Journal of a Lockdown No. 28

"Break agad? 'Wag, SPACE muna." Signage at the Boni MRT, closed since the Lockdown.

Russell Moore's Reading in Exile has been a joy to watch during the lockdown. In a series of continuing video diaries, Pastor Russell, author, theologian, and pastor, talks about the books he likes. Included in this list is Marilynne Robinson's Gilead, a novel that has created a lasting impact in his life. In a podcast published in 2018, Pastor Russell interviews Miss Robinson.

If you've been reading this blog long enough, you probably already know that I love Marilynne Robinson. I don't always agree with her theology, but I'm such a fan of her writing (always have been--no one else writes quite like her) that I named my Kindle "John Ames," after the reverend in Gilead. Having read most of her published work, including all her novels and most of her essay collection, I have discovered that she loves John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, and the Puritans: people so generally misunderstood that they are automatically thought of as uptight, too alt-right, and rigid. A careful reading of their works and lives reveals that they are the most joyful of people.

You're still thinking of things to do? Tim Challies writes that this is the best time to start a blog.

In other news, my media/pop culture consumption includes La Casa De Papel (Money Heist) and
Parks and Recreation, Season 1. And the stories by John Updike and Butch Dalisay. Pastor Russell said he loved Augustine's City of God. I'm thinking of embarking on a new reading-the-Christian classics project.