced. With that said, I still rank this as the
second-greatest novel written by an American – incredibly well-written and
inspiring. <b>Content Issues</b>: Language, some sexual discussions
and imagery and irreligious philosophizing<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Don
Quixote by Miguel Cervantes</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – There are numerous beautiful romances
written in Don Quixote, the story of a noble, righteous madman in a world
that has lost its understanding of what is true, what is beautiful and
what is courageous. It’s long, but worth your time. <b>Content
Issues:</b> Some mild innuendo and mild crudeness<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anna
Karenina by Leo Tolstoy</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Tolstoy presents the devastating effects of
adultery and the emptiness of self-sufficiency, as well as the hope that
is found in love and in God. <b>Content Issues:</b> Though the
sexual nature of the adultery is handled with sensitivity, it is still
presented.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Huckleberry
Finn by Mark Twain</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Is it possible to call this book underrated?
The story of Huck’s journey on the Mississippi River is an inspiring tale
of one human soul’s rejection of the oppressive norms and expectations of
the society surrounding him. Twain achieves wit, humor, pathos, sadness
and inspiration in a way few other authors have ever done. <b>Content
Issues</b>: Use of racial slurs, but the book is extremely anti-racist in
its message.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Heart of
Darkness by Joseph Conrad</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – English was not Conrad’s first language, or
his second, yet he wrote this classic work in English, detailing Marlow’s
horrific discovery of the abuse perpetrated by Kurtz against natives of
the Congo, and the dreadful judgment that happens as a result. This book
speaks against colonialism, fix-it projects that Westerners attempt to
force upon indigenous cultures, and, most importantly, against the
insidious nature of evil in the human soul.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Wind
in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – What a beautiful, magical, enchanting book!
The adventures of Rat, Mole, Badger and the incorrigible Mr. Toad should
be read by parents to children everywhere. Lessons of courage, friendship,
and piety are brilliantly presented here.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Count
of Monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I read this book for the first time while
completing the 50 book challenge and I loved it! The book considers the
idea of whether one person can become an agent of God’s vengeance on
earth. A great adventure!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Anne Frank
– Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank – </span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">I find it interesting that this is
the only non-fiction book besides the Bible on this list. While that fact
may seem odd, I certainly cannot argue with its inclusion, or its
representation of the memoir genre. Anne is a genius and, more important
than that, she has the soul of a saint. The tragedy and warning of the
book is in seeing in its pages the brutal weapon of human violence
descending to crush this beautiful flower of sweetness and light. Every
human life is valuable and has immortal significance.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Lord of
the Flies by William Goldman</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The Lord of the Flies has a lot of
detractors, because it is a brutal book often forced on unsuspecting
school children. When I read it, I was amazed at its popularity in the
secular world because it clearly endorses a Biblical view of human
sinfulness. Goldman brilliantly illustrates the depravity of human nature,
in dialogue, dramatic action and even sophisticated incorporation of
religious and mythical allegories. <b>Content Issues:</b> Extremely
dark book, violence and some mild language.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Life of Pi
by Yann Martel</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –
This book’s account of a young boy’s spiritual journey through life and
the Pacific Ocean may be the greatest novel of the 21st Century so far.
Martel brilliantly presents the complicated relationship between faith and
doubt, and does so with humor, sadness, joy and empathy. <b>Content
Issues:</b> Some dark imagery and a certain level of religious
pluralism here should be read with careful discernment.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Pride and
Prejudice by Jane Austen </span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">– This book gets my vote for the best fiction
account of romance, as we see strong femininity and strong masculinity
interacting to create a beautiful, self-giving love that results in a
marriage that has delighted and inspired generations of readers.
Admittedly, it MAY be more of a book aimed for girls than guys, but guys
should at least read it so they can better understand women.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A
Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Although I adore the Christmas Carol, I
would have chosen one of Dickens’ other classics over it for this list.
However, the Christmas Carol is shorter and is a story of redemption that
gets at the heart of Christmas as no other work of fiction has.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">1984 by
George Orwell</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –
Orwell unflinchingly demolishes the totalitarian edifice in this brutal
book. I suppose we get tired of hearing one party or another being called
totalitarians, but I think this book illustrates the importance of
ensuring individual freedom from government control. The government exists
to protect our rights, not give us the rights it wants us to have. <b>Content
Issues </b>– Mild language and brief, non-explicit sexual content.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Stranger by Albert Camus</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Existentialist literature is usually a
synonym for “depressing read,” and such is certainly the case here. However,
Camus has a strange sympathy for the despairing plight of his subjects,
and his existentialism leaves one hoping for more, and looking for the
answer, an answer which is only found in Jesus. <b>Content Issues: </b>Some
language, mild sexual imagery, and disturbing events.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">War of the
Worlds by H.G. Wells</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – In a groundbreaking effort that still
defines science fiction to this day, Wells describes the invasion of the
earth by aliens, and ends up presenting a moving tribute to the triumph of
human nature and the goodness of the world on which we live.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The
Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – As most know, Wilde’s lived a troubled life,
and I believe you can see his struggle with the ravaging effects of sin on
a person’s life and heart in this book. Human sexuality, love and lust,
selflessness and selfishness are beautifully and tastefully portrayed
here. Whatever else may be said about Wilde, he was a great writer. <b>Content
Issues </b>– Dark imagery, mild language, some innuendo.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Men
Without Women by Ernest Hemingway</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – You either love or hate Hemingway, and I
love him. How he can use such spare, manly language to evoke emotion and
offer great insight on life, love and the human experience is beyond me,
but I appreciate it, nonetheless. <b>Content Issues </b>– Mild
language<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Way We
Live Now by Anthony Trollope</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – A social satire of England in the 19th Century,
this book is long, but worth the read if you enjoy this genre. Trollope
follows an aristocratic English family falling is social graces, cleverly
pointing out the value of hard work and selfless love along the way.
Sardonic, yet also delightful in tone.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Quiet
American by Graham Greene</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Greene does a masterful job of portraying
the desolation caused by unjust war, violence taken against the innocent.
Greene is a moralist (a refreshing change from many books listed below)
and you can see his longing for a higher ground of truth and morality on
which humans can relate to each other.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Brave New
World by Aldous Huxley</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Another dystopian classic, Huxley imagines
the totalitarian government which is the opposite of Orwell’s. Whereas
Orwell’s government is modeled more closely after the totalitarianism of
the far right, Huxley’s is modeled after the friendly, yet still just as
destructive, oppression of the far left. Huxley’s vision is brilliant, and
especially chilling as we look at abuses common in modern government. <b>Content
Issues </b>– Some language and sexual content (not explicit)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Catcher in
the Rye by J.D. Salinger</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I wanted to dislike this book, but I can’t
help but enjoy it and appreciate what it does. Salinger creates one of the
iconic outsider in Holden Caufield, whose heart is bursting with a love
and care that he simply does not have the emotional or social tools to
express. I would also like to note that Holden, while claiming to be an
atheist in the book, shows an amazingly accurate insight into the
character and person of Jesus. <b>Content Issues </b>– Constant
swearing and some sexual content (none explicit)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Wuthering
Heights by Emily Bronte</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The Bronte sisters each present their own
picture of romance gone awry, though Emily’s version is bleaker and more
philosophically deep. I don’t particularly enjoy reading this book,
because it’s frankly dismal, but I do think it is important in exposing
the subtle oppression that women have often undergone in society. I just
wish it was somehow easier to read, but I guess that’s the nature of the
problem.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Passage
to India by E.M. Forster</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Many of the books on this list focus on the
plight of the minority, the outsider, and I believe this is one of the
best to attempt to do so. Additionally, the portrayal of the English
presence in India speaks a powerful message against the abuses inherent in
colonialism.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Jane Eyre
by Charlotte Bronte</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The other Bronte book, this one is a little
easier to read, though still heavy with oppression and societal chains.
This is one I recommend getting on audio book to appreciate fully the
poetry inherent in Bronte’s pose.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Bell
Jar by Sylvia Plath</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The most eerie book on the list, as Plath
described the mental breakdown and recovery of her main character here
just shortly before the author killed herself. I find the book to be
important because of its unparalleled insight into the diseased mind, and
its revelation of the humanity and brilliance of the life found there. <b>Content
Issues</b>: Some language and some sexual content (somewhat explicit)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Divine
Comedy by Dante Alighieri</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I found this work to be slightly repetitive,
but Dante’s trip through Hell, Purgatory and Heaven is rich with religious
symbolism and brilliant reflections on the nature of life, of humanity, of
God and of evil. Definitely worth reading, though if we were choosing
poems written over 200 years ago, I would prefer a Milton selection over
Dante.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Robinson
Crusoe by Daniel Defoe</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The classic shipwreck story, Crusoe displays
great endurance and the story presents a compelling argument for the
brotherhood of all humans.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Great
Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Fitzgerald can write extremely well, and he
presents a classically bleak portrayal of the emergence of post-modernism
in the early twentieth century in this novel. My issue with Fitzgerald is
that he often times comes off as too self-aware and arrogant in his
writing. <b>Content Issues</b>: The novel revolves around an
extra-marital affair, but it is not explicit.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Alice’s
Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – There should be a special
place in all our hearts for writers who can be silly and brilliant,
hilarious and tragic, nonsensical and lyrical at the same time. Few do it
better than Carroll here!<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Harry
Potter Series by J.K. Rowling </span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">– Rowling has violated some basic principles of
being an author in my opinion (i.e. adding information about her
characters that was not revealed in the novel after the fact) but she
crafted a story here that speaks eloquently to the true nature of love and
nobility. The character of Severus Snape is especially memorable. The last
book, in particular, displays Rowling’s bent towards a Christian
worldview. <b>Content Issues</b>: Some mild language. I do not find
that Rowling encourages witchcraft at all, but certainly someone with a
sensitive conscience in that regard would do well to avoid these books.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Rebecca –
Daphne Du Maurier</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I highly enjoyed this mystery tinged with
elements of horror. It has a bold ending, and presents the terrifying idea
that evil forces can indeed conquer and oppress the forces of love. Is
anyone truly who we think they are?<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –
The fact that Frankenstein is so low on this list is more of an indication
of the greatness of the novels above it than an indication of failures on
its part. This novel explores the experience of otherness and the dangers
of scientific advancement made without the careful oversight of
conscience. Shelley’s prose is overdone, at times, however, and preachy in
its promotion of some naïve beliefs in the goodness of human nature. <b>Content
Issues</b>: Violent at times.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Curious
Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Haddon writes brilliantly
from the perspective of an autistic teen, and evokes sympathy on the part
of the reader for those who are marginalized and misunderstood in their
midst. The book functions well as a mystery and a family drama, but it is
an emotionally difficult read at several points. <b>Content Issues</b>:
Strong language, and the main character ridicules belief in God.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Gulliver’s
Travels by Jonathan Swift</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – A book of clever social satire presented
mostly in allegorical entanglements in which Gulliver finds himself. The
book does not speak much to the universal themes important to every
person, but it is very well-written and entertaining. <b>Content
Issues</b>: Some bathroom humor and mild innuendo.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Moby Dick
by Herman Melville</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Moby Dick is a long, wordy book, but it is
incredibly well-written. However, when the theme of the novel is
uncovered, we find that Melville believed God to be a capricious, uncaring
being, and the whale functions, at least at one level, as an avatar for
his twisted image of the Creator. It’s a blasphemous book, but reading it
makes you thankful to know the real God, revealed in Jesus.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Catch-22
by Joseph Heller</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – A
funny yet perverse book (I do not find the book funny when it is
perverse). When it avoids the lower levels of humor, it is devastating in
its critique of the machinations of war. There are several scenes and
quotes that effectively portray the struggle for meaning in a world that
seems to have gone mad.<b>Content Issues</b>: Language, sexual situations
(some explicit) and rude humor.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">One Flew
Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – An exhilarating exploration of the spaces
that exist between madness and sanity, between totalitarianism and
anarchy, between sexual aggression and sterility, One Flew Over the
Cuckoo’s Nest has redeeming qualities, but it is a very difficult read,
psychologically speaking. Also, it does not always present sin as sin. <b>Content
Issues</b>: Some sexual content (not explicit) and some strong language<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Ulysses by
James Joyce</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –
Ulysses brilliantly alternates between free verse poetry, drama, question
and answer, narrative, stream of consciousness and point of view writing
to describe a day in the life of an Irishman and his wife. I thought the
best written portion was actually Penelope’s (Molly Bloom) at the end.
Joyce is clearly a genius, but his novel, as G.K. Chesterton pointed out,
seems written to satisfy himself and illustrate his powers. The lasting
significance of its themes is unclear, and it is often times crude,
confusing and inexplicable. <b>Content Issues:</b> Sporadically
strong sexual content and some language. Very crude at times.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">On the
Road by Jack Kerouac</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – This book offers a glimpse into an
interesting period of American history as beatniks travel the country in
the late 40’s and 50’s. Kerouac has an admirable appreciation for the
variety of personality and spirituality inherent in human existence, and I
believe you can clearly see his awareness of spiritual longing among his
characters. However, the book clearly diminishes the disastrous effects of
sin at some points, and, in terms of form, often seems repetitive.<b>Content
Issues</b>: Strong language and pervasive sexual content (while not
explicitly described)<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Canterbury
Tales by Geoffrey Chaucer </span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">– While the poetry is excellent in form, and there
are many interesting insights into life in Chaucer’s time period, I feel
this collection of tales is highly overrated, and functions better as a
joke than as a serious work of literature. <b>Content Issues</b>:
Several moments of crude content and innuendo<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">A Bend in
the River by V.S. Naipaul</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – The story deals with the resistance of
oppression by an African village, also illustrating the dangers of
colonialism and imperialism. However, the book lacks sophistication and
seems wordy and dull at several points. Also, the adulterous affair held
between two main characters is disgusting and holds no value for the
consideration of readers. <b>Content issues:</b>Some sexual content
and language. I do not recommend this book.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">The Color
Purple by Alice Walker</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – I struggle with this book. The book clearly
presents some sinful behavior as normal, and the writer’s bizarre
religious and political beliefs emerge awkwardly now and then. However,
there are some moments of great triumph in this book that illustrate the
humanity and value intrinsic to every human belief, and speak against the
evil of oppression everywhere. <b>Content Issues</b>: Sporadic strong
sexual content (explicit) and sporadic strong language. I do not recommend
this book.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Memoirs of
a Geisha by Arthur Golden</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – Perhaps the greatest achievement of this
book is the attempt by an American male to put himself in the place of an
oppressed, Asian woman living half a century before him. In some places,
he carries the effort off brilliantly, and in others, it seems confused
and self-congratulating. <b>Content Issues:</b>Sexual content
(explicit) and some language. I do not recommend this book.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Birdsong
by Sebastian Faulks</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – This may be the oddest of all the books, as,
in many places, this book seems simply a glorified romance novel. The
dialogue is obviously subpar, in my opinion. However, with that said,
Faulks makes some profound points about the destruction wrought in human
life by strife, conflict and fear, and some of his symbolism is
beautifully managed. <b>Content Issues:</b> Strong, very
explicit sexual content in several places and some strong language. I do
not recommend this book. I would say this is the only book on this list
that presents sexual content with the purpose of titillating its readers,
so please know I do not approve of this.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">Money by
Martin Amis</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> –
While this is a crude and disgusting book (the main character is trying to
make a pornographic film) that I would never own, nor read again, I do
believe that Amis, ultimately, presents the emptiness of a hedonistic lifestyle
and the futility of a selfish existence. And, his thoughts about the
destructive nature of our society’s focus on money rings true in many
places. <b>Content Issues:</b>Pervasive strong language and explicit
sexual content throughout. I do not recommend this book.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
<li class="MsoNormal" style="background: white; color: #333333; line-height: 15.0pt; mso-list: l0 level1 lfo1; mso-margin-bottom-alt: auto; mso-margin-top-alt: auto; tab-stops: list .5in;"><b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">His Dark
Materials Series by Philip Pullman</span></b><span style="font-family: "Helvetica","sans-serif"; font-size: 10.5pt; mso-bidi-language: HE; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"> – This book is fairly well-written, though
preachy at times. The story is exciting, engaging and original. However,
Pullman is practically a Satanist in his orientation in this story. The
books are incredibly dark and literally present evil as good. Perhaps most
disturbingly, these books were marketed for children. <b>Content
Issues:</b> Demonic nature is glorified. Mild language and some
sexual overtones. I do not recommend these books.<o:p></o:p></span></li>
</ol>
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Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-44868799095789215922009-01-14T11:01:00.000-08:002009-01-15T12:30:20.442-08:00The Finisher Part 2This is the second part of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:6<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dy_efzKXb4Vh7oGZu4KJAjUQaSUsYm4mmxscVSWJf0PqiIpKjn_6oUrvAAGd66hy6az02GMoNjm7qH9FXIGmw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-88564063898372734302009-01-14T08:14:00.000-08:002009-01-14T10:50:13.855-08:00The Finisher Part 1The first part of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:6 <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dybtUmKtg5rfd4MmzM3v0MTQGg_gcPoKyzJuX23Wf_vehTys0u3BE3n1QSXVQjyHs9KCp8weq__o1gGHVjLLQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-52468640445034226732008-11-11T13:36:00.000-08:002008-11-11T14:37:05.747-08:00Advance of the Gospel - Part 3This is the third part of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:12-14. The first two parts are below.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyPC-KCmVVAIY7lEFGB45xvuqIpJzWGHYzejPwGO-n3V6eAjc_lLC0FjMNYNxkoNZisuA7L1GyKNM7olKHPfw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-5149459018917437792008-11-11T12:01:00.000-08:002008-11-11T14:39:10.377-08:00Advance of the Gospel - Part 2This is the second part of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:12-14. Part 1 is below.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dxv3epZc1kWmBI7dIs0HbuzBFtJKOcOJkftQN3ukHCuUmU5NYLDcwh6vstYad0hzL2DgbhkNWIDZgFdW_-GYw' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-85312789810279413822008-11-11T10:42:00.000-08:002008-11-11T14:40:18.867-08:00Advance of the Gospel - Part 1This is Part 1 of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:12-14.<br /><iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dwb7P9wGXCyHkcJraRA6eZGoqjY-iW3R0Kr9eQVlB3XMxNW-0nVwPm6gYJc7n_TSzglqF8zz0unTX_-u2xO3g' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-29083654230161220342008-10-29T19:16:00.000-07:002008-10-29T20:52:41.618-07:00Once I Was Blind, Now I Stare - Part 1This is the first part of a sermon I preached on Acts 13:9-12. I apologize for the sound quality. <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dzMAZx52OCg-3TLMvlEcN7LBxsrV58h4pjHSRykZG7Mw1ktLLS8EKlwgpRVYl4TFV282us1oPTBuVAwcJ9uhA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-75428608193624820422008-10-29T14:31:00.000-07:002008-10-29T19:15:37.766-07:00Once I was Blind, Now I Stare - Part 2The second part of a sermon preached on Acts 13:9-12. I apologize for the poor sound quality. <iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dyMjeQAAvEv25rTnJr85Es1u4QF8H5WIa93H_x8WaloTNL9cEjDwca5KHKW1SmydqWXHiRJUQIHeuy7A4T05A' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-45438618484684148332008-10-28T20:18:00.000-07:002008-10-28T20:49:49.220-07:00Once I was Blind, Now I Stare - Part 3This is the third part of a sermon I preached on Acts 13:9-12. Once again, I apologize for the poor sound quality. <OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-fe10df9fdda8397d height=266 width=320 contentId="fe10df9fdda8397d"></OBJECT>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-21943561739568465832008-09-30T09:52:00.000-07:002008-09-30T10:39:53.358-07:00There's More Where That Came From, Part 3Part three of my sermon on Philippians 1:9-11<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dynhQMTjrGorZpfhZvgblasggAE0GK5OtcrXS-ugscOseoqnVXmOCP1QHcEuoyc6jgI-q6NZBLtmIdPJvTGdQ' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-33574903975885209502008-09-29T17:26:00.000-07:002008-09-29T20:48:51.919-07:00There's More Where That Came From, Part 2This is the second part of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:9-11.<iframe allowfullscreen='allowfullscreen' webkitallowfullscreen='webkitallowfullscreen' mozallowfullscreen='mozallowfullscreen' width='320' height='266' src='https://www.blogger.com/video.g?token=AD6v5dz4rI223t-g3LN13XVUlhWvxq6Le56MBzrvFl9Nq0Hy3OznXQ-HwzR4i-aUeLeNshZV84Iunwfv4aNhDKTYYA' class='b-hbp-video b-uploaded' frameborder='0'></iframe>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2892279374914021716.post-47594332488992169152008-09-29T14:29:00.000-07:002008-09-29T17:22:36.215-07:00There's More Where That Came From, Part 1This is Part One of a sermon I preached on Philippians 1:9-11 on Sunday, September 14th. I apologize for the poor sound quality.<OBJECT class=BLOG_video_class id=BLOG_video-80024c82369ba3f0 height=266 width=320 contentId="80024c82369ba3f0"></OBJECT>Quincy Wheelerhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17883297875831197985noreply@blogger.com0