Interests Meme

[kerravonsen]

Gacked from synaesthete7.
Pick an interest from my LJ User Profile that:

• you've never heard of, but would like to know more about; OR
  
• you've heard of, but can't figure out why I would be interested in it.

And all shall be explained.

Though I sometimes wonder why I ask these things.

Comments

[kannaophelia.livejournal.com]

apologetics ~grin~

[kerravonsen]

apologetics
What do you want to know? What it is, or why I'm interested in it?

[kannaophelia.livejournal.com]

Both or either will do. ~g~ It's one of those awful things where I know I should know what it is, but I either don't or have forgotten...

[kerravonsen]

I'm going to cheat a bit by looking up some definitions of apologetics because they've probably got it laid out in clearer and fewer words...
Apologetics is that branch of theology where a believer defends their faith to unbelievers -- from the Greek "apologia" (defence or answer).
In other words, stuff about why it's logical to be a Christian (or at least, logical to be a theist) without necessarily referring to the Bible. Includes things like creation-by-design, psychological arguments etc. C.S. Lewis was well-known for this.

As for why I'm interested in it, for two reasons. One, personally, being a logical, rational person, I like finding out how it all fits together. It's not that I'm dismissing Faith, not at all; but I don't think it has to be blind. Secondly, from the number of non-Christians I encounter in life (especially on the net) I'd like to be ready to defend my faith when that's necessary, though I don't think I've ended up using much apologetics in action. Because it often boils down to "well, that's your point of view" and nothing further. I don't want to be argumentative for the sake of being argumentative.

[rj-anderson.livejournal.com]

Eden's Bridge?

[kerravonsen]

A lovely Celtic-style Christian band, similar to Iona. Oh, they actually have a website.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Well, since Eden's Bridge has already been asked about, who's Sharon Lee?

And I figure you ask these things because getting to know people this way is big fun. So to speak.

[kerravonsen]

Sharon Lee and Steve Miller are the authors of the Liaden universe stories, something which I discovered only in the last couple of years. The core stories of this universe is a sequence of four novels: Agent of Change, Carpe Diem, Plan B and I Dare, which one could reasonably describe as "a cross between James Bond, Georgette Heyer and Star Wars", and follows the adventures of Val Con yos'Phelium, Liaden Agent of Change, and Miri Robertson, ex-merc turned bodyguard, both of them on the run from... trouble. In a far future out-in-space setting with politics, different branches of humanity, culture clash, organized crime and even some aliens. I call it a "sequence" because one novel follows on smoothly from the other, and one really needs to read them all in a big gulp if you're like me and want to find out what happens! However, the universe is more than those two characters; we have Conflict of Honors about Shan, Val Con's cousin and foster-brother, which is set just a year or two before "Agent of Change", but isn't quite part of the sequence.

Then there are the "past history" novels, Local Custom and Scout's Progress which are about, respectively, Shan's parents and Val Con's parents. "Scout's Progress" is the first Liaden novel I read, and still remains my favourite, one of those friendship-preceeds-romance ones. These past-history novels don't have the "James Bond" aspect of the Agent of Change sequence, but they get more into the culture clash between Terrans and Liadens, and the limitations and strictures of Liaden culture (as well as having appealing characters and good plots!).

The most recent Liaden novel, Balance of Trade I've already mentioned on my LJ.

[mistraltoes.livejournal.com]

Thank you. I'm glad you included Steve Miller in your explanation, because I thought you meant the musician when I read your interests list. [g]