R.L. ALLAN PERSONAL SIZE REFERENCE

This little beauty arrived a few weeks ago, a lovely pre-Christmas present. It's my second Bible from the Scottish firm of R.L. Allan, both ordered through the good folks at EvangelicalBible.com. It is in single-column format (my preference) and is bound in Red Alhambra goatskin. In the second and third picture is the PSR with its R.L. Allan and ESV older brother bound in tan highland goatskin. And at the bottom is a Bible stack (loved by all readers of the dangerous Bible Design Blog) with a goatskin Cambridge Pitt Minion helping to form an ESV stairstep (click on each for a bigger image).

THE KHIRBET QEIYAFA INSCRIPTION is being closely followed by friend of Theosebes, the globetrotting Luke 'Indiana' Chandler, here and here. The inscription is--and this is like a broken record with archaeological discoveries these days--challenging the 'accepted' timeline and understanding of the Bible by liberal critics while strengthening the case for Scripture.

The inscription testifies to the fact that the Hebrews were literate much earlier than claimed by Biblical critics. If the early Hebrews did not have writing, then early books such as the Pentateuch could not have been written until much later than Scripture claims.

'LET IT SNOW, Let It Snow, Let It Snow', a new bulletin article now posted at the Hickman Mills church website.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Living For Jesus', in keeping with our congregational theme for 2010. Our lives must be hidden in Christ, who is our life.

I have also for the first time created a fill-in the blank hand-out to go with the lesson. We'll see how that goes.

BRIT HUME NOT BACKING DOWN, which is good to see.

(Thanks to Beverly for the link.)

KUDOS TO BRIT HUME

Brit Hume said what needed to be said about Tiger Woods: become a Christian. He knew he would be opening himself up to criticism, but it's high time Christians were willing to stand by their faith.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Soldiers of Christ' based on 2 Timothy 2:3-4. Are we prepared to follow our orders and be willing to lay down our life as a soldier in the the Lord's army?

(Hmmm...there seems to be a lot of dust around here.)

CONTEMPORARY PULPIT COOL

David Weaver hits this one out of the park:

They did what pastors all over the world have learned to do, they copied what they saw major contemporary pastors wear. That quickly turned into “contemporary pulpit cool.” A new tradition; a contemporary fashion dogma was born. Now pastors feel compelled to speak with their shirt out even in churches that minister to businessmen in suits. They all look alike. Some have become fashion trendsetters with their own line of “church cool clothing.” It really came into focus recently as I flipped through the channels and saw a young man standing on a stage dressed a certain way and immediately I said to myself, “He’s a pastor.” Sure enough it was a religious program and he was a pastor of a “contemporary church”, whatever that is.

Fighting the 'oppressive' status quo leads to its own unassailable status quo. Tuck in your shirt.


[Thanks to JMB for the link]

"JUSTICE CONSISTS of finding out a certain thing due a certain man and giving it to him. Temperance consists of finding out the proper limit of a particular indulgence and adhering to that. But charity means pardoning what is unpardonable, or it is no virtue at all. Hope means hoping when things are hopeless, or it is no virtue at all. And faith means believing the incredible, or it is no virtue at all." -- from G.K. Chesterton, Heretics

NIV TO BE REVISED

After the debacle that was the Today's New International Version (TNIV) a few years ago, Zondervan has announced a full revision of the best-selling NIV:

The top-selling Bible in North America will undergo its first revision in 25 years, modernizing the language in some sections and promising to reopen a contentious debate about changing gender terms in the sacred text. The New International Version, the Bible of choice for conservative evangelicals, will be revised to reflect changes in English usage and advances in Biblical scholarship, it was announced Tuesday. The revision is scheduled to be completed late next year and published in 2011.

"We want to reach English speakers across the globe with a Bible that is accurate, accessible and that speaks to its readers in a language they can understand," said Keith Danby, global president and CEO of Biblica, a Colorado Springs, Colo.-based Christian ministry that holds the NIV copyright.

But past attempts to remake the NIV for contemporary audiences in different editions have been plagued by controversies about gender language that have pitted theological conservatives against each other.

The NIV is facing a challenge from the English Standard Version, which is a more conservative/literal translation but also very readable. The NASB, too, revised its language last decade, so the NIV is somewhat behind the curve on this. I am not anti-NIV as many are, although I wouldn't personally be comfortable using it as a primary study or pulpit translation. For me, the ESV gives me readability but combines that with a concern for a more literal translation.

A revision of the NIV is a major event in Bible translation. Let's hope they don't blow it.

'GOOD BEATS UPON THE DAMNED incessantly as sound waves beat on the ears of the deaf, but they cannot receive it. Their fists are clenched, their teeth are clenched, their eyes fast shut. First they will not, in the end they cannot, open their hands for gifts, or their mouths for food, or their eyes to see.' --C.S. Lewis, The Great Divorce

MORE WITH 'INDIANA' CHANDLER...at the audio blog/podcast The Book and the Spade where Luke Chandler discusses his recent work at the Elah Fortress dig in Israel via telephone interview. The second half of the interview airs next week.

DON'T MISS THE ADVENTURES OF 'INDIANA' CHANDLER at Luke Chandler's blog. Luke and his father Royce are spending three fun weeks working as volunteer excavators at an archaeological dig in Israel. It looks like a blast, and I would love to be there. Luke does a great job of providing Biblical context for the various sites he's able to visit on his site seeing trips. It's well worth reading all of his updates (and watching the videos).

OFF TO INDIA!

I leave for my fifth trip to India today. You can follow my exploits at 'Alan's India Blog', on the Hickman Mills Church website.

THE NOVEMBER MUMBAI ATTACKS

The world was shocked by the terror attacks on Mumbai last Thanksgiving where 166 people were killed and key targets were hit. I was planning for a January trip to India when the attacks happened, and they prompted our group to postpone that trip until July. Richard Watson of the Telegraph has a chilling article on what happened. He certainly indicates that questions remained unanswered despite official Indian insistence to the contrary.

I land in Mumbai next Tuesday.

VATICAN BONE FRAGMENTS
'CONFIRMED' TO BE THOSE OF THE APOSTLE PAUL

The Vatican is claiming that ancient bone fragments have been confirmed to be those of the Apostle Paul:

Pope Benedict XVI said scientific tests confirmed shards found in the underground chamber at the church of St Paul's-Outside-the-Walls in Rome were from the apostle.

Saint Paul was said to have been buried with Saint Peter in a catacomb on the Via Appia, one of the Roman roads which leads out of the city, before being moved to a basilica which was erected in his honour.

For centuries it was believed that his remains were buried beneath the basilica's main altar, which was covered with a slab of marble inscribed in Latin with the words Paulo Apostolo Mart – "Paul, apostle and martyr".

The theory gained credence in 2006, when Vatican archeologists discovered a white marble sarcophagus hidden beneath the floor of the basilica – the largest in Rome after St Peter's at the Vatican – after four years of excavations.
It took three years for archeologists to subject the remains to the first ever scientific tests and establish that they belonged to Saint Paul, a Jewish Roman citizen from Tarsus, in what is now Turkey.

Pope Benedict XVI announced the findings during a service at the basilica, as Rome prepared to celebrate the Feasts of Saint Peter and Saint Paul.

"This seems to confirm the unanimous and undisputed tradition that these are the mortal remains of the Apostle Paul," he said.

Well, it would be nice, no question. But one can't help but have skepticism in the face of a centuries old relic tradition that include a forest of shards of the one true cross.

That someone is buried there I do not doubt. Even that the carbon dating is accurate I can't challenge. But that we can without question--or even with strong probability--identify these remains as those of Paul's is still very much in question. This does not sound like a first century burial of a poor executed man to me:

He said experts had drilled a tiny hole in the sarcophagus, which has remained closed for nearly two millennia, to allow inspection of its interior.
Inside they found "traces of a precious linen cloth, purple in colour, laminated with pure gold, and a blue coloured textile with filaments of linen," Benedict said.

Certainly, a reburial is possible. But when did that happen? More questions have been raised than have been answered.

In related news, the Vatican has also released a fourth century fresco identified as the oldest known image of Paul. And, while intriguing, we must remember that it would have been created 300 years after his death by someone with no knowledge of what he actually looked like.

I'm just a wet blanket today.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'My Father and Your Father', from Jesus' words to Mary following His resurrection. Christ, our Brother, has a unique relationship with the Heavenly Father as the only Begotten Son. Because of what our Brother was willing to do for us that we could not do for ourselves we can be adopted as sons, crying out 'Abba, Father!'

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'God's Righteous Judgment' from 2 Thessalonians 1:1-12. Those who do not know God and have not obeyed the gospel have much to fear from God's vengeance, which shall be revealed by Jesus and His angels. Let us, then, emulate the Thessalonians who were growing and increasing in faith and love.

OBAMA'S PRESIDENTIAL RESPONSIBILITY

Self-identified Christian President Barack Obama spoke to the Muslim world in Cairo in an effort to smooth over perceived US-Muslim schisms. In the process the President has discovered a remarkable new Presidential responsibility:

Mr Obama said: “I consider it part of my responsibility as president of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam wherever they appear."

Who knew? I don't recall that being in the Presidential job description. If anyone has a quote where the President declares it is also his responsibility as President to fight against negative stereotypes of Christianity (his professed religion) please post a link in comments.

And a little Obama speech trivia: In today's speech he quoted from the Koran three times. Since he has been President the total number of quotes from the Bible: three.

COUPLE BARRED FROM HOSTING HOME BIBLE STUDIES

A couple in San Diego County have been ordered by county officials to stop having friends over for a Bible study or face massive fines:

Pastor David Jones and his wife Mary have been told that they cannot invite friends to their San Diego, Calif. home for a Bible study — unless they are willing to pay tens of thousands of dollars to San Diego County.

"On Good Friday we had an employee from San Diego County come to our house, and inform us that the Bible study that we were having was a religious assembly, and in violation of the code in the county." David Jones told FOX News.

"We told them this is not really a religious assembly — this is just a Bible study with friends. We have a meal, we pray, that was all," Jones said.

A few days later, the couple received a written warning that cited "unlawful use of land," ordering them to either "stop religious assembly or apply for a major use permit," the couple's attorney Dean Broyles told San Diego news station 10News.

But the major use permit could cost the Jones' thousands of dollars just to have a few friends over.

The Joneses understand the need to fight the order:

"The implications are great because it’s not only us that’s involved," Mary Jones said. "There are thousands and thousands of Bible studies that are held all across the country. What we’re interested in is setting a precedent here — before it goes any further — and that we have it settled for the future."

The couple is planning to dispute the county's order this week.

Of course, if they were just having some folks over to grill out this apparently wouldn't be a problem. Or maybe if they were having their weekly meeting of, say, Oprah's Book Club then no big deal. But say a prayer or pull out the Bible and clearly the state suddenly has an overpowering interest to stop it.

In a country with a guaranteed freedom of religion and freedom to assemble it's ought to shock and frighten us that both of those things suddenly can become illegal in our own homes.

UPDATE: County officials now appear to be backing down.

[Thanks to Beverly for the links]

LATE-TERM ABORTION DOCTOR GUNNED DOWN
George Tiller performed over 60,000 abortions

Infamous late-term abortion doctor George Tiller was shot to death on Sunday while serving as an usher at Reformation Lutheran Church in Wichita, Kansas. A suspect was apprehended within hours.

Tiller gained noteriety for his promotion of late-term--third trimester--abortions of viable babies on the grounds of the 'mental health' of the mother. This website claims to document his abortion activities (Disclaimer: I have no connection with the linked site nor have I vetted it for content).

Now Tiller's supporters will turn him into a martyred saint for the grand cause of abortion. Tiller's killer has himself wrongly committed murder, for which he must pay the just penalty. Both of these men, Tiller and his shooter, should have remembered the Biblical principle of Genesis 9:6, which God Himself gave to Noah:

"Whoever sheds the blood of man,
by man shall his blood be shed,
for God made man in his own image."

Let us understand that there are consequences for disregarding the value of a creation made in the very image of God. No one, abortionists or abortion opponents, are justified forgetting that.

CHURCHES FACE THE RECESSION

The recession necessarily affects churches, too, as they are primarily reliant on voluntary giving. The Lexington Herald-Leader has a rundown on how different relgious groups and organizations are dealing with the recession. The focus turns out to be more on seminaries and denominational superstructures rather than indidividual congregations, but some wise words from Prof. Timothy Paul Jones:

"What's most important for churches to do at this time is to return to their core calling as a congregation," Jones said. "Ask, 'What does God want us to do and to be in this community?' Then make cuts in ways that strengthen and highlight that vision rather than undercutting it."

It's worth a look.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...‘An Excellent Wife Is the Crown of Her Husband’: Thoughts On Finding a Spouse. God is not neutral on the subject of the mate we select, and we can't be, either!

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Our Memorial Day'. Just as God established a memorial day--and a new beginning--for Israel with the Passover, so we, too, celebrate our Passover--Jesus Christ--in a memorial Lord's Supper each first day of the week.

CHARCOALED VESUVIUS SCROLL TO BE 'UNROLLED'

University of Kentucky scientists will attempt to 'unroll' a scroll turned into charcoal by the famous Vesuvius eruption that destroyed Herculaneum and Vesuvius:

On Aug. 24, 79 A.D., Italy's Mount Vesuvius exploded, burying the Roman towns of Herculaneum and Pompeii under tons of super-heated ash, rock and debris in one of the most famous volcanic eruptions in history.

Thousands died. But somehow, hundreds of papyrus scrolls survived — sort of — in a villa at Herculaneum thought to have been owned at one time by Julius Caesar's father-in-law.

The scrolls contained ancient philosophical and learned writings. But they were so badly damaged — literally turned to carbon by the volcanic heat — that they crumbled when scholars first tried to open them centuries later.

The remaining scrolls, stored away in Italy and France, haven't been read — or even unrolled — since 79 AD.

Now, a computer scientist from the University of Kentucky hopes that modern digital technology will allow him to peer inside two of the fragile scrolls — without physically opening them — and unlock secrets they have held for almost 2,000 years.

Brent Seales, the Gill professor of engineering in UK's computer science department, will use an X-Ray CT scanning system to collect interior images of the scrolls' rolled-up pages. Then, he and his colleagues hope to digitally "unroll" the scrolls on a computer screen so scholars can read them.

"It will be a challenge because today these things look more like charcoal briquets than scrolls," Seales said last week. "But we're using a non-invasive scanning system, based on medical technology, that lets you slice through an object and develop a three-dimensional data set without having to open it, just as you would do a CT scan on a human body."

This is fascinating--and extremely important--stuff. It's mind-boggling to imagine what might be in those scrolls, surely some contain writings lost to history since Biblical times. Let's hope the attempt is successful.

CONGRESS PARTY WINS BIG IN INDIA ELECTIONS

As both of the regular followers of Theosebes recall, I have made several trips to India in the past few years. Our group was scheduled to go again this past January, but the trip was postponed in light of the Mumbai terror attacks in November. It was the opinion of the Indian brethren we are in contact with that the terror attacks were aimed at destabilizing the current government, led by the Congress Party, in view of the elections scheduled for this spring. The feeling was that after the elections, the likelihood of more attacks would drop. The good news is that not only are the elections now over, but the incumbent Congress Party--led by Sonia Gandhi--gained seats in parliament. This ought to help maintain stability in India, and also lessen the influence of the Hindu radicals who have increased pressure on Christians in recent years. I am scheduled to return to India in July, and am looking forward to helping the brethren there any way I can.

MOST AMERICANS ARE PRO-LIFE

The latest Gallup Poll on the issue of abortion shows that a majority of Americans are pro-life:

A new Gallup Poll, conducted May 7-10, finds 51% of Americans calling themselves "pro-life" on the issue of abortion and 42% "pro-choice." This is the first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.

The new results, obtained from Gallup's annual Values and Beliefs survey, represent a significant shift from a year ago, when 50% were pro-choice and 44% pro-life. Prior to now, the highest percentage identifying as pro-life was 46%, in both August 2001 and May 2002.

The findings are, frankly, very surprising, although very encouraging. Let's pray that the trend continues and bears tangible fruit.

OBAMA & NOTRE DAME

O-merica comes to Notre Dame this weekend as the President is slated to speak at the Catholic university's commencement ceremony. Understandably, some Catholics have expressed concern that the President's radical support for abortion is not consistent with the goals of a Catholic university.

In light of the President's recent appearance at Georgetown University, which eagerly covered up religious symbols in an effort to appease the President's sensibilities, it seems that Catholic critics are correct that the Catholic universities are in crisis. At least, that is, if one imagines that their purpose is to be dedicated to training Catholics to be faithful in a hostile world. However, the Notre Dame mission statement makes no mention of Jesus, God or even the church. It does mention developing "an appreciation for the great achievements of human beings", however.

But what this really brings to light is that religious institutions outside of the local church eventually act just like 'temporary' government programs--interested only in their own existence, prestige and continuation. From Harvard and Yale (remember that they were once religious, and very conservatively so) to the YMCA and now to Notre Dame and Georgetown, the lure of worldy prestige and wisdom eventually overshadows their founding mission, no matter how well-intentioned.

MADONNA MARRIES...JESUS?...IN A KABBALAH CEREMONY

Theosebes has long tried to follow Madonna and her Kabbalah (*cough*) convictions. The latest rumors have her marrying a man named Jesus, however, now her spokesmen are saying otherwise:

Madonna and her boy toy Jesus have no plans to get married, a spokesperson for the singer tells In Touch magazine.

“This is completely and totally not true,” her spokesperson says.

Is Madonna to be denied happiness in another lifelong commitment? Is Dan Brown to be denied having Jesus really marry (and to someone named Madonna!)?

Whatever happens, Madonna's Kabbalah faith will see her through.

Oh, and Jesus's spokesmen--apostles?--have made no comment.

OBAMA HAS JESUS SYMBOL COVERED AT GEORGETOWN U.

Georgetown University (hey, aren't they Catholic?) complied with White House demands that a Jesus symbol be covered so that it did not show during a speech given by President Obama:

Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.

“In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.

“The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches,” she added. “Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn’t high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context.”

Well, if you don't want Christian symbolism then perhaps you could give your speech somewhere other than at an institution that is not affiliated in some way with a church, perhaps, say, at the White House on the other side of town. And perhaps the University should be a little less 'respectful' to a government official who wants Jesus's name covered up.

But covering up Jesus seems a small price to pay for the worldly prestige of having the President speak at your college, doesn't it?

IDEOLOGY, MORALS AND SCIENCE

President Obama reversed the Bush Administration's ban on government funding for embryonic stem cell research today, claiming a 'consensus' had been reached that it was the right thing to do. According to Obama, it was time to move beyond letting morals and ideology get in the way of scientific research:

Obama says that in recent years, the government has forced a false choice between "sound science and moral values." He says "the majority of Americans -- from across the political spectrum, and of all backgrounds and beliefs -- have come to a consensus that we should pursue this research"....

In addition to reversing the stem cell funding ban, Obama says he is directing the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to develop a strategy for making sure that "we base our public policies on the soundest science; that we appoint scientific advisors based on their credentials and experience, not their politics or ideology; and that we are open and honest with the American people about the science behind our decisions."

At the same time Obama assured everyone that while stem cell research was okay, cloning was beyond the pale:

He adds that "we will ensure that our government never opens the door to the use of cloning for human reproduction. It is dangerous, profoundly wrong, and has no place in our society, or any society."

But on what basis does the President make such a statement? Because, he states, human cloning is "wrong". After condemning restricting resarch because of ideology and morals, he turns around and does the same. But these are his lines, which appears to make it okay. What if it is determined that best way to cure Disease X is through some form of human cloning? I'm sure somewhere such research has its strong advocates.

Science itself is a morally neutral thing. The reality is that we cannot afford to let science (no matter how 'promising' it might be) dictate our society's morals and ethics, and any society with a clear moral vision should understand that.



*We will, for the sake of this argument, exclude the possibility that "stem cell research" currently polls better than "human cloning".

A DRINK A DAY?
New study links alcohol to cancer

For the past several years the media has enjoyed encouraging that 'drink a day' in order to fight heart disease. Now a new study shows a strong link between even moderate alcohol consumption and cancer risk:

A new study involving nearly 1.3 million middle-aged British women -- the largest ever to examine alcohol and cancer in women -- found that just one glass of chardonnay, a single beer or any other type of alcoholic drink per day increases the risk of a variety of cancers....

Even among women who consumed as little as 10 grams of alcohol a day on average -- the equivalent of about one drink -- the risk for cancer of the breast, liver and rectum was elevated, the researchers found...

In any group of 1,000 U.S. women up to age 75 who consumed an average of one drink a day, the researchers calculated, there would be 15 extra cancers; two drinks per day would result in 30 extra cancers, and so forth.

The risk appeared the same regardless of whether women drank wine, beer or any other type of alcohol. Allen noted that even less than one drink per day may increase the risk.

"There doesn't seem to be a threshold at which alcohol consumption is safe," she said.

Yet, as noted above, that's certainly not the message that people have been getting:

"I thought drinking wine was good for you," said Mirella Romansini, 27, of Chevy Chase, outside Paul's liquor store in Northwest Washington. "Now they are saying it increases your risk for cancer? Yes, I would say I'm surprised."

That's because she's been told in media story after media story that it is good for you. And the reality is, cancer is probably the least of your worries with increased alcohol consumption.

Want the health benefits of wine with none of the risk? Then stick with the grape juice.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Must I Forgive?'. What is our attitude toward forgiveness? Can the Christian afford to withhold forgiveness? "For with the measure you use it will be measured back to you.” (Luke 6:38)

MILES FOR MATT 5K

I don't usually post off theme items here, but since it's my blog I can do what I want. This morning I ran my first ever 5K, which was something of a personal accomplishment for me, so I thought I'd brag a little. The past months of running, working up to it, have, however, been instructive in light of Paul's use of running analogies in his epistles. I kid you not that I've thought about them a lot while hoofing it through the suburban streets of Missouri. At least one write-up on the spiritual implications of running will make it to Theosebes.

Below is your humble correspondent heading for the finish line. Run time was around 30:10. This was a charity 5K for a local boy who recently had a tumor removed. More 5Ks are in my future, I hope.

INAUGURATION BLOG

My friend Larry Seward who is a member at Hickman Mills where I preach and also a reporter for NBC 41 in Kansas City is blogging from the Inaugural in Washington, DC.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'I AM...the Vine' from John 15, the last of a series on Jesus' I AM statements from the gospel of John. Jesus came as the true vine, a fulfillment of all that God had hoped for Israel, the failed vine (Jer 2:21). If we abide in Him we can produce fruit for the glorification of the Father and be a friend of Jesus.

HOW CLEAN IS THE MANGER?

Last week I posted that I was pondering Proverbs 14:4. After pondering for awhile, this bulletin article emerged.


Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox. –Proverbs 14:4

Everybody—well, most everybody—likes a clean house or office. In the kitchen we like the pots and pans put away, the counter wiped up.

The farmer, too, likes a clean barn. It’s satisfying to look into the stall and see order and calm. And, as with the proverb, if the oxen are gone then there’s no reason to worry about having to do the job again. There’s no spilled food or water. There’s no (very) unpleasant manure. What is clean and orderly will stay that way.

But what happens if you want to cook a meal in that clean kitchen? Or what if the farmer decides that his purpose isn’t to have a clean and orderly manger, but rather to produce a bountiful harvest?

We have a common saying that I believe parallels what the proverb is getting at: If you want to make an omelet you have to crack a few eggs. The purpose of a kitchen isn’t to be clean, the purpose of a manger to be orderly. The purpose a church isn’t simply to have a calm veneer.

Now we understand that, as the oft quoted passage states, that “all things should be done decently and in order” (1 Corinthians 14:40), and that “God is not a God of confusion” (14:33). These are verses that regulate corporate worship, however. The proverb is speaking of something else.

People, especially people dealing with sin and temptation, are messy. There are complications—life happens. If we want, as Jesus came to do, to seek and save the lost, then we’re going to find a lot of messes to deal with. If we want to plant and water (1 Corinthians 3:6) and go to harvest (Luke 10:2) there’s going to be some mud tracked in for those abundant crops to be produced.

I have seen churches where everything was calm, predictable and very, very dead. Nothing happened…ever. But the manger was clean, and that made some people happy. Those churches lost their goal. They were good at cleaning house, but not very good at building one (1 Corinthians 3:10f). Yes, neatness and order is good, but not at the expense of inhibiting the harvest that is the purpose and lifeblood of any church.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Deacons: Appointment & Roles'. During our recent elder appointment three of our deacons became elders leaving us with a shortage of men serving in that capacity. This lesson explores the Biblical role of deacons along with thier qualifications.

A PROVERB I'M PONDERING

"Where there are no oxen, the manger is clean,
but abundant crops come by the strength of the ox."
--Proverbs 14:4

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Spiritual Warfare 2009' in keeping with our congregational theme for the new year. We will be emphasizing the spiritual battle we are in throughout the year. This morning I will be speaking on making sure we are spiritually fit for the battle that is raging for our souls.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Peace On Earth: What Did Jesus Bring?', a look at what kind of peace Jesus really did bring to the world: a peace between God and man that could only be accomplished by the sacrifice of Jesus Himself.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...actually should be 'Appointing This Morning' as the focus today will be on appointing new elders at the Hickman Mills church. Several months of teaching and preaching have thankfully resulted in three new overseers being selected to serve. We will be blessed with an eldership of eight fine men, for which we are very grateful.

This will be the second elder appointment I have done in 14 months, the last one at Wilsonville, Alabama.

BOUNTY FOR CHRISTIAN LEADERS IN INDIA

In India's Orissa state, the location of a recent spike of Christian persecution, fundamentalist Hindus are offering a bounty for Christian leaders:

Extremist Hindu groups offered money, food and alcohol to mobs to kill Christians and destroy their homes, according to Christian aid workers in the eastern India state of Orissa.

The U.S.-based head of Good News India, a Christian organization that runs several orphanages in Orissa — one of India’s poorest regions — claims that Christian leaders are being targeted by Hindu militants and carry a price on their heads. "The going price to kill a pastor is $250," said Faiz Rahman, the chairman of Good News India.

A spokesman for the All-India Christian Council said: “People are being offered rewards to kill, and to destroy churches and Christian properties. They are being offered foreign liquor, chicken, mutton and weapons. They are given petrol and kerosene.”

Ram Madhav, a spokesman for the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS), the largest hardline Hindu group, denied the claims. “The accusation is absolutely false,” he said.

Orissa has suffered a series of murders and arson attacks in recent months, with at least 67 Christians killed, according to the Roman Catholic Church. Several thousand homes have been razed and hundreds of places of worship destroyed, and crops are now wasting in the fields.

Such persecution is illegal in India, but it's a matter of local enforcement. If the elected leadership doesn't care they simply look the other way. It's time for the government to step in here.

As I've stated before, Christianity is a convenient scapegoat for the fact that the younger generation are less dedicated Hindus. Their real problem is the rise of education, modernity and 'material agnosticism'. Their children aren't, by and large, becoming Christians, but rather becoming middle class.

[Thanks to Theosebes reader Eric for alerting me to the bounty story.]

OBAMA SKIPS CHURCH FOR THE GYM

Unlike his predecessors, President-elect Barack Obama finds the gym more attractive than church services:

President-elect Barack Obama has yet to attend church services since winning the White House earlier this month, a departure from the example of his two immediate predecessors.

On the three Sundays since his election, Obama has instead used his free time to get in workouts at a Chicago gym.

Asked about the president-elect's decision to not attend church, a transition aide noted that the Obamas valued their faith experience in Chicago but were concerned about the impact their large retinue may have on other parishioners.

"Because they have a great deal of respect for places of worship, they do not want to draw unwelcome or inappropriate attention to a church not used to the attention their attendance would draw," said the aide.

Both President-elect George W. Bush and President-elect Bill Clinton managed to attend church in the weeks after they were elected.

Does that raise the question of whether a messiah should go to church or should the church come to him?

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Living For the Will of God' from 1 Peter 4:1-11. As we put aside the ways of the world, we order our life to fulfill the will of God. God directs us to be focused toward serving Him by serving one another just as Jesus Himself showed.

This evening...'James: Brother of Jesus', a biographical look at one who went from skeptic to martyr.

THE HOMOSEXUAL LOBBY ON THE MARCH

Infuriated by the surprise (to them) rejection of homosexual 'marriage' in three strates on election day, homosexual protesters have been flexing their muscles in California hoping to stop an approved state constitutional amendment:

More than 20,000 protesters spilled into the streets of Los Angeles, San Diego, Sacramento and even Modesto on Saturday in mostly peaceful demonstrations over passage of Proposition 8, the statewide ballot measure that bans same-sex marriage.

The unfolding street scenes underscored the racial and religious tensions that have surfaced since Tuesday's vote threw into question the legality of 18,000 marriages of gay and lesbian couples and foreclosed the option for any more.

Police estimated that 12,500 boisterous marchers converged about 6 p.m. at Sunset and Santa Monica boulevards in Silver Lake near the site of the former Black Cat bar, which the city recently designated a historic-cultural monument for its '60s role as home of the local gay rights movement.

Particular targets for protest in California have been churches, particularly Mormon churches and temples. This attempt to silence religious opposition is now including an attempt to silence religious opposition of any kind to homosexuality:

About 100 people stood in front of First Baptist Church of Dallas on Sunday morning to protest Dr. Robert Jeffress' sermon, "Why Gay Is Not O.K."

Carrying signs bearing the words "I'm Gay and It's OK" and "Christ Taught Love Not Hate," the protesters lined both sides of San Jacinto Street in front of the downtown church.

They sang "Jesus Loves Me" and cheered when passing motorists honked their horns and waved in support.

"Most of the people here are Christians, and they're taking offense at the Baptist Church trying to say how Christ's love should be interpreted," said Patrick Hancock, who attended the peaceful protest. It was organized earlier this week when someone noticed the sermon topic on the church marquee.

It sounds like the minister has a good grasp of the issue:

Dr.[Robert] Jeffress said the purpose of his sermon was to "let Christians know what the Bible says about this important topic, and to reaffirm that any and every sin can be forgiven."

Dr. Jeffress addressed what he called two "myths" about homosexuality: that prohibitions exist only in the Old Testament, and that Jesus never condemned this behavior.

During one of his three Sunday morning sermons, he cited New Testament passages that he said condemned homosexuality, including Romans 1:27. It speaks of "men, leaving the natural use of the woman, [who] burned in their lust one toward another."

Dr. Jeffress acknowledged that "Jesus never used the word homosexual." However, he said, Christ condemned homosexuality by affirming Old Testament truths and by upholding God's plan for human sexuality – "one man and one woman in a marriage relationship."

And we can be assured that there will be no end to this expanded assault on religion:

"The No on 8 people didn't want us to use the word 'bigots.' But that's what they are, bigots, bigots, bigots," Tyler said, bringing a round of cheers from the growing crowd. "We will never be made invisible again. Never again will we let them define who we are."

This is now turning into a struggle for religious liberty itself. The homosexual movement is going on the offensive, and they see Christians as the obstacle blocking their goal.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'The Hope That Is In You' from 1 Peter 3:8-22. Through the resurrection of Christ we are to be a humble people of fearless hope. As an appeal to a good conscience before God, we submit ourselves to the saving waters of baptism that we might, like Noah, be separated from sin and death.

This evening...'The Handwriting On the Wall' from Daniel 5. Belshazzar learned not to mock the God of heaven. No matter how impregnable the walls around us seem, nothing can protect us from the judgment of God.

HOMOSEXUAL 'MARRIAGE' DEFEATED IN THREE STATES

In what would seem to be a counter-intuitive result considering Tuesday's overall election returns homosexual marriage was defeated in three states, two of which went for Obama:

In California, where same-sex marriage had been performed since June, the ban had more than 52 percent of the vote, according to figures by the secretary of state, and was projected to win by several Californian news media outlets. Opponents of same-sex marriage won by even bigger margins in Arizona and Florida. Just two years ago, Arizona rejected a similar ban.

Of particular interest is who supported the bans:

Exit polls in California found that 70 percent of black voters backed the ban. Slightly more than half of Latino voters, who made up almost 20 percent of voters, favored the ban, while 53 percent of whites opposed it.

Apparently minorities aren't buying homosexual marriage as a so-called civil rights issue, while whites are happy to go along with it.

AND NOW, THE ESV PITT MINION

Having switched over to the ESV from the NASB as my default translation earlier in the year I figured, hey, I need new Bibles--right? Right. Work with me here. It happened along about that time that I became a regular reader of Mark Bertrand's fine (yet very, very dangerous) weblog Bible Design and Binding. It turned out to be a costly confluence of events. As a result I am now three ESV Bibles richer, yet much cash poorer.

Earlier, I reviewed my ESV from Allan in tan highland goatskin. Yesterday my Cambridge Pitt Minion in brown goatskin arrived. I've not had much time to spend with it, but here are some early impressions and pictures.

The first thing that jumps out is how small the Pitt Minion is. It's a palm sized Bible, and will be great for stuffing in a coat pocket or briefcase. I can see that this one will be used a lot when I need to grab a Bible and run. The text pages are a bit more refined in their design than the Allan's, a better balance of margins. The text also seems to pop out on the page better on the Pitt Minion, which is good since the type is relatively small.

Of course, Allan uses a pre-done text block so the real comparison between the two comes at the binding. The cover on the Pitt Minion has a nice feel, and the brown color is elegantly understated. But the feel of the leather is like night and day compared to the Allan's. While the Allan's is supple and buttery, the Pitt Minion has a slight roughness to it, the spine is tighter and the cover is stiffer out of the box. The Allan's has a leather backing to the cover while the Pitt Minion uses what appears to be vinyl. I think it comes down to the fact that as nice as the Pitt Minion is (and it is nice--don't get me wrong!), it still seems like a factory Bible while the Allan seems more handcrafted. Of course, you'll pay twice as much (or close to it) for the Allan.

But they are different Bibles for different purposes. And one shouldn't hold against the Pitt Minion what it is not. What it is is a very well executed Bible that is quite handsome, and likely will be more versatile for me than the Allan's is. I think with use and time much of the stiffness will work itself out as well. Perhaps I can check back in with it in a year. One last quibble: I'd love it if the Pitt Minion had two ribbon markers rather than one. Ribbon markers are so useful, and they have to be cheap to add.

Before the pictures, a dream Bible: Pitt Minion size in single-column format and bound by R.L. Allan in their tan goatskin with raised bands thrown in for good measure (and three ribbon markers, of course).

Back to reality, here is the Bible that is:










Pitt Minion-R.L. Allan mini-stack:

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Drinking Dangers: The Christian & Alcohol'-- Proverbs 20:1 tells us, 'Wine is a mocker, strong drink a brawler, and whoever is led astray by it is not wise.'

This evening, 'The King Who Ate Grass', from Daniel 4. God is at work in our world and ultimately will humble those who do not acknowledge Him.

RUSSELL KIRK READS 'THERE'S A LONG, LONG TRAIL A-WINDING'

My old boss conservative historian and cultural critic Russell Kirk loved Halloween. It was his favorite holiday. During the the Halloween I spent there the day was a major event. Dr. Kirk would dress up and the foyer to the Kirk home would be transformed into a spooky chamber. A wide-eyed boy looked around the room and asked Dr. Kirk, 'Do you live here?' Without missing a beat Dr. Kirk replied to the innocent, 'When we were alive we did.'

Dr. Kirk was an award winning writer of ghostly fiction, and his best known story was 'There's a Long, Long Trail A-Winding'. Through the magic of the Internet, a reading of it by Dr. Kirk is available in streaming audio.

He would be pleased that he reads it to us beyond the grave. One of his favorite quotes came from his friend T.S. Eliot's poem 'Little Gidding': "the communication / Of the dead is tongued with fire beyond the language of the living."

OLDEST HEBREW TEXT FOUND
And maybe there was a King David after all

Writing on a shard dating from the time of David has been unearthed from a fortress overlooking the valley where David slew Goliath:

Archaeologists in Israel said on Thursday they had unearthed the oldest Hebrew text ever found, while excavating a fortress city overlooking a valley where the Bible says David slew Goliath....

Archaeologists from the Hebrew University said they found five lines of text written in black ink on a shard of pottery dug up at a five-acre (two-hectare) site called Elah Fortress, or Khirbet Qeiyafa.

Experts have not yet been able to decipher the text fully, but carbon dating of artifacts found at the site indicates the Hebrew inscription was written about 3,000 years ago, predating the Dead Sea Scrolls by 1,000 years, the archaeologists said.

Several words, including "judge," "slave" and "king," could be identified and the experts said they hoped the text would shed light on how alphabetic scripts developed.

In a finding that could have symbolic value for Israel, the archaeologists said other items discovered at the fortress dig indicated there was most likely a strong king and central government in Jerusalem during the period scholars believe that David ruled the holy city and ancient Israel.

It will be interesting to see what the text actually has to say, however the additional finds that point to a strong king and central government during the time of David would be devastating to the so-called 'Biblical minimalists' who deny that thre was any such person as David, and he is simply a later mytholigical construct to promote Hebrew nationalism.

BEN STEIN'S 'EXPELLED'
Highly Recommended Viewing

Does anyone not love Ben Stein? Well, I'm sure there are quite a few in the Academy and on the pro-Evolution side of things who don't now.

This year Ben Stein released his documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on the balkanization of science and the crushing of free discourse on the topic of evolution. It is now out on DVD, and after (finally!) watching it last night I can only say: go rent it now! Our local Redbox had it, so your outlay can be as low as $1 (+ tax).

Stein interviews both pro-Intelligent Design scientists and Darwinists, asking the questions no one else wants to ask. He exposes the arrogance of the Darwinist Establishment and their blacklist tactics. Stein does an amazing job of connecting the dots between Darwinism, atheism and its worldview-political implications. Your jaw will drop at what he is able to get evolutionists to admit to, including their own thoughts about the possibility of Intelligent Design.

The documentary presents a similar argument to what Phillip E. Johnson uses in books like Darwin on Trial. But Stein does so in an easily digestable and highly entertaining (and hilarious!) way. Using resources and a production level rarely available to those who seek to express a view so unacceptable to the Left.

See it. Thank me later.


Here's the trailer:

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'I Am...the Resurrection and the Life' from a series on the 'I Am' statements of Jesus in the gospel of John. Why did Jesus weep although He knew He was going to raise His friend Lazarus? Not only for His love for Lazarus, but because of the terrible power of sin and death that He came to defeat. Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life--all life comes from Him.

'CONVERT OR FLEE'
Christian Persecution in India

Christian persecution, or at least the reporting of it, is on the rise in India's Orissa state:

The family of Solomon Digal was summoned by neighbors to what serves as a public square in front of the village tea shop.

They were ordered to get on their knees and bow before the portrait of a Hindu preacher. They were told to turn over their Bibles, hymnals and the two brightly colored calendar images of Christ that hung on their wall. Then, Mr. Digal, 45, a Christian since childhood, was forced to watch his Hindu neighbors set the items on fire.

“ ‘Embrace Hinduism, and your house will not be demolished,’ ” Mr. Digal recalled being told on that Wednesday afternoon in September. “ ‘Otherwise, you will be killed, or you will be thrown out of the village.’ ”

The violence seems to be systematic and growing:

Here in Kandhamal, the district that has seen the greatest violence, more than 30 people have been killed, 3,000 homes burned and over 130 churches destroyed, including the tin-roofed Baptist prayer hall where the Digals worshiped. Today it is a heap of rubble on an empty field, where cows blithely graze.

Across this ghastly terrain lie the singed remains of mud-and-thatch homes. Christian-owned businesses have been systematically attacked. Orange flags (orange is the sacred color of Hinduism) flutter triumphantly above the rooftops of houses and storefronts.

All very troubling, of course. The intense oppression does seem to be geographically focused, but the frenzy that leads to it can easily spread.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Finding Biblical Leaders'. As Hickman Mills continues its elder nomination process, a look at some of the men God used as effective leaders of His people: Moses, Nehemiah and Peter. All overcame obstacles, including self-doubt, prior commitments and past mistakes.

THE CASHMERE OF BIBLE COVERS

Due to the baleful influence of Mark Bertrand's Bible Design & Binding blog I was introduced to the existence of R.L. Allan Bibles from Scotland. Now, I had lived my life in bliss without knowing about Allan's, but can happiness be complete without a Bible bound in tan highland goatskin? No reasonable person could argue 'no'.

Allan takes sewn text blocks and then gives them luxurious bindings in leathers of the highest quality. Since my recent conversion to using the English Standard Version (ESV) I, of course, needed (yes, I did) to acquire some actual copies for pulpit, office and home (yes, I did). So I placed my order for the then upcoming R.L. Allan ESV from EvangelicalBible.com (a recommended source) and waited. Then waited. And waited some more. Hey, it's tough to catch those goats in the Highlands!

Yesterday, the awaited tome appeared on my doorstep. It was, as they say, worth the wait. The leather is incredibly soft. Incredibly soft. It doesn't feel delicate, though. The Bible flows in your hands, with almost no stiffness at all right out of the box. There is no problem with it opening flat, a testament (ha!) to both the sewn text, but also to the quality of the binding job. Without question, this is the nicest Bible I've ever owned.

Now for a couple of quibbles, which is all these are. Some raised bands on the spine would have pushed the cover into even further heights. The visual appeal of the text would have been increased with just the slightest bit of wider margins (not wide margins--I'm talking 1/8" here), particularly at the bottom of the page and in the gutter. Clearly, compactness is a premium here, so I understand that the margins are first to go. However, when you're putting highland goatskin around in, bumping up the margins can add just a little more luxury.

The print (or would that be binding?) runs on these are limited, so if you want one best to order quickly. There's also black (but who wants black when you can have tan?!). And worth considering as a 'budget' option is the new Cambridge ESV Pitt Minion, which also looks fantastic in the preview pictures.

Here are a few quick pictures of my Allan's that arrived yesterday.

R.L. Allan ESV in Tan Highland Goatskin
You can see the leather texture well here.

THE SUPREME COURT HAS REFUSED to hear the Lucero vs. Texas jury Bible case:

The Supreme Court on Monday refused to consider a murder case in which a jury foreman read passages of the Bible to hold-out jurors who subsequently voted to impose the death penalty.

Without comment, the justices declined to consider whether the jury foreman's conduct violated the rights of Jimmie Lucero, an Amarillo, Texas, man sentenced to death after being convicted in the shotgun slayings of three neighbors at their home in 2003....

During deliberations, the foreman read aloud from Romans 13:1-6, which states that everyone must submit to authority and that those who do wrong should be afraid, for a ruler is "God's servant, an agent of wrath to bring punishment to the wrongdoer."

It was all a tempest in a teapot, grasing at straws to set a murder of three people free. If reading the Bible leads to more convictions I'm all for it.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Duties of Elders & the Church' in view of an elder appointment process that is being initiated today.

This evening 'The Fiery Furnace' from Daniel 3. Like Daniel's three friends, we must be ready to stand by our commitment to God regardless of the consequences, knowing that He will never forsake us.

INDIAN CHRISTIANS UNDER ATTACK IN ORISSA STATE

Tensions are rising in India as Christians are under attack from Hindu fundamentalists, particularly in the state of Orissa:

Attacks on nuns, churches and Christian refugees across India are stoking fears that Hindu extremists are planning to target minority communities as the country prepares for a general election.

The worst anti-Christian violence in India since independence 60 years ago came in Kandhamal district, in the state of Orissa, in recent weeks. Hindu fanatics attempted to poison water sources at relief camps holding at least 15,000 people displaced by mob violence, local activists alleged. Hundreds of Christian refugees in the region were told not to return to their homes unless they converted to Hinduism.

In Chattisgarh, central India, two nuns from the Missionaries of Charity, the order founded by Mother Teresa, were beaten by a mob when they took four orphans to an adoption centre.

Christians can be a convenient target of Hindu fundamentalists who may not want to risk a confrontation with Muslims. Christians are a relatively small and peaceful minority group. Some officials find it politically expedient to look the other way, as well. Still, as I have pointed out before, on my trips to India I have never felt in any immediate danger. But one hopes the authorities will not tolerate this sort of treatment, regardless of how localized it might be.

SCOTTISH BIBLES

I have long had an interest in printing and binding (even trying my hand at it in years past). Add that to old Bibles and you have my attention. I just discovered this slideshow of early Scottish binding, mostly of Bibles. It's beautiful work.

I wonder if I can get one of those in an ESV?

SECOND TEMPLE PERIOD WALL FOUND

Archaeologists have uncovered a Jerusalem wall dating to the Second Temple period:

The remains of the southern wall of Jerusalem that was built by the Hasmonean kings during the time of the Second Temple have been uncovered on Mount Zion, the Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday.

The 2,100-year-old wall, which was destroyed during the Great Revolt against the Romans that began in 66 CE, is located just outside the present-day walls of the Old City and abuts the Catholic cemetery built in the last century where Righteous Gentile Oskar Schindler is buried.

The sturdy wall, which is believed to have run 6 km. around Jerusalem, was previously exposed by an American archeologist at the end of the 19th century, the state run archeological body said.

The wall will be part of a new promenade open to tourists:

He voiced the hope that the First Temple wall would be uncovered next.

The excavation was initiated as part of a plan to build a promenade along the southern side of Mount Zion.

The promenade, which is expected to become a major tourist attraction when it is completed in the next few years, will run alongside parts of the newly exposed ancient wall.

It's amazing to think of all the great men and women--and the greatest Man of all--who would have walked past that wall without giving it a second thought.

ESV STUDY BIBLE PROMO VIDEO



It's like Bible MTV. Tullian Tchividjian's hair is even reminiscent of A Flock of Seagulls. The Bible looks great, though. I want one!

Thanks to Mark Bertrand at the Bible Design & Binding Blog for the link.

WWKJD?

We passed this Missouri church on our recent travels. The focus of the sign amused me, I must admit.

I don't guess they'll be picking up the new ESV Study Bible.

LIPSCOMB THE LIBERTARIAN

For those of you who have been wondering about the radical libertarian policial economy of David Lipscomb this essay is for you. The author, Edward P. Stringham, ties Lipscomb's pacifist and non-participatory approach to government to modern libertarian economic theory. Yes, I know most of you have already have eyes glazed over, but there are a few of you out there who think that's interesting, too.

Thanks to friend of theosebes Wild Bill for the link.

THE VALUE OF LIFE

A great deal of hay has been made in the news about the devaluing of the statistical worth of a human life by the EPA, now down to $6.9 million. Since it's the EPA the obvious area of application has been to environmental regulation. However, there seems to me another way of looking at it.

If the government values a human life at around $7 million, then what is annual financial loss to the US caused by the yearly 1.3 million abortions that are performed domestically?

COLOMBIA EVANGELISM

Luke Chandler is back from his most recent trip to Colombia. You can read all about it on his travel blog. The Chandlers and those who have traveled with them over the years have done excellent work there as churches continue to grow.

SHAKING THE FOUNDATIONS OF CHRISTIANITY

Over the weekend the press jumped on the latest sensational challenge to Christianity. A stone tablet called 'Gabriel's Revelation' apparently undermines the uniqueness of the Christian story:

[Prof. Israel] Knohl told the [International Herald] Tribune that he interprets the tablet to tell of a messianic figure named Simon, whose death was recorded by the Jewish historian Josephus. The tablet, Knohl contends, was likely written by Simon's followers and demonstrates that messianic followers even before Jesus looked to their leaders rising again, thus nullifying the frequent claim that Jesus' resurrection was a uniquely developed story.

If Knohl's interpretation of "Gabriel's Revelation" is correct, it would lend evidence to his previous theories, published in his 2002 book, "The Messiah before Jesus." Knohl is one of several scholars who suggest Jesus may not have been unique in his claim to face suffering, death and resurrection, but that sources, like this tablet, suggest a common messianic story that New Testament writers may have merely been copying.

"This should shake our basic view of Christianity," Knohl told the Tribune. "Resurrection after three days becomes a motif developed before Jesus, which runs contrary to nearly all scholarship. What happens in the New Testament was adopted by Jesus and his followers based on an earlier messiah story."

Despite this blow to my worldview I still find that I am able to function and type. Two problems spring to mind despite all the hoopla. First is that not only migh Knohl's interpretation of the meaning of the scroll not be correct, but it is damaged in such a way that no one is exactly sure what it says in the first place.

The second is the idea that a resurrected Messiah was something cooked up by first century Christians. When those on the Emmaus road expressed surprise at the resurrection of Jesus to (unbeknownst to them) Jesus, Luke records: "And he said to them, 'O foolish ones, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken! Was it not necessary that the Christ should suffer these things and enter into his glory?' And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he interpreted to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning himself." (Luke 24:25-27)

That some expected a resurrected Messiah is not a blow to Jesus or Christianity at all, but rather a confirmation that it was possible to understand the Old Testament Scriptures correctly.

Ah well, good try, anyway. More shocking and foundation shattering discoveries are on the horizon, I'm sure.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Freedom In Christ'. Who was free, Herod--consumed by guilt and fear--or John the Baptist, in prison yet ready to speak the truth without fear of consequences? Is true freedom simply being able to do whatever we desire?

'PUT SOME GOD IN YOUR POD'...is the catchy tagline at podBible.org. There you can download for free the English Standard Version New Testament for your iPod. I just discovered this and will be attempting it tonight.

'METHUSELAH' THRIVING

A 2000 year old date palm seed has successfully produced--you guessed it!--a date palm:

The little tree was sprouted in 2005 from a seed recovered from Masada, where rebelling Jews committed suicide rather than surrender to Roman attackers.

Radiocarbon dating of seed fragments clinging to its root, as well as other seeds found with it that didn't sprout, indicate they were about 2,000 years old — the oldest seed known to have been sprouted and grown....

[Dr. Sarah Sallon] hopes there's a chance to use it to restore the extinct Judean date palm, once prized not only for its fruit but also for medicinal uses.

What an amazing thing. A seed from the time when the Temple was still standing and apostles still lived and wrote. May Methuselah do well.

'OLDEST' CHURCH FOUND?

Archaeologists in Jordan have found an ancient church they argue is the oldest of them all:

"We have uncovered what we believe to be the first church in the world, dating from 33 AD to 70 AD," the head of Jordan's Rihab Centre for Archaeological Studies, Abdul Qader al-Husan, said.

He said it was uncovered under Saint Georgeous Church, which itself dates back to 230 AD, in Rihab in northern Jordan near the Syrian border.

"We have evidence to believe this church sheltered the early Christians -- the 70 disciples of Jesus Christ," Husan said.

These Christians, who are described in a mosaic as "the 70 beloved by God and Divine," are said to have fled persecution in Jerusalem and founded churches in northern Jordan, Husan added.

I'm skeptical of the 'oldest' claim, but it clearly is ancient. It will be interesting to see what they turn up.

THE GREAT DANIEL COMMENTARY CONUNDRUM

Everyone knows Daniel: the fiery furnace, the lion's den, handwriting on the wall. Great stuff. It's those later chapters that can be a little trickier delving as they do into apocalyptic writing. As with New Testament apocalyptic book Revelation this has led to a lot of wild eyed speculation devolving into commonly accepted premillennial dispensationalism, an approach I reject.

On the other end of the spectrum are the standard commentaries that do reject the dispensational approach. Why not just get a couple of those, you might ask. Daniel is a prophetic book, one that is pretty explicit about its prophecies. So explicit, in fact, that many modern commentators reject outright that it could have been written during the period of the exile at all. Instead, they argue, the book was written later after the events it 'prophesies' as a retrospective. In short, these commentaries do not take Daniel as a historical figure seriously nor the early (ie, exile) date of the book seriously. As someone who does believe that the book was written by the prophet Daniel during the exile these commentaries are also of little use to me.

So what is a non-dispensational Biblical conservative to do as I seek to sail between Scylla and Charybdis?

PFLEGER'S RANT

The news cycle is abuzz about renegade Catholic priest Michael Pfleger's 'sermon' at Barack Obama's Trinity United Church. It has led to a somewhat predictable Obama apology. This after Obama's spring troubles over Jeremiah Wright. Also at the link is a video clip of Pfleger's bizarre one man drama. Not only is he giving his political commentary from the pulpit, but is also doing it in the verbal equivalent of 'black face', using a stereotypical black-preacher-voice for the entire diatribe. The audience clearly eats it up. I've not seen anyone comment on this guy who looks to be the whitest man on earth trying to sound like Al Sharpton.

Theosebes will refrain from commenting on the politics per se of it all. But aren't these people supposed to be having church? Shouldn't there be some concern about God rather than mocking Hillary's tears? I can't imagine the reaction from the congregants at any church I've ever attended if something like that started from the pulpit. And we wonder why the IRS is starting to sniff around certain churches. If they're going to do that they clearly need to start with Trinity United.

Addendum: By the way, who are these 'ministers' who use profanity from the pulpit? And who are these 'churches' that tolerate it?

A COUPLE AT FERRELL JENKINS' BLOG

Globetrotter Ferrell Jenkins has just returned from another of his Bible land jaunts. You can keep up with those at his Travel Blog. A couple of posts particularly caught my eye. The first, and most recent, is about the Rylands fragment of the Gospel of John. The fragment was a key find in refuting those who sought a late date for the writing of the gospel. Also take a look at his post on Maps & Geography in Bible Study.

HOUSEKEEPING: POSTING COMMENTS

I always welcome comments to my posts--well, almost always--but I noticed that I've not been receiving notices of comments in order to approve them for publishing. This has led to an often several day wait until I happen to discover they're there. This seems to be a problem related to my recent move and email address transfer. I believe the problem now to be fixed. All past comments should be approved, and I hope to be able to react more quickly to them in the future.

CARROTS. AND HICCUPS.

Yes, an odd combination without question. But I noticed years ago that eating raw carrots tended to give me hiccups. It's one of those things that you dismiss at first. But last night we had carrots for supper. Usually cooked carrots aren't an issue, but this time they hit me. Must have been cooked too lightly. So today I did what any self-respecting person would do. I Googled it. After some poking around I found no answer to the condition, but did find a lot of other people have it. I also found the new website CarrotHiccups.com. Alas, there's not too much there yet, but perhaps soon we can have our own certified medical condition.

ORTHODOX JEWS BURN NEW TESTAMENTS

In an apparent upswing of Christian persecution in Israel, a group of Orthodox Jews collected New Testaments for a public burning:

Orthodox Jews set fire to hundreds of copies of the New Testament in the latest act of violence against Christian missionaries in the Holy Land.

Or Yehuda Deputy Mayor Uzi Aharon said missionaries recently entered a neighborhood in the predominantly religious town of 34,000 in central Israel, distributing hundreds of New Testaments and missionary material.

After receiving complaints, Aharon said, he got into a loudspeaker car last Thursday and drove through the neighborhood, urging people to turn over the material to Jewish religious students who went door to door to collect it.

"The books were dumped into a pile and set afire in a lot near a synagogue," he said.

To some this raises the specter of the holocaust:

Israeli authorities and Orthodox Jews frown on missionary activity aimed at Jews, though in most cases it is not illegal. Still, the concept of a Jew burning books is abhorrent to many in Israel because of the association with Nazis torching piles of Jewish books during the Holocaust of World War II.

So much for inter-faith dialogue, I guess.

SORRY TO SEE IT GO

Sometimes when you read a book you're just sad to see it end. I finally got around to reading Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, finishing it yesterday. I wished I didn't have to finish it. If you've seen the movie--itself quite good--the book really allows you to connect with these long dead figures. Seabiscuit is history well told, history that you want to read with no agenda other than allowing you to look through a window into a bygone era. We can read about people simply living their lives without any idea that someone might write a book about them, yet refusing to quit despite the odds.

We live in a historically myopic era that is cut off from its own past. There are many implications to this, both cultural and policital. There are also religious implications. Our modern age pushes us towards an atomistic approach to life in which we are cut off from not only history, but also family and community, church and God. We can imagine ourselves accountable to no one, able to operate as our own standard. The Bible itself is history, inspired history, certainly. It is the history of God's redemption of man, but also the history of individual men and women who lived real lives and had real struggles. One of Scriptures great messages is that despite clear defeat persevering in God will bring us ultimate victory. What history will you write with your life?

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'Honor Your Mother'. Not only is Mother's Day a national holiday, but giving due honor to our mothers is an expectation of God.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...at Hickman Mills, 'Turning the World Upside Down' from the words expressed by the angered Thessalonians in Acts 17. I have preached some version of that sermon on the first Sunday at each church I've worked with.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...my final sermon at Wilsonville, 'Joshua's Farewell'. No, I'm not Joshua, but since I can't improve on his message to Israel I'm basing my lesson on what he had to say: be strong in doing and keeping God's word, cling to the Lord and love Him knowing that He is always faithful in all that He has promised.

BERNICE CORNETT, 1918-2008

My grandmother passed away last night, April 16. She was 90 years old. Granny had been in a care facility for the last few months, a situation she was certainly not happy with, but she was unable to function without assistance. As a 16 year old she married my grandfather Oliver in 1934. They had four children together and were married for 57 years until his death in 1991. She was a faithful Christian and has gone to be with her Lord.

As the preacher in the family I've been asked to do the funeral, which is an honor, but also a challenge. Keep us in your prayers.

THE ESV STUDY BIBLE has been announced for October 15 release. There's even an ESV Study Bible website. It looks to be an impressive endeavor. I particularly like the single column format. More about my interest in the ESV soon.

(Thanks to J. Mark Bertrand at the Bible Design & Binding blog for the link.)

EVEN MODERATE DRINKING INCREASES BREAST CANCER RISK

A new study has found that women who drink, even in light to moderate amounts, increase their risk of breast cancer significantly:

Women who had less than one drink per day were found to have a 7 percent increased risk of breast cancer compared with those who didn't drink. Those who drank one to two drinks had a 32 percent greater risk; those who drank three or more drinks had up to a 51 percent increased risk. A woman's risk was similar whether she drank beer, wine, or spirits, researchers reported.

This strikes a strong blow to the movement in recent years to promote drinking alcohol, particularly red wine, because of its health benefits. While the health benefits may be real, the risks far outweight any benefit. And as we've discussed here before, drinking grape juice gives one the same heart benefits as drinking red wine without the dangers of alcohol consumption.

THRIFTY COMMENTARIES

While poking around the books at a thrift store yesterday I rescued these volumes from oblivion for about a dollar each. There were other volumes of the International Critical Commentary there but they had suffered water damage so I left them. One often finds odd and interesting things while thrifting. Some of them are even useful.

NASB TESTAMENT REBINDING

I know many of you are likely as interested in a beautifully bound Bible as I am. To explore the possibilities bookmark Mark Betrand's wonderfully addictive Bible Design & Binding blog. About a year and a half ago I had some email correspondance with Mark about a Testament that was coming apart on me. I ended up shipping it off to have it rebound. I finally sent Mark some pictures and a write-up about the process, which he has posted today: NASB NT Rebound by McSpadden Book Bindery.

CAN TONY BLAIR SAVE RELIGION?

When Tony Blair was British Prime Minister his press secretary stated 'We don't do God.' There was even the episode when Blair was asked if he had prayed with President Bush. Blair has now outed himself as religious and decided to start a foundation. Well, what else do former heads of government do?

“People will think this is a piece of spin, but,” he said, “I’ve always been as interested in religion as in politics.” Then, for good measure, he adds: “I see this over time as the rest of my life’s work.”

But while Blair now is officially religious, he at least remains respectfully so. That is, one can be religious but not take it too far:

Though he intends to engage others in questions of faith, he seems awkward about some aspects of his beliefs and wants to avoid an evangelical posture. For example, when asked whether he thought a person would be better off believing that Jesus was the Son of God, he said: “I believe in and I hold the doctrines of the Christian faith. But I think that when you start to engage in that type of thing — that actually you’d be better off if you converted to my faith — if you’re not incredibly careful about how you approach that conversation — that’s actually what leads to a lot of confrontation and difficulty.”

This answer tells you something important about his Faith Foundation. While Mr Blair may have changed the subject to talk about religion, he remains to his fingertips a politician. He knows that, while the fact of his religious faith is essential to making his initiative work, the content of it might get in the way.

Yes, for that content--the crucified and risen Son of God--has gotten in the way for centuries. But the Times more than hints--well, Blair more than hints--it all might simply be positioning:

Then comes more of that Blair instinct for a political position to occupy. Al Gore has global warming sewn up. Bill Gates is sorting out a cure for malaria. Resolving interfaith conflict is crying out for a standard-bearer and he realises the position is vacant.

“I think that the areas to do with climate change, and Make Poverty History, where there’s a well-trodden piece of ground there, and actually I have interest in both of those things. But in respect of faith, there is a burgeoning interest in it now.”

Ah, well, I suppose religion has been needing a saviour.

PREACHING THIS MORNING...'The Last Verse In the Bible'. The Bible concludes with grace for all and the Lordship of Jesus.

CHARLTON HESTON has passed away, RIP.

QUOTABLE

"I don't believe in God, but I'm afraid of Him."
Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Love in the Time of Cholera

TOO MANY PEOPLE?

Ted Turner--the Mouth of the South--has decided the world has too many people.

I think he confirms there's at least one too many.