The Great Divorce

Who doesn't wonder about life after death? Surely, during random moments in our life, we contemplate meaning, purpose, and the possibility of eternity. Much has been written on heaven and hell. Unfortunately, most presentations are doctrinally heavy and theologically dry. Enter C.S. Lewis, an adult with the imagination of a child, author of The Chronicles of Narnia. His creative brilliance is no doubt present in another famous work, The Great Divorce. Lewis explores the concepts of good, evil, and eternal judgment using the best of genre to communicate: narrative and storytelling. He offers a challenging view of hell, that is, those who are there prefer the lonely and bitter place to joy-filled heaven. Moderns who reject the idea of absolute morality and judgment often find hell problematic. Traditionally known as a place of fiery judgment, many choose to convert to Christianity out of fear. Even moralists who do not embrace Christianity view the concept of hell as unethical, unfair, or unjust. Yet, Lewis turns the table upside down. In the conversations, we find those who are in hell chose to be there while on earth. The choice was made over and over again. Eternal judgment is simply an final affirmation of our choices. Yet, the same choice continues to be made after death. The narratives force the reader to be down right honest with the reality of free will and, thus, the reality of consequences.

I encourage everyone to read through the book. It's a quick read and well worth the time. If anything, Lewis forces us to reflect on the reality of free will and judgment. In the end, he leaves us two options: the guilt, pain, bitterness, and conceit of hell; the joy, freedom, and love of heaven.

The Economics and Politics of Race

The Economics and Politics of Race
Thomas Sowell
New York: William Morrow, 1983.

Biography: Thomas Sowell was born in 1930 North Carolina and grew up in Harlem. He graduated magna cum laude at Harvard University (1958), received his M.A. from Columbia University (1959), and Ph.D from the University of Chicago (1968). His dozen books, as well as numerous articles and essays, cover a wide range of topics, from classic economic theory to judicial activism, from civil rights to choosing the right college. Currently, Sowell is a senior research fellow at the Hoover Institution in Stanford, CA. A prolific writer, he is the leading black thinker on economics and social theory.

Overview of The Economics and Politics of Race: This book examines the conflict and tension between the economic consequences and political consequences of group differences. Sowell begins his study with acknowledging what history has made apparent, that is, racial and ethnic differences often hinder government stability. He argues that racial and ethnic animosity is not sufficiently explained by “doctrines of racial superiority and inferiority.” Rather, Sowell attempts to gain insights on group characteristics by first presenting historical case studies on three different groups of races. This is followed by an analysis of that data and the resulting implications on present and future political and economic policy.

From the beginning, Sowell reveals the value of observing trends and patterns of race history. For example, he studies the history of Chinese emigration and its positive economic effects in foreign countries. In all countries, including America, the Chinese are known for their entrepreneurship, specialized job skills, and capacity for hard work. However, Sowell notices a peculiar trend among the Chinese immigrants, that is, strict resistance in pursuing political careers or involvement with political movements. Thus, their positive economic contributions to the respective country are often hindered by the discriminatory political policies; natives jealous of immigrant economic success the plausible reason for the policies. The author also examines the histories of emigrants from Europe (Germans, Irish, Italians, and Jews) and the ethnicities of Negroid ancestry. Characteristics such as work ethic, moral attitudes, job skills, value on education, acculturation, and the degree of social transformation are compared across the differing people groups.

After studying the similarities and differences of existing cultural trends and patterns, Sowell is ready to critique political policies using insights from economical perspectives. He argues that policy should be shaped by the development of human capital, which is the “abilityto produce.” Examples of human capital include education, discipline, frugality, good health, and skills. Sowell believes the creation of wealth through human capital and not the transfer of wealth through physical and financial capital is the decisive factor for economic planning. Making existing human capital more available produces “higher levels of productivity and real income.”

In short, politicians should be aware of the economic consequences of policies concerning social process regardless of intention. Well-meaning intention does not guarantee a desired outcome. The results of a process are what matters in the long run.

For Further Reading: Knowledge and Decisions (1980), Ethnic America: A History (1983), Civil Rights: Rhetoric or Reality (1985), Race and Culture: A World View (1994), Migrations and Cultures (1996), Conquests and Cultures (1998), Black Rednecks and White Rednecks (2005)

Modern Times

Modern Times: The World From the Twenties to the Nineties; Revised Edition
Paul Johnson
New York, NY: Perennial Classics, 2001.

There is a reason that this book has gone through 5 publications and additional revisions: it is a classic. From the beginning, he notes that relativism hits all sectors of life and thus begins the modern age. In some ways, this was positive as seen in Einstein's social theory of relativity. Benefical techonologies have developed from this knowledge. However, the modern age also displays perversion of knowledge as the nuclear age is ushered into reality. Perhaps Johnson's biggest attack throughout the book is moral relatively, which, in my opinion, is moral decay. Relativity does not belong in every sector and can lead to dangerous implications. He writes,

Einstein was not a practicing Jew, but he acknowledged God. He believe passionately in absoulte standards of right and wrong. His professional life was devoted to the quest not only for truth but for certitude....He lived to see moral relativism, to him a disease, become a social pandemic, just as he lived to see his fatal equation bring into existence nuclear warfare. There were times, he said at the end of his life, when he wished he had been a simple watchmaker.

This constrast with the other two leading German thinkers of the time, Freud and Nietzsche. Johnson sheds any assault on Judeo-Christian ethics in a negative light, which I always endorse. He spends a great deal of ink on the risings of Lenin and Hitler which is helpful to my generation. We must learn how these warriors captured the hearts of two distinct cultures. Johnson captures the spirit, writing, "Hitler had to alternative but to pursue power, to some extent, by democratic means. In a rare moment of frankness, Lenin once said that only a country like Russia could have been captured so easily as he took it. Germany was a different proposition. It could not be raped. It had to be seduced."

You won't find this in your 11th grade World History book. Maybe it should be. Paul Johnson keeps you interested, the way history should be presented. I have always believe that, in order to capture the Zeitgeist and understand it, you must first understand where we've come from as a civilization. For starters, understanding the chaotic, fast chaning modern story is crucial to understanding these "postmodern" times and and currents of thoughts. Conservatives and liberals will enjoy the read. Liberals may get frustrated a bit more throughout the book. Maybe they should. What was supposed to be the century of secular humanism and liberalism turned out to be the bloodiest of all centuries. We may have possibly seen greatness in mankind through modern marvels but we surely witnessed mankind at its worst.

Welcome to Zeitgeist

Welcome to Zeitgeist, a reading journal. This is a German word meaning the "spirit" of the "times" (geist + zeit). Is this relevant? Well, my recent infactuation with German language and culture is reason enough to name it this. So it doesn't have to be meaningful. But I do think it's relevant. The books I read, espescially on culture and history, help me understand the times and the environment in which I live. In ministry, this is necessary or you'll just be preaching to choir and the choir will eventually get tired of listening to you and seeing your face. So, yeah it's relevant...but even better, it's a cool German word and what's not to like about cool German words.