Review of Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis

One of the many covers of Mere Christianity
No copyright infringement intended.

Once, I had been an ideological crusader, dead-set on a certain view of family roles, economics, churches, politics—if you could name it, I had an opinion. After a long and painful chapter in my life, I finally realized the tyrant I was rapidly in the process of becoming. For more on that, read my story With Truth and Grace at http://defendingthelegacy.blogspot.com/2015/12/short-story-with-truth-and-grace.html. Disaster was compounded with disaster, and needless to say, this epoch in my life left me in a tail-spin. What did I believe anyway? Was true Christianity connected to a specific view of church or plans for the creation of a just society? What was essential, and what was personal preference?

Man proposes, but God disposes, says the old adage. God certainly knew exactly what I needed at this juncture, and He provided. I began to read Mere Christianity by C. S. Lewis. My only acquaintance with Lewis’s writings was his Chronicles of Narnia, and I had read one (short) biography on him. However, I regarded these favorably enough to be willing to read Mere Christianity. Here was a Christian theologian whom I respected, and I was interested to read what he said about these issues.

Beginning with the forward, Mere Christianity was exactly what I needed. Here was an author who stated that he was an Anglican, but that more important than a denomination was a belief in Jesus Christ. The book slowly built from a universal human knowledge of right and wrong to a clear and concise explanation of Christian beliefs. Most importantly for me, these were universal Christian beliefs! There was much about the importance of Christ’s death and the importance of faith, hope, love, and prayer. Rather than railing at an anti-Christian culture, Lewis stated that the real enemy we have to fight is our own sinful nature. But the most part of Mere Christianity was Lewis’s joyful expectation of the glories and unspeakable delights of heaven—which, he contends, is something that we have had hints or glimpses into on earth.

If you have not yet read Mere Christianity, please take the time to find it and read it. It is an excellent book to show the basics of Christianity that all Christians have agreed on for almost 2,000 years. Despite its topic and its size, plenty of deep theological topics are contained inside as well.  5/5 stars.

Flag of Armand's Legion (Completely Speculative)

Speculative Armand's Legion flag

Following on my flag reconstructions, here is a completely speculative one for Armand's Legion.  I have never run across any description of this legion's flag, or even if they were issued a flag.  However, we have descriptions/artifacts of the 2nd Continental Light Dragoons, the 3rd Continental, and Pulaski's Legion.


But onto the description of this fictional flag.  I chose a red ground as all three Continental cavalry standards (2nd, 3rd, and Pulaski's Legion) have red as their field.  An owl was chosen as an interesting classical symbol (the owl of Minerva) and also to evoke Armand's service with the Chouans in France.  The motto translates to "Vigilance is the price of Liberty," and the owl seemed to suggest vigilance and wakefulness.  The 13 stars and fleur-de-lis is taken from contemporary drawings of United States flags.


If you would like to deploy your wargame unit of Armand's Legion under this standard, please feel free; however, credit and a link back to this post is appreciated :)

Edit: A reader requested a proper doublesided flag of Armand's flag, and here it is!

If you like our flags, be sure to check out https://www.wargamevault.com/browse/pub/14586/Through-All-Ages-LLC for even more flags by the author, including many free ones!

Video--Christians Studying History

This is a short (very short) video that I did for a college course I am enrolled in.  In less than two minutes, it touches on the question "How do Christians use their faith to influence their history?"  This topic is one that I am passionate about and I would have liked to write pages and pages on it...but instead the assignment required a 1-2 minute video.  Video recording was done by my sister Amara of Castles in Clouds (www.castlesinclouds.wordpress.com) Enjoy!

Guest Post: Historical Details in War of Loyalties: Life on the Homefront in WW1

A friend of mine, Schuyler M., has written a World War I spy novel called War of Loyalties. She kindly agreed to share the fascinating historical background undergirding her story here on Defending the Legacy.

For the past seven years, I’ve been writing novel entitled War of Loyalties. It’s a Dickensian novel with a spy flavor, and today I’m glad to be invited to Defending the Legacy to talk about some of the historical details in its pages. But before I start, let me set the context with the novel description:

April, 1917. A ring of German spies threatens the security of England’s Secret Service. Newly-recruited agent Ben Dorroll must uncover false British agents who are traitors to their country. However, Ben’s secrecy may be the very thing that puts their mission in jeopardy. Unwilling to trust fellow agent Jaeryn Graham with the clues hidden in his family’s broken past, he wants to resign and go back to his medical practice. But success means one last chance at winning the respect of the father he’s never met. And when he learns that his family identity holds the key to capturing the spy ring, Ben has no choice but to unite with Jaeryn Graham so that the truth can be discovered.

In the aftermath of the Irish Rebellion, Jaeryn Graham's British colleagues look warily on his Irish background. Always up for a challenge, he thinks his new mission to investigate the true loyalties of his fellow spies should be an opportunity to prove his prowess. But the agents he has to work with are determined to prove he himself is a traitor. Unless he can win the loyalties of his newest assistant, Ben Dorroll, his secret ambitions and his perfect success record will be destroyed.

Grace Triumphant--Reprise

In January of this year, I reviewed Alicia Willis's 18th Century novel Grace Triumphant (see the original review at http://defendingthelegacy.blogspot.com/2017/01/review-of-grace-triumphant-by-alicia.html).  I thoroughly enjoyed it when I read it, and as time has passed, I noticed yet another gem tucked inside the story.






The book follows three characters: Captain Russell Lawrence, cabin boy Jack Dunbar, and English aristocrat Elizabeth Grey.  The narrative is told from the point of view of each of these three characters and the author does an excellent job of never allowing the characters to know each others' thoughts, though we as the readers can get inside the minds of all three.  Jack Dunbar's story quickly links up with Russell Lawrence's, and their two points of view then focus on the same events: a pirate attack, for example, is seen by both.






But Elizabeth Grey is different.  We see high-society London through her eyes, and her eyes alone.  We have no way of analyzing her character from the perspective of an outsider.  All her actions are peppered with nagging doubts and prayers that she will be found true to her convictions.  This sort of internal struggle is something I greatly sympathize with: trying to do the right thing, but knowing one's weaknesses and fearing that they will taint the good we are trying to accomplish.




But eventually, we see Elizabeth as others see her: a fine example of a godly Christian woman.   While her internal struggles have been real, they have not hindered her good works or others' good opinion of her.  I found this encouraging.  Even though our good works may be tainted by our weaknesses and sins, these works will still shape our character into what we were created to be--reflections of the goodness of our Creator.  "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven." (Matthew 5:16)

Make a Playmobil Cannon...That Really Fires!

Have you ever wanted to make your Playmobil cannons shoot with long range and high velocity?  It is nearly impossible with the standard configuration.  Fortunately, there is an easy way to equip your armies with this handy weapon.  This tutorial will show you how.

Step #1: Disassemble cannon

Step #1: Remove the cannon barrel from its carriage (the wooden part with wheels).  Disassemble the barrel by removing the breech (the little circular part in the top right of the picture).  This can be done by depressing the tabs on each side of the breech.  I used a Playmobil spear to avoid crushing the tabs.  Once the tabs are depressed, the breech can be easily removed, and with the breech removed, the plunger is also easily accessible.  The photo at left shows the barrel (far left), the plunger (center), and the breech (top right).

It is important to add a spring to this group of parts.  The spring will provide the mechanism to power the cannon.

Step #2: Insert plunger and spring.

Step #2: Return the plunger to its position inside the cannon barrel.  Now add the spring, dropping it down the barrel and around the plunger.  If you click on the picture to expand it, you may be able to see the spring in its position.  The breech is still unused, but we will add that in the next step.

Step #3: Reassemble cannon

Step #3: Carefully replace the breech over the plunger.  The cannon should now look exactly like it did before you started.  Replace the cannon back on its carriage and your project is all done!

To fire, load some ammo in the cannon's muzzle and pull back on the plunger.  Because the spring creates tension, the released plunger will fire the projectile quite a long way.  Of course, never shoot it at a person or animal.  Now your Playmobil armies have some artillery support...that really fires!

2017 Lecture: Know the Past to Understand the Future

Last weekend, my family and I attended our state homeschooling convention.  While there, I delivered a lecture called Know the Past to Understand the Future.


"Have you ever wondered why you should study history? While it is interesting to see how people lived in the past, what other uses does history have? Join historian Jordan Jachim in exploring the importance of history in this lecture. Knowledge of the past can help us make decisions in the future, avoiding errors that previous generations have committed. “Those who do not learn from the past are condemned to repeat it.” But history can also encourage us. While one act of kindness to a stranger sometimes seems insignificant, did you know that this resulted in the discovery of a hidden cache of treasure during World War II? History can also educate us and entertain us, but most importantly, it shows us how faithful God has been in guiding our lives."


The recording is now available for sale (at https://www.alliancerecordings.com/detail.cfm?context=Recordings&cid=58&RID=2157) and I do not make any money if you purchase it.  This lecture was accompanied by a slide presentation.  If you would like a copy of my slides, just contact me.

A piece of artwork I created for one of the slides