Nero Wolfe: Reclusive Detective of Massive Genius

You've doubtless heard of Sherlock Holmes, and you may have heard of Sam Spade, but there's a good chance you've never heard of Nero Wolfe and Archie Goodwin or of their creator Rex Stout. Nero Wolfe is a massive man - a "seventh of a ton" - with an even larger genius for crime solving. But he's also an obtuse recluse that doesn't like to leave his orchid's at home nor the food of his personal chef, Fritz. He doesn't even like to leave home for business, that's why he's got a full-time assistant, Archie Goodwin, who's the street-smart, sure-foot sleuth who does the legwork. It's a 20th Century Holmes and Watson but with more fireworks both between Goodwin and Wolfe and they and their enemies as it's set in New York City from the 30's to the 60's. There is also intense and amusing competition between Goodwin and Wolfe and the New York Police Department and the police, particularly Inspectors Crammer and Stebbins are always close at hand yet far behind the private detectives.

I read somewhere that one reads a single Nero Wolfe story and enjoys it but reads two or three and is addicted. I agree with this opinion. I recently read my first Wolfe novel, Death of a Doxy and enjoyed it thoroughly - it was good fun. It's the story of a straightforward homicide that Wolfe sorts through fairly easily. Then I read my second Wolfe novel, In The Best Families and this one really drew me in. It was great fun. Wolfe is really put to the test this time by the tangled mess of a homicide and a mobster. This is a fabulous story and I'm looking forward to more.

Wolfe and Goodwin are truly interesting characters and Stout draws them well. These are good stories, the characters are worthy and the dialogue is excellent. Wolfe himself really is fascinating. He's similar to Holmes but is more arrogant, more obstinate, more passionate when drawn out, but is even colder towards the fair sex than the occupant of 221B Baker Street. He also seems more human, he has other interests besides sleuthing, such as reading, his orchids, and his cuisine, and his stance towards the other sex is not merely cold business-like but rather seems driven by some past lost love. When it comes to his side interests his detective work seems a distraction from what he really wishes to do, but he must do it because he's so good at it and makes good money doing it (and his comfortable and sedentary lifestyle has a price). And when a mystery is brought to him he can't hardly help himself until he resolves it. And he resolves it by sitting around and simply thinking on it. When he figures it out, he only acts to prove it, he doesn't care to defend himself to others for he doesn't need their approval.

"I can give you my word, but I know what it's worth and you don't." - Nero Wolfe

Nero Wolfe is among the best of literary detectives - Sherlock Holmes, Hercule Poirot, Ellery Queen - and if you like murder mysteries you'll find that this is very good stuff. And I'm not alone in saying so, Eugene Peterson, recognized author and translator of the Bible paraphrase The Message, recommends Wolfe, among 12 other mysteries, in his Take & Read book of recommended reads. Peterson says that for 30 years he has amused himself with the Wolfe stories, of which there are over 70. If you like detective fiction, you'll love Wolfe. Dig in and enjoy!

Seven Subtle Siphons

I wrote this list down some time back and forgot where it came from, I think it was John Piper. I found it thoughtful and helpful. There are always dangers, even slight ones, lurking around and some of them are like siphons - overtime they drag us down, empty us, and are long-term defeaters. Like Proverbs, short lists and aphorisms, so long as they are not too cliche, are very helpful to provide course-correction.

Here are seven:

1. Words without actions.
2. Busyness without purpose.
3. Calendars without sabbath.
4. Relationships without nourishment.
5. Personality without accountability.
6. Giftedness without humility.
7. A biblical theology without personal integrity.

Amen.

Thoughts on the Cadfael Chronicles and Faith

There is a lot to think about in reviewing The Holy Thief. While my previously posted review of the book was sincere, I had many reactions to the book some of them theological and historical reflections and some merely practical.

1. The religion of Medieval Roman Catholicism was very confused. If what is depicted in the Cadfael Chronicles is near authentic, then the Middle Ages were indeed dark. Prayer to dead saints? The Bible mostly ignored but for divination? These are not new observations but when one is placed in the daily events of that world it is mind-blowing. If for no other reason read the novel, and imagine living with that worldview day in and day out. Without a doubt, the Reformation was necessary and long over due.

2. This is what most modern skeptics equate all religion to: devotion to superstition. If, when one is reading the skeptics or talking to one, realize that there perception of us is not that different from our reaction to the devotees in the Cadfael Chronicles.

3. Sin is not eliminated by removing one's self from the world. No, worldliness is already in the heart. This is a very interesting point of the Cadfael Chronicles, and I think a theme deliberately placed by Peters. These holy brothers are not very holy and while separated to the spiritual, normally they are not very spiritual. In fact, they are often quite carnal in pursuing what they deem to be spiritual.

4. The whole episode of applying sortes biblicae is deeply intriguing. For one, I don't think this method is totally gone from the Church, in fact I think Christians of all sorts probably apply this type of thing in personal decision making. Honestly, I have on a few occasions been deeply comforted by randomly leafing through Scripture in a manner similar to this though I wasn't using it to make a decision. Nothing wrong with that I suppose. However, Scripture was not given to us for this purpose. Scripture is to be read in its entirety and in context, interpreted and applied carefully. We are to be guided not by superstitious divinations creatively forced to apply to our situation, but by the truths of all of Scripture.

5. In spite of all that may be perceived as negative in the medieval mindset and showcased in this book, one foundation of that worldview seems to me to be bedrock for any Christian worldview: that God is ultimately in charge of all things, persons, and events, and is the source of all authority. I know that the doctrine of God's sovereignty can be abused and misused but it is something that we have profoundly lost, for that is something that most Christians think little on and consider controversial.

6. Reading literature, by that I mean fiction, short stories or full-length novels, is a good practice for the Christian. It raises issues that provoke thought and it gives much more time for reflection than does television and movies. Though one should not read only fiction, one should not feel guilty for reading much of it and enjoying it. Good literature should have a solid place in the reading of the Christian.

7. Reading of all kinds is sheer joy and good for the mind!

Review: The Holy Thief - The 19th Chronicle of Brother Cadfael

Cadfael is a sleuthing monk, a Holmes of the Bendectine Order, but more than a brother also a herbalist, man of medicine, and a former soldier and Crusader. This was my first reading trip through 12th century Shrewsbury Abbey and it was great fun.

In this chronicle, Cadfael tackles a theft and a murder alongside his friend Hugh Beringar, the reeve of the shire. The theft of the celebrated relic of Shrewsbury leads to a fascinating thread through the tapestry of local politics, authorities , and medieval Catholicism-very devout but deeply confused. This is a world of powerful and rigid authorities both sacred and secular, of saints and relics, of place and position-a world far from the modern or "post-modern". I'm no historian of the Middle Ages but this seems like a worthy immersion into the medieval mindset.

Most interesting is the tangled process of determining the will of a dead saint concerning the saint's own relic. The culmination of the process is application of sortes biblicae, the use of the Bible for divination. This is performed by the seeker taking a copy of the Gospels in hand and letting it open randomly and placing a finger somewhere on the open pages. The portion by the placed finger is read aloud and then applied to the decision at hand. This is truly foreign territory but one must remember that this was an age when most truly believed every event to be the evidence of the will of God.

Furthermore, it's just a good tale! Imagine murder and mayhem among monks! Sin among those totally dedicated and separated to holiness. The many different characters-the monks, peasants, sheriffs, lords, and troubadors-and the interplay between them are well drawn. If you need exhilarating racing action this is not for you, but if you enjoy a good story woven together then pick it up and spend a few afternoons in its pages, it won't disappoint.

Summer Reading Recommendations by Notable Readers

The lists of recommended summer reading have been rolling out lately and some of my favorite bloggers and authors have done so. It's always useful to see what other people are reading and particularly what they consider to have been good reading!

Al Mohler, President of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, has published three blog entries giving an annotated list of recommendations:

Ten for the History Books -- Summer Reading Part 1
Ten for the History Books -- Summer Reading Part 2
Books for Guys -- Maybe for Dad, Maybe for Son, Maybe for You

Al Mohler also put out a thoughtful look at the threat to libraries posed by the Internet and the digital revolution: The Citadel and the Open Space - Will the Library Survive in the Internet Age?

C.J. Mahaney, leader of Sovereign Grace Ministries and friend of Al Mohler's, responded with his own, lighter, reading list:

Books for the Beach

And lastly, Tim Keller, pastor of Redeemer Presbyterian Church in New York City, and author of the recent The Reason for God, a very good read itself, has given this list:

Summer Reading List

Enjoy! I hope you find the time...

Man’s Relationship with God: Personal and Impersonal Perspectives

For a class on Christian Philosophy in my M.Div program at Southern Seminary, James Sire's The Universe Next Door was assigned reading. I greatly enjoyed reading it and in fact I recommend it. In this post, however I merely want to mention a point I found helpful. In the discussion on theistic existentialism, Sire points out some of the positive contributions it made to theology and Christian thought. Existentialism of the Christian variety was largely a reaction to the dead orthodoxy of European state churches. Soren Kierkegaard and later neo-orthodox theologians such as Karl Barth were reacting to the cultural captivity and stagnancy of the churches of their day. If we are not careful it is possible to become dead, captive to culture, or both, and there are more ways to do this than one can imagine.

For instance, it is easy to depersonalize the Christian faith into a mere system of dogma rather than a living faith based on a real interaction between a real God and a humanity longing for relationship. This is not to set theology in opposition with personal piety, they are both absolutely necessary. Sire includes the chart below to help one view basic concepts of the Christian faith from both the perspective of the personal and the impersonal (Sire, 131).

One can see the appeal of both perspectives, particularly the personal. The Scriptures include both perspectives as well, and I think place the emphasis on the personal. There's nothing new here but much to remember.

	Depersonalized	Personalized
Sin	Breaking a rule	Betraying a relationship
Repentance	Admitting guilt	Sorrowing over personal betrayal
Forgiveness	Canceling a penalty	Renewing fellowship
Faith	Believing a set of propositions	Committing oneself to a person
Christian life	Obeying rules	Pleasing the Lord, a Person

How to Counsel and Help Nobody

Below you will see a absolutely hilarious skit by Bob Newhart. What scares me is how much this reminds me of myself. I am not a gifted counselor. I don't know how many times I've thought this way. "You don't feel happy about life?" "Well just stop it!" "Get over it!" "Give up and let God!" There are some situations that need such simple advice, but we would be foolish to think that many are this simple. Anyways, enjoy.