Well, July came and went. In some ways it went by pretty fast, but the five days when my Air Conditioning was out didn't go too fast. (Remember, I live in central Texas)
Late last month, the Supreme Court finally got around to issuing a landmark opinion in a straightforward guns vs gungrabber case. They, in a 5-4 decision decided that the word people means people. Only took them about 99 days.
There was a swift reaction in Georgia and many other places, actually it is obvious they anticipated the ruling in several of those places, and they immediately began allowing people their 2nd amendment rights. Just goes to show that, in addition to having legitimacy, we have to fight to maintain our freedom.
I published two pieces this month, one on Grace vs The Law that I wrote over the past couple months, and one on recent history of the Bible, I wrote a few years ago, but never really published. I got a few lively questions from a friend on Grace vs The Law, and I must remember to thank him for the feedback.
I have begun a series on representative government, by asking if anyone knows which party they would belong to if they really had a choice and who represents them in our government. So far, no one has raised a question or an answer to that.
In my monthly Heroes and Slimeballs section, for the first time, the hero is post humus. For the non military out there, it means he was killed in the process of becoming a hero. I usually point out civilians (non police) who make us safer in our day to day life for this item, so while it does require courage (there must be some risk, and the action must be by choice) to get my attention, the hero doesn't usually pay with his life. But from time to time they do, making them all the more heroic.
My next energy forecast should be out within a couple days, and while the price of gas should drop off another 10 cents or so, I am looking at $5.70, give or take some next spring.
I am thinking of making several of these reoccurring items into regular monthly items, but I don't know if I am up to that. Promising to do something, even monthly is a big thing for me.
Maybe. We shall see.
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tuesday, July 29, 2008
Of Heroes and Slimeballs
I missed my monthly "Heroes and Slimeballs" installment last month. Guess I am not yet a professional writer.
As a reminder of what this is all about, see my January Article.
Or just remember this: "For evil to triumph, it only requires that good men should do nothing." - Edmund Burke
For this month's Heroes:
The guys who jumped on the man who was shooting up a church with a shotgun.
"John Bohstedt tackled the shooter. Immediately two others were on top of him."
Three heroes in less than one minute. It matters not that I seriously don't agree with what that Church teaches, my only regret is that at least one of them, John Bohstedt, died defending his Church.
Note to LESTER PHINNEY, should he find his way here. Good observation.
Slimeball award: I am going to take the easy way out this month. Since I really don't have time to narrow this down to which ever ones are the worst of the bunch, I will simply say Mortgage Servicing Companies in general.
These are generally the companies who you send your mortgage payments to, and who will process the paperwork if you default. They are also the ones who will reap more of a profit if you are late on payments, and still more profit if you default or get foreclosed on. In a few instances, they may even run the "mortgage rescue" companies, organizations proposing to help people who are behind in their mortgage payments, but many just take the money sent to them, and then tell their "clients" (victims) to declare bankruptcy or to walk away.
Hat tip to Credit Slips, especially at the following links:
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/mortgage_debt_home_equity/index.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/04/negotiating-wit.html
They sometimes get involved in some brazen, illegal, behavior, as seen here.
Runner up. The producers and programmers who insist on draconian protection of their "work," and add copy protection to news sites, preventing fair use. Attempting to cut and paste from some of the links above gets a pop up warning about copyright. Sad.
As a reminder of what this is all about, see my January Article.
Or just remember this: "For evil to triumph, it only requires that good men should do nothing." - Edmund Burke
For this month's Heroes:
The guys who jumped on the man who was shooting up a church with a shotgun.
"John Bohstedt tackled the shooter. Immediately two others were on top of him."
Three heroes in less than one minute. It matters not that I seriously don't agree with what that Church teaches, my only regret is that at least one of them, John Bohstedt, died defending his Church.
Note to LESTER PHINNEY, should he find his way here. Good observation.
Slimeball award: I am going to take the easy way out this month. Since I really don't have time to narrow this down to which ever ones are the worst of the bunch, I will simply say Mortgage Servicing Companies in general.
These are generally the companies who you send your mortgage payments to, and who will process the paperwork if you default. They are also the ones who will reap more of a profit if you are late on payments, and still more profit if you default or get foreclosed on. In a few instances, they may even run the "mortgage rescue" companies, organizations proposing to help people who are behind in their mortgage payments, but many just take the money sent to them, and then tell their "clients" (victims) to declare bankruptcy or to walk away.
Hat tip to Credit Slips, especially at the following links:
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/mortgage_debt_home_equity/index.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/04/negotiating-wit.html
They sometimes get involved in some brazen, illegal, behavior, as seen here.
Runner up. The producers and programmers who insist on draconian protection of their "work," and add copy protection to news sites, preventing fair use. Attempting to cut and paste from some of the links above gets a pop up warning about copyright. Sad.
Thursday, July 17, 2008
How can we know
I get asked, from time to time, how we can know that what we have in the Bible in our hands today is the same as what was written hundreds and hundreds of years ago. (I also get asked why I believe that what is in the Bible is what God intended to be in it, but that is a different matter) This is a short essay I wrote as a summary of what I have learned while studying the history of the scriptures. As with any writing, I gained a great deal of precision while writing it. I originally wrote this in 2004, and have updated it every year or two, mostly to improve the grammar.
It is still in a greatly simplified form.
I have tried to keep it to less than
three printed pages. There are
about half dozen notes at the end.
The Jews have had responsibility for assembling and keeping the Old Testament scriptures intact ever since they were written. The first five books were written around 2000 BC, the rest of them were passed down verbally until the time of the prophets[1] - when they were put into written form - while the Jews were in exile. Before this time, many of them were written in one form or another - but at the time of the prophets (and by the prophets), they were assembled and the whole was created. The elders and leaders were taken as captives to Babylon about this time and many of the peasants either went to Egypt, or were scattered. Some families[5] of them were not found until around 1970, in eastern Africa.
The Jews took the responsibility of keeping the scriptures seriously - to the extent that any error at all would result in doing an entire page over from beginning to end. But were they successful in keeping them intact? Here is some of the evidence that the scriptures are still intact.
The scattering of the Jews - and later, the scattering of the Christians - has become instrumental in keeping the purity of the scriptures. Ever since about 400 years BC, a few spiritual leaders of the Jews from every known region they occupied have met about every 100 years and compared their copies. This has prevented errors from creeping into the text - as an error found in one region's copies would be obvious to the representatives from other regions. In addition, some copies of he scriptures were lost to the world for many hundreds of years - and were found later. These also show that the scriptures have been kept faithfully.
Christians have done a similar job with the New Testament. Like the Jews, repeated persecutions caused them to scatter from west of Egypt to east of Persia and North of Bavaria (Southern Germany) in the first couple hundred years AD. Again, the spiritual leaders from these scattered regions met from time to time (sometimes with hundreds of years lapse in between) and one of the activities they engaged in at these meetings was to compare their copies of the Scriptures and their thoughts on interpretations of those Scriptures. Any changes to one set of Scriptures would show up as different from copies brought from other parts of the world.
While transcription has been precise, and fairly easy to prove (each one is simply an exact replica of all others), translation from the original languages to another has been a lot messier. While the original words never change - the languages we translate into are in continuous flux, and to a lesser extent the meaning of the original words is sometimes disputed.
Be advised, the King James Version is not the end all of accuracy. While great pains were taken to ensure its accuracy ( about 90 people worked on it for something like 15 years) they could not be any more accurate than the material they had to work with and, as they were all Englishmen, the particular world view they held. There are certain feature of it that are invaluable in studying, and no scholar of the Bible should be without a copy of the King James Version.
Also, the Roman Catholic Bible is not considered in this essay, since I do not study from it and it includes the apocrypic[2] writings, which are not considered by many Christian scholars to be sacred text. Most Bible scholars read these writings after studying the rest of the Bible, but most don't teach from them.
There are many different translations of the Bible into English, not because the Bible has changed but, because English has changed. In most translations the fight is over which words are best to use, to convey the original meaning. For instance, one passage in the New Testament says that Jesus will send us a councilor. There is some debate as to whether to translate the word as comforter, helper, advocate, or teacher, because the original word has a shade of meaning that encompasses some traits of each of those things. The King James translates it comforter. (Some translations, however, ARE considered inaccurate [3])
After the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, the New American Standard Bible (NASB - published and refined from 1952 to 1995) and the New International Version (NIV - first published in1974 and refined in 1984) were created (And the Revised Standard Edition - for the Brit's).
The differences of substance due to our improved knowledge, from earlier translations, is less than 1%, but they are substantially easier for today's reader. The NASB is considered THE standard for exacting translation. The NIV has had some controversy. The original (1974) seems to have been released prematurely - and became the subject of much venom. (Christians take accuracy seriously.) The later releases largely corrected the deficiencies (some differences from the King James and the NASB exist for readability), but many Christians have been slow to forgive.
[1] Time of the Prophets refers to an era around 400 to 800 BC, when many prophets rose up to witness to the people of Israel that they were going astray and that they would be driven into exile from the Promised Land.
[2] The apocrypha is a set of writings, added to the scriptures by the Roman Church in the 1500's. Some of them were present at the time of the Prophets, but were not included - the prophets didn't consider them cannon. Also, there is no record of Jesus quoting from any of them. When the New Testament was assembled in the 3rd (or was it the 4th?) century they were not included, primarily because Jesus did not quote from any of them, and secondarily because the Jews did not consider them cannon. (The word cannon means measure - it is the standard by which all things are measured)
[3] A few good and a few bad translations are named in the FAQ on the Electronic Bible web site E Bible dot Org - maintained by Micheal Paul Johnson. My own standard for accuracy is slightly more conservative than his, but we are in general agreement.
[4] Much of the information in this article can be
found in Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary.
Any errors are entirely my fault.
[5] Most of those found were evacuated to Israel shortly before a local war. It was determined they were indeed Jews, through DNA testing.
It is still in a greatly simplified form.
I have tried to keep it to less than
three printed pages. There are
about half dozen notes at the end.
The Jews have had responsibility for assembling and keeping the Old Testament scriptures intact ever since they were written. The first five books were written around 2000 BC, the rest of them were passed down verbally until the time of the prophets[1] - when they were put into written form - while the Jews were in exile. Before this time, many of them were written in one form or another - but at the time of the prophets (and by the prophets), they were assembled and the whole was created. The elders and leaders were taken as captives to Babylon about this time and many of the peasants either went to Egypt, or were scattered. Some families[5] of them were not found until around 1970, in eastern Africa.
The Jews took the responsibility of keeping the scriptures seriously - to the extent that any error at all would result in doing an entire page over from beginning to end. But were they successful in keeping them intact? Here is some of the evidence that the scriptures are still intact.
The scattering of the Jews - and later, the scattering of the Christians - has become instrumental in keeping the purity of the scriptures. Ever since about 400 years BC, a few spiritual leaders of the Jews from every known region they occupied have met about every 100 years and compared their copies. This has prevented errors from creeping into the text - as an error found in one region's copies would be obvious to the representatives from other regions. In addition, some copies of he scriptures were lost to the world for many hundreds of years - and were found later. These also show that the scriptures have been kept faithfully.
Christians have done a similar job with the New Testament. Like the Jews, repeated persecutions caused them to scatter from west of Egypt to east of Persia and North of Bavaria (Southern Germany) in the first couple hundred years AD. Again, the spiritual leaders from these scattered regions met from time to time (sometimes with hundreds of years lapse in between) and one of the activities they engaged in at these meetings was to compare their copies of the Scriptures and their thoughts on interpretations of those Scriptures. Any changes to one set of Scriptures would show up as different from copies brought from other parts of the world.
While transcription has been precise, and fairly easy to prove (each one is simply an exact replica of all others), translation from the original languages to another has been a lot messier. While the original words never change - the languages we translate into are in continuous flux, and to a lesser extent the meaning of the original words is sometimes disputed.
Be advised, the King James Version is not the end all of accuracy. While great pains were taken to ensure its accuracy ( about 90 people worked on it for something like 15 years) they could not be any more accurate than the material they had to work with and, as they were all Englishmen, the particular world view they held. There are certain feature of it that are invaluable in studying, and no scholar of the Bible should be without a copy of the King James Version.
Also, the Roman Catholic Bible is not considered in this essay, since I do not study from it and it includes the apocrypic[2] writings, which are not considered by many Christian scholars to be sacred text. Most Bible scholars read these writings after studying the rest of the Bible, but most don't teach from them.
There are many different translations of the Bible into English, not because the Bible has changed but, because English has changed. In most translations the fight is over which words are best to use, to convey the original meaning. For instance, one passage in the New Testament says that Jesus will send us a councilor. There is some debate as to whether to translate the word as comforter, helper, advocate, or teacher, because the original word has a shade of meaning that encompasses some traits of each of those things. The King James translates it comforter. (Some translations, however, ARE considered inaccurate [3])
After the Dead Sea Scrolls were discovered in 1947, the New American Standard Bible (NASB - published and refined from 1952 to 1995) and the New International Version (NIV - first published in1974 and refined in 1984) were created (And the Revised Standard Edition - for the Brit's).
The differences of substance due to our improved knowledge, from earlier translations, is less than 1%, but they are substantially easier for today's reader. The NASB is considered THE standard for exacting translation. The NIV has had some controversy. The original (1974) seems to have been released prematurely - and became the subject of much venom. (Christians take accuracy seriously.) The later releases largely corrected the deficiencies (some differences from the King James and the NASB exist for readability), but many Christians have been slow to forgive.
[1] Time of the Prophets refers to an era around 400 to 800 BC, when many prophets rose up to witness to the people of Israel that they were going astray and that they would be driven into exile from the Promised Land.
[2] The apocrypha is a set of writings, added to the scriptures by the Roman Church in the 1500's. Some of them were present at the time of the Prophets, but were not included - the prophets didn't consider them cannon. Also, there is no record of Jesus quoting from any of them. When the New Testament was assembled in the 3rd (or was it the 4th?) century they were not included, primarily because Jesus did not quote from any of them, and secondarily because the Jews did not consider them cannon. (The word cannon means measure - it is the standard by which all things are measured)
[3] A few good and a few bad translations are named in the FAQ on the Electronic Bible web site E Bible dot Org - maintained by Micheal Paul Johnson. My own standard for accuracy is slightly more conservative than his, but we are in general agreement.
[4] Much of the information in this article can be
found in Zondervan's Pictorial Bible Dictionary.
Any errors are entirely my fault.
[5] Most of those found were evacuated to Israel shortly before a local war. It was determined they were indeed Jews, through DNA testing.
Sunday, July 13, 2008
Represenative Govmnt, evolving thoughts
So, the presidential races are pretty well settled. If you live in one of about 20 states, like Texas, you don't have to worry about who to vote for, for president. We will go republican, several others will too, even if McCain stumbles or steers left, he will get our electoral votes.
So then, what is a voter to do?
Two things. Do you have a favorite third party?
There is a short (29 questions) quiz to see how your views stack up against the parties.
Matchmaker Quiz
Local elections. Do you know who your real representative is? If you can find yourself on a map, you should know who your representative is. Giant first step. Simply download the PDF of your state and find your county on the map. Now you know what district you are in.
More to come later.
So then, what is a voter to do?
Two things. Do you have a favorite third party?
There is a short (29 questions) quiz to see how your views stack up against the parties.
Matchmaker Quiz
Local elections. Do you know who your real representative is? If you can find yourself on a map, you should know who your representative is. Giant first step. Simply download the PDF of your state and find your county on the map. Now you know what district you are in.
More to come later.
Thursday, July 10, 2008
Grace, The Law, and Works
Salvation, in a nutshell.
A New Testament Perspective
Grace, The Law, and Works:
A short study on the New Covenant, why The Law does not apply to Christians, and why that does not give them a free pass, or fire escape, to Heaven.
Disclaimer: I am an Evangelical (aka "Born Again") Christian who has been studying the Bible seriously for only a few years. I am not a Jew (except in the "grafted in" sense of the title). I also have more than a few disputes with other evangelicals about their interpretation of how Christians are supposed to conduct their affairs. I am in no way a conformist, but have listened to many pastors and scholars on this subject. After much analysis, I must set down my own viewpoint in writing.
First, a few definitions.
1. There is (and has been, for many years) a struggle going on between different viewpoints in various Christian (and Messianic Jewish) Churches. The main thrust of this struggle is to define what must a Christian do or not do. Are we bound by The Law or, through the freedom of Grace, do we live outside the control of The Law? Related to this, if salvation is not by works, why is there so much emphasis on works in so much of the scriptures.
2. Part of the confusion comes from the language the Bible uses to describe our situation. It talks about sin, and about liberty. About keeping His commands, and about being dead to The Law. About being circumcised of the heart, and being wary of those who call themselves circumcised. How are we then to know? We must read carefully, and we must understand the context. As such, I will excerpt verses and some small quotes, but I implore the reader to go and study the context of each of these excerpts and quotes. I will also, on occasion refer to more than one English translation of a verse, since English is a fluid language where many words don't mean what they did in centuries past, and also, in some cases there may be trouble getting the correct flavor of meaning as translated from the Greek. In many instances I will provide my view of the context, but that doesn't lessen my desire for the reader to go there themselves to study on their own. (In fact, much of my other writings have been trying to get others to study the Scriptures, because a Christian with even just 1000 hours of study behind them is almost impossible to be mislead by others.)
3. In studying the New Testament, a couple of the first things we come to are John the Baptist and the Sermon On the Mount. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees "produce fruit" and Jesus, in the the opening paragraphs to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:17-20) tells people "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law" and "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." How then is anyone supposed to get to Heaven?
4. Grace, of course. And Grace is the stumbling block
laid before many religious leaders, both then, and now.
5. Now we come to this thing about the Sermon on the Mount in a different light. Since NO ONE can live up to the standard demanded of us, and Grace is the only way to Heaven, what is the overall point of the entire sermon. Jesus is simply showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the standard cannot be met. In the process of that sermon, however, I will note one statement: "I came ...to fulfil" (5:17ASB), we will come back to it later.
6. Next we must consider what Jesus to His disciples at various times and in various parables. For instance, in Matt 9:12 (and 12:7) He says "But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (NASB) and in Matt 16:5-12 He warns them about the teachings of the Pharisees. In addition, on the subject of the Temple Tax (Tithing), He asks Peter "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" Thereby showing Peter that they, as Sons of the King, will no longer be bound to paying "the Tithe" to the Temple (don't think this gets you out of giving to your Church, I will get to that later).
7. Here we must note in Matthew 18:3 that He says we must become like children, in John 14:18 says "I will not leave you as orphans" and in Luke 11 (NASB) He teaches them to pray: "Father, hallowed be Your name" and later in the same chapter warns: "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." (NASB)
8. We should also know that, although God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, some things do change, in how we relate to God. Many try to explain this through the doctrines of Dispensationalism and others through Covenant Theology, but I will leave that for another day. For the time being, I will simply point out that some things do change, and give a small example: Luke 22:35-36 (NASB) And He said to them, "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, "No, nothing." And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one."
9. Shortly after the above discussions Jesus shows that he is to finish what is written about Him. In Luke 11:37 "that which refers to Me has its fulfillment" and John 19:30, as He died on the Cross, He said "It is finished." (this is what I told you we would come back to at the end of paragraph 5) I believe this refers to what is referred to in Hebrews 8:13, that He made the Old Covenant of The Law obsolete.
10. So then, what was Jesus referring to when He said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father" ?
11. Well, if we read the New Testament we can see that He gave His disciples some new commandments. Some are easy to spot: "Love one another" (John 13:34). Be on guard against greed (Luke 12:15). Pray always, and don't be discouraged (Luke 18:1). Watch, that no one deceives you (Matt 24:4). There are many others.
12. Further, we might consider the Apostle Paul's teachings. Most of Paul's letters were written to Churches, therefore they are named for the Churches he wrote them to. Some are to encourage the Church (the Church in Philippi is a shining example of this) but most of them are to correct doctrinal errors which were either creeping in (or being smuggled in by Judaisers), or to chasten them to get back on track (Corinthians). Three of them were written to Pastors Timothy and Titus, for direction as to how a Church is to be run.
13. In Galatians 2:11 - 3:18 Paul discusses The Law and Grace. Note that Peter is said to "live like a Gentile" when "those who were of the circumcision" were not around. Paul said that Peter was "not straightforward about the truth of the gospel" and he was compelling the Gentiles to live like Jews. And further tells the Galatians to consider if they are saved by faith, how do they think they can be kept saved by works of The Law? (paraphrased). And yet further, Paul tells them if they are going to live by The Law, they must live by ALL of The Law - which, of course, we know is impossible.
14. Again, in Ephesians, Paul visits this issue. Beginning with my favorite verses, Eph 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast" (don't worry, we will get to verse 10 shortly). He really gets explicit in verse 15 with "having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Also check out Collossians 2:11-23, 1 Timothy 1:9 and Matthew 15:11.
15. What of works?
16. Does this mean works are worthless? Not so. Indeed, we "are created for" good works, as it says in Ephesians 2:10 (I told you we would get back to that one) we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." This mean not only are we to do good works, but that is what we were created for. In addition, we can see that God Himself prepared these good works that we should do them. He knew we would be there, and He arranged the opportunities for us to do the good works.
17. One of the most famous so called contradictions in the Bible is James telling us to show our faith through our works. But we can see how these fit together if we go back to John 13:34, where Jesus says: "Love one another" and if you look at the definition of Love supplied at the beginning of this essay, you will see that is something you do. It is a work.
18. Several times in the New Testament (Matt 7:15-16, 7:20, 8:8, Luke 12:35, 13:8, John 15:10) Jesus talks about fruit. And not only Jesus, but Paul and some of the others talk about "The Fruit of the Spirit." What can this "fruit" be, except works, and the results of works?
19. What are these fruit, and what should be the result? James (1:27) tells us that true religion is to look after widows and orphans. In James 2:15-16, the author asks what profit are pious words if you are not generous towards your brothers and sisters (in Christ) with food and clothing. In Corinthians 13, Paul says all other gifts are worthless without love ("charity" in the old english). In Acts and Timothy, we are instructed to care for each other and widows. (In Timothy it also is very direct about children taking care of their widowed mothers - and it should be mentioned that the term widow means to be deprived, not just through death of a spouse).
20. We can often and easily become confused, if we do not study (and not merely read) the scriptures. For instance, Malachi says to bring in the tithe (tenth) into the storehouse. But look at who it is written to. Not to Christians, but to the Israelites. And then, not even to individuals, but to the nation as a whole (See chapter 1 verse 1). And which storehouse? The nation of Israel had storehouses for the priests and temples, and the nation was to care for their priests and temples (or synagogues) with their tithes. In the New Testament, the "Church" is the body of believers. But we are told in 1 Corinthians 9 (especially verses 13 and 14) to support those who teach (or preach) the Gospel. While the old Law of the Tithe is gone, a new commandment to support those who teach has taken its place. No set amount is given, but we are to give generously out of a spirit of Joy.
21. How then are we to discern the truth? We must read the Scriptures, but read them with care for the context. We must study them to discern their meaning. Look again at 1 Corinthians 9, but this time at verses 7 - 12. Paul shows that we should be aware of the "meaning behind the meaning." There is no magic to this, but it is the result of the Spirit revealing Truth to us through a continued effort to study the Scriptures.
A New Testament Perspective
Salvation occurs when a person realizes that they are a sinner, and no matter how hard they try they will never achieve the righteousness needed to please God. In fact they, as a sinner, are repulsive to God. But God, in His infinite love, gave His only begotten Son to pay the price to redeem us, and His righteousness is imparted to us for salvation. It means turning away from the worldly idea that we can be "good enough" to earn our way to heaven and instead having faith that the grace of God is sufficient, if we will trust in Him. After that, and only after that, we should, out of gratitude for what He has already done for us, seek to follow Him. Following Him means Loving God, Loving one another, and spreading the good news of Salvation through Jesus, to others.
"I do not set aside
the grace of God:
for if righteousness
comes through the law,
then Christ died in vain"
(Galatians 2:21)
Grace, The Law, and Works:
A short study on the New Covenant, why The Law does not apply to Christians, and why that does not give them a free pass, or fire escape, to Heaven.
Disclaimer: I am an Evangelical (aka "Born Again") Christian who has been studying the Bible seriously for only a few years. I am not a Jew (except in the "grafted in" sense of the title). I also have more than a few disputes with other evangelicals about their interpretation of how Christians are supposed to conduct their affairs. I am in no way a conformist, but have listened to many pastors and scholars on this subject. After much analysis, I must set down my own viewpoint in writing.
First, a few definitions.
- Church: As in the Bible, this does not refer to a building. It refers to a group of Believers,
or it can refer to All Believers everywhere. I will occasionally use church without
capitalizing it to refer to the building. When used properly, it will be capitalized. - Grace: Often stated as God's Riches At Christ's Expense, the word means to be given
something as a gift, wholly undeserved, and without any debt owed in return.
Grace differs from Mercy in that Grace is getting something you don't deserve
and Mercy is escaping something you do deserve. - Love: Not a feeling, as the world knows it, but a call to action. Love is acting in a manner
beneficial to the object of that love, and placing their benefit ahead of the one showing love.
(Most good, Old English dictionaries will list this, but usually mixed in with lots
of newer, touchy freely, definitions) - The Law: This usually refers to the Mosaic Law, or all of the legal requirements found in Exodus, Leviticus, and Deuteronomy. It sometimes includes Noaic Law (there is a dispute as to whether this even exists) or Rabinical Law, that which was developed as a result of the Priests studying the Mosaic Law.
- Scriptures : 1. For this document, or any other of my writings only, (when others use the word "scripture" it may mean something somewhat different) When not capitalized, I am referring to any writings from around the time of Christ or before that carry weight in the Protestant Christian Churches (whether mainstream Protestant, Lutheran, or Methodist or sectarian, like the Baptists, Puritans, or Assembly of God.)
- Scriptures: 2. When capitalized, it refers to either the Hebrew Scriptures (Old Testament) or the Christian Scriptures (New Testament), or both. And I will always try to point out which. Temple For this discussion, will mean any place where Jews meet to worship or learn. (Synagogue)
- Works: These are all of the actions taken by a person, whether related to God, or to other persons.
Bible Translations used in this article:
ASB American Standard Bible (1901)
KJV King James Authorized Version (1611)
NASB New American Standard Bible (1971 or 1995)
(Found at http://nasb.scripturetext.com/)
NIV New International Version (1984)
NKJV New King James Version (1982)
1. There is (and has been, for many years) a struggle going on between different viewpoints in various Christian (and Messianic Jewish) Churches. The main thrust of this struggle is to define what must a Christian do or not do. Are we bound by The Law or, through the freedom of Grace, do we live outside the control of The Law? Related to this, if salvation is not by works, why is there so much emphasis on works in so much of the scriptures.
2. Part of the confusion comes from the language the Bible uses to describe our situation. It talks about sin, and about liberty. About keeping His commands, and about being dead to The Law. About being circumcised of the heart, and being wary of those who call themselves circumcised. How are we then to know? We must read carefully, and we must understand the context. As such, I will excerpt verses and some small quotes, but I implore the reader to go and study the context of each of these excerpts and quotes. I will also, on occasion refer to more than one English translation of a verse, since English is a fluid language where many words don't mean what they did in centuries past, and also, in some cases there may be trouble getting the correct flavor of meaning as translated from the Greek. In many instances I will provide my view of the context, but that doesn't lessen my desire for the reader to go there themselves to study on their own. (In fact, much of my other writings have been trying to get others to study the Scriptures, because a Christian with even just 1000 hours of study behind them is almost impossible to be mislead by others.)
3. In studying the New Testament, a couple of the first things we come to are John the Baptist and the Sermon On the Mount. John the Baptist tells the Pharisees "produce fruit" and Jesus, in the the opening paragraphs to the Sermon on the Mount (Matt 5:17-20) tells people "one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass away from the law" and "except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven." How then is anyone supposed to get to Heaven?
4. Grace, of course. And Grace is the stumbling block
laid before many religious leaders, both then, and now.
5. Now we come to this thing about the Sermon on the Mount in a different light. Since NO ONE can live up to the standard demanded of us, and Grace is the only way to Heaven, what is the overall point of the entire sermon. Jesus is simply showing beyond a shadow of a doubt that the standard cannot be met. In the process of that sermon, however, I will note one statement: "I came ...to fulfil" (5:17ASB), we will come back to it later.
6. Next we must consider what Jesus to His disciples at various times and in various parables. For instance, in Matt 9:12 (and 12:7) He says "But go and learn what this means: ‘I DESIRE COMPASSION, AND NOT SACRIFICE,’ for I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners." (NASB) and in Matt 16:5-12 He warns them about the teachings of the Pharisees. In addition, on the subject of the Temple Tax (Tithing), He asks Peter "What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect customs or poll-tax, from their sons or from strangers?" Thereby showing Peter that they, as Sons of the King, will no longer be bound to paying "the Tithe" to the Temple (don't think this gets you out of giving to your Church, I will get to that later).
7. Here we must note in Matthew 18:3 that He says we must become like children, in John 14:18 says "I will not leave you as orphans" and in Luke 11 (NASB) He teaches them to pray: "Father, hallowed be Your name" and later in the same chapter warns: "Woe to you lawyers! For you have taken away the key of knowledge; you yourselves did not enter, and you hindered those who were entering." (NASB)
8. We should also know that, although God is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow, some things do change, in how we relate to God. Many try to explain this through the doctrines of Dispensationalism and others through Covenant Theology, but I will leave that for another day. For the time being, I will simply point out that some things do change, and give a small example: Luke 22:35-36 (NASB) And He said to them, "When I sent you out without money belt and bag and sandals, you did not lack anything, did you?" They said, "No, nothing." And He said to them, "But now, whoever has a money belt is to take it along, likewise also a bag, and whoever has no sword is to sell his coat and buy one."
9. Shortly after the above discussions Jesus shows that he is to finish what is written about Him. In Luke 11:37 "that which refers to Me has its fulfillment" and John 19:30, as He died on the Cross, He said "It is finished." (this is what I told you we would come back to at the end of paragraph 5) I believe this refers to what is referred to in Hebrews 8:13, that He made the Old Covenant of The Law obsolete.
10. So then, what was Jesus referring to when He said: "He who has My commandments and keeps them is the one who loves Me; and he who loves Me will be loved by My Father" ?
11. Well, if we read the New Testament we can see that He gave His disciples some new commandments. Some are easy to spot: "Love one another" (John 13:34). Be on guard against greed (Luke 12:15). Pray always, and don't be discouraged (Luke 18:1). Watch, that no one deceives you (Matt 24:4). There are many others.
12. Further, we might consider the Apostle Paul's teachings. Most of Paul's letters were written to Churches, therefore they are named for the Churches he wrote them to. Some are to encourage the Church (the Church in Philippi is a shining example of this) but most of them are to correct doctrinal errors which were either creeping in (or being smuggled in by Judaisers), or to chasten them to get back on track (Corinthians). Three of them were written to Pastors Timothy and Titus, for direction as to how a Church is to be run.
13. In Galatians 2:11 - 3:18 Paul discusses The Law and Grace. Note that Peter is said to "live like a Gentile" when "those who were of the circumcision" were not around. Paul said that Peter was "not straightforward about the truth of the gospel" and he was compelling the Gentiles to live like Jews. And further tells the Galatians to consider if they are saved by faith, how do they think they can be kept saved by works of The Law? (paraphrased). And yet further, Paul tells them if they are going to live by The Law, they must live by ALL of The Law - which, of course, we know is impossible.
14. Again, in Ephesians, Paul visits this issue. Beginning with my favorite verses, Eph 2:8-9 "For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, 9 not of works, lest anyone should boast" (don't worry, we will get to verse 10 shortly). He really gets explicit in verse 15 with "having abolished in the flesh the hostility, the law of commandments contained in ordinances." Also check out Collossians 2:11-23, 1 Timothy 1:9 and Matthew 15:11.
15. What of works?
16. Does this mean works are worthless? Not so. Indeed, we "are created for" good works, as it says in Ephesians 2:10 (I told you we would get back to that one) we are "created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them." This mean not only are we to do good works, but that is what we were created for. In addition, we can see that God Himself prepared these good works that we should do them. He knew we would be there, and He arranged the opportunities for us to do the good works.
17. One of the most famous so called contradictions in the Bible is James telling us to show our faith through our works. But we can see how these fit together if we go back to John 13:34, where Jesus says: "Love one another" and if you look at the definition of Love supplied at the beginning of this essay, you will see that is something you do. It is a work.
18. Several times in the New Testament (Matt 7:15-16, 7:20, 8:8, Luke 12:35, 13:8, John 15:10) Jesus talks about fruit. And not only Jesus, but Paul and some of the others talk about "The Fruit of the Spirit." What can this "fruit" be, except works, and the results of works?
19. What are these fruit, and what should be the result? James (1:27) tells us that true religion is to look after widows and orphans. In James 2:15-16, the author asks what profit are pious words if you are not generous towards your brothers and sisters (in Christ) with food and clothing. In Corinthians 13, Paul says all other gifts are worthless without love ("charity" in the old english). In Acts and Timothy, we are instructed to care for each other and widows. (In Timothy it also is very direct about children taking care of their widowed mothers - and it should be mentioned that the term widow means to be deprived, not just through death of a spouse).
20. We can often and easily become confused, if we do not study (and not merely read) the scriptures. For instance, Malachi says to bring in the tithe (tenth) into the storehouse. But look at who it is written to. Not to Christians, but to the Israelites. And then, not even to individuals, but to the nation as a whole (See chapter 1 verse 1). And which storehouse? The nation of Israel had storehouses for the priests and temples, and the nation was to care for their priests and temples (or synagogues) with their tithes. In the New Testament, the "Church" is the body of believers. But we are told in 1 Corinthians 9 (especially verses 13 and 14) to support those who teach (or preach) the Gospel. While the old Law of the Tithe is gone, a new commandment to support those who teach has taken its place. No set amount is given, but we are to give generously out of a spirit of Joy.
21. How then are we to discern the truth? We must read the Scriptures, but read them with care for the context. We must study them to discern their meaning. Look again at 1 Corinthians 9, but this time at verses 7 - 12. Paul shows that we should be aware of the "meaning behind the meaning." There is no magic to this, but it is the result of the Spirit revealing Truth to us through a continued effort to study the Scriptures.
Tuesday, July 01, 2008
Swift reaction in Georgia
Is this swift reaction? No, actually I think it anticipated the decision from the Supreme Court. Meanwhile, the director of the FBI takes a decidedly un-American stand.
From various articles:
Effective today, the Georgia House Bill 89 becomes law and allows Georgia residents with firearm licenses permission to bring concealed weapons onto public transportation, in parks and recreational areas and into restaurants that serve alcohol.
Most employees with a valid concealed weapons license are now allowed to keep a gun in their locked vehicles while at work — regardless of whether employers ban weapons on the property. Exceptions include schools, governmental buildings, courthouses, correctional facilities, airports and other businesses considered "high security."
The Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008 was immediately challenged after Gov. Charlie Crist signed the bill into law in April. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation filed a joint lawsuit claiming the law violates the rights of business owners.
ATLANTA (AP) Starting Tuesday, Georgians with gun permits will be able to bring their firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol, aboard public transportation and in state parks.
The gun measure is of one of more than 100 new laws set to take effect on the July 1 start of the fiscal year. Critics and supporters alike say it's the largest expansion of gun rights in Georgia in decades.
Meanwhile, the director of the FBI is not happy with the Supreme Court's recent handgun ruling.
Robert Mueller says he tends to believe that "weapons harm people, He says communities will now have to decide their own licensing programs. Mueller was speaking at a convention of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in Hartford, Connecticut. He says with his grandchildren going to college, he hopes "those campuses will be weapons-free."
What is he, shilling for HCI, or in league with Al-Qaeda and China? Of course, he, like many who don't want us to be able to defend ourselves, carries his own gun, and has his own personal protection. Many others who don't want you to be able to defend yourself even have armed body guards, as well as their own guns. They just don't want normal people to have the same rights as them and their elitest friends.
From various articles:
Effective today, the Georgia House Bill 89 becomes law and allows Georgia residents with firearm licenses permission to bring concealed weapons onto public transportation, in parks and recreational areas and into restaurants that serve alcohol.
Most employees with a valid concealed weapons license are now allowed to keep a gun in their locked vehicles while at work — regardless of whether employers ban weapons on the property. Exceptions include schools, governmental buildings, courthouses, correctional facilities, airports and other businesses considered "high security."
The Preservation and Protection of the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in Motor Vehicles Act of 2008 was immediately challenged after Gov. Charlie Crist signed the bill into law in April. The Florida Chamber of Commerce and the Florida Retail Federation filed a joint lawsuit claiming the law violates the rights of business owners.
ATLANTA (AP) Starting Tuesday, Georgians with gun permits will be able to bring their firearms in restaurants that serve alcohol, aboard public transportation and in state parks.
The gun measure is of one of more than 100 new laws set to take effect on the July 1 start of the fiscal year. Critics and supporters alike say it's the largest expansion of gun rights in Georgia in decades.
Meanwhile, the director of the FBI is not happy with the Supreme Court's recent handgun ruling.
Robert Mueller says he tends to believe that "weapons harm people, He says communities will now have to decide their own licensing programs. Mueller was speaking at a convention of the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators in Hartford, Connecticut. He says with his grandchildren going to college, he hopes "those campuses will be weapons-free."
What is he, shilling for HCI, or in league with Al-Qaeda and China? Of course, he, like many who don't want us to be able to defend ourselves, carries his own gun, and has his own personal protection. Many others who don't want you to be able to defend yourself even have armed body guards, as well as their own guns. They just don't want normal people to have the same rights as them and their elitest friends.
Monday, June 30, 2008
June End of Month Roundup
In the past, I used this as a collection point for things I had not gotten to in the month, but that isn't the right thing to do. In the future, I will use it to rehash some recent (maybe more than a month) discussions, and maybe to add something to them.
Without a doubt, the biggest news this month has been the Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment. There has also been stories of persecution of Christians in Canada, under the guise of Human Rights Tribunals. A little more on the subject.
Fuel prices continue to be high, and speculation is part of the cause. But the biggest cause is China's steadily increasing usage. When you want to blame someone for the high price of gas, some of the blame has to go to our willingness to trade with a nation that has no qualms about persecuting Christians and poisoning us. I would expect the price to stay near $4 a gallon for the rest of the year, then rise to over $5 a gallon next spring. This is just some preliminary forecasting.
I recently added some information on my policies for copying articles from this blog, and have begun a section on permanent links to that and other articles of enduring interest. The Ephesus Project is still on hold, but should be getting under way again soon.
Without a doubt, the biggest news this month has been the Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment. There has also been stories of persecution of Christians in Canada, under the guise of Human Rights Tribunals. A little more on the subject.
Fuel prices continue to be high, and speculation is part of the cause. But the biggest cause is China's steadily increasing usage. When you want to blame someone for the high price of gas, some of the blame has to go to our willingness to trade with a nation that has no qualms about persecuting Christians and poisoning us. I would expect the price to stay near $4 a gallon for the rest of the year, then rise to over $5 a gallon next spring. This is just some preliminary forecasting.
I recently added some information on my policies for copying articles from this blog, and have begun a section on permanent links to that and other articles of enduring interest. The Ephesus Project is still on hold, but should be getting under way again soon.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
Anemic ruling may be sufficient
Less than a week after the release of the ruling by the Supreme Court on the handgun ban in Washington DC, thousands of articles and blogs have already presented analysis of it. Many will have good analysis and some will be tripe. I have read virtually none of it, but I have put in some time looking at the ruling itself, and therefor will add my two cents to the growing mountain of analysis. I only pray that I may be clear and accurate.
The US Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment is overly narrow and shallow. After 99 days of deliberation (and apparently, some infighting) they came to a 5 to 4 decision, with the minority providing not just one, but two, dissenting opinions. Despite Justice Scalia writing 63 pages of well defined logic, the resulting majority opinion is downright anemic.
But it may be sufficient.
The actual ruling only applies to Washington DC. And only to the encroachment of a total ban on any working firearm. And only to those kept in the home. And it leaves an opening to force registration and licensing of ALL firearms.
(I must admit, at this point, that some of these limitations on their ruling are inherent in the underlying case brought before them - especially that the plaintiff sought ONLY permission to own a handgun in his own home for self defense, and was content to allow the District of Columbia to regulate and license that right as if it were a permission.)
But it decouples the first and second clauses of the 2nd Amendment. And that may be the key. It also clarifies that the word "people" means people, and does not have some cryptic satanic reverse meaning that can only be seen by liberals.
Already, several suits have been filed, attempting to force other cities to
grant those rights which are granted by God, and guaranteed by our Constitution. Many of these will be successful. Especially in the Fifth Circuit, where I live. Some of them will fail. Quite possibly, the Ninth Circuit might find some cryptic satanic message in the writings of the Supreme Court that allow it to ignore the plain meaning of Justice Scalia's writings.
But the decoupling of the first and second phrases in the Amendment and defining the word "people" to mean citizens, will dispel a lot of the liberal tripe that surrounds this subject.
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/dc-v-heller-round-up/
Supreme Court Decision, pdf format
May it please be sufficient.
And if anyone wishes further analysis from me, I will try to oblige.
The US Supreme Court ruling on the 2nd Amendment is overly narrow and shallow. After 99 days of deliberation (and apparently, some infighting) they came to a 5 to 4 decision, with the minority providing not just one, but two, dissenting opinions. Despite Justice Scalia writing 63 pages of well defined logic, the resulting majority opinion is downright anemic.
But it may be sufficient.
The actual ruling only applies to Washington DC. And only to the encroachment of a total ban on any working firearm. And only to those kept in the home. And it leaves an opening to force registration and licensing of ALL firearms.
(I must admit, at this point, that some of these limitations on their ruling are inherent in the underlying case brought before them - especially that the plaintiff sought ONLY permission to own a handgun in his own home for self defense, and was content to allow the District of Columbia to regulate and license that right as if it were a permission.)
But it decouples the first and second clauses of the 2nd Amendment. And that may be the key. It also clarifies that the word "people" means people, and does not have some cryptic satanic reverse meaning that can only be seen by liberals.
Already, several suits have been filed, attempting to force other cities to
grant those rights which are granted by God, and guaranteed by our Constitution. Many of these will be successful. Especially in the Fifth Circuit, where I live. Some of them will fail. Quite possibly, the Ninth Circuit might find some cryptic satanic message in the writings of the Supreme Court that allow it to ignore the plain meaning of Justice Scalia's writings.
But the decoupling of the first and second phrases in the Amendment and defining the word "people" to mean citizens, will dispel a lot of the liberal tripe that surrounds this subject.
http://www.scotusblog.com/wp/dc-v-heller-round-up/
Supreme Court Decision, pdf format
May it please be sufficient.
And if anyone wishes further analysis from me, I will try to oblige.
Wednesday, June 25, 2008
Supreme Court, Busy Day
Well, it is looking like a busy day in the blogging and talk radio worlds. The Supreme Court is supposed to return several decisions today, possibly the most important of which is the case of DC v Heller, that they deliberated on for apparently 99 days (since March 18th). Could they really be this slow? Most of their cases are resolved in 2 to 4 weeks, and this could only mean they are somewhat scared to make a ruling.
My previous entry on this subject and the article on the Supreme Court's simi-official news outlet provide details of what could be so difficult in this case.
Frankly, I could have saved them 3 months work by sending each of them copies of Webster's Dictionary and Black's Law Dictionary. Nonetheless, they will of course, try to hedge and limit the scope of their judgement. They always do. Maybe it's job security, but they always try to reach as narrow a judgement as possible.
The Supreme Court, and the Appellate Courts (about nine of them, known as the Circuit Courts) act like the keel of a boat - forcing the boat to keep as straight a line as possible, and keeping the Law of the Land as constant as possible. Without these courts, the country's laws could be very different every 4 years.
The Supreme Court news site is expecting a lot of traffic today, so I might wait an extra day to look into this. Then of course, it will take a few days for me to analyse it, so I will probably comment again on this in a week or so.
My previous entry on this subject and the article on the Supreme Court's simi-official news outlet provide details of what could be so difficult in this case.
Frankly, I could have saved them 3 months work by sending each of them copies of Webster's Dictionary and Black's Law Dictionary. Nonetheless, they will of course, try to hedge and limit the scope of their judgement. They always do. Maybe it's job security, but they always try to reach as narrow a judgement as possible.
The Supreme Court, and the Appellate Courts (about nine of them, known as the Circuit Courts) act like the keel of a boat - forcing the boat to keep as straight a line as possible, and keeping the Law of the Land as constant as possible. Without these courts, the country's laws could be very different every 4 years.
The Supreme Court news site is expecting a lot of traffic today, so I might wait an extra day to look into this. Then of course, it will take a few days for me to analyse it, so I will probably comment again on this in a week or so.
Thursday, June 19, 2008
Persecution comes to Canada
Some who know me know that I support the Persecuted Church through some (admittedly, very small) donations to the Voice of the Martyrs.
One of the items they mailed me a while back, is a map showing in which countries and regions persecution takes place on a major or nationally sanctioned level. With only a couple exceptions, persecution of Christians in all parts of the world can be credited to Muslims or Communists.
Muslims try to cozy up to Christians in the US, by telling the public that we are not that much different, and that they are no threat to us, but anyone who looks at Muslims around the world knows better.
In addition, even while trying to cozy up to us, they try to undermine Christianity by trying to undermine the Bible as Truth.
But it seems persecution is happening closer and closer to home. In the US, the attacks are more subtle, such as Hollywood portraying us as weird, and the
occasional school administrator using Political Correctness to attack Christianity
However, in Canada (and several countries in Europe) the PC attack has gained an unprecedented foothold in the legal system. Much like the ACLU has been hostile to Christianity in the US, and gets paid - to be - hostile, there are so called government watchdogs in Canada who are being paid to persecute the Church under the guise of Political Correctness.
These are tribunals, kangaroo courts really, supposedly set up to help people get along in polite society. But in reality, they are being used to persecute Christians for practicing their religion. Yes, I know the article references a government sponsored attack on a Roman Catholic Priest, and that I always have very little good to say about that religion, but an attack on them by Muslims or Gays, (more here) sponsored by the Canadian government, is still an attack on all Christianity.
The pen is reputed to be mightier than the sword -- and probably is, over the longer stretches of history. Over the shorter stretches, the sword is definitive; or, as that great Leftist sage, Mao Tse-Tung, expressed it: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
So, if you think it can't happen here, just remember, it is already happening in Canada.
One of the items they mailed me a while back, is a map showing in which countries and regions persecution takes place on a major or nationally sanctioned level. With only a couple exceptions, persecution of Christians in all parts of the world can be credited to Muslims or Communists.
Muslims try to cozy up to Christians in the US, by telling the public that we are not that much different, and that they are no threat to us, but anyone who looks at Muslims around the world knows better.
In addition, even while trying to cozy up to us, they try to undermine Christianity by trying to undermine the Bible as Truth.
But it seems persecution is happening closer and closer to home. In the US, the attacks are more subtle, such as Hollywood portraying us as weird, and the
occasional school administrator using Political Correctness to attack Christianity
However, in Canada (and several countries in Europe) the PC attack has gained an unprecedented foothold in the legal system. Much like the ACLU has been hostile to Christianity in the US, and gets paid - to be - hostile, there are so called government watchdogs in Canada who are being paid to persecute the Church under the guise of Political Correctness.
These are tribunals, kangaroo courts really, supposedly set up to help people get along in polite society. But in reality, they are being used to persecute Christians for practicing their religion. Yes, I know the article references a government sponsored attack on a Roman Catholic Priest, and that I always have very little good to say about that religion, but an attack on them by Muslims or Gays, (more here) sponsored by the Canadian government, is still an attack on all Christianity.
The pen is reputed to be mightier than the sword -- and probably is, over the longer stretches of history. Over the shorter stretches, the sword is definitive; or, as that great Leftist sage, Mao Tse-Tung, expressed it: "Political power grows out of the barrel of a gun."
So, if you think it can't happen here, just remember, it is already happening in Canada.
Wednesday, June 18, 2008
Red Cross
Well, the Red Cross disaster relief fund is all tapped out. Had to happen sooner or later. There has been, and will continue to be an upwards trend in disasters. And in some of those disasters, the "victims" have been freeloaders for years and will be freeloaders in the future.
Does that mean we shouldn't help? Of course not. But while I won't tell you not to give to the Red Cross (this is in contrast to my opinion on the United Way and the CFC where I said people should not give), I will say there are others who you might want to give to first.
The Red Cross will not get my money, but that is because I will give it to the Salvation Army first. There are three reasons. First, the Salvation Army is a Christian organization, second the Salvation Army tends to help people faster, and for a shorter period of time, third is the involvement of the Red Cross in Lebanon with Hezbollah (it was only a singe chapter, but that indicates they have loose moral restraint on where their loyalty lies).
I still tell people that charitable giving is not an option for a Christian (unless you are completely broke) but to be careful who you give to, lest your own generosity undermines the work Christians are here for.
Does that mean we shouldn't help? Of course not. But while I won't tell you not to give to the Red Cross (this is in contrast to my opinion on the United Way and the CFC where I said people should not give), I will say there are others who you might want to give to first.
The Red Cross will not get my money, but that is because I will give it to the Salvation Army first. There are three reasons. First, the Salvation Army is a Christian organization, second the Salvation Army tends to help people faster, and for a shorter period of time, third is the involvement of the Red Cross in Lebanon with Hezbollah (it was only a singe chapter, but that indicates they have loose moral restraint on where their loyalty lies).
I still tell people that charitable giving is not an option for a Christian (unless you are completely broke) but to be careful who you give to, lest your own generosity undermines the work Christians are here for.
Wednesday, June 04, 2008
China
While all the world oooh's and aah's over China's civilised facade for the Olympics. Let us not forget what a barbaric totalitarian regime they really are.
This is the 19th anniversary of the massacre at Tienanmen Square. There is now a concerted effort to rewrite history to remove the massacre from encyclopedic references. Some of the references I made to the massacre in an article three years ago have disappeared, and others have been rewritten.
However, the wikipedia article is still mostly there, although enough "related stuff" has been added to it that much of it is difficult to read.
There has been an ongoing campaign by Chinese sympathizers to rewrite the wikipedia article, as this quote shows:
"At present, the Western world still uses this event, which occurred almost two decades ago to break down the Chinese unity. This is a propaganda still used by the West. It is clearly obvious that China is the world's next superpower and has changed a great deal since 1989. However the West still insists that nothing has changed, even though an immense change has taken place."
If anyone thinks that China is becoming nice, think about this (especially the first half of this quote:
9 House Church Christians in Henan Detained for Helping Quake Victims; Two Bible Teachers in Shandong Sentenced to Criminal Detention
Then go to China Aid Association and read the rest of the article.
Here is another quote from the article:
"6 remain in detention under a charge of sending money to a disaster area in the name of a house church"
Note that this article is dated June 3rd. Yesterday, not ancient history.
Not that I am a real big fan of Hal Linsey (I do like him), but from time to time he puts things in a real good perspective.
For those too young to remember the massacre:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58605
China's Olympic blacklist
Targets 43 'types' of religious infiltrators, media employees, 'cult' members
November 10, 2007
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
http://ads.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43789
Beijing's 'new' patriotism fuels anti-Americanism
Dissident Harry Wu: Communist leadership as tyrannical as ever
---Posted: April 14, 2005
This is the 19th anniversary of the massacre at Tienanmen Square. There is now a concerted effort to rewrite history to remove the massacre from encyclopedic references. Some of the references I made to the massacre in an article three years ago have disappeared, and others have been rewritten.
However, the wikipedia article is still mostly there, although enough "related stuff" has been added to it that much of it is difficult to read.
There has been an ongoing campaign by Chinese sympathizers to rewrite the wikipedia article, as this quote shows:
"At present, the Western world still uses this event, which occurred almost two decades ago to break down the Chinese unity. This is a propaganda still used by the West. It is clearly obvious that China is the world's next superpower and has changed a great deal since 1989. However the West still insists that nothing has changed, even though an immense change has taken place."
If anyone thinks that China is becoming nice, think about this (especially the first half of this quote:
9 House Church Christians in Henan Detained for Helping Quake Victims; Two Bible Teachers in Shandong Sentenced to Criminal Detention
Then go to China Aid Association and read the rest of the article.
Here is another quote from the article:
"6 remain in detention under a charge of sending money to a disaster area in the name of a house church"
Note that this article is dated June 3rd. Yesterday, not ancient history.
Not that I am a real big fan of Hal Linsey (I do like him), but from time to time he puts things in a real good perspective.
For those too young to remember the massacre:
http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=58605
China's Olympic blacklist
Targets 43 'types' of religious infiltrators, media employees, 'cult' members
November 10, 2007
© 2008 WorldNetDaily.com
http://ads.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43789
Beijing's 'new' patriotism fuels anti-Americanism
Dissident Harry Wu: Communist leadership as tyrannical as ever
---Posted: April 14, 2005
Friday, May 30, 2008
End of May Roundup
In the past, I used this as a collection point for things I had not gotten to in the month, but that isn't quite right. In the future, I will use it to rehash some recent (maybe more than a month) discussions, and maybe to add something to them. This hasn't been a real productive month, and I will blame it on the weather. (There has been a bumper crop of twisters in the Midwest, but what has really slowed me down is the heat and humidity here in Central Texas.) In addition, my old printer died and I had to get a new one. Kind of a daunting task. There are many models to choose from, and they all expect you to print a lot more than I do.
Blaming the weather is
kind of a cop-out,
but it beats blaming
the real problem - me.
At the end of April, I linked to a couple essays: one on Moral Bankruptcy (mostly in the system that corporations exist under) and another on The Insanity of Black Liberation Theology. Both are links to blog called Crunchy Conservatives. He gets right to the point in both essays, and shows the hypocrisy of one group and the beliefs of the other group that has them squarely at odds with real Christians.
Late last fall, I did an update on gas prices from my last summer's forecast. Even with the update (compensating for the ever weakening dollar), I came in a little low. In addition, gas prices don't seem to be slacking off any. I can say with confidence we will not see $3 a gallon gasoline again, and I expect right now to see $5 a gallon gas next May. (see update at bottom)
I finally got around to putting together a copyright and license page for this blog, but haven't put the finishing touches on it. (It is pretty good as is) Any time copyright is brought up, there seems to be some discussions of those who abuse it. And make no mistake, the government is right in the pocket of those who abuse the copyright system of law. What can we do. Not much. And if we do much, we had best keep our mouth shut about it. In the mean time, we can each make a promise to ourselves to not be one of the abusers. Like Google used to say "don't be evil" (I don't know what they say nowadays). For those of you who haven't gotten around to dealing with the copyrights on your own works, you might have a look at the Creative Commons license. (See links at right hand side of page)
UPDATE (7 June): Oil and gas prices have continued to climb almost daily. I am not sure what is happening here, but it means either consumption is still way up, or speculators are pumping money into the market. Who is consuming more fuel and/or where the speculators are getting the money to pump into the market is the question. Currently, oil is above $135 a barrel, and using my formula for finding gas prices, that would mean gas will go to $5.80 a gallon in a few months if the price of oil does not fall soon.
Blaming the weather is
kind of a cop-out,
but it beats blaming
the real problem - me.
At the end of April, I linked to a couple essays: one on Moral Bankruptcy (mostly in the system that corporations exist under) and another on The Insanity of Black Liberation Theology. Both are links to blog called Crunchy Conservatives. He gets right to the point in both essays, and shows the hypocrisy of one group and the beliefs of the other group that has them squarely at odds with real Christians.
Late last fall, I did an update on gas prices from my last summer's forecast. Even with the update (compensating for the ever weakening dollar), I came in a little low. In addition, gas prices don't seem to be slacking off any. I can say with confidence we will not see $3 a gallon gasoline again, and I expect right now to see $5 a gallon gas next May. (see update at bottom)
I finally got around to putting together a copyright and license page for this blog, but haven't put the finishing touches on it. (It is pretty good as is) Any time copyright is brought up, there seems to be some discussions of those who abuse it. And make no mistake, the government is right in the pocket of those who abuse the copyright system of law. What can we do. Not much. And if we do much, we had best keep our mouth shut about it. In the mean time, we can each make a promise to ourselves to not be one of the abusers. Like Google used to say "don't be evil" (I don't know what they say nowadays). For those of you who haven't gotten around to dealing with the copyrights on your own works, you might have a look at the Creative Commons license. (See links at right hand side of page)
UPDATE (7 June): Oil and gas prices have continued to climb almost daily. I am not sure what is happening here, but it means either consumption is still way up, or speculators are pumping money into the market. Who is consuming more fuel and/or where the speculators are getting the money to pump into the market is the question. Currently, oil is above $135 a barrel, and using my formula for finding gas prices, that would mean gas will go to $5.80 a gallon in a few months if the price of oil does not fall soon.
Wednesday, May 28, 2008
Monthly Heroes and Slimeballs
For the HERO of the month this month, I select Janepsy Cindy Mesa of Miami. (Sorry I couldn't find a Texan on short notice :-)
While there were some shady circumstances surrounding their lives in the months leading up to the incident, the bottom line is that someone who was very likely a drug dealer and also quite likely a murderer is Dead. And Dead is Good.
Snipped from the article (and slightly rearranged
to make a little more sense):
Similar coverage on Local TV (just in case)
And now for our monthly Slimeball award.
The National Arbitration Forum (NAF)
(also here here here and here )
( I suppose they think by sheer numbers of names and web sites, they can try to hide their shady dealings and put on an air of respectability)
This organization, it seems to me, is intent on taking a slimy part of the law and lowering it to the lowest and slimiest possible. Arbitration is supposed to be a simple and economical way for two parties to resolve a conflict, but it is rarely used that way. In most cases, it is used as a hammer for corporations to beat down the common citizen. The NAF commonly represents debt collections organizations, and is used as a bypass for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (note that the link is a PDF of a legal document).
The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen recently conducted an eight-month examination into the credit card industry's use of pre-dispute binding mandatory arbitration based on all available data from the National Arbitration Forum. The found over 94% of the cases were resolved in favor of the business. This is probably being kind, or even hamstrung, since they used the NAF's own data to find this. Others have found worse stats.
Links of interest:
Almost all of the following links can be found here but are listed in case they scroll off of the index page.
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2006/10/bloodsuckers_go.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2006/11/more_bloodsucki.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/04/triumph_for_fed.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/06/a_small_excepti.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/07/stacking-the-de.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/07/consumer-arbitr.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/08/arbitration-fir.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/09/deathstar-arbit.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/03/bankrupt-consum.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/03/what-gets-a-law.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/04/san-francisco-c.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/05/naf-just-naf.html
While there were some shady circumstances surrounding their lives in the months leading up to the incident, the bottom line is that someone who was very likely a drug dealer and also quite likely a murderer is Dead. And Dead is Good.
Snipped from the article (and slightly rearranged
to make a little more sense):
Article in Miami Herald
Ilan Nissim, 27, was fatally shot after he appeared unexpectedly Tuesday afternoon inside Mesa's home, 13365 NW 12th Ave., police said.
Mesa, 31, had been moving furniture of her Spanish-tiled house when Nissim appeared in the hallway. The front door was open.
Nissim, a ''business associate'' of her husband, attacked her after the pair exchanged some angry words, she told police. She then retrieved a black .38-caliber revolver from another room, returned and shot Nissim dead.
The man shot and killed in self-defense by Janepsy Cindy Mesa was a suspect in
her husband's murder, North Miami police said Wednesday.
For now, detectives call the killing self-defense, said North Miami Lt. Neal Cuevas.
Similar coverage on Local TV (just in case)
And now for our monthly Slimeball award.
The National Arbitration Forum (NAF)
(also here here here and here )
( I suppose they think by sheer numbers of names and web sites, they can try to hide their shady dealings and put on an air of respectability)
This organization, it seems to me, is intent on taking a slimy part of the law and lowering it to the lowest and slimiest possible. Arbitration is supposed to be a simple and economical way for two parties to resolve a conflict, but it is rarely used that way. In most cases, it is used as a hammer for corporations to beat down the common citizen. The NAF commonly represents debt collections organizations, and is used as a bypass for the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act (note that the link is a PDF of a legal document).
The non-profit consumer advocacy group Public Citizen recently conducted an eight-month examination into the credit card industry's use of pre-dispute binding mandatory arbitration based on all available data from the National Arbitration Forum. The found over 94% of the cases were resolved in favor of the business. This is probably being kind, or even hamstrung, since they used the NAF's own data to find this. Others have found worse stats.
Links of interest:
Almost all of the following links can be found here but are listed in case they scroll off of the index page.
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2006/10/bloodsuckers_go.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2006/11/more_bloodsucki.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/04/triumph_for_fed.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/06/a_small_excepti.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/07/stacking-the-de.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/07/consumer-arbitr.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/08/arbitration-fir.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2007/09/deathstar-arbit.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/03/bankrupt-consum.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/03/what-gets-a-law.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/04/san-francisco-c.html
http://www.creditslips.org/creditslips/2008/05/naf-just-naf.html
Tuesday, May 13, 2008
Ephesus on hold
In the past couple of weeks I have had quite a few things happen, and so the Ephesus project is somewhat on hold. In the mean time, someone pointed out to me that much of the Bible is layed out in stories, and that provides a basis for study. It also occurs to me that the Bible says we are to come to Him as little children. Hence, one more aid to understanding the Bible would be a Bible story book. Most of these are written for children, and many are good. I do reccommend anything by Zondervan, and most anything from Family Christian Bookstore, but I am certain there are more out there.
Saturday, May 10, 2008
death of a printer
After only about 28 months of use, my printer has died. As a user I am not in the "low usage" category. Actually, I print so seldom, and so little, they don't seem to HAVE a category for me.
A couple years ago, when I got this printer, I wrote a short product review on it. At the time, I didn't know anything about the problems, other than there was such a thing as ink drying in the jets. I had no idea at all how big of a problem it could be.
The from what I have read, the manufacture intended this printer to have a life expectancy over 47000 pages. I guess they expected it to be printing about 24 pages a day, which would mean a life expectancy of about 6 years. Ink for that printing, however, would be quite expensive. Using the Epson ink, that would be over $100 a month. Even using the G&G ink from a discount supplier, it would be over $50 a month. Since the printer cost just over $100 originally, I don't think their view of economics is useful.
Because I use it so infrequently, every time I used it, I had to clean it. And I had to run the cleaning cycle twice each time. It would always warn me that this used extra ink. What it did not warn me about was filling the waste ink reservoir. After only about 2000 to 3000 pages, it gave me an indication that the waste ink reservoir was getting full. And then it just died. Not sure if it died from the reservoir overfilling or something else, but I just assume it was the reservoir. The local shop told me it is not worth fixing.
I plan to replace it with a color laser. I am currently looking at the HP 1600. Of course, the color laser costs about 3 times as much, but it doesn't have the problems with the ink drying out that the inkjet has.
In summery, I have to conclude that unless they can overcome the problems with ink dryout (perhaps putting it in an artificial environment, where the ink solvent is in the air?), there is actually NO reason to buy an injet.
A couple years ago, when I got this printer, I wrote a short product review on it. At the time, I didn't know anything about the problems, other than there was such a thing as ink drying in the jets. I had no idea at all how big of a problem it could be.
The from what I have read, the manufacture intended this printer to have a life expectancy over 47000 pages. I guess they expected it to be printing about 24 pages a day, which would mean a life expectancy of about 6 years. Ink for that printing, however, would be quite expensive. Using the Epson ink, that would be over $100 a month. Even using the G&G ink from a discount supplier, it would be over $50 a month. Since the printer cost just over $100 originally, I don't think their view of economics is useful.
Because I use it so infrequently, every time I used it, I had to clean it. And I had to run the cleaning cycle twice each time. It would always warn me that this used extra ink. What it did not warn me about was filling the waste ink reservoir. After only about 2000 to 3000 pages, it gave me an indication that the waste ink reservoir was getting full. And then it just died. Not sure if it died from the reservoir overfilling or something else, but I just assume it was the reservoir. The local shop told me it is not worth fixing.
I plan to replace it with a color laser. I am currently looking at the HP 1600. Of course, the color laser costs about 3 times as much, but it doesn't have the problems with the ink drying out that the inkjet has.
In summery, I have to conclude that unless they can overcome the problems with ink dryout (perhaps putting it in an artificial environment, where the ink solvent is in the air?), there is actually NO reason to buy an injet.
Tuesday, April 29, 2008
Just
Just a note here today, that I found a couple good essays on Beliefnet.
Bear Stearns and Moral Bankruptcy
The Insanity of Black Liberation Theology
Bear Stearns and Moral Bankruptcy
The Insanity of Black Liberation Theology
Monday, April 28, 2008
Slimeballs and heros
This month I have two heroes, but I don't know their names.
In Arlington TX, a man refuses to be a victim, and his quick thinking son backed him up.
"One man was stabbed and his two partners are at large after a home invasion went wrong for them Monday evening, police said."
The other is in Inglewood TN. It should be noted that in many, less civilised parts of the country, the robber would have been the only one allowed by law to have a gun during the holdup, possibly resulting in the killing of the store clerk, and undoubtedly leading to more robberies of other stores.
From the news account:
"A would-be robber at an Inglewood liquor store was shot and killed Saturday night after a customer opened fire" Metro police said. "A citizen, like a police officer, has the right to utilize deadly force if there is a threat of serious bodily injury or harm," Police Capt. David Imhof said.
I am certain there are just as many slimeballs as always out there, but I have been kinda busy this month and haven't had time to research any of them.
In Arlington TX, a man refuses to be a victim, and his quick thinking son backed him up.
"One man was stabbed and his two partners are at large after a home invasion went wrong for them Monday evening, police said."
The other is in Inglewood TN. It should be noted that in many, less civilised parts of the country, the robber would have been the only one allowed by law to have a gun during the holdup, possibly resulting in the killing of the store clerk, and undoubtedly leading to more robberies of other stores.
From the news account:
"A would-be robber at an Inglewood liquor store was shot and killed Saturday night after a customer opened fire" Metro police said. "A citizen, like a police officer, has the right to utilize deadly force if there is a threat of serious bodily injury or harm," Police Capt. David Imhof said.
I am certain there are just as many slimeballs as always out there, but I have been kinda busy this month and haven't had time to research any of them.
Sunday, April 13, 2008
credit card banking
I write on occasion about the immorality of major corporations, and the banking and credit industry in particular. I don't have too many war stories of my own (excepting one bank I dealt with who sold my information to one of their "partners" who attempted to swindle me out of $153 for a "free" credit report that I did not order and they did not send. That little indecent took a few days to clean up and a couple dozen phone calls.
The bigger wars happen from time to time, and on occasion I get to read about someone with good writing skills who has to fight one of these wars. This one is a lawyer. Poor choice of someone to scam. Still, they managed to create a swindle scam that is running into weeks for him to get straightened out. I think he should sue them for lost wages for the time he has had to spend fighting them.
The bigger wars happen from time to time, and on occasion I get to read about someone with good writing skills who has to fight one of these wars. This one is a lawyer. Poor choice of someone to scam. Still, they managed to create a swindle scam that is running into weeks for him to get straightened out. I think he should sue them for lost wages for the time he has had to spend fighting them.
Friday, March 21, 2008
Slimeballs and Heroes
This month I will be skipping the normal Slimballs and Heroes to focus on an action at the Supreme Court. This week they have heard the case DC v. Heller. This is a huge case deciding whether the US Supreme Court Justices can read plain English or not.
The following is a link to most of the discussion on the case:
Scotusblog Index-to-Heller-Coverage/
I often wonder why it is so easy for many of the elitist leftists and their drones to understand the meaning of the word "people" in several other places in the Constitution, but when they get to the second amendment, they treat it like some Cryptic Satanic message that cannot possibly mean "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
There is actually one commenter that said
Where do theses imbeciles come from?
UPDATE: (6 Apr 08)
It has been pretty quiet on the net about Heller v. Washington DC
A couple posts to note, however:
Sentencing Law and Policy Analysis
Intellectual Conservative Second Thoughts
UPDATE: (11 Apr 08)
I see there is a Washington Post article on Obama's position, or more like non-position on gun control. I see that he was for gun control before he was against it. Or so he says. Having lived in Illinois for many years (and never going back to that police state) I will say that his new position is temporary and just for the sake of getting elected. No one should be taken in by his false face he wares when saying he believes in an indevidual right. He says he taught constitutional law for 10 years. In all that time, he didn't cement his position on the 2nd Amendment? Horsehokky. He will revert back to being a gun grabber, immediately after the election, with more speed than the striking of a rattle snake.
The following is a link to most of the discussion on the case:
Scotusblog Index-to-Heller-Coverage/
I often wonder why it is so easy for many of the elitist leftists and their drones to understand the meaning of the word "people" in several other places in the Constitution, but when they get to the second amendment, they treat it like some Cryptic Satanic message that cannot possibly mean "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed."
There is actually one commenter that said
Individual-right advocates frequently compare it to the First Amendment. The difference is that the First Amendment protects speech, but the Second Amendment protects, in some form, the right to have a deadly weapon. “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.”
Where do theses imbeciles come from?
UPDATE: (6 Apr 08)
It has been pretty quiet on the net about Heller v. Washington DC
A couple posts to note, however:
Sentencing Law and Policy Analysis
Intellectual Conservative Second Thoughts
UPDATE: (11 Apr 08)
I see there is a Washington Post article on Obama's position, or more like non-position on gun control. I see that he was for gun control before he was against it. Or so he says. Having lived in Illinois for many years (and never going back to that police state) I will say that his new position is temporary and just for the sake of getting elected. No one should be taken in by his false face he wares when saying he believes in an indevidual right. He says he taught constitutional law for 10 years. In all that time, he didn't cement his position on the 2nd Amendment? Horsehokky. He will revert back to being a gun grabber, immediately after the election, with more speed than the striking of a rattle snake.
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Ephesus: Study methods Part 2
Reading about the books, people and places.
Reading and studying the Bible one chapter after another can seem a bit intimidating. In fact, if you studied half an hour 4 times a week using the method I outlined in study methods, part 1, you would find two things. First it would take you more than 10 years to go through the entire Bible, and second, you would run into passages for which this method of study makes no sense.
Some variety is needed, both to help keep perspective, and to gain the most learning in the least amount of time. It also helps psychologically, by keeping the learning more interesting. Remembering our goal is to understand the Bible, and get as much learning and understanding accomplished as possible in the first months and years of study.
There are two things a beginner student of the Bible needs, to make learning easier in the future. One is learn the order of the Books, so that when a teach (or pastor, or preacher) refers to a chapter and verse, it only takes half the work to find it. This will let you concentrate on what is being taught, and less on just "keeping up."
I have found that writing out the names of the books - five at a time - helps. I am always having trouble with the books in the last half of the Old Testament, so from time to time I will sit down with a pen and pad of paper and write out the names of five or so of them in the correct order. When I started this, I used the same technique to learn names of the books in the New Testament. About five at a time. I say five at a time because it has been shown that most people do best with a short list of five or so items, rather than a long list.
The other thing that will help immensely is to learn about the books in the Bible. There are several really good tools for this. Fist the Study Bibles I discussed earlier are a great tool. Many of these Study Bibles, in addition to having notes at the bottom of each page, will preface each book (or sometimes, section) with a couple pages of notes about that book.
A second tool for this is Zondervans Pictorial Dictionary that I have mentioned before - or some other Bible Dictionary might work. Look up the name of a book and read what it has to say about it, its author, and the times and places written in it. Sometimes you will need to look up stuff you find in one article (these dictionaries are more like encyclopedias than regular dictionaries) by looking in other articles. For instance, Ecclesiastes will lead you to Solomon, who wrote much of three other books of the Bible.
A third tool for this kind of study is a Bible Handbook. I haven't gone over these, but will soon. Also, as a note, someone with whom I discuss scripture regularly pointed out to me, another obvious study method using a Study Bible, so I hope to post an article on that method soon.
Reading and studying the Bible one chapter after another can seem a bit intimidating. In fact, if you studied half an hour 4 times a week using the method I outlined in study methods, part 1, you would find two things. First it would take you more than 10 years to go through the entire Bible, and second, you would run into passages for which this method of study makes no sense.
Some variety is needed, both to help keep perspective, and to gain the most learning in the least amount of time. It also helps psychologically, by keeping the learning more interesting. Remembering our goal is to understand the Bible, and get as much learning and understanding accomplished as possible in the first months and years of study.
There are two things a beginner student of the Bible needs, to make learning easier in the future. One is learn the order of the Books, so that when a teach (or pastor, or preacher) refers to a chapter and verse, it only takes half the work to find it. This will let you concentrate on what is being taught, and less on just "keeping up."
I have found that writing out the names of the books - five at a time - helps. I am always having trouble with the books in the last half of the Old Testament, so from time to time I will sit down with a pen and pad of paper and write out the names of five or so of them in the correct order. When I started this, I used the same technique to learn names of the books in the New Testament. About five at a time. I say five at a time because it has been shown that most people do best with a short list of five or so items, rather than a long list.
The other thing that will help immensely is to learn about the books in the Bible. There are several really good tools for this. Fist the Study Bibles I discussed earlier are a great tool. Many of these Study Bibles, in addition to having notes at the bottom of each page, will preface each book (or sometimes, section) with a couple pages of notes about that book.
A second tool for this is Zondervans Pictorial Dictionary that I have mentioned before - or some other Bible Dictionary might work. Look up the name of a book and read what it has to say about it, its author, and the times and places written in it. Sometimes you will need to look up stuff you find in one article (these dictionaries are more like encyclopedias than regular dictionaries) by looking in other articles. For instance, Ecclesiastes will lead you to Solomon, who wrote much of three other books of the Bible.
A third tool for this kind of study is a Bible Handbook. I haven't gone over these, but will soon. Also, as a note, someone with whom I discuss scripture regularly pointed out to me, another obvious study method using a Study Bible, so I hope to post an article on that method soon.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
End of Month Round Up
Well, it was a short month. With some wind and some cold and dry, it has been a constant danger of fires most of the month for most of Texas. Good news is a friend of mine is getting married tomorrow to a long time friend.
I added some new information about dictionaries to the Ephesus Project, and established what may be copied from this blog under the copyright laws.
Gas prices have begun to spike upwards. This is an entirely normal phenom, but in the climate of constant campaigning and constant political posturing nowadays, every penny is a feeding frenzy for the press.
Well, less than 30 hours until March.
Until then...
I added some new information about dictionaries to the Ephesus Project, and established what may be copied from this blog under the copyright laws.
Gas prices have begun to spike upwards. This is an entirely normal phenom, but in the climate of constant campaigning and constant political posturing nowadays, every penny is a feeding frenzy for the press.
Well, less than 30 hours until March.
Until then...
Monday, February 25, 2008
Of Heros and Slimeballs (monthly)
As I have said before, this feature will only continue as long as I can find a hero to feature each month.
Our hero of the month goes to the homeowner who shot one of three men attempting a robbery. This took three thugs off the streets of a small city in Washington - one permanently.
14 Feb 2008 Yakima Washington
YAKIMA -- Two men are arrested at gunpoint Thursday afternoon after a deadly shooting in a house in Terrace Heights.
Police say the shooting happened just after 11 a.m. on the 200 block of Observation Drive. They say three suspects entered a home. The homeowner and a guest were home at the time. The homeowner shot one of the suspects, who was dead when investigators arrived. The guest was also accidentally shot by the home owner, he has been treated and released from the hospital.
The other two suspects ran away from the scene to the Burger King on Yakima Avenue where they were arrested at gun point inside the restaurant.
Slimeball of the Month award FEB 2008 goes to:
"JG Wentworth" where you can "Sell your structured settlement or annuity payments" according to their own advertisements. I give this award both for the frequency of the ads (others are probably just as bad, but they come to mind because I hear them more often - advertising works)
As the analysis done here shows, they often take 30% to 50% of the money as a reward for this "service." I put service in quotes, since any financial councilor can tell you that giving a lump sum of money to someone who can't manage a cash flow will make them much worse off in the end.
Our hero of the month goes to the homeowner who shot one of three men attempting a robbery. This took three thugs off the streets of a small city in Washington - one permanently.
14 Feb 2008 Yakima Washington
YAKIMA -- Two men are arrested at gunpoint Thursday afternoon after a deadly shooting in a house in Terrace Heights.
Police say the shooting happened just after 11 a.m. on the 200 block of Observation Drive. They say three suspects entered a home. The homeowner and a guest were home at the time. The homeowner shot one of the suspects, who was dead when investigators arrived. The guest was also accidentally shot by the home owner, he has been treated and released from the hospital.
The other two suspects ran away from the scene to the Burger King on Yakima Avenue where they were arrested at gun point inside the restaurant.
Slimeball of the Month award FEB 2008 goes to:
"JG Wentworth" where you can "Sell your structured settlement or annuity payments" according to their own advertisements. I give this award both for the frequency of the ads (others are probably just as bad, but they come to mind because I hear them more often - advertising works)
As the analysis done here shows, they often take 30% to 50% of the money as a reward for this "service." I put service in quotes, since any financial councilor can tell you that giving a lump sum of money to someone who can't manage a cash flow will make them much worse off in the end.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Copyright Information
It should come to no surprise that I find the current state of affairs in the area of copyright law disgusting, immoral, and opposed to what the Constitution intended. The DMCA is both immoral and unconstitutional, providing power to a thuggish band of professional criminal families (such as the RIAA, MPAA, Sony BMG and other producers).
If anyone doubts these people are thugs, read this:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=984
I only read the first few comments to that article, but something struck me. They think the RIAA and such will be fearful of their liability if their is a lawsuit. In the ruling against Sony for planting rootkits into thousands (maybe millions) of computers, the court ruled that damages would only be about $8 for each computer that was compromised. This, despite the fact that it takes about 2 days work to successfully remove such a rootkit. Not exactly something to strike fear into their hearts. Of course the lawyers that arbitrated the case got millions (in one of their documents, they listed their fees as a "reasonable" $245 dollars an hour.
Having said this, I must tell my readers what copyright law says about this blog. Up until recently, anyone wanting to cut and paste from this blog had to get written permission from me to do so, or the FBI could come knocking at your door, unless you are one of those thuggish bands of professional criminal families mentioned earlier. And the protection against that crime of spreading information without a license from the king lasts until about 70 years after I die. Since I despise such despotism, I guess I need to correct that.
I am placing all information on this blog under Creative Commons License. I looked at other, similar licenses (many worse, and a few better), but finally decided this would be the one easiest to use. Don't know how to "install" their logo on my blog, so a couple links in the linklist will have to do.
There will be more information, including some clarifications of license rights in the near future. For now, the following will suffice:
You may use portions of this blog, under the following guidelines:
You may copy whole articles as long as attribution is given.
You may draw material out of pages only if a reference (link) to the original article is included.
Comments by others are not part of my work, but may provide context therefore, quoting comments
is permissible, as long as the entire chain of comments for an article is used.
If you use any of this blog for commercial purposes, such as a book, you must
reciprocate by providing me a copy of the work.
UPDATE: More Thuggish Behavior from RIAA
Despite collecting an estimated several hundred million dollars in P2P related settlements from the likes of Napster, KaZaA and Bolt, prominent artists’ managers are complaining that so far, they haven’t received any compensation from the labels. According to a lawyer, some are considering legal action.
RIAA keeps settlement money - torrentfreak news
and Infringement - NY Post
If anyone doubts these people are thugs, read this:
http://www.freedom-to-tinker.com/?p=984
I only read the first few comments to that article, but something struck me. They think the RIAA and such will be fearful of their liability if their is a lawsuit. In the ruling against Sony for planting rootkits into thousands (maybe millions) of computers, the court ruled that damages would only be about $8 for each computer that was compromised. This, despite the fact that it takes about 2 days work to successfully remove such a rootkit. Not exactly something to strike fear into their hearts. Of course the lawyers that arbitrated the case got millions (in one of their documents, they listed their fees as a "reasonable" $245 dollars an hour.
Having said this, I must tell my readers what copyright law says about this blog. Up until recently, anyone wanting to cut and paste from this blog had to get written permission from me to do so, or the FBI could come knocking at your door, unless you are one of those thuggish bands of professional criminal families mentioned earlier. And the protection against that crime of spreading information without a license from the king lasts until about 70 years after I die. Since I despise such despotism, I guess I need to correct that.
I am placing all information on this blog under Creative Commons License. I looked at other, similar licenses (many worse, and a few better), but finally decided this would be the one easiest to use. Don't know how to "install" their logo on my blog, so a couple links in the linklist will have to do.
There will be more information, including some clarifications of license rights in the near future. For now, the following will suffice:
You may use portions of this blog, under the following guidelines:
You may copy whole articles as long as attribution is given.
You may draw material out of pages only if a reference (link) to the original article is included.
Comments by others are not part of my work, but may provide context therefore, quoting comments
is permissible, as long as the entire chain of comments for an article is used.
If you use any of this blog for commercial purposes, such as a book, you must
reciprocate by providing me a copy of the work.
UPDATE: More Thuggish Behavior from RIAA
Despite collecting an estimated several hundred million dollars in P2P related settlements from the likes of Napster, KaZaA and Bolt, prominent artists’ managers are complaining that so far, they haven’t received any compensation from the labels. According to a lawyer, some are considering legal action.
RIAA keeps settlement money - torrentfreak news
and Infringement - NY Post
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
Bad news but good
The worst kind of good news is when someone you want to leave has no work and therefore must go back home. It should be noted the subject of this article is illegal immigrants, something you have to read almost all the way to the end to find out (and even then she calls them undocumented, to obscure reality).
Day Laborers Feel Foreclosure Fallout (EVELYN NIEVES 16 Feb 08)
To read the rest of the article, you will have to chase it down somewhere else, since AP will likely only carry it for a couple weeks.
Still, the only real progress we will make in this matter will have to be after we build a fence, closing the entire southern border. Mexican officials (naturally) have condemned US plans for a 700-mile (1,125km) fence along the two states' border. But they seem to have no problem with their conscience when securing their own southern border.
Day Laborers Feel Foreclosure Fallout (EVELYN NIEVES 16 Feb 08)
GRATON, Calif. (AP) — The most desperate men park themselves on corners well before dawn, hoping for first dibs on jobs.
Most days, no one gets dibs — no one gets jobs.
Foreclosures are at record highs, home sales are at record lows and skittish consumers are cutting back on spending, all of which means contractors, construction crews and carpenters are no longer hiring. Neither are landscapers, cleaning services or homeowners.
Work, never a given for day laborers in the best of times, is almost nonexistent these days.
"These are the worst of times," would-be worker Ramon De la Cruz said recently in Spanish, noting that he had worked only one day in the previous six.
To read the rest of the article, you will have to chase it down somewhere else, since AP will likely only carry it for a couple weeks.
Still, the only real progress we will make in this matter will have to be after we build a fence, closing the entire southern border. Mexican officials (naturally) have condemned US plans for a 700-mile (1,125km) fence along the two states' border. But they seem to have no problem with their conscience when securing their own southern border.
Monday, February 18, 2008
Ephesus: Dictionaries, Part 2
Some weeks ago I posted an article on dictionaries, especially Bible dictionaries.
In that article, I mentioned some things I require of a Bible dictionary, like it must have pictures, and around 5000 or more entries. In addition, before I recommend a Bible dictionary, I check some of the words in it to insure it isn't way out in left field theologically. (The good news is that all of the dictionaries I have found so far meet this test, except the one that didn't have all of the words)
Currently, I look up the following seven words and read their definitions. They are essential to the central theme of the Biblical, and must be right to preclude some of the distortions of Biblical teachings that were common until the 70's.
Here are the seven words I currently look up:
- baptism - sin - Jesus - principalities
- wine - profane - elect(ion)
In addition to the above two tests for dictionaries, I have noticed there are several words that most dictionaries do not do justice. Many times the dictionary (even a Christian dictionary) will list the correct definition along with several popular but less correct definitions without distinction, just because those lesser definitions are used frequently in modern times. Words in the Bible have very specific meanings, and their dilution in today's language is an unfortunate side effect of our culture.
Here is a list of words and definitions I believe a beginning Bible student should know without having to rely on modern dictionaries. In the future, I plan to have a list of vocabulary words at the end of most articles, with definitions that will reduce confusion for the student.
Epistle - This is an old english term for a letter of serious matter. If you did indeed look up all of the words in Ephesians, you may have already found this one.
Church - Many people think this is a building. In the Bible, this word ALWAYS refers to a group of believers, or to all believers.
Fold - In old times, this was a protective corral, used to keep sheep safe from wolves and such, especially at night. To be in the "fold" means to have the safety of the group, under the watchful eye of the Shepard.
Love - NOT an emotion. This may be one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible. In virtually every instance, this word refers to decisions, work, and actions. It means "to do that which benefits the person who is loved." For instance, when a man is told to Love his wife - it is a command to do that which will benefit his wife.
In that article, I mentioned some things I require of a Bible dictionary, like it must have pictures, and around 5000 or more entries. In addition, before I recommend a Bible dictionary, I check some of the words in it to insure it isn't way out in left field theologically. (The good news is that all of the dictionaries I have found so far meet this test, except the one that didn't have all of the words)
Currently, I look up the following seven words and read their definitions. They are essential to the central theme of the Biblical, and must be right to preclude some of the distortions of Biblical teachings that were common until the 70's.
Here are the seven words I currently look up:
- baptism - sin - Jesus - principalities
- wine - profane - elect(ion)
In addition to the above two tests for dictionaries, I have noticed there are several words that most dictionaries do not do justice. Many times the dictionary (even a Christian dictionary) will list the correct definition along with several popular but less correct definitions without distinction, just because those lesser definitions are used frequently in modern times. Words in the Bible have very specific meanings, and their dilution in today's language is an unfortunate side effect of our culture.
Here is a list of words and definitions I believe a beginning Bible student should know without having to rely on modern dictionaries. In the future, I plan to have a list of vocabulary words at the end of most articles, with definitions that will reduce confusion for the student.
Epistle - This is an old english term for a letter of serious matter. If you did indeed look up all of the words in Ephesians, you may have already found this one.
Church - Many people think this is a building. In the Bible, this word ALWAYS refers to a group of believers, or to all believers.
Fold - In old times, this was a protective corral, used to keep sheep safe from wolves and such, especially at night. To be in the "fold" means to have the safety of the group, under the watchful eye of the Shepard.
Love - NOT an emotion. This may be one of the most misunderstood words in the Bible. In virtually every instance, this word refers to decisions, work, and actions. It means "to do that which benefits the person who is loved." For instance, when a man is told to Love his wife - it is a command to do that which will benefit his wife.
Wednesday, February 13, 2008
Ephesus: Why? Part 2
Why Christians need to study the Bible.
At the beginning of January, I wrote about why I started this project, but I did not answer the other side of the question, which is "Why should a Christian put effort into reading the Bible?" You may ask why isn't praying and singing in Church enough?
Of course, the easy way out of this would be "why would anyone NOT want to read and study the Bible?" Anyone knowing my own history would see both, the answers to that question, and the hypocrisy of my taking that route.
While the Bible doesn't say that you cannot be a Christian without reading and/or studying the Bible, I would roundly assert that the Bible teaches that if you are able to study it, you have an obligation to try. As evidence, I will point you to:
Paul's letters to Timothy (a young pastor), where he says "All Scripture is profitable" and "Teach these things to faithful men." Also, the letter from Jude to Christians everywhere, telling us that "certain men have crept [into the Church] unnoticed" and that these pretenders will pervert the Scripture.
Indeed, the Word of God has always been under attack from pretenders throughout the centuries. In some times and places, the attack was obvious, as in the martyring of Christians under the ancient Roman government, and more recently under the governments of virtually all Islamic nations.
Many times the attack is more subtle, as in the perversion of scripture for profit by many former and current "televangelists" and others (such as cult leaders) who will use various passages of Scripture out of context to control their victims. (I should note here that not all televangelists are bad, but without knowledge of the scripture, how will you know) Chief among these pretenders who pervert the Scriptures is the Pope, (and no, he is not the Antichrist, but that is for another day) who I have written much about over the years.
Also, I should point out a little noticed phrase in the Gospel according to John (17:3) "and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ" which begs the question: What better way to know Him than to read His Word.
The entire Ephesus project is based on a desire to learn the Bible, and the purpose of the project is to help the new student get the most benefit in the least amount of time (and without spending too much on books or other tools).
At the beginning of January, I wrote about why I started this project, but I did not answer the other side of the question, which is "Why should a Christian put effort into reading the Bible?" You may ask why isn't praying and singing in Church enough?
Of course, the easy way out of this would be "why would anyone NOT want to read and study the Bible?" Anyone knowing my own history would see both, the answers to that question, and the hypocrisy of my taking that route.
While the Bible doesn't say that you cannot be a Christian without reading and/or studying the Bible, I would roundly assert that the Bible teaches that if you are able to study it, you have an obligation to try. As evidence, I will point you to:
Paul's letters to Timothy (a young pastor), where he says "All Scripture is profitable" and "Teach these things to faithful men." Also, the letter from Jude to Christians everywhere, telling us that "certain men have crept [into the Church] unnoticed" and that these pretenders will pervert the Scripture.
Indeed, the Word of God has always been under attack from pretenders throughout the centuries. In some times and places, the attack was obvious, as in the martyring of Christians under the ancient Roman government, and more recently under the governments of virtually all Islamic nations.
Many times the attack is more subtle, as in the perversion of scripture for profit by many former and current "televangelists" and others (such as cult leaders) who will use various passages of Scripture out of context to control their victims. (I should note here that not all televangelists are bad, but without knowledge of the scripture, how will you know) Chief among these pretenders who pervert the Scriptures is the Pope, (and no, he is not the Antichrist, but that is for another day) who I have written much about over the years.
Also, I should point out a little noticed phrase in the Gospel according to John (17:3) "and this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ" which begs the question: What better way to know Him than to read His Word.
The entire Ephesus project is based on a desire to learn the Bible, and the purpose of the project is to help the new student get the most benefit in the least amount of time (and without spending too much on books or other tools).
Friday, February 08, 2008
Mitt Romney sets the Bar
And he shows the world how to graciously bow out of a race.
He did it without compromising his beliefs, and without endorsing nor bashing any other Republican candidate. He let Us, and the world, know what is at stake and what is important (in his view, and mostly, in mine).
He did it without compromising his beliefs, and without endorsing nor bashing any other Republican candidate. He let Us, and the world, know what is at stake and what is important (in his view, and mostly, in mine).
Saturday, January 26, 2008
Ephesus: January Roundup
I started off on this project with some mis-steps, but THE place to start reading and studying the Bible is the Gospel According to Luke.
I wrote about why I started this project, and although I had intended to create them in booklet form, but it has become clear they will not fit into a booklet. I am posting these essays on the Internet because I am writing this for people who generally will not sit down and read a book. Hopefully, this format will allow people to read in "bite sized" chunks, and read only the sections that they need.
I have already had to go back and update one article, and some others need update, thus the reason for the monthly roundups. This is where I intend to list the new articles, and list the updated or expanded articles. I will include a little about their subject matter; maybe a sentence or a paragraph. I will also list plans for "Future Articles."
I need to expand Ephesus Project: Cheats and helps.
I plan an article on why Christians need to read and study the Bible, a second article on Dictionaries, a further article on study, and an article on other tools to help with understanding the Bible. Then I will post an essay I wrote a couple years ago about how the Bible got from the hands of the authors into our hands.
And yes, I know ALL of this is "if the Lord is willing" so I ask now that anyone who sees this prays for me.
I wrote about why I started this project, and although I had intended to create them in booklet form, but it has become clear they will not fit into a booklet. I am posting these essays on the Internet because I am writing this for people who generally will not sit down and read a book. Hopefully, this format will allow people to read in "bite sized" chunks, and read only the sections that they need.
I have already had to go back and update one article, and some others need update, thus the reason for the monthly roundups. This is where I intend to list the new articles, and list the updated or expanded articles. I will include a little about their subject matter; maybe a sentence or a paragraph. I will also list plans for "Future Articles."
I need to expand Ephesus Project: Cheats and helps.
I plan an article on why Christians need to read and study the Bible, a second article on Dictionaries, a further article on study, and an article on other tools to help with understanding the Bible. Then I will post an essay I wrote a couple years ago about how the Bible got from the hands of the authors into our hands.
And yes, I know ALL of this is "if the Lord is willing" so I ask now that anyone who sees this prays for me.
Friday, January 25, 2008
Monthly Heroes and Slimeballs
I decided that since Counterpane has his doghouse, and privacy international has the big brother award, that I could have a Slimeball of the Month award.
Here comes the hard part. I decided that I would only do this if I could also post something positive, so I have a hero of the month in the same posting. Finding Slimeballs isn't hard, but finding heroes is, so this will only contiinue if I can find a hero each month.
The Hero of the Month for this month is the 14 year old who foiled a burglary with a ball bat. (Hat tip to Combat Effective)
Slimeball of the Month award.
This one is for people, agencies, or organizations that:
Here comes the hard part. I decided that I would only do this if I could also post something positive, so I have a hero of the month in the same posting. Finding Slimeballs isn't hard, but finding heroes is, so this will only contiinue if I can find a hero each month.
The Hero of the Month for this month is the 14 year old who foiled a burglary with a ball bat. (Hat tip to Combat Effective)
Slimeball of the Month award.
This one is for people, agencies, or organizations that:
- promote zero tolerance
- steal the rights of citizens
- take money from the poor by slight of hand
- destroy our national sovereignty
- undermine the defense of our nation
- promote myths about ...
The award this month goes to Jackson-Heiwitt for their aggressive marketing of their "Money Now Loans," which have come with fees of $70 and up. I think it ironic that last year their ads showed GhostRider on fire (he only lights up in the presence of evil) and this year their ads show dysfunctional people, both the ones using their services, and those needing their services but having gone somewhere else.
Links of interest:
http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/2008/01/04/
http://clarkhoward.com/shownotes/category/7/118/320/
www.nedap.org/pressroom/documents/4-7-06Bloomberg.pdf
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Ephesus: Study Methods pt1
Words and phrases and paragraphs.
This is the beginning of actually studying the text of the Bible. Most of the Ephesus project will be geared to reading the Bible, or even reading about the Bible, but from time to time some passages will get some close attention. This is one of those times.
The study of Ephesians will involve a great deal more reflection. It was written by the most highly revered teacher of Christian living, to the Church in the city of Ephesus, and it was written about what it is to live "the Christian life."
Every phrase in this letter has an easy meaning - and a deep meaning. I recommend first reading through, a chapter at a time, to get the overview - then go back and read one paragraph at a time. It is good to note that no word is in the Bible by accident (well, with English translations, this may only be 98% true) and each word is worth pondering.
As you begin this process, it will be helpful to look up each word, sometimes even if you think you know what it means (I strongly recommend looking up every word of four or more letters). Also look closely at each "Him" or "His" to see what they are really referring to. (If you can remember diagramming sentences, it will come in handy here - I can't remember how, but after taking a class in Bible interpretation I now know why they taught it in English class.)
This is the reason I preceded this article with one on Bible Dictionaries. Every word in the Bible will likely be in either a Bible Dictionary, or in an ordinary desk dictionary. Many will be in both.
As you read one paragraph (see below for paragraph divisions) at a time, look and think about each and every word and each and every phrase - and how they relate to the entire book. This should normally take several weeks.
If you find you cannot study a good half hour on each paragraph, you seriously need to get together with a mentor who can help you learn how to do this. But don't fret too much, your skills will improve with practice.
Because this process takes so long, you will need to read through the book on occasion to refresh yourself of the overall picture. On the days you read the whole book through, you may notice some things. One is that (after the two verse greeting) Paul starts with who God is, then what God has done and then goes on to what our duty is, as part of the Body of the Church. This is a constant with Paul - all of his books, from Romans through Philemon, begin with doctrine and end with duty.
This is the beginning of actually studying the text of the Bible. Most of the Ephesus project will be geared to reading the Bible, or even reading about the Bible, but from time to time some passages will get some close attention. This is one of those times.
The study of Ephesians will involve a great deal more reflection. It was written by the most highly revered teacher of Christian living, to the Church in the city of Ephesus, and it was written about what it is to live "the Christian life."
Every phrase in this letter has an easy meaning - and a deep meaning. I recommend first reading through, a chapter at a time, to get the overview - then go back and read one paragraph at a time. It is good to note that no word is in the Bible by accident (well, with English translations, this may only be 98% true) and each word is worth pondering.
As you begin this process, it will be helpful to look up each word, sometimes even if you think you know what it means (I strongly recommend looking up every word of four or more letters). Also look closely at each "Him" or "His" to see what they are really referring to. (If you can remember diagramming sentences, it will come in handy here - I can't remember how, but after taking a class in Bible interpretation I now know why they taught it in English class.)
This is the reason I preceded this article with one on Bible Dictionaries. Every word in the Bible will likely be in either a Bible Dictionary, or in an ordinary desk dictionary. Many will be in both.
As you read one paragraph (see below for paragraph divisions) at a time, look and think about each and every word and each and every phrase - and how they relate to the entire book. This should normally take several weeks.
If you find you cannot study a good half hour on each paragraph, you seriously need to get together with a mentor who can help you learn how to do this. But don't fret too much, your skills will improve with practice.
Because this process takes so long, you will need to read through the book on occasion to refresh yourself of the overall picture. On the days you read the whole book through, you may notice some things. One is that (after the two verse greeting) Paul starts with who God is, then what God has done and then goes on to what our duty is, as part of the Body of the Church. This is a constant with Paul - all of his books, from Romans through Philemon, begin with doctrine and end with duty.
Note On Paragraph Divisions:
I break up the letter to the Ephesians slightly differently than most Bibles - in their original form there were no verses or paragraphs (these are "historically recent" inventions, developed in the past thousand years, to help us locate and read stuff)
I would begin study at each of the 25 verse numbers listed below:
- chap 1: 1,7,11,15
- chap 2: 1,8,11,14,19
- chap 3: 1,8,14
- chap 4: 1,7,11,17,25
- chap 5: 1,8,15,22,30
- chap 6: 1,5,10,13,21
Friday, January 18, 2008
Ephesus Project: Dictionaries Part 1
In a previous article, I mentioned that many of the words and phrases in the Bible meant something different when they were written than they would mean today, or would at least have a different shade of meaning. A good Bible dictionary will help bridge the cultural differences surrounding words and descriptions in the Bible.
I break Bible Dictionaries into four catagories:
First is scholarly dictionaries. The pastor who taught me to study the Bible recommends Vines. I don't: for beginners it is far too advanced. These dictionaries are too detailed for the average Christian, and often require looking up a word in more than one section to fully understand the definitions.
As the goal of this project is for first year students to gain understanding the need is for something with lots of pictures, drawings, diagrams, tables, and maps. Many "Study Bibles" will have some of this already in them, but usually only a few pages.
The second catagory are those that are great for beginners: These dictionaries - at least 500 pages in length, have many picture and charts. They are also detailed enough the average Christian beginning serious study will not "grow out of" them for several years. The definitions also should refer back to the Scriptures.
I recommend Zondervan's Pictorial Dictionary. There are others (and I will review them in time), but this is the one I use extensively. It is available in four or five varieties: compact, pocket, paperback, and full. If you are serious about studying, I recommend the full one. It is about 875 pages, and has over 5000 entries, over 700 picture, and many charts and maps. I give the others for gifts, which leads me to the ...
Third category - those that are great as a gift: Same as above, but less than 500 pages so as to not overwhelm the recipient. These still must be theologically accurate (see below). If the recipient gets serious about studying, they may outgrow these quickly.
In addition to the Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary (see above), I have found "The Student Dictionary" (about 250 pages by Karen Dockery, Johnnie Godwin, and Phyllis Godwin). This one meets my basic criteria as a good beginners book - but is a little one the light side. On the plus side, it has wonderful pictures, graphs, charts and explanations. In this, it attempts to cover some territory of a Bible Handbook. Great as gift, especially for younger people.
A good price on these at the end of 2007 was $20 for the serious ones (for beginners) and about $9 for the ones I give as gifts.
The forth category are the ones I have found that are not very useful: These either don't have enough pictures and charts, or provide definitions that don't refer back to the Scripture, or the definitions are either theologically shallow or simply inaccurate.
Nelson's Pocket Reference Series Bible Dictionary is one that I would not recommend buying. This is a 3.5 inch by 5 inch book of 314 pages. It sells for about $6 at several grocers and supermarkets in my area. While it does give easy to understand definitions, it is actually aimed "too low" to be of any real use. The pictures are too few in number, and not of good enough quality, and several of the words I looked up are not in it. It states it has "over 1500 entries" and I guess that is proof that 1500 is not enough. In addition, the copyright is too restrictive if you would ever try to quote it (actually, if you take it literally, you can't even "use" it), and it is printed in China. While I would not throw this dictionary away, if you already have it, it is in no way worth the $6 price. I wouldn't even pay $1 for it, but if you already have it, there is a series of articles in the back of it that are worth reading.
Two that I "thumbed through" in the book store are "Unger's Bible Dictionary" and the "Layman's Bible Dictionary" I haven't really looked at the definitions in these dictionaries, since they don't have enough pictures to suit me.
This got a bit longer and more involved than I expected, and there are a few more dictionaries that I want to review, so I will pick up the topic again in a few weeks.
I break Bible Dictionaries into four catagories:
First is scholarly dictionaries. The pastor who taught me to study the Bible recommends Vines. I don't: for beginners it is far too advanced. These dictionaries are too detailed for the average Christian, and often require looking up a word in more than one section to fully understand the definitions.
As the goal of this project is for first year students to gain understanding the need is for something with lots of pictures, drawings, diagrams, tables, and maps. Many "Study Bibles" will have some of this already in them, but usually only a few pages.
The second catagory are those that are great for beginners: These dictionaries - at least 500 pages in length, have many picture and charts. They are also detailed enough the average Christian beginning serious study will not "grow out of" them for several years. The definitions also should refer back to the Scriptures.
I recommend Zondervan's Pictorial Dictionary. There are others (and I will review them in time), but this is the one I use extensively. It is available in four or five varieties: compact, pocket, paperback, and full. If you are serious about studying, I recommend the full one. It is about 875 pages, and has over 5000 entries, over 700 picture, and many charts and maps. I give the others for gifts, which leads me to the ...
Third category - those that are great as a gift: Same as above, but less than 500 pages so as to not overwhelm the recipient. These still must be theologically accurate (see below). If the recipient gets serious about studying, they may outgrow these quickly.
In addition to the Zondervan Compact Bible Dictionary (see above), I have found "The Student Dictionary" (about 250 pages by Karen Dockery, Johnnie Godwin, and Phyllis Godwin). This one meets my basic criteria as a good beginners book - but is a little one the light side. On the plus side, it has wonderful pictures, graphs, charts and explanations. In this, it attempts to cover some territory of a Bible Handbook. Great as gift, especially for younger people.
A good price on these at the end of 2007 was $20 for the serious ones (for beginners) and about $9 for the ones I give as gifts.
The forth category are the ones I have found that are not very useful: These either don't have enough pictures and charts, or provide definitions that don't refer back to the Scripture, or the definitions are either theologically shallow or simply inaccurate.
Nelson's Pocket Reference Series Bible Dictionary is one that I would not recommend buying. This is a 3.5 inch by 5 inch book of 314 pages. It sells for about $6 at several grocers and supermarkets in my area. While it does give easy to understand definitions, it is actually aimed "too low" to be of any real use. The pictures are too few in number, and not of good enough quality, and several of the words I looked up are not in it. It states it has "over 1500 entries" and I guess that is proof that 1500 is not enough. In addition, the copyright is too restrictive if you would ever try to quote it (actually, if you take it literally, you can't even "use" it), and it is printed in China. While I would not throw this dictionary away, if you already have it, it is in no way worth the $6 price. I wouldn't even pay $1 for it, but if you already have it, there is a series of articles in the back of it that are worth reading.
Two that I "thumbed through" in the book store are "Unger's Bible Dictionary" and the "Layman's Bible Dictionary" I haven't really looked at the definitions in these dictionaries, since they don't have enough pictures to suit me.
This got a bit longer and more involved than I expected, and there are a few more dictionaries that I want to review, so I will pick up the topic again in a few weeks.
Thursday, January 17, 2008
Ephesus Project: Cheats and helps
What do you do if you are still struggling to understand what you read in the Gospel according to Luke?
The video game industry would not be what it is today without a set of "helper tools" known as Cheat Codes. They were originally used to allow programmers and some who were not so adept at the game to reach levels of play they otherwise would never have reached.
Don't we wish there were cheat codes for Bible understanding? Well, there some things that can help.
Most people know that Charlton Heston made (at least) a dozen Bible based movies like the Ten Commandments and Exodus. Most people don't know that he made them amazingly accurate. A couple of them are virtually word for word out of the Bible.
Also there are some comic book style books that have the Bible text illustrated. The Picture Bible by Iva Hoth has the storeys of the Bible layed out in story fashion, with, obviously, pictures. It is not "The Bible" word for word, but gives a picture style feel for the people and events of that day. Available thru Family Christian Book Store or thru Amazon.
There have also been other "comic book" style texts from the Bible. I ran across some in Family Christian Book Stores last year that each one contained the complete text from one book of the New Testament in illustrated form. Unfortunately they don't seem to be around any more. But I will keep looking.
The video game industry would not be what it is today without a set of "helper tools" known as Cheat Codes. They were originally used to allow programmers and some who were not so adept at the game to reach levels of play they otherwise would never have reached.
Don't we wish there were cheat codes for Bible understanding? Well, there some things that can help.
Most people know that Charlton Heston made (at least) a dozen Bible based movies like the Ten Commandments and Exodus. Most people don't know that he made them amazingly accurate. A couple of them are virtually word for word out of the Bible.
Also there are some comic book style books that have the Bible text illustrated. The Picture Bible by Iva Hoth has the storeys of the Bible layed out in story fashion, with, obviously, pictures. It is not "The Bible" word for word, but gives a picture style feel for the people and events of that day. Available thru Family Christian Book Store or thru Amazon.
There have also been other "comic book" style texts from the Bible. I ran across some in Family Christian Book Stores last year that each one contained the complete text from one book of the New Testament in illustrated form. Unfortunately they don't seem to be around any more. But I will keep looking.
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
After Luke: Beginning Study
I debated long and hard about which epistle should be next, but settled on Ephesians. Here is the difference between reading which a beginner should do a lot of, and studying, which is also necessary for a beginner.
There are many words in the Bible (and sometimes in other things we read) that we really don't know the meaning of. Many times we decide on a meaning that fits with our understanding of the context, and usually we are at least close. But at times we can miss a lot by assigning the wrong meaning to words, and in the case of the Bible, that is increased by the differences between the culture of the authors and our own.
Remember the goal here is to UNDERSTAND the Bible, and getting some basic groundwork is important, so that is what I will concentrate on in the near future. Exploring some tools and methods to overcome the basic hurdles that can trip up a beginning Bible student is a primary goal of this project.
Of course, the first step in studying Ephesians is to read it through. As it is a fairly short letter, it can be read in a few short sittings. (If you read through it in one sitting, you may find this whole guide to be somewhat oversimplified.) After reading it through, go back and begin a detailed study of each paragraph, verse and word in it. How to go about this detailed study I will cover in an article in a week or so.
To study the text, however, you will need to understand the words, and towards the goal of understanding the words, I will explore Bible dictionaries soon. In the mean time, you will also need a regular dictionary. I prefer Oxford, but Webster will do fine also. Desk size dictionaries are fine, but I would stay away from "pocket," "abridged," or "college" dictionaries.
The next article, however, will be aimed at those struggling with the simpler things. It will be for those who are either unChurched, or are in Churches that do not teach the Bible at all.
There are many words in the Bible (and sometimes in other things we read) that we really don't know the meaning of. Many times we decide on a meaning that fits with our understanding of the context, and usually we are at least close. But at times we can miss a lot by assigning the wrong meaning to words, and in the case of the Bible, that is increased by the differences between the culture of the authors and our own.
Remember the goal here is to UNDERSTAND the Bible, and getting some basic groundwork is important, so that is what I will concentrate on in the near future. Exploring some tools and methods to overcome the basic hurdles that can trip up a beginning Bible student is a primary goal of this project.
Of course, the first step in studying Ephesians is to read it through. As it is a fairly short letter, it can be read in a few short sittings. (If you read through it in one sitting, you may find this whole guide to be somewhat oversimplified.) After reading it through, go back and begin a detailed study of each paragraph, verse and word in it. How to go about this detailed study I will cover in an article in a week or so.
To study the text, however, you will need to understand the words, and towards the goal of understanding the words, I will explore Bible dictionaries soon. In the mean time, you will also need a regular dictionary. I prefer Oxford, but Webster will do fine also. Desk size dictionaries are fine, but I would stay away from "pocket," "abridged," or "college" dictionaries.
The next article, however, will be aimed at those struggling with the simpler things. It will be for those who are either unChurched, or are in Churches that do not teach the Bible at all.
Monday, January 14, 2008
Translations 2 - Study Bibles.
The question of which translation is best is somewhat sticky, because there are so several good ones. I always tell anyone who is studying the Bible they should eventually have at least two translations. Since a Bible you don't read and understand is less than helpful, one of those translations should be chosen for ease of reading. The second translation is to compare wording in case you have a question about the meaning of a passage.
In addition, at least one of them needs to be a "Study Bible." A Study Bible is one of three basic tools to help you understand the Bible. These tools are very helpful in comprehending the time, places, and social differences the Bible discusses. They should also help with fitting some of the various pieces together to get at the understanding of the Bible.
If you have a translation that is easy to read, and is a word for word translation, and is a Study Bible, there is absolutely no hurry to get a second translation.
The following are a few Study Bibles any of which I would recommend.
The NIV Study Bible by Zondervan is one I have reviewed myself, and it is a good one, both from the standpoint of easy to read and having an abundance of good notes. It is made for beginners and fairly middle of the road theologically.
The Scofield Study Bible was an old and trusted source for many conservatives in the past. There is a newer version, and also a Scofield III version today. The Scofield III is available in some newer translations, such as NKJV, NIV, NASB, and Holman translations.
The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version by R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison is likely to be a good one. I haven't reviewed it, but I have read some of Sproul's other work, and it is good.
The Holman Illustrated Study Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible has had several good reviews. I have seen some other Holman Bible products and they are good, so I would trust this one also.
It is important to note that any study reference is going to have their own slant as to the interpretation of some particular doctrine. The ones above are fairly middle of the road, from a Baptist point of view.
UPDATE: A friend pointed out to me that I didn't discuss "Life Applications Study Bibles," and she is correct. I have not yet really looked at any Bibles in this catagory and don't know much about them. I may look into them in the future, especially if someone leaves a comment asking me to look into them.
In addition, at least one of them needs to be a "Study Bible." A Study Bible is one of three basic tools to help you understand the Bible. These tools are very helpful in comprehending the time, places, and social differences the Bible discusses. They should also help with fitting some of the various pieces together to get at the understanding of the Bible.
If you have a translation that is easy to read, and is a word for word translation, and is a Study Bible, there is absolutely no hurry to get a second translation.
The following are a few Study Bibles any of which I would recommend.
The NIV Study Bible by Zondervan is one I have reviewed myself, and it is a good one, both from the standpoint of easy to read and having an abundance of good notes. It is made for beginners and fairly middle of the road theologically.
The Scofield Study Bible was an old and trusted source for many conservatives in the past. There is a newer version, and also a Scofield III version today. The Scofield III is available in some newer translations, such as NKJV, NIV, NASB, and Holman translations.
The Reformation Study Bible: English Standard Version by R.C. Sproul and Keith Mathison is likely to be a good one. I haven't reviewed it, but I have read some of Sproul's other work, and it is good.
The Holman Illustrated Study Bible: Holman Christian Standard Bible has had several good reviews. I have seen some other Holman Bible products and they are good, so I would trust this one also.
It is important to note that any study reference is going to have their own slant as to the interpretation of some particular doctrine. The ones above are fairly middle of the road, from a Baptist point of view.
UPDATE: A friend pointed out to me that I didn't discuss "Life Applications Study Bibles," and she is correct. I have not yet really looked at any Bibles in this catagory and don't know much about them. I may look into them in the future, especially if someone leaves a comment asking me to look into them.
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