Stephen Hamblin: ¡viva la revolución!

Purpose: The revolution lives! Against unumerable odds resistance fighters are ammasing globally to take a stand for truth and justice against the prevailing forces of tyrany and oppression. Even now, resistance fighters are infultrating the emboldened bastions of some of the most influencial despots ever know. Support thier stand for the truth in all things! Join the resistance movement in your community! ¡viva la revolución!

Theme:

Francis A. Schaeffer

Books

Essential Reading

• Love You God with All Your Mind: The Role of Reason in the Life of the Soul
  J.P. Moreland
  Description:
  The mind plays an important role in Christianity. Unfortunately, many of us leave our minds behind when it comes to our faith.
  In Love Your God with All Your Mind, J.P. Moreland presents a logical case for the role of the mind in spiritual transformation. He challenges us to develop a Christian mind and to use our intellect to further God's kingdom through evangelism, apologetics, worship, and vocation.

• The Universe Next Door: A Basic Worldview Catalog
  James W. Sire
  Description:
  With over a quarter million copies in print in three editions, The Universe Next Door has established itself as the premier textbook on worldviews. In clear, readable prose, James W. Sire explains the basics of Christian theism, deism, naturalism, nihilism, existentialism, Eastern pantheistic monism, New Age philosophy and postmodernism. In an increasingly pluralistic academic environment, the ability to inderstand and evaluate various worldviews is vitally important.

• Total Truth
  Nancy Pearcey
  Description:
  Does God belong in the public arena of politics, business, law, and education? Or is religion a private matter only—personally comforting but publicly irrelevant?
  In today’s cultural etiquette, it is not considered polite to mix public and private, or sacred and secular. This division is the single most potent force keeping Christianity contained in the private sphere—stripping it of its power to challenge and redeem the whole of culture.
  In Total Truth, Nancy Pearcey offers a razor-sharp analysis of the public/private split, explaining how it hamstrings our efforts at both personal and cultural renewal. Ultimately it reflects a division in the concept of truth itself, which functions as a gatekeeper, ruling Christian principles out of bounds in the public arena.

• Systematic Theology Volume One
  Dr. Norman Geisler
  Description:
  As Dr. Norman Geisler explains and defends the essentials that make Christian belief possible- the preconditions- he lays a thorough foundation for Christian faith that will instruct theologians, pastors, and students for years to come. Building on that foundation, Geisler's bibliology, including the inspiration and authority of the Bible, has been called "the most extensive defence of the consistent evangelical view of holy Scripture available."

Suggested Reading

• Habits of the Mind: Intellectual Life as a Christian Calling
  James W. Sire

• Time for Truth: Living Free in a World of Lies, Hype, & Spin
  Os Guinness
  Notes here.

• Unspeakable: Facing Up to Evil in an Age of Genocide and Terror
  Os Guinness

• How to Read Slowly: Reading for Comprehension
  James W. Sire

• Hollywood Worldviews: Watching Films with Wisdom and Discernment
  Brian Godawa

• Orthodoxy
  G.K. Chesterton
  Notes here (work in progress).

• Truth Decay: Defending Christianity Against the Challenges of Postmodernism
  Douglas Groothuis

• Your Mind Matters
  John R.W. Stott

Other Reading- Not Necessarily Suggested

• The Radical Reformission
  Mark Driscoll
  I read this book primarily for two reasons. First, at one point it seemed to cause quite a stir ammoung both my group of freinds and the higher-ups in the church I was attending- though I do find it most noteworthy that all the commotion died down after no more that two months and everything is back to its typical state (which, though it pains me deeply, I will not expound upon any more that I already have). Second, I found it for about 3 bucks, and I figured 'what the heck.' Overall its not a terrible book, but niether is it particularly good in any sence. There are certianly better ones on the topic, but it is what it is.

• Simplicity
  Mark Solomen
  Though this book is, on the whole, rather un-noteworthy, it is an entertaining read for Stavesacre/Mark Solomen fans. Mark chronicals portions of his life to the extent of giving his readers a back drop to understand his (and to a large extent Stavesacre's) divorce of the "Christian" industry, especially relating to music.
  What is of particular interest is the 'pattern' of life that Mark reveals. This pattern is not unique to Mark, Stavesacre, or even Christian bands, however I would hazard to say it is, to some extent, unique to people who have been raised in a "Christian home." Though I see it most flagrantly within the last few generations, I am not sure I can limmit it's time scale so drastically. Sometime I would like to outline this pattern more intensly, and examine Mark's trip though it, along with my own.
  VERY sketchy notes here.

• Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell
  Aldous Huxley

Books to be read (hopefully soon):

• Philosophical Foundations for a Christian Worldview
  J.P. Moreland
  I have been wanting to dive into this one for a long time, but have not yet found time to do so. It is as much for fun as it is for enrichment.

• The Intellectual Life: Its Spirit, Conditions, Methods
  A. G. Sertillanges
  This book was HEAVILY quoted in Habits of the Mind. I am interested in reading the source.

• The Francis A. Schaeffer Trilogy: The 3 Essential Books in 1 Volume: The God Who Is There/Escape from Reason/He Is There and He Is Not Silent
  Francis A. Schaeffer
  Ever since I read about Schaeffer in Total Truth I have been exceedingly eager to read some of his work and examine his approach to integration. I have seen recommendations to begin with this book.

• How Should We Then Live? The Rise and Decline of Western Thought and Culture
  Francis A. Schaeffer
  Similarly, I have seen recommendations to read this book next.

Literature

• Sidhartha
  Hermann Hesse
  Sidhartha is one of the first novels that I became lost in the author's world. Hesse brings elements of Eastern Monism into a form that can be easily read by those brought up in Western thought.

• Heart of Darkness
  Joseph Conrad
  See the my incomplete notes here.

• The End of the Tether
  Joseph Conrad
  After reading the introduction of of a book containing Youth, Heart of Darkness, and The End of the Tether, I decided it would be worth the read someday. Eventually I did get around to it, and found myself engulfed in Conrad's style once again. I find myself overcome by Conrad's ability to engage my senses in ways I once though too slow and tedious, but now thoroughly delight in. Carefully crafting the details of each scene, Conrad produces places that though we may have never experienced personally, seem all too real none the less. However, in this story his characters are the true mark of his literary mastery. Each character is revealed and described with such accurasy that the reader might almost pick them out of a crowd upon sight.

• Lord of the Flies
  William Golding
  "And in the middle of them, with filthy body, matted hair, and unwiped nose, Ralph wept for the end of innocence, the darkness of a man's heart, and the fall through the air of the true, wise friend called Piggy."

• The Last of the Mohicans
  James Fenimore Cooper
  This was not only the first book I read after moving to Little Rock, it was the first book I read in high school. Back then I was far too preoccupied to enjoy it. Having no television in Little Rock, I allowed myself to appriciate reading a book for the first time in a long time.

  Literature to be read (sometime...)

• The Plague
  Albert Camus
  I have heard wonderful things about this book, the characters, and the ideas expressed there in. I am eager to read this book, and have been for some time now, but have not made an opportunity to do so.

• Night
  Elie Wiesel
  I read Night back in high school, but I can not remember any more than that fact. Having encountered many references in Unspeakable, I am eager refresh my memory and explore what Os Guiness calls one "the two strongest and most anguished outcries against believing in God in light of evil in modern literature."

• The Brothers Karamazov
  Fyodor Dostoyevsky
  I have never read anything by Dostoyevsky, but I read references to his work in many publications. I am particularly interested in reading this book as Guiness sited it as the other strongest and most anguished outcries against believing in God in light of evil in modern literature."

• Lord of the Flies
  William Gerald Golding
  Agian, something I read in Unspeakable prompted me to investigate this book. Now if I could only remember what it was...

• 1984
  George Orwell
  Another book I read in high school that I have only a sketchy memory of. With everything being labeled "Orwellian" these days, I would like to jog my memory.

• Brave New World
  Aldous Huxley
  Huxley is a trip (See also Doors of Perception). I just want to examine his worldview, other than that I am not particularly interested in this book.

• The Great Gatsby
  F. Scott Fitzgerald
  This is another one I read in high school that I would like to revisit sometime. Should be a fun and easy read.

Quotes

A man said to the universe:
"Sir, I exist."
"However," replied the universe,
"The fact has not created in me
A sense of obligation."

- Stephen Crane from War is Kind and Other Lines

"The Tyranny of the Urgent"

- Charles Hummel

"The turning away from the truth at the behest of disordered passions does not mean that the mind will stop functioning; it only means that that mind will not percieve truth. Worse, I would add: not only will the mind not percieve truth, it will succumb to falsehood masquerading as truth...Man's mind is supple, and it can be made to believe anything to which his will inclines."

- James W Sire et al. from Habbits of the Mind

"Keep your soul free. What matters most in life is not knowledge, but character"

- A. G. Sertillanges from The Intellectual Life

"God created man in His own image and man returned the favor."

- Voltaire

"Anything that is too stupid to be spoken is sung."

- Voltaire

"When two men agree on everything, one of them is doing all the thinking"

- Sam Rayburn

Art

• Vincent Van Gogh

  Though I have always felt Van Gogh has become far too trendy with my generation, whose trends I put a substantial effort in avoiding, I have grown, through my reading of Huxley's Doors of Perception and Heaven and Hell, quite fond of his later works. I hope to aquire the necessary images to create my own virtual gallery, highlighting and commenting on my personal favorites.
  [http://www.vggallery.com]

• M.C. Escher

  "Although I am absolutely innocent of training or knowledge in the exact science, I often seem to have more in common with mathematicians than with my fellow artists"

  - M.C. Escher

  Escher's work is the mind's playground, especially the technically oriented mind.
  [http://www.mcescher.com]

• Sandro del Prete

  I stumbled across del Prete's work in an illusion book I purchased. Similar in style to Escher, I was immediately fascinated and delighted with it. I know very little about del Prete, hopefully I will be able to aquire a copy of his book sometime in the future. The website also leaves something to be desired, but contains useful content none the less.
  [http://www.illusoria.com]

• Hubble Images

  The Hubble Space Telescope has given us a myriad of images previously unimagined, including the Hourglass Nebula I am particularly fond of. Why put images taken from the Hubble Space Telescope in the art section? A good question indeed...
  [http://www.hubblesite.org]

Architecture

• The Biltmore Estate

  Located in Ashville, North Carolina, the Biltmore Estate embodies the life of luxury during the Guilded Age in America, complete with in hot and cold running water, central heating, electricity, and countless of aminities. It could be said of George Valderbilt, the estate's visionary, that he was more artistic than buisness minded, and that had a great influence on the building of the estate. He invisioned an estate that was self-sufficient, but also lacked nothing artistically. By enlisted the help of two men, Richard Morris Hunt an architect, and Fredrick Law Olmsted a land landscape architect, George Vanderbilt was able to realize this vision.
  [http://www.biltmore.com]
  Biltemore Estate Webpage
  [http://www.jssgallery.org/Paintings/Richard_Morris_Hunt.htm]
  The only decent Richard Morris Hunt webpage I have been able to find

  I have recently aquired many books concerning the Biltmore Estate, the Vanderbilt family, and Richard Morris Hunt. I hope to tear through them and add some interesting commentary to this section at some point.

  • A Guide to Biltmore Estate
    Rachel Carley and Rosemary G. Rennicke
    Purchased at the Biltmore

  • Biltmore Estate: The Most Distinguished Private Place
    John M. Bryan

  • Fortunes Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt
    Arthur T. Vanderbilt II

  • The Vanderbilts
    Jerry E. Patterson

  • Families of Fortune: Life in the Guilded Age
    Alexis Gregory

  • The Architecture of Richard Morris Hunt
    Edited by Susan R. Stein

  Additionally, I would some day like to visit the Newport Mansions, several of which were built by Vanderbilts. After examining the books I currently have, I will try to find more on the Newport Mansions.
  [http://www.newportmansions.com]

Movies

One of my aspirations is to someday start a crital movie study whose purpose will be to observe ideas and concepts as promoted (knowingly or unknowingly) in a movie and formulate an articulate, intelligent responce to those ideas. I am currently attempting to develop a 'plan of attack' if you will. This work in progress is stored here.

These Movies are of interest for many different reasons. Sometime they will be the topic of further study and commentary. For now they will recorded so as to refresh my memory when it fails me.

Movies to be watched:

• se7en (1995)
  By ignoring moral absolutes, society no longer believes in sin, thus can not condemn it.

• 12 Monkeys (1995)
  Fate?

• Oh Brother, Where Art Thou (2000)
  Fate, and the positive treatment of a thiestic worldview. It is hard to believe in science, not God.

• The Usual Suspects (1995)
  Theory of knowledge to reality itself ???

• Natural Born Killers (1994)
  Consequences of actions ???

• Reservoir Dogs (1992)
  ???

  Movies that have been watched, need to be studied:

• Lock, Stock, and two Smoking Barrels (1998)
  Fate Film - Karmic Mix

• Snatch (2000)
  Fate Film - Karmic Mix

• Trainspotting (1996)
  Drugs, character outlook- didn't care much in the end.

• Requim for a Dream (2000)
  Drugs, good portrayal of addiction. Cause and Effect relationship- consequences for actions

• Pi (1998)
  Math, nature, God - how do they tie in together

• Memento (2000)
  The nature of knowing- how do we know?

• Fight Club (1999)
  Experience over knowledge

• Dark City (1998)
  Mind-Body

• The Thirteenth Floor (1999)
  Mind-Body

• Cube (1997)
  Group of people must rely on each others skill to figure out how to get out of a cube prison.

• The Butterfly Effect (2004)
  Yes, a bit goofy, but still good cause and effect relationships

• Saving Private Ryan (1998)
  Promotion of good morals, self-sacriface

• Good Will Hunting (1997)
  Dont know what to do with this one yet...

• Eyes Wide Shut (1999)
  Yes, its softcore porn, but how does it treat Cause and Effect relationships- consequences for actions

Christian Topics/Studies

• Personal Notes concerning the Mosaic Covenant
  Is the Mosaic Covenant in effect today? What did Jesus say about it? What about the Jews? What about the Gentiles? These are my notes for a cursory introduction to these questions.

• Honoring God with Our Finances
  Too many people, especially Christians, are shakled by the grip money has on thier lives. When finances are reviewed and critiqued from a Godly perspective, we find that money no longer enslaves us, but becomes yet another vehical by which we can display God's plan to the world.

• Agape Love
  The entirity of the law was summarized in two statements- Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind. Love your neighbor as yourself. Sounds easy enough, but what can we really say about love? How do we really love God? Thankfully God has answered that question, and has given us a progression to follow in growing in to agape love.

• The Seven Churches in Revelation
  Why are they significant, and what can we learn from them today?

• Guys and Sexual Purity
  Though I would normally like to leave this one alone, it has been a hot topic lately, and I believe many people are really missing the point.

• The River
  Someday I hope to write a (very) short story about The River

• Jewish Insights
  Someday I would like to make a list of cool things I have learned from and about Judaism. This will probably never be done though...

Cosmology

Ever since I was a small child I have always gaved up into the night sky with a sense of awe and wonder. The beauty of the universe is quite breath taking. It's order and complexity are overwhelming. The vastness of space is almost unthinkable.

I find that I am not alone in my admiration of the cosmos; I have had the pleasure of meeting people from all walks of life share this admiration. It almost seems as if there is something built-in to mankind that inclines our creativity toward the heavens, as if to understand some kind of cosmic story that has been laid out for us...

Movies

• 2001: A Space Odyssey
  [http://www.2001principle.net/]

• Contact
  My brother wrote an email to me shortly after watching Contact. Sadly, the university system and a great number of cosmologists seem to miss the most wonderful aspect of cosmology all together...

  Books

• The Fingerprint of God
  Hugh Ross

• The Creator and the Cosmos
  Hugh Ross
  Not yet read

• Beyond the Cosmos
  Hugh Ross
  Not yet read

• Lights in the Sky & Little Green Men: A Rational Christian Look at UFOs and Extraterrestrials
  Hugh Ross, Kenneth Samples, Mark Clark
  Not yet read
  I was a bit skeptical concerning this book and Dr. Ross when I first was it. I Must say however, that I am now incredibly impresses with him after hearing him as a guest on a radio talk show program. I look foward to finding time to read more of his books.

  Websites

• James Webb Space Telescope
  [http://www.jwst.nasa.gov/]

• Wilkinson Microwave Anisotropy Probe
  [http://map.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html]

  More to come...