Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
The significance of this isn't lost to those of us who have visited the Tian An Men Square: In a ritual equal only to that of the church, last week China placed a statue of Confucius in its political heart, Tiananmen Square, before Mao Zedong's portrait and near the modern obelisk to the People's Heroes, …
Continue reading "China Brings Confucius Back Into the Pantheon"
I’ve been putting off writing and posting this, but Sanctus’ post on the Southern Baptists debating this issue has forced my hand, if you please. So it’s time for this blog to broach a subject that not so long ago wouldn’t merit discussion in Evangelical circles. Should Christians drink? (I obviously mean alcoholic beverages.) In …
But the Washington Post and others had to get out the brown pants after seeing it: Television evangelist Pat Robertson has made inflammatory remarks in recent years that offend gays, Muslims and others, but a recent comment he made on his Christian Broadcasting Network was more notable for whom it pleased: people who want to …
Continue reading "Pat Robertson States the Obvious on Marijuana Penalties"
From here: And it chanced in those days that there went out a commandment from Augustus the emperor, that all the world should be taxed. And this taxing was the first, and executed when Cyrenius was lieutenant in Syria. And every man went unto his own city to be taxed. And Joseph also ascended from …
Continue reading "The Christmas Story: William Tyndale's New Testament"
I'm seeing more and more calls for the abolition of the charitable deduction, like this one from Martin Hutchinson at Asia Times Online: At this season of goodwill, my thoughts immediately turn to that unsung hero Ebenezer Scrooge, and this year, in view of the subject's topicality, to his possible thoughts on today's major economic …
Continue reading "Who Would Be the Real Loser if We Pitched the Charitable Deduction?"
Back in September I posted The Difference Between Image and Likeness in Genesis, which discussed both Orthodox and Jewish concepts of Genesis 1:26. Recently I received a series of Twitter messages from Y Sher as follows: You understood Maimonides distinction between Image (Tzelem) and Likeness (Dmuth), he seems to equate both to man's divine capacity …
Continue reading "More on the Image and Likeness in Moses Maimonides"
Nick Park makes an important point for those who think that the KJV was Paul's version: Lots of things end up becoming traditional as a result of such historical accidents. But what is really odd is that many modern day Baptists and Puritans (in a country that long ago rejected the authority of kings, freed …
Continue reading "Laying it Out for the "King James Only" People"
Albert Mohler comments on the upending of the whole trend line of class vs. personal morality: For most of the last century, we have been concerned about the alienation of the cultural and intellectual elites from the institution of marriage. Starting at least as far back as the 1920s, the most highly educated Americans moved …
That's the way I interpret this (advance to about 6:30 in the video): http://downloads.cbn.com/cbnplayer/cbnPlayer.swf?s=/archive/club/700club120610_WS Sooner or later there's going to be a fracas on the right when enough people realise that those of us who support the abolition of civil marriage are at odds with those who are "defending" it, but until then... Interesting to …
Continue reading "Pat Robertson Supports the Abolition of Civil Marriage"
As the Telegraph reports, it's a surprise it got on the Beeb at all, but there it is: This was no such programme. Instead, it was a platform for every sinner that repenteth. Former hippy Greens, directors of Greenpeace, the chairmen of the Copenhagen Climate Council and the like, queued up to admit error. Their …
Continue reading "It's "Mea Culpa" Time on the BBC for the Environmental Movement"
Positive Infinity 