"The Loss of a Grandparent to Covid-19" (Marion Donon)

TITLE: The loss of a grandparent to Covid-19, Gramps.: A short story to read to your children to help them through this difficult moment.
AUTHOR: Marion Donon
PUBLISHER: Give Me A Hug Collection, 2020, (21 pages).

This is a fictional story of a conversation between a mother and her son, who has just lost his grandfather. Written at the start of the pandemic, it was meant to support those going through emotional grief and physical strain, especially those affected directly by Covid-19. Due to time constraints, pictures and illustrations were pulled in order to facilitate a quick completion of the book. As the author says, the book is not about grief or bereavement. It is written like a story to reach out to children and parents on how best to talk about Covid-19 and the meaning of death and dying. 

It is never easy to talk to kids about "adult" topics such as death and dying. They are too young to understand what it means to leave this world. At the same time, death could impact anybody at any time. If we wait until it is too late, we would have missed out teaching moments or precious opportunities to show children early that life is not all play and fun. Life is hard and the earlier we prepare ourselves for it, the better. Covid-19 has impacted all parts of society. From the daily news updates about the pandemic to the continued wide media coverage about the coronavirus statistics, children in this generation would have heard of all these terms. Even if we try to avoid letting them know, they might be curious enough to ask and then to wonder about how it impacts them and their families. One of the best tried-and-tested methods is to use the power of stories. This way to communications help us be honest with our own feelings in an indirect manner. Stories give us words to share our thoughts and feelings in a non-threatening manner. They enable readers, and in this case, parents and their children to be on the same page as they openly discuss and talk about the meaning of loss. Some of the questions include:

• Why couldn't I go and see him in the hospital, Mommy?
• Why was the coffin already closed?
• Do you miss him?
• Mommy, why are you crying?
• Was he afraid?
• Where do you think he is now?
• Am I going to die too, Mommy?
• ....

The questions could have been more, but the way the author puts it makes it simple enough for parents to raise additional questions with their children and easy enough for children to follow along. Parents would think: "Hey, I could do that too!" Children would be free to ask their own set of questions as well. As I ponder on this book, I am glad that someone has written something to address children and how the prolonged coronavirus pandemic would impact them one way or another, sooner or later, directly or indirectly.

A former actress and director, with a masters in clinical psychology, Marion Donon now devotes her energy to children’s literature, while raising two small children of her own. She divides her time between France and the United States. 

Rating: 4 stars of 5.

conrade

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This book has been provided courtesy of Marion Donon and NetGalley without requiring a positive review. All opinions offered above are mine unless otherwise stated or implied.

"The Virus in the Age of Madness" (Bernard-Henri Lévy)

TITLE: The Virus in The Age of Madness
AUTHOR: Bernard-Henri Lévy
PUBLISHER: New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2020, (128 pages).

If we look at the year 2020, most people around the world would agree that life has changed forever. Social distancing is everywhere. People wear masks when they venture outdoors. A lot of people work from home. Air travel has been curtailed. More people are buying take-out instead of dining in. Schools are operating at less than normal capacity. Universities shift classes to online platforms. Welcome to the new normal. For some, this is a crazy phenomeon where entire lifestyles need to change because of a microscopic virus. With keen observation, author Bernard-Henri Lévy notes that the madness is not the virus but the reactions caused. Busy cities emptied out into ghost towns. Popular restaurants shut down. Pollution decreased as the number of stay-home workers increased. Violent demonstrations in HK and terrorism in other parts of the world too seem to have disappeared overnight. Most interestingly, we see how the little virus brings out the behaviours rarely seen under normal circumstances. They also bring out our appreciation for "invisible" group of workers such as caregivers, delivery personnel, garbage collectors, freight shippers, online workers, and so on. In a world that is shivering with fear, how about taking time to deal with the "innermost metaphysics" within us? There are a lot of things to be concerned. What we take at face value is often something that is deeply troubling. The author offers this book as a way to question conventional wisdom and the uncritical acceptance of top-down advice, especially from the politicians and the newly elevated social status of medical or health experts. 

"Emerging Gender Identities" (Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky)

TITLE: Emerging Gender Identities: Understanding the Diverse Experiences of Today's Youth
AUTHOR: Mark Yarhouse and Julia Sadusky
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Brazos Press, 2020, (256 pages).

The issue of gender identities is one of the most controversial topics in our cultures today. With political lobbying, gender identity is increasingly becoming a political tool. Some even use science to prove their point of view. Others blame it on psychological profiles while still others point to genetic makeup, questioning links between chromosomes and emotional well-being. It is becoming a confusing array of opinions and arguments. What used to be clearly male and female is not so clear today. There are accusations of liberal gender-switching as well as confusion over what exactly is gender. Some take the scientific approach to try to make sense of gender confusion. This may pass the chromosomal tests raises doubts about their direct relevance to emotional attachments. The notion of gender being classified either binary or not is increasingly challenged even as society grows more tolerant with gender definitions that transcend conventional thinking. For authors Yarhouse and Sadusky, they call it nuancing gender identities. One of the key ideas is "gender dysphoria" which zooms out of gender identity discussions and zooms into the "distress experienced" by the persons. In other words, the authors propose addressing the emotional distress so that we could discuss "alternative gender" instead of "assigned gender." They cite studies about such emerging gender identities to highlight the need to go beyond mere binary assumptions. Research suggests distinguishing "biological sex, gender identity, and sexuality." Gender identity is sometimes not assigned per se but applied using political force to the point that transgenderism has become an umbrella term to cover all non-binary interpretations of gender. In order to clarify what gender identities are, one needs to be free from the political pressure to conform to certain expectations. This means we need to understand how political pressure leads to public identity; and factors such as the sexual revolution, feminist movements, deconstruction of sex, and others.

"Hebrews Through Revelation" (Andreas J. Köstenberger)

TITLE: Handbook on Hebrews through Revelation (Handbooks on the New Testament)
AUTHOR: Andreas J. Köstenberger
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2020, (304 pages).

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There are many commentaries that are either too brief or too dense with information. Finding something that is just right can be hard and this handbook aims to help us with that task. Why not have a handbook that gives us a good summary without becoming bogged down with details, and yet sufficient background for us to appreciate and understand key themes in the books to be studied? This is the purpose of these series of Baker Academic handbooks that are aimed at students, pastors, lay persons, professors, and so on. This particular handbook focuses on the non-Pauline epistles, the eight general epistles, right through to Revelation. One interesting observation is how the ancient manuscript traditions placed the letters of James, Peter, John, and Jude immediately after Acts. That was probably because these disciples were much closer and more prominent to the witness of the Church chronologically and historically. Paul came relatively later. 

After the introductory statements, readers would be thrilled to see how the author gives concise summaries about the themes of each letter. Starting with Hebrews, Köstenberger makes a strong case why the anonymous nature of the letter should not trouble us in our understanding of the main messages. This is helpful for those of us who might be troubled by the lack of information on who wrote it. He answers each question he posed quickly and directly. He expands on major themes and breezes through other themes without sacrificing continuity. Like good handbooks, he includes a respectable list of commentaries and literature for advanced reading. 

"A Commentary on James" (Aída Besançon Spencer)

TITLE: A Commentary on James
AUTHOR: Aída Besançon Spencer
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Kregel Academic, 2020, (352 pages).

Why is the authorship of the letter of James of such importance? Apart from the ancient context of the letter, what about the interpretations by the early church traditions? What about gender language then and now? Based on the literary structure and grammatical analysis, what can we learn about the themes of the letter? What are the alternate theories about authorship? With her academic background in literary and historical analysis, author and professor Aída Besançon Spencer applies a close exegetical-literary reading into the letter of James to reveal precious gems and crucial themes for us. In doing so, she takes us through a journey about how to endure trials; spiritual wisdom; perspective on wealth; doer of the Word; living faith; usage of the tongue; appropriate speech; precautions about temptations; perseverance; prayer; etc. Going through chapter by chapter, passage by passage, each chapter begins with a similar framework:

• Translation and Grammatical Analysis
• Outline of chapter
• Literary Structure
• Exposition
• Theological and Homiletical Topics
• Other miscellaneous observations

"See-Through Marriage" (Ryan and Selena Frederick)

TITLE: See-Through Marriage
AUTHOR: Ryan and Selena Frederick
PUBLISHER: Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books, 2020, (256 pages).

In any marriage, honesty is a given. Couples are expected to be truthful to each other in all things. Put it another way, good marriages have transparency as the key attribute. No secrets. No lies. No hidden agendas. According to marriage counselors Ryan and Selena Frederick, "unfettered transparency rescues relationships, glorifies God, and multiplies joy." Transparency means vulnerability. Vulnerability involves openness and humility. It invites trust. Why is this critical? One major reason is the widespread show-off culture driven by the popularity of social media. This tempts one to pretend one is well by putting forth photos and pictures of what people wanted to see. The authors believe that we live in a culture of what we see is what we expect to get. Marriages too can fall into such falsehood. The challenge is to take meaningful risk by being vulnerable and transparent. Avoid false vulnerability which essentially hides what is important and only displays what is less important. With the central thesis of cultivating a "see-through marriage," the authors lead us through different ways to accomplish that. Using Bible teachings as the key guide, they remind us that we do not need to hide in darkness but to boldly live in the light. Living in the light according to 1 John 1:6-8 contains two promises when we do that: Purification and fellowship. Transparency means not only we not hide from God, we learn not to hide from each other. There is no fear in love. A healthy marriage means we learn to be open with each other instead of hiding things from each other. That means we learn to know ourselves and the identity God has given us. If we are secured in knowing our identity in God, we will not easily compare ourselves with others. They expand on this topic of identity through the physiological self as well as the psychological self. Experiencing oneness is one of the deepest experiences transparency can provide. 

"Exodus Old and New" (Louis Michael Morales)

TITLE: Exodus Old and New: A Biblical Theology of Redemption (Essential Studies in Biblical Theology)
AUTHOR: Louis Michael Morales
PUBLISHER: Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2020, (224 pages).

There are many precious lessons and truths we can learn from the Bible. With the rich narratives, histories, poetry, prophecies, symbolism, images, and so on, there are many timeless biblical principles that we can apply to our daily lives. One of the key themes of the Christian life is the journey motif. Related to this is something relatively less talked about: The Exodus motif. Based on his dissertation work under Gordon J. Wenham on Genesis and Exodus, author Michael Morales takes the familiar Old Testament journey narrative and focuses on the exit from darkness to light in three situations. The first is the historical exodus of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. This is often the default popular understanding of the exodus. When we refer to the "exodus" in the Bible, almost always we would think of the Bible book "Exodus." This is the "old exodus." Morales believes that the exodus motif has more significance rather than a historical retelling of the story of Israel escaping the clutches of Pharaoh. In fact, he discovers that the exodus motif can be found in several other Bible books like Matthew, Romans, and Revelation. He widens it to include the "second exodus," which is essentially the prophesied second exodus accomplished in Jesus as he leads people from hell to life, even as He emerges from death to life in his resurrection. This can also be understood as the exodus from death to life. Third, there is the "new exodus" where Jesus rises from earth to glory as described in the gospel of John. This three exodus movements parallel the threefold structure of Dante Alighieri's poem:

"Forerunners of the Faith Manual" (Nathan Busenitz)

TITLE: Forerunners of the Faith: 13 Lessons to Understand and Appreciate the Basics of Church History
AUTHOR: Nathan Busenitz
PUBLISHER: Chicago, IL: Moody Publishers, 2020, (112 pages).

The great Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard once said: "Life is lived forward but understood backwards." In trying to make sense of history, we are in effect trying to understand the meaning and significance of how past events have impacted or are still influencing our modern world. As a kid, history is one of those subjects that tend to be old and boring. Who wants to study the past when the future is so much more exciting? Once we get older, we realize that many things that we are trying to solve in the present have happened before in the past. In fact, the more we know of the past, the better we are able to plan for the future. With regard to faith, it is no different. In this survey of Church History, Church Age, or some might prefer to call it the History of Christianity, author and professor Busenitz divides post-Resurrection age in four periods:

1. The Apostolic Age (1st Century)
2. The Patristic Age (2nd-5th Centuries)
3. The Middle Age (6th-15th Centuries)
4. The Reformation and Modern Period (16th-20th Centuries)