In honor of St. Patrick, I thought I’d point out two books I’m interested in:
How the Irish Saved Civilization
Thomas Cahill takes us to the “island of saints and scholars,” the Ireland of St. Patrick and the Book of Kells. Here, far from the barbarian despoliation of the continent, monks and scribes laboriously, lovingly, even playfully preserved the West’s written treasury. When stability returned in Europe, these Irish scholars were instrumental in spreading learning, becoming not only the conservators of civilization, but also the shapers of the medieval mind, putting their unique stamp on Western culture.
Apart from the great history, I love the exploration of Patric’s ministry to an alien and violent people. The Celts embraced the concept of one final blood sacrifice for sins - and it transformed their culture.
Also, The Celtic Way of Evangelism: How Christianity Can Reach the West… Again
Celtic Christianity was one of the most successfully evangelistic branches of the church in history. What can we learn from them? One thing that caught my eye was the inverted - by modern standards - approach to evangelism. People are welcomed into lives and community first, embraced first - then led to Christ, in a relationship. I think this ancient approach is more relevant today than ever to our search for authentic community and relationship with God.
Not sure how Celtic it is, but here’s a blurry photo of the drawing for Kristi’s tattoo:
“Tree planted by water”. It was originally going to have more Celtic flair, but I really like the result. More photos soon.
