Flew to Dawkins

An interesting reply from Antony Flew to Richard Dawkins, from the December First Things.

Rome and Jeruslaem

Recently I was on holidays in Adelaide, and picked up Martin Goodman's book 'Rome and Jerusalem: The Clash of Ancient Civilizations'. 

I was interested in the book partly because of the complimentary blurbs from people such as Tom Holland (whose Rubicon I have read three times, and each time with great pleasure), but also because I wanted to know more about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem from an historical rather than theological point of view.

Well, I am at p266 of 585, and I'm not sure that I am going to get as much about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem (and the consequences) as I thought. But it has so far provided a tidy comparison of Roman and Jewish ways of thinking and living in the first century. So I can't complain.

What I'm wanting to get into is Schama's Citizens. I found a nice second hand copy in a local bookshop. My ignorance of the history of the French Revolution is shameful. John W Kleinig recommend this volume to me as the way to go.

And John W Kleinig is a man who knows about the temple in Jerusalem.

And so we come full circle.

Neuhaus

Like many people who are interested in theology, philosophy, and public life, I was surprised and saddened to hear of the death of Richard John Neuhaus.

Neuhaus was, among other things, the editor in chief of the journal First Things. Although a Canadian by background, he spent his life as a Lutheran Pastor, and later Catholic Priest, serving in the United States. Sometimes his writing was too occupied with his take American politics for my taste. On occasion I would wince at some of his comments. But he was always stimulating; never boring. And sometimes his theologizing was genuinely challenging and thought provoking.

I am thankful that I had the to meet Neuhaus. In fact, through the kind invitation of David Schutz, I had the chance to lunch with the man, attend an public interview, and then spend some time in conversation with him (and Adam Cooper and Thomas Pietsch) at the presbytery of St Patrick's Cathedral.

One day I will get writing down my memories of the conversation. But for now I simply want to put up a post to mark his passing.

Poetry

Yesterday evening a mother from the local school turned up at my door with a package addressed to me that had been violently torn open. Her son had found it in a dry creek bed near my home. It had evidently been stolen from my letterbox, and discarded when the thief discovered the contents.

The contents?

Well, a book sent to me by the father of a member of the congregation.

The title of the book?

In My Place Condemned He Stood.

Poetry