Just a little book talk

Oh, my friends... my stacks are nice and neat but you should see them when they've fallen over on the floor! At least I keep all my library books on a captain's chair next to the breakfront. Especially those I borrow from the library that charges for late books and DVDs.

I still enjoy coming home from a library sale and dumping all the books out on the living room carpeting... going through each new (and cheap) treasure. I don't enjoy finding a place to put them.

When we were in our elementary school years of homeschooling, kid's books were still a quarter a piece at the sales. We'd come home with three grocery bags of books at a time. Friends who started homeschooling even earlier told me you could still find plenty of Landmark books for a quarter before that... they were popular enough that one was fortunate to find them later. Now all books are at least a dollar but still a great deal.

I didn't attend the last two library sales, feeling my budget must go to living expenses and eating instead. As much as I love books, I love eating even more (even in the summer when I don't have much of an appetite). :)

I was asked if we read the Harry Potter books. Well, it probably won't surprise you that we didn't. I was very careful about the books, films, and TV that both my kids watched when they were young because of my past experiences. I was even known to be careful what families my children spent the night with if I thought they would be exposed to defiling videos.

When I was a teenager, I loved Dark Shadows... hurrying home from school to watch it on TV. Because of that show, I took a journey into the occult for awhile. Thankfully, I came to learn better and threw all that away but it showed me the power of "story" influencing young minds.

Of course, Christopher is now free to read them if he wants and he did watch one or two of the movies when it was on TV. The older he got, the more freedom he had in his choices. Because of my past experience, I prefer not to bring into the home anything that remotely glorifies witchcraft or the occult.

However, I fully understand there are Christians who did read and enjoy the series. I don't put anyone down as each family is different. Christopher and I watched and enjoyed a few Japanese anime' series when he was young, something I know a few Christian families would not watch because of their Eastern religion worldview. (Which we discussed as we watched them.)

I think we can overdo screening our children's literature. There was a website years ago when we first started homeschooling where the mother preached against books like Anne of Green Gables because the girls got into trouble. Hello... isn't that the point of the literature? Anne learned from the consequences of her bad decisions and our children learned along with her.

Stephanie has a friend who doesn't read books to her children that have animals talking (no Narnia???) because they do not talk in real life. Although she certainly doesn't agree, she knows she must respect her friend's opinion as a parent.

At the same time, I wanted to keep both of my children as undefiled as possible (when they were young) by the worst the world has to offer. I had no filters on what I read or saw as a child... including some of the vilest magazines and books available at the time. How I wish there had been a gatekeeper to protect me from those visual images.

As both of my kids became a teenager and (of course) a young adult... they had more control of their reading materials as well as videos (now DVDs). The older they got, the more I wanted them to use their own discernment.

So... all that to say I don't put people down because of what they choose to read... or watch... or what Bible translation they use. I'm not hesitant to say what we have decided as a family and give the reasons why (as with my past experiences with the occult) but when my best friend at the time couldn't wait until the next Harry Potter book came out... it didn't hurt our friendship. (She moved away, that is why she is no longer my best friend here at home) :)

Oh, the Elizabeth George I mentioned is the one who wrote A Woman After God's Own Heart, which is one of her books I've reread often.

I've seen the novelist Elizabeth George books at library sales. I loved watching the Inspector Lynley series on PBS Mystery, which was based on one of her books. It was so interesting.

As so many comments said... so many books, so little time.

Picture: A Good Book; allposters.com

Not a Potter fan

Carmon has a great post about the new Potter book which came out this past weekend. I'm not a fan of these books at all. I know... how can someone who loves fantasy and scifi not love Potter? It's just a personal thing. I like the genre when it is written from a Christian worldview, where Good and Evil coincide with my own beliefs as an evangelical Christian.

I like fantasy in the realm of Tolkien and Lewis, L'Engle and Lloyd Alexander.

For instance, Babylon 5 is one of my favorite TV shows and it is in no way a "Christian" TV show. However, the writer/creator fellow was a nonpracticing Catholic and there is truly a war of Good and Evil within the show and the people who end up winning in the end represent my own opinion of what is good and what is evil. The good guys are, well...good.

I understand there are Christians who disagree and that is fine. One of my best friends at the time the first book came out let her oldest read the book while my son was not allowed. It didn't stop us from being friends (we both ended up moving to follow husband's jobs a couple years later).

I saw an interview with a librarian on the news the evening the books were coming out (at Midnight). She was asked if it was true the Potter books made the kids read more. She said for most of the kids she knew, they only read more Potter books... not more books.

Christopher was out to dinner with friends and stopped by Borders the evening the book came out. He was given a necklace when he told them he wasn't a Harry fan. That makes him a muggle or nuggle or something like that. He asked me if there is a special crown in Heaven for people who refuted Potter? :)

ADDED NOTE: Just to repeat, I do know other Christians who have read these books and enjoyed them. I don't want to get into any discussion if it is right or wrong because I truly believe we are all different. I know some people who are appalled that I love some SciFi on TV!

Regarding Gordon MacDonald

Concerns regarding Gordon MacDonald were brought up in Comments on my previous post. I wanted to look into it a little more as the person who brought up the concerns is someone I respect a great deal. So the following are my thoughts and just my own personal opinion (and not necessarily what anyone else would agree with).

I know we all look at qualifications for ministry differently and I don't want to cause any discussion (especially with favorite blog friends!). It's just that I don't have a problem with MacDonald being in ministry after having an affair many years ago. He has repented of it and is well known in the Christian community as being a help to ministers who have given into the temptation of sexual sin.

I've been on staff at two churches as "paid staff" and another for a year as a volunteer staff member and I have had many friends who are pastors. Believe me, the temptation toward adultery is perhaps the most difficult for these men to handle. I was just talking to my son about it recently, that I believe churches should not be set up for male pastors to be the counselors of women for it is just asking for emotional closeness to begin, which can lead to physical adultery. (My son's young men's Bible study was studying emotional adultery this week.)

Regarding his journaling, I don't believe what he is talking about is the New Age kind of journaling. It's not any different than what I do when I open my Bible and pray, asking God for His wisdom and write out my own thoughts. For, if within us is the Holy Spirit, then that is who will be our teacher. I look at the entire body of work a person has written and he always leads people to the Cross.

It's for that reason that I always add a caution when talking about my love for Alexandra Stoddard's books. She does have some New Age philosophy in hers but I know it is coming. I recently purchased a book from Goodwill called Shelter for the Spirit; How to Make Your Home a Haven in a Hectic World by Victoria Moran. She has great decorating and design suggestions but she definitely leans towards the New Age, too. I just ignore that part.

I did a Google search about Gordon MacDonald and found the site that speaks most harshly about him also speaks against many ministries, making them sound absolutely evil. I have been aware of this site for a long time and frankly, I cringe whenever I read it. The person has long called Dobson evil because he has a degree in Psychology (which is REQUIRED to do the job he did as a child psychologist). The man has set himself up as judge and jury and speaks against such people as: MacDonald, Dobson, Bill Hybels, Henry Cloud, Brennan Manning, Dallas Willard, Joseph Stowell, Rick Warren, Richard Foster, Calvin Miller, Philip Yancey, and others. All because they do not follow his narrow theology.

Now, I know there are people who don't agree with some of the above and I certainly don't share the theology of everyone I read. However, there are good people there and none I'd considered evil. For instance, Philip Yancey is one of my very favorite authors for he is brave enough to write about the very questions I have had...why does God allow me to suffer...and such.

I read The Purpose Driven Life during a very dark time in my life (we were living in a hotel room with all our "stuff" in storage and came within a half an hour of being on the streets...long story...has a everything to do with my husband's illness before Disability). I remember telling my daughter how much it had helped me...at the same time her pastor was preaching against it. One of my favorite apologists for the Faith is Lee Strobel, a former athiest and attorney who has now written many wonderful books. He started his quest for truth after hearing a sermon by Bill Hybels.

Now, to be honest, there are preachers on TV that drive me a little (okay, a lot) nuts. Just last night my husband and I were watching a program when it was followed by one of "those" preachers that we think are way too far out for our taste. But you'll never hear me speak against them here because they do still "teach Christ", just not in the way I prefer. If someone wants to pay $50.00 for a jar of healing oil...well, it is their money and if it works, God bless them.

The person who writes that website also warns people against attending any Promise Keepers conferences because it is "Charismatic and Catholic"...which it is not. But what if it is? Hey, I was a Presbyterian but I attend an interdenominational Charismatic church. Okay, so I'm a Calvinist Charismatic but there are more of us than you'd think.

If people went on caricatures of what is written about Charismatics, they'd think we were people who talked to each other in tongues, started praying out loud during the sermon, had absolutely no order in our services, and slithered on the floor holding poison snakes. Instead, there are more PhD types there than you'd want to meet in your life (with apologies to my Dr. Son-in-law), highly educated, well read, and somewhat reserved Christians. We do not teach "health and wealth", nor do we beat our children with a rod.

The man who spouts such venom against Charismatics would walk in our church and be convinced we're probably Baptists if you look just on the outside and don't read that part of the Statement of Faith that says we believe the gifts of the Holy Spirit are in operation today. Oh, and I have no problem with people who hold different views at all. I don't believe salvation has anything to do with our view of the gifts of the Spirit.

So, why am I spending so much time writing about this? Because I grew up in a home that didn't know Christ. When I wanted to go to church, my parents would drop me off for Sunday School at any old church and pick me up when it was over. My parents listened to gospel music but wanted nothing to do with formal religion. All because my mom grew up in a legalistic church and was constantly told she was going to Hell because she was more of a free spirit than her siblings.

She truly believed she didn't have what it took to be a Christian because she didn't fit the narrow limits of her denomination. She was appalled when I came home (in my teens) one day and told her I'd accepted Christ as Saviour. She even told me she hoped it was just a passing phase and I'd get over it. All because of laws and rules and not fitting into one denomination's way of living out the Christian life. She eventually did "get saved" but she never...ever...absolutely never...found peace or joy because of her early teachings.

I have said many times that I became a Christian during the Jesus People movement. We were, for the most part, young people who were not part of any organized churches but were drawn to Christ by...Himself. For...most of us had no idea how to be "saved" but there grew a seed of "something" within us that knew we had to find Christ or we'd perish.

Those who were raised in churches were from all kinds...including Presbyterians, Lutherans, and Catholics. Some were hippies, especially on the West Coast. (Unlike what Wikipedia says, they were not ALL hippies.) In the Christian coffeehouse ministry in which I was a part, there were a lot of Jesus People engineering students. Now you can't get much more "non-hippy" than that...well, perhaps accountants.

Now, I believe one does need to follow what their chosen denomination teaches or it would bring about problems. For instance, I was married by the Associate Pastor of our Presbyterian church I attended at the time because the Senior Pastor was at L'Abri studying with Francis Schaeffer. My Associate Pastor happened to be a woman and my fiance and I had no problem with that. The church I attend now does not allow women to be pastors so, having put myself under that doctrinal authority, if I were to be married today...the ceremony would not be performed by a woman. Different denomination... different teaching... still respecting those who are in authority. (I don't plan on getting married again, after thirty-two years mine is just beginning to understand me.)

So....my apologies to anyone just stopping by to chat about tea and books...but since I do recommend authors from time to time who may be controversial, I just wanted my blog friends to know from whence I speak. Hmmm...is whence a word?