What do you think
of the recent flap about Google's censoring of its Chinese search engine. Apparently, at least part of the problem is that the Feds (Comms) fear that too much info about Fulan Gong will be too easily spread through out the populace.

Well, that led me to a little research and now I am a Fulan Gong expert. This is what I know: This 'religion' started 14 years ago. There are now, reputedly, 70 million followers in China and 30 million more world-wide. One of its key beliefs is that properly performed, Fulan Gong-ians somehow acquire a spinning wheel (a Fulan) in their abdomens. This wheel is the thing that brings about all the benefits of the practice. Such as healing, i.e. physical healing.

One web-site I found commented that Fulan Gong was part Buddhist, part Hindu and part Christian. That got my interest. Looking a bit further, I saw that the 'part Christian' aspect consisted in that the founder of Fulan Gong is on record stating that homosexuality is disgusting, dirty and morally wrong. If my deductions are correct, having seen no direct mention of Christianity anywhere else in the article, I can conclude that to the secular press, one thing that stands out to them about Christianity is a supposed moralism.

It is telling to consider that in 14 years the number of Fulan Gong followers in China now roughly equal the number of Christians in China.

Of course, if you think the spinning wheel in your belly is weird, consider that we believe that the creator of the universe decided to inhabit a human body. (My Christology is undeveloped and that statement doesn't really reflect it, obviously, but you get the idea).

I wrote this post
using Dasher software. I haven’t typed a single word with my fingers on the keyboard. Google The Dasher Project and find out what I am talking about. I must say it is truly amazing software!

I feel like causing trouble:
Get your Bibles out and check out Titus 1:5-6. "For this reason I left you at Crete, that you would set in order what remains and appoint elders in every city as I directed you, namely, if any man is above reproach, the husband of one wife, having children who believe, not accused of dissipation [ESV: debauchery- i.e. getting drunk/stoned] or rebellion. "

As for the first part of this verse, this is what most denominations and nearly all non-denominatinal groups do when they read this verse in a 'worship' service: 'if any person is above reproach, the spouse of one person . . . ." The usual excuse given for this re-write is that " if Paul were living in America in the 21st century, he wouldn't have written this passage as he actually did, but would have written it the way I re-wrote it." This passage is un-preachable in the vast majority of churches in the U.S. without the re-write.

Aside from the sheer audacity of re-writing scripture, the rationale that underlies doing so - namely, the idea that if Paul had lived in the 21st century, etc. - exposes a lot about your belief regarding the Holy Spirit's active inspiration of the writers of scripture. Was the Holy Spirit in a bind here? Were his hands tied here? Was he in a connundrum on this point? Did he ask himself "what if 2000 years from now society has changed? How can I come up with one doctrine that suits all eras? Oh dear, what do I do? Oh, what the heck, let's just let this policy stand for now and trust the non-apostolic critics to come up with their own ideas as the regnant winds of change demand." I ask you, is this not, in its very essence, what today's rewriters of scripture are saying?

As for the second half of the verse, it is clear that if my father had been an elder at any time in the first several years of the seventies, he should have turned himself in to the board and resigned, such a profligate I was (through absolutely no fault of the elder, let me add). What if the pastor has alcoholic children? Should he resign? One thing said pastor wouldn't do is preach from this text.

I tell ya', church would be a whole lot easier and a lot more fun if we didn't have that Bible getting in the way.

This is a
birthday post. Most of you know that today is Dacia's birthday. For her last birthday present, we got her one of those fancy NASA shape holding dense foam cushion pillows. I remember staging an act helping her open the present to get it out. I guess it was difficult so, helping her, I took the box and started pounding on it like a madman. I knew, of course, that a pillow was in the box but she looked at me like I was crazy. Well, needless to say, I am crazy and she liked the pillow. We gave the pillow to Deb's mom several years ago and she has treasured having it.

On a slightly lighter note, go to wikipedia.org (English) and type in a date, such as January 21. It will bring up a list of famous people who were born on that day. The most famous person born on Dacia's birthday is Jack Nicklaus.

In my case, the famous person was actually born on the same day, same year - Pistol Pete Maravich.

Warning: the following post
contains possibly offensive language. Reader beware. Actually, it shouldn't bother most of you who have heard yours truly in moments of weakness. I have been collecting 'God' snippets. God snippets are quotes picked up off the newswires (Internet, of course) that contain references to 'God'. I set off 'God' with quotes to reflect the degree to which I look askance at the practice of creating Him in our own image. I capitalize 'God' because those using the term think they are (just like we do) referring to the God who deserves, if not loving with all our mind, soul and strength, at least capitalization.

The context of the quote (which doesn't actually use the word God, but you get the idea) is that of Philipino fans of their boxing hero, a native Philipino in the lightweight class who has a title fight coming up. Here is the quote: "I have a lot of faith in him and he knows the Filipinos are praying for him. He's going to kick ass."

There was a time when God was so feared that no-one dared even utter the name. In fact, they weren't even sure what the name(s) were.

I guess those days are over many some quarters.

I have a few more that I am saving up. And I am always on the lookout for new ones.

I have been getting
a few complaints about the lack of posting. So, to all my fans that need a fix fixed I give you this:

Immortal, invisible, God only wise,
In light inaccessible hid from our eyes,
Most blessèd, most glorious, the Ancient of Days,
Almighty, victorious, Thy great Name we praise.

Unresting, unhasting, and silent as light,
Nor wanting, nor wasting, Thou rulest in might;
Thy justice, like mountains, high soaring above
Thy clouds, which are fountains of goodness and love.

To all, life Thou givest, to both great and small;
In all life Thou livest, the true life of all;
We blossom and flourish as leaves on the tree,
And wither and perish—but naught changeth Thee.

Great Father of glory, pure Father of light,
Thine angels adore Thee, all veiling their sight;
But of all Thy rich graces this grace, Lord, impart
Take the veil from our faces, the vile from our heart.

All laud we would render; O help us to see
’Tis only the splendor of light hideth Thee,
And so let Thy glory, Almighty, impart,
Through Christ in His story, Thy Christ to the heart.

And let it be known that for about two weeks now, I have gone without reading any of the usual Christian website/blogsites that I have been frequenting steadily for the last several years. It remains to be seen what the psychological effects of that change will be.

Finally, congrats to Deb who played a 120 point word in Scrabble yesterday. I don't expect to see that topped anytime soon!

This floats my boat:

And I heard, as it were, the noise of thunder:
One of the four beasts saying: "Come and see."
And I saw. And behold, a white horse.
There's a man goin' 'round takin' names.
An' he decides who to free and who to blame.
Everybody won't be treated all the same.
There'll be a golden ladder reaching down.
When the man comes around.

The hairs on your arm will stand up.
At the terror in each sip and in each sup.
For you partake of that last offered cup,
Or disappear into the potter's ground.
When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers.
One hundred million angels singin'.
Multitudes are marching to the big kettle drum.
Voices callin', voices cryin'.
Some are born an' some are dyin'.
It's Alpha and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree.
The virgins are all trimming their wicks.
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree.
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.

Till Armageddon, no Shalam, no Shalom.
Then the father hen will call his chickens home.
The wise men will bow down before the throne.
And at his feet they'll cast their golden crown.
When the man comes around.

Whoever is unjust, let him be unjust still.
Whoever is righteous, let him be righteous still.
Whoever is filthy, let him be filthy still.
Listen to the words long written down,
When the man comes around.

Hear the trumpets, hear the pipers.
One hundred million angels singin'.
Multitudes are marchin' to the big kettle drum.
Voices callin', voices cryin'.
Some are born an' some are dyin'.
It's Alpha and Omega's Kingdom come.

And the whirlwind is in the thorn tree.
The virgins are all trimming their wicks.
The whirlwind is in the thorn tree.
It's hard for thee to kick against the pricks.
In measured hundredweight and penny pound.
When the man comes around.

And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts,
And I looked and behold: a pale horse.
And his name, that sat on him, was Death.
And Hell followed with him.

Emily and Alex
are at Pomerado hospital right now, in the mid stages of labor for what we pray will be their third child and our 7th grand-child. She had her normal weekly Dr. appointment late this afternoon and the Doc told her that tonight would be the night since she was coming along and wouldn't make it through the night.

I will post an edit later with updates.

10:05 PM PST, no change/info.

11:00 PM PST, Deb got the OK from Emily to arrive at the hospital for support in some way since the OB. Dr. has been called. She will be back prob. by midnight.

12:30 AM PST, Deb has returned with a good report. The baby (a boy, as everybody around these parts knew) was born around 11:30 Jan 3 (same birthday as his paternal grand-father). Apparently, he is a baby to be named later. As of this writing, there is no name forthcoming. We like Axelrod but it probably won't make it. Emily was a pro, so Deb tells me.

1:23 PM PST, We have a winner. The winner is Marco Cruz Najera. I saw him about an hour ago and he looks great!

Here is a report
on the state of things in SoCal. I can think of only one family member who has not gotten sick in the last two weeks. All the rest of us have got this strange lingering cold/flu thing. I think I was the last one to get it. I am going back to work tomorrow, so it better be a little better by then.

It may be because of the germs, but I realize how burnt out I am on things (I think I have been fighting off germs for 6 weeks). I am seriously thinking of giving up reading on the internet. At least giving up on certain things, like blogs (Christian) that tend to lead one into polemical thinking, arguing, etc. One reason for this is I have only so much time for reading. And I do have a long reading list. But I am tired of being forced to think about things that divert me from that which I actually want to be thinking/meditating about.

Here is a partial list of books that I have queued up to read or finish reading:

City of God - Augustine (forte)
Institutes - Calvin (mezzo forte)
Reformed Dogmatics - Herman Bavinck (forte)*
Kingdom Prologue - Meredith Kline (fortissimo)*
By Oath Consigned - Meredith Kline (fortissimo)
The Schilder Trilogy - Klaas Schilder(fortissimo)
Covenant and Eschatology, the Divine Drama - Michael Horton (re-read)
Lord and Servant A Covenant Christology - Michael Horton (fortissimo)
Christian Origins and the Question of God, Vol 1 and 2 - N. T. Wright (mezzo forte)+

I have a whole bunch that would be mezzo piano if I wanted to get out of my couch and look for them in the bookshelf.

The * indicates books for seminary classes. The + are two books given to me by my sister. I am wrestling with those because of issues about Tom Wright's criticism of imputational justification and his hermeneutics for getting there. They are interesting in that they are the kind of thing that would be helpful for unbelievers who have no sense of history that is 2000 years old (or older). Like my friend Sheldon who has resisted all overtures to believe the gospel. He has a pretty firmed up opinion of things as well as a thorough rejection of the Bible even though he has never read a page of it. I think Tom Wright's writing would open his eyes to the reality of history, (I think Pliny's Letters could accomplish the same thing) at least and the fact that the Bible is not a magic book that just popped into existence one day, in Christian bookstores on the shelf next to the Jeremiah 29:11 coffee cups.

At any rate, devoting two months to reading them is going to be hard given the stuff on the above list. But I probably should for Sheldon's sake.