The western mind, which likes everything wrapped in nice, neat packages, is not comfortable when things are not resolved – when there are unanswered questions. But life is not about finding out all the answers. It is more about admitting that we don’t have the answers.
What is it like growing up in an ultra-conservative home? Can people with strongly differing viewpoints get along? Is there more than one “right” way to raise your children? These are a few of the questions explored in The Chosen.
Religion and society seem to gravitate from one extreme to the other. On one side are societies that are all about control – everyone is told exactly what to do. On the other side are societies where freedom is the ultimate – no one is told what to do. One is totalitarianism, the other anarchy.
The scene at the end of the book is foreshadowed earlier. It leaves the reader with the feeling that people are no different than animals, and that there is little hope of seeing dreams become a reality. Is there any hope?
Faith, Kierkegaard says, involves the paradox that “the single individual is higher than the universal.” Faith involves a personal connection with God, and the individual’s responsibility to him is greater than any obligation to society
Jesus was the first to captivate large audiences by telling stories about those who have lost their way… a lost sheep, a lost coin, and a lost son. The common thread in the stories is that the lost items were all precious to the ones who lost them.
This past decade saw the first black coach to win the Superbowl, and first black elected as President of the United States. On the surface, it would seem we have come a long way. But… Dr. King was looking for more than racial tolerance. He wanted us to love each other.
“Isn’t that a book about rabbits?” This seems to be the reaction of most people when Watership Down is mentioned. The thought is that this must be some trite children’s book. Those who have read the book know better.
Harry, Ron and Hermione decide to break the rules in order to save the world from Voldemort. Dumbledore even goes so far as to give Harry the means to break the rules. Is this attitude toward rule-breaking consistent with the teachings of Christ?
Will science finally solve the mysteries of the universe by coming up with a Grand Unified Theory? It seems that our journey has a long way to go. How long, nobody really knows. It seems God still knows a few things we have yet to discover.
Robert A. Heinlein is known for his quality writing and clarity of thought. By the time I reached the middle of Stranger in a Strange Land, it was clear that this was some of his best writing, and that I was not reading one of his “juvenile” novels that I had enjoyed as a youth.
In this week’s episode, “316,” we are introduced to a DHARMA Station, not on the island, but in Los Angeles. It is called the Lamppost, an obvious reference to the Lamppost in the Narnia books. “316″ has a significance, too.
The “Mother Goose” Tales were not exactly written for children, and I would not read from The Complete Grimm’s Fairy Tales to a young child. (I wouldn’t let them watch LOST, either!) But there are some very adult things in Scripture that we need to pay attention to.
Slaughterhouse-Five is one of Vonnegut’s best, and definitely gives a snapshot–through the safety of fiction–of what life was like. It’s the kind of book that sticks with you for days after you finish reading it and keeps revealing new and fascinating layers every time you read it.
The Lord of the Rings and Lord of the Flies were both first published in 1954. While Rings is about an evil power set on taking over Middle-earth, Flies is more about the evil power within each of us.
People are not saved by force, but by the power of God’s love, and the love of His people. The method of this world is conformity through outward pressure. God’s method is transformation from the inside out.
At the end of the book, Kerouac and Cassady drive across the US border into Mexico and suddenly believe they have “finally found the magic land at the end of the road.” But alas, it is all just a dream.
“An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge” is not a terribly long read, but offers a fascinating look at how taking matters into one’s own hands is not always the best solution.
Although Through the Looking Glass may be considered children’s literature, there’s more to it that you might think.
Human government was never intended to bring about Utopia, and Skinner is at least right in declaring that governments will never bring about the necessary changes. … Our Lord is Jesus Christ, not Caesar or the State. Keep that in mind when you go to the polls.
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