Do Not Disavow

Posted By
Do Not Disavow By: Rick Davis   When Charlemagne established law Salic in barb’rous land, The gospel flourished, and he saw Christ’s praise on every hand.   (“Do you approve his methods now?”) I do not disavow.   King Godfrey took Jerusalem From bloody paynim hands And brought a halt to Musselmen Invading Christian lands.   (“He did some mean things anyhow!”) I do not disavow.   King Richard with his scarlet shield And passant lions ‘bossed Rode forth again unto the field To regain what was lost.   (“His deeds at Acre you allow?”) I do not disavow.   Unto the Germans Luther brought The gospel full restored, And Calvin at Geneva taught The glory of the Lord.   (“The Jews? Servetus? Holy cow!”) I do not disavow.   Stonewall and Lee like knights of old Fought for their native soil, The true and lovely to uphold Against the tyrant’s spoil.   (“Those vile racists ...
0

Creed Without Chaos

Posted By
Book Review:
Creed without Chaos: Exploring Theology in the Writings of Dorothy L. Sayers

This was an excellent book on several levels. Overall the book intends to be an introduction to the theological thought of Dorothy Sayers. In the first section, the author summarizes Sayers's approach to theology. A good case is made for lay theology and for classical education, as the author shows that Sayers's broad literary background gave her the ability to uniquely translate theological concepts into a form understood by modern men and women. The second section of the book gives a summary of Sayers's thought on the various areas of Christian theology addressed in her work.

I appreciated the fact that the author doesn't force Sayers into a pre-made mold as many Sayers critics do. Sayers was a very complex woman, and Laura Simmons recognizes this fact. The footnotes in the book are as interesting as the main text, and I came away with so many great quotations from Sayers that I had never before encountered. Finally, the book is lucidly written from start to finish in such a way as to be both academic and accessible to anyone. This is one of the best books on Sayers's work that I have read.

Comments

Laura Simmons said…
Thanks for the nice review, Rick! :)
17 August, 2010 19:26
hopeinbrazil said…
Great review. I'll be on the lookout for this one.
21 August, 2010 09:40
Rick Davis said…
Laura, I did enjoy the book very much. Now I want to find a copy of the letters between Sayers and Lewis.
24 August, 2010 20:32
Banshee said…
I'm glad you say it takes a complex view. Most books about Sayers make me want to throw the book out the window, followed by the author. (And Ngaio Marsh was amazingly catty in some of her remarks about Sayers, which she followed up with complaints about people saying the same sorts of things about her as she'd just been saying about Sayers.)

(Darn that fallible humanity of dead writers I respect!)
09 September, 2010 23:26
Post a Comment