Tales From the Darkside

Dear Pat Robertson,

I know that you know that all press is good press, so I appreciate the shout-out. And you make God look like a big mean bully who kicks people when they are down, so I'm all over that action.

But when you say that Haiti has made a pact with me, it is totally humiliating. I may be evil incarnate, but I'm no welcher. The way you put it, making a deal with me leaves folks desperate and impoverished.

Sure, in the afterlife, but when I strike bargains with people, they first get something here on earth — glamour, beauty, talent, wealth, fame, glory, a golden fiddle. Those Haitians have nothing, and I mean nothing. And that was before the earthquake. Haven't you seen "Crossroads"? Or "Damn Yankees"?

If I had a thing going with Haiti, there'd be lots of banks, skyscrapers, SUVs, exclusive night clubs, Botox — that kind of thing. An 80 percent poverty rate is so not my style. Nothing against it — I'm just saying: Not how I roll.

You're doing great work, Pat, and I don't want to clip your wings — just, come on, you're making me look bad. And not the good kind of bad. Keep blaming God. That's working. But leave me out of it, please. Or we may need to renegotiate your own contract.

Best, Satan

LILY COYLE, MINNEAPOLIS

Source

(Pat Robertson - false prophet since,what 1975 at least?)

Space: the final frontier

I was corresponding with a friend about my recollection of the lunar landing. Here's what I said:

I have two recollections. One was seeing the lunar landings at home. It was a summer night, and we had relatives over. We watched it on a B&W TV with rabbit ears.

I also have a recollection, I think in 5-6th grade, of TVs set up in the school hallways to play NASA coverage of the lunar mission. That must have been Apollo 8, a year before.

On the other hand, I think the actual mission took place during Christmas break, so I don't suppose we were seeing live coverage. It may have been a replay.

In retrospect I think it's very interesting to actually travel to a place which painters and poets and stargazers and SF writers have seen and eulogized for thousands of years. All those thousands of years looking up at the sky and gazing at that distant, luminous body. Then, in 1969, some human beings actually have a chance to leave the earth and go there for the first time. That's remarkable.

We've always seen it from afar. Seen it from earth. To be able actually make a trip to the moon, touch down, and look back at the earth from the moon, instead of looking at the moon from the earth, is a remarkable reversal in human perspective. To literally reach out and reverse our viewpoint.

All the more remarkable when you consider the primitive technology of the time.

I also think the Viking 1 exploration of Mars was equally historic. To see another planet from the surface of the planet.

In addition, I think that other unmanned probes which have explored our solar system, as well as the Hubble telescope, have been very interesting.

At the same time, it makes us aware, more than ever, of what a special planet we inhabit. It's by far the most interesting, as well as hospitable, planet in the solar system. Indeed, the only hospitable planet.

And, of course, the sheer scale of the universe imposes a severe limit on how much we can explore. We've already done about as much as we can do.

It was a fairly unique period to live through. An experience which human beings living in the past never had. And while future human beings from now on have the same experience (manned/unmanned exploration of the solar system), we've lost the element of surprise or suspense since we now know what the other moons and planets of our solar system look like up close.

There She Is! Not So Wounded As We Were Led to Believe...

For the Nerds...Paramount has released the first photo of the new old Enterprise for Star Trek XI.

Boldly Going Where We've Gone Before - With Time Travel!

Lately, I've noticed more and more Trek references around here....(C'mon, Manata, "Norman" from I Mudd...I bet you wear Spock ears too ;) )....So I thought I'd remind everybody that there is a new Trek movie in production.

Leonard Nimoy is starring as Spock...and so is Zachary Quinto.



Rather than bore you with photos and more details, I'll just refer you here. Take a look at the Quinto photos. The kid really does look like Nimoy. That's just..weird.

Oh, and while you're there...scroll down to Miscellaneous and participate in the abortion discussion. Registration is free.

I Remember When

HT: Steve:

Our Modern Chains

I remember when there were no cell phones. I remember life without laptops, desktops, and I-Pods. I remember when we talked to our neighbors and didn't look away from each other as we walked down Main Street. I remember IBM Selectrics and White-Out. I remember 45's and LP's. I remember when...

Lessons from Summer

Next Monday, where I live, school starts. Summer is unofficially over. Yeah, right, tell that to the weather. I mean, where exactly in NC are the portals to hell still open? :D

So, what are some things I learned on Summer Vacation?

1. It's good to look up long lost friends. I've been in contact with a friend in Atlanta for a couple of years now. He's seriously addicted to drugs; I've offered to fetch him and bring him back to his family up here, but he won't do it. On the other hand, I've been praying for him since I found him last year. God has moved...

He's now living in a real apartment. Considering he'd lost everything and was living in the no-tell motel for a weekly fee, that's a good thing. He has a job now too, and he has a roommate that helps out. Also, a local church is ministering to them and helping them move along the road to recovery. I assume, since the church isn't liberal or anything really unorthodox in their beliefs, they are sharing the Gospel with them too. Mark seems open. His roommate doesn't, but we all hope that will change.

Pray for Mark and his roommate. Pray God will open their hearts. They each have a long way to go. They are living in a safer place now, well safer than the "notel," but they could do better. The last time I visited, I saw that Mark had circled the name of an addiction recovery program in the area. Winter may be hard for them, as Mark walks several miles to work right now because gas is, you know, a zillion bucks a gallon.

2. Apropos 1, it's easy to blog. It's harder to minister face-to-face. Guys, and Gals, get out of your safety zone. Find somebody to whom you can minister. If that means you take a blogging vacation, do it. It's totally worth it. Granted, your work on a blog can affect many people, and you don't often know who, but on the other hand, it's a good thing to get out of the house and off the computer and give arms and legs to the Gospel - not just your intellect and fingers.

3. Learn to do online evangelism and apologetics in locations other than the blogs. You know, a lot of the Village Atheists don't bother reading what we write here and elsewhere. The same for many Mormons and others. Find someplace other than the blogs and places like the CARM boards to write.

Two of my favorites are (1) Trekbbs.com and (2) DoctorWhoForum.com. I'd encourage the other nerds here, and you know who you are, to join one or both of these and interact apologetically and evangelistically in the Misc Forum and The Neutral Zone (you have to sign up and check a box in your CP to see that one) in the former, and The Tenth Planet in the latter. There are lots of atheists and skeptics at Trekbbs (not mention Arminians and others with whom you can debate theology) and lots of Mormons and atheists at OG. At both, Christians are a distinct minority. You'll have to filter out the mockery, but if you can interact with some of the people we have on our blogs, you'll be more than able to handle that.

If you have any other suggestions for such places, please post them in the combox here.

4. Go to the Gym. One of the reasons I've not posted much in the past few months is because I decided to dedicate this year to the body. It's not just a matter of being out of shape or vanity (okay, well, yeah, I'll confess a little vanity is involved, I mean, to look as good as I do it takes lots and lots of maintenance ;) ), but because in the past 2 years, I've had two surguries around my ear, removing most of one of them because of a cancer tumor that was touching the skull when they opened up my head, and then last year, I had a terrible back injury and could barely walk from February to late September/early October. Ergo, I decided at the end of last year that I would get myself back into the gym and get myself in shape. It's also an exercise in self-discipline. I recommend you try it. Your body is God's temple, and there is a unity between your soul and your body. I've known too many Christians who get all spiritual and intellectual and act like it's okay to let the body go. Look, I'm not saying, "if you've got it flaunt it" (like the girl last night who almost wore a pair of shorts), but I am saying, "You'd better hold onto it as long as you can." Stay healthy. You don't have to get as buffed as I am ;), but you'd better exercise, particularly if, like me you live with chronic illness. I need the lean body mass in order to survive, literally.

5. The Gym can also be a good place for evangelism and apologetics. Just last night, I overheard two students at a local university discussing canonics and the differences between the Protestant and Catholic rules of faith. Now, don't you know that the next time I see them, I'll find a way to open up a discussion with them.

6. If your grandparents are still living, collect their stories before they are gone. My Grandma is 88, soon to turn 89. She's losing her memory. This year, I've been sitting with her while when my grandfather has to leave the house for a substantial length of time. I've heard more about her childhood than she has ever chosen to disclose before. I plan to pass as many of these stories down to the next generation in my family as I possibly can. This, by the way, is the way we honor our parents.

7. Finally, it doesn't hurt to let your hair down and go dancing. (Okay, so I'm bald, anyway, but...). "Back in the day" I used to love to get lost in the music on a dancefloor all by myself. I plan to do that again after Labor Day. Why? Because I think this song in particular is a lot of fun, and I want to dance to it. So call me shallow...get over it.

8. The new Battlestar Galactica really is the best show nobody is watching. Okay, so I'm a nerd, I admit it, but this series really has gotten my attention. If you've not watched, I recommend renting the first season from Netflix to get started. Next January, the last half of Season 4 ends, and with it, the series. Watch it.

A Funny Thing Happened At the Forum Today...

This evening I dropped by the local Christian bookstore and coffeehouse. I don't go there much - place is a repository of "Jesus junk," but I needed to do some work on my laptop, so I borrowed their connection to the internet.

I had the privilege of overhearing a men's Bible study. Much is to be commended of these men:

1. Three were white, four (or was it five?) were black. It's good to see "Neither Jew nor Greek..." in practice.

2. Following the tradition in many black churches, the leader would call out a reference, and a reader would read it to the group after they had all turned to it. Nice touch, I'll file that away for future use.

3. I caught snippets of their conversation. They are recovering the Gospel. They discussed the way preachers abuse the idea of "Jesus accepts us as we are," and minimize the need for repentance.

4. They danced around it, and I wanted to walk over and instruct them directly but did not, but they wondered about "Free Will," and how this worked with the necessity of man to have a new heart. They quoted from Ezekiel (I will remove your hearts of stone...), and their leader said, "It's God, not us, who gives us a new heart." I didn't quite catch it if he made the right connection to the ordu salutis or not, but I think he's on the right track. There was some oscillation between we have to repent to get a new heart and God has to make us new to repent. So, they aren't clear, but I'm praying they'll figure it out eventually.

5. They talked about wheat and tares and discussed the number of tares in the church today.

So, there is hope for us after all. You just have to open your eyes. I, for one, was encouraged. Pray for this group of men. God is opening their eyes to the Gospel. One remarked, and I've heard this comment before, that it's like unlearning much of what you've been taught as a child. He's right. There's a lot of bad ecclesiastical tradition out there today, but God is working in our midst to correct it.

Living the Land of Make Believe

Dear Children,


Americans today are living in the Land of Make Believe.

Let me introduce you to some of our citizens and attractions....







The dollar is weak because we are playing with make believe money after the banks made pretend loans for pretend homes to pretend buyers.








We have make believe science and scientists.

We also have make believe celebrities with make believe talent.





















And we have make believe political leaders who make believe they can get away with whatever they want and say we don't have any right to sit in judgment over them. This one lives in my home state of NC. We've had several of these of late. I understand that they are several of them in many states...










We have make believe ministers preaching make believe gospels. This one is very popular.

















Children, we live in the Land of Make Believe. We have make believe money, leaders, science, gospels, celebrities, and government. Is it any wonder our nation is in such turmoil? It's time to return to reality. May God have mercy on our souls.

My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad

In this day when there are so many non-family friendly shows on TV, it's hard to find anything worth watching. It's become increasingly more difficult to find men who are portrayed as functional, good fathers. Therefore, we should give credit where credit is due. I'd like to draw your attention to a game show on NBC called My Dad Is Better Than Your Dad. I watched it for the first time tonight. These fathers are modeling sportsmanship and they are taking time out of their schedules to compete with their sons and daughters while the rest of their families watch.

I don't know about you, but it does my heart good to see their wives on the sidelines leading a cheering section with the rest of their families. It does my heart good to see two wives hug each other when one their team loses. It does my heart good to see two fathers shake hands. It does my heart good to see the competing children hug. It does my heart good when a daughter says,when her team loses, "I'm just glad my Dad took time to do this with me." We need more shows like this, folks. Take the time to write NBC - snail mail, not email - to tell them you appreciate this program and the message it's sending. Encourage them to create some family oriented dramas that do the same.

From The Mailbag

This post continues a conversation from Founders. First, let's bring the readers here up-t0-date.

Mike Rucker wrote,

i'm not a fan of calvinism. it leads to what i determined were untenable conclusions. and, taken down to similarly ultimate terminii, so does arminianism

So, what you're saying, I take it, Mike, is that you have determined what is acceptable and unacceptable on the basis of what exactly? When I read statements like this, be it from Calvinists or nonCalvinists, I read the same thing I hear from High Church Roman Catholics who argue against Protestantism. They have an aprioristic idea of what is acceptable and unacceptable, so they say "Protestantism can't be true because if it is then..." We get this from the Orthodox too. In Orthodoxy, Christology controls everything. An exegetical conclusion is ruled out of bounds, even if it comes by way of sound exegetical thinking, on the basis that if true x is the result and x is unacceptable due to Orthodox tradition.

the lesson that we seem incapable of learning is that the answers are along a continuum, and do not reside at opposite ends.

So, I take it that binary logic escapes you?

did God intentionally make finding ultimate answers akin to nailing jello to a wall?

That's cute, but the question I have for you, Mike is this: Can you substantiate your position exegetically?

calvinism is no better - and no worse - than arminianism. and vice versa.

These are assertions in lieu of arguments.

God is no more sovereign than the free will man exercises. and vice versa.

Another assertion in lieu of an argument. We can figure this out easily. Where does the Bible define "free will" in libertarian terms? Please posit a theory of agent action and causality that you have derived from Scripture.

we want it to fit in a nice orderly outline here in the west - because that's how we do things.

Notice that on the one hand you're denying binary logic in your post and yet on the other, you are positing a binary difference between Eastern and Western thinking.

It's also fallacious. Christianity arose not from the West, but from the East. The "literal" method of the School of Antioch, from which the Grammatical Historical Method arose later comes not from "the West" but from the East. If you know of another way of interpreting the Bible, what's your alternative? Allegory?

All human beings employ logical thinking. We recognize truth and falsity, contradiction, etc. We are created in God's image, so we do this because we reflect God's mind in these ways. It's a basic presupposition, one you are taking for granted every time you form a sentence. Since logic is one of God's attributes, then we should certainly think that His revelation would be intelligible and that the propositions in the Bible can be linked together in a systematic, logical fashion.

Mike's reply was deleted by Tom Ascol per the rules he has for Founders. Mike has emailed me and wishes to continue this discussion. I am continuing it here, since he posted his comments publicly.

gee... now i know how samson must have felt.

can someone bring me the jawbone of an ass?

hey mike - looks like you've already got one - right under your nose!

ha, ha, ha, yeah, what a funny guy.


where to start, where to start. how about this: after millions of men have wrestled with these arguments for thousands of years, i do not have the pride nor the patience to explain to you that i have managed to figure it all out.

the corollary statement is this: you haven't either.

and it's a bit of humility that we need in nearly all circles today - from the water cooler, to the political arena, to the pulpit, to the ivory towers. however, i don't want it to be the old, 'agree to disagree' deal. i want us, this time, to use that old AA adage, 'take what we need and leave the rest.'

This is cute, but it doesn't tell us anything about truth. Is your position that truth cannot be known? If so, how do you know this? Wouldn't that be a truth statement?

gene said,
So, what you're saying, I take it, Mike, is that you have determined what is acceptable and unacceptable on the basis of what exactly?

i think that's an excellent starting point for all of us to look at. as i near the half-century mark on this third rock from the sun (yeah, i know, i know, i only look 25 - thanks), some things seem to almost have what you all would call a 'ring of (absolute) truth' about them. one of them is this: no matter how much you tell your kids how they should live, they won't assimilate all those lessons until they get out from under your wing and start living life. at that point, they can begin to put their walk to your talk, so to speak. in a nutshell: words only take them so far.
what i determine is acceptable and unacceptable, gene, in the juicy matters of life, is based on one main thing: the God Who i believe has been at work in my life. his characteristics. his persistence. his never-give-up-on-me-ism. and his intelligence and grace to allow me to have kids so i can see in my relationship with them a vivid picture of what his relationship with me is.

i think some guy said we could even call God, 'Father'. lots to learn in that little paradigm shift

How do you know what God is like, Mike? How do you know about His persistence? How do you know anything about him? Are you saying you're relying on your own autonomous intuitions? How do you measure your experience? What role does the Bible have in your understanding of God?

Mike, you said that you have determined what constitutes an acceptable/unacceptable consequence if Calvinism is true. On what basis? Shouldn't we let God determine what is unacceptable or acceptable? What I'm reading here is that you have come to this conclusion based on your own autonomous thinking, not anything the Bible says. Can you give us a nonarbitrary warrant for your intuitions? If not, how does your thinking differ, in principle, from that of the Village Atheist?

gene said,
When I read statements like this...etc. An exegetical conclusion is ruled out of bounds...etc.

exegesis is fun, but please - always wear a condom. gene, how many times do we need to parse the same verbs and arrive at the same pre-determined conclusions, only to find them again at odds with the guy across the aisle who is finishing up his own parsimony of the same verbs and arriving at his own pre-determined conclusions? like hawkeye said, "we looked in the back of your bible, frank - the devil did it." we know where those roads lead by now, i'm almost positive.

with calvinism, you always reach the point in the logic where God becomes somehow culpable for men spending eternity in hell. with arminianism, you always reach the point where it looks like Jesus didn't, in the end, really have to die because everyone could be saved.

1. Grammatical-Historical exegesis doesn't select for a particular interpretation of Scripture.

2. If you believe Calvinists are coming to Scripture with certain aprioristic ideas about God, then it's up to you to demonstrate this assertion.

3. Arminians do admit to using their ideas about the love of God and libertarian freedom.

4. If the Bible taught, as you say, that God is somehow culpable for men spending eternity in hell, wouldn't you be obligated to believe it?

it's just like on jeopardy: we already HAVE the answers.

perhaps our problem has been we've been using the wrong QUESTIONS.

What questions should we be asking? What's your alternative to exegeting Scripture?

gene said,
So, I take it that binary logic escapes you?

ha! let it never be said that i didn't always defend God's incredible sense of humor. no, gene, i've only spent my life in 1s and 0s as a Georgia Tech grad and an IT professional (but don't try this at home...). it's almost like He knew - maybe He did, after all, i mean, He's God, right? - that i would try that same approach with the Bible, and the deeper questions of life, and He was just going to sit back and laugh like hell watching me, well, like i said before, try my darndest to nail jello to the wall.

1. You said that "answers range along a continuum." That struck me and at least one other in the combox as a denial of binary logic. Is it your position that truth can contradict itself?

2. You're comparing, I gather, the Bible to "jello on the wall." This is an assertion if lieu of an argument.

3. Reading your post, it strikes me that you're mirror-reading. The Bible isn't the problem, it's your thinking process that's appropriately labeled "jello on the wall."

which brings me to another of gene's points:

That's cute, but the question I have for you, Mike is this: Can you substantiate your position exegetically?

i not only can substantiate your position, gene, i can substantiate mine, too, and just about everyone's. that's what makes this so dangblasted irritating... (i hear God laughing at me again...)

Then, by all means, Mike, present us with an exegetical argument for your position.

gene said,

These are assertions in lieu of arguments.

maybe, but they are simply the final words of someone who has walked both paths, and learned all the arguments, and learned that, in the end, God really didn't intend for us to do all this arguing.

Somehow, I don't think you've "learned all the arguments" at all, considering that, on your blog, you've accused people of "bibliolatry." It seems to me, Mike, that you're operating with a double standard, namely, you think people are being "judgmental" and believing things that you find "unacceptable," and you are sitting in judgment over them based on your own autonomous thinking. How is that not irrational?

I offered,
God is no more sovereign than the free will man exercises. and vice versa.
to which gene said,
Another assertion in lieu of an argument.

two weeks ago i was taking my kids to school on a rainy morning. we came around a curve just in time to see a car coming the opposite direction leave the road and go airborne. we pulled over as fast as we could, and ran back to see what shape the car and driver were in. the car had wound up in a clearing, the driver was ok. i walked back up to where the car had left the road. she sideswiped a lone tree that pushed her back up on the shoulder and kept her car from rolling over and down the embankment, where she no doubt would have been killed. driving 40 or 45 mph, it was just a matter of milliseconds that could have placed her either ahead of, or after, that tree.

i heard God say, "see how it all works? that free will and sovereignty thing?"

i said, "uh...i'm not sure."

he said, "don't tell anyone, but neither am I... but here's the thing: somehow, together, we get where I want us to go."

i said, "right."

1. Mike, when you're hearing voices, I suggest it's not God's voice you're hearing. You may need to visit a specialist for some medication. I used to live in Midtown Atlanta myself, I've seen my share of mental illness there. So, I'll ask you, since you deny the clarity of the Bible, how would you know it is God speaking if God did speak to you?

2. This story does nothing to illustrate your point. Please argue your statement: God is no more sovereign than the free will man exercises. and vice versa. You could begin simply by defining terms like "free will."

gene continued,
Notice that on the one hand you're denying binary logic in your post and yet on the other, you are positing a binary difference between Eastern and Western thinking.

i'm not denying anything.

I'm following your own argument. Earlier you said that answers range along a continuum. That's a denial of binary logic. Yet later, you posit a binary difference between Eastern and Western thinking.

the point i'm trying to make is that, here in the west, we have met our enemy and he is us. look at politics and congress and talk radio and the presidential race. we have reached the end of the road, where we have once and for all finally split into two camps who each intend to sit there like brats until the other side comes across the aisle.

How do "politics and congress and talk radio and the presidential race" have any bearing on theological truth?

we've answered all the easy questions on life's test by now. it's essay questions from here on, gene. the bible will give us guidance, God will give us wisdom, but the answer we pick today may be different a year from now. on everything. yes, everything.

So, in the end, you have only your own autonomous reasoning process to guide you. Sorry, Mike, you can chase your Cartesian demons all day. I'll take Scripture over that any day. If that's biblioatry, I'm guilty as charged.

All Things Are Possible

One does not know whether to post Scriptures related to patience or providence. With God all things are possible. I mean, Alpha and Omega Ministries has updated its template and layout!

Dear World

Due to uncertainty in the US economy, the MS Word Paperclip has been forced to seek part-time employment. Rumor has it that Dr. Kavorkian gave him the idea....






















Note: I've had this for quite some time - can't remember where from. No infringement of that person's rights are intended. Thanks to that person.

Baldness Is a Blessing!

HT: Justin Taylor

...For James White, "Dusman," the Dawgs @ Fide-O, and, well, for so many others I know (myself included - I've not had a good head of hair for a least a decade).

Carl Trueman writes:

Yet baldness is nonetheless a great gift from the Lord, in that it imposes a certain dignity on the ageing process by cutting off the various less dignified options (e.g., ponytails, which shouldn’t be sported by anyone over 30; and mullets which, frankly, should not be sported by anyone, anywhere, anytime. Period.). Of course, there are those, even Christians, who fight against this divinely-imposed dignity. Dreadful toupees abound in the church, along with frightful transplants, and the ubiquitous 'comb-over' or 'sweep.' The latter seems predicated on the false notion that, if you have six hairs to stretch across the barren landscape of your otherwise shiny pate, nobody will notice that you have gone completely bald. Or perhaps there is a belief somewhere that, in the country of the bald, the one-haired man is king. Come on, gents, parade your baldness with pride and accept the dignity which your divinely-imposed hair loss brings with it.

Oil & Water

This is the LORD'S doing;
It is marvelous in our eyes.

Thank all of you for your prayers, and to the bloggers, thank you for taking time to write on this subject. Please continue to keep this in the minds of your readers and the people populating your local churches.

The effect of the rain on the drought locally in NC:

1. Siler City's water supply was extended by 120 days.
2. Greensboro, NC's water supply, extended by 1 month; Lake Townsend up by 60 %
3. High Point, NC, one of their two reservoirs is overflowing its dam by five inches.

The earth was softened for many farmers. There is hope that they will be able to plant their crops. The rains were very good for our basins. Some areas received as much as 7 inches!

I have no word on the effects on Atlanta, GA or Raleigh-Durham-Chapel Hill, NC, the areas in grave need.

Please continue your prayer. We still need great amounts of rain in these plays.

Also, consider too the rising prices of oil on the market. This will affect those with heating oil costs, particularly the elderly, disabled, etc. It is my understanding that much of this price increase is related to speculation as well as a temporary cut in production in Mexico. Particularly pray the Lord will bend the hearts of greedy men who do this and those who supply it and move them such that the price of oil lowers and comes under control. Also pray for the US dollar itself to strengthen.

The Lord uses these sorts of things to drive His people to pray for His mercy. Let us not be seen ungrateful. Take time to thank our God for His mercy and goodness, and let us watch and pray, interceding for the wicked generation of which we are a part and repenting of the wickedness in ourselves.

Cylon Evolution

Let's start the week with a bit of humor, this time for the SciFi fans.

Cue music...

The Cylons Were Made By Man...



...They Rebelled...



...They Evolved...



...Some Look Just Like Us...




...And They Have A Plan!

Oh the Formality!

Steve sent me this link:


http://www.wscal.edu/alumni/facreflections/07.10.php

He commented,

Yet another tell-tale sign that Western Civilization is on the brink of collapse :-(

There's something a tad hypocritical about this. Back when I was attending chapel at WSC, it's not as if they were conducting the service in the ye olde Puritan style.

If they really think contemporary worship is decadent, why don't they lead by example?

Speaking for myself, I prefer a pictorial response, but, to be honest, no one picture quite captures what I want to say. Ergo, when it doubt:

VHS Onlyism

HT: Patrick Chan

Beware VHS-onlyism! :-)

http://tominthebox.blogspot.com/2007/09/vhs-onlyism-becoming-more-popular.html

Yes, I know, it's the TR of media.

Nobody uses Beta anymore, thank goodness (Too Latin)

Personally, I prefer the DVD version. It contains more material, and I like the extras. However, I hear the VHS only people deny the extras are canonical, what with all them new fangled alternate endings.

I'm a bit wary of the HD-DVD version. I hear it is quite detailed, perhaps overly so.

The less said about the Blue Ray-DVD version the better. It's Satan's DVD I tell you!

Aliens are Among Us!

I, for one, welcome our new alien overlords!

I've Been Tagged

I've been

tagged

by Les Puryear!

Rules:

1. Those Tagged will share 5 things they dig about Jesus.
2. Those tagged will tag 5 other bloggers.
3. Those tagged will provide a link in the comments section here of their meme so that others can read them.

Here you go:

1. He's the great high priest, in the order of Melchizedek, tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin, therefore we are can hold fast our confession and draw near with confidence to the throne of grace. By the way, I always include that last bit, because Arminians like to use Hebrews to rebut the security of the believer, but what's the point of a high priest like Jesus if he can't keep his people from apostasy?

2. He's the Mediator of a New and better covenant, making intercession for His people, whom He has drawn together from every tribe tongue and nation.

3. He's the Word of God in creation and judgment. By the way, ask yourself exactly who it was that walked with Adam in the Garden and who came looking Adam after he sinned.

4. He is the mirror of election. (Okay, so I got that from Calvin, but I like it because it reminds folks that the 3 Persons of the Trinity impenetrate.)

5. He is the Prophet like unto Moses, confirming the covenant with signs and wonders in the gospels and bringing a covenant lawsuit in the Temple courts at the end of Matthew.

(If you'll notice, I've touched on His 3 offices here, as that's one of my favorite topics about Christ).

And now, I shall tag:

Steve Hays
Jason Engwer
Timmy Brister
Nathan White
Chadwick Ivester

Indices For Google Books

See here.