Talking of Dragons

Gifts of the Legend: A Short Story for Halloween

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Mon, 24 Oct 2022 23:40:00 +0000

Here's a short story for Halloween I wrote a few years ago.

This one might just surprise you.

New Daniels, New Nebuchadnezzars

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Thu, 06 Aug 2015 03:49:00 +0000

Below is the continuation of the previous email to "Malcolm," my Lutheran pastor correspondent, and our discussion on Church and Politics.

***

You say, “Find me some words from Jesus that indicate that the church is supposed to transform government.” Your point being, I take it, that there are none. But then, in your very next sentence, you write, “Christians certainly should serve in government and allow their world view to influence the work they do…” Which is it? If we allow our world view to influence the work we do in government, this will “transform government” eventually. We know this for a fact: the faithfulness of the first, second, and third century Christians led to the transformation of the Roman government in the fourth. Further, it was that same faithful witness, even unto death, that led to the glorious (though of course imperfect) civilizations of Christian Europe and Byzantium. Those civilizations lasted more than a millennium, and gave the world some of the greatest cultural advancements in history: the university, modern science and medicine, the abolition of slavery, the glories of illuminated manuscripts and Gothic cathedrals, the literature of the Beowulf poet, Chaucer, Dante, and many more. Included in the blessings of Christendom are also the English Common Law, which, beginning with Alfred the Great, was inspired by the Mosaic Law (his code begins with the Ten Commandments), and which in turn provided the foundations of American liberty.

All this (and, as they say on TV, much more!) from the Church’s very first attempt at discipling the nations! I can’t wait to see what Christendom II has in store!

To more directly answer your question about “Find me some words of Jesus…” concerning how the church is to transform government, how about “you are the light of the world…you are the salt of the earth”? Oh, except in politics, of course. Right?

But as I said, I realize that you may only be saying, “The Church as the Church is not to transform politics, but individual Christians can.” That’s pretty fair, if so, but I still say (with Luther) that the Church, as the Church, has a role in this work, both in terms of being a prophetic voice to the secular authorities, and in teaching those individual Christians how a Christian ought to govern and make laws. After all, if these Christians, working in their political vocations, are allowed, as you said, to use their worldview to make a difference, that’s no different from saying they are bringing the Scriptures, including the Law, to bear on political systems, like Alfred, the Christian king, did. But if they do that faithfully, over the course of generations, we will see the nations discipled, including their politics. Would that be a problem, in your view?

You make an unnecessary assumption when you say the Church is “not given the sword.” I’m not arguing for an ecclesiocracy, and I accept the Christian distinction between Church and State (which came to America by way of Calvin and the Puritans, by the way). But this in no way implies a separation of God from the State, which I would argue is, not so much wrong (though it is that), as impossible: there is no neutral, secular ground where God has no claims of kingship. And Psalm 2 (and, again, Matthew 28), make it clear that the nations, as nations, have a duty to God, just as much as individuals.

You make a distinction between “baptizing and teaching” on the one hand and involvement in government on the other. But again, Jesus said we are to baptize and teach the nations (ethnicities, if you prefer, though that changes nothing). In time this must surely lead (as indeed history tells us it did) to the conversion of entire nations and their rulers. Surely such converted political leaders among the world’s ethnicities will have questions about how they ought to govern? Are we not to answer them? Historically, the Church, acting as the Church, did answer them, playing the role of wise Daniels to various converted Nebuchadnezzars. The Bible has a lot to say on the subject: should we muzzle the Word in order to keep clear of politics?

As Dorothy L. Sayers once said (appropriately enough, in the introduction to her play on Constantine), “If the Gospel was to be ‘preached unto every creature’, then Christianity must some day cease to be the cult of a minority, and the power of purse and sword must eventually come into Christian hands….” Again, this is Christians acting as individuals: neither I nor Sayers are saying the Church itself wields the sword. But we need to think Biblically (beforehand!) about how to handle being in power when it happens. Now it may be quite some time away, but it is folly to refuse to think about such a possibility, or to prepare for it, especially in light of the fact that it has happened before.

And it seems to me that you are saying just that: that we have no business thinking about, or preparing for, such a thing, for “There is no such thing as Christian politics” you say. Then the whole history of Christian reflection on politics is wrongheaded? The book of Esther is all about politics. Is it not part of God’s Word? I agree with you that our confessional standards are important: I would never want to walk away from the victories our forefathers gained for us in the Reformation. But I have in my library a publication of The Augsburg Confession that runs about thirty pages, and is about a tenth of an inch thick. Even if you take the Book of Concord itself (much of which is really a defense or exposition of Augsburg), the doctrinal matters contained therein cover probably about 1% of what is in the Bible. Unless we wish to follow Marcion in rejecting the Old Testament (and, really, much of the New), we have to admit that there is quite a lot in the Bible about politics, and many other matters that our confessional symbols don’t cover. Are we to reject all of this, or simply ignore it?

So as I said, I believe your theology is somewhat schizophrenic: there is no Christian politics, you say, yet Christians who work in that arena are to allow their world view to influence the work they do. How can they, if there is no such thing as Christian politics? Surely “Christian politics” is that politics that seeks to honor Christ, and obey His Word, pursuing justice (Biblically defined) and righteousness according to God’s Law. Would it really be wrong for Christian politicians, in a society of Christians (I realize we’re not there yet) to pursue such Christian politics?

In conclusion, I agree that we need “very open and kind discussions of these issues,” and I hope our small discussion here is an example of that. But I do want to close by asking you about your statement that “we are being co-opted by political ideology and in danger of exalting that ideology to the status of ‘Christian’.”

If indeed this is the case, it’s worth asking: what if it is Christian?

Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Politics

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 05 Aug 2015 03:35:00 +0000

This week will mark the first presidential debate for the upcoming 2016 national elections, so it seemed a good time to begin this series of posts. My goal in this blog, among other things, is to publish all my otherwise unpublished writings here. That includes, in some cases, email conversations. This post begins a series of email exchanges I had exactly a year ago with a Lutheran pastor with whom I began to dialogue when we both left comments on an online blog post. I won’t be posting his emails, but as you’ll see, I often quote from them in my replies, so that should make things fairly clear. I have also changed the name to protect my correspondent’s privacy. As an homage (not a comparison) to C.S. Lewis' fictional Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer, I have given my interlocutor the name Malcolm.

Below, then, are the first two emails in this exchange. Or rather, the first email, and the first half of the second: some of these are rather long, and I plan to split them up into separate posts for easier reading.

Those who are familiar with the writings of James Jordan and Douglas Wilson will recognize their influence in what I write, and the obvious debt to them is acknowledged.

***

Malcolm, with all due respect, I think that the Evil One wants us to leave the culture wars, so he can proceed without opposition. Or does God not care about human culture? Are politicians and political entities off the hook when it comes to obedience to God? I’m sure they’ll be thrilled to hear it! But Psalm 2 says that God will give “the nations” to the Son, and that the duty of political rulers is to “kiss the Son.”

You say “the church’s vocation is to make disciples” and I agree; but the passage you’re quoting (Matthew 28:18) actually says we are to “disciple the nations.” Sure, that includes the conversion of individuals and families. But it also includes nations, for that is what it says. The reason Jesus gives for this is what he says immediately before: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Note well: “All authority in heaven and on earth.” This certainly includes political authority. As I said in a comment on another thread, politics is no savior. But politics needs a savior, just like everything and everyone else in this fallen world.

***

Malcolm, thanks for your reply. It’s appropriate, and rather fun, to be discussing this on Independence Day. Hope you have a nice holiday.

I do differ with you in some respects, but I wonder if some of the apparent differences are only superficial: for instance, if you are saying that the Church, as such, does not have the power of the sword, and that the main work of reforming government should be done by individual Christians, as such, then that’s fair enough, and I don’t disagree. However, I can’t help but feel that your view is still a bit schizophrenic, for all that. Let me hit a few key points, and see if this helps.

You are correct that the Greek word is “ethnos” in Matthew 28. However, the passage does not merely say “go to” them, as you paraphrased, but “disciple” them, a word Jesus further qualifies by saying, “teaching them all things whatsoever I have commanded you.” The distinction is important: this passage won’t allow us to think we’ve fulfilled our duty under the Great Commission if we simply go to the nations, and tell them about Jesus. That’s the first step, to be sure: but we are actually commissioned here to “disciple” the nations. I think the burden of proof is on you if you wish to suggest that politics is the one area of life somehow excepted from this commission, as if the Bible has nothing to say about it (surely “all things whatsoever I have commanded you” includes the whole Bible, not just the four Gospels?). More on this anon.

Further, I’m not sure how the emphasis on ethnicities helps your point. The word is translated “nations” repeatedly in many English versions, and for good reason. But my point is made once you acknowledge that the word refers to groups rather than just individuals: yes, we are to disciple the ethnicities of the world—we are not just to save a few people out of those ethnicities. We are not to stop until those ethnicities, as a whole, are baptized and discipled. If we are to disciple all the ethnicities of the world, then we are to teach those ethnicities “all things” that Jesus taught us in His Word. This includes God’s Law (of which Jesus said that not one jot or tittle will pass away while heaven and earth remain, Matt. 5:17–19), which has plenty to say about how a nation ought to be governed. Plus, imagine how the Apostles would likely have heard the Great Commission with their Jewish ears: “disciple the nations,” Jesus said. They’d read Exodus and Deuteronomy. They knew what a discipled nation looked like, and they knew that Israel’s mission from God was to be a light to the nations (Ps. 18:49, Ps. 96:3). This had always been part of God’s plan (Gen. 26:4; Deut. 4:5–6), and the Church was now to carry it on, and actually accomplish it.

You mentioned the Reformed Postmillennial view, which says, following Psalm 110, and I Corinthians 15, that the nations will be converted before Christ returns. Speaking of Christ’s current, post-ascension reign at the right hand of the Father, Paul says, “For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death.” This is in reference to Psalm 110, where we read: “The LORD says to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand, until I make your enemies your footstool.’” Note well the word “until.” So Jesus will not leave the Father’s right hand and return to earth until all his enemies are put under Him (implication: Christianized nations at the time of the Second Coming). But how are these enemies conquered? Paul reminds us that our weapons are not carnal (swords and guns) but spiritual (II Cor. 10:3–5). We conquer Christ’s enemies by preaching the Word of God to them and being faithful unto death. What will be the result? Psalm 22, a Messianic Psalm, says this: “All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the Lord: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee.” This sounds just like what you said Postmillennialists believe: “nations themselves are to be converted.”

If these ideas are indeed “rejected by Orthodox Lutheran teaching,” that’s certainly worth considering: I believe confessions and creeds are vitally important. And I think it’s at least possible that Postmillennialism is contradicted by Article XVII of the Augsburg Confession, though no Postmillennialist that I’m aware of teaches that we will “annihilate all the godless,” except in the way that God “annihilated” Saul the Persecutor by transforming him into Paul the Apostle. But even more important is to consider whether these ideas are Biblical. That’s a discussion Lutherans need to have, in my view.

Grandmother

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Mon, 03 Aug 2015 18:18:00 +0000

Two years ago today, my Grandmother, the last of my grandparents, passed away, just a couple of weeks from her eighty-fifth birthday. We held two funeral services for her: one in North Carolina, where she lived the last forty-two years of her life, and one in Tennessee, where she was born, and where she was laid to rest. I was asked by my mother to provide a short eulogy at both services, and also, due to the out-of-state situation with the second funeral, to conduct the graveside service in Tennessee. I am a layman, but there was no available clergyman in Tennessee who knew Grandmother, so I was asked to fill in. Fortunately, the Church has ample resources for such situations, and I used the classic, familiar service for the burial of the dead from The Book of Common Prayer.

Grandmother invited my new bride and I to move in with her for a few months after we were married, and again for another few months the following year after coming back from a time in school out of state, before we settled in our own place. Thus she gave us, as a newlywed couple, our first home. Almost exactly twenty years later, I visited her at her home (with a few brief exceptions, she continued to live on her own until the end of her life). She clearly didn't feel well, had a headache, and was struggling to breathe that night, but she had these bouts from time to time, and she recovered fairly well before I left. I heated up a frozen microwave meal for her, though she didn't seem much inclined to eat. It would turn out to be her last meal in this life. The next morning, my Dad found her, unconscious, and called for an ambulance. Two days later, she was gone.

What follows below is, first, my brief eulogy; then, the graveside service from the BCP. I adapted it slightly for our needs, but the only original element is the short sermon in the middle. I publish these here today in memory of Grandmother, with gratitude for her life and faith.

***

Grandmother, you knew this day would come. You hinted at it for years. We waved off the hints, less brave than you to face the beginning of the next chapter of your story. But it was more than a failure of courage: we simply couldn’t imagine anything, even death, outlasting you. You outlasted the Depression, World War, the early loss of a father, the early loss of a husband, and forty years of widowhood. You outlasted repeated assaults on the fortress of your flesh, coming home from the hospital time and again when the doctors said you wouldn’t; going back home to live on your own time and again when we said you wouldn’t.

You loved me as your first grandson. You loved my wife as if she were your own flesh and blood. When marriage was just behind, you were happy to give us our first home. When death was just ahead, I was honored to give you your last meal.

Through every change, you remained standing when the dust had settled. Breathing hard, with the effort of living, and with the pain of weakened lungs, but still standing. And when you could stand no more, we stood and sang around your bed, surprised that this day had come, surprised that you had not found a way to outlast once more. You fell asleep in the nighttime, and morning had not yet come.

We will lay you to rest in Tennessee, your first, but not your final, home. From dust to flesh 85 years ago, and you were born into this earthly world, your first home. From flesh to dust now, and you are born into the heavenly world, your second home. But still not your final home. Not yet. For someday, dust will turn to flesh once again. One final change. Then you will have outlasted the last enemy, and you will breathe hard again, with the effort of living; but no weakness, no pain. Only joy. And I will see the old strength again, reawakened, and reborn. Dust to flesh. Then it will be morning.

***

The Order for

The Burial of the Dead

I AM the resurrection and the life, saith the Lord: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: and whosoever liveth and believeth in me, shall never die.

I know that my redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: and though this body be destroyed, yet shall I see God: whom I shall see for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not as a stranger.

We brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. The LORD gave, and the LORD hath taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.

De profundis. Psalm cxxx.

OUT of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord; * Lord, hear my voice.
O let thine ears consider well * the voice of my complaint.
If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is sinfully done, * O Lord, who may abide it?
For there is mercy with thee; * therefore shalt thou be feared.
I look for the Lord; my soul doth wait for him; * in his word is my trust.
My soul fleeth unto the Lord before the morning watch;
O Israel, trust in the Lord, for with the Lord there is mercy, * and with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel * from all his sins.

Let us sing together the first and last verses of Amazing Grace.

A reading from the fifteenth Chapter of the first Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians.

1 Corinthians xv.

But now Christ is risen from the dead, and has become the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep.21 For since by man came death, by Man also came the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ all shall be made alive. 23 But each one in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, afterward those who are Christ’s at His coming. 24 Then comes the end, when He delivers the kingdom to God the Father, when He puts an end to all rule and all authority and power. 25 For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. 26 The last enemy that will be destroyed is death...42 ...The body is sown in corruption, it is raised in incorruption.43 It is sown in dishonor, it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness, it is raised in power. 44 It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body...50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; nor does corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I tell you a mystery: We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed—52 in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible has put on incorruption, and this mortal has put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

55 “O Death, where is your sting?

O Death, where is your victory?”

56 The sting of death is sin, and the strength of sin is the law.

57 But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.

Here follows the sermon.

“This world is not my home; I’m just a-passing through.” We’ve heard it often enough, and it is true enough. The heroes of the Faith in Hebrews 11 are “strangers and pilgrims on the earth.” Heaven is the hope of the believer, the destination of the traveler, the comfort of the dying. To Heaven all who are in Christ shall surely go; when they close their eyes for the final time, they will awake in Heaven. We confess it, we believe it, it is true.

But there is more to the story. And it may be that, in missing, or perhaps forgetting, the rest of the story, we have allowed a bit of confusion in our minds. I suspect that, if pressed, most of us would remember the rest of the story, but it seems we don’t talk about it much. So many songs and poems talk about Heaven as if it were the final destination. But is it? We remember that the Bible speaks of a “new heaven and a new earth.” And it is this to which the Bible, from beginning to end, looks forward: we begin, in Genesis, in the Garden; we end, in Revelation, in the Garden-City. We are told in Psalm 22 of a time when “all the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD.” The Bible sets forth a time of redemption for this world, not just an escape to another world somewhere else.

Again, we do go to be with Christ in Heaven when we die; but God still has a purpose to redeem this world in the long run. When Paul says, in Philippians 3, that “our citizenship is in heaven,” he goes on to say, that we are waiting, not just to go to Heaven, but for Jesus to come from Heaven. And for what purpose? Paul says, in verse 21, that Christ “will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body, according to the working by which He is able even to subdue all things to Himself.”

And John looks for a day “when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of Man, and those who hear will live; when all in the graves will come out, those who have done good, to the resurrection of life, and those who have done evil, to the resurrection of judgment."

Thus, what awaits those who die in Christ is blessing, and peace, in the presence of God, but only as a temporary place of rest. In the Biblical story, history does not end with God’s people going to Heaven, but with Heaven coming down to Earth: “And I heard a loud voice from heaven saying, “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God.” Thus John in Revelation 21. Notice that it is not that men go to dwell with God, but that God comes to dwell with men.

The resurrection of the body: we will not live forever as disembodied spirits, but with real, physical bodies. Again, the dead will come out of their graves; God will transform our lowly body that it may be conformed to His glorious body. What was His glorious body like? He clearly possessed supernatural powers, but he also ate fish; and he said, “a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have.” And in the Scripture we read earlier, it is the body that is sown in corruption, dishonor, and weakness; and thus it is the body that is raised in incorruption, glory, and power. If you are in Christ, you will not be playing a harp on a cloud forever, like in the Sunday comics. You will have a glorified body, and you will live in an earth transformed by the presence of Heaven.

There is, therefore, as one theologian puts it, such a thing as “Life after Life after Death.” Or as another pastor once said, “Heaven is not my home; I’m just a-passing through.”

As we say farewell to Mary Russell, better known as Molly, as Mom, as Grandmother, we should think of her new life in biblical terms, for she has gone on ahead of us, and she, I am quite sure, understands all this far better than I do. Doubtless, if she could hear this weak attempt at explanation, she would laugh at some of my misunderstandings. But as we think of her, and what her life is like now, there are certain things we can be sure of: first, she is far better off. All weakness is gone, all pain, all sickness is over forever. Second, she is with Christ, for to be absent from the body, Paul tells us, is to be present with the Lord. Third, she is in a place where she will not remain forever: someday, her spirit, now with God, will be reunited with this same body that we today commit to the ground. And just as the bodies of God’s people will undergo death and resurrection, so will this world, which will be transformed into a new Earth, united with Heaven at last.

This is the great hope of the Christian: that death will not have the final word. Death is an enemy, and even though we rejoice at Grandmother’s new life and joy, we feel the bitter wrath of that enemy as she is taken from us. But as we just read, death is the last enemy, and it too will be thrown down when Christ returns. If you are in Christ, you know the hope of life beyond the grave, with a resurrected body that will never know pain or death again. If you do not know that hope, I know that my Grandmother would want you to know it: to consider the truth of these promises made by the one who made the ultimate promise that He would rise on the third day after he had died; and the clear testimony of history tells us that he kept that promise. Grandmother would ask you to consider carefully and well the claims made by this man who changed the world by his death and resurrection.

Let us pray together as our Lord taught us.

OUR Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy Name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, As it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our trespasses, As we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us not into temptation; But deliver us from evil. Amen.

O MERCIFUL God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the Resurrection and the Life; in whom whosoever believeth, shall live, though he die; and whosoever liveth, and believeth in him, shall not die eternally; who also hath taught us, by his holy Apostle Saint Paul, not to be sorry, as men without hope, for those who sleep in him; We humbly beseech thee, O Father, to raise us from the death of sin unto the life of righteousness; that, when we shall depart this life, we may rest in him; and that, at the general Resurrection in the last day, we may be found acceptable in thy sight; and receive that blessing, which thy well-beloved Son shall then pronounce to all who love and fear thee, saying, Come, ye blessed children of my Father, receive the kingdom prepared for you from the beginning of the world. Grant this, we beseech thee, O merciful Father, through Jesus Christ, our Mediator and Redeemer. Amen.

UNTO Almighty God we commend the soul of our sister departed, and we commit her body to the ground; earth to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust; in sure and certain hope of the Resurrection unto eternal life, through our Lord Jesus Christ, at whose coming in glorious majesty to judge the world, the earth and the sea shall give up their dead; and the corruptible bodies of those who sleep in him shall be changed, and made like unto his own glorious body; according to the mighty working whereby he is able to subdue all things unto himself.

I HEARD a voice from heaven, saying unto me, Write, From henceforth blessed are the dead who die in the Lord: even so saith the Spirit; for they rest from their labours.

ALL that the Father giveth me shall come to me: and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out. He that raised up Jesus from the dead: will also quicken your mortal bodies by the spirit which dwelleth in you.

Wherefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope.

Thou shalt show me the path of life; in thy presence is the fulness of joy: and at thy right hand there is pleasure for evermore.

REMEMBER thy servant, O Lord, according to the favour which thou bearest unto thy people, and grant that, increasing in knowledge and love of thee, she may go from strength to strength, in the life of perfect service, in thy heavenly kingdom; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever, one God, world without end. Amen.

GRANDMOTHER, unto God’s gracious mercy and protection we commit you. The Lord bless you and keep you. The Lord make his face to shine upon you, and be gracious unto you. The Lord lift up his countenance upon you, and give you peace, both now and evermore. Amen.

Go in peace.

As Little Children

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:47:00 +0000

"‘Except,’ said Christ, ‘ye become as little children’—and the words are sometimes quoted to justify the flight into infantilism. Now, children differ in many ways, but they have one thing in common. Peter Pan—if indeed he exists otherwise than in the nostalgic imagination of an adult—is a case for the pathologist. All normal children (however much we discourage them) look forward to growing up. ‘Except ye become as little children,’ except you can wake on your fiftieth birthday with the same forward-looking excitement and interest in life that you enjoyed when you were five, ‘ye cannot see the Kingdom of God.’ One must not only die daily, every day one must be born again."

Dorothy L. Sayers, Strong Meat

"...wake on your fiftieth birthday with the same forward-looking excitement and interest in life that you enjoyed when you were five..." We might even expand this a bit: "as little children" might mean more than just physical immaturity: Adam and Eve were physical adults, but they were infants in understanding and experience. Just so, we were once "children" in areas like marriage, work, and parenting. (In an instructive phrasing, theologian James Jordan says that, from one perspective, the early Church "Fathers" were actually "Church Babies.")

When considered this way, it's interesting to think how many areas of life Sayers' observation might apply to. Do we still approach our work and calling with the same zeal as when we were twenty-five? Do we still enter our marriage bed with the same passion as on our wedding night? Do we still spend as much time with our kids as when they were toddlers and we were new parents? Do we still gaze on the mysteries of the world with the same wonder as when we were three? Do we still look to the future with the same hope as when we were eighteen?

Such an attitude does not come easy. But if Sayers is right in her application of Christ's words, we have no option but to try.

Birthday Poems: Angela 2013

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:28:00 +0000

And here's one for my wife, Angela, from two years ago. I usually either write one for her on her birthday or our anniversary, occasionally both. I've even written a few on Mother's Day and Valentine's Day.

The Beginning

A Poem for Angela on Her Birthday

March 13, 2013

Today, among the blessings that I own,

As well as those that dodge my thankless eye,

There stands this truth: that I live not alone;

For you were born; and I made rich thereby.

Your birthday, dear, is come, and I am sure

That they are wrong who dread their yearly feast;

To view a birthday rightly is the cure

For thinking that it’s naught but life decreased.

A moment fraught with promise, hope regained:

A birthday is a New Creation Day;

No year is lost, for all the past’s contained

Within the New that now is underway;

A chance to build, repair, to change our pace,

To seek new counsel, where our plans have failed;

A time of new repentance, and new grace;

A chance to see at last what once was veiled.

It is a day of resurrection life;

An Alpha, not Omega, waits for you;

And we will go together, dearest wife,

Into the world, to conquer and subdue.

Birthday Poems: Nathanael 2013

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:23:00 +0000

My eldest daughter has been asking me to post all the family poems here on this blog, so I'm going to begin making more of an effort to get more of the poems for all the kids published here (lately, I've been focusing more on William's, since his birthday was recently). Here's one written for Nathanael's seventh birthday, two years ago. The reference to the missed poem from the previous year is a theme you'll see in all the other poems written that year. There's a reason for that, but it's not important to go into here.

Stronger

A Poem for Nathanael’s Sixth…and Seventh…Birthdays

May 3, 2013

WCN

It’s true—I really should be jailed:

Forgive me, son, for I have failed

As poet of the home.

This day last year, when you turned six,

When, from my rhyming bag of tricks,

I should have grabbed poetic bricks

To build your birthday poe’m,

I didn’t—and the reason why

Would make a heartless giant cry,

In pity for my woes;

But let’s not bring that up again!

Please, just forgive me for my sin

(Or, if it will augment your grin,

Just punch me on the nose!)

But now, your birthday’s here again,

You’re six from thirteen, three from ten

(That’s seven, in my view);

By writing at the end of year,

I can look back on all the cheer,

On every joy and every fear,

On how you changed and grew.

But I can also look ahead,

To things you’ve not yet done or said

Which you should not (or should);

But first the past: look back with me:

A stronger boy is what I see,

In faith, in hope, in loyalty,

In loving what is good.

You’re more mature, your wisdom grows;

And like a wind that always blows,

Your mind moves all around;

Asking questions, seeking facts,

For anything your knowledge lacks,

You’re always filling in the cracks

Of Understanding’s ground.

And yet, I ought to caution you,

That something else is stronger too—

I wonder if you know?

As you grow strong in love and grace,

An enemy that you must face

Is right behind and keeping pace—

Keep close your shield and bow.

Temptation is the villain’s name:

A foe of rather famous name,

I’m sure you’ve heard of him;

So in the year that’s up ahead,

The Year of your First Wine and Bread,

Don’t let him fill your heart with dread,

To make your hope grow dim.

Press on in all that’s sound and true,

In hard things that are good for you,

Do not despise the rod;

As I have seen your love for me

Grow like the first Edenic tree,

More than all else I look to see

Your stronger love for God.

Birthday Poems: William 2015

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 31 Jul 2015 16:09:00 +0000

Here's William's new Birthday Poem, late but finally finished. I just read it to him (and the family) last night, and it opened to rave reviews. The image, and the phrases, "Drums in the Deep," and "The Beater of the Drums" are from Tolkien. The form and rhythm of the poem were inspired by Lepanto, by G. K. Chesterton.

Drums in the Deep

A Poem for William on His Twelfth Birthday, July 19, 2015

Given July 30, 2015

Far in the distance, hear the drums in the deep:

Harrowing your waking hours, haunting in your sleep;

Booming from the caverns where the dark spirits delve;

Threatening and throbbing on the day that you turn twelve.

Drawing ever closer as they drum out their hate,

Pound the reckless rhythm as they ponder your fate;

Surety of victory—in confidence he comes:

Madness in his burning eyes—the beater of the drums.

Feel the drums thundering, and thudding in your chest,

Heralding the breaking and the burning of the West;

Warning of the onset of the enemies of Faith;

Crying out the coming of the terror-kindled Wraith.

***

Hear the loud thunder of the Three and the One:

Drowning out the drumming ere the battle is begun;

Filling all the battlefield with Fury and with Fear;

Now He’s calling out—He’s calling you—to fight and persevere.

Far in the distance hear the drums in retreat:

Beating out the broken signal of their blistering defeat;

Moaning in their misery, the fury of His eyes

Burning down upon the devils as they fly in sick surprise.

Hear your heart beating as you hold to your ground:

Now you’re tearing out the terror, lest it trap you and confound;

Resolving that the fear will find no home there evermore,

For this is but the End of the Beginning of the War.

Hear your proud father, as he pounds with his pen

A birthday poem for his son—the time has come again;

Proud, but much more thankful, that this son bears still a Sword:

Carrying the Covenant, the Banner of the Lord.

First in Freedom...And Irony

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Thu, 30 Jul 2015 18:11:00 +0000

So I’m standing in line at the North Carolina Department of Motor Vehicles License Plate Office, and I’m reflecting on the nature of freedom. (Doesn’t everyone reflect on the nature of freedom when standing in a long line to pay good money to purchase a little sticker proving they have Big Brother’s permission to drive a vehicle they bought with their own money? They don’t? Why not?)

Then I see a sign saying that the new North Carolina First in Freedom license plates had arrived! That would be this pretty little objet d’art:

If you've not heard of it, here's the tale as chronicled by one news source:

“North Carolina is unveiling a new state license plate ahead of July Fourth.

“Beginning Wednesday, North Carolina motorists can choose a new ‘First in Freedom’ standard state license plate for the first time since 1982.

"The ‘First in Freedom’ plate joins the ‘First in Flight’ plate, as the second standard-issue option for vehicle owners and recognizes the state's historic role in the creation of the United States.

"'North Carolina is a state of firsts and we continue to be a leader in innovation,’ said Governor Pat McCrory. ‘What a great way to celebrate North Carolina's rich history and the birth of our nation by offering drivers a chance to proudly display a plate that honors our contribution to freedom, here in one of the most military friendly states.’

“The phrase ‘First in Freedom’ recognizes two ‘firsts’ established by North Carolinians during the early stages of the American Revolution. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence and the Halifax Resolves have been noted throughout history as the first steps by one of the original 13 colonies to secede from Great Britain.

“This new version was designed by Charles Robinson, a historian and license plate collector who lives in Troy.”

“Huh,” I says to myself. “Next time I get a license plate, I think I’ll have to decline the ‘First in Freedom’ plate.”

Not that I’m against Freedom, or even being First in Freedom. I just don’t think I could stand the irony of proclaiming my “freedom” on a government-issued permission slip. A bit silly, what? Kind of like Pharaoh issuing “I Love Liberty” t-shirts to the Hebrews. (And no, I'm not saying our plight is like unto theirs; just a minor and legitimate use of hyperbole to make a point).

Surely you see that, dear reader? In the Land of the Free today, you cannot exercise the basic freedom to move about town or travel without (1) A state-issued license to drive, updated every few years, (2) a state-approved inspection of your vehicle, updated every year, and (3) a state-issued registration of your vehicle, with the accompanying license plate to prove it. Not to mention, having paid (4) the various taxes and fees for all these proofs of your government’s approval to do what free men in America used to do without anyone’s permission. And of course, if you were to attempt to drive around in your vehicle without any of these (in other words, if you make the mistake of acting like a free man), you run the risk of getting stopped by the police, and having your “papers” (license and registration) demanded.

Followed, of course, by more fees, and possibly the withdrawal of permission to move about freely.

This is freedom?

So anyway, I get up to the counter to renew my registration, and am informed that I actually do need a new license plate, after all, since it’s for a vehicle that has been off the road for more than a year (and of course that costs more; nice little racket). And the clerk looks at me and asks the question: “Would you like the First in Flight or First in Freedom plate?”

And I start to go into my spiel about irony. Only, I don’t. I suddenly have a new thought: irony cuts both ways. If it’s ironic for a supposedly free man to proclaim his freedom on a government permission plate, it’s equally ironic for the government to issue a plate celebrating freedom from government overreach. The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence* and the Halifax Resolves were, after all, declarations of independence and secession from tyrannical government. Notice the plate above, which gives the dates of these notable resolutions. Is it such a bad thing, I think to myself, to spread knowledge of these freedom declaration documents throughout our state?

What might happen if a million motorists start tooling around on North Carolina roads proclaiming their government’s approval of independence and secession from government? Maybe nothing. Or maybe a few dozen, or a few hundred, or a few thousand, might begin to notice the irony, too, and begin to think, just a little more, like free men, even if they are not yet really free.

“First in Freedom,” I says to the clerk, as I pay for my permission plate.

***

* I am aware of the controversy surrounding The Mecklenburg Declaration of Independence (as distinct from The Mecklenburg Resolves), but it is beyond the scope of this article to attempt to deal with that. The point is, North Carolina’s pioneering role in American independence is celebrated on the new “First in Freedom” plate, and the plate does honor the genuine spirit of liberty that broke off the shackles of a tyrannical government. It’s worth noting that there is no similar controversy over the Halifax Resolves, which are also celebrated on the new license plate, and which predated the American Declaration of Independence by almost three months.

Birthday Poems: William and Nathanael 2010

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 14:00:00 +0000

Here's another poem written for William, along with his brother, Nathanael: I combined their poems this particular year (2010). Inspired by John Milton's Comus, this is one of my all-time favorites.

Band of Brothers

A Poem for Nathanael, on the Occasion of His Fourth Birthday (May 3, 2010); and William, on the Occasion of his Seventh Birthday (July 19, 2010)

Given, With Love, By Your Father

Nathanael:

Well, here we are, just me and you,

There’s only two of us.

We boys, I mean: there’s only two;

Two brothers: we are small and few;

Whatever can we hope to do?

William:

Now, don’t despair, don’t fuss!

It’s true that we’re not army-size:

We can’t besiege a town.

But like the knight who charges, dies,

With noble luster in his eyes,

That gold and silver never buys;

And takes the foeman down;

So you and I are richly blessed

With courage from our Lord;

I’ve seen you, brother, sorely pressed,

Yet rise with valor, meet the test;

And you and I shall meet this Quest,

Come fire, death, or sword.

Nathanael:

Thanks, brother; now I’m set to try

To take the heights above;

For just two brothers—you and I—

By God’s dear grace may crack the sky;

We may not win but we can die,

To save that which we love.

As Jonathan and his servant went

Against a mighty crew;

So now two brothers have been sent,

To force the wicked to relent;

‘Til all heart-treasures have been spent;

And hearts are piercéd through.

William:

Well said, my brother! Now look to

The sword of steel you wear;

Whatever can we hope to do?

Nathanael:

Nay, here were are, we happy few:

A band of brothers, small, but true;

A noble cross to bear.

Narrator:

Then bursting through the door to Hell,

Where Sorcery held sway;

Two brothers with a mighty yell,

Sent serpents spinning, beasts pell-mell;

And drave the Devil, tales do tell,

And nobly won the day.

Thus set they free their sisters twain,

Who, captured in the wood,

Refused the wizard’s cup to drain;

To keep their hearts from every stain;

And were enchanted for their pain,

For clinging to the Good.

And now the four walked hand in hand,

Walked in the dying gloam;

And knew not all that yet was planned,

Of twinkling stars and grains of sand:

That more would join their little band,

To grace their little home.

Family Lore: Kindling a Love of Story in Children

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Sat, 25 Jul 2015 00:07:00 +0000

Here's a bit of information on an upcoming ebook release (later this Summer, hopefully). Stay tuned.

I am convinced that storytelling, so carefully woven into human nature by our Creator, is becoming a lost art to most of us, as we continue to outsource our storytelling needs to the movie-and-book making professionals. Nothing wrong with enjoying a good film or novel, of course; but something vital is lost when storytelling is no longer reflected in the life of churches and families. Better that we tell our own stories, however poorly, than to completely surrender this important work to the self-styled professionals.

Thus this little book, Family Lore: Kindling a Love of Story in Children. In seven short chapters, we’ll explore the importance of Story in the lives of children, and examine specific strategies for building a storytelling culture in our homes. The book is designed to be practical in nature: the last chapter is entirely devoted to suggestions you can put to work to help guide your kids in their growing love of Story. While the book is primarily written with parents in mind, the ideas here can certainly be used in classroom settings (day school or Sunday School) as well.

The Nicholas Book: A Legend of Santa Claus

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 23:46:00 +0000

I'm also posting here information on my books, in order to have a landing page for them, and for those who want more information on them. Here's one for a book I wrote for my kids, The Nicholas Book: A Legend of Santa Claus.

Pastor Douglas Wilson tells of a family who told their little girl that Santa Claus was not real, and received this reply: "Is Jesus real?" In a world filled with doubters and skeptics, who needs one more thing to confuse our children?

On the other hand, I, like many, grew up with the Santa Claus legend and very much enjoyed it. But because of stories like Pastor Wilson's, I was concerned to think carefully about what I taught my children concerning Saint Nicholas. For several years, I remained relatively silent on the issue, not saying much of anything about the Santa Claus legends one way or another. Eventually, of course, I had to take the time to settle the matter. To work through my own views on the various Christmas legends surrounding St. Nicholas, and to discover just what I needed to teach my children, I wrote The Nicholas Book: A Legend of Santa Claus.

If it comes down to a choice between losing Santa or losing Jesus, then Santa will have to go. But if it was possible to keep the Santa story, then I needed a story my children could grow into—not a story they would be forced to grow out of. As it stands now, children have to grow out of the Santa story, which is a sure sign that something is wrong. But it doesn't have to be that way. The great G. K. Chesterton said it well:

"What has happened to me has been the very reverse of what appears to be the experience of most of my friends. Instead of dwindling to a point, Santa Claus has grown larger and larger in my life until he fills almost the whole of it."

The best things of childhood are not lost when we become grownups: if they are truly worthwhile, we can keep them, albeit in a different form. But if the Father Christmas story was to be something my children could grow into, then that meant giving the story back to Legend and Mystery.

What am I trying to achieve with this book? It can be expressed in two ways:

First, I am trying to retain for my children the wonder, excitement, and joy of the Saint Nicholas legend, but in a better version of the story, and without lying to my children.

Second, I am trying to turn my children’s eyes back to Bethlehem, and away from the North Pole, but without killing the magic. For the death of magic is always accompanied by the birth of unbelief.

Here's the official description of The Nicholas Book:

"Journey back to small town America in 1959, as the story follows the adventures of Joshua and Rachel Kirk, two kids who set off on a quest to learn the truth about Santa Claus. Hearing of a mysterious book that may answer their questions, they head for The Old Page Bookshop; but on the way, they are pursued by enemies, one who wants revenge, and one who wants only the Book. To find the truth, Joshua and Rachel will have to face their fears, and learn to see the magic of the world with new eyes."

How can your family use and profit from this book? First, I would encourage you to read it with your children, every Christmas. It's a fairly short book, and if you read three chapters a night, you can finish it in less than a week. If you have a limited amount of time to read at night, just read a chapter or two, and spread it out over the two or three weeks of December leading up to Christmas. You can even read it after Christmas Day: after all, the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas begin on Christmas Day.

Second, the book was written to grow with your children, so that they will get something different out of it when they're ten or twelve than when they're six or eight. The Nicholas Book was written to replace the secular myth, but it also includes allusions to some of the modern-day stories, like the North Pole, and reindeer, so that you can keep those, if you choose, in your own family lore. Children will hear a new, and, I hope, engaging, version of how the secular myth fits in with the traditional legends, as they journey through The Nicholas Book.

As noted above, the two heroes of our story, Joshua and Rachel Kirk, discover an old book that tells (retells, actually) the story of Saint Nicholas. That story is important, and it will help you in teaching your children a Christian view of Santa Claus: the old book that they read symbolizes the Santa Claus story itself. Saint Nicholas belongs both to history and legend: the legendary elements we treat differently, as something surrounded by mystery, something that may or may not be true. In this legendary sense, children can choose to believe it or not; but either way, they must not miss the truth of Bethlehem, and the undoubted magic that is going on around them.

To purchase your own Kindle version of The Nicholas Book: A Legend of Santa Claus, click here. And remember, even if you don't own a Kindle, you can read Amazon Kindle books on your computer or phone. Click here to get your free Kindle app.

Science Arose Only Once

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 23:08:00 +0000

From Rodney Stark's The Victory of Reason: How Christianity Led to Freedom, Capitalism, and Western Success:

"Real science arose only once: in Europe. China, Islam, India, and ancient Greece and Rome each had a highly developed alchemy. But only in Europe did alchemy develop into chemistry. By the same token, many societies developed elaborate systems of astrology, but only in Europe did astrology lead to astronomy. Why? Again, the answer has to do with images of God...In contrast with the dominant religious and philosophical doctrines in the non-Christian world, Christians developed science because they believed it could be done, and should be done." (page 14)

Birthday Poems: William 2014

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 24 Jul 2015 23:00:00 +0000

Continuing to post older family poems, and continuing with William's, since his birthday was this week, here's one from last year, and one of my favorites.

No Quarter for Dragons

A Poem for William on His Eleventh Birthday

Kill the Dragon! Lo, he comes,

And in his face a fire of hate;

But now I hear the warlike drums

Call us to stand before the gate.

Refuse to let him in!

He comes with armies at his back—

A legion flying through the air;

Preparing for a bold attack,

They fling their darts of black despair,

Their fiery darts of sin.

And William, they are here for you:

To wreck and ruin all your days,

To shade and shadow all that's true,

And set the house of faith ablaze:

A day of shock and awe.

These dragons following their lord,

Are sins, temptations, custom-made

For you; so sharpen now your sword,

For they are coming to invade

The citadel of Law.

You must fight on! For there can be

No treaty made with such as these;

No quarter! If you would be free,

The Black Flag o'er your enemies

Must fly and never fall.

So William, hear your father's word,

As birthday wishes now come true:

Be killing sin, or, rest assured,

It will be always killing you—

But hope in Christ for all.

Birthday Poems: William 2013

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Thu, 23 Jul 2015 17:20:00 +0000

I'm trying to gather all the past poems and stories I've written for my wife and kids and post them here, to give them a more permanent home. My oldest son William turned 12 a few days ago, so I thought I'd post one I wrote for him a couple of years ago, when he turned ten. I think this is clear enough from the poem, but I had missed writing his birthday poem the year before, which is the reason for the apology in the first stanza. Anyway, here it is.

The Builder

A Poem for William on His Tenth Birthday

By His Father, July 19, 2013

My son, draw near, and listen for a while,

To words I trust are worthy and worthwhile;

But first, confession: last year, as you know,

Your birthday poem simply did not show;

The annals of these years will thus reveal

A chasm at that point; for this I kneel

In penitence; for writing thus for you

May prove the best of all the work I do.

But now, with your forgiveness, let me speak

About a special day that falls this week:

Your birthday: you are ten years old today,

And of the many things that I could say,

There’s one that, like the tallest tree, stands out;

Like towers of a terrible redoubt;

A fitting image, for I know your heart:

To build: with skill, with cleverness, with art.

What churches, houses by your hand shall rise?

What towers to adorn the canvas-skies?

Shall new cathedrals wake in time to come?

What kind of builder will my son become?

And if your double calling yet holds true—

That God also a pastor makes of you—

Then, toiling in the sacramental guild,

What spiritual tower will you build?

But if you build, then build with more than stone:

For you may have a family of your own;

So build, therefore, a strong and noble life,

And give it to your children and your wife;

Then build a legacy to leave behind,

That generations now unborn may find;

Remember, as you build in wood and sod,

That city whose great builder is our God.

C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 16:20:00 +0000

This is pretty cool. A few years ago, the C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga, at one of their meetings, discussed my book, Talking of Dragons: The Children's Books of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, mainly as a springboard for talking about "the important of stories - especially fairy stories - for the development of imagination and the improvement of Christian faith."

You can listen to the audio here; and you can download the MP3 here. And if you'd like to visit the C.S. Lewis Society of Chattanooga, you can do that right here.

Esther I: Esther and Obergefell

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 15:47:00 +0000

I have begun what I hope to be a long-term study of the Biblical book of Esther, which I have come to believe is an extraordinarily significant book for Christians in our time. It’s also a remarkably neglected book, and a remarkably misunderstood book. I’m reading and listening to everything I can get my hands on by James Jordan for this study, so a lot of what you read here will be due to his considerable insight into Scripture (seriously, if you’re not familiar with him, you need to be).

My intentions, beyond simply trying to better understand the Bible, are to write and produce an audio adaptation of Esther, and perhaps to publish a popular-level accompanying study guide. This will be in 2016 at the earliest.

The posts here on this blog concerning Esther will not be laid out in a systematic and orderly fashion, but more like occasional, firing-from-the-hip, blasts at the target. I begin with a quote from The Handwriting on the Wall, James Jordan’s commentary on Daniel, that also illuminates the events of Esther:

“Notions of ‘natural law’ and ‘common grace’ usually leave room for a word from man. They leave room for human pride and accomplishment. They promote a distant God who, unlike the God of the Jews (see Exodus 21–23 and the book of Deuteronomy) has not given laws and commands for every detail of life, but has left them to us. They advocate a God who does not come into human life and judge it in its details. They leave room for Nebuchadnezzars to take pride in the Babylons they build.

“But when God’s kingdom comes, such notions must die. Godly rulers must know the Most High personally and fear before Him. They must tremble at His judgments, knowing that they will give an account. They must assiduously seek proper and valid applications of the intimately detailed Law He gave first to Israel. They must open their ears to the prophets who come from the Jews, those who speak for Holy God and not for ‘natural law,’ who today are God’s spokesmen in the Church.

“The Church must seek to be Belteshazzars, men who have the ear of the secular rulers and are ready to help them. But they must also be Daniels, bringing the Bible and the God of the Bible, and nothing less than these, not vague principles, before the minds of such rulers, however uncomfortable it may make the ruler.”

Now, the reason this reminded me of Esther is that Esther, a Jew, a worshipper of the Holy God of Israel, did have the ear of the secular ruler. But, at least in the beginning of the story, she did not take proper advantage of that fact. Why? Because she had been told by Mordecai, her cousin and adoptive father, not to do so. Remember? Mordecai told her not to tell anyone she was a Jew. So, unlike Daniel and his friends, who kept even the seemingly minor dietary laws of God while in exile in Babylon (Daniel 1), Esther broke those laws when she went to the palace of the king. The very reason the Jews had been sent out into the world empires of Babylon and, now, Persia, was because God wanted them to fulfill their mission of being a light to the Gentiles, a priestly people to the nations of the world. Esther is given an opportunity—the ear of the secular ruler—when she is made Queen, yet she hides her candle under a bushel, neglecting God’s plan for the Jews to be the light of the world. God blessed Daniel and his friends for their obedience, but Esther’s compromised position led to an extremely serious threat, not only to her and her family, but to all the Jewish people. This came about, in the first instance, because of a failure to be a witness.

How does this apply in our day? Jordan reveals the answer in the quote above: instead of bearing witness to the truth of God and His Word, we argue for “social conservatism” or “traditional marriage” based on natural law and common grace philosophy. I have not read all the various arguments from the pro-marriage side that were presented by conservatives in the Obergefell decision, but my understanding is that those who argued for “our” side used only natural law-type arguments. That is, they talked about the benefits of marriage to human society throughout history, and the biological realities that underlie male-female marriage, and the negative effects on society when children grow up without both a mother and a father.

And of course, all those arguments are true. But why are they true? They are true because that is the way God made the world. He reveals to us in His law the nature of man, and marriage, and the destructive and immoral nature of homosexual activity. But such uncomfortable truths were not employed by the "conservatives" before the Supreme Court.

It is our responsibility, when we have the ear of the king (or the president, or the Supreme Court, or the Congress, or the Governor, or the Mayor) to bear witness, not as advocates of natural law arguments, however true they may be, but as servants of the Most High.

Esther, in the end, learned that lesson, and did bear witness as she should have from the beginning. I wonder if we will learn that lesson as well.

Welcome Back

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 22 Jul 2015 15:44:00 +0000

I don’t for a minute suppose that anyone is actually reading this, but just in case you are, welcome. I’ve never been a consistent blogger (the last post on this blog was almost exactly eight years ago), but I might just become one now. I’ve relaunched an old blog of mine for the purpose of housing my otherwise unpublished writings: everything from random thoughts and ideas to poems and stories for my family. Of which there are many. That's why this might become a rather regularly updated blog.

If you find something you like, leave a comment. You can read more about me, and my other writings projects, in the About the Author section.

Birthday Verse

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Fri, 20 Jul 2007 16:15:00 +0000

I am trying to get into the habit of writing short poems for special family remembrances: birthdays, anniversaries, and the like. Here are a couple composed recently for the birthdays of my two sons. William just turned four yesterday, and Nathanael was one year old in May. Here's William's, first:

Four
A Poem for William’s Fourth Birthday
Four Seasons our Lord sends;
Four Corners, the World’s Ends;
Four Evangelists nobly bring
Four Gospels for One King.

Four great Winds around us blow;
Four Directions a man may go—
East, West, South, North;
And Four brief years since you came forth.

Four years since your happy birth
(In this Fourth Age of Middle-earth);
Four Rivers flow in Paradise:
Drink deeply, and be strong and wise.

May the God of truth your heart enflame
(He of the great, Four-lettered Name)
With all the Four high Virtues, son—
Do not neglect a single one.

Ride on with valour, bravely fight
The Four Dark Horsemen of the Night;
And from this never turn aside:
The Foursquare City of the Bride.

And here's the one written for Nathanael:

A Poem For Nathanael On His First Birthday

A year has passed (as of today);
Again it is the third of May.
The Earth has travelled ‘round the Sun,
And now my little boy is one.

I think that you’re too young to guess
Your father’s pride and thankfulness
(Though I suspect you see and know
More than the experts say is so).

The mysteries behind your eyes,
The parables of infant cries—
So long would take to comprehend,
While our brief time will quickly end.

So while the days are young, and new,
God grant that I may be for you
A father: noble, strong and wise,
Who seeks the truth behind your eyes.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:52:00 +0000

Happy Harry Potter Week to all of you. This first: I am not subject to what might be described as Harry Potter Mania—as I’ve said before, a little Harry Potter goes a long way with me—though I admit it’s hard not to get caught up in the Euphoria this week. Can anyone remember any comparable scenario (recently - say, since Dickens and the serialized Old Curiosity Shop), with this level of excitement over the release of a book, of all things?

But I thought I might draw your attention to several articles of great interest, discussing predictions for the imminent Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows (see below). Among the more interesting predictions:

1. Harry returns to Hogwarts as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (a post that Dumbledore, in Half-Blood Prince, admits has been cursed since he refused the job to Tom Riddle, AKA Voldemort, years before.

2. Dumbledore actually died earlier, maybe as much as a couple of years earlier, and someone (Snape?) has been masquerading as him in Polyjuiced form, a la Alastor Moody in Goblet of Fire.

3. Snape killed Dumbledore, but only on the headmaster’s orders (Severus…please…) in order to save Malfoy from the Dark Side.

4. The Climax of the book takes place beyond the Veil of the Death Chamber in the Department of Mysteries (the cover of the American edition is said to be depicting part of this). Here Harry (dead, presumably) is reunited with his parents, Sirius, and Dumbledore.

What about the alleged Christian connections? Here’s a fascinating quote from J.K. Rowling, often overlooked, I think:

‘Every time I’ve been asked if I believe in God, I’ve said yes, because I do, but no one ever really has gone any more deeply into it than that, and I have to say that does suit me, because if I talk too freely about that I think the intelligent reader, whether 10 or 60, will be able to guess what’s coming in the books.’ (Source for this quote may be found here.)

I have often said that the overall meaning of the series is something best discussed after Book VII is released. John Granger has made the point that Rowling, while in a certain sense a Postmodern writer, is actually taking on Postmodernism and defeating its worst reductionist and relativist notions, much as the Inklings took on Modernism in their day. I hope he’s right, for I have secretly harboured fears of a Matrix-like anti-climax to Potter, with nothing ending up being what we thought it was—in which case Postmodernism would win out over Rowling’s Christian beliefs.

I’ve never been one for the midnight book release parties—in fact, Half-Blood Prince is the only of the six books that I read upon its initial release—but I think I might wander on over to Books-a-Million, where my pre-ordered copy awaits (thanks, Mom), around midnight of the release date. With all the spoilers out there, I figure it’s best to read the thing before venturing out into the world of loose-tongued fast readers. Besides, I’m not sure that all this hype is bad: thank God it’s not over the release of the new CD from whoever the current popular rap-mongers are. It’s over (I repeat myself) A BOOK. I can’t help but see this, all things being equal, as a good thing. Sure, it’s just a fantasy-world soap opera to some readers (the so called ‘shippers,’ who only care about the relation-ship, or romantic, aspects of the book). But much of what I’m reading is from people who care about the Story, and are immersed in trying to understand what this author is trying to say thereby. Like I say, we’ll wait to see how it ends, but I do think Rowling has given enough in the first six volumes to be hopeful for something good.

You may be interested in reading my three-part series on Harry Potter, including an interview/discussion with John Granger, author of Looking for God in Harry Potter, as well as Unlocking Harry Potter: Five Keys for the Serious Reader. John also edited Who Killed Albus Dumbledore? What Really Happened in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince?

Here is my three-part series on Harry Potter, including the interview with John Granger:

Part I

Part II

Part III

Here are the links to the articles I mentioned earlier:

Waiting for Harry: Will the Boy Who Lived Live? (One of the best 'looking ahead' articles I've read)

Harry Potter Predictions (Insightful thoughts on the final book)

Harry Beyond? (Thoughts by the same author on Harry Potter and death, and Christian faith)

The very best Harry Potter website is The Harry Potter Lexicon, which has an absolutely astonishing amount of information. Here you can do what I did, if you like: read the chapter by chapter synopsis of Half-Blood Prince, or any of the others, so you can brush up before reading Book VII. This is a good idea, because Rowling’s world of magic is the most thoroughly developed sub-creation since Middle-earth, and the vast array of names, places, people, spells, and events, is (almost) as bewildering as trying to remember all the names in The Silmarillion. Also, it’s been two years since I read Half-Blood Prince, and, not being one of those that has read the books multiple times, I am apt to forget details, which would otherwise likely result in a lot of confusion on my part while working through Deathly Hallows.

Harry Potter vs Public Schools?

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Wed, 18 Jul 2007 16:33:00 +0000

A thought on Harry Potter: watching the just-released film version of Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix, I was reminded of some thoughts I had when reading that book a couple of years ago. Does anyone else notice that, with the intrusion of the Ministry of Magic’s Dolores Umbridge as Defence Against the Dark Arts teacher (and eventually headmistress), that Hogwarts goes from being a private school to being a public (government-run) school? The walls are soon filled with newly issued 'Educational Decrees,' and Umbridge goes on a spree of banning and prohibiting and forbidding with the zeal that only a bureaucrat can know.

These books are known, among other things, for their satire: Rowling is particularly ruthless in her portrayal of unscrupulous and inept politicians and media-hounds. We know, from other interviews with Rowling, that magical children are homeschooled until they reach the age of eleven, upon which many go to schools like Hogwarts, or Durmstrang, though some continue on as homeschoolers. There certainly seems to be an underlying satire against government-sponsored education in these books, and especially in Order of the Phonenix. In one part of the movie (can’t remember if this line is in the book or not), Hermione says, ‘The Ministry [of Magic, i.e., the Government] is interfering at Hogwarts.’ This is obviously considered a bad thing, in these stories. I wonder how many readers/viewers will get the point and pull their kids out of government schools?

What Our Family is Reading, Listening To, and Watching

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Tue, 05 Jun 2007 16:47:00 +0000

A few more recommendations for your enjoyment, in no particular order...

Comus, adapted and illustrated by the magnificent team of Hodges and Hyman, is a retelling of John Milton's Comus: A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle, which itself was an adaptation of an old English Faerie Tale, Childe Roland. I recently read the original Comus by Milton and this adaptation by Hodges is very faithful, but written on a level for children to enjoy (it does, however, downplay the allegorical references to chastity that were so integral to Milton's version). Anything by these gifted ladies is highly recommended.

The coolest new book to come along in a good while. This book shows boys how to do so many of the things that are defining to boyhood, but neglected in our current prissy, safety-obsessed, politically-correct culture. Here's just a sampling: coin tricks, making the perfect paper airplane, hunting and cooking a rabbit, famous battles, making a battery, books every boy should read, making a bow and arrow, finding north in the dark, and bunches more. A must for every father with young sons.

Still trying to read through the Potter books before Book VII comes out, though I won't make it (a little Potter goes a long way for me). I'm about halfway through this one (Book IV). One thing I remember from the ending is the Black Mass in the graveyard with its perversions of both Baptism and the Lord's Supper, pointing out that the Evil characters in the story are particularly at war with the Christian faith.

Along those lines, John Granger has written a helpful book explaining the Christian significance of these books. The updated paperback edition has a chapter on Half Blood Prince and musings on possible outcomes for Book VII, Deathly Hallows. My interview with John is on the right under 'Key Articles.'

Just checked this out from our church library. Filmed during the Bach Revival of the 1970s and hosted by Brian Blessed (Robin Hood, Prince of Thieves, and Hamlet, among many others) who also plays the part of Johann Sebastian Bach, this is a wonderful introduction to this greatest of composers. My children (ages 6 and 3) loved it. We're going to look into getting the DVD. The film shows a variety of different performances of Bach, by choirs, soloists, and street performers, as well as talking a lot about Bach's life and faith. They do not shy away from the point that Bach's faith in Christ drove everything he did. Highly recommended.

Debut novel for young readers from N.D. Wilson, son of Reformed minister and author Doug Wilson (click here to read Doug Wilson's blurb for my book, Talking of Dragons). This is a really well-done adventure story, and, as nearly every reviewer points out, draws inspiration from The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, The Odyssey, and Robinson Crusoe, among others. The themes of true and false fatherhood are nicely explored as well. This is what Christian literature ought to be these days. Please skip Left Behind and read something like this instead.

I'm always amazed at how many people these days have never seen a Marx Brothers film, or (worse yet) never heard of them. My kids love these films, and so do I. My two oldest children often just call them 'the funny guys,' which says it all, I suppose. Best one of this batch is A Night at the Opera, but they're all worth the time.

From John Milton's Complete English Poems, I have just finished reading (as mentioned above) Comus: A Masque Presented at Ludlow Castle. The Everyman's Edition, which I picked up cheap at a second-hand shoppe, is outstanding and beautiful.

We have several of the Classical Kids CDs, but this one is our favourite. Introducing children (and most adults who hear it, I daresay) to Early/Pre-Baroque/Medieval/Renaissance music through the story of a prince and princess who must seek the aid of Merlin to cure their sick mother, The Song of the Unicorn is wonderfully effective. Listeners learn about the history of music, the various instruments of the era (lyre, lute, recorder, etc), as well as the relationship of this era to later classical composers. Also, most importantly, they hear the music itself, and the selections here, which range from Gregorian chant to Celtic harp to Tallis, are outstanding. Other good Classical Kids CDs would include Mr Bach Comes to Call and Mozart's Magnificent Voyage.

Also started re-reading this one for the first time in a long while. Tom and Huck were certainly among my top literary favourites when I was a boy (I once read Huckleberry Finn in a single day when I was in bed sick all day). One of the scenes I love the most, and always have, is the one in which Tom and Joe Harper are playing 'Robin Hood.' Twain tells us that they played it 'by the book,' which meant that they actually quoted passages from the text and allowed for no variation from the canon when it came to what actually happened. When Joe, playing Guy of Gisborne, wants to kill Robin Hood for once, Tom refuses with the all the enthusiasm of a Bible-thumper:

By and by Tom shouted:

"Fall! fall! Why don't you fall?"

"I sha'n't! Why don't you fall yourself? You're getting the worst of it."

"Why, that ain't anything. I can't fall; that ain't the way it is in the book. The book says, 'Then with one back-handed stroke he slew poor Guy of Guis- borne.' You're to turn around and let me hit you in the back."

There was no getting around the authorities, so Joe turned, received the whack and fell.

"Now," said Joe, getting up, "you got to let me kill YOU. That's fair."

"Why, I can't do that, it ain't in the book."

"Well, it's blamed mean -- that's all."

"Well, say, Joe, you can be Friar Tuck or Much the miller's son, and lam me with a quarter-staff; or I'll be the Sheriff of Nottingham and you be Robin Hood a little while and kill me."

It don't get much better than that.

Jerry Falwell: Requiescat in Pace

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Thu, 24 May 2007 21:56:00 +0000

Christian minister and political heaven-raiser Jerry Falwell died last week at the age of 73, as everyone has heard by now. It is an understatement to say that he was a controversial figure, as even a cursory perusal of the comments after his death will reveal. Some are actually rejoicing at his passing. Many, many, are mourning. Others, while disagreeing with him, recognise the fact that he made an enormous impact on the worlds of American politics and religion. But he made enemies both without and within the Church. Sometimes this is a good thing. I can understand well why the cultural enemies of the church hated him: he stood against their worldviews (without, I believe, ever hating them as people) and would not compromise. He was not afraid to draw heat and fire for speaking what he believed to be the truth. But I find the hatred, or even the cool arrogance of some Christians difficult to understand. Granted, even those who might describe themselves as somewhat conservative, found themselves at odds with Falwell's words, which, as he himself admitted, were ocassionally intemperate. But what I really don't get is their opposition to him on the grounds that he was politically involved. That had to be the best thing he ever did for the conservative wing of the church. Fundamentalism is, in its history and essense, a retreatist theology that is content to let the world burn, so long as souls don't. Then Jerry Falwell comes along and talks as if, I don't know, Christians have a duty to labour for the good of the world, or something. Whatever you think of his theology (I would agree with him on the basics while disagreeing on many secondary articles), or his politics (ibid), he certainly challenged, successfully, millions of Christians to get involved in one side of the fight that they had been neglecting for too long. No, as many will be quick to point out, God is not a Republican. The Republican Party, for what it's worth, is a bloody mess, right now. So, maybe you won't like Falwell's party affiliation. But how many Christians (I mean the kind that actually believe the Bible to be a little more binding than, say, the Pirate's Code) can disagree with the things Falwell fought for? Anyone want to argue for the expansion of abortion on demand? Any anti-family conservatives out there? Then what's the big problem with Christians trying to fight for such things? Maybe it's a question or tone, or method, I don't know. But when the Church leaves a culture to rot, it will certainly do so. Q.E.D.

Here are several interesting, posthumous comments about Falwell from various sources:

'My own sense, having spent a lot of time in the States over the years, is that he was a classic of his type and with a lot more integrity than some of the shady characters in the religious penumbra.' (N.T. Wright, Bishop of Durham)

'No man in the last century better illustrated Jesus' warning that "All men will hate you because of me" than the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who left this world on Tuesday. Separately, no man better illustrates my warning that it doesn't pay to be nice to liberals...From the news coverage of Falwell's death, I began to suspect his first name was "Whether You Agree With Him or Not." Even Falwell's fans, such as evangelist Billy Graham and former President Bush, kept throwing in the We didn't always agree" disclaimer. Did Betty Friedan or Molly Ivins get this many "I didn't always agree with" qualifiers on their deaths? And when I die, if you didn't always agree with me, would you mind keeping it to yourself? Let me be the first to say: I ALWAYS agreed with the Rev. Falwell...Despite venomous attacks and overwhelming pressure to adopt the fashionable beliefs of cafe society, Falwell never wavered an inch in acknowledging Jesus before men. Luckily, Jesus' full sentence, quoted at the beginning of this column is: "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved."' (Ann Coulter, Conservative Author and Speaker)

He held God’s promises close to his heart throughout his 55 years as a Christian and more than 50 years as a pastor, never losing sight of the unique vision God had planted in his heart.
I saw through the years that my dad always sought God’s direction and then boldly, even audaciously, went to work to carry out what God placed in his heart...I never once saw my father stray from God’s direction. I never doubted dad’s walk with God because I witnessed his unswerving commitment to follow God’s principles every step of the way...As I think back on my dad’s nearly 51 years of ministry, I can only attribute its great success to God and a man who understood vision. I hope that I, too, will be able to effectively teach these principles to my children in the years to come. And, I hope that as I continue teaching these principles — to the church and to my own family — that it will be far more than just words. I am praying that God will allow me to embody the dedication to the Gospel in my life that I saw in my father’s life.
May people see these principles lived out every day in my life, just as I had the great privilege of witnessing this in my dad’s life. (Jonathan Falwell, son of Jerry Falwell)

Justorum animae in manu Dei sunt, et non tanget illos tormentum mortis.
Visi sunt oculis insapientium mori, et aestimata est afflictio exitus illorum
illi autem sunt in pace.

('The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and the torment of death will not touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die, and their departure is taken for misery - but they are at peace.')

Atesten Tac: Polycarp: The Crown of Fire Now Available in Turkish

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Tue, 15 May 2007 01:27:00 +0000

Much attention has been focussed on the Middle East in recent years, and Islamic religion and culture have been in the forefront of current events. This being the case, it was with no little feeling of gratitude to the Lord that I made an announcement on this blog back in December, that my first book, Polycarp: The Crown of Fire, would be translated into Turkish, based on a request from missionary contacts in the Middle East. That has now happened, and Atesten Tac: Polikarp (Izmir Episkoposu) is available. As I mentioned in that announcement, Polycarp was the bishop of Smyrna, which survives today as the city of Izmir in modern Turkey. This may in fact account for part of the interest, as Polycarp would be better known there than in many parts of the world. Interestingly, it seems that the translator used 'Izmir' throughout the text (and in the title, as you can see in the picture above) rather than the older 'Smyrna,' perhaps in an effort to provide a point of contact with modern inhabitants of Polycarp's home town. I'd like to comment further on the translation, but my Turkish is, shall we say, a bit rusty. But my publisher has provided new artwork for the cover, which my wife thinks is a decided improvement over the old one for the English edition. If you know of anyone for whom this translation could be of some benefit, here is a Turkish website that has the book available. The book arrived in the mail, interestingly, on the very day of mass demonstrations in Polycarp's home town demanding that Turkey remain a secular state, and not be ruled by Islamic sharia law; and two days after a bombing in Izmir. We are immensely grateful for this translation, which is the first time anything I've written has been translated into another language, and our prayers are that God would be pleased to use this for His glory in that part of the world.

What Our Family Is Reading

williamchadnewsom@gmail.com (William Chad Newsom) — Sun, 22 Apr 2007 05:30:00 +0000

Here are some books we can recommend from recent personal experience.

We've been reading a few selections from the famous Oxford Book of English Verse most nights after dinner. Milton, Shakespeare, Spenser, Donne, and many more. George Grant says to only get the one edited by 'Q,' and, so far, I've not been disappointed.

Angela has been reading through some of the stories from Teach Them to Your Children to (appropriately enough) our children in the evenings. Part cautionary tales, part devotional stories, our children have found them fascinating.

The Children's Illustrated Bible is a fairly decent book of Bible stories, with lots of good historical background. Once in a while the interpretation leaves something to be desired, but overall, not bad. We read this at supper: I read the story, and my wife reads the historical background stuff. 'Mommy, now it's your time to read the historical facts,' my six-year old daughter, Grace, says each evening.

Book VII, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, is out in a few months, so I'm rereading the first six as time permits. I'm currently in Book III, Prisoner of Azkaban, which, though a bestseller like all of them, is often cited as a least favourite among fans, due to its dark and depressing nature. Check out 'Key Articles,' below on the right, for a three part series of articles I wrote on the Harry Potter series, including an interview I did with John Granger, author of Looking for God in Harry Potter.

Angela is reading this one, Paedofaith: A Primer on the Mystery of Infant Salvation and a Handbook for Covenant Parents, by Rich Lusk. A book every Christian parent should ponder, and also a must read if you want to understand the key issue in the Federal Vision controversy: are young children, even infants, capable of faith, and therefore salvation?

Just started reading Farmer Giles of Ham to my daughter, Grace, who finds is terribly funny. This is one of Tolkien's lesser known stories, but is a wonderfully fun tale. If you're interested in knowing more about some of Tolkien's other lesser known writings (and some of the more famous ones) check out my book, Talking of Dragons, over to your right, somewhere near the top of the page.

A couple of nights ago I read this one to my oldest son William for the...I don't know how many times we've read this. We have several of these matchless picture books written by Margaret Hodges and illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. The writing is beautiful yet simple, and the illustrations are magnificent. The one on St George and the Dragon (adapted from Spenser's Faerie Queene) is illustrated like an illuminated Medieval manuscript. This one's the story of Sir Gareth of Orkney, from the King Arthur legendarium. Other must-reads from Hodges and Hyman include Comus, adapted from John Milton's masque of the same name, and Merlin and the Making of the King, adapted from Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur.

Anyone serious about understanding current New Testament scholarship needs to read N.T. Wright. He is a fine writer and communicator, and something of a controversial figure, but certainly no heretic. I've just begun his book Paul: Fresh Perspectives, which should get into some of the controversial stuff. But he's a first-rate scholar, and has done a great service to the church by reminding the world that the central claim of the Christian faith is not some timeless truth or other, but an event that actually happened in history: the crucifixion and resurrection of Jesus of Nazareth. His book The Challenge of Jesus, which I recently read, is very good, as is his little book For All the Saints? Remembering the Christian Departed.

Speaking of Wright, I have about three pages left in this book, which I have found very helpful: The Last Word: Scripture and the Authority of God: Getting Beyond the Bible Wars. I can't agree with every word in the book, but overall it's very helpful and thought-provoking. His metaphor for understanding history as a five-act play (Act One: Creation, Act Two: Fall, Act Three: Israel, Act Four: Jesus, Act Five: Church) is outstanding, and I wish everyone would begin to think more along these lines. I have taught the five act model, in a rudimentary way, to my daughter, and have also taught her, following Wright, that we are in the fifth act, and our responsibility as Christians is to know the first four acts (the Bible) inside out so that we can understand how best to play out our part in the fifth act. For more on N.T. Wright, including a lot of free audio lectures and sermons, visit The N.T. Wright Page.

Angela and I are reading The Wise Woman from this collection of George MacDonald's fairy tales. Every parent should read this one: it's all about the right and wrong ways to teach children to obey.

Finally, here's my current personal favourite: the newly released The Children of Hurin, the first new J.R.R. Tolkien book in thirty years. This is a longer, more developed version of a tale that was told in The Silmarillion, but that version was something like 35 pages, whereas this one is well over 200. This is a must, must read. I'm about four chapters in, and this is mountaintop stuff. Last I checked it was # 2 on Amazon after, of course, Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows.