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My blog posts revolve around my interests and vocation as a historian: the intersection of history and contemporary church life, the intersection of history and contemporary politics, serendipitous discoveries in archives or on research trips, publications and research projects, upcoming conferences, and speaking engagements.
I sometimes blog for two other organizations, the Canadian Baptist Historical Society and the Centre for Post-Christendom Studies. The views expressed in these blogs represent the views of the authors, and not necessarily those of any organizations with which they are associated. |
 Here is the first summary of my Spring and Summer 2024 reading. As in previous years, many of these works were read in our internet-and-data-plan-free cottage. You will see that the range of books reflects my interest in church history, politics and war, and science fiction.
There are a host of books published on global (or world) Christianity, and by the end of this year there will be dozens more. Most of them are refreshing narratives that give readers a sense of the past reach of Christianity in Asia, Africa, and Europe but also the expansion of Christianity into the Americas – and most recently into sub-Saharan Africa and Asia. Martin Marty is an iconic author in the subject of Christianity, with a host of books to his credit. His seventy-five honorary doctorates attest to his prowess. This work is a summary of 2000 years of Christian history, a narrative divided into episodes in various continents, and an analysis of who was Jesus deemed to be by those in each period. He argues what made Christians distinctive is their conviction that “the human Jesus is the exalted Lord” – yet he also shows how that very mystery of the incarnation was often understood quite differently among Christian traditions. Memorable Quote: “Since Christianity around the globe draws its name, its distinctive features, and its central themes from Jesus Christ, its story focuses on what he meant to believers and how they related to others. Such a focus may sound too simple and its choices by a historian obvious and naïve, yet through all the tales of Crusades and Inquisitions, creeds and treaties, explorations and retreats, under all the symbols of aggressive power or winning humility, somehow Jesus Christ was at the root and base of thought and action.” (159)
This book was a sobering read. While the suffering of Christians in communist China – especially during the bloodthirsty Cultural Revolution – may be a story of faithfulness by many in the face of horrors unimaginable, it is none-the-less a sobering read when we see how the survivors were scarred by their trials. What makes this account so unique is that Yiwu interviews such Christians, and the transcript of the interview forms the basis of chapters. One of the striking take-aways from the testimony of Chinese Christians was the story of the speed by which the government’s efforts to demonize a class of people led to horrible violence. It was state-sponsored identity politics carried to its logical end. And millions died and suffered. I also found it a compelling warning against identity politics in our day. Memorable Quote: “I thought: People lived harmoniously under this same sky in the same village for many years. Why did they act like this now? Why did they hate each other and torture each other like that? Was that what the Communist revolution was all about? All the ‘class enemies’ had been beaten; their faces were swollen and their heads scarred. Beatings couldn’t quench their thirst. They started killing. After that meeting, all the former officials under the old regime were executed, including my brother; their children were sentenced to ten or twenty years in jail, where some lost their minds, or died.”(122)
The Ontario Baptist world must be something to behold from outside the tradition – for how can such a small group of Christians be so divided when it comes to theological education? For instance, within a one-hour drive from my Baptist seminary (McMaster Divinity College) there are two other Baptist schools (Heritage and Toronto Baptist Seminary). Tyndale Seminary could be added to that list, for while it is not Baptist it may have more Baptists attending than any of the other Baptist schools. And, as this book notes, there were even more Baptist schools at one time. This brief book provides a helpful and easy-to-read narrative of the formation of Heritage College and Seminary from its early roots in Central Baptist Seminary and London Baptist Bible College and Seminary to the present-day. This is an encouraging account of two organizations deciding to partner together in a common cause rather than compete for a dwindling number of resources and students. It is interesting to read such histories and start to see people I knew and worked with in ministry (for instance, Jack Hannah) in history books, a sign that perhaps I am not so young anymore. Memorable Quote: “Richard Long has described [Gordon] Brown as ‘a master of time,’ that is, an expert in emphasizing, by personal example, the wise use of time and the importance of brevity. His sermons in the seminary chapel, as elsewhere, were marked by brevity, for instance, though they were always jam-packed with rich content. They were usually no more than 20-25 minutes. His passion for brevity was evident on one-occasion when he was scheduled to speak after a number of other addresses – possible at an ordination or a conference. The other speakers on this occasion took far more time than they were allotted. So, Brown rose and simply quoted John 10:8. ‘All those who came before me were thieves and robbers’ and then sat down again!” (25)
This book is a sequel to the highly successful and enjoyable The Eagle Has Landed. However, this book is a disappointing read, and a good example of how some sequels simply should not be written. Fortunately, I only paid $2 for the book at the local used bookstore. Memorable Quote: [context – Steiner is talking with a Catholic priest] “And suddenly Steiner found himself saying ‘My father. They butchered my father. Hung him up on a hook like a piece of meat.” “Who did this thing my son?” “The Gestapo – the bloody Gestapo.” Steiner could hardly breathe, his throat dry, eyes hot. “Hate, that’s all I feel and revenge. I want revenge. Now what good is that to a man like you, Father? Am I not guilty of a very great sin?” Father Martin said quietly, “May our Lord Jesus Christ absolve you, and I, by his authority, absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” “But, Father, you don’t understand,” Kurt Steiner said, “I can’t pray anymore.” “That’s all right, my son,” Father Martin told him. “I’ll pray for you.” (151)
I grew up in some of the hottest days of the Cold War. In fact, I remember being told on the radio in the late 1979s that nuclear war was inevitable in just a few years – perhaps that could explain my lack of planning for the future! This book written by a submariner provides an informative inside look at the submarine technology, politics, and espionage of the 1950s to the 1980s. The cloak and dagger activities of the submarines makes for a good read and provides some information about once top-secret submarine missions, collisions, and deaths. It also provides a few stories about just how close the world was to nuclear war during such times as the Cuban Missile Crisis. One take-away from this book is the reminder not to believe everything the government says about its military activities – after all, for a military to be successful in its mission there must be lies, lies, and more lies to throw the enemy (and even its own citizens) off the scent. Memorable Quote: “I spent my entire adulthood believing that President Kennedy saved the world from nuclear winter during the Cuban Missile Crisis. Certainly, he and the members of ExComm were instrumental in forcing Khrushchev to back down at a critical time during the brewing conflict, but the other heroes of this undeclared war were the commanders of the four [Russian] Foxtrot submarines. Each had the opportunity, when faced with disaster, to pull the trigger and start a war. Each could have taken a dozen or more American ships with them into the smoldering center of a mushroom cloud and each would have propelled the world toward a devastating October that would have changed the course of human history. However, each made the right decision in the end, and those of us who survived that time owe them our gratitude and perhaps our lives.” (178)
I enjoy science fiction. Always have, and most likely always will. What is odd is that this was the first Isaac Asimov novel I have ever read. Recently I found out about his Foundation Series and I intend to find it at a used book store. However, last week I found this small novel in a used books bin for the low price of 50 cents! And it is a prequel to the Foundation Series so there are no spoilers in the story. The story was okay – nothing too spectacular or super impressive. As you can tell from the quote below, it was a not very cheerful story set in the distant future where humans have colonized other planets but are also under the oppressive imperial regime of Tyrann. However, it did not turn me off Asimov, and I look forward to reading a few more of his novels. Memorable Quote: “But that was the past. Nuclear warfare had done its worst to Earth. Most of it was hopelessly radioactive and useless. There was nothing left to lose, and yet architecture mirrored the old fears, so that when Biron woke, it was to pure darkness.” (2)
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