This Christian short film, entitled Void, has no spoken dialog; none is needed.
Thursday, February 28, 2013
Wednesday, February 27, 2013
Book Comment: Poems of Faith
In college, I had a triple major course of study of Biology,
Psychology, and English with a minor in Chemistry. In my poetry classes, the name of Helen Steiner Rice often
came up for denigration. Her
poetry was held up as an extreme example of excessive sentimentality and rigid
adherence to an ultra-simple rhyming scheme. Her poems resemble the verses in greeting cards because that
is where Steiner began writing her poetry, working for American Greetings.
Helen Steiner Rice (b. 1900, Ohio, USA – d. 1981) was an
advertising manager turned poet who has become known as “America’s beloved
inspirational poet laureate” and the “Ambassador of Sunshine.” Her books have sold over seven
million copies, so far, and they still are selling well, years after her death.
By all accounts, Mrs. Rice was loved by everyone who knew
her. She was a pious, prayerful
woman devoted to her Lord. She
told her friend, Fred Bauer that “I’m just another worker in the vineyard of
the Lord, trying to do God’s will.
All I have to say is in the thoughts He places on my heart, thoughts I
put to rhyme.”
Poems of Faith (1981) is a collection of 124 of Mrs. Rice’s
poems. In keeping with the nature
of Mrs. Rice’s poems, the book is illustrated with paintings of numerous
flowers by artist Judith fast. The poems are not to everyone's tastes, including mine, but there is nothing heterodox or objectionable in any of them. Millions of people find them to be inspirational statements of Christian faith and devotion.
A Steinerian poem in response to the critics of Helen
Steiner Rice.
Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The Senility Prayer
“God, grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change, The courage to change the things I can, And wisdom to know the difference.”
The first known appearance of this short prayer
is in a 1943 sermon by the American Christian theologian Reinhold Niebuhr
(1892-1971). It is popularly known
as the Serenity Prayer.
Recently, I found a copy of a parody of the Serenity Prayer called the Senility Prayer.
As an aging person myself, I found the prayer to be amusing. I am aware that it is not a Christian
prayer.
“Grant me the senility to forget the people I never liked anyway, the good fortune to run into the ones I do, and the eyesight to tell the difference.”
Monday, February 25, 2013
The Most and Least "Religious" of the United States
I just heard about this 2012 survey and thought I should
share it with you. Gallup released
a list of the most (top three: Mississippi, Utah, and Alabama) and least
religious (48-50: Maine, New
Hampshire, and Vermont) of the United States of America.
Gallup describes 40% of the American populace as “very
religious” and 32% as not religious at all. The most religious states are heavily clustered in the
South, while the least religious states tend to be in New England or the West.
The most religious state in the United States is
Mississippi, where a total of 58% are described as “very religious.” I find this to be disturbing because it
means that four people out of ten describe themselves as “not religious.” We are rapidly becoming the “remnant.”
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Hello, Brunei!
Hello, Brunei! Selamat datang ke kumpulan pembaca 120-1 negara-negara lain yang juga melawat blog ini. Saya berharap anda mencari beberapa jawatan berguna atau bermakna.
Kaunter "Terjemahkan Halaman ini" alat secara langsung di atas "Jumlah Paparan Halaman" mempunyai keupayaan menterjemah teks Bahasa Inggeris blog ini terus ke dalam bahasa Melayu dan banyak lagi.
Seratus dan 22 negara: Albania, Algeria, Antigua dan Barbuda, Argentina, Armenia, Aruba, Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Belarus, Belgium, Belize, Botswana, Brazil, Brunei, Bulgaria, Kanada, Kepulauan Cayman , Chile, China, Colombia, Congo, Costa Rica, Croatia, Cyprus, Republik Czech, Denmark, Republik Dominican, Ecuador, Mesir, El Salvador, Estonia, Ethiopia, Finland, Perancis, Georgia, Jerman, Gabon, Ghana, Greece, Guam , Hong Kong, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Iran, Iraq, Ireland, Israel, Itali, Ivory Coast, Jamaica, Jepun, Jordan, Kampuchea, Kenya, Kuwait, Kyrgyzstan, Laos, Latvia, Lubnan, Lesotho, Libya, Lithuania , Luxembourg, Macedonia, Malaysia, Mali, Malta, Mexico, Moldova, Mongolia, Maghribi, Myanmar, Namibia, Belanda, New Caledonia, New Zealand, Nigeria, Norway, Pakistan, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Filipina, Poland, Portugal, Qatar , Reunion, Romania, Rusia, Saint Kitts Dan Nevis, Arab Saudi, Senegal, Serbia, Singapura, Slovakia, Slovenia, Afrika Selatan, Korea Selatan, Sepanyol, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Suriname, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Tanzania, Thailand, Trinidad dan Tobago, Tunisia, Turki, Uganda, Ukraine, Emiriah Arab Bersatu, United Kingdom, Amerika Syarikat, Venezuela, Vietnam, Yaman, Zimbabwe.
Friday, February 22, 2013
Unusual Christian Places: Praise Christian Center
The non-denominational Praise Christian Center is housed in
a former Shell Service Station.
Thursday, February 21, 2013
The Last Pope
The resignation of Pope Benedict XVI has once again stirred
talk of “the Last Pope.” I vaguely
remembered talk of this several years before and so, I had to investigate. Apparently, many people believe that
the next pope will be the last pope.
This is tied into speculation that this is the beginning of the end of
the world. Some believe that the
next pope will be The False Prophet of Revelation.
The speculation is based on the predictions of St. Malachy
(d. 1148) an Irish bishop who, when he fist saw Rome, fell into a trance-like
state and produced a list of 112 popes identified by short Latin phrases. Benedict is the 111th pope
since that date making the next pope number 112, whom Malacy describes as
“Petrus Romanus. (Peter the
Roman)”
Those who are believers in the list insist that it is eerily
accurate, They cite the phrase for
the 106th pope, “Pastor Angelicus.” This would be Pope Pius XII.
“Piscator minorita,” (“The minorite fisherman”) is used of
Pope Sixtus IV (1471-1484), who was a member of the Friars Minor and the son of
a fisherman.
“De rure alba,” (“drom a white country”). The Englishman, Pope Adrian IV
(1154-1159) was born in England, which in ancient times was known as Albion.
Of the Pope known as John Paul II, Malachy declares “de
labore Solis,” (“from the labor of the sun,” “of the eclipse of the sun.” Karol Wojtyla (John Paul II) was born
during a solar eclipse.
The manuscript recording Malachy’s phrases was locked in the
Vatican for four hundred years.
When it was discovered again in 1595, the Catholic Church declared it to
be fraudulent. Some declared it to
be an outright 16th century forgery. Modern commentators point out that many of the Latin
phrases have to be “creatively” viewed to fit their intended popes. Also, about 10% just cannot be made to “fit,”
thus failing one of the tests of true prophecy. Bernard of Clairvaux, who was a personal friend and
biographer of Malachy makes no mention of the prophecies.
Some who believe that the next pope will be the last, bring
in the prophecies of Nostradamus (Century 5 Quatrain 49 of “Les Propheties.”).
“a l’ennemy sera faicte fiancé,
Qui dans son regne ser peste cruelle.”
(“He will make a promise to the enemy,
Who will cause great plague during his reign.”)
Notice something here.
All of this is extra-biblical!
Remember also that we are expressly forbidden to set dates
for the return of Christ.
Wednesday, February 20, 2013
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, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Some of those listed may surprise you.
Readers are encouraged to suggest
persons who should be included on this list. This is a recurring segment in this blog.
Isidore of Seville: (b. ca
560, Spain – d. 636: aka: Saint Isidore of Seville, San Isidro de Sevilla, San
Isidoro de Sevilla) Archbishop of Seville, historian, encyclopedist. Brother of
Leander, Florentina, and Fulgentius. He has been called “the last scholar of
the ancient world.” Roman Catholic.
Leander of Seville: (b. ca
534, Spain – d. 600/601; aka: Saint Leander of Seville, San Leandro de Sevilla)
Bishop of Seville. Brother of Isidore, Florentina, and Fulgentius. Leander was
instrumental in the the conversion of the Visigothic kings Hermengild and
Recared. Roman Catholic.
Florentina: (6th
century, Spain; aka: Saint Florentina) Abbess over 40 convents and over 1000
nuns. Sister of Leander, Isidore, and Fulgentius. Roman Catholic.
Fulgentius: (6th
century, Spain; aka: St. Fulgentius) Bishop of Ecija. Brother of Leander,
Florentina, and Isidore. Roman Catholic.
Tuesday, February 19, 2013
The Resignation of Benedict XVI
On 11 February 2013, Pope Benedict XVI made an unexpected
announcement. He is resigning his
office, becoming the first Pope in 600 years to do so,. Basically he cited his failing health
and his incapacity to adequately fulfill the ministry entrusted to me.” Many people were scandalized, assuming that the Pope should
die in office.
The tradition was very strong. So strong, in fact, that it is reported that when a bishop
suggested that Pope Paul VI should consider retiring, he shouted angrily, “I
cannot retire. I am Peter!”
Benedict’s predecessor and personal friend, John Paul II,
remained in office even when it became apparent to everyone that he was dying
and that even to move was painful.
John Paul II believed that he was demonstrating that we have dignity and
worth no matter what our age or physical condition. He was also demonstrating that suffering for Christ is holy. He spoke of bearing infirmities with
honor and taking part in the suffering of Christ.
Understanding all this I still have no problem with Benedict
resigning. He is making different
points than his friend: a pastor is held accountable by God for how he leads
his flock (Hebrews 13:17); it is not wrong for a servant of the Lord to take a
needed rest (Genesis 2:2); ultimately, each person, even the Pope, is judged
only by God.
Monday, February 18, 2013
The Universality of Christianity
Many religions are closely tied into racial, ethnic, or national identity. Not so with Christianity. The message of jesus is just as relevant for a Zulu tribesman as it is for a little boy in Mississippi. It is for a German and a Choctaw, a Basque and a Gujurati.
Jesus saying
The Lord’s prayer in Mandarin
Jesus saying the Sermon on the Mount in Mandarin
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Religious Place Names
Ibadan, Nigeria: From the Arabic word “ibada,” meaning
“divine service.”
Menehune Ditch, Hawaii, USA: The menehune are little
fairy-like supernatural people from Hawaiian mythology.
Islamabad, Pakistan: Islam is the Arabic word for
“submission (to God).”
Saint-Isidore, Quebec, Canada: From “Isis,” the Greek form
of the name of the ancient Egyptian goddess (probably “Aset” in ancient
Egyptian), plus the Greek word “doron,” meaning “gift.”
Saturday, February 16, 2013
Jesus Right Before Our Eyes
This image is an optical illusion and has no supernatural or
religious meaning in and of itself.
It is, however an illustration of what I have been talking about for the
last few days.
Look at it very closely. Move close to your computer's monitor screen and focus on the wooden blocks. If you immediately see the word “Jesus,” you are one of the
few. Most people will see a
randomly arranged set of rectangular wooden blocks. Pull back from the screen and focus on the background rather than the blocks and you
should suddenly see the word “Jesus.”
From that time on, you will see “Jesus” every time you look at the
image.
The world is like that. Non-believers do not see Jesus even though He is standing
right in front of them. Believers
see Jesus in everything.
Friday, February 15, 2013
What I Believe
Since Wednesday, I have been responding to “What They Think
of Us: God Blames Us for His Mistakes.”
I disagree completely with Gene Roddenberry’s criticism. Here is what I believe to be a scriptural
rebuttal.
1.
God did not make a mistake. He intentionally made us as we are.
(Genesis 1:1-31)
2.
He made us in His image. (1:27)
3.
He made us as we are because we must be free to
choose. God does not purpose to
have the mindless obedience of robots or machines.
4.
God knew that the vast majority would reject
Him. He has declared that the few
are worth the costs: a. the billions lost (Romans 1:20), and b. the life of Christ. (Luke
15:10)
5.
Those who chose God are invested with the Mind
of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16)
6.
He is perfecting us into creatures, not Divine,
but like Himself. Our ultimate
destiny is one of sinless perfection, able to judge angels (1 Corinthians 6:3),
and able to exist in the presence of the perfectly Holy God. We are being perfected (sanctified)
into holiness. (Hebrews 7:25)
What They Think of Us: Dave Allen on Religion
Irish comedian Dave Allen (David Tynan O'Mahony, b. 1936, Ireland - d. 2005, England) was a frequent critic of Roman Catholicism and Anglicanism. Here, he talks about his first meeting with a nun at age four. He often said, "I'm an atheist, thank God!"
Thursday, February 14, 2013
A Response to "God Blames Us for His Mistakes"
To the question I posed yesterday, I would answer that this
is a case that there are ways of
knowing beyond that which can be seen, heard, and felt. The empiricist/naturalist would say
that if something cannot be observed or measured, it does not exist. They are unable to see what is
demonstrably directly before them. (Romans 1:20)
I will make the assertion that Christians can and do
understand things which non-Christians cannot. This is because we, as members of the Body of Christ, have
the Mind of Christ. Though it may
seem alien, even to some Christians, the closer we are to Christ the more we
think with one mind, the Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 2:16) Non-believers, expecially those who totally dismiss any idea
of the supernatural, are incapable
of understanding or believing this.
The non-believer looks at Christ standing right in front of
him or her and does not see Him. I
believe that they cannot see Him. Christians, whose minds have been “renewed,”
see Jesus in every situation.
(Romans 12:12)
Tomorrow, I will amplify my answer to this question.
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
What They Think of Us: God Blames Us for His Mistakes
“We must question the story logic of having an all-knowing,
all-powerful God, who creates faulty humans and then blames them for his own
mistakes.’ Gene Roddenberry (1921,
Texas, USA - 1991), American television screenwriter and producer, World War II
combat pilot, police officer.
Roddenberry was the creator of the classic television program, Star
Trek. He was inducted into the
Science Fiction Hall of Fame and the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences
Hall of Fame.
This is a common criticism of Christianity from nonbelievers
and it should not just be dismissed out of hand. It assumes that God, if He exists, is flawed and imperfect,
or even that He is unfair. The
challenge requires an answer. How
would you answer?
Friday, February 8, 2013
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, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Some of those listed may surprise you.
Readers are encouraged to suggest
persons who should be included on this list. This is a recurring segment in this blog.
Giuseppe Fortunino Francesco
Verdi (b. 1813, Italy – d. 1901, aka: Joesph Fortuninus Franciscus Verdi, Joseph
Fortunin Francois Verdi) Italian composer, mainly of operas. Roman Catholic.
Hrant Dink: (b. 1964, Turkey
– d. 2007) Editor, journalist, columnist, civil rights activist. Armenian Apostolic Chrurch, Evangelical
Protestant.
Ernest David Kelly: Baptist
minister, father of actor DeForest Kelly (1920-1999).
Geza Vermes (b. 1924,
Hungary) British theologian, historian, expert in Hebrew, Aramaic, and the life
of Jesus. He and his family were
Jewish converts to Roman Catholicism.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
No Excuse
There is no excuse,
For the glories of the Earth
Show it to be so.
For the glories of the Earth
Show it to be so.
|
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Book Comment: Who's Who in the Age of Jesus
The 2005 book, Who’s Who in the Age of Jesus, by professor
Geza Vermes, is an extremely interesting book for those who love history, biography, and the Bible. Dr. Vermes intended the
book to emphasize the unassailable historicity and the intense Jewishness of
Jesus.
Many of the people Dr. Vermes discusses are persons you have
never heard of before. He talks,
of course, about the Roman emperors, governors, procurators, and legates and
the Jewish High priests, but also about important women such a Mariamne and
Drusilla, rabbis such as Yohanan
ben Zakkai and Simeon ben Shetah, Jewish mystics such as Simon the Essene and
Honi the Circle-Drawer, Jewish revolutionaries such as Simon bar Giora and
Judas son of Sapphoreus, writers such as Josephus and Justus of Tiberias, and important persons.
The book also contains genealogical charts and a
chronological table.
Dr. Vermes was born in 1924 in Hungary into a Jewish family,
some of whom (including his parents) died during the Holocaust. The family became converts to Roman
Catholicicsm and young Geza went on to become a Roman catholic priest. Vermes is essentially a scholar and
academic and became a specialist in Hebrew, Aramaic, Christian and Jewish history, the Dead Sea Scrolls, and the
life of Jesus.
Dr. Vermes questions some of the traditional Christian understandings of Jesus.
___________________________________________________________________
A general caution: books may give you wonderful new
insights and explanations of subjects, but you should never base your Christian
beliefs on any one book or the teachings of one person, no matter who they are.
All teachings must be consistent with scripture. Read as the Bereans did, with
discernment. “… for they received the word with great eagerness, examining the
Scriptures daily to see whether these things were so.” Acts
17:11 NASB
Any doctrines must be consistent with the historical
full body of Christian thought. Doctrines or teachings inconsistent with
scripture in any way must be rejected. You would not eat cheese which had a
fuzzy fungus growing on it.
Tuesday, February 5, 2013
Amazing Grace Performed on the Harp
All the strings on a harp are perpendicular to the sounding
box.
Monday, February 4, 2013
Mark 1:1-2 in Klingon
“yeSuS ‘IHrIStoS [Qun’a puqloD] Delbogh De’ Qa’e’ taghlu’. nemSovwl’ yeSay’a paq ghltlh pabtaH
ghu’: SuH bIghoSpa’, lenglIj qeqbogh QumsI’wI’’e’ vIngeHlI”
“The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of
God; As it is written in the prophets, Behold, I send my messenger before thy
face, which shall prepare thy way before thee.” Mark 1:1-2
The Klingon language was created by the linguist, Mark
Okrand, for the 1984 film, Star Trek III: The Search for Spock. The language has a fully developed
grammar and a vocabulary of about 2000 words. The language is oriented heavily towards verbs and action
since it was developed for the fictional warrior species. There are about twelve persons who are
fully fluent in the language.
Portions of the Bible have been translated into
Klingon. Do not ask me how to
pronounce it.
The Klingon Language Institute
Sunday, February 3, 2013
Super Bowl Controversy
Today is Super Bowl Sunday during which about
117,000,000 people are expected to watch the annual professional American
football game on television. There
are numerous storylines around the story of the current game: the two head
coaches are brothers; one of the prominent players (who once was charged with
murder) is playing in his last game and is openly talking about his
relationship with God; the two teams were both unlikely participants in the
championship game; one of the quarterbacks is playing in his second season of
professional football and did not get his first starting assignment until the
middle of this season; the sport itself is embroiled in controversies over
player injuries and the use of performance enhancing drugs; etc., etc.,
etc. But another controversy has
grabbed the headlines.
In one of the innumerable pre-game player
interview, ahe San Francisco 49ers player, Chris Culliver, answered a question
about homosexuals in the game of football. "No, we don't got no gay people on the team, they gotta
get up out of here if they do.... Can't be with that sweet stuff. Nah…can't
be…in the locker room man. Nah."
A firestorm erupted, as would be expected.
Brendon Ayanbadejo, a player for the Baltimore
Ravens team, said he thinks about half of the league’s players agree with
Culliver. Of the 50%, he says, 25%
think like him and 25% “are religious – they don’t necessarily agree with all
of the things I agree with, but they’re accepting.”
As a conservative Christian, I believe that the
Bible does condemn homosexual acts and I also believe as do most conservative
Christians that homosexuality is a chosen lifestyle. I know about some
scientific studies which suggest subtle differences in brain anatomy between
homosexuals and heterosexuals but I am also aware of fmri (functional magnetic
resonance imaging) research which seems to suggest that brain anatomy may be
functional rather than rigidly fixed and that behavior may influence which portions
of the brain perform which tasks.
Behavior may determine anatomy.
I am not a neurobiologist and that controversy will not be resolved
here.
I work with several homosexuals who know what I
believe and who have no problem with me because they understand that I treat
them with respect as individuals.
The workplace is not a sexual situation and one’s sexuality should be
left at home. There are laws in
the United States against sexual harassment of any sort and most companies will
immediately dismiss employees who engage in sexual activity (heterosexual or
homosexual) with another employee, even if it is totally consensual.
Various perspectives on homosexuality and the
Bible. Never be afraid to examine
views other than your own.
Friday, February 1, 2013
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, of their orthodoxy or lack of it, or of their actions. Some of those listed may surprise you.
Readers are encouraged to suggest
persons who should be included on this list. This is a recurring segment in this blog.
Vaclav Klaus: (b. 1941,
Bohemia) Prime Minister of the Czech Republic 1992-1197, President of the Czech
Republic, elected 2003. Czechoslovak Hussite Church.
Jiri Paoubek: (b. 1952,
Czechoslovakia) Prime Minister of the Czech Republic 2005-2006. Czechoslovak Hussite Church.
Martha Bedell Alexander: (b.
1939, Florida (USA)) Librarian, chaplain, North Carolina House of
Representatives 1993-2013.
Episcopal.
Beatrix Wilhelmina Armgard:
(b. 1938, Netherlands; Beatrix of the Netherlands) Wife of Claus van
Amsberg. Queen of the Netherlands
(1980-2013) Protestant Church of the Netherlands.
Claus George Willem Otto
Frederik Geert van Amsberg: (b. 1926 – d. 2002) Husnad of Beatrix of the
Netherlands, diplomat. Dutch
Reformed Church.