City of Glass

January 31, 2007

Two weeks ago I decided to buy a graphic novel from Amazon.com. The one that I choose was “City of Glass” by Paul Auster, adapted by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli. They previewed a couple of pages online and it looked pretty good. At the least it would be something that I haven’t read before. It was a good read, and an interesting exploration of mixing thought and images.
This book was a project taken on by Art Spiegelman – author of “Maus: A Survivor’s Tale”; a Pulitzer Prize winning work, not to mention other numerous prizes. I have great respect for Mr. Spiegelman, and his work. City of Glass is much like Maus in several ways. One way is that the art is highly stylized; with powerful usage of black and white. This is far from a superhero Trade Paperback. Spiegelman worked on this project like a movie producer, only in comic book form.
I do want to issue a warning that there is some adult content and foul language. It makes the point in the book, and is powerful in its usage; but as a Christian, I feel as though I should warn you as a reader.
I will try my best to describe the story. The main character is an ex-poet, turned mystery writer. He receives a phone call, which leads him to an adventure of him posing as a detective, and taking on a case. This whole investigation reveals the protagonist’s weakness’, and in the end, almost leading him to his destruction. During the course of all of this, there is some extremely well thought out and challenging dialogue that draws you in with its philosophical and mentally transcending narrative. One thing that I thought was clever is that the author puts himself into the novel as one of the characters. I think that I like that and will have to use it in the future. Paul Auster is a somewhat well known mystery writer, and the protagonist meets him in order to seek advice on how to handle the investigation.
The book is about one hundred-thirty pages long. I read it and absorbed the art work in under two hours. If I just read it, I could probably read it in under an hour. It was a really fun read in that I hadn’t read anything like it before. I mean not only in novels have I not read anything like this, but also in graphic novels. I highly recommend this book if you are a graphic novel purist. It is a real quality and fascinating work. It says on the inside cover that it was chosen as one of the 100 most important comics of the century. Truthfully, the way that I found it is that there are several people on Amazon.com that have list of the top ten or top twenty must read graphic novels ever, and this one came up on several list. If you are looking for something new, and are burnt out on comics and their general dreary blended generic reading, check this book out. I think that you will like it.

New Blog to Share

Well, I have a new blog, again, that I have started. This one requires less writing than the other two. Please chech it out - The Prayer - Thanks!

What am I Reading?

What am I reading? That is a good question. I feel as though the appropriate question should be what am I not reading. I am just starting my fourth Kate Morgan/Dewey James murder mystery this month. Actually, it is four murder mysteries that I have already read, but only three Kate Morgan. I have also read “The Peanut Butter Murders” by Corinne Holt Sawyer. Although I like the septuagenarian protagonist Dewey James, I really, really liked the two female protagonists’ in the “The Peanut Butter Murders”; those two are also in their sixties. These two are really very funny characters, and make for good detectives and are good for more than a few laughs.
I am also spending three or four hours a week reading my Art History text book for school. It is quiet a bit to absorb, but well worth it. I am learning quite a bit about Roman Art and Antiquities. It is fascinating and a welcome education. I’ve always wanted to be somewhat of an aficionado when it comes to the history of art, and now at least I will know some basics. I have an excellent Professor. He is witty and vastly intelligent; and should I say extremely thorough.
The two recreational books I ordered with a little surplus student loan money are another Reverend Al Miles book (Domestic Violence – What Every Pastor Needs to Know), and The Essential Werewolf by Night by Marvel Comics. The Werewolf by Night is Volume One and covers the first 21 issues of the comic, plus his debut in the second through fourth issue of Marvel Spotlight, and his guest appearance in The Tomb of Dracula #18, and Marvel Team-up #12. Marvel Team-up is Spiderman plus a second hero. It is a great collection and a great deal of fun. Of course in the “Essential” collection of Marvel comics, it comes in a thick huge volume, printed in black and white, and printed on newsprint. That keeps the price down, but doesn’t neglect the art quality and story. What I like about these big collections is that you can really see the evolution of the comic book, and exactly how far things have come over the past thirty years; but that just makes for all the more fun in reading it.
The Reverend Al Miles book is actually the precursor to the other one that I read and felt so inspired from. I look forward to reading it, but the challenge will be the emotional toll it takes to read such a thing. The first one that I read, “Violence in Families; What Every Christian Needs to Know”. took a great deal out of me. Reading testimonial after testimonial is emotionally exhausting for me, so I am kind of waiting to read this new one. However, I told my friend that I would support her efforts and cause, and in my deepest heart, I intend to. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t hard.
Now, what am I going to read in the future? Well, one of my bestest buddies from Columbus, OH has highly recommended Douglas Jacoby's book The Quiver. I haven’t read a Douglas Jacoby book in some time, and I look forward to it. Everything related to Douglas Jacoby can be found here - http://www.douglasjacoby.com/ .
Then finally and most importantly I am reading the bible. I do have to admit that my bible time has diminished. Well, I am repenting of that. I do have a sober understanding that an education without the balance of prioritizing my relationship with God can be toxic. I see everyday how knowledge can corrupt as much as it can set you free. As the old Stan Lee/Spiderman quote goes, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
I have been studying the concept of war (again) in a biblical perspective. I believe that I have made it quite clear in other blogs and such that I think that this current war is a terrible mistake, blunder, and tragedy. It was a created war that only feeds the greed of a select few, including this new stance the President is taking, which is not supported by the military, Congress, and the American public, and would only feed the machine better known as Halliburton. But the more important issue is that many “Christian” conservative (which definitively means “wanting to conserve the status quo”) people and leaders actually think that George Bush is somewhat spiritual. Tragic! I have come to the conclusion that to biblically support the war is a violation of the will of Christ. The scripture make it plain that we, as Christians, ordained by God, are unequivocally supposed to lead peaceful lives, and in fact, create peace whenever possible. I know that the usual point that many Christians bring up is Hitler. Well, although that is a tired point, it is a valid point. There is no doubt that what The Third Reich was doing was entirely evil, and they needed to be stopped. But the reality is that not very many people are true BIBILCAL Christians, and the reality is that wars like that are fought by nations of a high moral fiber versus the destructive evil. The deeper truth is that no one and no cause including violence is the responsibility of a Christian. War is an action and reaction of the “WORLD”. Also, the truth of the matter is that if everybody were a Christian, there would be no war. That is how we know that war is stemmed in Evil, and not only the Evil of Satan, but also the evil of man.

Jesus, the Church, Husbands, and Wives

Jesus, the Church, Husbands, and Wives

Ephesians 5:21-33 - 21Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. 22Wives, submit to your husbands as to the Lord. 23For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything. 25Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26to make her holy, cleansing her by the washing with water through the word, 27and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29After all, no one ever hated his own body, but he feeds and cares for it, just as Christ does the church— 30for we are members of his body. 31"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh." 32This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church. 33However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.
This is often considered the defining scripture in the bible, pertaining to marriage. It is true that there are principles here that have to do with marriage, however, verse 32 makes it clear that Paul, lead by the Holy Spirit is referring to the relationship of the Church and Christ. It is important to remember that the marriage principles in this scripture are scriptures of a marriage to describe the Church, and not scriptures of the Church describing Marriage. It is vital that you adopt this paradigm in order to understand the intent of the scripture; with a necessity of abandoning traditional harmful paradigms.

In verse 33 Paul writes, “However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.” There can be no doubt that Paul is under the assumption that the self love of the husband is healthy and vibrant. Being a true man is to have the character traits of Jesus, which includes honor, caring, integrity, servitude, and self-esteem (more on this later). In no way is it the Spirit of God for a husband that hates himself, lacks caring, honor, etc. is suppose to treat his wife with such sinful attributes. This scripture is not a permission slip for a man to abuse his wife, considering that abuser is filled with self loathing, dishonor, cowardliness and hate. Are we as a Church supposed to treat Christ in a sinful way? Does Christ treat the Church in a way contrary to the rest of scripture in context? Absolutely not!

In verse 25 through 27, we see that the love and leadership that a husband is supposed to provide is a leadership of self-sacrificing spiritual action with the only goal of making her “radiant”, “holy”, and “blameless.” It is not to treat his wife as to create “stain(s)”, “wrinkle(s)”, and “blemish(s).”

Radiant – “present her to himself as radiant”. This is a concept that an abusing husband is blatantly disobeying, thus in need to repent. Presenting a wife to himself is to feed her spiritually, cloth her with kindness, and ravish her with the precious gem of humility (see Colossians 3:12-16 for the roles that Christians and Christ play with each other)
Holy – Read 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8 to have a better understanding of what is holiness. Holiness means to be set apart in God and His commandments. Obvious this is not the case with someone who abuses another person, especially one how twist scripture to meet his own unhealthy, destructive behavior (2 Peter 3:15-16).
Blameless – Innocence of sin is the one who indulges in Christ through conversion and a faithful life.
Stains, wrinkles, and blemishes are words used to describe something unclean, dirty, and marked (abused). Is this how the abusing husband should treat his wife? Absolutely not!

In verse 24 it talks of submission. It says, “Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.” The key component in this scripture is in the first half of the sentence. It says “as the church submits to Christ”- Does Christ sin? Do we submit to the sins of Christ? It is impossible because Christ is blameless. As a church we submit to Christ authority as our savior and example of self-sacrificing love and servitude; not in the sin of violence, hatred, and the cowardliness of beating, tirading, or raping someone physically weaker than them.
Verse 21 states, “Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.” This precedes the rest of this commandment. To revere Christ is to obey, submit to his authority and examples, honor him, and exude His qualities’; be it either the husband or wife.

Conclusion
There is absolutely no biblical authority to abuse anybody. There is no excuse for the abuse, nor the abused to submit to the abuser. This is not a biblical concept. Peter writes, “…our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.” (2 Peter 3:15b-16) Husbands (or spouses), or clergy, or laity that use this scripture, or others like it, to force a women to submit to an abusive husband “twist” the scripture, to their own destruction.

Violence in the Families, What Every Christian Needs to Know

I was recently asked by a friend of mine if I would participate in being a scripture advisor on a website of a local organization advocating the rights of women who are victims of abuse. I was quite honored by this request, and accepted the responsibility. She recommended a book by Reverend Al Miles tilted “Violence in Families; What Every Christian Needs to Know”. It is a fascinating book. I have several thoughts on this book and hope to express them as clearly as possible, without putting my foot in my mouth.

First, I had to realize that I had a very unhealthy outlook on the victimization of people who are subjugated to abuse, particularly female from male, teen or adult. I too had the harmful and unhealthy thinking that, yes while nobody deserves to be abused, still, somebody who subjects themselves to it, by maintaining a relationship with the abuser reaps what they sow. This is a traumatically sinful view point, and I have come to realize that I need to repent. The point that Miles makes is that many of these women who are being abused by their spouses are seeking consolation from their spiritual leaders at church, who advocate the sanctity of the marriage bond, over the need to dissolve the environment of abuse, if it pertains to divorce. Having a desire to please God, they take the wrong understanding of scripture as gospel, and stay in these marriages. These women who love Christ are undergoing torture just so they can go to heaven, as it were. Miles also points out that many times, these clergy will attribute the fault of this abuse to the victim herself, as in “What are you doing to bring this on?” After reading this book, I have come to the conclusion that this is a disgrace to God and his people.

One thing that I do find disquieting about Miles’ book is his liberal and generous entitlement to anybody claiming to be a Christian, as to really being a Christian. He even goes as far to say that there are some men that are good Christians, except for the fact that they verbally, sexually, and physically abuse their wives. And that these men simply need help in overcoming this issue. This is a horrifying conclusion. I know for a fact, as is written in scripture that if anybody is doing anything in that manner, is far from being a vessel of the Holy Spirit. You simply would not be able to do such things and continue to have the Spirit of God continue to be in you. If you are a coward that has a need to abuse the women in your life, and manipulate the fellowship with deceit and false witness as to seem to be a “good” Christian, then you are NOT a Christian. I think that Miles has some fundamental misunderstandings as to what the scriptures teach concerning Christianity. Either that or perhaps the Authority of scripture is not as reaching in Reverend Miles’ spirit or contrition in relationship to Christ. Over and over again he refers to these men, who claim to be Christians, and are abusers, to actually be Christians. Sadly, this understanding continues through out the examples of the book, even to the point of the victims testimonials refer to their own husbands as Christians. I don’t blame Miles for this misunderstanding as much as I blame modern Christendom’s general acceptance that one only has to claim faith to have faith. This is a traditional view point, and most unbiblical.

The book makes it clear that there is no clear cut answer to these dilemma’s of abuse and what should take place. He points out that many times, scripture is the reason that many men justify the abuse, and thus the woman feels trapped. He also makes it clear that confronting the abuser often makes it worse for the victims later.

As scripture advisor for this new project, and after reading this book, some things concerning the scripture have come to light, and I am ready to bring my conclusions to bear. This will require writing up a few “Bible studies” that will be useable for the victims of these situations to bring to their husbands or non compassionate or understanding clergy. I will also be publishing these studies here on this blog.

I have come to the conclusion that this whole matter, of being a victim’s rights advocate is the benevolent focus of my time and financial donation, at least of the next half decade, or further. Abuse is the most inhumane undertaking a person can perpetrate. Having somebody who you love and are suppose to trust, be your biggest source of pain and cruelty is one of our greatest tragedies as a species.

On a side note: I find it completely presumptuous and arrogant to refer to yourself as a “Reverend”. Taking on the title of one who should be revered is elevating yourself above those around you to a higher “spiritual” status. Generally I find this to be an undeserving title. Also keep in mind that the Apostles and Angels are unwilling to accept the praise of man, so why should these so called “Reverends”? Just a thought…