God's Smuggler -- Book Review

Our favorite 2013/2014 school read aloud was God's Smuggler by Brother Andrew.  The miracles this man witnessed while smuggling Bibles into communist countries are unbelievable.  I came away with a deeper trust in the Lord and an understanding of what it means to love those whose beliefs and actions are abhorrent to me.  When I consider an environment too sinful for a Christian to approach,  I can remind myself of how Brother Andrew went to work in a factory, surrounded by people with filthy minds, and was able to witness in a way that led them to the cross.

This excerpt is taken from the epilogue.  Although this book centered on past ministry to communists, Brother Andrew saw many parallels to today's challenges with Islam.

Andrew has lived to see many former challenges met, many once impossible goals achieved.  "But by far, by far, our greatest challenge lies ahead of us," he says.  "And that's how we face the issues raised by Islam." . . . "There is a lot to admire in Islam," he says.  "You have to pay attention to a religion with this kind of draw."  Part of its appeal, he explains, is the close community support it offers.  It claims to be the answer to economic and social problems.  It emphasizes wholesome living, drug-free, alcohol-free, prayer-centered communities that hold up the father as the responsible head of the family.

"Think of the millions of Muslims around the world," Andrew goes on, "who are not terrorists but peaceable, hard-working, family-centered men and women.  Think of all the Muslims who work in inner cities among the addicted, the homeless, the abused -- people too often abandoned by the churches.  Something like a fifth of all the people on earth are Islamic, and my experience with them is that most are gentle folk, tainted by the terrorist tactics of the few."

The difficulty, Andrew stressed to us, lies in the extremist brand of Islam with the demand of its leaders for all-encompassing obedience.  In this, Islam has a lot in common with Communism.  Neither is monolithic.  There are places in the world where both are more liberal; places where they are dogmatic and totalitarian.  . . . The effect on people's lives of these theological dictatorships that lay claim to body, soul and spirit is the same as under Communism.

"There are Christians in these republics," Andrew told us.  "Not many, but they managed to survive under Communism.  As the fundamentalists gain power, they immediately attack Christians, sometimes even putting them to death.  It became clear to me that here we faced a challenge greater than anything Communism offered.  Totalitarianism is most thorough when it is coupled with religion.  I knew I had to respond to this challenge, but the question was how." . . .

"Of course," he said, "it would be easy once again to raise a whole lot of money by spreading fear and hatred.  But I'll never do that.  I am not anti-Islam, I am pro-Jesus." . . .

Right from the beginning of his ministry to Muslims, Andrew has insisted on the mandate of presence coupled with service.  Such service is rendered to fundamentalists as well as to moderates.  "Love your enemy, Jesus told us." . . .

It is no soft or sentimental concept, this principle of loving your enemy.  There was grief in Andew's voice as he described the persecution of Christians by Islamic extremists in many parts of the world.  "But when Jesus told us to love those who persecute us, He wasn't giving us a suggestion, He was giving us a command."

Andy has even adopted a little acronym, a personal meaning to the word Islam: I Sincerely Love All Muslims."

Understanding the Times -- Book Review

A little over three years ago, Karla and her husband kindly invited us to their home Bible study. They were about to begin a curriculum from Summit Ministries called Understanding the Times. We were a little hesitant at first, because the title sounded a lot like prophecy dogma, something we weren't interested in. When we discovered it was actually about worldviews, we gave it a try. And we've been going ever since!

Of course, this particular study ended ages ago. The group portion was spent watching videos and discussing, while the reading was to be done at home. Obviously, I fell behind, since I just completed the book today!  It's large and crammed full of information with a chapter each devoted to theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history. In each of these chapters, Christianity is compared and contrasted with several other worldviews.

I often found myself wanting to cheer or share what I learned. It helped me understand better why Christianity is superior to other worldviews. Not that I needed any convincing, but it's wonderful having my beliefs reinforced with lots of solid arguments and facts. Unless something better comes along, I plan to go through it again with Kylen in upper high school. (It's designed for 12th grade and addresses many mature topics.)

From David Noebel's introduction:

Competing worldviews are breaking out everywhere . . . They are propagated at newsstands and on the evening news and played out at the United Nations, in the halls of Congress, and most assuredly at Harvard, Yale, Princeton, Duke, UC Berkeley, and yes, even the local community college.

When we consider the tug-of-war between and among worldviews that currently rages in America and around the world, we tend to think of the battle mostly in terms of political and ethical issues that divide those who hold traditional Christian ideas and values from those who hold various liberal/radical Humanist views (i.e., Secular, Marxist, Cosmic, and Postmodern) or who espouse the beliefs and practices of historical Islam.

But this battle for the minds and hearts of young people encompasses much more than politics and ethics. As believers in and followers of Jesus Christ, we need to consider how our commitment to Him affects not only our political and ethical convictions, but also the way we think and act about theology, philosophy, ethics, biology, psychology, sociology, law, politics, economics, and history. This collection of convictions is what we call a worldview. And it is in the arena of worldviews that one of the greatest battles of our time is now being waged 24/7 in each of the ten areas of thought listed above.

This book is about these competing worldviews. Its goal is to help Christian students recognize the significance of some of the most influential ideas and values prevalent in our non-Christian culture and to understand the unbiblical, unrealistic, and yes, even irrational assumptions about reality from which they arise. If we understand the real differences . . . we will be better prepared to love, live, and defend God's truth as revealed in the Bible and in His Creation. A clear understanding of these six worldviews will not only help protect us from deception by grounding us more firmly in the Christian faith, but it will also give us tools to more effectively witness for Christ in these conflicting times.

Left to Tell -- Book Review

Many have heard about Immaculee Ilibagiza’s incredible story of survival during the 1994 Rwandan Holocaust. She spent 91 days hiding with 7 other women in a tiny, closet-sized bathroom while her friends and family were being savagely hunted down. She gives some explanation of what led to the genocide, but it is not meant to be an in-depth history. The book is more about her life, forgiveness, and the grace of God.

The authors are to be commended for their sensitive handling of an event filled with horror. Gory details, which are necessary to accurately convey what the people suffered, are stated in a matter-of-fact manner with little descriptive language. Anyone familiar with the Jewish holocaust of WWII will be well-prepared for this book, which is appropriate for a mature audience.

Readers should be forewarned that there are several Catholic references, the religion that Immaculee was raised up in and remains in as of publication. She placed a high value on her father’s rosary and on Jesus’ mother Mary. However, being one who is aggressively opposed to many Catholic doctrines, I was still able to enjoy the book. Immaculee’s obviously intense love for God and her incredible spiritual experiences far outshine the Catholic trappings, in my opinion. I believe she is one of those people with a heart of gold despite deeply ingrained manmade traditions.

The forward is written by Dr. Wayne W. Dyer, who heaps an excessive amount of praise on Immaculee, referring to her as “a uniquely divine woman.” He elaborates on how this book will change the reader’s life forever, how it is the most “moving and poignantly significant” in the vast library that comprises his lifetime, and that it will give a new perspective on what the "field of possibilities" looks like.

I feel that Dr. Dyer’s assertions are grossly exaggerated and provide a perfect example of the human weakness for elevating men to a status we do not deserve. Immaculee, on the other hand, gives no indication of undue pride in her story. I believe she understands exactly Who deserves all the glory. This book was moving (I cried several times) and could prove life-changing for someone with little knowledge of the power of God, but I do not feel it has more potential to be life-changing than other books I have read, particularly those written about missionaries.

Simply stated, Left to Tell is worth reading because it is a wonderful testimony. The historical and cultural information is a bonus, and it can be finished in an evening or two. Here is an excerpt from one of my favorite parts:

I drifted off to sleep shortly before dawn and had the most intense dream of my life. I saw Jesus standing in front of me, his arms out-stretched as though he were about to embrace me. He was wearing a piece of cloth wrapped about his waist, and his long hair spilled down around his shoulders. I remember being struck by how thin he looked: His ribs protruded, and his cheeks were lean and hollow. Yet his eyes sparkled like stars when he looked at me, and his voice was as soft as a gentle breeze.

“When you leave this room, you will find that almost everyone you know and love is dead and gone,” he said. “I am here to tell you not to fear. You will not be alone – I will be with you. I will be your family. Be at peace and trust in me, for I will always be at your side. Don’t mourn too long for your family, Immaculee. They are with me now, and they have joy.”

Finding Home -- Book Review

Among the publications I read to broaden my knowledge of spiritual things is literature from Focus on the Family. A few years ago the organization's president, James Dobson, stepped down in order to give his attention more fully to other ministries. Jim Daly was chosen as his successor.

A few days ago I turned the page of one of their magazines to see a picture of Jim’s family, and my eyes began to fill with tears. A result of reading his book Finding Home: An Imperfect Path to Faith and Family. Knowing all that this man suffered and seeing the immense joy on his face surrounded by loved ones, especially the protective embrace around his two little boys . . . One of the things he most wanted growing up was a father figure to look up to, one that would love and support him. Now, he is giving to his sons what he missed out on.

Finding Home is a straightforward summary of Jim’s troubled childhood and his journey to Christ. Most of the book lays out the details of his life in plain, easy to understand language. It is neither poetic nor spiritually profound, but it is sincere and touching. I think this would be an excellent way of introducing sinners to Jesus. They will not get bogged down by deep spiritual truths, and it is a quick read that could be finished in an evening. I am thinking of inmates, drug addicts in recovery, perhaps even new baby Christians. A nice book to leave in the guest room or someplace where it can be easily seen and accessed by people who are not completely open to reading overtly religious literature.

Most of the spiritual content is concentrated in the final chapter where Jim briefly reflects on lessons he has learned. I will conclude with a quote from there on suffering:

Sometimes I wonder whether we make a mistake when we try to save others or ourselves from experiencing brokenness – as if having a broken spirit was like having the plague. Our culture is bent on experiencing “happiness” and being “pain-free” no matter what the cost. In fact, if the truth were known, billions of dollars are spent annually medicating pain in our society.

Certainly it’s tempting to mask our pain – whether physical, relational, emotional, or spiritual – through distractions: entertainment, work, or sports. Pain hurts, and who wants that? Yet, in spite of our best efforts to avoid brokenness, for many people, it seems to be a prerequisite for
coming to a relationship with God. I know that was the case for me.

What’s more, the purpose of pain is often to develop our character, yet we run from it because pain is the gift that nobody wants. I believe that we rarely understand or perhaps overlook the benefits that pain can bring, not the least of which are the qualities of patience, obedience, and
dependence on God.

Gladys Aylward, The Adventure of a Lifetime

This year we are using Sonlight’s history curriculum, and I have enjoyed the emphasis they place on reading. We just finished Gladys Aylward, The Adventure of a Lifetime by Janet and Geoff Benge. It is part of a series called “Christian Heroes.” I highly recommend this book for several reasons.

First of all, it was very interesting. Not having read many books about missionaries, I thought it was enlightening as to how one goes about spreading the gospel in a part of the world that has never heard of Jesus or even white people, for that matter. It was fascinating how she went from being considered a devil to winning the admiration and respect of the Chinese people. I am in awe at all that she accomplished in her life and all the dangerous situations she survived. When God is for us, who can be against us?

We learned numerous things about Chinese culture in the early 1900s and some history. It definitely gave me a better understanding of how Communism took over countries and some of the evil tactics they used to bring people into submission.

It should be noted that there were a few things I skipped while reading aloud, because I felt they were not age appropriate for my eight-year-old son: references to prostitution, rape, and a few extremely violent and graphic parts.

I can’t tell you how many times I cried. Too many to remember exactly. And then, in the evening as I told Greg about what we had read that day, I got to cry again! It was an excellent book.

Brisingr -- Fantasy Book Review

In a past post I mentioned that I was looking forward to reading Brisingr, the latest installment in a fantasy series called the Inheritance Cycle. I had thought the first two books were fairly clean other than a few objectionable words and some graphic violence. I also had high expectations of this author, because he was homeschooled. In his first two books the characters’ heathen, fictional beliefs were laid out in a rather matter-of-fact sort of way. I wasn’t quite sure of the author’s worldview and was hoping that either he would keep the spiritual stuff at that inactive level or bring things around to a Christian worldview, albeit in a symbolic manner. Unfortunately, he explored religion much more extensively in this book and drew all the wrong conclusions.

I had to wonder if the author, Christopher Paolini, is currently on some sort of personal journey in which he is struggling with the truth about God. My husband went through a similar time when he was in college, even bordering on atheism at one point. Paolini seems to be saying that all religions, even pagan, are basically worshipping the same god. One character has a very moving spiritual experience in which she finds much needed peace by drawing comfort from her idols. A main character rushes marriage so as not to have a child out of wedlock, and no one condemns him for fornication. Later in the book someone mentions that two people who really love each other are basically married. Scripture is very clear on this point, and Paolini’s stand is extremely disappointing at a time when our culture increasingly embraces cohabitation. We certainly don’t need another children’s author on the wrong side of the marriage fence.

As I got further into this book, I became more uncomfortable. I have learned to listen to my conscience, and it seemed to be nagging me. By the time I was two-thirds of the way through, I was ready to quit. I ended up skimming the rest just to see the outcome, but in retrospect, I wish I had not read the book at all. I am disgusted with the entire experience, angry with myself, and irritated with the author. I asked Jesus to forgive me for not listening sooner and have decided that unless I hear the author has undergone a major transformation in his beliefs, I will not read the last book when it comes out.

It is possible that the first two novels would be more objectionable to me if I read them today, as I am sure that I have grown spiritually over the past few years since reading them. But I am certain that this third book made a definite and intentional swipe against the Christian worldview, no doubt reflecting the author's own personal walk down a broad, wide path leading to destruction.