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by on 2.29.08

lunar peaks and valleys

“We now know the south pole has peaks as high as Mt. McKinley and crater floors four times deeper than the Grand Canyon,” says Doug Cooke, deputy associate administrator for the Exploration Systems Mission Directorate at NASA Headquarters.

The NASA site today has an animation of a ‘lunar day’ as seen on the moon’s south pole. Yet more fascinating info concerning our Lord’s marvellous creation.

With all the stark beauty seen on lifeless planets and moons, it seems to me that the earth is unique in God’s creation. In some ways, the earth is the center of the universe.

But … there is a funny line later on in the article…

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Space
by on 2.22.08

are we in a slow earthquake?

An Associated Baptist Press article discusses the question “Will ‘evangelical center’ emerge to rival waning Christian Right?” The article notices the waning political effectiveness of the so-called Christian Right. A few quotes:

“The younger generation is definitely turned off to the culture-war mentality and all the anger,” he said. “They believe it violates the Spirit of Christ.”

 

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Filed Under: Fundamentalism, Politics
by on 2.19.08

a conversation on fundamentalism, Presbyterians, and other stuff

The Bayly brothers, David and Tim, are long-time ‘on-line friends’ of mine. I have been corresponding with them for so many years I can’t remember how long its been. Though we have some theological differences (of course) and some philosophical differences, I find their courage and straight talk to be very refreshing in our mealy mouthed age.

Over the last few days, an interesting discussion has been going on in response to a post of Tim’s regarding the question: Is the PCA fundamentalist? I have had a couple of comments in the thread, but much more prominent names have also. The comments are drifting in a couple of different directions, as comments are wont to do, but I think the thread is worth reading for a number of reasons.

One of the comments comes from Rick Philips, a PCA pastor in Greenville who blogs over at a site called Reformation 21. Don’t miss his analysis of fundamentalism at about comment 35 or 36.

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Filed Under: Blogosphere, Fundamentalism
by on 2.16.08

Ezra and the world

The Jews were exiled to Babylon between 605 and 586 BC. The first deportation should have served as a warning to the nation, but their continued rebellion to God resulted in the destruction of Jerusalem and final exile of the Jews by Nebuchadnezzar in 586.

Seventy years after the first deportation, in keeping with Jeremiah’s prophecy, the Jews began to return. This return and the subsequent rebuilding of the temple occupy Ezra 1-6. In rebuilding the temple, the Jews were enticed to cooperate with the Samaritans, descendants of the remnants of Israel and intermixed with other nations who worshipped the true God and many false gods as well. The leaders of the Jews in the first return strongly rejected this entanglement, though it cost them years in rebuilding the temple:

Ezra 4:3 But Zerubbabel and Jeshua and the rest of the heads of fathers’ households of Israel said to them, “You have nothing in common with us in building a house to our God; but we ourselves will together build to the LORD God of Israel, as King Cyrus, the king of Persia has commanded us.”

After 20 years, the temple finally was rebuilt. Another fifty-seven years passed. Now Ezra led a second return to the land. Did he find a holy people, separate from the world?

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Filed Under: Culture, Separation, Worldliness
by on 2.16.08

more on the anglicans in Canada

While encouraged by the decisions of some Anglicans’ willingness to separate themselves from direct association with their compromised Canadian diocese, still their efforts likely don’t yet take them far enough. In an article in today’s Globe & Mail, more news about other congregations considering a split is offered. But there is this:

Conservative Anglicans want to separate without cutting their ties with the majority of the Anglican Church that share their traditional views, Bishop Donald Harvey, moderator of the recently formed Anglican Network in Canada, said yesterday in an interview from Newfoundland.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Anglicans, Canada, Church, Separation
by on 2.15.08

anglican turmoil – deeper than same-sex?

The largest Anglican congregation in Canada, St. John’s, in the exclusive Shaughnessy district of Vancouver, BC, voted last Wednesday to break ties with its diocese and to join with a ‘competing’ diocese, that of the Southern Cone, basically a South American parallel to the Canadian branch of the church. [I don’t pretend to understand how dioceses work or how they are organized.] This decision is full of risk for the congregation as it looks like the liberal Canadian diocese will mount a fight for the buildings and property of the congregation.

As a fundamentalist, I certainly applaud any resistance to the anti-orthodox establishment of mainline churches. The issue precipitating the split is the same-sex marriage debate, but it appears that more is at stake.

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Filed Under: Anglicans, Canada, Church, Separation
by on 2.13.08

I know it’s true, I saw it on TV

A science script consultant tells all in “My life as an advisor to  TV and film“…

In general, I’ve found that producers of comedy have less interest in adhering to the facts than those involved in dramas.

but…

Even on the dramas, however, a cherished scientific truth will sometimes have to be discarded in order to enable an essential story development, such as a normally three-week-long forensic DNA analysis that’s fictionally done in one hour for the sake of plot pacing. In truth, few will ever notice these gaffs. As one TV producer told me, the number of Ph.D. scientists watching his show accounts for no more than 0.00001% of the Nielsen rating audience.

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Filed Under: Fun and games, Science
by on 2.13.08

speaking of outrage

Here is an interesting post critiquing Christianity Today’s reporting of the recent ‘dis-invitation’ of an emerging church speaker at Cedarville.

The critique comes from a blog called “From the Lighthouse“. From the Lighthouse is the blog of Lighthouse Trails Publishing. The publishing company appears to be the work primarily of a couple named Dave and Deborah Dombroski. I don’t know a lot more about these individuals than appears on their web site, but their articles seem credible and dispassionate.

Does anyone know more about this organization?

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Filed Under: Blogosphere, Church, Fundamentalism
by on 1.29.08

outrage is easy

As an observer of the wild world of Christendom such as it is in North America, it is all too easy to be outraged. Many things done and said in the name of Christ are outright travesties. It is easy to be outraged about them.

As a blogger, outrage is a constant temptation.

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Filed Under: Blogosphere, Fundamentalism
by on 1.22.08

now for something completely different

One of my life-long interests is space exploration. I wrote papers on it in junior and senior high school. I avidly followed the news of space exploration as a teenager. I remember lying in bed at kids camp, listening to the radio broadcast of “That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.” The day was July 20, 1969 and I was 12 years old. The sounds of that crackly radio and the silence in my cabin at camp come back to me whenever I think about it.

One of the best ways I’ve found to feed my interest in space exploration is to subscribe to the NASA website with BlogLines. You can tap into it here. I don’t read every article in its entirety, but I scan all the headlines and read a good many of them. (There are often excellent sermon illustrations to be found as well.)

This week, something new came back to us from space.

[Read more…]

Filed Under: Preaching, Space
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