Women, Typology, and I Timothy 2:15

I haven't posted a plain old article in kind of a while.  It's pretty much just been book reviews.  But I ran across this one today, and I had to pass it along.  Mary Kassian writes a lot about issues for Christian women; I have no idea what her exegetical/theological/biblical interpretation qualifications are.  But she decided to take a crack at the ever-challenging I Timothy 2:15:

Let a woman learn quietly with all submissiveness. I do not permit a woman to teach or to exercise authority over a man; rather, she is to remain quiet. For Adam was formed first, then Eve; and Adam was not deceived, but the woman was deceived and became a transgressor. Yet she will be saved through childbearing—if they continue in faith and love and holiness, with self-control.  

 (1 Timothy 2:11–15, ESV)  Tough stuff, right?  Her take on it is that Paul is being typological, not ontological.  Since Adam is a type of Christ, and marriage is a type of the relationship between Christ and the Church, it follows that Eve--who was married to Adam--is a type of the Church.  So Kassian's reading is as follows:

Dingo Devotionals: Learning to Heel, by Lynne Scott

**

Really more of a one-and-a-half star book. The idea is good--look to the discipline and training of animals to learn more about the ways God disciplines and trains us--but the execution is rather abysmal. Some of the connections and analogies don't really work (or were actually problematic), and even when she lights on a analogy with real potential, she stops before she ever really gets going. The result is a book that never really goes anywhere. It has fits and starts, but no follow through. What could have been a very challenging look at discipline ends up . . . empty. I don't know whether to blame her writing, her thinking, or her editor, but something just did not deliver here. I'm sure the intentions were good, and like I said, I like the idea. But the actual conclusions needed to be more thought out, and then fleshed out. Also, I'm not entirely sure the gospel was clearly presented. It's a short book, with short chapters/sections, but it's still not worth the read.

Risk, by Dick Francis

****

One of the first Dick Francis books I ever read as a kid (the absolute first was Dead Cert), and still one of my favorites. The hero (of sorts) is an accountant to those involved in the racing world, and a bit of an amateur jockey himself. Toss in a dash of romance, an inexplicable kidnapping, and the challenges of coping with long term confinement in a small space (this would be a substitute for the usual man v. nature portion of Francis' novels), and you have yourself a decent little mystery. Also, the villain's motives are largely normal, and they themselves are fairly run-of-the-mill. Francis is at his best when he avoids the "insanely psychopathic villain" trope. All in all, not a bad book.

Smokescreen, by Dick Francis

***

Dick Francis delivers again. This time, the setting is exotic South Africa, and the lead is a likable, down-to-earth action film star. The usual Francis tropes make their appearances . . . most notably the protracted battle between man and nature. And of course, there is the male lead with an unusual ability to interpret data to reach reliable conclusions (though I suppose every good mystery needs someone with such an ability). As usual, Francis mixes the familiar (the racing industry) with the unfamiliar (here, the gold mining industry). Definitely a fun book. (Incidentally, if you like Francis' take on the film industry, I recommend Wild Horses (the lead is a film director), and if you liked Wild Horses, Smokescreen might be right up your alley.)

I Talk Back to the Devil, by A.W. Tozer

**

A bit lackluster, honestly. I haven't read Tozer before, but I will try not to hold this book against him in the future. It's not entirely clear what the point of the book is. The subtitle has changed since the original edition, and the title itself is a bit confusing. Spiritual warfare isn't really the theme of the book at all. Instead, the book is one long exhortation not to accept Christian mediocrity, but to press on toward perfection and the standard set by Christ. Tozer is right to criticize the modern Christian contentment with merely "adequate" faith, but he sometimes seems to believe that perfection is an attainable goal. Which is not only patently false--we will never attain perfection in this life--but does his readers a disservice, since the inevitable failure of this "quest for perfection" tends to lead to guilt and depression. The book doesn't really seem to say much of anything. He exhorts Christians to be filled with the spirit, to be set on fire with love of God, which is all well and good. The modern churchgoer is far too reluctant to be a fanatic for Jesus (not in the legalistic, hateful way portrayed on news shows, but in a sold-out-for-Jesus sort of way). But I didn't feel like Tozer really helped the reader get there. The book seemed to be more about selling the reader on the idea than actually providing meaningful guidance. So all in all, I would have to say that it kind of lacked substance. Which feels like a very critical thing to say about someone of Tozer's stature, but there you have it. Not a bad book, by any means, and my own spiritual mediocrity may be coloring my perception, but all in all, I expected better. Then again, this is not one of his best-known books. Maybe there's a reason for that.

Turn Back the Night, by Stephen R. Lawhead

****

Excellent, if amusingly dated. Lawhead's pop culture examples range from Dynasty to Dukes of Hazzard to Olivia Newton John to Flashdance. The times, they have a-changed. And the industry has changed with them--I think television is not quite as simplistic and straightforward as it was in the '80s; the gap between popular literature and "serious" literature is closing; and with the rise of the indie music scene, many musicians actually do care about artistic integrity and technical excellence. The '80s were admittedly an insanely commercial era--substance was not particularly prized. Still, many of Lawhead's conclusions remain valid. He opposes a wholesale rejection or acceptance of pop culture, and advocates instead for discerning and selective consumption. He also has some very harsh things to say about the contemporary Christian genre, which was particularly unimpressive (from a quality and excellence standpoint) in the '80s. Indeed, many of his recommendations have come to pass. For example, it is much easier now to find Christian reviews of secular books/movies/television/music. Indeed, the advent of the internet has provided a glut of reviews of all shapes and sizes. A consumer wishing to do his due diligence is more than adequately equipped to do so.

All in all, a decent read. Lawhead's theology is a bit wonky, but the bulk of the book is about practical application of Christian morality, and that does not seem to be too affected by his unusual theological beliefs.

Slay Ride, by Dick Francis

***

A decent Francis book. The villain was medium-sized--not a raving psychopath, but not a run-of-the-mill John Q. Citizen either. A fair number of harrowing experiences for the hero, and a few alluring and possibly off-limits women . . . all in all, a pretty solid entry. Oh, and it takes place largely in Norway, which is a fun change from Francis' usual setting.