Book Recommendation: A Canticle for Leibowitz

          The Fall Semester of my senior year at Hillsdale, I took an inter-disciplinary class called "Reflections on American Order and Disorder." The purpose of the class was to examine the inter-play between Christian Humanism and true conservatism. Conservative ideas are built on the belief that the institutions of society ought to be preserved, and changed slowly over time only when their faults have become clearly apparent. The rejection of these institutions results in chaos and disorder, evidenced by the secular tyrannies of 20th Century fascism, socialism and communism. The traditional institutions of society strengthen and uphold the order and fabric of culture. To help us wrestle with these and many other ideas, Dr. Birzer, my professor had us read A Canticle of Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller Jr.. Dr. Birzer recently reviewed this book, which is available on The Imaginative Conservative blog:

An Augustinian Wasteland: A Canticle of Leibowitz

Psalm 16: I have no good apart from you

          David opens the 16th Psalm with the cry: "Preserve me, O God, for in you I take refuge." David finds his soul in such danger that he cries out unto the Lord for deliverance. Yet, in the next line, he speaks not of his calamity. Rather, David affirms that the Lord is his God and utters: "I have no good apart from you." Amidst David's troubles, he remembers that all the goodness he experiences come from no other source that God Himself.

     Consider the rains which water the earth. Which drop falls at the behest of man? Look to the clouds that veil and reveal the sun. Who commands them? It is the Lord, the Almighty God. Man works no good for even himself, save those passed into his capacity by Providence.

     David teaches us that in trials and hardship, our chief consolation is in the goodness of God himself. Apart from the Lord, there is no good thing.

    The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
        you hold my lot.
    The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
        indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

(Psalm 16:5-6)

Single Column Paragraphs and the Bible

"Why Paragraphs? Why Single Column?" by J. Mark Bertrand for BibleDesignBlog

The Value of Systematic Theology

"All Systems Go: Why We Shouldn't Devalue Systematic Theology" by Colin Hansen for Christianity Today

Psalm 40: God's Mercy

As for you, O Lord, you will not restrain your mercy from me;
Your steadfast love and your faithfulness will ever preserve me!

When I think of God restraining something, I usually think of God restraining his wrath, or holding back the wickedness of men, so when I came upon this line from Psalm 40, I found it to be worth meditation. Here David is praising the Lord by confessing that he "will not restrain" his mercy. Though I daily struggle with sin, be it mine or another's, the mercy of God will not be withheld from me. This mercy, taking shape in the love and faithfulness of God, is David's rock and salvation. Not in his own ways and means, nor even in his love for God does David find security. In God alone do I have my justification.

Psalm 23: The Loving Providence of God

In my personal devotional time lately, I've been reading Psalm 23. When you think about Psalm 23, thanks to Hollywood, what typically comes to mind are funerals and famous last words. Yet, over the last few weeks, I began to see that this Psalm is more than what it normally gets passed off as. Far from being a dour and dirgey Psalm, it is much more fitting to be understood as a testimony of God's providence and blessing in the life of the Christian.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.
He makes me lie down in green pastures.
He leads me beside still waters.
He restores my soul.
He leads me in paths of righteousness for his name's sake.

Here we have the common motif of God as the Good Shepherd, who care for his flock. David is lead by the Lord to still waters and green pastures. More than just pretty imagery, David uses it as metaphor for the spiritual reality: God restores his soul and leads him along the path of righteousness. His spiritual needs are taken care of so that he has none: I shall not want. To the Christian, God provides just as much as he did for David. Through Christ, our sinful souls are restored, and the Spirit guides and sanctifies us, taking us along the path of righteousness.

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,
I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
Your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

It is important to note that the path of righteousness often requires us to walk through trials and temptations in the Valley of the Shadow of Death. The Christian life does not promise a life of ease and luxury. As Peter wrote in his First Epistle, "But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed....For it is better to suffer for doing good, if that should be God's will, than for doing evil." In times of trouble and trial, our God is ever with us, our constant help and salvation. The loving corrections of the Good Shepherd comfort us in our trials, giving us the consolation that the not only is God with us to rebuke us, but that he works even those trials to our gain.

You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies;
You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life,
And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever.

Even when we are surrounded by evil, the Lord still provides our daily bread. Moreover, he blesses us, and gives us in abundance that which we need. In light of all this David arrives at a clear conclusion: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life." Looking back over the course of the Christian's life, the regular blessings of God should cause you to look to the future with the firm conviction that the very same God will continue to bless you and supply your needs, all the days of your life. Looking beyond this life, David peers into eternity: "And I shall dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Such was his hope, and so is it ours also.

Defending the West

The Victory of September 11, 1565
Here is an article that sheds light on why the Muslims may have chosen September 11th to carry out their attacks on the American manifestation of Western Culture. Cella quotes the leader of the Knights of Malta, on the eve of a Muslim attack on their fortress, "A formidable army composed of audacious barbarians is descending on this island. These persons, my brothers, are the enemies of Jesus Christ. Today it is a question of the defense of our faith -- as to whether the Gospels are to be superseded by the Koran. God on this occasion demands of us our lives, already vowed to his service. Happy will be those who first consummate this sacrifice."