A Note on Site Limbo

Written by Colin. Published on September 21, 2011 ago in General. 1 Comment

All,

It seems that every waking second is being spent putting together my thesis. Every other second is dedicated to starting a job hunt. I will then have to find more seconds to devote to our little girl who is arriving in October.

In all, this leave zero seconds for the site at the moment.

However, the archive is rich with content – so please browse and enjoy. Use the search bar and browse the 650 or so posts written over several year by numerous people.

Colin

Gossip in Light of Grace

Written by Colin. Published on June 24, 2011 ago in General. Closed

Gossip is a sin which is particularly appealing because it enables one to make judgements, condemnations and otherwise pass on information about someone in a way which bypasses that person. Why is this alluring? It’s a form of making gold from stones. One can create “truth” out of thin air and pass it on as such without ever having to verify its authenticity, applicability or morality and what’s more, all of this can be done in a passive way which does not require those either telling or hearing gossip to act upon the information in a way the helps, confronts or otherwise participates in the resolution of the information. That is tremendous, fearful power. Continue reading ‘Gossip in Light of Grace’

On The Morality of Profit

Written by Colin. Published on June 23, 2011 ago in General. 6 Comments

Perhaps like me, you cringe everyone someone says that they would like to “give back” to the community. Of course, if someone stole something from the community, they should “give back.” But people who earned money or fame from their talents, wisdom or business saavy hardly need to give back.

This video exposes the fallacy behind the idea that profits are theft. It reminds us that a society which endorses profits is one which ultimately endorses morality.

HT: Charles N. Steele

A Pre-emptive Strike Against the Inevitable Return of Bush Conservatism

Written by Colin. Published on June 21, 2011 ago in Current Events. 1 Comment

Jack Hunter is one of the great commentators who no one has heard of. This video in particular is a good immunisation shot against the day when the current fad of small government rhetoric is gone from the conservative movement.

Hunter analyses the mentality of voters in the US, and their head-numbing flip-flops and unwillingness to embrace any principles whatsoever. Why are so many conservatives who absolutely loathed, ridiculed, mocked and dismissed Ron Paul in 2008, suddenly embracing him and viewing him as reasonable sage-figure in 2012? Ron Paul hasn’t changed a single one of his policies. What has happened is that conservatives have completely flip-flopped. We shouldn’t be surprised when we see them flip-flop back, which could happen as early as this years once they pick a big-government GOP presidential candidate to back. If Mitt Romney’s “front-runner” status is anything to go by, this process is likely well on its way.

 

Political Revolution and Christianity

Written by Colin. Published on June 20, 2011 ago in Essays, Philosophy and Religion. 3 Comments

Christians have always debated over what it actually means to live rightly in light of government. In contemporary American politics, the situation could not be more relative and unprincipled. During the Bush years, conservative Christian republicans were throwing out Romans 13 left and right (but mostly left). In the era of Obama, suddenly almost any dissent is not merely acceptable but biblically commanded.
Continue reading ‘Political Revolution and Christianity’

Book Review: Inspiration and Incarnation

Written by Jew. Published on June 16, 2011 ago in Book Reviews and Christian Books. 4 Comments


What do we do with the contradictions and inconsistencies in the Bible? In his book Inspiration and Incarnation: Evangelicals and the Problem of the Old Testament, Peter Enns suggests that we can do three things.

  1. Ignore them
  2. Claim they don’t exist, and come up with ways to explain them away
  3. Acknowledge them, and – understanding the literary tradition of the Scriptures – recognize that they don’t impact the accuracy and reliability of the Scriptures.

What sort of contradictions? How about this one, right in the Ten Commandments themselves. Exodus 20:11 says:

“For in six days the LORD made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the LORD blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.”

In contrast, Deuteronomy 5:15 says:

“Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.”

So which is it? Is the Sabbath an observance of God’s creative power in making the world, or a celebration of Israel’s deliverance from Egypt? It may not seem like a big deal, but if the Bible can’t even be consistent about the Ten Commandments, that should give one pause to think.
Continue reading ‘Book Review: Inspiration and Incarnation‘

Summing Up the New Hampshire GOP Debate

Written by Colin. Published on June 14, 2011 ago in 2012 Elections, Current Events and Politics. 1 Comment

Candidates at the GOP Debate: CBS News.

Candidates Present: Rick Santorum, Michelle Bachman, Newt Gingrich, Mitt Romney, Ron Paul, Tim Pawlenty, Herman Cain

Adopting Ron Paul’s Rhetoric
Each and every candidate relied on Ron Paul’s rhetoric – a clear indication that he has had a strong influence on the GOP base. When Ron Paul was preaching about needing a sound currency, Gingrich was vigorously nodding his head and agreeing. Pawlenty praised Paul by name twice, one time even using his term of “crony capitalism.” Too bad so many of those candidates, most particularly Santorum, Gingrich and Romney have undeniable legacies of big-government intervention in the economy. Nevertheless, this was completely different to how Paul was treated in 2008.

Never Let John King Moderate Again
John King was a terrible moderator. I can’t list the number of questions where every two seconds a timid “uh” could be heard coming from King, who could not control the candidates both when they went off topic and went over time. Santorum outright ran over King twice before he could even ask a question. King should never moderate a debate again.
Continue reading ‘Summing Up the New Hampshire GOP Debate’

Book Review: The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views

Written by Jew. Published on May 27, 2011 ago in Book Reviews and Christian Books. Closed


Revelation chapter 20 speaks about a period of 1000 years. What exactly does that millennium mean and how will it play out? The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views, a short book edited by Robert G. Clouse, presents essays by four different experts representing four interpretations of the millennium.

  • Historical Premillennialism: This version of premillennialism is labeled historical to differentiate itself from the relatively new Dispensational interpetation. Christ will return to Earth and reign over an earthly kingdom for a thousand years (that’s the millennium.) During this time, the promises made to the nation of Israel will be fulfilled, though we don’t know precisely how.
  • Dispensational Premillennialism: Similarly to the historical premillennialism, the dispensational model expects Christ to return and reign for a thousand years in an earthly kingdom. The main difference is that dispensationalists see history as divided into “dispensations”, e.g., periods of time where God works in specific ways. This is the dominant theology within Evangelicalism.
  • Postmillennialism: As the gospel is preached and disciples are made throughout the world, the world will generally get better and better. Eventually, Christianity will become the dominant force in the world. Although sin will not be eradicated, it will be reduced to a minimum. This period of Christian dominance is the millennium–although it may not be a literal thousand years. At it’s end, Christ will return.
  • Amillennialism: There is no literal millennium–or rather, the millennium represents the church age. We are currently living in the millennium, and it will end when Christ returns.

Continue reading ‘Book Review: The Meaning of the Millennium: Four Views‘

A Few Things We Can (and Cannot) Know About The End of the World

Written by Colin. Published on May 23, 2011 ago in General. 4 Comments

Will there be a rapture and can we know the details of the end of the world?

The “rapture” passed last week without incident and we’re left with two conclusions. Either the rapture did in fact occur and God took almost no one up to heaven, or it was a complete hoax. The latter certainly seems the most plausible, but lets examine the first scenario through a series of thoughts about what we actually can and cannot know about The End.
Continue reading ‘A Few Things We Can (and Cannot) Know About The End of the World’

Federal Government Making 2.5x More Profit than Oil Companies

Written by Colin. Published on May 20, 2011 ago in Current Events. Closed

Rand Paul recently had eight minutes on the floor of the senate. Boy did he use it.

Paul showed clearly that while President Obama and some senate leaders are trying to stick it to the oil companies, it is actually the Federal Government itself which is making 18% profit off of gasoline. The oil companies are currently making 7%.

Paul also pointed out some basic economics to a body which often completely rejects fundamental economic principles. Raising taxes on oil companies leads to higher costs, which will in turn lead to higher prices.