Right. You know how there are those annoying animated .gifs floating around on the internet? Here are a couple to redeem this art medium.
Of course, I found this over at 22 Words but they’re originally from the blog From Me to You…
Monthly Archives: April 2011
Muslims against Crusades: humour or horror?
The internet is full of random webpages, I’m sure you’ve seen some. But there is one which seems to be of particular note this week.
A bunch of Muslims have been planning to cause as much disruption as possible tomorrow, to spoil Prince William’s wedding day, because he is (and I quote) ‘the Crusader’, ‘a modern day Nazi’, ‘a baby killer’, and of course in line to the throne of ‘a kingdom built on blood.’
Thankfully, they’ve called off their plans, but the reason why could be concerning. Here is their press release that came out yesterday:
On 29th of April 2011, plans for a forceful demonstration by Muslims against Crusades outside Westminster Abbey were due to take place to highlight the brutal crusade being launched at the behest of the tyrannical British government and royal family.
Careful plans were laid out in order to inflict maximum damage both to the reputation of the Crusader and Nazi prince William as well as Queen Elizabeth II and the British government in general.
Unfortunately, it is has recently come to our attention…that the threat of an imminent attack against those attending the royal wedding on 29th April 2011, is too strong to substantiate the presence of any Muslims within the locality.
We hereby call all Muslims in Britain and abroad not to attend the royal wedding and in particular to avoid all public transport leading to areas such as Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, St James’s Station and Victoria; we would also like to stress that the cause for the current security threat against Britain is directly linked to the bloody foreign policy of the tyrannical British government, and that Muslims cannot be held responsible for any carnage caused in reaction to such unwarranted oppression.
So response number one: is it not ironic that this group was planning ‘a forceful demonstration’ to ‘inflict maximum damage’ yet closes by saying that ‘Muslims cannot be held responsible for any carnage…’?
And response number two: how has this particular group gained such privileged knowledge of a terror attack?
If you literally have nothing better to do have a look at their website. It looks like it’s a joke, but I don’t actually think it is, and perhaps that’s what’s concerning. Groups of people in the UK and worldwide are intentionally planning to cause disruption to a wedding? I’m not sure how these Muslims can claim to be part of a religion which apparently stands for peace.
And just to clarify, I’m not painting every Muslim with this brushstroke. I hope that Muslims that do value peace are as concerned by these jokers as I am!
I like free music
I’ve mentioned this website before but it’s constantly being updated so I thought I’d point to it again.
A Christian conference, The Gospel Coalition, happened a couple of weeks ago, and they recorded some of the songs and are allowing people to download them for free over here.
A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards (audio)
This book has been designed to address situations that happen too often in local churches. Maybe the church leader is a bit of an authoritarian. Perhaps a church member thinks he should have more authority than he currently does. Perhaps the church leader is taking the church in the wrong direction. Gene Edwards takes the biblical accounts of Saul, David and Absalom to see how we should react.
The book is written in a dramatic way, which really draws the reader in. It’s not a detailed exposition of Scripture but some quite detailed Bible knowledge is required to understand what’s going on. The language is fluid, dynamic, and personal. It jumps from storytelling to dialogue to direct engagement with the reader. I loved the style.
In terms of content I don’t think I’ve ever read a book quite like it. Edwards is unashamed to directly address local church issues; if you are in a church and your senior pastor is doing things you disapprove of, how should you react? What if he starts to personally attack you? And what if you are the leader and you have someone in your congregation who is looking to split the church? Gene Edwards is not scared to tackle real issues, and he’s not scared to radically pursue biblical standards.
Audio is a great medium for this book. The narrator is perfect for it, and the style of the book lends itself very well to an audio version.
I’d recommend this book to every church leader, and anyone who’s a Christian and involved in leadership to any extent. This book is excellent and will highlight areas for improvement in your character, together with appropriate responses.
I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.
How Christianity’s different: evidence
Why suffering
Image via Wikipedia
I’m currently listening to an audiobook by Randy Alcorn – it’s very good. I’m sure the review will be up soon at my book review blog.
Anyway, in this book he asks the tough question: why does suffering exist? He answers the question in a number of different ways but for me one of the highlights was when he looked at Romans 8:
‘I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us…For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now.’
If the apostle Paul were asked, ‘Why suffering?’ he would answer in one word: ‘Glory.’
Suffering is real. Suffering is bad. But the result is glory. F. F. Bruce explained that glory is not compensation for suffering, but the result of it; suffering is actually necessary for our future glory.
This is ultimately seen in the cross of Christ. The resurrection is not there to make up for Jesus’ suffering on the cross, it could only happen because of his suffering on the cross.
Paul’s picture of childbirth is perfect: without the pain, there would be no new life.
Let’s not imagine that somehow Satan is thwarting God’s plans by making us and others suffer; it’s all part of God’s ultimate redemptive story, and the future glory is surely going to outshine any suffering anyone has experienced while on this earth.
Holy Week in a graphic
I thought this was a really clever graphical summary of holy week…enjoy:
This hell thing just won’t go away
Image by williamhartz via Flickr
It’s probably a bit concerning that bloggers around the world seem to have spent more time attacking or defending Rob Bell’s latest book than discussing the Bible in the last couple of months, but I thought this was worth mentioning.
TIME magazine has an article summarising Bell’s ideas – here are just a couple of extracts:
If heaven, however defined, is everyone’s ultimate destination in any event, then what’s the incentive to confess Jesus as Lord in this life? If, in other words, Gandhi is in heaven, then why bother with accepting Christ? If you say the Bible doesn’t really say what a lot of people have said it says, then where does that stop? If the verses about hell and judgment aren’t literal, what about the ones on adultery, say, or homosexuality? Taken to their logical conclusions, such questions could undermine much of conservative Christianity.
“At the center of the Christian tradition since the first church,” Bell writes, “have been a number who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins and all will be reconciled to God.”
It is also true that the Christian tradition since the first church has insisted that history is tragic for those who do not believe in Jesus; that hell is, for them, forever; and that love, in the end, will envelop those who profess Jesus as Lord, and they — and they alone — will be reconciled to God. Such views cannot be dismissed because they are inconvenient or uncomfortable: they are based on the same Bible that liberals use to make the opposite case.
If you’ve not heard Bell’s side of the argument, read the article (I don’t like the use of the word ‘traditionalists’ but apart from that it’s alright).
In any case, when the secular press is realising that the ideas proposed in Love Wins are actually undermining Christianity I think it’s time for the church to stand up for truth.
Stunningly beautiful
This video has been making the rounds recently but it’s certainly worth mentioning here. Stick some sigur rós on and be taken to sensory paradise for a few minutes…
The Mountain from Terje Sorgjerd on Vimeo.
90 Days of God's Goodness by Randy Alcorn (audio)
Randy Alcorn offers a 90-day devotional study of what the Bible says about God’s goodness. Each day’s entry is 5-10 minutes long, opens with a Bible passage and closes with a prayer.
Alcorn seems to be acutely aware of what God’s goodness really looks like. The little stories used throughout show that God still shows His goodness through even the toughest times. Each day is different and highlights a different aspect of God’s goodness.
Randy Alcorn’s a great communicator and does not shy away from some really tough subjects in this. No doubt if you have ever faced a hard time, or indeed if your life at times is nothing but hard times, this book will encourage you and draw your eyes to the loving, all-powerful God.
The narration is good but I’m not convinced the audio format’s the best for this because of the additional paraphanalia you need for the sake of five minutes, but if that’s what you’re looking for I’d recommend this pretty much unconditionally.
I got this audiobook for free from christianaudio.com. I’m not required to give a positive review.
