I am currently reading this fourth text of the Great Lives series. That is following my own personal sequence, in actuality in its proper sequence this is the seventh and second to last. In the introduction Mr Swindoll writes, "The scarcity of heroes has troubled me for years." The theme of heroism is one of the main in the text (this is fitting since the book is titled A Man of Heroic Endurance). Anyway, that opening line compelled me to write a few lines of mine own on here. The call for heroism is a strong one, I think. This call is a reaction of sorts to the current settling for mediocrity in our current society.
I recall being in an introductory course to the New Testament during my undergraduate years. One of the books in the class was Introduction to the New Testament by Bart Erhman. That text written by an agnostic takes the fledgling student through an intellectual deconstruction of Jesus. And by the time the course was through I was under the impression Jesus was a fraud, or something a lot less than what I originally believed Him to be. This was at a prestigious institution and I imagine that the same sort if thing goes on elsewhere. Because I eventually noticed this same sort of intellectual exercise goes on in other departments across different campuses across the country. It's as if academia has a grudge with divinely inspired excellence, and must go through the trouble of bringing it down to something the modern mind can grasp. But if all is mediocrity, then how can we aspire to greatness? Anyway, just a small rant. This is a stimulating book thus far.
I recall being in an introductory course to the New Testament during my undergraduate years. One of the books in the class was Introduction to the New Testament by Bart Erhman. That text written by an agnostic takes the fledgling student through an intellectual deconstruction of Jesus. And by the time the course was through I was under the impression Jesus was a fraud, or something a lot less than what I originally believed Him to be. This was at a prestigious institution and I imagine that the same sort if thing goes on elsewhere. Because I eventually noticed this same sort of intellectual exercise goes on in other departments across different campuses across the country. It's as if academia has a grudge with divinely inspired excellence, and must go through the trouble of bringing it down to something the modern mind can grasp. But if all is mediocrity, then how can we aspire to greatness? Anyway, just a small rant. This is a stimulating book thus far.
