Lowell Bennion is my hero. "Nothing matters ultimately in any setting—in marriage, the family, school, the church, the community, the world—except what happens to persons."
Book review: “The Best of Lowell L. Bennion” edited by Eugene England
The Politics of Cultural Despair
I forget exactly where this book popped up initially-- but I assume it was a Goodreads recommendation based on some of the politically oriented books or German history books I've been into as of late. Here's the Goodreads blurb: This is a study in the pathology of cultural criticism. By analyzing the thought and influence... Continue Reading →
Rationalizing your video game addiction: A mixed bag in “Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter”
I added this book to my shelf for the two oxymorons built into the existence of this book. The first is the juxtaposition of genres: a book...about video games?! (Pardon my rant here) I suppose the Venn diagram of bookworms and video game addicts could have some sort of intersection, and the presence of the... Continue Reading →
Morning inspiration: “Learning to Like Life: A Tribute to Lowell Bennion”
When you grow up in Utah, the name Bennion in ubiquitous. You probably have met a Bennion somewhere in school or at work or at church. The name Bennion to me brings to mind the Bennion Center at the Union building on the University of Utah campus. But while the name became familiar, I never... Continue Reading →
Hell is a library: Book review of Stephen Peck’s “A Short Stay in Hell”
I first encountered Stephen Peck on an LDS Perspectives podcast entitled A Religion of Both Prayers and Pterodactyls. The interview conducted by Laura Harris Hales dealt with the intersection of science and religion and how Peck, a scientist himself, reconciles the two. I added several of his books to my reading list, including A Short... Continue Reading →
The Courage to Be Disliked: Book review
This book caught my eye when my fellow graduate student and book enthusiast, Arushi, added it to her Goodreads list. The title called up multiple images to mind, including a grumpy old man (perhaps Uncle from Jacki Chan Adventures?) and memories of the fear associated with my two years as a Mormon missionary in Germany.... Continue Reading →
The scandal of particularity
This morning, I read a compelling analogy used by Elder Renlund and his wife in an address to seminar and institute teachers entitled "Doubt not, but be believing." They use this analogy to address the concepts of doubt and faith in young students. Pardon the extended quote, but I think it worth including in full:... Continue Reading →
A Mormon and an existentialist go into a bar: Book review of “At the Existentialist Café”
These past few months, I have been trying to read a book simultaneously with various friends, and this is the second thus far (my previous co-read was "The Spiritual Roots of Human Relations" which I read with my dad). "The Existentialist Cafe" was next on my list, which I read in conjunction with my friend... Continue Reading →
Broken oaths and dead gods: Book review of Sanderson’s Oathbringer
I finished Oathbringer in between camping trips during my short summer break, and I'm writing this on our camping trip to Crater Lakes National Park early enough in the morning that everyone else is asleep. Many of my friends praised Oathbringer to the skies considering it the best of the Stormlight Archives novels. I was... Continue Reading →
