Now that looks much better I think – I like this new look far more than the previous one. Now for more content π
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‘Shameful Flight – The Last Years of the British Empire in India,’ by Stanley Wolpert
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.
‘Shameful Flight’ relates the history of the final years of the British Raj in India, including the partition of India into both Pakistan (West and East) and India, and the early hostility of the two new nations destined for perpetual warfare in such regions as the Kashmir.The history of this era of political instability on the subcontinent includes all the main players from Great Britain, India and Pakistan.These main players include Winston Churchill, Viceroy Louis Mountbatten, Mahatma Gandhi, Pandit Nehru and Quaid-i-Azam Jinnah. There is not a single figure in this history of India’s partition who comes out of it in a good light, though several seem to have had very well-intentioned aims and motivations. It is the true story of lost opportunity and the devastating consequences of human pride and selfishness that have reverberated down through the decades to the present day and remain visible in the continuing clashes between India and Pakistan, as well as in the extremism expressed in both the Islamic and Hindu communities throughout the sub-continent. It is a story of perpetual tragedy and human suffering with no end in sight.
This book is extremely easy to read, passes on a wealth of historical information and whets the appetite for further research on the India/Pakistan situation. It provides enlightenment, by bringing understanding to the current political instability in both India and Pakistan, by clearly revealing the root of the problem – the manner of the birth of both nations out of British imperialism and that nation’s final haphazard departure aptly described as a ‘Shameful Flight.’ This is a great book for understanding the sub-continent and the wounds it still carries to this day.
This book was provided to me for review by Oxford University Press – www.oup.com
Changing the World: November 16 – People Mixing
The suggestion for today was to get together with people you donβt know and get to know them β to meet new people. I guess this is a way to broaden oneβs horizons somewhat β get to know and see what other people do, how they live, etc.
I do meet new people from time to time β but canβt say Iβm all that fussed to organise parties and events with people I donβt know.
A response to reading β365 Ways to Change the World,β by Michael Norton
‘The Reformers and Their Stepchildren,’ by Leonard Verduin
I have been reading βThe Reformers and Their Stepchildren,β by Leonard Verduin, in the last week or so. It is not the first time that I have read this book, having read it some time ago β probably 10 years ago now I would say.
This is a book that I would recommend to any believer, but particularly to a Reformed believer, whether he be Paedobaptist or Baptist. Verduin seeks to analyse the Reformation and the relationship between the Reformers and their βstepchildrenβ from a Biblical standpoint, rather than any particular denominational standpoint. Though he does defend the stepchildren, he does so only when they are in line with Scriptural teaching on the point being discussed within that particular chapter.
Who are the stepchildren? The stepchildren or the βsecond front,β as Verduin also describes them, are those believers who sought a complete reforming of the church. In fact, it may be fair to say that these believers sought a complete break from the Romish church, and a new church built on the teachings of Scripture and modelled on the New Testament church alone.
The frustration for these nonconformist believers was that the reform movement only went so far and did not result in the complete renewal that they desired and that the situation required.
Thus far I have read only the first two chapters of the book and once again I am finding it a very worthwhile read. I find myself in substantial agreement with the position of many of the stepchildren and with Verduin. With as much respect as I have for the Reformers, such as John Calvin, Martin Luther and John Knox, I too would have found myself frustrated at the level of reform achieved by them (though they were better men than I). A complete break and renewal would have been the way forward I believe.
The first two chapters deal with the joint secular-religious church-state that was set up at both the time of Constantine and then at the Reformation in the various Protestant nations that embraced the Reformation. They deal with the all-embracing religion that was constructed in such centres as Geneva and the βunifiedβ approach to it, as well as the reaction of the stepchildren and their withdrawal from it.
This book is as close to a must read for believers as there is I think β especially of the Reformed persuasion.
My copy of the book (paperback) is by William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co. and was printed in 1964.
BOOK REVIEW: The Noticer, by Andy Andrews
The first book I will be reviewing for Thomas Nelson is called βThe Noticer,β by New York Times bestselling author Andy Andrews. It is actually an ebook that I have.
The hardcopy book is available at Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0785229213/thomasnelsoni-20
There is an online web site associated with the book called βThe Noticer Projectβ at:
http://www.thenoticerproject.com/
I havenβt started to read the book yet, but will be doing so today. Certainly the web site looks interesting. The site encourages visitors to think of 1 to 5 people who have played an important role in their lives. You then post a message sharing your thoughts about these people on the site and an email is also sent to those people. The message is meant to be an inspiration and encouragement to others who visit the site.
A quote from the site will perhaps help:
"The Noticer Project is a worldwide movement to "notice" the five most influential people in your life! Noticing those five people can be as private (just a letter or email) or as public (posting to your Facebook page or joining The Noticer Project Facebook group) as you choose, but the movement is meant to encourage us to step outside our busy schedules and avoid waiting until a wedding, graduation or even a funeral to take notice of the special, influential people in our lives. By noticing those who have made a difference for you, you not only acknowledge their contribution, but you may gain a new perspective on your own journey. If you are noticed, you are encouraged to continue the movement by ‘noticing’ five people in your life!"
There is also a Facebook Group that can be joined and βThe Noticerβ can be followed on Twitter.
The web site has a number of suggestions as to how you can βnoticeβ that important person in your life, be it from writing a private letter, making a donation to a charity in the name of that person, etc.
The site encourages you to notice a person before a birthday or funeral.
Overall, I quite like the concept of noticing others. It certainly has you thinking in a more βother-centredβ manner and encourages you to not be so βself-centred.β I wouldnβt try and blend what is a secular concept into a Christian one, but the project does warrant comparisons with many Christian virtues.
Visit the web site by clicking on the banner below:
LIFE AT THE BOOKSHELF: A Life Around Books
I have spent a lot of my time around books. I love books. I canβt have enough books β at least it certainly seems that way. Iβm always on the lookout for books. I donβt buy a lot of new books these days, however, if there is a good one β well, I just have to buy it.
Iβve always read a lot. Early in life I probably read more out of necessity in order to pass subjects and exams. It wasnβt until I left school that I really got a passion for books. What spurred my passion for books was my growing interest in Christianity and my subsequent embrace of it. I just wanted to learn and to learn as much as I could. So I started to buy books
Somewhere along the track I became interested in reading books of other subjects as well, especially books to do with history. I also read novels, but for me to read a novel it has to have a great plot. One of my favourite authors is Tom Clancy, which probably gives you some idea of the type of novels I read.
Of course I collected books on horticulture (I trained as a horticulturist), cooking, computers, travel, wilderness and other areas that I was interested in. However my real passion in books has always been theological and historical.
At the moment my life is in a βtreading water-likeβ situation. Iβm probably still another 6 months away from moving into another home to rent (I currently live in a caravan park in a cabin), so the vast majority of my books are in storage and I canβt get at them because they are quite some distance away and I donβt have a car. There probably isnβt a day that goes by that I wish I had access to some book or another. I am longing for the day when Iβll be able to make use of all my books again.
Iβve probably managed to collect another couple of boxes of books in the time I have been away from them and I am slowly accumulating a collection of them in the cabin. They are enough to get me by at this stage, but my various interests are crying out for the books to assist me in them.
I have begun to place a listing of the books I own on my web site at particularbaptist.com and will eventually add them to my Shelfari presence as well. A look at the list (which is nowhere near complete) soon gives an idea of the number of books I have.
See the list at:
http://www.particularbaptist.com/kevins/kevinslibrary.html
See my Shelfari Profile at:
http://www.shelfari.com/particularkev
I have also started accumulating books online at both the particularbaptist.com website and the Kevinβs Family β History Site. These two virtual libraries encapsulate the two main areas of my passion for books β theology and history.
It is for these two libraries (other than my own interest of course) that I am buying out of copyright theological and historical books. Gradually I am building up my collection of online books in these libraries, sharing my passion for books and the wealth in books with a much wider audience.
Visit the libraries at:
http://particularbaptist.com/library/libraryindex.html
http://particularbaptist.com/matthewshistory/library/articles.html
Not only do these libraries contain the works that I have collected and put online, they also have many links to others works that others have placed online. In short, these two virtual libraries have an enormous amount of resources in them β enough to keep the most avid reader going for a life time.
I have now started the βAt The BookShelfβ Blog and the βReformed Reading Groupβ at Shelfari to provide another aspect to sharing my passion for books, especially in the two areas I have mentioned β theology and history. With these two latest sites I will be able to interact with visitors and discuss various books, what we have learnt, questions and issues raised, enjoy fellowship, etc. So I am really hoping that my visitors will join the Reformed Reading Group (I am thinking especially of Reformed Christians here obviously β though others are most welcome) and get involved in the discussion, as well as having visitors interacting via the comments provision here at βAt The BookShelf.β
Visit the Reformed Reading Group at:
http://www.shelfari.com/groups/36946/about
What I intend to post here in the Blog are reviews of the books I have read and possibly some quotes from some of the books also. I will probably also be posting URLs for new books (old books) I post in the two virtual libraries also.
What else is left to say but please get involved at some of the sites I have mentioned? You wonβt regret it.
At the BookShelf 