The New Testament Documents: Are They Reliable? (F.F. Bruce)

"Does it matter whether the New Testament documents are reliable or not? Is it so very important that we should be able to accept them as truly historical records?" So begins chapter one of this introduction to the topic by renowned scholar F.F. Bruce. He argues, of course, that reliability matters ("the truth of the Christian faith is bound up closely with the historicity of the New Testament," so "it is not irrelevant to look at its foundation documents from the standpoint of historical criticism"), and the New Testament is in fact reliable.

In just over 120 pages, Bruce summarizes:

- The New Testament Documents: Their Date and Attestation

- The Canon of the New Testament (the 27 NT books and why)

- The Gospels (their origins and comparisons of them)

- The Gospel Miracles

- The Importance of Paul's Evidence (as Paul wrote before the Gospels were written down)

- The Writings of Luke (who ties in many historical references)

- More Archaeological Evidence

- The Evidence of Early Jewish Writings

- The Evidence of Early Gentile Writers

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In the foreword to this volume, N.T. Wright says that "history can be enormously stimulating for Christian faith, opening up new lines of fruitful thought, revealing dimensions and depths to familiar texts, goading 'simple believers' into thinking harder and integrating their minds more fully with their beliefs." I agree. Though this work is a summary, it is a good one, full of fascinating observations and intriguing insights. I loved it and want more. (I read his excellent Canon of Scripture years ago and also recommend it highly.)

Rating: A

What is Baptism? (R.C. Sproul)

In this short (70-page) booklet, renowned pastor and author R.C. Sproul provides an introduction to baptism, a topic that has (regrettably) divided Christians for hundreds of years. He looks at:

- Baptism and Salvation

- John's Baptism and Jesus' Baptism

- The Sign of the Covenant

- The Meaning of Baptism

- The Mode of Baptism

- The Case for Infant Baptism

This was a great introduction for the unfamiliar to this topic. It doesn't go into too much detail, but he does give helpful context/backstory on a number of matters. A lot of this I had heard before, but some explanations and references were new and intriguing. I wish it was a more in-depth treatment of the topic, but it's a great starting point.

Rating: A-

Dune (Part 2)

Picking up from part one . . .

Paul and his mother dwell with the Fremen in the deserts of Arrakis and plot their revenge. As they gain acceptance, the people ponder if he is in fact their Lisan al Gaib (prophesied Messiah), and Paul questions his role as he (with his foresight) sees possible futures (and catastrophes). Paul starts leading attacks against Harkonnen spice production, eventually bringing them into all-out war, as his mother (a Bene Gesserit) becomes Reverend Mother to the people. Tensions are high and escalating quickly . . . who will prevail in the world of sand?

Staying relatively faithful to the book, I was intrigued by the conclusion to this story. 

- I didn't like the changes they made with Chani's character in particular, but felt the other characters were reasonable representations (though Paul was a bit more aggressive/less conflicted than in the book). 

- As is typical, there were undercurrents/contexts in the book that were skipped on the big screen, which is understandable (yet disappointing). Even with a two-part presentation, aspects felt rushed.

- The film did a decent job portraying the machinations of the Emperor, Harkonnen family, and Bene Gesserits, but sold the Fremen a bit short, omitting the part about what they were doing in the south (which was hinted at in the book but not fully developed). 

As I haven't read the other books in the series, it is hard to know if the differences in the films so far will create a wider departure from the books in the next movie (part 3, based on Dune Messiah, will conclude the film series and is due out in 2026). Overall, it was a solid effort. While not totally satisfying, it was far better than it could have been.

Rating: B+

Scripture Alone (R.C. Sproul)

Christians hold that the Bible is God's Word. Inerrant, infallible, and authoritative. But "in the twentieth century, the orthodox doctrine of Scripture became a particular focus of intense criticism." Dr. R.C Sproul addresses the doctrines and criticisms in Scripture Alone.

The book is presented in two parts:

- Part one presents four chapters, each "reprints of Dr. Sproul's contributions to several important books on the subject of biblical authority." Here, he looks at the topics of Sola Scriptura (the Reformation principle of 'Scripture alone'), the Establishment of Scripture, the Case for Inerrancy, and the Internal Testimony of the Holy Spirit.

- Part two is "Sproul's detailed commentary on the nineteen articles of the Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy that was adopted by the ICBI in 1978. This commentary provides a fuller explanation and exposition of each of the articles in order to clarify the precise position of the council." 

This is a solid read, full of important definitions and clarifications related to this critical topic. Because it is pulled from different sources, there is a degree of overlap here, and it isn't (say) as systematically presented as I would prefer. It is largely accessible, though Sproul is clearly educated and will occasionally reference events, doctrines, or terms I have no familiarity with. So if you are new to this topic, this book isn't the place to start, but nevertheless is a valuable work full of important insights.

Rating: A-

Dune (Part 1)

With the book fresh in my mind, I turn to the recent Dune movies. Today: part one.

Dune: Part One covers the book from beginning through Paul's journey to the Fremen. Here, we see the Atreides take over Arrakis and then get betrayed. Paul flees with his mother into the desert, where only the Fremen can help them.

There was a lot to like in this film. The cast was excellent; the story stayed true to the book in the important aspects. I enjoyed the sets, visualizations, and production value. My main ding is the pacing; even separating the book into two films, it felt rushed. It diminished the suspense and my investment in the story. A solid effort, but I'll look to see how Part Two concludes the tale.

Rating: B

Dune (Frank Herbert)

As House Atreides prepares to take over Arrakis, the desert planet of giant worms and invaluable spice, they sense treachery is afoot from rival House Harkonnen, who appears in league with the Emperor himself. There are plans within plans within plans . . . and someone will fall. But perhaps victory is not as complete as it seems . . . and it could well be that the Fremen, native people of this cursed world, will receive their long-awaited savior in the process.

I read this in high school and forgot almost all of it. Reading it again now was a treat. It is more action-packed and fast-paced than I remembered. But it's more: Dune is both fantasy and science fiction, but a layered and original story looking at the temptations of power. It is clear the reader is dropped into a larger tale—and I love impression of depth—but I was confused at times by comments or references that would not be spelled out in this volume (and its ending clearly hints that much more is to come). I was hoping it would be a more stand-alone read, but that is a minor ding on an otherwise solid and enjoyable story.

Rating: A-

The memeing of it all

With the 2024 Olympics just ended, my Facebook feed is dominated by two people who stole the spotlight and 'went viral'—for opposite reasons.

1) Turkish shooter Yusuf Dikec made early headlines (and gave the world amazing meme fodder) when he, with apparent nonchalance and lack of high-tech aids sported by his counterparts, took silver in his competition. 

The memes were quick in coming . . .

. . . as were the stories. One circulating story claimed "he only recently took up shooting" and did so to cope with a divorce. (Reuters looks at the truth; that claim was originally published on a satirical site. Dikec has been in the Olympics since 2008.) Another (more obviously false) was that he was a Turkish assassin asked to come out of retirement for a quick contest.

2) Australian 'breaker' (break dancer) Rachael Gunn ("Raygun") broke the Internet when her routine . . . didn't look quite like the others. In a bad way. One pose in particular has since gone viral.

As with Dikec, stories started flying. Someone started a petition to look into her qualification, claiming it was rigged. Rumors abounded that her husband was judge in competitions leading to the Olympics (he wasn't) and other things.

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There were many more memorable moments, of course. NBC Sports released a video celebrated 10 of the most popular (though, interestingly, they skipped Rachael's). It was a fun time (for most), and it gives insight into our age.

We celebrate excellence and mock failure; that's probably always been true. But now we can do both with the creativity and speed that Photoshop and the Internet, respectively, enable. And, perhaps more importantly, misinformation is everywhere. We got to experience that personally in 2014.

Ten years ago, a picture of my son went viral. (He was awaiting his diaper change, fully clothed, on his changing table looking at a book.) Not to the degree these Olympians did, but enough that it shook us. What surprised me wasn't the memes that came out of it (most of those were quite funny), but the judging that took place alongside of them (read the linked post for that story). People were shockingly fast to judge—harshly—with nothing but a picture. About 80% of the comments on the original site to which it was posted attacked his parents, his hair, or other things. One friend was in tears as she read through the posts. The comments didn't bother us (that much), but it did show people were 1) cruel, and 2) making judgment on something they didn't understand. They took one picture out of context and used that as a basis of all sorts of judgment. Be careful what you post.

Is it wrong to make memes? As with many things in life, the answer is "it depends." Why are you doing it? Are you doing it to laugh with someone, to celebrate them, or to make fun of them in a way that they consider appropriate (in a sense that "hey, we all mess up")? Or are you doing it to laugh at someone, to mock them, and put them down? Intent and impact both matter.

Is it wrong to spread misinformation? Always. Truth matters. And in this age, sadly, our default should be verify first. (This will be particularly important in the upcoming elections.)

Back to the Olympics. I hope Yusuf doesn't think too highly of himself, nor Rachael too lowly. I hope she can laugh at the memes and not take them to heart. And I hope the misinformation fades away and truth sticks. Memes can be fun . . . but mind your conduct. And don't start, or spread, lies.

The Ever-Shifting Landscape

"The only constant is change." Heraclitus may have said that or something like it; sources conflict. And while I don't fully agree with the statement, it does highlight the ever-shifting realities we experience in life. And how hard they can be. One example recently on my mind is sports teams.

Last month, I talked about the 2024 Orioles. Since then, the MLB trade deadline has passed, and the Birds were quite active, trading for (or buying/signing) eight players. Since the MLB rosters are limited to 26 men, you can do the math on how drastically this has changed the team.* Screenshots below from fangraphs.com show their current roster (you can also find their depth chart per the MLB website). From there, you can see that 3/13 fielders and 5/13 pitchers are new as of June:

Pitching injuries drove many trades, with 7 Orioles hurlers currently sidelined:

I always find trades bittersweet. This year, we gave up a fan favorite and former all-star (Austin Hays) and a few prospects (including Kyle Stowers). Not the core of the team, but it's still hard to say goodbye. And it's hard to watch players you root for, and the team as a unit, shift around as the season goes. Change is hard.

But change is necessary. In baseball, work, church, or life, change happens. "For everything there is a season," as the Ecclesiastes writer states. I see this in my various activities all the time. Valued teammates, beloved friends, dear family . . . people come and go. Or people stay, but they change in marked ways due to age, infirmity, new life situations, and so on. What's the right way to respond? Perhaps it is as easy as Paul states: "give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you." (1 Thessalonians 5:18). Enjoy what you are doing, and who you are laboring with, at all times. Know that it won't last forever. Don't cling too closely to a moment, but don't ignore/neglect it either. It's hard, but good.

*or if you can't, it's 30%

The Hobbit Sketchbook (Alan Lee)

In The Hobbit Sketchbook, artist Alan Lee displays and explains "hundreds of his sketches and early conceptual pieces that reveal how the project [The Hobbit films] progressed from idea to finished art." 

In February, I reviewed The Lord of the Rings Sketchbook. My comments there apply here—I love Alan Lee's art and am delighted that his evocative, lyrical style was reflected in the films. And I never cease to be amazed at how much work goes into such movies . . . to think how many sketches were produced to create a few-second scene is mind-boggling. I enjoyed the commentary to that effect in addition to the pictures.

Rating: A

Everything Sad is Untrue (Daniel Nayeri)

A middle school student in Oklahoma, the refugee Daniel (former Khosrou) tells his story (and snapshots from that of his family's, stretching back generations) to a bored, disgusted, skeptical, and occasionally-interested audience. Khosrou was from Iran, but had to flee when his mom became a Christian. They went to the UAE, then Italy, then Oklahoma. Her Persian husband divorced her; she married a man in America who beats her. They were (and are) ignored, hated, loved . . . it can be complicated. They were once rich, but now are poor—all because of Jesus. Why would his mother give up riches, a good career, family, home, even her life? ". . . she'll tell you—it's worth it. Jesus is better."

"I don't know how my mom was so unstoppable despite all that stuff happening. I dunno. Maybe it's anticipation. Hope. The anticipation that the God who listens in love will one day speak justice. The hope that some final fantasy will come to pass that will make everything sad untrue." "Christ has died. Christ is risen. Christ will come again. This whole story hinges on it."

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This book is a powerful memoir, looking at what really matters, the pain of the refugee, our ultimate hope, and the power of stories. On that note, Daniel tells his tale through stories—part fact, part fiction—now indistinguishable in his mind through the muddling of years. And he frequently references Scheherazade and her stories in 1,001 Nights: "dear reader, you have to understand the point of all these stories Scheherazade was trying to make the king human again. She made him love life by showing him all of it . . . [so that] little by little, he began to feel the joy and sadness of others. He became less immune, less numb, because of the stories. And what about you?" "The point of the Nights is that if you spend time with each other—if we really listen in the parlors of our minds and look at each other as we were meant to be seen—then we would fall in love. We would marvel at how beautifully we were made."

"The truth is that everything has a hundred thousand flaws." "But what you believe about the future will change how you live in the present." "I knew we would be whole one day. Maybe it would take a thousand years. But we'd get there, little by little."

Rating: A