Kim Gentes

The first 45 years of the 20th century was a revolutionary time for economics- literally! The transformation of much of Europe, two world wars, the rise of American commercial/industrial supremacy and the creation of the first major socialist state- Soviet Russia. All of these things were (at least in part) results of change in how people viewed economics. From university professors, to political power brokers, economics had become the testing ground for the philosophies of Smithian capitalism to Marxist socialism. The results of all those theories attempted to be "proven" in real world situations meant that success and failure stories were strewn across the globe and time.

During the first half of the 20th century, economic theories and teachers were seen as "prophets" in a world of uncertainty. From philosphy to math, economics promised to help us understand our world. But much was confusing about this discipline. Into this world comes Henry Hazlitt.

Instead of creating a new school of economics, confronting the various theories and gurus, Hazlitt wrote a book on a single principle. "Economics In One Lesson" is that lesson, and it has become the most popular economics textbook in history. His secret? Follow the money.

Hazlitt describes the issue with most economist failures as the short-sightedness of looking only to a single group in the short term, rather than to all groups for both short and long term effects. From this single truth, the entire book explodes with explanations and examples that are easy to understand, but explore the root of almost all economic idiocy that hampered the markets of the past (and still plague the economic systems of the present). Hazlitt takes no political or idelogical swings at others, though he stands clearly in the capitalist river of economic thought. It's an excellent book for people encountering economics for the first time, and very good for experienced economic "experts" who tend to forget this seminal counterbalance to so many new theories of economic prediction.

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/TyM111

A classic book that makes an often confusing subject clear for everyone. Though it was originally written in 1946, it has been revised with a second edition update and this text remains a test to its timeless application for anyone wishing to learn about economics.

Review by Kim Gentes

There are very few studies which garner more yawns than economics. Despite it's practical application to literally every person, it's been popularly bantered about as boring and only understandable by the "math and theory geeks". As this book proves, nothing could be further from the truth.

For myself, as a student of history, I've been looking for a concise review of capitalism and the development of economic theory and thought in modern times. "The Making of Modern Economics" by Mark Skousen has impressed me as both a highly readable narrative and a diligent study of all the major people, theories, schools, history and events that shaped the landscape of modern economics. Skousen's transparent espousal of Adam Smith's foundation of natural liberty sets the tone for this capitalist understanding of this essential modern discipline.

Skousen navigates through 250 years of what amounts to revolutionary change in the way human beings work, think, save, spend, and manage resources. At its core, economics is the essential study of how humans deal with a world of resources constrained by scarcity. According to Skousen, Adam Smith is the first known figure to compile a major work that addresses the issue of economics and provides a structural framework for how understanding it can best deal with scarcity. The result is the nacient birth of the free market capitalist system that is built upon the theory of natural liberty that Smith proposes in the book, and which is counterbalanced by the impact of another of Smith's theories- the invisible hand.

Skousen postulates that Smith provided the "house" on which all economic thought has been built since. But more than just giving his philosophical grading to Smith, Skousen traces person by person through history- comparing each character's work against the original ediface constructed by Smith (and against one another). In doing this, Skousen creates a narrative that is bound to the benefits of free market capitalists. Characters that wrote and taught theories opposing Adam Smith (such notables as Marx and Keynes) are given clear articulation in points both positive and negative. Likewise, advocates such as Milton Friedman and Friedrich Hayek each recieve sections celebrating their comebacks and chastising their errors.

This book leaves most of the minute details of economic data and statistical study out of the text (or relagated as references), which makes it an historical study more than an econometric or financial review of theories.  As a readable, understandable and enjoyable history, this book is exceptional.  If you are a free market advocate, it will be a delight.  Skousen clearly has written this as much as a defence of Smithian economics as he has for an historical understanding of the development of political economy into modern economics. But he succeeds at both!

Really, if you have any interest in the story of freedom as it is manifested in the light of economics, then this book is a "must read". Thoughtful and enjoyable writing on every page (of which there are nearly 500).

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/PXGbVZ

I strongly recommend this book! Available in multiple formats. I read it in Kindle eBook format and listened to part of it in Audible book format. It is also on paperback and hardback.

Review by Kim Gentes

Human history, and its constituent civilizations, has largely been driven and directed by its discovery of key technologies, the development of which are largely determined by advantages of geographic location and plentiful access to essential species of domesticable plants and animals. This is the overall premise of Jared Diamond's "Guns, Germs and Steel". The book is a lengthy (512 pages) but insightful review of the evolution of peoples from the beings who lived as hunter-gatherers to the societies that developed from the advantages of food producing farmers. While "Guns, Germs and Steel" encapsulate some of the topics Diamond covers in this book, it is a serious bit of salesmanship that placed that title on this volume. The vast majority of this book is related to topics of food production especially focusing on agriculture and animal domestication. A more representative title might have been "The Advantages of Agriculture on Human Civilizations", but I am guessing that using 'agriculture' in a book title doesn't win sexy awards from publishers.

While guns, germs and steel are discussed and do play important roles in later civilization history, it is the pre-history of city-states that Diamond is concerned with. He builds the case from biology, history and linguistics that the foundation of food production (agriculture and animal domestication) was the seminal discovery that advantaged one society over another. Food producing societies were the ones able to support people who didn't have to worry about subsistence living (as every member of a hunter-gatherer society must do). The result of larger scale food production (which fed more than the family who produced/harvested the food) allowed people to live collectively and develop into the clans, tribes, and eventually cultures we have come to know. This collective grouping of peoples and sedentary living permitted the development not only of additional technologies but the sharing of those technologies, trade, and even exposure to a broader array of diseases to which a society could become sufficiently resistant (it is this disease resistance that becomes the later pivotal weapon of European societies as they conquered other cultures and lands).

In short, food production became the lynch pinch of early success which skewed technology and natural disease resistance to favor the Eurasian super-continent (and, initially at least, the Fertile Crescent) to become the place from which world wide colonialism would spring. The impact and effect of Eurasia's multi-millenial (in most cases) head start in food production and technology advancement would mean that European/Asian societies (Europe and China as their eventual descendants) would be the center from which conquest and expansion would emanate.

Diamond is clear that he believes he can prove from this premise that it is the intrinsic benefits of climate, geography and environment (including the selection of domesticable mammals present in various continents) that allowed Eurasia to gain the head start in food production and allowed it to sustain its lead in a upwardly spiraling positive feedback loop of food production, technology, language (especially written language) and other factors that ensured the blossoming of modern "Western Society" as the dominant civilization across the earth.  Diamond is clearly taking aim (and he doesn't try to hide this) at racist claims that certain peoples flourished because of their genetically better mental accumen (which presumably would allow for faster discovery/invention of technology).

Overall, the book is an exceptional work of logic, science and history. Diamond does well to employ his extensive biological understanding of food, plants and genetics to help the reader understand how man and nature engaged with one another and forced the process of evolution along the road of plant and animal domestication.  He also is exceptional in gathering facts of multi-disciplines (history, linguistics, archeology and biology) and making the peices fit the narrative he is building.

But for most casual readers this book will seem long and extremely tedious. If you have the patience for it, however, it can prove to be a global tour of human history that "connects the dots" across many facets of human development that may be of interest.  Personally, I enjoyed the book immensely, though I have had no previous interest in agricultural science. What fascinated me most about this book was its cohesive narrative- by building on the major premise of food production, one sees the development of classical to modern societies in a wholely different light than simply one group conquering another out of sheer military might. While the book is full of arduous details, I found the writing style enjoyable.

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/NrthLd

If you like detailed reading with high-order concepts, I highly recommend this book.

Review by Kim Gentes

The last 20 years has changed the church music landscape drastically. But do choirs need to be a casualty of this change? Dave Williamson, one of the most respected voices influencing modern choirs in the last 20 years, says an emphatic "no". His brilliant new book, "God's Singers", reshapes the vision of the church choir from performance group to a God-centered, worship leading troupe.

The book alternates between both heart and practical issues of choirs, helping you move into gradual change of developing a choir that can be good technically and in its motives. You will be challenged, encouraged, and wisely taught from one of the best minds and practitioners in church music.

The book is divided into 2 main parts-

●     A “What & Why” section

●     A “How” section

As you can guess the first section deals with biblical and philosophical foundations of Dave’s thesis. And what a clear thesis it is. Even before the book proper begins, Dave lets the cat out of the bag when he lays out his premise: "the choir is potentially the most powerful worship leader in any congregation."  The naysayers won't be long in hearing the what and why of Dave’s statement, as he lays out the facts for about 140 pages of insightful, loving, wise and even humorous dialog about why this is important and what we should hope for in a choir. What's more, Dave doesn’t spare himself in the dialog. In fact, many of the stories contained in the book are examples both of Dave’s failures (and learning from them) as they are times when God brought success through his grace. I love this about the book, because Dave sounds like a real person and we aren’t talked down to by someone who’s “made it”.

The second section jumps immediately into the fray of building and developing your choir with everything from helping pastoral leadership to understand and support the choir (for churches adding choirs for the first time), to transforming existing choirs, how to do interviews of choir members (prospective and current), how to organize a choir (including excellent job descriptions), how to creating a transformative choir retreat weekend, head-chart harmony, singing techniques, how to introduce a new song to your choir, leading a rehearsal, memorization, planning a service, sound check, working with praise teams, and on and on. Dave has packed this book so full of material, the only thing I caution is trying to go through it too fast! It’s rich and deep and helps on so many levels. In addition to all that (and I've skipped a lot of other things too numerous to mention) the back inside cover of the book comes with a full audio CD of exercise, samples and workout materials related to the book sections. Fabulous!

Whether you are thinking about starting a choir in your modern church or need direction for moving it forward from its current languishing, I can't urge you more strongly to consider Williamson's new book "God's Singers". Every church pastor and worship leader should read this book! You won't be disappointed!

Amazon Book Links (Dave's book is available in two forms)

Director's Edition: http://amzn.to/JOHHbt (Amazon)  or CBD (much cheaper)

Singer's Edition: http://amzn.to/Nc1Ed5

Review by Kim Gentes

NOTE: you can watch a video interview with Dave Williamson about both the book and his wisdom on worship leading choirs. The video is located here.

Reading the book "Learning to Suffer Well" was something of a personal earthquake for me, not just through the reading of the book, but through the workbook style exercises and weekly meetings recommended with a trusted friend. In the combination of all three (reading, workbook exercises and meeting with a friend) the work turned up some profound truth and good application. The scriptural understanding of suffering, as a valid component within the differentiated and holistic Christian life, becomes apparent. What I had only intuited in the nuance of scripture reading before was brought to full light- Jesus, the disciples, and most heroes of the faith suffered as part of their lives, and it was part of God's will that they did so.

It became clear that my attempts to avoid suffering only weakened my growth and had not saved me any pain.  As I began to delve into the devotions and exercises, I saw Christ fully aware of suffering, yet not distant. Acknowledging the pain, but not abandoning me to it.  In my theology before taking reading this book, I realized that what I had feared was not suffering itself but the isolation of believing it was an outward sign of God's abandonment.

But the closer I delved into the reality that my past, present and future sufferings may not only be used by God, but they may be God's plan for change (at times) in my life, I began to see a God who never leaves or forsakes me. A God who is thoroughly aware of our loss, has experienced it personally (in Christ) and joins with us both during our "death" and as the change agent in our resurrection through the other side of the pain. But beyond the "knowledge" of God's presence with us through the pain of suffering, "Learning to Suffer Well" holds a very practical key to allow for change in a persons actual life.

Peter Fitch gives a progressive understanding of the qualities of the follower of Jesus who has come to grasp what true suffering is. He says it this way:

The difference is something like this: a person with perseverance knows that he or she will survive through difficulty; a person with character, already confident about perseverance, generally makes the decision to do something constructive in the midst of the trial.[1]

and

If the person with perseverance may be characterised as "hanging on", and the person with character may be seen as getting to work in the midst of the trial to help speed its conclusion, the person with hope must be seen as one who remains cheerful and at peace, praising God right through the difficulty...In this way, hope is related to faith. Instead of allowing the heart to fall into despondency at the onset of the trial, hope remembers the power and love of God and turns expectantly toward Him.[2]

What is grasped here is worth re-iterating. It is, quite simply, that we have three laudable plateaus of faith through suffering: perseverance, character and hope. Perseverance knows they will survive through the suffering; character decides to grow through the suffering; and hope remember God's power and love and turns to Him for it.

Through reading "Learning to Suffer Well", I have come to the real belief that Paul's admonition is as pertinent to suffering in my life as it is to every believer:

And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.(Romans 8:28)

This is an excellent book! I highly recommend it!

Amazon Book Link: http://amzn.to/JEPXL8

Review by Kim Gentes

Footnotes:

1. Peter Fitch, "Learning to Suffer Well", (Cape Town, South Africa:Vineyard International Publishing 2000), Pg 60
2. Ibid., Pg 75