Take Leo Tolstoy, please. Wasn’t he some kind of commie? And his snooze of a book, War and Peace: Didn’t he come out in favor of peace? Was he some kind of Russian aristocrat gun-control guy?
Thinking about long reads, have you heard of Moby Dick? Herman Melville’s hero, Ishmael, shares a bed with this cannibal Queequeg, who has tattoos all over his body. Definitely woke. They try to kill a white whale: Why make it white rather than black or brown?
John Fea performed a public service on Saturday by simply quoting responses to comments by British theologian N. T. Wright. In John’s accurate summary, “The reaction to an N.T. Wright clip on X offers another glimpse into the current state of right-wing evangelical politics today.” It’s not a joyful reveal: Take a look and lament.
In high school I read War and Peace because it was long: Going all the way was a literary rite of passage. Last week it so happened I was reading Wright’s magnificent The Resurrection of the Son of God, which in 817 packed pages annihilates claims that the Gospels are made-up stories. Evangelicals should thank Wright and be at peace with him.
Yes, Wright’s podcast statement on abortion was a tad confused, especially when he says Aphrodite and Mars are at war: They’re actually on the same pro-abortion side. But I can go into that another time. Enough about books: Let’s talk baseball and this dude Babe Ruth. What kind of a trans, non-binary name is that?
(Regarding my headline: hat tip to Vizzini in The Princess Bride)