Quote of the Day

"Our postmodern age is a free schooling in cynicism, so nothing is ever what it appears to be and there are no heroes once you see what really makes people tick."

- Os Guinness
http://www.christianitytoday.com/bc/2008/002/1.32.html

Fascinating Study

The Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life released a fascinating study today on religious affiliation. The website is currently down, but I’m looking forward to reviewing the data!

An interesting finding: Almost half of Americans have moved to a different religious denomination from that in which they were raised, and 28 percent have switched to a different major tradition or to no religion.

St. Alban's Anglican

It’s been a long time coming. St. Alban’s Anglican Church in Ottawa voted a few hours ago to leave the Ottawa Anglican diocese – a decision that has been discussed for many years. I will continue to pray for Rev. George Sinclair’s leadership as he seeks to shepherd this community of believers who are standing for the truth.

Source:
http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/news/story.html?id=b755d311-edf8-46d3-a71c-d039271f33e1&k=42903

ACC collapse

The collapse of the Anglican Church of Canada continues. The largest Anglican congregation in the country, Vancouver’s St. John's Shaughnessy Anglican Church, voted on Wednesday to realign with Anglican bishops of the Diocese of the Southern Cone in South America

http://www.nationalpost.com/news/story.html?id=309071&p=2

Quote of the Day

‘To elude the ban, some women began attending college in northern Cyprus, which Turkey controls, but Turkish authorities followed, according to Ms. Benli, setting up rules that forbid Turkish citizens to wear their scarves in schools there. Yet other Muslims, from Europe and Africa, are free to wear them. Turkey has even asked Bulgaria to require Turks to uncover in college, Ms. Benli said.’

“They called religious people uncontemporary,” she said. “Now they are applying very uncontemporary methods.”

Fatma Benli, Turkish lawyer and women’s rights advocate on the continuing debate over the headscarf.

Source: Sabrina Tavernise, Under a Scarf a Turkish Lawyer Fighting to Wear It. The New York Times. 9 Feb. 2008. Available: < http://www.nytimes.com/2008/02/09/world/europe/09benli.html?hp=&pagewanted=print?

IM on Lent

"Walking with Jesus through this world isn’t a vacation. It’s a vocation. It’s a conversion. A turning. A repentance. It’s the Lenten journey all the way home."

Michael Spencer - Internetmonk.com

God's Wrath

“God’s wrath cannot be construed as merely divine sorrow or grief resulting from our failure to return to His love. God’s attributes of perfect holiness and perfect love do not dilute or nullify each other; rather, they simultaneously co-exist in full scope and force. God is not angry because He loves; He is angry because He is holy, and His holiness demands full-strength execution of His perfect justice.”

Source: Jerry Bridges, Bob Bevington, The Great Exchange: My Sin for His Righteousness. Wheaton, Illinois: Crossway Books, 2007, p. 194.

NP on Mr. Huckabee

“The Huck is a walking, talking cliché for sanctimonious social conservatism (found in every country by the way) that cloaks ignorance and intolerance in a heap of religious metaphors. Religiousity is a cognitive disorder. The fanatical fundamentalists in any religion are downright delusional, and unconstitutional, because they would merge church with state if they could.”

Now, I agree with this author’s premise (Mike Huckabee is not presidential material), but am disheartened by her conclusions. This isn’t even from the Toronto Star or Slate! It’s from the ‘conservative’ National Post!

Ironically, the NYT published a column today extolling the virtues of evangelicals.

May God convict the enemies of His people of their folly.

Source:
Diane Francis, Huckabee the Hickabee be gone. 3 Feb. 2008. Accessed 3 Feb. 2008. Available: