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Beauty & a Mind for Math

5/27/2015

John Forbes Nash, the American mathematician died a couple days ago. Russell Crowe portrayed this extraordinarily gifted man in the movie "A Beautiful Mind." Nash made mathematical contributions in differential geometry, and partial differential equations. In part, his obituary said: "Nash's work has provided insight into the factors that govern chance and events inside complex systems in daily life." His passing led me to think about the upcoming generation of mathematicians in America.

With that in mind I have two links that I would like to pass on to you. The first deals with what Americans appear to value the most, brains or beauty. If the Miss America pageant is any indicator or measure of our priorities we would have to say that beauty wins. Though the contestants were not asked to solve even the simplest math problem, they were asked their opinion about teaching math in school. Should Math be Taught in Schools?

Given this progressive mindset of our beauty queens it is not surprising that there has been a major evolution of math education in our public school system.

The Evolution of Math in Schools

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Non-Productive Time

5/25/2015

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It occurs to me that a great many of my undertakings can be simply classified as either productive or unproductive. Now, I am constrained to believe that how one categorizes the actions of life into one or the other of these very heterogeneous classifications is more often than not gender driven. Indeed, it may be the sorting of productive and non-productive activities that is at the root of almost all of the world’s gender conflict. Certainly, it seems safe to say that the majority of marital discord stems from a misunderstanding of what comprises productive activity. As you know Adam and Eve started off on the wrong food. Without becoming too technical and laboriously academic, I see on a daily basis the direct consequence of the gender myopia of the opposite sex (if you are apart of the opposing camp, you can easily read this from your own perspective it fits just as well of either side of the class divide as each one has her or his own distorted version of the story i.e. Adam & Eve). "The woman you gave to be with me, she gave me the fruit of the tree and I ate it." Of course, the woman passed the blame along to the serpent and from that day forward there have been communication problems.

As early as I can remember I have been acutely aware of my mortal temporality and I have never wanted to waste the all too short period of time allotted to me (Job 14.1-6); consequently, I have given the matter of maximum productivity considerable thought. I have recently revisited my thoughts on this matter and after some intensive musing on this vitally important subject it has become increasingly clear to me that there are very few activities that can be truly considered productive undertakings. While, on the other hand, Linda has a great many undertakings that she considers not only productive but essential for life to go on unabated. Metaphorically, you could say that Linda is into picking fruit (to be read gardening) and I'm into cogitating about the life cycle of the plant kingdom (to be read vegging out).

As long as I can remember I have always been more interested in why things happen rather than in the event itself. I like philosophy more than history. Generally, I like thinking about things more that actually doing anything. As you might imagine this could be a source of tension between my wife and me. She does not understand what is perfectly clear to me; namely, that mowing the lawn, washing the dishes, indeed, any domestic activity around the house is clearly unproductive. However, understanding the hierarchical domestic structure of the home and the inevitable delegation of tasks is fascinating to me. I tried explaining Adam Smith's division of labor in his treatise "An Inquiry into the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations" but she feigned disinterest. Clearly her idea of productive activities involves something to do with labor; my idea of productivity has everything to do with the philosophy of labor. So, in order to promote domestic tranquility I have conceded her this point and I am willing to let her do anything around the house that she wants to do.

In brief, here is my guiding principle for domestic work: the roof only leaks when it is raining and when it is raining I can’t fix it; however, I can take Charlie for a walk in the rain because standard poodles love the water. While I'm walking Charlie I can think about why the world is the way it is. Other than thinking great thoughts while walking in the rain, it is my fervent desire to wander aimlessly around the country posing as a “peripatetic philosopher” (a title I’ve attached to this undertaking; perhaps lending some dignity to my meandering and possibly impressing some of the philistines I meet along the way).

Finally, let me say that all married couples, indeed, all members of the opposite sex clearly have gender communication issues regarding productive and non-productive activities (Linda and I are no exception to this byproduct of the fall of man). Thankfully, there is a workable solution to this universal conundrum; we can just agree NOT to communicate about the things that really matter in life. For Linda and I it is simple: I ignore her insistence on a dust bunny free living room and her addiction to scrabble and she allows me to roam about in my phenomenological and ontological Myst-like fantasy world. There is, of course one caveat, she insists that before I mentally check-out that I take the garbage and the recycling out to the street.

Now, I ask you: “How unproductive is that?”

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Searching for Home

5/20/2015

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A friend notified my wife and myself that she has reached a point in her struggle against a life threatening disease that she is done resisting and is now content to "go home." Her text (delivered thorough a friend as she is too weak to write) reminded me of a book I read several years ago: Craig M. Barnes' book, Searching for Home. He used Dante's Divine Comedy as the springboard for his theme of wanderers (nomads) searching for Sanctuary. There is within every reflective person a hunger for beauty and for a place to rest. I suppose that is one of the reasons Psalm 23 resonates with almost everyone: The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not want. He makes me lie down in green pastures. He leads me beside still waters. He restores my soul ... Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I shall dwell in the house of the LORD forever. Ironically, the search for home generally begins with a journey into the dark abyss of a deceitfully wicked heart (Jeremiah 17.9). It is only when a person recognizes the impossibility of self-redemption and that he needs to be rescued that there is any hope of redemption. So it is in Dante's Divine Comedy the journey home (Paradiso) begins with a descent into hell (Inferno). It is in this helpless estate that one finds salvation in Christ and begins the journey home.

I wrote my friend to tell her that I was deeply saddened at the thought of her "home going” but that in my heart I am convinced she knows exactly where home is. She is a wise person in the sense of Daniel 12.3 and she knows that her name is written in the book. She has spent much of her life in the company of the Prince of Peace who has been, and is giving her an assurance that there is a place set aside for her when she finally arrives home.

Years before she had his confidence in the abiding Spirit of Christ she came to a realization that she was wandering about blind, lost and lonely. Then at just the right moment she came to understand that God's own dear Son, our Prince of Peace, in his mercy had provided an escape from the penalty of her self-destroying sin. When she embraced the gift of God in Christ everything changed. It's not that all the troubles of life went away but she discovered that the good Shepherd of her soul became her new delight. Since then he has been accompanying her on her journey home to that "undiscovered country" where she will see him face to face.

With these memories of her in mind I wrote her: "Now, whether your journey will be completed in short order or whether our Lord leaves you with us for another season, I am confident that his abiding presence will keep and sustain you. In due course, you along with myself and all who are friends of Christ will join that great company of “Overcomers" who surround the throne with their praises. That will be a great day indeed!"

At the men’s Bible study that meets at my house on Wednesday mornings at 5:45 a.m. we talked about Christ being at the right hand of God and how he intercedes on our behalf. Two of John Donne’s poems came up in our discussion.

Regarding death he writes:

Holy Sonnet X
Death be not proud, though some have called thee
Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so,
For, those, whom thou think’st, thou dost overthrow,
Die not, poor death, nor yet canst thou kill me.
From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,
Much pleasure, then from thee, much more must flow,
And soonest our best men with thee do go,
Rest of their bones, and souls delivery.
Thou art slave to Fate, Chance, kings and desperate men
And dost with poison, war, and sicknesses dwell,
And poppy, or charmes can make us sleep as well,
And better than thy stroke; why swell’st thou then;
One short sleep past, we wake eternally,
And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

Of the transition to heaven he writes:

Holy Sonnet VI

This is my play's last scene; here heavens appoint
My pilgrimage's last mile; and my race
Idly, yet quickly run, hath this last pace;
My span's last inch, my minute's latest point;
And gluttonous Death will instantly unjoint
My body and soul, and I shall sleep a space;
But my ever-waking part shall see that face,
Whose fear already shakes my every joint.
Then, as my soul to heaven her first seat takes flight,
And earth-born body in the earth shall dwell,
So fall my sins, that all may have their right,
To where they're bred and would press me to hell.
Impute me righteous, thus purged of evil,
For thus I leave the world, the flesh, the devil

I love this passage from 2 Corinthians 4.13-18

Since we have the same spirit of faith according to what has been written, “I believed, and so I spoke,” we also believe, and so we also speak, knowing that he who raised the Lord Jesus will raise us also with Jesus and bring us with you into his presence. For it is all for your sake, so that as grace extends to more and more people it may increase thanksgiving, to the glory of God.

So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.

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May 18th, 2015

5/18/2015

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Sometimes I think that words are little black bugs on a page that have a life of their own. They have, of course, their genesis in the mind of their author, but how they start out is often not how they end up. Once they begin crawling about on the page, or in this case the screen, who knows where they will end up. It has been said that the pen is mightier than the sword and I suppose there is some truth to the statement. After all, when all is said and done and more is usually said than done, it is some singularly unique idea that revolutionizes the weltanschauung of an individual or even a culture. William Blake was not given his due as an artists and poet by his coevals but in subsequent generations more than a few men and women's hearts and minds have been shaken by the little bugs he left on lying on the page. Malcolm Muggeridge, for one, that acerbic social commentator and master wordsmith took a step towards faith in Christ as a result of Blake’s discordant comments on the religion du jour.

This Life’s dim Windows of the Soul
Distorts the Heavens from Pole to Pole
And leads you to believe a Lie
When you see with, not thro’, the Eye.

When Augustine received word that Rome had been sacked by the Goths he wrote: “You are surprised that the wold is losing its grip? That the world is grown old and full of pressing tribulations? Do not hold on to the old man, the world; do not refuse to regain your youth in Christ, who says to you: The world is passing away, the world is losing its grip, the world is short of breath. Do not fear, thy youth shall be renewed as an eagle.” We live at a time in history when a new breed of Goths and Visigoths are propagating fear and unrest. Their message is written on the page; their terrorism is viewable on the screen, their "Bad Blood" is even fed to us as "entertainment."

Thankfully, there is another message that speaks of the vindication of Christ’s Messianic ministry; namely, his resurrection, ascension, exaltation, session, reign, high priestly office and his return for judgement - these words provide a window into heaven. The door, of course, is Jesus himself.

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Gender Issues

5/16/2015

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Perhaps we are so far down the road about gender idenitity and gender roles that there remains nothing left to be said. Nonetheless, I think the twentieth century neo-orthodox German theologian Karl Barth made a great theological and Scriptural point about gender differences in a letter responding to Frau Henrietta Visser't Hooft, a well known feminist egalitarian of the 1930s. In her letter she comments on 1 Corinthians 11.5-11 passage “But has not Christ set us free, is not everyone now directly responsible to God, whether man or woman? … it would be outrageous for a person like Paul to condemn half the human race so irresponsibly.”

Barth, after referring her to John Calvin responds in part by saying:

"Paul did not write all that in order to teach and to canonize a certain concept of the relation between man and woman; he took that relationship (which he considers the right one) to illustrate the relation between God and man, as it should exist in the Christian community. … bear in mind that not only Paul, but the whole Bible, assumes that the man-woman relationship on earth and in time is not a matriarchy but a patriarchy. That is a fact; just as it is a fact that the Chosen People (to whom Christ also belonged) were not the Carthaginians nor the Spartans but the Israelites. Or just as it is a fact that in his revelation (in human language, history, and philosophy-of-life) God did not choose the Middle Ages, nor the 20th century, but late antiquity, thus making that era the centre of all ages. These selections do not imply any recognition of special worth and excellence in male persons nor in the Israelite people nor in the people of late antiquity. But they indicate special dispositions made by God in his dealings with human beings. Their importance is only temporal. But as such they cannot be simply ignored, nor can they be disputed with personal arguments" (cf. 1 Corinthians l l.11).

"Whether or not we recognize them as right, whether we like them or not, we have to accept these dispositions in this life until the time of the New Heaven and the New Earth. We are, of course, at liberty to object to these dispositions; in so doing we may experience to some extent whether they are right or wrong. For instance, a great many Christians in Germany today object to the fact that Christ was a Jew, time will show whether their objections are salutary. And women can object to the fact that the Bible says "man is the woman's head." Time will show whether it is good to reverse this disposition or (as you would like to do) to neutralize it. I will refrain from saying anything about Paul's sociological, psychological, or physiological arguments. But I may point out that there is another possibility: not to oppose God's dispositions but to accept them without argument because they are, and then perhaps with time to realize that they are good. These dispositions are bound up with the fact of his revelation in Christ, who was a man, thus confirming the superiority of Adam. …The essential point, which cannot be too much stressed, is that Paul's concept of man's superiority is merely a means to an end, merely to illustrate God's superiority over human beings. Read this passage carefully from this approach, and you will see that it excludes all idea of mutualism! I think it should then be easier for you to understand basically what Paul says about the man-woman relationship (within the context of this higher truth)."

** A theological footnote: Keep in mind that Barth is here speaking of Adam’s superiority as rank or position, not unlike God the Father as superior to God the Son. Moreover, if it was the joy of Christ to become servant of all (Philippians 2.5), certainly, we ought not to reject the office he gives to us; this too is for His glory. The argument is often set forth in such a manner that “subordination equals denigration” and “equality equals indistinguishability.” However, we ask ourselves the question about the role of the Son of God, in what manner is He denigrated because He obeys the will of the Father? “Is the church denigrated by her subordination to her Lord?” What about submission to pastors and elders (Hebrews 13.17) or children submitting to their parents are these actions demeaning the worth or value of the individual?

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Finding Wisdom

5/6/2015

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During a recent conversation with Carrie we began discussing books that engaged the mind. It is easy to read on a superficial level but to engage an author in such a way that the reader comes away from the experience with a bit of wisdom is difficult. And what books are really worth reading. There was a time when the very thought having to really think through what I was reading was odious. Later, I began to look at books as some sort of treasure hunt. The process of discovery through reading is dangerously addictive. Foremost, I suppose, it is vital to develop a open but critical mindset with a moderately well thought out worldview as a starting point. Then, much like G. K. Chesterton said: “I keep an open mind until I find something solid on which to close it.” Afterward, I tend to read both people with whom I agree and people with whom I disagree and occasionally, people with whom I probably ought to agree. When in the course of our conversation Carrie asked me for a few books that might stimulate her thinking in the area of wisdom I readily agreed to send along a short list; but, then, it occurred to me that it is a bit presumptuous to even try to recommend books other than the sola Scriptura that stimulate the heart/mind in the pursuit of true wisdom - as though anyone has mastered the subject. Nonetheless, I recommended a few starter books to get up and running. What follows is the core of my email with its recommendations.

Personally, I find the Biblical wisdom literature and the Gospels (that includes Paul's "gospel" Romans) extraordinarily informative - along with my other Scriptural readings I've been reading through the Biblical poetic books (wisdom literature) almost daily for the last year or so and I've found Job and Ecclesiastes very helpful; albeit somewhat depressing as a quick read; nonetheless its penetrating truths begin to sink home after the 5th or 6th read through. Philip Graham Ryken's "Ecclesiastes: Why Everything Matters" and Zack Eswine's Recovering Eden" are helpful guides to Ecclesiastes; while Christopher Ash's commentary Job: The Wisdom of the Cross is faithful guide through what is for many a troubling book.

If you have never read J. Mortimer Adler's How to Read a Book I think you will find it helpful. It is a classic and every student ought to be required to read it - though I do not think it is on many required reading lists. Adler, an agnostic, came to faith very late in life and his conversion is chronicled in a book entitled Philosophers Who Believe. His conversion was a great surprise to many - not unlike Malcolm Muggeridge's late conversion (BTW his book Jesus Rediscovered was a delight to read). Miggeridge is a great wordsmith.

Some time ago I read Provocations: The Spiritual Writings of Soren Kierkegaard edited by Charles Moore and found it delightfully disturbing and thought provoking. I had read a number of Kierkegaard's works when I was in my twenties and was particularly moved by his treatise Purity of Heart is to Will One Thing (I gave my copy to a philosophy professor and never got it back) so I was delighted to find a compilation of S.K.’s work by Moore. Eugene Peterson's blurb on the book reads: "In a culture awash in religious silliness, Kierkegaard's bracing metaphors expose our mediocrities and energize us with a clarified sense of what it means to follow Jesus."

Another classic Christian philosopher is Blaise Pascal. Of course, the book to which I am referring is Pensees It is an unusual read - rather like theological / philosophical sound bites - but it may be worth your time to digest the insights of a man who stood between science and religion. Intellectually akin to Jonathan Edwards who was a great theologian but also a gifted philosopher and scientist.

A book that was of great help in the formulation my basic theological framework was The Body of Divinity by Thomas Watson (one of the authors of the Westminster Confession). It is a slow read, but a great devotional read.

Not to overwhelm you, but let me suggest one more volume: George Herbert's Poems. I have often found great poetry wonderfully and succinctly encapsulate truth, wisdom and beauty. Though the romantic poet Keats' understanding of beauty may have been off the mark as far as understanding the beauty of the infinite his often quoted phrase 'Beauty is truth, truth beauty,' - that is all ye know on earth, and all ye need to know (from an Ode on a Grecian Urn) it may be an apt summary of Herbert's poetic depiction of God's divine love and redemptive intercession.

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Gary Moore

College: Arizona State University - Major: History (B.A.)

Seminary: Eastern Baptist Theological Seminary (M.Div.)

Sabbatical Studies: 1984 Westminster Seminary (Escondido)

2004 Westminster College, Cambridge University (UK)

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Beauty & a Mind for Math

Non-Productive Time

Searching for Home

May 18th, 2015

Gender Issues

Finding Wisdom

Gary Moore

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