CHRISTIAN LITERATURE
& LIVING

Was blind, but now I see.

2 : 10 September 2003


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Copyright © 2002
M. S. Thirumalai

CONTENTS


Christian Literature & Living is a monthly online journal devoted to the worship of the Lord Jesus Christ through literature, and through living according to His Word. We wish to introduce our readers to the best Christian literature, Christian devotionals, counseling, and to the understanding of the relevance of the Word of God in our daily life, in popular language. Christian Literature & Living is a cross-cultural journal, focusing on Christian literature written in all the languages, and Christian living around the world. We learn by listening to and reading our brothers and sisters in Christ from all around the world. We believe that any creative writing with literary sensibilities that focuses on the presence and life-changing ministry of Jesus Christ is Christian literature. We believe that we all need the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ in order to live a life according to His Word. Christian literature and other writings anointed by the Holy Spirit help us to develop a personal relationship with Jesus as the Lord and Savior.

  • MARRIAGE AND THREE KINDS OF LOVE by Chris Kaczor.
    A good marriage has all three kinds of love--Eros, Philia, and Agape. But the importance of each kind of love is often misunderstood. Eros is the love that comes to our mind most readily when we think of marriage and then perhaps the love of Philia, that friendly love of companionship, and then finally, if at all, the unconditional love of Agape. Self-help books on marriage emphasize the pursuit of erotic love 'sizzling passion' without worrying nearly as much about Philia, without even mentioning Agape. . . . As Madonna sang in Express Yourself, Satin sheets are very romantic. What happens when you're not in bed? Even for the most sexually active, being in bed constitutes only a small part of a person's life (perhaps 30% or so, and the vast majority of this is spent sound asleep!). Actual sexual activity perhaps accounts for 1-2% of one's time which would seem to make choosing a partner exclusively on this basis rather small-minded.
  • CAN HINDUS BE CONVERTED? - REVISITING A NINETEENTH CENTURY CONTROVERSY IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY by M. S. Thirumalai.
    The Abbé J. A. Dubois was an insightful observer of men and their customs. His book on Hindu manners and customs, published in 1817 is still in print, with so much information valid even today.In his first letter addressed to a European gentleman, who lived in Mysore, the capital of a princely state with the same name in south India, J. A. Dubois argued that the question of converting the Hindus could be reduced to two basic questions: "Is there a possibility of making real converts to Christianity among the natives in India? Are the means employed for that purpose, and above all, the translation of the Holy Scriptures into the idioms of the country, likely to conduce to this desirable object? His decided opinion was that "under existing circumstances there is no human possibility of converting the Hindoos to any sect of Christianity, and "that the translation of the Holy Scriptures circulated among them, so far from conducing to this end, will, on the contrary, increase the prejudices of the natives against the Christian religion, and prove in many respects detrimental to it" (Dubois 1824).
  • FRAUD AND ECONOMIC DISHONESTY - A Curse on Our Society by James W. Skeen.
    It is my contention that capitalism is a system that will only survive if the people practicing it are basically honest in their business dealings. The system is responsible for much growth and good in this world. It is also responsible for much harm and corruption. The greater the potential freedoms a system promises, the greater the potential harms are possible if the people using it are dishonest and corrupt. If America is going to survive as a strong nation, it must give heed to God's admonitions to be honest. The Old Testament commands of God calling Israel to justice, mercy, and honesty were not commands meant just for them. God gave these commands because He is a just and holy God who loves righteous and honest business dealings. They apply to all people during all times of recorded history, including us.
  • THE CUNY LAW SCHOOL CASE - MODERNISM V. POSTMODERNISM by Randall Smith.
    So if what we have at CUNY is a postmodern battle of wills for control over images, why the allusion to the modernist, Enlightenment principle of "freedom of speech"? Well (this is where the story turns from comic to tragic), because this is all part of the "game." The "rights" outlined in the Constitution, as any postmodern theorist will tell you (ad nauseum), are merely parts of a linguistic power-play by certain well-healed, dead white males to "marginalize" and "oppress" others at the bottom of society. These "texts" must be "deconstructed" in order that the original hierarchy established by the text may be subverted, until finally all interpretations give way to a non-hierarchical "free play" of meanings. So it's all a game, you see.
  • LOVE NOT THE WORLD by LeRoy Dugan.
    What begins as contact from without is soon transformed to content within . . . and he has become worldly. The Christian who argues that what he toys with externally cannot damage him internally is a complete fool. The reason is that he has lost sight of the fact that with every "thing" of the world is the "spirit" of the world (I Cor. 2:12; Eph. 2:2). You may dawdle with some "thing of the world" (I John 2:15b) and then throw it aside. But throwing the thing aside does not mean you have cast the spirit of the world aside. The thing cannot move into your heart, but the spirit can, and that is the very crux of worldliness.
  • ABRAHAM - FATHER OF ALL WHO LIVE BY FAITH by Pastor Dave Strem and James W. Skeen.
    Sometimes life just doesn't seem to make sense. Some of the things happening in the world around us do not seem to make sense. Why are most of our presidents tall? Are we incapable of looking past stature when it comes to electing men worthy of leading our nation? Do Americans have the 'Saul' complex to the point where our judgment is clouded by appearance and charisma? Scripture probably has no better example of an individual who faced uncertainty than Abraham. He is a man who is called a pillar of faith by those who read his story. But this was not always true. Like Abraham's experience with God, Jerry's experience with Gordon was strange. Over the phone Gordon said to Jerry, "Well, I would like to meet with you, that's what we're all about, but I've got a real busy schedule and if you want to meet with me, see me tomorrow morning; I've got an opening at 3:00." Jerry said, "You said 3:00." Gordon answered, "Yea, meet me at my office downtown in the middle of town at 3:00 am." Jerry agrees. . . .
  • PATCHES AND WINESKINS - LEARNING TO DEAL CONSTRUCTIVELY WITH CONFLICT AND CHANGE by George R. Foster.
    We all need change, but we need continuity as well. We want growth to take place, but we want to recognize the organization after growth is complete. No organization is all good or all bad. Strengths must be conserved. Weaknesses must be reduced. In this process, some of us have more tolerance for change than others. Some need greater amounts of continuity. When we see that change should occur, we need to prepare ourselves and prepare our institutions for the change. Here are a few suggestions: Clarify the purposes, goals, and strategies of the organization. The first question is: "What can't change?'' We can't change the reason for our existence. We need to decide what is essential and what is optional. Though it's hard to sort through the activities of an organization and get back to basics, it must be done. Though basic purposes should not change, they may need to be restated and better articulated. Goals are quantity and time related, so they must be reviewed and renewed regularly. Strategies must be subject to constant updating as new technologies, tendencies, and talents appear.
  • SOME NEW BOOKS - BRIEF NOTICES Written On the Heart - The Case for Natural Law, by Jay Budziszewski
    What We Can't Not Know, A Guide, by by Jay Budziszewski
    Sharing Your Faith With A Hindu, by Madasamy Thirumalai

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At the Crossroads. Let us take the Gospel to the whole world, with love, hope, and faith. Courtesy: DINAMALAR