Okay, so I've neglected my blog for awhile; I know. In fact, I suspected it would happen when I started it, which is why I declared that I would make no commitments as to my posting frequency. However, 5 months may be pushing the slackness just a little bit.
Fortunately, I haven't forsaken my reading goal like I've forsaken my blogging. In fact, In fact, I've finished the following books in the past five months:
1. Miller's Church History - Andrew Miller. This book is just what it's title suggests, a history of church movements from the Acts 2 church to his present day. It covered a lot of details, particularly concerning the vagaries of the Catholic Church. A marathon read that took me several months to complete, it rang in 1,080 pages of mostly dry but informative reading.
2. Man in the Shadows - Efraim Halevy. Halevy was a former head of Mossad, and his insights into the development of the present Middle East crisis are worth pondering. Instrumental as he was in covert diplomacy and intelligence, he has a view of that regions problems that is unique and interesting.
3. The Greater Cause - Steve Pixler. The message of this book is that marriage is the greater cause as compared to anything that would oppose or destroy marriage. It looks at the hot-button verses in Matthew 19 concerning the legality of divorce 'for any cause' and turns the whole question on its head with the proposition that something greater is embedded in the marriage covenant. This is a short, simple, and powerful defense of marriage.
4. Cheaper by the Dozen - Frank Gilbreth. This book is an American classic, hilarious, at times poignant, and well worth the read. It is a collection of true tales from a family of - you guessed it - twelve children, along with their adventurous and idiosyncratic father.
5. 1967 - Tom Segev. I've always wanted to read more about this important year in Middle East history, and this book was a reasonable starting point. A lot of time is spent setting the background to the Six Day War; the background was a little dry at times, but once the tale turns to the six days of conflict, it picks up pace very quickly. By no means a carte blanche defense of Israel, it is a more or less balanced look at the conflict and its precedent and consequent events.
6. The Case for Christ - Lee Stroebel. Having heard about this book for years, and having it highly recommended by my father-in-law, whose reading I would love to emulate, I finally picked it up, and I'm glad I did. Strobel clearly is presenting the case for the historical authenticity of Christ's life, death, and resurrection, and he does so in fine form. He presnts skeptic arguments that I hadn't heard of along with prominent ones that I have, casts them to experts on New Testament history, and records their responses; the result is a great defense of the Christian faith. I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone, whether you are a believer or not.
More than all of these, I'm also on target to complete my Bible Reading this year. I set a reading schedule that would get me through the Bible in 39 weeks, but it'll probably take me 3-4 weeks longer because of a couple of larger reading assignments; however, that contingency was built into my plan so i could have plenty of breathing room.
For all of you reader(s) out there, I'll try to stay more current and provide more fodder for the blogosphere if I can.
Wednesday, July 15, 2009
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
The Heathen's Rage
The Canadian Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CCBR) has undertaken the monumental task of re-opening the abortion debate in Canada, and pro-abortionists are riled. CCBR has taken a drastic approach to the issue, showing graphic displays of aborted fetuses and massacred children and adults side by side to illustrate the similarities. The images used and claims made have certainly captured attention, and the abortion question seems to be headed back into Canada’s public square because of CCBR’s Genocide Awareness Project.
The project makes use of their graphic displays to compare abortion to the (almost) universally acknowledged butchery of our world, such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, and suggest that abortion is culturally accepted infanticide. The project, and its use of displays, is admittedly controversial, and CCBR makes no apologies for their controversial approach to the issue. Their website simply lists a series of changed-heart testimonials as their reason for tackling the abortion issue this way.
Essentially, the question revolves around the humanness of a fetus. If a fetus is not essentially human, then there is no issue; if a fetus is essentially human, than society must confront the disturbing comparisons and seek to remedy the wrong we’ve perpetrated for several years now. The question is as valid as it is inherently controversial.
Yet, while the question is controversial, and CCBR highlights the controversial aspect in their awareness projects, the manner in which they engage the debate is almost startling in its civility and intellectualism. The advice they provide on their website concerning dialogue and debate includes points such as “Make more statements that end in question marks than end in periods” and “Find common ground”. While the displays are stark and disturbing, the purpose, it seems, is to engage rational discussion and debate that is free from rhetoric and antagonism.
On university campuses across the nation, pro-abortion groups are loudly decrying CCBR’s message with inflammatory rhetoric and mob rage. Unfortunately, none seem willing to engage the debate from a reasoned perspective. A pro-abortion position is purported to be so easily defensible as to be plainly obvious, so it’s really strange that a few pro-life students with graphic signs and a dissenting viewpoint could intimidate campus pro-abortionists. Are they threatened by the message? Because if they’re not, why else would they slink away from an invitation to rational debate, and take refuge in chants, personal insults, and anarchist overthrow?
You might think that’s grossly overstating the pro-abortionist reaction to CCBR’s message. I invite you to watch the first five minutes of Jose Ruba’s attempted CCBR presentation at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.
Notice that he was disrupted before he had even finished his preliminary remarks and gotten into his presentation. Notice also how he was heckled down every time he tried to speak. And notice how his invitation for them to ask their questions at the conclusion of his presentation was totally ignored in favour of mindless rhetoric. This was only the first five of more than thirty minutes of this exchange.
What’s more disturbing? Mr. Ruba and his group were asked to leave the campus. Those who were seeking respectful, open dialogue, were removed from the institute of higher learning in favour of a group of lawless hooligans that had not one rational thing to say.
This is not an isolated incident. About two weeks ago, the University of Calgary charged a campus-approved pro-life group with trespassing when they erected their display on campus. This followed a protracted dispute between the university and the student group on account of the display, which the university deemed offensive to some students. Just today, the U of C Student Union joined with a handful of university clubs across the country to revoke the pro-life group's campus status, making them ineligible to use meeting rooms, university equipment, and available funding to support their cause.
Apparently, open thought is no longer accepted in our institutes of higher learning. This speaks ill of the future of education, progress, and civility. If people are not free to express their views, especially on campuses designed for the advancement of ideas, then knowledge will suffer, and it would not be hard to conceive another dark age. The dark ages were marked by the suppression of free thought and the suzerainty of closed-minded elites over ill-informed masses. Then, as now, it was a religion. Then, it was Catholicism; now it’s humanism. But the end is the same.
The irony in which pro-lifers may rejoice is that CCBR’s message is being advanced far more rapidly because of the controversy and persecution it has aroused than it ever would have through peaceful presentations in isolated lecture rooms. The media attention and universal fascination has generated far more publicity than a small non-profit organization could ever have hoped with the help of a few students scattered across Canada’s campuses.
Pro-abortionists, on the other hand, could learn a lesson from history if they cared to open their minds. Persecution is not a retardant; it is a stimulant. Rome tried to quell the rise of Christianity until, after three centuries of intense persecution, there were said to be more Christians than pagans in the realm. The Catholics tried to subdue national and doctrinal rebellions. After centuries of oppression, they were instead subdued into their more rightful place.
The larger issue is the rampage of the heathen against righteousness. Psalms 37:12 states, “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” A more apt description would be difficult to find. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Righteousness will prevail, and the more it is resisted, the brighter and purer it becomes. Hence, another irony: the enemies of the righteous might unwittingly be their best friends, for the ploughing of the wicked serves only to purify the righteous, that they may be evermore fruitful, and their testimony might evermore prevail.
Tertullian said it this way: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”. Righteousness cannot be beaten. God still rules. He has mercifully granted us a space for reconciliation, but He still reigns over all, and in due season he will break the yoke of heathen vanity. But for those interested in Him, he grants grace enough to overcome any obstacle. So lovers of darkness seek to destroy the light of righteousness by more persecution, but more persecution only means more grace, and more grace produces more light, which only further enrages the lovers of darkness.
So why do the heathen rage?
The project makes use of their graphic displays to compare abortion to the (almost) universally acknowledged butchery of our world, such as the Holocaust and the Rwandan genocide, and suggest that abortion is culturally accepted infanticide. The project, and its use of displays, is admittedly controversial, and CCBR makes no apologies for their controversial approach to the issue. Their website simply lists a series of changed-heart testimonials as their reason for tackling the abortion issue this way.
Essentially, the question revolves around the humanness of a fetus. If a fetus is not essentially human, then there is no issue; if a fetus is essentially human, than society must confront the disturbing comparisons and seek to remedy the wrong we’ve perpetrated for several years now. The question is as valid as it is inherently controversial.
Yet, while the question is controversial, and CCBR highlights the controversial aspect in their awareness projects, the manner in which they engage the debate is almost startling in its civility and intellectualism. The advice they provide on their website concerning dialogue and debate includes points such as “Make more statements that end in question marks than end in periods” and “Find common ground”. While the displays are stark and disturbing, the purpose, it seems, is to engage rational discussion and debate that is free from rhetoric and antagonism.
On university campuses across the nation, pro-abortion groups are loudly decrying CCBR’s message with inflammatory rhetoric and mob rage. Unfortunately, none seem willing to engage the debate from a reasoned perspective. A pro-abortion position is purported to be so easily defensible as to be plainly obvious, so it’s really strange that a few pro-life students with graphic signs and a dissenting viewpoint could intimidate campus pro-abortionists. Are they threatened by the message? Because if they’re not, why else would they slink away from an invitation to rational debate, and take refuge in chants, personal insults, and anarchist overthrow?
You might think that’s grossly overstating the pro-abortionist reaction to CCBR’s message. I invite you to watch the first five minutes of Jose Ruba’s attempted CCBR presentation at St. Mary’s University in Halifax.
Notice that he was disrupted before he had even finished his preliminary remarks and gotten into his presentation. Notice also how he was heckled down every time he tried to speak. And notice how his invitation for them to ask their questions at the conclusion of his presentation was totally ignored in favour of mindless rhetoric. This was only the first five of more than thirty minutes of this exchange.
What’s more disturbing? Mr. Ruba and his group were asked to leave the campus. Those who were seeking respectful, open dialogue, were removed from the institute of higher learning in favour of a group of lawless hooligans that had not one rational thing to say.
This is not an isolated incident. About two weeks ago, the University of Calgary charged a campus-approved pro-life group with trespassing when they erected their display on campus. This followed a protracted dispute between the university and the student group on account of the display, which the university deemed offensive to some students. Just today, the U of C Student Union joined with a handful of university clubs across the country to revoke the pro-life group's campus status, making them ineligible to use meeting rooms, university equipment, and available funding to support their cause.
Apparently, open thought is no longer accepted in our institutes of higher learning. This speaks ill of the future of education, progress, and civility. If people are not free to express their views, especially on campuses designed for the advancement of ideas, then knowledge will suffer, and it would not be hard to conceive another dark age. The dark ages were marked by the suppression of free thought and the suzerainty of closed-minded elites over ill-informed masses. Then, as now, it was a religion. Then, it was Catholicism; now it’s humanism. But the end is the same.
The irony in which pro-lifers may rejoice is that CCBR’s message is being advanced far more rapidly because of the controversy and persecution it has aroused than it ever would have through peaceful presentations in isolated lecture rooms. The media attention and universal fascination has generated far more publicity than a small non-profit organization could ever have hoped with the help of a few students scattered across Canada’s campuses.
Pro-abortionists, on the other hand, could learn a lesson from history if they cared to open their minds. Persecution is not a retardant; it is a stimulant. Rome tried to quell the rise of Christianity until, after three centuries of intense persecution, there were said to be more Christians than pagans in the realm. The Catholics tried to subdue national and doctrinal rebellions. After centuries of oppression, they were instead subdued into their more rightful place.
The larger issue is the rampage of the heathen against righteousness. Psalms 37:12 states, “The wicked plotteth against the just, and gnasheth upon him with his teeth.” A more apt description would be difficult to find. “Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing?” Righteousness will prevail, and the more it is resisted, the brighter and purer it becomes. Hence, another irony: the enemies of the righteous might unwittingly be their best friends, for the ploughing of the wicked serves only to purify the righteous, that they may be evermore fruitful, and their testimony might evermore prevail.
Tertullian said it this way: “The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the church”. Righteousness cannot be beaten. God still rules. He has mercifully granted us a space for reconciliation, but He still reigns over all, and in due season he will break the yoke of heathen vanity. But for those interested in Him, he grants grace enough to overcome any obstacle. So lovers of darkness seek to destroy the light of righteousness by more persecution, but more persecution only means more grace, and more grace produces more light, which only further enrages the lovers of darkness.
So why do the heathen rage?
Monday, January 5, 2009
A Reader, A President
I found this link posted on another blog; I liked it, and I think it’s fitting to re-post here. However you view GWB’s presidency, you’ve got to extend credit for his personal literacy program. If the American President, with all of the pressures and demands on his time, can still read dozens of books in a year, what excuse do we have for any lesser reading accomplishment?
And (although this is not, and will not be, a political blog), I challenge anyone hooked by the popular opinion of GWB as ignorant, unlearned, and dumb to compare their reading accomplishments to his. I bet you’d lose.
And (although this is not, and will not be, a political blog), I challenge anyone hooked by the popular opinion of GWB as ignorant, unlearned, and dumb to compare their reading accomplishments to his. I bet you’d lose.
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