Evangelical Writers

I read this article about Christianity and literature. I agree that Evangelicals have tended ignore art for arts sake and focused too exclusively on books and records with obvious utilitarian purposes (perhaps the problem is not so much the dearth of evangelical artists, but the lack of support, or market, they have received). I wonder where Wendell Berry would fit into this? I know little about him, but from what I read, he seems to be a devout Christian and a first-rate writer. He does not dress like a typical evangelical. He is thoughtfully critical of the American church's support of an international, consumer oriented economy, not to mention our support of modern technology. I doubt he thinks highly of blogs. But "Evangelical" is a theological and not a political term. He does not constantly quote scripture, but read his essays, you will see his views are bathed in it.

Of course, I don't know if Mr. Berry would apply that label to himself. But let's suppose he is. What I find refreshing about his work is no evangelical organization or business has trumpeted him as our Gospel warrior against the rest of the world. He is not our cultural David, slaying the giants of popular culture with his literary rocks. Rather, he is a champion of God's creation and biblical community, two things we have tended to ignore. His poetry should be appreciated, and his admonitions should be thoughtfully and prayerfully considered.

Perhaps there are good Christian writers among us, if only we took time to read them.

You can read this blog for free

I spent some time catching up on David Brooks, today. I wanted to catch up on Nicholas Kristof, but he appears to be on book leave.

I resisted the allure of "Times Select" as long as it existed. I've been reading the New York Times for free ever since my college gave away newspapers in the vain hopes that the budding Internet generation would become subscribers. When they stopped serving papers in plastic stands under the neon lights of dorm lobbies, I discovered that I could get the Times delivered to my inbox, and the reading continued.

Many of my conservative friends hate the Times for its left-of-center bias. I like it because it tends to find stories on cultural and international themes that I fail to find in other American papers. And biases, as long as they are not obnoxious, are challenging and healthy if you can recognize them. (As an aside, and I speak as someone who enjoys writing but has no training in journalism, I do believe journalists should write without bias as much as possible, but I find it difficult to imagine them succeeding 100 percent)

Of course, I enjoyed reading those who had no need to hide their biases. Columnists like Kristof and Brooks exposed my mind, coming into its own in the worlds of politics and public debate, to increasingly varied vantage points. I particularly liked these two, not because I necessarily agreed with their politics, but because they both seem more reflective than their peers. Brooks integrates philosophy, sociology and history in his columns better than anyone else I've read. Kristof explores his subjects more literally, writing not just about, but from under-reported corners of the world (he received a Pulitzer for his columns from Darfur, when most were focused on Iraq).

Then the Times started charging for their star columnists. I refused to buy. Practically, my worlds of students, mission and non-profit have not left me much in the way of disposable income. As a matter of principle, there is so much information and entertainment available on the Internet, I saw no reason to pay for a little bit more (relatively speaking). I missed them, don't get me wrong. Occasionally an enthralling title with a teaser line next to that orange-coated, stylized "t" would tempt me to reach for my credit card. I would look longingly at the opinion section of my NYT email before scrolling up to the international headlines section. At least it helped me read more actual stories rather than opinions about them.

This week, my resistance has paid-off. "Times-select" is no more. The powers that be realized that you make money on the Internet not through credit card grabbing gateways but through advertising. Too many readers came to the Times website searching for columnists, only to leave when the hat came out.

Of course, they picked a strange time to quit. Brooks is on a break and Kristof is on book-leave. Oh well. We'll be re-acquainted Soon.

Now, if only the ESPN website would get rid of that ridiculous "insider" section.

iPhone reflections for the un-iPhoned

It's interesting the sensation that can come out of a consumer product. I'm sure last weekend you either bought an iPhone or talked with your friend who bought one. Justin, my friend, drinking buddy and main source of information for all things technology, had his at the party. For an insider's view, read his last few posts. We all got to see his iPhone, many of us got to touch it. It produces a strange emotion: envy combined with awe and a sense of revolution against all things Steve Jobs. I often try to fight trends. I need neither an MP3 player, a new phone, or a portable television internet device, in spite of all its innate coolness (though while finding our way to the party, I couldn't deny the usefulness of an electronic, real-time map on a glowing screen). Of course, I don't need a mobile phone, air conditioning, a notebook computer or slick Swiss shoes I bought in Stuttgart. Heck, I even started online social networking!

The iPhone hype may indict our culture of greed, envy and idolotry, all of which we need to reckon with in some way. But within that, our ability to create amazing things, be it one of the old (or new) 7 wonders or the latest in innovation Steve Jobs, there are some amazing sites to behold. There has always been beauty to be found on the cutting edge of technology.

The New York Times has some interesting thoughts on the iPhone.

We are Finke

Perhaps not quite as inspiring or heartbreaking to US sports fans as "We are Marshall;" nonetheless, the final essay from Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger about SC Freiburg's famous coach is worth reading.

Ohne Finke, hab' wir keine Chance!

My favorite sports-writer is not a Chicago Tribune writer following the Bears or a Tallahassee reporter covering the Noles. It's ESPN Soccernet's Uli Hesse-Lichtenberger. Uli (I'm not going to re-write his last name) writes columns about the Bundesliga, so I'm already biased in his favor. But what makes him stand out above his colleagues is that he avoids the tabloid gossip issues that everyone else is stuck on. Everyone else can cover the sensations about whether Thierry Henry goes to Barcelona or whether Erikson will coach Manchester City. He finds fascinating stories within the historical context of soccer, which is a lot more interesting.

My favorite soccer team, by default, is SC Freiburg. I lived in Freiburg for two years, and both years they were in the Bunesliga. They have no superstars, but they played hard that first year and competed with the Bayerns and Werders of the league. However, the next year, they were terrible, finishing dead last and were relegated to the 2nd Bundesliga where they have been since. I saw two games, one a 2:0 dismantling of this year's Bundesliga champion VfB Stuttgart. It was one of the few bright spots of the season.

Well, now Uli is chronicling the rise and fall of Freiburg's legendary coach, Volker Finke, the most beloved Breisgau coach not named Loew. I remember being near the stadium after Freiburg got thumped by one of the league giants. Some fans grumbled about the coach, but many sang "ohne Finke hab' wir keine Chance!" Without Finke, we have no chance.

Anyway, part II of the series is here. Part I was a lot of background, not all of it necessary. Part III will be here soon.

Stories...

Here is a short story Christianity Today published. It's a very interesting concept, though the story itself seems incomplete. What I appreciate is its attempt to engage a moral complexity we face (in this case, genetics). There is a lot being said, and presumably being done, about using stories to better engage post-moderns with the Gospel. This article is encouraging, because it uses the same idea with one of the many issues we face in the public square. Such stories should be done in a manner that is not mean-spirited (unlike a cartoon I saw in a Christian publication cynically portraying a young worker being fired for posting party pictures on MySpace); indeed it should be loving. It should also be honest about complexities, as well as appropriately appreciative of the other sides in the debates. This story is a step in the right direction, and kudos to Agnieszka Tennant for writing it.

Wine-growers prepared to use violence

Radical Basque separatists, Hamas, Al Qaida and now... French wine-growers. The BBC reports that a groups of masked Frenchmen called "the Crav," who look a lot like the shadowy jihadis kidnapping soldiers and journalists, are prepared to use violence if the French government doesn't meet its demands.

The question remains for wine lovers: does consuming wine from the Languedoc region mean giving into the terrorists? Or are these guerrillas freedom fighters, preventing excellent wine from being watered down by global competition?