Mark's #8 - America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It by Mark Steyn

There are some alarming trends in western culture that led author and journalist Mark Steyn to issue a wakeup call to America.  Whether you agree or disagree, Steyn's points should not be ignored.

Put briefly, Steyn believes that the western world in particular, and the world as a whole is at risk of being dominated by islamic culture, religion, and politics within just a few generations.  His reasoning springs from an analysis of the demographic data, naive multiculturalism, and political correctness trends within western liberal democratic nations - particularly Europe.

• Demographics -  The birth rates of Western European countries have fallen well below the sustainable society rate of 2.1 births per woman.  Some of these countries like France, Italy, Germany, and Spain range from a rate of 1.1 -1.3 births.  So what does this mean?  It means that these big government socialist countries will not be able to sustain their welfare state in the near future, since no one will be around to pay for these luxuries.  Enter into this equation their need for immigrants, mostly from muslim background, their very high birth rates, and their hatred for all infidels, Europe will soon be known as Eurabia.
• Naive Multiculturalism - It's ironic that those most committed to multiculturalism will be some of the first infidels to have their religious and individual liberties stripped away from them once Islamic Sharia law takes hold in a democratic majority.  Those quickest to speak of Islam as "a beautiful religion of peace" will be perplexed by the brutality of such a government.  Once there is an Islamic majority, how do you think feminists, gays and lesbians, and others of an alternative lifestyle will be treated? Islam will play the victim card whenever possible in the West, while at the same time spouting a blatantly racist and exclusivist agenda against infidels.
• Political Correctness - The spirit of our age is one of unprecedented political correctness - and it will be the death of us if we don't respond with a logical force of thought and public engagement.

The only hope for Western civilization, as Steyn sees it (a Canadian by the way), is for America to respond and return to the ideology and fortitude that first made America a super power.   But even here, the trending signs are not encouraging... take for example Barrack Obama's 'Apology to the World' tour.  This does not make Islamist view the infidels of America in a more favorable light.  Rather, in the Islamic mind, actions like these shout weakness and opportunities for more victories by terrorists.

Wake up America.

“Far from being tortured, the prisoners [at Guantanamo] are being handled literally with kid gloves (or simulated kid-effect gloves). The U.S. military hands each jihadist his complimentary copy of the Koran as delicately as white-gloved butlers bringing His Lordship the Times of London. It's not just unbecoming to buy in to Muslim psychoses; in the end, it's self-defeating. And our self-defeat is their surest shot at victory...Even a loser can win when he's up against a defeatist. A big chunk of Western Civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, the jihadists figure: hey, why not us?”

“A big chunk of Western civilization, consciously or otherwise, has given the impression that it's dying to surrender to somebody, anybody. Reasonably enough, Islam figures: Hey, why not us?”

“The state has gradually annexed all the responsibilities of adulthood - health care, child care, care of the elderly - to the point where it's effectively severed its citizens from humanity's primal instincts, not the least the survival instinct...They corrode the citizen's sense of self-reliance to a potentially fatal degree.”

Mark's #9 - Micro by Michael Crichton

This book is not very good.  In fact, it is just plain awful.   It pains me to say that since Michael Crichton is one of my favorite fiction writers to read.  Part of this book (Crichton's last), was found unfinished on his personal computer after his death a few years ago.   Therefore, it is co-written by some guy named Richard Preston (?).  I'm wondering if all they found on this book was a title and introduction, and then said, "go with it, we're sure to make money."  - It should be noted, Crichton's book Pirates: Latitudes was also discovered posthumously, and it was a great book!

At any rate, here's the plot in a nutshell.  Some evil corporate types/scientists have discovered a technology that can shrink objects and people... blah... blah... blah... mix Honey I Shrunk the Kids with Jurassic Park and you get Micro.

The thing that has always made Michael Crichton's science fiction enjoyable was his in-depth scientific research, compelling thriller narrative, and just barely beyond believable plot... The things that makes Micro awful are the shear unbelievability of the story, the poor character development, and disjointed storyline...

bottom line: don't waste your time.

Ron’s #4: A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

I taught this for the second time this year, and I loved this book even more than when I read it last year. It is an incredible story of love, sacrifice, and unbridled violence. Sydney Carton is raising on the list of my favorite literary characters. To see his transformation from an idle, drunken loser to a redeemed man with purpose and life is excited and inspiring.

While I did not see this as clearly last year, A Tale of Two Cities is one of the most Christian novels I’ve read. The concept of sin and evil, along with grace and atonement are clearer on these pages than they are in many other books I’ve read.

Even without the powerful message, the writing in this book is so engaging and enjoyable. I suggest making this a selection in one of your next book group. You will not be disappointed. After reading, you will be “recalled to life.”

Ron’s #3: Raising a Modern-Day Knight by Robert Lewis

This is the second book I’ve read about how fathers can raise boys into godly men. After watching Courageous, I had a new resolve to be a father who loves, guides, and leads my son into manhood. This book helped me think about how this looks.

Too often, fathers are the buffoons of the family. At best, indifferent; at worst, abusive. Our culture seems to broadcast the message that men are not important, and that manliness is synonymous with arrogance, homophobia, and chauvinism.  We are afraid to say these five little, reveling words: Men and women are different. Children need both parents to develop fully to their potential. More specifically for this book review, boys need a father to have a healthy concept of manhood.

A real man is one who: • rejects passivity • accepts responsibility • leads courageously • expects the greater reward … God’s reward.

Sadly, many of our youth know little or nothing about any cause other than themselves. Parents have failed—and are failing—to impart a vision that is truly heroic, timeless, and supremely meaningful. The consequences of this omission cannot be understated.

Dad, if you are going to raise a Modern-Day Knight, there is no substitute for your personal character and integrity! By it your son becomes advantaged, empowered, and inspired.

I want to raise our son to be a strong, godly man, and I know that how I model that will influence him in his growth. This does not mean he can only play with trucks and play rugged sports. It does mean that he is a man who rejects passivity, accepts responsibility, and leads courageously. I want my boy to grow into a man who embraces this for the glory of God.

I’m not sure what this looks like in all situations, but books like Raising a Modern-Day Knight help me to think more about the issues. The book is not perfect; in fact, I found much of the story annoying. I do not want to have coats of arms or swords or manhood ceremonies (they seems to have one for each minor event). However, I do like that we must train our boys to be men, and that does not merely occur with puberty or high school graduation. I see many young men in the halls of high school who display their fathers indifference in raising them. They are not young men; they are boys in men’s bodies.

May God grant me the conviction and confidence to raise my son differently than the world tells me to. May I be a better model for manhood than our culture is.

Mark's #7 - The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkein

Before Frodo, their was Bilbo Baggins; A home loving hobbit from Bag end.

For the past couple of weeks I read this book to my daughters before bedtime. They loved it, and I did too.  Each chapter of this epic fantasy novel is an episodic story within the grand adventure.

This is the second time I've read The Hobbit, and once again I realized why I like the story so much more than the Lord of The Rings trilogy.  The story is fun, engaging, fast-paced,  with many twists and turns in the plot.

The characters too are fun and engaging.  In Bilbo, you have an unassuming little hobbit who always manages to do something unexpected and just right to save the day for himself, his fellowship of dwarves, or even for all the men of Dale and elves of Mirkwood.  By the end of the adventure, Bilbo has been deeply changed.  Other hobbits do not think too highly of him and his adventures, but it doesn't matter to Bilbo, he's a legend among elves and dwarves.

The themes of courage, self-sacrifice, and heroism are clear, and provided a context to discuss such things with my daughters.  Also, the themes of sovereignty and predestination are present as well.  Throughout the story, many characters sing songs of old which are prophecies of what is to come.  In Bilbo and his adventure with Gandalf and the dwarves, these prophecies come true.

At the end, Gandalf addresses this issue of prophecy and sovereignty in speaking with Bilbo,

"Surely you don't disbelieve the prophecies, because you had a hand in bringing them about yourself? You don't really suppose, do you, that all your adventures and escapes were managed by mere luck, just for your sole benefit? ...you are only quite a little fellow in a wide world after all!"

If you're a fan of The Lord of the Rings movies, and you plan on seeing The Hobbit when it comes out later this year, do yourself a favor and read the book first, you won't be disappointed.

Mark's #6 - The Prophets Speak of Him: Encountering Jesus in the Minor Prophets by Anthony Selvaggio

I picked up this book as a study aid for a recent sermon series through the twelve books of the Old Testament known as the minor prophets.  The book and my sermon series shared the same goal: to display the prophetic glimpses of Christ contained in each book.

            To be sure, on the surface, the Minor Prophets are often difficult and confounding to understand.  Of the Prophets, Martin Luther once remarked, "The prophets have a queer way of talking… like people who instead of proceeding in an orderly way ramble off from one thing to the next so that you cannot make head or tail of them."  This book served to clarify some of this confusion.  It is an easily accessible read for most people, and a helpful tool for digging deeper in a section of God's Word that often get's neglected in our spiritual lives.