AAUGH!!!!!!

This is about how well Georgia Tech played versus Clemson in a pathetic 31-7 loss tonight (Reggie Ball starring in the role of Charlie Brown). I hope they get it together by next Saturday against the thugs from the "U." ACC title game is still ours for the taking!

Cancer Killing Viruses Coming Soon?

Cancer killing viruses are tremendous news if true. I saw the story this morning and was going to mention it here, but now I see Wesley Smith has already done so. He said all I wanted to say, so I encourage you to read his short post here.

Find Out Who's Going to Hell

That's the master list according to Joel Kilpatrick in his book A Field Guide to Evangelicals and Their Habitat. Follow the link for an excerpt from the book. Remember, people, that this is SATIRE! If you're not sure where you fit on the master list, then go here to take the "EQ" Test.

A Damning New Epithet: "Climate Change Denier"

The whole world in Al Gore's hands

I had intended to bring this to your attention last week. This is from Brendan O'Neill, a British writer, in response to the creation of a new category of humanity (which just so happens to include me!)--"CLIMATE CHANGE DENIER." This is the beginning of Brendan's article:

Whoever thought that serious commentators would want it made illegal to have a row about the weather? One Australian columnist has proposed outlawing 'climate change denial'. 'David Irving is under arrest in Austria for Holocaust denial', she wrote. 'Perhaps there is a case for making climate change denial an offence. It is a crime against humanity, after all.' Others have suggested that climate change deniers should be put on trial in the future, Nuremberg-style, and made to account for their attempts to cover up the 'global warming...Holocaust.'

The message is clear: climate change deniers are scum. Their words are so wicked and dangerous that they must be silenced, or criminalised, or forced beyond the pale alongside those other crackpots who claim there was no Nazi Holocaust against the Jews. Perhaps climate change deniers should even be killed off, hanged like those evil men who were tried Nuremberg-style the first time around.

Whatever the truth about our warming planet, it is clear there is a tidal wave of intolerance in the debate about climate change which is eroding free speech and melting rational debate. (Read the entire article here)

That rational debate on this issue has melted much more quickly than the polar ice caps is beyond doubt. Even this "climate change denier" epithet is a loaded label. It attempts to lump together those who deny any warming whatsoever (which our very limited data seems to confirm the slightest of warming) and those who grant slight warming but deny that it is caused by man (whether humans are to blame is the crux of the debate). So, you are either a normal, sane person who says that there is man made global warming, or you are a Nazi climate change denier who should be tried war crimes style. Such is the nature of public discourse. Don't fall for it!

An Autumn Silhouette

Drew's latest from art class. The tree and cat silhouettes, as well as the leaves, are pasted onto a painted background. It's very interesting to see in person for the three dimensional effect. Also, note how the clouds are blended into the sky. As usual you can click on the image for a closer view.

Watch Your Language

We have also just begun reading together as a family G. A. Henty's The Cat of Bubastes: A Tale of Ancient Egypt. Henty was the prolific author of 122 works of historical fiction. His adventure stories were well-received in the late 19th century and have enjoyed a resurgence in popularity in the last decade or so. I was reading aloud to the boys when I suddenly heard this sentence:

Now from behind the lines of the Egyptian archers a column of men advanced a hundred abreast, each carrying a great faggot; their object was evident, they were about to prepare a wide causeway across the marsh by which the chariots could pass.

In addition to being carried, the faggots went on to be laid down, torched, trodden, forced deep into the mire, etc. So, who knows what kind of faggot Henty wrote about, and how did we come to have such a decidedly different meaning of the word?

Militant or Defeated?

It is customary to speak of the Church "Militant," which is the Church in the present age fighting "against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places" (Eph. 6:12), in contrast with the Church "Triumphant," which is the Church presented to Christ "in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish (Eph.5:27). Yet, sometimes in our present struggle we begin to think of ourselves more as the Church "Defeated" than Militant.

Our family is going through the Gospel of Mark together and we are being ably aided by N.T. Wright and his Mark for Everyone. In reflecting on Mark 4:21-25, about the lampstand, he makes these remarks:

On the day I am writing this, a radio station telephoned me. Would it be true, they asked, to say that fewer people in the Western world know the basic Christian story than was true 30 years ago?

Certainly, I replied, in Britain and Western Europe. I'm not sure it's true in America, and it certainly isn't true in Africa and southeast Asia, where the churches are growing rapidly. But where, as in Britain and much of Europe, it's widely assumed that Christianity has had its day, is old-fashioned and out of date, those who still call themselves Christians need to take the warning of these verses very much to heart. We have to pay closer heed to what we have been taught, to the kingdom message, the Jesus-message, the story of our salvation. If we loosen our grip on it, we may lose it altogether.

On the other hand, if we go deeper into what we already basically know, we will find there is more, and more, and more to learn, to feed on, to grow into. And we will find that the things we whisper to one another in small groups, in apparently dwindling churches, will one day be shouted from the housetops.

Amen. That's a great reminder to us that the Church Militant is not and will not be defeated. In fact, it is the same Church Militant (not some other body or group) that will become, through the ministry of God's Spirit, the Church Triumphant! We need to be careful not to be shaped as a Church by negative attacks upon us from without, or negative theologies (disguised as best-selling fiction, etc.) from within.

"He who calls you (plural, the Church) is faithful; he will surely do it." 1 Thessalonians 5:24

No . . .

this has never happened to me!(Though I can think of some guys it may have happened to!)

Mustard, Part III

Yet more evidence of the mustard/hot dog connection!

New Poll

I finally got a ticker on here re: Christian persecution. It's not quite what I was after, but it'll do. This all relates to the new poll question about threats facing the Church. We can talk about it below.

I'll kick off the discussion here by saying that whatever ills face the Church, "the gates of hell shall not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). Just curious what you think is making the best effort at prevailing!

For You Linksters

The swing of golf legend Bobby Jones as captured by photographer Harold Edgerton

I have also added The Boneman to the blogfeeds. His latest entry is an interesting, and I think helpful, comparison of salvation and a golf swing. Here's most of it:

So I'm learning to play golf. I think everyone understands how difficult golf is, but you can't really appreciate just how difficult it is until you try it. For instance, take the most basic part of the game - the golf swing - what you do to simply hit a small ball with a stick. To have a proper swing you must break-down, analyze, and correct your:

* Club choice
* Stance
* Grip
* Head position
* Back-swing
* Address
* Follow-through

And yet - after all of these particular parts of the swing, there is only ONE golf swing. If you assume the right stance without gripping the club, there is no golf swing. If you have a stance and grip the club, but don't move your arms, there is no golf swing. A golf swing is not a golf swing without all of these aspects working together in perfect harmony.

Salvation for the Christian is very much like this. We can talk about predestination, calling, regeneration, imputation, justification, adoption, sanctification, glorification, etc., but each of these is just an aspect of what it means to be united to Jesus Christ. Yes, these aspects are distinct, but when we lose sight of what they accomplish as a whole, we aren't "in the game" anymore.

Pretty good. Thanks, Boneman!

Believers in the Voting Booth

I have recently added The Bodacious Black Bible Babbler to the blogfeeds in the right-hand column of this page. He recently commented on the intersection of faith and politics with a post titled "Total Depravity and Voting." Here is a bit of what he says:

Simply put, we must realize that we are casting votes for people who are corrupt to the core, and that goes for the Christians too. Practically speaking I believe that means:

* At best, we are trying to make a choice between the lesser of evils. I no longer vote for the best candidate, I vote against the worst ones. “All have sinned (and continue to sin) and are falling short of the glory of God.” Therefore, we must find out all we can about a candidate and then vote for the one we believe will do the least amount of damage. That’s the best we can hope for.
* Remember, voting is an act of faith carried out in a fallen world. You have no idea whether the person you’re voting for is telling the public the truth or not. That means you cast your vote and you leave the results in God’s hands. Politicians are going to tell you what they think will get them elected. I have come close to working on campaigns in the past, but I always backed out because ultimately, I had to admit that I had no way of knowing the individuals character. When you find one with integrity in a given area be thankful. But remember, she’s not going to make things better, she is simply going to slow the downward descent that is currently underway inAmerica. Don’t get your hopes set too high. Wait long enough and you’ll find out that she too has come under the spell of “being in charge”.
* Not only are politicians depraved, but so is the system. Even if we are blessed enough to get a godly man or woman in office he or she will be fighting against a system that is capable of rallying and minimizing that persons impact to the political process. I have had numerous conversations with politicians where I walked away realizing they were afraid of taking a principled stand because they knew that to do so would mean marginalization.

Now, I'm not as pessimistic as our friend the Babbler is, but I do like his point about the lesser of evils. There are no perfect candidates. Look at anyone (not just politicians) too closely and there begin to be an awful lot of flaws that come into view. This is no exact science, and politicians will say anything to get elected, but I can listen carefully to hear what a politician says to whom. The more chameleon-like the candidate the less likely he is to get my vote. This is one of the advantages of the internet; it is increasingly easy to learn what a candidate says at what would previously have been an obscure fundraising dinner, or to a socialist group in Europe, or this or that union, etc.

Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 10:16, "Behold, I am sending you out as sheep in the midst of wolves, so be wise as serpents and innocent as doves." This is certainly true of us as His disciples today, and it certainly applies to politics. I return to these words again and again because it is so easy to fall off on the one side and say, "Politics is too dirty for this dove! I'm outta here!" and withdraw, or to go the other way and say, "Bring it on! I'm wise as a serpent; I can play this game!" and become obsessed with it all. Both of these are contrary to God's word. Learn what you can about the candidates. Seek the counsel of God's Word and other believers (i.e., don't just look to have your opinion affirmed). There are few good candidates, but there are many really bad and even dangerous candidates. Exercise discernment. And, as the Babbler said, leave the result in God's hands. He is the ultimate check on the people and the system (Romans 10, don't forget)!

What's in a Name?

Enough to keep local officials in ALIABAD, Azerbaijan from issuing a birth certificate for little Ilya Eyvazov. Why won't they? Because "Ilya" is Russian for "Elijah" and is considered a Christian name in 96% Muslim Azerbaijan, which is on the northern border of Iran. The Eyvazov family encountered similar problems when naming Moises (Moses) and Luka (Luke). More amity and tolerance from the world's most peaceful religion! Read more here. And for those interested, here is more on Azerbaijan from International Christian Concern.