Diversify Your Reading

I don't usually join Book Reading Challenges. I love to read, but I don't want the pressure of having made a commitment to other people. And, I am not going to officially join this one either. I have already made a commitment to ensure racial and ethnic diversity of the authors I read. So, I was thrilled to find the blog Diversity Rocks: Adding Color to Your Reading List.

Hat Tip: Tami at Anti-Racist Parent

A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present

I am finding this book hard to review. First, the information covers two millennia of Christianity; there is a lot of information. But, as important, this text is written like a history textbook and represents, perhaps, my least favorite way to study history. But, I will do my best.

"When Jesus was persecuted by the European Herod, God sent him into Africa; by this we know that Africans have naturally a true spirit of Christianity." ~ The Children of the Sacred Heart in Northern Rhodesia, in 1958, quoted in J. Taylor and D. Lehmann, Christians of the Copperbelt (SCM, London, 1961) p. 167.

I found the beginning of the book the most interesting. Admittedly, I have studied this period of Christianity more than I have the others. The topic was familiar. I was annoyed by one little thing. The author of the book consistently referred to the Non-Chalcedonian Churches as the Monophysite churches. I reject that label and have written before, "The church split over semantics?" Because the Non-Chalcedonian churches do not teach that Christ had only one nature. They believe that the divine spirit and his physical, human body (Christ's two natures) are indivisible and cannot be separated.

I think I might agree with them. Not because I have any special understanding about Christ's nature. My spirit and body are indivisible and without separation. Our adult Sunday school class has been studying 1 John. It seems that the entire book addresses the fact that my body and spirit are indivisibly one. In the resurrection Christ's physical body and divine spirit became the first fruits of the resurrection. He is not ruling and reigning in heaven as a disembodied spirit. The church I belong to doesn't endorse or require fasting, celibacy or really any of the practices related to Christian asceticism. I am talking as an outsider. I hope not to offend or oversimplify the Lenten fast that Orthodox Christians are currently participating in. But, it seems that the entire reason for fasting is that there is a recognition that our body and spirit are one; fasting helps prepare our spirit for celebrating Christ's passion. The Western church seems to have lost this understanding.

When I became a Christian, the church's history became my history. It seems that after presenting the ancient church, the rest of the book highlighted the church's corporate sin. There were, of course, stories of the persecuted church and martyrs, but they were the exception. By far, the bigger story is a seemingly unending list of people, churches and political alliances. I knew, but didn't like to read again, about the church's involvement in the trans-Atlantic slave trade. The overall message of the book can best be summed up in the following quote:

There is too much failure among all Europeans in Nyassaland. The Three Combined Bodies: Missionaries, Government, and Companies or Gainers of money do form the same rule to look on a Native with mockery eyes. It sometimes startle us to see that the Three Combined Bodies are from Europe, and along with them there is a title 'CHRISTNDOM.' And to compare of make a comparison between the MASTER of the title and His Servants it pushes any African away from believing the Master of the title. If we had power enough to communicate ourselves to Europe, we would have advised them not to call themselfs 'CHRISTNDOM' but 'Europeandom.' We see that the title 'CHRISTNDOM' does not belong to Europe, but to future BRIDE. Therefore the life of the Three Combined Bodies is altogether too cheaty, too thefty, too mockery. ~ Charles Domingo

A plaque near the entrance of Elmina Castle

Perhaps part of the reason Christians were so poor at representing Christ to the people of Africa is that Christians seem to have an unfailing inability to read and follow the example of Scripture.

"While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.'" Acts 13:2 (NAS)

But, that isn't how missionaries were selected:

Someone, possibly deeply stirred at missionary meeting... feels constrained to offer for overseas service. Almost inevitably this 'offering' comes to be regarded as a 'holy call' to a sacrificial vocation. The whole idea becomes wrapped in a veil of romantic splendour...many may know that, mentally, physically or spiritually, the candidate is unsuitable for missionary service. (page 77)

One of the other themes I found interesting was how closely tied education is with evangelism. Missionaries held a virtual monopoly on education. I had never really thought of it before, but Christianity is a religion of the Word. Tribes that didn't have a written language needed one to study the Scripture. Missionaries needed to spend years living with a people group to learn their language. They had to put it into writing and teach the people how to read. I began to wonder how many converts were hunger for the written word and the power that comes with knowing how to read and write instead of being hungry for the Living word.

The last thing that I found interesting is that many Africans joined the church because they embraced a prosperity gospel. The Europeans are wealthier and more powerful than us; therefore, the European God must be stronger than our traditional gods. This belief, of course, is only good so long as the person embracing it feels that God is blessing them too. In the end, some Africans believed that there were "secret" teaching, spells and Scripture that the Europeans weren't sharing with them. And where did they get this anti-biblical prosperity gospel? Why from White missionaries of course! "I showed them a Bible and told them it was it that made our nation rich and powerful."

Sadly, the overall message of the book is that missionaries in Africa were totally unequipped to do their job. They didn't know how to interact with the culture. They opposed things that seem irrelevant and not grounded in biblical truth, for example round houses. There was not a culturally sensitive way with polygomy. Native converts were more successful at gaining converts. But, instead of equipping and commissioning them as pastors, priests and leaders in the newly planted churches, missionaries created mission villages and set themselves up as autocratic rulers. They made themselves political and spiritual leaders, judge and jury. They even dispensed capital punishment.

And, I will end on this sad note:

The Native is, we firmly believe, one of the best assets this country possesses. We need him to assist us to develop its vast resources, and he will help us, if we allow him, to make it a country in which an ever-increasing number of Europeans will live in comfort. (page 308)

I am really not surprised that anyone ever thought such a thing. Some thoughts just pop into your mind unexamined. But, to write it down, to be saved for generation after generation? Who thinks like that?

In today's headlines: Pope begins Africa tour

"Although the numbers of practicing Catholics are dwindling in the developed world, Africa, where some progress has been made toward democratization but conflicts and crises still simmer, is seen as vital to the future of a growing Church.

Image Source: Travel Blog, Photographer: Tamara Northcott

A Better Definition

Of post-evangelicalism:

Post-evangelicals are people who are basically looking back to the more ancient traditions of the church to influence and define their evangelicalism in the present. ~ Michael Spencer, blogging at iMonk, in interview with CNN’s Bob Costantini, Political Notebook (March 16, 2009)

This interview was still available as a podcast on iTunes.

Karant Jou

A Catholic Church in Virginia has opened an exhibit of Haitian art. The gallery is called Karant Jou, which is the Haitian Kreyol word for 40 Days and references Lent. I have started my preparation for Passover. My church is a non-liturgical church. It celebrates Christ's Resurrection on Easter Sunday. We follow the Western Calendar. So, our celebration will occur on April 12. But, there is no formal preparation for the day. The Eastern church is celebrating Pascha on April 19. Messianic Christians will celebrate Passover on April 9; they will begin their preparations after Purim, March 10.

In terms of my religion, I have been asked, "What are you?" The answer is always the same. I am a Christian. If people press, I tell them I am post-evangelical, but not emerging. Or, perhaps I am a happy enough evangelical who sees many flaws in her church, but doesn't believe there is a perfect church, particularly a perfect church that is geographically located in close proximity to her home. Those people who are non-Christians will generally drop out of the conversation at this time. Like the characters in The Memorandum, I am talking a nonsense language that only has meaning and value in the Christian community. I am not trying to be rude or purposely vague. I am part of a faith community because I believe that the Bible commands Christians to meet together and fellowship with other Christians. Still, at this point in my life, I really, truly don't clearly identify with any particular denomination. I have been disappointed in the Evangelical church, but I find the doctrine of the emerging church too loose to stand as a worldview upon which I can base my life. I lean toward a more traditional form of worship.

I do not claim to follow the ancient path. I don't know what path that is. I read the Bible, I read history. I read Rabbinic writings and try to understand the culture in Jerusalem at the time of Christ. I read the church fathers. I try to create traditions and a lifestyle in my home that reflect what I have learned. I think there is a lot of value in creating an environment in which my every act -- including what I eat, how I dress and how I spend my time -- becomes an act of worship. It means God is important all the time and not just on Sunday mornings. But, I suspect, my personal halakhah, that is the way I live out my faith will be in a state of flux for a long time. I don't like to change my lifestyle or habits on a whim. I want to know why I am doing what I am doing. So, karant jou, my own word for my own journey to Passover.

Currently, I celebrate Passover on the Wednesday before my church celebrates Christ's passion. This year these days happen to line up exactly. I will be celebrating Passover exactly when my Messianic friends are! Then, on Sunday morning I will go to church and celebrate First Fruits with my congregation. During the season leading up to Passover, I will remember my time as a prodigal and look forward to the hope I have in Christ. I prepare intellectually through the books I read.

This year, I am reading:

• A History of Christianity in Africa: From Antiquity to the Present by Elizabeth Isichei
• Great Lent: Journey to Pascha by Alexander Schmemann
• All the Messianic Prophecies of the Bible by Dr. Herbert Lockyer
• Including People with Disabilities in Faith Communities: A Guide for Service Providers, Families, and Congregations by Erik W. Carter
• Meditations on a Theme: A Spiritual Journey by Anthony Bloom
• The Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions by Arthur G. Bennett

I will also continue to read through the Proverbs, Psalms and the weekly Torah Portions.

The Garden Party and The Memorandum

My oldest daughter is home educated. Her curriculum has required her to read many of the books that sit unopened on our book shelves. We have a full set of the Great Book of the Western World. I joined her in reading many of these great works. She really didn't need me to follow along, but it meant that she and I would have common ground that would allow us to just talk. As I read them I realized that they were not as difficult to understand as I assumed and that they often contained treasures. Still, when selecting books for myself, I largely ignored these classics. So, I decided that every 5th book I read would be a book that was written at least 100 years ago. When I read 4 books, I dutifully pulled one of the Great Books off the shelf and read.

That pattern worked well for a while. Then, I began parenting two children from the African diaspora; they arrived in home via International Adoption. Their home country is Haiti. I wanted to fill our home with literature from the African community. So, I began looking for an African American or Pan African "Canon," literature that is either of a particularly high quality or had great historical influence. My search didn't yield any results. But, it did make me question my own Western Canon -- books that reflect the thoughts of the ancient Greeks, writings popular in the Roman Empire, thoughts from Reformation and Renaissance thinkers. It made me wonder if there was such a thing as an Eastern Canon. As I searched, I came across A Lifetime's Reading: The World's 500 Greatest Books. If I stay on schedule I should finish this list when I am 96.

Anyway, I just finished reading The Garden Party and The Memorandum by Vaclav Havel. These two plays are on the list of 500 Greatest Books. Truthfully, I didn't think I wouldn't enjoy these plays. These satirical works criticize governmental, bureaucratic inefficiency. Taken out of context, each line might be considered in the genre of nonsense literature. But, together the plays are timeless masterpieces. I was surprised at how familiar I was with the world according to Vaclav Havel.

In The Memorandum a government bureaucracy has begun using an artificial language that is supposed to increase the precision with which we communicate.

"Ptydepe is built according to an entirely logical principle: the more common the meaning, the shorter the word. Thus, for example, the most commonly used term so far known -- that is the term 'whatever' -- is rendered in Ptydepe by the word 'gh'."

As I read that I thought, "Oh, the author must have a teenager!'

But, my mind wandered even farther as I read The Garden Party. I had recently received a rather nasty personal email about a blog entry I wrote in which I shared that I was not a member of the Homeschool Legal Defense Association and that I didn't agree with all of their political views. And I read:

"Stop it, for God's sake! This way we'll never get along together! If you mean to torpedo the friendly atmosphere I've managed to create among you under the guise of an open discussion, and furthermore, to undermine the success of our garden party -- then there's no place for you in the close-knit ranks of our collective! I won't stand for rowdyism here!"

That email was not the first (and I am sure it won't be the last) time I have felt like an outsider around Christians. I don't share their political views. Even my spiritual views lean away from traditional Western Christianity. I used to blog on a site dedicated to Conservative Christian home educators. I moved my blog because I all too often felt as if I had stepped on someone's toes. It is a good thing that I have learned that a Christian follows Christ and not other Christians or I would have left the church a long, long time ago. (Okay, I just started humming 'American Pie.')

Then, just because I thought this was completely funny, reflecting exactly how I feel about mainstream media:

MRS PLUDEK: Hugo is nicely taken care of. Shouldn't we now look out for something for Peter? After all, he too is our child.

PLUDEK: Oh, we'll find something for him. He might go to work for some paper.

MRS PLUDEK: Wouldn't they mind him looking like a bourgeois intellectual? If only he'd stop wearing those glasses!

PLUDEK: They haven't got a single intellectual among them, so they're bound to think better a bourgeois one than none at all. At least he knows which way is up. Did somebody ring?

Well, of course there are some individual news people whom I respect greatly. Paul Harvey, September 4, 1918 – February 28, 2009, may you find eternal rest. Good Day!

Anyway, these two plays were fun reads. In fact, I suspect that I will read the 5 other plays that are contained in this book. But, first, I will be starting my Lenten reading.

February Summary

I read 8 books this month. This is an amazing accomplishment as it surpasses the number of books I read in total since becoming the mother of two preschoolers in May. My goal was helped considerably in that my husband was traveling 2 of the 4 weeks. I get way more play and way less sleep when he is gone. He generally tells me when it is time to go to bed. Apparently, I'm not grown yet! I think my favorite was Kindred by Octavia Butler. Marissa read this and enjoyed it too. In fact, when she finished reading it she went directly to the library and checked out more books by the same author.

This might be against the rules on a book blog, but I also want to recommend a documentary I watched this month. I had first heard of the book when I was browsing Shelfari looking for book recommendations. When I went to Amazon to see about buying the book and learned that the book was available as a documentary on DVD, I decided that I would just rent the DVD. I had hoped that it would be engaging enough to interest my oldest daughter. Well, she is smart enough to know when she is being tricked into learning something. But, I enjoyed the discussion. The video uses actors to portray the historical CS Lewis and Sigmund Freud and follows their journeys which ultimately leads Lewis to Christianity and in which Freud embraces atheism. The narration is interupted at intervals so that a group of people from different religious beliefs can take part in a round table discussion about the worldviews of the two men.

It feels good to be thinking again!