tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1508275121461512382024-03-14T06:29:52.775-07:00immediacy is an illusionJesus Christ stands between you and me, and that's a good thing.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.comBlogger106125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-24883054132069986012012-09-05T13:35:00.001-07:002012-09-05T13:41:50.901-07:00The Parables of JesusOne of the great privileges of our time in the States was having the opportunity to teach an adult Sunday School class at 2 of our supporting Churches. At <a href="http://www.nowsprouting.com/granadaheightsfriendschurch/#/home/welcome">Granada Heights Friends Church</a>, I was able to teach on all of the Sundays in June from 10:00-10:45AM. At <a href="http://www.mhpc.org/index.php">Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church</a>, I was able to preach on the second Sunday morning in July and then teach the same class for 3 consecutive Thursday evenings from 7:00-8:30PM (wonderful snacks provided by my wonderful wife).<br />
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The class was called, "Jesus the Great Storyteller: An Introduction to the Parables of Jesus." I proposed this topic because, for the past several years here in Ukraine, I have been preaching through Jesus' parables. I guess I've probably covered about a dozen of them, so far. During that time, I've had to do some investigatory work on parables as a Biblical literary genre and have grown ever more aware of the need to sharpen my skills in this area if I want to keep producing quality sermons on the parables. These blessed congregations gave me the stimulus to do such skill sharpening by letting me teach the class. I am more and more enamored by these powerful stories the more I study them. They are so rich in revealing realities of the Kingdom of God and so radical in the claim that they make on the lives of Jesus' followers. I'll continue studying them for years to come while still only beginning to grasp their intended meaning and call to action.<br />
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I want to thank both congregations for the opportunity to teach and I want to thank those who attended the class (60-80 at GHFC and 15-20 at MHPC). I especially thank MHPC for recording everything and making it available online. Here's a <a href="http://www.mhpc.org/bulletins.php">link to the sermon page</a>. The parable sermon was delivered on July 8. And here's a <a href="http://www.mhpc.org/biblestudies.htm">link to the class</a>, which also includes a link to a PDF download of the class notes (lesson 3 has a bibliography of recommended books on the parables). Thanks to someone at GHFC for the super-cool graphic. And thanks to the Great Storyteller Himself or leaving us with these poignant stories that continue to clarify what Kingdom living is all about.<br />
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If you choose to listen, please don't hesitate to comment. Both commendations and criticisms are welcome. eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-12471625601457520612012-06-17T23:46:00.000-07:002012-06-17T23:46:42.099-07:00American Aventures 2012We're just past the half-way point of our time in the U.S. We've had an enjoyable time visiting friends, family and ministry partners in Pennsylvania, Delaware, Michigan, and in both Northern and Southern California. We've talked a lot about Ukraine and our life there, so much so that Josie and I are tired of hearing each other's stories. And even though it is a bit of a challenge to balance my ongoing field responsibilities and life here, we've made sure to work in plenty of really fun stuff as a family. Heck, after spending most of the last 5 years in post-Soviet, urban blandness, Dietrich would have been in heaven if we had never even left Baba and Papa's farm. But leave the farm we did. Here are some of the highlights of the past 2 months both on and off the farm.<br />
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One of the first tasks we gave Papa was to teach Dietrich to ride a bike. Here they are working on it the 1st week.<br />
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Here he is by the 2nd week. Thanks, Papa! No more training wheels.<br />
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On April's cool mornings, Lev was content to explore the farm. Atop the woodpile was a good place to rest.<br />
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This is, seriously, the coolest treehouse I know of. Dietrich and I plan to have some sleepovers in it when we return to Baba and Papa's in July. Thanks, again, Papa!<br />
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Enjoying a bed-time story with Baba.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mhpc.org/" target="_blank">Morgan Hill Presbyterian Church</a> did an awesome Easter egg hunt between services.<br />
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Even little Lev got to join in on the action. Props to whomever hid some eggs in the planter.<br />
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Home Depot has a <a href="http://www.homedepot.com/webapp/catalog/servlet/ContentView?pn=HT_WS_KidsWorkshops" target="_blank">free kids workshop</a> on the 1st Saturday of every month. Way to go, HoPo!<br />
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Dietrich jumps. All the time. From anything. Here he is jumping in Pennsylvania. Hi Freis.<br />
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And here he is jumping in from the play structure in our Southern California apartment complex.<br />
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We spent a few hours at the annual <a href="http://www.stbrunochurch.org/pages/carnival.htm" target="_blank">St. Bruno's carnival</a>. Dietrich is finally tall enough to go on the cool stuff.<br />
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You can't do much in 5 hours at <a href="http://disneyland.disney.go.com/disneyland/astro-orbitor/" target="_blank">Disneyland</a> so taking pictures was not a priority. But at least we got one that proves Josie exists.<br />
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When we get together with young families, we try to do it at a park. <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fn8rXglFMuQ" target="_blank">You know, for kids</a>. Dietrich is amazing on monkey bars.<br />
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Not wanting to be left in the dust, Lev's started practicing whenever and wherever he gets the chance.<br />
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We all love <a href="http://www.gormiti.com/" target="_blank">Gormiti</a>. Dietrich has learned that when he's not working, Grandpa Norm loves to join us at the park and have Gormiti fights until his hands bleed.<br />
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Like tree-climbing father, like tree-climbing son. Hi Godwins.<br />
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A <a href="http://www.sanjuancapistrano.org/Index.aspx?page=282" target="_blank">neat little park</a> in San Juan Capistrano had an amazingly safe rock pile/path. Here's Dietrich conquering it.<br />
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And here's Lev making sure the rocks know he means business.<br />
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At <a href="http://www.baseballprospectus.com/author/sam_miller/" target="_blank">Uncle Sam</a> and <a href="http://onereaderblog.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">Auntie Jit</a>'s place, someone came up with the fun game of dinosaur toss. It's addictive.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAwmlQhbPND4asDKCwulRvRqqpMI8n0xTNk5hlMGq1hgqOfpYN9Po-TvSoHcWXIr7dynG17_mH65i5ja3AtSLKByZOFWCKEBImSCcsfvbc4NEGFBLDTfkONYqoMKOrJB0yVh6vG58uA/s1600/tossingdinosaurs_lev.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioAwmlQhbPND4asDKCwulRvRqqpMI8n0xTNk5hlMGq1hgqOfpYN9Po-TvSoHcWXIr7dynG17_mH65i5ja3AtSLKByZOFWCKEBImSCcsfvbc4NEGFBLDTfkONYqoMKOrJB0yVh6vG58uA/s320/tossingdinosaurs_lev.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
Not surprisingly, even Lev got into it. That triceratops took quite a beating.<br />
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<br />eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-54834313303014321782012-06-12T23:41:00.002-07:002012-06-12T23:41:33.255-07:005 Thoughts on "Love Wins"I've decided to read some books with a family member that deal with, depending on your perspective, radical theology or potential heresy. This family member is attracted to <a href="http://www.opentheism.info/">Open Theism</a>, particularly <a href="http://www.theopedia.com/Clark_Pinnock">Clark Pinnock</a>, and to the theological redefinitions of <a href="http://www.robbell.com/">Rob Bell</a>. Since it's fresh in my mind after having just read it, I'll share a number of thoughts on <i>Love Wins</i>, Bell's contribution to the <a href="http://www.christianuniversalism.com/">universalist </a>strand within Christianity. Maybe someday I'll get around to writing up my thoughts on the former, once I read the books and hash things out with this loved one.<br />
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1. So as not to be totally negative, I must say that Rob Bell, at points, paints a really clear and compelling picture of the love of God and the sacrifice of Christ in providing salvation to man in his broken, disastrous state. (Bell prefers the term "reconciliation" over "salvation," which is fine except that in standard theological parlance salvation is a broad term that encompasses many elements, e.g., redemption, adoption, union, forgiveness, and reconciliation is just one of those many terms.) He vividly describes the depth of human wickedness and then is able to talk about the power of God to rescue us out of that wickedness. Even though I read the book critically, I was moved to utter several "amens" and "hallelujahs" at different points. Bell is able to communicate well in writing and I assume he communicates equally well when he speaks. He wouldn't have the following he does if he didn't and I'm glad he uses his gifts to communicate some deep truth.<br />
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2. On the level of preference, I would do away with the one-item-per-line lists and single sentence paragraphs if I were writing the book (or editing the book, if these decisions were made by the editors). I understand that Bell needs to be hip for the young kids but, to me, it looks like he is simply trying to stretch the book length from 150 to 200 pages. Here's a one-item-per-line example from a passage where he is talking about the pervasiveness of the Kingdom of God.<br />
<br />
So there's left and right, and up and down, and front and back.<br />
Got that.<br />
But there's also<br />
in ...?<br />
and out ...?<br />
or around ...?<br />
and through ...?<br />
or between ...?<br />
or beside ...?<br />
or beyond ...? (p. 60)<br />
<br />
And here are a few single-sentence paragraphs that just seem superfluous.<br />
<br />
"Welcome to our church." (p. 96)<br />
<br />
"Think of what you've had to eat today." (p. 130)<br />
<br />
"We believe all sorts of things about ourselves." (p. 171)<br />
<br />
A book, most of the time, is not a visual art project. An author uses his literary capabilities to convey information as compellingly as possible for his intended audience in relation to the subject matter. The reason why I stated in the first point that Bell is a good communicator was so that there would be some weight behind the statement that Bell should let his solid ability to communicate in print stand on its own. Trying to modernize the text with odd spacing draws attention away from the power of what is communicated rather than heightening the reader's awareness of it. Again, this is a cosmetic criticism and is the least of my worries. I simply would be thinking less negatively of the book had he not tried to visually convey his tone to me.<br />
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3. Much more disturbing is how Bell conveys the scorecard between the the traditional understanding of hell as unending, conscious torment and the ultimate salvation of all humans. 3 of his ideas are equally problematic.<br />
<br />
First, Bell writes as though those who believe in the traditional understanding consider it the most important Christian doctrine and that it's the main thing they preach. I know that there are Churches that overemphasize the doctrine of hell and believers who hang hell over the heads of the unbelievers they know in disturbing fashion. It's not a matter of fact but a matter of degree. But Bell doesn't leave much room for someone to believe in a traditional hell and not be out-of-balance about it. Surely, if the traditional doctrine is true, it ought to be a big deal, even if not the only deal. And surely, there are many "traditionalists" who don't go overboard with it. Not so, according to Bell.<br />
<br />
Second, Bell would have us think that universalism is a sort of silent majority in the history of the Church. The traditionalists of today are far outweighed by, "an untold number of serious disciples of Jesus across hundreds of years," (p. 108) ... who stand "at the center of the Christian tradition ... who insist that history is not tragic, hell is not forever, and love, in the end, wins." (p. 109) One problem is that Bell doesn't give us enough reason to trust his telling of history. Clearly, mentioning 6 people and a few contested interpretations of Scripture is not sufficient to make the case for universalism. It's much too broad an issue for that. Another problem is his reference to "the center of the Christian tradition." Does the universalist's proximity to or distance from the so-called "center" either give his position more weight or hurt the traditionalist argument? Basing a theological position on who has and hasn't held it is one of the weakest ways to make a case when the topic is as complex as this one. And, even if it was a legitimate approach, Bell's calculation seems a bit inflated.<br />
<br />
Third, Bell simply does not do justice to the Biblical case for hell as unending, conscious torment. True, his work is not a biblical studies monograph on the issue, and I don't fault him for exegetically dissecting each passage. But to put a spin on a cross-section of relevant passages and call it a day is insufficient and irresponsible. Unless I'm mistaken, he doesn't even deal with the lake of fire references in Revelation 20. That's unacceptable if you are going to say that the traditional understanding of hell should be abandoned.<br />
<br />
4. Along similar lines, I think that there is good reason to criticize Bell's handling of other passages of Scripture, as well. 2 instances reveal a questionable hermeneutic.<br />
<br />
First, Bell puts together a string of Old Testament prophecies (pages 85-88) that talk about the restoration of Israel after a time of judgment. With no rationale provided, he then states that these passages lay the groundwork for understanding that the purpose of all judgment is restoration and that we can expect everyone to be restored. Clearly, God has a unique relationship with Israel. Clearly, most of the promises that Bell cites about both judgment and restoration relate to Israel. It just won't do to take those specific references and expand them to be inclusive of all peoples with little more than mere turns of phrase, "failure ... isn't final, judgement has a point, and consequences are for correction." (p. 88)<br />
<br />
Second, Bell violates just about every rule in the book when he bases his redefinition of both Heaven and hell on the parable of the prodigal son. Jesus told parables to communicate certain concrete truths or to invite radical life change and there are plenty of books out these days to help us figure out just what Jesus was getting at (see <a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=1286">this one</a> and <a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3967">this one</a> and <a href="http://www.eerdmans.com/Products/4241/stories-with-intent.aspx">this one</a>). It's now pretty decided that parables aren't so flexible that we can make them fit whatever topics we happen to be interested in. Jesus wants us to know that those who have wandered away from the Father are not beyond the reach of forgiveness; He wants us to know that the love of the Father is deeper than we can imagine; and He wants us to know that there is a severe danger in religious formalism/elitism. Those are the 3 main points of that particular parable. Bell posits that to live in the new reality that the prodigal son lives in is truly Heaven and that to live in the reality of the older brother is truly hell. What Jesus was really trying to do, according to Bell, was to get us to stop thinking about Heaven and hell as we've traditionally thought of them and to instead think of them as realities that we choose today based on whether we consider ourselves like the father considers the younger son (Heaven) or like the older son considers himself (hell). Parables need to be treated with more literary respect than this.<br />
<br />
5. In all of the caricatures of and rebuttals to the traditionalist version of hell that Bell gives, he never addresses the very best argument for it. It's an argument that has been around for a long time and that demands an answer. If a successful case can be made for universalism, it can't just state that God gets what God wants and then quote the verses that reveal God's desire for all to be saved. The universalist has to deal with God's infinite, unassailable holiness. A finite sin has infinite consequence when committed against an infinitely holy Being. God is the primary Being against Whom we sin and it is His infinite holiness that we violate. The consequence, logically, is infinite and eternal punishment. Rather than restate the standard line of how "unjust" it would be for God to punish people infinitely for finite sins and assume that the human discomfort caused by the notion points to it's falsity, Bell should have at least tried to advance universalism by dealing with the logical and theological dimensions of God's holiness and infinitude. God's love is ontologically equal to God's justice and His mercy flowing from the former is ontologically equal to His wrath flowing from the latter. Appeals to human emotions have won converts to universalism but rigorous and realistic intellectual work needs to be done if universalism is to win the day theologically and philosophically. Bell chose not to do this work.<br />
<br />
I want to reiterate that I think Bell has done a good job making some compelling points about the love of God, the depravity of man and the power of Christ to restore the sinner to a right relationship with God. But my criticisms of <i>Love Wins</i>, <a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org/rob-bell-and-hell">the criticisms of others of the book</a> and <a href="http://www.patheos.com/blogs/scriptorium/2011/07/hell/">the broader criticisms of others of universalism</a>, should give pause to a full embrace of Bell's redefinitions. For an in-depth study of hell as eternal, conscious torment that deals with many of the questions that Bell avoids, check out <a href="http://zondervan.com/9780310240419"><i>Hell Under Fire</i></a>. Hell is real and its reality is terrifying. May we all understand it enough to know how to warn others of it and to invite them to the fear-free, hell-less life that can be found in union with the One Who has overcome hell, Jesus Christ.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-30245337640464943232011-11-16T00:24:00.000-08:002011-11-16T01:50:08.328-08:00In Our Own BackyardOver a year ago, when walking through the "forest" that's about a 10-minute walk from our house (<a href="http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D0%9F%D0%B0%D1%80%D0%BA_%D0%BF%D0%B0%D1%80%D1%82%D0%B8%D0%B7%D0%B0%D0%BD%D1%81%D0%BA%D0%BE%D0%B9_%D1%81%D0%BB%D0%B0%D0%B2%D1%8B_%28%D0%9A%D0%B8%D0%B5%D0%B2%29">Парк партизанской славы</a>), we stumbled on a very cool-looking ropes course set up among the trees. It was closed at the time and we only really noticed the stuff that was pretty high up in the air. It was too much for lil' D then, so I didn't really give it a second thought.<br /><a id="variable_lp" href="https://donate.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:FundraiserLandingPage?uselang=ru&country=UA&template=Lp-layout-default&appeal-template=Appeal-template-default&appeal=Appeal-default&form-template=Form-template-default&form-countryspecific=Form-countryspecific-variable1&utm_medium=sitenotice&utm_source=B11_Donate_Jimmy_AvsB&utm_campaign=C11_1114_AvsB_UA"></a><br />Last month, Josie stumbled upon it again and recommended that I take D. I did a few weeks ago and, man, was it a hit! I guess we shouldn't be surprised. Dietrich has an acute love for the adventurous that borders on dangerous. I think our biggest problem is that he's at least a dozen centimeters—how's that for mixing categories?—away from advancing to the next level. He's already asking when he can go higher.<br /><br />Here are some highlights of that first visit. (Here's the <a href="http://www.seiklar.com.ua/index.htm">main page</a> for the Seiklar website with You Tube videos at the bottom. Most of the videos are from a different park than the one we go to. Here's the <a href="http://www.seiklar.com.ua/team.htm">photo gallery page</a>. Most of the photos are from the park we go to.)<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz31pOdXP0O8zV00R2qs1IauoSdj4BAtEPCi7Q8C7WR8AKwRJmBIQF49FVFyV_N2DV1ZufkulUuPi0_h-utjXYhX-EcsTqHffj3L0YUushtACcX9UbqRAwCkJRAIjSWmAs7wFJjeRpag/s1600/IMG_3736.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgz31pOdXP0O8zV00R2qs1IauoSdj4BAtEPCi7Q8C7WR8AKwRJmBIQF49FVFyV_N2DV1ZufkulUuPi0_h-utjXYhX-EcsTqHffj3L0YUushtACcX9UbqRAwCkJRAIjSWmAs7wFJjeRpag/s400/IMG_3736.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675515541024079602" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Dietrich's having-fun face.</span><br /></div><br /><div style=" text-align: center;font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo1bD66KuRk3p-MjFDDuqxZM1uNwdJ7DYi35_S5LJ8M_LqxB-YlFinhgtvnQfq4n4f4zHVUFABwYigI52gLk5OhQc53xHlMGO2eojs6Bmapmfb0DFP20kdAjXtR7Rbg0wHIz7mzpQYA/s1600/IMG_3739.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIo1bD66KuRk3p-MjFDDuqxZM1uNwdJ7DYi35_S5LJ8M_LqxB-YlFinhgtvnQfq4n4f4zHVUFABwYigI52gLk5OhQc53xHlMGO2eojs6Bmapmfb0DFP20kdAjXtR7Rbg0wHIz7mzpQYA/s400/IMG_3739.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675515819185408290" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Dietrich's in-the-zone face.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix7pfErG3qawBLadWXZYEfSaNq9OsuZZJXC-FCyK-jSh7b2UIQuRX7i72XSPX384jaGKAMacXsFFA-Pe-zYCFASNoeawARf2aOsZASGlMpYUkdKzR6kJJ9lnz3EjJUx6jA2SdjzGRvQ/s1600/IMG_3783.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgix7pfErG3qawBLadWXZYEfSaNq9OsuZZJXC-FCyK-jSh7b2UIQuRX7i72XSPX384jaGKAMacXsFFA-Pe-zYCFASNoeawARf2aOsZASGlMpYUkdKzR6kJJ9lnz3EjJUx6jA2SdjzGRvQ/s400/IMG_3783.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675516878767126946" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">He didn't fall much, but this part of the course and this situation, in particular,<br />led to the most slip ups. Even when you're only 3 feet off the ground,<br />the safety of the harness is necessary for kiddos.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdL7eQ0gmILvShHPRQh9tIdRy3dA06akvzfoSFBaR3SY8NUChaCqQAxPFFRrUd_yS-cY5FEpvuzBVrxmBifkC8zLDlWJNGyh-69y1cZB-GuLcCsCpmPwhX1kFyXbfBq7t4ExJ8V18mQ/s1600/IMG_3756.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdL7eQ0gmILvShHPRQh9tIdRy3dA06akvzfoSFBaR3SY8NUChaCqQAxPFFRrUd_yS-cY5FEpvuzBVrxmBifkC8zLDlWJNGyh-69y1cZB-GuLcCsCpmPwhX1kFyXbfBq7t4ExJ8V18mQ/s400/IMG_3756.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675516676216138258" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;">More serious action.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzlST-ehuepGMVMZ8yVqGhjoIZ2Wk_vR_1Dz81R-X_7UVWyhWWWMTeOTSOWgIBy5Nl5coCDdB2s3g6aUg2btmjWOlkEhnR-ThtxcBv4STn1oDuuJFT1QzIamSXoEui57VRwJZReXG9w/s1600/IMG_3746.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmzlST-ehuepGMVMZ8yVqGhjoIZ2Wk_vR_1Dz81R-X_7UVWyhWWWMTeOTSOWgIBy5Nl5coCDdB2s3g6aUg2btmjWOlkEhnR-ThtxcBv4STn1oDuuJFT1QzIamSXoEui57VRwJZReXG9w/s400/IMG_3746.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675516328854428370" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Sometimes D tried to simplify things by large steps and<br />leaps over the more difficult nuances.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsvFQlwqsu9u8x-U1bmYurdOeVxH9QBFqlUOhNyTg_bL_szqCroD8YClVANF7T-C4DtpUfNHZDyzCcgmxEzHFFUiXnFp3nUQ8ERODIWPq8Dzh3EHded5_CXSvj3oEoLasIraXo9g9Lw/s1600/IMG_3741.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHsvFQlwqsu9u8x-U1bmYurdOeVxH9QBFqlUOhNyTg_bL_szqCroD8YClVANF7T-C4DtpUfNHZDyzCcgmxEzHFFUiXnFp3nUQ8ERODIWPq8Dzh3EHded5_CXSvj3oEoLasIraXo9g9Lw/s400/IMG_3741.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675516036046535938" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;">This is one of the few times in the net bridge where he didn't lay down and<br />pretend to sleep. All the kids did it. Must be a 21st-century thing.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD_vG5uOxzxtzPdxxnP32uev13WQjCGg57QomIGtG_OJENhAr7D2icBddIRhv33a9WSHQEwcG7zsRoIxA01FVabifD_9_1gcHvM-bpF9RvQ80fGzJnN6qmSxX4o2BWq7QYs5aicDxJg/s1600/IMG_3750.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfD_vG5uOxzxtzPdxxnP32uev13WQjCGg57QomIGtG_OJENhAr7D2icBddIRhv33a9WSHQEwcG7zsRoIxA01FVabifD_9_1gcHvM-bpF9RvQ80fGzJnN6qmSxX4o2BWq7QYs5aicDxJg/s400/IMG_3750.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675516507727437090" border="0" /></a></span></div><div style="text-align: center; font-family:arial;"><span style="font-size:78%;">Figuring out the carabiner.<br /></span></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xyX-B5sQw0pPkfRsGFETcMHwBsvEBhxFxH4aQN7ipfSNReF2f5B_JAMhR7cdt0ihSwz_ZzUopqCBF-szvLsbxAHtSEm8BbDdwzz_kWj0NISNTDG6krNd9vjPzNdclhYCDyxpjU7Fkg/s1600/IMG_3798.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 300px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9xyX-B5sQw0pPkfRsGFETcMHwBsvEBhxFxH4aQN7ipfSNReF2f5B_JAMhR7cdt0ihSwz_ZzUopqCBF-szvLsbxAHtSEm8BbDdwzz_kWj0NISNTDG6krNd9vjPzNdclhYCDyxpjU7Fkg/s400/IMG_3798.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675517244573847746" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">This shot shows both D trying to walk the plank without holding on and<br />the high level platforms in the background.<br />Daddy's pretty excited to try out the big kid stuff with D in a few years.</span><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwxefqgI1sG-aHCsBNIlZnVu54af21FXGDWYRR6t2DwUUTQXVbs2bONyK6RCADkuoJw1vXHxihkSyn2H33hdCPWslgJc9W3YH-j1mnK37G3-JpW0mq4xStg0G5eJP7Qb4dhNtWP2y-g/s1600/IMG_3797.JPG"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfwxefqgI1sG-aHCsBNIlZnVu54af21FXGDWYRR6t2DwUUTQXVbs2bONyK6RCADkuoJw1vXHxihkSyn2H33hdCPWslgJc9W3YH-j1mnK37G3-JpW0mq4xStg0G5eJP7Qb4dhNtWP2y-g/s400/IMG_3797.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5675517044710528866" border="0" /></a></div><div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">This shot shows D's internal struggle. "What I'm doing is totally cool,<br />but I can't wait to take on that supah-high stuff."</span><br /><br /></div>eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-13182771760899271712011-10-09T12:23:00.000-07:002011-10-09T15:15:09.409-07:00The GOP and MeI've been much less involved in politics while living overseas these last 7 years but, of course, with a presidential election coming up, I'm paying a good bit of attention. It turns out that we'll be in California for the 2012 presidential primaries so I've been watching the major debates, trying to keep up to speed. Let me just say that, as a connoisseur of philosophical and religious debates, party nomination debates leave much to be desired. I think I better start doing more reading and leave the media circus that is political debate behind. I finish watching each debate more flustered than I was before. In spite of the frustrations, I feel like I know each candidate well enough to say whether or not I think they would be a good person to consider voting for as GOP presidential nominee.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Acceptable Candidates</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ricksantorum.com/index.php">Rick Santorum</a> - I'm likely voting for Santorum. Most of the candidates, as well as the media, have focused the discussion thus far on the economy. I'm more concerned about social and cultural issues than economics and the candidate who tries to talk about these things most often, and most conservatively, is Santorum. Unfortunately, he's probably too conservative to get elected. But the primaries are about voting your conscience so, Santorum's my guy.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.newt.org/">Newt Gingrich</a> - No candidate is more pleasant to listen to than Newt. He's clearly the most intelligent guy on the stage and he's one of the few who doesn't blurt out slogans and catchphrases at every turn. I liked Newt as the Speaker of the House and I'd like him as president. It's a genuine shame that a guy this politically talented has such a train wreck of a moral life. Besides that, no one thinks he's electable.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Possibly Acceptable Candidates</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.mittromney.com/">Mitt Romney</a> - Over the course of the last few weeks, as this post was percolating, I had Romney in the "Acceptable Candidates" list. He is debating well and does not make me wince. A huge plus for him is that most everyone agrees that <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65161.html">he is electable</a>. However, I've always feared that, if Romney was the nominee, it wouldn't take long before the anti-conservatives would begin to criticize the religious, philosophical, historical and scientific mess that is the Mormon worldview. With <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/1011/65486.html">that criticism being raised at the primary level</a> among conservatives, I fear that Romney won't hold up as a viable candidate. I hope I'm wrong because he probably <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> the candidate most likely to defeat Obama.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.hermancain.com/h">Herman Cain</a> - I like Herman Cain and think that he would bring good business sense to the White House. Unfortunately, America is not a business and needs more than a good businessman at the helm. He says very little about social and cultural issues and the media hardly asks him any questions in this regard. He might be a good candidate for president, if we had more information.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Absolutely Unacceptable Candidates</span><br /><br /><a href="http://www.ronpaul2012.com/">Ron Paul</a> - Seriously. If you can't answer a question without getting mad about U.S. military involvement overseas and if the answer to every question posed to you is, "we need to stop fighting all these wars," then you do not have what it takes to be president.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rickperry.org/">Rick Perry</a> - I voted for <a href="http://www.whitehouse.gov/about/presidents/georgewbush/">President George W. Bush</a> twice and, while I don't regret that, I do wish that he didn't come across as so unintelligent. Rick Perry, as far as I can tell, is actually as unintelligent as President Bush is accused of being. When he takes notes while a question is being asked, I don't think there is anyone who believes he is able to hear the question and write something down at the same time. <a href="http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0911/64295.html">His consistent lack of coherent answers</a> substantiates the concern. I know some people from Texas and they are more than happy to sit this election cycle out. I hope their wishes are fulfilled.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.jon2012.com/">Jon Huntsman</a> - Huntsman is simply trying too hard. As former Ambassador to China, we are thankful and impressed that you are fluent in Mandarin. But stop telling us that; it makes you seem haughty. Also, I'm Gen X and I like <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQ-Nox_uN9A&feature=related">Nirvana</a>. But please don't force Nirvana references into your talking points; I'm not impressed and I don't want <a href="http://kurtcobain.com/">Kurt Cobain</a> influencing U.S. politics in any way. While Santorum is, unfortunately, too conservative to get the nomination, Huntsman is, fortunately, too liberal to get the nomination.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.garyjohnson2012.com/">Gary Johnson</a> - This guy just showed up at the last debate. He spoke about 3 times. He tried to make his candidacy appealing by saying that, as Governor of New Mexico, he vetoed more bills than any other state and, arguably, more than all of the other states combined. I'm sorry, all that does is make me sad for New Mexico. No one can get anything done there because veto-happy Johnson can't get along with anyone.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.michelebachmann.com/">Michele Bachmann</a> - Whereas Romney was on my "Acceptable Candidates" list and dropped to "Possibly Acceptable Candidates," Michele Bachmann used to be on my "Possibly Acceptable Candidates" list and is now on the "Absolutely Unacceptable Candidates" list. Ron Paul's answer to everything is, "no more foreign wars," Bachmann's answer is either, "I was the first/only/strongest opponent of that bill," "No one has fought/lobbied against/spoken out about this issue more than I," or "I will not stop/rest/be silent until issue x/y/z is repealed/solved/changed." The easy response to this type of argument, which has been successfully utilized over and over by the other candidates, is to state that almost every one of the things Bachmann opposed was actually enacted in the end. That lack of success is surely part of the reason why she is not the frontrunner she used to be.<br /><br />At the end of the day, no matter how disappointed I may be by the results of this process, I agree with the <a href="http://www.scriptoriumdaily.com/2011/10/05/no-messiah-running/">sentiments</a> of <a href="http://faculty.biola.edu/john_reynolds/">John Mark Reynolds</a> that we're looking for someone who can lead our country well for 4 to 8 years, not someone who will establish a conservative utopia. That takes a lot of the pressure off as we wait to see who gets to run against Obama next November.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-31291346499297605732011-10-02T13:05:00.001-07:002011-10-02T14:32:39.512-07:00Our Crazy, Cross-Cultural KidDietrich is doing some amazing stuff linguistically as he continues to adjust to a 3-language environment (English, Russian and Ukrainian). Here are some of the funniest.<br /><br />1. Он меня обидел (Ohn menya obeedel)<br />"He offended/insulted me" or "He hurt my feelings." The verb is pretty flexible in Russian but I don't think it's as flexible as it is when Dietrich uses it. When you ask Dietrich about his day, he usually talks about whether or not anyone at school did anything bad. Vlad took away Dima's toy. Vlad pushed Nastya down. Vlad threw sand at Sasha. (There are 2 Vlads in Dietrich's class and one or the other of them is the cause of 90% of the problems. We expect that these Vlads aren't the villains they seem to be on Dietrich's telling.) Now, when we're at home, we let Dietrich tell us about these things in English. But when we're on the street, we ask Dietrich to speak quietly, if he's speaking in English, or to speak in Russian. He'll often choose to speak in Russian about these things when we're out and about. He loves to start every account with the phrase, "So-and-so offended/insulted/hurt the feelings of so-and-so." After we ask for clarification he goes on to tell us the details. It's not often something were the verb "to offend," "to insult" or even "to hurt one's feelings" seems to be the best choice. When taking a way a toy, pushing someone down and throwing sand are all lumped together into the word "обидел," it's a sign that either everyone in his class is more concerned about being offended than anything else or that we need to help him expand his vocabulary a bit in this area. But I wouldn't want to offend him by proposing that. We'll just work on it in subtle ways.<br /><br />2. Excessive punishment<br />One of the more troublesome stories that Dietrich told a few weeks ago was about a boy who, for starters, took off his slipper (slippers here have pretty hard soles) and hit another boy above the eye with it. The hitter then struck the same boy with his fist in the same spot above the eye. And just to make sure the job was done, he picked up the slipper and threw it at the same boy and hit him in the same spot. One of those actions caused the victim to start bleeding. Horrible, shocking story. We followed up by asking if the boy was punished/disciplined in any way (there is only one Russian word for punishment/discipline, which makes the theological distinction a bit tricky, but that's a topic for another post). Dietrich said that he was not allowed to come back to school. We asked how long he had to stay away from school. Dietrich told us that he had to stay away for 40 years! While feeling very sorry for the poor boy who had been stuck so many times, we had a lot of fun imagining a 5-year-old who, after being banned from school for 40 years, finally gets to go back to kindergarten at age 45. Sounds like the plot of an Adam Sandler movie. Since the aggressor is back at school, we assume that Dietrich misunderstood something. That makes guessing why D came up with the 40-year punishment all the more fun.<br /><br />3. Why stop at 3?<br />On weekday afternoons, Dietrich is allowed to watch 30-minutes of something educational. Only on the weekends is he allowed to watch a feature-length cartoon. At some point, in order to help his Russian/Ukrainian language acquisition, we decided that he could watch 30 minutes of a feature-length cartoon during the week, if he watched it in Russian or Ukrainian. He doesn't choose that often but I've come home to him watching, Cars, Finding Nemo, Toy Story 2 or 3 in Russian or Ukrainian, only later to hear him playing with toys and using words, phrases and sentences in one of those languages mixed in with his English. Success. Until a few weeks ago. We borrowed Aladdin from some other missionaries and I, jokingly, told him that I was going to play it in Polish (region 5 DVDs come dubbed into a number of Eastern European languages). After answering his question, "what's Polish?" I played it in English and didn't give the conversation a second thought. The following weekend I had been out somewhere and came home while Dietrich was watching Aladdin. I was, as usual, trying to tune it out, but something wasn't right. I listened and couldn't understand a thing. Dietrich's obvious and nonchalant answer to my puzzled inquiry about what language he was watching the movie in has had me baffled to this day. I'd say he watched Aladdin, in Polish, all the way through, about 6-7 times. Masochist or future linguist? You make the call.<br /><br />We love our little guy and are very thankful to God for how well he is doing with the confusing and complicated MK life he is leading. These and many other moments like them simultaneously lighten the mood and keep us grounded in reality.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-56636799866773157932011-08-23T23:47:00.001-07:002011-08-24T00:19:21.231-07:00How Not To Do MissionsA particular Central Asian country with a religious population made up, primarily, of Eastern Orthodox Christians and Sunni Muslims, constitutionally allows Protestant and Evangelical Churches to register with the government and operate free of charge. No fees and no taxes are to be levied. Corrupt government officials, however, demand bribes from these Churches for registration, as well as other rights and privileges. With little money and high moral standards, the indigenous Evangelical Church refuses to pay the bribes, trying to influence the government to follow the constitution and allow the Church to do what they have every political right to do, i.e., to register and operate freely.
<br />
<br />A particular missions-minded, non-Central-Asian Evangelical Church is doing Church planting in the aforementioned Central Asian country. These missionary Church planters are paying the unconstitutional bribes demanded by the corrupt government officials as they organize and operate new Churches. The corrupt government officials now believe that the Evangelical Church <span style="font-style: italic;">is</span> able to pay a bribe and <span style="font-style: italic;">will</span>, eventually, violate their moral standards and do so. The indigenous Church leaders are told that the missionary Church planters are paying the bribe and so they can/should/must, as well. The actions of the non-Central Asian missionaries are having a hugely negative political impact on the indigenous believers, resulting in even more hardships than those they already have to bear.
<br />
<br />Horrible.
<br />eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-63551919905172455462011-06-29T11:42:00.000-07:002011-07-09T13:32:32.134-07:00Goodness as Beauty<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_0">I'm</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_1">writing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_2">this</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_3">my</span> 100<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_4">th</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_5">post</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_6">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_7">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_8">hopes</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_9">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_10">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_11">it</span> <span style="font-style: italic;"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_12">not</span></span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_13">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_14">last</span> "<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_15">academic</span>" <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_16">entry</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_17">for</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_18">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_19">next</span> 3 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_20">years</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_21">However</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_22">as</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_23">have</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_24">moved</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_25">into</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_26">new</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_27">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_28">very</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_29">different</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_30">role</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_31">here</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_32">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_33">Ukraine</span>, I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_34">wonder</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_35">if</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_36">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_37">might</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_38">be</span>. A <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_39">month</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_40">ago</span>, I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_41">became</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_42">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_43">area</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_44">director</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_45">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_46">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_47">mission</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_48">here</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_49">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_50">will</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_51">thus</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_52">spend</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_53">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_54">time</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_55">working</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_56">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_57">people</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_58">leading</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_59">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_60">participating</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_61">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_62">meetings</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_63">strategizing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_64">and</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_65">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_66">course</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_67">answering</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_68">steady</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_69">flow</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_70">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_71">emails</span>. I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_72">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_73">going</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_74">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_75">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_76">teaching</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_77">ethics</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_78">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_79">March</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_80">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_81">would</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_82">have</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_83">spent</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_84">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_85">summer</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_86">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_87">fall</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_88">reading</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_89">lots</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_90">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_91">great</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_92">stuff</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_93">like</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_94">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_95">article</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_96">I'll</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_97">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_98">discussing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_99">below</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_100">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_101">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_102">ready</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_103">for</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_104">that</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_105">But</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_106">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_107">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_108">job</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_109">change</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_110">I'll</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_111">spend</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_112">much</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_113">less</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_114">time</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_115">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_116">my</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_117">head</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_118">in</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_119">book</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_120">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_121">so</span> I <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_122">wanted</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_123">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_124">get</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_125">this</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_126">idea</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_127">down</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_128">before</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_129">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_130">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_131">replaced</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_132">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_133">conflict</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_134">resolution</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_135">principles</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_136">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_137">April</span> 2011 <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_138">opinion</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_139">piece</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_140">in</span> <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/"><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_141">First</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_142">Things</span></a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_143">entitled</span>, <a href="http://www.faqs.org/periodicals/201104/2298623891.html">"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_144">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_145">Beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_146">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_147">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_148">Ethical</span>,"</a> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_149">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_150">Ross</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_151">McCullough</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_152">is</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_153">well</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_154">beautiful</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_155">McCullough</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_156">talks</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_157">about</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_158">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_159">essence</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_160">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_161">ethics</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_162">which</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_163">boils</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_164">down</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_165">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_166">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_167">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_168">way</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_169">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_170">interact</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_171">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_172">people</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_173">every</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_174">day</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_175">All</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_176">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_177">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_178">theoretical</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_179">dilemma-ridden</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_180">ethical</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_181">discussions</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_182">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_183">arouse</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_184">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_185">passions</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_186">but</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_187">are</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_188">rarely</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_189">materialized</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_190">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_191">real</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_192">life</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_193">should</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_194">take</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_195">back</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_196">seat</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_197">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_198">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_199">way</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_200">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_201">act</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_202">toward</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_203">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_204">person</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_205">who</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_206">sells</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_207">us</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_208">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_209">groceries</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_210">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_211">heart</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_212">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_213">ethics</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_214">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_215">found</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_216">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_217">what</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_218">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_219">really</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_220">do</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_221">rather</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_222">than</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_223">what</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_224">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_225">want</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_226">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_227">do</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_228">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_229">think</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_230">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_231">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_232">should</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_233">do</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_234">And</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_235">so</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_236">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_237">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_238">live</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_239">out</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_240">our</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_241">lives</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_242">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_243">act</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_244">out</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_245">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_246">goodness</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_247">toward</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_248">others</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_249">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_250">are</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_251">being</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_252">ethical</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_253">even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_254">if</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_255">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_256">it</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_257">doesn't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_258">seem</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_259">like</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_260">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_261">faced</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_262">up</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_263">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_264">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_265">overcame</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_266">major</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_267">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_268">dilemma</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_269">To</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_270">witness</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_271">life</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_272">lived</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_273">consistently</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_274">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_275">accord</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_276">with</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_277">well-grounded</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_278">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_279">truth-infused</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_280">daily</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_281">ethical</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_282">standards</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_283">is</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_284">thing</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_285">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_286">beauty</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_287">even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_288">if</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_289">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_290">life</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_291">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_292">never</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_293">publicly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_294">acknowledged</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_295">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_296">rewarded</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_297">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_298">any</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_299">way</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_300">The</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_301">goodness</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_302">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_303">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_304">life</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_305">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_306">itself</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_307">beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_308">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_309">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_310">should</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_311">strive</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_312">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_313">exemplify</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_314">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_315">everyday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_316">beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_317">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_318">much</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_319">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_320">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_321">more</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_322">than</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_323">we</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_324">should</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_325">worry</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_326">about</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_327">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_328">right</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_329">way</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_330">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_331">solve</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_332">illegal</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_333">immigration</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_334">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_335">Arab-Israeli</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_336">conflict</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_337">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_338">world</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_339">hunger</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_340">In</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_341">case</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_342">you</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_343">don't</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_344">want</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_345">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_346">read</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_347">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_348">whole</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_349">piece</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_350">here</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_351">are</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_352">few</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_353">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_354">McCullough's</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_355">thoughts</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_356">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_357">bring</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_358">ethics</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_359">down</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_360">from</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_361">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_362">top</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_363">shelf</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_364">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_365">put</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_366">them</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_367">into</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_368">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_369">grasp</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_370">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_371">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_372">everyday</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_373">illuminating</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_374">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_375">grandeur</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_376">of</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_377">consistent</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_378">cultivated</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_379">ethical</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_380">character</span>.<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_381">On</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_382">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_383">loss</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_384">of</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_385">grand</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_386">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_387">vision</span>:<br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_388">Somewhere</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_389">along</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_390">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_391">way</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_392">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_393">traditional</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_394">scheme</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_395">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_396">virtues</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_397">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_398">greatly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_399">flattened</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_400">Morality</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_401">was</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_402">collapsed</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_403">into</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_404">justice</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_405">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_406">justice</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_407">reduced</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_408">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_409">its</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_410">political</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_411">dimensions</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_412">Prudence</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_413">came</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_414">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_415">be</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_416">conceived</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_417">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_418">cleverness</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_419">temperance</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_420">as</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_421">lifestyle</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_422">choice</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_423">fortitude</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_424">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_425">an</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_426">admirable</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_427">but</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_428">not</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_429">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_430">thing</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_431">General</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_432">prohibitions</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_433">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_434">political</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_435">action</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_436">items</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_437">became</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_438">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_439">substance</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_440">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_441">everyday</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_442">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_443">thought</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_444">Do</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_445">not</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_446">rape</span>; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_447">end</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_448">global</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_449">warming</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_450">We</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_451">lost</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_452">sight</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_453">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_454">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_455">truth</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_456">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_457">chastity</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_458">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_459">no</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_460">more</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_461">about</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_462">avoiding</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_463">rape</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_464">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_465">even</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_466">adultery</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_467">than</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_468">kindness</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_469">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_470">about</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_471">avoiding</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_472">murder</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_473">Certainly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_474">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_475">two</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_476">are</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_477">incompatible</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_478">but</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_479">cultivating</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_480">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_481">virtue</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_482">goes</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_483">far</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_484">beyond</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_485">avoiding</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_486">its</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_487">most</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_488">flagrant</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_489">violation</span>."<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_490">On</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_491">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_492">bankruptcy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_493">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_494">secular</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_495">morality</span>:<br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_496">And</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_497">his</span> [<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_498">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_499">secular</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_500">moralist's</span>] <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_501">great</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_502">fault</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_503">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_504">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_505">he</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_506">lacks</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_507">sense</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_508">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_509">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_510">intimacy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_511">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_512">ethics</span>. ... <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_513">They</span> [<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_514">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_515">secular</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_516">moralists</span>] <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_517">live</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_518">their</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_519">ethics</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_520">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_521">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_522">selection</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_523">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_524">sandals</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_525">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_526">choice</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_527">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_528">coffee</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_529">stands</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_530">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_531">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_532">produce</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_533">aisle</span>: <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_534">common</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_535">enough</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_536">situations</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_537">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_538">life</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_539">but</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_540">hardly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_541">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_542">stuff</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_543">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_544">it</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_545">They</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_546">think</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_547">always</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_548">in</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_549">grand</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_550">terms</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_551">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_552">if</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_553">good</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_554">politics</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_555">made</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_556">good</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_557">life</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_558">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_559">love</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_560">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_561">man</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_562">were</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_563">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_564">same</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_565">as</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_566">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_567">love</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_568">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_569">men</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_570">or</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_571">philanthropy</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_572">charity</span>. <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_573">They</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_574">judge</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_575">their</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_576">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_577">success</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_578">always</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_579">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_580">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_581">fate</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_582">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_583">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_584">world</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_585">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_586">never</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_587">by</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_588">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_589">fate</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_590">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_591">their</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_592">marriage</span>."<br /><br /><span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_593">On</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_594">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_595">beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_596">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_597">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_598">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_599">life</span>:<br />"<span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_600">There</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_601">is</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_602">beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_603">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_604">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_605">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_606">gesture</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_607">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_608">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_609">life</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_610">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_611">moral</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_612">soul</span>; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_613">there</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_614">is</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_615">quiet</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_616">harmony</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_617">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_618">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_619">parts</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_620">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_621">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_622">act</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_623">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_624">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_625">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_626">priorities</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_627">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_628">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_629">life</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_630">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_631">to</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_632">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_633">passions</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_634">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_635">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_636">mind</span>; <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_637">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_638">there</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_639">is</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_640">from</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_641">all</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_642">this</span> a <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_643">beauty</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_644">that</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_645">spreads</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_646">slowly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_647">and</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_648">subtly</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_649">but</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_650">unstoppably</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_651">out</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_652">across</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_653">this</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_654">sleeping</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_655">world</span>, <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_656">like</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_657">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_658">first</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_659">signs</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_660">of</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_661">the</span> <span class="blsp-spelling-error" id="SPELLING_ERROR_662">sun</span>."eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-3374375011619701412011-06-17T10:34:00.000-07:002011-06-17T23:56:27.868-07:00The Day I Almost Maimed 5 PeopleWe've been home for 3 days. We'd been traveling for the previous 7 weeks. That's not an excuse for not blogging; it's just an explanation. The last leg of our trip had us in northern Germany. Man, that's beautiful country! The Bible school that hosted the <a href="http://www.send.org/">SEND</a> Eurasia Family Conference was perfect for just about everyone. From elderly couples on the brink of retirement to young families with kids of varying ages, we all had a blast.<br /><br />On our excursion day the "grown-ups" visited an old city and had a historic tour. The "young'uns" went to a bird park. It was half bird zoo and half super-cool playground. Here's Lev chillin' out with daddy to prove that it was a grand time, and to show how amazingly cute he is.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog2jaONmS6aTADsmw86LPSzrRODWj2D_l_nAUeQ0RJ0ZlWrpsDSQARceCSBbYsxi97-7tQNVKu-IHGzprZvd_kPFxM7CuZGPRFsJgaBw0pwXZxwOuD-T5lXMFafYKQGbFQQp-ECdiiA/s1600/e_l_germany1_crop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgog2jaONmS6aTADsmw86LPSzrRODWj2D_l_nAUeQ0RJ0ZlWrpsDSQARceCSBbYsxi97-7tQNVKu-IHGzprZvd_kPFxM7CuZGPRFsJgaBw0pwXZxwOuD-T5lXMFafYKQGbFQQp-ECdiiA/s400/e_l_germany1_crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619252187644286466" border="0" /></a><br />Time for the maiming. Here's me shooting out the barrel of an amazingly fast slide.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC13zFX5XNblbMlDN8YA3aY5kN-OZaKtm7h-THDP2UigAfIBmbxTq-lqeHzKeldPhJykHifpgNcwy30h5gFTmzzUsXDf6OQ-7fAIpeN2EKEW0MhQGsmOibCvZGIDXOoMJBu9D_ZB_9w/s1600/e_slide1_crop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYC13zFX5XNblbMlDN8YA3aY5kN-OZaKtm7h-THDP2UigAfIBmbxTq-lqeHzKeldPhJykHifpgNcwy30h5gFTmzzUsXDf6OQ-7fAIpeN2EKEW0MhQGsmOibCvZGIDXOoMJBu9D_ZB_9w/s400/e_slide1_crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619255706756085122" border="0" /></a><br />At the end of this slide you have two options. Option 1: Stay in the seated position and end up with a bunch of sand up your shorts. Option 2: Plant your feet and let the momentum stand you up straight. (Notice that there is no significant drop; it really does shoot you out with enough force to put you on your feet.) Here's me going with option 2.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODHwiVOFaQlYTg-K7y3KD9OybSPv4cVbyT1hBlBjQSrZaHHpFkjVNQ-6ysRO__LZl8osf334j90UjpouWpXi3FL4WTKyKLUpHdqVG7dDLS-GK36b-GoDlTWGQJOyu0KTOTrUJTwNLVA/s1600/e_slide2_crop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgODHwiVOFaQlYTg-K7y3KD9OybSPv4cVbyT1hBlBjQSrZaHHpFkjVNQ-6ysRO__LZl8osf334j90UjpouWpXi3FL4WTKyKLUpHdqVG7dDLS-GK36b-GoDlTWGQJOyu0KTOTrUJTwNLVA/s400/e_slide2_crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619256921955078690" border="0" /></a><br />Now, if I would have gone down the slide before taking Lev down with me, I likely would have opted for option 1 when I did go down with him. But that's not how it went down. Rather, as I stood at the top of the slide, Lev in hand, to monitor Dietrich's first slide run, I let two other SEND missionaries talk me into taking Lev down with me on my first attempt. Here we are, like a cannonball out of a cannon.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C-zknOaAg7O0ihaHAuIDj9EJ14kCsufyQGJcVdeICBca2CeJ0jkUSeCuN3XaefOeFZmbr6rBTINGaKHp_zuZHCyxdiKlXAhnRR2TaVGZbYWZVXKA4Rd-LTGnidKUzVO6Pu0jUBSNdQ/s1600/e_l_slide_crop.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 400px; height: 278px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_C-zknOaAg7O0ihaHAuIDj9EJ14kCsufyQGJcVdeICBca2CeJ0jkUSeCuN3XaefOeFZmbr6rBTINGaKHp_zuZHCyxdiKlXAhnRR2TaVGZbYWZVXKA4Rd-LTGnidKUzVO6Pu0jUBSNdQ/s400/e_l_slide_crop.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5619258638983321074" border="0" /></a><br />Looks fine, right? It was, until the extra 25 Lev pounds kicked in. Instead of just planting my feet and being stood up straight, I planted my feet, was stood up straight and pulled forward so powerfully that I had to take huge bounding steps forward to keep from falling over on Lev. And what you can't see in the photos is that there is only about 10-12 feet after the edge of the slide before a foot-high wood barrier separates the sandbox from a downward-sloping hill. Just beyond the barrier are huge bushes covered with inch-long thorns.<br /><br />So, the first two people potentially maimed are me and Lev. I could have fallen on him or carried him right into the thorns with me. The third and fourth potential victims were the aforementioned missionaries who talked me into going down with Lev without a test run. They were sitting directly opposite the mouth of the cannon and, if they hadn't stopped me, would have been bowled over backwards right into the thorns. Thanks, <a href="http://davemartina.wordpress.com/">Dave</a> and <a href="http://www.coldkerins.com/">Gardner</a>.<br /><br />The most unfortunate and actual victim of this whole affair was 7-year-old Matthew, who was innocently digging in the sand in front of his dad, Gardner. He—his right leg, to be specific—was right in my path as I lunged forward. I stepped right on it. As soon as I felt that I was on his leg I tried to ease up but even half of my weight (plus Lev's) would have been enough to do serious damage. Thankfully, nothing broke and he was alright after a few minutes. Poor little guy.<br /><br />So, there you have it. I could have been responsible for quite a lot of pain on that pleasant Sunday afternoon and several of us could have experienced the German health care system, which is surely fabulous. Was it dangerous? Yes. Was it fun? Yes. Should I have followed my instincts and done a test run instead of my live-up-to-the-challenge nature? Yes. And am I thankful that no one was seriously injured? Yes and amen!eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-47769866985408389812011-03-20T07:14:00.000-07:002011-06-24T12:08:50.524-07:00Going to College?If so, I want to recommend a tremendous resource. Now, when I envision my readership, high-schoolers or parents of high-schoolers don't really come to mind. Nonetheless, our kids (or your grandkids) will go to college one day so maybe you can utilize it the future.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/">First Things</a> dedicated their entire <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/issue/2010/11/november">November 2010 issue</a> to a survey of American colleges and universities and to the state of American higher education generally. Unlike some issues, as far as I can tell, every article is available for online viewing. Here are the links to the best articles and why I like them in case you don't want to look through it all for yourself. But I recommend the whole thing, minus the poetry, if you have the time.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/10/college-descriptions">College Descriptions</a> and <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/10/college-rankings">Various Rankings</a>, <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/masthead">FT editors</a><br /><br />This is a fairly broad survey of most of the major schools in America and includes a discussion of each institution's academics, social habits and religious context. Since the editors and the journal as a whole lean Catholic, they didn't think too highly of <a href="http://www.biola.edu/">Biola</a>, unfortunately. But they did rank <a href="http://www.wheaton.edu/">Wheaton</a> as the best religious school in America so we know they aren't completely closed to Protestant efforts in academia.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/10/go-with-god"><span style="font-style: italic;">Go With God</span></a>, <a href="http://www.divinity.duke.edu/academics/faculty/stanley-hauerwas">Stanely Hauerwas</a><br /><br />If you are a Christian and think that college is just 4 years of goofing around until you have to get a real job, or a time when you get to step outside the bounds of your faith and do a little experimenting, or simply an excuse for not giving your whole self in service to the Church, think again. Hauerwas powerfully communicates the fact that college is a special call from God, a unique time to either be influenced (if attending a Christian school) or influence (if attending a secular school) for the good of the Kingdom of God. Hauerwas often gets labeled a postmodernist—a claim about which I am not prepared to offer an opinion—but, in this article, he speaks as clearly as any early-20th-century fundamentalist preacher ever did. I wish I would have been able to read this before I started college; it took me years to learn some of the basic stuff he lays out in this article. If you're just staring college, read and obey.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/10/bacchanalia-unbound"><span style="font-style: italic;">Bacchanalia Unbound</span></a>, <a href="http://www.hoover.org/fellows/9727">Mary Eberstadt</a><br /><br />If Hauerwas' article stimulates you, Eberstadt's article will scare you to death. The amount of drugs and alcohol abused and sex had in most of America's colleges and universities makes one wonder if the Amish approach to cultural engagement isn't the right one. No one, student or parent, should even think about college without intentionally working out a spiritual, moral, social, behavioral plan of attack against that rampant evil that is college "recreation." Thank you, Mary, for bringing these horrible realities to light.<br /><br />Again, the whole issue is worth reading but, if you've no time for that, check out the above and be as prepared as possible for the college years.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-41897691267933282382011-02-28T11:10:00.000-08:002011-02-28T13:37:22.221-08:00Practicing the PresenceSometime in the past decade, I lost the ability to plan for and keep up with regular, personal, spiritual retreats. A legitimate excuse might be that, when I worked a manual-labor job with set hours, vacation days, holidays, etc., it was easier to schedule a time to go to the park and be alone with the Ever-Present One for several hours. Now that I live the life of a missionary-teacher, I'm either reading the Bible, reading about the Bible or teaching the Bible. I'm getting much more spiritual input than when I was making photocopies of psychology dissertations at <a href="http://www.biola.edu/">Biola</a>'s <a href="http://www.biola.edu/offices/auxiliaryservices/dupcenter/">Duplicating Center</a>. But that's a bad excuse because I still need the silence and solitude that my current shared office and child-filled home don't afford.<br /><br />Well, feeling the weight of the absence, I took a "personal day" last week. Man, did I need it. One of the things that I did was to pray through a spiritual classic, which also used to be part of my former regime. It's uniquely refreshing to let someone much more experienced and mature than you guide you in your thoughts about and conversations with God. Since I didn't have a lot of time I wanted to pick something that I could work all the way through in the amount of time I had. So I picked <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence">Brother Lawrence</a>'s, <a href="http://www.ccel.org/ccel/lawrence/practice.i.html"><span style="font-style: italic;">The Practice of the Presence of God</span></a>. What a kickpuncher! There's nothing like a 17th century monk to shake your modern (or postmodern) mindset and get you thinkin' new thoughts!<br /><br />Aside from recommending that you spend some time with a spiritual classic (click <a href="http://www.renovare.us/store/product/tabid/59/productid/7/sename/spiritual-classics/default.aspx">here </a>and <a href="http://www.renovare.us/buyresources/product/tabid/59/p-6-devotional-classics.aspx">here</a> for some good collections), I want to offer a few of the thoughts I found most powerful (or shocking, or encouraging, or challenging, etc.) this time 'round with Larry. (The quotes that begin with "Brother Lawrence told me ..." are from conversations that M. Beaufort had with him.)<br /><br />1. "[Brother Lawrence told me] that we should establish ourselves in a sense of God's presence by continually conversing with Him."<br /><br />2. "I engaged in a religious life only for the love of God, and I have endeavored to act only for Him; whatever becomes of me, whether I be lost or saved, I will always continue to act purely for the love of God. I shall have this good at least, that till death I shall have done all that is in me to love Him."<br /><br />3. "[Brother Lawrence told me] that all bodily mortifications and other exercises are useless, except as they serve to arrive at the union with the love of God."<br /><br />4. "[Brother Lawrence told me] that is was a great delusion to think that the times of prayer ought to be different from other times; that we are as strictly obliged to adhere to God by action in the time of action as by prayer in the season of prayer."<br /><br />5. "[Brother Lawrence told me] that we ought not to be weary of doing little things for the love of God, who regards not the greatness of the work, but the love with which it is performed."<br /><br />6. "[Brother Lawrence told me] that all things are possible to him who <span style="font-style: italic;">believes</span>; that they are less difficult to him who <span style="font-style: italic;">hopes</span>; that they are more easy to him who <span style="font-style: italic;">loves</span>, and still more easy to him who perseveres in the practice of all three virtues."<br /><br />7. "Sometimes I consider myself there [in set hours of prayer] as a stone before a carver, whereof he is to make a statue; presenting myself thus before God, I desire Him to form His perfect image in my soul, and make me entirely like Himself."<br /><br />8. "There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God. ... It is not pleasure which we ought to seek in this exercise; but let us do it from a principle of love, and because God would have us."<br /><br />9. "I wish you could convince yourself that God is often (in some sense) nearer to us, and more effectually present with us, in sickness than in health."<br /><br />10. "Let all our employment be to <span style="font-style: italic;">know</span> God; the more one knows Him, the more one desires to know Him. And as knowledge is commonly the measure of love, the deeper and more extensive our knowledge shall be, the greater will be our love; and if our love of God were great, we should love Him equally in pains and pleasures."eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-64292342009348136242011-02-20T07:04:00.000-08:002011-02-20T09:18:16.161-08:00At Long LastIf you're proud of your alma mater, you probably like to see your former profs publish good books and write good articles (or the appropriate equivalent in whatever field you studied) so that more people than just you can enjoy the fruit of their labors. I definitely feel that way about <a href="http://talbot.edu/">Talbot School of Theology</a> and think that many more people should be familiar with her <a href="http://talbot.edu/faculty/all/">faculty</a> than actually are.<br /><br />Now it's much easier with the launch of a Talbot blog — <a href="http://thegoodbookblog.com/">The Good Book Blog</a>. Not all profs are posting there; I think it's a little less than half. But that's better than none and there are already some great posts to digest (see <a href="http://talbot.edu/faculty/profile/kenneth_berding/">Dr. Ken Berding</a>'s posts on prayer and the family <a href="http://thegoodbookblog.com/2011/feb/04/actually-praying/">here</a> and <a href="http://thegoodbookblog.com/2011/feb/15/teaching-our-children-through-prayer/">here</a>) (also check out <a href="http://talbot.edu/faculty/profile/ken_way/">Dr. Ken Way</a>'s <a href="http://thegoodbookblog.com/2011/feb/10/why-did-i-study-with-the-rabbis/">story</a> of how he chose where to earn his Ph.D.). Check it out as often as possible, stretch your mind and enrich your soul.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-45425068901323883932011-02-13T13:10:00.000-08:002011-02-14T03:25:00.625-08:00Tribute to Oksana (Photos by Sergei)If you get our newsletter then you've seen this picture of my philosophy students from the class in November.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLSnEtl1hgVnlxYEstI7kdGjaxcpN-TlLiq3dykXVriWLUanu8zzAPfZzNHjm12rc9Vh7u5G-aUdR0KF7hATFPNZGVyOJWNW_5qT97PkJq1F-UL1SO5-s8BS6gflK3VyWyqx_W780Fg/s1600/GS310F10_students.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsLSnEtl1hgVnlxYEstI7kdGjaxcpN-TlLiq3dykXVriWLUanu8zzAPfZzNHjm12rc9Vh7u5G-aUdR0KF7hATFPNZGVyOJWNW_5qT97PkJq1F-UL1SO5-s8BS6gflK3VyWyqx_W780Fg/s400/GS310F10_students.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573286041477968626" border="0" /></a><br />I'm obviously not in the photo because I'm taking the picture. However, there's one more person who should be in the picture but isn't. Her name is Oksana and, although I taught the class in Russian, things would have been a whole lot worse without her help. Here's just a few of the things she did:<br /><br />-She went through my notes (which had been translated by someone else previously and contained mistakes due to the fact that I didn't have any live contact with that person during the translation process) and made extremely thorough revisions.<br /><br />-She translated 2 new sets of lecture notes that I hadn't finished for the previous semester's class.<br /><br />-She sat through the whole class and, whenever I didn't know a word/phrase or sufficiently slaughtered a word/phrase, she informed me of what I really <span style="font-style: italic;">should</span> be saying.<br /><br />-She helped me grade the assignments that were written Ukrainian, a language which is still way out of my reach.<br /><br />So, as you can see, my pedagogical success (if you want to call it that — my students probably don't), is due in large part to Oksana's able and effective service.<br /><br />Well, last Monday was her birthday and, in typical <a href="http://ktsonline.org/new/">KTS</a> fashion, she made a cake and brought it to the office. When the available seminary personnel gathered around to sing and congratulate her, we all partook of the goodies. Present at the shindig was Sergei Tarasenko, KTS librarian, <a href="http://www.talbot.com.ua/eng/">TST-KE</a> student and budding photographer. He graciously offered to give me the pictures that he took of me at the occasion and, in a rare moment of blogging forethought, I asked him for a number of other pictures so that I could post a tribute to Oksana for her wonderful work in my class. So, I present to you a few photos of Oksana and her office party, courtesy of Sergei.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9C5Nc5yp974e8OqAHQ9mH2sBcLB-FzwvbSdPRuxV5IFPRIB_PQ3-YfT_mgjbaCxFXZNbClBuXiQ7NCwhHLH_hGvXwWFVGDANO7uCMVwEx6I-ADEwiFfaS5fjCwPnyjL6hLWAuclUIg/s1600/oksanastraight.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB9C5Nc5yp974e8OqAHQ9mH2sBcLB-FzwvbSdPRuxV5IFPRIB_PQ3-YfT_mgjbaCxFXZNbClBuXiQ7NCwhHLH_hGvXwWFVGDANO7uCMVwEx6I-ADEwiFfaS5fjCwPnyjL6hLWAuclUIg/s400/oksanastraight.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573296898814214818" border="0" /></a><br />Oksana, the marvelous translator<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdNppn5jWm6UeMXU33VTTFyhknKlY_rEIgRIDqw406SVf98D-qsn8RmDO2mX9u-8PykePerPjXSDwXdBaxnsMZaK3rhNTqGa4XdopQ0tuv3zdNXiGlgGBBMzBkEWnIwqIDRZDWibhgw/s1600/slatkystoll.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOdNppn5jWm6UeMXU33VTTFyhknKlY_rEIgRIDqw406SVf98D-qsn8RmDO2mX9u-8PykePerPjXSDwXdBaxnsMZaK3rhNTqGa4XdopQ0tuv3zdNXiGlgGBBMzBkEWnIwqIDRZDWibhgw/s400/slatkystoll.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573298131325430498" border="0" /></a><br />The food<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3172CQ5GbLbSdb_Xjxq3otl4hypYhjirSZxcreARm19G9VC6JsmJHSyfWTW311vvvDxPEovxXAfVZ1hD0tJxjKd6M3A4wvtJzuAnydHcUfCOLKSi3kRoJs0sSxkMJlcB83VMigYwUg/s1600/ericshand.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK3172CQ5GbLbSdb_Xjxq3otl4hypYhjirSZxcreARm19G9VC6JsmJHSyfWTW311vvvDxPEovxXAfVZ1hD0tJxjKd6M3A4wvtJzuAnydHcUfCOLKSi3kRoJs0sSxkMJlcB83VMigYwUg/s400/ericshand.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573298372031217698" border="0" /></a><br />Eric messin' up Sergei's shot<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZbSfGSMk5Vsmwan6yj9JpXrGgc4hkyk09bBaTGYbs5B6VXBqliMHMO7G6AGJ-5jlvJB8D8PzQOxpG2HvtfAiEHPirRe1JoMltkg1PJuqhJk4tfaS2Jk8pcWmqdvXvWtvbb6y-admig/s1600/seriouseating1.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 267px; height: 400px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIZbSfGSMk5Vsmwan6yj9JpXrGgc4hkyk09bBaTGYbs5B6VXBqliMHMO7G6AGJ-5jlvJB8D8PzQOxpG2HvtfAiEHPirRe1JoMltkg1PJuqhJk4tfaS2Jk8pcWmqdvXvWtvbb6y-admig/s400/seriouseating1.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573298636336307106" border="0" /></a><br />Eric doing some serious eating<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4J1S0UCkL_8_hmAEcnoBnrrcFz-by0__WjFqct7gUVYOF2f8olXqfd1OCbSBXE4GvQhcpqNP2THquNLPy4AfjWV5idWb9Xs5c-LWM0FsQCi4RayfebhuBU8pNcbg1db-X55lvvRysCw/s1600/seriouseating2.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4J1S0UCkL_8_hmAEcnoBnrrcFz-by0__WjFqct7gUVYOF2f8olXqfd1OCbSBXE4GvQhcpqNP2THquNLPy4AfjWV5idWb9Xs5c-LWM0FsQCi4RayfebhuBU8pNcbg1db-X55lvvRysCw/s400/seriouseating2.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573298840511296082" border="0" /></a><br />Igor and Sergei (no, not photographer Sergei) doing some serious eating<br /><br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhQaw44FdS4MtIpNYdiIqF5mJKoz2xpQJ6tW7kjT36FtFkPrK5B2S9fdUYvggp4ggUinqEM7nyTBmQ7nTCW1QS6odXrjomi_Ipfz3kDT_47ofeGt6fnzUxCs0K209Uv2Uhgr7OcaWhw/s1600/oksanaside.jpg"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 267px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQhQaw44FdS4MtIpNYdiIqF5mJKoz2xpQJ6tW7kjT36FtFkPrK5B2S9fdUYvggp4ggUinqEM7nyTBmQ7nTCW1QS6odXrjomi_Ipfz3kDT_47ofeGt6fnzUxCs0K209Uv2Uhgr7OcaWhw/s400/oksanaside.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5573299138042345346" border="0" /></a><br />Thanks again for all the help, Oksana, and happy birthday!eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-9501303143212493552011-01-28T14:35:00.000-08:002011-01-31T09:20:32.278-08:00Join the DebateI stumbled upon an amazing site while searching iTunes for some good theology/philosophy/apologetics podcasts. It's <a href="http://debategod.org/">DebateGod.org</a> and it's got an amazing amount of material for those who love to listen to debates and discussions on the major topics in the philosophy of religion. They claim to have over 500 debates available and, so far, I don't think they're foolin'. Go there, find something that interests you and indulge, for free.<br /><br />But this recommendation comes with 2 cautions. First, in case you are easily offended, the site is not administered and moderated by a Christian. He's an agnostic and he's not afraid to use expletives. I learned this after I posted a comment on a debate that I had listened to and was responded to in a manner not suitable for all audiences. The comment was not personally directed at me but it was an introduction to what can be found on the site. Reader beware.<br /><br />The second caution is in regard to "interaction addiction" to the site. I listened to a podcast of a debate between <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Hitchens">Christopher Hitchens</a> and <a href="http://users.ox.ac.uk/%7Emcgrath/">Alister McGrath</a>. I wanted to make a comment in the forum that they create for some debates. You have to be a member to participate. I became a member and posted my comment. The moderator responded immediately and in a manner that enticed me to respond again. I started to receive emails every time something new was posted on the site (yes, that function can be turned off). A topic appeared that is extremely interesting to me. I spent an hour just a bit ago posting in the forum. And, on top of all that, they give you "activity points" every time you participate, which flips a little switch in your brain and makes you want to "play." As you can see, it can be addicting and I'm hooked. If you are prone to addiction, beware.<br /><br />And now for the shameless plugging. Here are links to the forums that I've posted in, in case you are interested:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.debategod.org/members/debategod/blog/VIEW/00000001/00000001/Christopher-Hitchens-Debates-Alister-McGrath-Is-Religion-a-Poison-or-a-Cure.html">My comments on the Hitchens/McGrath debate</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.debategod.org/members/debategod/comm/READ/00002798/Science-and-faith.html#00002798">My posts in the Science & Faith forum</a><br /><br />Join if you dare, read if you want, but, by all means, listen until your ears bleed. Nothing gets the the wheels turning like a good debate.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-25370983763090466572011-01-01T05:14:00.000-08:002011-01-02T00:33:27.073-08:00The Christmas/New Year's Book BonanzaOur Christmas/New Year's traditions have developed into a cool East-West hybrid that spreads the celebrating out for much longer than we're used to in the States. Let me explain.<br /><br />Our local Church, Light of the Gospel, has services and youth performances on and around the 25th of December and, as a family, we do stockings and one family gift on that day. Most of the people around us don't acknowledge that date as anything special, so we keep it low-key and focus on the family and faith aspects of it.<br /><br />The big day for Ukrainian gift giving is January 1. Of course, everyone is up late celebrating the New Year and boy, do I mean late. Not-quite-professional-but-highly-impressive fireworks get going at midnight all over the city and go strong until about 1:00AM. Then, after decreasing in frequency just a bit, they continue until 4:00 or 5:00AM. This year featured a bunch of youngsters misfiring a sky rocket that flew a few feet off the ground (horizontally instead of vertically) and exploded into the side of a car about 150 feet from us. I was torn between anger over such irresponsibility and curiosity over what would have happened if it exploded <span style="font-style: italic;">under</span> the car, all the while thanking the Good Lord that we weren't any closer to the incident than we were. Mishaps and lateness notwithstanding, fireworks everywhere you turn is a great way to bring in the New Year.<br /><br />So, the drawback to combining gift giving with New Year's is the sleep deprivation that accompanies all activities on January 1. But the pluses outweigh the minuses. First, all of the materialism that accompanies the gift giving is clearly shifted away from the celebration of the Incarnation. Second, <span style="font-style: italic;">nothing</span> happens on January 1 so you have all day to lounge around and put together all of the stuff that a 4-year-old receives at this time of year. Third, no matter how hard they try, my parents' Christmas box never arrives before the 25th. This year it arrived on Thursday, which would have been late if we were counting on it for Christmas. But since we do presents on New Year's — blammo — presents on time!<br /><br />You'd think that it's all over and done with, right? Well, given that this is an Orthodox country and thus follows the Orthodox calendar, Christmas is officially celebrated after New Year's on January 7. So, instead of being out of school from December 27-31, Dietrich will be out of school from January 3-7. Thus, more rest and recreation is ahead of us a family. Also, more celebrating is ahead of us as our Church takes advantage of the holiday to focus on Jesus' birth with a more evangelistic thrust the second time around, hoping to present the Gospel compellingly to any nominal Church-goers who may be simply trying to do their "religious duty" on that day.<br /><br />The above, apart from explaining how we celebrate the holiday season, is mostly just a set up for why I'm bragging about my gifts on New Year's and not on Christmas. I always ask for books at the holidays — I take 'em any way I can get 'em — but this year I really scored. 10 books total and I want to read all of them right now! Realistically, I should make it through 4, maybe 5 of them in the next year so, if you want to know what I think, check back next year at this time. Here they are, in no particular order. If you've read any of them and have any thoughts, please comment.<br /><a href="http://www.bakeracademic.com/ME2/Audiences/dirmod.asp?sid=0477683E4046471488BD7BAC8DCFB004&nm=&type=PubCom&mod=PubComProductCatalog&mid=BF1316AF9E334B7BA1C33CB61CF48A4E&tier=3&id=B577CCE310AE4E70AD7E2B1D7840E2EA"><br />Michael F. Bird & James Crossley, <span style="font-style: italic;">How Did Christianity Begin? A Believer and Non-believer Examine the Evidence</span> (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Academic, 2008).</a><br /><br />This book was advertised in<a href="http://www.firstthings.com/"> First Things</a> and caught my attention. I'm already about 20 pages into it. The fact that the "non-believer," Crossley, believes a lot things that non-believers are not supposed to believe should make the debate a lot more interesting.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2923">John Mark Reynolds, <span style="font-style: italic;">When Athens Met Jerusalem: In Introduction to Classical and Christian Thought </span>(Downers Grove, IL: IVP, 2009).</a><br /><br />John Mark Reynolds is a dynamic and deep thinker and delivers a great lecture. It's probably safe to say that he delivers too many a great lecture given the time it took him to complete this book (I remember talking to him about it at least 10 years ago). In any case, this book should bring clarity to the often misunderstood relationship between Christianity and ancient thought. If I teach philosophy again in the fall, this book is definitely on my summer reading list.<br /><br /><a href="http://fortresspress.com/store/item.jsp?clsid=207129&productgroupid=0&isbn=0800697030">Dietrich Bonhoeffer, <span style="font-style: italic;">Letters & Papers from Prison</span>, Dietrich Bonhoeffer Works, Volume 8 (Minneapolis, MN: Fortress Press, 2010).</a><br /><br />Obviously, Bonhoeffer is respected in this house, but I've always been embarrassed that I've never read this key collection of his final thoughts. By the time I knew that I should read it, the English translation of his complete works was already in process and I wanted to wait for it in that series. Now that it's out and I have it, I will consume it forthwith.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ignatius.com/Products/EYE-P/everything-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-heaven.aspx">Peter Kreeft, <span style="font-style: italic;">Everything You Ever Wanted to Know about Heaven but Never Dreamed of Asking</span> (San Francisco, CA: Ignatius Press, 1990).</a><br /><br />I'm teaching a course in March/April that includes eschatology and I don't have a lot of books on Heaven (mostly because there aren't a lot of specifically theological books on the topic) for preparation. Kreeft is an excellent writer and has <a href="http://www.ignatius.com/Products/HHDL-P/heaven-the-hearts-deepest-longing.aspx">another book</a> on the existential case for Heaven that is awesome so, I assume this one will be too.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/academic/books.asp?p=9780805446548">Michael Rydelnik, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Messianic Hope: Is the Hebrew Bible Really Messianic?</span> NAC Studies in Bible and Theology, Vol. 9 (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2010).</a><br /><br />The <a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/academic/books.asp?s=New%20American%20Commentary%20Studies%20in%20Bible%20and%20Theology">NAC Studies in Bible & Theology</a> series is awesome! I read Jason Meyers' <a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/academic/books.asp?p=9780805448429"><span style="font-style: italic;">The End of the Law</span></a>, also from that series, and am still adjusting my worldview in light of it. I'm collecting all of the books from the series so, there isn't a specific reason why I asked for Rydelnik's book other than that I didn't have it yet. But I'm always glad to be forced to spend serious time with the Old Testament, which this book will do. And how can it not be beneficial to wrestle with Its promises of a Messiah that are ultimately fulfilled in Jesus?<br /><br /><a href="http://templetonpress.org/book.asp?book_id=113">Keith Ward, <span style="font-style: italic;">The Big Questions in Science & Religion</span> (Conshohocken, PA: Templetom Press, 2008).</a><br /><br />If I have an academic hobby (as opposed to a specialization), it's digging deep into the science-religion debate. While poking around on <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Big-Questions-Science-Religion/dp/1599471353/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1293949980&sr=8-2">Amazon.com</a> a few years ago, I came across this book and it promises to be a fresh look at some of the major questions that come up in that debate. Who knows when I'll get to this but I can't wait 'til I do. (The page for this book at Templeton Press says that the book is in Russian. If so, I may be reading it sooner than later. That's exciting.)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.cornellpress.cornell.edu/cup_detail.taf?ti_id=131">Thomas Flint, <span style="font-style: italic;">Divine Providence: The Molinist Account</span>, Cornell Studies in Science & Religion (Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1998).</a><br /><br />Molinism is the major view of divine providence in <a href="http://talbot.edu/">Talbot School of Theology</a>'s <a href="http://talbot.edu/degrees/ma-philosophy-of-religion-and-ethics/">Philosophy of Religion and Ethics</a> program and I need to know more about it than I do. William Lane Craig has a <a href="http://wipfandstock.com/store/The_Only_Wise_God_The_Compatibility_of_Divine_Foreknowledge_and_Human_Freedom">good introductory text</a> on the view; Flint's seems to be the more scholarly and philosophical counterpart to Craig's book. Explaining how God can be sovereign while man can be free is not an easy task. I'm looking forward to seeing how the Molinist account compares to the standard Calvinist and Arminian/Wesleyan accounts.<br /><br /><a href="http://wipfandstock.com/store/Divine_Sovereignty_and_Human_Responsibility_Biblical_Perspective_in_Tension">D.A. Carson, <span style="font-style: italic;">Divine Sovereignty & Human Responsibility: Biblical Perspectives in Tension</span></a> (Eugene, OR: Wipf & Stock Publishers, 2002).<br /><br />One of the major contenders for a Calvinist explanation of the divine sovereignty/human freedom problem is compatiblism, which Carson contends for in this book. Carson is an amazingly sharp thinker and I expect to read a very well-argued and very biblical case for the view when I get around to tackling this book. I'll try my best to read Flint and Carson back to back, if I can.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Product/ProductDetail.htm?ProdID=com.zondervan.9780310240419&QueryStringSite=Zondervan">Christopher Morgan & Robert Peterson, eds., <span style="font-style: italic;">Hell Under Fire: Modern Scholarship Reinvents Eternal Punishment</span> (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2004).</a><br /><br />This book is also to prep for my upcoming eschatology class. The bummer is that it is the second time I've had to buy the book. I don't have a good system for keeping track of books that I lend out (call it irresponsibility or communalism). So, at some point in the last few years, I let someone borrow the book and never got it back. I've asked everyone I can think of if they have it and, with no positive results, my poor wife had to buy me a book that we'd already spent money on in the past. The good thing is that its a great collection of powerful essays that argue for a biblically faithful view of hell so, if the person who has it reads it, they'll be really well informed about where not to go when you die.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/academic/books.asp?p=9780805430608">Bruce A. Ware, ed., <span style="font-style: italic;">Perspectives in the Doctrine of God: 4 Views</span> (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, 2008).</a><br /><br />I love the multiview book series by all 3 major publishers (B&H's <a href="http://www.bhpublishinggroup.com/academic/books.asp?s=Perspectives">Perspectives series</a>, IVP's <a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=3308">Spectrum Multiview series</a> and Zondervan's <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Search/Search.htm?SC=%22Counterpoints%3a+Exploring+Theology%22&LN=eng&PU=%22Lead%22&QueryStringSite=Zondervan">Counterpoint series </a>and <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Search/Search.htm?SC=%22Counterpoints%3a+Bible+and+Theology%22&QueryStringSite=Zondervan">here</a> and <a href="http://www.zondervan.com/Cultures/en-US/Search/Search.htm?SC=%22Counterpoints%3a+Church+Life%22&LN=eng&PU=%22Lead%22&QueryStringSite=Zondervan">here</a>). This format forces the authors to succinctly state their view and to interact with others who share a view different, often radically different, from their own. This particular book would be good to read before I read Flint and Carson, as it would give the Arminian and Open Theist perspectives on the relationship between divine sovereignty and human freedom, as well. Maybe the summer of 2012 will be dedicated to that research project.<br /><br />I hope you had a merry Christmas and as happy a New Year's as I did.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-52244034288480381902010-11-29T23:50:00.001-08:002010-11-30T06:09:47.564-08:00A Different Way to Read a BookI've referred to <a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org">William Lane Craig's website</a> a <a href="http://immediacyisanillusion.blogspot.com/2009/04/date-and-debate-night-or-what-kind-of.html">time</a> or <a href="http://immediacyisanillusion.blogspot.com/2010/07/personal-vs-experiential.html">two</a> before now. It's full of great stuff. It's possible that there is too much great stuff there, actually. I've still not looked at all of it because, when I think of going there, I usually decide that I don't have enough time to peruse it all.<br /><br />The podcasts are a different story, however. Averaging about 20 minutes a piece, Craig and the host of the podcast, <a href="http://ablogogetics.blogspot.com/">Kevin Harris</a>, talk about a specific issue in theology, philosophy or apologetics, giving listeners a good general overview, often mentioning some key resources that contain more info for further investigation. Listen online, download or subscribe to the Reasonable Faith podcasts; they're super.<br /><br />One of great things that Craig does from time to time is to review a recently released book of his and give a detailed overview of its contents. I find this extremely helpful in deciding whether or not I want to buy the book. 20 minutes is not a sufficient amount of time to discuss everything but it is certainly sufficient for determining whether the book is unique enough to add to my library. If the book is extremely lengthy or wide-ranging, Craig will sometimes do 2 podcasts on one book, giving even greater depth and detail.<br /><br />Now to the point. In the fall of 2007, Craig did a 9-part review of the 3rd edition of his apologetic standard,<span style="font-style: italic;"> <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1433501155/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0QD0667HJ713NEV41TMS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846">Reasonable Faith</a></span> (which came out in 2008). Yes, that's right, a 9-part review. Oddly, the podcast discussion sometimes veers from the contents of the book and addresses other apologetic topics. For example, part 7 of the podcast is about the historical reliability of the NT, while that chapter was dropped altogether from the 3rd edition of the book. Similarly, part 9 of the podcast is all about the <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/New_atheism">New Atheism</a> (a topic not addressed in the 3rd edition of the book) while the resurrection of Jesus (the subject of chapter 8 of the book) is not discussed in the podcasts at all. Oddities notwithstanding, when you are done listening to these 9 podcasts, which takes about 3.5 hours, you will have basically consumed the contents of <span style="font-style: italic;">Reasonable Faith</span>, the book. You may not get as many details as you would have from actually reading the book, but you wouldn't remember all of the details if you had anyway. So, especially for those short on time, I recommend this new approach to "reading" Craig's book. And, in a world where "postmodernism" — both the term and the sociological ethos — is ubiquitous, I especially recommend giving your attention to part 6. Craig emphasizes the inconsistencies and absurdities of postmodernism, as well as the fact that philosophy, the hard sciences and historical studies are all more or less rejecting postmodernism in the academy. This will take time to trickle down to the masses. In the meantime, instead of directing all of our intellectual and ministerial resources toward accommodating and compromising the truth for the sake of reaching a supposedly postmodern culture, we should be taking a firm and convincing yet engaging and relevant stand for the truth.<br /><br />Below are links to each individual podcast with the corresponding chapter title from the book, or else a description of the contents of the podcast when there is no correspondence with the book.<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_01.mp3">Part 1</a> — Chapter 1 — How Do I Know Christianity Is True? (Faith & Reason)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_02.mp3">Part 2</a> — Chapter 2 — The Absurdity of Life without God<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_03.mp3">Part 3</a> — Chapter 3 — The Existence of God (1) (Cosmological Arguments: Contingency & Kalam)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_04.mp3">Part 4</a> — Chapter 4 — The Existence of God (2) (Design, Moral & Ontological Arguments)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_05.mp3">Part 5</a> — Chapter 6 — The Problem of Miracles<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_06.mp3">Part 6</a> — Chapter 5 — The Problem of Historical Knowledge (Skepticism, Relativism & Postmodernism)<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_07.mp3">Part 7</a> — The Historical Reliability of the NT<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_08.mp3">Part 8</a> — Chapter 7 — The Self-Understanding of Jesus<br /><br /><a href="http://www.rfmedia.org/RF_audio_video/RF_podcast/Reasonable_Faith_book_09.mp3">Part 9</a> — The New Atheism<br /><br />Happy "reading."eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-51766006983156799092010-10-16T02:14:00.000-07:002010-10-16T02:51:35.460-07:00When You're Stuck In the Scholarly Muck ......remember this:<br /><br />"Elegant, academic discussions may appeal to us as an intellectual exercise. But the only thing that finally matters is truth."<br /><br />If you're interested, you can read the rest of <a href="http://www.archden.org/index.cfm/ID/8/Archbishop">Archbishop Chaput</a>'s thoughts <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2009/05/st-paul-in-the-public-square-1243206396">here</a>. Unfortunately, you have to have a subscription to <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/">FT</a> to access this particular article. If you don't have a subscription, you should get one. That, or you can come visit us in Ukraine and read my copy.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-87661123143066073312010-08-16T17:17:00.000-07:002010-08-16T17:32:51.722-07:00Check Us OutHere at <a href="http://ktsonline.org/new/">Kyiv Theological Seminary</a> we are still plugging away at our official Talbot School of Theology-Kyiv Extension website. We hope to see at least some of the site go live in a month, or so. In the meantime, check out the <a href="http://talbot.edu/campuses/kyiv-ukraine/">TST-KE info page</a> at the official <a href="http://talbot.edu/">Talbot School of Theology</a> site. Pictured are about half of our current M.A. students and <a href="http://www.send.org/Alexander/">Dr. Ralph Alexander</a>, <a href="http://www.send.org/">SEND International</a> missionary in Russia and superb Old Testament prof.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-81961934276314167912010-08-10T22:41:00.000-07:002010-08-10T23:53:03.627-07:00ConsolationThe <a href="http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=ana">Angels</a> got swept by the last-place <a href="http://baltimore.orioles.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=bal">Orioles</a> last week, and that pretty much put the icing on the disgusting carrot cake that is our 2010 season. Bad defense, bad offence and bad luck are throwing a huge party in the Angel organization as <a href="http://texas.rangers.mlb.com/index.jsp?c_id=tex">Texas</a> marches toward the AL West championship. I was pretty down about it, until I read <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/article/2010/07/a-perfect-game">a recent article</a> in <a href="http://www.firstthings.com/">First Things</a>. <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/David_Bentley_Hart">David B. Hart</a>—himself an Orioles fan—waxes philosophical on the perfection of baseball in an essay that is as intelligent and reflective as it is light-hearted and humorous. For those of you whose baseball teams have no shot at a pennant, step back a bit, read this article and be glad you are a fan of the perfect game and not one of those "oblong games." Here's a little taste ...<br /><br />"Everything is so perfectly calibrated that almost every play is a matter of the most unforgiving precision; a ball correctly played in the infield is almost always an out, while the slightest misplay usually results in a man on base. The effective difference in velocity between a fastball and a changeup is infinitesimal in neurological terms, and yet it can utterly disrupt the timing of even the best hitter. There are Pythagorean enigmas here, occult and imponderable: mystic proportions written into the very fabric of nature of which we were once as ignorant as of the existence of other galaxies."<br /><br />Read and be consoled.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-72633837295344213272010-07-28T00:23:00.000-07:002010-07-28T01:54:02.646-07:00Saying It PlainlyI spend most of my time dealing with theology, philosophy and apologetics. In all 3 of these areas it's not hard to detect the constant need for Western Evangelical Christianity to confront Her intellectual, moral and spiritual foes. In the literature, the greatest contemporary foe of Evangelical Christianity goes by many names: modernism, materialism, naturalism, physicalism, scientism, etc. To each of these can be added innumerable adjectives, as well.<br /><br />But I just finished a book that is about as far away from theology, philosophy and apologetics as I am prone to get. Lest you think that I've found the time for some fiction or maybe a classic, I must say that the this book will seem to most to be just like all the rest of the stuff I talk about on this blog. It's not. Here's the info:<br /><br /><a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2263">Eric L. Johnson & Stanley L. Jones, <span style="font-style: italic;">Psychology & Christianity: Four Views</span> (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2000).</a><br /><br />[There's <a href="http://www.ivpress.com/cgi-ivpress/book.pl/code=2848">a revised edition</a> with a 5th view, but I don't have it yet. Since the 5th view is presented by some <a href="http://www.biola.edu/">Biola</a> folk (one of whom is <a href="http://www.talbot.edu/faculty/profile/john_coe/">John Coe</a>, the most sincere, transparent and spiritually penetrating man you'll ever meet), I'll have to get it soon and finish the debate started in the first edition.]<br /><br />Each of the authors discuss psychology, or Christianity in psychological categories, which is not something I'm used to. It is an interesting and engaging discussion, one that makes me wish I had paid a little more attention in the one psychology course that I took in college. But at the outset, the editors made a statement that related the psychology discussion to the aforementioned task of Western Evangelical Christian theology, philosophy and apologetics of confronting Her greatest modern foe. And the statement is much simpler, straightforward and revealing than some of the unnecessarily convoluted statements often made by theologians, philosophers and apologists. At the very least, it's a reminder of how clearly the battle lines have been drawn. What's more, it's a glimpse into another discipline where the battle rages and where Christians must be ready to engage.<br /><br />"Over the lat 150 years an alternative worldview has competed [with the biblical worldview] for cultural influence, and over the course of this century it has become the dominant paradigm for understanding ourselves in Western culture, a worldview now called <span style="font-style: italic;">modernism</span>. One feature of modernism [is] its secularism; that is, <span style="font-weight: bold;"><span style="font-style: italic;">its tendency to empty culture of its religious significance, discourse, and symbols</span> </span>... The secularism that has pervaded the significant writings and major institutions of the Western culture in the twentieth century is evidence that modernism has superseded Christianity in influence ... Gradually, beginning in the early twentieth century, unwritten rules developed that excluded religious views from expression in the main forms of media, education, and science in the West. As a result, religious speech was relegated to private life and to religious institutions and media ... Beyond that, with few exceptions religious considerations were dropped from public discourse."<br /><br />"This move away from a religious worldview to a secular one also happened to coincide with another very significant cultural development: the application of natural science methods to areas of the world to which they had not been previously applied ... These methods began to be applied to the study of society, human consciousness and behavior, economics and business, and education ... <span style="font-weight: bold; font-style: italic;">Secularism combined with the methods of the natural sciences in the study of human nature resulted in a number of sciences being newly formed or reformed in ways that excluded reference to the supernatural beliefs or assumptions</span>. This mix of secularization and the application of scientific methods to the understanding of animal and human behavior, emotion, personality, and thought shaped the modern version of psychology. And it is this combination which has led to the present debate among Christians about how the findings and theories of <span style="font-style: italic;">secular</span> psychology should relate to Christian belief and practice" (p. 13-15) (author's emphasis in italics, my emphasis in bold and italics).<br /><br />Let's do our best, in psychology or wherever God has placed us, to combat secularism and stand for the truth of the Christian worldview in an informed and intelligent, yet winsome and convincing manner.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-5562887272551968962010-07-23T06:12:00.000-07:002010-07-23T07:46:55.127-07:00Personal vs. ExperientialFirst of all, if you've never done it, go to <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/William_Lane_Craig">William Lane Craig</a>'s <a href="http://www.reasonablefaith.org/site/PageServer">Reasonable Faith</a> website and start catching up on all that you're missing. He's got blog posts, podcasts, full lectures and articles galore. Unless you are independently wealthy and live in the mountains with nothing to do and no friends, you will never be able to consume all of his stuff. But, no matter your schedule or life stage, you'll only be better off for whatever of Craig's you are able to consume. He's sharp, spiritually insightful, winsome, very well-rounded and worth every bit of time you can give to him.<br /><br />OK, enough gushing.<br /><br />We Evangelicals are fond of emphasizing that a person ought to have a <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> relationship with Jesus Christ. But what does that really mean? I think, for a lot of people, it means that we should have a relationship with Jesus that is similar to the relationships that we have with other people. In certain respects, this is true. I should feel free to express my feelings and emotions with Jesus as freely and openly as I can share them with my wife.<br /><br />[I'll now start using the term <span style="font-style: italic;">relationship with <span style="font-weight: bold;">God</span></span>, implying that Jesus is God and that I intend Him, the Father and the Holy Spirit when I use the term.]<br /><br />But there is a bit of a problem with the comparison. When I say something honoring or disrespectful to my wife, something in jest or with harshness to my son, something pleasant or offensive to another person, such things often result in an immediate response that is physically and/or verbally manifested and that often results in further conversation (or an immediate cessation of the same). But we don't—at least I don't—experience this in our relationship with God. There is no physical aspect to my personal relationship with God and He certainly doesn't communicate verbally with me in the same way that my wife, my son or my neighbors do. For example, I don't go back and read old letters and cards that my wife wrote or narratives that others wrote about my wife and mediate on them in hopes to better understand who she is and what she wants from me. But I do that with God. So, I think there is a bit of a disconnect between our blanket usage of the term, <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span>, and what we are intending to say when we use it.<br /><br />In a recent podcast, a newly converted atheist asked just how she was to understand this <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> relationship that she now had with God. I was expecting Craig to give something like the standard line that we often hear. Instead, he took a totally different approach to explaining the <span style="font-style: italic;">personal </span>aspects of our relationship with God. Here are some of the things he put in the <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> category:<br /><br />-Individual reconciliation with God<br />-Peace with God<br />-Forgiveness from God<br />-Connection with God (no longer estranged)<br />-Adoption by God<br /><br />Not what we're used to hearing when we talk about a <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> relationship, right? All of the standard things that we intend when we use the word, <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span>, Craig put into the category of our <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential</span> relationship with God. But this <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential</span> relationship is decidedly different than what we experience with others due to the fact that God is immaterial and utterly transcendent. The <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential</span> is a vital component to our relationship with Him but we shouldn't compare it to our <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential</span><span style="font-style: italic;"></span> relationship with others and we should not confuse it with our <span style="font-style: italic;">personal </span>relationship. The <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> refers to our individual, positional standing before God while the <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential </span>refers to our communication and interaction with Him, which is based on that individual, positional standing. Clear and beautiful. Furthermore, Craig emphasized that all of the <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span>, objective realities are true for believers, whether we feel them experientially or not, which is deeply encouraging when it seems that our <span style="font-style: italic;">experiential</span> relationship with God isn't as dynamic as we think it should be.<br /><br />Thank you, Dr. Craig.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-77219622767452833782010-07-08T12:32:00.000-07:002010-07-08T15:05:32.412-07:00Not to Be Negative or AnythingI would much rather be talking about how great the Angels are doing; about the hot bats, the sharp offense and the lights-out pitching. But that seems to be descriptive of the Angels in an alternate universe. The real Angels are like the walking dead right now and we're all watching Texas (with not a little bit of help from Vladdy) run away with the AL West. It's a sad, sad sight. (We're currently listening to the Angels and they're about to lose their 4th straight game in a 4-game series to the White Sox after having lost 2 of 3 to Kansas City. Did I say it was sad? I'm wrong; it's depressing!<br /><br />So, instead of singing the praises of the team I have to find something to complain about. But I don't want to take it out on the players just yet, so I'll focus on the announcing. I never thought that we could have a worse TV caller than <a href="http://cache4.asset-cache.net/xc/81371891.jpg?v=1&c=IWSAsset&k=2&d=77BFBA49EF8789215ABF3343C02EA548AA07567A192F0858B607E19C77CB844BA17C950CEFECE80F">Rex Hudler</a>, but we do—at least when it comes to calling home runs. And home runs are about all we get to hear the TV guys call while we watch the "highlights" of the games on <a href="http://mlb.com">mlb.com</a>. (We do get the audio feed, love <a href="http://losangeles.angels.mlb.com/ana/images/fan_forum/angels_tonight_250x275.jpg">Terry Smith and can put up with José Mota</a>.) <a href="http://royals.mlblogs.com/10-3%20Victor%20Rojas.JPG">Victor Rojas</a> gets to call the home runs for TV and man is it embarrassing. Here's a list of the 4 worst. You tell me if this makes you happy that your team just hit a home run.<br /><br />After a 3-run home run by Torii Hunter:<br /><br />"Torii Hunter with a 3-run JIMMY JACK!"<br /><br /><br />After a lead off, opposite field home run by Howie Kendrick:<br /><br />"Howie Kendrick with a lead-off OPPO-TACO!"<br /><br /><br />After any home run by Kendry Morales (may he heal miraculously):<br /><br />"A BIG FLY for the CUBAN MISSILE!"<br /><br /><br />And, the most recent display of baseball-calling idiocy, after a grand slam by Hideki Matsui:<br /><br />"Godzilla goes BOOM!"<br /><br />Seriously. Shut up already! Can you imagine Vin Scully or Jon Miller saying these things? Actually, it must be that the players are tired of hearing this nonsense and have stopped hitting home runs to silence the madness. So, Victor, for the sake of the team, please just call it a home run and leave at that. For the sake of the team and for the sake of our sanity.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-84159058710413575992010-06-20T10:37:00.000-07:002010-06-20T12:37:55.809-07:00A Word From the InsideIt's pretty easy for Christians in religiously free countries to take that freedom for granted. Even when we are <a href="http://www.persecution.com/">made aware</a> of the terrible circumstances that our brothers and sisters in Christ face in countries or environments that are hostile to Christianity, we can be tempted to ignore it since all it does is make us feel sad and guilty. But the fact remains, the world is hostile to the Christian faith and many faithful believers die each day because they consider Jesus Christ more important than anything else.<br /><br />I used to think that the best thing to do for the persecuted Church was to raise awareness and, of course, pray for the persecution to lessen or cease altogether. The former is necessary but, I just read a book that changed my perspective about the latter. The book is <a href="http://asiaharvest.org/pages/howardbrandtreview.html">Back to Jerusalem</a> by Paul Hattaway, titled after the <a href="http://backtojerusalem.com/">Chinese house Church movement</a> that goes by that moniker. I won't say much about the book other than I think that anyone interested in what God is doing in the world must read this book. God's Church may finally breakout in the Muslim and Buddhist world through these faithful brothers and sisters who will do anything to bring their Savior to the lost.<br /><br />But what I want to share here are a few words from one of the leaders of this movement who has suffered a good deal of persecution for his faith. This representative perspective should cause us to rethink our prayers for the persecuted Church. Rather than praying for the persecution to cease, we should pray for faithfulness and perseverance in the midst of the persecution.<br /><br />From Brother Yun:<br />"Sometimes Western visitors come to China and ask the house church leaders what seminary they attended. We reply, jokingly yet with underlying seriousness, that we have been trained in the Holy Spirit Personal Devotion Bible School (prison) for many years."<br /><br />"Sometimes our Western friends don't understand what we mean because they then ask, 'What materials do you use in this Bible school?' We reply, 'Our only materials are the foot chains that bind us and the leather whips that bruise us.'"<br /><br />"In this prison seminary, we have learned many valuable lessons about the Lord that we could never have learned from a book. We've come to know God in a deeper way. We understand his goodness and his loving faithfulness to us." (p. xi-xii)<br /><br />"The past fifty years of suffering, persecution, and torture of the house churches in China were all part of God's training for us. He has used the government for his own purposes, molding and shaping his children as he sees fit. That is why I correct Western Christians who tell me: 'I've been praying for years that the Communist government in China will collapse, so Christians can live in freedom.' This is not what we pray! We never pray against our government or call down curses on it. Instead, we have learned that God is in control of both our own lives and the government we live under. ... Instead of focusing our prayers against any political system, we pray that regardless of what happens to us, we will be pleasing to God."<br /><br />"Don't pray for the persecution to stop! We shouldn't pray for a lighter load to carry, but a stronger back to endure! Then the world will see that God is with us, empowering us to live in a way that reflects his love and power."<br /><br />"This is true freedom." (p. 57-58)<br /><br />My prayer life will certainly be different as a result of Brother Yun's testimony and that of the other members of the Back to Jerusalem Movement. May they stand firm and may the Kingdom increase as they continue their service to the Lord.eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-39413911776140188452010-06-08T11:03:00.000-07:002010-06-09T12:54:21.304-07:00And the Lion Shall Lie Down with the ...Lev Eleos Oldenburg was born on Friday, May 28 at 2:25 AM. Here he is with his brother who, until that Friday, seemed like the smallest three-year-old boy in the universe.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CvrJ4ay5ivFBxwflcWPLYIqQVKmdYfhMr70qohaDnVurNVxYZU8_N-5Xwgxd6Chyphenhyphen4eJEE9jTXtGaMAq60GucKSZQRc-HzFRCFTnfIws9oRupLelZcafbOTI744O6ToSHqHFQ0j_lDA/s1600/IMG_5842.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1CvrJ4ay5ivFBxwflcWPLYIqQVKmdYfhMr70qohaDnVurNVxYZU8_N-5Xwgxd6Chyphenhyphen4eJEE9jTXtGaMAq60GucKSZQRc-HzFRCFTnfIws9oRupLelZcafbOTI744O6ToSHqHFQ0j_lDA/s400/IMG_5842.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480474174386506274" border="0" /></a><br />Now picking up Dietrich is like picking up a big bag of rocks and I feel like Lev is simply one of Dietrich's stuffed animals. Everything was new with D but, with time, a lot of those new and "unforgettable" experiences have been forgotten, or at least pushed way back in the memory. With Lev it is all coming back again and it is all precious and "unforgettable," just like the first time.<br /><br />OK, enough with the comparisons. Lev is a Slavic name that means lion, hence the title of this post. We wanted a name that worked well here and, once we thought of Lev, we couldn't get it out of our heads. He is not named after Leo Tolstoy, although Lev was Leo's real name. From what we've been told, Lev is a rare, dignified and manly name around these parts, but we just like wildlife, and the Messianic connotations. Eleos is the Greek word for mercy, which we feel Lev represents after our <a href="http://immediacyisanillusion.blogspot.com/2008/10/infinitely-greater-degrees-of.html">previous, tragic birth experience</a>. A great passage using the word is <a href="http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1%20Peter%201:3-5&version=NASB">I Peter 1:3-5</a><a href="http://unbound.biola.edu/index.cfm?method=searchResults.doSearch"></a>. All of the beautiful descriptions of the salvific realities in which Christians abide are all by the mercy of God. For us, Lev exemplifies that mercy.<br /><br />We love Lev and, whether you pronounce it with a Russian tongue, like me (Lyehv), or with Ukrainian tongue, like Josie (Lehv), we think you will love him too.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTRU-8ZR6oAlIfUNzrL1Ob-prRGWUzZ83anF5OrOVx2dCz5qELVbwdq7b7c964u-I1TvIzWeBf_obT-hrfHji-BbOzTxsCwkg3NU8IDHOYApwerl-jFzMoq3UTruWbcPph5oU5tjwpg/s1600/IMG_5938.JPG"><img style="display: block; margin: 0px auto 10px; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitTRU-8ZR6oAlIfUNzrL1Ob-prRGWUzZ83anF5OrOVx2dCz5qELVbwdq7b7c964u-I1TvIzWeBf_obT-hrfHji-BbOzTxsCwkg3NU8IDHOYApwerl-jFzMoq3UTruWbcPph5oU5tjwpg/s400/IMG_5938.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5480478478097433330" border="0" /></a>eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-150827512146151238.post-55954706736278051332010-05-09T03:18:00.000-07:002010-05-09T09:55:55.752-07:00Too Much PassionIt's always fun to read brand labels and clothing messages in this part of the world. Lots of it is black market and made by people who don't know English well enough to get their intended thoughts just right. Remember this <a href="http://immediacyisanillusion.blogspot.com/2009/09/you-know-your-clothes-are-inauthentic.html">great one</a>?<br /><br />Yesterday I saw a label on a pair of jeans that made me laugh, but not because of any grammatical or spelling errors. The company is as genuine as they come; they're Italian and, I assume, probably quite fashionable. But, for jeans manufacturers, I think they are investing a little too much passion and emotional energy. Here's how the label reads:<br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Free Soul</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Jeans Community</span><br /><br /><span style="font-style: italic;">Crafted with Love</span><br /><br />"Soul," "community," "love?" Aren't they just pants?eric Ohttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00737412189373719095noreply@blogger.com0