Reading 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:

"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

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

"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

"Every convict feels that he is not at home, but as if on a visit." - p. 96

"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

"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

"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

"Here in prison everyone was a dreamer - and that jumped into your eyes." - p. 250

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.

To Kill To Kill a Mockingbird

Atticus Finch is not a racist.

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.

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.”

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.

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.

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.

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, “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 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.

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.”

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. 

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.

Reading Dickens: Highlights of the Old Curiosity Shop

Below you will find quotes and summary thoughts as I finished reading Charles Dickens' "The Old Curiosity Shop"

On the subject of little children: "It is not a slight thing when they, who are so fresh from God, love us."

"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."

A working class man talking about a fire in his furnace: "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."

The soul's feelings on the physical body it leaves at death: "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."

"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."

"You haven't seen a silver pencil case this morning, have you?"
"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"

"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." 

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!

Communicators of the Gospel

Communicators of the Gospel – Why those aspiring for a career in ministry should consider a Bachelors of Arts in Communications Studies.

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.

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.

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.

(1)Communications Studies honed my public speaking skills. 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.

(2)Communication Studies developed my conflict resolution skills. 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.

(3)Studying Communication theory assisted me in understanding dynamics at work in the personal and public settings for ministry. Ministry entirely consists of caring for people as people interact with you and with each other. Communications offers insight into those interactions.

(4)Executing a research project for my Communication Studies degree allowed me to discover ways to collect, interpret and apply meaningful data for ministry purposes. Performing an experiment-based research project taught me data-collecting and analytical skills I utilize every day.

(5)Communications Studies increased my self-awareness of my communication style and my understanding of those around me whose styles differ from my own. 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.

(6)Communications Studies' lessons are easily contextualized. 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.

(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. 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.

(8)Communications Studies focus on group dynamics and organizational communication processes, both incredibly important aspects of ministry which receive little attention in seminary. 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.

(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. 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.

(10)Communication Studies add important marketing and public relation insights which seminary training rarely addresses. Packaging of the Gospel has to be noticeable and appropriate, concerns amply addressed in Communication classes.

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.

Five Reasons from Great Literature to Watch the Film, "The Giver"

I highly recommend that everyone see the movie The Giver 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:

1. The Terrible Burden of Free Will. 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, The Brother's Karamazov? 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 the Giver, but I recommend watching AND reading!)

2. The Risk of Love. 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 Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra. In Out of the Silent Planet, 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.

3. Sameness is not Equality. The Community eliminates race and envy by eliminating all significant differences and demanding obedience to a social standard. In Wrinkle in Time, 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.

4. Life is Precious and Valuable. 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, Never Let Me Go, 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.

5. All Things are a Miracle. 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 Orthodoxy. 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.

Short Reviews of Fifty Books - Part 2 - Quincy's List

Short Reviews of Fifty Books - Part 2 - Quincy's List

May 30, 2014 at 11:03am

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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.).

1. On the Incarnation by Athanasius – 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.
2. The City of God by Augustine of Hippo – 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.
3. Paradise Lost by John Milton – 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.
4. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoyevsky – 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.
5. Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis – 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.
6. Holy Sonnets by John Donne – 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.
7. The First Circle by Alexander Solzhenitsyn – 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.
8. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton – 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.
9. The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton – 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.
10. Descent into Hell by Charles Williams – 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.
11. Watership Down by Richard Adams – 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.
12. Everything that Rises Must Converge by Flannery O’Connor – 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.
13. Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner – 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.
14. Too Much Happiness by Alice Munro – 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.
15. The Bridge of San Luis Rey by Thornton Wilder – 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.
16. Phantastes by George MacDonald – 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.
17. The Chosen by Chaim Potuk – 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.
18. Far From the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy – 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.
19. Anne of Green Gables by Lucy Maud Montgomery – 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.
20. The Nine Tailors by Dorothy Sayers – 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.
21. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie – Christie is truly the master of the short detective novel and in this book and in Then There Were None 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.
22. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner – 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. Content Issues: Some language and mild sexual innuendo.
23. Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson – 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.
24. Dracula by Bram Stoker – 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! Content Issues: Slightly gory at times.
25. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott -  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.
26. A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters – 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.
27. Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe – 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.
28. God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut – 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.Content Issues: Some profanity and mild sexual innuendo.
29. Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro – 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.
30. Quo Vadis by Henryk Sienkiewicz – 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.
31. The Princess Bride by William Golding – 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.
32. The Moviegoer by Walker Percy – 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.
33. The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley – 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.
34. A Wrinkle in Time by Madeline Le’Engle – 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.
35. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury – 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.
36. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne – 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.
37. The Kiterunner by Khaled Hosseini – 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. Content Issues: Some language and a scene in which a child is raped (not described graphically).
38. The Cherry Orchard by Anton Chekhov – 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.
39. Right Ho, Jeeves! By P.G. Wodehouse – 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!
40. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert – 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.
41. The Sign of the Four by Arthur Conan Doyle – 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.
42. Pilgrim’s Progress by John Bunyan – As with Uncle Tom’s Cabin, Pilgrim’s Progressis 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.
43. Ghost Soldiers by Hampton Sides – 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.
44. In His Steps by Charles Sheldon – Continuing in the line with Uncle Tom’s Cabinand Pilgrim’s Progress, 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.
45. Death and the Penguin by Andrey Kurkov – 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. Content Issues: Some profanity.
46. It’s a Magical World by Bill Watterson – 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!
47. What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver – 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.
48. The Trial by Franz Kafka – 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.
49. Beloved by Toni Morrison – 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. Content Issues: Some sexual imagery and mild language.
50. The End of Baseball by Peter Schilling, Jr. – 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. Content Issues: Some sexual innuendo and some strong language.