Reading List:
"Truth is Symphonic: Aspects of Christian Pluralism" by Hans Urs von Balthasar. Started July 2021,
finished August 2021. The author is very
well known Christian theologian, being the subject of many dissertations and theses at schools of
divinity throughout this nation and the world.
The book was recommended by my pastor, but I read it with some skepticism, because
the term "pluralism" carries negative connotations. The book was a difficult read. I have a very good
vocabulary, but while reading this book I found myself referencing a dictionary once every 5 or 10 pages,
during the first half of the book. In addition, I found that I needed to read the book a second
time in order to grasp some of the key concepts. In the end, some of my key takeaways from the book are the
concept of "hidden in its opposite", in which God can be immanent and transcendent, and the impossibility
of confining God within a system. As for my concerns about "pluralism", such concerns proved unfounded,
as von Balthasar's meaning of pluralism became evident through his use of "symphony" and similar terms.
"The Art of War & Other Classics of Eastern Philosophy" by Sun Tzu and others.
Started Dec. 2020.
"1984", by George Orwell
Started Dec. 2020 (second reading)
The Bible
Started over in Genesis in August, 2021. When I finish, it will be approximately my 20th time to read
the Bible from cover to cover. Every time I learn something new. In fact, one cannot understand the
meaning of this book in one reading, because the connections and consistency between the various parts
of the Bible are not evident except from repetition.
"The Hope of the Gospel", by George MacDonald
Finished Fall, 2011. I expected better from George MacDonald in light of his reference by such great
authors and thinkers like G.K. Chesterton and C.S. Lewis.
"Heaven is for Real" by Todd Burpo
Finished Summer 2011. I picked this book up because I am skeptical of stories about death or near-death
experiences that involve visits to Heaven, and I thought it would be fun to read the book to identify
the evidence that the story was fake. I rejoiced in triumph when I found my smoking gun, the comments
about the "rainbow" colored horse that belonged to Jesus. I mean, some things are just incredibly made-
up, right? Then I connected the appearance of the horse with many heavenly visions from the Bible. What
was common? The heightened sensory perceptions of sound and vision. Our eyes comprehend only a small
range of the electromagnetic spectrum, and our ears comprehend only a small portion of the range of sonic
waves. In Heaven our senses will be perfect, and not only will we see and hear what we cannot now
comprehend, but our other senses will be heightened as well. Do I believe the story by Todd Burpo? No, I
still suspect that it just didn't happen. But I do entertain the possibility that it was real, and I am
thankful for the insight that it gave me into many of the Biblical visions and experiences of Heaven.
"God in the Dock", essays by C.S. Lewis
Finished Summer 2009. Great essays, might as well have been written in recent years. Would Lewis be
shocked by what we see today? He probably had no idea how accurately his essays would reflect 21st
century life in this world. Or perhaps he did????
Surprised By Joy, by C.S. Lewis
Finished June 2009
"Genetic Entropy & the Mystery of the Genome" by J.C. Sanford
Finished May 2009
"Why Things Bite Back", by Edward Tenner
Finished May 2009
"Rain in My Heart", by Barbara Ferguson
Finished in late 2008. I have an autographed copy of this book, given by my godmother. The book covers
the experiences of an Australian social volunteer in Saigon during the Vietnam War.
"The Language of God", by Francis Collins
Finished in late 2008. I spent years working on DNA sequencers, so Francis Collins was a name heard
frequently in my line of work. I had high expectations of the insights provided by a scientist of such
distinction as Francis Collins, but I was not, in the end, well-satisfied with the book.