mong the many materials on masculinity
and femininity out there, one set of tapes (and accompanying materials)
that should definitely be pushed along is the Five Aspects
of Man course put together by the International Council for
Gender Studies. The instructor is Bill Mouser, and his wife, Barbara,
has a companion series for women entitled Five Aspects of Woman.
If you want to do some in-depth biblical study on the subjects
of masculinity and femininity, this is a great place to begin.
You can get their catalog and more information by writing to ICGS,
P.O. Box 702, Waxahachie, TX 75168. Three thumbs up, using, of
course, one of them twice.
***
One of the few great blessings in the modern Christian publishing world is the resurgence of publishing houses that are willing to get some of the treasures of our Puritan past back into print. The first names that come to mind, of course, are Banner of Truth and Soli Deo Gloria. But now a friend of mine has gotten into the act, and the first publication to come off the press will be J.C. Ryle’s history of the English Reformers, called Light from Old Times. The book is simply grand; the chapter on James II and his trial of the seven bishops is priceless. You can get ordering information from cnp@charlesnolanpublishers.com.
***
A lot of people think writing haiku is easy, right? Anybody can do it, right? Here’s one off the top of my head.
footsteps on the stairs,
persecuted, creaking wood,
bare piggies thump
Easy to write, just took a few minutes. Now the only problem with this poem is that it isn’t any good. So all this is preliminary to my attempt to get you to read a small book of real haiku written by a master, Gary Hotham’s Breathmarks, just released by Canon. And just one more thing. The publication of this volume of haiku is not an example of a once fine theological publisher experiencing mission drift. This is right at the heart of our reformational center.
***
A little-known note from church history: when the great bishop
of Constantinople, John Chrysostom, was railroaded by a synod
of conniving bishops, one of the charges against him was that
he had called Epiphanius, the bishop of Salamis, a “little
weirdo.”
***
Watch Pat Buchanan closely. Despite all the disagreements I have with him, he is a wonderful catalyst for bringing out all that is so contemptible about our two-party-Tom-and-Jerry political system.
***
Those of you who are interested in international missions (and our adversaries would say that since we have a Reformed reading list, this should include at least three or four people. What do they know?) should include New York City in your thinking and prayers. Steve Schlissel’s ministry there, Urban Nations, has a wonderful opportunity to evangelize immigrants from all over the world. They could use the support; check it out. You can reach them at UrbaNation@aol.com. The need is great; the door is wide open.
***
A new book out by Presbyterian & Reformed is Hell on Trial
by Robert Peterson. In it he methodically dismantles the universalist
and annihilationist views of Hell, which are unfortunately becoming
acceptable in ex-evangelical circles. Peterson also effectively
shows the error of those preachers who believe in Hell but who
remain silent on the subject.
One time the Catholic bishop Fulton Sheen submitted a manuscript
to an editor, and the editor returned it to him with the upper
case H in Hell changed to lower case throughout the book. Sheen
dutifully changed them all back again, and when the editor asked
him why he had done this, Sheen answered, “Because it’s
a place. You know, like Scarsdale.”
***
Van Morrison’s album Back On Top is worth getting.
***
Since I began this column as a response to becoming a grandfather, it is only becoming that I report on the academic progress of my descendant. Knox is now one and a half, and has a fine arsenal of tricks, in response to key promptings, that he goes through if he feels like it. Included would be frantic swiping at his head in response to, “I’ve got nits in my hair,” a puckered up face in response to “cranky sabbatarian,” and a fine editorial response when asked about the art work of Thomas Kinkade.