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Weblog Archives: August 2002
Saturday, August 31, 2002
Tomorrow, September 1st, is the start of the "Connexional Year" for the British Methodist Church. The committee cycle begins again after the summer break and ministers who've moved to new Circuits take up their appointments. I'm not having to move this time, but I am starting a new job as the "Circuit Superintendent" for this little corner of British Methodism. If you've any spare prayers then I think my Circuit, my colleagues and myself could use them! I'm part of a good team here and I'm excited by the challenge, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't nervous. Hope this doesn't sound too mystifying.
The last day or two I've been working on a new website for the Chaplaincy at Swansea University where I serve part-time. It isn't really finished yet and I only mention it here in the hope that Google will pick it up sooner rather than later so that new students can find it before they arrive in a few weeks time. If any of my blogging friends were to pick up the link I wouldn't grumble. Wonder if saying please would help...?
Posted by Richard @ 11:09 PM BST [Link]
Friday, August 30, 2002
I went with my daughter Ruth today to do a spot of 'pond dipping'. You put a net into a fairly unpromising pond, and empty whatever you've caught into a shallow tray of water so that you can have a closer look. It doesn't sound very exciting, but it can be. It's amazing the amount and variety of life that's to be found in a British pond, most of it hidden below the surface. Dragonfly nymphs, water fleas, snails, beetles of various sorts, all kinds of larvae, newts... The list goes on. And every single bit of it really matters, if only to be a meal for some other creature a little higher up the food chain. When you put some of these little animals under a microscope you can begin to appreciate their complexity and beauty.
It's possible to argue that this complex system is the product of blind chance and random mutation. Many argue exactly that. For me, the dirty looking pond was a vision of the creative power of God at work in our world. Not so spectacular as a mountain range, not so exotic as a rain forest, less dangerous than a jungle - but maybe in it's very smallness conveying something of the extent to which God loves his creation. After all, if he cares enough to make a dirty little pond in Wales so vibrant and full of life, surely he cares for me.Posted by Richard @ 11:45 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, August 29, 2002
"How do I know that I'm saved?"
It was an anguished question. A woman with little self-worth who'd been struggling to find meaning, purpose and contentment. She needed to know that she meant something. She longed for faith but no matter how much she prayed, how many pages of the Bible she read, how many church services she attended she just couldn't find any certainty. And she didn't expect it to be that way. What she wanted - what she'd been led to expect - was to "feel better" (her words), and it hadn't happened. "How do I know that I'm saved?" she asked me. The only answer I could give was "Because the Bible says so", but it wasn't enough for her.
Somewhere along the line we began to accept that Christian faith is a branch of therapy, the purpose of which is to make people feel better about themselves. Following Jesus, it is sometimes claimed, is a panacea for all ills, whether they be spiritual, emotional or even physical. Faith is "sold" on the basis of the benefits to the individual. Some of those benefits are long-term to be sure, but what's important is what faith will do "for you". Because of this, many Christians are given to periods of intense introspection, even self-absorption. I've been there myself.
I wouldn't want to say that faith never brings benefit to the individual, still less that there's no place for emotion in the Christian faith. If the Incarnation - "God amongst us" - means anything, it is surely that there is no aspect of our life with which God is not engaged. But to expect faith to mean a permanent sense of well-being and certainty is to ignore the evidence of scripture and the experience of Christians through the generations. Being a Christian has never meant any such thing.
The deeper issue here is whether an emphasis on individual benefit distorts the content of the Christian gospel. Next Sunday the gospel reading is Matthew 16: 21ff, in which Jesus warns his followers that to be his disciple means to take up a cross. This is hardly a therapeutic image! In fact, it's remarkable to me given the way the church operates today that Jesus doesn't appear to have done any "selling" at all. More often than not we find Jesus trying to put people off. "Take up a cross", "sell all you have", "count the cost" are not the most obvious advertising slogans. A hymnwriter put it this way:Believe not those who sayFollowing Jesus means a journey of challenge, discovery and service. It is a life directed outward towards the world in service and compassion. Without denying the importance of feeling, what is more important is the objective truth of the promises we have received. Moments of introspection are inevitable and even helpful, but to be permanently engaged in soul-searching is to miss Jesus' point. Don't follow Jesus because of how it makes you feel. Follow him because he is the way.
The upward path is smoothPosted by Richard @ 11:52 AM BST [Link]
Monday, August 26, 2002
As the World Summit began today in Jo'burg, the BBC puts a special report online. The Guardian reports a leaked OECD paper which suggests that the level of world inequality and environmental degradation may be far worse than official estimates.
Of course there are those who say that this is all pinko liberal nonsense put about by those who are trying to harm the USA and her allies. I'm not one of them.----
Could this be the world's strangest sport?
Posted by Richard @ 11:13 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, August 25, 2002
From John Wesley's Sermon XXIII: Text Matthew 6: 19-23
"Lay not for yourselves treasures upon earth ... for where your treasure is, there will your heart be also"With regard to most of the commandments of God, whether relating to the heart or life, the Heathens of Africa or America stand much on a level with those that are called Christians. The Christians observe them (a few only being excepted) very near as much as the Heathens. For instance: the generality of the natives of England, commonly called Christians, are as sober and as temperate as the generality of the heathens near the Cape of Good Hope. And so the Dutch or French Christians are as humble and as chaste as the Choctaw or Cherokee Indians. It is not easy to say, when we compare the bulk of the nations in Europe with those in America, whether the superiority lies on the one side or the other. At least the American has not much the advantage. But we cannot affirm this with regard to the command now before us. Here the heathen has far the pre-eminence. He desires and seeks nothing more than plain food to eat and plain raiment to put on. And he seeks this only from day to day. He reserves, he lays up nothing; unless it be as much corn at one season of the year as he will need before that season returns. This command, therefore, the heathens, though they know it not, do constantly and punctually observe. They "lay up for themselves no treasures upon earth;" no stores of purple or fine linen, of gold or silver, which either "moth or rust may corrupt", or "thieves break through and steal." But how do the Christians observe what they profess to receive as a command of the most high God? Not at all! Not in any degree; no more than if no such command had ever been given to man. Even the good Christians, as they are accounted by others as well as themselves, pay no manner of regard thereto. It might as well be still hid in its original Greek for any notice they take of it. In what Christian city do you find one man of five hundred who makes the least scruple of laying up just as much treasure as he can? -- of increasing his goods just as far as he is able? There are indeed those who would not do this unjustly; there are many who will neither rob nor steal; and some who will not defraud their neighbour; nay, who will not gain either by his ignorance or necessity. But this is quite another point. Even these do not scruple the thing, but the manner of it. They do not scruple the "laying up treasures upon earth," but the laying them up by dishonesty. They do not start at disobeying Christ, but at a breach of heathen morality. So that even these honest men do no more obey this command than a highwayman or a house-breaker. Nay, they never designed to obey it. From their youth up it never entered into their thoughts. They were bred up by their Christian parents, masters, and friends, without any instruction at all concerning it; unless it were this, -- to break it as soon and as much as they could, and to continue breaking it to their lives' end.Posted by Richard @ 11:57 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, August 24, 2002
It's been a grand day, spent in the company of friends at the National Botanical Garden of Wales (pictured). Eating and drinking, putting the world to rights, catching up on our lives, sharing concerns, letting off steam - that's what friends do together, isn't it? Yesterday on Thinking Out Loud, Craig wrote:
"Friendship is an extraordinarily precious thing. I haven't really understood that for many years.
Back to theological musings next week"
but I think he was more theological than he reckoned. Jesus said "I do not call you servants any longer ... instead I have called you friends." This relationship of friendship is, as far as I know, very little explored theologically. The church has emphasised other metaphors for the relationship between God and his people, images from family (father-child), economics (master-servant) and even politics (king-nation). But friendship could be a rich vein, especially at a time when some of the other metaphors are misunderstood or mistrusted. I suggest the following questions which might be helpful in starting the exploration:
1. Who is your best friend?
2. What are the most important qualities in a friend?
3. What Biblical "role-models" of friendship are there?
4. Is friendship always unconditional?
5. A very few close friends or many acquaintences - which is preferable?Posted by Richard @ 11:26 PM BST [Link]
The Mountaintop has a timely reminder that throwing out old computer kit can have dire consequences.
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Probably the most moving blog entry I've ever read.
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Thanks to Ian's Messy Desk for this link to a 130 year old take on the "Prayer of Jabez".
---"As for spiritual life: what I object to about "theSpiritual Life" is the fact that it is a part, a section, set off as if it were a whole. It is an aberration to set off our "prayer" etc. from the rest of our existence, as if it were sometimes spiritual, sometimes not. As if we had to resign ourselves to feeling that the unspiritual moments were a dead loss. That is not right at all, and because it is an aberration it causes an enormous amount of useless suffering.
Our "life in the Spirit" is all-embracing, or should be. First it is the response of faith receiving the word of God, not only as a truth to be believed but as a gift of life to be lived in total submission and pure confidence. From the moment that I obey God in everything, where is my "spiritual life"? It is gone out of the window, there is no spiritual life, only God and His word and my total response."
Thomas Merton The Hidden Ground of LovePosted by Richard @ 01:16 AM BST [Link]
Friday, August 23, 2002
As I suggested yesterday, today I have been worshipping at the altar of the Swedish god, Ikea. His (her??) scriptures are full of glossy promise, but it has been a while since I went to offer my oblations. Would my pilgrimmage be acceptable? Only, it seems, in part. Either that, or his minions at the temple are not quite capable of fulfilling the claims that the scriptures make for them. An out of stock item here, a queue that's a little too long there - the promises are not quite delivered. At their best, they're very, very good, but they can be as bad as everyone else too.
Yesterday, Martin compared the distribution of the Ikea catalogue with distribution of the Bible. Today, visiting Ikea made me think of the church. We often make big claims for the status of the church - "bride of Christ", "the body of Christ", "a royal priesthood" - but I wonder how often visitors might catch a glimpse of any reality behind the claims. At her best, the church can be the best place on earth to be. But at her worst...
My visit to Ikea today was less than perfect. My wife will be keen to go back on another occasion, but I know I'll be less than enthusiastic. Sound familiar?Posted by Richard @ 06:39 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, August 22, 2002
Martin Roth thinks that the Ikea Catalogue may be the most widely distributed publication in the world. He may well be right, and the comparison he makes between the distibution of Bibles and said catalogue is very apposite. In many ways, shopping at IKEA does offer a secular 'religious experience'. IKEA doesn't sell furniture, it sells the promise of a lifestyle, serene and peaceful. Is your life chaotic, your home and workplace disorganised? IKEA can bring you salvation. Peace of heart and mind, domestic harmony, self-fulfilment. They can be yours. And they come in a flat-pack.
And guess what? I'm going there tomorrow to get some stuff for the kiddies bedroom.
Posted by Richard @ 11:38 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, August 21, 2002
blogs4God today links to what is described as "a good primer on the second amendment". (It's here if you must)
Like many people this side of the Atlantic, I really don't understand the obsession there seems to be 'stateside' with guns and gun control. Entering into arguments about it is a waste of time because the "right to bear arms" is an article of faith, an axiom, not subject to rational analysis. There's a fundamentalism about the way the second amendment is treated which studies only the individual words of the amendment but refuses to give them a social and historical context. "The individual has the right to protect themselves" is an oft-repeated mantra.
In 1995, Michigan (population 10 million) had 929 homicides, 662 of them committed with firearms.
During the same year in Scotland (population 5 million) there were 132 homicides, most of them stabbings. (The Scottish Office figures I looked at only break down the method of homicide for the decade, but firearm misuse for the decade 1991-2000 accounted for 8% of homicides. The sums here are not difficult. The more guns there are, the safer you are.
Not.Posted by Richard @ 10:44 PM BST [Link]
According to The Times, the BBC has announced a list of the "100 greatest Britons", as determined by a national poll. It's a strange list, possibly the only time you'll see the names of John Wesley and Robbie Williams mentioned in the same breath.
Posted by Richard @ 08:46 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, August 20, 2002
Makes me wish I was back in Florida so I could play this game. I don't think it justifies a subscription to 'God Digital' though. Almost, but not quite. Now if they reduced their monthly sub a little...
Thanks to Andrew Careaga for this fabulous link.Posted by Richard @ 04:54 PM BST [Link]
Can anyone help?
I've had an email from a reader of connexions who is no longer able to view the page. Imagine the tragedy of it! He's using Netscape running on Linux, and discovered about a week ago that the page would no longer display. I know there are some errors in the html that I really should fix, but as far as I know I haven't made any changes to the page in that time that would cause such a problem. I'd be hugely (hugely!) grateful if anyone has any suggestions, or even if anyone is in a position to confirm the problem. (Though I suppose if you are you won't be able to read this. Ho hum)Posted by Richard @ 02:49 PM BST [Link]
Apologies for the following...
Two grey pieces of tarmac go into a bar.:o)
As they're drinking a red piece of tarmac comes in.
"Stay away from him," says one bit of grey tarmac to the other. "He's a cyclepath."Posted by Richard @ 12:42 PM BST [Link]
I was very pleased to get a mention on the Bitter Shack of Resentment, an interesting blog I hadn't seen before. Reading the comments in response to the piece, it seemed to me that there was an assumption being made that Christianity necessarily implies a right-wing agenda. So let me get up on my 'high horse' to remind everyone that it doesn't. Not at all.
From the Washington-based Sojourners through the FairTrade Foundation to the 'liberation theologies' that have emerged in the past 30 years or so, Christians worldwide are engaged in the struggle for social justice. I musn't overstate my case. The church in the USA is politically much more conservative than in Britain and Europe - but the Christian Church is not defined by the USA, and having more money and global influence does not always mean they'll be right. Some Christians seem to identify the interests of the gospel with the economic interests of the United States. (I heard Jerry Falwell do just that on television) But, imnvho, they're very, very wrong.Posted by Richard @ 12:36 PM BST [Link]
Monday, August 19, 2002
My 10 Favourite Hymns
Ok. My 11 favourite hymns.
- Let earth and heaven agree (Charles Wesley)
- When I survey the wondrous cross (Isaac Watts)
- Sing of the Lord's goodness (Ernest Sands) How many other hymns can you think of in 5/4?
- My Lord you wore no royal crown (Christopher Idle)
- Lord of creation to you be all praise (Jack Winslow)
- For the fruits of his creation (Fred Pratt Green)
- And can it be (Charles Wesley) --Just don't bellow the first few lines!
- Lord, thy church on earth is seeking (Hugh Sherlock)
- Thine be the glory (Edmond L. Budry)
- Born in the night, Mary's child (Geoffrey Ainger)
- God of all power and truth and grace (Charles Wesley)
Posted by Richard @ 11:16 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, August 18, 2002
Almost exactly two weeks ago, Holly Wells and Jessica Chapman went missing. For two weeks, Britain has waited and hoped with their families, praying for their safe return. Now hope is ended. Bodies have been discovered, two arrests have been made, and the dreadful process of identification must be endured by their parents.
This morning I stood in a pulpit in Swansea, 250 miles from the place of these terrible events, and realised that I couldn't preach the carefully crafted sermon I had prepared. I knew I had to confront my own feelings, address the dark shadow that these murders had cast over my faith and the faith of others. We'd sung a paraphrase of Psalm 23:In death's dark vale I fear no illAs we were singing I knew, as if for the first time, that it is only the Cross which offers any hope to the meaninglessness and despair of a story like this. For God shares our pain, our sense of loss. He has not remained aloof, but "emptied himself of all but love" for the sake of his people. In the lectionary readings for today St Paul reminds the Romans that God's promises are eternal:
With thee, dear Lord, beside me;
Thy rod and staff my comfort still,
Thy cross before to guide me....the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable (Rom 11:29)while the story in the gospel reading (Matt 15:21-28) shows that the compassion of God is determined by human need, not race or strict religious observance. "In death's dark vale" all we can do is cling to the faithfulness of God, trusting his promises, and determine to live by the compassion to which he calls us.
The words of the hymnwriter Anna Laetitia Waring are a gift from God:In heavenly love abiding,
no change my heart shall fear.
and safe in such confiding,
for nothing changes here.
the storm may roar without me,
my heart may low be laid,
but God is round about me,
and can I be dismayed?Wherever he may guide me,
no want shall turn me back.
my Shepherd is beside me,
and nothing can I lack.
his wisdom ever waketh,
his sight is never dim.
He knows the way he taketh,
and I will walk with himGreen pastures are before me,
which yet I have not seen.
Bright skies will soon be o'er me,
where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure,
my path to life is free.
My Saviour has my treasure,
and he will walk with me.Posted by Richard @ 09:13 PM BST [Link]
Prayers are asked for Chris Temple, an American pastor who is having treatment for a rare kind of leukemia. Further details from Emergesque (Saturday, August 17, 10:22 PM)
Posted by Richard @ 12:58 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, August 17, 2002
An offer to church websites
There are several reasons why a church would want a discussion area on its website, not least because they're a good way of building a sense of community. Trouble is, most of the "free" boards you find are supported by advertising, much of which is not especially suitable for a Christian site. And if site traffic is low, it can be hard to get a discussion area going.
Enter theConnexion Open Forum. Because Open Forum is frame based, church websites can use the frameset so that the discussion area effectively becomes part of their site. A few have tried it already. It's dead simple to set up, just a bit of html code. All the scripting and stuff comes off theConnexion's server. And you don't need a credit card, paypal account or international money order. Email me if you'd like more details or want the code and (simple) instructions.
Apologies if this seems more like an ad than a blog entry. Forgive me this once?
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Elsewhere in Blogland...
Andrew Careaga reports an analysis of the reading habits of American evangelical Christians and asksWhile the sales figures do tell us about the reading habits of American Christians at large, do they tell us anything about the state of the church today?
I can't answer the question, but I was fascinated to discover while we were in Florida just how "mainstream" Christian books are over there compared with the UK. The bookstore at our local mall had masses of Christian stuff, and even the supermarkets had a few titles by the checkouts. Quantity is no substitute for quality though, and if the Left Behind series is any indication, quality is not high on the reading public's agenda.
To me, the popularity of Left Behind and all the "how-to..." books that line the shelves are indications that the modern spirit of 'feel good' is having as much influence in the Church as it is everywhere else. Bah!
Martin Roth tells a success story of money-making on the internet. Not that I'm interested in money. Well, not ever so interested. Maybe a bit.
Hyper Thinking likes to take a drop. Fly Over Country doesn't, and says you shouldn't either. Both tell us to read the Bible to learn the truth. So they're agreed on something.And I still have a sermon to finish.
Posted by Richard @ 12:26 PM BST [Link]
Friday, August 16, 2002
A sunny warm day. The chance of a day out with the family.
A flat tyre.
A queue at the tyre shop.
But I still got some fresh air pushing a lawn mower around.
All in all, the perfect day off. Not.In the strange world of blogs:
Bene goes ballistic You'll have to read his post, and probably several others from his archive to understand what he's riled about - but you'll see his gander is definitely up over what I think amounts to an attempt at the commercial exploitation of Christian blogs. And he is not at all happy. Not at all.
And I think he's right.
Thinking Out Loud" has decided to discontinue "the Leaderboard", stepping aside in favour of Idea Joy's Who links who?, which is another product which does what it promises for the world of Christian blogging. And of course, I'm not in the slightest bit troubled that I'm in the bottom half of the list. Oh no. I'm not in it for the fame. Only the money and the power.
But as Craig steps aside, I want to say thank you for the idea, and thanks too to Idea Joy for taking it a little further. But Craig was first.Posted by Richard @ 11:51 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, August 15, 2002
Congratulations to Prayer12, which celebrated its 4th birthday on Tuesday.
Posted by Richard @ 11:19 PM BST [Link]
Somehow I've managed not to link to Blogs4God so far. So let me put that right.
Posted by Richard @ 11:09 PM BST [Link]
Thought for the Day is a three minute slot in one of the most prestigious programmes on British radio, Today. The programme has a reputation for the depth and quality of its journalism. "Thought for the Day" is intended to give a "faith perspective" on current affairs. Contributors come from a broad range of the Christian tradition as well as from other faiths. The thing is, the slot is under fire. 100 public figures have written to the BBC governors to demand that "Thought for the Day" should also include atheist contributors. The religious do not have a monopoly on morality, they say.
Quite so, but they're missing the point. Religious faith, Christian or otherwise, does produce a perspective on the world which is rarely heard in the public domain. A three minute slot may not be much, but it is a reminder that there are voices which dissent from the "practical atheism" which is the conventional wisdom of western society and Britain will be a poorer place if these voices are stifled.
Bloggers might learn something from reading or listening to these thoughts too. Whether you agree with them or not is irrelevant. A well-put alternative perspective is always helpful.Posted by Richard @ 11:03 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, August 14, 2002
Amy H wrote movingly on Sunday about her experience of going to college:
Now, in a public college, I am exposed to many different beliefs through many different venues. I am told to find the answer for myself using the laws I've been taught (as opposed to the answers I've been taught). I am encouraged to find what I believe on my own, without being told what I should believe and why I should believe it. In many ways, this new form of learning is difficult for me, because it is radically different. However, the effort is well worth it. I can find my own solution to problems and then see if they really fit into the big picture.I'm so glad that Amy is discovering that questioning and faith are not contradictory. And I wonder how we got to a point where many people believe that they are.
This new experience of learning is not limited to science and math. It extends all the way out to my faith. I can finally question why I believe what I believe without the guilt that previously accompanied questioning/
Faith is a journey of discovery, not a neatly wrapped parcel that just arrives one day. Asking difficult questions, of ourselves and others, is part of that journey.
I've added a link to Amy's blog (Forgiving Adam) in my "cool sites" list. Also added Quotesblog (which does exactly what it says on the tin) and What is Church, which I've enjoyed recently. Hope you do too.Posted by Richard @ 01:52 PM BST [Link]
Blithering Idiot gives a list of the top 10 British funeral songs. (Thanks to Bene Diction for the link)
It surprises me that "I did it my way" is not on the list, but what do I know>Posted by Richard @ 10:13 AM BST [Link]
Tuesday, August 13, 2002
According to this test I am Chocolate Flavoured, which is a nice thought.
I am sweet and a little bit naughty. I am one of the few clinically proven aphrodisiacs. Sometimes I can seem a little hard, but show warmth and I soon melt.
Allegedly.
And people say that the internet is a weird place. What could be more sensible than a test to determine someone's flavour?Posted by Richard @ 11:47 PM BST [Link]
Tootling on my tin whistle the other day I happened upon a tune I don't think I've heard anywhere before. Nothing earth shattering, just a simple hymn tune that might be used for any hymn with a metre of "4 7's" ('Take my life..." et al) Anyhow, I've called it Fruitland Park for the kind folk at Community UMC and you can see it here.
If you think it's terrible, I'd rather not know! Otherwise, feel free to use it as you wish.
If I've accidentally pinched someone else's work, I apologise in advance!Posted by Richard @ 05:14 PM BST [Link]
Dan Diephouse doesn't like Christian blogs, even though he's a Christian. I think he has a point.
Posted by Richard @ 08:53 AM BST [Link]
Monday, August 12, 2002
Ship of Fools has announced the winners of their recent text message competition.
Posted by Richard @ 11:42 PM BST [Link]
Divorce gives the unhappily married a second chance at happiness. That's the conventional wisdom. And it is being challenged. An American sociologist Linda Waite of the University of Chicago has conducted a survey of more than 5000 married adults. She found that unhappily married people who divorced were no less unhappy 5 years on than unhappily married people who stayed married. Read the full story.
Posted by Richard @ 11:33 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, August 10, 2002
I've just decided that from henceforth this small corner of the blogosphere will be signified by the appellation "connexions". Call it a whim.
Posted by Richard @ 11:38 PM BST [Link]
A daft experiment
Take two random words. Add "blog" and put in Google. See who comes out top."Nuclear fish" sends you to Vegan Blog, where yesterday thee was an interesting piece about a crow called Betty. I kid you not. The day before there was a serious story about the continuing sufferings of the victims of the Bhopal disaster. I'm particularly grateful for this link.
"vestry stick" takes you into the archives of Dave does the blog and a piece about his approach to evangelism, which I appreciated very much.
"leather frame" offered writing letters to a narcoleptic muse, very readable though worried about being bus-jacked in Canada(!)
I don't think I would have ever come across these blogs by any other means, but what started as a silly game has delivered three very different and very interesting perspectives. Perhaps I'll try it again sometime...
Posted by Richard @ 10:33 PM BST [Link]
Friday, August 9, 2002
My friends who run the website of the South Wales District of the Methodist Church have given me a very nice plug. Despite the mis-spellings, the least I can do is return the favour.
Posted by Richard @ 11:47 PM BST [Link]
Time for another one of C. Wesley's outings:
Jesus, Lord, we look to thee;
let us in thy name agree;
show thyself the Prince of Peace,
bid our jars forever cease.By thy reconciling love
every stumbling-block remove;
each to each unite, endear;
come, and spread thy banner here!Make us of one heart and mind,
Courteous, pitiful, and kind,
lowly, meek, in thought and word,
altogether like our Lord.Let us for each other care,
each the other's burdens bear;
to thy church the pattern give,
show how true believers live.Free from anger and from pride,
let us thus in God abide;
all the depths of love express,
all the heights of holiness!Let us then with joy remove
to the family above;
on the wings of angels fly,
show how true believers die.
Posted by Richard @ 11:34 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, August 8, 2002
I've been asked to say a few words about Compass, theConnexion's implementation of "wiki". Some of my friends are confused. I hate to be a source of confusion.
First things first. What is a wiki? The definition given in Wikipedia (which is itself a wiki!) goes like this:
The term WikiWiki ("wiki wiki" means "quick" in the Hawaiian language; pronounced "wee kee wee kee") can be used to identify either a type of hypertext document or the software used to write it. Often called "wiki" for short, the collaborative software application enables web documents to be authored collectively using a simple markup scheme and without the content being reviewed prior to its acceptance. The resulting collaborative hypertext document, also called either "wiki" or "WikiWikiWeb," is typically produced by a community of users.
Posted by Richard @ 02:48 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, August 6, 2002
Martin Roth has posted a fine piece about the prospect of war on Iraq and called on Christians to join in the debate. I've ben meaning to have a go at this for some days, and Martin has given me my cue.
I am certain that to go to war with Iraq would be quite wrong. We are told that Saddam is evil, inflicts horrendous suffering on his people and is in all probability completely bonkers. All this is probably true. Saddam is a horrid dictator and I would wish to see him and his regime gone. But to claim that these moral failings are a reason for going to war is entirely bogus. If we go to war, it will not be because his regime is unacceptable. It will be because he is a threat to western interests. If politicians would be honest and admit this then a war would be easier to stomach. But they won't, and never can.
I am old enough to remember the Iran-Iraq war (and I'm not that old!), at which time the West suported Saddam. He was the same man then as he is today; what has changed is the balance of power in the Middle East - instead of beng a bulwark of western interests, he is now a threat to them, so he must go. Remember "Desert Storm"? At the time there was a lot of talk about it being a war to restore freedom to Kuwait, but we did not then nor do we now have any concern for how Kuwait or anywhere else is governed. What matters is that the oil continues to flow.
But Saddam supports terrorism. Surely that is reason enough to get rid of him? If only it were so simple. Terrorism is a slippery word, and it is difficult to apply without bias. The Russians were condemned for their treatment of what the west called freedom fighters in Chechenya. Now it seems that the Chechens were receiving support from Al Queada who we regard as the bad guys following Sept 11th. They are bad guys , of course - the point is, they always were. The Taliban, that brutal regime that had to be removed from Afghanistan, were receiving millions of dollars in American aid only months before Sept 11th. Closer to (my) home, for many years the IRA received significant political and financial support from the United States. In that time they bombed and shot and maimed. We called them terrorists. Others called them patriots. That's the point, isn't it?
Recent British history should have taught us all that terrorism can never be defeated by military force. All it achieves is martyrdom for some and a stregthened cause for others to fight for. What defeats terrorism is patient diplomacy, a commitment to freedom and a determination to see the establishment of a society which is truly just.
A war with Saddam would not be moral, because wars never are. They may be justified: for the defence of sovereignty, to protect territory or economic interests - but not moral. The moral issues are what people raise after the decision has been made to send young men to fight and die. It is morality that gives us "a cause", and soldiers may fight for a cause with honour and dignity. But they have never been sent to war for such a cause. Land and capital are what send armies into battle.
Finally, is there any evidence that war has ever produced lasting peace? From the carving up of Europe post WWII to the many smaller conflicts that have been fought since, the peace has been more difficult to win than the war. Time to set aside the understandable desire to kick some ass, and face instead the harder task of building a world of justice.
Jesus said: "Love your enemies. Pray for those who persecute you." He meant it.
Posted by Richard @ 11:49 PM BST [Link]
Monday, August 5, 2002
I'd like to give a "welcome to the blogosphere" to backburner. I don't know Rhys personally, but as he's a mate of Wood, I reckon he must be all right. Wiblog are inviting people to sign up for a weblog. I rather think that wiblog is linked to Ship of Fools, so I'd be surprised if this offer doesn't produce a rash of new Christian blogs. In the meantime, welcome Rhys, aka backburner!
Posted by Richard @ 01:10 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, August 4, 2002
Great blogs you'll (probably) never see:
Count Dracula : "the blog is the life"
Edgar Allen Poe: "The Bell, the Blog, and the Candle"
Ellen Ripley: "In space, no one can hear you blog"
Karl Barth: "Church Blogmatics"
I really should get out more.
Posted by Richard @ 09:54 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, August 3, 2002
I had a bit of a rant the other day about the way we are raising our children. (I think Bene Diction was a bit surprised to learn that I can rant). I've been re-reading John Humphrys* book Devil's Advocate and discovered the following:
We proclaim the rights of children now in a way that society has never done before, and yet our attitude towards them is marked by ambivalence and confusion. We want to protect them in ways we never did before, but at the same time we turn them into premature adults and give them licence to leave their childhood behind at an earlier and earlier age. We work harder to earn more money to give our children a better life, but we often deny them what they need most, and what their parents can provide best. We create the concept of "quality time" but allow our children to spend much of their lives in isolation. We accept the notion promoted by society that self-indulgence is fine and self-restraint is, at best, mildly eccentric. It is good to be tolerant; it is bad to be judgemental.
*John Humphrys is a British radio and tv broadcaster, noted for his combative political interviews. Devil's Advocate is an excellent book. I have a suspicion I might quote another paragraph or two before too long.
Posted by Richard @ 10:09 PM BST [Link]
Friday, August 2, 2002
According to this quiz, my blog owns 25% of me.
Tragic.
Posted by Richard @ 05:10 PM BST [Link]
A moment of introspection
"He can't decide why he does it"
So says the comment in the side bar. But it isn't strictly true. I do know why I added a blog to theConnexion - because I hadn't got one. I wanted theConnexion to be a space on the web where Christians of all "flavours" could communicate with one another in as many ways as possible to share ideas & concerns. No "party line", no ads - just a safe space.
I only discovered the blog concept by accident. Thinking that the Greymatter script sounded interesting, I installed it on my server and then looked into how it might be used. Since then, of course, it's become the section of theConnexion that takes the most time and to which I give the most thought, but it wasn't meant to be this way. I was sure that what would really "take off" was the wiki (Compass), which shows how wrong I can be.
So I "blog on". Open Forum has a life of its own, Compass is still waiting to happen. But my blog needs me.
Incidentally, I wrote this piece in the park on my Visor whilst "Mr Bubbles" entertains my daughter. Sad or cool?
I think you're right.
Posted by Richard @ 05:03 PM BST [Link]
I've just had my first proper cup of tea since going to Florida. Lovely. And, it seems, good for me.
rejesus is a cool looking site designed to explore the life , character and teaching of Jesus. I haven't had time to browse it in detail, but I did like the gallery showing how Jesus has been pictured in various settings, especially the laughing revolutionary and its commentary. Well worth a few moments browsing I reckon.
Posted by Richard @ 09:47 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, August 1, 2002
Two stories about the results of human interference with nature. In the first, there are reports of a huge increase in the rat population due to litter. In the second, there has been a plague of midges in Cardiff Bay since the creation of a large freshwater lake in the bay. Of course, midges don't bite and rats are more frightened of us than we are of them. So what's the problem?
The Bible Society is launching the materials for this year's Bible Sunday on October 27th, with the theme "Does the Bible Make Any Difference?"
Posted by Richard @ 11:42 PM BST [Link]
