Separation

I am a firm believer that Christians should clearly be "different" from other people. We are a separated, called-out, people, still citizens of our home countries but owing our ultimate allegiance to the Kingdom of God. Any conflict between the two should be easy to resolve: our duty is with the Kingdom.

Any activity which detracts from one's allegiance to the Kingdom should be modified or dropped altogether. This could include political associations, social activities, sports, or hobbies; none of which are, by themselves, wrong or forbidden.

The Bible recognizes the validity of the State and acknowledges that it has important functions. The State has been placed in power by God. The caveat is that the State also has its limitations. The State establish censuses, registrations, laws, fees, taxes, and even call for legitimate civil and military service. The State can not, however, demand unquestioningn obedience or the right to dictate belief. For the Christian there can be no ,"My country, right or wrong."

Another Light Bulb Joke

How many Hindus does it take to screw in a light bulb?

None, the light bulb will live again as a toaster.

What Is That in Your Hand?

"And the Lord said unto him, What is that in thine hand? And he said, A rod. And he said, Cast it on the ground. And he cast it on the ground, and it became a serpent: and Moses fled from before it." Exodus 4:2-3

Moses was carrying a rod used to lean on while walking, to steady oneself while climbing a hill, and to steer sheep in the way they should go. He used it in making his daily living but it was just a stick. God said to throw it down, basically meaning "give it to me." In God's hands it became a snake, made water come out of a rock, and cut a walking path for the Israelites through the Red Sea.

God wants us to give Him what we have and let Him use it. Moses' rod was basically his means of occupation. We can do the same with ours. The seventeenth century lay Carmelite brother, Brother Lawrence. was a cook and shoe repairer who attracted worldwide attention because of his insistence on living a Christ-filled life, cooking for Christ and repairing shoes for Christ. He turned his occupations into a witness.

We may be prevented by employer policy from "proselytizing" at work but we can provide a witness by our competence, honesty, diligence, and perseverance. Christians should stand out as different. We really are different.

The Tomb of Jesus in Japan

Jesus's direct lineal descendant, Sawaguchi Toyoji, doesn't believe any of it. He's a garlic farmer in a village where no one is a Christian but most adamantly believe is the burial place of Jesus. The burial mound and cross are located on Sawaguchi's property.

The legend has it that Jesus escaped crucifixion when his brother, Iskiri, was executed in his place. After a four year long journey, Jesus arrived in Japan where he settled in Aomori Prefecture at Herai (said to be a shortened form of "heburai," the Japanese word for "Hebrews."). There he married a Japanese woman and had three daughters whose descendants still live in the village which bills itself as "Kirisito no Sato" of "Home of Christ."

Film Comment: Ink

A hardworking competent businessman devotes so much of his time to his business that he badly neglects his family, in effect sacrificing them to his career. When his wife dies and her parents take Emma, his little daughter, he becomes even more bitter, becoming all business, and never seeing the girl. But like everyone else, he doesn't know what's really going on when Emma suddenly goes into a coma.

Beings from "somewhere else" swirl and battle all around them constantly, and one of them, Ink, a would be Incubus (the "Boogeyman"), has stolen Kate from her body, which has begun to wither away. Ink plans to offer Emma as a human sacrifice to impress the other incubi so he can be promoted to full status. Chasing and battling Ink in city streets, in people's houses, and in other dimensions are the Storytellers and a Pathfinder. Of course, their destructive battles leave no trace which we can see. The Storytellers come during the night to give people pleasant dreams and memories while the Incubi come to torment us with nightmares.

This film, which has become a runaway internet favorite, was rejected by every major studio. They probably didn't know what to do with it because of the strong religious undertones running through the film. The Incubi can be seen as demons (their true nature is hidden behind glass squares floating in front of their faces which present them as smiling benevolent beings), and the Storytellers can be seen as angels. The blind Pathfinder is the one who tells even the Storytellers how everything really does make sense.

What the Pathfinder tells the Storytellers is that every choice leads to the next choice and that once the chain reaction of choices is set in motion the final result is inevitable, unless somehow the chain is broken. The mission of the Storytellers is to break the chain and save the girl.

I could find almost no information on Jamin Winans, the director/writer/co-producer of this film, so I can't say exactly what his intentions were but he is clearly familiar with Christian traditions and philosophy. A few lines are taken directly from the Bible. The heavy use of profanity is not.

The Bible tells us that spiritual beings are busy around us all the time, sometimes in plain sight, and that, in fact, we all have our own personal angels (and presumably our own personal demons). These beings strive constantly for our good, or for our damnation, and when just one of us is saved, there is wild rejoicing in Heaven. The choices made by mankind (individually and collectively) have set the world on a chain reaction which could only be broken by an intervention from outside the chain. We needed a Saviour to break the chain and He was provided in Jesus. He can save you no matter how far you have fallen.

Atheists Sue Catholic Bishop

In a strange coalition, a group of atheists and Catholic activists have sued Nicholas DiMarzio, the Bishop of Brooklyn; a politician, Assemblyman Vito Lopez; and the Brooklyn Catholic Diocese over their involvement in recorded phone messages by DiMarzio to voters in Lopez' district before a City Council election.

I hate to agree with the atheists but they are probably correct. A major tenet of non-profit status is non-involvement in elections. Churches have skirted around this issue for years with many stepping across the line. The church may, and should speak about issues, but must not support a particular candidate. The only legitimate political involvement for the church is non-partisan voter registration and encouragement of civic participation by voting.

Evangelicals have come dangerously close to stepping across the line with their increasing identification with the Republican Party. Our allegiance must be to Christ, not to organizations. We should be holding ourselves separate from their worldly pursuit of power and influence so they will not feel that they have any right to dictate or attempt to influence our policies, actions, or beliefs.

One of my "Common Sense Predictions for the Next Ten Years" (4 October 2009) was "Numerous churches will renounce their tax-exempt status in order to prevent governmental interference in their affairs."

The Tree and the Hill

In our restroom at work we have a dry-erase communication board on which someone drew a picture of a several wrapped presents under a Christmas tree. The multicolored drawing is actually quite good, not just "cute."

Adequate, but not great, artist that I am, I added behind the tree a hill topped with three wooden crosses. My addition lasted for several days before someone erased it, leaving the tree and presents. I'm sure they were offended; the gospel is offensive to the world.

Non-Christians (and many Christians) love Santa, the brightly decorated trees, the elves, the mistletoe, the sleigh, happy snowmen, and the spiked egg nog, especially the spiked egg nog. They have no idea what Christmas is about. Christmas was/is the preparation for Easter. From the Beginning of the World, Jesus was coming to die so that we might live. The Gospel, the "good message" or the "true message," is not that Jesus was born in Bethlehem but that He was murdered and rose from death, defeating death for us.

Christmas in Iraq

If your church received bomb threats that it would be destroyed if church services were held on Christmas, would you attend? If your church had to be protected by armed policemen in order for services to be held, would you attend? Would you feel safer if the men of your church surrounded the area with large dirt berms (hills) to impede the approach of suicide car bombers? Would you announce your identity if Christian men were being shot while walking down the street? Would you put up your Christmas tree and house lights?

All of these things are happening right now in Iraq. Although they may be becoming less public about it, the majority of Iraq's approximately 750,000 Christians continue to meet and worship. One Iraqi woman, Ann Benjamin (??), is quoted in The New York Times of 23 December, 2009 as saying,"I am not afraid of going to church - even if I die there. I will be happy to die in God's home."

The Manhattan Declaration

All Christians should read and consider signing The Manhattan Declaration. The Declaration was issued on 20 November 2009, signed by more than one-hundred fifty Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Protestant Evangelical leaders. Fifteen days later, on 5 December 2009, it had been signed by over 250,000 people. When I first read it on 21 December 2009, the total number of signers was 306,402. Today the number totals 307,164.

What has so solidly united leaders and Christians of such divergent religious traditions? The perception that Christianity is increasingly under assault and put on the defensive. The repeated attempts to override conscience clauses allowing medical workers to refuse to participate in medical procedures they believe to be immoral. Christian clergy in Canada and Europe being prosecuted for hate crimes because they affirmed the Biblical denunciation of homosexuality. The fact that, in Scandinavia, one who adheres to the ideas stated in the Declaration is derisively called a "mprkemann" (man of darkness). Things like that.

On what could Orthodox, Catholic, and Evangelical leaders agree? Their three points, expanded in the Declaration, are: 1. "the sanctity of human life," 2. "the dignity of marriage as the conjugal union of husband and wife," and 3. "the rights of conscience and religious liberty."

Read the Declaration but don't just impulsively sign it. Think about it first because it is not just a statement. The document asks for a commitment also. When you sign, you agree to the following statements.

"We pledge to each other, and to our fellow believers, that no power on earth, be it cultural or political, will intimidate us into silence or acquiescence. It is our duty to proclaim the Gospel of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in its fullness, both in season and out of season."

"We recognize the duty to comply with laws whether we happen to like them or not, unless the laws are gravely unjust or require those subject to them to do something unjust or otherwise immoral. ... We will not comply ... nor will we bend. ... We will fully and ungrudgingly render to Caesar what is Caesar's, but under no circumstances will we render to Caesar what is God's."

Unhindered

κηρύσσων τὴν βασιλείαν τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ διδάσκων τὰ περὶ τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ μετὰ πάσης παρρησίας ἀκωλύτως.
"Preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." Acts 28:31
ἀκωλύτως actually means “without hindrance” or “unhindered.” Hence the name of my blog, Saints on the Loose!

Jesus Wept

"Then when Mary was come where Jesus was, and saw him, she fell down at his feet, saying unto him, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died.
 When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled,
 And said, Where have ye laid him? They said unto him, Lord, come and see.
 Jesus wept.
" John 11:32-35.

Jesus wept at the tomb of his personal friend, Lazarus, who had been dead and buried for four days. Talking to Sean Hannity, Christian evangelist Franklin Graham said, "I think He cried because He had to bring Lazarus back."

Bob Dylan's Christmas Album

Bob Dylan (b. 1941 as Robert Allen Zimmerman) was a 1979 convert to Christianity. Many of his fans thought he was nuts as he released albums containing overtly Christian lyrics. They got over it and realized he was still Bob Dylan.

Now, Dylan has released Christmas in the Heart, a collection of Christmas themed songs. The first single from the album, Must Be Santa, features a video of Dylan in a Santa hat at a boisterous Christmas party singing in his unmistakable gravelly, almost on key, voice. Critics immediately declared he had released the video as a spoof.

Dylan thought otherwise and didn't mind saying so. He said he was pushing his musical boundaries and that true fans of his music would understand. "Critics like that are on the outside looking in. They are definitely not fans or the audience that I play to. ... Even at this point they don't know what to make of me. These songs are part of my life ..." Looks like Bob Dylan is still Bob Dylan, a little cranky, very serious and cerebral, genuine, and aware of his place in music history. God bless him!

A Christian Sex Magazine from Africa

Intiem, an Afrikaans language magazine was begun in 2006 in Africa and, in 2009, has begun an English language version entitled Intimacy. The target audience is married Christian women from strict religious backgrounds which have often left the women with an unease about physical intimacy. The magazine insists that sex is a gift from God which married Christian women can rightly claim without guilt about not being "good girls."

The magazine endorses strict monogamy and is opposed to same sex marriage or relationships.

"We believe that if a sex act stays within a marriage, is shared by only husband and wife, and both of them are comfortable with and enthusiastic about doing whatever they are doing, it can only be beneficial to the marriage. And this is what God wants for us."

News: Religious Intimidation in Pakistan

The radical group, Ideological Supremacy to Uphold Islam in the World, has been linked by police to a bombing in Kas, Pakistan. The bombing on 23 November was aimed at a video/CD shop which sold Urdu and Pashto language Islamic and Christian religious films including the Jesus Film. The shop's owner, Muhammad Taos Khan, was warned that he was "disseminating vulgarity." Well, at least we know where we stand with radical Muslims.

Holy Cow! Jesus is in My Screen Door!

In early December of 2009, Moses, a half-Jersey half-Holstein calf was born on Brad Davis' farm in Sterling, Connecticut. What is special about Moses that made the international news is that on his forehead is a patch of white hair in the shape of a cross. Some have already started with the predictable "maybe God is sending us a message from above." No one is sure what message God might be sending on the forehead of a cow. It's the wrong place anyway. As one sarcastic blogger opined, "... religious icons should only appear in cheese ... you can find that in the Bible."

In the film, Screen Door Jesus (2003), it's not a cow's head but the front screen door of Old Mother Harper, an old black woman in a small Texas town. On the screen some, but not all, see the smiling face of Jesus. the entire population of the town and then the outside press show up in Mother Harper's front yard and start taking sides. So many people come, tramping her flowers and leaving trash, that Mother Harper gets righteously annoyed.

It seems that Jesus (or sometimes Mary) appears everywhere: on billboards, in pictures of spaghetti, in water stains, in the shape of a deformed Cheeto, etc. and that pathetic people desperate for a proof of what they want to believe rush to worship the holy item. Jesus told us that we don't need that.

"Thomas, because thou hast seen me, thou hast believed:blessed are theythat have not seen, and yet have believed." John 20:29.

Rushing to fawn over a piece of cheese or a Jesus shaped mushroom brings ridicule to the Church. They already think we're crazy and then we prove it.

Another light bulb joke

How many Zen masters does it take to change a light bulb?

A lily pad floats on the surface above a goldfish below.

Film Comment: Satan: Prince of Darkness

Satan: Prince of Darkness is a 1998 Arts and Entertainment Channel documentary which is ultimately unsatisfying because it attempts to be non-controversial. It rightly points out several modern understandings of the demonic; that the ancient fear of witches and the devil in part stemmed from a fear of women and sexuality; that the Salem witch trials were the result of rampant human fear and ignorance; that in the Eighteenth Century, Satan began to be seen as a rebel against authority and that in the Nineteenth Century he became an object of ridicule as science began to explain away God and Satan; and that, in the modern era Satan is seen as an interesting myth, the BOOGEYMAN.

The Bible clearly declares the Devil and his demons to be real, dangerous beings who seek to hinder or invalidate believers. Ephesians 2:1,2; 1 Thessalonians 2: 8, 3:5; Acts 5:3; 1 Corinthians 7:5; Revelation 2:10, 12:10; Matthew 13:38-3.

Book Comment: Profiles of Protestant Saints

In my 17 November 2009 comments on Butler's Lives of the Saints I briefly discussed the Protestant understanding of "saint." Cardinal Richard Cushing, the Catholic Archbishop of Boston, admitted in 1968 that the idea of Protestant saints may seem to be "novel." In his preface to Profiles of Protestant Saints, he acknowledged that Paul declared all believers to be saints and also that God raises up whomever He pleases to perform whatever tasks He wishes.

Profiles of protestant saints was written by a Roman Catholic for a Roman Catholic audience and details the stories of nineteen individuals who were raised up by God for service in times which called for that service. It was as if just the right person were placed in just the right situation at just the right time. Exactly.

Those profiled include Martin Luther (1483-1546), a disgruntled Roman Catholic priest; Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), who evangelized Burma; Alexander Campbell (1788-1866), the founder of the Disciples of Christ; Richard Allen (1760-1831), a highly educated Eighteenth Century African-American theologian and church founder; and Samuel Schereschewsky (1831-1906), a Lithuanian rabbinical student whose last words were, "I thank thee, Lord, for the scholarship, and for the time - and for the finger." You'll have to read the book.

Don't Be a Sausage

Silvanus (aka: Silas, fl. 1st century) was probably Peter's amanuensis (scribe) and, according to Roman Catholic tradition, went with Peter and John Mark to Rome in 42 AD/CE. He is also known to have been a companion of Paul. His most famous teaching is "Do not be a sausage which is full of useless things."

We are to devote all of our attention and resources to serving God (Deuteronomy 6:5; Romans 12:11-12; 1 Peter 2:12; Psalms 19:7, 10-11.), so what did Silvanus mean by "useless things"?

In the Christian context a useless thing could, of course, be mindless accumulation of things, but what Silvanus was probably talking about were personal distractions or hindrances to one's Christian witness and/or things about the believer which could cause distractions or hindrances to others.

Useless things to a Christian could be: pride, always having to prove that you are "right," gossip and judgementalism, hobbies which obsess you, failure to forgive (especially when they don't "deserve" it), and church "busyness." Useless things are things you would throw away to lighten yourself when the Devil was chasing you.

Film Comment: Vegas in Space

Vegas in Space (1991) is one of the weirdest movies you will ever see.

Three outer space soldiers take pills to transform themselves into women in order to go undercover (as showgirls!) to Vegas in Space, the capital city of an all-female planet. They're there trying to find out who stole Queen Veneer's jewels.

All but two of the parts are played by drag queens, two of whom died of AIDS the same year the film was released. There are unrelenting gowns, glitter, wigs, thick pancake makeup, 27 cent sets, and atrocious over-acting. This movie is up your nose with all it's garishness. I suspect that it is not really intended so much as a film but as an in your face "so what do I care what you think?" statement. It drips hostility to societal norms from every sequin.

What the film actually represents is the final level of moral relativism, where each person defines their own "truth." Each person lives as they choose unconstrained by any norms or common moral ground; "being themselves." Man has no higher judge and any moral rules are merely individual preferences. Many see this as ultimate freedom and personal valuation but, in truth, it declares that there is no real value to anything, including human life. Human life can be manipulated and even discarded, The door is open to the development of fascism.

good Ideas for a Christian Life

1. Plant a garden.

2. Study your Bible.

3. Become more involved with your spouse and children.

4. Don't be afraid to speak up.

5.  Have a healthy sex life.

6. Realize that your secular pursuits are for God as well.

7. Be surprised when you fail, not when you succeed.

8. Understand that the universe really is orderly.

9. Don't allow your career or hobby to become all-consuming.

10.  Know that we really are different and they really don't understand.

News: Chinese Christian Pastors Given Prison Time

In Linfen City, Shanxi Province, China, on 25 November 2009, Yang Rongli and four other house church pastors were sentenced to multiple years of prison time for "illegally occupying farming land" and "disturbing transportation order by gathering masses." Thier real crime was refusing to register their churches and accept governmental control of their worship services and other activities.

Book Comment: My Little Bible

My Little Bible is a children's book of 20 Old Testament and 22 New Testament one page illustrated stories which give a good overview of the main historical events and Biblical concepts at a level accessible to an elementary school child. Unlike some Christian books for children it doesn't shy away from the death of Jesus. It is also quick to report His resurrection.

Hollingsworth, Mary, My Little Bible (Nashville: Tommy Nelson, 1991)

Something to Think About: Robotic Humans

SOMETHING TO THINK ABOUT: Robotic Humans
This is a recurrent segment in this blog and is dedicated to questions not yet being asked by most people, but which, inevitably, will come up. If you think about them now, you won’t be caught unaware when they arrive.
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In Rome in 2008, Pierpaolo Petruzziello moved his arm and hand and felt sensations even though he no longer had an arm and even though the arm and hand which he was moving were attached to his body by electrodes inserted into the stump of what was left of his arm. Other than the wires placed into the stump, the mechanism was not attached to the patient. The hand was entirely mechanical and was controlled entirely by Petruziello's thoughts. Presumably, the mechanism could be controlled from a distance by remote control.

The science fiction dream of brains kept alive in robotic bodies will eventually be realized. Will paraplegics be able to live and experience normal lives within mechanical bodies? Will the resultant persons still be human? Will they be able to remain alive for centuries by switching to new robotic bodies as the old ones wear out? Will living tissue one day replace the robotic mechanisms? Will it be ethical to discard the living bodies for new ones?

Will someone realize another science fiction concept and produce long-distance soldiers such as the beings seen in the 2009 film, Avatar? Mechanisms (robotic or living tissue) controlled like today's military drone airplanes by someone safely miles or even continents away from the deadly action? What will this mean for the value of human life? Will remaining human in one's original body be seen as a liability? Will cybernetic implants enhance their recipients?

Who Owns Church Property?

The members of St. Luke’s of the Mountains Church in La Crescenta, California have received an eviction notice from the Episcopal Church and the local Episcopal diocese. Their offense was to vote to leave the Episcopal Church over its recent liberal moves such as the ordination of openly practicing homosexual and lesbian bishops. The church members contended that they paid for and owned the church property while the national denomination also claimed ownership. The civil courts sided with the denomination.

Property disputes of this type (in a hierarchical structure) will be handled differently by the courts than would be those arising in the congregational denominations because of the differences in traditional church governance.

The real issue here is whether or not the dispute should have gone before the civil authorities at all. Traditionalists would say that 1 Corinthians 6:1-7 says no. Some would go so far as to say that Christians are required to not defend themselves at all in civil or church courts.

A review of the relevant scriptures shows that Paul, in Acts, defended himself in court and insisted on his legal rights. Jesus defended Himself before the civil authorities, “according to the Law.” (Exodus 23:1, Deuteronomy 1:16, 17:6, 19:15, John 5:51, 18:33-37.}

A balanced interpretation of the issue recognizes that the civil authorities are ordained by God to handle legal matters and civic issues (Romans 13:1-4) and that we are to respect and honor them (1 Peter 2:14).

Doctrinal issues and personal matters between believers should not be judged by unbelievers but by faithful church leaders as defined in each church tradition.

Another consideration: if pursuing the issue will produce negative effects on the church, Christians can choose not to assert their legal rights. (1 Corinthians 6:7).

Jesus Christ, Juror

On 30 November 2009, Jesus Christ was struck from the jury pool in a criminal case in Jefferson County, Alabama. It was her real legal name. She used to be Dorothy Lola Killingworth. No explanation was given for the name change.

Jesus was struck from the jury for being disruptive; asking incessant questions instead of listening to instructions. Several other members of the jury pool were seen to be continually laughing.

Obviously, Dorothy ... excuse me ... Jesus, may be a little on the eccentric side, but the real Jesus was certainly, and intentionally, disruptive. He provoked distrust and hostility everywhere he went. He presented a problem for the political and religious maintainers of the status quo. The world system did not like him at all.

Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword. For I am come to set a man at variance against his father, and the daughter against her mother, and the daughter in law against her mother in law. And a man's foes [shall be] they of his own household.
 He that loveth father or mother more than me is not worthy of me: and he that loveth son or daughter more than me is not worthy of me.
 And he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me.

Matthew 10:34-38.

New Blogs to Watch

I have added the following blogs to the list of blogs I watch:

The Male Domain
http://themaledomain.blogspot.com/

Three Rivers Episcopal
http://3riversepiscopal.blogspot.com/

Zach Thinks Deep
http://zachthinksdeep.blogspot.com/

Film Comment: It's the End of the World

     We're not talking here about easy stuff like an alien invasion, or rampaging hordes of flesh-eating zombies, or dystopian post-civilization films like Last Man on Earth (1964), No Blade of Grass (1970), Glen and Randa (1971), Idaho Transfer (1973), A Boy and His Dog (1975), Death Race 2000 (1975), Mad Max (1979),  Rollerblade (1986), The Time of the Wolf (2003), and I Am Legend (2007).  Those are just inconveniences.

     We're talking about end of the world, nothing left, world gone bye-bye films. There are many more than you might imagine.

     1931: La fin du monde. As a giant comet hurtles toward Earth, two brothers think the event may end all war as mankind unites against the threat. Some pray, some have orgies.

     1951: When Worlds Collide.  A wandering planet is on a collision course with the Earth.  A group of scientists/survivalists must pick who to save, fight off the rest, and make sure the survivors safely leave.

     1964: Dr. Strangelove, or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Bomb. Considered by many to be the ultimate American film, or at least the ultimate American comedy.  A rogue military commander flips out and sends his planes to deliver nuclear warheads in an attack against Russia.  Comic mayhem ensues.  

     1988: Miracle Mile.  A young man answers a ringing pay phone.  It's a wrong number, but he learns that all-out nuclear war has begun and the missiles will arrive in little more than an hour.

     1998: Last Night.  It's the last night before the Earth is destroyed, with six hours left.  The reason is never explained but everyone is aware of it.  Some are trying to get home, some are having wild parties, some are reaching out for God, and others are just reaching out for someone.

This is described as a comedy/drama, but the comedy is of the classical tragedy type.

     2008: The Happening: Director M. Night Shyamalan's misfire starts with the disappearance of all the world's bees.  The mass suicides begin.  Earth has begun rejecting an irritant, us.

     2009: 2012.  The last day of the world according to the ancient Mayan calendar is 21 Dec. 2012.

This is a big-budget special effects spectacular.  One man may hold the key to stopping it.

     2009: Knowing.  A teacher comes to believe that a number-filled sheet from a time capsule unearthed at his son's school contains codes pointing to disasters with accurate dates and death totals.  As he checks, everything lines up, 100%.  Then he finds dates for three disasters which have haven't happened yet, including one extraordinarily special event.

     John Cusack, talking about his role in 2012, said "the movie is a big action film , but it's also about emotions.  It made me think that, if you just had this finite time left on earth, then what would you do with it?"

     The truth is that we all already have "just this finite time left on Earth" and we don't know how long that finite time period is.  Right now is the only time we have for sure.  We ...you might be dead tomorrow, or later tonight, or two minutes from now.  The end of the world comes for each of us.

Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away.²But of that day and [that] hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.  Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is.  [For the Son of man is] as a man taking a far journey, who left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to every man his work, and commanded the porter to watch.  Watch ye therefore: for ye know not when the master of the house cometh, at even, or at midnight, or at the cockcrowing, or in the morning:  Lest coming suddenly he find you sleeping.  Mark 13: 31-36. 

     

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Noel Alexandre: (b. 1639, France – d. 1724) Church historian, Dominican theologian

John Emerich Edward Dalberg Acton: (b. 1834, Italy – d. 1902) 1^st Baron Acton.  Acton was a historian educated at Paris and Munich.  A politically liberal Roman Catholic, he opposed the doctrine of Papal Infallibility.

Ivan Mikheevich Pervushin (b. 1827, Russia – d. 1900) Russian priest, meteorologist, mathematician, and statistician.   He contributed to the development of number theory and developed numerous mathematical proofs.

Harold Guy Hunt (b. 1933, Alabama – d. 2009)  Farmer, preacher, Governor of Alabama 1987-1993. In 1993 he became the first Alabama governor removed from office for a felony ethics conviction.

Sandra Kay Yow: (b. 1942, North Carolina - d. 2008) Naismith Hall of Fame Inductee (2002) who led the Elon College and the North Carolina State University women’s basketball teams to over 700 wins.  She led the United States Olympic team to a gold medal in 1988.

Another light bulb joke

How many Druids does it take to change a light bulb?

501, one to change the light bulb and 500 to align the stone

Friends

On his freelance cartooning website, Australian Baptist pastor Matt Glover features a cartoon in which a man wants to "friend" God but he can't because he hasn't been able to find Him on Facebook. His simple cartoon speaks to the shallow nature of modern pop culture. A "friend" can be someone you've never met and will never meet; you just share trivialities on an internet social network. Some people on the networks have thousands of "friends."
A true friend is much more than an acquaintance and much more than a "friendly" person. The truth is that a true friend is not just a friend; actually they love you. They are willing to inconvenience themselves for you and they are still your friend if you sometimes treat them badly.
It is not a coincidence that a famous gospel song is entitled "What a Friend We Have in Jesus." He endured the ultimate inconvenience for us even while we were still not His friends.

"But God commendeth his love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

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Matt Glover's cartooning website is at http://www.mattglover.com/ and his personal blog, which features his religious insights is at http://www.mattglover.com/wordpress/wordpress/

Deleted websites

I am removing the following websites from my list of websites because they seem to be abandoned with no recent posts.
Prayer Pups
Christian Affiliate Marketers
The merchants Cross Blog
The Christian Sports Blog
Christian Gamers Blog

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 8

In this paper, several passages from the Gospels have been examined to find whatever light they shed on the human knowledge possessed by Jesus. Starting from the orthodox view of Jesus as fully human and fully divine each passage has been scrutinized always with an effort not to claim too much or too little from what is implied in the verses.

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To ascribe absolute knowledge to Jesus is to make Him no longer Human. To deny that He ever showed supernatural knowledge is to deny scripture. Every time Jesus demonstrated supernatural knowledge , he did so with a purpose in mind.
A rational idea is that Jesus chose to accept the limitations of humanity and spoke only what the Father told him to speak. Although He could at any time have taken on all knowledge and power (Matthew 26:53), He knew only what He was able to learn for Himself or what God told Him. When He said he didn't know, He didn't know. He used "infused knowledge" only when it was necessary to further His mission.
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Fifty-one notes and a forty-one entry bibliography followed. Incidentally, the paper received a grade of A+.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 7

SUPERNATURAL KNOWLEDGE?
Mark 11:7; Mark 14:131-16; Luke 19:30-34. Jesus told his followers a colt and a room would be available for them. All they had to do was ask. While this may imply supernatural foreknowledge, Jesus may simply have made arrangements ahead of time.
Luke 2:46-52. Jesus was clearly a precocious child but supernatural knowledge, while implied, is not necessary to the passage. What is important that Jesus claimed Sonship to God.
John 6:64-70; Mark 14:18; Matthew 26:21. These passages flatly imply a supernatural precognition unless one accepts the assertions of the gnostic Gospel of Judas which declares that Jesus arranged the whole thing.
Matthew 9:20-22; Mark 5: 24-34. In recording this event, Mark declares that Jesus knew that "power had gone forth from him." I think that the passages may mean that Jesus knew who touched him but the point is that He did not simply let the healing occur. In all of the healing miracles Jesus expected and sometimes demanded an act of faith.
Matthew 17:24ff. Supernatural foreknowledge is clearly implied here. "Natural" explanations all fall short.
Mark 2:1-12; Matthew 9:4; Luke 17:22. "He knew their hearts." Of course he did. It was obvious that they considered him to be a blasphemer and he intentionally provoked it by openly claiming to be not only one with God, but to be God.
Matthew 16:21; Matthew 17:22-23; Mark 9:31-32; Luke 9:22. Any rational person could have foreseen Jesus' arrest and probable execution. His resurrection is another matter.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 6

Demonology
The absolute assertion that Jesus was mistaken in his belief in the existence of evil spirits and demonic possession is based in truth on a philosophical prejudice. How do you know that demons don't exist?
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LIMITS TO JESUS" KNOWLEDGE?
Luke 2:52 says that Jesus increased in wisdom and stature. He could learn, meaning he did not possess all knowledge. Bonsall described this a s a pure white lily which unfolds, revealing what is already there.
In Mark 11:13 and Matthew 21:19, Jesus curses a fruitless fig tree. Since this event probably occurred in April, before the fig season began, some see this a a sign of Jesus' ignorance and unreasonable annoyance. Frank Stagg, says that Jesus knew full well that the tree would have no fruit and that he used it as a parable. Since the tree had the outward appearance of being fruitful but was in truth fruitless, it was cursed. The main sin of the Jewish leaders of Jesus' time was that they were more concerned with outward appearances than they were with their own hypocrisy.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 5

ESCHATOLOGY
This centers on Mark 13:32 and Matthew 24:34-36 in the phrase "ουδε ο υιοσ," "neither the son." Some feel that this phrase was added later (it does not appear in all manuscripts) to smooth over the apparently incorrect short-range prediction made by Jesus in Matthew 10:23; Luke 21:32; Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Mark 13:30; and Luke 9:27.
Jesus said "this generation" (γενεα) would not pass away until "all this" came to pass.
Some say that Jesus was simply wrong. Others say that Jesus as God knew the time but as a man he did not. Others say Jesus was not authorized to tell us what he knew, others that it was an Arian interpolation. Some say that "γενεα" refers to the end-time generation. Possibly the best explanation is that the knowledge of the end time was available to Jesus but for two reasons he chose not to take it up. A human could not have such knowledge and the knowledge of the end time was not necessary for the fulfillment of Jesus' mission. (And perhaps the coming of the "kingdom of god" meant something else to Jesus than his hearers understood. In Jewish theology any "signal event" in history was regarded as God coming in history. All of the Twelve lived to see the Transfiguration, and only Judas died before seeing the Resurrection. Many, myself included, believe the Resurrection, to be THE SIGNAL EVENT in history.)
Another event, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D., which the Baptist theologian, Frank Stagg, pointed out was entirely foreseeable, was witnessed by some, but not all.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 4

The question of Jesus' human knowledge is important in much of modern Christology, especially in that centered on Phillipians 2:5-11, the "kenosis" passage.
Thomasius (1655-1728) declared "he emptied himself" (εκενωσεν) to mean that Jesus emptied himself of the "relative attributes" of divinity (omniscience, omnipotence, etc) and retained only his "essential attributes" (holiness, love, justice, etc). The assumption is that, upon his ascension, Jesus resumed his divine attributes. If pushed to far, this could imply that Jesus was God, became man, and then ceased to be man in order to once again become God.
In response to Thomasius, H. Brash Bonsall, who defines an attribute as an essential characteristic, says that if Jesus gave up any of the divine attributes, he ceased to be God. Bonsall feels that the incarnation involved the temporary laying aside of the divine attributes and prerogatives but not the abnegation of the possession of them (John 17:5; Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews 2:5-10.) This idea is based on the orthodox christology od The Council of Chalcedon (Jesus has two has two distinct and unmingled impersonal natures in one person with a communion of the attributes of the two. The twoo natures could not be mixed without changing the nature of each. Therefore, if Jesus as a man did not have limited knowledge then he was not truly a man. If, as God, he did not have full divine knowledge, he was not God.
Before discussing two general categories of Bible verses implying either limited knowledge or superhuman knowledge on the part of Jesus, it would be good to zero in especially on two "problem areas."

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 3

     Medieval scholasticism defined three types of human knowledge which were different than the knowledge which Jesus enjoyed as God.

      1. Beatific Knowledge: This is also termed the "beatific vision" and entails seeing the essence of God and all the things which are in that essence.

     2. Infused Knowledge: This is knowledge which is directly implanted by God.  It is knowledge which is known prior to any possible experience which could have produced the knowledge.

     3. Acquired Knowledge: THis is knowledge which is gained by direct human experience and learning.

     These three types of knowledge will be re-introduced where necessary in the subsequent discussion.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 2

      "Unless he was human to the lowest depths of his conscious and unconscious life, he was not truly human at all." John Knox said this and then went on to declare that we can't really say that Jesus was sinless without separating him from true manhood.  If, in any respect, even in sinning, Jesus did not share with us , he only seemed to be human.

     Aside from rejecting the idea that Jesus ever sinned (see Hebrews 2:17-18; 4:15), I must also quarrel with Knox on another point.  He seems to take the viewpoint that sin is an attribute of human nature.  An attribute is an essential characteristic of a thing or person which cannot be altered  and still have the one to which it is attributed remain the same person or thing.

     Sin is not an attribute of human nature.  It is a gangrene attacking human nature; it is not essential to it.  Jesus, in His life, showed for all time that it is possible to be sinless and fully human at the same time.

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     The question of Jesus' human knowledge has been presented as have been several possible approaches to the discussion.  IT would now be fruitful to begin our study by examining several possible sources of Jesus' human knowledge, for the time being ignoring and supernatural source.

     P. J. Temple says that there were three major sources of knowledge open to every Israelite; cultural traditions, nature, and the Scriptures.  It is obvious from His actions and His teachings that Jesus was intimately familiar with the Law and the Prophets, the Psalms, and Daniel.

     At least one scholar, the Unitarian theologian, Charles Francis Potter, makes much larger claims for Jesus' education.  He feels that Jesus obviously knew classical Hebrew and the commonly spoken Aramaic as well as the surrounding culture's Koine Greek.

     With this supposed knowledge of Greek "Jesus could ransack some of the chief depositories of religious books in Galilee.  These repositories were in the private houses of well-to-do people, in the meeting places of various religious circles or sects whose books were held in common, as well as in the synagogues."  Potter comes to dubious conclusion; Jesus became an Essene from studying their literature and that Christianity is an Essene sect.

On the Human Knowledge of Christ, Part 1

     For the next few days I will be posting, with slight editing and in short manageable segments, a paper I submitted on 3 Dec 1976 in Dr. Frank Stagg's New Testament Theology class at The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary in Louisville, Kentucky.  My personal inclination is to take the Bible at face value but the issues discussed in the paper are important because others do not always do so.

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     "There is nothing more negative than the result of the critical study of the life of Jesus."  So says the highly respected Albert Schweitzer.  Many modern theologians have felt this same way.

     There is a problem in recovering the exact words of Jesus but to declare that nothing can be known of Jesus or of his mind is a mistake.  It is also an error to declare that everything possible is known about the mind of Jesus.

     Dr. Frank Stagg, for many years a professor at the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary spoke to the issue; "The student of the New Testament cannot afford to be intimidated by what has been written in disparagement of a 'self-interpretation of Jesus.'  It is not naive to understand Jesus as concerned with his own identity and mission."

     It is also not naive to attempt to study the question of Jesus' personality, especially that part of the subject dealing with his human knowledge.

     Inherent in any study of Jesus' human knowledge is the question of Christology.  One part of this question which must necessarily come up is the problem of whether admitting that Jesus did not have absolute knowledge is also to declare that he could be in error.

     Traditional Roman Catholic scholastic theology attributed to Jesus a human knowledge of all created things of the past, present, and future, at least as far as these things were related to Jesus' work in salvation.  The scholastics also believed that Jesus possessed the beatific vision  from the moment of His conception in Mary's womb.  "Scholastic theology is not content that the soul of Christ knows all, but will have it that it knows all in all ways."  Earlier, Jerome, Augustine, Clement of Alexandria, Gregory of Nazianzus, and Cyril of Alexandria all attributed no ignorance and no mental development to the Christ-child.

     The Catholic Fathers all rejected the apocryphal Childhood Gospels but they did not attack or condemn the portrayal of Jesus' childhood as being one of absolute perfection.

     The New Testament writers seem to have felt this same reluctance to attributing any sort of limitation to Jesus, especially concerning His inward nature.  They do admit that He underwent moral and spiritual growth.  They seem to regard Him as statically perfect.  This is the ground on which the Fathers and the later scholastics built.

     There is a middle view spoken of by Benjamin Warfield, "One fresh from reading the gospel narrative will certainly fail to understand the attitude of those, who we are told exist, who for example, 'admit his growth in knowledge during childhood,' 'yet deny as intolerable the hypothesis of a limitation of his knowledge during his ministry."

     Some theologians, such as E. L. Mascall and C. K. Barrett, believe that Jesus was in error on some points.  Barrett said it was necessary for Him to be in error to be fully human.

 

 

Bollywood, Nollywood, Hollywood

     Hollywood is the movie capital of the world but it is not the movie production capital of the world.  It's actually third.  Number one is Bollywood, the Indian film industry which produces multiple thousands of films annually.  The name "Bollywood" is Hollywood with a "B" because the actual name of India is Bharat.

     Nollywood, the Nigerian film industry, produces thirty to fifty low-budget films a week.  Since the industry was virtually non-existent before the 1992 release of Living in Bondage by Kenneth Nnebue, this explosive growth is extraordinary.

     Most of the films are produced for about $15,000 and filmed in three to five days.  The DVD's sell for $2.00 and earn their producers huge returns.  The reason they are being discussed here is that a great many them are based on Pentecostal Christianity, even, or especially, the ones we in America would recognize as gore and violence filled horror films.  These films are on the level of the Christian Hell House phenomena.  

     The 1992 Igbo language film, Living in Bondage, started it all.  The plot goes like this: a group of men sacrifice their wives and drink their blood in a pagan ceremony which causes them to become rich.  The trouble is that their wives won't leave and continue to torment them as ghosts.  The men are saved when they beg forgiveness and accept Jesus Christ into their hearts.  The film almost immediately sold over seven hundred fifty thousand copies.

     The larger Christian ministries in Nigeria have their own production facilities and their films feature gore, witchcraft, cannibalism, violence, exorcisms, and Pentecostalism. 

"About Nollywood," http://nollywood.com/

"Cinema of Nigeria," http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nollywood

Lapeyre, Jason, "Nollywood Nightmares. Inside Nigeria's Homegrown Horror Industry," Rue Morgue, Toronto, #92, 2009.

Ir Ovot, Israel

     Ir Ovot is a kibbutz in the Israeli Negev (Hebrew = "desert"). The name means "City of Oboth."  This anti-Zionist kibbutz was formed in 1967 by Messianic Jews led by Simcha Perlmutter, of  Miami, Florida.  He had been a law student and court clerk. 

     The kibbutz has an evangelical ministry called "Blossoming Rose" and is a 501(c)3 charity which promotes educational travel to Israel. 

Film Comment: Over and Over Again, With Variations

     Hinduism and Buddhism are the major religions which believe in reincarnation, the belief that one returns to a new human (usually human) life after death.  In the new life, one advances or regresses in their spiritual evolution based on their actions in their prior life.  Eventually everyone becomes so spiritually advanced that they return to their true self, God, and are not reborn on Earth.  In essence, everyone gets a second, third, ... three-thousandth, ... four millionth chance to get it right.

     Numerous films and television episodes have grabbed onto this idea over the years. Here are a few:

1961: "Shadow Play," The Twillight Zone (television series).  A man is found guilty of murder and sentenced to the electric chair.  He insists to everyone around him that it's all a nightmare; that he'll be back in court after his execution, with all the same people present but playing different roles.

1992: "Cause and Effect," Star Trek: The Next Generation (television series). The Enterprise becomes caught in a repeating time loop which always results in the destruction of the ship.  Luckily, one of the crew is an android who can think outside the loop.  He realizes what is going on and takes steps to stop it.

1993: Groundhog Day.  This funny Bill Murray film has a totally bored weatherman reliving the same day over and over, with him making slight changes in his actions each day in an effort to finally get things right and escape the loop.

1993: 12:01.  At one minute after noon, a man repeatedly tries to prevent the murder of a woman.

1998: Dark City. A man with no memories realizes that the same night is being repeated over and over again with changes each time.

1998: Run, Lola, Run.  This is a love it or hate it film; a mixture of cartoon and live action footage.  Lola has twenty minutes to come up with 100,000 deutsche marks to give to her boyfriend so he won't be forced to rob a supermarket, so ... she runs, and runs, and runs.  Several different possible outcomes are presented by the film. 

2004: The Butterfly Effect. A man finds that he can return to earlier events in his life.  Each time he tries to make changes in events, unexpected twists make things worse than before.

2006: The Deaths of Ian Stone. Ian is brutally murdered each day, only to wake up in a new life and be murdered again.  He meets the same people, always in different roles, in each life.  This continues until one day one of the recurring people lets him in on the secret.

2006: The Butterfly Effect 2.  Largely a rehash of the earlier film.

     This idea of repetition of events until one "gets it right" makes for good stories, but is not compatible with a Christian understanding of reality.  It is clear that the Bible teaches that we have this one life and are responsible for what we do with this one life.  

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" Hebrews 9:27

Book Comment: Butler's Lives of the Saints

     Make no mistake, this is a very Roman Catholic book.  The Catholic idea of sainthood seems to Protestants to be at odds with the Bible, especially on two points.

     The eremitical saints renounced the world and went to live alone in caves, in the woods, or up on the tops of tall poles.  Many of the Roman Catholic saints slept with stones as pillows, wore very little clothing regardless of the weather, some wore harsh clothing which irritated their skin, and some physically punished their bodies.  Many practiced extreme asceticism and "mortification of the flesh."  

     Protestants would point out that most of the the saints of the Bible were actively involved in the world, not withdrawn to a cave.   There were a few exceptions such as John the Baptist.

     The other point concerns the Intercession of the Saints.  Protestants believe in the priesthood of the Believer; that each believer may approach Jesus with no need for an intermediary.

     The Bible describes all believers as saints set apart from the world and holy in the eyes of God (Romans 1:7; 1 Corinthians 1:2; 2 Corinthians 1:1; Ephesians 1:1: Philippians 1:1; Colossians 1:1-2; Hebrews 3:1. )

     No matter what your religious persuasion is, you might be surprised to find out how much you would enjoy reading Butler's Lives of the Saints,  which is still in active print after first being published in 1756.  The saints include kings, empresses, hermits, widows, virgins, nurses, scholars, and soldiers from all over the world across the centuries.  They all have one thing in common: their love for God and their willingness to live and often, to die, for Him.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Salma Valgarma Hayek Jimenez: (b. 19666, Mexico) Actress, film director, film producer.  Roman Catholic Mexican of Lebanese descent.

John Henry Sununu: (b. 1939, Cuba) University professor, PhD in Mechanical Engineering, Politician, Governor of New Hampshire (1983-1989), White House Chief of Staff (1989-1991).  Roman Catholic of Palestinian-Lebanese descent.

Henry Kenneth Alfred Russell: (b. 1927, England) Film director.

Anthony Marcus Shalhoub (b. 1953, Wisconsin) Lebanese Maronite Christian.  Television and film actor. Winner of Emmy and Golden Globe Awards.

Guillaume Farel: (b. 1489, France – d. 1565) French evangelist, Reformed preacher.  Farel was an ardent critic of the Roman Catholic Church.

My Father Died Today

    My father, Bonnie Frank Mann, died today.  He had a Scottish grandmother and his name means "handsome farmer."  He was a good man.

     In his career he was a mechanical engineer with the United States Pipe and Foundry Company.  His most important accomplishment was that he was the first profoundly deaf man elected as a deacon in a Southern Baptist church in the state of Alabama. 

Loving God Today

     A biblically sound and orthodox resource which the reader should check out is the Loving God Today  website.  The site contains numerous discussions on multiple topics related to loving God and the implications and meaning of the Doctrine of Unmerited Grace.

     I have not checked out every aspect of the site but found nothing objectionable in those areas I have so far accessed.  The URL is: http://www.lovinggodtoday.com

Superheroes Have Religious Beliefs

     The superhero character Superman has long been recognized to have been based on the Christ/Messiah story.  Kal-el is sent by his father to the Earth where he is raised by foster parents.  The "el" of his name is the Hebrew root meaning "divine," or "god" and, in its plural form (more about that in a later post) occurs as elohim, one of the biblical names of God.

     There are hints during his childhood and adolescence that he is "special" but the full truth is not apparent until he reaches adulthood, when he exhibits powers and abilities not available to normal humans.  In one major story line he even rises from the dead.

      During his childhood he is raised as Clark Kent by a kindly older couple named Jonathan and Martha Kent.  A little known fact is that the character is a Christian, raised as a Methodist in Smallville, Kansas.  The two creators of the character were Jewish.

     While overt religion was historically little mentioned in comic books, it was always there, slipped in as asides and used as the basis for numerous story lines.  Overtly Christian superhero comic books and television programs have begun to appear with characters such as Bibleman, Biblegirl, The Crusader, and the Crossbreeds. 

     The religious beliefs of many superhero/supevillain characters have been determined.  The results are listed and discussed on two excellent websites:

http://www.adherents.com/lit/comics/comic_book_religion.htmlhttp;//www.comicbookreligion.com

      A short list:

Ant Man: Atheism

Aquaman: Greco-Roman

Batman: Episcopalianism/Catholicism

Blackhawk: Communism

Captain America: Protestantism      

Daredevil: Catholicism

Doctor Strange: Magic

Dust: Islam

Mr. Fantastic: Humanism

Green Arrow: Marxism

Hawkman: Ancient Egyptian

The Human Torch: Episcopalian

Mandrake the Magician: Buddhism

Nightcrawler: Catholicism

Punisher: Catholicism

Red Skull: Nazism

Rogue: Southern Baptist

Shadowcat: Judaism

Sunfire: Shintoism

Superman: Methodism

Thor: Norse

Timeslip: Hinduism

Wonder Woman: Greco-Roman

Professor Charles Xavier: Judaism

   

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Cao Quang Anh: (b. 1967, South Vietnam) Attorney, United States Representative from Louisiana.  He is the first member of the United States Congress to be born in Vietnam and was the only Republican to vote for the Democratic Party’s Health Care Reform package in 2009.

Edith Claire Posener (b. 1897, Nevada – d. 1981) (aka: Edith Head) Ms. Head, an American film costume designer won eight Oscars, more than any other woman in history.  She was born as a Jew but as an adult declared herself to be a Roman Catholic.

Neil Clark Warren: (b. 1937) Psychologist, educator, founder of the eHarmony online dating service.

Alfred the Great (b. 849, Wessex – d. 899) King of Wessex (871-899) Alfred was an ardent promoter of education and an ecclesiastical reformer.  He founded numerous monasteries.

Aristobulus: Aristobulus was a personal friend of the Apostle Paul (Romans 16:10) and was possibly the following: a grandson of Herod the Great, a personal friend of the Roman Emperor Claudius,  a disciple of Luke the Apostle and one of the Seventy (Luke 10:1),  Barnabbas’ brother, and Peter’s father-in-law. 

Another light bulb joke

How many nihilists does it take to change a light bulb?

There is no light bulb.

Film Comment: Quid Pro Quo

     The film, Quid Pro Quo (200), is a really odd horror film.  There are no supernatural monsters, no demented slashers, no gore, no violence, no mad doctors, no evil conspiracies, no ancient secrets, no cannibalism, no curses, no out of control viruses, and no overarching quests for revenge.  More than anything, it's a horror film based on disturbed understandings of personal identity.

     The film is based on the actual mental disorder known as body-integrity identity disorder in which patients insist that "something is wrong" which can only be corrected by the removal of one of their body parts, usually a leg, hand or arm.  Some physicians believe that only the amputation seems to relieve the distress.  Patients refused the treatment have been known to take the "cure" into their own hands.  They say they feel wonderful after the unwanted body part is removed.

     Christians are specifically ordered not to cut or mark themselves as their bodies are owned by God and are His temple.

“Ye shall not make any cuttings in your flesh for the dead, nor print any marks upon you: I [am] the LORD.”  Leviticus 19:28

"Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and [that] the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which [temple] ye are.” 1 Corinthians 3:16-17

      I am aware that many psychiatrists consider body-integrity identity disorder to be an affective disorder which can not be helped by merely "trying" to resist it.  This line of thought places the disorder in the same category as transgenderism, cutting, obsessive-compulsive disorder, compulsive gambling, homosexuality, addiction to pornography, sociopathy, alcoholism, illegal drug use, etc.  The medical idea is that eventually an anatomical or physiological explanation will be found for each of these.

     Christians have known for centuries that the Holy Spirit will aid the believer in battling any or all of these personality disorders. 

^13"There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God [is] faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear [it]." 1 Corinthians 10:13.

”I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, [which is] your reasonable service.  And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what [is] that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”  Romans 12:1-2.

Good Ideas for a Christian Life

1. Be kind to animals.

2. Learn to respect children.

3. Learn about science.

4. Realize that it is not selfish to love yourself.

5. Don't get excessively caught up in your successes or your failures.

6. Don't try to live your life through your children.

7. Learn the professional attitude in everything you do.  Your personal life is your career.

8. Stay away from the occult.

9. Realize that politics will never save the world.

10. Be transparent in your dealings with others.

Christian Poetry

     Before the advent of Form Criticism it was considered that to study the scriptures as literary forms: poetry, songs, history, allegory, fables/parables, theology, etc. was to diminish the scriptures by not affording them their proper respect.  Extreme adherents of Form Criticism did this very thing, considering the scriptures only as literary forms.  Modern Biblical interpretation incorporates the idea that the Bible includes all these various forms of literature into its interpretation of the Bible as scripture. 

    Hebrew poetry is not based on rhyme or meter as much as parallelism.  The main forms are synonymous parallelism (the meaning of the two lines or phrases is similar), antithetical parallelism (the meaning of the two lines or phrases is opposite), and synthetic parallelism (in which the parts of speech correspond to their parallel and the second adds something to the ide of the first).  Other poetic forms are acrostics, beginning each line of a poem with the same letter, etc.  The Psalms and Proverbs are the most obvious examples but poetry occurs throughout the entire Old Testament. 

     Luke in the New Testament contains several poems.  Pieces of Christian hymns occur in Paul's letters.

     A Christian poetry website is:

     www.poetry-online.org/christian-poetry-index.htm

     Another is www.christianpoems.co.uk/ where poets can submit their own poetry and search the collected poems by subject.

 

Christianity is Not Anti-Intellectual

     What do Glenn Beck, Bill Gates, Walter Cronkite, Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, Robert Novak, and William Safire all have in common?  Yeah, they were/are all white American men.  What else?  This: none of them graduated from college.  And yet, all of them attained great success in their individual fields, all of which required "smarts."

     Christianity is often accused of being anti-intellectual, a totally ludicrous charge.  In fact, during the Dark Ages, the only educated people were the clergy.  The names of Christian intellectuals are too numerous to mention but they include the Apostle Paul, Thomas Aquinas, Augustine of Hippo, Karl Barth, and C. S. Lewis.  

     Christian wisdom is attained by studying the Word of God under the leadership of the Holy Spirit.  A college degree is not required but advanced education can do nothing but enhance the Christian's abilities to make informed judgements.

     Numerous places in the Bible the value of education and knowledge is affirmed.

Education is for everyone.

"7"Also in the third year of his reign he sent to his princes, [even] to Benhail, and to Obadiah, and to Zechariah, and to Nethaneel, and to Michaiah, to teach in the cities of Judah.

8And with them [he sent] Levites, [even] Shemaiah, and Nethaniah, and Zebadiah, and Asahel, and Shemiramoth, and Jehonathan, and Adonijah, and Tobijah, and Tobadonijah, Levites; and with them Elishama and Jehoram, priests.

9And they taught in Judah, and [had] the book of the law of the LORD with them, and went about throughout all the cities of Judah, and taught the people. 2 Chronicles 17: 7-9.

Knowledge is of more value than money.

For wisdom [is] a defence, [and] money [is] a defence: but the excellency of knowledge [is, that] wisdom giveth life to them that have it.
 Ecclesiastes 7:12.

Book Comment: The Long, Bitter Trail

     The Long, Bitter Trail is a history of the Indian Removal Movement.  It contains nine pages specifically about Christianity as it pertains to the Native Americans of the time.  Anyone interested in American and Native-American history should read this book about a sad time in American history.

Wallace, Anthony F. C., The Long, Bitter Trail.  Andrew Jackson and the Indians (New York: Hill and Wang, 10th printing, 1999), pp. 34-36,57,61,67-68,70,110-111.

     

Christian Denominations: Disciples of Christ

Christian Church (Disciples of Christ)

222 South Downey Avenue

Indianapolis, Ind. 46219

     The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) arose from a merger of the followers of Alexander Campbell (Christian Church) and Barton W. Stone (Disciples of Christ).  Sidney Rigdon was a major leader in the movement until he quarreled with Alexander Campbell and left to join with Joseph Smith in Ohio.  Campbell denounced The Book of Mormon as heretical.

Church Genealogy

    I inadvertantly angered some Mormon acquaintances of mine when I submitted an article to their genealogical magazine detailing the historical development of the Mormon religion as well as its historical precedents.  This was as a follow up to a submitted article which has been posted in this blog on 15 and 16 September 2009.  Both articles were rejected by the magazine, I later learned, for doctrinal reasons.

     Mormons believe that the true church of jesus Christ had disappeared from the Earth until it was restored by God's revelation to Joseph Smith.  As such, the Mormon Church could have no historical precursors.  However, to a non-Mormon such as myself, it is obvious that no social, political, or religious movement just suddenly springs into existence without precursors.

     The Mormons historically include individuals gathered from numerous religious backgrounds, but there is a definite strong element of Congregational/Baptist thought in early Mormon history, especially through such leaders as Sidney Rigdon who rose to positions of power and authority in every religious organization with which he affiliated (Baptist, Campbellites, Latter-day Saints, and Bickertonites/Rigdonites).  

     Don't be afraid to share strong emotions with your friends and family.

"Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep." Romans 12:15.

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Samson Occom: (b. -1723 – d. 1792) Mohegan Presbyterian minister.  Occom was a descendent of Uncas  and a student of the Congregationalist minister, Eleazar Wheelock.  He was the first Native American to publish documents and pamphlets in English.

Theodorus Jacobus Frelinghuysen (b. 1692 – d. ca. 1747) German-American Dutch Reformed minister, theologian, progenitor of the Frelinghuysen family in the United States.   He was an ardent evangelical who emphasized pietism, conversion, and church discipline.  All five of his sons became ministers and his two daughters married ministers.

Oskar Schindler: (b. 1908, Moravia – d. 1974) Roman Catholic/Nazi industrialist who is credited with saving 1200 Jews from the Holocaust and is the subject of the film, Schindler’s List.  He shielded his jewish workers by employing them in “business essential to the war effort.”  He is the only Nazi buried at the Mount Zion Catholic cemetery  in Jerusalem.

Laura Sheldon Wright: (b. ca 1808, Massachusetts)  Wife of Asher Wright, a missionary to the Senecas.  She translated several hymns into Seneca.

David Brainerd: (b. 1718, Connecticut – d. 1747) Student of Jonathan Edwards. Made many converts among the Mahicans and Delawares in the 1740’s.

Another light bulb joke

How many Jews does it take to change a light bulb?

One, but he brings his lawyer brother with him.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Anglicans, Comment Two

      Pope Benedict XVI’s recent invitation to disaffected Anglicans to join in union with the Roman Catholic Church has been criticized as “fishing.”  Of course it is.  The Church (the ekklhsia, not just the Roman Catholic Church) should always seek to include those who wish to remain loyal to the truth while others drift away.

     The invitation by the pope is nothing new.  Anglicans would be able to establish communion with Rome while retaining their own traditions.  The one absolute requirement would be recognition of the primacy of the pope. 

     Other churches, such as the Maronites, have done it.  They do not consider themselves to be Roman Catholic (in many ways they more resemble Eastern Orthodoxy) but they accept the pope as the head of the church. 

Another Light Bulb Joke

How many Pentecostals does it take to change a light bulb?

Three.  One to cast out the spirit of darkness, a second to change the bulb, and a third to catch the old bulb when it falls.

Pope Benedict XVI and the Anglicans

     Pope Benedict XVI has announced that Anglicans who wish to leave their troubled church may unite with the Roman Catholic Church while retaining their own traditions such as married priests.  Critics of the invitation say that it is predatory, seeking to exploit the divisions in the Anglican/Episcopal union over same-sex marriages and and the ordination of women and sexually active gays.  Well, of course it is.

     The critics say that moves such as this endanger ecumenical talks between Catholics and Anglicans.  What really is endangering the talks are the seemingly relentless efforts of liberals within the Anglican communion to veer away from "the faith which was once delivered unto the saints." (Jude 3)

Christian Children's Book Review

http://ccbreview.blogspot.com/# is an excellent site titled the Christian Children's Book Review.  Six Christian mothers/book reviewers give detailed comments on current children's books, telling you what is good and what is questionable about the books they read.  They have a page to explain the criteria they use and actively solicit suggestions for books to be reviewed.

Full Use of This Blog

     In order to experience full use of all the features of this daily blog, you may wish to check out the following:

     BLOG ARCHIVE: On the right hand side of the blog prior articles are listed by title and dates.

     OLDER POSTS: Posts from prior days.  This "button" is at the bottom right of each page.  Click it to go to the post for the previous day.

     BLOG AND WEBSITE LINKS I CHECK REGULARLY: If you click on these links you will be taken directly to these sites.  Use the back button to return to my blog.

     VIEW MY COMPLETE PROFILE: A little bit of information about me.

     WORDS OF JESUS CHRIST: Daily quotes from jesus.

     LABELS: This list at the end of each page shows subjects mentioned in the daily posts.  Clicking on a key word will show you any posts which mention the subject.

  

Christians

At some time during their lives, the following people have publicly identified themselves as Christian.   Inclusion in this list does not indicate approval or disapproval of the person, their religious beliefs, or their actions.  This is a recurring segment in this blog.

Michelle Malalang Malkin: (b. 1970, Pennsylvania) Roman Catholic.  Author, syndicated columnist, television news commentator, blogger.

Mark Steven Fidrych: (b. 1974, Massachusetts – d. 2009) aka: “The Bird.” Professional baseball pitcher.  1976 American League Rookie of the Year.

Alaric II, King of the Visigoths: (d. 507) Alaric was an Arian.  He ruled from 484 to 507.

Don Francisco: (b. 1946, Kentucky)  Christian singer and songwriter.  Son of Baptist theologian and seminary professor, Clyde T. Francisco.

Jose Alberto Pujols Alcantara: (b. 1980, Dominican Republic) Professional baseball player with numerous sports awards.