Wright, Borg, RCA connections

Substituting Norm Kansfield for Marcus Borg, and RCA for Anglican, in this article will take one a long way down the right reformation road for the RCA. One step was taken at 2005 General Synod. More are needed.

Whiten Up!

I've been using this "recipe" a lot lately to whiten up and brighten up our clothes. It's great for making the sparkly whiteness come back. With child number four on the way, I've been getting out the onesies and found this to be a great way to remove years-old spit up stains (and other stains!). Even tried it on a few colored clothes and found they did not bleach out.

White Clothes Cleaner
1/4 cup bleach
1 cup Cascade dishwashing detergent
1 gallon hot water

Mix well in plastic tub (I use my dishpan). Soak clothes for 30 minutes then wash the usual way in the washing machine.

-Sara

All in Interpretation

There is an interpretation of the standards [confessions] going on, saying, "it doesn't matter what the Westminster divines intended, the church may interpret the standards according to its own positions. And thus each presbytery [classis] or even session [consistory] can determine what the standards mean for them. Now, that's the height of relativism.... Once you start treating the standards in such a fashion, that leads to anarchy and lawlessness."

Joseph Pipa

Christians in politics

Great article (whole magazine, really) here, by Marvin Olasky
(pretty big pdf file - Olasky is page 30).

It's a pretty good case for Christians needing tolerance in politics to be effective.

Spirit and Word

I just read Acts 10, where Peter is told to eat unclean food and go to a Gentile's house. It raised an interesting question, and I'm going to play "Judaism's advocate" with you for a minute. This is the most reasonable Jewish objection I've heard to Christianity, from people like Jacob Neusner. It goes like this:

God's Spirit would not reveal truth to His followers contrary to the written Word He inspired. Yet the New Testament claims that parts of the Old Testament are no longer legit - most clearly the unclean foods (Leviticus 11:2, 47; Mark 7:15-19; Acts 10:14).

If the Spirit DID do this, what basis do we have for arguing today that God won't reveal to an individual something contrary to God's Word?

I've got my own answer, but we need some activity around here in the comments again, so I'm being provocative - have at it!

Michigan Education Requirements

Just read an article here about the new graduation requirements signed into law in our state by Gov. Granholm. Previous to this, the state only required a civics class, allowing local school boards to set their own requirements. Here's the new list of what students will have to complete starting 2011:

4 years math
4 years English
3 years science
3 years social studies
1 year PE
1 year arts
some online experience
2 credits in foreign language will be phased in by 2016.

I'm not sure what students were studying that differs so greatly from this, but many are bemoaning the fact that these tougher requirements will increase the drop out rate.

The quote below from Gov. Granholm shows what the government's goal of education truly is:

"We need to have a work force that is skilled in math, in science, in
technology," the governor said. "The link between education and the economy has
never been stronger. ... We expect great things from our young people, and we
are giving you the tools to succeed."

So much for nobler purposes of education - once again it boils down to the mighty dollar, and how can the next generation be trained to produce more (and also be trained at the same time to consume more - cf. soda company presence in schools, incentives from computer companies for buying their products, etc)

And the kicker is that Michigan is being hailed as the model for the rest of the nation!!

- Sara

Turn it off; read a book

Finished this little book in under 3 days. Fastest I've read a book in a while. There is a very recent interview with Ray Bradbury (21st century, I think) which included this bit from him:

"The whole problem of TV and movies today is summed up for me by the movie Moulin Rouge. ... It has 4,560 half-second clips in it. The camera never stops and holds still. So it clicks off your thinking; you can't think when you have things bombarding you like that. The average TV commercial of 60 seconds has 120 half-second clips in it, or one-third of a second. We bombard people with sensation. That substitutes for thinking."

A classis overture to the RCA...

"The Zeeland Classis overtures the [Reformed Church in America] General Synod of 2006 in Pella, Iowa, to rescind the action of its decision in General Synod 2005, “to immediately begin an honest and intentional denomination-wide dialogue on homosexuality” and that the General Synod of 2006 reaffirm previous General Synod decisions and statements from 1978 and 1995 that scripture teaches that homosexual behavior is sin, and further, that General Synod call all Classes and Consistories to exercise scriptural discipline, according to the Book of Church Order, in the case of those who teach and preach any doctrine contrary to scripture."

March 21, 2006

Socksploration

I've been knitting and unknitting a lot of socks lately. I guess being pregnant has deterred me from doing any clothing-type of knitting. Here's my exploits:

1) Started "Hedera" socks with an egyptian cotton yarn on size 1 dpns. Love the lace pattern; it's so easy to memorize. I'm in the middle of the heel flap of sock #1 and hope to finish the sock this weekend. The yarn color I chose is called Mystic Beige, which reminds me of grandma's knee high stockings. The lace pattern is jazzy enough to make this antique color more up to date.





2) Falling Leaves socks, uh, rather sock, has been frogged. (That means I pulled it all apart - you know, "rip it, rip it"). The variegated yarn was obscuring the lace pattern, and I'm not a fan of the Sockotta yarn. Perhaps I'll try the infamous "Jaywalker" sock in this yarn instead...


3) Baby Lily socks - this was an attempt at stash reduction and using up oddments of yarn. I found out that I had enough Magic Stripe yarn left to make 1.5 socks. Most babies come equipped with more feet than that. I'm giving this project up.

4) Flip flop socks. I found this funky pattern for a socklette with cut-off toes and a division between the big toe and other toes to allow for thongs. Wierd enough I had to try it. Imagine a knitted wristband crossed with fingerless mittens. Interesting, maybe someday if I got a pedicure while it was snowing I would wear these, otherwise a completely foolish pattern and waste of time. And I only had enough yarn left to make one sock again! Know of any Dufflepuds running around?

To read, or not to read

One reader-friend wrote me, pointing out that I don't want people to read DaVinci, but that I like the theme of Fahrenheit 451, which is freedom to read. What gives?

Well, I do want people to be free from government restriction to read what they want, even if it's bad. But I want people to want to read edifying stuff, not stuff that will lead them away from the truth about Jesus.

Who wants to think?

Out on a limb here, but this is one of my favorite books.

Along the lines of 1984 or Brave New World, it's about a futuristic, totalitarian society, which looks very much like our country today. Books are burned as a matter of policy, people invest thousands into home entertainment systems, don't WANT to read or think, teenagers kill each other for entertainment, there is no meaningful interaction between people, only with the predictable and inane "wall TV."

That's just a taste - very good food for thought. I think it describes our society very well, even now already.

Fact or fiction

Ok, so I never thought I'd get interested, but we were at the local public library last night on other business, and on impulse I checked if there were any copies available. Only the large print edition - everything else (a lot) was checked out. So I took it. It's on my desk. I haven't gotten past page 1. Let me explain.

First there's a title page, then that Library of Congress, copyright page. At the top of that page is this: "This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, event or locales, is entirely coincidental." Oh, really? Next comes the author's acknowledgements, another title page, then - before the prologue - a page with the word FACT in big bold letters at the top. Two paragraphs follow: "The Priory of Sion - a European secret society founded in 1099..."; and then, "The Vatican prelature known as Opus Dei is a deeply devout Catholic sect that..."

What am I supposed to believe? Confusing, even before page 1.

I may read it for cultural literacy reasons, if I find the time, but I'll take the whole thing as fiction. And if I don't get to it, at least I kept someone else from reading this copy for a while.

Prayer from the Valley

Open my ear to grasp quickly your Spirit's voice,
and delightfully run after his beckoning hand;
Melt my conscience that no hardness remain,
make it alive to evil's slightest touch;
When Satan approaches may I flee to your wounds,
and there cease to tremble at all alarms....

I was a stranger, an outcast, a slave, a rebel,
but your cross has brought me near,
has softened my heart,
has made me your Father's child
has admitted me to your family
has made me joint-heir with yourself.

- Valley of Vision, pg 102.

History catch up

After a busy Resurrection weekend, I'm catching up on things, including the "This Day in History" sidebar. Feel free to post any comments on them in any unrelated post in the main column...

The Cross

Great words on the meaning of the cross, here.