Lies Speaking Truth

MiniEP001 A Delightful Little Jaunt Through Hell

roy — Wed, 17 Oct 2012 05:14:16 +0000

From Dante Alighieri’s Inferno:

“THROUGH ME THE WAY INTO THE SUFFERING CITY,
THROUGH ME THE WAY TO THE ETERNAL PLAIN,
THROUGH ME THE WAY THAT RUNS AMONG THE LOST,.
JUSTICE URGED ON MY HIGH ARTIFICER;
MY MAKER WAS DIVINE AUTHORITY,
THE HIGHEST WISDOM, AND THE PRIMAL LOVE.
BEFORE ME NOTHING BUT ETERNAL THINGS
WERE MADE, AND I ENDURE ETERNALLY.
ABANDON EVERY HOPE, WHO ENTER HERE.”

Everyman Edition, p 68.

Edition Reviewed

Dante Alighieri, The Divine Comedy

Links of Interest

Gene Veith’s Major Christian Authors book list

Gene Veith on why the evil guy is more interesting than the good one

Wikipedia on the Inferno

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EP010 Neil Gaiman “The Graveyard Book”

roy — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 15:12:53 +0000

The horse paused beside the obelisk. In the east the sky was lightening gently, a pearlish, pre-dawn luminescence that made the people of the graveyard uncomfortable and made them think about returning to their comfortable homes. Even so, not a one of them moved. They were watching the Lady on the Grey, each of them half-excited, half-scared. The dead are not superstitious, not as a rule, but they watched her as a Roman Augur might have watched the sacred crows circle, seeking wisdom, seeking a clue.

And she spoke to them.

In a voice like the chiming of a hundred tiny silver bells she said only, “The dead should have charity.” And she smiled.

. . .

Mother Slaughter and Josiah Worthington, Bart., accompanied Mr. Owens to the crypt of the old chapel, and they told Mrs. Owens the news.

She seemed unsurprised by the miracle. “That’s right,” she said, “Some of them dun’t have a ha’porth of sense in their heads. But she does. Of course she does.”

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book (HarperCollins, 2008), 30, 31.

Edition Reviewed

Neil Gaiman, The Graveyard Book

Links of Interest

Gaiman’s Website about himself and his writing

His Journal

EP009 LiesSpeakingTruth

Gaiman talks about Graveyard Book

Neil Gaiman, again on Graveyard Book

Bela Fleck and Ben Sollee performing Danse Macabre

Next Episode

H.G. Wells, War of the Worlds

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A Worldview Diagnostic Sheet

roy — Fri, 05 Oct 2012 06:30:22 +0000

In the episode on The Jungle Book and the upcoming episode on the Graveyard Book, we make mention of a worldview diagnostic spreadsheet. We received permission from the publisher to post this on the website for our listeners to follow along with us. It will help you diagnose and think about worldview as you read, and help you to follow along in the podcasts.

A couple of comments though: It will still be helpful to read the book. All we have included in the sheet are quotes from the book. It will be hard to understand these quotes without the context. Secondly, please do not share this beyond your own usage. We have been given only a one-time usage to listeners of the podcast. Thirdly, if you still need to purchase the book, click here for the edition we used for the spreadsheet, or click here for the lastest edition.

We hope you enjoy it. We’ll be using it in more of our posts. If you have any questions: talkback@liesspeakingtruth.org.

Click here for the download: Worldview Diagnostic Spreadsheet

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Robinson Crusoe Island

roy — Wed, 03 Oct 2012 02:51:18 +0000

So, a few months ago, we did an episode on Robinson Crusoe. We mentioned that Defoe based the work on a real story with which he was familiar. Here’s a great little news-bit from the BBC on Robinson Crusoe and a bit of the background on the story.

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EP009 Ruyard Kipling “The Jungle Book” and “The Second Jungle Book”

roy — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 00:00:19 +0000

‘Ay, roar well,’ said Bagheera, under his whiskers; ‘for the time comes when this naked thing will make thee roar to another tune, or I know nothing of Man.’

‘It was well done,’ said Akela. ‘Men and their cubs are very wise. He may be a help in time.’

‘Truly, a help in time of need; for none can hope to lead the Pack for ever,’ said Bagheera.

Akela said nothing. He was thinking of the time that comes to every leader of every pack when his strength goes from him and he gets feebler and feebler, till at last he is killed by the wolves and a new leader comes up—to be killed in his turn.

‘Take him away,’ he said to Father Wolf, ‘and train him as befits one of the Free People.’

And that is how Mowgli was entered into the Seeonee Wolf-Pack at the price of a bull and on Baloo’s good word.

Edition Reviewed

Everyman Edition of The Jungle Book

The Second Jungle Book in Digital Form

Links of Interest

Wikipedia on the Book

Notes from Neil Gaiman

Next Episode

Neil Gaiman, Graveyard Book

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EP008 Stephen R. Lawhead “The Skin Map”

Christopher Gillespie — Fri, 13 Jul 2012 04:24:37 +0000

Physicists have sought far and wide for an explanation of the universe which excludes the postulate of a divine being, an intelligent designer who created and will complete all things. One solution is the multiverse, that the universe is really only one of many options out there, that there are other universes have spun off of this, or, perhaps, our universe is a spin-off of the primary universe, or what if this isn’t the primary universe . . . well, you get the idea. But what if you could travel between these universes? What if there was a means to explore alternative universes which bear a small resemblance to our own? What if you could travel not only through universes, but in different universes at different times, so that you could experience some part of the past? And what if you got lost? Well, you’d need the Skin Map to find your way back.

Edition Reviewed

Stephen R. Lawhead, The Skin Map

Links of Interest

Stephen R. Lawhead, The Bone House, Volume 2 of Bright Empires

Stephen R. Lawhead’s books

Wikipedia on Ley Lines

Wikipedia on String Theory

Ted Talks are usually fairly intelligent. Try this one.

Next Episode Links

Ruyard Kipling, The Jungle Book

Or if you want the Everyman Edition of The Jungle Book

Neil Gaiman, Graveyard Book

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Steadfast Media Pick of the Week

Christopher Gillespie — Tue, 19 Jun 2012 20:22:43 +0000

Thanks to the Brothers for picking us as their media pick of the week!

Steadfast Lutherans » Steadfast Media Pick of the Week — A Fledgling Podcast.

A Fledgling Podcast
This week’s pick is a little bit of a change-up. It’s the latest episode from a young (7 episodes) podcast called Lies Speaking Truth which analyzes the quality and worldview of classic and modern works of fiction. Pastors Roy Askins and Christopher Gillespie use Dr. Gene Veith’s “Reading Between the Lines” and James Sire’s “The Universe Next Door” as the frameworks. In this specific episode, “Robinson Crusoe” is critiqued.
Right-click here to save MP3
The analysis starts with a discussion of the main character’s worldview which appears to be a Christian Theism transitioning to Deism. What I found most interesting was the connection that the Deistic worldview leads to a moral relativism we typically think of as post-modernism. Also interesting was the discussion of the character’s transition from a monasticism and enthusiasm where he saw God under every rock to a Theology of Glory where he saw God’s hand in his suffering.
It’s a unique and interesting podcast and I hope you’ll support and encourage the pastors. Check out some other episodes as well which include discussions of “Game of Thrones,” “The Hunger Games,” and “1984.”

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EP007 Daniel Defoe, “Robinson Crusoe”

roy — Fri, 08 Jun 2012 00:00:35 +0000

Before Wilson’s smile graced the big screen, there were stories of men lost to battle the forces of nature with very little but their wits. Daniel Defoe wrote one of these stories, Robinson Crusoe. Now, Robinson Crusoe certainly wasn’t alone with nothing but his wits. He had many things which he found and which he was able to use. But one of the most intriguing factors of Defoe’s book is something Wilson (and his lost companion) never really mentioned—Providence. Crusoe believed his purpose on his island, as he came to call it, was superseded by a greater purpose. That Providence had a hand in it all. And yet at the same time, his success on the island was at the same time the result of his own labor, his pulling himself up. Come join us as we talk about this tension in Daniel Defoe’s book, Robinson Crusoe.

If you’d like to purchase any of the books, please use the links listed below to support Lies Speaking Truth.

Edition Reviewed:

Robinson Crusoe

Links of Interest:

James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door

Gene E. Veith, Reading Between the Lines

Wikipedia on Robinson Crusoe

The Movie (1997)

An Older Movie (1954)

Free Online Version

Alister McGrath, Luther’s Theology of the Cross: Martin Luther’s Theological Breakthrough

Gerhard Forde, On Being a Theologian of the Cross: Reflections on Luther’s Heidelberg Disputation, 1518 (Theology)

Oswald Bayer, Martin Luther’s Theology: A Contemporary Interpretation

Next Review:

Stephen R. Lawhead, The Skin Map

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EP006 George R.R. Martin “Game of Thrones”

Christopher Gillespie — Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:46 +0000

Ever been interested in politics? How would politics change if you had a dragon on side and hordes of ice-breathing monsters on the other? What if everyone in the middle was most concerned about himself or herself? Welcome to the Game of Thrones. While in many ways it’s like a game of chess, it’s very different in one respect—in this game either you win or you die.

If you’re planning to purchase the book, please use the links below to support Lies Speaking Truth.

Edition Reviewed:

George R. R. Martin: A Game of Thrones

Links of Interest:

James W. Sire, The Universe Next Door

Gene E. Veith, Reading Between the Lines

George R. R. Martin’s Site

Official HBO Website

Game of Thrones Wiki

A cool map of the Seven Kingdoms

Our Next Review:

Daniel Defoe, Robinson Crusoe

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EP005 Dean Koontz “77 Shadow Street”

roy — Tue, 20 Mar 2012 00:00:43 +0000

In a world obsessed with healthcare, we often struggle with the limits of technology and health. Is it ethically right to advance ourselves through technology? Can we use technology to make ourselves more than human? Can we become posthuman? As a culture, we are obsessed with technology, especially when technology goes awry. Dean Koontz explores the philosophical movement of posthumanism through the use of a horror-house story, 77 Shadow Street.

If you’re planning to purchase the book, please use the links below to support Lies Speaking Truth.

Edition Reviewed:

77 Shadow Street

Links of Interest:

http://www.posthumanism.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Posthumanism
the Wikipedia link is really vague and largely unhelpful
http://www.transhumanism.org/resources/FAQv21.pdf
This guy from Oxford seems to have a bit written on the subject:
http://www.nickbostrom.com/
http://www.firstthings.com/blogs/secondhandsmoke/ (Medical ethics)
http://www.syfy.com/caprica (on recording of the soul)

http://www.wesleyjsmith.com/bio/

Other Books of Interest:

From Human to Posthuman

Culture of Death

Our Next Review:

George R. R. Martin Game of Thrones: A Song of Ice and Fire

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