We continue our discussion (the first part is here) with Abu Daoud, Anglican missionary to the Middle East. 5) How have your financial arrangements been for the work? What could be improved about this for you and others? Like most missionaries all of our income comes from churches and people who support our work. Some …
An Interview With Abu Daoud (Part I)
Readers of this blog know that Abu Daoud, Anglican missionary to the Middle East, is a long-time blog partner and friend with Positive Infinity. We caught up with him in an (appropriately) undisclosed location to discuss his work and Christianity in the Middle East, now and moving forward. 1) How did you become interested in …
Mathematics, the Mother Science
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh knows the truth of this, in his tribute to Indian mathematician Srinivasa Ramanujan: "Men and women of such dazzling brilliance and deep intellect are born but rarely," declared Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in Chennai at a function on December 26, to celebrate the 125th birth anniversary of Ramanujan (December 22, …
The Real Reason Daniel Was Thrown Into the Lions' Den
Although one underestimates Biblical ignorance at one's peril, the story of Daniel in the lions' den is well known to many. Most Christians would interpret Daniel getting pitched into same den as a result of his refusal to worship a god or gods other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. If one reads …
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An Episcopalian's Appeal to Authority Falls Flat
Although I'm sure his Presiding Bishop finds this post suitable for framing, somehow Episcopal minister Frederick Schmidt's appeal to the authority of the church doesn't quite connect. Let's start with the issue he uses to illustrate his point: the proper colour for Advent: In a recent dust-up over liturgical colors, a colleague of mine was …
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My Thoughts on Sleeping in Class
It's time once again for a new semester. This is not true everywhere; for some schools with greater prestige and the possibility that the graduate could become President of the United States (yeah, Republicans, we're seeing that again,) it's just the end of what is now denoted as Winter Break, with exams looming towards the …
What a Motorcycle Gang Knows that Katharine Jefferts-Schori Does Not
The Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church depicts Our Lord and Saviour in a rather topsy-turvy way: In her book The Heartbeat of God, Jefferts Schori also taunts Jesus many times, calling him both a Hell's Angel gang leader (115) as well as a "party animal" (4). This kind of depiction of Jesus Christ and …
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The Value of Failure: A Lesson From Soccer
One of the many things that separates me from my contemporaries is the fact that I played soccer in junior high (that designation dates me!) and high school. Today soccer is de rigeur for people growing up in these United States, but until, say, the late 1970's that wasn't the case. A good deal of …
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1&1 Internet's Stand on SOPA
Recently received this from the web hosting service of this site, and am in hearty agreement: You may have heard about Protect-IP (PIPA) and the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) currently under consideration in Congress. If passed, among other things, SOPA requires Web hosting companies like 1&1 to police websites in order to prevent them …
Obama's Love Lost
It's lonely at the top: Air Force One had just landed in Manchester, N.H., on a brisk Tuesday morning last month when President Obama made an admission to Valerie B. Jarrett, his close friend and senior adviser. “I just called Reggie,” Mr. Obama said. It was his first domestic trip without Reggie Love, the former …
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