Tough To Be A Christian In Some Parts Of The World

Saudi bans footballers with religious tattoos

and

Muslims Get Counseling After Church Dinner

One Reason For The Frustration Being Voiced In The Public Square In Recent Weeks

D.C. drove up your student debt: Washington aid policies have inflated tuition

Like real estate, the next economic bubble to burst will be that of higher education. 

Not Really An "Arab Spring" For Arab Christians

Egypt Christians vent fury after clashes kill 25

Actually, it sounds more like Egyptian Christians had fury vented on them.

It's Not Just In Surfing Anymore

Killer Sharks Invade Golf Course In Australia

Great photo, eh?

This Week's Provocation

He has no public record of giving to charity over the years, despite the fact he became wealthy after Apple’s 1980 IPO and had accumulated an estimated $7 billion net worth by the time of his death. After closing Apple’s philanthropic programs on his return to Apple in 1997, he never reinstated them, despite the company’s gusher of profits.

Actually, that bit doesn't surprise me all that much, as it's rather typical of members of Jobs' generation.  It's the business about the lives of Chinese lithium miners that bothers me the most and has done so for some time.  Ironic considering how Apple is often identified as a "green" company that boasts Al Gore as a board member.

This Week In Christian History

October 13, 1670: Virginia bans slavery for Africans who arrive in the American colonies as Christians. The colony repealed the law 12 years later.

October 14, 1066: William the Conqueror leads the Normans to victory over the English Saxons in the Battle of Hastings. William is also considered one of England's most important religious reformers; he spent his last days in intense Christian devotion.

October 14, 1633: James II of England, whose conversion to Catholicism in 1670 created a constitutional crisis in Anglican Britain, is born.

The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost

Not sure about the sermon, but the lections may be found here.

The Word Of The Week: Fraction

Fraction

The part of the Communion liturgy where the Communion bread is broken by the celebrant. According to the prayer book, a period of silence is to follow, and then can be said or sung, "Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us." (prayer book pages 337 and 364)

Awareness

I’ve discovered that when immobilized during convalescence, the mixture of soap operas, painkillers, and the Princeton Theological Review causes one to have dreams where Kierkegaard and Nietzsche are arguing with one another in a contemporary suburban living room about which one is more in love with the pool boy.  I’ll have to stop reading the PTR.

Today's Knee Update

Really, it's either this or a synopsis of yesterday's soap operas.  Yes, my days are filled with wonder.

I want to note that the folks at Litchfield Hills Orthopedic and its related surgery center were great.  They are punctual, always pleasant and smiling, terrifically organized with the paperwork, and tell me everything that I want to know.  [I've found that if I ask questions that are too specific, some health care pros bristle a little bit.  The LHO folks didn't mind at all.  In fact, the anesthesiologist gave me the breakdown of the local he was injecting into my knee without speaking to me as if I were brain-addled.]

The best part about Wednesday's surgery is that I was permitted to remain conscious and was able to watch the surgery, along with the surgeon, on their brand new hi-def TV.  Not only that, but the surgeon kept up a running commentary on what he was doing, showing me the various tools he was inserting in my knee, and even pointing out some areas to watch in the future.  [Turns out I had both new and old trauma to that knee; not to sound "macho", but there is a real downside to having a high pain threshold.]

Anyway, all went well and I don't think the actual surgery took more than 30 minutes.  I was released early, after exchanging war stories with the discharge nurse, a Gulf War vet who switched from the infantry to the medical corps because she couldn't throw a hand grenade far enough.

So, now I'm catching up on some theology books that have been published in recent years and with some murder mysteries, as well as a history of the so-called "Chitlin' Circuit", that collection of roadhouses and nightclubs that used to serve the "racial music" demographic and were the birthplace of rock n' roll. 

Today's big event: the massive dressing comes off.

An Obituary Of Note

No, he wasn't some computer billionaire.  Much to the relief of Chinese lithium miners, he was just a musician.

Marv Tarplin, Motown Guitarist and Songwriter, Dies at 70

Does The Government Really Need To Regulate What People May Bring Into A Church?

Really, haven't churches and their congregations been self-regulating since, well, about the 1st century A.D.?

Court considers gun ban in churches

Certainly, congregations may make such determinations for themselves without the government getting in their grill.  Again, why does it seem this whole "church/state separation" lark is a one-way street?

Many Journalists Don't Get Theism, Either

The Guardian Doesn't Get Atheism

Thanks For The Prayers, All

I am appreciative of the prayers that were offered before, during, and after my knee surgery yesterday.  I rode them like a really good wave.  All went well, which is especially important as I remained awake during the surgery and watched the work being done on the interior of my knee on a high definition television.  The surgeon was kind enough to describe to me what was being performed as it happened, which is a remarkable way to experience any kind of surgery.

I will be out for about a week, though, and a little challenged in my communication ability by the pain medication.  Please come out to support Fr. Bill Loring on Sunday and give Carol and Meg a hand should they need it.  The parish could not operate as well without their faithful care.

Well, I Don't Think Knee Surgery Necessarily Is

Is plastic surgery spiritual?

Just In Case You Were Wondering

Are Aliens Part of God's Plan, Too? Finding E.T. Could Change Religion Forever

I don't really see how the knowledge of extra-terrestrial life would "change religion forever" or, at least, change Christianity forever.  After all, our religion is predicated on the radical redefinition of community, and a close encounter would certainly be radical.

Then again, this is from a science journal and I've noticed that many contemporary science writers are theologically "simple".

Isn't This Special?

President Barack Obama’s Department of Justice will ask the Supreme Court this week to eliminate a long-standing legal precedent that protects religious organizations from government regulations.

Why does that whole "separation of church and state" thing seem to be a one-way street?

Wait, This Is Against The Law?

Woman hurls Holy Bible at son's girlfriend

I was going to mention that it would be great if we could get Bibles for the church, but I think I'll wait until tomorrow.

The World Has Gone Mad

Marmite made illegal in Denmark

They'll be coming after my beloved Vegemite next.

"All the English people here are shaking their heads in disbelief and say that it is insane. I agree but it is the law. It's becoming impossible to run a business in this country. We are not allowed to do anything anymore. It is the way Denmark is going."

Which is why my sister and Danish brother-in-law now live in the USA.

This Week's Provocation

The Science is Settled: You’re Just Too Stupid to Live

I'm not familiar with the website to which I link, but the described method of government science is beginning to form an identifiable pattern.