Health, Migration, and Sex Work: The experience of TAMPEP edited by Licia Brussa

A more technical book concerning prostitution of women in Europe, focusing especially on migrant (and illegal) workers in prostitution. Although it contains a significant amount of facts, it contains very little personal details and/or quotes from the prostitutes themselves. In the Netherlands, they point out the crackdown on illegals working in prostitution has been detrimental to the women involved, often forcing them into seeking second-hand assistance for prostitution (and thus causing them to lose their independence, either to traffickers, pimps, madams, husbands, etc.).

Whom to trust? (2003) and Hope: Diana's Story (2007); by Fouchina Catherina

Both books are published by Oogstpublicaties in connection with Scarlet Cord located in Amsterdam. Both tell the stories of two women who have left prostitution. Grace (Whom to Trust) comes from Nigeria, whereas Diana comes from Eastern Europe. Both leave their country of origin in order to escape poor situations back home (Grace leaves poverty and a relatively hopeless future whereas Diana leaves a bad marriage and a lack of custody of her children). Neither was entirely certain that prostitution was what they were getting into; more so, once in the Netherlands, both needed to stay and work to pay off the debts incurred to get them there. Both their stories are plausible; yet, there is something about them that feels fake or over-edited. Having read words from other prostitutes makes it feel like something is missing in these books, although I am not certain what. Perhaps I am merely recognizing in them the motive found on the inside cover of hope: "This organization does not promote, support, or advocate the legalization or practice of prostitution." Such a statement, although honourable, does not necessarily reflect the brokenness of the world around us nor necessarily provide a means to protect further the women in the story. Nor does it have a place for women that are still in prostitution - and not yet able to leave even if they can see the damage of it.

The Politics of Prostitution: Women's Movements, Democratic States and the Globalisation of Sex Commerce, Edited by Joyce Outshoorn

A highly technical book involving the recent policy and politics related to prostitution in various countries, including Netherlands, Canada, and the USA.

Breaking the Conspiracy of Silence: Christian Churches and the Global AIDS Crisis by Donald E. Messer (2004)

Overall, a well-written book that is readable, challenging the lack of response by the Christian community towards AIDS, and hopeful. Although his view of sin might be disconcerting to some Christians, along with the concept of providing the best for people who are sinful (e.g. advocating condoms), this perspective is advocated with the hope of showing God's love to be people in a less judgmental means than the church has done in the past. His writing on the place of women, including sex workers, and the effect of AIDS on their lives is both gracious and motivating (along with fitting with other things I have seen written in this area). His book could possibly provide insight further into a point of contact with the exclusion found in the laws written in Leviticus.

A Clergyman's Daughter by George Orwell

A well-written book that explores how real and necessary faith is. I am not certain whether Orwell intended the book to argue that faith is something one does out of custom and is completely unnecessary otherwise. Yet, the idea that life is meaningless without faith, although problematic to Orwell, is not something that I, as a Christian, find problematic. As a Christian I would argue that we are created to find life meaningless without faith - for one should not live without it. The despair in the daughter's life seems to point to the validity of faith, although the faith that she chooses is not so much life-giving as settling. He paints a poor picture of how things should be - and it is not actually surprising then, that he questions whether one should really have this kind of faith in one's life.

The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass on Tour by Adrian Plass (2004)

The diaries of Adrian Plass are delightful. They're humourous and honest - and most of all remind me of how much God uses ordinary people (and weird ones, too) to show us better who He is. This book tended to have more questions and answers related to faith than the other ones, but the answers and questions did a great job of reminding how the Christian life is about being faithful in all things including the ordinary (and thus difficult) things. And there was a strong compassion shown towards people who had been hurt (and even pushed away from God) through good intentions and misguided ideas. Overall, reading the book was a wonderful way to spend part of a Sunday.

The Business of Heaven: Daily Readings from C.S. Lewis, Edited by Walter Hooper (1984)

C.S. Lewis is a bit too black and white for me at times but it is black and white in directions that I tend to agree with. I’ve appreciated him tremendously.

His entries for 27, 30, 31 march all discuss sex [They are originally from Mere Christianity, Bk III, Ch. 5]. They provide provide a wonderful balance to some of the predominant views found in the books on prostitution. The last comment also provides a nice correction against the 'evil-ness' that many Christians make sexual sin to be (especially something like prostitution).

“the old Christian rule is ‘Either marriage, with complete faithfulnesss to your partner, or else total abstinence.’ Now this is so difficult and so contrary to our instinct, that obviously either Christianity is wrong or our sexual instinct, as it now is, has gone wrong…
The biological purpose of sex is children, just as the biological purpose of eating is to repair the body. Now if we eat whenever we feel inclined and just as much as we want, it is quite true that most of us will eat too much: but not terrifically too much. One man may eat enough for two, but he does not eat enough for ten. The appetite goes a little beyond its biological purpose, but not enormously. But if a healthy young man indulged his sexual appetite whenever he felt inclined, and if each act produced a baby, then in ten years he might easily populate a small village. This appetite is in ludicrous and preposterous excess of its function.
Or take it another way. You can get a large audience together for a striptease act. Now suppose you came to a country where you could fill a theatre by simply bringing a covered plate on to the stage and then slowly lifting the cover so as to let everyone see, just before the lights went out, that it contained a mutton chop or a bit of bacon, would you think that in that country something had gone wrong with the appetite for food? And would not anyone who had grown up in a different world think there was something equally queer about the state of the sex instinct among us?”

“Our warped natures, the devils who tempt us, and all the contemporary propaganda for lust, combine to make us feel that the desires we are resisting are so ‘natural’ and ‘healthy’, and so reasonable, that it is almost perverse and abnormal to resist them. Poster after poster, film after film, novel after novel, associate the idea of sexual indulgence with the ideas of health, normality, youth, frankness, and good humour. Now this association is a lie. Like all powerful lies, it is based on a truth … that sex in itself (apart from the excesses and obsessions that have grown round it) is ‘normal’ and ‘healthy’, and all the rest of it. The lie consists in the suggestion that any sexual act to which you are tempted at the moment is also healthy and normal. Now this, on any conceivable view, and quite apart from Christianity, must be nonsense. Surrender to all our desires obviously leads to impotence, disease, jealousies, lies, concealment, and everything that is the reverse of health, good humour, and frankness. For any happiness, even in the world, quite a lot of restraining is going to be necessary; so the claim made by every desire, when it is strong, to be healthy and reasonable, counts for nothing.”

“If anyone thinks that Christians regard unchastity as the supreme vice, he is quite wrong. The sins of the flesh are bad, but they are the least bad of all sins. All the worst pleasures are purely spiritual: the pleasure of putting other people in the wrong, of bossing and patronizing and spoiling sport, and backbiting; the pleasures of power, of hatred. For there are two things inside me, competing with the human self, which I must try to become. They are the Animal self, and the Diabolical self. The Diabolical self is the worse of the two. That is why a cold, self-righteous prig who goes regularly to church may be far nearer to hell than a prostitute. But, of course, it is better to be neither.”

The Prostitution Prism by Gail Pheterson (1996)

As the books I’m reading all tend to blur, it’s probably a sign of saturation. Pheterson’s book emphasizes the differences between female and male deviance. Men can use or not women sexually as long as these are within specific relations (husband, lover, customer of a prostitute). However, women are deviant if their sexuality is practised or even made known outside of every context except marriage – and even then it can be deviant if their desires and perceived rights do not coincide with their husbands’ perceptions. She points out that females can be dishonoured as a ‘whore’ without ever having received money for sexual services (the common definition of prostitution) but are considered dishonourable because of class, race, or deviance from expected female behaviour. She thus displays the unfairness of the accepted standards of our society, as well as showing that every women (and even some men) are not as separate from prostitutes as most of us would like to think. This lack of distinction between prostitutes and the average woman in some ways is a means to build solidarity and thus an ear for her proposals for legal reform concerning mainly prostitution.
Although I agree with her to some degree, especially about the unfairness of society’s standards and the depiction that none of us are really all that different from those we might want to condemn (see John 8 and the story of the woman caught in adultery), I’m not comfortable with a lot of the assumptions she has made about the amount of validity inherent in both feminism and prostitution.

The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (1974)

This is Laurence’s fifth book on a small town in Manitoba. Her first was The Stone Angel, which I read in university and utterly disliked. My taste in literature has clearly changed, as I quite liked this one. It tells the story of a woman finding herself, trying to separate herself from the town and patterns that formed her, while also coming to terms with how the small town is part of who she is. The main character is not overly good nor overly lovable – but she is honest and real – and for that reason a delightful person to get to know.

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood (1986)

I couldn’t remember if I had read this previously, and it being a classic, thought I ought to do so again just to make sure. I also wanted to read it in light of all the books on prostitution I had been reading. It is a story of both survival and weakness. I’m no longer sure how believable the main character (the handmaid) is, as she slowly chooses to deteriorate, instead of continuing to fight using the many opportunities given to her. Yet, Atwood depicts none of the handmaids as really surviving – even those who choose to fight lose their life in some way or another. The same cannot be quite said for our society or even those who have been pushed into prostitution. The cost for those in prostitution is high but not as high as for those in Atwood’s novel.
I think, though, I discovered why I don’t remember reading it previously – I’m still not entirely sure what to make of it nor even what to make of a juxtaposition of prostitutes with handmaids.

The Deptford Trilogy (Fifth Business, The Manticore, World of Wonders) by Robertson Davies (1970-1975)

The stories are biographies each told in a different style. The first is in the form of a letter, the next is the recording of Jungian psychological understanding with the less section being in the present, and the final book is a tale of a man reminiscing with people who have shared different pieces of his story. Besides being a wonderful study in character, the combination of different biographies that make up the trilogy does a great job exploring and explicating the subjectivity of each person’s own view – both of the world and even their own story.

update on blog

although i haven’t posted for awhile, my reading has hardly abated – just the acknowledgement of it hasn’t been as quick (as i’m supposed to be spending all my time theses writing :)) and i’ve decided to post each book separately as being more reader friendly.
the reading is fluctuating a bit to reflect other’s influences, my desire to read more related to spiritual living, the desire to escape for awhile in a novel or two or three, and the realization that literature on prostitution has a tendency to sadden me.

Prostitutes’ Well-Being and Risk by Ine Vanwesenbeeck

well done. a very solid introduction and a good look into the reality of life as a prostitute (especially in the Netherlands). she points out that most studies try to address the why of becoming a prostitute, which tends to produce judgement or pity, whereas looking at the reality of being a prostitute gets beyond these simplistic responses to be able to see prostitutes as real people (and not just as a cause or problem). Things are complicated when it comes to the reality of prostitution: there is much to be sad over, as the following comments illustrate:

“Despite of differences between western and non-western women, it must be acknowledged that women all over the world still have limited money-making options. There are virtually no other occupations available to unskilled or low-skilled women offering an income which compares to prostitution. It is indeed, as Davis already mentioned ‘not the hard question why so many women become prostitutes, but why so few of them do’.” Vanwesenbeeck, Prostitutes, 29.

“Not only is the work of an extremely intrustive character, calling for the ‘switching off’ of certain kinds of awareness and consciousness, but it is also ‘emotion work’ as referred to by Hochschild (1979, 1988). Prostitution is a kind of labour where one has to act in an a way that is known to be false or that actually transforms one’s feelings. Prostitution work is to a certain extent built up from fake behavior and untrue emotions on the part of prostitutes: they play the whore, they are on the game. In this context it is extremely likely that problem feelings of all kinds are being split off, denied and dissociated. In addition, stigma and secrecy are an excellent soil for internal coping. A lack of alternative coping resources and supportive social structures add to this.” Vanwesenbeeck, Prostitutes’, 151.

She concludes by saying, “Implicitly or explicitly, it has often been assumed that deciding on prostitution work is the ultimate illustration of having travelled a down-slope track and having reached an absolute low in life….Our study has shown that prostitution need not be the absolute low by definition, at all. However, for those who are already troubled, as a consequence of violent life-histories, econonomical sorrow, or both, prostitution work is often an extra burden.” Vanwesenbeeck, Prostitutes, 161-62.

And most of all her book points to something of utmost importance. those who most Christians would like to dismiss as sinful are real regular people like us, who delight in a wave from a one-year-old the same way that anyone else does.

Noam Chomsky, Hegemony or Survival (2004)

depressing is how i would respond to this. it discusses the domination that America is having over the rest of the world and the country’s political disregard for any interests or input except for its own. the depressing part is that we let it happen – by intentional ignorance. that, and i haven’t gotten far enough to hear his thoughts on how to respond…

Sacred Rhythms: Arranging Our Lives for Spiritual Transformation by Ruth Haley Barton

it’s a practical look at how to open oneself to spiritual transformation. she explains spiritual disciplines for Christians today in our culture (who tend to use the Bible for information instead of a way for speak to our souls and tend towards either buying into popular culture’s obsession with the body or over-reacting against it). she uses much of her own story, sharing her downfalls, struggles and blessings in these areas and although this is generally helpful, she does tend a bit towards expecting everyone to have similar struggles. nonetheless, her words provide challenges and encouragements to both beginners and those more experienced in opening up their entire being to know God.

The Golden Rendezvous by Alistair MacLean

pure entertainment. almost all plot and action. quite predictable. the good guys win. the bad guys lose. and the boy gets the girl. delightful reading in the midst of a world where things aren’t quite so simple – and where the plot twists are met with a lot more emotional turmoil.

At Play in the Fields of the Lord by Peter Matthiessen (1976)

along the same lines as The Poisonwood Bible, it explores the lives and work of all too human missionaries as they bring the gospel to the middle of nowhere. the mode of story telling and character sketches aren’t quite as good as The Poisonwood Bible but it does raise a lot of fascinating questions. it paints a picture of what happens when Christianity goes wrong – of the problem of rice Christians brought on by bad American evangelical mission work, of how one who rejects the faith doesn’t entirely leave it as he tries to live as a saviour, and of the inability of someone who questions the ‘right’ version of Christianity to be able to do the work he loves which would really be of use.

The Oxford Murders by Guillermo Martinez (2006)

it is a winner of some literary award, which it highly deserves as it is an intriguing mystery. what i appreciated most about was its use of mathematics – and showing how the most obvious solution (or next step) is not the only possible solution. translated into every day life, our actions and words sometimes produced solutions (and consequences) which we never intended or expected. and the mystery is unravelling those unexpected connections.

The Unicorn by Iris Murdoch (1987)

odd but fascinating. it’s one gleaned from the english books in the house’s library. the setting is a couple of isolated houses and the central character is a woman forced into solitude by a jealous house. everything revolves around her – and what everyone believes is best for her. the best parts are the exploration of how circumstances very much affect one’s actions – and the problems involved in trying to control other’s lives or to manipulate events for your own version of what’s best for someone else.

Prostitution, Power and Freedom by Julia O’Connell Davidson (1998)

much of this repeats the other literature that has been mentioned here previously. what she does well is her descriptions of very different kinds of prostitution, each with differing degrees of freedom and power. she describes those who for whom prostitution is the only option (whether by force or general circumstances) and those for whom prostitution is hardly their only option but the one they still choose because of the opportunities it presents. and when it comes to freedom and power, the range is from strict boundaries on payment, actions, and time to being given almost no boundaries. the former clearly seems safer and healthier except in the case of sex tourism, where the ambiguity and the relational nature of the event (a tourist hooks up with someone, who along with being involved romantically often helps out with little (cultural) things, and then receives presents or is ‘just helped out a bit because they’re having a bit of trouble now’) allows for being taken advantage of but also provides opportunity for extra generousity while keeping the natural boundaries found in most relationships.

Archbishop Anthony Bloom, School for Prayer (1970)

This is part of my spiritual growth reading. I’ve read about half – in snippets of several pages. Anthony Bloom speaks as someone who prays. and his words awaken in me a longing to pray with my whole being and in every moment. prayer has been something that i have cared about for years, but i, like many others, struggle with prayer being just another interest instead of a way of living. and even with the daily prayers that i often join in with the community, i don’t participate fully – so often my mind wanders. i hope i may i have the grace to dwell with this book so i might also be one who prays.

closer to the finish: the best part is the realistic-ness of it. and the wonderful delight that God accepts and delights in as much as we are able to give. and yet even in the midst of all of our efforts, he expects us to be fully ourselves and come to Him delighting in Him.
several examples that stick with me –
concerning his words of advice about praying shorter prayers or through Scripture. we are not to choose something too difficult with the hope of repeating in the midst of our tasks all day for we will give it up after less than half an hour, but instead we are to choose something more manageable – and try it only for half an hour at first – and perhaps switch to something new for another short while later in the day.
his words of advice to an older woman who desperately desired to pray – and spent hours intensely trying to do so and had consulted many others to help her: he told her to stop trying so hard to pray but just to spend time knitting with God and noticing where she was. this, of course, seemed the opposite of what she had been trying to do but she did it nonetheless – and discovered that in the absence of her trying so hard to meet God that God was present in the world she had missed around her.

Jeremiah (the biblical book)

Having spent much of my waking moments in the last couple of days working on my theses as the consequence of not having a chapter finished on schedule [although it is every minute according to Dutch standards so i've had a bit of time for coffee and tea and eating and talking and reading emails but not that much]. because my theses are both on the book of Jeremiah, i’ve spent quite a bit of time with it. specifically i’ve been focused on the emotional aspects of the book. the number of emotions and frequency that they’re mentioned is significant. yet, a couple of things seem a bit odd: the LORD weeps for Moab whom He punishes, but the text never mentions Him weeping for Israel whom He’s also finally punishing and loved enough to postpone punishment again and again. And the emotions mentioned by Jeremiah are not necessarily connected to events that one would expect would produce a significant emotional response. For example in Jer 26, Jeremiah is threatened with death, defends himself and his calling, gives himself into the hands of his persecutors (with the likely result being death), only to have someone else come to his defense and then not be put to death. Such an event, along with the instances of Jeremiah’s capture, must have produced some kind of emotional response by Jeremiah – but none of these are mentioned. So why are some obvious instances where Jeremiah would experience emotion neglected and the instances in the text actually included? (i'm hoping that my thesis might be able to answer some of those questions...)

Joanna Phoenix, Making Sense of Prostitution (2002)

a friend of mine has been joking with me about how i´ve been reading all these books on prostitution as part of the methodology stage of my research :) and i would laugh, except that this book was quite helpful in looking at methodology and assumptions that are made and conclusions based on certain research. it was a good mixture of analysis of other research in this area and prostitute´s own stories. the best part of this book was how it looked at the contradictions that are part of prostitute´s lives and how one learns to live with those contradictions. Some of the contradictions are woman as victim vs woman as survivor. men as opportunities for money but also as cost. women as businesspersons but also loving individuals. prostitution as opportunity and cost. for instance, prostitution was a way of becoming independent and earning enough money not to be homeless, but often caused dependency on men who used them or caused them to lose their homes. for me, it shows a strong sense of survival - of attempting to learn to live with difficult situations to which there does not seem the possibility of leaving, even if one wants to.
my question after all these books is how do we, as Christians and society, help those who recognize the damage prostitution is doing to them but can´t see another alternative?

Joyce Carol Oates, Rape a Love Story (2003)

although the title got me interested in the book, the title itself unsettles me. but i had heard of Oates so thought it wouldn´t hurt to pick it up. it was decent enough of a story - her depiction of the victim´s daughter learning the patterns of silence were probably the most insightful. but in thinking of it now, i was a bit disappointed - because her title suggests a connection between brutality and love. and the book allows this false connection to continue.

The Sacred Romance: Drawing Closer to the Heart of God by John Eldridge and Brent Curtis [and Wild at Heart]

I found John Eldridge's better known book, Wild at Heart, to be somewhat annoying. I think that book has a great analysis of the problem of how Christianity can often seem to promote nice-ness instead of adventure and courage and strength. But I didn't really like his solution - it sounded a lot more like a Christianized version of machoism than necessarily something that was inherently biblical. and even though the book was intended for a male audience (of which i am not), the book had no place in Christianity for me (an unmarried female who 'has not been rescued' and who has not focused her life on pursuing the beauty they seem to think i ought), which i have a problem with. this book seems to carry over a bit of that incomplete concept of beauty for females. although they never specifically say so, the beauty they talk about can easily be confused with niceness and being aesthetically pleasing. they never talk about some of the aspects in nature that make up what we call beautiful: the danger found in waterfalls, the strength and gumption found in a flower in the midst of everything else trying to choke it out, the grace and strength in a bird flying, and the so on. i have no desire to spend significant amounts of my life pursuing the niceties of what most of the world considers beauty, i want to spend my life being faithful to God, growing in faith, and strength, and courage, and knowledge - things that do not seem to fit so well with Eldridge's concept of the female 'desire to be rescued.' sure, i'd love to get married and have someone help me as i grow in faithfulness but i would be unfaithful if i did not also expect to be asked by God to help him as he is helping me.

- (back to The Sacred Romance) i again agreed with their analysis of the problem - many of us don't really realize that Christianity is not about 'shoulds' but about participating in God's deep love and joy. Being a Christian is equivalent to waking your heart and soul to God - and being open to what He's doing - and participating in it (The Sacred Romance). And Curtis and Eldridge, using the concepts of longings (glimpses into the delight that should be involved in Christianity) and arrows (lies that prevent us from living fully in that delight - and as Christians often cause Christianity to be about being a better person) to help people recognize and desire The Sacred Romance. i'm not sure if i would have used exactly the same terminology (even in this post i've interpreted what they mean my way), but i appreciated it and overall agreed with it. my problem is that the book didn't have a lot to say to people who have already recognized the longing and have been trying hard to participate in the healing God is doing in them and who are living (at least partially) in the Sacred Romance. it was a book of first steps but no much about the rest of the journey - and i wish it could have been both.

not much reading lately.

only
- online newspapers/ newsletters (cbc news - to get Canadian news, bbc news - to get world news, Dutchnews.nl - to get dutch news in english, and Het Parool to get dutch news in dutch)
- blogs (in order to see a little different perspective on the world)
- bits and pieces of the Bible (for teaching English)
- the Confessions of the Reformed Church (I was searching for something for the English class i was teaching here)
- finishing both of the C.S. Lewis books previously mentioned; now moved on to the next Narnia book - The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (though in Dutch)

Commentaries on Hosea 6 (for a presentation for class)

Hosea 5 talks about judgement as does Hosea 6:4 ff. Hosea 6:1-3 is a call to confession, which seems a bit oddly placed, especially since the judgment in chapter 5 is more in the future, 6:1-3 talks about being injured by God, and 6:4ff talks about judgment having already happened. So did the confession even make a difference? And shouldn´t there have been some kind of time or indication in the text that the people really did choose to reject God - and that the Confession wasn´t really sincere?
After doing research (and helping lead a class discussion on it), a couple of things came out:
1. the judgement throughout the passage is kind of an already but not yet thing - shown by the various verbal forms in each section.
2. perhaps the Confession was merely Hosea or the LORD´s putting words into the mouth of the people - saying this is what they should do.
3. perhaps the Confession is not really sincere - that it stinks a bit of pagan fertility religion or was only about sacrifices, as seem to be Hosea´s complaints throughout the book - and in the response of 6:6.
it was fascinating to look at it more closely - and to wonder about the connections between restoration, repentance, and judgement. and to see how Christ´s death and resurrection (the phrase, rising in 3 days, is in Hosea 6:2) helps us see how restoration, judgment and repentance can fit together.

C.S. Lewis, The Four Loves.

I'm reading it as a way to learn more how to love other people and the language for doing so. I picked it up because I don´t hear a lot of sermons anymore and was looking for something to compensate for the spiritual encouragement I miss in that.

i´m now in the middle of the friendship section, and as i read i delight in how the friends in my life are such a blessing. my favourite part of this section was his idea that friends are something that are better with sharing - and that my joy in spending time with one friend increase when i spend time with her and another who brings out different parts of me and different parts of my friend. and it reminds me of dinners together last year - when it was a delight to eat with Brenda, but even more so with Brian, too :)
and i´m delighting in now reading Lewis's Prins Caspian :)

I never thought this would happen to me: Prostitution and Traffic in Latin American Women in The Netherlands by Fanny Polanía Molina & Marie-

Along with providing a continuing perspective on prostitution (not that much of which was new considering all I´ve been reading), this book dicussed a lot of the advantages of the legalisation and making prostitution a business like any other - as it would provide a legal means for women for other countries to be prostitutes here - and possibly better their situation.
The more I read, the more I see how complicated prostitution is. With Latin American women, the introduction into (illegal) prostitution in the Netherlands is not so much trafficking by kidnapping but instead is through someone trustworthy offering a chance to make a better life, even if one is not fully aware of the cost involved. One woman put it this way: as a Columbian the only way she can get ahead is by being a criminal or a prostitute - so even if her story has belied that this is not a life that she is all that happy about, she ´chooses´ to remain in her window.

The Banner (January 2007)

when i lived in Grand Rapids, i have to admit that i didn´t always read The Banner - perhaps because one gets the idea that being in the centre of the CRC is more than enough to get a feeling for what´s happening in the CRC (but, as anyone living outside of Grand Rapids will vehemently argue, is not really true).
but now being a different continent away for several months, it´s a delight to read it again - to hear about our church and the hopes and the plans and the challenges. and even if we´re not perfect, i´m glad to be part of this church. and am encouraged to know that i get to participate in what´s happening, even if for now it´s mostly just praying.

The article, "Holland´s Post-Secular Future" (forwarded t

the article indicates a growing interest in Christianity in the Netherlands. but the growth is most significantly from immigrant churches, house churches, and non-traditional (often non-denominational) churches. as i participate in a very traditional (high church) Protestant Church, i don´t quite fit. and as excited as i am about the growth of Christianity here (and especially the growing number of prayer groups in various places and the flourishing Alpha programs), i´m a bit disappointed that the traditional churches aren´t growing - and the idea that more contemporary is better.

Jackie's blog

in procrastinating from doing homework, i read a friend's blog (Jackie). the blog does a great job of showing how she has allowed liveing in the Netherlands to shape her. and she has a lot of great thoughts and quotes. perhaps i appreciate it more because i agree with much of what she has to say - and am delighted that with our different theological backgrounds, we still have so much in similar about spiritual things. guess it goes to show that the right theology isn't necessarily the right doctrines but an active invitation for God to participate in shaping one's life - which i see in Jackie (and hope others might see in me).

Vrije Universiteit Thesis Reading

The boooks really needed for my thesis at the VU:
Kathleen M. O'Connor, The Confessions of Jeremiah: Their Interpretation and Role in Chapters 1-25 (1980s);
- very well done, although she can't entirely explain or prove her redactional theories;
A.R. Diamond, The Confessions of Jeremiah in Context: Scenes of Prophetic Drama (1980s)
- probably quite good technically (as evidence by the solid reviews he has made), however his writing style makes it a frustrating read;
Mark S. Smith, The Laments of Jeremiah and Their Contexts (1990 or so)
- provides a contrasting structure to the above but does not really add much to their work or even signifcantly dialogue with them.

And my dissertation is (hopefully) about how the confessions of Jeremiah fit into the context of the whole book of Jeremiah (thus expanding the work done by O'Connor). the immediate thesis is about how Jeremiah 15 (one of the confessions) fits into the whole book. and i need to figure out an outline for the thesis by tomorrow, so time to get to work :)

Jeremy Seabrook, No Hiding Place (2000)

a fairly technical book about instances when home countries have convicted someone for sexually abusing children in a foreign country. It was hopeful in the sense that countries and people are realizing the necessity of holding people accountable but still saddening in seeing how much we`d still like to deny that good people like us can do such things (and we have a habit of letting them get away with it).

Belinda J. Carpenter, Re-thinking Prostitution: Feminism, Sex, and the Self (2000).

This is part of learning about the world in which i live:
One of the main ideas of the book was that we needed to re-think some of the false dichotomies we have in terms of prostitution (for example that the prostitute is either the object (usually of abuse) or the subject (the one making all the choices)). As well, we need to consider how prostitution is both private and public. It was rather fascinating, although somewhat technical and a lot of sociological language. The points that stuck with me are that a woman is given money because as a female she tends to exist as a bodily person (i.e. having emotions and not just as a rational being) but yet most prostitutes see it as only a job - and they are not fully present in their body during their work, and that we have socially accepted the idea that men need sex.

Claude Jaget, ed. Prostitutes: Our Life (1980)

The book is prostitutes telling of their lives and their choices in becoming a prostitute. Although the book is a little old and discusses only the lives of street prostitutes (not those in the windows like we have here), it was fascinating to hear their stories - and their strong argument that they were ordinary people who had often taken this choice because there was limited other choices available to them. and they only did it for the money. and although they´d get out of it soon (and didn´t want their families involved) that the rules against them in France (and England) made it very difficult to lead normal lives once they´d been convicted - or even to have friends, as anyone associating with them could be charged with some kind of association with prostitution (like pimping). they seemed to be saying that this was their choice as a way to survive in a world that doesn´t give a lot of choices to women, especially single moms.

even though i know much was not said, i appreciated being able to see the real-ness and ordinary-ness of people who have felt the need to make such different choices than i. and i feel like my eyes are opening up a bit more to the world around me here.