Business and Politics
U.S. considers overhaul of financial industry.
Minnesota’s smoking ban has wrought unintended consequences.
Controversy over a religious statue placed outside a Tennessee courthouse.
There is a looming rice shortage in the Philippines. The government is threatening rice hoarders with life in prison.
There Is No Gas Shortage
Al Qaeda does not target innocents. Also, bin Laden is alive and in good health.
Interesting take on Hillary’s “misspeak.”
Science and Technology
Microsoft’s brand has declined in the last four years. The article doesn’t say why Microsoft’s reputation is in decline, but it gives a hint:
Microsoft, which has been diversifying its business beyond packaged software in the past several years, has struggled to articulate how the many facets of its business — software, entertainment and online among them — show a cohesive business plan.
Microsoft’s brand is diluted by its breadth. People don’t know what Microsoft represents anymore.
Speculate much? UK astronomers have discovered the youngest known planet. It’s only 1,600 years old. The next youngest known planet is 10 million years old. One wonders how they figure these things out. Do planets come with birthdays tattooed on their rings?
Christianity
From Christianity Today: Not Your Father’s L’Abri - The Swiss retreat now tends less to philosophical skeptics than to disaffected evangelicals.
The Kiwi enters the debate on how much context matters
An olderish NT Wright interview Really good to watch if you’re still confused about his views.
Blue Like Jazz: The Movie
I want to comment on the statement by the citizen who put up the religious statue: “I have chosen to put up a statue of the Flying Spaghetti Monster to represent the discourse between people of all different beliefs. … it is meant to open up discussion and provoke thought.”
Flying Spaghetti Monster is not about discourse, discussion, and thought. It was invented by atheists as a tool to insult, antagonize, and belittle people who believe in God. The US Constitution protects their right to free speech, and that extends to insults such as this statue. But come on! Nobody believes this is about discussion and discourse. FSM is insulting, and it’s doubly insulting to claim that it’s intended to foster “positive dialogue” in the community.
I hope the local Christians will not take the bait. I hope they’ll ignore this insult, as Jesus commands in Matthew 5:39.
Regarding that link to Kiwi’s perspective on context, I thought it was excellent. I couldn’t agree more. I see Paul’s approach to evangelism as very much aware of culture, but he was intent on communicating an uncompromising Gospel. This really goes back to the basics of language and communication. We speak the same language to understand one another. The message doesn’t change just the language or mode of communication. I think the following passage expresses Paul’s understanding of how the message of Christ was tailored to different cultures.
21 For since, in the wisdom of God, the world through wisdom did not know God, it pleased God through the foolishness of the message preached to save those who believe. 22 For Jews request a sign, and Greeks seek after wisdom; 23 but we preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling block and to the Greeks[b] foolishness, 24 but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 Because the foolishness of God is wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.
(1 Corinthians 1:21-25)
Note that both philosophic world views, the Greek-wisdom view and the Hebrew-power view, were potentially stumbling blocks to receiving Christ. However, whether one adhered to one world view or the other, Christ fulfilled the expectation of either philosophic viewpoint to those who believed. He was power the Jews and wisdom to the Greeks.