One Book - you've got to be joking!
The hard thing here, of course, is the self-limitation required. But then Christ is our model here, as everywhere else too!
1. One book that changed your life:
The Bible. Others have, of course, but none more than this. It must be a Christian's first answer here.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I've read many of my books more than once, but in the spirit of recent posts, and because it is probably my favourite work of fiction, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is simply outstanding. Ros Clarke, Chris Green and others are nowhere near to changing my mind on that.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
SAS Survival Handbook aside, I'm tempted by the complete Sherlock Holmes short stories, but Turretin's Institutes would probably win.
4. One book that made you laugh:
The Goon Show scripts narrowly lose out to Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster series.
5. One book that made you cry:
Picking a film here would be easy: It's A Wonderful Life is peerless and always makes me cry.
Books: Buchan's Witch Wood is a massively challenging read about a godly pastor resolutely standing up against occult practices, worldliness & great public pressure at his kirk; Lloyd C Douglass' Green Light is amazingly powerful; and Wilde's The Happy Prince (particularly the short story by that name) is both painful and beautiful.
6. One book that you wish had been written:
A massively winsome, clear, accurate, popular level (e.g. Vaughan Roberts / David Jackman / Josh Harris / Philip Yancey sort-of level) introduction to and motivation of Reformed Theology - both the content & methodology.
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
This is hard, and I agree with Ros here. On that basis, possibly The Da Vinci Code or maybe The Koran. There's a long list if you go with this theme!
[Yet, affirming God's total sovereignty, who am I to say what I'd rather he hadn't permitted for his own great end and ends? Can a theologian holding to the Reformed position that what God has decreed is precisely what happens actually answer this? Presumably they can - I'd rather I hadn't sinned so much! There was absolutely no need for this parenthesis then, when it comes down to it. Sorry!]
8. One book you’re currently reading:
I've quite a few on the go: Marsden's Jonathan Edwards, Dale Ralph Davis' 2 Samuel, Martin Luther's Table Talk and P G Wodehouse's Very Good, Jeeves! are amongst the current highlights.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Rutherford's Letters - meant to be on of my Summer projects. There's so many I want to read, this really is a very unfair test...
There should, of course, be another category here: one book you've been meaning to put into practise - but then, I'd have no chance of a single there either!
10. Now tag five or six people:
Most of those I want to hear from have been tagged already: Matthew Mason, Marc Lloyd et al., though I suspect DF's list would be particularly interesting...
1. One book that changed your life:
The Bible. Others have, of course, but none more than this. It must be a Christian's first answer here.
2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
I've read many of my books more than once, but in the spirit of recent posts, and because it is probably my favourite work of fiction, J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings. It is simply outstanding. Ros Clarke, Chris Green and others are nowhere near to changing my mind on that.
3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
SAS Survival Handbook aside, I'm tempted by the complete Sherlock Holmes short stories, but Turretin's Institutes would probably win.
4. One book that made you laugh:
The Goon Show scripts narrowly lose out to Wodehouse's Jeeves & Wooster series.
5. One book that made you cry:
Picking a film here would be easy: It's A Wonderful Life is peerless and always makes me cry.
Books: Buchan's Witch Wood is a massively challenging read about a godly pastor resolutely standing up against occult practices, worldliness & great public pressure at his kirk; Lloyd C Douglass' Green Light is amazingly powerful; and Wilde's The Happy Prince (particularly the short story by that name) is both painful and beautiful.
6. One book that you wish had been written:
A massively winsome, clear, accurate, popular level (e.g. Vaughan Roberts / David Jackman / Josh Harris / Philip Yancey sort-of level) introduction to and motivation of Reformed Theology - both the content & methodology.
7. One book that you wish had never been written:
This is hard, and I agree with Ros here. On that basis, possibly The Da Vinci Code or maybe The Koran. There's a long list if you go with this theme!
[Yet, affirming God's total sovereignty, who am I to say what I'd rather he hadn't permitted for his own great end and ends? Can a theologian holding to the Reformed position that what God has decreed is precisely what happens actually answer this? Presumably they can - I'd rather I hadn't sinned so much! There was absolutely no need for this parenthesis then, when it comes down to it. Sorry!]
8. One book you’re currently reading:
I've quite a few on the go: Marsden's Jonathan Edwards, Dale Ralph Davis' 2 Samuel, Martin Luther's Table Talk and P G Wodehouse's Very Good, Jeeves! are amongst the current highlights.
9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Rutherford's Letters - meant to be on of my Summer projects. There's so many I want to read, this really is a very unfair test...
There should, of course, be another category here: one book you've been meaning to put into practise - but then, I'd have no chance of a single there either!
10. Now tag five or six people:
Most of those I want to hear from have been tagged already: Matthew Mason, Marc Lloyd et al., though I suspect DF's list would be particularly interesting...
posted by Andrew at 9:26 pm
6 Comments:
One book, Towner, one
Honestly, men. Can't count, can't follow instructions, think Lord of the Rings is great literature...
I've just one thing to say about that:
Firstly, who cares how many books - the idea's the thing!
Secondly, LoTR is great literature.
So there!!
Great in the way that Greater London is great? I.e. big. Well, I suppose that's undeniable.
My primary aim was irony with your whole 'men can't count' thing...
But, in my *humble* opinion, the major fault of LoTR is that it is too short. I'm guessing we're not agreeing on that!
Lucky you - there's all the Silmarillion to keep you happy.
Well, I'm behind the curve, but I might as well throw in my two cents. LoTR is a dreadful, dreary, turgid way of ruining mythology that can only really be appreciated by people who don't like literature. The films are fun. But really. Sorry to be rude, but I'm understating.
:-)
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