What's the point of a University?

Great blog from Insider Higher Ed was featured today.  Here is a little taste:

So then what is the point of a course in higher education? More generally, what is the purpose of higher education? Are we to educate or are we to socialize and sermonize? Do we build knowledge or provide practical, hard skills for students to use in work and play? I thought I knew. Now, I'm not so sure. At least, I am beginning to understand the disconnect I feel sometimes between myself and my students. We are here, in the university, for very, very different purposes.


Here is the full article if you are interested.


http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/university_of_venus/what_is_a_course_in_higher_ed


Now that I have graduated from College, I find myself looking back at my education over the years.  What has it been about?  Have my educational endeavors crafted me into the sort of human that I want to be?  Has my pursuit of the Liberal Arts contributed to my understanding of what Aristotle terms "the good life"?  Was Northwestern College successful in instilling into me a greater appreciation of the humanities.  I believe so.  Now that it's over, I don't find myself relieved or looking forward to putting my major to use.  I know that sounds insane, but I look at it as proof that the University system did not fail me.  I haven't graduated with thousands of dollars of debt with only a skill set that will become obsolete within a few years without continued training.  Instead, I have graduated with a greater understanding of what it means to be human.  I am sad about leaving college.  For me, college was not boring classes with tests that did not matter.  College was about developing critical thinking skills, joining a conversation about ideas and beliefs that have guided humanity throughout the centuries, contributing to my understanding of the world in which I live.  Sure, I may not have a specific job that my major prepared me for, but if I wanted that, I would have gone to a tech school or some other type of schooling.  And that is the question the blog post from Inside Higher Ed raises, if the point of the University is not supposed to be about job training, what is it supposed to be about.  Fortunately, the author doesn't provide you an answer.  Instead the author requires you to think and engage with the question.  Are you up to the task?  Or has your 4+ years of undergraduate schooling rendered critical thinking a foreign concept?

Rich School, Party School

Inside Higher Ed hosts a number of great blogs each day, and unfortunately it has taken until now for me to discover them!  One post that I want to feature today was written by an author lamenting the state of Universities today.  In this post this English professor reviews a new book by Craig Brandon:  


The Five-Year Party: How Colleges Have Given Up On Educating Your Child and What You Can Do About It


This book sounds really interesting.  I probably won't be surprised with anything the author has to say, who among us doesn't know that a lot of schools are simply 5 years of bars, brawls, and babes. Oh alliteration, how I love thee.  Hopefully my readers attended a school where they learned something and know what alliteration is ;) 


This article just reinforces my disgust with American culture. The American university has become one giant party with minimal to no learning going on.  We'd rather engage in drunken frivolity and watch Jersey shore, instead of engage in a world that is desperate for competent and ethical leadership.  Here's my favorite quote from the article:


Rich people, as you learned when you read The Great Gatsby (unless you went to a party school and didn't read it), tend to be irresponsible.


Just to clarify, the author in the preceding sentence described the entire American culture as Rich.  So its not just the "rich" college students, it's also middle class and lower class who are partying all the time.  Rich kids just do it with better style.


Anyways if you want to read the whole post you can find it here:


http://www.insidehighered.com/blogs/university_diaries/party_on

I'm still here...

Guys I'm still here, a lot of changes are coming up. Promise. Please don't stop checking! I've got a lot of big ideas in my head, I just have to sit down and figure them out!

The right to dissent

The Star Tribune had an interesting and frankly enlightening op ed that they ran last Friday. Apparently a group of MN Catholic Bishops are mailing a DVD that outlines their opposition to same - sex marriage to 400,000 people. The fact that the Church is sending out this mailer isn't enlightening, but the response of the Star Tribunes editorial board caused my heart to soar.

The Tribune editors came out in opposition to the position of the Catholic Church. Instead of using their space to further denigrate an already wounded institution such as the Church, they wrote in support of the Church's right to mail out their DVDs. Citing free speech as a principle that this country cannot live without, The Tribune staff called upon those who advocate the Church should lose its tax - exempt status to re think their position. It brought me a moment of happiness to realize that some people still understand the wise saying:

"I may disagree with everything you say, but I will defend to the death, your right to say it".

Here is the link to the online article.

(warning - The online article is longer than the one in print, the article does go on to show how the church may be wrong on the issue)

The Way of Improvement Leads Home: A Yale History Professor Bans Laptops in the Class...

The Way of Improvement Leads Home: A Yale History Professor Bans Laptops in the Class...: "I am a fan of technology in the classroom when it enhances the learning experience. Over the years I have become reliant upon PowerPoint sl..."

Great article on the idea of banning laptops during lecture classes. While I agree with a lot of the article, I wonder if I would be able to keep up with the pace of some classes for note taking.

Ironically, I'm writing this blog post during a lecture on Hittite mythology. Gotta go!

Conflicting natures

So I failed in my promise to write more. I have all these ideas, topics, and posts that I want to write about, but I fail to make time to write them. Yesterday was a very thought provoking day for me. I had an hour or so to just sit and think. I thought a lot about what I want my life to be about. You see dear readers, I'm facing a dilemma, a crisis of identity so to speak. I have no idea who I want to be or what I want my life to be about. Of course there is the obvious Christian answer, that I want my life to be about bringing the most glory to God that I possibly can. I'm more than happy to do that. But what do I want to do in the day to day activities of my life? As I've said before, I'm a man of passion for ideas, a man who seeks virtue, a defender of the Western Civilization tradition. I would like nothing more than to spend my life talking with people who are interested in these ideas, who are competent enough in their scholarship to challenge me, introduce me to great books, and sharpen my academic ability. But here my readers is where I face my problem. When your passion out weighs your ability what course can be taken? Do I buy into the maxim "You can do anything you set your mind to" or do I realize that passion may not be enough, that academic prowess has to be coupled with that passion. I desperately seek a life of intellectual stimulation, and yet find my path to success blocked by my own failures and lack of confidence. I just don't know where to go from here. I graduate in two months, and have no idea what I am going to do with the education that I have received. I find myself day dreaming about working for an institution that lets me engage in discussion with like minded individuals, lamenting the decline of higher education in the states, or the decay of Western Civilization, but a reality check is just around the corner. I'm not a writer, I don't have the speaking or analytical skills of a professor. I don't even maintain this blog!

Everything I mentioned above are thoughts that have been racing through my mind these last couple months. I came to the conclusion that I wanted something more. I didn't want to waste the rest of my education. I wanted to pour myself into my studies. And like any idealist, I probably will get all fired up, and then next week, it will fade as I forget my ideals and passions and trade them in for a 2 hour gaming session. But I want to be better than I am. I want to blog everyday, I want to read and write every day. I don't want to be like most people in America, to wrapped up in their pursuit of instant gratification and entertainment to care about anything removed from their lives. I want to be like Philip Vickers Fithian, improving myself everyday, climbing the hill top of intellectual stimulation only to see higher hills that need conquering. I won't settle for what culture says is normal, I won't settle for ignorance, I WON'T, I WON'T, I WON'T!

Free to Choose

In a corporate world where some companies are "too big to fail", mistrust of both the government and big business is at an all time high. The American people are fed up with sleezy corporations who aren't punished for putting America into this financial crisis, CEOs who take government money and yet reward themselves with huge salaries while ordinary hard working Americans struggle to make ends meet. Unfortunately the market catches a lot of flack for unchecked greed. In this article John Stossel outlines why the market shouldn't be blamed for peoples problems, and does a fairly decent job of showing how the market has made America great, and why defense of true market principles is necessary if we are to maintain our position in the world. Here's an excerpt:

"The free market enables people... to trade with whomever they want; to buy in the cheapest market around the world; to sell in the dearest. .. (B)ut most important of all: If they fail, they bear the cost."

You can find the rest of the article here

Evangelicals: A lack of solemnity

"Northwestern College endeavors to provide education that is grounded in the truth of the Bible and in God as the Ultimate Reality. Through the Word of God and a relationship with Christ, knowledge can be interpreted. The Bible and theology is the foundation upon which all other disciplines rest. When the truths of an academic discipline conflict with the truth of God's Word, we put our trust in God's revealed truth in the Bible."

If the above paragraph made you fall asleep or want to put a pencil through your eye socket, you're not alone. Last Friday, Northwestern college had their annual academic convocation. This is the ceremony where the incoming freshman class is inducted into the institution and given the opportunity to commit to academic integrity, pursuit of excellence, and an understanding of the origins and foundation upon which their academic school year will be grounded in. I look forward to this ceremony every year. I love seeing all the faculty in their academic regalia, knowing that my institution is committing itself to another year of teaching grounded in truths that stand the test of time. Sadly, I am in the minority on my campus of "higher learning" Apparently this ceremony is to boring for students to sit through. I have heard comments over the years ranging from, "[the convocation] provides a great opportunity to nap," to "they need to spice it up, like make the teachers do a dance or something!" Now I could chalk reactions like these up to the notion that students have always acted like this toward any formal ceremony. But I wouldn't be the annoying historian if I didn't search for a deeper more historical reason behind such reactions.

I believe the answer lies in the reformation. Since the reformation denominations have opposed most forms of ritualism and ceremony, and for good reason. When Luther posted the 95 theses, on that fateful day of October 31, 1517, the Catholic church was filled with corruption, due in a large part to rituals that took the place of true genuine worship and a heartfelt faith. But I must put forward this claim. I believe the pendulum has now shifted. We as Evangelicals, the heirs of Luther's legacy, have become so engrossed with anti - ritualism, that we can't participate in one without crying afoul. Ever since the reformation, Evangelicals have wanted as little to do with rituals and ceremonies as possible. And now, more than 500 years later, it's gone to far. If this problem were limited to anti - catholic forms of worship, than the damage could be controlled. Unfortunately this antagonism has permeated to every form institutionalism, traditionalism, and ceremony in existence. When a Christian doesn't want to partake in something because it's to old fashioned, its outdated, its not fun and lighthearted, there is something wrong. We need to stop rejecting the legacy of our fathers and see that there is a middle ground. You don't have to be completely ritual or completely free and emotive. You can choose to recognize rituals and ceremonies for what they are, a way of remembering the past and traditions that great men and women of the faith used to express devotion to their creator.

A month?

I just realized it has been one month since I last blogged. I don't even know if anybody reads this blog, and with my lack of attention to it, who can blame them? But I'm back, I am going to make it my goal to blog at least a couple times per week. Now that I started school, that should be easy right? After all, the goal of this blog is to chronicle the journey of my education.

So what have I been doing this past month? Well I started school exactly one week ago. I have a feeling some of my classes are going to provide some interesting blog posts. In fact I have one or two coming to fruition as we speak. I am talking a course in Christian Thought. It's basically a philosophy course in dealing with deep spiritual matters in the life of a Christian. It seems to be an excellent class and I'm really looking forward to it. I am also taking an American History course dealing specifically with the period right after WWII up to the present. I'm normally not interested in this era, but the class seems to be fascinating. I have two more history courses, one a class on the Ancient Near Eastern cultures, Mesopotamians, Sumerians, and Hittites. This class will probably be a challenge for me, as I am not really interested in Ancient history. But there is something to be learned from every teacher and every subject, so I will give it my best shot. The other class is my History Seminar class. I have to write a 25 page research paper on any topic I chose. Should be fun :)

Another development in my social networking life, I created a TWITTER account. I never thought that day would come, but its proved very beneficial. I'm able to follow people and receive updates on articles that they have written, or found worth mentioning. I admit there is a non - academic side to it as well, there are just some very entertaining people with twitter accounts that I get a kick out of following.

As for job prospects, yesterday I went in for an interview at Target in Roseville and they offered me a job :) I'm actually kind of excited to start working there. Pending an acceptable drug test result, I start on tuesday the 7th. I don't forsee any problems :) Speaking of the 7th, I'm extremely excited for a new game in the Kingdom Hearts franchise to be released for PSP (which I don't own of course). Kingdom Hearts: Birth By Sleep is finally coming to the states. As soon as my friend Randy buys it and beats it, he promised to lend me his copy so I can partake in the wonder that is Kingdom Hearts.

Just a preview of whats to come:

Evangelicals: A lack of solemnity

Worldviews

A review of Francis Chan's Forgotten God: Reversing our Tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit

An article on the enumerated powers of congress, with special attention to the Federalist Papers

Americans and Racism

The "Ground Zero" Mosque Controversy

And many more...

Stay tuned!!!! I promise to write more :)

A great hymn of the faith

Before the throne of God above
I have a strong and perfect plea
A great High Priest whose name is love
Who ever lives and pleads for me
My name is graven on His hands
My name is written on His heart
I know that while in heaven He stands
No tongue can bid me thence depart
No tongue can bid me thence depart

When Satan tempts me to despair
And tells me of the guilt within
Upward I look and see Him there
Who made an end of all my sin
Because the sinless Savior died
My sinful soul is counted free
For God, the Just, is satisfied
To look on Him and pardon me
To look on Him and pardon me

Behold Him there! The risen Lamb
My perfect, spotless, Righteousness
The Great unchangeable I AM
The King of Glory and of Grace
One with Himself I cannot die
My soul is purchased by His blood
My life is hid with Christ on high
With Christ my Savior and my God
With Christ my Savior and my God

This morning in Church the worship leader started talking about this hymn and how the words were so powerful and true, I just had to share them with you, my few readers. I couldn't stop smiling as I belted out the words to this comforting hymn. I started imagining the throne of God and how one day I will be before him in all his glory and majesty. I was just so in awe of the one who came to die for me. All the times I fail (and trust me it's a lot!) I know that Christ is up there interceding on my behalf. I am so incredibly blessed in the knowledge of my savior.

Call the plumber pt. 2

Here is another article about the controversy surrounding the WikiLeak website releasing 90,000 + pages and documents relating to the War on terror in the country of Afghanistan. This article contains official statements from leading countries in NATO as well as Afghanistan and Pakistan. Some of the documents are alleging that Pakistan has secretly helped al Qaeda. It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I'm guessing the Republicans will take the standard, this hampers our national security and war efforts, while the Democrats will blame all the bad information on the Bush years (which the administration probably deserves) with a combination of outrage that the information was leaked, as well as a call for a renewal of the war policy and/ or a demand to leave the country. It's looking to be a more interesting week than I thought!

*edit* I just realized I never gave you the link!

A leak!? Call the plumber!

Over the weekend as Americans everywhere were enjoying there respite from daily toil, big wigs in the Pentagon and White House were scrambling to counter a major leak from WikiLeaks. The leak was 90,000 + report detailing the Afghan war policies of the White House from January 2004 - December 2009. Notice the time period that the documents deal with. They deal specifically with Bush's 2nd term and end right before President Obama took office. Now the White House and Pentagon are condemning the leaks, citing danger to U.S. interests and the lives of the soldiers. I still haven't developed an opinon on the matter and I'm wondering what you guys think! I will link two articles below for you to read.

This one is from Mashable.

This one is from Politico <-- (Great political news!)

I tried to link the actual article from WikiLeaks, but it's not responding. So either there is to much traffic to the site, or something more sinister.... hmmm!

Why we blog

A catchy little title wouldn't you agree? Lately I've been thinking about the different reasons for running a blog. Some people keep blogs to let family members know what is going on in there lives. I follow 2 such blogs. It's a nice way to keep in touch and to see what is going on in their lives. Others blog about a specific topic, I follow a couple blogs that deal with early american history and early american religious history. Other blogs are a source of political and social commentary. I follow two blogs that can fall under this category. But why do I blog? I was having a conversation with a friend (check out her blog) and we were talking about why we blog. After giving my usual response: developing my writing skills (how am I doing on this by the way?) I sat back and tried to think of a deeper reason for why I blog. And by George I think I've done it! A lot of my posts deal with education, history, or theological subjects. Am I disillusioned enough to think that my posts are going to somehow right all the wrongs, topple government mistakes, or inspire America to educate themselves? No. The reason I blog, and why countless others blog, is that we hope to inspire one or two people to read something they wouldn't normally have read, have a conversation with somebody they wouldn't have had, about a subject they wouldn't have talked about. I want to create a place where people can debate in a safe enviornment without being discredited or censored based on their ideas. That is why I blog, and that is why I hope you come here. So please feel free to rip, dissect, add on, or agree with what I say by adding a comment or two on my posts!

My new babies

I was relaxing this weekend when I got a knock on the door. My neighbors had come over to deliver a package that arrived for me that they had picked up. Inside where my two new babies that I ordered! No, I didn't order human flesh, don't worry. The babies that I'm talking about are my new primary source books from libertyfund! A primary source is a document or other type of medium that was written in the time period in question. For example, a journal entry by George Washington about troop movements would be a primary source. A book written about George Washington, would not be a primary source, it would be a secondary source. Anyways, I'm really excited about these books because they have some fantastic documents that will prove very beneficial for writing papers and expanding my general knowledge about the time period between ratifying the constitution and The War of 1812 which is the first book, and the second book, which highlights key documents between reconstruction years and The New Deal. Below you can find the table of contents for both books.

Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle

The American Nation: Primary Sources

Educational woes

I'm going to take a break from writing out Psalm 119 on the blog today. I want to share a couple links to some articles that I have been reading lately.

http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/07/06/youtube

This first article is about how a professor was put on a paid leave because of some comments he made during a class lecture on Machiavelli. In The Prince Machiavelli talks about how a leader can successfully seize power. This teacher was presenting his lecture and used a well established interpretation of Machiavelli likening the accumulation of power to the subduing and raping of a woman. While the subject of raping a woman is graphic and disgusting, the imagery serves its purpose in the context of Machiavelli. Apparently a student was offended by the Professors illustration and decided to record and post a segment of the class on youtube. Read the full article and let me know what you think!

http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/ideas/articles/2010/07/04/what_happened_to_studying/?page=1

The second article is a fantastically written piece which explores the trend of time students spend studying in institutions of higher learning. It's interesting to note that this trend is spread evenly across the board. I must admit that I do not spend nearly enough time studying. I wonder what my grades would look like if I actually spent 2 hours studying for every hour I spent in class. Anyways read the articles and let me know what you think!

The Law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces. Psalm 119:33 - 72

Teach me, O LORD the way of your statutes; and I will keep it to the end.
Give me understanding, that I may keep your law and observe it with my whole heart.
Lead me in the path of your commandments, for I delight in it.
Incline my heart to your testimonies, and not to selfish gain!
Turn my eyes from looking at worthless things; and give me life in your ways.
Confirm to your servant your promise, that you may be feared.
Turn away the reproach that i dread, for your rules are good.
Behold I long for your precepts; in your righteousness give me life!
Let your steadfast love come to me, O LORD, your salvation according to your promise; then shall I have an answer for him who taunts me, for I trust in your word.
And take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth, for my hope is in your rules.
I will keep your law continually, forever and ever, and I shall walk in a wide place, for I have sought your precepts.
I will also speak of your testimonies before kings and shall not be put to shame, for I find delight in your commandments, which I love.
I will lift up my hands toward your commandments, which I love, and I will meditate on your statutes.
Remember your word to your servant, in which you have made me hope.
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.
The insolent utterly deride me, but I do not turn away from your law.
When I think of your rules from of old, I take comfort, O LORD.
Hot indignation seizes me because of the wicked, who forsake your law.
Your statutes have been my songs in the house of my sojourning.
I remember your name in the night, O LORD, and keep your law.
This blessing has fallen to me, that I have kept your precepts.
The LORD is my portion, I promise to keep your words. I entreat your favor with all my heart; be gracious to me according to your promise.
When I think on my ways, I turn my feet to your testimonies; I hasten and do not delay to keep your commandments.
Though the cords of the wicked ensnare me, I do not forget your law.
At midnight I rise to praise you, because of your righteous rules.
I am a companion of all who fear you, of those who keep your precepts.
The earth, O LORD, is full of your steadfast love; teach me your statutes!
You have dealt well with your servant, O LORD, according to your word.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge, for I believe in your commandments.
Before I was afflicted I went astray, but no I keep your word.
You are good and do good; teach me your statutes.
The insolent smear me with lies, but with my whole heart I keep your precepts; their heart is unfeeling like fat, but I delight in your law.
It is good for me that I was afflicted, that I might learn your statutes.
The law of your mouth is better to me than thousands of gold and silver pieces.

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sing against you

I had lunch with a friend a couple days ago. During our lunch I was amazed to discover that he had memorized the entire books of Galatians, Ephesians, Phillipians, and Colossians, and Philemon. He wasn't showing off or bragging, he was simply showing how useful and wonderful it can be to have entire sections of scripture memorized. Not only did he know verses, he could get them in the context. I loved it!. It produced a twofold emotional response. I was happy for my brother, and slightly embarrassed that I hadn't attempted to memorize any scripture myself. During this lunch conversation I rememberd a previous desire of mine start memorizing scripture. I also listened to a sermon recently imploring me to take the matter of scripture memorization seriously. So my loyal readers I'm here to annouce that I am going to memroize some. I'm going to take up the daunting task of memorizing Psalm 119. Now for those of you who don't know, Psalm 119 is the largest chapter in the bible, containting 176 verses. The main theme of Psalm 119 is the word of the Lord. This entire chapter is dedicated to expressing our love for God's word. I will post the Psalm for you hear. I could just cut and paste, but I figure it will be better for me to type it out and get it in my head.

Psalm 119: 1 - 32
Blessed are those whose way is blameless, who walk in the law of the LORD! Blessed are those who kep his testimonies, who seek him with their whole heart, who also do no wrong, but walk in his ways!
You have commanded your precepts to be kept diligently.
Oh that my ways may be steadfast in keeping your statutes!
Then I shall not be put to shame, having my eyes fixed on all your commandments.
I will praise you with an upright heart, when I learn your righteous rules.
I will kep your statutes; do not utterly forsake me!
How can a young man keep his way pure? by guarding it according to your word.
With my whole heart I seek you; let me not wander from your commandments!
I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin agianst you.
Blessed are you, O LORD; teach me your statutes!
With my lips I declare all the rules of your mouth.
In the way of your testimonies I delight as much as in all riches.
I will meditate on your precepts and fix my eyes on your ways.
I will delight in your statues; I will not forget your word.
Deal bountifully with your servant, that I may live and keep your word.
Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your law.
I am a sojourner on the earth; hid not your commandments from me!
My soul is consumed with longing for your rules at all times.
You rebuke the insolent, accursed ones, who wander from your commandments.
Take away from me scorn and contempt, for I have kept your testimonies.
Even though princes sit plotting against me, your servant will meditate on your statues.
Your testimonies are my delight; they are my counselors.
My soul clings to the dust; give me life according to your word!
When I told of my ways, you answered me; teach me your statutes!
Make me understand the way of your precepts, and I will meditate on your wondrous works.
My soul melts away for sorrow; strengthen me according to your word!
Put false ways far from me and graciously teach me your law!
I have hcosen the way of faithfulness; I set your rules before me.
I cling to your testimonies, O LORD; let me not be put to shame!
I will run in the way of your commandments when you enlarge my heat!

Expanding my Library

Every now and then I look at my personal Library and feel a pang of guilt about all the books that I own and haven't had the opportunity to read. Part of the reason I haven't read them is I waste my time checking facebook every five minutes to see if anybody commented on my posts or to creep on somebody I haven't talked to in a long time. But after the guilt and remorse subside I leaf through magazines or book reviews and drool over a dozen or more books. Below you will find a list of books along with their prices. If any of you ever want to buy me a gift to say how much I love you, you can get me one of these books!

You can find the following books on Christianbook.com

Calvin's Commentairs, 22 Volumes with Institutes of the Christian Religion ~ $99.99. Normally $1200.00!

Disciplines of a Godly Man by R. Kent Hughes ~ $9.99

Forgotten God by Francis Chan ~ $9.99

Doctrine: What Christians should believe by Mark Driscoll & Gerry Breshears ~ 13.79

Classical Teachings on the Nature of God, 3 Volumes in 1 by R.C. Sproul ~ 16.99

Systematic Theoloyg, 4 Volumes by Lewis Sperry Chafer ~ 59.99

The Works of Jonathan Edwards, 2 Volumes ~ 54.99

The Creeds of Christendom, 3 volumes by Philip Schaff ~ 19.99

Foxe's Christian Martyrs, Abridged Edition ~ 3.49

The Early church Fathers, 38 Volumes edited by Philip Schaff & Alexander Roberts ~ only $499.99!

Early Church History Library 3 Volumes: Eusebius; Ecclesiastical History, The Works of Josephus, The Works of Philo ~ 39.99

You can find the following books through libertyfundcatalog.com

The Anti-Federalist Writings of the Melancton Smith Circle edited by Michael Zuckert and Derek A. Webb ~ $14.50

Liberty and Order: The First American Party Struggle edited by Lance Banning ~ $14.50

In Defense of the Constitution by George W. Carey ~ $12.00

Political Sermons of the American Founding Era, 1730 - 1805 2 volumes edited by Ellis Sandoz ~ $27.00

The American Nation: Primary Sources edited by Bruce Frohnen ~ $14.50

A changing of the guard

This past weekend Hannah and I drove four hours up to Camp Joy Bible Camp up in Dent MN. After battling rush hour and summer construction traffic we finally got out of the cities... only to be met by the largest storm I've experienced this summer.

After pulling over for about 10 min. due to heavy rain and hail, we were back on the road! We finally pulled in to camp around 9:30 p.m. It was great to see the familiar wooden sign welcoming me back home. You see, this place has been my summer home for the past six years. Four out of those six, I was there all summer. I guess you could say I spent a large percentage of my teenage and maturing years at this place. The familiar smell of the lake, the booming voice of our director, and the stinging sensation of a mosquito sent my senses into overdrive. I was back... but something was different. It was the same place, and the same people (not to mention the same great food), and yet I didn't feel that familiar sense of belonging. Camp had opened its arms to me, just as it always had done. Only this time, I knew that I was a mere spectator, and not a conductor. It wasn't my place to make decisions, plan activities or be on the inside track. I was supposed to enjoy camp as I had never been allowed to enjoy it before.

This past weekend, whenever something would come up, a good buddy of mine would somewhat jokingly remind me, "It's not my problem." This is going to be a hard lesson for me to learn. Whenever something was going on, I was there trying to get my abnormally large nose involved in some way. But now, somebody else was responsible, some other team was in charge. It wasn't my team, but I think after seeing them at work, it'll be ok. I think I'm finally starting to be ok with "a changing of the guard."

Unstoppable Focus

Ecclesiastes 2:17
So I hated life, because what is done under the sun was grievous to me, for all is vanity and a striving after wind.

On Sunday the pastor delivered an amazing message. He gave the congregation some understanding of what happens when we lose our focus on what ultimately matters, the glory of our Lord. To check our focus, the pastor gave us three things to look for.

1. Thinking nothing you do ever matters. King Solomon was plagued by these same feelings and wrote Ecclesiasties to try and describe them. He was the richest, wisest person in all of Israel, and he still felt like nothing mattered. He needed a shift in focus. A person can go through their whole life and not grasp an important concept. If everything you do is for yourself, eventually none of it will matter.
2. I'm tired. Look around you. Everywhere you look people cry out from exhaustion. Coffee, tea, energy drinks, caffeine, consumption of these beverages is a modern day sacrement to some people. Why are we so tired? We are over worked and over stressed. My pastor back home would often say the most important thing a Christian need to remember is that the Joy of the Lord is your strength. You lose your joy, you lose your strength. People, the only way to survive in this world with some semblance of sanity is to look upon the joy of the Lord. A hymn written by Helen H. Lemmel captures this idea so perfectly!

Turn your eyes upon Jesus
Look full on His wonderful face,
And the things of Earth will grow strangely dim,
In the light of His glory and grace.

3. Somethings missing. You have that perfect job, a loving family, a good car, vacations to the best places every year, and yet... you want more. How many movies, songs, and stories have been written around this theme? Why is it that humanity is never satisfied with what we have? We need more stuff! We need more accomplishments! Why do we have this need to medicate an emptiness with more possessions? It's because we were created for something more. We were created for something bigger than earthly accomplishments. If you find yourself saying something's missing, it is. I am only 22 years old, and each year I begin to understand this lesson a little more.

If all you ever do is "earthly work" you will always feel like nothing matters, you will always feel tired, and you will constantly be searching for something else. Instead focus on the eternal. Find things that will have significance after you are gone. It is in these tasks that we feel most alive and fulfilled!

Required reading.

I subscribe to a daily journal called Inside Higher Ed. This journal is dedicated to any news about higher education (college) in the U.S. and Canada. The other day I came across this article that I've so graciously linked for you (I love me when I do that, don't you!?). If you don't want to read it, that's fine I'll tell you what it is about. The article talks about how some school require incoming freshman to all read a specific book that the school chooses. They say it fosters community and gets the academic juices flowing. What I want to know from you, is what books have you read during your schooling (if it's been awhile since school, don't worry, you can still participate!) that you would require your incoming freshman class to read? I look forward to seeing what you put down!


http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2010/06/04/books

Thoughts on Catholicism

Every student needs a teacher. I would like to take this time to introduce you to one of my teachers. His name is Stephen Colbert. He has so graciously furnished me with a book in which he shares all of his thoughts, feelings, and essential truths that he lives by. From time to time, I would like to re - post some of his greater lessons. *WARNING* If you are offended by joking, satire, or general humor, please LIGHTEN UP!

The Great Colbert, on the Roman Catholic Church
(Stephen Colbert's views do not necessarily represent my views on any or all subject matter. All punctuation and capitalization styles are the original intent of the author).

Jesus founded only One Church and it wasn't Unitarian. He took His apostle Simon and made him into a rock and built a church on him. It's called "the Holy Roman Catholic and Apostolic Church," or "Church" for short.

Catholics have many advantages over other Christians. One is marble. For the buck I put into the collection plate, I want some production value. that means a church, not some community center that doubles as a basketball court.

Also, Catholics have saints -- more than 10,000 of them. They're like God's customer service reps, and each of them has a specialty. Say you lose your wallet. You could bother the Creator to help you find it, but if your Catholic, you don't have to. Just pray to St. Anthony. Finding lost things is all he does. For Eternity. Also, there are times when you might want to pray to St. Agatha. She's the patron saint of nursing and bell -making. If you're both a nurse and a bell - maker, that's one - stop shopping.

Some are put off by the labyrinthine structure of Catholic dogma, but many of its rituals are quite beautiful, and not just when edited together as a tense, poetic counterpoint to brutal Mafia films.

But maybe you're not ready to be a Roman Catholic. Well, as the saying goes, "There are many roads to God." Some are just more twisty than others. So if you want to get a little needless exercise, why don't you try one of these Goat Paths to Nowhere?

The Way of Improvement Leads Home.

For the past couple months, I have been contemplating what it means to pursue an education. Is it simply the required schooling until you are 18 and then four more years to pursue a bachelor's degree? Or is there something else I am missing? I have tried to grasp what a true education should look like. I can safely say that I am further along in my pursuit, and yet at the same time, nowhere near completion. I have read books outside of a required syllabi, blog posts on history, and shared numerous lunch conversations with faculty and students, actions which have led me to realize something. For me, education is not just a means to a job. It is a lifestyle of constantly seeking improvement. My pursuit of education is to better myself and to prepare myself to be a citizen of the world around me. I have had the privilege of reading a book recently by Dr. Jon Fea Ph.D. (Check out his blog here!) who is a professor of American History over at Messiah college in Pennsylvania. His book, "The Way of Improvement Leads Home", details the life of Philip Vickers Fithian, a New Jersey man who is on his own quest for improvement. The challenges that Fithian must go through in order to achieve his education have illuminated my own path and inspired me to press on. Fithian does not stop after his formal education is over. He corresponds with others, he debates, he continues to read and record his thoughts on what he has read. Fithian represents something that is lost today. Philip Vickers Fithian is a man who pursued improvement for improvements sake. This pursuit and understanding is something I have been struggling with for about a year. My struggle for improvement, is the reason this blog exists. I hope any readers of this blog, will continue to follow me on my journey and maybe, just maybe, they will decide that it's a journey that they would like to be a part of themselves.

Signers of the Declaration, part 1 - George Read.

Here's a lesson in history for all of you curious readers. A few months ago I wrote about a conversation I had with a former roommate about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. In this post, I wrote about my desire to learn more about the signers of the document. The first post in this series is dedicated to George Read of Delaware.

Born in 1733 in Cecil County, Maryland. At the age of 15, he went to study Law under John Moland. In the year of 1753 he moved to Delaware to open a private practice. Quickly establishing himself as a competent lawyer, he was appointed to the post of Attorney - General of three Delaware counties. Not one to stay behind the scenes, Read resigned his post of A.G. to represent Delaware in the Continental Congress of 1774. While an active patriot in the American cause, he found the first draft of the congress to be a bit strong, but after it was passed he quickly joined with the rest of the congress. During the war, Read was called upon by his state to serve as governor. In 1787 Read was again elected by his state to serve in the Constitutional Convention held at Annapolis, Maryland.

George Read's politics are worth mentioning. Before the war, Read thought the best course to take with Great Britain was reconciliation. This belief caused him to vote against independence, but once it was passed he joined together with his new countrymen to create a new country. During the convention of 1787, Read was a in support of a strong central government. He even advocated dissolving the states altogether.

As for his religious leanings, he was an Episcopalian. Not much else is said about his religious preferences. This is important to understand because his membership in the Episcopal church does not prove or disprove that George Read was a Christian. Most people in the period of the revolution were nominally Christian. In other words, to belong to a church was very common.

You may be wondering why I included this last idea. This blog series has two goals. The primary goal is to educate myself and my few readers (Hi Hannah). The secondary goal is to show that the religious leaning of the founding fathers is not as black and white as some would lead you to believe. It is not true that all the founders where Christians, nor is it true that all the founders were atheistic rationalists who wanted nothing to do with religion.

Stay tuned for part 2, Caesar Rodney of Delaware.

He's back.........

February 6th. Many important events in history have transpired on this 41st day of the year according to the Gregorian Calendar. In 1763, The French and Indian War (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_and_Indian_War) was formally ended with the signing of The 1763 Treaty of Paris. In 2003, Ron Ziegler (Press Secretary to Pres. Nixon) died. And in 2010, Jamie Boehmer last updated his blog....

BUT NOW HE'S BACK BETTER THAN EVER! With all new ideas, new topics for conversation, and a brand new Aspire One Netbook from Acer! That's right ladies and gentleman, my dear wife purchased this brand new Netbook for my birthday which isn't until April 28th (in case you last minute gift givers haven't purchased your gift yet, you have until Wednesday!) I can now blog from my own Netbook while Hannah sits contently on her Apple laptop and places facebook games.

But now we must get to the question that is burning on all of your hearts... "What have you been doing this whole time?" Fear not my fellow readers... fear not! I have not been wasting my time, I have been out saving the world(OK, so the Mass Effect Universe doesn't count in real life, but I did beat both games in a span of three weeks)! I have also been reading selections from my Norton Anthology to Western Literature. I have read selections from Ovid, Aeneid, Augustine's Confessions, The Koran, 1001 Nights, The Divine Comedy (mostly Dante's Inferno) The Prince, and recently finished reading a how to manual for Courtly manners in the 16th century.

My historical pursuits are also coming along quite nicely. I recently finished a paper on John Dickinson and how the political philosophy of Quaker Constitutionalism impacted his actions in the American Revolution!

I hope to post soon, I know I promised a series on the Signers of the Declaration of Independence, starting with George Read from Delaware.

I'll leave you with a quote from Thomas Jefferson to stew on:

An honest man can feel no pleasure in the exercise of power over his fellow citizen.

My literary ambitions....

As promised here is a complete list of the books that I want to tackle before the end of 2010. The list of books is probably not complete because more will be added I'm sure. This list is simply the list of books that I currently own. If you would like to borrow one of these books shoot me an e-mail and we can work something out :) I hope this encourages you to make a reading list for the year as well. LETS GET READING!!!

- The Politically Incorrect Guide to the Civil War - H.W. Crocker III
- From Colony to Super Power: U.S. Foreign Relations since 1776 - George C. Herring
- A Patriot's History of the United States: From Columbus's Great Discovery to the War on Terror -- Larry Schweikart and Michael Allen
- The Hemingses of Monticello -- Annette Gordon Reed
- The Road to Disunion: Secessionists Triumphant -- Freehling
- Liberty and Freedom: A visual History of America's Founding Ideas -- David Hackett Fischer
- The Politics -- Aristotle
- Fall of the Roman Republic -- Plutarch
- How Rome Fell -- Adrian Goldsworth
- The Shield of Achilles -- Phillip Bobbitt
- The Enemy within: 2000 years of witch hunting in the western world -- John Demos
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades -- Robert Spencer
- Albion's Seed -- David Hackett Fischer
- Liberty's Blueprint -- Michael Meyerson
- 1776 -- David McCullough
- The Drillmaster of Valley Forge -- Paul Lockhart
- Saratoga -- John Luzader
- Battle Cry of Freedom -- James McPherson
- Nathan Hale -- M. William Phelps
- Henry Knox: Visionary General of the American Revolution -- Mark Puls
- American Creation -- Joseph Ellis
- Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln -- Doris Kearns Goodwin
- Lincoln as I knew him: Gossip, Tributes and Revelations from the Best Friends and worst enemies -- Harold Holzer
- Clash of Extremes: Economic Origins of the Civil War -- Marc Egnal
- Confederate Emancipation: Southern Plans to Free and Arm Slaves during the Civil War -- Bruce Levine
- Confederate Raider -- John Taylor
- The Summer of 1787 -- David Stewart
- The Cambridge Companion to Thomas Jefferson -- Cambridge
- The Impending Crisis -- David Potter
- The Templars -- Barbara Frale
- Hitler's Empire: How the Nazis ruled Europe -- Mark Mazower
- A History of Russia -- Riasanovsky
- The Romanovs -- Lindsey Hughes
- The Soviet colossus -- Michael Kort
- The French and Indian War -- Walter R. Borneman
- The Mind of a Patriot: Patrick Henry and the World of Ideas -- Kevin J. Hayes
- The Birth of Freedom -- Jon E. Lewis
- The Politically Incorrect Guide to Western Civilization -- Anthony Esolen
- The FBI -- Rhodri Jeffreys - Jones
- Legacy of Ashes: History of the CIA -- Tim Weiner
- Lies My Teacher Told Me -- James W. Loewen
- The Bondage Breaker -- Neil T. Anderson
- Victory Over the Darkness -- Neil T. Anderson
- William Ewart Gladstone: Faith and Politics in Victorian England -- David Bebbington
- The Communist Manifesto -- Marx and Engels
- The Purpose Driven Life - Rick Warren
- Miracle at Philadelphia -- Catherine Drinker Bowen
- God's Final Word -- Ray Stedman
- No Small Snakes: A Journey into Spiritual Warfare -- Gordon Dalbey
- Healing the Masculine Soul -- Gordon Dalbey
- Don't Waste your Life -- John Piper
- The Search for Christian America -- Noll/Marsden/Hatch
- How to Pray for Lost Loved Ones -- Dutch Sheets
- Too Small to Ignore: Why the Least of These Matters to the Most -- Wes Stafford
- The Silence of Adam -- Larry Crabb
- The Tempting of America: The Political Seduction of the Law -- Robert Bork
- Leave us Alone: Getting the Government's hands off our money, guns and lives -- Grover Norquist
- Liberal Fascism: The secret History of the American Left form Mussolini to the politics of meaning -- Jonah Goldberg
- Blowback: The costs and consequences of American Empire -- Chalmers Johnson
- Politically Incorrect guide to the Constitution -- Kevin R. C. Gutzman
- The Ascent of Money: A Financial History of the world -- Niall Ferguson
- John Adams -- David McCullough
- One dayin the life of Ivan Denisovich -- Alexander Solzhenitsyn
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell -- Susanna Clarke
- The Count of Monte Cristo -- Alexandre Dumas
- The Three Musketteers -- Alexandre Dumas
- The Great Gatsby -- Fitzgerald
- The Partner -- John Grisham
- Archangel -- Robert Harris
- Scarlet Letter -- Hawthorne
- Screwtape Letters -- C.S. Lewis
- The Lost: Search for six of six million -- Daniel Mendelsohn
- The Hobbit -- J.R. Tolkien
- Lord of the Rings -- J.R. Tolkien
- The Shack -- Young

The joy of the Library!

On Saturday the Wife and I went out on a little adventure. Our first stop was at the local Maplewood Menards. We had to trade a broken lamp in for a replacement. I know it sounds like a blast, DON'T KNOCK MY LIFE! Anyways after that business was concluded we made our way to the Maplewood Library (see picture below)

I know that most people already know the magnificent pleasures that a library can bring a patron, but let me tell you something. It was amazing! It sounds so ridiculous but I loved being in this place. Surrounded by books that I was allowed to take for free! I don't know why I haven't taken advantage of this earlier. Libraries rule!!! At this time I would like to make a plea for anybody who is reading this blog to check out your local libary. If they don't have the specific book you want to read, request it through an interlibrary loan. Below are three books that I checked out that I have wanted to read but didn't want to buy... now I don't have too!!!!!

With so much information available it is a intellectual crime for our generation to not be better read. Please sign off of facebook, get in your car, and go to the Library. You'll be surprised at what you find there! Being at the Library inspired me to read as much as I can about as much as I can. I have decided that before the end of this year, I want to read everybook in my house. For my next post, I will be composing a list of the books that Hannah and I own and which ones I haven't read. As I read and finish each one, I hope to give it a little plug on this blog for the few readers that I have. If you are interested in borrowing any of the books that I mention, feel free to contact me and I'll send it to you!

Follow me wifes Blog :)

You should all follow my wifes new blog.

http://angelairshow.blogspot.com/

That is all. Look forward to this weekend when I will be posting the first blog from my new series: The signers of the Declaration.


PEACE!

Join me on my latest quest to educate myself

A while back I was talking to an ex - roommate of mine. We were discussing the religious beliefs of the signers of the Declaration of Independence. As we were talking (I did most of the listening) I started realizing that not only did I not know the religious beliefs of these men, but I did not even know who most of them were!!! This realization has prompted me to write this series of blog posts about the signers of the Declaration of Independence. Each post I am going to go through and look at the lives of one of the signers. Who were they? What positions did they hold? When did they die? Did they leave a legacy? Below is a list of the signers if you are interested.

Delaware
George Read • Caesar Rodney • Thomas McKean
Pennsylvania
George Clymer • Benjamin Franklin • Robert Morris • John Morton • Benjamin Rush • George Ross • James Smith • James Wilson • George Taylor
Massachusetts
John Adams • Samuel Adams • John Hancock • Robert Treat Paine • Elbridge Gerry
New Hampshire
Josiah Bartlett • William Whipple • Matthew Thornton
Rhode Island
Stephen Hopkins • William Ellery
New York
Lewis Morris • Philip Livingston • Francis Lewis • William Floyd Georgia• Button Gwinnett • Lyman Hall • George Walton
Virginia
Richard Henry Lee • Francis Lightfoot Lee • Carter Braxton • Benjamin Harrison • Thomas Jefferson • George Wythe • Thomas Nelson, Jr.
North Carolina
William Hooper • John Penn • Joseph Hewes
South Carolina
Edward Rutledge • Arthur Middleton • Thomas Lynch, Jr. • Thomas Heyward, Jr.
New Jersey
Abraham Clark • John Hart • Francis Hopkinson • Richard Stockton • John Witherspoon Connecticut
Samuel Huntington • Roger Sherman • William Williams • Oliver Wolcott
Maryland
Charles Carroll • Samuel Chase • Thomas Stone • William Paca

Join me on my latest quest to educate myself!!!!