Eternity in Their Hearts by Don Richardson: A Book Report

     Eternity in Their Hearts

     Eternity in Their Hearts is a very interesting book that describes instances throughout history where God revealed Himself to pagan people. Often times, these people were secluded from any outside contact and had no opportunity to meet God-fearing missionaries or the like. Many today believe that it is impossible for unknown, unseen, and unreached communities to discover God. However, Eternity in Their Hearts eliminates that belief and proves that God is a God with no limitations, who can reach even the most desolate communities all by Himself.

     The Incas, Ancient Chinese, and North American Indians are civilizations that are studied everyday by historians, archeologists and schools all over the world for their fascinating belief systems, customs, and rituals. However, whether or not one agrees with what they did, it is a fact that the religions of these civilization, which often included human sacrifice, pain infliction, and other such practices, were very anti-Christian. However, this did not stop God from reaching down and touching them. 

     Pachacuti was the Inca king from A.D 1438 - 1471. Quoting the book, it is said that Pachacuti was the emperor who "brought the Inca Empire to its finest flowering". He rebuilt Cuzco even finer than it was before, working grand-scale with palaces, forts, and a temple dedicated to the sun. He also constructed fortresses along the eastern frontiers of his empire as protection from tribes in the Amazon basin. The most famous of his fortresses still stands today and is call Machu Picchu, which became the last home to the Inca upper-class during their flight from Spain's invasion. This mighty Inca ruler created a huge impact on his civilization and was revered by his people. It would seem unlikely, then, for him to change his beliefs and defy his religion. However, for some reason, Pachacuti decided that the sun, the Incas god, could not be an almighty god. He reasoned, "The solar radiance can be dimmed by any passing cloud." Thus, he realized that instead of the Creator, he must have been worshiping the creation this whole time! It would seem that his revelation would end here, for there were no Christians for him to consult or a Bible to follow to allow him to grow in his understanding. However, Pachacuti miraculously found his answers within age old traditions lying forgotten in his own culture. He took his testimony and aligned it with his culture's nearly extinct memory of Viracocha which means "the Lord, the omnipotent Creator of all things." With the help of memories of his father speaking of Viracocha, and an old shrine dedicated to Him, Pachacuti decided that his father's God, the Creator of all things, deserved worship. Therfore, he deemed the worship of Viracocha to be upheld by only the upper-class citizens, calling it "too subtle and sublime for ordinary folk.". Later, after the Inca Empire became ruins and it's citezens long gone, hymns and artifacts of worship were discovered. They confused their finders, for it was not thought that the Incas knew of the Christian God. However, after further study, the artifacts were proven to be pure Inca, thus shocking all who learned about them.

     This is only one example out of many that shows how God reached "unreachable" lands. Each story is unique and incredible, reflecting the God that was responsible. Eternity in Their Hearts points out an amazing truth - that although each of the cultures discussed were vastly different, they were brought together by God, who was quietly and discreetly working in each one.

Are you Democrat? Republican? Or confused? by Richard J. Maybury: A Book Report

Are You Democrat? Republican? Or Confused?

 

     Richard Maybury does a fantastic job at addressing many political issues and misunderstandings common in the world today. In his book, he names himself "Uncle Eric" and writes a series of letters to his nephew Chris, who is confused by the many political labels and in need of clarification. 

     Uncle Eric begins with pointing out that most history informers, including himself, are biased in some way. The create editorials, which are collections of points that they think are most important to include in their history literature or such. Thus, he encourages young Chris to seek out and be informed of other people's viewpoints, not to simply be satisfied by what these letters have to say.

     Uncle Eric's next big subject is about juris naturalism. This, according to Eric, is the original American Philosophy. Juris naturalis is Latin for Natural Law. In few words, Eric explains that this is a belief that "right and wrong are not matters of opinion. Like the law of physics, chemistry, and biology, right and wrong are a given, something that we must learn and apply." Natural Law is instilled in humans' DNA, given by our Creator and a major element to what makes us human.  It is above any government's law and when government violates this Natural Law, society gets worse. Throughout his book, Uncle Eric reinstates this belief and compares it to other political philosophies, attempting to prove that juris naturalism is the ultimate philosophy and is the only way to cure American society from the ongoing race for power between political parties and groups.

     Although Uncle Eric's ongoing point is that juris naturalism is the best political position and philosophy, he describes and explains many others that are common in the world today. These include Democrats and Republicans; Socialism, Communism, and Fascism. According to Eric, Democrats and Republicans are not as different as the opposing parties would like to believe. They both have one goal in mind: control over the government. As "the party of the poor", Democrats want more control over finances and are more inclined to hand the country's money out to accommodate the poor. However, this party is usually more offhand with monitoring the morality of the society. Republicans, "the party of the rich", however, want more control over the social or moral aspect of the country and would rather find a cure to poverty than to pay for the poor to be comfortable. Socialism and Communism are often hard to differentiate and define. People commonly use both terms to describe the wrong situation. So, Eric clears these up for Chris as well. If true Socialism could be found, it would be a "dictatorship of the working class in which everything and everybody is owned by the government for the 'good of society.'" However, when the term socialism is used today, it is usually referring to a kind of "advanced liberalism". Communism, ideally, would be the "utopian end-stage of socialism in which government has vanished and we all live happily ever after under the rule, 'from each according to his ability, to each according to his need.'" This is not reachable for flawed humans, however, and so there is no real example of ideal Communism. Fascism is the 'ism of all isms' in that there is no law, no standard, and no ultimate ruling. Whoever should be in power at the time need only do when he/she thinks is necessary at the time, whether it be good or bad. A Fascist ruler has no boundaries.

     After defining and detailing these terms, Uncle Eric goes on to discuss the economic, sociological and racial effects these can cause for a nation. Then, he ends his book with a recap, a final push for juris naturalism, and a plea:

               "Please help spread the word about the need to return to the system of liberty."