Venus at Merrydell

A Magical Night

Dear Friends,

That was quite the weekend. Our daughter was married off in a beautiful ceremony in a small country church in the mountains and then we hosted a reception at Merrydell, my sister’s riverside estate down the road (I think it qualifies as an “estate,” anyway). Twinkling lights hanging in the trees in the twilight, flower arrangements and candles on the tables, torches on the green lawn, Gypsy Jazz and Big Band playlist, superb cocktails and (especially) wine, hors d’oeuvres and delicacies, hearts were full to overflowing and in my biased opinion everyone left thinking it was the best wedding they’d ever attended. Many said so and it certainly was for us. It was magical. It was as though Eden made an appearance for a moment in time. No, not Eden. It was much more like the final chapter of Lewis’s That Hideous Strength, entitled “Venus at St. Anne’s.” The very Spirit of Love descended on Merrydell.

And then we had to tear it all down and it is going to take a long time to recover! It was exhausting. More than worth it, of course, but very exhausting. We are so, so, so very grateful to our family members who helped in so many ways with, among other things, hosting and making flower arrangements, and our supremely talented friends who put on a mind-blowing feast of delicacies. And for our Rector, who presided over his very first wedding ceremony with the perfect blend of solemnity and mirth, gave a superb wedding homily, and then followed it up with a masterful sermon for church the very next day.

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As you might imagine, I have pretty much kept off the grid during this time, so there’s been less input for The Quarter Inch. I do want to note a few things for you.

On Friday I published my reaction to the controversy, for lack of a better term, over Megan Basham’s new book. I did notice a few people online wondering if I therefore just think her whole premise is wrongheaded and there’s nothing of value in it? To that I will say: 1) Such all-or-nothing, binary thinking is itself a feature of the tribalism I flatly reject. 2) There very well may be some merit to her concerns. I do not doubt there are bad actors in evangelical institutions. But I have followed Basham long enough to discern that she is not a reliable messenger, and her method of crafting the message and delivering it is not fruitful and, in many instances, ungodly for the reasons I proffered.

Yesterday Brad Littlejohn published an essay that essentially makes the point I was making, only far better than I did. It describes Basham’s method to a “T.”