David Willis, Clues to the Nicene Creed

In Clues to the Nicene Creed, David Willis looks at the Christian faith through a study of the main themes of the most ecumenical of the creeds, the Nicene Creed. Willis's book isn't reallly a historical discussion of the Creed or its development, nor is it a look at the theology of the creed, so much as it is a collection of theological reflections on the major themes. In some ways it is a mini-systematic theology, though that is too strong of a term.

The strength of the book is that it covers a broad range of important topics, from the nature of faith to the nature of God to Jesus and the Spirit to the church. Willis looks at man of these major themes, and illumines some interesting facets. And many of his reflections contain some useful insights and novel approaches. One of these is his extended discussion of the Christian life as a life of forgiveness, of living an active compassion, and of living forward toward our resurrection life. Willis also does well to keep the lives of believers in view, and investigates how these doctrines can be lived out, probably the greatest strength of the book. He does inspire a vision of a Christian life than makes a difference in our interactions in society. Yet, I think the book has some weaknesses as well. Though Willis does look at some biblical material as he goes, this material mostly remains in the background. Though this probably fits with his intentions in writing, a stronger biblical foundation and more engagement with important texts would have greatly helped. His vision of the Christian life was also mostly sociological, involving our interactions with others moreso than with God. I also felt, as I mentioned above, that the book is best categoriezed as reflections, moreso than an "outline of the faith," brief or not, as the subtitle calls it.

The book was worth reading, and does an admirable job of keeping the applicability of theology in view, though I almost put it down a few times before finishing. Clearly he gives some useful insights, but I think better treatments are to be found. Alister McGrath's I Believe is one worthy alternative: a thoughtful reflection on the Apostles' Creed.

Dorothy Sayers, Murder Must Advertise

I have been rediscovering my love for great mystery stories over the past few years. Great mysteries like those of Arthur Conan Doyle, or even the Hardy Boys, make for great reading, and sparked my love for reading years ago. And I have now embared on a new author, Dorothy Sayers. Very much in the vane of P. D. James, Sayers leads us on an interesting study of details and personalities, all the while building a dynamic and interesting main character, Lord Peter Whimsey.

In Murder Must Advertise, Whimsey is called in to investigate a questionable death at Pym's Publicity, a prominent London advertising agency. Victor Dean, one of the copywriters falls down a particularly precarious set of stairs. And most people assume the death to simply be an accident, but the owner of the agency, Mr. Pym, calls in Whimsey to investigate the circumstances anyway. To undertake his investigation, Whimsey goes undercover as a new copywrighter, Death Bredon. In his new role, he is able to get an inside look on the people at Pyms. He is also able to hear first hand accounts of where people were and what they saw on the day of Victor's death. He rather quickly concludes that the death was no accident. His investigation uncovers a series of strange relationships, including a number of indicators that lead him to believe a major drug-smuggling ring is being directed from Pyms.

A last-minute change in one of the weekly ad headlines in a local paper causes quite a stir at the agency, more of a stir than is justified by the change alone, which was justified. There seem to be some other currents running below the surface. And Bredon/Whimsey, with the help of his brother-in-law, Inspector Parker, follows a series of murders back to their source.

Sayers writes a good mystery. Her characters are believable, and her plots are just intricate enough. And her reflections on the deeper issues surrounding her plots, such as in this case a very interesting look at the ethics and practice of advertising, add an attractive depth to her writing.

Harper Lee, To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird is a masterful and classic tale of growing up in the South. Scout Finch narrates the story of her formative years growing up in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout and her brother discover the way the world functions, and learn some important lessons in life. The two of them, with their friend Dill, spend their summers dreaming about Boo Radley, the recluse who lives a few houses down. Having never seen him, they spend endless hours speculating about his identity, and the reason he stays indoors. This childhood fascination serves as the backdrop for an important episode in the coming of age of Scout and her brother Jem, the trial of Tom Robinson for rape. Tom, a black man, has been accused of rape by Mayella Ewell and her father Bob Ewell. The accusation come to trial, and Scout's dad, Atticus, is appointed to defend Tom. During the trial, he raises some important questions about the claims by the Ewells, and draws out a very clear suspicion that what in fact happened is that Mayella had drawn Tom into the house, and made an advance at him, and that her father Bob Ewell had seen the two of them together, and been furious with his daughter, beating her. They then blamed the whole encounter on Tom. After many hours deliberating, the jury came back with a guilty verdict. This crushed Jem and Scout, who had come to believe in Tom's innocence, and couldn't understand how anyone couldn't see it. This demonstrated what had become a steady development in the kids' own conscience and moral compass. Through coming to walk a mile in Tom's shoes, they had learned to take a careful look at the world, and to look equally on all people, or at least were making strong strides in that direction. The story culminates in an attack by Bob Ewell on Scout and Jem as they walked home after a school event. Bob attempted to kill the kids, and injured Jem quite badly in the process. But they were saved by a shadowy figure who appeared, Boo Radley.

Lee has written a great story about a quaint Southern town, and its struggles with racism and prejudice. It is a spectacular character study, and a clear commentary on the times, as well as a good reminder for any time that our consciences must be formed and shaped, and that theymust be carefully guided, because consciences can run astray. To Kill a Mockingbird is definitly worth reading, or reading again.

Tom Clancy, Executive Orders

Through a catastrophic terrorist attack, Jack Ryan has risen to the post of President of the United States. But the first days and weeks of his presidency are marked by challenges from a numer of directions, as various countries test the seemingly weakened US. Ryan's first task is to secure his family, and try begin reconstituting the government, which was almost totally decimated with the loss of almost all Senators, Congressmen, Joint Cheifs, and Supreme Court Justices, in addition to the President. His first days are further complicated by a challenge from the disgraced former Vice President, Ed Kelty, who makes the claim that he never officially resigned, and should be the rightful President. With the death of the Secretary of State, the person to whom he reported his resignation, definite proof of his resignation proves a bit difficult to obtain. But other challenges arise as well. Half way around the globe, an Ebola outbreak occurs in Zaire, and a doctor loyal to Iran manages to smuggle one of the infected patients out of the country, giving Mohammed Haji Daryaei, the leader of Iran, a very potent biological weapon. An Iranian assasin is successful in killing the leader of Iraq, and Iran takes overthat country, forming the United Islamic Republic, with aspirations of further conquest.

Daryaei's plan goes further, though. He dispatches a group of assassins to make an attempt on Ryan's youngest daughter, an attack that is thwarted thorugh some heroic actions by the agents guarding her. Daryaei also sends out twenty men armed with a weaponized version of the Ebola virus they have cultivated, infecting twenty conventions across the United States. Actions by China and India (through a consipracy with Daryaei) also turn up the heat on America. But quick work by doctors at Hopkins, the CDC, and the military, identify the problem, and Ryan shuts down all interstate travel to stop its spread. And as all this is going on, Kealty is spreading disinformation about Ryan's past CIA service out to the media in an attept to discredit him. But the truth, or at least a truer interpretation of events, does eventually get out.

The UIR also makes an aggressive attempt to take over Saudi Arabia and Kuwait, the first major step in the quest to take over the Islamic World. The US military suffers from the same exposure to the Ebola outbreak as the general public, and isn't in a position to be deployed, but two divisions are at the National Training Center in California, separated off from the outside world, and are clean of the virus. They are deployed as quickly as possible to Saudi Arabia and Kuwait to stand with those countries in repelling the UIR attack. And even outnumbered, they do just that through careful tactical maneauvers and the element of surprise.

In Executive Orders, Clancy has continued his Ryan saga with another book of international intrigue. But it again emphasizes his clearest strength, which isn't the complexity of his plots or the accuracy of his military imagery, though both of those are exemplary. His biggest strength, showcased here, is his studies of character. Ryan is a well-developed character who struggles with the burdens of command, the philosophies of leadership, the place of politics in public life and government, and the role of honesty in his daily pursuits. His own experiences provide a backdrop for his development, and we see how his past exploits and lessons bear on his decisions in the present. In essence, Clancy has built a character who tries to do the right thing. Clearly not without flaws, such as his temper, or such as a desire to see things in simple terms, Ryan is a character that could walk off the page, and further, is one you'd like to meet. He also develops a number of other characters, from Daryaei to John Clark to Andrea Price, who give the novel its depth and interest. This book is yet another worthy read in the Ryan chronicles.