Jesus Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman

Title: Jesus, Interrupted: Revealing the Hidden Contradictions in the Bible (and Why We Don't Know About Them)

Published by Harper One, and imprint of HarperCollins Publishers. 283 pages.

This is the most challenging of the religious books I've read in the past few years as I've studied what's becoming known as the New Paradigm: most notably (for me) the works of Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan.

In the current book, Mr. Ehrman talks about the historical-critical approach to the bible. The basic premise is that the Bible (and Christianity for that matter) is a product of people, not necessariy the inerrant word of God.

In studying the gospels he takes them horizontally, showing how Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John tell the stories differently. Some examples are how Jesus came to be born in Bethlehem; what day did Jesus die, was Jesus in despair and doubt on the way to the cross (Mark) or calm and in control? Many of the books of the New Testament were not written by the people whose names are attached. Many other writings were considered for inclusion in the New Testament and were not, for various reasons. There were many variants of Christianity in the early church.

He also shows that Paul's understanding of Christ was not necessarily the same as Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.

Interestingly, he points out that most pastors in the mainline Protestant pulpits today have studied the bible using the historical-critical approach, agree there are discrepancies, understand the discrepancies, but don't talk about it in their churches. Mr. (Dr?) Ehrtman himself went to Princeton Theological Seminar; he arrived as a fundamentalist, evangelical Christian and came out as something, someone, else entirely.

Nevertheless, this approach does not mean we have to give up our faith. We can look at how the individual authors of the New Testament approached Christ's life and see what message we can take away.

For me, I think it highlights one of the primary messages of the gospels: we just can't comprehend who Christ was/is. Over and over again in the gospels, the disciples just don't understand Christ, they squabble among themselves, jostle for attention and just don't get it. How could they? How can we? God is God and we are human; we can't understand God.

It's no wonder that as time goes on there became different interpretations. But we can still look at the Bible and get some value from it.

Goals for the rest of 2009

I'm figuring I've finished 5 books so far and need to get 3 more to meet my goal. Here is what I'm more or less considering for the rest of the year.

1. Jesus, Interrupted. Bart D. Ehrman. I'm 1/2 way through this as of August 4, 2009
2. Rhino Ranch. Larry McMurtry. Just got it from Amazon. I want to see what happens to Duane. I may need to re-read The Last Picture Show to bring myself back to speed.
3. Girls Like Us Sheila Weller. A biography of Carol King, Carly Simon, and Joni Mitchell. I'm thinking it will be an interesting view of the 70's.
4. A Briefer History of Time by Stephen Hawking. I figure I'll be lost about 1/2 way through the 1st sentence.
5. Friday Night Lights by H. G. Bissinger. I liked Three Nights in August so I thought this might be fun to read sometime in September or October
6. The Power of Myth by Bill Moyers. I've tried Hero of a 1000 Faces by Joseph Campell and it was too much. I'm hoping the Bill Moyers book will be a little more approachable.
7. Some more Elmore Leonard
8. The Fifties by David Halberstam. I've read lots of his stuff and love how he makes a book out of a bunch of really good long essays about topics (and tying them altogether).

That should be a good year's work (for me). And it definitely includes more fiction than last year.

Getting Caught UP

Ohmygosh. I've totally left this and now I can't remember all I've read so far. This is exactly why I need to keep the blog; even if only to list titles.

Let's see what I can reconstruct

• A Thousand Splendid Suns: by the guy who wrote The Kite Runner I may have actually read this at the end of 2008. It is about the treatment of women (2 women in particular) by the Taliban in Afghanistan around 9/11. Those guys are f*($(&^! nuts. Nice story of heroism and perseverence. I might have read this at the end of 2008 (during the snow storm of December) so I won't count it for my 2009 count.
• Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo. One of my favorite authors. I've got an extended entry elsewhere on my blog of this fantastic book.
• I am Legend by Richard Matheson. Read this after seeing the movie. Way, WAY different ending - and better than the movie. But it really makes my point about a lot of science fiction; lots of science; not very good fiction. When compared to Bridge of Sighs it just doesn't measure up. I might have read this at the end of 2008, so won't count it for my 2009 count
• Couples by John Updike. I read this shortly after he died. I've tried to read this before but never really got into it until this year. Nice story; depressing. Interesting if nothing else than for the look into the 60's society.
• The Coldest Winter by David Halberstam. Wow; what a great history of the Korean War, the 50's and a look into how politics works. The political parts alone provide a way to look at the politics of the earliest 21st century; the more things change the more they stay the same. What I particularly liked about this book was the way it gave concise, detailed summaries of many different topics. Learned why the Korean War started; a lot about Douglas MacArthur (what a meglomaniac (sp)); and the battles against communism and the division between right and left. The Replublicans really hated FDR (I mean what did he do besides win World War II); and I guess things just haven't changed.
• As They See 'Em" by Bruce Weber. As baseball started I figured it was time to read a baseball book. A neat story about umpires, giving a glimpse into the methods of umpiring; the tough life of minor league umpires, and what makes umpires tick. The author went to one of the MLB sanctioned umpire schools and interviewed lots of umpires in the majors and the minors. It gave me a real appreciation for what they do. I went to some Spring Training games while reading it (and AAA games after). I focused on the umpires at work, rather that the players. It was real eye opening; they have a tough job and I've had a hard time heckling them since!
• The Elmore Leonard interlude. Vacation hit and I wanted something light - just a book or two. Then I listened to an interview with Mr. Leonard on On Point . One of the people interviewed is a past Poet Laureate of the United States and a book editor for the NY Times. He raved about Elmore Leonard and said he has asked to review all his books for the NY Times. So, I figured, let's read some and see what's up. I got hooked. Here is a list of what I've read so far.
• Out of Sight Started with this book about a bank robber because it has the same characters as his latest and I didn't want to pay for the hardcover. Real fun
• Be Cool I wanted to get caught up with Chili Palmer
• Rum Punch about arms dealers in Florida. Lots of tough guys and saps not realizing how far they are into bad stuff until it's too late - seems like a common theme
• Forty Lashes Less One. A western. Kind of dumb premise; one of Elmore's first, not one of his best
• The Law at Randado A cool western - again about jail, hmmm lots of his books start out in jail or prison
• Escape from Five Shadows. Did I say lots of his books start in prison. Fun; good hero.
• Hombre Not one of Elmore's most lovable characters.
• Okay, I'm going to read some more; but 1 Elmore Leonard book can't count as a full 1 book toward by goal.
• Jesus Interrupted by Bart D. Ehrman. My religious book for the year. Another foray into what has been called the New Paradigm. It takes a look at the New Testament through the lens of historical criticism. It shows the many discrepancies in the bible, why they are there, and how we can take a new look at the Bible without losing faith (although he is agnostic now). He started life as a fundamentalist and became much more liberal in his view of Christianity as he went through seminary at Princeton.

So that gets us up to early August 2009. For the official count, let's figure this

1. Bridge of Sighs Richard Russo
2. Couples. John Updike
3. The Coldest Winter David Halberstam
4. As They See 'Em Bruce Weber
5. 7 Elmore Leonard crime novels and westerns

I'll try to be more on top of it through the rest of the year; even if just to the point of getting titles and dates.

Book 1: Richard Russo: Bridge of Sighs

OH, what a great book to start the year. Exactly what fiction should do: explore the details of a made up life to let us see what is in our real life.

My favorite quote from the book is currently my e-mail signature

"The one life we're left with is sufficient to fill and refill our imperfect hearts with joy, and then to shatter them. And it never, ever lets up. Blame love"

This is a book about divisions and how those divisions are crossed. It's about innocence and realism. The book is set in a small New England town where an old mill used to be the center of economic activity but is now closed (ah, typical Russo!). The town is divided into East and West with Division street the boundary. The protagonist, Lou, starts life on 1 side of town and ends up moving to the other side. The book unfolds as Lou is writing an autobiography; although there are 3rd person narratives of some of the other key players. The central event of Lou's life was when he was a kid and a group of bullies locked him in an old chest near a river (after he crossed a bridge). He ended up having the first of many spells where he just drifts away and is lost for a while. 

There are just so many conflicts and tensions in this book; not all are resolved. The recurring motif of divisions and bridges really interested me. One of  the key physical divisions is in an old park that has a wrought iron fence running around it. Lou spends many days with the caretaker of the park painting and keeping the fence in good shape.

Another central tension is innocence v. experience. Lou's dad (Big Lou) is a true innocent and just doesn't see the bad in people and can't figure out why bad things happen. Lou's mother is much more experienced and spends much of her life trying to navigate their lives through the reality of life. Lots of problems and challenges. Lou ends up being more like his dad than his mom.

Lou's best childhood friendship is also problematic and plays itself out through the entire book.

This is definitely 4.5 stars.

As I re-read my notes here it is apparent I need to work on my writing skills. I hope a little practice and writing up my notes soon after I read the book will help.

8 more books: My 2009 New Year's Resolutions

8-5-3-2 more or less

• Read 8 more books
• Lose 5 more pounds
• Floss 3 times a week
• Brush 2 minutes a day
• Give more; take less (at work I say that means give more guff; take less back talk). This is problematic because it doesn't meet one of my criteria: it isn't measurable

The Books

I was an English major in college but got away from reading. I remember in the 80's I read some of the new fiction (Less Than Zero) and some Thomas McGuane. I just got turned off by the protagonists going through hard times only to end up dead on the last page. I just go bummed out. I ended up reading more non-fiction; some religious stuff and history; and others. I'll go back and recap my 2008 list in later posts.

But this year, I thought I'd try rediscovering fiction and exploring life from that point of view. I plan to make at least 1/2 my list novels or short story collections.

It's early February and I'm on my 3rd book - Couples by John Updike. This has been on my shelf since college but I've never really gotten around to reading it. I figured now is the time. John Updike died recently and I've listened to a number of past interviews with him (Fresh Air, On Point with Tom Ashbrook). Listening to Updike talk really brought back to me what fiction is all about: exploring a made up life in order to show ourselves what our real lives are about. And Updike's focus on description; on making every word the right word, brought back to me the idea of the artistry of writing: it really is an art form.

 

Purpose - My 2008 New Year's Resolutions

A year ago - December 2007 I decided to take New Year's resolutions seriously; which is really, REALLY not like me. But surprise, surprise; I established some measurable goals and tried through the year to follow up on them. Some of them are personal (well all of them are personal) but one of them I thought might be a good point for discussion and give-and-take. And I plan to write about more than just my resolutions.

My resolution for 2008 was 8, 5, 4, 3. I wanted my resolutions to be easy to remember, measurable, and attainable. The numbers meant:

 

- Read 8 books. Status: Success: I read 11 books

- Lose 5 pounds: Status: Success: I was down 15 pounds during the year; ended up 10 pounds lighter at the end of the year

- Brush my teeth 4 minutes a day. Status: Not successful: Two - 2 minute sessions is TOO much; I couldn't keep it up and actually hurt my teeth with my electric tooth brush

- Floss 3 times a week. Status: Not successful: Probably averaged 2wice a month. 

So, reading that you probably figure you don't want to stand too close to me when we talk. Interesting that I picked two items involving my mouth.

Want I want to do in this blog is discuss the books I've read, but I figure I'll be all over the board and talk about food and other things of interest.

Headed out again!

My youngest son, Andrew, and I will be driving from Portland to his house in Tucson. We are going to drive over part of Route 66 as part of the adventure. 

On Sunday we'll head from Portland to Ashland where we'll take in the play "Our Town" at the Shakespeare Festival. Monday we'll drive down the heart of California into Barstow where we will spend the night at a hotel overlooking the BSNF railroad tracks.

Tuesday we'll reprise part of Carla and my drive through Amboy, Needles, Kingman, Seligman, and over to Winslow. 

Because we have to get to Tucson by Thursday and want to visit our relatives in Cottonwood and Sedona, we'll have to bypass part of the old road. For example we won't go through Oatman, but Amboy and Seligman are a must. We will be having lunch at the Sno Cap in Seligman!

I'll post some pictures along the way as Carla and I did last year.

Stay tuned

Northwest Grille - December 15, 2007

9900 SW Canyon Rd (Shilo Inn)
Portland, OR



This was my pick. I wouldn't have picked this normally because A) it is part of Shilo Inn hotel which is a chain; and B) it is part of Shilo Inn hotel. But, it had a grand write up in the Oregonian a couple of days before we went; so I figured, what the heck. If we can find a good breakfast place on the westside, I'm game.

Well, in a word, "Ugh". Typical hotel restaurant food. I had the "Meat Lover's Scramble". The spuds were cool, there wasn't much meat, and the cheese on top wasn't melted. Service was nice enough.

I guess, I'll have to bite the bullet and head back to the east side of the river for a decent breakfast next time.

China Delight - November 24, 2007

Address: 8975 SW Beaverton Hillsdale

I definitely wasn't on my "A" game for blogging; I didn't have my PDA; didn't get a picture; and didn't pick up a business card. So, bear with me.

I may be off on the date by a week. There was a little bit of snow was spitting at us on the drive and it seems like we talked about Christmas trees.

The most interesting place about this restaurant is that it is a Chinese restaurant in the evenings; but in the mornings it is "Carma's American Breakfast" restaurant. I think the name is Carma's. Some folks lease the place and serve breakfast when the building would otherwise be idle. What a great idea.

I do remember I had a scramble which was okay. If I remember correctly, their motto was they had the best breakfast in Beaverton. Well, based on my experience that isn't saying much; there just aren't that many good breakfast places in our neck of the woods. But if I was going to vote for a best, I'd pick Murrayhill Cafe over this spot. But, I would consider going back here.

Podnah's

I can't remember ever having biscuits and gravy before, so I considered myself a Biscuits and Gravy virgin. That is until Podnah's. And the first time was truly great! Really, really good biscuits with yummy gravy on the side, which I appreciated because I could control the amount of gravy I got in each bite. The sausage was spicy and tasty and I didn't feel that it was greasy at all. Howard was kind enough to share his scrambled eggs with me, so I considered my breakfast just about perfect.

The only downfall was not having any decaf coffee AND no herbal teas that I could drink. I was about to settle for a cup of hot water, when the waitress suggested that I go the coffee shop next door and get my coffee. That turned out to be just fine. The Bean is a nice little shop with a very friendly proprietor who was happy to fix me a decaf Americano. We visited with the owner for a bit while he fixed my coffee, and by the time we got back to Podnah's, our order was almost ready. That made for a short wait.

From what I observed, it looks like Podnah's uses French Presses to make their coffee, and then puts the coffee in hot pots for the customers to serve themselves. Since I use a French Press at home, I'm sure I would have enjoyed their coffee had I been able to drink it.

Deducting a half point for the shortness of the menu, and another half point for not being able to accommodate my drink needs, I'd rate this place at four stars.