Continuity and Discontinuity

There are two passages in the first chapter of 2 Timothy which brought me to thinking about a theological issue which is of some debate in the church. 

First, Paul states that he thanks and serves God “as his ancestors did.”  Second, Paul describes the faith of Timothy’s mother and grandmother being the same faith which he genuinely possessed.  Paul’s ancestor’s were Jewish as were those in the matriarchal line which came before Timothy.  It is very possible that both Timothy’s mom and grandmother were Christian converts, but the passage seems to hint at continuity between Old Covenant faith and New Testament Christianity. Of course this is of much debate as discussions about the relationship between Old Testament Israel and the New Testament church continue until this day.  In this essay I will lay out ever so briefly four theological views that relate the relationship of Old and New Covenants, Israel to the church and surrounding theological issues.   In conclusion I will then give a few reasons why I favor a stronger continuity between Old and New Testaments and thereby make all my old guard dispensationalist friends shriek with pain.  Just kidding-but they would be a bit upset.

Dispensationalism (D) - This view holds that Israel refers to the ethnic/physical descendants of Jacob with the church beginning at Pentecost and the church is mentioned nowhere in the Old Testament.  Israel and the church have different roles/destinies in the end times  and all promises made to ethnic Israel in the OT will be fulfilled to ethnic Israel in the end times.  Salvation of some people under the Old Covenant is by obedience to the law-some have said this amounts to two different ways of salvation-one by the law, one by grace.  This view sees a strong discontinuity between the OT and NT and sees two distinct “peoples of God.”  It sees God working very differently during different time periods of history (dispensations) changing his way of dealing with humanity during seven different dispensations. The “Kingdom” in the New Testament refers to the literal, physical reign of Christ on the earth during a millennium at the end of time.  It is a very Israel centric view and has the best end times charts and graphs. Proponents-The Old Scoffield Bible, 20th century Dallas Seminary, John Walvoord, Dwight Pentecost, Norman Geisler and Charles Ryrie. Recommended Book-Dispensationalism Today by Charles Ryrie.

Progressive Dispensationalism (PD) - Similar to the old school dispensationalists, PD holds that Israel refers to the ethnic/physical people and that the church begins in the book of Acts.  It maintains the church/Israel distinction but teaches that both OT and NT people are saved by grace through faith in God’s promise.  It sees more continuity between Old and New Testaments but maintains that the promises to Israel in the OT are for the ethnic line to be fulfilled in the end.   It leans more towards the covenantal view as it acknowledges the covenants as progressive moves forward towards God’s plan in Christ.   It also breaks with the old D view in that it sees  hints at the church in the Old Testament but it is unclear and as the church/Gentile inclusion was a mystery yet to be fully unveiled. Proponents-Darryl Bock, Craig Blaising, Robert Saucy, Contemporary Dallas Seminary. Recommended Book-Progressive Dispensationalism by Darryl Bock and Craig Blaising.

Covenant Theology (CT) - Covenant Theology is an understanding of God’s work in history that has much more continuity between Old and New Testaments.  It sees Israel as both the physical and spiritual descendants of Abraham and considers God unfolding a large covenant of grace throughout history.  An original covenant of works was made with and broken by Adam in the garden and the plan of God to redeem a people for himself set forth in the covenant of grace. Some also teach there is a “covenant” of redemption that took place logically prior to creation within the Trinity. The distinction between the church/Israel is not made as it sees God always having a people with whom he relates by covenant.  Israel is called and defined by its covenant relationship to God not simply ethnicity.  God’s  elect people are “one people” and the universal church has always existed in both Old and New Testament.  It sees many direct prophecies related to the church in the Old Testament and views the church as God’s Plan A throughout history and the final culmination of the covenant of grace.  It views the New Covenant of Jeremiah 31 as the same as Luke 22:20, both are for spiritual Israel (the seed of Abraham by faith) according to Hebrews 8.  It usually equates baptism and Old covenant circumcision as the sign of the covenant AND holds it should be applied at the same age.  CT therefore practices infant baptism of the children of believers…sometimes on the 8th day. Proponents-John Calvin, Jonathan Edwards, Reformed Seminaries, Presbyterians, Walter Kaiser, Michael Horton, JI Packer, RC Sproul and Bruce Waltke. Recommended Book-God of Promise: Introducing Covenant Theology by Michael Horton.

Modified (or New ) Covenant Theology (NCT) -  Is similar to CT in that it sees strong continuity in the covenants of God and sees the church as spiritual Israel and heirs to the promises of God.  It is somewhat of a halfway point sharing much in common with Progressive Dispensationalism as well as Covenant Theology.  It is not as succinct a system of theology as the above, but is a way of seeing and reading Scripture in a promise/fulfillment hermeneutic.  It rejects the baptism/circumcision symmetry of Covenant Theology and holds that baptism is for believers but sees the same united redemptive framework in the biblical covenants. Additionally, it finds the CT view that their is a “covenant of redemption” within the Trinity speaking beyond Scripture. The decree/purpose of Father/Son/Spirit to creation/redeem is there but it is not described as a covenant. As CT and many within PD it holds to a now/not yet view of the Kingdom of God known as inaugurated eschatology.  Along with CT this view sees the Old Testament as containing typological references to the church in the OT that are fulfilled in Jesus Christ.  In contrast NCT sees the OT law differently than CT.  CT sees the OT laws divided into various categories-civil, laws pertaining to sacrifice/worship and moral laws…with the moral still binding.   NCT sees the entire OT law as a tutor to bring us to Christ and completely done away with in the New Covenant superseded by the law of Christ.  This is an area where CT and NCT knit picks tend to scrap and NCT has more in common with some dispensational thought.  Proponents-Typically Reformed type who hold to believers baptism. Though DA Carson, Mark Dever, Tom Schreiner do not see themselves fitting neatly into any camp, they typically are mentioned along with this view.  Though John Piper distinguishes himself with his own view, his is closer to this position than any other.  See What does John Piper believe about dispensationalism, covenant theology, and new covenant theology? Recommended Book - New Covenant Theology by Tom Wells, Fred Zaspel.

This is but a very small flyover of some of the theological views on how the Old and New testaments “fit together” in theological unity.   Personally I favor the approaches that see continuity between the covenants as one unfolding plan of God.  Additionally, the book of Hebrews declares the Old Covenant as abolished and the covenant by which he relates to all people is that of  the one made with the blood of Jesus Christ (see Hebrews 8-10).  Furthermore, Ephesians and Galatians teach that Jew/Gentile are one in the gospel. I believe that God has always related to his people by his grace and that his plan of redemption unfolded through the various covenants in biblical/redemptive history.  See our article Introduction to the Old Testament for more on this.   I find much to appreciate in all these systems but find the most affinity with the latter three. Old School Dispensationalism is a hard one for me to swallow but those who still hold to it are usually “all in.”  Many in my circles appreciate the Progressive Dispensational and New Covenant views.   For those who don’t want to buy books please check out these various systems at  Theopedia.   For those who are completely dizzy in all of that jazz please lose no sleep over it. 

A Biblical Theology of Hands

One of the unique biblical images God uses to teach us about life, walking with him and serving others are attached to the end of our arms.  The hands are used for various purposes in both the Old and New Testament to reflect and teach us biblical truth.  Paul's letters to Timothy have one of these purposes, the laying on of hands by pastoral leadership, on full display.  In this essay we will look briefly on how God uses "hands" throughout Scripture concluding with a treatment on how Paul uses laying of hands in the epistles to Timothy.

Handy Metaphors in the Old and New Testaments 

There are many references to hands in the Old Testament but there is an overarching theme for each of them.  Hands represent action, the state of one's heart that finds itself into the world.  Hands represent what we do, the actions we take and how our intentions are reflecting by character and works.   We see this in hands being described as clean or unclean.  For instance,  clean hands represents a righteous life (see Job 17:9, Job 22:30, Psalm 18:20-24, Psalm 24:1-6, Psalm 73:13).  Clean hands represent holiness of life and unclean hands represents a heart that is vile and wicked.   The book of proverbs talks about hands that shed blood as being the hands of the guilty and wicked man.  Furthermore the New Testament also talks about lifting up holy hands indicating the same thing.  This is all a matter of the heart, though it is expressed with metaphors of the hands.  Jesus made it clear that washing one's hands do not cleanse the inside of a man's heart; but the work of our hands is indicative of the condition of our hearts.  Additionally, the nature of our work is seen in our hands in such prayers as Psalm 90:17 which reads: Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and establish the work of our hands upon us; yes, establish the work of our hands!   Here we find people asking God's favor upon the work of their lives.   Jesus also uses a hand metaphor to talk about a manner of life in response to God's call on us.  He tells us that no one who puts his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9:62).  So it is a clear metaphor in scripture that the condition and action of hands represent the condition of the heart before God.

Finally, though he has no physical hands, God's own favor and work is expressed with the language of  "his hands."  The work of deliverance  and redemption wrought by God in the Exodus is repeatedly described as being through "his mighty hand and outstretched arm."  God's favor is expressed by his hand "being upon us."  After Nehemiah goes before the King to ask for assistance in his work to rebuild Jerusalem we read this wonderful verse: And the king granted me what I asked, for the good hand of my God was upon me.   When the hand of God is upon a people it is a sign of favor and his working on their behalf.  This continues in the  New Testament when Jesus is said to be raised from death and seated at the right hand of God.  This is the place of power and authority beside a great King.  To finish this essay we will further discuss how power and authority is symbolically and actively transferred to people through the laying on of hands.

Laying on Hands 

Placing hands upon someone today to pray for them is becoming more and more common in evangelical churches.  I find no problem whatsoever with the practice as it indicates belief, faith and standing with one another in prayer.  However, the laying on of hands has specific meaning in Scripture of which I want us to be aware.    In the brief space that remains we will examine how the laying on of human hands indicates conveyance of blessing, judgment, transferring of guilt for sin as well as for the ordination of people in the authority of God for gospel ministry. 

In the Old Testament a father would convey the blessing and birthright to children and grandchildren through the laying on hands.  It was a transaction that was symbolic of a fathers generosity and favor upon his descendents.  Hands would also be placed by the priest onto an animal called the Scapegoat (Leviticus 16) which was being sent away from the people so as to take away their sins.  Additionally, a person bringing their own peace offering would place his hands upon the animal symbolically putting his sins upon the sacrifice (Leviticus 3:1-5).  Judgment upon a criminal was also demonstrated before the enactment of capital punishment by the placing of hands upon the offender.  The manner in the Old Testament is clear.  The authority to forgive sin, convey blessing, enact judgment was done in an official capacity in obedience to God's Word.  The authority of God and the action of God is visibly seen through the laying on of human hands.

In the New Testament we see Jesus speak some powerful words to the disciples before he ascended back to the right hand of God.  In articulating what has become known as the Great Commission, Jesus said the following in Matthew 28:  And Jesus came and said to them, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.  Here is the line of authority-the Father has placed ALL authority to Jesus.  Jesus then commissions his church to go in that authority and live the mission of God.  We see very clearly that authority is vested upon Jesus' followers through the laying on of hands.   This happens in several ways.

First, hands are laid upon the sick to pray for healing by both Jesus and his followers (Mark 6:5, Luke 4:40, Acts 28:8, James 5:13-15, perhaps Mark 16:18).  Remember, it is the power of God that heals the body not the person's hands.  The hands are a way of expressing faith and dependence and petition to God for healing.  One more point.  Even when the body naturally heals  it is operating according to God's design not independent of it.  So God is the source of all healing and he chooses whom he will heal and for what reasons.  We can pray in faith and trust him to work if he so chooses.  Ultimately, the final healing will come at the resurrection of the dead where we will receive immortal, incorruptible bodies and disease and death will be vanquished. Second, the Holy Sprit and spiritual gifts were at times imparted to a person from the placing on of hands and prayer (Acts 8, 9, 19).  Note again, it is not the hands which give gifts, but God who has the power and authority.  Furthermore, though this was a means by which God gave gifts he also does so without any intermediary.  If he wants to gift his people he can also do so directly.  The Spirit is also given to people today at the point of spiritual conversion and no apostle is required to convey this as Holy Spirit is promised to all who believe (Ephesians 1).  Finally, there is a clear laying on of hands to set people apart for church leadership.  In Acts 13 Paul and Barnabas are set apart for missionary service.  In the pastoral epistles we see that hands are laid upon people, specifically our boy Timothy, to set him apart and confirm his calling to pastoral ministry.  In doing so the authority of Jesus is recognized and the calling of God confirmed by those who are current ministers.  Some see a pure line of hands back to the apostles themselves in ordaining to gospel ministry.  This is why Paul exhorts so not be hasty in the laying on of hands, nor take part in the sins of others; keep yourself pure...for the appointing pastor/elders prematurely can damage the credibility of ministry by the work of the hands of warped and immature men.

Why there are still Communists...

 
A look at a few home theater set ups online made me realize that there may be good reasons why there are still five or six communists lurking in the shadows.

• 10 Stunning Ultra Geeky Home Theaters
  
• Or this guy's home theater project
  

Thou shalt not covet thy neighbors home theater system...even if it looks like the bridge on the starship enterprise.  What is really sweet is Sunday school class rooms that are just as cool.

Jacob's Well Update

 

I posted a brief update on the Jacob's Well web site today on the progress God is bringing in our church planting efforts.  You can read that here.

Daddy Issues and Films

James Harleman, one of the pastors at Mars Hill Church in Seattle has an interesting post up on the Cinemagogue blog entitled Film in the Era of Daddy Issues.  Here is the final paragraph and do go read the rest if you are into films and may have Daddy issues.

I hope these glorious, decades-old daddies of film heroism give us a lark in the cinema as they keep on punching out the opponents, and I hope they also spur us to consider why we are hungry for an everlasting dad that remains faithful and true to us, who shows up and decimates our opposition, who sets things right and even clarifies our direction and purpose. If we stop and consider, some might find that “…the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of him…” - Ephesians 1

Authentic? Authenticity

Daniel Henninger has an interesting article over at the Wall Street Journal regarding what he calls one of the most popular presidential accessory for a candidate in this election.  What is it? Authenticity. I found the opinion piece fascinating in that it is all about how to be an "authentic" politician.  The ironic thing touched upon is that authenticity, being real, being yourself is very hard for political folks trying to win elections and please many different interest groups.  It is so easy to pander to left, right, etc. 

The funny thing about Henniger's piece is that it chronicles the struggle of candidates trying to be or appear to be authentic.  A few quotes:

One almost feels sorry for the 13 or 14 pols who've been running for the presidency this year. Keeping the authenticity balloon afloat is hard work. For starters, the press is obsessed with the phenomenon. The modern reporter is a human tuning fork, alert to the merest false note of inconsistency. It isn't widely known, but no journalist is allowed to moderate a presidential debate unless he vows to turn every question into an accusation of hypocrisy.

...

If we want a better understanding of the style of authenticity that people who vote are looking for, consider the real meaning of Barack Obama's controversial praise for Ronald Reagan. Sen. Obama was correct that Reagan caught the nation's need for a new direction, which is now the senator's claim. But Reagan's published letters and papers make clear that he believed in his political ideas for a long time. By 1980, they were deep and clear. They were authentic.

If that is the standard of true political authenticity, and I think it is, then the relationship in this campaign between the people and the pols will remain as it has been -- difficult.

That is fancy speak for - America does not seem not find it easy to trust the convictions of the folk running for office.  One wonders if someone can actually be themselves and win broad elections - maybe politics is for people who like the game and the dance even as they complain about it and talk about "bringing change to Washington."  In Reading Obama's book, it seems to attempt to show him as a centrist, an authentic person who is different than the others who are part of the political machine.  But in his book I still hear pandering to different groups - perhaps politics can be done no other way?  At least winning politics.  But to be honest, I think we all should vote and participate in self-government.  But I do understand why some in the younger generations get cynical about the whole song and dance - it seems, well, inauthentic.  Thats as political as I want to get around here.

Looks like a wonderful new book

Phillip Jenkins, author of several books chronicling the historic shifts in Christian faith towards the global south, reviews a new book of Church history which gives a balanced attention to the faith's spread and movement in places other than Europe and America.  As much as I love Western church history (particularly that of the Reformation) I have longed for a book from which I could read histories of African and Asian Christian movements. Jenkins reviews a volume by Martin Marty entitled The Christian World.  This brief volume may just help me on that journey and I clicked my Amazon buttons today to speed its arrival.  Here is an exerpt from Jenkins' review:

Even Marty's chapter titles, his "episodes," suggest the scale of the departure from more traditional surveys, which commonly hurry to get the faith to Europe, and then largely ignore the rest of the world until the arrival of those Europeans. Marty, however, pursues a symphonic approach, in which different regions serve as themes and motifs, heard at the beginning and perhaps falling away during later movements, but never forgotten, always ready to recur at significant points of the performance. For Marty, the church of course begins in a Jewish environment, followed by a First Asian Episode, a First African, and a First European. A second European Episode then follows (roughly covering the years since 1500), and then a North American; but then the earlier motifs surface once more, with a Second African Episode and a Second Asian. A thoughtful conclusion stresses the "irrepressible" quality of the Christian venture, and its ability to recoup in one region catastrophic losses suffered in another.

I mean no disrespect to Marty's work when I say that little of the material presented, few of the examples, will come as any great surprise to readers with any background in Christian history. Its value lies instead in its overall construction, and the relative importance allotted to different times and regions, and he has clearly exercised enormous restraint in limiting coverage of Western-centered topics that he knows and loves—the Reformation, the 18th century Awakenings—in order to give due credit to non-Euro-American issues. Many will find the results startling, and that is very much to the good. To take an example, his North American chapter uses a sparse 28 pages to span the whole experience of Christianity in that region since 1492. In comparison, modern Africa receives 19 pages, modern Asia 18, both quite rational allocations in terms of the numbers of believers in those regions today and of their likely importance in the development of the faith in coming years. The Christian World is a bold attempt to make people rethink their basic assumptions of the where and when of a history they may assume they know all too well. To use a rather ugly word, it is a classic exercise in defamiliarization. Marty incidentally, as is well known, never employs ugly words or jargon, and writes throughout in admirably clear, intelligent prose.

I am looking forward to this read and will queue this one up behind my current book of the bedside table...Consuming Jesus, Beyond Race and Class Divisions in a Consumer Church. 

Another Voice Questions McLaren

Brian McLaren, emergent guru, former pastor, author, conference circuit rider and book tour promoter has another detractor on his vision presented of the "new emerging views" of Jesus, the gospel and the church.  This time the one who questions his vision is John Wilson, editor of Books and Culture magazine.  So you know, Wilson is an intellectual and not a right of center fundamentalist or Willowback modernist who McLaren aims at so often.  A few of Wilson's comments:

Speaking of McLaren's view of war Wilson writes:

I have to admit that—immersed as I am now in a pile of books about the conflict with Japan in World War II and another stack about the Spanish Civil War—this talk about war as an "addiction" seems sophomoric, indeed painfully naïve and patronizing. Perhaps I am just in denial. But dialogue between just-war folk and pacifists? Yes, I'm all for that—and if this dialogue can take us further, wonderful.

Such dialogue, of course, has proceeded fitfully for many centuries. Neither the just-war tradition nor the pacifist tradition has been static. And so—on this point and across the board—the claim of McLaren's title, Everything Must Change, is quite misleading.

His other main complaint is about his facile view of church history and the importance of the emergent's correction of the past.

McLaren is particularly misleading when he's suggesting, as he does quite emphatically at times, that somehow the church went off the rails early on, and that only now are (some) Christians beginning to understand what Jesus was really saying. While McLaren occasionally adds nuances and qualifiers, this ahistorical account runs through the book. In this respect, his message is oddly reminiscent of the ahistorical narrative of church history that dominated the evangelical/fundamentalist churches of my youth. Between an idealized first-century church and the present moment, when the preacher was calling on you to make a decision for Christ, there loomed a great wasteland—all those centuries in which the church failed to heed the plain words of Scripture.

Finally, he comments on McLaren's naivety in dealing with global economics with the following statement:  

The reader of McLaren's book will discover that everything hasn't changed. Do we, as McLaren suggests, decide not to buy a cheaper shirt that has been made in a factory where the workers receive terribly low wages and instead pay more for a shirt that has been made in a factory where the workers are better compensated? Or—as a number of economist friends of mine would maintain—would McLaren's well-intended gesture, insofar as it had any effect beyond producing a sense of virtuous conduct, actually tend to undermine the fortunes of those poor workers?

Wilson's post is brief and yet another reminder that McLaren's voice is not one that I trust either biblically or intellectually.   You can read Wilson's essay here.

MLK Day

I wanted to write a note today and encourage all of us to thank God for the civil rights movement in America which is celebrated on Martin Luther King Jr. day.  It is hard to imagine that just a generation ago African Americans were under the harsh rule of Jim Crow here in the south.  Though we may not rejoice in all of Dr. King's life, he was greatly used by God to speak and lead a nation towards greater justice and equality. 

I pray each of us might pause and thank God today in light of the progress which has been labored for in America and to ask him for a continued work for greater equality and justice in our society today.  I enjoyed John Piper's blog on MLK day - http://www.desiringgod.org/Blog/1026/

King's full I have a Dream Speech can be watched here - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PbUtL_0vAJk

Evangelism and the missional church

I did an hour long training and discussion today with some of our Inversion leaders on the nature of evangelism and the missional church.  Though it was specifically created for our Inversion peeps, I thought it may be of some interest here on the POCblog.

Here is a pdf of the file...
 

AVP - Air vs. xPs

So, now that Apple has puffed up its chest and strutted in arrogant superiority once again, I wanted to throw my two cents in about how the buzz about the newest MacBook amounts to some hot gaseous substance derived from the name said product (ie Hot air).  I recently reviewed my new Dell XPS m1330 purchased right before the AIR Mac announcement.  With the specs of my PC so much in my mind I watched the AIR announcement with some interest.  I left with only one word - unimpressed.  Of course their will be MacIdolaters claiming that this machine will make you float through airports and reach some sort of quasi Buddhist enlightenment, but I feel this is a product which many struggle.  In this battle royal comparison review I will do two things.  First, show that the MacBook AIR simply does not match up to other devices - I will use my XPS m1330 to illustrate.  Second, I will speculate on why this Macbook needs work or it may just disappear into thin air.  Finally, I will laugh at my Mac friends - because I love them and they evangelize me - maybe I won't laugh too much.

The Matchup - AIR vs. XPS 

Features			Commentary
Size	H: 0.16-0.76 in W: 12.8 in D: 8.94 in W:3.0 lbs	H: 0.87 to 1.33 in W: 12.5 in D: 9.4 in W: 3.97 lbs	Both are small, but the AIR clearly wins the size competition.  The Dell is less than 4lbs and hardly a burden, but AIR is tiny even though its 3lb weight is not the lightest in the world. Advantage - AIR
OS	OS X Leopard	Windows VISTA	Commenting on this one is a religious affair.  I love VISTA, Mac folks love Leopard.  Just so people will not whine - Advantage - AIR
Screen	13.3 LED Backlit	13.3 LED Backlit	Both have screens using the bright, power saving, thin LED backlit screens. Advantage - Draw
Processor	1.6 GHZ Core 2 Duo	2.2 GHZ Core 2 Duo	Advantage - XPS
Memory	2 GB	3 GB	Even with VISTAs memory hunger, 3 GB still is better than two. Advantage - XPS
Hard Drive	80 GB, 4200RPM, 64 GB SSD option	200 GB, 7200RPM, 64GB SSD option	This one is embarrassing.  The XPS has the largest 7200RPM drive while the AIR uses the smallish, slow drive used in iPod Classics.  This clearly hinders the air as a serious primary computer which might be used for say...editing video.  Clear Advantage - XPS
Video Subsystem	144MB of DDR2 SDRAM shared with main memory	Dedicated Nvidia GeForce graphics with 128MB dedicated memory	Again, no contest.  The AIR has a shared video subsystem, the XPS a dedicated graphics card - Clear Advantage - XPS
Optical Drive	None, optional external SuperDrive	8X DVD+/-RW Slot Load Drive	Now, I know Apple wants you to think that not having this is a feature because you can use another computers drive wirelessly.  This however is ridiculous.  What if a friend hands you a disk and says - check out my wedding DVD/photos? You are out of luck.  Clear Advantage - XPS.
Input/Output	MicroDVI with adapters, one USB 2.0 port, one headphone jack	HDMI (high def video), VGA, 2 USB 2.0 ports, Firewire port (for dig video cams), Express Card Slot, Multi Card Reader (SD, MMC, Mem Stick), Fingerprint Biometics security, 2 audio headphone jacks for sharing, microphone input jack	No contest here.  The AIR has crippled I/O greatly limiting what you can connect to the machine.  Again showing this is not a good primary machine.  Clear Advantage - XPS.
Networking	Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.1 + EDR	Wireless N, Bluetooth 2.0 + EDR, 10/100 Ethernet, optional wireless broadband from SPRINT, Verizon, AT&T	Yes, the world is wireless and both have the same wireless network features.  The XPS adds a hard Ethernet port and an option for wireless broadband - Advantage - XPS
Keyboard	Nice backlit keyboard with ambient light sensor.	Great keyboard, no backlight	Advantage - AIR
Track-pad	Large trackpad, mulit touch gesture support	Small trackpad, pretty standard	Now I use the keyboard for so many things that the idea of learning touch chords on a track pad to rotate a photo sounds stupid.  But the cool factor goes to the AIR though I don't see the point.  Advantage - AIR
Cool Factors	Ultra thin, Nice looking, integrated web cam and microphone	Thin, Nice Looking, included Express Card IR remote for multimedia and presentations, heat sensitive touch buttons for media and volume control, integrated web cam and microphone...fingerprint logins.	Advantage - XPS
Battery	Non Removable, 5 hour	Removable battery with multiple options. I purchased the 6 cell (4 hour) and optional 9 cell (6 hours)	Again, a non removable battery is silly.  No secondary possible on the AIR and you have to get Apple to get a new one.  Batteries loose capability over time so this again is a clear advantage.  Clear Advantage - XPS
Price	$1799	$1734	The price on the XPS includes the extra battery and a machine with far superior features. Clear Advantage - XPS

Bottom Line - The Macbook AIR is at best a secondary machine.  Its poor hard drive, no optical drive (though they say this is cool), no removable battery, crippled I/O options, underpower machine without dedicated video option.  This is a very limited machine which puts it clearly in a "second or third machine" option.  Yet with the price a very high $1799.00 for the baseline configuration it is priced in the high range for even a machine with some kick.  Yes it can fit in an envelope - great.  But I do not want to be able to mail my laptops...I want to be able to do serious computing tasks.  The question I was left with in looking at the AIR was this: How many rich MacIdolators are out there who want a thin Apple toy to supplement their MacBook Pros or iMacs? For I think they might be the primary market for this device.  For me, I would not trade my XPS m1330 for any MacBook - let alone one as anemic looking as the one called "AIR."  OK, I decided to not laugh at my Mac friends.

If you still want something to be excited about in Jobs' recent announcements, you can now pay 4 dollars to rent a movie to watch on tiny screens.  If you want to watch with friends in the living room, well you can pay another 229.00 bucks to do something as complicated as watch a movie on your TV...This is a "good deal?"  Good grief at least with something Netflix you can get your movies and watch them with friends without giving Apple another substantial chunk of your bank account.  I see why Wall street did not buzz after the recent worship service of the cult of Mac.  

For more on MacBook Air you can see the following:

• USA Today - Many laptops are lighter than MacBook AIR
  
• ZDNet - Yes, the MacBook Air is light. But so what-Dell XPS is a better deal on price (I agree)
• PC Mag - MacBook Air: A Nice Touch
• CNET - Mac Book Air Review
• Mahalo Search - MacBook Air Reviews
  

Steve Jobs on Reading...

John Markoff of the New York Times recently caught up with Steve Jobs to discuss all things Apple and technological.  Many of you know that Jobs just recently gave his MacWorld keynote and rolled out several new products.  An overpriced, too little time, DRMed, movie rental store on iTunes with a good selection and a Thin notebook called the MacBook Air.  All things buzz around Jobs and everyone who knows him says he likes it this way.  So it Markoff's piece is interesting tech journalism but a quotation found therein was a bit ridiculous. In belittling the Amazon Kindle e-book strategy Jobs made the following comment:

“It doesn’t matter how good or bad the product is, the fact is that people don’t read anymore,” he said. “Forty percent of the people in the U.S. read one book or less last year. The whole conception is flawed at the top because people don’t read anymore.”

This is a prime example of why marketers cannot influence the future through leadership and must only follow the dollar signs of the masses and what they think people want.  Now, I do not want to sound arrogant, but sometimes this amounts to a capitulation rather than leadership.  My kids "want" to eat bad food all day, but as a parent/leader, I lead them to finer dining because it is what they need.  There are several problems with Jobs' quote. 

First, it assumes that people were not reading when they read his quote.  I know he is referring to "books" but people are still reading Steve - hello POCBlog reader. Second, it commits what philosophers call the IS/OUGHT fallacy.  Simply because something IS a certain way, does not mean that it OUGHT to be that way.  Of course this deals in ethics and views of the common good, not just "what sells."  Jobs only concern appears to be the latter.  We ought to be (sorry) concerned in helping literacy, not capitulating to literary decline in culture.  Jobs seems to be saying that a gadget whose focus is reading book is flawed, because the kids don't read good any more.

So what should we do with challenges like "people not reading?" My conviction would be to help people love to read.  Because reading...well, its fundamental.  The same thing can be said in the church.  People say that the Christian community don't read deep things, doesn't care about theology, only reads books full of lightweight kitsch...blah, blah, blah.  The marketers therefore flood the bookstores with such stuff and do not help the problem a bit. Our response was to start a young adult ministry that had these things at the center rather than giving in and just entertaining the folks with a get a date club ministry.  I write for Inversion, not for publishers.  I commend thinking, feeling, aching, caring and theology - not shallowness because that is what the folks want.  My goal is not to make it big, strike it big, but to establish people in the gospel and a sacrificial commitment to actually following Jesus.  The result - our people's joy in God and Jesus' mission going forth.  So when Steve Jobs says "nobody reads anymore" - just reply, "Well, I do!" and go spread your tribe.  When people say that nobody cares about theological reflection anymore - I just reply "Well, we do!" and may the tribe increase.

POC Bundle - 1.16.2008

Reviews and/or Theological Reflections

Tim Challies reviews The Shack...interesting as this is the "hot book" right now in NashVegas among church folk. It is #42 on Amazon right now and #1 in spirituality and Christian segments as well  I found the theology discussion on the Shack Forums here to be quite revealing.  I am going to read it soon - I know one girl on our church staff that thinks it is not biblical in its depiction of God - Challies seems to agree.  Yet I am convinced that many do not even care whether it is "biblical" or not and will simply be taken by the book.  Those who might question its presentation of God will be called "religious" or "legalists" or people that don't get it...people of an "old way" of seeing God that holds people in shame.  We like views of god that match our sentiments rather than the God of the Bible.  Heck, lots of Christians do not even know the contents of the Bible or the historical doctrines of the church.  We prefer books by Joel Osteen.

Just for Fun

Well, it turns out that monkeys and men are still distinct - in Austria that is.  See the following news story - It's official: In Austria, a chimp is not a person. For those of you who were unaware, there are people that think primates are deserving of human rights - free the chimps!  On a less humorous note, this in an actual paragraph is from the Great Ape Project:

The idea is founded upon undeniable scientific proof that non-human great apes share more than genetically similar DNA with their human counterparts. They enjoy a rich emotional and cultural existence in which they experience emotions such as fear, anxiety and happiness. They share the intellectual capacity to create and use tools, learn and teach other languages. They remember their past and plan for their future. It is in recognition of these and other morally significant qualities that the Great Ape Project was founded. The Great Ape Project seeks to end the unconscionable treatment of our nearest living relatives by obtaining for non-human great apes the fundamental moral and legal protections of the right to life, the freedom from arbitrary deprivation of liberty, and protection from torture.

So for all those zoo keepers out there - feel very ashamed of yourselves for depriving the apes of their freedom and dignity.  

General News

Though receiving a 83-82 scare from Ga Tech this evening, the UNC Tarheel Basketball team is still #1 - In basketball season I cheer for my alma matta. In football season I pull for the Hokies - we served in ministry for six years at VT. 
 

Review - Dell XPS m1330

 

A couple of weeks ago I purchased a new laptop for my work.  I wanted to get something that was both thin and light and capable of any computing task...say a machine under 4lbs which could handle non linear video editing.  Yes, I am that guy who has high demands for computers.  This past summer Dell released a lightweight portable with a high end geek factor to some pretty rave critical reviews.  This holiday season they offered 799.00 off of the high end configuration of that machine - the XPS m1330.  I dialed through the online configuration, watching my heart as to not love a machine and tumble into idolatry, tricked it out and clicked the button.  Due the the very amazing price break on the high end of this model, I kept to my budget and got way more horsepower than I anticipated.  The following is my review of the laptop - I am very pleased.

Packaging 

I have bought many Dell computers over the years for home and ministry, a few laptops, a few desktops, even an ole Axim X5 Pocket PC years ago.  What was most striking about the new deal when it arrived was its packaging.  Obviously Dell has gotten into design with the XPS line of computers and it showed opening the box.  Inside was not a plain box but well thought out packaging with an attractive tribal XPS design.  It did not waste materials so that will make the landfill worriers  rejoice.  Inside was the very helpful quick start guide but also some unexpected niceties.  First, Dell provides a small magnetic snap closure portfolio which is embossed with the XPS brand and designed for holding user manual, system DVDs, etc. A nice touch compared to a box to hold these materials; it will be a great storage place for all software DVDs and user support items.  Additionally, though not a full on laptop case, Dell provided a nice silver and black padded XPS branded sleeve to slip the notebook down into; only complaint here is that it has flap closure so it can not be accessed without removing if the sleeve/laptop is in a backpack.  Otherwise the sleeve is quite nice.  I knew Dell had done some good work from the packaging, but you know...you can't judge a book by its cover, so I cracked it open and set it up.

Hardware Aesthetics

The industrial design of this machine is pure elegance and beauty.  It is well deserving of the press buzz it received as being able to hold its sexy with the MacBook line from Apple.  First of all it is a thin/light notebook that is in the shape of a wedge - it is thinner at palm rest/closure than it is at the hinge.  The frame is made of magnesium alloy and the case is brushed aluminum which looks great and gives it a sleek, sturdy feel.  In fact, though it is the smallest laptop I have owned it feels the must sturdy in build quality of any of the machines. It is currently available in four colors: red, white, blue and tuxedo black.  I roll black on almost everything so you can guess the choice I made there. With the 6 cell battery the machine is small, and comes in at less than four pounds when configured with the new LED screen (more on that in a moment).  Here are the dimensions: (w) 12.5, (d) 9.4, (h) 0.87 to 1.33 inches.  It will not float off into thin air, but it is very small.  I also purchased an extra battery which extends the back of the machine when in use but has enough juice to play two DVDs on a full charge.  Some additional aesthetically pleasing features are the new touch sensitive, illuminating media buttons, metallic inlaid logo on the lid and screen as well and of course the color options are nicely accented on the machine.  Though important, the machine does more than look good. On to the real hardware.

Hardware Systems

As configured my 1330 has a smokin fast 2.2 GHZ Core 2 Duo with a 4MB Cache and 800MHZ front side bus.  It is fast and it feels fast.  Additionally I opted for the 7200 RPM hard drive so to be able to do high end tasks like video editing.  We have the 200 GB model which has a free fall sensitive which disengages the head if "dropped" and is touted as the world's largest 7200RPM disk for notebooks - at least for a few weeks.  It is equipped with a beefy 3 GB memory and has a dedicated NVIDIA GeForce Go 8400M GS / 128MB video card rather than using system memory for graphical tasks.  Input output options are simply amazing for a computer of this size.  On the left size are power, VGA, Ethernet, 1 USB 2.0, HDMI and 1394a firewire (for camcorders) ports.   On the right you have a security lock anchor, another USB 2.0 port, slot loaded DVD+/-RW drive, and the Express Card slot.  The front hosts two headphone jacks for sharing, a microphone in jack and an integrated media reader (MS, SD, xD).  Some unique extras which came as standard on this machine were a finger print scanner for easy, secure logins, a thin media remote control that tucks into the Express card slot, hardware WiFi switch and WiFi catcher...very nice.  The WiFi catcher shows you if there is an availble network even if the machine is completely turned off.  The WiFi is 802.11n and there is also an optional wireless broadband build in available for Sprint, Verizon or the slooooow AT&T.  I did not get the cell network deal.  The top of the screen features a web came and dual digital microphones for video conferences or skype video type calls.

One last word must be said about the screen.  I purchased the new 13.3 inch LED back lit screen which allows for thinner screens which are about 30% brighter than standard LCDs.  It cost a little more but was well worth it as the screen is gorgeous.  It is also better on battery life so this was another consideration in utilizing this screen technology.  The max resolution is a robust 1280 x 800 and the brightness is as advertised.  For those doing desktop publishing, image editing and/or video an external display can easily be attached via HDMI or VGA port.

Software 

My laptop came equipped with Windows Vista Home Premium so I must comment on Microsoft's most recent operating system.  Vista has received lost of press, not of it all good.  The main issue people face here is Microsoft's success.  Windows has a massive installed base and the amount of software, hardware, etc. designed to work with Microsoft's system is mind boggling.  So every new instance of Windows has huge compatibility challenges.  I say this only to say that Vista has taken heat for device support and software compatibility as people attempted upgrades.  All new PCs will ship and work great with Vista.  All that to say that I absolutely LOVE Vista. The UI is gorgeous, it is much more friendly in terms of usability than any version of Windows I have used.  Its integrated search is fast and found everywhere in the OS.  My favorite location which search is usable is in the redesigned start menu.  This feature is great for those who use keyboards and don't like having to mouse so much.  It the windows key which activates the start menu, I type two letters of the app I want to run, it finds it instantly, I hit enter and I'm off.  The start menu also searches your system (files, media, apps, e-mail, calendar etc) as you type.  Super fast, super helpful.  All my software runs fine on Vista and the only complaint I have is with "User Access Control."  This is a security feature that is designed to keep computer idiots from messing up their own machines.  It prompts you when you want to do something like install software.  It says "You are about the run X installation, are you sure you did that?" You just have to click a bit more with installs and customization.  It was annoying when installing all my stuff and customizing the start menu, but now it hardly every bothers me.  If you want the scoop on VISTA there is no better review than Paul Thurrott's on the SuperSite for Windows.  The integrated Dell software for media is nice, fingerprint software works without a hitch, and the Dell customization of VISTA (mobility center) is well done.  

Summary 

Overall, I am extremely pleased with this new laptop from Dell.  It is a leap forward for them in industrial design, contains high end components while maintianing a reasonable price.  Not everyone needs this type of laptop as a budget machine will do e-mail, documents and web browsing for a minuscule cost.  But for those who need power, want small and don't mind a high cool factor, the XPS m1330 is a great choice from Dell.  It has met my expectations so much that when Apple announced the MacBook AIR I simply thought - Why would I want that when my Dell crushes it feature for feature and for less cash.  Comparison is soon to follow.

Here are some additional industry reviews: 

• CNET - includes a great little video review
  
• Laptop Magazine
• PC Magazine Editor's Choice
  
• A YouTube Video Review
  

Technology on the POCBlog

Sometimes I have been asked the question "Reid, what are your hobbies?" - Usually it comes from men who spend time on the golf course, shooting animals, building stuff with power tools (or buying power tools), or hooking fish by a lake.  To be honest, my hobbies overlapped substantially with my work.  I like reading, ideas, philosophy, theology etc. I suppose I waste some time watching football as well.  But to be honest my favorite hobby-like activity is technology.  My undergrad degree was in Applied Science and Physics and I got hooked in the early nineties after getting an IBM PS/1 PC.  Now I only dabble with code these days (web sites, Movable Type installs, wrote a Visual Basic macro las year) but I still like gadgetry.  Again, it is sort of nice that this overlaps with my work as well. 

To be honest, behind the Bible, my laptop is the most important tool I own.  I communicate on it, write on it, design stuff for ministry on it, study Scripture on it (Logos Libronix rocks), read on it, listen and acquire audio content with it and, of course, blog on it.  My laptop, though only a tool, is a tool I constantly use.  I also like the little machines too, which helps me utilize it. 

So today I am going to have a couple of technology articles.  The first will be a review of my new laptop I received just a couple of weeks ago.  My current machine goes back to its owner (Fellowship Bible Church) here soon so I needed a new one to launch into the field with as a church planter. Second, will be a feature comparison of my new PC with the new MacBook Air - and why I am thankful I purchased the former and NOT the latter.  If gadgets and techno speak put you to sleep, hit the snooze button on the POCBlog and come back tomorrow :)

Preaching on the Fall

This past Sunday I was privileged to teach with my good friends at Fellowship Bible Church in Murfreesboro, TN.  They are in the beginnings of a series entitled the Missio Dei.  My message was entitled Man's Need for God and focuses on the Fall and the need in the world for the gospel. 

40 Min - can be downloaded or listened to here: Man's Need for God. If you listen, feedback, questions and comments are welcomed. 

MacIdolaters line up to see their high priest...

The high priest of the Mac cult will soon be speaking to his enclave of followers.  The prophet will bear news about the wonders that the stainless steal, graven apple image will soon bring to worshipers worldwide.  Engadget has a great picture of the pilgrims awaiting the arrival of El Jobso to their temple.
 

According to Engadget, these five devotees showed up at noon yesterday for this mornings Keynote address at MacWorld Expo.  Some call them zealots, I remain convinced that what we are seeing is most properly called MacIdolatry.  As the brother John once said long ago, "Dear children, keep yourselves from idols.

Don't try and prove your masculinity...

My friend Tim Dees takes Gloria Steinem to task in one of his excellent Fact of the Day essays.  He also has a good one on "Brooklyn" which is quite humorous.  Check him out at http://www.thefotd.com/

The Steinem piece I have grafted in here below as well.  Just trying to prove my masculinity...Here is Tim's review of the recent NY Times Op Ed.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 

A STEINEM ON HER REPUTATION

Amid all the bad things that can be said about this election, there is one good thing that I can say: we have the most diverse presidential field ever, and the candidates are being judged on their merits, not on the color of their skin or their gender.  This isn't a universal truth yet, but Barack Obama's success and Hillary Clinton's relative success indicate that non-white male candidates now have a chance.  This is great news.

It would take a real killjoy to turn this expression of egalitarianism into a platform to tell everyone that they're racist or sexist, but Gloria Steinem had an op-ed piece in the Times today that did just that.  I've never been a fan of the way the Times op-ed page is edited (I use the term loosely), but Steinem's piece is particularly fatuous.

For the full argument, read the article yourself (it's available here), but in short, Steinem states that (a) Barack Obama would never have a shot if he were a woman, and (b) Hillary Clinton is losing the election because she is a woman.

Like all Hillary Clinton supporters, Gloria Steinem believes that the key to being president is experience.  That is certainly true in the insurance industry, but that's really about it.  Abraham Lincoln had minimal experience; Richard Nixon and Lyndon Johnson each had more experience than half the Democratic field combined.  Americans aren't looking for someone experienced, they're looking for someone they can believe in.

It's this commitment to the message of experience that leaves Steinem confused.  How can Iowans reject the more experienced candidate?  And here Steinem starts kicking in the Freud: "children are still raised mostly by women (to put it mildly) so men especially tend to feel they are regressing to childhood when dealing with a powerful woman."  Gotcha, guys!

When Steinem tries to explain why she supports Clinton, things really fall apart: "I'm supporting Senator Clinton because like Senator Obama she has community organizing experience, but she also has more years in the Senate, an unprecedented eight years of on-the-job training in the White House, no masculinity to prove, the potential to tap a huge reservoir of this country's talent by her example, and now even the courage to break the no-tears rule."  Take a careful look at qualification #4: "no masculinity to prove."  I'm no Barack Obama expert, but I don't picture him as the kind of guy who's always challenging people to arm wrestling matches and accepting dares to drink hot sauce.  What Steinem is saying is that every male is fundamentally deficient, because he feels compelled to prove his masculinity.

But that's not all.  Check out this paragraph:

"What worries me is that some women, perhaps especially younger ones, hope to deny or escape the sexual caste system; thus Iowa women over 50 and 60, who disproportionately supported Senator Clinton, proved once again that women are the one group that grows more radical with age."

Note the massive assumption that a vote for Hillary is a "radical" vote.  I can't honestly say why voting for a woman is more radical than voting for a mixed race candidate, but that's an assumption that Steinem made without support.  It's worth noting that college students, known for being radical, are polling hugely in favor of Obama.

So at the heart of this article are two huge assumptions: that men feel compelled to prove their masculinity, and that voting for Hillary is radical.  You could call these prejudices.
 

Secular and Charitable?

There is a great article in this month's Book's and Culture magazine summarizing a book by Arthur Brooks entitled Who Really Cares?  The work studied the difference between religious conservatives and secular liberals in the area of charitability.  Here is a summary from the article:

Religious Americans are not only much more likely to give money and volunteer their time to religious and secular institutions, they are also more likely to provide aid to family members, return incorrect change, help a homeless person, and donate blood. In fact, despite expecting to find just the opposite, Brooks concluded: "I have never found a measurable way in which secularists are more charitable than religious people."

Commuting the soul...

There is a very interesting article by Nick Paumgarten in the New Yorker regarding commuting culture in America.  As we are soon moving the the New York City metro area, I found the article to be of great interest.  We will soon be ministering to people in New Jersey, some of whom will be on trains during the week.  It is one of the challenges of church planting in the area we are going as people are strapped for time and financially stretched thin.  Weekends are also sacred as the pace slows from the hours in cars and on trains.  Here is an excerpt:

“People with long journeys to and from work are systematically worse off and report significantly lower subjective well-being,” Stutzer told me. According to the economic concept of equilibrium, people will move or change jobs to make up for imbalances in compensation. Commute time should be offset by higher pay or lower living costs, or a better standard of living. It is this last category that people apparently have trouble measuring. They tend to overvalue the material fruits of their commute—money, house, prestige—and to undervalue what they’re giving up: sleep, exercise, fun.

Robert Putnam sociologist and author of the book Bowling Alone made some insightful statements about the reality of modern life:

Putnam likes to imagine that there is a triangle, its points comprising where you sleep, where you work, and where you shop. In a canonical English village, or in a university town, the sides of that triangle are very short: a five-minute walk from one point to the next. In many American cities, you can spend an hour or two travelling each side. “You live in Pasadena, work in North Hollywood, shop in the Valley,” Putnam said. “Where is your community?” The smaller the triangle, the happier the human, as long as there is social interaction to be had. In that kind of life, you have a small refrigerator, because you can get to the store quickly and often. By this logic, the bigger the refrigerator, the lonelier the soul.

Please pray for us as we move to a place that has fragmented community and very large refrigerators.  I pray that God might use the church to allow people a respite and joy for the soul as we live for the glory of God, the good of the City extending hope through the gospel of Jesus Christ. Growing in community will be difficult in commuterland - but it is also a deep felt human need. 

For those of you from the Atlanta area, this sprawling southern city receives some treatment as well.  It is not a land of time spent on trains, but rather a car bound people guzzling down gasoline.   Just think, for some in Atlanta -" travelling ten miles can take forty-five minutes." One final segment was of interest to me as it actually mentions the great garden state of New Jersey. In this, Putnam is comparing Bologne, Italy and its quaint, smaller feel to the land of Tony Soprano.

Putnam’s favorite city is Bologna, in Italy, which has a population of three hundred and fifty thousand; it’s just small enough to retain village-like characteristics. “It would be interesting to swap the citizens of Bologna with the population of New Jersey,” Putnam said. “Do the Bolognese become disconnected and grouchy? Is there a sudden explosion of malls in Bologna? How much of the way we live is forced on us? How much is our choice?”

It is a lenghtly article but well written and worth your time.  May God use Jacob's Well in the lives of disconnected and grouchy people.