Sad, but not surprising.

J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography

Humphrey Carpenter's J.R.R. Tolkien: A Biography is a great look at the life of the creator of Middle-Earth. I had previously read Carpenter's group biography of The Inklings, so I was looking forward to getting a better glimpse at Tolkien. I was not disappointed.

In the preface, Carpenter notes with irony that Tolkien would have frowned upon a biography of himself, as the Professor believed that an author's life is best examined not through historical data but through his work. Granted, the Tolkien family made a tremendous amount of personal papers and correspondence, as well as numerous interviews, available to the biographer to chronicle J.R.R. Tolkien's history. However, as Carpenter frequently notes (perhaps too often), the fantastic and imaginative worlds that Tolkien created stand in stark contrast to the relatively uneventful and routine life that he lived.

Not that the details of Tolkien's life are inconsequential, though. His early years appear to have had a tremendous influence in shaping the course of his entire life. Losing his father at an early age, John Ronald (as he was called) was raised largely by his mother, Mabel, and sadly, she died within ten years of her husband. Carpenter notes that Tolkien's strong attachment to his mother profoundly influenced his entire life. Her family origins in the West Midlands of England sparked her son's lifelong interest in the history and ancient language of the region. Mabel's conversion to Roman Catholicism resulted in Tolkien remaining a devout Catholic until his death. Finally, his mother's tutoring influenced John Ronald to excel at language studies, even delighting in creating his own languages and alphabets. Other facets of Tolkien's life are fairly interesting, as well: his teenage romance (prohibited by his guardian) with the girl whom he would later wed; his less-than-exceptional scholastic performance, despite his bright mind and immense talent; and his WWI experiences, which included the Battle of the Somme and a lengthy recovery from trench fever. After the war, he served in various academic roles, ending up as a professor at Oxford.

Carpenter notes that Tolkien's decades at Oxford would hardly be considered exciting by most people, especially those enthralled by his tales of elves, magic rings and forgotten civilizations. He was an exceptionally gifted philologist and a talented lecturer, although his life was not notably different from an average Oxford don. He rarely travelled, eschewed automobiles and newspapers (and later television), and preferred ancient literature to more "modern" works, such as Shakespeare. However, Tolkien lived a fulfilled life. He loved the subjects he taught and researched, and enjoyed spending time in the company of friends. At Oxford, Tolkien belonged to "The Inklings," a group of friends and colleagues who shared a common love of literature, and which was primarily comprised of conservative academics from the university. The most significant among the group were Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, who would remain close friends for years to come.

Carpenter does a great job of exploring the link between Tolkien's devout Catholicism and his creative endeavors. Of prime importance is Tolkien's idea of "sub-creation" -- that is, man's having been created in God's image manifests itself in man's own desire to create. In Tolkien's case, his love of ancient language led him to create his own languages. However, mere languages were not enough, because languages come from societies having their own unique culture and history. Therefore, Tolkien began creating his own world by tapping into his deep-rooted interest in his West Midland origins and his love for ancient tongues. As Carpenter shows, Tolkien viewed this creative impulse, in himself and in others, as a result of God's own act of creation. His frequent discussions of this subject with Jack Lewis had a direct impact on the latter converting to Christianity (to Anglicanism instead of Catholicism, much to Tolkien's dismay!).

The book also gives a fair amount of attention to the saga of Tolkien's writing and publishing of The Lord of the Rings. I was especially interested to see how little of his work Tolkien actually finished. It is true that he spent decades creating Middle-Earth and then telling the stories set within it, but his perfectionist tendencies often prevented him from actually completing the many ambitious projects he had undertaken. For example, on more than one occasion, Tolkien's publisher returned a manuscript to him for final proofing before it hit the presses, only to have him begin massive rewrites of portions (or the entirety!) of the work. Although Tolkien fans are understandably disappointed that he never finished The Silmarillion or many of the Lost Tales (which were later edited and released by his son Christopher), after reading his biography, I'm impressed that he even finished The Lord of the Rings.

Overall, Carpenter treats Tolkien very even-handedly, portraying his faults alongside his finer qualities. Anyone who enjoys Tolkien's work will appreciate this look at his life.

w00t! (Part Deux)

Ramblin Wreck Edges Tar Heels 27-21

Tell me the story...

Les Newsom over at CommonGrounds has posted a beautiful retelling of the history of our world from the Christian perspective called Katrina and the Kingdom. A must-read.

It also echoes many of the insights about creation and recreation I discussed in this post last month.

Though Katrina's wrath continues to be a great tradedy, we do not grieve as they who have no hope. God's plan is to recast this sin-soaked world with an ultimate comedic end -- the renewal of all things. In this effort of picking up pieces and restoring the ruins, may we remember that as Christians we are called to be part of the restoration efforts now, helping others not only to rebuild their lives but their homes and their cities as well. It will take a great many people in the months and years ahead to reclaim the Gulf Coast, and it can only be done in the light of Christ's work on the cross. As Les so eloquently noted:

I have realized that only the Christian story ennobles and prepares and mobilizes into action the necessary amount of spiritual and social resources to preserve life in these situations. ... May God help us as his Kingdom strides forward to reclaim yet another chapter of human history marred by the destructive effects of sin.

Allison's Picks

The homepage at the computer in the faculty lounge is msn.com, which I don't usually visit, except, of course, when I'm kicked out of my classroom during 7th Pd because another teacher is in there. Today I noticed a link to the best "cheap eats" and thought I'd check it out.

Surprisingly, Atlanta's list had quite a few of our favorite after-church fellowship spots, including:

Eat's
Fellini's Pizza
Moe's

I've only eaten at Taqueria del Sol once, but it's incredible. Now that they've opened one in Midtown I'm trying to encourage everyone to go there. Sad that they're not open on Sundays.

Gaines has eaten at Fat Matt's with the guys, so I've heard on good authority that the ribs are de-lish.

Waffle House is a staple late-night eatery, of course, created by none other than a couple of Georgia Tech grads.

The Varsity is a Hot-lanta landmark, but I just can't make myself eat there more than once every few years. It's like instant artery-clogging grease-infused burgers and dogs.

Other favorites that weren't included on their list:
LaFonda Latina
El Torrero
Mellow Mushroom

Also, instead of Doc Fey's Noodle House, which I'm sure is good but I've never tried, we prefer Mama Fu's, which is owned by the same folks as Moe's. Instead of the usual Moe's greeting, however, we find it quite humorous that they shout "Welcome to Mama!" whenever you walk in the door. I always think I must be in some surreal Italian restaurant.

Speaking of Mama Fu's-- one Monday night, a group of us girls decided to meet there. Usually it is like a fast-food restaurant where you order at the counter and the only convenience is that they bring your order to your table. Well, this particular evening must've been the test run of their attempt at a high class establishment. When we entered, there were no less than 13 hostessess and servers standing like British guards waiting for us. They actually asked us to be seated, set out cloth napkins, gave us real menus and took our order at the table. Admittedly, we were a little weirded out at first, especially since they brought us drinks from the foutain machines that were less than three feet away from our table. The best, though, was when my friend ordered hot tea (they only had green) and then she asked for creamer. They didn't have any, so they actually went to the CVS next door and bought some for her! Talk about service! They certainly got a nice tip and a good review that evening.

Revenge of the Birds

A few months back, I noted that our porch birdfeeder had been overrun by crows, who scare away the cute birds. Fortunately, we haven't had too much trouble with them over the last few months. Unfortunately, their absence is directly correlated with our slack-ness in keeping the feeder refilled. The weekend before last, in a fit of productivity, we restocked the feeder and anxiously waited for the cute birds to return. Several days passed with no sign of our winged friends, but finally, they began returning for free food.

Unfortunately, the crows have also returned, in larger numbers than before. There is something quite unsettling about looking out the window to see a half dozen nasty crows perched on my porch. Yesterday, they took things a little too far. Peering out the window, I noticed that one of our potted plants had been rudely knocked from its place on the ledge (right near the bird feeder) and shattered on the concrete floor beneath it. I think you can guess who the prime suspects are.

Allison wants to construct some kind of scarecrow to get rid of them. I am considering a more dramatic option. Let's just say they don't call them a "murder" of crows for nothing.

Dagrons

Last night as we were out eating dinner before the GT game, I noticed something odd about the little girl at the table next to us. Bright fuschia wings protruded from her back. However, they were not your ordinary run-of-the-mill butterfly wings or angel wings, or even fairy wings. They were dragon wings. Bat-like, plush, sparkling hot pink appendages representing all that is fantastical and fun. Her parents should be proud.

After taking in her father's Star Wars t-shirt and the bag on her stroller advertising Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, I figured they had just returned from a day at DragonCon, the annual (non-bi-monthly) science fiction convention in Atlanta. I'm afraid of it. But I did hear that Homestarrunner.com set up a table there this year. That's cool.

Speaking of dragons, last Sunday night on our way to church, we stopped at a red light on Buford Hwy (notorious for making out-of-town visitors believe they've magically arrived in a foreign country in the middle of Atlanta due to the lack of English-language billboards and store signs) behind a bright red pickup truck. The owner of said vehicle had a lovely landscape painted on his tailgate. There were the usual mountains and southwestern-esque feel, but this automotive art had an added touch. With a certain valiant flair, some talented spraypaint connoisseur depicted the very same red truck at the base of a large scary castle being attacked by a large, black, scaly fire-breathing dragon. He was certainly proud of his truck; though, from our vantage point it was hard to tell who was the victor. There was no sign of the dragon anywhere, so I'll leave it up to you, faithful reader, to decide who won that battle.

w00t!

Yellow Jackets Down Auburn

23-14.

At Auburn.

But, there was one even-cooler part of the game. Tech linebacker Eric Henderson is a New Orleans native, and before the game, ESPN announced that he had not yet heard how his family fared in the aftermath of Katrina. The announcers gave out a hotline number on the air to try and get any word on the family's condition. At halftime, they announced that Henderson's family had survived the storm and was well. Great news!

Amy mentioned this in the comments below, but here's a little more info on a small bit of hope creeping up from the horrors plaguing the Gulf Coast.

Tulane Students Safe and Sound

May God continue to multiply these seemingly small acts of compassion.

Katrina

Not much to say about the aftermath of Katrina. Words seem so useless at times like these. Please consider donating to some of the many organizations mobilizing relief efforts.

For those in the Southeast U.S., there are plenty of opportunities to offer direct help to victims of the devastation. For instance, in Atlanta the Red Cross has already opened up two shelters for Gulf Coast refugees who fled the storm with little more than the clothes on their backs and are now stranded indefinitely.

These Hurricane Photos should underscore the gravity of the situation and the tremendous need for aid.

God have mercy.

Plan 9

Related to yesterday's look at Tim Challies' post on pragmatism, the iMonk has a humorous (yet pointed) take on some of the same issues. Clive Staples himself probably would have enjoyed "Plan 9 From Lower Space."

What Works vs. What's Right

Challies.com has a great post today entitled, "Challenges to the Church - Pragmatism." As the title implies, the post is part of an ongoing series on the different challenges faced by 21st Century Christians. Personally, I think pragmatism -- the view that consequences are the most vital criteria for evaluating whether an action is "good" or "bad" -- is one of the greatest issues facing Western Christians today. While the other two challenges about which Challies has posted (relativism and open theism) are certainly troublesome, they do not appear to be as prevalent in churches that still affirm the authority of the Scriptures. However, pragmatism rears its ugly ahead even within churches that proclaim the supremacy and infallibility of God's Word. Says Challies:

Pragmatism and Sola Scriptura must stand in opposition as each claims to be the key to determining truth. As Christians we need to decide if we are going to depend upon Scripture as the absolute standard of truth or if we will determine truth by consequences. Though we would be hard pressed to find a Christian who says "I believe in pragmatism," the philosophy manifests itself in the Christian world in many different ways. Though people affirm Sola Scriptura with their mouths (or doctrinal statements) they often deny it with their actions.

Challies gives a case study of two hypothetical churches faced with the option of violating their own Scripturally-informed convictions in order to pursue an action that will grow the church and outreach to the lost. The first church opts for a short-time suspension of conviction in favor of growth, while the second decides to stand firm even if it means foregoing potential growth (at least, in this instance). Which church is right?

Challies correctly notes that this is another examples of pragmatism versus sola Scriptura. Many would favorably view the "step of faith" taken by the first church as being vindicated by the results. However, the second church is actually the faithful one, because they have remained obedient to God's commands. By ignoring Scriptural conviction, the first church has sinned. As Challies states, "Results simply cannot excuse disobedience. God may choose to use our disobedience to further his purposes, but this does not give us license to ignore the clear teaching of the Word."

One of the most clear examples of God using man's disobedience for His greater purposes is in the death of Jesus, whose sacrifice ultimately redeems His people from their sins. However, Acts makes it clear that the men who conspired to murder Jesus were not excused from their disobedience, despite the greater good that came out of it. God may choose to use the disobedience of His people to further the expansion of His kingdom; however, He also chastises His people for their failure to obey His commands. My fear is that the pragmatic practice of 21st century Christians is resulting in the storing-up of a great measure of chastisement that will inevitably fall upon us (and already is).

(P.S. Derek Webb's "ballad in plain red" came to mind as I was reading the Challies post.)

School Days

I have survived my first two weeks teaching high school. They say I should take it one day at a time, but it's usually more like "what will I do in the next ten minutes?" Admittedly, I've put a lot of pressure on myself at the beginning, and I'm learning from my mistakes. The mound of papers I already have to grade is a tell-tale sign that I should've spaced out my assignnemts more than a few days. I have 160 students. But that's why I love teaching, I suppose. I'm learning right along with the kids.

I think my biggest sigh of relief is that we successfully pulled off our final events for Apartment Life over the weekend. Saturday was action-packed, since I cooked for a community breakfast that morning, then we helped out some friends with THEIR Apartment Life cookout, and then that evening, we hosted a "Dive-In Movie Night" (as opposed to a drive-in) where we got a company to set up a HUGE screen by the main swimming pool and we watched The Incredibles from lounge chairs (the children were really the only ones watching from the water). Over 60 folks came out to enjoy the show, and the company brought out a dinosaur of a popcorn popper, which apparently came from a real theater. Pixar, M&M's and popcorn. Good times.

In other news, I finally finished re-reading Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, which has been languishing on my bedside table for weeks. There are definitely some strong clues about events and revelations that appear in Book 6, but I'll have to save those insights for later. Mostly, I wanted to let everyone know I'm alive, enjoying my job, and am very grateful that we are taking a sabbatical from our Apartment Life duties for a while.

Go Ahead and Hoist a Celebratory Butterbeer

Travis has opened up a new section on his site for ongoing discussions of Harry Potter. Particularly, he (and guest bloggers) will be interacting with and contributing to many of the ongoing discussions about the role of Christian thought in J.K. Rowling's work. It should be great.

So please be sure to check out Sword of Gryffindor!

Green with evil?

As I was leaving for work this morning, I noticed a cool-looking mantis hanging out on the hood of my car. He was just chillin', so after admiring his coolness for awhile, I started my morning commute. Zorak seemed a little confused, but he merely shifted his position on the hood and stuck with me for about ten minutes. Unfortunately, a few miles of southbound travel on I-85 was enough to dislodge him. Although this did resolve my ethical struggle about whether I was qualified for the carpool lane, I was sad to see him go. Perhaps this was a stepping stone to a new and exciting life inside the perimeter (for those unfamiliar with the area, I-285 circles the city in a big loop, outside of which Team Redd dwells).

(I didn't have a camera, but he looked pretty much like this, although Zorak was a lighter shade of green.)

I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow

I don't know much about Infuze Magazine, a web publication on "art, entertainment & faith," but Randall Goodgame has been asked to be a staff writer. His first entry, "My co-write with John Newton," is pretty cool. After applauding the trend of reinvigorating old, obscure hymn texts for worship, Randall describes his own attempts to update a little-known John Newton hymn called "I Asked The Lord That I Might Grow." Really good stuff.

Perhaps if enough people pester him, he'll post a rough demo of the music.

For All God's Worth

I recently finished reading For All God's Worth, a great little book by N.T. Wright. Subtitled True Worship and the Calling of the Church, the book is a series of reflections on Christian worship and mission stemming from Wright's tenure as Dean of Lichfield Cathedral in England. Cathedrals, as Wright notes in the introduction, have an interesting purpose within the Church of England: on the one hand, they are to be centers of authentic Christian worship; on the other hand, they are intended not to be self-contained retreats but rather to be beacons that reflect the light of the Gospel into their surrounding communities. Along these lines, the book divides into two major sections: the first half addresses what exactly is meant (or should be meant) by Christian "worship," while the second deals with the way in which true worship inevitably results in mission to the world outside the church. Unlike some of Wright's denser, more theologically-driven works, this book is a series of brief yet insightful reflections.

Part One, "The God Who Is Worthy of Praise," looks at what worship truly is, especially as it seeks to proclaim who God really is. Wright notes the ease with which people fashion the god that they want, reflecting their own desires in creating something to worship. Ironically, these self-created gods rarely inspire praise. On the other hand, the Trinitarian God of the Scriptures is a direct affront to any desire to create our own deity: the Trinity is too unpredictable, too dangerous, too unfathomable.

The Trinity is not something that a clever theologian comes up with as a result of hours spent in the theological laboratory, after which he or she can return to announce that they've got God worked out now, the analysis is complete, and here is God neatly laid out on a slab. The only time they laid God on a slab he rose again three days afterwards.

Yet "God on a slab" is precisely where our knowledge of God must focus. As Wright notes, it is in Jesus that we see the face of God's love for the world. It is through the cross of Jesus that we must understand God. Our worship should not focus on our efforts to "do something" for God (though a God worthy of worship should certainly inspire action), but on what God has already done through the death and resurrection of Jesus. This central act displays God's love, God's power, and all the other attributes which we cannot help but celebrate. Worship, for Wright, is the Church's single most important purpose, because the constant posture of declaring God's greatness back to Him trains our hearts and minds to proclaim that same goodness out into the world.

Part Two, "Reflecting God's Image in the World," deals with issues stemming from the Christian mission to the world, such as how the Church's proclamation of the Gospel confronts the surrounding world. A clear understanding of grace brings Christians into service as forgiven sinners, realizing their need for the Spirit's empowerment to complete their vocation in the world, and Jesus's call to repentance to Israel serves as the model for the Church's own mission. Wright notes that, as a model, there is not a one-to-one correspondence, because Jesus was primarily calling Jews back into adherence to Torah, which they largely were failing to keep (despite their scrupulous outward appearances). But, as Wright asks, how exactly does this translate for the majority of Christians, whose evangelism and mission are geared primarily towards Gentiles? The answer is that the Fall has left a broken world plagued by pain and suffering, as well as the perception that life should have more meaning that it seems to have. The root of this emptiness is universal sinfulness resulting from man's refusal to worship the Creator (a la Romans 1). Wright argues that the Church's mission should confront this sad state of affairs with the fact that Jesus' death and resurrection have created a new humanity in Christ, and that God uses the Church in His ongoing project of new creation (to be consummated at Christ's return).

The book is not without some controversy. One chapter focuses on ecumenical efforts within the Church, and Wright expounds on his understanding of "justification" language as public vindication that one is within the covenant community. As such, it is the basis upon which all Christians can come together, especially in table fellowship (particularly at the Lord's Supper). Regardless of whether Wright's understanding of "justification" language is correct, I think he makes some great points on unity within the Body of Christ. We often get the cart backwards when we attempt to make doctrinal agreement a prerequisite for sharing the Lord's Table. Rather, the very act of sharing the Supper together creates the setting within which doctrinal disagreements can be discussed and -- God willing -- resolved. Admittedly, I would think there would need to be some boundaries, but Wright's thoughts on the subject are a welcome correction to schismatic tendencies.

Overall, this is a great little book. For those unfamiliar with Wright, it is probably a good introduction, as it is simultaneously easy to read while remaining thought-provoking. It also demonstrates Wright's method of establishing the historical and cultural contexts within which the Scriptures were written, while still paying careful attention to the actual text. Christians don't always achieve this balance, and in this regard, Wright is definitely worthy of emulation.

More Half-Blooded-ness

John Granger over at Hogwarts Professor has uploaded some new articles. I especially liked "Why Half-Blood Prince is the Best Harry Potter Novel." It's a bit long, but that's because Granger packs it with a ton of good stuff, ranging from Rowling's use of "the rules" for detective stories to her skillful use of narrative misdirection to keep readers on their toes. Granger also has some intriguing thoughts on what HBP reveals concerning which characters are actually good, which ones are really bad, and what exactly the Dark Lord is up to during Book 6. Some of his speculations may be a bit fanciful, but he does make some persuasive arguments.

There are several other new articles, including "Baptism Into a Sacrificial Death: The Christian Keys to Half-Blood Prince," which is also a pretty good read.

As always, the usual spoiler warnings apply: if, for some reason, you haven't yet read Half-Blood Prince, please spend time reading it before reading the articles.

Veritas Forum

N.T. Wright audio available on mp3 (1996 lectures at Yale):

The Jesus of Myth and History

So What?

(Props to the N.T. Wright Page for the links.)

This site, run by the Veritas Forum (which seeks to foster discussions on Christianity and related issues on university campuses), has a good selection of free audio from other cool folks, too, such as Os Guinness and Ravi Zacharias, just to name a couple.

Basket Case

I often use Yahoo's Launchcast to listen to streaming music at work. Usually it's pretty cool, even though I use the free -- and advertisement-laden -- version.

Unfortunately, it appears that Green Day will be here in Atlanta in concert next week. Why is this unfortunate? Because after every 2-3 songs, I get treated to the beginning of "American Idiot" and the same minute-long commercial for the concert. It has the potential to drive one insane from the repetition. I don't know, but I think I'm cracking up.

But, I guess I get what I pay for.