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Weblog Archives: October 2002
Thursday, October 31, 2002
Me, I lose service because the webhost thinks I haven't paid. Bene Diction is far too cool for that. When that blog goes down it's because the bandwidth allocation has been exceeded. As I say - cool.
Until it's fixed that excellent blog is available here.Posted by Richard @ 11:32 AM BST [Link]
Wednesday, October 30, 2002
Susan Solomon at ClickZ Today thinks most blogs are just self-indulgent. She might be right. But does it matter? It isn't for me to tell someone else they're wasting their time with their writing, and nobody is forced to read them. But there are some gems out there (including Bene Diction, from whom this link comes) and I'm all for encouraging as many as possible to have a go at sharing their thoughts. The really interesting bit of her article for me comes at the end:
In the meantime, I'm told the latest killer app is no longer the blog, but the wiki ("wikiwiki" is Hawaiian for "quick" and is often abbreviated to "wiki"). Wikis are collaboratively edited discussion boards. Editing other peoples' work is perfectly acceptable on the wiki, as is adding a new train of thought. It's an intriguing idea, although the wiki I visited displayed the hallmark of Web users who have little to say: a picture of someone's cat.I've been trying to persuade others of the "coolness" and value of the wiki idea for some while, with little success. Anyhow, if you want to look into this "killer app", I have an implementation of wiki on this site. It's called Compass and it is intended to be a sort of encyclopedia of the Christian faith. It has been quiet for a while, but maybe this will help to "kick start" it.
And there are no pictures of cats.
Posted by Richard @ 06:58 PM BST [Link]
And about time too...
I'm back! I'm sorry for disappearing on you for the past few days. Many assumed that it was because of the storms we've had here - thank you for the emails of concern. The truth was much less exciting. My webhost made a mistake. But I'm back now.Posted by Richard @ 08:31 AM BST [Link]
Saturday, October 26, 2002
The arrest of John Muhammed and the terrible events in Moscow can hardly go uncommented on. But what to say?
Only this - unequivocably, without reservation: Islam is not the enemy.
Many will say otherwise, but now as perhaps never before is the time for Christians worldwide to be extending a hand of friendship to our Muslim neighbours.
Posted by Richard @ 10:52 PM BST [Link]
Somehow I'd managed to miss this story about the discovery of the ossuary of Jesus' brother James
After nearly 2,000 years, historical evidence for the existence of Jesus has come to light literally written in stone. An inscription has been found on an ancient bone box, called an ossuary, that reads “James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus.” This container provides the only New Testament-era mention of the central figure of Christianity and is the first-ever archaeological discovery to corroborate Biblical references to Jesus.Some folk are getting really excited about it. I think I'll wait before I engage my enthusiasm.Sad news this week. Richard Harris was a terrific actor - his Cromwell is one of my all-time movie favourites, which probably says a great deal about my taste in cinema. Less high profile, but equally sure to be missed is the great Irish musician Derek Bell, who died recently after minor surgery. RIP both.
Posted by Richard @ 10:29 PM BST [Link]
Friday, October 25, 2002
The BBC has launched its list of Great Britons, and a thoroughly bizarre list it is too. All of the top 10 are dead, which is purhaps not surprising, but have you seen who's in there? Alongside the likes of Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill and Elizabeth I we find Diana, Princess of Wales and John Lennon. Fine people both, I suppose, but how do you compare them?
Outside the top 10, the list gets stranger still. At number 17 is Michael Crawford. A great actor, but does appearing in a classic TV show and some West End shows really make you the 17th greatest Briton during the last 1000 years? And to see David Beckham and Steve Redgrave flanking Boudicca and Thomas Paine is strange indeed. Just when you think it can't get any odder, you notice that King Arthur is at number 51. I mean, I would have thought that solid proof you actually existed would have been an entry requirement - but then, nobody asked me. What I want to know is, why Jesus isn't on the list? Everyone knows he came here as a lad with his uncle Joseph and visited Glastonbury. I'm sure he would have been granted a British passport if he'd asked for one. All together: And did those feet, in ancient times...
Of course there are some genuine "greats" in there, but I wonder - what is the point of this list? If it's just supposed to be entertainment then fair enough. It's just that I suspect that it reveals something of our national priorities and I'm not convinced I like what I see.
Or maybe I'm just being po-faced.Posted by Richard @ 11:18 PM BST [Link]
Thursday, October 24, 2002
Who knows what will happen in Moscow? A gang of murderous Muslims hold 1000 Muscovites hostage.
Or a group of desperate freedom fighters take their struggle to the very capital of their enemy.
Whatever the rights and wrongs of the situation in Chechnya, how can anyone fail to feel compassion for those enduring a terrifying ordeal in a Moscow theatre.Before 9-11 I seem to recall that the Russians called the Chechens terrorists, and almost everyone else called them freedom fighters. After 9-11, pespectives changed. I can't say I'm certain which is the right one, though I abhor all violence. (Here's a pre-911 perspective on the war in Chechnya)
Posted by Richard @ 10:10 AM BST [Link]
Wednesday, October 23, 2002
Back again, Wednesday night as predicted.
It's been an interesting few days. I caught up with my sister for the first time in about a year. She got married while we were in Florida, so there was a lot to catch up on! It is too easy to let these relationships slip and the longer they're left the more difficult they are to pick up again. So that feels better.
On a lighter note, I saw a hotel in Llandudno that had it's Christmas decs up! What is going on?! I'm as big a fan of Christmas as anyone, but it surely loses its excitement if you start celebrating it in October. It is perfectly obvious that the secular world (at least in Britain) has completely lost the idea of Advent, but does anyone agree with me that large sections of the church seem to be chucking it out as well?
In church on Sunday I heard, for the first time ever, a preacher heckled for going on too long. Problem was, he was trying to preach at least three sermons at the same time, only one of which had any connection with the Bible passage he'd chosen. My mother always says that the rules for preaching areI don't always do as I've been told, but that's good advice for preachers everywhere!
- Stand up
- Speak up
- Shut up
Posted by Richard @ 11:26 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, October 19, 2002
A hush descends...
I'll be having a few days off the blog - I should be back on Wednesday night, maybe Thursday. Have fun. Be good.In the meantime, let me leave you with some of Charles Wesley's finest words:
And can it be that I should gain
An interest in the Savior’s blood?
Died He for me, who caused His pain—
For me, who Him to death pursued?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?
Amazing love! How can it be,
That Thou, my God, shouldst die for me?’Tis mystery all: th’Immortal dies:
Who can explore His strange design?
In vain the firstborn seraph tries
To sound the depths of love divine.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore,
Let angel minds inquire no more.
’Tis mercy all! Let earth adore;
Let angel minds inquire no more.He left His Father’s throne above
So free, so infinite His grace—
Emptied Himself of all but love,
And bled for Adam’s helpless race:
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!
’Tis mercy all, immense and free,
For O my God, it found out me!Long my imprisoned spirit lay,
Fast bound in sin and nature’s night;
Thine eye diffused a quickening ray—
I woke, the dungeon flamed with light;
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.
My chains fell off, my heart was free,
I rose, went forth, and followed Thee.No condemnation now I dread;
Jesus, and all in Him, is mine;
Alive in Him, my living Head,
And clothed in righteousness divine,
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Bold I approach th’eternal throne,
And claim the crown, through Christ my own.
Posted by Richard @ 12:36 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, October 17, 2002
When I started, I didn't intend this blog to get involved in disputaions with others. I've strayed further into punditry than I meant to, but I'm here now and it would be bad manners to walk out of a conversation which I initiated.
Religious Left Watch has responded to last Monday's entry with good grace, but I do need to come back with comments of own.
[more]Posted by Richard @ 02:56 PM BST [Link]
From Thought for the Day by Huw Spanner
The second problem is that 'preparing for war' encourages you to be simplistic. As George Bush put it: "Either you're with us or you're with the terrorists." The world becomes divided into friends (who can get away with murder) and enemies (who won't get away with anything). So, we decide that Saddam Hussein must be in league with al-Qa'ida, even though he's murdered many of their fellow Islamists. And when a bomb goes off in Bali, in Britain there's a sudden jump in support for a war against Iraq.Read the whole thing
On the other hand, pursuing peace obliges us to try to understand the complex nuances of what is really going on, and why. It requires us to see things from other people's points of view. And it prompts us to make constructive efforts to resolve misunderstandings, deal with grievances, look for compromises and restore relationships. It may not get the adrenalin going, or generate dramatic pictures; but it works. And it usually costs much less - in dollars and in lives - than a hail of not-so-smart bombs.Posted by Richard @ 10:17 AM BST [Link]
Instapundit quotes Tim Blair:
"Killing and jailing terrorists wipes out terror. The only major European terrorist group from that era to survive in any significant way is the IRA, which tells us something: attacking terrorists doesn't breed terror. Negotiating with them does."Errr. Except that for all the time that violence was the main tactic against the IRA. It was the 'Good Friday agreement' that brought hostilities almost to an end.
You might recall another "terrorist" who couldn't be negotiated with. Nelson Mandela is now regarded as perhaps the most respected of the world's statesmen.Posted by Richard @ 12:43 AM BST [Link]
Wednesday, October 16, 2002
I've been up half the night with my (almost) 2yr old daughter. Nothing wrong with her, she just didn't like the idea of being asleep, and was vociferous on the need for her not to be awake on her own. So apologies in advance if I get grumpy today.
On the other hand, the morning shower was made especially refreshing by the rigours of the night, which just proves the old adage about clouds and silver linings.
All together now: "Count your blessings, dum de dah dah dah..."Posted by Richard @ 10:25 AM BST [Link]
Tuesday, October 15, 2002
Joshua Claybourn has an interesting post about the religious right, and specifically about whether or not Christian leaders should be involved in the "nitty gritty" of politics:
Many disciplines, from law to psychology, are value laden with worldview implications. Each area, and most political issues, demand basic assumptions about the nature of reality in order to grant meaning to specific approaches to it. Some may use a libertarian worldview, some may use much more liberal ones, and others will use some sort of a Christian worldview. I'm hesitant to say "Christian worldview" because if that's taken to the extreme, some Christians will claim each of their political positions are some sort of decree from God. Similarly, some Christians will suggest God belongs to their party, when in reality no country, no political party, no political ideology can own Him. He's the boss.Absolutely. The problem is that when Christians enter this particular fray, they are too quick to claim "the Christian view" as the one which matches their own. I know that I am guilty of this. The truth is that Christians of all flavours - liberal, conservative, radical, left, right and swinging-all-ways - spend too much time shouting their own views and not enough listening to the truth that speaks with a still small voice. Most of the time it seems to me that we read our Bibles knowing in advance what it is going to say to us. More time listening would be time well spent.The fact of the matter is that a lot of it is very grey, and Christians can rightfully disagree on many things. Although I don't agree with many of Pat Robertson's methods or positions on issues, I think he's correct in suggesting Christian values can be applied to things such as the (possible) war in Iraq, and that the Christian worldview has something to say about it. In short, there is a place for religious leaders in the public square, so long as they don't claim to definitively know God's will when Biblical interpretation is required.
Posted by Richard @ 04:18 PM BST [Link]
Monday, October 14, 2002
A report of an anti-war protest in Central Park has made religious left watch think again about the protests against the World Trade Organisation in Seattle, drawing (I think) a rather bizarre comparison with the behaviour of the Nazis:
Now to the point: The protestors hate capitalism because they can't stand to see prosperity, and some are willing to commit acts of violence in order to fight it, forcing their way, economic totalitarianism, on others. The Nazis, being National Socialists, had similar motivation.No. In the first place, most of those who protest against globalisation and the activities of the multinational corporations do so entirely peacefully. Second, they do so, not because they hate prosperity, but because they hate injustice. rlw and many others talk of the jobs that such corporations bring to "third world" economies, and on the face of it this might seem like an attractive argument. But the motivations of such corporations are far from benevolent - keeping costs low by employing child labour, escaping responsibilities to protect the environment and using third world markets to dump products which are illegal and unwanted in the west.
Some of you reading this will already have me pegged as a whingeing pinko liberal who doesn't understand the real world. So be it.
But an economy which is controlled by the values of God's kingdom will not tolerate the exploitation of children. It doesn't matter how you dress it up, giving children a full day's work is exploitation. Nor will it tolerate methods of production which destroy the health of individuals and communities around the globe.
Any system which regards people merely as a cost of production, to be kept as low as possible and then discarded, is not merely un-Christian it is anti-Christian. As always, I find John wesley has some helpful things to say on this subject. In his (much misunderstood) sermon "The Use of Money", JW writes of how a Christian ought to earn a living:...gain all we can without hurting our neighbour. But this we may not, cannot do, if we love our neighbour as ourselves. We cannot, if we love everyone as ourselves, hurt anyone in his substance. We cannot devour the increase of his lands, and perhaps the lands and houses themselves, by gaming, by overgrown bills (whether on account of physic, or law, or anything else,) or by requiring or taking such interest as even the laws of our country forbid. Hereby all pawn-broking is excluded: Seeing, whatever good we might do thereby, all unprejudiced men see with grief to be abundantly overbalanced by the evil. And if it were otherwise, yet we are not allowed to "do evil that good may come." We cannot, consistent with brotherly love, sell our goods below the market price; we cannot study to ruin our neighbour's trade, in order to advance our own; much less can we entice away or receive any of his servants or workmen whom he has need of. None can gain by swallowing up his neighbour's substance, without gaining the damnation of hell![The full sermon is here. Or you could read my abridgement in modern English]
Practices which are illegal in the "developed nations" should not be undertaken by our companies in the "undeveloped". Call me naive if you will, even unrealistic. But never pretend that the motivations of global capitalism have anything to do with the gospel of Jesus Christ.Posted by Richard @ 10:57 PM BST [Link]
Sunday, October 13, 2002
It's been a weekend of blessing for me. Last night my college pal Chris made the journey down from Birmingham to lead a Circuit missions event here, "What does it mean to be British?" Actually, it was a double blessing - the first, because it was an excellent and thought-provoking evening, the second, because I haven't seen Chris in 7 years, and it was great to renew a friendship.
The question which Chris posed for us was essentially whether cultural diversity is something to be cherished and celebrated, or feared and resisted. This is perhaps the hottest political hot potato in Britain today, and it was good to have the opportunity to explore the issues involved.
One of his most useful starting points for me was the Biblical command to "love the stranger", a command which it is all too easy to forget or ignore. Caring for strangers can be uncomfortable, feels dangerous and very often leaves us feeling like we should "stick with our own kind". Finding friendship with strangers is the key, for friendship does not demand that "they" become like "we". It does not squash the difference, the distinctiveness, of individuals and communities, but celebrates those differences and is strengthened by them. If ever there was a time for friendship across racial, cultural and religious barriers it is now. Prejudices can only grow when "the others" are kept at a distance and regarded only in the abstract - "Muslims" "Jews" "Arabs" "Blacks" and all the rest are too often the labels we use to name our fears. But crossing the boundaries, if we dare, leads to the discovery that here are people much like "us" driven by the same desires, anxieties and hopes. Behind every label lies a potential friend. But first we have to cross the boundary and offer a hand.Quote of the day:
God hates blancmange, but loves fruit saladPosted by Richard @ 04:04 PM BST [Link]
Friday, October 11, 2002
Welcome back me. I'd like to say how much I've missed myself these few days that I've been unable to blog. And I'd like to thank the hundreds of people who've emailed wondering when the next update is coming. Well, dozens of people. OK, the 5 people who emailed. I'd like to thank the one person who's missed me. Bless you.
What better wy to say "welcome back" to myself than a joke:
2 eskimoes are in a canoe and after a while they get very cold. So they decide to light a fire to warm themselves up. And the canoe sinks.There's been some interesting conversation in the Chaplaincy where I put in a few hours about humour - specifically, if jokes about Christianity are acceptable or not especially if they are told by non-Christians. Do we have a right to be outraged? Should we complain? Or laugh along with everyone else? My own view of this is that provided a joke is offered with respect for the one being joked about and has an essential truthfulness about it, then the humour is acceptable. For example, if Rev Ian Paisley were to tell a joke (can anyon imagine that??) about Catholics, it would not be funny. If Dave Allen told the same story it probably would be. As with scripture, so with jokes: context is vital to determine the meaning. Humour can be tremendously powerful - for good or ill. It isn't a question of "political correctness" so much as sensitivity to the feelings of others.
Which just goes to prove the old saying, "You can't have your kayak and heat it."In the spirit of the above...
How many charismatics does it take to change a lightbulb?
Three, one to cast it out and two to catch it when it falls!How many liberals does it take to change a lightbulb?
10, as they need to hold a debate into whether or not the lightbulb exists. Even if they can agree upon the existence of the lightbulb they may not go ahead and change it for fear of alienating those who use fluorescent tubes.How many Anglo-Catholics does it take to change a lightbulb?
None. They always use candles instead.How many evangelicals does it take to change a lightbulb?
Evangelicals do not change lightbulbs. They simply read out the instructions and hope the lightbulb will decide to change itself.How many Methodists does it take to change a lightbulb?
What d'ya mean, "Change?"How many independent baptist's does it take to change a lightbulb?
Only one. Any more than that would be considered ecumenical.How many Anglicans does it take to change a lightbulb?
10. One to actually change the bulb and 9 to say how much they like the old one.How many Calvinists does it take to change a lightbulb?
None. If God wants the lightbulb changed He will do it Himself!
Posted by Richard @ 08:47 PM BST [Link]
Monday, October 7, 2002
If you haven't been following Marcus Naismith Gets a Job at the John Heron Project, can I humbly suggest you do yourself a favour and catch up with it? You'll enjoy it. Honest.
Ian's Messy Desk reports a helpful primer from The Salvation Army on the tenth commandment which quotes from C.S. Lewis:"We Westerners preached Christ with our lips, with our actions we brought slavery of Mammon. . . . In reading the history of Europe, its destructive succession of wars, of avarice, or fratricidal persecutions of Christians by Christians, of luxury, of gluttony, of pride, who could detect any but the rarest traces of the Holy Spirit?" (C.S. Lewis, The Latin Letters of C.S. Lewis)
An owl among ruins is a new blog to me (link via blogs4God) but I have a feeling I'll be passing that way again:If we would communicate in good faith with each other, not in competition, we might learn something rather shocking. We might find out that we are all about equally confused and forlorn, and begin to feel some sympathy for each other on that account. That sympathy, not social engineering, is the motive for Christlike succor. Notice: this does not necessitate agreeing on programs, or analyses of needs. It only requires frankly confessing to each other that we have no such thing to offer. That confession, if we could make it, would uncover our real consubstantiality with each other. And that, unlike political or doctrinal agreement, is within our power to realize.Amen!Posted by Richard @ 09:43 PM BST [Link]
Saturday, October 5, 2002
Spoke too soon. Here's a "parable" I just discovered:
One day a farmer's donkey fell into an abandoned well. The animal cried piteously for hours as the farmer tried to figure out what to do.Finally, he decided the animal was too old and the well needed to be covered up anyway; so it just wasn't worth it to him to try to retrieve the donkey. He invited all his neighbors to come over and help him.
They each grabbed a shovel and began to shovel dirt into the well.
Realizing what was happening, the donkey at first cried and wailed horribly.
Then, a few shovelfuls later, he quieted down completely. The farmer peered down into the well, and was astounded by what he saw. With every shovelful of dirt that hit his back, the donkey would shake it off and take a step up on the new layer of dirt. As the farmer's neighbors continued to shovel dirt on top of the animal, he would shake it off and take a step up. Pretty soon, the donkey stepped up over the edge of the well and trotted off, to the shock and astonishment of everyone.
Posted by Richard @ 11:07 PM BST [Link]
No time for a proper entry today, but I'm grateful to Bene Diction for this bit of silliness. Whatever next. [more]
Posted by Richard @ 10:59 PM BST [Link]
Friday, October 4, 2002
Is this the world's funniest joke?
No.Posted by Richard @ 12:05 AM BST [Link]
Sometimes a blogger is too close to the news.
Posted by Richard @ 12:02 AM BST [Link]
Thursday, October 3, 2002
Here's Charles Wesley again, close to the peak of his form:
THOU God of truth and love,
We seek thy perfect way,
Ready thy choice to approve,
Thy providence to obey:
Enter into thy wise design,
And sweetly lose our will in thine.Why hast thou cast our lot
In the same age and place?
And why together brought
To see each other's face?
To join with softest sympathy,
And mix our friendly souls in thee?Didst thou not make us one,
That we might one remain,
Together travel on,
And bear each other's pain;
Till all thy utmost goodness prove,
And rise renewed in perfect love?Surely thou didst unite
Our kindred spirits here,
That all hereafter might
Before thy throne appear;
Meet at the marriage of the Lamb,
And all thy glorious love proclaim.Then let us ever bear
The blessed end in view,
And join, with mutual care,
To fight our passage through;
And kindly help each other on,
Till all receive the starry crown.O may thy Spirit seal
Our souls unto that day,
With all thy fulness fill,
And then transport away!
Away to our eternal rest,
Away to our Redeemer's breast!Posted by Richard @ 11:52 PM BST [Link]
Wednesday, October 2, 2002
I always enjoy hearing the stories of how people came to faith. I mention this only because I heard a friend's story for the first time today and I was moved by it. (But it's his story to tell not mine). Hearing this testimony, told with the minimum of elaboration in only a few minutes, made me think of some of the others I've heard over the years. Dramatic stories of sudden conversion, and mundane narratives of a gradually dawning faith.
Some can define a precise moment when they "saw the light" and turned away from a life of sin, others give thanks to God for a lifetime spent with an awareness of his presence thanks to a faithful family witness. For some, conversion is linked to an ecstatic and irresistable experience of the Holy Spirit, for others the life of faith has been a matter of rational thought and decision. Others still find a measure of both. The life-changing grace of God is conveyed in the dignity of choral evensong and in the liveliness of a gospel choir. Faith is transmitted in fiery preaching and in gentle conversation. The ways of God are splendid in their variety, and God speaks to his world with many voices and in many languages. The message , though, is always the same: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son..."
God loves. God gives.
So my story may be very different to yours. How we have experienced God and how we speak of him could well be different too. But if we listen to one another and allow each other's stories to speak across the barriers we often place between us, I am certain we will find our life and faith enriched beyond our expectation. God be praised for his abundant gifts!Posted by Richard @ 11:22 PM BST [Link]
Tuesday, October 1, 2002
I enjoyed Indarjit Singh's piece on Thought for the Day this morning.
