Sailing the Last Voyage with Newton and Pascal
Asia Times Online's "Spengler's" review of J.R.R. Tolkien's "newest" (actually oldest, and edited by his son Christopher) The Children of Hurin is a reminder of the deep roots of Tolkien's Christianity from a source outside of the normal track of Christian writers, and we commend it to our readers. We should note, however, that this …
Continue reading "The Children of Hurin: Tolkien’s Christian Roots"
Back in 2000 there was a funeral for Nadezhda Shatova, a Ukrainian Pentecostal living in California. As noted below, on the surface there wasn't anything extraordinary about it. But one of her relatives shared the testimony about their lives--and the persecutions they suffered in the old Soviet Union--and this account was put into the piece …
Continue reading "Overcoming Obstacles: A Reminder For Us All"
The film Amazing Grace--or at least the life of William Wilberforce--highlights something that most people have forgotten: many of the "social justice movements" had their roots in the evangelical Christianity that emerged towards the end of the "Age of Reason," and specifically Wesleyan Methodism. (The French proved that the "reasonable" didn't need any help from …
Most people who are familiar with "classic" Chinese literature would say that the great novel of the genre is Tsao Hsueh-chin and Kao Ngo's Dream of Red Mansions. At the end of the novel, the central character Pao Yu, after the eventful course he has taken, makes the following statement: "So you talk about 'moral …
Recently at my church we had an event take place that was so horrific it's hard to write about. One of our more esteemed members, with an active lay ministry, shot and killed himself in front on his wife on Christmas Eve after losing his job. For a long list of reasons (not the least …
This is the time of year when the minds of the very young turn to Santa Claus. Cookies and milk appear near the fireplace. Mall Santas experience full employment. And "The Night Before Christmas" gets recited ad nauseam. Eventually somebody breaks the news that there is no Santa Claus, but as long as the gifts …
The story--which Drudge dutifully linked to--of a British Airways passenger who suffered a fatal heart attack and whose body traversed the Atlantic is one of those things the Internet magnifies. Before the Net, it would have barely deserved a notice. For me, it brought back memories of a commercial competitor. Joost Werner Jansz was a …
The eagle is strong and noble. But the cat should never be underestimated.
We have a friend at church who always goes about wearing a shirt--golf, button-down, you name it--silk-screened with the Ten Commandments on the back. (We really think he needs to embroider his better shirts.) He isn't a marginal type of fellow, really; he is a successful businessman and his family is very prominent and successful …
As the deadline for a proper response from the Iranians regarding their nuclear weapons programme passes, it probably behooves a few of us to step back and think: what is Islamic culture and civilisation all about? What would things be like if they actually achieved their objectives? This is not an idle question. In the …
Continue reading "The Dilemma of Islamic Civilisation: St. Thomas was Right"
Positive Infinity 