Introduction
The world of books is endless, something the Preacher knew; “Of making many books there is no end, and much study is a weariness of the flesh” (Eccl. 12:12).
Research
There were a few moments this week where I finally began to feel the flow of “deep work” (a la Cal Newport’s helpful book). In my own experience with research, this comes when you start looking for one quote, which leads to another book, which leads to a library trip, which leads to 45 minutes perusing the section in which your book is found, which leads to taking three new books back to the office for future use. This is the truly thrilling part of any new research opportunity, one on which my advisor, Andrew, commented on his own unique jealousy. Some of the sources encountered and questions they answered or posed include:
- Printing was seen as a medium of competition by authors, printers, and publishers in many counties:
- GERMANY – Luther himself saw print as a divine gift: “All arts and disciplines have now reached their highest peak, even though at the same time they are held in the utmost contempt—and this is no wonder, seeing that Christ himself, the supreme gift, is so deeply despised in the world. Printing is the latest gift, and the greatest one too; for through it, God willed that the cause of true religion be made known to the whole world at the end of time and be spread into every language. It is truly the final, inextinguishable flame of the world”
- ENGLAND – John Foxe was equally enthusiastic “As we haue great cauſe to geeue thanks to the high prouidence of almighty God, for the excellent arte of Printing, moſt happely of late found out, and now commonly practiſed euery where, to the ſingular benefite of Chriſtes Church, wherby great increaſe of learnyng and knowledge, with innumerable commodities els haue enſued, and dayly doe enſue to the lyfe of man, and eſpecially to the fartherance of true Religion”
- FRANCE – the Edict of Chateaubriant (1551) testified to print’s power by censoring all Protestant materials.
- ROME – although it might seem as if the Vatican Press, established in 1587, arrived well behind its Protestant counterparts, Pope Gregory XIII was heavily involved in Rome’s printing industry. He saw print as a battlefield upon which ideological struggles would be fought, and one worth the church’s utmost attention (Sachet, Towards the Typographia Vaticana).
- As we continue to look at the hand press, I want to see whether or not literacy rates affect the reception of religious prints in different areas. To put it more bluntly, what is the point of religious printing if the people cannot read?
Reading
We’re still awaiting the arrival of some of our books from America, so I purchased a few from Amazon’s UK website, with mixed results on arrival times. Nevertheless, this week’s morning readings included all or some of:
- From Sabbath to Lord’s Day: A Biblical, Historical, and Theological Investigation, edited by D.A. Carson (Wipf and Stock, 1999)
- Carson and several of his Cambridge classmates produced a study they bounced around for several years, an expansive study of how the Jewish observance of a Saturday Sabbath transitioned into the Christian’s practice of worship and church gathering on Sunday, the Lord’s Day.
- How We Read Now: Strategic Choices for Print, Screen, and Audio, Naomi S. Baron (Oxford University Press, 2021)
- Baron provides a wonderful resource for parents and educators alike by asking some of the important questions around reading from print, digital, or audio resources. She works hard to avoid the pitfalls of either a Luddite-like rejection of or a whole-hearted embrace of all new technologies. While skewing toward a print-is-slightly-better attitude, one with which I robustly agree, she does not condemn other mediums outright. There are some benefits to digital reading that print cannot produce, and audio as well.
- The Churching of America 1776-2005: Winners and Losers in Our Religious Economy, Roger Finke and Rodney Stark (Rutgers University Press, 2005)
- I finally finished the last couple of chapters of this book, one I first came across while doing ThM work at Midwestern. This is a marvelous book for people who want to understand, from a data-driven perspective, how religious movements and denominations have evolved and emplaced themselves within the marketplace of faithful Americans. Perhaps the best thought of this book is the tension between sects and church. Sects operate on a brisk feeling of newness, adventure, and purity. They often have high membership expectations, and are often focused on otherworldly success over material growth. However, every sect inevitably moves toward a more established church, at which point a new sect movement likely breaks off and begins the cycle anew.
Real Life
Rhythms are such an underrated part of a family’s existence. Children thrive when they have a regular time for things such as bed, waking up, school, and meals. And when children are in a better rhythm, so are the parents who spend so much time, energy, and focus on those children.
Rhythms also help the time go by so much more quickly. Part of the reason parents feel that summers can drag while school years fly by is because the time is so much more structured and filled. Our own calendar, understandably sparse when arriving into a new country/city/culture, is already being filled with church, bible study, and other fellowship opportunities. My own class and research pattern is beginning to take the 9:30-5:00 window of time nicely, and I walk home feeling like I actually accomplished something and made it one step closer to a complete thesis.
Conclusion
THIS VIDEO made my kids laugh quite a bit, probably because it reminded them of their own dog back in Texas. Miss you, Lyle!
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