Wednesday, October 31, 2007
Monday, October 29, 2007
Hope of Heaven
My Nana’s funeral was three years ago today. Her death was sudden and a surprise. I don’t remember much of the funeral; it was a blur.
But I do remember the hopeful tone of the sermon – that to die in Christ is to live eternally in Christ. May God Almighty grant to us a greater measure of His grace, and may the hope of glory radiate through the pages of God’s Word.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Presbyterian Facts
I’m reading a book called 'This Presbyterian Church of Ours’, written by John Congram (the editor of the Presbyterian record from 1988 – 2002). I am learning many interesting facts about Presbyterianism. For example:
The first ‘Presbyterians’ in Canada were Frenchman (Protestant Huguenots), not the Scots.
The Presbyterian Church was the largest denomination in Western Canada prior to the formation of the United Church of Canada.
Sir Sanford Fleming was a devout and lifelong Presbyterian.
Lloyd Robertson is a Presbyterian.
Source: John Congram. This Presbyterian Church of Ours. Winfield, BC: Wood Lake Books, 1995.
The first ‘Presbyterians’ in Canada were Frenchman (Protestant Huguenots), not the Scots.
The Presbyterian Church was the largest denomination in Western Canada prior to the formation of the United Church of Canada.
Sir Sanford Fleming was a devout and lifelong Presbyterian.
Lloyd Robertson is a Presbyterian.
Source: John Congram. This Presbyterian Church of Ours. Winfield, BC: Wood Lake Books, 1995.
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Calvin on Work
We know that God does not intend for us to be lazy living in this world for He has given men hands and feet; He has given them industry. And even before the fall, it is said that Adam was placed in a garden in order to tend it. But the work in which men are now engaged is a punishment for sin. For it is pointed out to them: ‘You will eat your bread by the sweat of your brow; it is a curse which has been placed on all human beings.’ But still before sin had come into the world and we have been condemned by God to painful and forced work, men were already required to engage in some labour. And why? Because it is contrary to our nature to be like a block of useless wood.
Source:
John Thornton, Susan Varenne eds., John Calvin, Steward of God’s Covenant. Selected Writings, New York: Vintage Books, 2006, p. 334.
Source:
John Thornton, Susan Varenne eds., John Calvin, Steward of God’s Covenant. Selected Writings, New York: Vintage Books, 2006, p. 334.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Reading the Opposition
I generally enjoy reading columns by people whose worldview is different than my own. I am challenged to think differently, and am provided an opportunity to peer into the logic and thought process of people who perceive the world differently than me.
I recently, for example, read a very good article on an atheist website about the disconcerting rise of racist political parties (labelled right-wing, but I refuse to associate the noble doctrines of conservatism with hate) in Europe. Unfortunately, in our polarized culture, some may never glance into the garden of their intellectual opponents, but dividing the world into ‘us’ vs ‘them’ is intellectually stunting.
Reading the work of my worldview opponents can also be exacerbating, especially when the intellectual quality and soundness of a column is questionable. Thomas Walkon, a Toronto Star columnist, may have a PhD, but his columns often belie his education.
One recent example was his analyses of the remarkable poll conducted in Afghanistan (I say remarkable, because the execution of such a difficult task must be commended.) He argued that the media reports about the poll missed the mark, because the numbers they selected indicate that the majority of Afghans are happy with how things are going. Walkon doesn’t support the Afghan mission; so any hard data that may bolster the necessity of the mission isn’t what he wants to see.
He, therefore, sets out to refute the data.
He writes, “It did not find that a majority of Afghans want foreign troops to stay and fight. It did find that a majority of those polled approved of the "presence of foreign countries" in Afghanistan. But that term "presence" included everything foreigners are doing in the country, from aid to business to soldiering.”
Indeed. But the columnist either doesn’t understand, or refuses to admit, that aid and business cannot occur without soldiering.
The Afghan people know this. For example, nearly two-thirds (64 %) of Afghans say foreign countries are doing a good job FIGHTING the Taliban. There was also very high support of the reconstruction efforts and in the international efforts to train the army and the police. Most are pleased with the changes in their country. For example, a huge majority feel that women are in a better position now than five years ago under the Taliban (including 75 % of women).
Walkon writes, “They (Afghans) are deeply ambivalent about the presence of foreign troops. They don't want to throw them out. But, at the same time, they are not sure they want them to remain indefinitely. There is a limit to their patience and hospitality.”
Aside from the obnoxiousness of his statement (Hospitality!; That sounds as if Afghans have graciously opened their country to foreign troops for them to conduct training exercises), it is completely wrong.
This is what the report said: There is no public consensus on this question, but given the positive influence most attribute to the international forces, the plurality (43%) of Afghans say that foreign troops should remain “however long it takes to defeat the Taliban and restore order.” By comparison, one-quarter are looking for a relatively quick exit, either immediately (14%) or within the next year (11%). Another quarter take the middle view of wanting them to stay either two more (12%) or three to five more (15%) years.”
It makes me wonder whether we read the same document.
I just finished reading an interview in the Globe and Mail with Camille Paglia, an insightful and impossible-to-pigeon-hole author (eg. a feminist who opposes affirmative action). She recognizes the importance of understanding other subcultures. “I listen to conservative talk radio, because the callers really do give one a sense of where popular sentiment is at the moment,” she told Margaret Wente and added that the popular perception in this country that the Democrats are already predetermined winners is unsubstantiated.
Her most intriguing comments were her critique of the liberal academic elite. Conservatives have long observed and complained about the group think and forced conformity in higher education circles; that the prime ‘marketplace of ideas’ is actually a monopoly of leftist secular humanism remains a point of frustration for me: “The highly remunerated establishment,” Paglia quips.
She was asked, “For years now, you've been contemptuous of the postmodern intellectual climate in the elite universities. Is it as bad as it was a decade ago?”
Her (edited) reply went like this:
“It's improved. The prestige of the leading poststructuralists and postmodernists has vanished. But they still have genuine power and they have destroyed the next generation of scholars. Wherever I go, people come up to me and tell the same story - they entered graduate school and left it or staggered through it and could not get a job because of their refusal to spend their time on [French social theorist Michel] Foucault. They were treated as naive, or as traitors, and driven out. The most lively and interesting minds have been driven out of American academe. History will show that my generation, at Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, has not produced a single work of criticism that will stand the test of time. There's no learning left! It's trash! It's gobbledygook! When my generation retires from the Ivy League, their names will be forgotten!
All these leftists are retiring as millionaires! Parents across America have bankrupted the family budget so these professors can spend their retirement years in Boca Raton.”
Amen to that! And, I would add many in academia have bankrupted their students’ ability to grapple with issues from alternative worldviews.
Sources:
Thomas Walkhom, “Afghan poll not as clear as it seems” 21 Oct. 2007. Accessed 21 Oct. 2007, Available:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/268890
Margaret Wente, “Camille Pagila: Hillary Clinton can't win - and shouldn't.” The Globe and Mail : 18 Oct. 2007. Available: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070915.wcamille15/BNStory/specialComment/?&pageRequested=all&print=true
Environics, 2007 Survey of Afghans, 18 Oct. 2007. Accessed 22 Oct. 2007, Available: http://research.environics.net/imagelibrary/10182007/Environics_2007_Survey_of_Afghans.pdf
I recently, for example, read a very good article on an atheist website about the disconcerting rise of racist political parties (labelled right-wing, but I refuse to associate the noble doctrines of conservatism with hate) in Europe. Unfortunately, in our polarized culture, some may never glance into the garden of their intellectual opponents, but dividing the world into ‘us’ vs ‘them’ is intellectually stunting.
Reading the work of my worldview opponents can also be exacerbating, especially when the intellectual quality and soundness of a column is questionable. Thomas Walkon, a Toronto Star columnist, may have a PhD, but his columns often belie his education.
One recent example was his analyses of the remarkable poll conducted in Afghanistan (I say remarkable, because the execution of such a difficult task must be commended.) He argued that the media reports about the poll missed the mark, because the numbers they selected indicate that the majority of Afghans are happy with how things are going. Walkon doesn’t support the Afghan mission; so any hard data that may bolster the necessity of the mission isn’t what he wants to see.
He, therefore, sets out to refute the data.
He writes, “It did not find that a majority of Afghans want foreign troops to stay and fight. It did find that a majority of those polled approved of the "presence of foreign countries" in Afghanistan. But that term "presence" included everything foreigners are doing in the country, from aid to business to soldiering.”
Indeed. But the columnist either doesn’t understand, or refuses to admit, that aid and business cannot occur without soldiering.
The Afghan people know this. For example, nearly two-thirds (64 %) of Afghans say foreign countries are doing a good job FIGHTING the Taliban. There was also very high support of the reconstruction efforts and in the international efforts to train the army and the police. Most are pleased with the changes in their country. For example, a huge majority feel that women are in a better position now than five years ago under the Taliban (including 75 % of women).
Walkon writes, “They (Afghans) are deeply ambivalent about the presence of foreign troops. They don't want to throw them out. But, at the same time, they are not sure they want them to remain indefinitely. There is a limit to their patience and hospitality.”
Aside from the obnoxiousness of his statement (Hospitality!; That sounds as if Afghans have graciously opened their country to foreign troops for them to conduct training exercises), it is completely wrong.
This is what the report said: There is no public consensus on this question, but given the positive influence most attribute to the international forces, the plurality (43%) of Afghans say that foreign troops should remain “however long it takes to defeat the Taliban and restore order.” By comparison, one-quarter are looking for a relatively quick exit, either immediately (14%) or within the next year (11%). Another quarter take the middle view of wanting them to stay either two more (12%) or three to five more (15%) years.”
It makes me wonder whether we read the same document.
I just finished reading an interview in the Globe and Mail with Camille Paglia, an insightful and impossible-to-pigeon-hole author (eg. a feminist who opposes affirmative action). She recognizes the importance of understanding other subcultures. “I listen to conservative talk radio, because the callers really do give one a sense of where popular sentiment is at the moment,” she told Margaret Wente and added that the popular perception in this country that the Democrats are already predetermined winners is unsubstantiated.
Her most intriguing comments were her critique of the liberal academic elite. Conservatives have long observed and complained about the group think and forced conformity in higher education circles; that the prime ‘marketplace of ideas’ is actually a monopoly of leftist secular humanism remains a point of frustration for me: “The highly remunerated establishment,” Paglia quips.
She was asked, “For years now, you've been contemptuous of the postmodern intellectual climate in the elite universities. Is it as bad as it was a decade ago?”
Her (edited) reply went like this:
“It's improved. The prestige of the leading poststructuralists and postmodernists has vanished. But they still have genuine power and they have destroyed the next generation of scholars. Wherever I go, people come up to me and tell the same story - they entered graduate school and left it or staggered through it and could not get a job because of their refusal to spend their time on [French social theorist Michel] Foucault. They were treated as naive, or as traitors, and driven out. The most lively and interesting minds have been driven out of American academe. History will show that my generation, at Harvard, Princeton, Berkeley, has not produced a single work of criticism that will stand the test of time. There's no learning left! It's trash! It's gobbledygook! When my generation retires from the Ivy League, their names will be forgotten!
All these leftists are retiring as millionaires! Parents across America have bankrupted the family budget so these professors can spend their retirement years in Boca Raton.”
Amen to that! And, I would add many in academia have bankrupted their students’ ability to grapple with issues from alternative worldviews.
Sources:
Thomas Walkhom, “Afghan poll not as clear as it seems” 21 Oct. 2007. Accessed 21 Oct. 2007, Available:
http://www.thestar.com/News/article/268890
Margaret Wente, “Camille Pagila: Hillary Clinton can't win - and shouldn't.” The Globe and Mail : 18 Oct. 2007. Available: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20070915.wcamille15/BNStory/specialComment/?&pageRequested=all&print=true
Environics, 2007 Survey of Afghans, 18 Oct. 2007. Accessed 22 Oct. 2007, Available: http://research.environics.net/imagelibrary/10182007/Environics_2007_Survey_of_Afghans.pdf
Friday, October 19, 2007
Puritan Prayer
O Lord,
I am a shell full of dust,
but animated with an invisible rational soul
and made anew by an unseen power of grace;
Yet I am no rare object of valuable price,
but one that has nothing and is nothing,
although chosen of thee from eternity,
given to Christ, and born again;
I am deeply convicted of the evil and misery of a sinful state,
of the vanity of creatures,
but also of the sufficiency of Christ.
Convince me that I cannot be my own god, or make myself happy,
nor my own Christ to restore my joy,
nor my own Spirit to teach, guide, rule me.
Take away my roving eye, curious ear, greedy appetite, lustful heart;
Show me that none of these things
can heal a wounded conscience,
or support a tottering frame,
or uphold a departing spirit.
Then take me to the cross and leave me there.
Adopted from the Valley of Vision: A Collection of Puritan Prayers and Devotions
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Throne Speech
The Speech from the Throne was presented tonight. It’s a solid, encouraging document. My favourite line is the conclusion. “May your deliberations be guided by Divine Providence, may your wisdom and patriotism enlarge the prosperity of the country and promote in every way the well-being of its people.”
Amen to that!
Amen to that!
Monday, October 15, 2007
Top Selling 'Christian' Authors
I recently saw a list of the top 50 current bestselling Christian authors.
I was familiar with 17 of them.
Granted, many of them write Christian fiction novels (a market/culture completely foreign to me).
But still.
It is discouraging to see that many of the apparently most-read ‘Christian’ authors are certainly not orthodox in their teachings.
Rob Bell, T.D Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen come to mind.
I was familiar with 17 of them.
Granted, many of them write Christian fiction novels (a market/culture completely foreign to me).
But still.
It is discouraging to see that many of the apparently most-read ‘Christian’ authors are certainly not orthodox in their teachings.
Rob Bell, T.D Jakes, Joyce Meyer, and Joel Osteen come to mind.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
Times Square Church
I have been familiar with the Times Square Church, a megachurch in New York City, for a while.
I didn't realize though that the founding pastor was the same man who wrote the Cross and the Switchblade. (I own a copy of the film, which I acquired for free from the Anglican Resource Centre in Ottawa).
Also interesting is that the current senior pastor of the church is a Canadian who ministered in Ottawa before moving to New York.
I didn't realize though that the founding pastor was the same man who wrote the Cross and the Switchblade. (I own a copy of the film, which I acquired for free from the Anglican Resource Centre in Ottawa).
Also interesting is that the current senior pastor of the church is a Canadian who ministered in Ottawa before moving to New York.
Monday, October 08, 2007
Thanksgiving Hymn
Now sing we a song for the harvest:
Thanksgiving and honour and praise,
For all that the bountiful Giver
Hath given to gladden our days;
For grasses of upland and lowland,
For fruits of the garden and field,
For gold which the mine and the furrow
To delver and husbandman yield.
And thanks for the harvest of beauty,
For that which the hands cannot hold,
The harvest eyes only can gather,
And only our hearts can enfold.
We reap it on mountain and moorland;
We glean it from meadow and lea;
We garner it in from the cloudland;
We bind it in sheaves from the sea.
But now we sing deeper and higher,
Oh harvests that eye cannot see;
They ripen on mountains of duty,
Are reaped by the brave and the free.
And they have been gathered and garnered,
Some golden with honour and gain,
And some, as with heart’s blood, are ruddy,
The harvests of sorrow and pain.
O thou who art Lord of the harvest,
The Giver who gladdens our days,
Our hearts are forever repeating
Thanksgiving and honour and praise.
Amen.
W.C. Gannett and J. Chadwick
Thanksgiving and honour and praise,
For all that the bountiful Giver
Hath given to gladden our days;
For grasses of upland and lowland,
For fruits of the garden and field,
For gold which the mine and the furrow
To delver and husbandman yield.
And thanks for the harvest of beauty,
For that which the hands cannot hold,
The harvest eyes only can gather,
And only our hearts can enfold.
We reap it on mountain and moorland;
We glean it from meadow and lea;
We garner it in from the cloudland;
We bind it in sheaves from the sea.
But now we sing deeper and higher,
Oh harvests that eye cannot see;
They ripen on mountains of duty,
Are reaped by the brave and the free.
And they have been gathered and garnered,
Some golden with honour and gain,
And some, as with heart’s blood, are ruddy,
The harvests of sorrow and pain.
O thou who art Lord of the harvest,
The Giver who gladdens our days,
Our hearts are forever repeating
Thanksgiving and honour and praise.
Amen.
W.C. Gannett and J. Chadwick
Source: The Presbyterian Book of Praise, London: Oxford University Press, 1898.
Monday, October 01, 2007
Resting on God
O God most high,mostglorious
The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
But thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
They stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bound,
Thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out o f confusion,
And my defeats are thy victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
To leave every concern entirely to thee,
Every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great shepherd,
Hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
From harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
Burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
That I may bear its reproach,
Vindicate it,
See Jesus as its essence,
Know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
Unbelief mars my confidence,
Sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,
That all else is trifling.
They presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.
The Valley of Vision (p.129)
The thought of thine infinite serenity cheers me,
For I am toiling and moiling, troubled and distressed,
But thou art for ever at perfect peace.
Thy designs cause thee no fear or care of unfulfilment,
They stand fast as the eternal hills.
Thy power knows no bound,
Thy goodness no stint.
Thou bringest order out o f confusion,
And my defeats are thy victories:
The Lord God omnipotent reigneth.
I come to thee as a sinner with cares and sorrows,
To leave every concern entirely to thee,
Every sin calling for Christ’s precious blood;
Revive deep spirituality in my heart;
Let me live near to the great shepherd,
Hear His voice, know its tones, follow its calls.
Keep me from deception by causing me to abide in the truth,
From harm by helping me to walk in the power of the Spirit.
Give me intenser faith in the eternal verities,
Burning into me by experience the things I know;
Let me never be ashamed of the truth of the gospel,
That I may bear its reproach,
Vindicate it,
See Jesus as its essence,
Know in it the power of the Spirit.
Lord, help me, for I am often lukewarm and chill;
Unbelief mars my confidence,
Sin makes me forget thee.
Let the weeds that grow in my soul be cut at their roots;
Grant me to know that I truly live only when I live to thee,
That all else is trifling.
They presence alone can make me holy, devout, strong and happy.
Abide in me, gracious God.
The Valley of Vision (p.129)
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