Wideo Wednesday: Try The Other Handle

 

Today's videos deal with subjects that don't have an obvious handle. James Earl Jones was a Catholic? Is it a somewhat comforting thought that Tolkien always had people who took him the wrong way? Boris Karloff singing a song from Mary Poppins (though only at the end of the clip)? The Lord of the Rings imagined as a dark 80's fantasy movie? And what does God really want?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZvKINSGXo8

James Earl Jones Most Catholic Movie

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vXWH1opO7Bs

Tolkien’s Deplorable Fans

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbNcueR00iU

Karloff Sings Chim Chim Cherree

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJCsNvEdDFA

LOTR Dark Fantasy Trailer

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GRi_DqRbmyU

Jimmy Akin What Does God Really Want?

The Book

New American Bible, St. Joseph Medium Size Edition (1992)

When I entered RCIA on my way to becoming a Catholic, John and Amy gave me this edition of the Bible, which they got from Amy’s uncle(?); it is in a zip-up leather case. This is the Bible I use for my daily reading; one chapter a day. I keep my pamphlet of Catholic prayers and practices in it. It is a fitting concluding entry for the Inventory. It is not only a book; it is The Book.

Ranking: ESSENTIAL.

File Code: Catholic Bible. Hardback.

History and Faith

A Short History of the Early Church, by Harry R. Boer.

An Eerdman’s book. “For readers who want a brief yet reliable introduction to the history of the early church as well as for those who are looking for a quick review of the period, this volume furnishes a concise overview of the key events, figures, controversies, and councils essential for a proper understanding of the first seven centuries of the Christian church. Harry R. Boer provides background on the world into which the church was born, surveys the life of the church from the ministry of Jesus until 600 A.D., examines the effects of persecution and heresy on the church, explains the role of several key church leaders, and focuses specifically on the church's ongoing struggle to formulate proper doctrines of the Trinity and of Christ. Each chapter is clearly outlined and concludes with several discussion questions that enhance the book's use as a study guide for church groups or as a text in courses on early church history.” I got this copy in the early 80’s and found it a good factual resource to combat more secularly-biased versions of history.

Ranking: Keeper.

File Code: Church History. Religion. Softcover.

How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, by Thomas E. Woods, Jr., Ph. D.

“Ask someone today where Western Civilization originated, and he or she might say Greece or Rome. But what is the ultimate source of Western Civilization? Bestselling author and professor Thomas E. Woods, Jr. provides the long neglected answer: the Catholic Church. In the new paperback edition of his critically acclaimed book, How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, Woods goes far beyond the familiar tale of monks copying manuscripts and preserving the wisdom of classical antiquity. Gifts such as modern science, free-market economics, art, music, and the idea of human rights come from the Catholic Church, explains Woods. In How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization, you’ll learn:

• Why modern science was born in the Catholic Church
• How Catholic priests developed the idea of free-market economics five hundred years before Adam Smith
• How the Catholic Church invented the university
• Why what you know about the Galileo affair is wrong
• How Western law grew out of Church canon law

·         How the Church humanized the West by insisting on the sacredness of all human life

No institution has done more to shape Western civilization than the two-thousand-year-old Catholic Church—and in ways that many of us have forgotten or never known. How the Catholic Church Built Western Civilization is essential reading for recovering this lost truth.” – Google Books. If we continue chopping away at the roots of our culture, we may find there is nothing (philosophically speaking) holding up the branches anymore. Illustrated.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: History. Western Civilization. Hardback.

Literary Converts, by Joseph Pearce.

“A biographical exploration into the spiritual lives of some of the greatest writers in the English language this century. The twentieth century has been marked both by belief and unbelief. While attendance at church has declined dramatically, the lives of many of the greatest leaders have been influenced and inspired by Christianity. In LITERARY CONVERTS Joseph Pearce explores the world of some of the finest writers in the English language who have believed. Most of those included converted to Roman Catholicism and some to Anglicanism. The list is like a 'Who's Who' of the last one hundred years: Oscar Wilde, Evelyn Waugh, C S Lewis, Malcolm Muggeridge, Graham Greene, Hilaire Belloc, G K Chesterton, Dorothy L Sayers, T S Eliot and J R R Tolkien.” – Google Books. Pearce takes a historical look at the movement, from the conversion of Wilde at the beginning of the century to the death of the ambiguous Grahame Greene near its end, to look at the influences and motives of the ‘Literary Converts’, including their debates and controversies with the likes of Shaw and Wells. Illustrated with photos.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Literary History. Religion. Hardback.

Between Heaven and Hell: A Dialog Somewhere Beyond Death with John F. Kennedy, C. S. Lewis & Aldous Huxley, by Peter Kreeft.

“On November 22, 1963, three great men died within a few hours of each other: C. S. Lewis, John F. Kennedy and Aldous Huxley. All three believed, in different ways, that death is not the end of human life. Suppose they were right, and suppose they met after death. How might the conversation go? Peter Kreeft imagines their discussion as a part of The Great Conversation that has been going on for centuries. Does human life have meaning? Is it possible to know about life after death? What if one could prove that Jesus was God? With Kennedy taking the role of a modern humanist, Lewis representing Christian theism and Huxley advocating Eastern pantheism, the dialogue is lively and informative.” – Amazon. While Kreeft is a decidedly Christian writer, he gives the other viewpoints a fair hearing, often quoting from the speakers’ works themselves. There is a similar book by Kreeft, “Symbol or Substance?”, a dialogue on the Eucharist as imagined between Billy Grahame, C. S. Lewis, and J. R. R. Tolkien, that I want to get.

Ranking: Essential.

File Code: Religion. Philosophy. Softcover.

Wish List: Apologetics and Testimonies

The Real Story of Catholic History: Answering Twenty Centuries of Anti-Catholic Myths by Steve Weidenkopf

Anti-Catholics like to paint Church teachings in a way that makes them seem vain, backward, or superstitious, all in the hope of drawing people out of the Faith and into sects or unbelief. Catholic apologists fight back with facts and sound arguments. But there's another area where the Church's enemies tell their own false story Of Catholicism: its history. Whether it's from the media, in classrooms, or out of the mouths of pastors and politicians, we've all heard a version of Catholic history filled with unrelenting violence, ignorance, worldliness, and bigotry. It's enough to make many believers question whether the Church truly was founded by Christ! This kind of attack requires no less of a response from those who know the truth. In The Real Story of Catholic History, Steve Weidenkopf gives it to you. Weidenkopf (The Glory of the Crusades) collects over fifty of the most common and dangerous lies about Catholic history and, drawing on his experience as a historian and apologist, shows how to answer them simply and powerfully. Whether it's claims about Catholicism's supposedly pagan origins, old myths about Galileo or the Inquisition that never seem to go away, or more modern misconceptions that anti-Catholics cynically exploit, The Real Story provides the desperately needed corrective. Packed with research and diligent in pursuit of the truth, while never whitewashing or explaining away the Church's past faults when they're found, The Real Story of Catholic History is an essential resource for every Catholic's bookshelf. - Amazon.

Go in Peace: Your Guide to the Purpose and Power of Confession by Mitch Pacwa

Autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila (Dover Books on Western Philosophy) by St. Teresa of Avila

In this landmark of Christian mysticism, the revered Carmelite nun presents moving accounts of her profound religious experiences and ultimate union with God. St. Teresa wrote this memoir at the behest of her confessor. It offers a warm, accessible account of her transformation into an impassioned leader and reformer of church doctrine.
St. Teresa recounts her childhood and education in sixteenth-century Spain, her physical afflictions and spiritual crises, her many visions and mystical encounters, and her determination to embrace the contemplative life. In describing the ascent of the soul, she explains the core of her theology as a four-stage process that progresses from mental prayer to divine rapture. Next to Don Quixote, this timeless work constitutes Spain's most popular prose classic. It forms an excellent introduction to the saint's other writings and to the Christian tradition of mystical literature. – Amazon.

A Shorter Summa: The Essential Philosophical Passages of Saint Thomas Aquinas' Summa Theologica by Peter Kreeft

A shortened version of Kreeft's much larger Summa of the Summa, which in turn was a shortened version of the Summa Theologica. The reason for the double shortening is pretty obvious: the original runs some 4000 pages! (The Summa of the Summa was just over 500.) The Summa is certainly the greatest, most ambitious, most rational book of theology ever written. In it, there is also much philosophy, which is selected, excerpted, arranged, introduced, and explained in footnotes here by Kreeft, a popular Thomist teacher and writer. St. Thomas Aquinas is universally recognized as one of the greatest philosophers who ever lived. His writings combine the two fundamental ideals of philosophical writing: clarity and profundity. He is a master of metaphysics and technical terminology, yet so full of both theoretical and practical wisdom. He is the master of common sense. The Summa Theologica is timeless, but particularly important today because of his synthesis of faith and reason, revelation and philosophy, and the Biblical and the classical Greco-Roman heritages. This little book is designed for beginners, either for classroom use or individually. It contains the most famous and influential passages of St. Thomas' philosophy with copious aids to understanding them. – Amazon.

Mystery of the Magi: The Quest to Identify the Three Wise Men by Dwight Longenecker

Modern biblical scholars tend to dismiss the Christmas story of the “wise men from the East” as pious legend. Matthew’s gospel offers few details, but imaginative Christians filled out the story early on, giving us the three kings guided by a magical star who join the adoring shepherds in every Christmas crèche.

For many scholars, then, there is no reason to take the gospel story seriously. But are they right? Are the wise men no more than a poetic fancy?

In an astonishing feat of detective work, Dwight Longenecker makes a powerful case that the visit of the Magi to Bethlehem really happened. Piecing together the evidence from biblical studies, history, archeology, and astronomy, he goes further, uncovering where they came from, why they came, and what might have happened to them after eluding the murderous King Herod.

In the process, he provides a new and fascinating view of the time and place in which Jesus Christ chose to enter the world.

The evidence is clear and compelling. The mysterious Magi from the East were in all likelihood astrologers and counselors from the court of the Nabatean king at Petra, where the Hebrew messianic prophecies were well known. The “star” that inspired their journey was a particular planetary alignment—confirmed by computer models—that in the astrological lore of the time portended the birth of a Jewish king.

The visitors whose arrival troubled Herod “and all Jerusalem with him” may not have been the turbaned oriental kings of the Christmas carol, but they were real, and by demonstrating that the wise men were no fairy tale, Mystery of the Magi demands a new level of respect for the historical claims of the gospel. – Amazon.

Confessions by Saint Augustine, Michael P. Foley

Like the first Hackett edition of the Augustine's Confessions, the second edition features F. J. Sheed's remarkable translation of this classic spiritual autobiography with an Introduction by noted historian of late antiquity Peter Brown. New to this edition are a wealth of notes on literary, philosophical, biblical, historical, and liturgical topics by Michael P. Foley, an Editor's Preface, a map, a timeline, paragraph numbers in the text, a glossary, and a thorough index. The text itself has been completely reset, with textual and explanatory notes placed at the foot of the page for easy reference. – Amazon.

The Golden Legend: Lives of the Saints by Jacobus de Voragine

Legenda Of Jacobus de Voragine, appearing about the middle Of the century, was hailed as aurea, as golden amid the baser metal Of all other such repertories. – Amazon.

God Against the Gods: Storytelling, Imagination and Apologetics in the Bible by Brian Godawa

How God Captures the Imagination

Brian Godawa, Hollywood screenwriter and best-selling novelist, explores the nature of imagination in the Bible and how it relates to apologetics and evangelism.

He explains how God subverts pagan religions by appropriating their imagery and creativity and redeeming them within a Biblical worldview.

Improve your imagination in glorifying God and defending the faith.

You will discover what C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien and Francis Schaeffer understood about Christian apologetics and Biblical evangelism.

Here are the Chapters and what you will learn:

Demonizing the Pagan Gods
God verbally attacked his opponents, pagans and their gods, by using sarcasm, mockery and name-calling. Demonization is not wrong if they really are demonic.

Old Testament Storytelling Apologetics
Israel shared creative images with their pagan neighbors: The sea dragon of chaos, and the storm god. The Bible invests them with new meaning.

Biblical Creation and Storytelling
Creation stories in the ancient Near East and the Bible both express a primeval battle to create order out of chaos. But how do they differ?

The Universe in Ancient Imagination
A comparison and contrast of the Biblical picture of the universe with the ancient pagan one. What’s the difference?

New Testament Storytelling Apologetics
Paul’s sermon to the pagans on Mars Hill was subversive storytelling: Retelling society’s narrative through a Gospel lens.

Imagination in Prophecy and Apocalypse
How God uses symbolism to both obscure and reveal meaning in prophecy.

An Apologetic of Biblical Horror
Learn how God uses the genre of horror in the Bible as a powerful moral tool to communicate spiritual, social and moral truth. – Amazon.

The Imagination of God: Art, Creativity and Truth in the Bible by Brian Godawa

Want to Know God More? Use Your Imagination

This book was previously released with the title, Word Pictures: Knowing God Through Story and Imagination.

Artist and screenwriter Brian Godawa used to revel in his ability to argue the truth of the Gospel, often intellectually crushing his opponents in the process.

But winning an argument does not equal persuading people to follow Jesus. So what’s missing?

Through prayer and searching the Scriptures, Godawa realized that while God cares deeply for rationality, it wasn’t the only tool he used to reach people with his truth.

He discovered that storytelling, visual images, and other art in the Bible were central to Biblical evangelism and Christian apologetics because they could go places reason could never go: into the imagination and the heart.

The Bible is a Work of Art

Weaving historical insight, pop culture and personal narrative throughout, Godawa reveals the importance God places on imagination and creativity in the Scriptures.

You’ll get a biblical foundation to pursue imagination, creativity, beauty, wonder and mystery in your faith.

You’ll learn what C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien understood: The power of poetry, parables and visual art found in God's Word.

For any Christian who wants to learn Biblical evangelism and Christian apologetics in a postmodern context, this book will help you find a path between the two extremes of intellectualized faith and anti-intellectual faith by recovering a biblical balance between reason and imagination. – Amazon.

Not God's Type by Holly Ordway

This is the story of a glorious defeat.

Ordway, an atheist academic, was convinced that faith was superstitious nonsense. As a well-educated college English professor, she saw no need for just-so stories about God. Secure in her fortress of atheism, she was safe (or so she thought) from any assault by irrational faith.

But then something happened . . . How did she come to “lay down her arms” in surrender to Christ – and then, a few years later, enter into the Catholic Church?

This is the moving account of her unusual journey. It is the story of an academic becoming convinced of the truth of Christianity on rational grounds – but also the account of God’s grace acting in and through her imagination.

It is the tale of an unfolding, developing relationship with God, told with directness and honesty – and of a painful surrender at the foot of the Cross. It is the account of a lifelong, transformative love of reading – and the story of how a competitive fencer put down her sabre to pick up the sword of the Spirit.

Above all, this book is a tale of grace, acting in and through human beings but always issuing from God and leading back to Him. And it is the story of a woman being brought home. – Amazon.

Socrates Meets Jesus by Peter Kreeft

History's greatest questioner confronts the claims of Christ. – Amazon.

The Case for Jesus: The Biblical and Historical Evidence for Christ by Brant Pitre, Robert Barron

For well over a hundred years now, many scholars have questioned the historical truth of the Gospels, claiming that they were originally anonymous. Others have even argued that Jesus of Nazareth did not think he was God and never claimed to be divine.

In The Case for Jesus, Dr. Brant Pitre, the bestselling author of Jesus and the Jewish Roots of the Eucharist, goes back to the sources—the biblical and historical evidence for Christ—in order to answer several key questions, including:

   • Were the four Gospels really anonymous?
   • Are the Gospels folklore? Or are they biographies?
   • Were the four Gospels written too late to be reliable?
   • What about the so-called “Lost Gospels,” such as “Q” and the Gospel of Thomas?
   • Did Jesus claim to be God? 
   • Is Jesus divine in all four Gospels? Or only in John?
   • Did Jesus fulfill the Jewish prophecies of the Messiah?
   • Why was Jesus crucified?
   • What is the evidence for the Resurrection?

As The Case for Jesus will show, recent discoveries in New Testament scholarship, as well as neglected evidence from ancient manuscripts and the early church fathers, together have the potential to pull the rug out from under a century of skepticism toward the traditional Gospels. Above all, Pitre shows how the divine claims of Jesus of Nazareth can only be understood by putting them in their ancient Jewish context. – Amazon.

The Devil in the City of Angels: My Encounters With the Diabolical by Jesse Romero

“I went from an indifferent apathetic Sunday Mass attending Catholic Christian to an on fire Catholic Christian in a few short years. What reignited my faith? The many encounters I had with the occult and diabolical.” 

So says renowned Catholic apologist and retired veteran of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department, Jesse Romero. Now for the first time in print, Romero reveals the harrowing details of his experiences with the demonic while working for the LASD. Discover the true stories of spiritual warfare being waged in the streets and alleys of L.A., including: 

• Romero’s encounters with Richard Ramirez, the infamous “Night Stalker” 
• How the Rosary drove out a demon that had taken hold of a young man 
• What happened when inmates involved in the occult would try to say “Jesus is Lord” 
• How a young man who had committed suicide returned to beg his parents for prayers to release him from the pains of Purgatory 
• …and much more. 

The Devil in the City of Angels is much more than a catalog of strange and terrifying events. It exposes Satan as the Father of Lies so we can see how he works, and how to defeat him. Drawing on his own experiences as well as the most authoritative sources, Romero offers the reader numerous cautionary tales, but also that hope that is only found in Jesus Christ and his Church. – Amazon.

Handbook of Christian Apologetics by Peter Kreeft, Ronald K. Tacelli

Reasonable, concise, witty and wise, Peter Kreeft and Ronald K. Tacelli have written an informative and valuable guidebook for anyone looking for answers to questions of faith and reason. Topics include:

• faith and reason
• the existence of God
• God's nature
• how we know God
• creation and evolution
• providence and free will
• miracles
• the problem of evil
• the Bible's historical reliability
• the divinity of Christ
• the resurrection
• life after death
• heaven and hell
• salvation
• Christianity and other religions
• objective truth

Whether you are asking the questions yourself or want to respond to others who are, here is the resource you have been waiting for. – Amazon.