Tried With Fire

of Fools Rush In Where Monkeys Fear to Tread by Carl Trueman is ... Melissa!!!!!!! Thanks to everyone for entering the giveaway. Stay tuned for more....

It may not be the proper way to start a proper review, but I really like this book. I had read Carl Trueman 's posts on the Ref21 blog and was impressed with his writing, his ability to zero in on the deeper issues at stake, and his razor sharp wit. When his book was published recently, I was eager to read it based on the title alone and was not disappointed. Fools Rush In Where Monkeys Fear to Tread   contains 26 essays on subjects ranging from celebrity culture, perpetual adolescence, Roman Catholicism, humor, holiness, postmodern inclusivism, death, social media, and the case for Protestantism. Trueman doesn't take himself too seriously and punctuates his writing with dry humor and even (gasp!) sarcasm. The fact that he's British only adds to the reading pleasure in my opinion. There is a handy glossary of terms for those of us not familiar with cheese rolling , mewling , and t osh . But lest anyone be mistaken, Dr. Trueman takes God and the gospel very seri...

Indeed, when you think of the dangers of humor, it is a very good job that the Protestant church today is not burdened with the likes of Luther, Owen, Swift, and even Spurgeon. Humor, after all, implies that the world in which sin and evil are rampant is somehow absurd and not the way it should be. Ridiculous. It also hinders us from understanding that our opponents really are dangerous and powerful in an ultimate sense and that our conflicts with them are of cosmic proportions. Nonsense. That's why fools like Luther used to laugh at their opponents, as if, in doing so, he might convince himself not to fear those who destroy the body but rather him who has the power to cast body and soul into hell. So silly. Above all, it might prevent us from taking ourselves too seriously, and stop us from realizing that, yes, it really is all about us, and that we are indeed the meaning of the universe. Fools Rush In Where Monkeys Fear to Tread , Carl Trueman, P&R Publishing, 2012, p, 18...

Others might tell me I am a failure, an idiot, a clown, evil, incompetent, vicious, dangerous, pathetic, etc., and those words are not just descriptive; they have a certain power to make me these things, in the eyes on others and even in my own eyes, as self-doubt creeps in and the Devil whispers in my ear. But the greatness of Luther's Protestantism lies in this: God speaks louder, and His Word is more powerful. You may call me a liar, and you speak truth, for I have lied; but if God declares me righteous, then my lies and your insult are not the final word, nor the most powerful word. I have peace in my soul because God's word is real reality. That's why I need to read the Bible each day, to hear the Word preached each week, to come to God in prayer, and to hear words of grace from other brothers and sisters as I seek to speak the same to them. Only as God speaks his Word to me, and as I hear that Word in faith, is my reality transformed and do the insults of others, o...

Well, in a day when identity politics is in, I have decided to launch my own webzine, aimed specifically at that most neglected sector of today's culture: miserable middle-aged gits, of whom I am a foremost representative. To capture the essence of the project, I am going to call it "Oi You, Get Off My Lawn!" as long as the relevant web address (www.oiyougetoffmylawn.com) is not taken . . . [T]here'll be a regular editorial, addressing such urgent issues of the day as "Dooyeweerd or Don't You Weird? The Case Against Soul Patches," and "Why Are There Never Enough Parking Places at the Prostate Clinic? Toward a Christian Response." Now, if you don't think these columns and questions are relevant, then you must be either (a) a woman or (b) a man under the age of 40. If the latter, give it a few years and the profound relevance of these issues will be painfully clear. In the meantime, don't oppress me by engaging in the imperialist, sexi...

Not this book. Far from it, but the title of the essay that's being quoted. I'm about halfway through this book, and I'm thoroughly enjoying it so far. Carl Trueman's insight into Christianity's follies (some of which are uniquely American) will have you laughing and wincing at the same time.  His aim is accurate. "A church service involving clowns or fancy dress or skits or stand-up comedy does not reflect the seriousness of the gospel; and those who take the gospel seriously should know better. Frankly, it is more appropriate to liberal theology that does not take seriously the gospel, or the God of the gospel. Serious things demand serious idioms. I heard recently of a church service involving dressing up in a costume and music taken from a Tom Cruise movie. Now, if I go for my annual prostate examination, and the doctor comes into the consulting room dressed as Coco the Clown, with "Take My Breath Away" from Top Gun playing in the background,...

"The list of American idiosyncrasies could go on: the American penchant for men's shoes with tassels (which, I am thankful, have no counterpart in Britain); the post-colonial idea that a sausage on a lollipop stick is edible; and the constitutional right to eat cheese delivered from an aerosol can without government interference. Freedom is surely a wonderful thing." From " Messiahs Pointed to the Door" in Fools Rush In Where Monkeys Fear to Tread by Carl Trueman, P&R Publishing, 2012, pg. 17.