Book Review: Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin

Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin

This novel, chosen for the Modern Library’s 100 Best Novel’s List, is quite possibly THE best detailed salvation account I have ever read. Go Tell It On the Mountain is a beautiful and heart-wrenching story of a fourteen year old boy, John, who battles sin on all sides, but ultimately succumbs to the awesome power of God; thereby, releasing his battle against sin to the Lord and ultimately overcoming it. Although at times Baldwin could be graphic when (I felt) he didn’t need to be, overall, this is a MUST READ novel for the Christan man or woman.

The Theological Aspect:

Partly why I love this book so much is because it addresses REAL issues in the church, such as pride of the heart, lust of the flesh, and deception of the mind and others. The reader is given a graphic and expressive view into the sinful human condition, which emphasizes the redemption John discovers in Christ at the end of the novel, (but *WARNING!* may be offensive to some readers).

Particularly in Part 2: The Prayers of the Saints: Gabriel’s Prayer, Gabriel, whose role is fallen minister and father of John in the book, recounts two memorable experiences: his conversion and the first “conference-revival” he preached. Gabriel gives his testimony from his B.C days, which is quite horrible and deep in sin, to his ministry as a preacher of the gospel.

I would like to share an excerpt from this section, and then discuss it briefly:

When the Sunday [of the conference-revival] came, and he found himself once more among the elders, about to go to the table, Gabriel felt a drop in his happy, proud anticipation. He was not comfortable with these men–that was it–it was difficult to accept them as his elders and betters in the faith. They seemed to him so lax, so nearly worldly; they were not like those holy prophets of old who grew thin and naked in the service of the Lord. These, God’s minsters, had indeed grown fat, and their dress was rich and various. They had been in the field so long that they did not tremble before God anymore. They took God’s power as their due, as something that made the more exciting their own assumed, special atmosphere. They each had, it seemed, a bagful of sermons often preached; and knew, in the careless lifting of an eye, which sermon to bring to which congregation. Though they preached with great authority, and brought souls low before the altar–like so many ears of corn lopped off by the hired laborer in his daily work–they did not give God the glory, nor count it as glory at all; they might easily have been, Gabriel thought, highly paid circus-performers, each with his own special dazzling gift. Gabriel discovered they spoke, jokingly, of the comparative number of souls each of them had saved, as though they were keeping score in a poolroom. And this offended him and frightened him. He did not want, ever, to hold the gift of God so lightly. (Baldwin, with my personal emphasis added)

These elders of the church, supposed holy, anointed men of God, took pride in the power of God, which they counted for their own! They manipulated that power of God (which, therefore, no longer becomes God’s power) to get the responses they wished from the congregation. How sickening and disgusting!

Gabriel, even soon after his true conversion to the Lord, took pride in the authority he receives from God. At the conference, he has not yet came to the degree of falsehood that the elders have, which is why he has the above convicting thoughts on sincerity of the faith. (Gabriel’s eventual downfall is this proud spirit and also lust in his heart, which leads him to the same deception of the elders.)

Today, many spiritual leaders deal with these same issues–among others. Baldwin does an EXCELLENT job of detailing this journey of falling to sin and the rise out of it or the continual downfall into it.

While Gabriel’s story is one that is part of “the continual downfall” into sin, John’s is one that rises out of it. In Part 3: The Threshing Floor, the opening introducing verse, beneath the chapter title says,

Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts.

When we discover our sin, we anguish over it, and cry “Woe is me! for I am undone…” in repentance before God. Part 3 is John’s metaphoric journey through the darkness of sin, as he lies “astonished beneath the power of the Lord.” He realizes that his sins of pride, hatred, and malice will lead him only to death, hell, and the grave. He recognizes his sin, as though he is in a vision or trance, and he sorrows over that sin and desires to be “lifted up” from the darkness into the light. He finds, however, that no one can help him. He must do this alone, and he must decide whether he wants to give his life as a sacrifice for God, should it come to that.

John, after praying all night unto the break of morning, releases his hold on his life, and gives in to the Lord’s power and presence. While before in his sin he had been experiencing terror, and fear, and anguish, and pain, in his new life with Christ, he finds joy unspeakable and relief from the heavy burden of sin! Tears flow from his eyes as tears of new found life in Christ.

This beautiful passage describes his newness upon redemption:

Yes, the night had passed, the powers of darkness had been beaten back. He moved among the saints, he, John, who had come home, who was one of their company now; weeping, he yet could find no words to speak of his great gladness; and he scarcely knew how he moved, for his hands were new, and his feet were new, and he moved in a new and Heaven-bright air. (Baldwin)

Redemption Does Not Mean Perfection

A message I loved in this book was that just because someone is saved does not mean they are perfect and have expectations of perfection. For example, upon John’s redemption, he goes to his father (who before he had hated), talks with him, allows a smile from his lips, and “something died in John, and something came alive.” What died was the sinful hate he had against his father, and what came alive in him was the strength to be able to extend compassion and love to him; the situation had not changed, rather, John had changed by God’s grace.

My Concluding Thoughts:

As I stated before, some readers may find some of the content in Go Tell It on the Mountain offensive and “indelicate.” For the graphic and obscene scenes (which are normally in certain sections; it’s not throughout), you may chose to ignore this novel. If you do so choose to read the book, you may find, as I did, that the story of sinner to redeemed is too awe-inspiring to make the read not worthwhile. I found that because of this book, I was encouraged in my walk with the Lord, convicted to look at my heart and my life, and brought to remembrance my personal “redemption” story. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and I will definitely take certain parts of it with me on this journey in Christ. An excellent, excellent novel, with an excellent ending!

If you would like to buy Go Tell It On the Mountain by James Baldwin, you can find it on Amazon.com here. (Or you could borrow it from your library for free!)

If you would like to look at the other books I have on my book list for 2011, or read their book reviews, you can click here!

AND/OR

If you would like to comment on this book or book review, if you have any questions, please feel free to comment in the comment section below!

Book Review: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

I began Hemingway’s 41-chapter novel on Monday, but could hardly put it down, and now I have completed the novel today. Having been in AP English for the last four years of my high school career, I have been accustomed to books of literary merit having unique and eloquent writing styles that brought them to fame. With A Farewell to Arms, I was  expecting it to be well written, but it even exceeded my high expectations. That being said, I think I may have enjoyed the writing style more than the actual storyline

Summary:

It’s World War I, and the Italians are trying to fight off and defend against the Austrians, who will later be aided by the Germans. A young American man, Frederic Henry,  studying architecture in Rome, joins the fight by becoming an ambulance man, going to the front lines, gathering up the sick and wounded, and bringing them back to the hospital. After going on “leave” for the winter break between fighting in the mountains, Henry, or Tenente, as he is often called in Italian for his Lieutenant rank, comes back to find women nurses in their military occupied town.

One particular British nurse, Catherine Barkley, he finds interest in, and they begin a “game” of sorts, pretending to love one another. Eventually, their “game” grows serious. Henry and Catherine talk about marriage, but both decide that because neither of them is religious and because their lifestyle does not bother them, they will not marry. After Henry is badly injured in the legs from an explosion, Catherine transfers to Milan where Henry is being treated. Milan is also the place where Catherine discovers she is pregnant with Henry’s child. Henry, however, must go back to the front, though he would like to be with Catherine and their soon to be born baby.

Henry finds the front a depressing place, with many of the soldiers having felt defeated. Not long after Henry returns, a report comes that the Germans are now helping the Austrians to fight, and terror runs through the front line. A retreat is called, and Henry is given orders to evacuate with ambulances and his team. The road to retreat is long and traffic-jammed by every little interruption. Henry decides to take his team and their ambulances and go along a side road, so that when the Germans and Austrians attack the main road, they will not be on it.

The main road is attacked by planes, as Henry had predicted, but the side road they are traveling on is muddy, and one of the ambulances gets stuck. Two sergeants refuse to help dig the ambulance  out on Henry’s orders, so one is shot and killed, while the other runs out of range and deserts. Henry and his team eventually abandon the ambulance and the sergeant’s body and move on. Before reaching their lines, however, they lose all the rest of the ambulances and one of Henry’s men is shot and killed by who Henry believes to be scared Italians.

Things are no better for Henry when he does reach their lines, though, as he is suspected of deserting in a retreat. Seeing the other officers being shot, and waiting in line for his turn, Henry runs toward and dives into a lake, with shots at his back. He was done with the war. He only wanted to be with Catherine. So…Henry deserts and goes to Milan where he last left Catherine.

Henry discovers that Catherine has moved towns, and so he goes to the new town and finds her there. A barman and friend of Henry’s informs him that officers are planning to arrest him in the morning, but that if he crosses the lake, he can get to Switzerland about 35 kilometers away. Catherine and  Henry leave at about 11 o’clock at night and do make it across the lake and into Switzerland, though they are arrested by the Swiss police soon after.

Henry and Catherine have their American and British passports, as well as a lot of money, and so they pass off as winter sports tourists. The Swiss police believe them, and the couple moves on to Montreux, where they settle down for a while and are happy and content with one another. When the rainy weather comes, and Catherine is soon to deliver her child, they move to Lausanne, where the hospital is. They also determine that they will marry after the baby is born and Catherine is “skinny” again.

**SPOILER ENDING!!** Catherine soon goes into intense labor, but problems occur and she must have a Cesarean. A boy is taken from her womb, and rushed to another room. Henry follows them, but does not feel fatherly affection for him since he almost killed Catherine. He returns to Catherine, who says she is in a lot of pain, but insists he go to dinner. After dinner, Henry meets a nurse going into the hospital who tells him that Catherine has been hemorrhaging. After many more hemorrhages, Catherine dies, and the baby, Henry learns, never even breathed its first out of the womb. Henry is numb, wanting nothing from no one. He only wants to see Catherine, but “it was like saying good-by to a statue,” and Henry walks out into the rain, back to the hotel.

My Concluding Thoughts:

Ernest Hemingway is–no doubt–an excellent author! His experience in the ambulance corps in World War I definitely gave A Farewell to Arms reality. I am sure that some “upper-level” English students will be required to read this book, but “just to read,” the plot is not necessarily a “moral” one. Although Hemingway does not express graphically at anytime about any thing, except perhaps scenery, the reader can definitely pick up the implications of what is “going on” in different scenes of the story. I enjoyed the book, and I absolutely loved the way he wrote it. (It flows together very nicely. Very coherent!) As for recommending it, however, I am not sure I can do for moral reasons. This is your call of whether or not you chose to read it or whether or not you would allow your sons or daughters to read it. I’m staying out of this controversial topic!

If you would like to buy A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway, you can buy it used at Amazon.com. Click here! (Or borrow it from your local library!)

If you would like to look at the other books I have on my book list for 2011, you can click here!

AND/OR

If you would like to comment on this book or book review, if you have any questions, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

Book Review: Modesty by Nan M. Pamer

Modesty: A fresh look at a biblical principle by Nan M. Pamer

Just today, I completed Pamer’s 47-page 1997 booklet on modesty. Although Pamer singles out the Apostolic Pentecostal, or Oneness Pentecostal, church as one that has held its ground and not conformed to the low moral standards of the world, she does a fine job of explaining why modesty is such an important–non legalistic– biblical principle that Christians should adhere to today. The chapters include:

1. “Is Modesty Legalistic?“– a look at why modesty is NOT legalistic. Legalism, as Pamer explains it, is the belief that “works merit salvation,” ie dress standards. Pamer defends the Apostolic Pentecostal churches with conviction, stating that modesty is misunderstood and can be a deterrent to immorality. She says, “We were hopelessly lost when Jesus Christ found us and saved us from sin, and we are forever indebted to Him. Because we love Him we endeavor to reflect Christ in everything we do, even in our outward appearance.”

2. “The Blessing of Distinction“–delving into why modesty, and the separation from the world that comes with it, is a blessing. Pamer claims that “the society that allows this deterioration of modesty takes something very precious from its young people.” Modesty and immorality are directly related, as “when modesty was  thrown to the wind, immorality swept in like a flood.”

3. “An Old and New Testament Principle“–explaining that as Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Hebrews 13:8), so is His desire for us to live a Christ-like life. Modesty is part of living Christ-like, according to Pamer, and can be found in both the Old and New Testament. Pamer gives the example of the Old Testament priests who were set apart by their apparel and connects this to 1 Peter 2:9, where the church is called “a royal priesthood…” (among other examples and connections). Pamer also addresses and warns against “the danger of overemphasis” where one “practices an outward dedication to God while allowing his heart to become a bulwark of nasty attitudes and hard feelings against others.”

4. “The End Results of Immodesty“–an examination of our world, as it is, and why immodesty has lead to immorality as an accepted societal institution. Pamer states that “When a society disregards modesty, it will have to pay a revolting price. Our generation is reaping devastating results because a principle of God has been laid down.” Using the testimonial confessions of serial killers Ted Bundy and Arthur Gary Bishop, Pamer explains the negative effects of immodesty: pornography, rapings, terrible diseases, and to the extremities of mass murders.

5. “A Call to Modesty“–a plea to live a life free in Christ, one that is modest and a reflection of Him. Pamer concludes her booklet with these words: “May we vigorously regain the ground that many have lost in the battle for modesty. Our children, our churches, and our nation need it desperately. We have a treasure in our grasp; let us never let it slip away.”

My Concluding Thoughts:

I definitely and highly recommend this book to parents, Christian youth workers, and teenagers. Whether you are part of the Apostlic/Oneness Pentecostal church or not, modesty is a biblical principle that, as Pamer states, has been thrown to the wayside and forgotten by most of the world. How you determine what is modest or not, or what you determine is modest, is not discussed in this booklet; however, Pamer’s discussion on modesty as a principle is very informative, intellectual, and GOOD! Her reliance on scripture as support is a major addition, versus some books that base Christian principles on human reasoning. Although at times, Modesty could be repetitive, its message is one that should be repeated. I will be keeping this book to reread and to share with others.

If you would like to buy Modesty: a fresh look at a biblical principle by Nan M Pamer, you can buy it used at Amazon.com. Click here!

If you would like to look at the other books I have on my book list for 2011, you can click here!

AND/OR

If you would like to comment on this book or book review, if you have any questions, please feel free to share in the comments section below!

2011 Book List

I have been in school nearly everyday for the past four years. (Yes, even 6 weeks of summer because I was part of Upward Bound, a college readiness program.) Now that I am graduated, and awaiting my first college year, I want to make sure that I am continuing to learn and improve myself as a whole person.

In order to do so, I have written out a book list of 50 books I hope to read before the year is complete. Some of the books are Christian-inspired, while others are classics or books recommended for first year college students. I may do book reviews, I may not…it depends on time, interest, and whether or not I have anything to say! 🙂 You can try clicking on the colored book name to see if a book review has been done on it.

What are the benefits of reading? (Well…to name a few…)

1. My vocabulary improves, so that I have a more eclectic word choice.

2. My writing skills improve by being exposed to different writing styles.

3. Reading enhances my knowledge. (It’s great for learning new things.)

4.Reading enhances my memory, and the Lord knows I need it!

5. Reading reduces boredom: It’s fun to be engrossed in a great book.

So now that we’ve established that reading is AWESOME,

Here’s my reading list for the remaining year of 2011*:

1. Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream by David Platt

2. Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin

3. Seize the Day by Saul Bellow

4. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

5. Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan

6. The Stranger by Albert Camus

7. My Antonia by Willa Cather

8. Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes

9. One Thousand Gifts: A dare to live fully right where you are by Ann Voskamp

10. Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad

11. Robinson Crusoe by Daniel Defoe

12. Crime and Punishment by Feodor Dostoevski

13. Made to Crave: Satisfying your deepest desire with God, Not Food by Lysci Terkeurst

14. The Mill on the Floss by George Eliot

15. Invisible Man by Ralf Ellison

16. The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner

17. Forgotten God: Reversing our tragic neglect of the Holy Spirit by Francis Chan

18. Tom Jones by Henry Fielding

19. Madame Bovary by Gustave Flaubert

20. A Passage to India by E.M. Forester

21. The Scent of Water: Grace for Every Kind of Broken by Naomi Zacharias

22. One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez

23. Lord of the Flies by William Golding

24. Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Harding

25. How to Stay Christian in College by J. Budziszewski

26. A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway

27. The Turn of the Screw by Henry James

28. The Trial by Franz Kafka

29. Live to Make a Difference by Max Lucado

30. Sons and Lovers by D. H. Lawrence

30. Modesty: a fresh look at a biblical principle by Nam M. Pamer

31. Babbitt by Sinclair Lewis

32. The Assistant by Bernard Malamud

33. Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations by Alex and Brett Harris

34. Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

35. Moby-Dick by Herman Melville

36. Sula by Toni Morrison

37. The Top 100 Women of the Christian Faith: Who they are and what they mean to you today by Jewell Johnson

38. A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Conner

39. Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen

40. Animal Farm by George Orwell

41. A Young Woman After God’s Own Heart: A Teen’s Guide to Friends, Faith, Family, and the Future by Elizabeth George

42. Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton

43. Great Tales and Poems by Edgar Allen Poe

44. The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger

45. Weird: Because Normal Isn’t Working by Craig Groeschel

46. Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott

47. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

48. The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinback

49. The Old Testament by God

50. The New Testament by God

*This book list is subject to change as the year progresses, whether from being added to, or taken from, though the total will always be a minimum of 50. I will update this post, as it changes. I will also color the books as I finish them.*

If you have read any of the above books, and you have a positive or negative critic, tell me in the comments! Or if you are making your own book list, let me know some of the books you are choosing to read this year.