Learning from 9/11 the Montserrat Volcano crisis and Acts 27

Today is of course the fifth anniversary of the 9/11 attacks, a case where in the interests of freedom of society, risks were run with potential terrorists [we all know the profile now . . .], and the world paid a stiff price as evil men exploited the vulnerabilities of freedom to murder thousands and plunged the world into a dark night of war that still continues.

Overnight, too, we had some serious developments here in Montserrat. Summarising:

Over the past day or so the volcano here in Montserrat has reached a new, further elevated state of activity as a vent on the Gages Wall has reached the stage of repeated albeit small explosions. A crumbling notch is now in that wall, overlooking Plymouth. Alarms sounded, we heard from the chief scientist at the MVO, and from the Governor yesterday. People living on the flanks of the Belham valley [to the NW] have been put on notice to prepare for evacuation, if in a worst case scenario, there are pyroclastic [hot ash, gas and rock] flows and surges in that valley. That news was certain to be deeply unwelcome, for very understandable reasons, among many living in Isles Bay, Salem and environs.

There was some relatively speaking good news this morning though. In a further development, the MVO head informed the public that the peak of the dome is tilting over towards the North East, and that growth appears focussed there suggesting that the Tar River valley to the NE -- and away from inhabited areas -- is the most likely direction of expected collapses.

Oddly, this issue of society involving itself in potentially high-risk situations and the need to address credible scenarios and balance freedom or convenience with security, is an apt illustration of the situation that developed in Ac 27. For there, Paul, an appellate prisoner on a ship in the Imperial wheat service from Egypt to Rome, had counselled the ship not to sail out of Fair Havens, Crete, precisely because of the risk of winter storms setting in and putting the ship at grave risk:

AC 27:9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, 10 "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." 11 But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. 12 Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. This was a harbor in Crete, facing both southwest and northwest.

Duly, a gentle south wind blew up and they thought the were going to be able to sail on to Phoenix. So, they set sail. But, disaster was the result:

Ac 27:14 Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. 15 The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along. 16 As we passed to the lee of a small island called Cauda, we were hardly able to make the lifeboat secure. 17 When the men had hoisted it aboard, they passed ropes under the ship itself to hold it together. Fearing that they would run aground on the sandbars of Syrtis, they lowered the sea anchor and let the ship be driven along. 18 We took such a violent battering from the storm that the next day they began to throw the cargo overboard. 19 On the third day, they threw the ship's tackle overboard with their own hands. 20 When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved.

Why was Paul not heeded? Why is it that when I and other hosts of the Let's Talk Radio Talk show raised concerns in the context of warnings by Dr Glen Matteoli of the USA and presentations by Prof Okada of Japan, during the 10th anniversary conference of the Volcano eruption, we were publicly lashed during the weekly volcano update and interviews, as misconstruing the situation, when we called for managing the situation in light of a full fan of credible scenarios? Why is it that even today, many are in denial about the realities of the evolving world in which Islamism is making its third religiously-motivated bid for global power in 1,400 years: the first being from 632 on under Mohammed's early followers, and the second from about 1453 on when Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Turks?

The answers are a bit of a surprise – or, maybe not: we all like to imagine we know more about and are more in control of our circumstances than we really are. Worse, a probability is actually an index of ignorance -- if we knew the outcome for sure, it would be 1 or 0, not somewhere in between. [And acknowledging ignorance is a very humbling exercise for many of us . . .]

So, we tend to dismiss or deny the possibility or even the actuality of unwelcome, uncomfortable or disruptive – but in fact otherwise, quite credible -- scenarios. Sometimes, we call it optimism, sometimes it is just plain wishful thinking, but as a result we too often run risks that we should not, with potential downsides that if we were to look at them in the cold light of day, we would think again before running the risks. (Think about the risks of speeding in a car on a dangerous road.)

So, sometimes, we get caught out: even if the technical experts tell us good news, and the big business classes back them up, and it is the popular feeling. That "democratic" “consensus” in the teeth of unwelcome reality is exactly what happened in Acts 27; to disastrous results. For next time, let's explore these thoughts on the limits of democratic government in a world of sinful, fallible men, a bit further. END

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PS: I am experimenting with a new font, Georgia. Let's see if it gives a pleasing result. This is also the third attempt to post, we had two brief power cuts. UPDATE: I did a slight cleanup, and I like the result on screen. The link to the discussion of Islam and that to the lessons on probability should be helpful.

Please hold till Monday

Sorry, I had to take on a bit more overnight at EO. Monday, I will follow up.

The Caribbean people in global missions

We the people of the Caribbean are the result of the world's first experiment in globalisation, as the Spanish tried to pioneer new trade routes to the far east by sailing west: Columbus refused to believe Eratosthenes' calculation of [rather roughly!] about 200 BC, that is in fact within several percent of the true value of how far it is around the Earth.

[The Librarian of Alexandria had looked at the shadow cast by the sun on a certain day at Alexandria and at Syene, far tot he south along the Nile. From the difference in angle he worked out the number of degrees of arc between the two cities, thence the circumference of the Earth. Earlier, Aristotle had argued that since the Earth cast a round shadow always on the Moon during a lunar eclipse, and since it is obviously a solid, then it would logically be a sphere as only such a shape always casts a circular shadow.]

Columbus bumped into the Caribbean, and a largely unhappy train of events was set in motion as European settlement of the New World began.

However, despite the horrors of slavery and all that went with it, we received the blessing of the gospel, which materially contributed to our liberation and empowerment. So, over the past 200 years, we have become a Caribbean people even as we became more and more a cultural melting pot of people from all over the world. By God's grace, we have largely learned to live with one another across many a racial and cultural divide.

That immediately means that we are in a position to reach out by bridging North and South, East and West, through the power of the gospel.

In turn, that immediately raises the challenge that we are strategic for the ministry of the gospel all across theworld. For never have we been so educated, so relatively well-off, so able to travel, and so out of the current geostrategic clashes. So we need to ask if we have come to the kingdom for such a time as this. Thus, we need to consider carefully what God may be telling us and calling us to.

In turn, that leads us to reflect on the way we should interact with government. So, have a look at Acts 27, to see a case study I first looked at when this blog began. END

Fullness, reformation, blessing and our Mission to the Nations

Today, I had to pause to help put out a brushfire over at the EO blog. Pardon the delay.

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Now, to the main topic of the day:

As Acts 17 notes, when the Apostle Paul went to Athens, 500 years after Socrates' day, he spoke to them in terms that God had made the nations from one man, and so controls our places and times that he uses our times and challenges to prompt us to grope for him, however blindly [that is the underlying impression in the particular words Paul used].

So that brings to a focus the issue of nationhood at a moment of crisis, of kairos. Into such places and times, the risen Jesus sends his Gospel and his church, opening the doors of blessing:

Eph 4:11 It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12 to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

So the choice that confronts the nations in such times is the call to repentance, discipleship and reformation, leading to the overflow of the blessing of Abraham to the nations -- the exact blessing long since promised to the chosen people. [BTW, that means that envy at the blessings an utterly unwarranted response to it as enjoyed by Israel or as enjoyed by any other nation that wholeheartedly turns to the gospel.]

It also means - and I here make a note to those who sub-biblically see the church as a tiny remnant with essentially no influence on an increasingly corrupt surrounding world -- that reformation of the nations under Christ is just as much a part of the church's commission as is the call to penitence. Indeed, that should always have been obvious from the Great Commission:

MT 28:16 Then the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain where Jesus had told them to go. 17 When they saw him, they worshiped him; but some doubted. [nb: I believe this is the incident wiht 500 bretheren together seeing Jesus at once mentioned in 1 Cor 15] 18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age."

That highlighted phrase is telling, as it speaks to a transformation of the way of life of the community and of individuals in it as is envisioned in Eph:

2:8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith--and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God-- 9 not by works, so that no one can boast. 10 For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do . . . .

EPH 4:17 So I tell you this, and insist on it in the Lord, that you must no longer live as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their thinking. 18 They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts. 19 Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more.

EPH 4:20 You, however, did not come to know Christ that way. 21 Surely you heard of him and were taught in him in accordance with the truth that is in Jesus. 22 You were taught, with regard to your former way of life, to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires; 23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.

In short, discipleship leads naturally to reformation as more and more people amounting to a critical mass seek to live by Jesus' principles of neighbour-love and all-out love to God, which he cited from the Torah as the summation of the Law.

And so, in our time that call to repentance and reformation again goes out across the world, in the Caribbean, in the lands of the North and across the lands of the South. In that context, our strategic location as a bridge people raises the question of the Caribbean's strategic value int he church's mission to the nations in our time. To that we will next turn. END

Kairos: the nexus of opportunity and risk

It is a commonplace to observe that the Caribbean and the wider world are in crisis. Here in Montserrat, with a fast-growing lava dome [again!] that is underscored. But, what is less common is to understand that there are both risks and opportunities that now face us.

My concern is that we the people of the Caribbean rise to the opportunity without unduly exposing ourselves to the risks.

For instance, we face a major challenge because -- apart from Trinidad, Barbados and Cuba -- the island nations of our region have but little or no commercially exploitable oil; which exposes us to the volatile energy market.

So, when oil's price spiked last year, we rushed into the Petrocaribe deal with Venezuela, putting ourselves into heavy debt to what may well be an emerging Latin American strongman of an all-too-familiar type. Is this wise? Was there an alternative, given -- say -- Trinidad's oil reserves? Have we in light of Prov 22:7 -- The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is servant to the lender -- implicitly sold our right to take an independent stance to a regime that historically has claims on the territory of several Caribbean states? Should we for instance -- in addition to the usual renewable and efficiency approaches -- be exploring the emerging, promising PBMR modular nuclear reactor technology being developed in South Africa? [Let us note that some 80% of France's electricity is nuclear powered.]

Clearly, we need to think again.

More broadly, we the people of the Caribbean are the world's first cosmopolitan people, and we have learned to live and work with each other across racial, religious and other divides,with a high degree of harmony. In a world in the midst of a massive geostrategic conflict, is that not an asset, the ministry of reconciliation? Could that be an implicit challenge from God to awaken to our awesome potential under the church's global mission?

Why not now? Why not here? Why not us? GEM

PS: I have added several apologetics and issues links for those who may wish to explore such themes; cf. the links sidebar. If the anonymous commenter of yesterday needs to think through some issues on the evidences at the core of the Christian faith, I highly recommend to him that he reads Kreeft and Tacelli's Handbook of Christian Apologetics. C S Lewis' Mere Christianity is a classic that will well repay a look, too. Online, on the issue of the trustworthiness of the Bible, a look at F F Bruce's classic will be a worthwhile investment of time. When we look at such issues, finally, let us remember that the point is not so much that God is on trial before our bar of judgement, but that we are on trial before his bar of judgement:

Rom 2: 6 God "will give to each person according to what he has done." 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger. 9 There will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil . . . 10 but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good . . . 11 For God does not show favoritism.

Hezbollah in Venezuela?

All:

Overnight, I ran across a disturbing account at NewsMax.com, by Gustavo Coronel, on that dangerous Islamist group's evidently successful missions to the marginalised Wayuu people group, who straddle the Venezuela-Columbia border.

While I think the tone of the article is in considerable need of improvement, the basic claim seems well-warranted, i.e there is good reason to conclude that such an outreach is in fact taking place, similar to many dawah initiatives around the world that target marginalised and disaffected groups. Certainly, Gateway Pundit has presented some disturbing images indeed, drawn from the Hezbollah Venezuela e-group web site.

Disturbing reading, and reason for us to reflect on the issues summarised here about Islamism and the Caribbean, and here, on how some islamic advocates in our region are manipulating our history the better to pull us into their system of thought and global agenda. Readers may also find the Barbados Declaration, July 2003 relevant to a proper response. END

All:

Those who have been watching my web adventures will know that I have spent the past while since April 7, 2005 on an extended recon in force over at Joe Carter's Evangelical Outpost.

Now, Joe has just taken up the job as Director of Web Communications with the Family Research Council, as he discusses here, and at the same time, as the threads here, here, and most recently here can show, the major topics I have addressed have now come to a point where I am satisfied that I understand practically as well as theoretically and can assess and address the issues likely to be raised by the dechistianisers of the North here and elsewhere.

So, let me excerpt from the 2002 JTS-CGST Ethics lecture, on the onward strategy for this blog:

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. . . intellectual leadership is a decisive factor (for good or ill) . . . and must therefore be a key to the sound and sustainable reformation of the Caribbean. This is not new; the need for prophetic intellectual leadership was also a central issue faced by Paul, most notably on his visit to Athens. Therefore, his example provides quite relevant insights that we may use to guide our own initiatives.

The Apostle had come to Athens five hundred years after its glory days — the days of Socrates, Plato, Aristotle and Pericles, to take a brief respite from his stressful Macedonian adventures. For, in Macedonia, he had been harassed and harried from one town to the next, and was finally driven out, taking refuge in Athens.

However, he found the all-pervasive idolatry too disturbing to keep silent. [Acts 17:16.] So as a lion, with terrible resolve, turns and vexes those who have unwisely persisted in harrying him, Paul — in the city of Socrates — went to the Agora (the marketplace), and started to dialogue with passersby; as that stone-dresser turned philosopher was wont to do. Soon, a group of pagan Philosophers paused, argued with him, conferred among themselves, and, parodying the fate of Socrates, took the Apostle to a meeting of the Areopagus [Mars Hill] Council.

There, the Athenian leaders got more than they bargained for. For, Paul made straight for the rotten intellectual foundation of Pagan thought and culture. Pointing to its beautiful temples and monuments, he picked the altar that exposed the critical instability: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. That is, on the most important possible point of knowledge, the Athenians — the fountainhead and proud guardians of the Western intellectual, artistic and democratic traditions — were forced to admit their ignorance, in a public monument!

Paul then pointedly stated the decisive prophetic issue: “Now what you worship as something unknown I am going to proclaim to you.” That is, the true key to the field of Knowledge is Revelation (rather than merely human speculation, argument or experiment[35]), starting from our God-given intuition that an orderly universe without and a rational mind and ever-probing conscience within jointly testify to a Rational, Orderly, Moral Creator. [Cf. Romans 1:18 – 32.]

Of course, and as Dingwall, Spong, Freud, Marx, Skinner, Ayer, Crick and many others illustrate today, we may suppress or becloud such intuitions; but plainly to our intellectual, moral, and social peril; with damaging environmental and sustainability implications. However, since God knows perfectly, he can communicate additional significant — though obviously not exhaustive — truth to guide us in the face of such intellectual dilemmas, moral conundrums, and sustainability challenges. Hence, the prophetic force of Paul’s key word: “proclaim.”

1) The Creator-Redeemer God does not live in temples we can make with our hands. Nor does he depend on our religious leaders and institutions, rituals, gifts or offerings. Instead, it is he who made us and gave us everything we have. We are therefore his stewards in — and of — his world[36], for “in Him we live and move and have our being.”

2) From one man, God created the nations, setting their times & seasons [kairous], and their places[37], “so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him.” That is, the diverse fraternity of nations [ethnoi, people groups] was created to foster opportunities to demonstrate godly, harmonious social order-- not least, by restraining the possibilities for the rise of a corrupt, globally dominant regime.[38] (Further to this, when nations choose instead to forget God and His ways, making false loyalties, power, prestige, pleasure and prosperity their chief values, they walk down a road to ruin; cf. Deut. 8:17 – 20.)

3) “In the past, God overlooked [our] ignorance, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent. For he has set a day in which he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead”:

4) The time for ignorant pursuit of false loyalties and foolish agendas is over; God has intervened globally, decisively and publicly[39] by Christ’s incarnation, death, and resurrection: “he has made this same Jesus . . . both Lord and Christ.” [Acts 2:36.]

5) God therefore commands that we repent, undergoing a comprehensive change of heart and mind driven by recognition of the truth and godly sorrow over sin, leading to a transformed way of life [1 Cor. 6:9 – 11]. In particular, we are to receive as Lord and Saviour him who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” [John 14:6, cf. Acts 4:12.]

6) This command to repent is universal, but does not demand blind obedience: God offers public proof to us by raising Jesus from the dead. In evidence of this, we have over five hundred eyewitnesses, most of whom were still alive when the record was made, and the continued manifestation of resurrection power — in manifold ways — in the church to this day. [1 Cor. 15:1- 8, Eph. 1:17 – 23.]

7) Flowing from this, human culture is not autonomous or absolute: there is a set day for judgement of the world, a comprehensive audit carried out with perfect justice. Thus, communities and their citizens are servants of God, accountable before their Creator for truth, right, justice and the proper stewardship of resources in their care, starting with their land. This opens the door for prophetic commentary on public morality, policy and issues linked to development and sustainability. [Cf. Rom. 1:18 – 32 & 13:1 – 10.]

8) Moreover, since we are created from one ancestor, there can be no justification for nationally-, or racially-, or class-, or otherwise- motivated oppression, aggression, exploitation or prejudice. Community extends to the fraternity of all peoples, and so God refuses to answer the foolish question: “Am I my brother’s keeper?”

Paul’s audience, however, mostly reacted with an ill-advised, illogical sneer: in effect, never mind the evidence and our acknowledged ignorance on the subject — God can’t be like that!

However, some were willing to listen further, and a few openly turned to Christ. Scanty immediate results. But the truth had been proclaimed and backed up with adequate evidence. And, Paul, too, had made a decisive turn, seizing the intellectual and cultural initiative.

From Athens, the Apostle would go on to Corinth and Ephesus, building bases from which the Christian Faith would ultimately triumph in Greek culture. Intellectually, he would go on to expand his Mars Hill thesis, through penning the Epistle to the Romans[40], which articulated in greater detail the case that would at length prevail over classical paganism.

So, two thousand years later, we know who had the better case that fateful day. For, Paganism’s hollow intellectual and moral core now stood exposed for those with eyes to observe, and ears to listen. The future therefore belonged to the Apostle, not to the Philosophers and Politicians. Thus, from small beginnings, the churches planted in Athens and other Greek cities grew strong and prevailed.

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And that, ladies and gentlemen, defines our own challenge as thepeople of God in the Caribbean in our time, as we take up the MVAT challenge.

Grace be with us all.

Gordon

On Baigent's The Jesus Papers

(GLI) -- MANJACK, March 28, 2006a -- Michael Baigent, co-author with Richard Leigh of Holy Blood, Holy Grail, the 1982 precursor to Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code [which has just come out in a 5 million copy paperback print run in the US], has now released his own new book, The Jesus Papers: Exposing the Greatest Cover-Up in History. The central claim made by the book -- which of course, all too tellingly, is being issued during Lent -- is that:

Jesus wasn't thought to be divine until long after his era and the New Testament story is pretty much one big fraud . . . . Jesus married Mary Magdalene and sired a child . . . . Jewish Zealots who resisted Roman occupation [sought] Jesus' execution as a traitor to their movement while Pontius Pilate "took steps to ensure that Jesus would survive." After recuperating, Jesus and wife supposedly traveled to upper Egypt and taught mystical lore that inspired ancient Gnostic wisdom. Maybe they made it to France . . .

Those who have read the DVC book will instantly recognise the pattern of ill-founded claims. This is no surprise, as the DVC is so derivative of Baigent & Leigh's 1982 work that it is the subject of a lawsuit. Indeed, the historian in the DVC, Leigh Teabing, is a composite based on a rearrangement of letters in "Baigent." However, we must not confuse such cynical speculations with history. For, let us observe that Baigent relies on "reports about a text saying Jesus was alive in A.D. 45, which Anglican Canon Alfred Lilley of Hereford, who died in 1948, told the Rev. Douglas Bartlett he'd seen."

On the strength of these second-hand, undocumented reports, the promotion for the new book pointedly asks: "What if everything we have been told about the origins of Christianity is a lie?"

Ostling, author of today's AP report, notes of such antics: "If Baigent's earlier writings are a guide, "Jesus Papers" will find a ready audience among religious skeptics, conspiracy theorists and Vatican -haters but seems likely to be rejected by major historians who specialize in Christianity's early centuries." That is, the book fits all too well into the pattern of events in which National Geographic will shortly publish the Gnostic pseudo-Gospel, Gospel of Judas, and in which the DVC movie is slated for release on May 19.

Caribbean Christians would therefore do well to be prepared for the onslaught of the underlying agenda, which is first to reduce the general perceived credibility of the C1 NT to the level of C2 Gnostic frauds This is in turn part of the now long-standing effort to undermine the credibility of Evangelical Christian faith [which is viewed by many in the relevant circles as a right-wing extremist, neo-Nazi/ Christo-fascist -- i.e. deliberately echoing "Islamofascist" -- agenda].

The effect of this agenda, if successful, would be to create a popular perception that the gospel as reported in say the AD 55 1 Cor 15:1 - 11 or the wider NT (and as commonly preached across the Caribbean), is inaccurate to what was "really" believed by many early Christians. The injection of Mary Magdalene into this volatile mix, is intended to stir the ideas of feminist spirituality and echoes Marija Gimbutas' long-since seriously challenged and even "debunked" archaeological theory that is now often projected in some feminist- and neopagan- influenced circles in the terms that, male sky warrior gods supplanted peaceful earth mother goddesses and initiared the oppression of women by the patriarchy. As Wayne Brown in Jamaica exemplified in a series of columns a few years ago in the Observer, this concept is then used to assert that this "supplanting" led to the rise of war as a means to subjugate other classes and peoples. Thence of course, a link to current events and polarisations.

Similarly, Islamists will be quick to pounce on the claims to put forth their own argument that the NT documents and doctrine [especially on the Trinity] as we have received them were corrupted from the original teachings of Jesus [viewed by them as a prophet of Allah with teachings similar to Mohammed], especially through the Apostle Paul. But in fact, given that from 95 - 10 AD on, the NT documents in instantly recognisable form are cited, alluded to and available in manuscripts in an unbroken chain, the real authenticity challenge here is actually is to the text of the Quran. For, after Mohammed's death, several collections were made, leading to strife. Uthman then "standardised" by copying a copy belonging to one of Mohammed's widows, Hafsah, then trying to destroy all other copies; somewhat unsuccessfully. Then, the Hafsah source was in turn destroyed on her death.. (Cf also here.) So, plainly, Evangelical Christians in the Caribbean now face significant and rapidly mounting up apologetics challenges from the North and from the Middle East, that we must be equipped to answer [1 Peter 3:15].

Oddly, in all of this, the telling, cynical confession is Baigent's remark: "Unfortunately, in this case, there are no facts."

But, Mr Baigent, if you have no facts, why then are you alleging fraud -- even in your book's title, and that in the face of massive facts to the contrary? So, let us call attention to the Morison Challenge:

[N]ow the peculiar thing . . . is that not only did [belief in Jesus' resurrection as in part testified to by the empty tomb] spread to every member of the Party of Jesus of whom we have any trace, but they brought it to Jerusalem and carried it with inconceivable audacity into the most keenly intellectual centre of Judaea . . . and in the face of every impediment which a brilliant and highly organised camarilla could devise. And they won. Within twenty years the claim of these Galilean peasants had disrupted the Jewish Church and impressed itself upon every town on the Eastern littoral of the Mediterranean from Caesarea to Troas. In less than fifty years it had began to threaten the peace of the Roman Empire . . . . Why did it win? . . . . We have to account not only for the enthusiasm of its friends, but for the paralysis of its enemies and for the ever growing stream of new converts . . . When we remember what certain highly placed personages would almost certainly have given to have strangled this movement at its birth but could not - how one desperate expedient after another was adopted to silence the apostles, until that veritable bow of Ulysses, the Great Persecution, was tried and broke in pieces in their hands [the chief persecutor became the leading C1 Missionary/Apostle!] - we begin to realise that behind all these subterfuges and makeshifts there must have been a silent, unanswerable fact. [Who Moved the Stone, (Faber, 1971; nb. orig. pub. 1930), pp. 114 - 115.]

UPDATE, 29th: You may be interested in further remarks by Claudia Parsons of Reuters on the broader wave of books published in the context of the impending DVC movie, here. Perhaps the most telling single point is the observation that "Ehud Sperling, publisher of Inner Traditions, already owes a lot to Brown, who credited several of the publisher's books as sources, fueling a jump in sales for unlikely titles. "The Gospel of Mary Magdalene," one of the so-called Gnostic Gospels . . . has sold more than 100,000 copies. "That's amazing for a translation from the Coptic," said Sperling, who has several new releases." GEM

On Picking up where I left off . . .

On April 7 last year, I decided that I needed to interact live in a blog comment context, to test an idea that blogs could be used in a distance education context. Soon, and for months, I was embroiled in an intense back-forth over at the Evangelical Outpost, especially on topics related to Intelligent Design. [Cf here and here for two major threads that give a flavour of what has been going on.]

Plainly, blogs are indeed a suitable tool for forum-style educational approaches, though moderation of the more unruly participants is an issue. That means that we are in a position to develop an online, networked programme of discipleship training focussed on preparing a critical mass of the church and people of the Caribbean for prophetic intelectual and cultural leadership in the emerging global world of C21. So, while I am a bit weary and sore on a few points, I have learned much that will be useful for the GLI initiative.

Thus also, now, it is time to return to my own agenda and strategy.

Therefore, over the next little while, I will be doing reflective observations on what the past nine months have taught me, linking to updated or newly created pages in my reference site, and moving ahead. I crave your prayers; inputs are also welcome.

Grace to all in this new year. AMEN

A KAIROSFOCUS BRIEFING NOTE

On the Troubling Case of Dr Richard Sternberg

NOTE: Over the past several months, I have been an active participant in the Evangelical Outpost Blog, in particular on themes relating to the origins of the cosmos and life in it. In the course of such, I have had several exchanges with other active commentators, including Dr Larry Lord, who has requested permission to cite my comments elsewhere. Unfortunately, on track record, I cannot trust that such citation and comments will be fair and representative of what I have had to say. I have therefore stipulated that he cite the below as a condition of any such citations. This post also appears in the web page: http://www.angelfire.com/pro/kairosfocus/resources/On_Sternberg.htm, and a recent media interview with Mr Bill O'Reilly may be found at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,166831,00.html, with a revealing column at http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/klinghoffer200508160826.asp . Over the next little while I will be returning to a more active profile onthis blog as well as my main site. GEM

ON THE TROUBLING CASE OF DR RICHARD STERNBERG

Mr Richard M von Sternberg, a researcher in the Smithsonian who holds two PhDs in Biology and who advocates structuralism [cf:http://www.rsternberg.net/ ], has, on the so far uncontested findings of an OSC investigation [cf. http://www.rsternberg.net/OSC_ltr.htm], edited and published a controversial journal article by Mr Meyer that passed peer review by "renowned scientists."

Because the article cuts across the dominant NDT, the publication of such scientific "heresy" appears, in light of the OSC's findings, to have led to sustained harassment and intimidation, compounded by slanders. Such a situation, sadly, does not reflect well on the ethics of leading scientists and institutions in the USA, as is documented by the OSC report, including telling email excerpts.

It is fair comment to observe that if the evident ethical lapses involved are not properly resolved, this will likely lead to a significant public backlash; as failure to police one's profession is a betrayal of public trust.

In the case of Dr Larry Lord, a prolific commentator in the Evangelical Outpost Blog, there has been a consistent and sometimes abusive dismissal of these findings, compounded by an equally persistent failure to provide evidence that warrants the inference that the findings of the OSC, are false or materially misleading.

Dr Lord, a molecular biologist, has also repeatedly failed to materially address the underlying scientific issues when repeatedly called upon to do so, as can be seen in relevant threads in the EO, such as http://www.evangelicaloutpost.com/archives/001549.html .

The key such issue that has yet to be addressed is that the origin of life by spontaneous chemical processes, or the similar diversification observed in the Cambrian Explosion, are arguably implausible in light of the relevant statistical thermodynamics of spontaneous generation of the required information-rich, functionally specified, complex molecular systems. This case has been discussed by Thaxton, Bradley and Olsen since 1984 in their work, the Mystery of Life's Origins, which builds on earlier work by Yockey. [Cf. online chapters at http://www.ldolphin.org/mystery/ ]. This line of work has been extended inter alia by the work of Mr Dembski, Mr Behe and Mr Meyer [Cf. popular summary: http://www.spectator.org/dsp_article.asp?art_id=8543 ], who are major advocates of a minority scientific paradigm, namely "Design Theory."

The 1984 work -- which is in the main based on plausibly applicable implications of the statistical thermodynamics summarised in Boltzmann's equation s = k ln w, was sufficiently impressive that Dr Dean Kenyon, eminent biologist and origin of life researcher, took occasion of writing the foreword to recant his earlier position as stated in his Biochemical Predestination, of which he was a co-author.

I invite dialogue on the above, on condition that the tone is civil and the focus is on the material issues as adverted to supra.

Grace be to you all [cf. Titus 2:11 - 14.]

[Name deleted; contact accessible through the Contact in RH column.]

GEM of TKI

2005:08:28

Right makes . . . Right
GEM 05:05:25a

It has often been said that “the voice of the people is the voice of God.” However, this is just as misleading as the equally common idea that might – or, for that matter; power, or wealth – makes right. In fact, it is right that makes right. So, as we consider our rebuilding/ re-development challenges and an upcoming election cycle (thus the need for us to collectively make a wise decision on our national leadership over the next several years), let us reflect on a key incident in the career of the Apostle Paul, while he was on his way to Rome as an Appeals prisoner:

[Our ship] made slow headway for many days and had difficulty arriving off Cnidus. When the wind did not allow us to hold our course, we sailed to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone. We moved along the coast with difficulty and came to a place called Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea. Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Fast. So Paul warned them, "Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also." But the centurion, instead of listening to what Paul said, followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship. Since the harbor was unsuitable to winter in, the majority decided that we should sail on, hoping to reach Phoenix and winter there. . . . . When a gentle south wind began to blow, they thought they had obtained what they wanted; so they weighed anchor and sailed along the shore of Crete. Before very long, a wind of hurricane force, called the "northeaster," swept down from the island. The ship was caught by the storm and could not head into the wind; so we gave way to it and were driven along . . . When neither sun nor stars appeared for many days and the storm continued raging, we finally gave up all hope of being saved. After the men had gone a long time without food, Paul stood up before them and said: "Men, you should have taken my advice not to sail from Crete; then you would have spared yourselves this damage and loss. But now I urge you to keep up your courage, because not one of you will be lost; only the ship will be destroyed. [Ac 27:7 – 22, as excerpted.]

The incident exposes the down side to collective decision-making:


--> The uncontrollable but partly predictable environment precipitated a crisis: buffetted by heavy head-winds, the ship was delayed until it was necessary to winter in a safe harbour, but the first harbour, Fair Havens, was not fully suitable. So, the majority wanted to move on to a hopefully better prospect, Phoenix.


--> Paul warned of the risk involved, but the owner and the kubernete spoke with the voice of wealth and technical know-how respectively: they were more than willing to go along with the crowd, and advised the Centurion in charge to run a dangerous risk in the hope of a quick and desirable advantage.


--> As a result, the lone voice of safety and caution was easily overwhelmed by the majority, backed up by wealth and technical expertise; so the decision was to go ahead if opportunity should present itself.


--> Soon, a gentle south wind seemed to offer every advantage, and it was eagerly seized. But, before long, sudden disaster struck in the form of an early winter storm, and at once the ship was reduced to sinking condition, forcing the sailors to try to see if they could keep off the sandbars off the Libyan coast, and so they were only able to drift across the stormy seas while hope of a safe landfall faded.


--> Then, at the end, it was the very same Paul whose advice and leadership had been dismissed when things were looking good, who had to stand up and give hope and counsel. Then, he had to intervene a third time, to save lives by exposing the sailors’ plot to abandon the passengers as the ship ran aground on the north coast of Malta. So, through his second intervention, the company were all saved, even though the ship and its cargo were lost.


Plainly, this incident exposes the downside of democracy, of technical advice, and of looking to the wealthy and powerful for wise counsel: for, in a world of self-interested sinners the majority, the wealthy, the technically expert and the powerful are often tempted to act in their own perceived interests, rather than on what is wise and right. Sometimes, they get away with it, but that simply makes them less willing to listen to sensible advice the next time around. Sooner or later, such self-interested, reckless action leads to disaster. For, it is what is right that is right, regardless of who proposes or supports or opposes it. As David counselled: “Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it . . .” Ps 127:1a.

So, now, let’s reflect on our own circumstances as we work to rebuild Montserrat; then let’s talk, let’s pray and let’s act.

AMEN