The Blog Has Been Slow

It has been tough for me to post with vigor these days - I have been reading, writing, speaking so much that I have been a bit exhausted and left with less to blog from the soul.

I have been studying and reading early church history, the Da Vinci code stuff, and speaking in several different venues.  A two parter here at our church on Sunday mornings on engaging culture and understanding the contemporary buzz about Jesus, Mary Magdalene, Gnostic Gospels and the like.

I hope to get back to some biblical and cultural reflections here on the blog quite soon...

Just recently  Inversion was involved in leading a kids club in downtown Nashville. Expect a fun video of that here soon as well. For all the friends out there - please pray for me as I am in the midst of a full season of life. Great family, little boy coming, a wife to serve and life, many opportunities to share with the world about the living Jesus, inner city work, budgets, plans, NFL camps this summer, a trip to Peru, pre marital counseling, weddings, and a desire to read, pray and be alone a few minutes each day...

Out for now - speaking tonight on "Calling" - should be fun! 

The Da Vinci Code - Updated

 

On May 19, 2006 the movie based upon Dan Brown's fictional work, The Da Vinci Code The trailer for the film contains the following opening:
 

What if the world's greatest works of art held the secret that could change the course of mankind...forever

Such are the lofty claims of this story. An ancient conspiracy, guarded by intrigue and murder, if revealed to the world would change the very fabric of society. Just exactly what could be such a secret? The Christian faith, the belief of billions on planet earth, is based on a well guarded fabrication that is revealed when a man seeks the truth in renaissance artwork and medieval legends. The book has garnered a huge following and the film will no doubt be a blockbuster success. Ron Howard is directing and Tom Hanks plays the lead role. The production values and cinematic excellence will be high and the story very compelling. From the spending some time on the film's web site today, this project is being undertaken with the highest of quality. It will move people. For those uninitiated with the details of history or the debates about the historical Jesus the story of the Da Vinci Code can be confusing. A fictional work passing for history can be a great fog for people in our day. Many actually "learn" more from films today that responsible history. We must serve our neighbors in such a time as this. This film is a fantastic opportunity for those who follow the biblical Jesus, the Jesus of history, to grow in our understanding of our own faith, its roots, and to share the true account of Jesus with those with whom we live, work and play. I see the following benefits to the conversation which will be had around the film's release.

1. First, the film is a great opportunity to help one mature in our understanding of the historical roots of our faith. So many are completely ignorant of biblical history and the circumstances of early Christianity. It is a great time to study these issues greatly.
2. Second, the film will cause “cultural Christians” and young people to struggle with what they believe and why. This will afford great opportunity for crisis and clarification. Which by God's grace can result in deeper commitment to truth. We will need to love and teach in this context.
3. Third, the film will be a great opportunity, in my opinion, for evangelism – sharing about the Biblical Jesus – not the Jesus of the Davinci Code, but the living Jesus who saves sinners.

Our task then in this season, is to prepare to give a reason for the hope that we have (1 Peter 3:15) with gentleness and respect. One mistake many Christians will no doubt make is to be defensive and reactionary to the film; some will perhaps protest. I thought of writing a lengthy engagment with the content of the book, but realized others more qualified have done so. So as we prepare I have the following encouragment for us all:

1. First, read the book - check it out from the Library, buy it used. Read it and read it critically, but realize it is fiction.
2. Read those who understand the fictional aspects and speculations of the book. There are many good books available and several articles on the web. I will list many at the conclusion of this post.
3. If you see the movie talk to your friends and neighbors about the movie. Especially those who do not know the Jesus of the Bible. Don't look to fight, but to clarify, share the gospel of grace.
4. Offer articles to friends (Christian or not) who have questions and are struggling with the content - walk with them in it.

On Church History and the Historical Jesus

• Church History in Plain Language by Bruce L. Shelley - Specifically Chapters 1-16. I think Shelley's book is accessible for laypersons, yet rigorous enough to be a general introduction for all. A must for your library.
• Will the Real Jesus Please Stand Up?: A Debate Between William Lane Craig and John Dominic Crossan.  Contains the transcript of a debate between scholars as to the identity and nature of Jesus.
• Jesus Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents the Historical Jesus edited by JP Moreland and Michael Wilkins. Interacts with the radical claims of the Jesus Seminar.
  

Recommended Books on the Da Vinci Code

Concise Treatments

• The Da Vinci Code Cracks - A concise article from Greg Koukl of Stand to Reason.  This is a great first read on the issues surrounding the Da Vinci Code.
  
• The Truth Behnind the Da Vinci Code by Richard Abanes.  This work is quick to read and responds directly to passages in the Da Vinci Code.  Very good little reference for those not initiated to the debates which go on scholarly circles.
• Answers to the Da Vinci Code by Timothy Paul Jones.  This is a long fold out pamphlet which is printed on two sides.  It has a very helpful timeline of the first centuries of the Christian movement.  Very helpful.
  

More In Depth Treatments 

• Breaking the Da Vinci Code by Darrel L. Bock Darrell L. Bock is Research Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas. He also serves as Professor for Spiritual Development and Culture for the Seminary's Center for Christian Leadership. His special fields of study involve hermeneutics, the use of the Old Testament in the New, Luke-Acts, the historical Jesus, and gospels studies.
• The Gospel Code: Novel Claims About Jesus, Mary Magdalene and Da Vinci Dr. Witherington is Professor of New Testament Interpretation at Asbury Theological Seminary.  He offers a scholarly evangelical voice in the historical Jesus studies and has published over twenty five books.

Recommended Web Site

• Jesus and Da Vinci: Who Was Jesus...Really? This site has several excellent links to articles by a wide range of scholars and authors from an evangelical and a Catholic perspective. The abstracts for the articles will give you an idea of each resource.
• The Truth About Da Vinci - Westminster Seminary has offered an excellent site which describes itself as follows: While this site does engage the culture, it will not be blown about by the winds of opinion and will ultimately become a resource for all spectrums of people desiring to find and know the Truth... not only about "The Da Vinci Code," but more importantly, the Divine Truth.
• Jesus Decoded - A Web Site From the US Conference of Catholic Bishops.  Though the site is from a Roman Catholic point of view, it offers some excellent insight.  The video trailer for their TV Special is a great overview.
  

Why we have families...

One of the most intense blessings, source of relational pain, great joys, deep sorrows, and everything in between is found in our families.  Today you hear much about family values, alternative families, nuclear families, many ways of being a family, God's blueprint for families etc. 

Family is a big deal - I want to put forth a question that all of us should ask more often.  Why?  Why is family a big deal.  Any answer will be like a multifaceted geme stone.  A jewel that can be seen and enjoyed from several angles.  I want to offer a few reasons why family is, and will always be a big deal

• Family is where we are born and nurtured.  Much can be said about the importance of our formative years.  The development of our souls and bodies takes place in a context.  We grow memories, behavioral patterns, mental capacities, social skills, in the incubator which is our youth.  The family environment can be a great blessing or a great burden on our growth.  We pick up wounds, scars, and all sorts of junk in our family.  We never will "get it right" in our families - but can they be a place of grace, blessing, forgiveness, understanding, and healthy growth.  By the goodness of God, this can be true.  Family is a big deal because the family grows people - for good or for ill.
• Families are where we learn to love and forgive.  When you have multiple sinners growing up under a roof, toes will be stepped on and people misunderstood.  Well, to be honest, sometimes we just crush each other.  Family is a place where we learn to say, I forgive you.  A place where we learn to live for someone else.  Where God can begin to slay selfishness in the soul teaching us to give our lives in service.  Family is where we can learn to the truth of the great secrets of the Kingdom of God - that to be first is to be last and to be last is first.  We learn the joy of really seeing and savoring what God desires us to know - it is better to give than to receive.
• Families are where we learn to use our gifts.  Every can contribute something to the mission of a family.  When fathers and mothers see their roles as facilitating a mission under the leadership of Christ, kids as well as the grown folks, can begin to see how their uniqueness, passions, and giftings contribute to a whole.  Parents, we need to high five and chest bump our kids as they serve in their unique design.  They need to have coaches that both affirm, instruct and offer discipline.  Why?  Our families can count for something in the world if we see them as missional formations sent into the world, with the church, to transform lives and culture to the glory of God.
• Finally, and most importantly, the reason family exists at all is so that we might see and savor God himself.  Think about it.  We reproduce sexually, but there are other ways to reproduce.  Think about it.  Other animals come right out into the world and get right into life...people are dependent and need each other for quite a long time.  It seems that God desired human beings to have fathers, mothers, sisters and brothers.  Why?  To help us understand good theology.
  
  
• First - God is our Father, the unique Savior of humanity is a Son, and these relate in intimate communion and fellowship with the Spirit within the eternal Trinity.  A loving, self giving community of persons is our God - our families have a great model to follow.  The Father loves the Son, the Son submits, without being inferior to the Father.  The Spirit is sent forth into the world by Father and Son (no debate please) to bring glory to the Son who makes the Father known.  Selfless service, roles, and beauty...a great model.
  
• Second - the image of God is seen in the world through "male and female" - God the Father is not a man, he is a spiritual being that is reflected in the feminine and the masculine.  So God created man in his own image, in the image of God he created him; male and female he created them. Genesis 1:27. Why are there males and females, boys and girls, men and women.  To reflect the image of God.  Why is God called Father and not Mother - because there is something about "Father" that he wants the men to understand...plus, he reveals himself to us as such.  Much more needs to be written here.
  
• Third- The church uses the analogies of family to describe relationships within the people of God.  Who are we as Christians?  We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  We understand the church as a family called out of the world to the Triune God.
• Fourth- the nature of teaching, discipleship and Christian care for others uses the language of family.  Paul uses this language extensively in his first letter to the Thessalonians.

For all the family guys our there - don't let the constant responsibilities weigh on you as undesired burdens.  Rather, see the loads you carry as a beautiful expression of the person of God, in and through your little flock, loving them and nurturing them along the road.

To all the young dudes out there who bear the calling of pastor.  Let us look to Paul's family example as we love the lost, care for the sheep, and lead them in mission.

1 Thessalonians 2:1-12 (ESV)

¹For you yourselves know, brothers, that our coming to you was not in vain. ²But though we had already suffered and been shamefully treated at Philippi, as you know, we had boldness in our God to declare to you the gospel of God in the midst of much conflict. ³For our appeal does not spring from error or impurity or any attempt to deceive, ⁴but just as we have been approved by God to be entrusted with the gospel, so we speak, not to please man, but to please God who tests our hearts. ⁵For we never came with words of flattery, as you know, nor with a pretext for greed—God is witness. ⁶Nor did we seek glory from people, whether from you or from others, though we could have made demands as apostles of Christ. ⁷But we were gentle among you, like a nursing mother taking care of her own children. ⁸So, being affectionately desirous of you, we were ready to share with you not only the gospel of God but also our own selves, because you had become very dear to us.

⁹For you remember, brothers, our labor and toil: we worked night and day, that we might not be a burden to any of you, while we proclaimed to you the gospel of God. ¹⁰You are witnesses, and God also, how holy and righteous and blameless was our conduct toward you believers. ¹¹For you know how, like a father with his children, ¹²we exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory.

God Bless the families, the marriages, the husbands, the Dads, the wives, the Moms, and the kids...there is something good going on amidst all the drama we know as family. 

Neo Paganism and Witchcraft

Secret Spells Barbie

In researching some things for an upcoming two part series I am teaching on the Da Vinci Code franchise, I have been reading and listening a bit on about the status of paganism, goddess worship and witchcraft in America today.  

Many have noticed the witch offerings on the rise in pop culture.  From shows like Charmed, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, and Sabrina the Teenage witch - the message is that it is hip and cool to be young and casting spells. There are web sites for witches, conferences for witches, and sacred gatherings abounding in America.  The Da Vinci Code goes to great lengths to redeem witchcraft and make it something that is wonderful...just misunderstood because of Christian propaganda.

Today, I listened to a report from NPR's radio program All Things Considered. Very interesting to listen to young teenage girls chanting to call forth spirits, worshipping the goddess, and making up religion like a choose your own adventure book.  Even Barbie, in a "secret spells" flavor, makes a cameo in the audio piece.  Link - NPR : New Religion in America

A few thoughts as to why Paganism/Witchcraft is on the rise here and in Europe.  

1. Autonomy: For autonomous western people, it offers a way to be spiritual without having god around.  Pagan deities are at your beck and call and can be aligned to do your will.  Many just don't want a sovereign God who requires something of us.
   
2. Nature: Environmental fears and nature worship.  To love the mother earth is a virture today (heck, I even think Christians ought to care a whole lot more for the world of which God has made us stewards) and to be one with the earth and nature is a big deal.  Folks who are bent towards environmental activism love the earth - so it is not too far of a move to worshipping it.
   
3. Sexuality: We live in a sex crazed society and any way to mix sex and spirituality is going to find traction.  Paganism certainly offers this - a perversion of God's gift of sex.  Many make sex an object of worship or a ritual to be one with the divine, rather than seeing sex as a transcendent pointer to the God who made us and gives loving boundaries for our sexual passions.
4. Stupid: We are just stupid today.  People believe in nebulous, undefined concepts like "energy" (not in an Einstenian sense, but in a transfer to me that groovy positive vibe kind of sense) that can be cast and moved around to folk through spells and incantations.    And in this view it is not that God acts upon and changes people by his Spirit - but someone's hex on you can do the work no problem.  Many actually believe this sort of thing.
5. Deification: It makes people the source of power and control of the world.  As people, we just want to be our own god.  Did someone not once say "You shall be as Gods" - yes, this is the ancient lie to which we return like dogs to our own vomit. 
   

The problem with human beings becoming their own gods is that we are terrible gods.  We are fragile, fallible, and evil and will let ourselves down daily...only searching for the next spell to cast upon our days.  The great truth of the gospel is that God is god, and in his mercy he tells us to quit trying to be the master of our own vessel.  To allow him to forgive us and lead us towards a life that is free.

Paganism was tried and found wanting - long ago.  But as as the book of Ecclesiastes reminds us: There is nothing new under the sun.

It all comes back around again. 

Europe - An Example of Civilization in Decline?

More good news from Europe today from Al Mohler's blog. He has a short piece on marriage in Europe...not good.

LinkMarriage on the Rocks in Europe

Greg Koukl on Da Vinci

I have been reading and researching for a flurry of Da Vinci Code talks I will be giving at our church, at Universities, and for a large conference in Apologetics in Peru.

I had been waiting for Greg Koukl's piece on the Da Vinci code as I find him a clear and helpful author in these type of matters. Once again, Koukl does not disappoint.  He handles the relevant issues without shrouding them too much in the scholarly murk that can accompany such things.  He also gives good points to help us engage real folks about these matters; something we should encourage.

Too often, we are looking for a fight in our apologetic, rather than seeking to love, help, and persuade a friend.  Even worse many engage in imagined debates with "skeptics" by reading books and blogs but never really hanging out with anyone who has questions or who does not share our faith.

Koukl's tone is right on in this. Talk to someone.  Use Wisdom.  Be Knowledgeable.  Have Character.  Engage people, don't just argue with them... 

Here is a link to the current issue of Solid Ground, a great equipping piece surrounding Da Vinci code stuff.

Link - the Da Vinci Code Cracks

The New Yorker on the Gospel of Judas

Aside from its slight dig at inerrancy (and misunderstanding that doctrine) and a humble lean towards the human side of the composition of the gospels of the New Testament, this article is very helpful in understanding of the gospel of Judas and its lack of significance.

I love the closing passage:

Whether one agrees with Jefferson that this man lived, taught, and died, or with St. Paul that he lived and died and was born again, it is hard not to prefer him to the Jesus of the new Gospel, with his stage laughter and significant winks and coded messages. Making Judas more human makes Jesus oddly less so, less a man with a divine and horrible burden than one more know-it-all with a nimbus. As metaphor or truth, we’re sticking with the old story. Give us that old-time religion—but, to borrow a phrase from St. Augustine, maybe not quite yet.

I would only add, the old time religion of the New Testament is the only one that is the Christian tradition. The other odd ball aberrant relgions, be it a mix of NeoPlatonism with the Jesus figure, or a star gazing mystery cult, have all been found wanting. And discarded long ago.

Link - The New Yorker: The Critics: Books

(HT - Tim Dees)

Os Guinness on an Augustian Moment for Pastors

Os Guinness is one of the fine Christian minds of our era. He has invested deeply in the next generation, helped us understand the nature of Calling and influenced leaders for the church and marketplace of ideas. Over at Kairos Journal Guinness has a great charge to the pastor - that he see his role pivotal in this time in our history. Some have accused Os of being too centered on western culture - you will find fuel for that critique here. But what I have loved about Guiness is that he stands for that which is BEST in our western tradition. Literature, learning, charity and love for our neighbor, and most importantly the rock and foundation of the western tradition; the gospel of Jesus Christ and the Judeo Christian Scriptures.

His essay, which will be rolled out in parts, centers around three excellent questions:

First, will Islam modernize peacefully? Second, which faith will replace Marxism as the faith to lead China into her super-power future? And third, will the West recover or sever its relationship to its roots?

The essence of his encouragement to pastors if found in the conclusion of part 1:

Third, because of the chronic weaknesses of the faith of most American Christians at the popular level, in spite of their numerical strength, there is special responsibility for Christians in two particular callings: pastors, because they stand Sunday by Sunday between God and the people of God and are therefore in a unique position to awaken and empower God’s people; and leaders who are followers of Christ in positions of secular leadership, especially at the national level.

If the overall challenge facing Christians is expressed spiritually rather than strategically, it may be stated even more simply. A central reason for the weakness of the Christian faith in the West is the deficiency of discipleship among those who are Christians, including many leaders who are committed to Jesus Christ.

The result of this deficiency in discipleship is plain: despite our far greater numbers than any other group in America, Christians today have less cultural influence than far smaller groups and special interests. The problem is not that we aren’t where we should be—though there are important areas such as the universities and the media where we are severely underrepresented—but that we aren’t what we should be where we are.

In sum, at the beginning of the twenty-first century, we face an urgent situation for both the Church and the West: the central spiritual imperatives of our faith converge with the central strategic imperatives of the challenges of today’s world to underscore that people of faith must live and act decisively to meet the challenge of the hour. No calling is more pivotal at this Augustinian moment than that of the pastor.

For those who are unfamiliar with the term "Augustinia moment" the following may help.  Augustine stood in the gap for the church in a moment of huge cultural chaos, the fall of Rome itself. During the aftermath, Augustine penned the classic The City of God and his leadership stabalized the church and led it into a future which was not to be found in the "Eternal city on Earth" but in the city whose architect and builder is God.  When Rome fell, many pagan religious thinkers blamed it on the adaption of Chrisitianity throughout the empire.  Augustine engaged the pagan philosophies of his day and exposing them and demonstrating the beauty and truth of the Christian gospel...both in understanding tragedy and the shifting of the city of man, but also placing our hopes in the city of God.  A city always within the civilizations of men, moving with God towards the culmination of all history at the end of the age.

Here is the Link Pastors Pivotal in Our Augustinian Moment by OS Guiness.

Judas Snakes

 
Last week it was the gospel of Judas, but this week we have Judas Snakes.

Skip Snow, a 54-year-old veteran wildlife biologist with the U.S. National Park Service, has a problem. Burmese pythons, released by pet owners into the everglades over the last several decades are breeding in the wild and eating everything in sight. The park service is working to control the population through several interesting methods. One mentioned below is something calledJudas Snakes. Oh Judas, you just can't get a break!  These are snakes who betray their own - which is more in line with the Judas of the 1st century biblical gospels than the pseudo savior of the 2nd century gnostic gospel of Judas.  Here is the quote featuring Mr. Snow's labors to fight the pythons.

He recently experimented with a beagle puppy nicknamed "Python Pete," using him to ferret out the snakes and said he also had some recent success with "Judas snakes" -- using pythons implanted with radio transmitters to track down other pythons.

Full Link here: US biologist battles killer pythons in Florida park.

Archaeological Finds and So Called Lost Gospels

There have been some amazing archaeological finds in the last six decades dealing with the early centuries of the Christian faith. Many are familiar with the Dead Sea Scrolls found at Qumran which contains the scrolls of an apocalyptic sect of Judaism known as the Essenes. This find in 1947 was a fascinating find and of great particular interest to Old Testament Scholars. What the scrolls provided was a look at copies of many of the books of the Old Testament which date back to the time just before Christ. Due to the fact that the earliest still existing Hebrew manuscripts dated to the 10th century AD, the scrolls of Qumran gave us an opportunity to examine the transmission of the books over a gap of some 1000 years. What we found is that the text had been copied quite faithfully even over this long period of time.

Perhaps a less known discovery took place in 1945 in the Egyptian dessert at Nag Hammadi. It had been known for millennia that in the 2nd century the Christian church combated a heresy known as Gnosticism. This teaching held a radical dualism between matter and spirit with spirit being good and matter evil. Through secret gnosis (Greek for knowledge) people could escape the bondage of the physical world and achieve salvation. The Christian version of this teaching held that Jesus was not really a human being, but merely appeared as such. As the human Jesus suffered and died, the divine Christ hovered above laughing at the confusion of people taken in by the appearance. This hyper-divine Christ would reveal secret knowledge to his elect via religious experience rather than conveyed truth in the apostolic writings. Early church fathers such as Iraneus wrote against these 2nd century teachings including many of their writings which he enumerated by name (To see his reference to the content of the gospel of Judas, see this segment of Against Heresies. Additionally, the early church historian Eusebius also named many of these writings. The point to be made is that these writings: Gnostic gospels, epistles and apocalypses were known to the church and rejected by the Christians as false. The great interest of the archaeological find at Nag Hammadi is that some codices (early books) of these works were actually dug up. Believe it or not the discovery was made by a guy named Mohammed Ali (no, not the one who floats like a butterfly and stings like a bee).  This of course shed light on the early debates within Christianity and the sources of the doctrines which the church rejected.  A great archaeological find.

Why then all the buzz about “Lost Gospels” of Thomas, Judas, Mary etc. (Greg Koukl has a good commentary on the use of the term - Lost Books of the Bible) First, for the most part many people, Christians included, are ignorant of church history and have no idea about the world in which the church was birthed, grew and confounded false teachings. Second, there is a new school of scholars and practitioners who paint the early Christian world as a battle between equally valid, possible expressions of Christian faith. Therefore the poor Gnostics, losing the popularity contest years ago, need a new hearing today. Third, the media sensationalizes these things with titles like “Lost books of the Bible” being recovered, etc.

What believers need to know is this. The first several centuries of the church were filled with theological spaghetti and a myriad of writings. This in fact led the church to recognize and canonize the apostolic witness found in the 1st century gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John. That which was false, which did not match the tradition handed down from the apostles was rejected and not included what eventually became the collection of the 27 books of the New Testament. The gospel of Thomas, The Apocalypse of Peter, and the gospel of Judas were never part of the Christian Bible, nor will they be. They were lost to history, but not to the Word of God. They were lost to us in manuscript form, many of which we have now recovered. This is a great thing for our understanding of the Gnostics, who they were, what they taught. But it is not ground shaking in that it gives us a “new Christianity.” It simply gives us an up close look at beliefs that were deemed not Christianity at all. And that was decided a long time ago; by the Christians. 

Now don’t get me wrong, people are welcome to believe the Gnostic teachings if they choose (but they are pretty convoluted and esoteric); but let us not come up with some nonsense that the Gnostic way is just another way of being a Christian. This is simply not the case.

Sit Down Richard

Physicist John Barrow had a message for Richard Dawkins, Darwinianism's current bull dog...His comment:
 

“You have a problem with these ideas, Richard, because you’re not really a scientist. You’re a biologist.”

Link over at Uncommon Descent - Uncommon Descent � Barrow to Dawkins: “You’re not really a scientist.”

On "New Gospels

With all the buzz surrounding the Gospel of Judas, I found this to be pretty funny...

The Gospel of Brutus: A Revolutionary Revelation About the Real Jesus

I'll have a short post on Gnostic gospels up soon...very short, but lots of friends have been asking questions, so I thought I would throw my stick in the fire. 

More on Beckwith

World has an article on Frank Beckwith's denial of tenure at Baylor University. Beckwith's writings have been an encouragement to me over the years of rigorous scholarship from a person of Christian Conviction.

This I suppose is the sad state of pseudo-Christian colleges. I personally would send my kids to a state University or private secular school over one that is Pseudo-Christian. At least then the student knows the actual academic environment in which she stands.

Link - New Tenor on Tenure

(HT - William Dempski)

Calling All Geeks - The History of Apple Computer

 
This week TWIT has a great little podcast dialogue with some of the founders of Apple Computer.  The format is a round table discussion and is quite fascinating if you are at all interested in the history of technology.  If you are a true geek, you will be tasting sweet fruit by taking the time to listen. 

Two Pictures From Early Apple History

Apple II Plus with Disk Drive (Apple was first with a floppy disk drive)

1984 - The First Macintosh Computer 

For true Mac Geeks - Wikipedia has a ridiculous timeline showing the history of the Mac.

Still not a convert, but I do like my iPod.

Spooky Wacko Stuff

A friend sent me this link - file under kooky, spooky, wacko, misguided, strange, evil, sick...did I say wacko?

Apparently an ecologist, Eric R. Pianka, thinks there are too many of us around here on planet earth, and apparently thinks there are some good ways to get rid of a bunch of human primates in one fell swoop.  One he apparently recommended was airborn ebola to knock out a bunch of people. Save the planet, kill the people.  Strange Logic. This is a result of a worldview gone madly consistent, where human beings are no longer unique in the cosmos and are secondary to other concerns.  Ideas...yes, they matter.

Here is the link: Meeting Doctor Doom.

(HT - Georfrey Lessel)

Book Review - Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades

Challies has a review of a book on Islam Challies Dot Com: The Politically Incorrect Guide To Islam and the Crusades

Here is an exerpt:

"May Allah rip out his spine from his back and split his brains in two, and then put them both back, and then do it over and over again. Amen." Such is the kind of "endorsement" garnered by The Politically Incorrect Guide to Islam and the Crusades. In this case, the endorsement was written by the Islamic web site, RevivingIslam.com. The author of this book, Robert Spencer, is the director of Jihad Watch and an Adjunct Fellow with the Free Congress Foundation. He has written several other books on the topic of Islam and, as per the brief biography within this title, "lives in a Secure, Undisclosed Location." That is no doubt a wise precaution for a man who writes books and articles warning against the dangers of Islam.

The author of this book maintains the two web sites Jihad Watch and Dhimmi Watch

These sites are worth taking a look...

American Idols...

I just read a little ditty by Gene Edward Veith on the show American Idol - his thoughts are here.

He also asks some questions about TV watching that are interesting.

While you are thinking American Idol, you should check out the recent knock off we did at Inversion. Here is the link - Inversion Idol - Open Mic Night.

Or just click the image below (it is an .m4v file that plays through iTunes, Quicktime)

 

Folk do read your blog you know...

There is an interesting article in the Boston Globe about employers reading people's blogs, MySpace, Facebook, etc. when they are interviewing them for a job. 

The counsel and commands of the Scriptures do apply to blogging

Know this, my beloved brothers: let every person be quick to hear, slow to speak, slow to anger; James 1:19 ESV

Therefore, having put away falsehood, let each one of you speak the truth with his neighbor...Ephesians 4:25 ESV 

If you are interviewing for a job and you say: This job really sucks, I may just work there a year, and you write it on your blog.  Well...it seems you are being a bit two-faced, duplicitous with your possible employer, and stupid to write it on the blog. Here is an exerpt from the Boston Globe piece:

In October 2002, after an interview for a job at a nonprofit, she said, someone at the organization read her blog, where she had broadcast to the world that she wasn't actually all that interested in the job and didn't plan to stay for even a year if she were hired.

Don't lie to people, that is wrong.  Then to go and publish the truth on your blog...that is wrong and stupid.  One solution that was offered doesn't seem that great in my mind:

Natalie Gioella, a senior at Northeastern University, knows students who received offers for internships and co-op jobs, but were later turned down because of their postings on Facebook.com. So, Gioella, 23, doesn't post.

The other option would be: Post with integrity so people see who you actually are.  Or don't post and put on whatever face people want to see in your interviews; but that is a very hard way to live.

Here is the link: Job applicants' online musings get hard look - The Boston Globe

Not (Not Like) Mark Driscoll

Public repentence is good. I keep finding reasons not to not like Mark Driscoll (for those who like logic not (not like) = like).

A little while back Driscoll reacted to some remarks made by Brian McLaren (which were pretty obscure and lacked conviction) about the issue of homosexuality on the blog Out of Ur. It was a pretty amped up response, really funny at times, and a bit over the top in a few places. It seems like Driscoll realized he stepped over some lines

It is good to see that there are men who have Driscoll's heart and ear. Here is an exerpt from his post:

A godly friend once asked me an important question: “What do you want to be known for?” I responded that solid theology and effective church planting were the things that I cared most about and wanted to be known for. He kindly said that my reputation was growing as a guy with good theology, a bad temper, and a foul mouth. And after listening to the concerns of the board members of the Acts 29 Church Planting Network that I lead, and of some of the elders and deacons at Mars Hill Church that I pastor, I have come to see that my comments were sinful and in poor taste. Therefore, I am publicly asking for forgiveness from both Brian and Doug because I was wrong for attacking them personally and I was wrong for the way in which I confronted positions with which I still disagree.

Here is the full text: Apology | Resurgence

Marriage is for White People?

Al Mohler has an insightful commentary on marraige up on his blog. See - “Marriage is for White People”—The Decline of Marriage among African Americans To all my young brothers out there, both black and white. This call is for us:

In order for this to happen, couples of all ages, races, and ethnicities need to live out the fullness and fulfillment of marriage before the watching world. Christians have a special stake in this, because we understand that marriage is not only a social institution, but that is also the unique arena in which the glory of God is demonstrated in the holy relationship between the husband and his wife and in the proper ordering of the household as a testimony to the grace and goodness of God. Furthermore, we are the ones who know that we will give an answer for our responsibilities in marriage--and every single Christian has an important stake in this mission of recovering marriage. Above all, the church should be the one place where healthy marriages are nurtured, expected, supported, and lived out, not only before the congregation, but before the entire society.

God, preserve your vision for marriage in us, and through us...by your grace and to your renown. Help us we beg - redeem our sexuality, our marriages, and our children.