“God of all grace, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who knows the enemies of Your Church and are able to thwart all their designs; protect us against all tyrants, heretics, and hypocrites. Hear our prayer and grant us to love Your Word, to promote Your honor upon the earth, and to continue in Your service always even to the end. Amen.”
You will certainly laugh. You might possibly cry. And undoubtedly you will find The Charlatan’s Boy speaking to your own heart and life. Jonathan Rogers’ latest novel is a story that combines charm, humor and insight in such a way as to make a unique impression upon the reader. You almost get the sense that you are listening to the yarn of an old, southern gentleman, while sipping sweet tea on the front porch. There is a certain flow that carries you along like a river; a purposeful meandering that allows you to take in those moments when you realize that you are hearing your own story. In the way that only good fiction can, Charlatan’s Boy is a clear window through which you are able to gaze upon your own existence. Who doesn’t want to belong? Who doesn’t give consideration to who they really are, to their true identity from time to time? Mr. Rogers explores these questions and themes, and even poses some witty insights on the subject of community. Of course, to even speak of the story in such categories is almost a disservice, so buy a copy and enjoy. It is a great read for the whole family.
This story is about life This story is about love. This story is about redemption. But I would imagine that this story is not quite like any story you have read before. Despite the familiar themes, they cut across one another in such a way so as to give the book a grainy texture that is refreshing and unique. “The Beginning” alone is worth the read, and is so poignantly written that you cannot help but be drawn into the story. Mind you, this is not a book for the faint of heart nor the immature, but it will resonate with the reader that is attuned to the fact that living in this world is neither simple nor easy. Set in Colonial America, author Pete Peterson has written a moving story in The Fiddler’s Gun. Buy a copy and get to reading. The sequel, Fiddler’s Green, will be released December 7th.
In this past Sunday’s sermon on Genesis 4:17-26, I made reference to a piece written by James Jordan entitled, The Enoch Factor. Here is that piece for your reading and consideration.
The Enoch Factor
by James B. Jordan
After Cain murdered Abel and was driven out of the land of Eden, we read that he had a son whom he named Enoch, and that he founded a city that he also named Enoch (Genesis 4:17). The city, we are told, was named for his son.
This was the first city ever built, but it will not be the last. The last city is the New Jerusalem, built by God the Father, and “named” for His Son. As Enoch was prince of the city of Enoch, so Christ is the Prince of the holy city.
The first city was built on the blood of a murdered brother. The last city is also built on the blood of a murdered younger brother, the Ultimate Younger Brother, Jesus Christ. Throughout the Bible we see younger brothers replacing older brothers because the older brother is unfaithful: Seth replaced Cain, Isaac replaced Ishmael, Jacob replaced Esau, Joseph replaced his brothers, David replaced his, etc. Jesus was the last Adam, the final younger brother, and His death is the foundation for the City of God.
Enoch did not plant a garden and then let it grow into a city. In this he was setting a course different from God’s. If we follow the history of the garden concept in the Bible, we find that Abraham and the patriarchs worshiped at oasis-sanctuaries characterized by altars, trees, and wells. Later, these elements were organized into a formal tent-centered sanctuary, the Tabernacle, as a place of worship. Still later, the Tabernacle grew into the Temple, and the Temple is set in a city, Jerusalem. In this way, God grows the city out of the garden. God grows a civilization up from the roots of agriculture.
Enoch started with a city. That means he started with a tyranny. The city becomes a place that conquers and enslaves the “peasants” and “serfs” of the agricultural countryside. Because the tyrant-city has no root it cannot last, but while it lasts it is brutal.
Enoch’s sin was like Adam’s. God had told Adam and Eve that every tree was for them to eat (Genesis 1:29). Thus, they could figure out that the forbidden tree was only temporarily forbidden. Their sin was that they would not wait for God’s permission. Similarly, Enoch was unwilling to work patiently and grow a city out of a garden. He jumped forward and tried to seize the final fruits of generations of labor: the glory of a city.
For a variety of reasons, the heathen often make more rapid initial cultural gains than do the righteous. The heathen are willing to enslave other people to work for them. The heathen don’t take one day in seven to rest. The heathen expend no psychological energy in repentance and striving against sin. Thus, the heathen get there first. This is what I call “the Enoch Factor.”
We see the Enoch Factor in Genesis 4. Not only did Cain build the first city, but his descendants became “fathers” (experts, teachers) of the sciences of animal husbandry, music, and metallurgy. The first poem in the Bible is put on the lips of a descendant of Cain (Genesis 4:20-24).
The Enoch Factor means that very often great advances in technique (not in philosophy) come from pagan sources. Usually the heathen get there first, and then the believers come after. Practically speaking, what does this mean?
First, it means that Christians must not be overwhelmed by the technological and artistic prowess of the heathen. In our society today, the best artists and technicians are almost never believers. We know from the Bible, however, that they have no root and will burn out. Our city is built more slowly, but it will endure forever. As history matures, Christianity will more and more become culturally dominant, and more and more we will see Christians “getting there first” in the arts and sciences.
Second, it means that Christians often must learn technique from the heathen. How foolish would it have been for Israelite herdsmen to refuse to manage their animals well, just because it was pagan Jabal who developed many fundamental techniques! And how sad if David had refused to learn music because Jubal got there first!
Now think about what this may mean. Often pietistic Christians are critical of their brethren in the arts because artistic Christians rub shoulders with degenerate heathen. Indeed, a Christian artist may have to apprentice himself to a degenerate heathen. Are we mature enough to support our Christian brethren in this?
The arts are very powerful, because art enhances belief by means of emotion. Thus, the Christian who studies with Jubal must be very careful and be sure to keep separate the study of technique from the adoption of a philosophical outlook. Still, greater is He that is in us than he that is in the world, and the Christian is called to take dominion in all areas of life. We can learn from the world, and should be bold to do so.
The proper context for study of the techniques of Enoch is the Church. We need the teaching and sacramental community of a local church as a support base, a garden, the whole time we are studying in the world. Apart from such a context, we run the danger of being sucked in by the philosophy of Enoch.
Originally published:
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Views & Reviews
No. 21 Copyright (c) 1994 Biblical Horizons May, 1994
Winner of the John Newbery Medal, Neil Gaiman’s The Graveyard Book is a carefully spun yarn with a beautiful melancholy about it. The beginning is nothing short of chilling, and that chill lingers upon the reader throughout as the story of Nobody Owens is told. The setting of the book is primarily a graveyard, which some might find disturbing. However, knowing that the story is loosely patterned after Kipling’s The Jungle Book is a helpful piece of information that allows the reader to grasp the overall progress and trajectory of Gaiman’s work. It is clear that Mr. Gaiman is masterful at his craft, and the ending of Graveyard leaves an impression that is slow to fade. Given his influences, I wonder what Mr. Gaiman’s outlook on eternity might be, but suspect he is a soul still searching for answers. Appreciating this piece, I look forward to exploring some of his other works.
Parental note: Due to the dark themes and images (including some of the illustrations ) I would not recommend The Graveyard Book for readers under the age of, say, ten. Younger children prone to nightmares will have plenty for their imaginations to dwell upon, so, unless you especially enjoy being awakened in the middle of the night or finding an extra 98.6 in bed with you, I would wait until you think your child can handle them.
After having Neil Gaiman’s Newbery-winning work, The Graveyard Book, recommended to me by a couple of different sources, I picked up a copy at the Hutchmoot in August. Although I am in the thick of this unique read, my curiosity about the author was sufficiently piqued, so I did some rummaging on his website. Under the FAQs his advice to authors was enlightening, but I found his influences particularly interesting.
Q: From what I gather the atmosphere of this book has a Tim Burton air to it. In fact, to me, and possibly me alone – though I doubt as much – you as a creator have a Tim Burton air in general. Have you been influenced, or inspired by him? Could you maybe list off some of the folks who have inspired you?
A: Tim Burton came along much too late to inspire me. I think the people who influence you probably did it before you were twenty – in my case the list would have to include C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, Harlan Ellison, Lou Reed, R. A. Lafferty, E. Nesbit, David Bowie, Jim Henson, Roger Zelazny, Will Eisner, Dr Who (the Hartnell, Troughton and Pertwee incarnations), Jules Feiffer, Noel Langley, Ursula K. LeGuin, Michael Moorcock, Hope Mirrlees, Margaret Storey, Robert Heinlein, Al Stewart, Charles Addams and the people who did the black and white episodes of The Avengers… and that’s just for starters…
Q: What sparked your Myth interest?
A: I think it was always sparked reading the Roger Lancelyn Green Legends of the Norsemen and Legends of Ancient Egypt when I was seven certainly fanned the flames.
Q: What part of the day does most of your ideas come from?
A: Teatime.
Q: What was your favorite book when you were a child? What is your favorite children’s book now that you’re grown up?
A: When I was growing up… probably the Narnia books. Probably The Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Now I’m grown up I’ve got to read the Narnia Books out loud twice, about a decade apart, and I still think they are astonishing, although I’m more aware of the things I don’t like about them. As a grown up, I think Richmal Crompton’s William books are better than I thought they were as a kid, and I loved them, most of them, as a kid.
Q: Do your imaginings ever get lost? I’m ashamed to admit I quit believing, but I guess the real question is: Do you ever have a story suggested to you by a piece of artwork (such as a painting, illustration, or sunset)?
A: I get stories from everywhere, and yes, artwork is one of those places. I wrote a number of stories inspired by Lisa Snellings statues, for example.
Q: Many of your books feature doors, walls, and other structures. Do you have a fondness for architecture? If so, what is your favorite city?
A: I think my favourite city is Venice. I like architecture when it evokes something interesting.
Q: Why do all your books contain scenes, in which you tell us about what they’re dreaming?
A: Because dreams are important.
The above is taken from Mr. Gaiman’s official website: http://www.mousecircus.com/faqs.aspx
Marilynne Robinson won the Pulitzer Prize for her novel Gilead, so for me to attempt to tell you what a marvelous writer she is, I find subtly amusing. But she is, and her book Home makes an impression that is difficult to compare to other books that I have read. How she is able to beautifully express such ordinary things of life is a wonder that can only be known in the experience of reading the story itself. How deftly she draws the reader in with the cords of life, family, home, and faith. In a word, this story is bittersweet, but beautifully and hauntingly so.
Perhaps Home strikes so deeply to my own soul because I have been a Presbyterian for practically my entire life; because I am a pastor; and because I have children (two sons and a daughter) whom I wonder about – what their futures hold, and what their faith will look like in the years to come. I also have many, many fond memories of the home in which I grew up, which includes baseball – the smell of a leather glove, the feel of a new ball, the sound of the ball striking the glove, and the simple pleasure of playing catch. Ms. Robinson’s depictions are not so foreign, and that is, perhaps, why this work has made such a deep impression. To say that this book is thoroughly enjoyable would be misleading. There are times when it is hard to read, and your soul aches, and yet you continue because the story is your own.
In his work Trees and Thorns, James Jordan raises the point, in relation to Genesis 3, that God did not immediately ask Adam whether or not he had disobeyed. Rather, that’s the third question that is asked. With the first question of “Where are you?”, God is essentially asking a question about relationship. Clearly it is estranged, since Adam is hiding from God among the trees. The second question, “Who told you that you were naked?”, is a question that relates to identity: Adam’s and God’s. God had made Adam naked, and he could not hide from the omniscient Creator. Then comes the the question to elicit a confession, “Have you eaten from the tree which I commanded you not eat?” Notice that the name of the tree is not specifically mentioned. Rather, the Lord describes the tree and couches the question in relation to Adam’s obedience or disobedience.
Setting the Lord’s approach to Adam before the eyes of our faith, I cannot help but wonder if there is not a pattern for our own confession displayed here. Certainly the bible has a lot more to say about the confession of sin, but what if we approach our own confession from the perspectives of relationship, identity, and obedience? This might sound overly simplistic, but what about approaching our children’s confession of sin this way, too? Instead of just asking them, “What’s your sin?” perhaps we would do well to ask them or remind them about their relationship to the Lord (and to you as a parent); their identity as a baptized believer and who God is; and then come to the matter of their disobedience. The Lord’s questions to Adam are asked in a context of remarkable grace and patience. God is there as Judge to be sure, but He is also there as Yahweh, the covenant-keeping God who does not fail, even when His people do. He is the Heavenly Father who will not abandon His first son, but who goes after him in order to restore him. Likewise, let our confession and the confession of our children be made in the same context of love and mercy.
Perhaps the greatest complement that can be paid to a piece of fiction is that it causes you to see your own world and reality in a new light and at a deeper level. Patricia McKillip arouses these senses in the beautifully written and captivating Alphabet of Thorn. I highly recommend it if you enjoy the magic and romance of fiction; that experience of getting swept up into another world vividly portrayed across the canvas of your imagination.
(One parental note: In my opinion, this is probably not suitable for readers younger than high school age).
Finally delving into Renee Girard’s I See Satan Fall Like Lightning. Only two chapters in, I am fairly confident I am missing quite a bit, as this is the kind of book you have to marinate in for a while. Nevertheless, I found this quote particularly thought-provoking:
The children repeat the crimes of their fathers precisely because they believe they are morally superior to them. This false difference is already the mimetic illusion of modern individualism, which represents the greatest resistance to the mimetic truth that is reenacted again and again in human relations. The paradox is that the resistance itself brings about the reenactment.
In past posts I have recommended children’s stories, and given a brief analysis of the content. On his new blog, Jonathan Rogers has written an excellent post that touches on the ways in which we can help our children understand a story and what it may be teaching them. Toward the end of the post he also mentions some specific stories that may be of interest to you. I commend it to you – and his other posts, too.
Recently, shots have been taken against Slavic Reformation Society (SRS), and some of the pastors and teachers associated with that ministry (these comments have been blogged, but I’m not going to dignify them by linking them here. If this is a mistake, feel free to tell me). Now, I am very biased toward SRS, since Pastor Blake Purcell is a personal friend, not only of mine, but of our entire congregation. This is the only mission work we are presently able to support, and they are regularly named in our corporate and private prayers. Blake and his family have given years and years of service in the former Soviet Union to promote the Gospel, and to serve the kingdom of Christ in that desolate land. And instead of applauding Blake, his family, and those pastors and teachers who are willing to make sacrifices, and even risk their lives for the cause of Christ, they have all come under criticism for their supposed perpetuation of another gospel – a claim that is flatly false. So, who argues like this? Who would take shots at faithful ministers of the gospel, and why?
In his excellent little book, In the Beginning. E.J. Young expounds upon Satan’s deception in Genesis 3, and provides some insights that are profoundly applicable to the situation I described above. He argues that Satan is impugning motives. “He sees that Eve is listening to him, and so he goes on to say: ‘For God knows that in the day that ye eat thereof, your eyes will be opened, and ye shall be as God, knowing good and evil.’ There is Satan’s reason. He is hitting below the belt, as it were. Satan works in that way. I do not think we can make a greater mistake than to assume that Satan comes with an objective argument.”
Think of what often happens in the churches in these days. We have controversy every now and then. We must needs have it, because it is the truth of God that is involved. But the tragedy of it all is that the doctrines in dispute cannot be brought out into the open and discussed objectively. There is always someone who introduces personalities and impugns the motives of the man who is taking a different position….
We must have honest discussion in the church. Failing that, the church is going to die. We have to be constantly considering the things of God, and we must expect differences of opinion. When you have that kind of controversy it can be carried on in love. We can respect one another, even though at times we may disagree with one another. We find that out as we go on. The same holds true of denominations. They do not agree on everything, but the remarkable thing to me has been that we can respect one another’s differences. We can differ in love, and we can realize that other people are good Christian people, even though we may not quite see everything as they do. We need to have that respect for one another which is based upon genuine Christian love, and which allows other people to have honest differences of opinion from yourself. When Christians can get along in that way, we have real Christian unity. I think that Christian unity is a fact. We see it wherever Christian people get together. When there are differences they are discussed in love, and we realize that each one is in earnest in trying to understand the Scriptures. There is real Christian unity because it is based on Christian love. But that is not the way the Devil fights, and we find very often that those who are on the side of the Devil use his tactics.
One of the greatest disgraces of the church of Christ – and this applies to the Protestant churches as well as to the Roman Catholic church – is the playing of politics in the church by ecclesiastical politicians. That type of person speaks whatever will gain the end that he desires. You can see it happening in church history. The burning of John Huss, for example, will serve to show what I have in mind. People will manoeuvre behind the scenes in order to suppress their opponents. It has been vividly brought home to me by the experiences I had in connection with the late Dr. J. Gresham Machen. Nobody would come right out in the open and answer his arguments, but they could smear his name. They could spread stories about him that were not true, and those stories are hard to live down. People are willing to believe the falsehood rather than the truth, and this is the way that Satan fights. Here is a good practical rule for us as Christians: when somebody says something derogatory to you about someone else, just forget it. Do not believe it. It may be true; it may not be true. Whatever you do, do not spread it; do not repeat it. Gossip is a terrible thing. At times I think it one of the worst of sins. You can destroy a person’s character by gossip, and Satan delights in that. This gossip simply eats at the bones of the another person and destroys him. It is easy to spread derogatory stories about a minister who is contending for the truth, because they take hold and they do a great deal of harm. You may for a time effectively stifle his witness, but if that man is contending for the truth earnestly, remember that the truth has a way of coming to the fore sooner or later. It is wonderful how God defends those who are on his side. Truth will prevail in the end. We must help those who are defending the truth by refusing to believe the stories that Satan spreads about them. All kinds of stories were spread about the late Dr. Machen. There was no truth in them, but people believed them. I say these things because in Genesis chapter three that is precisely the line that Satan is taking: ‘God knows that in the day ye eat thereof your eyes will be opened.’
Though published in 1976, Dr. Young’s words are prophetic, and certainly applicable to the climate of our day.