So Much More, p. 1-13 – Part 2: A Blast from the Past

Having covered the severe lack of definitions in the first chapter of So Much More, let’s move on to examining recurring themes from the Vision Forum lectures I’ve been critiquing for the past year and a half. First up is Doug Phillips’ real “holy trinity” – principles, patterns and precepts – which I discussed in my very first Big Box post, How to Think Like a Christian:

So Much More, p. 1-13 – Part 1: He Who Defines Wins

The title of this post is (supposedly) one of Doug Phillips’ favorite phrases. It means, essentially, that the party who defines the terms, gets to control the conversation. There is wisdom in that, but it won’t be my focus in this post. Instead, I’ll be exploring how it’s essential to know how others define their terms in order to understand what they are really saying – and more importantly, how a failure to define terms can be used to a speaker or writer’s advantage.

New Series Announcement: So Much More

Well, it’s been a long year and a half, and I’m finally nearing the end of my Big Box. In fact there are only four lectures left in the Box now – Independence Day, George Washington: America’s Joshua, Pilgrims vs. Indians and Yankees vs. Rebels. However, since all these lectures are on specific historical topics, and there’s nothing I hate more than rushing research (esp. about history), I did not want to commit myself to a weekly Sunday post. So the four remaining Big Box reviews will appear as I finish them, on no particular timetable.

But fear not! That doesn’t mean that nothing will be going on at Scarlet Letters in the meantime. Shortly after the Doug Phillips-Lourdes Torres scandal broke last year, I obtained a copy of Anna Sofia and Elizabeth Botkin’s book So Much More: The Remarkable Influence of Visionary Daughters on the Kingdom of God. Since I’ve written in some detail about stay-at-home daughterhood (SAHD), I thought it would be appropriate to examine this; it is, after all, along with The Return of the Daughters, probably one of the most well-known items promoting SAHD. At the moment, I’m planning to structure the series the same way Libby Anne at Love, Joy, Feminism structured her many series on Michael and Debi Pearl’s books (i.e., by page numbers rather than chapters) – though obviously this remains flexible, and things may evolve as the series progresses.

So stay tuned, readers. Maybe you’ll learn “so much more” about SAHD.

Hollywood’s Most Despised Villain (TBB)

The “TBB” in the name of this post means that it is part of The Big Box series. If you’re new to Scarlet Letters, read the introductory post to see what the Big Box is all about.

Gather ‘round, kids! It’s time for the creepiest show on earth – Hollywood’s Most Despised Villain by Geoff Botkin!

I know, I know, I don’t usually start posts like that. But in all seriousness, Hollywood’s Most Despised Villain was the creepiest lecture I’ve heard so far. In fact, by the end I felt unsettled even listening to it – and I was only hearing the audio, not seeing Botkin and his body language. So why is it so creepy? Bear with me for just a moment and I’ll show you.