One of my favorite Thomas Chalmers books is back in print for the first time in over a century. Thanks to the good folks at Solid Ground Christian Books, Sabbath Scripture Readings is now available in a fine trade paperback edition. With a brief introduction by Ligon Duncan, adjunct professor at Reformed Seminary and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, these very brief meditations on every chapter in the New Testament afford us a rare glimpse into the heart of Chalmers’ gospel vision. Written during the tumultuous years between 1841 an 1845, the meditations were originally used for the traditional explanation of the Scripture reading during the Sunday morning services of the Scottish churches in which Chalmers ministered. They are thus less expositional and more devotional in character--largely written in the form and language of prayer. But, do not let their brevity fool you--they are quite substantive theologically and practically. This is a volume you will not want to be without.
Friday, October 6
A New Chalmers Book
One of my favorite Thomas Chalmers books is back in print for the first time in over a century. Thanks to the good folks at Solid Ground Christian Books, Sabbath Scripture Readings is now available in a fine trade paperback edition. With a brief introduction by Ligon Duncan, adjunct professor at Reformed Seminary and pastor of the First Presbyterian Church in Jackson, Mississippi, these very brief meditations on every chapter in the New Testament afford us a rare glimpse into the heart of Chalmers’ gospel vision. Written during the tumultuous years between 1841 an 1845, the meditations were originally used for the traditional explanation of the Scripture reading during the Sunday morning services of the Scottish churches in which Chalmers ministered. They are thus less expositional and more devotional in character--largely written in the form and language of prayer. But, do not let their brevity fool you--they are quite substantive theologically and practically. This is a volume you will not want to be without.
Wednesday, October 4
To the Uttermost in Seven Days
We're just one week away from the start of the Uttermost. All the last minute logistics, training, and sponsorship gathering are now in full-frenzy-mode. It is a little crazy, but lots and lots of fun. Even our radio spot for the Bott Radio Network has begun to get heavy rotation. For all this I am extremely grateful.
Character and Characters
Edward Stratemeyer was born on this day in 1862 in Elizabeth, New Jersey. He was arguably among the most prolific and influential American authors. Indeed, he wrote more and sold more than almost any other writer who has ever lived anywhere at any time--some 1,300 novels selling in excess of 500 million copies. He created more than 125 different series--many of them familiar and beloved American cultural icons. You say you’ve never heard of him? Well maybe you know him by one of his many pseudonyms: Franklin W. Dixon, Victor Appleton, Carolyn Keene, Roy Rockwood, Laura Lee Hope, or Ralph Bonehill. Still doesn’t ring a bell? Surely you’re familiar with his famous characters: the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, Tom Swift, the Rover Boys, Jack Ranger, Bomba the Jungle Boy, the Dana Girls, the Bobsey Twins, Dave Dashaway, and Don Sturdy. All were invented by this lone writer: Edward Stratemeyer. At the height of his career during the first two decades of the twentieth century, he employed an entire syndicate of editors, copy-writers, stenographers, co-authors, and secretaries just to keep up with his prodigious creativity. With their assistance he was able to produce an astonishing literary legacy, practically inventing an entirely new genre of juvenile fiction.
According to Stratemeyer all of his books had a single uniting theme: the vital importance of moral character. He attributed all his success and the enduring popularity of the series he created to the fact that he never wavered in this regard. “The history of the world, the outcome of great events, and the establishment of true heroism will always entirely depend upon this,” he said.
“Every story worth retelling,” he asserted, “is the fruit of internal uprightness at work in the external world. Whenever any mystery appears, its solution will depend upon the exercise of ethics, first and foremost. Whenever any adventure arises, its resolution will depend upon the exertion of morals. Whenever any question emerges, its outcome will depend upon the establishment of standards. In every circumstance, character is the issue. It is the issue which underlies all other issues.”
When the destiny of men and nations hangs in the balance it is not the Dow Jones Industrial Average that matters most. It is not the International Balance of Trade that matters the most. It is not the Gross National Product that matters the most. It is not the State of the Union that matters most. When push comes to shove what matters most is not so much what we do as who we are. Character is the issue. Whether we are writing a story for boys and girls, giving direction to a family or a community, or establishing standards for an entire nation, character is always the issue that supercedes all other issues. At least that was the theory Stratemeyer operated by in his writing and publishing career--which may be why his stories and characters have endured so remarkably well to this day.
Tuesday, October 3
Woulda, Shoulda, Coulda
Amy, the King's Meadow office manager, asked for permission to post a blog about our upcoming UTTERMOST project (see below). I'm so glad she did--precisely because she is able to say what I probably would never have said, but most assuredly should have!
A Message from Amy
Eat, sleep, breathe, repeat. That seems to be what I'm doing with the Uttermost now that it's October. It's not that I'm expressly busy with the planning and coordinating at this point so much as wracking my brain to figure out who else I can tell, where else I can post a flyer, what other creative things I can come up with to get people to GIVE MONEY! Especially on-line. I was so excited about getting an on-line giving feature up on the UTTERMOSTrace.com website, and you know how many people have donated...TWO! Come on folks! I love y'all with all my heart, but we can do better than this.
This week begins mega planning for me on the financial end of things. I'm in charge of keeping track of the financial donations that come in from around the country to help support organizations such as Blood:Water Mission and African Leadership, digging fresh wells and nurturing both the physical and spiritual needs of our indigenous brethren in Africa. Money to keep Mercy Children’s Clinic a thriving and vital part of our community, enabling them to give medical attention to a wide variety of children with varying needs and means. And then there's Servant Group International--what better way to bring the peace of the gospel to the Middle East, minister to our persecuted brethren, and raise up the next generation of Iraqi politicians, business men, and spiritual leaders than from within the country itself. I want desperately to be so busy this month that it takes me weeks to calculate how much money we've raised for these great missions groups!
These are exciting times. These ministries are doing exciting things. Won't you join us in encouraging them in their Kingdom calling? So please, visit the Uttermost site and pledge your support today.
Wednesday, September 27
Film Conference
A weekend for lovers of discussion, worldview, film...and food--that is how we are billing the Second Annual King’s Meadow Film Conference on October 27-28, 2006. We will be watching Eat Drink Man Woman, Mostly Martha, Babette’s Feast, and My Big Fat Greek Wedding. Our theme is festivity, naturally--how a Christian should embrace the call to joy and celebration even amidst all the woes of this poor fallen world. Discussions and lectures will be led by the brilliant Greg Wilbur, the marvelous filmmaker Thomas Purifoy, and me. The conference nicely coincides with the Franklin Pumpkin Festival. So come watch, eat, drink, and be merry! For more information, read our conference brochure or download our most recent ministry newsletter.
September Newsletter
The September King's Meadow ministry newsletter is now available for download from our website. You won't want to miss the articles by Greg Wilbur, Susan Sadler, Sophia Wilbur, and Dave Raymond on the subject of feasting and festivity. Not coincidentally, that is the subject of our upcoming film conference--you can read all about that event and all the other happenings at King's Meadow in the newsletter.
Tuesday, September 26
17 Days Until the Uttermost
Yes, you read that right. Three days. 175 miles. And yes, I am going to attempt to do all of it. With the students of Franklin Classical School and Artios Academy, I will be running (about 70 miles of the total), walking (about 10 miles), and cycling (the remaining 95 miles) in an effort to raise support for some of the most remarkable missions organizations I know of--including Servant Group International, African Leadership, Blood: Water Mission, and Mercy Children's Clinic.
Won't you help us attain our goal? Visit our Uttermost website, read about our mission, and pledge your support today!
Monday, September 25
Islam and the Modern World
The greatest conflict of the past century has not been between Communism and Democracy. It has not been between Liberalism and Conservatism. It has not been between Socialism and Capitalism. It has not been between Rich and Poor, Proletariat and Bourgeoisie, Industrialism and Agrarianism, Nationalism and Colonialism, Management and Labor, First World and Third World, East and West, North and South, Allied and Axis, or NATO and Soviet. All of these conflicts have been important, of course. All of them helped to define the modern era significantly. None of them should be in any way underestimated.
But while every one of these conflicts has pitted ardent foes against one another and as a result, has actually altered the course and character of recent history, none of them could be characterized as the most convulsive conflict of the past century. The most convulsive conflict of past century--and indeed, the most convulsive conflict of the past millennia--has undoubtedly been between Islam and Civilization; it has been between Islam and Freedom; it has been between Islam and Order; it has been between Islam and Progress; it has been between Islam and Hope. While every other conflict pitting men and nations against one another has inevitably waxed and waned, this furious struggle has remained all too constant. The tension between Islam and every aspiration and yearning of man intrudes on every issue, every discipline, every epoch, and every locale--a fact that is more evident today than perhaps ever before.
The recent hubbub over the Pope's much-maligned comments served only to underscore this reality once again.
Despite all this, most people today actually know very little about Islam. Certainly, most Christians know only the most rudimentary facts about this extraordinarily potent adversary, this extreme cultural threat to everything they hold to be good and right and true. The conflict between Islam and the rest of the world may dominate the headlines, define our foreign policy, and give new urgency to the day-to-day mission of our churches, but why that is the case is still not very well understood.
It is for that reason that my good friends at Vision Forum asked me to spend some time developing a Christian Worldview perspective of the conflict at their recent History of the World Mega-Conference. To purchase my Islam and the Modern World lecture--as well as the other audio recordings from the conference just visit the Vision Forum webiste.
But while every one of these conflicts has pitted ardent foes against one another and as a result, has actually altered the course and character of recent history, none of them could be characterized as the most convulsive conflict of the past century. The most convulsive conflict of past century--and indeed, the most convulsive conflict of the past millennia--has undoubtedly been between Islam and Civilization; it has been between Islam and Freedom; it has been between Islam and Order; it has been between Islam and Progress; it has been between Islam and Hope. While every other conflict pitting men and nations against one another has inevitably waxed and waned, this furious struggle has remained all too constant. The tension between Islam and every aspiration and yearning of man intrudes on every issue, every discipline, every epoch, and every locale--a fact that is more evident today than perhaps ever before.
The recent hubbub over the Pope's much-maligned comments served only to underscore this reality once again.
Despite all this, most people today actually know very little about Islam. Certainly, most Christians know only the most rudimentary facts about this extraordinarily potent adversary, this extreme cultural threat to everything they hold to be good and right and true. The conflict between Islam and the rest of the world may dominate the headlines, define our foreign policy, and give new urgency to the day-to-day mission of our churches, but why that is the case is still not very well understood.
It is for that reason that my good friends at Vision Forum asked me to spend some time developing a Christian Worldview perspective of the conflict at their recent History of the World Mega-Conference. To purchase my Islam and the Modern World lecture--as well as the other audio recordings from the conference just visit the Vision Forum webiste.
Sunday, September 24
Desperate for Permanent Things
On this day in 1904, after several years of experience publishing quality books at popular prices, Joseph Malaby Dent (1849-1926) began to flesh out an ambitious vision for a series of reprints he would call the Everyman’s Library. It was to be a massive and diverse selection of one thousand classics--practically the whole canon of Western Civilization’s great books--sold at affordable prices.
Though the experts had decreed that the classics were dry, uninspiring, and hardly suited for the fast-paced industrial world of the twentieth century, Dent believed that properly presented, the great books would prove to be as appealing as ever. He was convinced this was due to the fact that while the classics exhibit distinguished style, fine artistry, and keen intellect, they also create a whole universe of imagination and thought. In addition, unlike the simplistic nursery tales manifest in the literature of modernity, he believed the classics portrayed life as complex and multifaceted, depicting both negative and positive aspects of human character in the process of discovering and testing enduring virtues. He also believed that the classics had an inevitable transforming effect on the reader’s self-understanding--stretching, shaping, and confronting him.
He thought they invited and rewarded frequent rereadings--they were ever new. They had the uncanny ability to adapt themselves to various times and places and thus provided a sense of the shared life of humanity over the course of space and time. And finally, he held that their mere endurance across all the varied times and seasons of human experience demonstrated an interminable permanence amidst modern temporality that was simultaneously comforting and challenging.
Though the venture was obviously a commercial risk, Dent was confident that the very thing that made the classics classic would ensure success for the series. He was right. Public demand for books in Everyman's Library exceeded every expectation. Production began in 1906 and more than a hundred and fifty titles were issued by the end of that first year.
Wartime inflation and shortages of supplies more than doubled the price of each volume during the First World War. After the conflict, inflation and shortages actually worsened. Dent responded to the setbacks by expanding book sales to international markets. He expanded distribution to North America by setting up a Canadian subsidiary and by allowing E. P. Dutton to distribute Everyman titles throughout the United States. In addition, Dent hired agents to sell Everyman titles in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and most of continental Europe.
The Everyman’s Library finally reached the millennial volume with the publication of Aristotle’s Metaphysics in 1956. In just fifty years total sales of the Everyman’s series had exceeded sixty million copies of the classics. Though his company was finally sold by his heirs in 1988, almost exactly a century after he founded it, the impact of the little publisher that dared stand against the tide of the modern conventions of uniformity, conformity, and efficiency is still felt.
I love the Everyman’s Library volumes--especially the small, pocket-sized, older editions. I find them in antiquarian bookshops at very reasonable prices. Beautiful, inexpensive hardbacks in a clean typeface and crisp acid-free papers: what more could an inveterate reader want? I have two whole bookcases of them. Indeed, I often tell students that these are the best and most immediate way to begin building a substantial library of great books.
Joseph Dent’s literary habits reintroduced the pertinence, puissance, and propriety of the classics to a world all too desperate for permanent things.
Though the experts had decreed that the classics were dry, uninspiring, and hardly suited for the fast-paced industrial world of the twentieth century, Dent believed that properly presented, the great books would prove to be as appealing as ever. He was convinced this was due to the fact that while the classics exhibit distinguished style, fine artistry, and keen intellect, they also create a whole universe of imagination and thought. In addition, unlike the simplistic nursery tales manifest in the literature of modernity, he believed the classics portrayed life as complex and multifaceted, depicting both negative and positive aspects of human character in the process of discovering and testing enduring virtues. He also believed that the classics had an inevitable transforming effect on the reader’s self-understanding--stretching, shaping, and confronting him.
He thought they invited and rewarded frequent rereadings--they were ever new. They had the uncanny ability to adapt themselves to various times and places and thus provided a sense of the shared life of humanity over the course of space and time. And finally, he held that their mere endurance across all the varied times and seasons of human experience demonstrated an interminable permanence amidst modern temporality that was simultaneously comforting and challenging.
Though the venture was obviously a commercial risk, Dent was confident that the very thing that made the classics classic would ensure success for the series. He was right. Public demand for books in Everyman's Library exceeded every expectation. Production began in 1906 and more than a hundred and fifty titles were issued by the end of that first year.
Wartime inflation and shortages of supplies more than doubled the price of each volume during the First World War. After the conflict, inflation and shortages actually worsened. Dent responded to the setbacks by expanding book sales to international markets. He expanded distribution to North America by setting up a Canadian subsidiary and by allowing E. P. Dutton to distribute Everyman titles throughout the United States. In addition, Dent hired agents to sell Everyman titles in Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, and most of continental Europe.
The Everyman’s Library finally reached the millennial volume with the publication of Aristotle’s Metaphysics in 1956. In just fifty years total sales of the Everyman’s series had exceeded sixty million copies of the classics. Though his company was finally sold by his heirs in 1988, almost exactly a century after he founded it, the impact of the little publisher that dared stand against the tide of the modern conventions of uniformity, conformity, and efficiency is still felt.
I love the Everyman’s Library volumes--especially the small, pocket-sized, older editions. I find them in antiquarian bookshops at very reasonable prices. Beautiful, inexpensive hardbacks in a clean typeface and crisp acid-free papers: what more could an inveterate reader want? I have two whole bookcases of them. Indeed, I often tell students that these are the best and most immediate way to begin building a substantial library of great books.
Joseph Dent’s literary habits reintroduced the pertinence, puissance, and propriety of the classics to a world all too desperate for permanent things.
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