Books This Week:

Michael Lewis’s Next. The Synopsis: Adolescents, with the aid of the Internet, show how to subvert the power structure of Capitalism. It is the essence of youth and the continual power struggle between the Inside and the Outside, the Hierarchichal (pyramid) and the Peer-to-Peer (Pancake), the Traditionalists and the Inventors, that continue to drive technology at an ever-increasing rate towards…whatever’s coming next.

T.M. Moore’s Redeeming Pop Culture, a much too wordy book, but with a few insights. The Synopsis: Christians should live in the world, learn from the world, then transform the world.

“All the notable endowments that manifest themselves among unbelievers are gifts from God.”
John Calvin (61)

Jonathan Edwards steps to Growing Your Intellect in a God-Focused Way:

“1. Be assiduous in reading the Holy Scriptures.

2. Content not yourselves with only a cursory reading, without regarding the sense.

3. Procure, and diligently use, other books which may help you to grow in this knowledge.

4. Improve conversation with others to this end.

5. Seek not to grow in knowledge chiefly for the sake of applause, and to enable you to dispute with others; but seek it for the benefit of your souls, and in order to practice.

6. Seek to God, that he would direct you, and bless you in this pursuit after knowledge.

7. Practice according to what knowledge you have.”

“Believing that the only reaosn to create popular art is for evangelism, Christians portray religion as a narrow aspect of life, instead of as a life orientation. But if Christ is Lord over all things, then the popular art that Christians produce should not only affirm but also demonstrate this profound belief in God’s sovreign rule.”
Romanowski (155)