The Critical Weakness of the Protestant Work Ethic

  My friend Mehmet Günenç recently gave me a copy of his short book, The History of Moral Philosophy (Ahlakın Felsefi Tarihi). In it, he traces the conceptual development of moral philosophy from Plato to Nietzsche; (he's a professor of philosophy). I haven't read the whole book yet, but one part I have read deals with the Protestant work ethic. His summary at the end of that section is insightful, although we would see some things differently. 

When we evaluate religion in terms such as much more intense work, individualism, independent retirement, or productivity, we will see a person who worships God through their profession. However, there is no hindrance for this person not to turn into the type of person who worships their profession. Their profession will be life for them, a field of action. They will exist for their profession. 

 (page 61; emphasis mine)

  The critical issue is a matter of worship. Who or what do we worship, and when does the true recipient of worship (God) get overshadowed in our hearts and actions and lives by the means with which we seek to honor and love and serve God. In other words, we must be always alert to the reality of our worship, not just to the confession that we acknowledge with our conscious thought.

I am attaching the original in case someone with a better grasp of philosophical Turkish wants to correct my understanding / translation of the text. 

a witness to beautiful

"Sometimes when you're surrounded by dirt, CJ, you're a better witness for what's beautiful."

CJ saw the perfect rainbow arcing over their soup kitchen. He wondered how his nana always found beautiful where he never even thought to look.

from Last Stop on Market Street by Matt De La Pena

  This is one of those kids books that has depth in the illustrations as well as the content. It was just given to us, and I like it much more than I expected to - knowing nothing about it till I picked it up. I'd highly recommend it.

Norse Mythology and Christology

 When I was young, I loved Norse mythology; it occurred in a fascinating world of gods and giants and men and dwarves. Thus, not long after getting my Kindle, I downloaded a collection of Norse tales for free, but I'd never gotten around to reading them. So, they'd sat in my 'read next' collection for a long time. Since I haven't had anything else that I felt like starting in the last week or so, I've been wandering my way through the tales of Asgard and Midgard and Jotunheim again; it has been fun reading both familiar and unfamiliar tales.

 A friend recently commented to me that given the nature of these sorts of ancients myths and the intelligence of the tellers, we should probably accept such mythologies in the non-serious, enjoyable way they appear to be written, not as the 'religious' texts of the ancients. They seem much more like our modern superhero tales, which also incidentally include Thor and his hammer.

 Anyways, tonight, I came across the quote below,

Two only went on another way—Odin, the Eldest of the Gods, and Loki the Mischievous. 

Loki and Odin laid aside all that they had kept of the divine power and the divine strength. They were going into the World of Men, and they would be as men merely.

- Colum, Padraic. The Children of Odin The Book of Northern Myths (p. 69). 

 For those who think in terms of Jesus' kenosis, his self-emptying or making himself nothing, this is an interesting literary event. Loki and Odin have their own version of emptying themselves of their deity. Yet, they went as 'men merely'; Jesus came as 'the Messiah, the Son of God,' no longer grasping his divinity but not merely a man. It would be of some interest to know the age of these tales which Colum published in 1920.

 Also, incidentally, in this same tale, "The Dwarf's Hoard, and the Curse that it Brought," is an account of a ring of power with runes on it, rather reminiscent of Tolkien, though this story obviously long preceded his.

2017 Recommended Reading

The recommendations I can make based on my reading this year may be even more eclectic than usual this year.

Theology: I try to pick one major work of theology a year to read, and then others pop up along the way.

 The Resurrection of the Son of God by N.T. Wright - I haven't read any of Wright's other main works, but this was a powerful book that was worth all of the time that I invested in it. Highly recommend! (related post)

Jonathan Edwards on the Atonement by Brandon Crawford - This was a book that dealt with the biblical matters of 'honor' and 'shame' from an entirely different context than most of my other reading on the topic. It also held interest as the work of a friend. (related post)

 Sharing Abraham? by George Bristow - This book discusses the similarities and differences between biblical and kuranic views of Abraham, particularly in their narratives and how those narratives are used. It provides a great guide to what the Kuran and Bible say about Abraham.


Fiction: I read lots of fiction; here are the best two from this year's new reads.

 San Andreas by Alistair MacLean - I've read his books for years, but somehow I seem to have missed this one.

 Sandworms of Dune - Brian Herbert & Kevin Anderson - a worthwhile read, written with Frank Herbert's notes, it did not disappoint.

BONUS: Children's Fiction
 The Book with No Pictures - This book was an instant classic in our house. I had to make the kids listen to it the first time (by command: "Sit"). The instant it finished, they begged for me to read it again... and then kept making any guests who spoke English read it to them, too, for days. (Really, it has NO pictures!)

English Teaching - I started an MA in English Teaching this year, and there are tons of good resources out there. However, most of my favorites so far have been journal articles.

  Techniques and Principles in Language Teaching by Larsen-Freeman and Anderson - This book is an exception to my general preference for articles on TESL. It clearly shows a way through the various methods that are, or have been, in vogue. I find myself referring back to it when I need clarity on things I want to try or methods I want to experiment with.

Biography/History

  Lost in Translation by Eva Hoffman - This was required MA reading about culture and language learning at the experiential level. It was beautiful; my copy is highlighted throughout. It resonates deeply with me as a TCK. Eva is a child when she moves from her home in a Communist land into the vast capitalism of Canada and the USA. Language and culture shake the worlds in and around her, resolving slowly, but never quitting. (3 post related to this: one, two, three)

 1948 by Benny Morris - It was recommended to me as a book, written by an Israeli professor, that someone inclined towards a Palestinian point of view would recommend to a friend inclined towards an Israeli point of view, who would then recommend it to others. It was insightful and informative from many perspectives.


Favorite new music for the year:

 Stirling EQ Afrikaans, the Prince of Egypt soundtrack, anything by JJ Heller, and This Christmas Time by Take no Glory


Recommendations from years past: 2016, 2015, 2014, 2013, 2012, 2011

The Case for Freddie Freeman as the Greatest First Baseman for the Atlanta Braves

  With his career WAR at 26.6 (per Baseball Reference), a strong case can be made that Freddie Freeman is the greatest first baseman in Atlanta Braves’ history. In the Atlanta era, no one can really rival him as a primary first baseman. The greatest player to play first base for Atlanta was undoubtedly Hammerin’ Hank Aaron, who manned the position for two years (1971-1972) totalling 11.2 WAR in that short space. Those two years by Aaron included the highest single-season 1B WAR in franchise history (7.25) in 1971. Even that year, however, Aaron played nearly as many games in right (60) as he did at first (71). Regardless, that was not Aaron’s primary position as a Brave. It is Freddie's.

Freddie Freeman   
(Wiki Commons)

 Freddie Freeman has played 7 years as the Braves' primary first baseman; that is already tied for third in first base longevity for the franchise. Add to this, that only Fred Tenney (1897-1909, 1911) with 39.1 WAR in 12 years primarily at first and Joe Adcock (1953-1962) with 26.6 WAR over 10 years in that role have as great a WAR as Freeman as Braves’ first basemen, and Freeman’s significance at the franchise level begins to become clearer. Other than Tenney and Adcock, only Earl Torgeson (1947-1952) with 18.6 WAR in six years can even really be part of the first base "greatest" conversation for the Braves’ franchise.

  These other three contenders for the title of ‘greatest Braves’ first baseman’ all played prior to the move to Atlanta in 1966. Since then, no one has put together a sustained run of production at first for the Braves. Historically, this has not been a position of particularly prolific production for the Braves. So, let's look at Freeman's numbers in his first eight years. Per Baseball Reference, no other primary first baseman beats Freddie in these categories during the Atlanta era: 

- Freeman is 16th in Braves' career WAR (in 8 years!) 

- He is 5th in Win Probability Added.

- He is between 10th and 22nd in 

  + HRs (12th)

  + RBIs (18th)

  + OBP (15th)

  + SLG (14th), 

  + OPS (11th)

  + walks (tied for 13th)

  + doubles (11th)

  + extra base hits (10th)

  + total bases (17th)

  + runs (21st)

  + hits (22nd)

  Freeman is prominent in numerous other less well-known offensive production categories as well. 

  At the single season level, other than Aaron's 7.25 WAR in 1971, Freeman's 6.45 WAR in 2016 is the highest WAR in franchise history at first base. Plus, his 5.67 WAR (2013) would be the sixth highest after Alou 6.29 WAR (1966), Brouthers 6.23 WAR (1889), and Torgeson 5.96 WAR (1950). 

  During the Atlanta era, other than Freeman, only Fred McGriff and Hank Aaron* have as much of 11 WAR while primarily playing first base. Freddie has over 26 WAR. On the basis of all this, I believe Freddie Freeman is easily the greatest Atlanta Braves' first baseman. 

  Joe Adcock and Fred Tenney deserve a bit of additional attention here. Having both played before the move to Atlanta, they are the significant competition that Freeman faces in terms of becoming the greatest Braves' franchise first baseman. In the categories listed above, one or both of them were often listed before Freeman. With multiple years of his normal production as he enters his age-28 season, Freeman can be expected to reach and surpass these two in most of those areas in the natural course of events. This, of course, presumes that he continues with the franchise, but why would fans anticipate anything else?

Freeman (2014)   
(WikiCommons)

Maybe most significantly for the franchise, Freeman is signed for 4 more years! He should get a meaningful chance to become the greatest Braves' first baseman in franchise history, in addition to already being the greatest Atlanta Braves' first baseman.

Notes and Tidbits:

* Hank Aaron played a total of 210 games at first.

- Freeman is 6th in franchise striketouts.

- Freeman has three years with over 4 WAR (same as Tenney), four years with over 3 WAR (same as Torgeson; Adcock had 5 years like that; Tenney had 7 years like that). (Source)

- Joe Adcock has a fascinating career filled with colorful stories. He broke up baseball's longest perfect game. He apparently holds the NL record for most consecutive games with a HR against an opponent (9 straight in 1956) (source). He also had a 4-homer, 18-base 9-inning game. He won the World Series in 1957, and he could have became a professional basketball player. (a very interesting bio with anecdotes) Besides his seven years as the Milwaukee Braves' primary first baseman, Adcock also had 3 years with between 56 and 78 games in which he played the second most games at first, due either to injury or platooning. (detailed history) 

- Sixty-one different players have led the Braves’ franchise in 1B WAR during their 142-year history. 

Come, Immanuel - a lament

 A few weeks back, while talking about Christian hymns with a friend, I mentioned that most Western believers sing very few laments. It is often a missing piece in our worship. This evening, I came again across this favorite hymn, re-arranged by a friend - as a lament. It slides beautifully into that void, helping us to mourn as we consider our need for a Savior.

 O come, O come, Immanuel...

Emotions in storytelling

 Heart or feelings or emotions are central to good storytelling, or maybe to use Forster's word, plot-telling. Consider this quote, with the emphasis I've given it:

We have defined a story as a narrative of events arranged in their time-sequence. A plot is also a narrative of events, the emphasis falling on causality. "The king died and then the queen died" is a story. "The king died, and then the queen died of grief" is a plot.

- E. M. Forster,  The Aspects of a Novel. (1956).

on Jesus' need for the Holy Spirit in his life and ministry

 Quite a while back, I came across an article about the nature of the Holy Spirit's work in Jesus' life while he was here on earth; it seemed well worth reading, but I didn't have the time then. I finally got around to reading it. It's excellent. I have pasted the key thought below, but I highly recommend the article.

... Jesus needed to live a perfectly sinless life in the power and by the grace of the Holy Spirit. It was not sufficient for Him--as the second Adam and representative of a new humanity--to merely live according to His Divine nature. What we need as fallen men is a human Redeemer who would gain a human holiness for His people and would die a human death in their place. As was true for Adam so it was for Jesus--the Last Adam. The Savior needed the Holy Spirit to sustain and empower Him to obey His Father, even to the point of death on the cross. (emphasis mine)

The author points out that few theologians have written about this particular aspect of the Trinity's interaction, but Sinclair Ferguson and John Owen do have some discussions of it. The author summarizes those, as well as R. A. Finlayson's thoughts. I was unfamiliar with him.

excerpts on "Language" from Lost in Translation

No, I’m no patriot, nor was I ever allowed to be. And yet, the country of my childhood lives within me with a primacy that is a form of love. It lives within me despite my knowledge of our marginality, and its primitive, unpretty emotions. Is it blind and self-deceptive of me to hold on to its memory? I think it would be blind and self-deceptive not to. All it has given me is the world, but that is enough. It has fed me language, perceptions, sounds, the human kind. It has given me the colors and the furrows of reality, my first loves.

***

The very places where language is at its most conventional, where it should be most taken for granted, are the places where I feel the prick of artifice.

***

Telling a joke is like doing a linguistic pirouette. If you fall flat, it means not only that you don’t have the wherewithal to do it well but also that you have misjudged your own skill, that you are fool enough to undertake something you can’t finish – and that lack of self-control or self-knowledge is a lack of grace.

***

So each language has its own distinctive music, and even if one doesn’t know its separate components, one can pretty quickly recognize the propriety of the patterns in which the components are put together, their harmonies and discords.

***

When I speak Polish now, it is infiltrated, permeated, and inflected by the English in my head. Each language modifies the other, crossbreeds with it, fertilizes it. Each language makes the other relative. Like everybody, I am the sum of my languages – the language of my family and childhood, and education and friendship, and love, and the larger, changing world – though perhaps I tend to be more aware than most of the fractures between them, and of the building blocks.

Hoffman, Eva. Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language (p. 74, 106, 118, 123, 273). 

And, a thought from this immigrant child, concerning writing "home"...

There is no way, I know, that I can convey the nature of my new life to her, and besides, she is one of the many affections that are only causing me the pain of nostalgia, and that I therefore try to numb or extract from myself like some gnawing scruple, or splinter lodged in a thumb.

Hoffman, Eva. Lost in Translation: A Life in a New Language (p. 23). 

On Eternal Occupation (excerpts)

On half a dozen occasions, I have commented on Kevin Bauder's writings on this blog. This week's essay from him had some beautiful thoughts that I want to share.

In fact, part of the way that humans were intended to enjoy and glorify God meant looking away from Him rather than looking at Him.

If Adam had refused to shift his gaze from the divine presence, then he would actually have missed an occasion to worship and serve God.

We humans discover God’s character by looking at what God does. His mighty works of creation and redemption are the arena within which He puts Himself on display. That is why most of the Bible is a story, and all of the rest of the Bible is reflection upon that story.

We worship God, not merely by enjoying His presence and offering Him our praises, but also by serving Him. Serving Him requires us to focus, not upon God Himself, but upon the task that we are performing for His glory.