Update of the About this Blog page

 On today, 18 July 2026, I have updated the About This Blog page.

The Importance of Archeology

“ In a letter to Biblical Archeology Review (May - June 2016, professor Amihai Mazar of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem states, “If we would have to rely on archeology alone, we would not be able to say anything about Israel until the ninth century B.C.E., except the one mention in the Merneptah Stele in the late 13th century.”    

The Bible mentions cities and peoples otherwise unknown to history, Speaking about unidentified Iron and Bronze Age settlements, Professor Mazar believes that “It is only the Biblical tradition that provides clues to the identity and context of these archeological phenomena.”

One of the cultures mentioned by the Bible which archeology and history declared to be mythological was the Hittite Empire. That is, until the Hittite capital, Hattusas, was identified near Bogas Koy, Turkey in 1884. It was then realized that other ruins discovered in 1834 were also Hittite.  

Opinions about the historicity of the Bible vary wildly depending on numerous factors: educational level, religious background, preconceived biases, etc.  They range from the utterly ridiculous, "2/3 0f Bible is fictional," to the extreme literalist, to the skeptical, to those who give a somewhat grudging acknowledgment.

Ken Ham, writing on the website, Answers in Genesis, quotes from a letter he received from the Smithsonian Institution in response to a question about the historicity of The Flood recounted in Genesis. ’In the best analysis, the Bible is a religious book, not an historical document.’

The historicity of the Bible is the message of the massive apologetic work The Bible as History, written by Werner Keller. Dr. Keller recounts thousands of archeological and scientific items which point to the fact that the Bible is accurate in its historical assertions. Kings and cultures are mentioned in the Bible in the same order and historical context as established by secular sources. The cultural contexts spoken of are consistent with known facts.

The apparent historicity of the Bible is not proof of the truth of the religious claims of Christianity or of Judaism. It does, though, add to the overwhelming evidence pointing toward that truth.  

ESCHATOLOGY SERIES, POST #2: ESCHATOLOGIES FROM VARIOUS CULTURES

Eschatology is theology concerned with the final events of history. The word is derived from the Greek words  ἐσχάτος  eschatos ("last") and λόγος logos ("word"). Eschatology is therefore the study of “last things.” The focus of eschatology is usually on reality as a whole rather than on the individual. The word eschatology first appeared in the English language about 1550. 

In most known cultures, including the most primitive, there has been a belief in some sort of existence of the individual after death. Some held that the afterlife would be a dull and dreary thing., others that only the good would survive into an afterlife.  Some felt that the afterlife would be largely an extension of this one, perhaps on a more exalted plane as reward for bravery or great skill.  Many held that the retribution for an evil life was annihilation.

The Babylonians and Assyrians felt that retribution for evil came largely in this life as did the divine rewards of long life, strength, prosperity, and many children. The ghost of the individual existed in the underworld with the other dead. Demons ran around in the underworld inflicting punishment for sins committed during life.

In the ancient Egyptian religion, the good individual could hope for unending life with Osiris, the sun god. The existence was in some ways physical and this is the reason for mummification of the body. In the afterlife the actions of the deceased during life are weighed and judged. The dead face several trials and are subject to a second death if they fail.

Ancient Persian (Persia, modern Iran) religion (Mazdaism, Zoroastrianism, Parseeism, etc) was dualistic with a conflict between equally powerful good (Ahura Mazda) and evil (Ahriman) deities. The two deities were co-creators of the universe. The evil deity will, in the end, be vanquished and a judgement of people based on their life's deeds will occur. Those with evil deeds will be purified by fire, Hell will be purged, and the earth will be renewed by a purifying fire.

The ancient Greeks believed that life on Earth was the highest good for man. After death, the soul survived in a dull attenuated existence with little emphasis on retributive justice for life's misdeeds. A few very evil individuals would receive eternal punishment in Tartarus and a few favorites of the gods
would exist in eternal bliss in the Elysian Fields.  

Recently, there was much popular discussion of "2012." This was based on Aztec mythology which predicted the end of our current cycle of time on 21 December 2012. The Aztec mythology describes several cycles ruled by deities who are destroyed at the end of each cycle along with all the humans living during that cycle. The sun is the deity of the current cycle.

The human sacrifices regularly performed by the ancient Aztecs had a specific purpose. The blood and the extracted human hearts were seen as the food or fuel which maintained the ability of the Sun god to function. The stability of the universe depended upon regular human sacrifices.

Norse (Scandinavian) eschatology is presented in the story of Ragnarok, the climactic battle of the  cyclical Old Norse mythology. Nearing the end of the cycle, people, and the Gods themselves, will become increasingly corrupt, not honorable, dissipated, apathetic, and nihilistic. The Frost Giants, led by the renegade god Loki, will come and the battle will begin, accompanied by natural disasters. Most of the Norse gods will be killed and the world will eventually be dead and silent, covered with water and in total silence. After a time, fertile land will emerge from the water and the few gods who survived the battle will gather. A new first couple of humans will repopulate the new clean earth and the gods will celebrate.

In some religious/philosophical systems, such as Baha’ism and Jainism, there is neither a beginning nor an end.  Baha’is believe that reality consists of a series of progressive revelations by prophets. The coming of each new prophet is the judgement of the previous religion., with the prophet Bahaullah having brought the ultimate revelation.

The most severe forms of Buddhism deny even this. Within each moment in time, both birth and death are present. As each moment is born, the previous moment dies. The only reality is the present moment. There is no reward or punishment and no God. Individual existence with its cravings and desires is the ultimate evil.  Salvation is the extinction of every type of desire, even the desire for existence.

Hinduism sees reality and time as a series of repeating cycles as Shiva destroys and regenerates the universe repeatedly. The individual is part of this cyclical nature and ultimately will come to realize that individuality is an illusion. The individual consciousness is in actuality part of the Ultimate Reality and its ultimate destiny is absorption back into the Whole. All reality will contract into a singularity which will then begin again to expand.

Islamic eschatology points toward a Day of Judgement in which each persons good deeds will be balanced against their evil deeds. The sayings of the Prophet Muhammad give many signs which will indicate the approach of the Day of Judgement.

Judaism is most concerned with life now, in the present time, and is more corporate than individual. The concept is that the important thing is observance of the Law in order to prepare ourselves and the world for the coming of God's kingdom on Earth. The religion is absolutely monotheistic and God is absolute in His control of the universe. Man is intended to live in friendship with God during this life. There is very little discussion of retributive justice in the afterlife. 

Jewish eschatology is based on the Nation of Israel as a whole, not on the individual. The promises of the Old Testament are to the nation, the people of the land Am ha'aretz (עם הארץ), not the individual. The hope is for the establishment of a theocratic Messianic kingdom, based in Jerusalem, which will rule the world with justice and peace. 

An introduction to Christian eschatology will be presented in the next post.

What They Think of Us: Creepy Images From An Abandoned Bible Theme Park

As the title of this web page says, this is creepy. A once busy place now sits abandoned and decaying.   I would add that it strikes me as very sad. Many of the sarcastic viewer comments are filled with obvious hate for Christianity. One says that this is "no more creepy than any church."

Parks such as these seem, especially to non-believers, to be gaudy, simplistic, and naïve.  Although well intended, it can be argued that they unnecessarily bring derision upon the faith.

Blogger Rankings of Saints on the Loose

In each Blogger users profile is a list of the writer's interests.  Those who post about these interests are ranked by the number of their posts.  Here are the Blogger Post rankings for Saints on the Loose! and the number of persons who have listed each interest.

genealogy: #1 of 64,700
baseball: #1 of 51,500
Christianity: #1 of 42,700
grandchildren: #1 of 8700
grace: #1 of 1000
biography: #1 of 603
inventions: #1 of 579
doctrine: #1 of 134
Baptist: #1 of 128
Trinity: #1 of 98
competitive sports: #1 of 89
medical technology: #1 of 87
hematology: #1 of 35
literary agents: #1 of 32
Christian blogs: #1 of 10
Evangelical theology:  #1 of 7
Christian writers: #1 of 4
Christian Publishing: #1 of 1
films: #2 of 238,000
theology: #2 of 42,100
football: #3 of 210,000
religion: #3 of 103,000
comedy: #3 of 31,300
science fiction: #4 of 49,600
philosophy: #5 of 402,000
sport: #5 of 221,000
humor: #5 of 112,000
history: #10 of 246,000
art: not in top 10
books: not in top 10
writing: not in top 10

Jews Who Claimed to Be the Messiah

Over the last two thousand years there have been at least thirty-eight Jewish men, and one Jewish woman, who have claimed to be the promised Messiah.  Christians, of course, regard Jesus of Nazareth as the Holy One.

Jesus of Nazareth is believed by Christians to have been the Jewish Messiah.

The best-known Messiah claimant is Simon bar Kokhba, seen below: the others are:

The first recorded self-proclaimed Messiah was Simon of Peraea (fl. 4 BC/BCE), a former slave of Herod the Great.   Simon was followed by Athronges (fl. 4-2BC/BCE).  Both Simon and Athronges led rebellions which were put down by the Romans and both messiahs were killed.

Judas of Galilee (6AD/CE)

Menahem of Judah, a grandson of Judah of Galilee.

Theudas (d.46)

Vespasian (ca. 70)

John of Gischala, (after 70)

Simon bar Kokhba (d ca 135). Simon’s rebellion ended with the Romans destroying the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem.

Luluas (115)

Moses of Crete (5^th century)

(Name unknown) in Khusistan  (7^th century)

Ishak ben Ya’kub Obadiah Abu ‘Isa al-Isfahani of Ispahan (8^th century)

Yudghan (8^th century, in Persia)

(Name unknown), in France, (ca. 1087)

(Name unknown), in Cordoba, Spain, (ca. 1117)

Moses al-Dari  in Morocco (1127)David Alroy, from Kurdistan, led a revolt in Persia in 1160.

The Yemenite Messiah (12^th century)

Abraham ben Samuel Abulafia (b. 1240-d. after 1291)

Nissim ben Abraham (fl. In Avila, Spain (ca. 1295)

Moses Botarel of Cisneros, fl ca. 1413.

Asher Lammlein, fl. 1502 near Venice.

Isaac Luria (1534-1572) in Palestine.

Hayyim Vital (1543-1620) in Palestine.

David Reubeni (1490-1541?)

Solomon Molcho (1500-1532)

Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676) An Ottoman Jew who converted to Islam.  Many of his followers declared themselves to be the Messiah.

Barukhia Russo

Mordecai Mokia (1650-1729)

Jacob Querido (d. 1690)  Converted to Islam.

Miguel Cardoso (1630-1706)

Lobele Prossnitz (d. 1750)

Jacob Joseph Frank (1726-1791)  A convert to Christianity.

Eve Frank (1754 – ca 1817)

Shukr Kushayl I, in Yemen (19^th century)

Judah ben Shalom (Shukr Kuhayl II) in Yemen (19^th century)

Moses Guibbory (1899-1985)

Menachem Mendel Schneerson (1902-1994)

The Current State of Christianity in the Persian Gulf Countries

This blog has readers from eighty-seven countries including several located in the Persian Gulf area.  The article here discusses the current state of Christianity in these nations.

"Paradoxes of our time. It is at least three decades that the land which gave birth to Islam and the Prophet is top on the chart of the areas in the world where Christianity is at its maximum increase. However, it is not an increase due to conversions. In these lands the possibility to embrace the Christian faith still continues to be illegal. The increase finds its origins in a massive migration flow which concerns all the countries of the Gulf." Giuseppe Caffulli, Director of Reviews and the Website of the Custody of the Holy Land, from a 2010 article from the Universita Cattolica del Sacro Cuore.

What They Think Of Us: John Lennon

"Christianity will go.  It will vanish and shrink."
John Lennon

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.

Hendrikus Berkhof: (b. 1914, Netherlands – d. 1995) University professor, systematic theologian.

Arthur James Balfour: (b. 1848, Scotland – d. 1930) Ist Earl of Balfour, British prime Minister 1902-1905, occultist, Zionist. 1892-1895 he was the president of the Society for Psychical Research. The Balfour Declaration (1917) called for the establishment of a Jewish homeland.

Joachim of Fiore: (fl. 12th Century, Italy) Joachim was the Abbot of Corazzo, Italy. He explained the Revelation of God to man in Trinitarian terms with human history divided into three distinct eras, that of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. He believed the world would unite in peace around the year 1200, when he felt the Age of the Holy Spirit would begin.

Athanasius: (b.ca 293 – d. 373) Theologian, Bishop of Alexandria., ascetic., anti-Arian. He was the first writer to name the twenty-seven books of the New Testament as they are in use today.

George Mueller: (b. 1805, Prussia – d. 1898) He was a preacher in England who founded five orphanages while never asking for money or support and taking no salary. He and his wife, Mary, ran their orphanages totally on unsolicited donations.

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.

Rachel Saint: (b. 194, Pennsylvania, USA, aka: Nimu) Bible translator in Ecuador. She translated the New Testament into Waorani and succeeded in evangelizing the previously hostile and xenophobic tribe which had earlier killed her missionary brother. The tribe calls her “Nimu,” which means “star.” They eagerly await seeing her again in heaven.

Rings: (fl. Late 20th Century) A homeless man in Ocean beach, California who is an ex-addict, ex-convict, and ex-alcoholic. He lives in his truck and uses his government check to feed other homeless people.

Harry Rimmer: (b. 1890, USA – d. 1952) Presbyterian pastor,author, archeologist, creationist, evangelist. In 1941, he predicted that Israel would soon be reborn as a nation.

Kevin Michael McKeehan (b. 1964, Virginia, USA, aka: Toby Mac) A Christian rocker/rapper and former member of the rap group dcTalk. He has been awarded four Grammys.

Montanus: (fl. 2nd Century) Montanus was a heretic in Turkey who spoke in tongues and declared direct revelations from the Holy Spirit. At times he claimed that he spoke as God. He was assisted by two prophetesses, Prisca and Maximilla. A major convert to Montanism was the theologian Tertullian.

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.

Nicholas Krebs: (b. 1401, Germany – d. 1464, aka: Nicholas of Cusa, Nicholas Cusanus, Nicholas of Kues) Roman Catholic Cardinal, jurist, mystic, mathematician, philosopher, astronomer. He taught that God’s complexity overcomes contradictions. His mathematics was a precursor to calculus and he was the first to use concave lenses to correct myopia.

Leslie Theodore Lyall: (b. 1905, United Kingdom – d. 1996) Protestant missionary in China, writer, biographer of evangelist John Sung.

Yu Cidu: (b. 1873, China – d. 1931, aka: Dora Yu) Evangelist, Watchman Nee considered her to be his “spiritual mother.”

Ann Hart Coulter: (b. 1961, New York, USA) Syndicated columnist, political commentator, author. She “does not pretend to be impartial or balanced.”

Mikhail Yuhanna: (b. 1936, Iraq, aka: Tariq Aziz) Deputy Prime Minister of Iraq (1979-2003). In 2009, he was convicted of the forced displacement of the Kurds from north-east Iraq.  Aziz was sentence 26 October, 2010 to be executed by hanging.  He is a Chaldean Catholic

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.

Master of the Life of the Virgin: (fl. 1463-1490, aka: Master of Wilten, Johann van Duyren) This painter is identified only by his famed painting, The Life of the Virgin. The "van Duyren" identification is disputed.

Alan Ball: (b. 1952, Georgia, USA) Openly gay screenwriter, director, actor, producer. He has won an Academy Award, an Emmy, and a Golden Globe. His best-known projects are Six Feet Under, American Beauty, and True Blood.

Patricia Barnes: (b. Alabama, USA, aka: Sister Schubert) In 1992 she started Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls, now a $60,000,000/year company. Philanthropist.

Gregory of Nyssa: (b. 331? – d. 396?)Bishop of Nyssa and one of the Cappadocian Fathers (with his brother, Basil the Great, and his friend, Gregory of Nazianzus. Gregory was a staunch defender of orthodoxy and fiercely anti-Arian since Arianism denied the doctrine of the Trinity. He believed that the sudden realization of the provable massive extent of regularity and order in the cosmos was the most likely “proof” of God to reach a skeptic intellectual.

Thomas Jonathan Jackson: (b. 1824 – d. 1863, aka: Stonewall jackson) Presbyterian, Confederate general.

Christian Comment on Films, Part 3

Christian films date back to 1897 when four Passion Plays were set to film, one of them by Thomas Alva Edison. The first feature length American film was From Manger to the Cross. Since then there has been a steady stream of overtly Christian films like The Robe, Ben-Hur, The Greatest Story Ever Told, The Hiding Place, Jesus, Left Behind, The Restless Ones, Flywheel, Chariots of Fire, Amazing Grace, etc.

The BIlly Graham Ministries produced a series of films including Souls in Conflict, The Restless Ones, Joni, Then Sings My Soul, Eye of the Storm, The Home Coming, Last Flight Out, Cry From the Mountain, etc.

I believe that a Christian can derive insights even from films made by non-Christians; even from films which are anti-Christian. Go to the Labels listing below the last post on this page and click on "film commentary." Check out my posts for Time Bandits, Watermelon Man, The Man Who Could Work Miracles, I Am Curious (Yellow), the decidedly weird Rabbit and the blasphemous Jesus Christ, Vampire Hunter.

Christian Comment on Films, Part 2

Most films are made by non-Christians but that doesn't mean that they have nothing to say to us. Films can present positive and negative demonstrations to us of religious and philosophical concepts. Many films made by non-Christians contain objectionable elements (nudity, profanity, violence, non-Christian concepts, etc). Viewers have to decide for themselves and their children what they are willing to see or not to see,

One limit for me is the depiction of graphic, unsimulated sex. It is entirely possible to depict sexual situations, which are a legitimate subject of discussion, without resorting to showing actual sexual acts. Some would call this opinion prudery, but it is not.

An objection which some throw up is that less resistance is mounted to the depiction of graphic violence and gore than to the filming of a single sexual act. That is true, but the argument is fallacious because the violence and gore are not real, no one is injured by air bladders, latex appliances, prosthetics, puppetry, computer generated graphics, and red syrup.

A sexual act, in the Christian understanding, is to be restricted to a husband and wife between whom it is beautiful, natural, and fully approved by God. As the writer of Hebrews tells us, the marriage bed is undefiled." (Hebrews 13:4)

A recent film including graphic onscreen sex is Antichrist by the Danish director, Lars von Trier. The point being made is not enhanced by the inclusion of the insert (excuse me, that is the technical term) and adds nothing to the otherwise gripping horror film based on the emotional and mental deterioration of a woman whose infant son died by falling out of a window.

Sex outside of marriage is illicit and actual sex in a film, no matter how nobly or artistically it is intended or presented, consists of two (or sometimes more) people who ultimately are engaging in sexual union for financial remuneration. By definition, that constitutes prostitution. Look it up.

Christian Comment on Films, Part 1

To even begin to really understand a subject requires years of study and application. This holds true whether the subject is hitting a curveball with a wooden bat, understanding the difference between hairy cell leukemia and multiple myeloma, putting in a bathroom exhaust fan, playing a clarinet, repairing an aortic aneurism, preaching a sermon, or illustrating a comic book, the key to mastery of a subject is repetition and attention to detail.

When one approaches mastery of a subject, recurrent patterns begin to seem obvious, even predictable. Wayne Gretzky appeared to know, without looking, where all the other players were on the ice, because he did know. To quote The Great One, "Don't go where the puck was. Go where the puck is going to be." That is mastery of a subject.

I make no claim of having achieved film mastery; one viewing of The Independent Film Channel's sarcastic game show program, The Ultimate Film Fanatic, disabused me of that notion, but, by my own personal count, as of today, I have seen 6117 films.

Most of the films I've seen only once, and, for most of them, once was plenty. A few were good enough to view repeatedly and a very few can only be described as artistic masterpieces.

I make no apology for loving movies and I make no apology for having seen some films of which you probably would not approve. As I once told my son when we went to see the Rolling Stones, you can appreciate someone's artistry with approving of their lifestyle, or, for that matter, their message.

Growing up in a conservative Southern Baptist environment, I knew people who never saw any films, even religious ones, because they considered them to be evil, or, at best, a distracting "bad influence." I didn't believe then, and don't believe now, that films, in and of themselves, are outside God's will for Christians. They are like all other forms of art, neutral. The content of the films and the intent of the filmmakers are what give them their worth, or lack of it.

While I agree that many modern films are pure trash, some take the art of filmmaking to great heights and are as brilliant as a sculpture by Michelangelo, a Wayne Gretzky goal, a Jack Kirby or Steve Ditko superhero bursting out of the confines of a comic book panel, or one of Mozart's symphonies. Those films, admittedly, are rare.

Isaac Watts Poem

"The best obedience of my hands
Dares not appear before thy throne
But faith can answer Thy demands
By pleading what my Lord has done."
Isaac Watts (1674-1748)

A clear and concise statement of salvation by grace.

The Glory for Christ Football League

Tim Tebow is the most well known home-schooled football player. He grew up in Florida which is one of the twenty-four US states to allow home schooled kids to play with public or private school teams. Georgia is one state which does not.

The eight team Glory for Christ Football League is made up of homeschoolers and students from small private Christian academies which don't have teams of their own. One coach has told his team to "block as if you're blocking for God," which of course, they are. Any activity performed for the glory of God is holy. We often forget that.

Football can be holy. Being a lawyer can be holy. Acting can be holy. Brother Lawrence, a 17th century lay Carmelite brother, in his book, The Practice of the Presence of God, showed that even cooking, cleaning pots and pans, and repairing shoes can be holy.

To see a slideshow on The New York Times website about The Glory for Christ Football League, go to http://www.nytimes.com/slideshow/2009/06/25/sports/0626-FOOTBALL_index.html

You Tube Funnies

It may just be my bizarre sense of humor but I laughed all the way through a short You Tube video entitled, "How To Defeat Calvinism." Its sarcasm struck a jovial chord within me.

I also laughed at "Arminian Witnessing" and "Calvinist Witnessing." Both of these shorts are part of a posted series of films populated by Lego People and cartoon characters.

New Listing in My Blog/Website Roll

I have added BlogCatalog to the list of blogs and websites I check regularly. The Christian section of their listings contains hundreds of blogs ranging from the daily musings of Christian soccer moms, to devotionals, to self-proclaimed mystics and prophets, and to hard theology. It is an excellent place to browse through blogs expressing the great diversity of modern Christian thought and is therefore totally in keeping with the theme of this blog.

I Am Not Ashamed!

Franklin Graham, the evangelist son of Billy Graham, declared on the website of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association that "I am not ashamed of the Gospel," quoting from Romans 1:16. He predicted in his statement that a time may come in America where public statements about the Christian view on abortion or homosexuality and clear preaching of the Gospel will be outlawed as hate crimes. You don't think it could happen here? It has already happened in some European countries. There will even be people who identify themselves as Christians who become angry about what I just wrote in the second sentence. They do not agree that abortion and the practice of homosexuality are proscribed by scripture and their understanding of the the gospel, το ευανγγελιον, the "good" or "true message." is murky at best. If someone can not explain clearly and plainly what the gospel is, then they are, to quote our friend Christopher Hitchens, "... really not in any meaningful sense a Christian."

Are you able to say along with Pastor Graham, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel."?