Ok, I didn't read this; my wife did. But it formed the backbone of our daily, weekly, seasonal, and annual traditions that communicate the faith to theOk, I didn't read this; my wife did. But it formed the backbone of our daily, weekly, seasonal, and annual traditions that communicate the faith to the next generation....more
Beautifully illustrated, thoroughly informational, this coffee-table sized encyclopedia displays Buddhism in many of its varieties across "history, phBeautifully illustrated, thoroughly informational, this coffee-table sized encyclopedia displays Buddhism in many of its varieties across "history, philosophy and practice." If the author is not an adherent, he is at least an outright admirer. ...more
Overboard on the "ism" of environmentalism. Sometimes irrational. Two examples suffice. 1. It targets kids with an explicit alarmist message in the opeOverboard on the "ism" of environmentalism. Sometimes irrational. Two examples suffice. 1. It targets kids with an explicit alarmist message in the opening pages that the planet is in peril and it's all human's fault. 2. Lists the coconut palm as an "invasive species". Ok, maybe. Wait. In light of the authors opening claim (see number 1), the logic breaks down. The coconut spreads itself around the world via its own ability to float across oceans, survive salt water, and still sprout a long time later. You will find the coconut palm established in new places long before human influence takes root. Irrational.
Other than that, I like the book's pictures and fascinating facts. If only the author did not set out to proselytize with questionable logic.
Because of that I was tempted to shelve this title under "Science Fiction"....more
Good reference book. I like one of his emphases: that God is the main character of every Bible story. I also like that he insists we arrive at an inteGood reference book. I like one of his emphases: that God is the main character of every Bible story. I also like that he insists we arrive at an interpretation by looking closely at what the text says. He warns against the common errors of importing our favorite theologies into the text. He warns against psychoanalyzing Bible characters. He warns against preaching from between the lines instead of from the lines. Then the bulk of the handbook is a story-by-story guide through the big ideas, interpretive issues, and common mistakes. Very useful.
Cautions: Walton makes so much of "God is the main character" that he gives the impression that there is little to learn from the about human nature, or human history, or natural history, and other aspects of our world. I would argue that a truth is true even if it's not the main truth of a Bible story. Yes, the original author likely had a main truth in mind that he wanted to impress on his original readers, but that does not mean the "minor truths" in the story are less reliable. Simply by virtue of it being true, we should believe it whether it was the main truth or minor. Now, Walton may be just over-correcting our contemporary interpretational sloppiness. I'd like to cut him that slack. But his emphasis leads to some quirky handling of Genesis 1. He hacks the story into odd pieces, re-stitching them in a different order. From his "The Lost World of Genesis One", I know where he's coming from on this, but I think he errs.
Yes, God gave the Bible so that we might understand Him - and, that we might understand ourselves. We are, after all, made in His image....more
This is now my first recommendation for Westerners who want to learn about Buddhism. Why? 1) It's written by a Buddhist. So, you're getting informatioThis is now my first recommendation for Westerners who want to learn about Buddhism. Why? 1) It's written by a Buddhist. So, you're getting information from an insider, not filtered by an outsider 2) It's written by a recognized, teaching, Buddhist monk. So, you're getting info from a studied adherent. 3) This Buddhist monk is a Westerner. (Don't let his Thai name fool you.) So, he uses terms and explanations easy for us to follow. And, he includes questions that may be more typical of Westerners to ask. 4) The answers are direct and clear. 5) He is forthright in admitting that "the notion of a personal creator god is clearly incompatible with Buddhist teachings" (p. 73). 6) The English is grammatically correct and precise. 7) The question and answer format, organized by categories and with a full table of contents, lets you go right to the questions that interest you most and lets you go back and find things again later. Great reference tool. Although I eventually read it cover to cover. 8) He helps the reader sort the practice of Buddhist religion from elements of Thai culture that do not adhere. 9) Beautifully bound outside and laid out inside with meditative pictures and quotes.
In presentation and content, a persuasive volume - maybe too attractive for people unpracticed in discernment. Why? He claims that "Buddhism is not a religion based on the adoption of certain beliefs" (p. 64) and that it "has no dogmas" (p. 67). That's very appealing in this day and age of relativism. But his claim is rather understated. Here it is important to distinguish between practice and belief. I agree with him that Buddhism is not "dogmatic" in practice, meaning that adherents are not required to sign on to a statement of faith. (See also p. 86, question "How important is it for Buddhists to believe in rebirth?") But there are definitive teachings. Why else would the author insist more than once that certain other beliefs are antithetical to Buddhism?...more
Picked this up at a used book shop in Chiang Mai. In excellent condition for the price! What else are vacations for?
David Day attempts to bring togethPicked this up at a used book shop in Chiang Mai. In excellent condition for the price! What else are vacations for?
David Day attempts to bring together Tolkien's mythology from multiple Tolkien works and catalog the chronology, geography, societies, biology, and biographies of Middle Earth. Includes many fascinating illustrations and explanations. ...more
Foundational! So glad my grad instructors made me read this. I still think in terms of the two types of knowledge (declarative and procedural) and how Foundational! So glad my grad instructors made me read this. I still think in terms of the two types of knowledge (declarative and procedural) and how each is learned differently. ...more
Easy to use. Question and answer format makes finding info a fingertip trip. All claims are organized into categories.
Grudem covers all the egalitariEasy to use. Question and answer format makes finding info a fingertip trip. All claims are organized into categories.
Grudem covers all the egalitarian claims I've heard and many, many more. His thorough footnoting allows the reader to check the context of his quotes. So you can decide for yourself if he's taking things out of context or fairly representing his opposition. ...more
Not convinced - even after a second more careful reading.
John Walton's main idea is that God never intended Genesis chapter 1 to communicate anything Not convinced - even after a second more careful reading.
John Walton's main idea is that God never intended Genesis chapter 1 to communicate anything at all about the material origins of the universe. Instead, it's more a ceremony of temple inauguration in which God claimed the universe as his dwelling and sacred meeting place with man.
Walton starts in proposition 2 by sowing confusion about what "existence" would mean to ancient peoples, then builds his case from there. But Genesis never uses the word "existence".
The author assumes too much. And in some chapters he spends more time denying what the Bible says than observing what it does say. He claims early in the book that all of us who interpret Genesis 1 as about the material origins of the universe are really just prisoners of our worldview, implying that we are indebted to him (who, we are to accept, is not a prisoner of his worldview) to free the rest of us from our misconceptions.
Oddly enough, Walton insists the "days" are literal 24-hour days. But in the end, this is inconsequential, because nothing physical actually happened on those days according to his interpretation.
He suggests that in Genesis 1 "bara", Hebrew for "create", does not mean bringing something material into being, but instead means taking something already in existence and ascribing function to it. What he ignores however, are the several other verbs that seem very oriented to materials; words such as separate, form, made, gathered, appear, sprout, yield, swarm, bring forth, etc.
In my first reading, I only read the first few chapters carefully, and once I had the gist of it, I'd read enough to predict his thought and lose interest. I dipped in a few places in other chapters, but there was no further defense of his thesis, merely outworking of it.
As of 2014, Walton was funded by BioLogos (who is funded by Templeton foundation) to visit churches and religious colleges to promote evolution. (https://wng.org/articles/interpretive...) ...more
This book got me going in gardening after I was first married and living in Cedarville, Ohio. It's a real equipper.This book got me going in gardening after I was first married and living in Cedarville, Ohio. It's a real equipper....more
If only I knew these things before I went off to college! Maybe I would have completed my music education studies. I'd had several years of piano lessIf only I knew these things before I went off to college! Maybe I would have completed my music education studies. I'd had several years of piano lessons and accompanying choirs. Despite my poor audition, a university piano professor saw past my limited technique to my musicality and admitted me to the program. Two hours of practice a day and challenging music wasn't enough to overcome my subconscious realization that my piano practice was ineffective. Progress painstakingly slow, I left the music program.
Fast forward about 17 years. My dad mentions this book by C. C. Chang. It's amazing! Not a light read, but thorough and practical. He draws from notes he took while his children took lessons from a piano instructor in the lineage of Debussy. He draws on his technical background as an engineer and on his knowledge as voluminous reader.
To put the major methods of this book to the test, I selected about 32 measures from Rachmaninoff's 2nd piano concerto. I had always wanted to learn its soaring melody, but the complex inner fingerings and left hand arpeggios stopped me. By following Chang's methods, I had the excerpt comfortably under my hands within weeks. I learned to
-break down problem spots into small bites (almost the whole excerpt was a string of problem spots) -solve technical difficulties hands separately. That's a HUGE key. -let my hands take turns to avoid fatigue (I might have avoided wrist problems in college had I known) -memorize the problem spots as soon possible -memorize the excerpt hands separately (weird, but it creates a stronger memory trace) -cycle -make the last practice of a problem spot slow and soft -practice mentally when not at the piano
My test with Rachmaninoff convinced me that the methods worked. Next, I tackled a whole piece. I had always, always wanted to learn Gershwin's 3rd piano prelude, but it had always, always been beyond reach. Not anymore. By first analyzing the piece for structure and repetition (Chang's project management approach), I located the problem spots. I began problem solving these and cycling the solutions right away. This piece had a lot more technical difficulties and took longer, BUT my progress was obvious from the start.
Now even though my daughters have a stellar piano teacher, I'm letting them in on the Chang's secrets. They make a difference.
Who would have thought that a massive volume on housekeeping could be so interesting? I love watching or reading about people who excel in their craftWho would have thought that a massive volume on housekeeping could be so interesting? I love watching or reading about people who excel in their craft. Cheryl Mendelson, though a lawyer by training, confesses and advocates for good housekeeping. She covers the whole range, getting very detailed in various techniques. Even I, who worked in restaurants for 3 years, learned how to better clean a table and kitchen from this book....more
Great reference book of thinkers and their thoughts. Contains the naysayers as well as the defenders. Readers should know beforehand that Geisler freeGreat reference book of thinkers and their thoughts. Contains the naysayers as well as the defenders. Readers should know beforehand that Geisler freely inserts his own critiques and positions....more
Many educators know of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives in the cognitive domain. Some, especially PE teachers know of the taxonomy for the pMany educators know of Bloom's taxonomy of educational objectives in the cognitive domain. Some, especially PE teachers know of the taxonomy for the psychomotor domain. Few know of the affective domain, yet it is perhaps the most important and least understood.
This is the domain addressing attitude and values and how to assess them. YES, you can assess (though perhaps you shouldn't grade) attitude and values.
This is actually a reference work, not a book to read through unless you're doing research. It's quite detailed and technical reading at times....more
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