Still Somewhat Sick
I went to work today for about an hour and a half. I had some emails I had to respond to. Then I came home and crashed. I ate a small but normal kind of supper tonight. My strength is returning. Now on to a discussion of some books.
Prior to getting sick I finished "Ten Minutes from Normal" by former Bush advisor Karen Hughes. Hughes made the decision to leave work at the Whitehouse in order to move back to Texas for the sake of her family. I found it a well balanced book, with interesting perspectives on President Bush. Why is it that people who have such a negative view of Bush never bother to read anything by people who have worked with him? I guess that would be too hard. Mindless criticism is so much easier.
I finished "Habits of the Mind" by James Sire. This is a good book for mature Christians, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to newer Christians. Note that in chapter 9 his Christology goes off the rails as he denies the Omniscience and Impeccability of Christ. Sire captures the sheer joy of thinking, and has some suggestions on how to think more clearly. But this is only a book for a subset of mature Christians.
I'm almost a half of the way through "What We Can't Not Know" by J. Budziszewski. Frankly this is a really deep book. If you've thought through some of the more philosophical aspects of Christianity, this book will interest you. Likewise if you are encountering thinking or thoughtless atheists and agnostics, or people who are a bit too enamoured by Plato. Many people are going to find this a difficult book to read, but it's worth it. For those who are intimidated, Stand to Reason has 2 CD's of Budziszewski speaking on this topic as part of their Masters Series in Christian Thought. And now, it's time for another disclaimer. Budziszewski was raised Baptist, became an Atheist, and when he returned to the Faith adopted Roman Catholicism. Maybe this is why he is so interested in Natural Law (much of the best work on this topic has been done by Jesuits). My firm belief is that the Roman Catholic church has much to say about Christianity which is helpful, and yet it misses the essentials of the Gospel. People can be saved within the Roman Catholic church, but the official teachings of Rome make it much more difficult. And of course I am a big believer in the importance of New Testament simplicity. Budziszewski is a good read. Just don't get distracted by the traces of Rome in his book.
Prior to getting sick I finished "Ten Minutes from Normal" by former Bush advisor Karen Hughes. Hughes made the decision to leave work at the Whitehouse in order to move back to Texas for the sake of her family. I found it a well balanced book, with interesting perspectives on President Bush. Why is it that people who have such a negative view of Bush never bother to read anything by people who have worked with him? I guess that would be too hard. Mindless criticism is so much easier.
I finished "Habits of the Mind" by James Sire. This is a good book for mature Christians, but I'm not sure I would recommend it to newer Christians. Note that in chapter 9 his Christology goes off the rails as he denies the Omniscience and Impeccability of Christ. Sire captures the sheer joy of thinking, and has some suggestions on how to think more clearly. But this is only a book for a subset of mature Christians.
I'm almost a half of the way through "What We Can't Not Know" by J. Budziszewski. Frankly this is a really deep book. If you've thought through some of the more philosophical aspects of Christianity, this book will interest you. Likewise if you are encountering thinking or thoughtless atheists and agnostics, or people who are a bit too enamoured by Plato. Many people are going to find this a difficult book to read, but it's worth it. For those who are intimidated, Stand to Reason has 2 CD's of Budziszewski speaking on this topic as part of their Masters Series in Christian Thought. And now, it's time for another disclaimer. Budziszewski was raised Baptist, became an Atheist, and when he returned to the Faith adopted Roman Catholicism. Maybe this is why he is so interested in Natural Law (much of the best work on this topic has been done by Jesuits). My firm belief is that the Roman Catholic church has much to say about Christianity which is helpful, and yet it misses the essentials of the Gospel. People can be saved within the Roman Catholic church, but the official teachings of Rome make it much more difficult. And of course I am a big believer in the importance of New Testament simplicity. Budziszewski is a good read. Just don't get distracted by the traces of Rome in his book.
posted by Shawn Abigail at 7:44 p.m.
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