Future Israel • Barry E. Horner
BOOK
Release date: 10.15.07
394 pages

I still consider many parts of eschatology (the study of the end times) to be a mystery, especially considering how many Christ-honoring, Scripture-revering men can have valid disagreements over how and when things will occur. With that in mind, I approached this book hoping for clarification and inspiration. Imagine my disappointment when I closed it to feelings of confusion and apathy.

I make no excuses for the historical and contemporary mistreatment of the Jewish race. Horner details them at length for nearly half of his book, and it's hard to refute such a mountain of evidence. At the same time, I don't believe -- as Horner clearly does -- that disagreeing with his eschatological position is equitable with anti-Semitism.

Although I don't disagree with Horner's overarching viewpoint in regards to Israel, and actually think he makes some good points concerning the proper contextual interpretation of certain Scripture passages, his overall tone remains off-putting. It's one thing to be passionate (as is clearly the case here) and quite another to be belligerent.

When Horner says "After all, Luther, Calvin, Turretin, Fairbairn, Bavinck, and Vos could not possibly be wrong!" (201) after two hundred pages of pointing out every possible facet of disagreement he has with them is the kind of condescending tone that permeates the book. Horner has every right to remain unapologetic in his convictions, but seems to have missed the concept of tact and persuasion.

The bottom line is that if Horner's efforts did not positively influence someone who read with an open mind, imagine the reaction it will have from those who vehemently disagree? Not only that, but I'm afraid it will illicit the same response from people who are interested in learning more: a desire to stay far away from the "you're with me or you're wrong" bitter ramblings and near mud-slinging of eschatology.  D+

I felt my boy kick yesterday! It was really faint, kind of like someone lightly flicking you with a finger, but it was very distinct. Tricia says she can feel him moving around a lot during the day. It's still amazing to think about how much growing he's doing...and how much he has left!

Part of me really wants him to already be here, but I also want to enjoy the pregnancy and all of the moments -- like the first time I feel him kick -- that won't ever be repeated. Did I mention that I'm excited?!?!

A collection of remixes, acoustic versions, and other scarce material, this disc will please the die-hard Anberlin fan and might even introduce a few others to their music. The liner notes are also nicely done as frontman Stephen Christian takes time to share his thoughts on the songs.

The acoustic versions don't do much for me (though it is nice to hear the lyrics a bit better on some songs) but the covers and cuts that were left on the editing floor of previous releases are a very nice touch.

This is a band that has worked hard to get where they are, and they have the musical chops to compliment their work ethic. This album fills a missing spot in their catalog and only makes me want another full-length album of new material soon. B+

The Flame In All of Us • Thousand Foot Krutch
MUSIC
Release date: 09.18.07
48 mins. / 12 tracks

I first heard Canada-based Thousand Foot Krutch as an unsigned band on a CD sampler from 7-Ball magazine. (Anyone else remember that? That's going waaaay back.) I was impressed with the catchiness of that song and figured they would get signed. They did.

Since then, they have adapted their music and moved away from the mixture of rap and rock that dominated the scene when they broke in.  And while this is TFK's strongest effort yet, they still have some work to do when it comes to maturing into their own sound.

That said, they have enjoyed some success with previous albums, and should find a song or two getting some airplay from this disc as well. C

Before I forget, let me take time to mention the Vogue Visions Photography open house Tricia and I went to this week. My sister-in-law Jessica has started her own business and she photographs weddings, senior portraits, portfolio shots...and pretty much anything else you want! I've seen some of her work, and believe me when I say that she has a great eye for this. If you're in the market for photos (or just curious), swing by her website and check it out.

It's a boy!!!

Tricia and I had another ultrasound today, and we found out that we are having a son! Our boy is healthy, has a very strong heart beat, and is developing right on schedule for his arrival in May!

We have been praying for our child to be healthy, and God has blessed us tremendously. Our boy is without question a gift from God and we feel very privileged to be his parents.

If you have children, then I'm sure you understand, but it's hard to put into words exactly how it feels. I feel a great sense of responsibility and concern for my son, and I want to provide for him and set a Godly example for him. At the same time, there's an overwhelming sense of joy and excitement about getting to hold my child, see him learn and grow, and invest my life into his. I can't wait!

Here's the pictures:

And this is the one that confirmed it!

We'll start with the best part: you can get this album for free. That's right -- free. Head over to fono.net and you can download all 11 tracks in a handy zip file, or each song individually if that's your style. You can also get pdf files of the jewel case, tray liner, and disc label. Very nice.

But is it worth your time? In a word: Yes. While not a great album, it has enough upside to add to your collection. Although Fono has been around since the late 1990s, a studio fire right after the turn of the millennium delayed their sophomore release and the band has struggled to find its niche is the subsequent years.

This release continues in the same rock-infused vein as their earlier efforts, and doesn't show a great deal of musical maturity over the last 10 years (not necessarily a bad thing). In short, while the music isn't likely to win very many new fans, the price undoubtedly will. C+

Deadfall • Robert Liparulo
BOOK
Release date: 11.06.07
458 pages

This book starts off slow but builds nicely. It's the third effort from Liparulo (following Comes a Horseman and Germ). Liparulo has a good sense of pacing when it comes to story, but the exposition between the dialogue and action scenes needs some tightening. Too much time was given to detailing the pasts of the people involved; motivation and backstory should unveil through the characters' words and choices. 

One thing about this book that sets it above many of its peers is the fact that no character is safe, and there are several injuries and/or deaths throughout the book that I was not expecting. 

Unfortunately -- although not entirely implausible -- the villains and their motivation are highly unlikely. As is the reaction of some of the ancillary characters. Sadly, Liparulo sadly gives into the temptations of the genre as he nears the climax. I won't spoil anything here, but there is one scene about three-quarters of the way through that becomes obvious to the point of cliché, and from there, the ending is clearly telegraphed to anyone who's read a book or seen a movie. Not wholly unsatisfying, but far short of original.

This ended up being a better book than I anticipated from the first few chapters, but it still falls well short of what it could have been. C+

By now, you've probably seen previews for the movie The Golden Compass that's releasing this weekend. Which means you've also likely heard the controversy surrounding the atheistic tone of the novels.

Compass is actually the first book of a trilogy in which the main characters seek to undermine the evil Church and kill God. The trilogy, collectively called His Dark Materials, stems from author Phillip Pullman's desire "to undermine the basis of Christian belief," according to a 2001 interview.

In 2002, he told a reported from the London Telegraph: "If there is a God and he is as the Christians describe him, then he deserves to be put down and rebelled against."

And in 2003, he told a newspaper: "My books are about killing God."  

Then, during a 2003 question and answer session, he makes note of what he calls "the unfortunate phenomenon of fundamentalism where you get people trying to read a mythical account as if it is a literal account. It says God created the world in six days, it must have been six days, like that. And so you have creation science...which is deplorable."

There's more, but it's clear where Pullman stands.

My issue, however, isn't with Pullman's stance. Although I respectfully disagree with his positions, Pullman is certainly entitled to have them, and I tend to think the Christian faith has historically shown itself capable of handling assaults. It's unlikely that a work of fiction is going to topple what God himself has built. (Remember the furor over the DaVinci Code a few years back? My church didn't shut down.)

What bothers me is an assertion made by the Los Angeles Times in a recent article I found online. The article stated, in response to the controversy surrounding this movie: "Yes, it's true, as the e-mails virtually shriek, that Pullman once told an interviewer His Dark Materials is about "killing God," and that he wrote an op-ed piece describing C. S. Lewis' The Chronicles of Narnia as "ugly and poisonous." It's also true that these statements have been taken out of context -- not just out of the context of a particular interview or newspaper editorial, but out of the context of an entire culture, a culture of conversation, debate and consideration, rather than paranoia, alarmism and extremism."

So now we are to understand people's words, not just in the context of what they are saying, but in the culture around them? Although Pullman said those words, the assumption is that we shouldn't be focusing on them or their meaning. As if, in this new-found culture of enlightenment, we are no longer to take people at the value of their words, but only at the culturally acceptable value of their thoughts.

In other words, if what a person says promotes the kind of self-satisfying culture of tolerance that is being cultivated in the West (much as it is already in place in Europe) than they are to be heard, emboldened, and even applauded. But if someone were to dare to disagree with others on issues that challenge the 'rights of self' or the 'culture of tolerance' than they are to be mocked, ignored, or silenced.

So, the Times would have us believe, we should be fostering a "culture of conversation, debate and consideration" that allows each person to hold whatever viewpoint they desire, as long as it is not one of intolerance? Right.

Can you imagine the reaction if Pullman had said his books were about "killing Allah"? Or undermining "the basis of Wiccan belief"? I strongly doubt the LA Times -- or any other media outlet -- would jump to his defense if either of these faith systems were attacked. I'm certainly not expecting (or asking) journalism to be a defender of Christian thought or belief, but I do expect journalism to hold the same standards across the board.

The Coldest Winter • David Halberstam
BOOK
Release date: 09.25.07
736 pages

Not for the faint of heart, this nearly 800-page volume of the Korean War will require some serious reading time. Part of that is obviously due to its length, but even more so is the manner in which Halberstam thoroughly -- sometimes painstakingly -- provides not only the details of the moment but the events that led up to it.

With 50 years separating us from the events of this book, Halberstam is able to piece together a larger picture of the war, including the political climate in America, the foreign policy toward Asia, and the burgeoning enemy known as communism. Each of these factors (and several others) are key in not only why we entered the Korean war, but also why we stayed and how we fought.

This book was nothing short of engrossing. Although there were a few lulls in the pacing, the information remained solid. Halberstam isn't afraid to state his opinions about the events that unfolded, but he often provides adequate support for his perspective. So much so that when he doesn't (as discussed in the next paragraph) it is glaringly obvious.

Which is why one of the few criticisms I have comes from an out-of-the-blue indictment of the current Bush administration. My issue isn't so much with Halberstam's political leanings, only that the events of 2003 seem far too recent to give any kind of proper historical perspective. In fact, one of Halberstam's points throughout the book is that history often judges events and people quite differently than their contemporaries. That may or may not be the case when it comes to the Iraqi war, but time will be required before any definitive judgment can be passed.

Sadly, Halberstam was killed in a car accident just a few days after making his final changes to this manuscript. In his passing, the world certainly lost a gifted writer and journalist with a knack for telling the story of history, not just the statistics of it. As it stands, The Coldest Winter is a fitting bookend to a long, plentiful career. A-