A Noble Groom

A Noble Groom by Jody Hedlund
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

When Annalisa Werner's abusive husband dies unexpectedly, her father sends for a groom from their homeland, Germany. But the man who arrives is neither her intended nor exactly who he claims to be - yet in spite of her doubts Annalisa feels herself drawn to his charm and kindness.

I haven't read Christian historical romance since I was a teenager devouring Janette Oke and Gilbert Morris by the truckload (and much later, Francine Rivers). But when I saw this great cover, with a handsome dude, cravat blowing in the wind, it called to me: then I realized it was a romance set on a Minnesotan farm in 1880 - and I was there. The characters are immigrants escaping social injustice in feudal Germany, determined to build new lives in the promise of American soil.

There is drama and danger: Annalisa's husband may have been murdered, Carl Richards is fleeing a death sentence, and the settlers are threatened by greedy businessmen, epidemics, and wildfires. Life is a daily struggle against the harshness of frontier life.

I encountered the usual problems with this type of romance: it's sentimental about children and animals, has old-fashioned gender roles, and there's more telling than showing. A Noble Groom is predictable in the way most romances are, though that's not a bad thing for a summer romance read. For anyone who loves gentle tales of love between God-fearing adults, this will certainly fit the bill (and is a cut above other fiction in the subgenre).

"I Never Knew That!"

Except, I did.

Growing up in the Christian church, the language of evangelism is spoken from the pulpit. The phrases are usually direct quotations from the Bible, and reference specific theological ideas. Which of course, makes them what French sociologist Pierre Bourdieu called the habitus.

An example of habitus is the scene in Inglorious Basterds where the English spy betrays himself to the Germans by using the wrong three fingers to order drinks. It's how the "in crowd" recognizes you as an outsider, because for that group, the gestures and language are as natural as breathing.

I find myself shying away from using these terms because to me they sound fake. Though I believe in the concepts they refer to, I've heard them used so often that they feel like glib and easy ways to discuss difficult or profound truths.

This video is amazing. It was created by the Bel Air Presbyterian Church, and I love when Christians can poke gentle fun at ourselves.

Via The Society Pages.