Fallen and Flawed » Books

David Platt Frightens Me

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 10 Mar 2010 14:59:46 +0000

Ever hear anyone complain that academics are divorced from reality?

That theorists would simply collapse in shock if they ever stepped down from their ivory tower into the dirty world of human beings?

That some professors are educated beyond their usefulness?

That scholars are cut off from emotion, compassion and spiritual devotion?

Granted, there’s a lot of truth behind these complaints.

Intellectuals tend to elevate the mind over the heart, making the pursuit of doctorates more important than people.

But not all academics fall to this temptation. Take David Platt for example.

Educated to the Hilt

At first glance, you could level those accusations at David Platt.

He earned two undergraduate degrees from the University of Georgia. He followed that up with three advanced degrees.

But he wasn’t finished.

He added a doctor of philosophy from New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary [NOBTS] to his curriculum vitae.

He then served as dean of chapel and assistant professor of expository preaching and apologetics at NOBTS.

The man is a highly accomplished academic. [And as an arm-chair intellectual, he scares me.]

Naturally, you’d expect his book Radical to read like a professional journal. But it doesn’t.

Entering the Dirty Business of Human Beings

Here’s what can’t be missed: Platt gets around.

His book is shaped by his overseas mission trips to places like India and Indonesia.

It’s influenced by his time as pastor at the Church at Brook Hill.

And it’s predisposed to sound a lot like John Piper–the quintessential scholar-turned-pastor–who obviously impacted Platt.

All this serves to make Platt firmly grounded in the dirty business of human beings, compassionate to the bone and ridiculously eager to make disciples.

Which in turn makes Radical a book anyone could read.

In fact, it’s almost simplistic. Sometimes redundant. It’s Richard Wurmbrand meets Kevin DeYoung.

You won’t get lost in this book. Neither will you have to re-read any sentences. In fact, you’ll almost get bored.

But at that moment when you’re tempted to close the book, Platt pulls you back in. He does this in a handful of ways.

Radical: Sticky from Experience and Education

He might draw out a beautiful analogy about the church being a troop carrier turned luxury liner.

Or a gripping story about a young, intelligent woman killed in a bizarre bus accident while she served Palestinian refugees in Egypt.

Or a potent scene where believers in China begged him to teach them the Old Testament…and ten days later to teach them the New.

While all these things make for a good read we have to remember that Platt argues from a very simple platform: the gospel of Jesus Christ.

A platform he demonstrates you don’t need a degree to preach. Or a doctorate to understand.

Just a heart that hungers to lose it’s will in the will of God and no longer desires anything for himself–except the glory of God.

And it’s just this kind of heart that drives the hardcore academic David Platt.

David Platt v. the American Dream [Book Review]

Demian Farnworth — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 17:08:06 +0000

David Platt is taking a swing at our long-established national ethos…

The one that says citizens of every rank can achieve a “better, richer and happier life.”

The one that says with hard work and a can-do attitude you can buy the perfect home with a picket fence…two cars in the garage…and a monster flat screen television pinned to the living room wall.

Unfortunately, it’s an ethos at odds with Jesus Christ.

Nasty Side Effect of the American Dream

Originally quoted by James Truslow Adams back in 1931, “The American Dream” is rooted in the second sentence of the Declaration of Independence:

“all men are created equal…endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights including Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.”

It’s an idea that motivated immigrants of all stripes. That drives our bulldog entrepreneurial spirit. And feeds Olympic-sized dreams.

But it’s got a nasty side effect: conspicuous consumerism.

In other words, it breeds the sense that we are not people until we have the large house in an exclusive subdivision with a 28-foot boat parked at the marina.

In this version of the American dream, material goods and worldly success rule because it provide us with a sense of safety, satisfaction and security.

And unfortunately, Dr. Platt argues in his forthcoming book Radical: Taking Back Our Faith from the American Dream, it’s hijacked the American church.

The Tension Between Building and Mission Budgets

The American church is obsessed with budgets. Building campaigns. Entertainment value. Head count. Comfort level. Presidential hat tips.

A systemic problem considering the church wasn’t built to pamper us. It was built for something completely different.

Platt points out the tension between the American church and its original purpose with two headlines he saw recently in a local newspaper: One headline declared a church spent 1.5 million dollars to build a new sanctuary. On the same page that same church gave $5,000 to missions in the same year.

There’s something very disturbing about that picture. And it says something about us, too: Our American view of the gospel makes much of us.

Jesus’ gospel, on the other hand, makes much of God and his mandate to reach the lost and the poor.

It’s an obsession with missions.

Now, before you think Dr. Platt is a small-town pastor frustrated with larger churches and their enormous budgets and congregations that rival small cities–think again.

Platt is the pastor of Birmingham, Alabama’s 4,000 strong The Church. That means he’s coping with the same ills as most megachurch pastors.

And he’s finding it hard to live with this model, a model that is on a collision course with Jesus.

The Original Purpose of the Church

In Matthew 28:19 Jesus commanded his disciples to go and make disciples of all the nations.

One thing is clear: No one is exempt from this commandment. We are all responsible for spreading the gospel and training believers.

Look around a contemporary American church and what do you see? Not much training. Discipline. Or hardship.

Look at churches overseas, though, and you get quite a different picture. Here’s how Platt described one underground church he visited:

A woman who lived in the city and knew some English shared, “I have a television, and every once in a while I am able to get stations from the United States,” she said. “Some of these stations have church services on them. I see the preachers, and they are dressed in very nice clothes, and they are preaching in very nice buildings. Some of them even tell me that if I have faith, I too can have nice things.”

She paused before continuing. “When I come to our church meetings, I look around, and most of us are very poor, and we are meeting here at great risk to our lives.” The she looked at me and asked, “Does this mean we do not have enough faith?”

Sharp contrast wouldn’t you say? He paints another humbling picture of this contrast when he compares the American church with the history of the SS United States.

Short History of a Luxury Liner

The SS United States was originally designed to carry over 15,000 troops anywhere in the world at speeds of 40 miles per hour or faster.

It was the biggest and fastest combat ship of its kind. However, it never went into combat.

Instead, the Navy used it to carry presidents, heads of state and celebrities to enjoy 695 staterooms, 4 dining rooms, 3 bars, 2 theaters, 5 acres of open deck and heated pool while they sauntered across the Atlantic Ocean.

Platt writes:

“Instead of a vessel used for battle during wartime, the SS United States became a means of indulgence for wealthy patrons who desired to coast peacefully across the Atlantic.”

Replace SS United States with the America church and you have a startlingly real picture of what we’ve become.

This is hot tub religion. Not what Jesus intended.

Jesus Versus the American Dream

Jesus intended the church to prepare Christians for battle. And to actually send them into battle. It’s purpose is to mobilize a people to accomplish a mission.

However, we seem to have turned away from a sense of mission to share the gospel with pagans and alleviate suffering and adopted the gospel of American consumerism dominated by “self-advancement, self-esteem and self-sufficiency.”

It’s our bliss versus their pain.

But the church never should’ve gotten to this point. Long ago Jesus said “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

In essence, Jesus Christ and the American Dream are NOT compatible.

What Platt Isn’t Saying

Understand: This is not a call to abandon abundance. No–it’s a call to rethink how we use it. Scripture clearly teaches that God intends our plenty to supply the needs of others.

And it’s not a question of “What can we spare?” No. It’s a question of “What will it take?”

Over a billion people are headed to a Christless eternity. Over 28,000 children will die of starvation before the day ends.

The implications are huge: We don’t have time to waste our lives on the American Dream. Not if we all have been commanded to take this gospel to them.

In the end, Jesus said we will be betrayed. Tortured. Killed. This is the undeniable truth behind being a follower of Christ.

So if we want a safe, untroubled, comfortable life free from danger, then we should stay away from the biblical Jesus and continue to cling to the American Dream.

Psst…Karr? This Sex Scene Is a Really Bad Idea

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 27 Jan 2010 15:43:51 +0000

What do you do with a memoir that details in four pages a graphic display of child molestation?

What if its the author as a young child that’s the subject…

Does that change the make up of the story from autobiography to something more sinister–like pornography?

Does it matter that this is an event in the past? Does it make it any less real or problematic?

Those were some of the questions I asked myself as I finished reading Mary Karr’s 1995 memoir The Liar’s Club.

The book was Karr’s first memoir [she's since written two more--Cherry and Lit--I've read neither of them] and the idea to write it came from her friend Tobias Wolfe.

In her own words, Carr said it was an agonizing task that involved a mountain of emotional labor–not just to revisit dark places but to merely get the words on the page. Here she is in a Salon interview:

“I would lie down on the floor and go to sleep after about an hour and a half’s work. Literally go to sleep like I had been driving all night. I couldn’t keep my eyes open. I went to a shrink and said, ‘Am I repressing something, bah bah bah bah.’ And she said, ‘Well, I think you are just really exhausted by it.’”

Fortunately, her herculean effort paid off.

The Essence of The Liar’s Club

She wrote a compelling, hilarious and haunting autobiography about growing up as a child in Leechfield, Texas–oil refinery country–raised by a hard-working, hard-drinking, but sturdy and surprisingly gentle father who managed to marry a displaced New Yorker living on the outskirts of madness.

The book ended up being a runaway bestseller–a justified judgment given the quality of the writing and a decent payoff for the task of exposing herself.

But the question is–did she go too far?

In Carr’s defense, as a child she played the hand she was dealt–and as a child that’s sometimes all you can do.

What you get is a gritty, foul-mouthed eight-year-old girl who fought hard for survival and security, revenge and love–things hard to come by when you have a mother who’s head is in a perennial cloud of vodka, methamphetamine diet pills, suspect men, brooding jazz and fatalistic literature.

So it comes as no surprise when I tell you that Karr’s mother lacked a woeful amount of judgment, most clearly seen in her decision to allow questionable men to babysit her daughters.

The scene was terrible. And you saw it like a dark storm slowly sweeping in from the sea. At one point I wondered if Carr was going to actually go there. Or would she pull out early enough to avoid the explicit?

I had hope she’d pull out. Earlier in the book Carr handled a case of rape very sympathetically without giving an uncomfortable amount of detail.

That’s why it surprised me that she dove into this particular scene with no holds barred.

Where I’d Like to Have Not Gone

At least that’s my guess because the moment I saw where she was going and had no intention of stopping, I bailed and counted the pages before the scene was over.

Four pages.

Granted, as I quickly skimmed the pages looking for the end (it came, by the way, when the chapter ended) the scene covered mostly emotional territory, like her mental activity during the event.

And I’m glad to say she never revisited the topic again.

But here’s the deal: This scene would NEVER make it to the movie screen. In fact, if you owned a video of this event, you’d be arrested.

Why, then, is it okay in a book? I argue it’s not. It permits us to go to dark places we should never visit.

Naturally, this uncorks a litany of problems, namely censorship. But should the world thank Mary Carr for “going there” on this particular topic and being candid about it?

No.

All this does is allow us to inch our moral boundaries back, calibrated by our sense of appropriate indiscretion–and that’s, unfortunately, what you get when you don’t have absolute boundaries.

Gore Vidal–who defended cannabis laws–once said that some people should be told not to do drugs.

I agree. And the same goes for morality. Mary Karr’s book would’ve been a runaway bestseller without this scene.

A curious–if not disturbing–side note about the The Liar’s Club is it’s viewed as the book that jump-started the memoir explosion. Naturally, in it’s wake we have self-expression without guardrails.

One has to wonder where this will take us if we don’t provide those boundaries.

5 Posts to Make You Wise [A Reading Primer]

Demian Farnworth — Mon, 25 Jan 2010 16:03:48 +0000

Reading is the cheapest and easiest way to grow your brain.

Cheap because you can get most books at your local library–or at Google Books.

And easy because you can learn about the history of gravity…

The political career of George Washington…

Or Augustine’s view of free will from your favorite reading chair.

That’s why I put such a high premium on reading. And spend a smidgen of time here writing about reading.

With that in mind, here are five posts on how to get the most out of your reading routine.

How to Absorb a Book into Your Bloodstream
One of the most important rules when it comes to reading.

How to Abandon a Book
You probably didn’t know this, but there’s an instinct to abandoning a book. An instinct you can develop.

How Do You Read?
Narrow, wide or something completely different? Share your reading style with me.

How to Read a 291-Page Book in 2 Hours
Want to read more books in less time–and even catch up on the classics you’ve missed? Try chapter pacing.

Drop-Dead Easy Guide on How to Journal
Twenty cool and easy tricks on how to get started with your journal. [A guide for those who don't want to spoil the pages of their books with a pencil.]

Granted, reading alone won’t make you wise. But it’s a start. By the way, do you have any reading tips? Please share.

Want 7 Books and 3 DVDs Free? Here’s How

Demian Farnworth — Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:53:12 +0000

Update 1.14.09: We’ve got us a winner, folks. Who was it? If you didn’t hear from me, then that means it wasn’t you.

Happy New Year’s Eve, folks…

And thank you for the last 365 days of rabid and roughshod fun!

To celebrate I’m giving away seven books and three DVDs.

To enter the drawing simply drop your name and email address in a little form…

Enter drawing here.

Drawing closes midnight Thursday, January 7, 2010.

What books and DVDs am I giving away? Here’s a quick look.

Dug Down Deep
Josh Harris of I Kissed Dating Goodbye and Boy Meets Girl fame writes an intelligent narrative on classical Christian doctrines. [Note: This book isn't released until January 16, so if you win it, you'll be ahead of the crowd.]

The Mirage of Peace
Former Time magazine journalist for Jerusalem explains the rich social, political and religious history that makes the Middle East so volatile.

Hard to Believe
John MacArthur doing what he does best: shatter contemporary misconceptions about Christianity. This time what it actually means to follow Jesus. Adult diapers not included.

Darwin’s Dilemma
The same team who gave us The Privileged Planet and Unlocking the Mystery of Life are back. This time to demonstrate the bankruptcy of evolution in a documentary that travels around the world.

Open Their Eyes
Quintessential Piper articulates how our evangelistic efforts are actually embedded in the sovereign, persuasive power of God.

Herman Who? Hermeneutics Primer
Wretched Radio star and former comedian Todd Friel is an unlikely hermeneutics hero. But he manages quite well to save the day. His opening demonstration is a must-see.

Free Indeed
Sick of bondage to cigarettes? Sex? Lying? Richard Ganz–former psychologist turned pastor–will show you how to truly break free. Short, systematic chapters make this an easy read.

The Easter Answer
Small-town Wisconsin pastor Stephen Kingsley answers Dan Barker’s notorious “Easter Challenge.” Does he succeed? You decide.

Follow Me to Freedom
This is New Monastic prophet Shane Claiborne’s and African-American civil rights leader John Perkin’s out-of-the-box approach to church leadership. [Warning: I have not read this book.]

Unfashionable
Tullian Tchividjian insists Christians make a difference in the culture. Then he sells you on how to do it. [Note: Cover jacket is wrinkled. Some pages water-stained. I must've had a hole in my chin the day I read this book.]

Enter the drawing now that you know what books and DVDs I’m giving away.

By the way, there’s something you should probably know. The books. I’ve already read them. Yeah. You know what that means…

They are marked up, dog-eared and annotated with my rogue thoughts. In other words, they’ve got character.

Outside of that they’re in great shape. Honest.

One more thing. A handful of gracious people gave some of these items to me. People like Al Hartman. John Payne. Stephen Kingsley. Lynette Kittle. To you I say: Thank you for being so kind to me.

Now, what are you waiting for? Enter the drawing.

How to Read John Piper

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 30 Dec 2009 14:33:08 +0000

Not to minimize the influence of other pastors, but John Piper single-handedly altered my vision from a man-centered gospel to a God-centered one…

And he did this by grabbing my jaw and whipping my head around.

How’d he do that when I never met the man?

That’s the beauty of the written word.

And the beauty of John Piper’s books are that they are easy to read, thought-provoking and…

Free. [Well, most are free.]

There is one problem with John Piper as a writer, though. He’s a madman. Prolific to a fault in the sense you will need to block off at least 42 days to read all 42 books. [That's if you read one book a day.]

Don’t have 42 days? You’re not alone. Fortunately you can get a bead on the man Piper and his theology in about four books. Here are the must-reads:

Desiring God
Hedonism is a dirty word. But not to Piper. Especially when our pleasure and it’s near-savage pursuit is found in God. In fact, Piper argues this is exactly what the Bible teaches as our duty: Maximum delight in glorifying God. He pulls it off, folks.

Finally Alive
A relentless, systematic explanation of what it means to be born again. It’s worth having a copy of this book for the commentary about classic biblical texts on regeneration alone.

God Is the Gospel
When we share the gospel with someone how do we present it? Do we focus on the person or God? And when you think of your own salvation and the gospel…does it motivate you to make much of yourself or God? Getting that answer right is crucial.

Don’t Waste Your Life
Work. Retirement. Health. Sickness. What do these opposing conditions of our lives have in common? They are all opportunities to glorify God. Sound unbelievable? Again, Piper pulls it off.

Disclaimer: I’ve not read all Piper’s books. Just eight. But it doesn’t take long before you see four common themes that run through his books. Here they are:

1. Delight in worshiping God is the highest pleasure we pursue. Desiring God

2. Dependence on Christ alone for salvation. Finally Alive

3. Determined aim to hold God far above all creation–including man. God Is the Gospel

4. Deliberate use of every sphere of our lives–including our suffering–to glorify God. Don’t Waste Your Life

So, what do you think? Am I dead on? Are you a Piper aficionado and find this list wanting? My interpretation lacking?

How many Piper books have you read?

Would you add any books to this list? Take any out? Let me know. I look forward to your thoughts.

How ‘The Shack’ Mocks God’s Holiness

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 23 Dec 2009 17:05:32 +0000

Yes.

I’m picking on my favorite rogue Christian and his wild speculations about God again.

Is it because I’m nothing more than a sadistic blogger?

Curmudgeon? Bored?

Or is it because the love affair with The Shack is a good commentary on our contemporary evangelical environment?

Yes to all the above. [Except the bored part.]

See, The Shack still holds clout with the spiritually curious.

Still creeps up in conversations.

And most of the copies I see of The Shack owned by Christians show considerable more wear than their Bibles.

That’s troubling…

Because The Shack presents a flawed portrait of God–what Albert Mohler calls diluted heresy. Let me who you what I mean.

Write Fiction? You Must Follow These Rules

Believe it or not, when you write fiction, you follow certain rules. Rules that guide the plot, setting and characterization.

Young nails it on plot and setting. It’s that last one–characterization–that he misses, a point Trevin Wax made back in September…

I want to expand on that point. Here’s how it works.

If you’re going to write a novel about 18th century Russian peasants…you better get the characterization of those peasants right.

Nineteenth century mathematicians from Brooklyn? Get them right.

Twentieth century bicyclists training in northern California? Get them right.

The God of the Christian Bible? Get him right.

Get your characterizations wrong and you look like a silly know-nothing. And sadly, that’s exactly what Young did–he got the characterization of God wrong.

Let’s compare Mack’s controversial confrontation with God versus some of the Bible examples of confrontations with God to show you what I mean. I’ll start with the Bible.

Biblical Responses to the Holiness of God

When Adam sinned in the garden, Adam hid from God…

When a sixteen year-old king named Josiah read the long-forgotten law of God, he tore his clothes in grief…

When Job antagonized God about his plight, God rose up and riddled off a litany of questions…questions Job could not answer…

When Isaiah bent before the alter of God he screamed “Woe is me for I am ruined”…

When Peter saw Jesus conquer the storm he was terrified and said, “Who is this that the wind and the sea obey him?”

And when John encountered Jesus in a vision he fell at his feet as though dead.

As you can see, the Bible provides an abundant amount of examples that suggest encountering God is NOT a light affair…

And we haven’t even dealt with the hard texts of the Bible. Let’s do that now.

Compare These Tough Texts to…

In Leviticus 10 Aaron’s priestly sons–Nadab and Abihu–offer the wrong type of sacrifice on the altar…

In 2 Samuel Uzzah and his cohorts carry the ark of God on a cart [against God's prohibition to do such a thing] and when the ark threatens to crash into the mud, Uzzah sticks his hand out to catch it…

In Acts 5 Ananias and Sappira hid away some money they promised to share with the community of Christian believers.

What do all of these encounters share in common? Swift execution for what Jonathan Edwards called the “sins of arrogance.”

Mack’s Encounter with God

When Young’s protagonist Mack encounters God, what does he do? Let’s him have it. Throwing in a few choice words to boot.

Nothing out of the ordinary there. In fact, smells like a sin of arrogance. But it’s what God does in response that makes your jaw drop.

He merely shrugs.

My question to you is this: Why should Mack’s encounter with God be any different? I have a thought.

What’s obvious is that Mack is not in the presence of a being who is far superior to him.

We have no sense of awe for Papa. We don’t revere him.

In fact, the God of Young’s book accommodates us. Makes us feel comfortable –not convicted. He appeals to our native narcissism…

A narcissism our secular AND sacred culture nurtures to no end.

As I said in the Craptastic Book That Won’t Go Away post:

We want God on our terms. We want God to accommodate us. To make us feel welcome. We want him to present himself in a way that we can stomach. To justify our emotions like anger, bitterness and resentment.

But Here’s the Problem

In the end, my beef is not with The Shack. It’s with this: Our human tendency to fashion God into our own image, which is tantamount to tampering with the way God portrays himself…

A God who declares he is ferociously jealous for his name.

So what could Young have done to make me happy [not that he's obligated to make me happy]? Killed Mack on the spot after his fit of foul language.

As I demonstrated above, this would not have been the least bit out of character for God.

Understand: Defamation of God’s character carries strict consequences. A character that is illustrated in a demand for perfect obedience to the law of God.

A demand that you and I cannot satisfy. Only Christ.

And only when we see this full, out-stretched picture of redemption do we realize the depth of our dependence upon Christ and sob in relief at his mercy and then bend over backwards in our proclamation to the lost that it is, in fact, possible to have peace with a holy and just God.

Christmas is looming. Do you have an appropriate concept of God?

The Mirage of Peace [A Book Review + Quiz!]

Demian Farnworth — Thu, 17 Dec 2009 18:51:09 +0000

David Aikman knows the Middle East.

He knows the historical, political, social and religious context of nations like Israel, Jordan, Egypt, Iraq, Iran, Qatar and Saudi Arabia.

This shouldn’t surprise you…

He’s the former Time magazine bureau chief of Jerusalem where he spent decades reporting on the never-ending conflict in the Arab world, making him perfectly suitable to answer this question:

“Is peace in the Middle East a pipe dream?”

In this intriguing introduction to the Arab world–The Mirage of Peace–Aikman analyzes the players who rule this region, the politics that regulate it and the history that runs through it…offering a reasonable explanation on why this area of the world is an everlasting hotbed of violence.

This Can’t be Missed

Israel’s existence in the Middle East is a major fork in the Arab eye.

But this animosity ranges from unbending determination to wipe Israel off the map [Syria] to occasional, but fragile support [Jordan].

The source for this animosity is complex.

Arabs denial that Jerusalem is a religious city to the Jews.

Palestinians dislodged from their homes and land by Israeli invasions.

Extreme Islamic intolerance for Jews fed by an apocryphal book, Protocols of the Elders of Zion.

However, one thing you don’t get from Aikman’s book–who is a professing Christian–is a pro-Israel argument.

Neither do you get an anti-Palestinian polemic.

Rather you get a critical look at the historical development of the Arab world and the nations that make it up.

Basically, since Aikman systematically walks through each nation’s history, you can bone up on your Middle East knowledge in about two nights of reading.

Nice for a trivia fanatic like me. But there’s more to this book than that.

Why the Image of the Arch of Titus?

Aikman begins and ends The Mirage of Peace with the image of the Roman conquest of Jerusalem…complete with the armies slaughter of Jews, their march through the Arch of Titus and the looting of the Jewish Temple.

Why the Arch of Titus?

Well, the 70 A. D. sack of Jerusalem marked the beginning of the Jew’s two thousand year exile from their homeland.

So, for the Jews, the Arch is a grim symbol of their tragic history.

Indeed, upon the birth of the nation of Israel in 1948, a delegation of Roman Jews walked through the Arch–in the opposite direction the Romans did 2,000 years ago.

But for Aikman, the Arch of Titus means something more: The events around Jerusalem dominated world affairs then. And guess what? They still do.

Other books by David Aikman: The Delusion of Disbelief and Jesus in Beijing.

BONUS: How much do you know about the Middle East? Take this quiz to find out.

Update: Unfortunately you have to register at Quibllo to see the answers. I didn’t know that before I launched the quiz. If you don’t want to register, here are the answers at Google Docs.

Looking for a Good Book? Here Are 10

Demian Farnworth — Tue, 08 Dec 2009 13:56:56 +0000

A cathedral stacked floor-to-ceiling with books.

That’s my impression of heaven.

Certainly far-fetched given the specifications spelled out in the Bible.

What this reveals more than anything is something that’s not new at all to anyone who knows me well…

I like to read books.

And that’s exactly what I did while on sabbatical…

Read!

Roughly ten books in all.

[You'll see what I mean by "roughly" in a minute.]

So, here are the ten…and after you scan ‘em, tell me what you’re reading…okay? Enjoy the list!

Gravity’s Arc From the Greeks to modern times and beyond, this is a casual history about scientists’ fascination with gravity. You’ll love it if you have any attraction [no pun intended!] to science.

His Excellency: George Washington A readable biography on a highly emotional but restrained man who transcends his iconic image found on Mount Rushmore and the dollar bill.

God Is the Gospel John Piper’s heart cry is simply this: Do we make much of the gospel for our sakes or God’s sake? Our answer reveals much about ourselves. The first chapter is worth the $12 alone.

Courageous Leadership Read this in about 3 hours using this aggressive method. [Reading is a rather strong word here.] My favorite part: the personality profiles of different leaders late in the book.

Existence and Attributes of God At 1,100 plus words, I’ve been reading this 17th Century classic since the start of the year, but was able to put a dent into over my break. That is, if you call 100 pages a dent.

Games of Strategy An undergraduate textbook on game theory. Perhaps the best. Why am I reading it? Enthralled by human interaction in economics, politics, chess–you name it. But I only managed to read 23 pages. Got distracted.

Bowling Alone Readable critic on our collective slide as a nation into individualism. Who’s to blame? Television, two-career families, suburban sprawl. Unfortunately, I abandoned this book mid-stride.

Tragical History of Doctor Faustus Play about a man who sells his soul to the devil in exchange for magical powers and brains galore. Circa 1604 by Christopher Marlowe.

The Tempest One of Shakespeare’s late romances, play about banished sorcerer Prospero who punishes his enemies when they wreck their ship on his island.

Paradise Lost John Milton’s long poem about Adam and Eve’s estrangement from God. And l.et me come clean. I didn’t read this. Actually, I listened to it in my car. Good news: You can, too. Free!

Want some more book reading recommendations? Check out my recent article on Copyblogger: 10 Surprising Books That Will Transform Your Writing.

So, I told you what I read in the last month…what did you read? Looking forward to hearing from you!

How to Absorb a Book into Your Bloodstream

Demian Farnworth — Wed, 26 Aug 2009 18:15:24 +0000

Just in case you were beginning to mistake me for a methamphetamine addict who blazes through books, I thought I’d write a post to correct that picture in your mind.

In fact, I want to convince you of one of the most important rules when it comes to reading.

I want to show you why absorbing a book into your bloodstream is a good thing.

And I want to show you that unless you do this, you’re likely missing out on the best kind of reading. Let me show you what I mean.

Mutilating the Garden

Now, what I’m about to say might make you grit your teeth. Clench your fist. Pick up a crow bar.

You might compare my idea to a suggestion we rip out the chrysanthemums from your garden. Uproot the lemongrass, lavender or tarragon. Or pluck your prize-winning cherry tree out with a winch hitched to a pick up.

But that couldn’t be further from the truth. So relax.

3 Kinds of Book Owners

There are book owners who buy and never read. They worship the bestseller. They adore the elegant binding and pristine paper of a collector’s edition set. These book lovers are marked not so much by intelligence but by wealth.

Then there’s the book owner who buys but seldom reads every page of a book. More likely flirts with a few pages before setting a volume down. Like the first, his books look brand new ten years after he bought them.

Then there’s the book owner who owns a small shelf collapsing under the weight of stained, dog-eared, loose in the binding and, most importantly, scrawled-in-from-front-to-back books.

It’s that last reader who absorbs a book into his bloodstream. And it’s that last reader who I want to convince you to become.

5 Good Reasons to Write in a Book

Writing in a book isn’t a magical act. And it isn’t like destroying a garden. But it is a symbol that you’ve crossed over from owning a book to actually absorbing a book. Mortimer J. Alder compares it to buying a steak versus eating the steak…

Until it’s in your bloodstream, you’re simply keeping it cool. And until you write in a book, you don’t own it. You’re just babysitting.

So, before I give you ideas on how to mark a book up, let me show you why writing thoughtfully in your books is a good idea.

Here are five reasons:

1. Activates your mind. Instead of being a participant who merely sits back and tries to acknowledge everything that comes at him, the mind leans forward and starts to interrogate.

2. Marks your territory. Disgusting, but think dog, urine, fire hydrant. Going back to a book two years later after you marked it up can be so entertaining: You get to explore your thoughts, moods and passions from the past. It’s an intellectual diary.

3. Establishes a footprint. Your scribble marks in a book tell you what ground you’ve covered in a half-read book. And they help you recall ideas and concepts you’ve read if you’re going in for a second time.

4. Teaches you how to write. After picking apart a chapter, you naturally start to absorb that writer’s style. Important if you’re an emerging author.

5. Exposes the intangible. Marking up a book uncovers the writer’s patterns, styles and meaning…much like an archaeologist meticulously dusting debris away from a ceramic pot buried three thousand years ago sees the design.

How Does This Approach Differ from Speed Reading?

Are you kidding me? It’s the difference between a dog swallowing a burrito versus a caterpillar systematically nibbling away at a leaf.

One’s fast. One’s slow. And one is better.

You drill through a newspaper in 15 minutes…devour a magazine in an hour…claw your way through a Kellerman in a night because these are light, superficial readings.

On the other hand, you linger on the poems of John Donne. Repeatedly grind a rut with a pencil into the first four pages of Charnock. And laboriously fill the margins of a chapter like Galatians 3 with notes.

Why Go Through All This Trouble?

The point of writing in a good book is NOT to see how many you can get through. The point is to see how many get through to you. How many you absorb into your blood.

And one of the best ways to do that is to write in it. Let me give you some obvious and no-so-obvious tips on how to do just that.

10 Tips on How to Write in a Book

1. Circle interesting words.

2. Underline interesting sentences.

3. Write questions or comments in the margin.

4. Draw arrows from the notes in the margin to the section of book the note refers to.

5. Record the page number where an idea is repeated.

6. Summarize each chapter on the blank page in between chapters.

7. Create an outline of the book on blank pages in the front of the book.

8. Summarize the main idea of the book in the blank pages at the back.

9. Summarize some of the supporting ideas.

10. Create an index of topics, books or ideas for future exploration.

If I’ve failed to convince you of writing in a book, at least use a scrap of paper to write on. A scrap of paper you keep in the book.

Your Turn

Writing in books: Good or bad? Easy or hard for you? What tricks do you use to mark up your books? Anything I didn’t mention? Looking forward to your thoughts.