Two more good books by Karen Cushman

I have previously posted on two books by Karen Cushman, Newbery winner, and Newbery Honor winner.

I have been privileged to read two more of her young adult novels. One of these is Catherine, Called Birdy (New York: Clarion, 1994). As in the books previously read, the protagonist is a girl in her early teen years. In this book, which is set in 1290 AD, in England, Catherine is the daughter of the Lord of a manor. As such, she has some privileges -- for example, she can read, and has her own room, although she shares it with a servant and, often, with guests. She is aware that the villagers lack the privileges that she does.

The book is written as a journal, and each entry begins with an excerpt from a book of saints, indicating which saint is honored on the particular day, and why they are honored. Some of this is serious, and some is simply hilarious. Cushman ends the book with an Author's Note, in which she indicates that she has tried to look at time in the same way a person living in 1290 would have. If she is correct, they looked at days according to their religious significance, and, of course, according to the agricultural season.

Catherine, Called Birdy gives the reader a feel for the Middle Ages, complete with privies and fleas, and illnesses that can't be cured. It is depressing, but yet uplifting. Cushman has done her usual good job. Birdy does examine her faith in the book, but that's not the major thrust of the author.

The second book is more depressing, because it is written about Los Angeles in the middle of the 20th century. The theme is lack of tolerance. Francine Green, of The Loud Silence of Francine Green (New York: Clarion, 2006) is a student in the upper grades of a Catholic girls' school. The major intolerance is toward perceived communism, but the book is more subtle than that. The characters all see that Russian communism is bad, but some of them enthusiastically climb on Senator Joseph McCarthy's anti-communist bandwagon. Some of them, including Francine's friends, are grievously hurt by this sort of thinking.

There is also intolerance of independent thinking. Francine is silent, too silent. She doesn't speak up when she should, and she becomes convicted, in her own mind, of sinning by omission.

As I say, this is a depressing book, but the issues are real, and individual Christians, and the church as a whole, walk an uncertain line between tolerating independent thinking and rejecting thinking that isn't like ours. Thinking about that is good for us. It's a good book.

Thanks for reading.

"O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that is heard often in many churches, and should be heard even more widely, is "O for a Thousand Tongues to Sing." (I suspect that all of these verses are seldom sung.) These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

O for a thousand tongues to sing
My great Redeemer’s praise,
The glories of my God and King,
The triumphs of His grace!

My gracious Master and my God,
Assist me to proclaim,
To spread through all the earth abroad
The honors of Thy name.

Jesus! the name that charms our fears,
That bids our sorrows cease;
’Tis music in the sinner’s ears,
’Tis life, and health, and peace.

He breaks the power of canceled sin,
He sets the prisoner free;
His blood can make the foulest clean,
His blood availed for me.

He speaks, and, listening to His voice,
New life the dead receive,
The mournful, broken hearts rejoice,
The humble poor believe.

Hear Him, ye deaf; His praise, ye dumb,
Your loosened tongues employ;
Ye blind, behold your Savior come,
And leap, ye lame, for joy.

In Christ your Head, you then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven.

Glory to God, and praise and love
Be ever, ever given,
By saints below and saints above,
The church in earth and heaven.

On this glad day the glorious Sun
Of Righteousness arose;
On my benighted soul He shone
And filled it with repose.

Sudden expired the legal strife,
’Twas then I ceased to grieve;
My second, real, living life
I then began to live.

Then with my heart I first believed,
Believed with faith divine,
Power with the Holy Ghost received
To call the Savior mine.

I felt my Lord’s atoning blood
Close to my soul applied;
Me, me He loved, the Son of God,
For me, for me He died!

I found and owned His promise true,
Ascertained of my part,
My pardon passed in heaven I knew
When written on my heart.

Look unto Him, ye nations, own
Your God, ye fallen race;
Look, and be saved through faith alone,
Be justified by grace.

See all your sins on Jesus laid:
The Lamb of God was slain,
His soul was once an offering made
For every soul of man.

Awake from guilty nature’s sleep,
And Christ shall give you light,
Cast all your sins into the deep,
And wash the Æthiop white.

Harlots and publicans and thieves
In holy triumph join!
Saved is the sinner that believes
From crimes as great as mine.

Murderers and all ye hellish crew
In holy triumph join!
Believe the Savior died for you;
For me the Savior died.

With me, your chief, ye then shall know,
Shall feel your sins forgiven;
Anticipate your heaven below,
And own that love is heaven

These words were published in 1749, hence are public domain.

I have enjoyed posting hymns by Wesley for the past several months, and, God willing, expect to continue for a few weeks into 2008. Thanks for reading!

Two Quotes from On Blue's Waters, by Gene Wolfe

On Blue's Waters: Volume One of the Book of the Short Sun, by Gene Wolfe (New York: Tor, 1999) is the first of a trilogy of fantastic novels. Wolfe is a good writer. He considers lots of ideas. Here are two quotations from the book:
Immediate action is the soul of war, as I learned many years ago by observing General Mint. It is not the soul of peace. (p. 185)

Listen all you phantom readers. Buildings are temporary, ideas permanent. (p. 348)

Thanks for reading!

Madeleine L'Engle's The Other Side of the Sun

The late Madeleine L'Engle was the author of more than one kind of book. I first met her as the author of Newbery winner A Wrinkle in Time. She has also written devotional books, and novels more realistic than Wrinkle.

The Other Side of the Sun (New York: Ballantine, 1971) is set in a fictional area near Charleston, South Carolina, early in the twentieth century. It is told through the eyes of Stella, an English girl who has just married into an aristocratic family from the area. I won't give away the plot, but it's about race, faith, love and hate, and makes a compelling read.

Here's a quotation, on angels, supposedly, but really about us:
"Do you suppose it ever occurs to an angel to worry because he is not an archangel? or to think that if he works a little harder or makes the right angelic friends he'll get elevated in the heavenly hierarchy? That's nonsense. My guardian angel is equal, as far as rank goes, to any archangel. It's we earthlings who've lost sight of the fact that it's a difference in kind, not in degree. And anyhow it doesn't matter, because my guardian angel is fully what he is, performing wholly the function for which God has created him. At the moment, this function is to watch over me. After I die, he might be assigned to sweeping stardust out of a corner of the sky. But because he is doing what he is created to do, radiantly, joyfully, no matter how difficult I make it for him, I can catch some of his joy. Without my angel's joy, where would I be?" p. 65.

And another one, on prayer:
But now for the first time I witnessed the prayer of utter desperation, of abandonment. Honoria was putting herself, and whatever it was that she had seen, entirely into God's hands. p. 259.

Thanks for reading!

Happy Birthday, Lewis Carroll

Lewis Carroll, the pen name of Charles Lutwidge Dodgson, was born in this date in 1832.

He is best known for his books (often combined) Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking-Glass. Considered nonsense, nonetheless, these books are classics, and have contributed quite a bit to our culture.

Both of these are available from Project Gutenberg. Alice's, in English, is here. The splendid Tenniel illustrations are included in the German edition, here. Looking-Glass is here. Other Carroll works are also available from Project Gutenberg.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 141

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

(In case anyone is counting, not only did I post Sunspots 140 twice, but it was supposed to be Sunspots 139. Sigh)

Science:
According to New Scientist, there is a small chance than an asteroid will hit Mars soon, leaving a large crater. Carl Zimmer also writes about this, on Wired.

Carl Zimmer reports on a possible ancestor of whales. Trust me, the picture doesn't look anything like a whale!

On the biological (not miraculous) possibility of virgin birth in humans .

Computing:
Slate has an article on the best free web-based games.

In The Philosopher's Magazine, a short article on selling virtual items for real money .

Literature:
A post on the 10 best science-fiction short stories dealing with religion.


Christianity:
Christianity Today has an article that says that "no room at the inn" is a mis-translation.

Henry Neufeld, writing about the Incarnation, says that "You see, faith is not particularly scientific," and explains. He often writes about science, by the way.


This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Three years. Thanks, Blogger!

My oldest surviving post was posted three years ago today.

Thanks, Blogger! I appreciate this free service.

Thanks also to all my readers, even any who have never commented.

The 16 posts that I consider most important are listed, as links, to the right of this sentence. The titles are more or less self-explanatory, except that "Did You Get It?" is about taking pictures as part of an experience.

Thanks for reading! God bless you all.

"Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that should need little introduction (although some churches sing nothing written before 1990, to their own detriment!) is "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Hark! The herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King;
Peace on earth, and mercy mild,
God and sinners reconciled!”
Joyful, all ye nations rise,
Join the triumph of the skies;
With th’angelic host proclaim,
“Christ is born in Bethlehem!”

Refrain

Hark! the herald angels sing,
“Glory to the newborn King!”

Christ, by highest Heav’n adored;
Christ the everlasting Lord;
Late in time, behold Him come,
Offspring of a virgin’s womb.
Veiled in flesh the Godhead see;
Hail th’incarnate Deity,
Pleased with us in flesh to dwell,
Jesus our Emmanuel.

Refrain

Hail the heav’nly Prince of Peace!
Hail the Sun of Righteousness!
Light and life to all He brings,
Ris’n with healing in His wings.
Mild He lays His glory by,
Born that man no more may die.
Born to raise the sons of earth,
Born to give them second birth.

Refrain

Come, Desire of nations, come,
Fix in us Thy humble home;
Rise, the woman’s conqu’ring Seed,
Bruise in us the serpent’s head.
Now display Thy saving power,
Ruined nature now restore;
Now in mystic union join
Thine to ours, and ours to Thine.

Refrain

Adam’s likeness, Lord, efface,
Stamp Thine image in its place:
Second Adam from above,
Reinstate us in Thy love.
Let us Thee, though lost, regain,
Thee, the Life, the inner man:
O, to all Thyself impart,
Formed in each believing heart.

Refrain

The Cyberhymnal page also gives Wesley's original version, which is somewhat different. The usual music for these words was written by Felix Mendelssohn. Since the publication date is 1739, these words are public domain.

Thanks for reading!

Sunspots 140

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Science:
Carl Zimmer writes that large whales gulp their own weight in water twice a minute.

Wired reports that a Japanese lab has bred mice with no fear of cats, thanks (sort of) to genetic engineering.

Politics:
Roy Innis, of the Congress on Racial Equality (CORE) has illustrated the importance of energy policy, arguing that what we really need is energy from coal.


Computing:
Congressman Edward Markey, of Massachussets, attended the Bali conference on Global Warming in the form of an avatar -- a computer presence visible to the conference, speaking for Markey, and under his control.

Literature:
A tribute to the late Madeleine L'Engle, in First Things.

Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey, was 90 on the 16th . He is still alive.

Christianity:
"So let the pagans have Christmas as their most significant holiday. Easter is the central Christian holiday. And when we are known for our Easter, then we will have our Christmas back." From a re-posted Christianity Todayeditorial.

Bonnie is beginning a series on how scripture on gender roles has been interpreted: "We must recognize that interpretation of these texts is not always straightforward, while conceding that the call to extend grace, mercy, peace, gentleness, self-control, patience, kindness, goodness, and faithfulness to one another -- male and female -- is clear indeed."

This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Christ didn't come as a baby, re-posted

We often say that Christ came as a baby, but this isn't true. Why not? Read on.

Christ didn't come as a baby. He came as an embryo -- probably as a one-celled embryo*. Did He retain any of His divine omniscience and omnipotence during that period? I don't know, but I suspect that He didn't retain all of it, and it is possible that He didn't retain any of it. The Bible teaches that He was tempted like we are (Hebrews 4:14-16). I don't know if embryos and fetuses are tempted. However, to really be like us, He must have had an experience much like ours, and I suspect that that meant, after He was born, not being able to speak for a year or so, and, before He was born, giving up some of his powers and awareness. Was this easy for the Creator of the Universe? I wouldn't think so. The cross wasn't easy, either.

If He gave anything up, He did it for me.

*Does a soul inhabit a one-celled embryo, or does a soul not appear until there is an embryonic brain complex enough to house it? I don't know, and I don't think anyone does, although there is no lack of opinions. If the latter is true, perhaps Christ didn't inhabit His body until the pregnancy was fairly well along. Or, if it is true, perhaps Christ gave up consciousness entirely for a few months. We don't know.

Thanks for reading.

* * * * *

Feb 6, 2008: Parableman has published on a related matter -- he proposes that Jesus, like other children, acquired language skills gradually, making errors in the process.

Happy Birthday, Beethoven!

Today or maybe tomorrow (see next link) is the Birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven, one of the greatest composers of all time, perhaps the greatest.

I make no claim to be familiar with all of his works, but I do enjoy hearing the symphonies, the piano and other concertos, and other Beethoven works. God gave him tremendous talent.

We will be traveling for several days, and I don't expect to post, except, God willing, to continue my series on the hymns of Charles Wesley, post a Sunspots or two, and also one Christmas post -- please bear in mind that I'm a biologist -- I wouldn't expect a non-biologist to have considered that aspect of the Christmas story.

Thanks for reading.

"Love Divine, All Loves Excelling," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that is still heard occasionally is "Love Divine, All Loves Excelling." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Love divine, all loves excelling,
Joy of heaven to earth come down;
Fix in us thy humble dwelling;
All thy faithful mercies crown!
Jesus, Thou art all compassion,
Pure unbounded love Thou art;
Visit us with Thy salvation;
Enter every trembling heart.

Breathe, O breathe Thy loving Spirit,
Into every troubled breast!
Let us all in Thee inherit;
Let us find that second rest.
Take away our bent to sinning;
Alpha and Omega be;
End of faith, as its Beginning,
Set our hearts at liberty.

Come, Almighty to deliver,
Let us all Thy life receive;
Suddenly return and never,
Never more Thy temples leave.
Thee we would be always blessing,
Serve Thee as Thy hosts above,
Pray and praise Thee without ceasing,
Glory in Thy perfect love.

Finish, then, Thy new creation;
Pure and spotless let us be.
Let us see Thy great salvation
Perfectly restored in Thee;
Changed from glory into glory,
Till in heaven we take our place,
Till we cast our crowns before Thee,
Lost in wonder, love, and praise.

These words were published in 1747, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

Advent and Adventure

It suddenly occurred to me, while in church a few days ago, that the words Advent and adventure must be related. This is so obvious that I have not idea why I am just now thinking of it, so late in life. I checked. Here's what the Free Dictionary says about Advent. Here's what it says about adventure.

I'll let any reader who wishes provide the moral, or an application of that fact about the origin of these two words.

Thanks for reading.

Gene Wolfe's "Long Sun" books

Often, when I write about literary works, I try not to give away the plot, because I suppose that, once in a while, there may be someone reading this blog who has never read the work under discussion, but decides to try it. This post will be my first one about the four "Long Sun" novels by Gene Wolfe. In this case, the plot is so complex that I'm not sure that I could give it away. Let me rephrase that. The basic plot can be described in a sentence or two, but such sentences would leave out important and interesting parts of these stories. This is not surprising, since many critics, and readers, would say that Wolfe belongs on any reasonable short list of the best writers of fantastic literature who write in English. I will not try to hide the plot in the posts I write about these books.

Here's the basic plot: The Whorl is an enormous hollow spaceship, which is gradually deteriorating. Silk, a young priest, has a spiritual awakening, which culminates in his congregation leaving The Whorl at the end of the fourth book.

The four books are Nightside the Long Sun, Lake of the Long Sun (both 1993, and combined into Litany of the Long Sun, 1994) Caldé of the Long Sun (1994) and Exodus from the Long Sun (1996) which latter two were combined into Epiphany of the Long Sun (1997).

The population of the Whorl is large, probably at least millions, and lives on the inside of this giant space ship, which is mostly an enormous hollow space, with the people living in cities on the inside of the outer wall. (There are tunnels in the wall, and some people live in the tunnels.) The Long Sun is the object that illuminates the interior of the Whorl. It is an artificial sun, apparently suspended along the axis of the ship, and there is a mechanism which sequentially darkens parts of the Whorl's interior, so that there is night and day in this great ship.

Caldé is the title given to the ruler of Viron, the city where Silk lives. Although I can't determine the origin of the word, I would guess that Wolfe found it somewhere. He has a genius for finding obscure ones. Some used in these books are manteion, the house of worship of the religion of Viron; Maytera, the title of females dedicated to the service of the religion -- think nuns; Prolocutor, the head of the religion; Ayuntiamento, the government of Viron; and The Juzgado, the prison.

Here are some key on-line references about Gene Wolfe's "Long Sun" series.

The Wikipedia article is here.

Nick Gevers, Wolfe critic par excellence, has written about the four books, and about connections with Wolfe's other works. In this article, he presents evidence for such connections, and argues that Silk, the main character, is a Christ-figure. In this one, he considers Silk further, and also discusses augury, an important part of the books. (See here for the Wikipedia article on augury. This page discusses Augury in the ancient world.)

Dave Langford has written reviews of the books. These are found here.

Somewhat shorter articles on the series are found here and here, in web pages that also contain material on additional Wolfe works.

The author, Wolfe, has responded to some questions about the book, sometimes cryptically, sometimes more clearly.

I have posted about Wolfe previously, here.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 138

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Science:
Will you really catch colds (or the flu) by going out in the cold?

If you want to learn more about Pocohantas, Nova did a program on her, including archaeology and history.


Literature:
A Slate reviewer finds the film adaptation of The Golden Compass to be, well, not very bearable. He writes:
New Line should market the film to churches with the tag line: "Not only won't you be offended by The Golden Compass, you'll have no idea what's going on!"

Christianity:
Christianity Today discusses young-earth creationism. The comments are interesting, but (as you might expect) diverse, and disagreeing with each other.

Cody Thomas on how to really find God's will.

A splendid essay on the inability to bear children, in the Bible and in the author's own life, from Christianity Today .

This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Image source (public domain)

Eucatastrophe: Tolkien meets video talking heads

Eucatastrophe is a word invented by J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and other works. Tolkien was a professor of philology, so it is not surprising that he invented a word. Because he was Tolkien, and because it's a good word, it has been used by others.

To demonstrate its acceptance, I cite this: there is a one minute, forty-four second video on YouTube, featuring three talking heads (all white males, well-dressed) explaining Tolkien's word, eucatastrophe, with that title. A dictionary definition, and a little of the Peter Jackson movies, is included. As talking head explanations go, it's pretty good. I didn't see any credits. I don't know who produced it, or who the talking heads are.

See my previous post, including a paragraph on the subject. Quoting me:
". . . even though many 21st century English-speakers don't believe in miracles, they wish that they could, and are thrilled when miracles happen [in fiction]."

Here's the Wikipedia article on eucatastrophe. Here's Time magazine's obituary for Tolkien, from September 17, 1973, with the title "Eucatastrophe."

Back to self-promotion: Here's an essay, a few paragraphs long, on eucatastrophes in Tolkien's work, by me.

As the final link, here is a web page that includes two quotes from Tolkien on the word.

Thanks for reading.

"Thinking Critically and Christianly About Technology" by Ken Funk

In the September issue of Perspectives on Science and Christian Faith, there is an interesting article entitled "Thinking Critically and Christianly About Technology," by Ken Funk. (Volume 59, pp. 201-211. The September issue should appear on-line in a few months.)

Funk presents three principles to guide us in our use (or not) of particular technologies. These are as follows:
Principle 1: Technology ought to facilitate and not hinder our communion with God and the fulfillment of our moral obligations to him. . . . Principle 2: Technology ought to facilitate and not hinder the preservation of human life and improvement of human welfare . . . and the fulfillment of our moral obligations to people. Principle 3: Technology ought to facilitate and not hinder the preservation of the natural world and its order and integrity and the fulfillment of our moral obligations to God's lesser creatures. (p. 203)

He goes on to say that establishing principles isn't enough, and suggests that there are some subtle dangers in the use of technology. (204-6) Some of these are:
Technology's ambivalence. The use of technology to accomplish some good almost always also brings about evil.
Concentrating on secondary things, such as increasing the speed of transportation, or Internet access, rather than on the good we originally sought to accomplish. Perfecting the technology becomes an end in itself.
"The Illusion of Human Sovereignty." (p. 205) Technology gives us a lot of power that we didn't used to have. We think of ourselves as being in charge of our own destiny, which is a serious mistake.

I think Funk has said some important things.

I previously posted on "Technology: Some biblical basics."

Thanks for reading.

"Rejoice, the Lord is King," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that is occasionally heard is "Rejoice, the Lord is King." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Rejoice, the Lord is King! Your Lord and King adore;
Mortals give thanks and sing, and triumph evermore;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Jesus, the Savior, reigns, the God of truth and love;
When He had purged our stains He took His seat above;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

His kingdom cannot fail, He rules o’er earth and Heav’n,
The keys of death and hell are to our Jesus giv’n;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He sits at God’s right hand till all His foes submit,
And bow to His command, and fall beneath His feet:
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice;
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

He all His foes shall quell, shall all our sins destroy,
And every bosom swell with pure seraphic joy;
Lift up your heart, lift up your voice,
Rejoice, again I say, rejoice!

Rejoice in glorious hope! Jesus the Judge shall come,
And take His servants up to their eternal home.
We soon shall hear th’archangel’s voice;
The trump of God shall sound, rejoice!

These words were published in 1744, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

Nazareth

Yesterday's post was about Bethlehem.

I decided to follow it up with a post on Nazareth. The Wikipedia article is here. It indicates that Nazareth is currently an important city, with a population of about 180,000, and is the capital of the Northern District of Israel. It also says that the city has a long history, going back to about 7000 B. C. Nazareth is about 25 kilometers/15 miles from the Sea of Galilee.

The first Biblical references to Nazareth are in the story of Jesus, in the gospels, although it is possible that it is referred to by some other name or names in the Old Testament. Except for the gospels, all other references in the New Testament are in the phrase, "Jesus of Nazareth," as in, for example, Peter's sermon on Pentecost, in Acts 2.

According to Paul, in Acts 22, even Jesus Himself gave His name as "Jesus of Nazareth," when He appeared to Paul on the way to Damascus. (This story is told in Acts 9, which does not use that phrase, but just "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting . . .")

I don't have any profound insight from this brief study. No doubt there are some such. Feel free to comment, and tell me about them.

Thanks for reading!

Bethlehem

The city of Bethlehem is part of what is known as the West Bank, and is currently under the control of Hamas. The current population is apparently somewhere near 25,000. It is the site of the birth of Christ, and there is a shrine at the traditional site.

The first mention of Bethlehem in the Bible has to do with the death of Rachel, Jacob's beloved wife. (See here for a chart of the family relationships.) It is in Genesis 35:16-20. She seems to have died on the way to Bethlehem.

Ruth 1 tells us that the family Ruth first married into was from Bethlehem. Ruth and Naomi returned to Bethlehem from Moab, and it was there that she and Boaz were married. They were David's great-grandparents, according to Ruth 4. David, himself, grew up in Bethlehem, his ancestral home. (See 1 Samuel 16)

David must have loved Bethlehem. He desperately wished that someone would bring him some of the water from the well of Bethlehem, which they did, at the risk of their lives:
2 Samuel 23:13 And three of the thirty chief men went down and came about harvest time to David at the cave of Adullam, when a band of Philistines was encamped in the Valley of Rephaim. 14 David was then in the stronghold, and the garrison of the Philistines was then at Bethlehem. 15 And David said longingly, “Oh, that someone would give me water to drink from the well of Bethlehem that is by the gate!” 16 Then the three mighty men broke through the camp of the Philistines and drew water out of the well of Bethlehem that was by the gate and carried and brought it to David. But he would not drink of it. He poured it out to the Lord 17 and said, “Far be it from me, O Lord, that I should do this. Shall I drink the blood of the men who went at the risk of their lives?” Therefore he would not drink it. These things the three mighty men did. (ESV)

Ezra 2 and Nehemiah 7 tell us that people from Bethlehem, perhaps distant relatives of King David, returned after the exile.

Micah 5:2, for those who could interpret it properly, foretold the birth of Jesus in Bethlehem:
2 But you, O Bethlehem Ephrathah,
who are too little to be among the clans of Judah,
from you shall come forth for me
one who is to be ruler in Israel,
whose coming forth is from of old,
from ancient days. (ESV)
The priests and scribes gave King Herod this proper interpretation.

The last mention of Bethlehem in the Bible is when people from Galilee, where Jesus grew up in Nazareth, doubted his authenticity, because the scripture quoted in the previous paragraph says that He would come from Bethlehem, not Nazareth.

The most thought-provoking thing that I found in doing the research for this post is that the Wikipedia article on Bethlehem lists "Jesus Christ of Nazareth" as the only notable former resident. In other words, Bethlehem's main claim to fame is that Christ was there. When I am gone, and others think of me, I hope that my main claim to fame will be that Christ was present in my life, not this blog, or whatever else I have done in my life.

Thanks for reading.

* * * *

I have now published a brief post on Nazareth.

Sunspots 137

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Politics:
Paul Hyde, of the Greenville [SC] News on how universal healthcare isn't nearly as bad as some would have us believe, with statistics.

Computing:
Bonnie, on a case of Internet deception, with serious consequences.

The bad stuff out there is getting even more scary. A CNet article discusses viruses/trojan horses/botnets/etc. sponsored by governments, and coming with a guarantee that they'll be effective, no less. Wow, and ouch!

Literature:
Excerpts from a splendid interview with Connie Willis (nearly five years ago, by Locus magazine) in which she, among other things, says that seeking immortality is a secular religion in North America, and pooh-poohs the idea that you can't find real life in books.

"Fear Not The Compass," from Christianity Today, by Jeffrey Overstreet. Among other things, the article discusses Philip Pullman's agenda in The Golden Compass (and the other two books of the trilogy, and complains that some Christians went way overboard about the Harry Potter books and movies.

A Slate commentator thinks there is too much shopping and other consumerism in Disney's Enchanted .

Christianity:
He Lives asks if the New Testament is anti-semitic.

This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Changed post

I have significantly changed a previous post, which claimed that Philip Pullman is a "materialist magician," based on comments on the post, and withdrawn that claim. The seriously revised item is here.

Two articles on -- gasp -- sex

Two articles about sex have appeared recently in Slate.

One of these is strictly biological, and little directly to do with humans. It's an examination of why there are only two sexes (almost always). Why, indeed? Read the article. Among other things, it tells about a couple of cases of (sort of) more than two sexes, among animals.

Although the relation to biology required that the article be written for reasonably intelligent adults, I don't think there's anything particularly offensive.

Warning: some of the links in the article require membership in certain sites providing scientific journal content.

The second article may be somewhat more offensive to some readers. It explores the question of why most special homes for the aged prohibit sexual activity. (It indicates some of the answers, without mentioning any moral prohibitions.) Lest you wonder why anyone would even consider allowing any such, there's at least one good reason. Some inhabitants of such homes are long-time marriage partners.

As I say, this doesn't explore all the sides of this subject, but it does a good job with some of them.

Thanks for reading.

"Messiah, Prince of Peace," an anti-war hymn by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that I have never heard, but which is appropriate for this advent season, is "Messiah, Prince of Peace." It is also an anti-war hymn! These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Messiah, Prince of peace!
Where men each other tear,
Where war is learned, they must confess,
Thy kingdom is not there.
Who, prompted by Thy foe,
Delight in human blood,
Apollyon is their king, we know,
And Satan is their god.

But shall he still devour
The souls redeemed by Thee?
Jesus, stir up Thy glorious power
And end the apostasy!
Come, Savior, from above,
O’er all our hearts to reign;
And plant the kingdom of Thy love
In every heart of man.

Then shall we exercise
The hellish art no more,
While Thou our long-lost paradise
Dost with Thyself restore.
Fightings and wars shall cease,
And, in Thy Spirit giv’n,
Pure joy and everlasting peace
Shall turn our earth to Heav’n.

These words were published in 1762, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

In Defence of the Soul, by Keith Ward

One of the few books I have found on the important subject of what a soul is is Keith Ward's In Defence of the Soul. (Oxford, UK: OneWorld, 1998.) Ward argues strongly that there is such a thing as a soul, that the development of a soul depends on something physical, but that a soul is transcendent -- it can survive without the material necessary to produce one in the first place:

The most important characteristic of a soul is its capacity for transcendence. It has the capacity to 'exist', to stand outside the physical processes that generate it, and of which it is part. We might see the soul, the subject of awareness, deliberation and intention, as one part of a vast web of interacting processes, at various degrees of complexity, coming to conscious perception of the actions of other forces upon it, and realizing its own capacities in accordance with more or less clearly formulated principles. It is distinguished not by being quite different in kind from its material environment, but by reflecting and acting in that environment in a more conscious, goal-oriented way. In other words, the soul is not an alien intrusion into a mechanistic world. It is the culmination and realization of the principles that dimly inform what we call 'matter' at every stage of its existence. Yet, in that culmination, it is able to transcend the material. The material is limited by a particular location in space and time. It is contained by that location. But the soul by nature 'transcends', it is orientated away from itself, to what is beyond itself. (pp. 142-3)

Ward does not rule out the possibility of a computer having a soul. He doesn't seem to think that computers of today have such.

Thanks for reading.

Added Dec 3, 2007: I have written an extensive document, entitled "Soul uploading: computers and the mind-body problem." I make no claim to understand exactly what a soul is. The Bible says that we have one, so we must.

Happy Birthday, C. S. Lewis!

Clive Staples (Jack) Lewis, was born on this date in 1898, in Belfast, Ireland. He also died in November, on the same day that U. S. President John F. Kennedy was assassinated.

Lewis has had a great deal of influence on me, and, thus, on this blog. I am pleased to thank God for his work. While studying for a graduate science degree at the University of Wisconsin, I stumbled on his Narnia books in the university library -- not in a science section, but in the children's literature section, where I was looking for some good reading -- and have since read almost all of Lewis, much of it several times. In The Silver Chair, by Lewis, Puddleglum says that "There are no accidents." See here for more on that quote, and for some other quotations from Lewis.)

My most recent post about Lewis was about the upcoming movie, The Golden Compass. The author of the book that movie is based on is a severe critic of Lewis. Lewis probably didn't know him, but, as the post indicates, he knew something about his philosophy.

One of the few series I have posted was on Temptations in the Narnia Books.

For those interested in the life of Lewis, I have posted on a biography by his stepson, Douglas Gresham.

A post that has triggered more comments than any other is "On Evangelical Blogging." The most important thing in that post is a long quote from Lewis. Another post that I consider important, and, again, relates to Lewis, is "What must be Christian about a Christian novel?"

Thanks for reading. Read Lewis.

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Science:
In case you were planning to commit a murder, Slate has posted information on how to remove DNA evidence. It isn't easy.

Literature:
A thoughtful, and relatively brief, discussion of what would and what wouldn't be expected to change in the future. (Writers of fantastic fiction don't always use good sense about this.)

Jeffrey Overstreet has a lot of material on Philip Pullman's The Golden Compass.

Peter Chattaway has published an interview with Pullman. Here's one very interesting statement:
Those who are committed materialists (as I claim to be myself) have to account for the existence of consciousness, or else, like the behaviourists such as Watson and Skinner, deny that it exists at all.

Christianity:
Katherine has a fine alphabetical list (with some letters more than once) of Bible verses relating to what we should be. She's got a similar list about what God does.


This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Image source (public domain)

The Weirdstone of Brisingamen, by Alan Garner

I recently re-read Alan Garner's The Weirdstone of Brisingamen (see here for a brief Wikipedia article on the book). The book I have was published by Ballantine of New York in 1960.

Although the book has two children, perhaps 11 or 12 years old, as two of the main characters, it's not particularly a children's book. I am giving away parts of the plot in the post.

This is Garner's first published novel, and has, I suppose, some faults because of that inexperience. It is fantastic literature. The children, and their guardians, interact with elves, witches, and other fantastic creatures. One fault is that Garner throws in a lot of mythology, and from at least two different sources. (He may have made some of it up, too.) Brisingamen (who does not appear as a character, but, of course, provides part of the title) is from Norse mythology, while Angharad, who appears, is from Celtic lore. Much of the material in the book is Norse in origin. Garner is a native of Cheshire, England, and some of the book is said to be based on local legends. New entities, whatever their source, appear with little or no explanation.

In spite of the legend-dropping, the book is compelling. I wish to mention two features.

One of them is that Garner holds back a relationship between two of the main characters -- they are brothers, perhaps identical twins -- until the end of the book. He writes that one of them, the evil one, became evil because he made a bad choice ". . . in his lust for knowledge he practised the forbidden arts, and black magic made a monster of him." (55-56) In the end, this evil character redeems himself as he dies by helping his good brother, also a wizard.

This theme, of studying things that should not be studied, occurs elsewhere, of course. Saruman is an example. Unfortunately, Saruman, though he had the opportunity in Tolkien's novels, did not redeem himself at all.

The other aspect is an underground journey that gives me chills whenever I read it, and I must have read it at least five times over the years. (I confess -- I have a little claustrophobia) Colin and Susan, brother and sister, travel, with two dwarves, through caves and mines where they don't know whether they are ever going to see the light of day again, and where they have to squeeze, swim under water, and gasp for breath. Garner describes this in enough detail to make it really scary, at least to me. It's the main thing I remember about this book.

Thanks for reading!

"No more sea" -- is John the Revelator telling the whole story?

John begins his description of the new heavens and new earth with this statement: "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea." (Revelation 21:1, KJV) This verse has intrigued me for a long time. Is God really going to create a new habitation for humans without the watery environment that covers three-quarters of the earth? If so, why?

I cannot read God's mind, of course. I am also aware that interpreting Revelation is a tricky business. But it sounds as if John meant exactly what he said, and perhaps he did. Possibly there will be no sea, no waves, no tides, no whales, no plankton, no kelp, no sea horses, no sponges in (or around?) the new habitation of mankind with the heavenly beings.

This has always (dare I say it?) disappointed me. I like the ocean, and ocean life. Some have suggested that John wrote this because he was imprisoned on an island, with no escape, surrounded by the sea. But would God allow his Word to be so influenced by the dislike of one man? I doubt it. I just don't know why that verse is in Revelation.

The Old Testament has a couple of passages that seem to modify the picture of a new, sea-less cosmos. One of these is Genesis 1. In verse 10, Genesis says: God called the dry land Earth, and the waters that were gathered together he called Seas. And God saw that it was good. (ESV)

In verses 20-23, it says: 20 And God said, “Let the waters swarm with swarms of living creatures, and let birds fly above the earth across the expanse of the heavens.” 21 So God created the great sea creatures and every living creature that moves, with which the waters swarm, according to their kinds, and every winged bird according to its kind. And God saw that it was good. 22 And God blessed them, saying, “Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let birds multiply on the earth.” 23 And there was evening and there was morning, the fifth day. (ESV) The description of the fifth day (whatever a day is, in this context) concludes, also, with the phrase about God seeing what he had created as good. So the sea, and the creatures in it, were originally declared to be good.

I recently found another passage that seems to relate, namely Ezekiel 47:6-12:

6 And he said to me, “Son of man, have you seen this?”

Then he led me back to the bank of the river. 7 As I went back, I saw on the bank of the river very many trees on the one side and on the other. 8 And he said to me, “This water flows toward the eastern region and goes down into the Arabah, and enters the sea;* when the water flows into the sea, the water will become fresh. 9 And wherever the river goes, every living creature that swarms will live, and there will be very many fish. For this water goes there, that the waters of the sea may become fresh; so everything will live where the river goes. 10 Fishermen will stand beside the sea. From Engedi to Eneglaim it will be a place for the spreading of nets. Its fish will be of very many kinds, like the fish of the Great Sea. 11 But its swamps and marshes will not become fresh; they are to be left for salt. 12 And on the banks, on both sides of the river, there will grow all kinds of trees for food. Their leaves will not wither, nor their fruit fail, but they will bear fresh fruit every month, because the water for them flows from the sanctuary. Their fruit will be for food, and their leaves for healing.” (ESV) *a text note says that the sea in question is the Dead Sea.
So, in this passage, apparently also describing the way things will be after Christ's second coming -- and, also, as prophecy, tricky to interpret -- there will be a sea, with water-dwelling creatures in it.

The Blueletter Bible has commentaries. Two of them bear on this verse. David Guzik says that, to the Hebrews, the sea represented evil, or God's enemies, and cites Psalm 89:9 and Isaiah 57:20 as proof of this. He also says that the sea has already appeared in Revelation, in 13:1, where the beast comes from the sea, and 20:13, as a place holding the dead. A. R. Fausset says this: The sea is the type of perpetual unrest. Hence our Lord rebukes it as an unruly hostile troubler of His people. . . . As the physical corresponds to the spiritual and moral world, so the absence of sea, after the metamorphosis of the earth by fire, answers to the unruffled state of solid peace which shall then prevail.

If I understand them correctly (and they understand Revelation correctly) John was not speaking literally. Based on the probable symbolic use of the sea by John, on its original goodness, and Ezekiel's statements about the Dead Sea, perhaps there will be some sort of sea in the new heavens and new earth. We'll see, I hope.

Thanks for reading.

* * * *

See this post for more on this topic.

* * * * 
Added February 2, 2015:

In this post, Bible scholar John Walton says, about the Final Kingdom, ". . . there’ll be no sea, which is the place of non-order in the ancient world.

Added November 18, 2015:

In this post, Tim Reddish writes about disorder and order (he agrees with Walton) in the ancient world, and claims that God left chaos in the created world on purpose.

"Head of Thy Church, Whose Spirit Fills," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that I have never heard is "Head of Thy Church, Whose Spirit Fills." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Head of Thy church, whose Spirit fills
And flows through every faithful soul,
Unites in mystic love, and seals
Them one, and sanctifies the whole;

“Come, Lord,” Thy glorious Spirit cries,
And souls beneath the altar groan;
“Come, Lord,” the bride on earth replies,
“And perfect all our souls in one.”

Pour out the promised gift on all,
Answer the universal “Come!”
The fullness of the Gentiles call,
And take thine ancient people home.

To Thee let all the nations flow,
Let all obey the Gospel word;
Let all their bleeding Savior know,
Filled with the glory of the Lord.

O for Thy truth and mercy’s sake
The purchase of Thy passion claim!
Thine heritage the Gentiles take,
And cause the world to know Thy Name.

These words were published in 1749, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

I'm thankful for vibration

I'm thankful for vibration. Why?

Here's why. Vibration makes it possible for waves to exist. Something vibrates up and down, or back and forth, or around and round, and a wave is created. So who cares?

Waves are really important. If you live near the ocean, or any other large body of water, waves can kill you, or help transport you, or bring things to you, or give you occasion for recreation. That's one sort of wave, and it is, I believe, not nearly as important as some other kinds of waves.

The most important kind of wave is electromagnetic. I have posted on this type of wave in the past, and tried to indicate why I (and you) should be grateful for its existence. Let me just indicate some reasons why I'm thankful for electromagnetic waves, in brief. Without them, there would be no light, and we couldn't see. Our appreciation of beauty would be much diminished. Without them, I wouldn't be able to listen to a radio, or watch television, or connect, through our wireless router, to the Internet, or through our cell phone, to other people. Without them the sun's energy would not reach the earth, and power photosynthesis, the water cycle, and keep us from freezing solid.

Another kind of wave is sound waves. (Many of the principles that apply to electromagnetic waves also apply to sound and other mechanical waves, but there are significant differences.) Without sound, I couldn't hear voices or music or various kinds of signals and warnings. I love to hear music and other sounds. God must, too. In Job 38:4-7, Job is told that, at the creation of the earth, heavenly beings shouted and sung! In Revelation 5:6-14, we are told that, when Christ is honored in heaven, heavenly beings, and humans, will shout and sing! I recognize that it is possible, perhaps even likely, that neither of these passages are meant to be taken absolutely literally. But they mean something. I believe that God likes sound, including music. After all, He designed the universe so that mechanical waves would make them possible.

I have posted about other things I am thankful for, probably including vibrations, at other times. See here and here for links to these posts.

I'm also grateful for readers like you. Thanks!

Sunspots 136

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Science:
I have recently found "Quintessence of Dust," a blog by a Christian and a scientist. Two excellent (but long) posts are "They selected teosinte. . .and got corn," and "How to evolve a protein in (about) 8 easy steps."

Wired says that there is growing evidence that we are nearing the end of the oil supply, and that alternatives aren't sufficient, so far, at least.

Nature News reports on why small mammals, such as chipmunks, seem reluctant to cross roads.

Nature News also reports on advances in stem cell research, including an apparent important breakthrough, namely the production of human cells that are like embryonic stem cells by reprogramming adult human skin cells. This may (and may not) mean that there is no longer a research reason for taking stem cells from human embryos. The article indicates some of the questions about this technique, including the possibility that these reprogrammed cells might cause cancer.

Christianity:
In Christianity Today: "Answering the Atheists: A Reader's Digest version of why I am a Christian."

This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Image source (public domain)

"The Golden Compass:" more on Pullman

The Golden Compass is a film scheduled to open in theaters on December 7th. There are Christians who are up in arms about Pullman's militant atheism. I'm not for atheism, either, but there are some dangers in campaigns like this.

I have previously posted on this topic, arguing that there are influences from the media that are considerably more insidious, hence more dangerous, than blatant atheism. I stand by that conclusion. I would also point out that campaigns of this type sometimes backfire. There is a possibility that people will see The Golden Compass just to see what the fuss is about, who might not have seen it otherwise. Since the first of the books is considerably less blatant than the next two, there is also the danger of looking ridiculous.

I'd like to provide two links that indicate Pullman's anti-Christian attitude. It's real.

The first link is to an article written by Pullman, about the Narnia books. The article is more anti-C. S. Lewis than anti-Christian, to be sure, and, as much as I admire the writing of the late Lewis, I must admit that Pullman presents some valid and pertinent criticisms, most of which have previously been made by Christian critics. However, his militant atheism comes through loud and clear, when he says that the revelation, to the main human characters in The Last Battle, that they have died, and that they are now in an infinitely better world, is "propaganda in the service of a life-hating ideology." That ideology is Christianity.

The second link is an interview with Pullman, about his beliefs, and where they came from. He expresses his anti-Christianity quite clearly.

I originally had a second part, indicating that Pullman has undercut his own anti-Christian case or, perhaps better put, the cases of some other atheists. However, on December 4, 2007, I decided to remove that portion of the post, and change the title accordingly, based on comments by George (see those comments below) who says that the evidence I presented did not support the claim that I had originally made. That being the case, I removed the claim. This will have the effect of removing any links anyone might have made to the original post.

Dare I say it? I'm thankful for carbohydrates

I'm thankful for carbohydrates! I know, carbohydrates have gotten a rather bad reputation. There have been fashionable diets that tried to eliminate them. In fact, this Wikipedia article on carbohydrates says that they are not absolutely needed in our diet -- we can get the energy and nutrients we need entirely from other sources. So why be thankful for carbohydrates?

Well, for one thing, I like sugar and sweet things. Sugars are carbohydrates. So are starches, which are complex molecules made from many sugars. Starches are broken down into sugars as part of digestion. Some of that digestion takes place in the mouth, and mouth-digested starchy foods can taste sweet.

For another, much more important reason, carbohydrates are the first usable food products of the processes that make up photosynthesis, the amazing, and absolutely essential activity that turns water, carbon dioxide, and light into food. Carbohydrates are also turned into almost every other organic molecule in living things, by metabolism. The D in DNA stands for deoxyribose, a sugar. Amino acids, which make up protein, are synthesized, directly or indirectly, from molecules produced in making or breaking down sugars in our cells, or the cells of other organisms. Vitamins, steroids, and other critical cell components are made from carbohydrate raw materials. Plants use cellulose, a carbohydrate, for much of the structure of their cell walls. Lignin, synthesized from carbohydrates, makes up most of the rest. Without cell walls, plants wouldn't have the essential structures that they do, such as roots, stems, flowers and leaves. (Cell walls are also a major constituent of cotton and other natural fibers, and of paper.) In other words, without carbohydrates, life as we know it would be impossible.

Jesus said, in the Lord's prayer, "Give us our daily bread." Bread was an essential part of the diet of people of Bible times. David brought loaves of bread to the army. Bread was put out as a sort of offering in the Tabernacle. Bread contains carbohydrate. However, it also has protein, fiber, important minerals, and other things we ought to take in.

Sure, I can eat too many carbohydrates, and be a sugar glutton, but, all in all, I'm thankful to God for carbohydrates. Thanks for reading.

This post was expanded on November 24, 2018.

I have posted about other things I am thankful for, probably including carbohydrates, at other times. See here and here for links to these posts.

I'm also thankful to you, my reader!

"Depth of Mercy, Can There Be," by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that I have never heard is "Depth of Mercy, Can There Be." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Depth of mercy! Can there be
Mercy still reserved for me?
Can my God His wrath forbear,
Me, the chief of sinners, spare?

I have long withstood His grace,
Long provoked Him to His face,
Would not hearken to His calls,
Grieved Him by a thousand falls.

I have spilt His precious blood,
Trampled on the Son of God,
Filled with pangs unspeakable,
I, who yet am not in hell!

I my Master have denied,
I afresh have crucified,
And profaned His hallowed Name,
Put Him to an open shame.

Whence to me this waste of love?
Ask my Advocate above!
See the cause in Jesus’ face,
Now before the throne of grace.

Jesus, answer from above,
Is not all Thy nature love?
Wilt Thou not the wrong forget,
Permit me to kiss Thy feet?

If I rightly read Thy heart,
If Thou all compassion art,
Bow Thine ear, in mercy bow,
Pardon and accept me now.

Jesus speaks, and pleads His blood!
He disarms the wrath of God;
Now my Father’s mercies move,
Justice lingers into love.

Kindled His relentings are,
Me He now delights to spare,
Cries, “How shall I give thee up?”
Lets the lifted thunder drop.

Lo! I still walk on the ground:
Lo! an Advocate is found:
“Hasten not to cut Him down,
Let this barren soul alone.”

There for me the Savior stands,
Shows His wounds and spreads His hands.
God is love! I know, I feel;
Jesus weeps and loves me still.

Pity from Thine eye let fall,
By a look my soul recall;
Now the stone to flesh convert,
Cast a look, and break my heart.

Now incline me to repent,
Let me now my sins lament,
Now my foul revolt deplore,
Weep, believe, and sin no more.

These words were published in 1740, hence are public domain. That's more verses than hardly any church would sing, in 2007, but I'm glad that the Cyberhymnal posted them, and that Wesley wrote them. This is a 7.7.7.7 tune, hence can be sung to "Jesus Loves Me," by William B. Bradbury, or other tunes written in that meter. the Cyberhymnal includes a tune for each song. You'll probably be tired of hearing the one that goes with this song, by the time you have read the 13th verse!

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 134

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Humor: The Onion tells us that Fall has been cancelled.

Politics: Joe Carter has been posting on waterboarding (which he opposes except under very restricted circumstances) and has gotten lots of comments.

Christianity: Jan wonders what would happen if Christians really lived like the Bible says we are supposed to.

A book review of Joel Osteen's latest book, pointing out what is so wrong about Osteen's message.

This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Image source (public domain)

What Shall I Do, My God to Love? by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that I have seldom heard is "What Shall I Do, My God to Love?" These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

What shall I do, my God to love,
My loving God to praise!
The length, and breadth, and height to prove
And depth of sovereign grace?

Thy sovereign grace to all extends,
Immense and unconfined;
From age to age it never ends,
It reaches all mankind.

Throughout the world its breadth is known,
Wide as infinity,
So wide it never passed by one;
Or it had passed by me.

Come quickly, then, my Lord, and take
Possession of Thine own;
My longing heart vouchsafe to make
Thine everlasting throne.

Assert Thy claim, receive Thy right,
Come quickly from above,
And sink me to perfection’s height,
The depth of humble love.

These words were published in 1742, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

Sunspots 133

Things I have recently spotted that may be of interest to someone else:

Science:
This amazing statement: I also don’t think that there is really a theory of intelligent design at the present time to propose as a comparable alternative to the Darwinian theory, which is, whatever errors it might contain, a fully worked out scheme. There is no intelligent design theory that’s comparable. Working out a positive theory is the job of the scientific people that we have affiliated with the movement. Some of them are quite convinced that it’s doable, but that’s for them to prove…No product is ready for competition in the educational world. Interview with Philip Johnson, 2006, Berkeley Science Review. Johnson is, more than anyone else, the founder of the Intelligent Design movement. He is, I believe, retired from the Berkeley law faculty.

Sports:
Heard on NPR on October 30th: John Feinstein, commentator, on the National Basketball Season, in response to a remark by the anchor that "The NBA season begins tonight" responded "And it ends in two or three years." (I confess -- I watched part of a game that night. But they always do seem like long seasons, even to fans.)

Literature:
An interesting post at The Lost Genre Guild, by Grace Bridges, explaining the origin and literal meaning of the word, author.

Christianity:
Henry Neufeld on theological arguments against evolution, namely sin and death.

Henry Neufeld (again) on views of the Fall , and related topics.

"Repetition, in Hebrew, performs the work of our highlighter. A tool of emphasis. God, proclaims the six-winged angels, is not holy. He is not holy, holy. He is holy, holy, holy." (Max Lucado, It's Not About Me. Nashville, TN: Integrity, 2004, p. 38)



This week's Christian Carnival is here. For information on these Carnivals, go here.

Thanks for reading! Keep clicking away.

Image source (public domain)

More on The Golden Compass

I recently posted about The Golden Compass, an upcoming movie based on a book by Philip Pullman. It's not out yet, but there's some buzz about it.

A post at Speculative Faith, a blog on Christianity and fantastic literature, by Rebecca Luella Miller, explores the possible impact of this movie further, and suggests that the impact might be good, on balance. Although Miller doesn't seem to have read the book, I believe her essay is on target.

Thanks for reading.

Thou God of Glorious Majesty, by Charles Wesley

This year is the 300th anniversary of Charles Wesley's birth. Wesley wrote many hymns. One that I have never heard is "Thou God of Glorious Majesty." These are the words, as posted by the Cyberhymnal:

Thou God of glorious majesty,
To Thee, against myself, to Thee,
A worm of earth, I cry;
A half-awakened child of man;
An heir of endless bliss or pain;
A sinner born to die!

Lo! on a narrow neck of land,
’Twixt two unbounded seas I stand,
Secure, insensible;
A point of time, a moment’s space,
Removes me to that heavenly place,
Or shuts me up in hell.

O God, mine inmost soul convert!
And deeply on my thoughtful heart
Eternal things impress:
Give me to feel their solemn weight,
And tremble on the brink of fate,
And wake to righteousness.

Before me place, in dread array,
The pomp of that tremendous day,
When Thou with clouds shalt come,
To judge the nations at Thy bar;
And tell me, Lord, shall I be there
To meet a joyful doom?

Be this my one great business here,
With serious industry and fear
Eternal bliss to ensure;
Thine utmost counsel to fulfill,
And suffer all Thy righteous will,
And to the end endure.

Then, Savior, then my soul receive,
Transported from this vale to live
And reign with Thee above;
Where faith is sweetly lost in sight,
And hope in full supreme delight,
And everlasting love.

These words were published in 1749, hence are public domain.

Thanks for reading.

What influences the political choices of Christians? Immigration as an issue

A recent poll of likely Republican voters in South Carolina, my state, indicated that illegal immigration is the most important issue to such people. (To Democrats, it's the war in Iraq, and health care. I heard about this poll on the radio this week, but can't document it.) I wish I were surprised by this emphasis on immigration. What happened to the importance of abortion as an issue?

I'm not suggesting that the Republican party is the Christian party. (I don't think either major party is a Christian party. Both of them have Christian members, and also non-Christians.) However, my experience is that many Republican adherents among my friends and neighbors talk as if they believe that it is.

If, as many people used to say, abortion is a life-and-death issue, and opposition to abortion is based on the Bible, what happened to change the importance of the issue? I'm afraid that I know the answer, and that much of it is due to the influence of national commentators, such as Lou Dobbs of CNN. I'm also afraid that the sudden popularity of opposition to illegal immigration is motivated, at least in part, by prejudice, perhaps even hatred, toward those who are different. Another influence is that at least one of the leading Republican candidates is pro-choice, and some Republicans who used to claim to be strongly anti-abortion would rather forget about that issue than lose to a Democrat.

I'm not arguing that Christians (or anyone else) should be for illegal immigration, or that opposition to abortion should be the most important issue for Christians. I am arguing that the most important source of the political inspiration of Christians should be the Bible, not media personalities. For the Christian, there should be sympathy for immigrants, illegal or not, and concern for their spiritual and economic welfare. The Old Testament speaks about being kind to strangers. So does the New. Here's Leviticus 19:
33 “When a stranger sojourns with you in your land, you shall not do him wrong. 34 You shall treat the stranger who sojourns with you as the native among you, and you shall love him as yourself, for you were strangers in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. . . ." (ESV)

Thanks for reading. I know -- I'm supposed to be on hiatus, but it's my blog . . .