tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-55790055343539394992024-03-13T09:38:14.175-06:00Suspicious Berean...they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Acts 17:11
To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according to this word, it is because there is no light in them. Isaiah 8:20
"Whatever it is, I'm against it.
No matter what it is or who commenced it, I'm against it." Groucho Marx, from Horse FeathersJack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.comBlogger1870125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-64311420748403994192024-02-29T23:56:00.002-07:002024-03-01T13:36:24.597-07:00This is what passes for "deeper life" at a Canadian Evangelical universityThe following requires little comment; it's yet more evidence that anyone who thinks that "Evangelical" universities and colleges are Christian isn't paying attention. The 2023 edition of "<a href="https://ambrose.edu/deeper-life">Deeper Life Day</a>" at <s>Antichrist</s> Ambrose University (yes, again) took place on October 1 (bold, links in original).<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/deeperlifepopculture_0.jpg?itok=nX1Ic-b5" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="428" data-original-width="270" src="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_650x650/public/2023-08/deeperlifepopculture_0.jpg?itok=nX1Ic-b5"/></a></div>
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<blockquote><b>What Is The Purpose Of Deeper Life Day?</b><br>
<br>
The aim of Deeper Life Day is to integrate Christian faith and learning in a way that will help our students flourish in every way. The events of this day embody our spiritual goals for all Ambrose students—formation, discernment, and transformation. We encourage faculty members to participate in DLD, incentivize students to join them on the day, and consider how the themes could be integrated into the courses they are teaching this Fall Term.<br>
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<b>PLENARY SPEAKER</b><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-08/JoshLarsen.jpg?itok=wUnumrVW" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="699" data-original-width="800" src="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/styles/max_1300x1300/public/2023-08/JoshLarsen.jpg?itok=wUnumrVW"/></a></div>
photo courtesy of ARIN SANG-URAI<br>
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<b>Josh Larsen</b><br>
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Josh Larsen is the co-host of the radio show and podcast <a href="https://www.filmspotting.net/">Filmspotting</a>, author of <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Movies-Are-Prayers-Josh-Larsen/dp/0830844783/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=1695831156&sr=8-8">Movies Are Prayers</a> and <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Fear-Not-Christian-Appreciation-Horror/dp/1666738522/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2O5XKIU3J6FG5&keywords=josh+larsen&qid=1695831285&sprefix=josh+larse%2Caps%2C238&sr=8-1">Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror</a>, as well as editor/producer for <a href="https://thinkchristian.net/">Think Christian</a>, a website and podcast exploring faith and pop culture. He’s been writing and speaking about movies professionally since 1994.<br>
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<b>Morning Plenary: 9:30 AM </b><br>
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<b>Part 1: Christian (Pop) Cultural Engagement</b><br>
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For most North American Christians, engaging with popular culture is no longer an option. This is the air we breathe. How can we do so with grace, discernment, and appreciation?<br>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/bp21YJB11KU" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe><br>
<br>
<b>Morning Plenary:</b> <br>
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<b>Part 2: Movies Are Prayers</b><br>
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Movies can be many things: escapist experiences, historical artifacts, business ventures, and artistic expressions. Considered alongside the Christian ideas of God's sovereignty and common grace, they can also function as prayerful expressions of lament, praise, joy, confession, and more.<br>
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<b>Lunch: Noon - 1:00 PM</b><br>
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There are only 100 spots for this light-hearted lunch with our speaker. In addition to movie trivia and fun games we will be hosting a COSPLAY competition. Come dressed as your favorite Movie, TV or gaming character. A panel of judges will determine a winner for a chance to win a Cineplex movie night for two (with popcorn and pop). Other prizes will be available as well. <br>
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Room: Airhart (1085) I Limit: 100 people <br>
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<b>Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 1:00 PM</b><br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-engaging-the-mind-of-christ">Engaging The Mind Of Christ (Through Metallica, Van Gogh, And High Mountain Hydrology)</a></b><br>
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<b>John Van Sloten</b><br>
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John is a Calgary-based pastor, writer, and columnist for the Calgary Herald. His books include, The Day Metallica Came to Church (2010), Every Job a Parable (2017), and God Speaks Science (2023). <br>
<br>
This workshop will give you theological tools to help you practice Christ’s presence everywhere. If all things were made through Jesus, then all things (to some degree) reveal his wisdom. Knowing Christ through the bible we can know Christ through creation—through physical nature, human nature, and the cultural creations of human nature.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-i-think-i-ve-seen-this-film-">I Think I've Seen This Film Before: The Death And Resurrection Of Taylor Swift</a><br>
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<b>Glendon Frank</b> <br>
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Glendon is a recent alumnus of Ambrose University, having graduated in 2021 with a Bachelor's degree in English Literature. Since graduation he continues to study and write about pop culture on various platforms. Endlessly fascinated by the intersection of faith and art, he is particularly drawn to films and stories that explore the complexity and nuance of the human condition.<br>
<br>
This session is a discussion of the meteoric stardom of Taylor Swift and her career, as well as digging into the themes of love, life, and lament in her lyricism, all through the lens of asking what it means to engage with popular art while considering the Imago Dei. In an age of AI and algorithms where the ethics of art and consumption are at the forefront of our imagination, what does Taylor Swift's unique success mean and how ought we consider it?<br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-pressing-the-right-buttons">Pressing The Right Buttons: Aligning Your Values In-Game And IRL</a></b><br>
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<b>Alyssa Michaud </b><br>
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Alyssa is a musicologist who works at the intersections of technology, culture, and music. Her research focuses on the dynamics between audiences and artists in today’s technologically mediated society, and she is currently at work on a SSHRC Insight Development Grant in which she is exploring fan responses to digital and holographic concerts. Outside of her work in music research, Michaud once placed third in a national Dance Dance Revolution tournament, has 100% achievements on Steam in FTL: Faster Than Light, and cleared the original Binding Coil of Bahamut before it was nerfed in Final Fantasy XIV.<br>
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In 2022, the gaming industry was estimated to be worth $170 billion in global revenues—valued higher than both the global film and music industries put together. In this interactive breakout session, we will critically examine our relationships to this powerful medium by examining the ways in which gaming can foster positive values and also assessing its pitfalls. Through discussions, activities, and lots of examples from the world of gaming, this session will equip you to make more informed decisions about your approach to video games, and unpack the ways in which our controllers can connect us to deeper insights about ourselves and the world around us.<br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-princess-mononoke-and-peacem">Princess Mononoke And Peacemaking: Studio Ghibli's Prophetic Masterpiece</a></b><br>
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<b>Julian Erb</b> <br>
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Julian is the Director of Community Life at Ambrose and he loves learning people’s stories. He enjoys getting out to the mountains with his family, the Beatles, and yummy food. He also serves part time at Grace Anglican.<br>
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How does an anime fantasy epic set in feudal Japan connect to our polarized context and the way of Jesus? We will look into this timeless story and seek to "see with eyes unclouded by hate" and the subversive invitation of peace making.<br>
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<b>Afternoon Breakout Sessions: 3:00 PM</b><br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-on-earth-as-it-is-in-barbiel">On Earth As It Is In Barbieland: Gender Expression, Christianity, And Barbie</a></b><br>
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<b>Nikayla Reize</b> <br>
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Nikayla Reize is the lead pastor of a parish church in Calgary called Awaken. She also serves as a sessional instructor at Ambrose University teaching Old Testament and Biblical Theology. She teaches workshops and seminars at churches around Southern Alberta and especially enjoys teaching on gender, inclusion, and the Bible.<br>
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This is a session exploring themes of gender expression in the past (tradition) and in the future (the coming Kingdom of Heaven) with the help of Greta Gerwig's Barbie. Barbie invites us to question the way things have always been done and dream about how they could be in our shared future. We will look at concepts such as patriarchy, matriarchy, and kyriarchy within Western Christianities as we discuss what it means to have the power to communicate ideas and make decisions for others versus being the product of someone else's ideas for how things should be. Barbieland is an imaginary place where young girls can pretend the world could be shaped according to their own hopes and dreams for a life that doesn't fit in a box. Is the Barbie movie envisioning a world that is anti-men or presenting a prophetic lament for a world that is anti-women? No one wants to be an accessory for the fulfillment and success of another and no one wants to be kept in a box. Body sovereignty and embodiment are deeply Christian ideas. Come prepared to discuss the Barbie movie and how the intersections of gender and power depicted there relate to our faith as Christians.<br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-when-songs-become-friends">When Songs Become Friends: The Music That Helped Us Through Difficulties, Helped Us Know Ourselves, And Led Us To Solidarity And Healing.</a></b><br>
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<b>Justin Bills</b> <br>
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Justin Bills is a pastor, student and podcast host. Justin grew up in a missionary household in Los Angeles California. Key to surviving a lonely homeschooled upbringing was finding solidarity in music. Bands such as Pedro The Lion, Sufjan Stevens, Radiohead and Mewithoutyou became friends to help through adolescence and adulthood. Justin lives in Calgary with his wife and 3 daughters and is a Student at Ambrose.<br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/form/dld-faith-and-social-media">Faith And Social Media: Navigating The Digital World With Jesus</a></b><br>
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<b>Bryce Ashlin-Mayo</b> <br>
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Bryce is the Dean of Theology at Ambrose. When he is not working at Ambrose, you will find Bryce preaching in Churches, doing Seminars, writing books, or building retro video arcade consoles. Bryce has written several books on social media and digital ministry including, “Age of Kings: Pursuing God’s Heart in a Social Media World.”<br>
<br>
What does the Bible teach about navigating a digital world? Let's explore this topic together and delve into the story of King David in the Bible. We'll discover some valuable and enduring lessons on how to live a faithful life in our modern, high-tech world.<br>
<br>
<b>Evening Public Lecture: 7:00 PM</b><br>
<br>
In partnership with the Chair of Christian Thought<br>
<br>
Location: Central Library<br.
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<b><a href="https://calgarylibrary.ca/events-and-programs/programs/the-chair-of-christian-thought-an-evening-with-film-critic-josh-larsen/">Topic: Fear Not! A Christian Appreciation of Horror Movies</a></b><br>
<br>
Why would anyone want to watch horror movies? Why would Christians, in particular, bother with the genre? Combining critical observation and theological reflection, critic Josh Larsen makes the case that monster movies, creature features, slashers, and other fright films artfully reflect our deep worries in a way that resonates with the Christian experience.</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-89779372079954859922024-02-04T21:19:00.002-07:002024-02-04T22:22:00.121-07:00How many members of this Canadian Evangelical university's 2023-24 Student Council name the Bible as their favourite book?For more evidence to cast doubt on the idea that one of Canada's leading Evangelical universities, <s>Antichrist</s> <a href="https://ambrose.edu">Ambrose University</a> in Calgary, Alberta, is a Christian school, look at the biographies of the members of the <a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team">2023-24 Student Council</a>, in which they mention their favourite books. One might think that the student leaders of an ostensibly Christian university would automatically choose the Bible as their favourite book, but only one did (and the fact that one did proves that they had the option of choosing the Bible). Ladies and gentlemen, the favourite books of your future "Evangelical" leaders (typos corrected by blogger):<br>
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<blockquote><a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-nathan-snow">Ambrose Student Body President: Nathan Snow</a><br>
...<br>
Nathan's favourite book is the Lord of the Rings: Two Towers by J.R.R. Tolkien.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-alexsana-butt">Ambrose Student Body VP Of External Affairs: Alexsana Butt</a><br>
...<br>
Alexsana's favourite book is Perelandra by C.S. Lewis.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-liam-hawkins">Ambrose Student Body VP Of Internal Relations: Liam Hawkins</a><br>
...<br>
Liam's favourite book is the Bible (because it's the only book he reads).<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-tessa-stockowski">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Community Life: Tessa Stockowski</a><br>
...<br>
Tessa's favourite book is It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-jasmine-joosse">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Equity, Diversity, And Inclusion: Jasmine Joosse</a><br>
...<br>
Jasmine's favourite books are too many to list.<br>
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<a href="https://www.ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-diana-hruba">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Marketing: Diana Hruba</a><br>
...<br>
Diana's favourite book is Pride and Prejudice and Zombies probably<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-brett-meeberg">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Operations: Brett Meeberg</a><br>
...<br>
Brett's favourite book is Translating God by Shawn Bolz.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-hayley-meijndert">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Spiritual Life: Hayley Meijndert</a><br>
...<br>
Hayley's favourite books are Victorious Mindsets and The God Chasers.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-micaeliah-urquhart">Ambrose Student Body Director Of Wellness: Micaeliah Urquhart</a><br>
...<br>
Micaeliah's favourite books are The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom and Les Misèrables by Victor Hugo.<br>
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<a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-students-council/asc-meet-team/asc-meet-team-randelle-spence">Ambrose Student Body Executive Assistant: Randelle Spence</a><br>
...<br>
Randelle's favourite book is the Secret of the Garden.<br></blockquote>
I'm not familiar with all of these books or authors, but I have to wonder about anyone who would pick some of them as favourites. <i><a href="https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/27362503">It Ends With Us</a></i> is a romance novel that appears to have domestic abuse as a major theme, if the reader reviews are any indication. Who wants that?<br>
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The author of <i><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Translating-God-Hearing-Yourself-Around/dp/1942306199">Translating God</a></i> is associated with the New Apostolic Reforemation, and the book's foreword is by leading NAR heretic Bill Johnson. The fact that it's the favourite book of someone who "would like to enter into pastoral ministry" is cause for concern. <i><a href="https://www.amazon.ca/Victorious-Mindsets-Steve-Backlund/dp/0985477318">Victorious Mindsets</a></i> is by <a href="https://www.amazon.ca/stores/Steve-Backlund/author/B00IW57W6K">Steve Backlund</a>, whose numerous books appeal to the same people who buy the books of NAR figures such as Bill Johnson and Kris Vallotton. <br>
<br>
I can't find any listing for <i>Secret of the Garden</i>; I suspect the proper title is the children's novel <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Secret_Garden">The Secret Garden</a></i> (1911) by Frances Hodgson Burnett.
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-19467285612359909322024-01-21T00:02:00.000-07:002024-01-21T00:02:12.620-07:00100 years ago--the death of Lenin<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171107130038-gettyimages-163399500.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill/f_webp" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171107130038-gettyimages-163399500.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill/f_webp"/></a></div>
<a href="https://media.cnn.com/api/v1/images/stellar/prod/171107130038-gettyimages-163399500.jpg?q=w_1110,c_fill/f_webp">Taking photos of Lenin's body isn't permitted. This rare shot shows the revolutionary leader in October 1991. (Agence France-Presse/Getty Images)</a><br>
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On January 21, 1924, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vladimir_Lenin">Vladimir Lenin</a>, aka Nikolai Lenin, né Vladimir Ilyich Ulyanov, Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Russian Soviet Federative Socialist Republic since 1917 and Chairman of the Council of People's Commissars of the Soviet Union since 1923, died in Gorki, Moscow Governate, at the age of 53, after a series of strokes. Mr. Lenin put the Communist philosophy of Karl Marx into action as the leader of the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/October_Revolution">Bolshevik Revolution</a> that seized power in November 1917, and plunged Russia and much of the world into decades of misery.<br>
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Mr. Lenin produced death and darkness, and his body <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lenin%27s_Mausoleum">remains in his tomb in Moscow</a>. The Lord Jesus Christ, on the other hand, brings life and light (John 1:4-9, 8:12), and resurrected and left His tomb (Matthew 28, Mark 16, Luke 24, John 20), exactly as He predicted, and right on schedule (John 2:19-22). While many people have put their faith in the dead Mr. Lenin, I put my faith in the living Lord Jesus Christ, from whom we have eternal life (John 10:28).Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-6145252482359795232023-12-31T07:58:00.000-07:002023-12-31T07:58:24.712-07:00Drag queen serves as "pastor" with the United Church of Christ in Connecticut<i>Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall</i>. Proverbs 16:18<br>
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<i>Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.</i> Leviticus 18:22 <br>
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<i>The woman shall not wear that which pertaineth unto a man, neither shall a man put on a woman's garment: for all that do so are abomination unto the Lord thy God.</i> Deuteronomy 22:5<br>
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<i>Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:<br />
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.<br />
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:<br />
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.<br />
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;<br />
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,<br />
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,<br />
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:<br />
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.</i> Romans 1:24-32<br />
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The <a href="https://www.ucc.org">United Church of Christ</a> has got to be the most hopelessly apostate pseudo-Christian denomination in the United States. The following, including the reporter's nauseating use of preferred personal pronouns, speaks for itself. As reported by Pamela McLoughlin of the <i><a href="https://www.courant.com">Hartford Courant</a></i>, <a href="https://www.courant.com/2023/10/10/ct-drag-queen-minister-takes-pulpit-in-celebration-of-how-wonderfully-created-we-all-are/">October 10, 2023</a> (bold, links, photos in original): <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margesandra.jpg?w=608" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="574" data-original-width="608" src="https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margesandra.jpg?w=608"/></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margesandra.jpg?w=608">Drag queen minister Marge Erin Johnson, left, with Sandra Montes, dean of of chapel at Union Theological Seminary</a>.</i><br>
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<blockquote>Being a drag queen isn’t a hobby for James Admans. It’s a religious calling.<br>
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Marge Erin Johnson, a drag queen who spends most of their life as James Admans, has started a “drag church” organization, <a href="https://www.theologyqueen.com/about">Theology Queen, LLC</a>.<br>
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Admans calls themselves a “queer minister,” preaches unapologetically and peppers business promotions with phrases such as, “Drag me to church,” and “the most extravagant way to worship God!”<br>
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Johnson’s feather rainbow jacket (a nod to Joseph’s coat of many colors ) screams Pride, their eye shadow and fake lashes say it’s OK to be who you are – and the rhinestones on their dress shine like their humor.<br>
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Johnson, 33, is a 2021 graduate of <a href="https://utsnyc.edu/">Union Theological Seminary</a> in New York City who is very adept at citing scriptures and their history.<br>
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In the drag role Admans is hired at churches to <a href="https://www.theologyqueen.com/drag-church">take the pulpit on Sundays</a>, in hopes to connect with the LGBTQI+ community, as well as the rest of the congregation. “It provides a nonjudgmental sacred space for people to express themselves proudly,” Admans website notes of his work.<br>
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“When you go to a service led by a drag queen it could be spiritually healing,” Admans said. “It’s a celebration of how wonderfully created we all are. You can show up as your authentic self. What God created you to be.”<br>
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While the Johnson persona identifies as a she, Admans, 33, a New Haven resident, identifies by the pronouns they, them, their.<br>
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Admans is a minister for United Church of Christ who fills in as their male self for ministers who are out for various reasons. Admans also is looking for a full-time job at a church as themselves.<br>
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Marge Erin Johnson is a side endeavor for which Admans charges a sliding scale fee of $200 to $500 an appearance, depending on many factors, including the church size and ability to pay, as the main mission is to educate and heal.<br>
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Johnson’s fans say they love all Marge brings to the table as a preacher, activist and drag queen.<br>
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The church supports the drag ministry.<br>
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The Rev. Noah Brewer-Wallin, assistant director of Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion for the <a href="https://www.sneucc.org/">Southern New England Conference, United Church of Christ</a>, said he’s “very excited” about Admans’ call to drag ministry.<br>
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“Because drag is so vilified in our culture right now, even people who want to support drag performers don’t always have a good understanding of what drag is. It can be difficult to parse how drag is both related to and distinct from sexual orientation and gender identity,” Brewer-Wallin said.<br>
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“I’m grateful that James offers themself as an educational resource as part of this ministry, giving church attendees the chance to ask questions and honestly explore,” Brewer-Wallin said.<br>
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Brewer-Wallin said drag belongs in church because it is “a form of creative expression in which people reflect back the creative nature of God.”<br>
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“Drag is often playful and irreverent. Playfulness and irreverence are an invitation to enjoy our God-given bodies that giggle and belly-laugh, and to see the sacred all around us even in the places where we have been taught God and the sacred don’t belong,” Brewer-Wallin said.<br>
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He said <a href="https://www.courant.com/2023/08/24/drag-queens-held-their-own-presidential-debate-ron-desantis-was-the-big-loser/">drag is also a justice issue</a> because “they threaten the ability of all people to express themselves the way they want to…” including issues such as women wearing pants.<br>
<br>
Marge Erin Johnson spoke recently at the <a href="https://www.uua.org/offices/organizations/uu-church-greater-bridgeport">Unitarian Universalist Church of Greater Bridgeport</a>, in Stratford.<br>
<br>
UUCGB is a small lay-led church and also has guest ministers, so after member Emily Prokop met Marge at <a href="https://pride-ct.org/event/pride-in-the-park/">Pride in the Park in Norwalk</a> this summer, Prokop arranged an appearance.<br>
<br>
“I would have loved to have gone to a church where someone like Marge would feel welcome when I was growing up,” Prokop said. “Marge’s service felt like part religious studies discussion, part LGBTQI+ empowerment, part call for spiritually-ship and 100% fabulous and glamorous.”<br>
<br>
During an open discussion portion of the service, people shared their experiences, insights and freely asked questions, Prokop said.<br>
<br>
Marge answered “thoughtfully and gracefully,” Prokop said.<br>
<br>
Prokop said the service brought a new awareness to the congregation about a story from the Bible, Joseph and the coat of many colors. Prokop said the choir got to sing Dolly Parton’s “Coat of Many Colors.”<br>
<br>
Admans said: “I love the story of Joseph in Genesis. There is a queer theological interpretation that the coat of many colors is something akin to a princess dress. Scholars aren’t sure how to translate this accurately. It’s its been called a beautiful robe, an ornamental robe.”<br>
<br>
Joseph is among several Biblical figures who can be identified as non-conforming, Admans said.<br>
<br>
Admans also speaks about how homosexuality appeared specifically in the Bible in later translations, and how they see this perpetuating discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community.<br>
<br>
“Prior to this, the passages that we now associate with homosexuality used different terminology and were interpreted in various ways, often focusing on behaviors like temple sex-work or non-consensual sexual acts,” Admans said.<br>
<br>
“The introduction of the word homosexual into the Bible was a result of evolving language and societal context. This change had significant implications, as it fundamentally altered the interpretation of these passages and has been used to justify discrimination against the LGBTQIA+ community,” Admans said, of their interpretation of the passages.<br>
<br>
At the welcoming and affirming Unitarian Universalist church in Stratford, attendees were welcomed, as they always are when Marge is there, with a table of rainbow hats, beads, boas so they could join in the fun.<br>
<br>
“So people can participate to make it fun, in a way that’s loving,” they said. “If were going to do it, let’s connect.”<br>
<br>
Admans grew up in West Haven where they were a “churchy kid” and Admans thanks their mom and grandmother for taking them to church every Sunday.<br>
<br>
Admans graduated from Amity High School in 2008 and later earned an anthropology degree from Southern Connecticut State University before getting the calling and enrolling in seminary. They hold a master’s of divinity degree.<br>
<br>
<b>The pandemic and Marge Erin Johnson</b><br>
<br>
Admans got into drag during the pandemic when the days were long. Admans had thought for a while about trying it, but was “intimidated.”<br>
<br>
“A lot of people found out about themselves in lockdown. I found drag,” Admans said.<br>
<br>
Marge Erin Johnson emerged during Admans second year of divinity school and someone suggested the preaching.<br>
<br>
“Someone else saw the potential. She saw how the spirit was at work during that ministry.”<br>
<br>
It takes Admans about three hours to transform into Marge Erin Johnson.<br>
<br>
Admans chose the name Marge Erin Johnson because it was something “funny yet, friendly.”<br>
<br>
“I didn’t want anything too shocking,” Admans said, noting they liked the way Marge Erin sounds like “margarine.” They said they’ve always loved the name Marge.<br>
<br>
“I love her. I think she’s fabulous,” Admans said of the Marge persona. “It’s something I feel called to share with other people.”<br>
<br>
Sandra Montes, dean of of chapel at Union Theological Seminary was “super grateful,” that Admans was able to do several drag chapels while at the school.<br>
<br>
“I am a drag lover and have always wanted to do some kind of drag eucharist or church service,” Montes said. “We all want to be seen. We all want to belong. We turn to religion and faith for comfort, for acceptance. Many of us have been told we’re not good enough, particularly by colonized Christianity that is, unfortunately, tied to white supremacy and white evangelical corruption.”<br>
<br>
Montes said if she went to a church and saw Marge preaching or teaching she would say “wow,” in a positive way.<br>
<br>
“There are so many churches that call themselves affirming and open to all and welcoming but they usually have a caveat,” Montes said. “So, seeing a minister in full-on gorgeous drag would absolute say to me: this is a place worth looking into.”<br>
<br>
“Marge’s message is that there is space for everyone to belong, particularly in faith communities,” Admans said.<br>
<br>
“Marge teaches that queerness and faith do not have to be at odds, but can coexist and even be beautifully interwoven to create a profound spiritual life. Marge’s message is one of inclusion and acceptance, promoting the understanding that all are welcome at the table of Jesus.”<br>
<br>
Marge is next booked for Sunday, Oct. 29, at <a href="https://www.fortwashingtonchurch.org/">Fort Washington Collegiate Church</a> in New York City.</blockquote>
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<i><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margebetter.png?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1">Marge Erin Johnson is a drag queen minister who helps the LGBTQI plus community connect with religion, church. Contributed.</a></i>
<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margie.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="600" src="https://i0.wp.com/www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margie.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1"/></a></div>
<i><a href="https://i0.wp.com/www.courant.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/margie.jpg?fit=780%2C9999px&ssl=1">Drag queen minister Marge Erin Johnson outside the Unitarian Universalist Church in Stratford where she recently gave a talk. Contributed.</a></i> <br>
<br>
I had to chuckle when I looked at the website of Fort Washington Collegiate Church. According to a <a href="https://www.fortwashingtonchurch.org/a-statement-on-status-of-fwcc">statement issued by the church</a> on February 7, 2023: <br>
<br>
<i>We are open, affirming, and accepting to all–no matter where you are on life’s journey. We have been a valuable community resource for generations. We are committed to social justice and making a positive impact in the lives of the residents of Northern Manhattan. We are led by our mantra “Love on the Move.”<br>
<br>
It’s true. FWCC is in financial distress and faces risk of closure...</i><br>
<br>
The sooner these churches close, the better. If they don't close their doors, the Lord Himself will do it for them.
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-40225552993956084062023-12-30T23:58:00.016-07:002023-12-31T20:42:14.334-07:00100 years ago--Couéism peaks in North AmericaIt's actually approaching 101 years ago and I should have posted this much earlier, but I didn't want to let the year go by without noting that 2023 marked 100 years since <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Émile_Coué">Émile Coué</a>, a French pharmacist and psychologist whose ideas had achieved popularity in Europe, became even more of a celebrity in America, with an advance publicity campaign preceding his arrival in New York City in January 1923 for a series of personal appearances. <a href="https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Émile_Coué">Dr. Coué</a> and his wife founded La Société Lorraine de Psychologie appliquée (The Lorraine Society of Applied Psychology) in Nancy in 1913. His book <i>La Maîtrise de soi-même par l'autosuggestion consciente (Self-Mastery Through Conscious Autosuggestion)</i> was published in England in 1920, and was a best-seller when it was published in the United States in 1922.<br>
<br>
<a href="https://infogalactic.com/info/Émile_Coué">Dr. Coué</a> could lay claim to be the father of modern positive self-talk, which he called autosuggestion, recommending that people constantly repeat the following saying to themselves: "Tous les jours à tous points de vue je vais de mieux en mieux" ("Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better"). In addition to psychological improvement, advocates of Couéism claimed that repetition of the mantra could effect physical healing. Dr. Coué claimed that he didn't heal people, but that people healed themselves. His campaigns didn't always produce the desired results, as reported in the <i>Edmonton Bulletin</i>, <a href="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/EDB/1922/04/11/1/Ar00114.html">April 11, 1922</a> (bold, capitals in original): <br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Patients Were Made Hysterical Throguh Treatment Being Given by Nerve Specialist at Hospital</b><br>
<br>
<b>-----</b><br>
<br>
TORONTO, April 10--What was intended as a triumphant finale to Dr. Coue's sensational auto-suggestion campaign in England resulted in a near tragedy in a neurological hospital for soldiers at Tooting just outside London, England, according to a special cable to the Mail and Empire today. The cable continues:<br>
<br>
"Lady Beatty, who is responsible in a great measure for Coue's presence in England, introduced the famous expert to patients but was forced to flee from the lecture room when shell-shocked soldiers were plunged into hysteria. Writhing and shrieking, the soldiers flung themselves on the floor, the doctors and nurses being unable to pacify them.<br>
<br>
"The tragic outcome followed Coue's treatment of one patient who declared himself cured of severe headaches. John Withers, a soldier suffering from bodily tremors, was the next patient. Suddenly while Coue was passing his hands over the soldier's body, Withers suddenly gave piercing shrieks, writhed and twisted himself like a contortionist and threw himself on the floor. The effect on the rest of the patients was instantaneous. Man after man groaned and shrieked, gripped with uncontrollable hysteria. A witness said: "The scene was indescribably hellish."<br>
<br>
"Lady Beatty, standing near Withers, attempted to calm him, but her efforts were to no avail. Pandemonium became so great that she was forced to make a hasty retreat.<br>
<br>
"Coue has left for France. The hospital authorities said Sunday night that all the patients had recovered from the temporary hysteria."</blockquote>
(I can't help but notice that the behaviour of the soldiers resulting from Dr. Coué's "treatment" was virtually identical to the behaviour of those who receive the allegedly healing touch of charismaniac frauds such as Rodney Howard-Browne, Benny Hinn, and the "holy laughter" crowd, which those "healers" blasphemously ascribe to the Holy Spirit).<br>
<br>
Dr. Coué's visit to New York proved to be very popular. Those who lived too far away to see Dr. Coué were unable to avoid him, since his name and theories seemed to be everywhere in North America. The Edmonton Journal, for instance, published an exclusive series of articles by Dr. Coué. On February 18, 1923, the short film <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403293/">The Message of Emile Coué</a></i> opened in theatres in the United States. According to <i><a href="https://www.imdb.com/search/title/?plot_author=The%20Film%20Daily%2C%20February%2025%2C%201923">The Film Daily</a></i>, February 25, 1923: <br>
<br>
<blockquote>A demonstration by Emile Coue, by means of titles and illustrations of his points, of the theory of auto-suggestion. Coue is shown lecturing before a group of people, and you get the impression that you yourself are listening. The well-known phrase "Day by Day" is stressed a great many times in the closing sequence and finally the audience is made to say it with M. Coue.</blockquote>
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The film opened in Edmonton on March 12. According to the <i>Edmonton Bulletin</i>, <a href="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/EDB/1923/03/10/13/Ar01304.html">March 10, 1923</a> (bold, capitals in original):<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>M. COUE ON MONDAY AT THE EMPRESS</b><BR>
<BR>
<b>-----</b><BR>
<BR>
<b>His Famous Theories to Be Explained by Pantomimic Gestures</b><br>
<br>
<b>-----</b><br>
<br>
Every day and every way--of course you know the rest. It's the slogan which has covered the continent of America at least. Now it has reached even to the screen, and Emile Coue himself will shortly be seen at the Empress theatre in a sereis of two reel films, on which he will explain his theories by pantomimic gesture...There are no doubt millions of persons who would never otherwise have the benefit of seeing and hearing the famous man who has received more publicity than many a famous screen star.<br>
<br>
After Dr. Coue has explained his theories, the actual practice of the theories will be shown by actors in little scenes following each separate explanation by M. Coue himself. <br>
<br>
The picture starts with the caption, "I am not a miracle man." Then Mr. Coue is photographed saying the words. This is the method employed through the picture. Extracts from his book on auto-suggestion are also given in written form on the screen, and then M. Coue is shown speaking and gesturing accordingly. He seems, it is said, to have a real gift of pantomime.<br>
<br>
Manager Bert Blackmore, of the Empress theatre, knowing the intense interest taken in the Coue method and knowing that, after all, few persons know very little about it, is progressive enough to obtain these films for his theatre, so all will have an opportunity of getting M. Coue and his theories practically at first hand.</blockquote>
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For those unaware of cinematic history, movies were silent in 1923, thus explaining the need for "pantomimic gestures." I don't know if the film still exists, but Internet Movie Database hasn't received the minimum number of five viewer responses required to provide a numerical rating.<br>
<br>
Dave Hunt offered the following comments on Émile Coué: <br>
<br>
<i>Of all the false messiahs of recent times, none seems less likely than Emile Coué. Yet few people have played a more important part in the preparation of the world for the Antichrist than the almost comic "originator of the psychotherapeutic system called Couéism"...Couéism was the modern forerunner to self-help and other New Age groups and beliefs that are proliferating at an almost unbelievable rate across the United States in the 1980's and even infiltrating the church. <br>
<br>
While working as an obscure pharmacist in Troyes, France, around the turn of the century, Emile Coué "observed his patients receiving from certain drugs beneficial effects that could not be ascribed to the medicines. That led him to believe that it was the power of 'imagination' that effected the cure." This discovery launched Coué into a study of hypnosis around 1901, with special interest in the apparent therapeutic effects of self-hypnosis. The modern applications of hypnosis have their roots in "Mesmerism." However, it was Coué who carried Mesmer's theory to its logical conclusion and thereby laid the foundation for the New Age...<br>
<br>
...One of the earliest pioneers of the free clinic concept, Coué seemed to be genuine in his concern to help others. In 1910 he set up a free clinic iin Nancy, France to practice his now-perfected system...In 1920 he set up a clinic in New York...<br>
<br>
...Preaching remarkable powers of "suggestion," the Messiah of the New Age had arrived befoe his time. In spite of the cure of so many serious ailments by the power of "suggestion" that Couéism effected throughout the Western world, Coué's "system" eventually fell into disrepute. Couéism failed because it was taken to be exaclty what its originator claimed: a "system." As Coué's followers forgot to believe what they were saying and chanted the magic words more and more mechanically, the cures became less and less, until no one believed anymore.<br>
<br>
Had Coué only lived into the New Age, he would have seen himself fully vindicated in the adoption of hypnosis by the American Medical Association and its growing use by psychologists and psychiatrists. The old master would be pleased, too, to see in the 1980s a host of self-improvement techniques based upon the very same "power of suggestion" that he was convinced could cure anything: "positive thinking," "possibility thinking," self-hypnosis tapes by the thousands, numerous salesmanship and management success seminars used by both Christians and non-Christians, positive mental attitude (PMA) seminars, est (Erhard Seminars Training), Lifespring, Silva Mind Control, Alpha Level Training, biofeedback, guided imagery, creative visualization, Confluent Education, psychotherapies by the score, and an almost endless list of other New Age self-improvement techniques...<br>
<br>
...Whereas Mesmer publicly declared that "he could help only people suffering from nervous disorders and no others," Coué demonstrated that the power of suggestion has no such limits. The New Age is a revival of Coué's adaptation and extension of Mesmer's limited theory: that human potential is unlimited, because the mind through suggestion can accomplish and create anything that it believes it can...</i> (Dave Hunt, <i>Peace, Prosperity, and the Coming Holocaust</i>, 1983, pp. 117-120)<br>
<br>
By the end of 1923, there were signs that the popularity of Couéism had passed its peak, and his name seldom appeared in North American newspapers after that year until his death in Nancy on July 2, 1926 at the age of 69. Although Dr. Coué's fame was relatively short-lived, and his name is largely unknown today, his influence remains, with his spiritual descendants including <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Napoleon_Hill">Napoleon Hill</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maxwell_Maltz">Maxwell Maltz</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/W._Clement_Stone">W. Clement Stone</a>, <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_Vincent_Peale">Norman Vincent Peale</a>, and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Robert_H._Schuller">Robert Schuller</a>, some of whom masqueraded as Christians, and all of whom have been influential in the New Age Movement.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-9884756700198239722023-12-22T06:23:00.004-07:002023-12-31T20:44:05.192-07:00An Anglican "church" in Winnipeg hosts an alphabet pervert "reimagination" of Handel's Messiah<i>Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall</i>. Proverbs 16:18<br>
<br>
<i>Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.</i> Leviticus 18:22 <br>
<br>
<i>Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:<br />
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.<br />
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:<br />
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.<br />
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;<br />
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,<br />
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,<br />
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:<br />
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.</i> Romans 1:24-32<br />
<br />
<i>Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.</i> II Timothy 3:1-5 <br>
<br>
According to the <a href="https://www.anglican.ca/">Anglican Church of Canada</a>'s own <a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2019/12/anglican-church-of-canada-will-be-dead_22.html">report</a> from 2019, the church will be dead by 2040. The death will be self-inflicted and well-deserved, evidence of which includes the following, as reported by John Longhurst in the <i><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com">Winnipeg Free Press</a></i>, <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/entertainment/music/2023/12/20/lgbttq-reimagining-of-handels-messiah-a-way-to-push-back-expectations">December 20, 2023 (updated December 21, 2023)</a> (photos in original): <br>
<br>
<blockquote>Messiah Queered — that’s the title of a reimagining of Handel’s classic oratorio performed through an LGBTTQ+ lens.<br>
<br>
The oratorio, a staple at Christmas time for many people, will be performed by the Rainbow Harmony Project choir, together with soloists and a 16-piece orchestra made up of professional and amateur players at Holy Trinity Anglican Church Friday at 7:30 p.m.<br>
<br>
The idea for the performance came up during a conversation between Nathan Poole, a local violin and piano teacher, and Sandra Bender, music director at Holy Trinity Church.<br>
<br>
Bender, who is bisexual and the soprano soloist in the performance, thought it would be a great oratorio for LGBTTQ+ people.<br>
<br>
“It’s the story of a transient who hung out with marginalized people, who offered love and self-sacrifice and who experienced rejection and betrayal — something LGBTTQ+ people understand in all too real a way,” she said.<br>
<br>
Kathleen Murphy, a student and choir director for Rainbow Harmony Project and the mezzo-soprano in the performance, said doing the Messiah through an LGBTTQ+ lens is “a way to push back expectations.”<br>
<br>
That includes who does the solos. In a traditional performance of Messiah, a bass sings the aria, “Why do the nations so furiously rage,” but Murphy is singing the part this time.<br>
<br>
“It’s fun to sing such a powerful aria,” Murphy, who is non-binary and a soloist at Young United Church, said.<br>
<br>
Bender, meanwhile, will sing The Trumpet Shall Sound, which is also usually a bass part, while tenor Kyle Briscoe will sing Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion, traditionally sung by a soprano.<br>
<br>
“Nothing musically is altered, but we’re swapping gender roles, subverting them,” said Poole, who is gay and conducting the concert.<br>
<br>
For Bender, The Messiah can be seen as “a trans anthem, with its lyrics about people “being changed at the sound of the last trumpet when we will be revealed in our best and truest form. I’m happy to be the one who conveys that message in the concert.”<br>
<br>
While singing it, “We can be our full authentic selves, be unapologetic about our queerness,” she said.<br>
<br>
The three noted the church at 256 Smith St., which is donating use of the sanctuary for the performance, is a welcoming, safe space for members of the LGBTTQ+ community. That’s important for those who might be cautious about going into a church because of the way they have been treated in the past.<br>
<br>
Along with listening to the concert, audience members are invited to bring a score and sing along, said Poole.<br>
<br>
“It’s not every day people get to sing with an orchestra,” he said, noting audience members are encouraged to dress in drag if they want.<br>
<br>
Tickets for the concert, which is sponsored by the Manitoba Arts Council, can be purchased at the Rainbow Harmony Project site at wfp.to/j44 or with cash at the door. The cost is $25 per person, with all proceeds being donated to Sunshine House, a community drop-in and resource centre focusing on harm reduction and social inclusion.</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered06.jpg?w=1000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered06.jpg?w=1000"/></a></div>
<a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered06.jpg?w=1000"><i>Bass-baritone Stephen Haiko-Pena takes part in a dress rehearsal Wednesday of Messiah Queered at Holy Trinity Anglican Church. (Brook Jones/Winnipeg Free Press)</i></a>
<br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered05.jpg?w=1000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered05.jpg?w=1000"/></a></div>
<a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered05.jpg?w=1000"><i>Kathleen Murphy, who is a student and choir manager for Rainbow Harmony Project, sings during a dress rehearsal for the upcoming production of Messiah Queered at Holy Trinity Anglican Church in Winnipeg, Wednesday. (Brook Jones/Winnipeg Free Press)</i> </a><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered01.jpg?w=1000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="533" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered01.jpg?w=1000"/></a></div>
<a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1935733_web1_BJ-12202013MessiahQueered01.jpg?w=1000"><i>Nathan Poole conducts the dress rehearsal of Messiah Queered. The production is a re-imagining of Handel's classic oratorio performed through a LGBTTQ+ lens. (Brook Jones/Winnipeg Free Press)</i></a><br>
<br>
The reader will note that these agents of Satan can't write their own oratorio, but have to resort to mangling a traditional masterpiece. Some of the perverts of the past were at least capable of producing good music and art, but with present-day perverts, their whole lives seem to revolve around celebrating and promoting their abominations. <br>
<br>
Here's an example of a proper performance of Handel's <i>Messiah</i> that you can wash your ears out with: <br>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/71NCzuDNUcg" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe>
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<br>
<b>December 28, 2023 update</b>: If you're wondering why Holy Trinity Anglican Church was hosting this abomination, the following may explain, as reported by Mr. Longhurst in the <i>Winnipeg Free Press</i>, <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2023/12/27/departing-intelligent-and-gifted-downtown-cleric-will-be-missed-bishop-says">December 27, 2023</a> (photo in original): <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1943059_web1_Andrew-Rampton.jpg?w=1000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="562" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1943059_web1_Andrew-Rampton.jpg?w=1000"/></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/12/1943059_web1_Andrew-Rampton.jpg?w=1000">Andrew Rampton, rector at Holy Trinity Anglican Church, is leaving the congregation for another opportunity in Ontario early next year. (John Longhurst/Winnipeg Free Press)</a></i> <br>
<br>
<blockquote>It was a bittersweet Christmas Day for Andrew Rampton, rector at Holy Trinity Anglican Church.<br>
<br>
On the one hand, he was looking forward to preaching on that special day in the downtown church’s calendar. But since it was his last sermon as rector at the historic 139-year-old church, it was a sad occasion.<br>
<br>
Rampton, 41, and his husband, Adam Dobson, an architectural technologist, will head to Hamilton, where Dobson has new work opportunities, on Jan. 2. Rampton will be taking up a new job as rector at St. John the Evangelist Anglican Church.<br>
<br>
Rampton, who was born and raised in Morden, arrived at Holy Trinity in 2020 via a circuitous route.<br>
<br>
Although he grew up in a family that notionally claimed to belong to the United Church of Canada, “We went to church very seldom,” he said, adding “I grew up largely neutral or negative when it came to religion.”<br>
<br>
While religion wasn’t his thing, he realized in his early teens that he was gay.<br>
<br>
Being a gay person in a small town was a challenge, but so was moving to Winnipeg to study at the University of Manitoba in the early 2000s.<br>
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“There wasn’t the same kind of LGBTTQ+ community back then like there is now,” he said. “There were gay clubs, but they were private. There was a sense of danger, an underground feeling about it. And most churches weren’t accepting of gay people.”<br>
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Going to church wasn’t on his mind until a music teacher told him about an opening in the choir at Holy Trinity Church. Rampton, who had been taking piano and singing lessons, took it — not because he was religious, but because it was a chance to sing and earn a small honorarium.<br>
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“It paid half my rent,” he said.<br>
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At first, nobody at the church made an issue of his sexuality, but when a new rector arrived things changed.<br>
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Rampton admits he was full of opinions about how the church was being run and not afraid to share them — something that didn’t endear him to the new rector. When the rector fired him, “there was no gentle correction or discussion,” he remembered.<br>
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“The speculation is it was less about my critique and more about me being gay” he said. “It was a proxy for the real issue.”<br>
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His involvement with church didn’t end, though. Almost immediately, St. Luke’s Anglican Church asked him to join them as a singer and organist. Later, he went to St. Paul’s Anglican and then to St. Michael’s and All Angels. where he served as organist and choir master. That is also where he joined the church and fell in love with liturgy.<br>
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“The way they did liturgy there really worked for me,” Rampton said. “It was a good place to be. It was a fertile soil for my spiritual soul to grow in.”<br>
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Feeling a call to ministry, he left for seminary in Ontario in 2014 where he developed a deep appreciation for the rituals, ceremonies and traditions of the church.<br>
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“I’m happy to wear miles of lace, swing incense and sing Gregorian chants” he said.<br>
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After graduation, he landed at Holy Trinity, not expecting it would be such a short stay.<br>
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One thing he’s loved about being at the church is its ministries, such as the Lunchroom, which serves 250 meals once a week to downtown residents.<br>
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“It’s one of the very few food programs downtown where unhoused or precariously housed people can get a meal right away,” he said.<br>
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He said he hopes the church, which has between 50 and 60 people in the pews on a Sunday morning, can stay viable and be an active presence downtown.<br>
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“The church needs to be here,” he said. “It needs a safe place where people can just be. There aren’t many other places where people can go for free, where nobody wants anything from you.”<br>
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As for being a gay priest, his sexuality has “never been an impediment,” to his ministry, Rampton said, but acknowledges not all are comfortable with him being in that role; he’s been called a false teacher and “living in sin.”<br>
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He has appreciated the support of Geoff Woodcroft, the Bishop of Rupert’s Land, who has permitted individual Anglican churches to decide for themselves how welcoming and affirming of LGBTTQ+ people they will be.<br>
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“Some have never met a gay priest,” he said, of the message his role sends to LGBTTQ+ people who have been hurt by Christianity. Some tell him “If the church accepts you, then I must be OK in God’s eyes, too.”<br>
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Rampton’s departure makes Woodcroft sad. But he is grateful for his service.<br>
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“His contributions have been outstanding,” Woodcroft said. “He has a rich theology of how to be a priest in the world today.”<br>
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He praised Rampton’s work on behalf of downtown residents.<br>
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“He knows many of them on a first-name basis,” he said, adding his work as a liturgist has resulted in “solid and alive worship.”<br>
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“He is intelligent and gifted, and we are going to miss him,” he said.</blockquote>
I don't know if there are any normal male clergymen left in the Anglican Church of Canada, but there won't be any clergy of any kind in that "church" anymore, the way it's going.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-80757054473863274642023-11-30T08:21:00.002-07:002023-11-30T08:21:38.468-07:00"Perfect solar system" discovered 100 light years away<span style="font-style:italic;">When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;
What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?</span> Psalms 8:3-4 <br>
<br>
<span style="font-style:italic;">The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork.</span> Psalms 19:1 <br>
<br>
<span style="font-style:italic;">Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.</span> Revelation 4:11 <br>
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As reported by Pallab Ghosh of <i><a href="https://www.bbc.com/news">BBC News</a></i>, <a href="https://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-67488931">November 29, 2023</a> (link in original): <br>
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<blockquote>Researchers have located "the perfect solar system", forged without the violent collisions that made our own a hotchpotch of different-sized planets.<br>
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The system, 100 light years away, has six planets, all about the same size. They've barely changed since its formation up to 12 billion years ago.<br>
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These undisturbed conditions make it ideal for learning how these worlds formed and whether they host life.<br>
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The research has been published in the scientific journal, Nature.<br>
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The creation of our own solar system was a violent process. As planets were forming some crashed into each other, disturbing orbits and leaving us with giants like Jupiter and Saturn alongside relatively small worlds like our own.<br>
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In the system HD110067, as astronomers have rather drily named it, things couldn't be more different.<br>
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Not only are the planets similarly sized; in a far cry from the unrelated timing of the orbits of the planets in our own solar system, these rotate in synch.<br>
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In the time it takes for the innermost planet to go around the star three times, the next planet along gets around twice, and so on out to the fourth planet in the system. From there things change to a 4:3 pattern of relative orbit speeds for the last two planets.<br>
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This intricate planetary choreography is so precise that that the researchers have created a cyclical musical piece, akin to a Philip Glass-style composition, with notes and rhythms corresponding to each planet and their orbital periods...<br>
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Dr Rafael Luque, of the University of Chicago, who led the research described HD110067 as "the perfect solar system".<br>
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"It is ideal for studying how planets are created, because this solar system didn't have the chaotic beginnings ours did and has been undisturbed since its formation."<br>
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Dr Marina Lafarga-Magro, of Warwick University, said that the system was "beautiful and unique".<br>
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"It is really exciting, just seeing something that no-one has seen before," she told BBC News.<br>
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ver the past thirty years, astronomers have discovered thousands of star systems. But none of them are so well suited to study how planets formed. The planets' near identical size and the system's undisturbed nature are gold dust for astronomers because they make it much easier to compare and contrast them. That will help build up a picture of how they first formed and how they evolved.<br>
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The system also has a bright star which will make it easier to look for life signs in the planets' atmospheres.<br>
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All six of the new planets are what astronomers call "sub-Neptunes", which are larger than the Earth and smaller than the planet Neptune (which is four times wider than the Earth). The six newly discovered planets are between two and three times the size of Earth.<br>
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Interest in the new findings has been supercharged since the discovery in September that a sub-Neptune planet, called K2-18b, in another star system, <a href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-66786611">has an atmosphere with hints of a gas that on Earth is produced by living organisms</a>. Astronomers call this a biosignature.<br>
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Although our own solar system does not contain any sub-Neptunes, they are thought to be the most common type of planet in the galaxy. Yet astronomers know surprisingly little about these worlds.<br>
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They do not know whether they are mostly made of rock, gas or water, or critically, whether they provide conditions for life.<br>
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Finding out these details is "one of the hottest topics in the field" according to Dr Luque, adding that the discovery of HD110067 gives his team the perfect opportunity to answer that question relatively quickly.<br>
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"It could be a matter of less than ten years," he told BBC News.<br>
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"We know the planets, we know where they are, we just need slightly more time, but it will happen."<br>
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If the team's next round of observations indicates that sub-Neptunes can also support life, it greatly increases the number of possible habitable planets and therefore increases the chances of detecting signs of life on another world sooner rather than later.<br>
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The race is now on to detect biosignatures on one of the six new sub-Neptunes, or dozens of others detected by rival groups. With a battery of new telescopes with enhanced capabilities and others about to come online, many astronomers believe that we may not have too long to wait for that moment.<br>
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The planets were detected using NASA's Transiting Exoplanet Survey Satellite (TESS) and ESA's CHaracterising ExOPlanet Satellite (Cheops).</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-82399829653090650542023-10-31T23:56:00.004-06:002023-11-01T02:38:27.064-06:00100 years ago--a prediction and alleged evidence for human evolution<i>And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die.<br>
For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, that your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.</i> Genesis 3:4-5<br>
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The belief that humanity has improved over time and will continue to do so was popular in the 1920s, and persists into the 2020s, despite evidence to the contrary. However, there was some skepticism toward one such theory of human advancement, as reported by <i>Canadian Press</i> and published in <i>The Calgary Daily Herald</i>, September 15, 1923 (bold, capitals in original): <br>
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<blockquote><b>EVOLUTION OF NEW SUPERMAN IS IN STORE FOR HUMANITY</b><br>
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More Brains, Quicker in Intuition than the Mortals of Today<br>
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<b>PREDICTION MADE BY EDINBURGH SCIENTIST</b><br>
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European Savants Inclined to Disbelieve Original Theory<br>
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<b>(By Canadian Press)</b><br>
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LONDON, Sept. 15 - Humanity is threatened with the evolution of a new type of superman, according to the discovery of Captain A.G. Pape, and Edinburgh anthropologist, who read a paper yesterday in Liverpool at the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science.<br>
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He declared that after five years' study of various types of children of American and Australian descent, he was satisfied that a new race was arising. He included among characteristic marks on which he based his theory a distinct increase in cranial development and a definite dome over the frontal region of the skull; hair fine in texture; skin smoothly grained; eyes especially luminous and intelligent and eyebrows rather prominent.<br>
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The type face, Captain Pape added, will be somewhat triangular with a narrow chin.<br>
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<b>Not Brains Alone</b><br>
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The new type will not be all brains and no body, but will be quick in intuition. The new race, in Captain Pape's view, would show a disposition for a diet without meat and coarse foods and would not have a large appetite along any line.<br>
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The forerunners of the new race showed an inclination to be playful and mischievous. The type needed sympathetic understanding.<br>
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The discussion which followed the reading of Captain Pape's paper indicated that the arguments advanced in support of the captain's theory were not convincing. The audience showed incredulity. One member declared that the race outlined by the captain appeared to be tubercular degenerates.</blockquote>
As reported in the Montreal <i>Gazette</i>, September 15, 1923 (bold, capitals in original): <br>
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<blockquote><b>TWO UNKNOWN TYPES OF HUMAN FAMILY FOUND</b><br>
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<b>'Rhodesian Man' and 'Nebraska Tooth' Recent Discoveries</b><br>
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<b>DOMAIN OF FOSSIL MAN</b><br>
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<b>Features Regarded as Purely Human Found in Baby Apes--Not in Adults</b><br>
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<b>Special Cable to the New York Times and Montreal Gazette</b><br>
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Liverpool, Sept. 14 - Interest in the chemical and physical sections was a notable feature of the meeting of the British Association today. The theatre of the university has proved too small for the large attendance at the lectures, and there is every indication that this year's meeting will be one of the most successful in the history of the association.<br>
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Five more presidential addresses were delivered today, and among others of great interest was that by Professor Elliot Smith, delivered before the whole association in Philharmonic Hall. Taking as his subject the study of man, Professor Smith said that the recent discovery of the remains of "the Rhodesian man" and of "the Nebraska tooth" had added two hitherto unknown types of the human family, and had also extended the domain of fossil man to two more continents. It was now possible to construct the family tree of man and his nearest allies and to draw certain inferences as to the nature of the evolutionary changes that had occurred in the humabn family since it first came into existence.<br>
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One of the most peculiar results of such studies was the fact that some of the traits regarded as distinctive of the higher races of men were found in the new-born members of the lower races, and were subsequently lost by them. Certain features usually regarded as distinctive of man were found in new-born gorillas and chimpanzees, but not in adults. The truth was that the apes were more specialized than man. In adaptation to their particular mode of life they have lost many primitive characteristics which he had retained, but at the expense of losing plasticity and adaptability, which the most valuable parts of the human make up. It was only by realizing this feature of human psychology, he said, the history of man could be understood.<br>
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After giving a summary of the mode of evolution of the human brain, as based fundamentally on the development of the power of vision, the lecturer argued that comparative anatomy should be linked with psychology, and both with the history of culture. Only on such a basis could the true science of man be built up.</blockquote>
Rhodesian Man (<i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_rhodesiensis">Homo rhodesiensis</a></i>) was a species name devised by the English palaeontologist <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Smith_Woodward">Sir Arthur Smith Woodward</a> (who fell for the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Piltdown_Man">Piltdown Man</a> hoax) to classify <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabwe_1">Kabwe 1</a>, a cranium (that's all, folks, just a cranium) discovered in a mine in Northern Rhodesia (now Zambia) in 1921. As is so often the case with man's alleged ancestors, much of the science surrounding Rhodesian Man consists of guessing, and <i>Homo rhodesiensis</i> is now widely regarded as synonymous with Heidelberg Man (<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Homo_heidelbergensis"><i>Homo heidelbergensis</i></a>).<br>
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As for <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nebraska_Man">Nebraska Man</a>, whose status as an ancestor of modern man was based on the discovery of a single tooth, his disappearance from the list of man's ancestors was announced in February 1928 when the tooth turned out to be from an extinct peccary. See my post <i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2018/02/90-years-ago-nebraska-man-suddenly.html">90 years ago: Nebraska Man suddenly disappears from the list of modern man's alleged ancestors</a></i> (February 18, 2018).
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-24852137380397977102023-09-30T04:42:00.000-06:002023-09-30T04:42:02.644-06:00100 years ago--Canadian Anglicans envision new social orderThe social gospel which replaced the true gospel in the mainline churches was already at work in the Church of England in Canada (now the <a href="https://www.anglican.ca">Anglican Church of Canada</a>) a century ago, with man bringing in the kingdom of God. Even with that liberalism, you'll notice that their views on immigration would bring instant condemnation today. There were no women clergy then, of course, and alphabet perverts were in the closet instead of the pulpit. As reported in the <i>Calgary Daily Herald</i>, September 17, 1923, p. 10 (bold, headlines in original):<br>
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<blockquote><b>ANGLICANS GIVEN VISION OF NEW SOCIAL REGIME</b><BR>
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Canon Vernon Presents His Report As Secretary To Big Congress<br>
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NOT REVOLUTION, BUT AN ORDERLY PROCESS <br>
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Immigration Issue to Be Fully Discussed by Church Heads <br>
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The vision of a new social order was outlined at the opening session of the boards of the general Synod of the Church of England in Canada, which for the next ten days will be held in the Paget Hall. Practically the whole of the morning, after routine had been transacted, was taken up with the consideration of the report of the general secretary of the council of social service, the Rev. Canon C.W. Vernon.<br>
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He stated that in the new vision the value of personality would be applied at all costs in the realms of business, industry, politics and the social order generally, in which the sacrificial service for others would become the normal characteristic of the professing Christian, and the distinguishing mark of the true Christian.<br>
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<b>Not Violence of Revolution</b> <br>
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That social order, he said, was not to be developed by the violence of revolution, but by the orderly progress of an evolution ever tending upward and onward. There was no short cut to the realization of that ideal. Love alone, not force, could build the city of God. The new social order, he said, would never be consummated by the establishment of a reign of law enforced by penalties whether legalized or of the Ku Klux Klan variety. The new order would be a kingdom of love, expressing itself in service, a commonwealth of God, in which every laborer, whether with brain or hand, would have the artist's joy of achievement, in which each would seek the good of all, and all would spend themselves in service for otehrs. <br>
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<b>The Immigration Issue</b> <br>
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The question of immigration was also dealt with at considerable length in the report, and this will be fully discussed at a later period. In connection with that phase the report pointed out that the council had no more important work than in looking after the newcomer. They were witnessing the building of a nation and a church by the process of immigration. They were naturally anxious that the best of their British traditions, and the ideals of the Church of England, should shape and fashion the life of the Canadian nation within the British commonwealth. There was much to encourage them. The census figures of 1921 published in the spring showed that in the last decade the percentage of people of British racial origin in Canada increased from 54.08 in 1911 to 55.40 in 1921. The percentage of Anglicans in Canada, which was 12.6 in 1901, and 14.47 in 1911, had risen to 16.02 in 1921. <br>
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<b>Emigration to States</b> <br>
<br>
While immigration to Canada was a bright and interesting side of the picture, unfortunately there was another factor to be considered, and that was the large emigration from Canada to the United States of native-born Canadians and of comparatively recent newcomers from the mother land. They must build up their own economic and social life so efficiently that all would be convinced that there was no country with greater prospects, more opportunities for service and more attraction as a place to spend one's life than Canada. <br>
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<b>Helping British Harvesters</b><br>
<br>
Incidentally Canon Vernon stated that much good work had been accomplished in connection with the large number of British harvesters that had arrived in the Dominion. Each of these had been presented with a card on landing at Quebec or Halifax, that if any of them found themselves "up against it" they should write to the headquarters of the Social Service Council.<br>
<br>
In commencing his report Canon Vernon stated that were two widely prevalent but mistaken ideas met with in connection with social service. One was that it was for the poor alone; the other that the church's social ministry was badly needed in the overcrowded centres of population, but had no place in their rural districts. "It cannot be too emphatically asserted," he said, "that the church's social ministry is for the rich, among whom very often the under-privileged and maladjusted are to be found, as well as for those poor in the world's goods, and that our rural districts have to the full as many social problems as our cities and towns. It is because of this universal need of social service that the value of the church in coping with the need should be recognized more than is often the case."<br>
<br>
There was a very full attendance of high Anglican church dignitaries present when the initial session opened on Monday morning. The Very Rev. C.P. Matheson, Primate of all Canada, presided.<br>
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Altogether there are more than 120 archbishops, bishops, clergy and laity in attendance. It is the first time that this important gathering has been held in the west. At all Anglican churches in the city on Sunday, special sermons were delivered, the primate preaching at the Pro-Cathedral in the morning, and the Bishop of Huron in the evening. <br>
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The boards meeting here represent the Missionary Society, Religious Education, and Social Service. The last mentioned was the subject which engaged attention at the opening of proceedings on Monday. One of the chief features of this was the question of immigration. <br>
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A public meeting will be held in the Paget Hall at 8 o'clock on Monday, under the auspices of the council of Social Service. The speakers will be the Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Ottawa, whose subject will be "Christianity and the Public Conscience," and the Rt. Rev. the Bishop of Saskatchewan, who will talk on "Immigration."</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-55467414409894425772023-09-29T23:56:00.002-06:002023-09-30T04:29:45.954-06:00Sufi conference in Morocco highlights global citizenship<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XbMT3e9cRS4" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe><br>
<br>
I'm not a fan of <i><a href="https://www.unz.com/">The Unz Review</a></i>; I don't share or endorse the anti-Israel and anti-Jewish bias expressed by many of its columnists. However, it does sometimes publish interesting items, such as the following by Kevin Barrett, a convert to Islam, originally on <i><a href="https://kevinbarrett.substack.com/p/huge-sufi-conference-in-morocco-highlights">Substack</a></i>, on <a href="https://www.unz.com/kbarrett/huge-sufi-conference-in-morocco-highlights-global-citizenship/">September 28, 2023</a> (bold, link in original):<br>
<br>
<blockquote>Since I came to Islam in 1993, I have attended plenty of Sufi get-togethers, both here in Morocco and back in the USA. They are generally modest affairs (except for the food, which can be pretty lavish). Typically a couple of dozen people at most gather in a circle if it’s a mosque, or a rectangle if it’s a Moroccan sala, to perform dhikr, a kind of chanting, swaying group meditation. After an hour or two of dhikr, sometimes including an exhortation or discussion led by the shaykh, a communal meal is enjoyed. And I do mean communal—people reach in to eat off the same plate and drink out of the same glass.<br>
<br>
I spent the day yesterday at a very different kind of Sufi gathering: a big academic-style conference sponsored by corporations, NGOs, and presumably the Moroccan government. Entitled “<b><a href="https://m.facebook.com/fondationAlMoultaqa/posts/pcb.651010973790045/?photo_id=651010647123411&mds=%2Fphotos%2Fviewer%2F%3Fphotoset_token%3Dpcb.651010973790045%26photo%3D651010647123411%26profileid%3D100002369316004%26eav%3DAfbZSpj2yIhVDgj_3dEYv2MpKHYICIE7yvTLAiX5wWE3nrF3tKOZZF8AGwT0ueBiS9M%26paipv%3D0%26source%3D48%26%3DEH-R%26cached_data%3Dfalse%26ftid%3D&mdp=1&mdf=1">Sufism: Religious and Civic Values for Global Citizenship</a></b>,” it was hosted by the Boutchichiyya Zawiya in Madargh, Morocco, and coordinated with the Mawlid an-Nabi (the Prophet’s birthday, celebrated today).<br>
<br>
Sufism, often defined as “Islamic mysticism,” has had a long, ambivalent relationship with institutional forces and with power in general. Organized into tariqas or brotherhoods, some Sufis have supported rulers, others have opposed them, while the majority have oscillated between offering friendly and critical feedback. Today, some politically-engaged Muslims view Sufism negatively because, they say, it promotes quietism and navel-gazing rather than engagement with the formidable challenges facing the community. But historically, that’s just not true. Sufis have generally been about as activist (or not-so-activist) as anyone else.<br>
<br>
Personally, my “truth jihadi” activism is inspired in part by Moroccan malamati Sufism. The malamatis (“people of blame”) don’t mind being vilified, because they don’t care about anyone’s opinion but God’s. The Moroccan malamatis have traditionally specialized in speaking truth to power, often in shocking ways. Middle Eastern malamatis, by contrast, traditionally did stupid things like filling wine bottles with water and chugging from them in the mosque to give the false impression that they’re obnoxious drunkards. (Since the last of the Middle Eastern malamatis got chased out of town a long time ago, you’re unlikely to see any on your next trip to Baghdad or Damascus.)...<br>
<br>
...The serious business of the conference involved the notion of global citizenship (citoyenneté globale). In French and English, that sounds a bit like your status under the forthcoming world government being set up by the likes of George Soros and Klaus Schwab. But the Arabic phrase, موطنة شاملة, has rather different connotations. The word for citizenship, موطنة, stems from the notion of وطن (national homeland) and might be translated as “national homeland-belonging.” And the word شاملة means “inclusive” or “comprehensive.” So موطنة شاملة (an inclusive/comprehensive homeland-belonging) sounds, to my ears at least, markedly different from citoyenneté globale. While on one level the conference slogan could mean moving toward “world citizenship,” on another it can imply moving toward an even stronger attachment to national homelands than exists today.<br>
<br>
Various Moroccan speakers at the conference, including Dr. Larbi Taouaf of Mohammad 1 University in Oujda, made it clear that one of the references of “national homeland-belonging” was to Morocco’s unique version of national-unity-in-diversity. Morocco, Dr. Taouaf explained, has spent many centuries forging an inclusive national identity bringing together a great many languages and ethnicities. The unifying factor, he suggested, is Islamic religious and spiritual values (which of course promote coexistence and dialogue with other faiths). By contrast, the postcolonial West’s experience of promoting secular-based “diversity” and “multiculturalism” and “pluralism” has only existed for a few decades and doesn’t seem to be working out very well.<br>
<br>
Morocco’s approach, Dr. Taouaf said, differs from today’s Western liberalism in that it is “against identity politics in the public sphere.” In other words, Moroccans and their government don’t much care what you do or say in private, but have no compunction about placing limits on your ability to become a public nuisance. (When an American speaker apostrophizing “tolerance” ill-advisedly brought up the fraught issues of gender and sexuality, the next speaker, a Moroccan, subtly but pointedly rebuked him by citing the famous Qur’anic dictate to “command good and forbid evil.”)<br>
<br>
It seems to me that rather than asking their hosts whether Morocco is liberal and democratic enough, Western visitors should ask themselves: Is identity-politics-based liberal democracy really the best way to run a country? Case in point: Today’s Washington Post features three excellent articles on how liberalism (say anything you want on social media, including incitements to violence) plus democracy (whoever riles up the voters the most wins) plus identity politics (Hindu fascism) is producing hell-on-earth in Modi’s godforsaken India...<br>
<br>
...Meanwhile, back at the conference: How can Sufism, rather than “liberal democracy,” promote good citizenship around the world? I would answer that question by arguing that the mystical dimension of religion, rather than the exoteric and especially the identity politics dimension, is what inspires devotion to the good, the true, and the beautiful, thereby inspiring good behavior. If Hindus in India, for example, spent more time meditating on the Upanishads, and less time lynching Muslims and Christians (and voting and campaigning for people who promote the lynchings) they would be both better mystics and better citizens.<br>
<br>
People are more likely to follow rules of good behavior if they can directly sense, intuit, or even know that there is a divine Reality behind those rules. Mysticism teaches direct encounters with the Reality at the heart of religion.</blockquote>
Just as mysticism promotes globalism, it also promotes universalism; those who so-called contemplative spirituality, for instance, come across people from other religions who report similar experiences, leading to the conclusion that the experiences must be coming from the same source--which is why it's dangerous to rely on the shifting sand of subjective experience rather than on the solid, unchanging truth of the Bible. This mysticism is contributing to the deception characteristic of the end times prior to the return of the Lord Jesus Christ.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-19086224070208584962023-09-05T20:56:00.001-06:002023-09-05T20:56:29.088-06:00More evidence of apostasy in the Church of England
<i>Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.</i> II Timothy 3:5<br>
<br>
As reported by Harriet Sherwood of <i><a href="https://www.theguardian.com">The Guardian</a></i>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/29/cornish-church-reverses-ban-on-female-vicars">July 29, 2023</a>: <br>
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<blockquote>A Cornish church that banned women from applying to be its new vicar – despite once counting Dawn French, star of the TV comedy The Vicar of Dibley, among its flock – has reversed the decision under new management.<br>
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A newly elected governing council at St Fimbarrus church in the picturesque port of Fowey in Cornwall has told parishioners that a “new season” has begun.<br>
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In a statement, the parochial church council (PCC) said the previous regime’s decision to advertise for a male priest to fill its four-year-old vacancy was “misguided and unrepresentative” of the parish and the town.<br>
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The decision had been taken without consultation and many people in the parish expressed a “strong desire for change”.<br>
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The new PCC wanted the church “to be accessible to all … The PCC has voted unanimously to rescind the previous PCC’s resolution requiring male leadership … We are keen to recruit the best candidate to meet the needs of Fowey parish church, regardless of gender.”<br>
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Merisa MacInnes, a member of the PCC, said: “We are encouraged that numbers in the congregation have doubled in recent weeks and we are confident that the right person to be vicar will come forward in the coming months.”<br>
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In March, the previous PCC defended its decision to ban female applicants for the vacancy, insisting it was “not sexist”.<br>
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It said: “As an evangelical church we look to the Bible for all matters of faith. The Bible is very clear on equality – all are equal …. There is, however, debate over the roles women play within the church.”<br>
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It understood that its desire for a male priest-in-charge “can be difficult to understand looking from the outside into the church, but [we] would robustly defend that this position is not sexist, is widely established in the worldwide church, and accommodates all views in the membership of our church without exclusion”.<br>
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Andy Virr, the previous chair of the PCC and a local Conservative councillor, and two other PCC members stood down in May amid objections to the stance.<br>
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Under exemptions from the Equality Act, the Church of England permits local churches to reject female lead priests and the oversight of a female bishop.<br>
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Martine Oborne, the chair of Women and the Church (Watch), an organisation that campaigns for equality in the C of E, and a vicar in west London, said the Fowey decision was good news.<br>
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She added: “I think it’s time for church members to assert themselves and not defer to clergy who seek to limit women’s roles in the church.”<br>
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Fowey was not unique, she said. Some churches had taken decisions to reject female priests without proper consultation or transparency.<br>
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The fight for equality was not over despite 30 years having passed since women were allowed to become priests in the C of E.<br>
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“I think personally it’s time for the C of E to find a generous way to bring the arrangements that allow churches to go on limiting or not recognising women’s ministries to an end,” she said.</blockquote>
<i>Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: <br>
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.<br>
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:<br>
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.<br>
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;<br>
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,<br>
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,<br>
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:<br>
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.</i> Romans 1:24-32 <br>
<br>
As reported by Alexandra Topping in <i>The Guardian</i>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/aug/30/majority-of-church-of-england-priests-back-gay-marriage-survey-finds">August 30, 2023</a> (links in original): <br>
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<blockquote>Most Church of England priests want the C of E to allow same-sex weddings and to drop its opposition to premarital and gay sex, according to a survey.<br>
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In a major shift in attitudes over the past decade, a survey of priests in England conducted by <a href="https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/church-of-england-christianity-survey-gay-marriage-sex-female-archbishop-70ck07sj6">the Times</a> found that more than half supported a change in law to allow clergy to conduct the marriage of gay couples, with 53.4% in favour compared with 36.5% against.<br>
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The last time Anglican priests in England were asked, in 2014, shortly after the legalisation of same-sex civil marriage, 51% said same-sex marriage was “wrong”, compared with 39% who approved.<br>
<br>
Last year <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/aug/05/justin-welby-says-it-is-very-difficult-to-hold-church-together-over-sexuality">a row erupted</a> at the first Lambeth conference (a meeting of Anglican bishops from around the world) in 14 years, with the archbishop of Canterbury faced sharp criticism for <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/aug/02/justin-welby-affirms-validity-of-1998-declaration-that-gay-sex-is-a-sin">affirming a 1998 declaration</a> that gay sex was a sin.<br>
<br>
But the new poll found that 64.5% of priests in England backed an end to the teaching that “homosexual practice is incompatible with scripture”. It also found that 27.3% of priests supported an end to any celibacy requirement for gay people, while 37.2% said they were willing to accept sex between gay people in “committed” relationships such as civil partnerships or marriages, and around a third (29.7%) said the teaching should not change.<br>
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Andrew Foreshew-Cain, founder of the Campaign for Equal Marriage in the Church of England, said the survey showed there was “no excuse for further delay and equivocation” in welcoming gay people into the church.<br>
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“The clergy of the Church of England are kinder, more generous, and more welcoming towards LGBTI people than the current official position allows,” he said. “The C of E, and in particular our bishops, needs to stop wringing its hands over gay people and move forward towards blessings and, in time, to celebrating same-sex marriages in our parishes.”<br>
<br>
The survey results were encouraging, said Robbie de Santos, director of communications at Stonewall. “We hope that church leaders reflect on these findings,” he said. “Too often, LGBTQ+ people of faith face discrimination and prejudice simply for being themselves.”<br>
<br>
The survey also found that three-quarters of respondents thought Britain could no longer be described as a Christian country. Almost two-thirds (64.2%) said Britain could be called Christian “but only historically, not currently”.<br>
<br>
In the 2021 census of England and Wales for the first time <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2022/nov/29/leicester-and-birmingham-are-uk-first-minority-majority-cities-census-reveals">fewer than half of the population described themselves as Christian</a>.<br>
<br>
The Times poll found that two-thirds of priests in England thought attempts to stop the drop in church attendance would fail, with only 10.1% thinking it would be halted, and 10.5% believing that congregations would grow again. Average attendance for <a href="https://www.churchofengland.org/sites/default/files/2022-12/2021StatisticsForMission.pdf">Church of England Sunday services</a> in 2021 was 509,000, down from 1.2m in 1986.</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-62792986379416390922023-08-31T23:15:00.006-06:002023-09-05T18:08:47.983-06:00Archbishop of York whines about "oppressively patriarchal" Lord's PrayerThis provides more evidence that you can't be a satirist anymore--assuming that this item wasn't meant as satire. As reported by Harriet Sherwood in <i><a href="https://www.theguardian.com">The Guardian</a></i>, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jul/07/lords-prayer-our-father-opening-may-be-problematic-archbishop-of-york-stephen-cottrell">July 7, 2023</a> (links in original):<br>
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<blockquote>The archbishop of York has suggested that opening words of the Lord’s Prayer, recited by Christians all over the world for 2,000 years, may be “problematic” because of their patriarchal association.<br>
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In his opening address to a meeting of the Church of England’s ruling body, the General Synod, Stephen Cottrell dwelt on the words “Our Father”, the start of the prayer based on Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4 in the New Testament.<br>
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“I know the word ‘father’ is problematic for those whose experience of earthly fathers has been destructive and abusive, and for all of us who have laboured rather too much from an oppressively patriarchal grip on life,” he said.<br>
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His comment – a brief aside in a speech that focused on the need for unity – will divide members of the C of E, a body whose differences on issues of sexuality, identity and equality have been highly visible for years.<br>
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After Cottrell’s speech, Canon Dr Chris Sugden, chair of the conservative Anglican Mainstream group, pointed out that in the Bible Jesus urged people to pray to “our father”.<br>
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He said: “Is the archbishop of York saying Jesus was wrong, or that Jesus was not pastorally aware? It seems to be emblematic of the approach of some church leaders to take their cues from culture rather than scripture.”<br>
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Rev Christina Rees, who campaigned for female bishops, said Cottrell had “put his finger on an issue that’s a really live issue for Christians and has been for many years”.<br>
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She added: “The big question is, do we really believe that God believes that male human beings bear his image more fully and accurately than women? The answer is absolutely not.”<br>
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In February, <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/church-of-england-to-consider-use-of-gender-neutral-terms-for-god">the C of E said it would consider whether to stop referring to God as “he”</a>, after priests asked to be allowed to use gender-neutral terms instead.<br>
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It agreed to launch a <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/feb/07/church-of-england-to-consider-use-of-gender-neutral-terms-for-god">commission on gendered language</a>, saying “Christians have recognised since ancient times that God is neither male nor female, yet the variety of ways of addressing and describing God found in scripture has not always been reflected in our worship”.</blockquote>
As reported in the <i><a href="https://www.irishtimes.com">Irish Times</a></i>, <a href="https://www.irishtimes.com/world/uk/2023/02/08/church-of-england-considers-alternatives-to-calling-god-he/">February 8, 2023</a>: <br>
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<blockquote>The Church of England is considering alternatives to referring to God as “he” after priests asked to be allowed to use gender-neutral terms instead.<br>
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The church said it would start a project in the spring to decide whether to propose changes or not.<br>
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Any potential alterations, which would mark a departure from traditional Jewish and Christian teachings dating back millennia, would have to be approved by synod, the church’s decision-making body.<br>
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Rev Dr Michael Ipgrave, Bishop of Lichfield and vice-chair of the liturgical commission responsible for the matter, said the church had been “exploring the use of gendered language in relation to God for several years”.</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-19426228499174268042023-07-30T22:50:00.003-06:002023-07-30T22:50:56.287-06:00"Interfaith" service is appropriate for the retirement of United Church of Canada pastrixI don't see any mention of alphabet perverts in the following article, but every other base seems to have been touched, providing moer evidence, as if was needed, to prove that the <a href="https://united-church.ca">United Church of Canada</a> is hopelessly apostate. As reported, with his typically idiotic liberal bias, by John Longhurst in the <i><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/">Winnipeg Free Press</a></i>, <a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2023/06/30/a-stirring-interfaith-send-off">June 30, 2023 (updated July 1, 2023)</a>: <br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/1496208_web1_30128998_200918-UNITD-CHRCHUNIV-INCCOME-5-.jpg?w=1000" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="532" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/06/1496208_web1_30128998_200918-UNITD-CHRCHUNIV-INCCOME-5-.jpg?w=1000"/></a></div>
<blockquote>I don’t know what heaven is like. But there may have been a clue June 11 at Westworth United Church.<br>
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That was the day the church acknowledged the retirement of its minister, Loraine MacKenzie Shepherd, with a service of gratitude and celebration.<br>
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What made the service a bit like heaven was how it included not only Christian scriptures and liturgy, but those from other faith traditions such as Islam and Judaism, along with contributions from Indigenous people.<br>
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The service opened with a treaty acknowledgment and included a Hebrew chant for peace and readings from the Hebrew scriptures, the Qu’ran and the New Testament — along with traditional hymns and choruses.<br>
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Participants in the service included Izzeddin Hawamda, originally from the West Bank in Palestine; Humaira Jaleel, founder and executive director of Healthy Muslim Families; Idris Knapp, executive director of Winnipeg’s Central Mosque; Rabbanit Dorit Kosmin, an interfaith health-care chaplain who has also worked as a cantor and Jewish educator; Cree elder and former United Church of Canada minister Stan McKay; Rabbi Kliel Rose of Congregation Etz Chayim; Anass Sebbahi, a Muslim musician; Rachel Landrecht, a sacred singer and songwriter; and Jedediyah Swampy of Sagkeeng First Nation, a traditional singer and drummer.<br>
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It was a joyous service from the opening introit, through the anthem and the Taize chant to the reading of scriptures, the hymns and postlude — albeit tinged with a bit of sadness at seeing a much-loved minister depart the church.<br>
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After the service, I asked MacKenzie Shepherd why she chose an interfaith service for her farewell.<br>
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It grew out of the church’s history of interfaith involvement, along with her own personal commitment to engaging with people from other faith groups, she said, adding “I have long believed that the only way through generational conflicts between cultures and faiths is a third way that emerges between entrenched, oppositional sides.”<br>
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For her, “to find this third way requires us to listen deeply with compassion to views that may be anathema to what we believe. But as we listen, we develop relationships of trust where the other can know that they are safe in our presence. We may respectfully disagree, but we commit to standing with each other against societal hostility, such as antisemitism, Islamophobia, racism and homophobia.”<br>
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MacKenzie Shepherd also believes triangulation is key to bringing diverse faith communities together — not focusing on interfaith dialogue but asking people to give attention to some other justice-related topic or issue.<br>
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For Westworth, the thing they focused on was the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. MacKenzie Shepherd brought together people from the Islamic, Jewish and Buddhist communities, along with Indigenous people, to discuss those calls. In the process, “trusting relationships” were established, she said, leading to greater interfaith engagement.<br>
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Those meetings “touched a spiritual need” and fostered a “deep desire to come together,” she said.<br>
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So when she was asked what kind of gathering she wanted for her retirement service, bringing people from those groups together for an interfaith worship service was an obvious choice.<br>
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“This is the first time that both Westworth and I have ever been part of such a service,” she said, adding it was “a natural culmination of all of our work together.”</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-63999541166956255272023-06-30T23:54:00.011-06:002023-12-16T22:49:30.543-07:00World Evangelical Alliance is tied in with the United Nations, and supports the agenda of the UN and the World Council of Churches<i>Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.</i> John 18:36 <br>
<br>
For those who wonder if the Evangelical establishment (Big Eva, as A.D. Robles calls it) is part of the world system (it seems to this blogger that the higher up on the Evangelical ladder they are, the greater the chance that they're actually playing for the other team), one need look no further than the <a href="https://un.worldea.org">home page of the World Evangelical Alliance</a>, where the WEA boasts of its ties to the evil and corrupt United Nations (bold in original): <br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>An Evangelical Voice at United Nations</b><br>
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Serving a constituency of some 600 million evangelical Christians, <b>the World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) is uniquely positioned to represent an evangelical voice at the United Nations (UN)</b>. Since the relocation of its Headquarters to New York in 2010, the WEA has increased its engagement at the UN promoting peace and reconciliation, advocating for the poor and needy, and also communicating evangelical beliefs and values.<br>
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The WEA holds Special Consultative Status in the Economic and Social Council of the UN (ECOSOC) which serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system.<br>
<br>
The WEA is also accredited to the UN Department of Public Information.</blockquote>
The following hardly needs commentary; the reader will notice not only the WEA support for the United Nations (including the UN's Sustainable Development Goals), but the WEA's referring to "Christian sisters and brothers in the World Council of Churches," and support for the WCC's position, thus showing a complete lack of discernment (bold, links in original). <br>
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<blockquote><b><a href="https://un.worldea.org/un-new-agenda-for-peace-submission-of-the-world-evangelical-alliance/">UN New Agenda for Peace: Submission of the World Evangelical Alliance</a>.</b><br>
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/ Human Rights, Human Security / By WEAatUnitedNations / June 12, 2023<br>
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The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) has offered input to the UN’s “New Agenda for Peace,” a process recognizing the shared human responsibility to “protect and manage the global public good of peace.” In its submission, the WEA affirms the six potential areas for the New Agenda for Peace – reducing strategic risks, strengthening international foresight and capacities to identify and adapt to new risks, reshaping responses to all forms of violence, investing in prevention and peacebuilding, supporting regional prevention, and putting women and girls at the center.<br>
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<b>UN New Agenda for Peace</b><br>
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Submission of the World Evangelical Alliance<br>
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The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) commends the United Nations Secretary General for identifying the necessity of A New Agenda for Peace. We are grateful for the opportunity to join many voices contributing to a global conversation that we pray will lead to a future of hope and peace where swords are beaten into ploughshares and people can enjoy life in all its fullness with none to make them afraid.<br>
<br>
The WEA began in 1846 as collective desire of Protestant Christians to be engaged in the social issues and injustices of their day. This original seed continues to grow and has become a global communion of approximately 600 million Christians in more than 140 countries. We believe Jesus Christ calls us to be actively engaged in the well-being of the world and all its peoples and that integral to that is the call to peacemaking and the building of societies where there is “positive peace” as described by the 2022 <a href="https://www.visionofhumanity.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/GPI-2022-web.pdf">Global Peace Index</a>.1 We believe Jesus Christ calls us to speak and act toward God’s transcendent and moral vision of the flourishing life for all people and creation that is sourced in faith, hope, and love. We believe God calls human authorities to remember our finiteness and dependency, our need for divine wisdom and forgiveness, and our responsibility to steward and build systems and structures together that are just and righteous, with particular concern for the vulnerable and oppressed. We confess we continue to have much to learn from God and others in the global human family in this regard. We also believe our global alliance, with its active congregations, organizations, and networks has much to contribute to this important dialogue upon which so much depends.<br>
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We celebrate the contribution to A New Agenda for Peace made by our Christian sisters and brothers in the World Council of Churches and add our affirmation to their <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/WCC-NA4P_final_2023-04-06.pdf">submission</a>.2 As fellow Christians with shared concerns, we seek to add to their important voice.<br>
<br>
We also celebrate that the United Nations recognizes the shared human responsibility to “protect and manage the global public good of peace.” This submission seeks to contribute to this global public good by affirming the six potential areas for the New Agenda for Peace – reducing strategic risks, strengthening international foresight and capacities to identify and adapt to new risks, reshaping responses to all forms of violence, investing in prevention and peacebuilding, supporting regional prevention, and putting women and girls at the center. We are committed to the SDG's as focused goals to address those issues in our global communities that challenge environments of living in peaceful ways. We also recognize the value of strengthening and building upon the pillars for positive peace named by the Global Peace Index – well-functioning government, sound business environment, acceptance of the rights of others, good relations with neighbours, free flow of information, high levels of human capital, low levels of corruption, and equitable distribution of resources. Toward a New Agenda for Peace that will see the six potential areas strengthened and the eight pillars for positive peace undergirded, we call for special attention to be given to the following:<br>
<br>
<b>• Faith community participation</b><br>
<br>
We submit that since faith communities of all kinds and confessions are found everywhere, in rural and urban settings, are uniquely contextually aware, have members involved in many segments of society, and are organized for community engagement, it is crucial that they and their leaders be welcomed, listened to, equipped, and involved as vital partners in any new agenda for peace. Both the Global Peace Index and Our Common Agenda name realities that faith communities are engaging and experienced in, and yet they are unnamed as potential contributors. The WEA has commissioned a Peace & Reconciliation Network to increasingly connect and assist our national alliances in peace and reconciliation work, have a Global Advocacy department with UN representation, and know other religious bodies care for the public good in this way as well. Most importantly, we have thousands upon thousands of local congregations, compelled by their faith in Jesus and his teachings, who actively care for and are engaged in their communities. A New Agenda for Peace in a globalized and pluralistic age should welcome and include the convictions, learnings, insights, contributions, and corrections of faith communities that are forming people who inhabit, labour, and serve within the areas and pillars that require crucial attention for the global public good.<br>
<br>
<b>• Trauma-healing</b><br>
<br>
We submit that special attention be given, and investment made in trauma-care and the formation of trauma-responsive communities and structures. Unresolved trauma is a significant contributor to the breakdown of family and social structures, creating the individual and communal conditions for conflict and violence to simmer over generations and erupt disastrously. Attentiveness to the health of the whole person – mental, emotional, relational and spiritual – and the role trauma plays in eroding that health is a crucial part in forming communities and societies equipped to build positive peace.<br>
<br>
<b>• Mandatory peacebuilding education including women and children</b><br>
<br>
We submit that special encouragement be given to educational curriculum development that includes the history and practices of peacebuilding. We believe that a global expectation of peacebuilding as a core educational component beginning with the youngest, and including women, would greatly facilitate the equipping of people of all ages, genders, areas and pillars of life to contribute to reducing strategic risks and be a deposit in prevention that would produce generational fruit in family, neighbourhood, business, culture-shaping, and governance.<br>
<br>
<b>• Investment in peacebuilding by government and business</b><br>
<br>
We submit that national governments should be called to set a standard investment in peacebuilding. We also submit that business and industry should be invited to invest in peacebuilding as well. <br>
<br>
Recent conflicts have increased defense spending by many countries with plans for greater expenditure. A New Agenda for Peace should call for governments to set minimum standards of investing in peacebuilding across their societies. Research, recognition, and rewarding of successful and grassroots efforts should not be seen as optional, but critical investment in human and environmental flourishing. We believe careful attention to regional voices of all involved parties, and religious and indigenous conflict resolution resources that exist in societies is a necessity. We propose that recognizing practices already and historically inherent in many cultures can help build a positive peace if attended to, learned from, and adapted for current realities. These, along with new and emerging peacebuilding capacities should be expected governmental investment.<br>
<br>
In addition, we propose that business and industry should be challenged and incentivized to make social investment in peacebuilding an expected part of their social responsibility, entrepreneurship, and contribution to thriving and flourishing communities. Government and business, understanding the economic and environmental impact of violence and the economic and environmental impact of peace,3 should partner creatively in addressing the horrific, unjust, and peace-preventing impact of increased militarization and weaponization and expect investment that produces positive peace.<br>
<br>
<b>• Publish good news</b><br>
<br>
As those who claim to be people of “good news” (the etymological root of “evangelical”), we submit that the publishing of good news stories of peacebuilding and reconciliation would contribute significantly to forming culture and shaping practices. A New Agenda for Peace should emphasize the telling of stories from all around the world, including faith communities, where a positive culture of peace is being formed and built. While not minimizing the responsibility to counter “fake” news and tell the truth of what is fractured and broken, we propose that telling good news stories of where the public good of peace is being worked at, contended for, and being realized is strategic for transformation, particularly in an age where the technological interconnectedness of the world enables rapid and viral information sharing.<br>
<br>
In conclusion, we express again our gratitude for the invitation of the Secretary General to make this contribution to A New Agenda for Peace. We concur with the view of the World Council of Churches in their submission that “in a world beset by such a constellation of converging crises, a traditional silo-ed approach to addressing peace and security could not pretend to be fit for the purpose.” We encourage the United Nations to a collaborative and wholistic approach that does not ignore voices of faith but welcomes their contribution and participation as vital for the healing of the nations.<br>
<br>
With respect and for the sake of the world,<br>
<br>
Archbishop Prof. Dr. theol. Dr. phil. Thomas Schirrmacher, PhD, DD, Secretary General<br>
<br>
Rev. Phil Wagler, Global Director, Peace & Reconciliation Network<br>
<br>
Prof. Dr. Janet Epp Buckingham, Director, Global Advocacy<br>
<br>
----------------------------------------------------<br>
<br>
1 Institute for Economics & Peace. Global Peace Index 2022: Measuring Peace in a Complex World, Sydney, June 2022. Available from: <a href="http://visionofhumanity.org/resources">http://visionofhumanity.org/resources</a> (accessed May 18, 2023).<br>
<br>
2 World Council of Churches’ submission for UN New Agenda for Peace. Peter Prove Director, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs World Council of Churches Geneva, 6 April 2023.<br>
<br>
3 Global Peace Index 2022, 43-44</blockquote>
<br>
The reader will notice the closing words "for the sake of the world" rather than "for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ." The reader is invited to compare the WEA's submission to the <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2023-04/WCC-NA4P_final_2023-04-06.pdf">World Council of Churches’ submission for UN New Agenda for Peace</a> (bold, underscore, links in original): <br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>Introduction</b><br>
<br>
Formed in the immediate aftermath of the Second World War, the perspectives and priorities of
the World Council of Churches (WCC) were marked from the outset by moral abhorrence at the
suffering resulting from and atrocities perpetrated in that conflict. In response, the WCC
committed itself to working for the development of international law, to promoting multilateral
international cooperation, and to a holistic approach to seeking a sustainable global peace
founded on justice and human rights.<br>
<br>
At the 11th Assembly of the WCC, held in Karlsruhe, Germany, on 31 August-8 September 2022,
delegates from the WCC’s over 350 member churches in more than 120 countries, representing a
total global constituency of approximately 580 million people, reflected on a current context in
which all of those commitments and values are threatened and undermined. The prevailing
‘polycrisis’ of climate change, conflict, forced displacement, pandemic, rampant inequality,
economic instability and political fragmentation was recognized by the Assembly as demanding a
holistic approach and intensified international cooperation more than ever before.<br>
<br>
Among other relevant policy positions1, the Karlsruhe Assembly:<br>
<br>
– rejected the polarization and division of the human community and declared WCC’s
commitment to stay together as an ecumenical fellowship, and to grapple with the threats
and challenges to peace, justice, human security and environmental sustainability through
dialogue, encounter, the pursuit of mutual understanding, and cooperation, rather than
through exclusion and confrontation;<br>
<br>
– reasserted the ecumenical movement’s rejection and denunciation of war as contrary to the
will of God;<br>
<br>
– reiterated calls for a global ceasefire, as an urgent moral imperative, in all armed conflicts
around the world, and for parties to such conflicts to engage and persist in dialogue and
negotiations until just and sustainable peace can be achieved, and to abstain from war;<br>
<br>
– appealed for much greater financial and practical support by the international community for
peace-building and peace-making rather than for division and military confrontation, and
underlined the important role of women and youth as peacemakers;<br>
<br>
– called for greatly increased investment by governments and other actors in the foundations
of true human security and global stability, including for urgent action for climate justice and
to avert the threat of catastrophic climate change, for a just transition to renewable energy,
for the elimination of extreme poverty, for sustainable development, and for measures to
control rampant inequality, including through tax justice and reparations; and <br>
<br>
– encouraged renewed efforts to reform and improve the effectiveness of UN and other
intergovernmental instruments for promoting peace and human security.
Accordingly, the WCC welcomes the opportunity to make this submission for the ‘New Agenda for
Peace’, proposed by the UN Secretary-General in his report “<a href="https://www.un.org/en/common-agenda">Our Common Agenda</a>”.<br>
<br>
<b>Submission</b><br>
<br>
The WCC strongly affirms the urgency of the Secretary-General’s call for concerted collective
efforts to respond effectively to multiple converging global challenges, or risk significant
systemic breakdown and perpetual crisis.<br>
<br>
We concur with many of the main directions proposed for promoting peace and preventing
conflicts, including with regard to:<br>
<br>
– Reducing strategic risks (nuclear weapons, cyberwarfare, autonomous weapons);<br>
<br>
– Strengthening international foresight;<br>
<br>
– Investing in prevention and peacebuilding;<br>
<br>
– Supporting regional prevention; and<br>
<br>
– Putting women and girls at the centre of security policy.<br>
<br>
Further, we underline the intersectionality of many proposals in other areas, and their critical
importance for sustainable peace, including especially:<br>
<br>
– Urgent and effective action to address the climate and biodiversity emergencies;<br>
<br>
– A renewed social contract anchored in human rights;<br>
<br>
– Universal social protection, including health care and basic income security;<br>
<br>
– Removing barriers to young people’s participation in politics and society;<br>
<br>
– Ensuring that policy and budget decisions take into account their impact on future
generations;<br>
<br>
– Eradicating violence against women and girls;<br>
<br>
– Promoting women’s economic inclusion;<br>
<br>
– Legal identity for all, ending statelessness, and protection of internally displaced
persons, refugees and migrants;<br>
<br>
– Ending the ‘infodemic’, ‘fake news’ and ‘the war against science’;<br>
<br>
– Tackling corruption and illicit financial flows<br>
<br>
– Reforming the international tax system;<br>
<br>
– Promoting regulation of artificial intelligence; and<br>
<br>
– Stronger global health security and preparedness.<br>
<br>
Among the many issues that must be encompassed in the New Agenda for Peace, we wish to place
special emphasis on the following:<br>
<br>
<u>Nuclear disarmament</u><br>
<br>
Though the Russian invasion of Ukraine has brought the threat of nuclear conflagration back more
prominently into the public discourse and consciousness, the threat had always persisted. Despite
paying lip service to their obligations under Article VI of the <a href="https://www.un.org/disarmament/wmd/nuclear/npt/">Treaty on the Non-Proliferation of
Nuclear Weapons</a> (NPT), nuclear-weapon states have consistently resisted progress towards the
“general and complete disarmament” that the NPT envisages. Moreover, international efforts to
prevent further proliferation of nuclear weapons have been fatally undermined by the obvious
hypocrisy of such efforts being led by members of the same club of recalcitrant nuclear-weapon
states.<br>
<br>
It is legally and ethically anomalous that unlike chemical weapons, biological weapons, antipersonnel landmines and cluster munitions, nuclear weapons – the most indiscriminate weapons
of mass destruction ever created by human beings – are not prohibited in a comprehensive and
universal manner. The Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons (TPNW) seeks to fill this gap
in the international disarmament regime, by establishing a new normative principle in
international law for the comprehensive elimination of nuclear weapons, prohibiting the
development, testing, production, stockpiling, stationing, transfer, use and threat of use of such
weapons, as well as assistance and encouragement to the prohibited activities, in line with the
commitment expressed under article VI of the NPT. Rather than on the narrow military/security
basis of previous nuclear disarmament negotiations, the TPNW is founded upon recognition of the
appalling humanitarian and ecological consequences of nuclear warfare. Nuclear-weapon states
and nuclear-umbrella states that seek to undermine and obstruct the TPNW do so at the peril of
the entire globe.<br>
<br>
Moreover, non-proliferation efforts within the framework of a multilateral commitment to the
comprehensive elimination of nuclear weapons will carry greater political weight and credibility
than such efforts by nuclear-weapon states while seeking to retain their own arsenals and the
political leverage they bring.<br>
<br>
Therefore, the WCC expects the New Agenda for Peace strongly to profile the TPNW as the
hitherto missing link in the nuclear disarmament regime, and to build upon the new normative
principles it has introduced for the stigmatization of nuclear weapons (regardless of who
possesses them) and for accelerating progress towards the elimination of this most morally
egregious category of weapons.<br>
<br>
<u>Other disarmament challenges</u><br>
<br>
The WCC is greatly disturbed by the efforts by some States and private companies to develop
autonomous weapons systems – so-called ‘killer robots’ – capable of being deployed and engaging
in theatres of armed conflict without meaningful human control. The concern we have for the
regulation of artificial intelligence in general is greatly amplified with regard to applications of AI
in armed conflict. The moral and legal issues are so self-evident that they hardly require
belabouring here. However, the WCC expects that the New Agenda for Peace will be clear and
categorical in its opposition to autonomous weapons systems, and in its support for a pre-emptive
ban on such weapons.<br>
<br>
Likewise, the New Agenda for Peace should include a stronger renewed focus on controlling and
reversing the proliferation of small arms and light weapons, which bring so much death and
suffering in so many societies in both South and North, in some cases to the point of destabilizing
entire nations. The WCC has been a strong advocate for the <a href="https://thearmstradetreaty.org/">Arms Trade Treaty</a> (ATT) and its implementation. We believe that in this period of escalating militarization, confrontation and
social fragmentation, there must be even stricter oversight and control of the manufacture of and
trade in small arms and light weapons, nationally and internationally, to prevent the spread of
such weapons becoming even more of a threat to peace and social stability.<br>
<br>
<u>Supporting national capacities for prevention, peacebuilding and resilience: The role of
religious leaders and interfaith peacebuilding</u><br>
<br>
The WCC strongly affirms the need for the New Agenda for Peace to promote increased support
for national capacities for prevention, peacebuilding and resilience, and investment in national level infrastructure for peace. Within this context, we particularly wish to highlight the importance
of engaging religious leaders and faith-based actors. In many societies, especially - but not only -
in the Global South, religious leaders, communities and institutions constitute the foundations of
societal resilience, remaining even when governmental and other forms of authority fail or are
absent.<br>
<br>
Moreover, the years since the 1992 UN <a href="http://www.un-documents.net/a47-277.htm">Agenda for Peace</a> was published have been tragically and
indelibly marked by the phenomenon of religiously-inspired extremism, and violence and conflict
based on religious identity. In far too many, and seemingly an increasing number of contexts
around the world, people and communities are targeted and attacked, often with deadly violence,
on the basis of their religious identity. In situations where religious discrimination is reflected in
official or practical access to citizenship rights, the risks of such violence are greatly elevated. In
such contexts, interfaith cooperation to prevent and confront violence, and to promote inclusion,
equal citizenship, and fundamental human rights for all is of vital importance. WCC and its
member churches work with interfaith partners in many conflict-affected and conflict-risk
situations around the world for these purposes.<br>
<br>
Given the current and historical context in which the New Agenda for Peace is being formulated,
in which religious discrimination and hatred has been a key driver of conflict but in which religion
also remains such an important source of societal resilience, we expect that appropriate
recognition and prominence will be given to the importance of engaging with faith-based and
interfaith peacemakers at the national level in the construction of sustainable peace. <br>
<br>
<u>Sanctions/economic warfare</u><br>
<br>
Though sanctions are generally and understandably seen as preferable to measures for the
restoration of international peace and security that entail the use of armed force, in WCC’s
experience this presumption warrants much closer examination and reconsideration. In practice,
sanctions – whether unilateral or mandated by the UN Security Council – often produce
humanitarian suffering and other consequences at least as severe, and generally more
widespread, than the use of armed force. In terms of their humanitarian impacts, such measures
can often be considered as tantamount to warfare by economic means. This is particularly true in
the case of comprehensive ‘maximum pressure’ sanctions regimes. The imposition of such
measures can also poison the political environment for negotiations and other initiatives for peace
(including civil society initiatives), creating major obstacles to the resolution of conflict.<br>
<br>
Moreover, according to our observations, sanctions and related measures are generally
unsuccessful in achieving their stated aims. Therefore, we recommend that the New Agenda for
Peace include a commitment to a thorough ‘cost-benefit’ analysis of the current utilization of
sanctions and related measures, weighing their success (or lack thereof) in achieving their
legitimate political/security aims against their negative humanitarian, human rights and political
impacts.<br>
<br>
WCC recently partnered with the World Evangelical Alliance, Caritas Internationalis, ACT Alliance
and the Graduate Institute of International and Development Studies (Geneva) to undertake
research on the negative impacts of sanctions on humanitarian and social service activities from
the specific perspective of churches and church-related organizations. The report is available <a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/sites/default/files/2023-03/Final_Report_ARP_Sanctions_GI_WCC_CI_WEA_2022-12_0.pdf">here</a>.<br>
<br>
<u>Mental health/psychosocial support and trauma-healing</u><br>
<br>
To avoid repetition and inter-generational transmission of cycles of violence and instability,
mental health, psycho-social support and trauma-healing is often the missing link. It is also
generally the most underfunded component of any crisis response. In our view, the New Agenda
for Peace must seek to raise the profile of and the support provided to this essential contribution
to peaceful, inclusive and sustainable societies, not only in the context of preventing conflict but
also for addressing many other aspects of the current ‘polycrisis’, and with a special priority for
children and young people.<br>
<br>
Especially in contexts where professional mental health services are inadequate to the scale of
the need, local religious leaders and faith communities are often by default the primary providers
– or potential providers – of psycho-social care and support. Again in the context of investing in
local/national resilience, we recommend engagement with and capacity-building for local
religious leaders and communities to enable them to provide better and more effective care in
this domain, in order to help rebuild lives, and to break the cycle of violence and instability.<br>
<br>
<u>The resource extraction-conflict nexus</u><br>
<br>
Resource extractive activities such as drilling for oil and gas, mining, and logging, not only impose
heavy ecological costs, but have often been linked to increased incidence, frequency and duration
of armed violence, particularly in contexts marked by high levels of socio-economic inequality and
where local communities have been largely excluded from decision-making processes. In addition,
the militarization of resource-rich lands with a view to exerting state or corporate control over
resources has often led to violence and grave violations of the rights of Indigenous Peoples,
farmers and fisher-folk, and threats against environmental defenders including religious leaders
who have spoken out against such activities.<br>
<br>
We believe that the effective management of a society’s natural resources – not least ensuring
equitable sharing of benefits and just allocation of burdens – must be a priority not only for the
sustainable development agenda but also for the New Agenda of Peace. In this regard, policies
that promote equitable wealth distribution, public investment and dignified employment must be
given due importance.<br>
<br>
Moreover, we observe that continued development of new fossil fuel extraction and related
infrastructure constitutes – in the context of the accelerating climate emergency – a kind of
weapon of mass destruction (so-called ‘carbon bombs’) imperiling the entire living planet. The
New Agenda for Peace should name, stigmatize and denounce this kind of environmental violence
and destruction.<br>
<br>
<u>Racial justice</u><br>
<br>
The commitment to racial justice, the elimination of xenophobia and of related intolerance has
been widely discussed, affirmed and reiterated in various UN forums. However, these threats to
our shared humanity remain firmly entrenched in most societies across the world. The persistence
of racism, xenophobia and related discrimination remains a major threat to peace in many
societies, the salience of which is increasing in some contexts. Accordingly, the New Agenda for
Peace must help raise the profile and resources allocated to the UN racial justice mechanisms and
amplify calls for inclusive and sustainable communities, free from such discrimination. <br>
<br>
The intersection of racism and climate, health, food and social injustice must be lifted up in the
New Agenda for Peace. because in our view sustainable peace will be impossible to achieve if
some groups of people continue to be disproportionately burdened by the “polycrisis” of today
according to their race, ethnicity, colour or place of origin.<br>
<br>
<b>Conclusion</b><br>
<br>
The WCC welcomes the convergences and intersectionalities recognized in the framing of the New
Agenda for Peace. Indeed, in a world beset by such a constellation of converging crises, a
traditional silo-ed approach to addressing peace and security could not pretend to be fit for the
purpose.<br>
<br>
Moreover, the increasing gulf between global humanitarian needs (driven by the growing
frequency and severity of extreme weather events, as well as by conflict) and the resources
committed to meeting those needs, obliges the international community to finally move beyond
rhetoric to action to address the upstream root causes in order to prevent such crises rather than
perpetually failing to meet the critical humanitarian needs they produce. <br>
<br>
Respectfully submitted<br>
<br>
Peter Prove<br>
Director, Commission of the Churches on International Affairs<br>
World Council of Churches<br>
Geneva, 6 April 2023<br>
---------------------------------------------------------<br>
1 Expressed especially in the Assembly statement “<a href="https://www.oikoumene.org/resources/documents/the-things-that-make-for-peace-moving-the-world-to-reconciliation-and-unity">The Things That Make For Peace: Moving the World to
Reconciliation and Unity</a>”, September 2022<br>
</blockquote>
These two submissions provide ample evidence that "Evangelicals" and liberals are now basically indistinguishable from one another. The "Evangelical" voice at the United Nations is an echo rather than a rebuttal; it reminds me of the old statement about Canadian politicians that they represent Ottawa to us rather than representing us in Ottawa.<br>
<br>
Speaking of Canada, the <a href="https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca">Evangelical Fellowship of Canada</a> boasts of its <a href="https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/About-us/Global-Initiatives">connections to the World Evangelical Alliance</a>, including the following (bold, links in original):<br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>WEA Strengthened by Canadian Ties</b> <br>
<br>
The <a href="http://www.worldea.org/">World Evangelical Alliance</a> is a network of churches and organizations representing more than 600 million Evangelicals. The EFC is its national alliance partner in Canada.<br>
<br>
Several EFC staff and former staff are involved in WEA leadership including:<br>
<br>
EFC executive vice-president David Guretzki is <a href="https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/About-us/Staff-Board/The-staff/David-Guretzki">treasurer</a> of the WEA International Council.<br>
<br>
Brian Stiller is the WEA <a href="https://worldea.org/leader/brian-c-stiller/">global ambassador</a>, and the EFC hosts his <a href="https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/Dispatches">Dispatches</a> blog.<br>
<br>
Christine MacMillan is the WEA <a href="https://worldea.org/leader/comm-christine-macmillan/">senior advisor on social justice</a> as well as chair of the WEA Global Human Trafficking Task Force.<br>
<br>
Janet Epp Buckingham is the WEA's <a href="https://worldea.org/leader/dr-janet-epp-buckingham/">director of global advocacy</a>.<br>
<br>
Steve Hubley is the WEA's <a href="https://worldea.org/leader/steve-hubley/">director of development</a>.<br>
<br>
Canadians can <a href="https://www.evangelicalfellowship.ca/wea">donate online to support the WEA</a> and individual Canadians who work there.<br>
<br>
The WEA includes commissions on mission, religious liberty, theology, women, youth as well as initiatives on human trafficking, refugees, leadership training, nuclear weapons, generosity, creation care, business and more.<br>
<br>
<b>WEA Peace and Reconciliation Network in Canada</b><br>
<br>
The <a href="https://www.reconciledworld.net/what-we-do/">Peace & Reconciliation Network of the World Evangelical Alliance</a> describes its work using the acronym TRAIN (Teaching, Restoration, Assistance, Initiative, Networking). Some of its Canadian leaders include:<br>
<br>
global director (and EFC global liaison) <a href="Phil.Wagler@reconciled.world">Phil Wagler</a> of Kelowna, B.C.<br>
<br>
Canadian coordinator <a href="https://www.reconciledworld.net/who-we-are/team/joel-zantingh/">Joel Zantingh</a> of Guelph, Ont.<br>
<br>
director of network development <a href="Manuel.Boehm@reconciled.world">Manuel Böhm</a> of Kitchener, Ont.</blockquote>
The EFC needs to update its information on this page; David Guretzki is now the president of the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada. The reader will recognize the names of Phil Wagler and Janet Epp Buckingham as signatories of the WEA's submission on the UN New Agenda for Peace. <br>
<br>
See my posts: <i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2010/01/todays-evangelicals-tomorrows-liberals.html">Today's Evangelicals, Tomorrow's Liberals--A Warning from 1983</a></i> (January 13, 2010) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2011/11/more-evidence-that-yesterdays-liberals.html">More evidence that yesterday's liberalism has become today's evangelicalism</a></i> (November 8, 2011) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2015/01/more-evidence-that-todays-yesterdays.html">More evidence that <s>today's</s> yesterday's evangelicals are <s>tomorrow's</s> today's liberals</a></i> (January 24, 2015)<br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2018/11/mainline-church-leaders-50-years-ago.html">Mainline church leaders 50 years ago advocated methods used by "evangelical" churches today</a></i> (November 6, 2018)<br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2022/03/evangelical-churches-in-canada-use.html">Evangelical churches in Canada use Covid-19 as an opportunity to team up with unbelievers in promoting an antichrist agenda</a></i> (March 31, 2022)<br>
<br>
<b>July 25, 2023 update</b>: Tom Littleton has just posted this at his blog <i><a href="https://thirtypiecesofsilver.org/">Thirty Pieces of Silver</a></i>: <i><a href="https://thirtypiecesofsilver.org/2023/07/25/united-nations-wef-plan-to-double-down-on-2030-sustainable-goals-in-september-meeting-while-evangelicals-have-already-signed-on/">United Nations & WEF Plan to Double Down on 2030 Sustainable Goals in September Meeting While Evangelicals Have Already Signed On</a></i> (July 25, 2023)<br>
<br>
<b>September 27, 2023 update</b>: The <a href="https://iccc-churches.org/">International Council of Christian Churches</a>, at its <a href="https://iccc-churches.org/21st-world-congress/">21st World Congress</a> in Collingswood, New Jersey from June 21-28, 2023, adopted the following <a href="https://iccc-churches.org/the-world-evangelical-alliance-and-apostasy/">resolution</a> (bold in original): <br>
<br>
<blockquote><b>The World Evangelical Alliance and Apostasy</b><br>
<br>
<b>POSITION STATEMENT</b><br>
<br>
The World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) traces its roots to 1846, when the Evangelical Alliance was inaugurated in Great Britain. At present, the organization includes in its membership an extensive list of regional bodies, such as the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) in the United States. It also includes many wellknown mission, medical, legal, educational, and relief agencies as affiliates.<br>
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Since its inception in 1948, the International Council of Christian Churches (ICCC) has stood in opposition to what was then called the New Evangelicalism. The NAE, a mouthpiece of this New Evangelicalism, championed a philosophy of “infiltrating” the apostate churches — particularly those in the Modernistic National Council of Churches (NCC) and the World Council of Churches (WCC). In contrast, the American Council of Christian Churches (ACCC), and the ICCC took the Biblical position that Christians and churches should “separate” from apostasy, compromise, and unbelief (2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1). <br>
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As the years have passed, the warnings issued by the ICCC have proven to be correct. When a person or church begins to use human reasoning to countenance compromise on things concerning which the Bible is clear, there rarely is a return to Scriptural conformity and obedience. Compromise breeds compromise, and things usually continue to progressively diverge from what God has commanded in His Word. The WEA is a case in point. It has passed the point where its goal was just to “infiltrate,” to the place where it now fully cooperates with the apostasy.<br>
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<b>WEA considers itself to be one of the “Four Pillars” to bring about global “Christian Unity.”</b><br>
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On June 17, 2022, the WEA website carried the headline: “WCC, Global Christian Forum (GCF) sign memorandum of understanding affirming mutual quest for Christian Unity.” The WEA writer reports: “Both Sauca [World Council of Churches Acting General Secretary at the time], and Essasmuah [secretary of the GCF] expressed joy at the pivotal role of the four pillars — ‘namely the WCC, World Evangelical Alliance, Pentecostal World Fellowship and the Roman Catholic Church.’”<br>
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The reporter continued that Archbishop Thomas Schirrmacher, secretary general / CEO of the WEA, stated at the meeting that he considered it to be “gracious of the WCC to agree to be just one pillar of several,” leaving room for the other three groups. This was not just the description of a WEA staff writer. Dr. Schirrmacher used this language himself, publicly declaring that the WEA is “one of the [four] pillars.”<br>
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The report continues that this memorandum of understanding was signed by Fr. Andrzej Choromanski, of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity, the WCC’s Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, Rev. Dr. Casely Essamuah of the Global Christian Forum, Archbishop Thomas Schirrmacher of the World Evangelical Alliance, and William Wilson of the Pentecostal World Fellowship.<br>
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<b>Ties between the WEA and WCC have never been closer.</b><br>
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At one time, many evangelicals agreed that the WCC was an apostate organization. Some top WCC leaders denied such cardinal doctrines as the Virgin Birth of Christ, the Deity of Christ, the necessity of Christ’s atonement on the cross, His bodily resurrection, His working of many mighty miracles, and so forth.<br>
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However, in recent years, the WEA has had extensive cooperation and has begun working closely with the WCC, The Roman Catholic Church, East Orthodox churches, and so forth.<br>
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At the WCC 11th World Assembly, August 31 through September 8, 2023, WEA Secretary General Archbishop Schirrmacher was in attendance. Together with greetings of ecumenical cooperation from Pope Francis, and representatives of Eastern Orthodoxy and Judaism, Schirrmacher spoke on behalf of the WEA.<br>
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He began by praising outgoing WCC Acting General Secretary Ioan Sauca, a priest in the Romanian Orthodox Church. Speaking of their close “friendship and cooperation,” he stated: “Professor Sauca has been a gift of God to the body of Christ for such a time as this.” Pointing out that the WEA and WCC were of approximately equal size, Schirrmacher stated: “We are aware that we have a considerable overlap in membership.…”<br>
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He continued: “Nowadays, WCC and WEA work together in most areas of ministry. We exchange members on all important commissions. My own involvement in [the WCC] Faith and Order [Commission] has given me enormous insight into the different theological topics that still divide churches and the urgent need for more intense listening to each other.”<br>
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This close union between the two groups has been apparent for many years. On August 25, 2021, the WEA official website carried a headline titled: “World Council of Churches (WCC) and World Evangelical Alliance (WEA) Strengthen Their Collaboration [August 2021].”<br>
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In his concluding remarks to the WCC Assembly, Bishop Shirrmacher stated: “We pray for God’s blessing on all the ongoing work of the WCC and this Assembly. May God the Father give us all strength to work on behalf of his creation. May Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who saved us from sin and death, be our example in his willingness to give his life for the good of others. And may the Holy Spirit keep us all from evil ways and unjust thoughts and lead us into the growing truth promised to his church on earth.”<br>
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The entire message was based almost exclusively on “peace and justice” themes, decrying the war in Ukraine, and fearing that “racism” against Russians would arise from this. He also spoke strongly against anti-semitism. We will not judge Schirrmacher’s intentions, but almost any such speech he and others from the WEA make to ecumenical gatherings fails to explicitly promote the real gospel of salvation by faith in Christ alone.<br>
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The WCC also speaks about Jesus Christ saving us from sin and death, but it is virtually always in vague terms, which could be interpreted in different ways. When it is explicit, it invariably is focused on social justice and making “all things new” on this earth.<br>
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Instead of an encouragement to fulfill Christ’s Great Commission, as presented in the Bible, Schirrmacher speaks of “work on behalf of God’s creation.” Instead of the Good News, we are to make Christ “our example in his willingness to give his life for the good of others.” Instead of the Holy Spirit illuminating the Scriptures, the sure and complete Word of God, we are to look to Him to “lead us into the growing truth promised to his church on earth.” In the context of social justice, we are to look to the Holy Ghost to “keep us all from evil ways and unjust thoughts.”<br>
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<b>The WEA and WCC both promote a questionable version of “social justice” at the United Nations.</b><br>
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The WEA and WCC both hold offices at the United Nations, where they speak out about all kinds of “social issues.” The WEA holds Special Consultative Status with the UN’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC), “which serves as the central forum for discussing international economic and social issues, and for formulating policy recommendations addressed to Member States and the United Nations system.”<br>
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The WEA uses this platform to advocate for “climate care,” and “global sustainability,” together with other issues of “social justice.” In its August 21, 2021, meeting with the WCC, the two organizations agreed to expand their cooperative work for “climate justice.” In 2019, the WEA established the “WEA Sustainability Center (WEASC) in the strategic ‘UN City’ of Bonn, Germany.” The whole goal of the Center is to teach and encourage the churches to take part in “climate care.”<br>
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The ICCC certainly desires to see clean water, clean air, and to discourage practices which harm our planet, but this is not the gospel of Christ. Further, since the WCC program for “justice” is decidedly Marxist, one must be very concerned that the WEA has such ease in collaborating with the WCC in these matters.<br>
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<b>Evangelical churches and organizations need to be obedient to Scripture in order to warrant our support.</b><br>
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Many have criticized the ICCC, and other Bible-believing groups, for being too strong in their stand against such compromise. People often justify such compromise with the human rationalization that many WEA member groups “do so much good.” Some just choose to ignore the facts, or simply wink at the situation.<br>
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As Bible believers, we must not have a censurious spirit, and we should be patient and kind, but nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to support a church or organization because “they do so much good.” It is not there! The Bible is clear from beginning to end that true Christian love, cooperation, and support are based on obedience to Christ and His Word — nothing else.<br>
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Many so-called conservative denominations, including the Presbyterian Church in America, the Presbyterian Church of Brazil, to name just a couple, maintain their membership in the WEA through the World Reformed Fellowship (WRF). Even within that group there are many unfaithful churches. <br>
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In addition to regional evangelical organizations, and a few denominations with international reach, there are also many non-profit organizations familiar to many Christians. Even though many do seemingly “good work,” yet their disobedience must be a real concern for Bible believing Christians. These organizations include:<br>
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<b>A</b> Advocates International, AM International, Asia Theological Association, Asian Access, <b>B</b> Barnabas Aid, Bakke Graduate University, Barnabas Relief Fund, Bible Discovery, Bible League of Canada, Biblica, <b>C</b> Campus Missions International, CEDAR Fund, Center for Mission Mobilization, ChinaSource, Christian Endeavor World Union, Christopher Sun Evangelistic Association, COMIBAM – Cooperation of Mission from Latin America, Creatio International, Crossroads Christian Communications Inc., Cru, <b>D</b> David Chung Ministries International, <b>E</b> EFCA Reach Global, Elim Center International, Engineer Ministries International, Evangelical Presbyterian Church, Every Home for Christ International, Every Nation Churches & Ministries, <b>F</b> Faith & Family Foundation, Finnish Lutheran Overseas Mission, Frontier Ventures, Frontiers USA, <b>G</b> Global Outreach Day, Global Scholars, Gospel & Information Technology, <b>H</b> Healthcare Christian Fellowship International, Holy Bible Society, <b>I</b> Integral Alliance, International Association for Refugees, International Association of Evangelical Chaplains, International Christian Medical and Dental Association (ICMDA), International Council for Evangelical Theological Education – ICETE, International Evangelism Association, International Justice Mission, International Needs Network, <b>J</b> Jews for Jesus, <b>K</b> Kenosis Media Group, <b>L</b> Luis Palau Association, <b>M</b> Micah Global, Middle East Concern, <b>N</b> The Navigators, No More Violence International, NORMISJON, Norsk Luthersk Misjonssamband (Norwegian Lutheran Mission), <b>O</b> Olivet Center for World Mission, Olivet University, One Challenge International, One Collective, One Mission Society, OneHope, Open Doors International, Operation Mobilisation, <b>P</b> The Pentecostal Assemblies of Canada, Pioneers International, Power to Change, <b>R</b> Refugee Highway Partnership, Reliant Mission, RREACH, RUN Ministries, <b>S</b> Saint Luke Society, The Salvation Army, Scripture Union International Council, SIM International, Sojourners, <b>T</b> Take Heart, TEAM – The Evangelical Alliance Mission, Tearfund UK, Teleo University, Timothy Two Project International, Trainers of Pastors International Coalition, <b>U</b> United World Mission, <b>V</b> Veritas College International, Veritas Legal Society, Voice of the Martyrs Canada, <b>W</b> Water is Basic, World Evangelical Theological Institute Association, World Mission Prayer League, World Olivet Assembly, The World Reformed Fellowship, World Team, World Thrust International, World Vision International, World Without Orphans, WorldVenture, Wycliffe Associates, Wycliffe Global Alliance, <b>Y</b> Young Disciples of Jesus, Youth Evangelical Fellowship, Youth for Christ International.<br>
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<b>Conclusion</b><br>
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The International Council of Christian Churches, meeting in its 21st World Congress, June 21-28, 2023, in Collingswood, NJ, USA, condemns the compromise with apostasy that continues to characterize the World Evangelical Alliance. Bible-believing Christians are urged to channel their support exclusively to churches and Christian organizations which are not involved in such compromising relationships. Further, the ICCC calls on all churches and organizations affiliated with the WEA to:<br>
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1. Withdraw your membership from the WEA, its regional councils, and any other organizations which fail to remain separate from all unbelief and apostasy. The Scriptures make quite clear that Christian love and fellowship are based solely on obedience to Christ and the Scriptures. You simply cannot “work together in most areas of ministry” and “exchange members on all important commissions” with the apostate WCC and be faithful to Christ. “If ye love me, keep my commandments” (John 14:15).<br>
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2. Make fidelity and obedience to Christ and His Word the foundation of your church or organization. Utilitarian and pragmatic decisions are never of God if they violate His Word. God’s work must always be done in God’s way. ““Many will say to me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not … in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you.…” (Matthew 7:22).<br>
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3. Firmly recognize that it is God who must build our ministries. No associations which may bring funding and influence — even for worthy purposes — will ever justify being unfaithful to Christ. “Except the Lord build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the Lord keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain” (Psalm 127:1).<br>
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4. Actively carry out Christ’s Great Commission: “… Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations.…” Although Christians are to oppose injustice and corruption in our fallen world, this is not the Gospel of Christ. Anything presented as the “gospel” apart from the glorious redemption purchased by Christ, is indeed a counterfeit gospel which cannot save.<br>
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5. Make common cause with those who seek to be faithful to the Scriptures. “But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin.” (1 John 1:7). </blockquote>
Click <a href="https://forthewordofgod.files.wordpress.com/2023/07/resolution-wea.pdf?force_download=true">here</a> to download the ICCC position statement.<br>
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<b>December 16, 2023 update</b>: Another post from Tom Littleton at <i><a href="https://thirtypiecesofsilver.org/">Thirty Pieces of Silver</a></i>: <i><a href="https://thirtypiecesofsilver.org/2023/12/17/world-evangelical-alliance-role-in-upcoming-wef-davos-2024-faith-in-action-collaboration/">World Evangelical Alliance Role in Upcoming WEF/DAVOS 2024 “Faith in Action” Collaboration</a></i> (December 17, 2023)Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-16599778993637713782023-05-28T12:54:00.004-06:002023-05-28T12:54:48.919-06:00On the recent deaths of two Jewish clergymen<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harold_Kushner">Harold Kushner</a>, member of the Rabbinical Assembly of Conservative Judaism and congregational rabbi of Temple Israel of Natick in Natick, Massachusetts for 24 years, died on April 28, 2023, 25 days after his 88th birthday. Rabbi Kushner wrote 16 books, and was best known for <i><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/When_Bad_Things_Happen_to_Good_People">When Bad Things Happen to Good People</a></i> (1981), in which he argued that a benevolent but finite God offers solace to those who suffer, but isn't powerful enough to prevent suffering. The book was very popular, appealing to people with "itching ears" (<a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204%3A3&version=KJV">II Timothy 4:3</a>).<br>
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On April 19, 2023, <a href="https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/abbotsford-bc/albert-runge-11259200">Albert Runge</a>, born into a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York, died in Abbotsford, British Columbia at the age of 94. He placed his trust in Jesus Christ as his saviour and lord at the age of 14, and spent his career as a pastor with the Christian & Missionary Alliance in the United States and Canada, including almost a decade (1981-1991) at Beulah Alliance Church in Edmonton. <br>
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In a sermon at Beulah in 1983, Pastor Runge referred to Rabbi Kushner's most famous book, saying, "Doesn't that Jew know his scriptures? I feel sorry for that rabbi, worshipping such a weak god." Pastor Runge worshipped the true omnipotent God of the Bible and took his God seriously and <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=2%20Timothy%204%3A7&version=KJV">kept the faith</a>, but never took himself seriously. Pastor Runge told his story in his autobiography <i>A Brooklyn New Meets Jesus</i> (2001).
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-13316941444057969352023-04-21T23:09:00.001-06:002023-04-29T20:22:52.322-06:00Flashback: 1998, 2001--more examples of sin finding people out<i>...and be sure your sin will find you out.</i> Numbers 32:23b <br>
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How embarrassing...as reported by <i>Sun Media</i> and published in <i>The Edmonton Sun</i>, February 11, 1998: <br>
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<blockquote>OTTAWA--A retired priest suffered a heart attack during a private showing in a Quebec strip bar, police said yesterday.<br>
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Jean-Paul Snyder died last Wednesday in the Champagne Room in Le Mandarin, a strip club in Mont Laurier, about 125 km northeast of Ottawa.<br>
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The 71-year-old priest, who was in his street clothes at the time, collapsed at about 10:30 p.m. The dancer, who performed for him in the private room and other club employees tried to revive him before the ambulance arrived.<br>
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"Snyder had a lengthy cardiac history," said said Quebec provincial police Const. Gilles Couture.<br>
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The priest was pronounced dead upon arrival at hospital.<br>
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Snyder retired from the priesthood in 1992 for "health reasons," said Ottawa Archdiocese spokesman Guy Levac.<br>
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Archbishop Marcel Gervais' first thoughts were for Snyder's family when he found out the circumstances surrounding the retired priest's death.<br>
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"If on occasion a person makes mistakes or shows a lack of judgment, that does not erase the good done in their life," Gervais said in a statement.</blockquote>
As reported by <i>Associated Press</i> and <i>Canadian Press</i>, and repoted in <i>The Edmonton Sun</i>, April 20, 2001: <br>
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<blockquote>Colleagues of a Russian professor, described as a rising star in international law, were shocked yesterday when told he died in Newfoundland after cocaine-filled balloons burst in his stomach.<br>
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Gennady Danilenko, who taught at Wayne State University in Detroit, was on his way to Detroit from Amsterdam on Sunday when he became gravely ill aboard a transatlantic flight. <br>
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The airliner was diverted to Goose Bay, Nfld., where Danilenko, 45, was taken to hospital. Doctors removed a dozen balloons from his body and he died Wednesday.<br>
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An autopsy revealed six of the cocaine-filled balloons had ruptured.<br>
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"We were shocked by his death," said Joan Mahoney, dean of the Wayne State law school.</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-53402984520055460882023-04-12T23:28:00.002-06:002023-04-12T23:28:21.479-06:00100 years ago--Roman Catholic priests in Michigan settle their differencesA direct approach in resolving personal differences is often very effective, as with this example reported in the <i>Edmonton Bulletin</i>, <a href="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/EDB/1923/04/13/1/Ar00103.html">April 13, 1923</a> (bold in original): <br>
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<blockquote><b>PRIEST KILLED BY ANOTHER AT KALAMAZOO</b> <br>
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<b>Slayer Says He Was "Driven to Fury" by Alleged Ill-Treatment</b> <br>
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KALAMAZOO, Mich., April 12.--The Rev. Father Charles Dillon, 56, assistant rector of St. Augustine's Roman Catholic Church, shot and killed Rev. Father Henry O'Neill, rector of the church, as they sat at the dinner table tonight, then calmly went to the telephone and notified the police and coroner. <br>
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Dillon fired four shots, all of which took effect. As Father O'Neill fell dead, Dillon turned to the Rev. Father McCollough, the only witness of the tragedy, and handed him a phial containing holy oils with the request that he administer the sacrament of extreme unction at once. <br>
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According to a statement, the assistant rector is said to have told the police and county officers he was "driven to fury" by alleged ill-treatment at the hands of the dead priest. Rev. Father O'Neill was a graduate of Assumption college, Sandwich, Ontario.</blockquote>
A gun and holy oils for extreme unction are strange things to bring to the dinner table, which leads this blogger to use his Sherlockian detective powers and deduce that Rev. Dillon's act was premeditated.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-20191330677554934882023-03-11T18:01:00.005-07:002023-03-11T18:01:56.837-07:001,600-year-old gold bead found in Jerusalem's City of David<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.app-us1.com%2Fcdn-cgi%2Fimage%2Fdpr%3D2%2Cfit%3Dscale-down%2Cformat%3Dauto%2Conerror%3Dredirect%2Cwidth%3D650%2FW2GKb%2F2023%2F02%2F08%2Fbf4c5ee5-46c6-4b5f-8e02-4c0932def820.png%3Fr%3D1306056734&t=1678538905&ymreqid=e1b2e40e-79f1-fbf3-1c41-2700ae013700&sig=UDJNroXO8y0m54cZhCZtXQ--~D" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="800" src="https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.app-us1.com%2Fcdn-cgi%2Fimage%2Fdpr%3D2%2Cfit%3Dscale-down%2Cformat%3Dauto%2Conerror%3Dredirect%2Cwidth%3D650%2FW2GKb%2F2023%2F02%2F08%2Fbf4c5ee5-46c6-4b5f-8e02-4c0932def820.png%3Fr%3D1306056734&t=1678538905&ymreqid=e1b2e40e-79f1-fbf3-1c41-2700ae013700&sig=UDJNroXO8y0m54cZhCZtXQ--~D"/></a></div>
<i><a href="https://ecp.yusercontent.com/mail?url=https%3A%2F%2Fcontent.app-us1.com%2Fcdn-cgi%2Fimage%2Fdpr%3D2%2Cfit%3Dscale-down%2Cformat%3Dauto%2Conerror%3Dredirect%2Cwidth%3D650%2FW2GKb%2F2023%2F02%2F08%2Fbf4c5ee5-46c6-4b5f-8e02-4c0932def820.png%3Fr%3D1306056734&t=1678538905&ymreqid=e1b2e40e-79f1-fbf3-1c41-2700ae013700&sig=UDJNroXO8y0m54cZhCZtXQ--~D">The gold bead that was discovered in the excavations of the Antiquities Authority in the City of David (Photo: Kobi Harathi)</a></i> <br>
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As reported by <i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com">Israel365 News</a></i>, <a href="https://www.israel365news.com/366561/1600-year-old-unique-gold-bead-found-in-jerusalems-city-of-david/">February 8, 2023</a>:<br>
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<blockquote>A unique gold bead dating back to at least 1,600 years ago was found by an 18-year-old Israeli volunteer as she was sifting dirt from the excavation to uncover a magnificent building on the Pilgrimage Road, the Israel Antiquities Authority announced Wednesday.<br>
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“Throughout all my years in archaeology, I have found gold perhaps once or twice, so to find gold jewelry, is something very very special,” said Dr. Amir Golani, an ancient jewelry expert at the IAA. “Whoever could afford a piece like this made from gold, was an affluent person, with means.” <br>
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The bead was crafted by affixing ten minuscule pieces of pure gold together in the shape of a ring, a technique that probably originated in Mesopotamia, where it is known to have been used already 4,500 years ago. It was likely part of a necklace.<br>
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“The most interesting aspect of the bead is its unique and complex production method,” Golani added. “A good understanding of the materials and their properties is required, as well as control over the heat, in order to on the one hand, solder the tiny balls together to create a tiny ring, while also preventing overheating which may lead all the gold to melt.”<br>
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According to the IAA experts, the bead might have been older than the structure where it was found, and it could have been brought there from outside the region.<br>
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The building where the artifact originated was at least 25 meters long.<br>
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“The wealth of the building’s occupants is evidenced by additional finds that were discovered in it, like imported clay vessels and a decorated mosaic floor,” said Shlomo Greenberg and Ari Levy, Excavation Directors on behalf of the IAA.<br>
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Archaeologists have been working on uncovering the impressive “Pilgrimage Road” – which connected the pool of Siloam to the Temple Mount – for about a decade. The site is part of the City of David’s archaeological park. The dirt removed from the site is brought to the nearby Emek Tzurim National Park to be sifted, mostly by volunteers.<br>
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“I saw something shiny in the corner of the sieve, different, that I don’t normally see,” said Hallel Feidman, the 18-year-old volunteer who found the bead. “I immediately approached the archaeologist and he confirmed that I found a gold bead. Everyone here was very excited.”</blockquote>
As reported by <i><a href="https://allisrael.com">All Israel News</a></i>, <a href="https://allisrael.com/gold-bead-from-late-antiquity-discovered-in-city-of-david-excavations">February 9, 2023</a>: <br>
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<blockquote>...“Whoever could afford a piece like this made from gold, was an affluent person, with means,” he said. “A good understanding of the materials and their properties is required, as well as control over the heat, in order to, on the one hand, solder the tiny balls together to create a tiny ring, while also preventing overheating which may lead all the gold to melt.”<br>
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“Only a professional craftsman could produce such a bead, which is another reason that this find holds great value,” Golani said.<br>
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The crafting technique was probably Mesopotamian and is known to have existed about 4,500 years ago. The combination of a foreign crafting technique and the use of gold indicates the wealth of the owner. While it is possible the bead was crafted in another region and brought to the City of David through trade, it my also have been part of a family heirloom, passed down from generation to generation...<br>
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...Similar beads, crafted from silver, were discovered in the Ketef Hinnom caves southwest of the City of David, during excavations led by Professor Gabriel Barkay. Those beads were dated to the end of the First Temple period. However, only a few dozen golden beads have been found in Israel so far. </blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/8.-%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%90%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%96.-%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA-1024x768.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.israel365news.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/8.-%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%90%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%96.-%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA-1024x768.jpg"/></a></div>
<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/8.-%D7%97%D7%9C%D7%A7-%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%91%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%99-%D7%94%D7%9E%D7%A4%D7%95%D7%90%D7%A8-%D7%A9%D7%91%D7%AA%D7%95%D7%9B%D7%95-%D7%94%D7%AA%D7%92%D7%9C%D7%94-%D7%94%D7%97%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%96.-%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%9D-%D7%90%D7%A8%D7%99-%D7%9C%D7%95%D7%99-%D7%A8%D7%A9%D7%95%D7%AA-%D7%94%D7%A2%D7%AA%D7%99%D7%A7%D7%95%D7%AA-1024x768.jpg">Part of the magnificent Roman structure inside which the bead was discovered (Photo: Kobi Harathi)</a></i>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-83887537665149950282023-03-08T00:04:00.010-07:002023-03-08T00:52:40.454-07:00"Edmonton's Christian university" celebrates "Pride Week"<i>Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall</i>. Proverbs 16:18<br>
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<i>Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination.</i> Leviticus 18:22 <br>
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<i>Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves:<br />
Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen.<br />
For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature:<br />
And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.<br />
And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient;<br />
Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers,<br />
Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents,<br />
Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful:<br />
Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them.</i> Romans 1:24-32<br />
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Bold, links in original:<br>
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<blockquote><b><a href="https://www.kingsu.ca/about-us/about-kings">The King's University in Edmonton, Alberta</a></b><br>
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The King's University is Edmonton's Christian University and serves students and communities across Western Canada and internationally. Its campus is located in Alberta's young and vibrant capital and sits on Treaty Six territory, the traditional home of many Indigenous peoples.<br>
The world can be studied best when acknowledged that it was created by and <a href="https://www.crcna.org/welcome/beliefs/contemporary-testimony/our-world-belongs-god">belongs to God</a>. Come to King's and you'll see friendly, welcoming faces. We do our best to reflect Christ's love and grace to all students. The university receives top rankings and recognition on national surveys for student-faculty engagement, a supportive campus, and quality of teaching. It's no wonder King's boasts of a 98% post-grad employment rate!</blockquote><br>
Anyone who thinks that The King's University is Christian simply isn't paying attention. In the 1990s, the school then known as King's University College <a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2018/04/20-years-ago-activist-supreme-court-of.html">pretended to oppose</a> what they now openly celebrate. Submitted for your approval, the schedule for The King's University's 2023 celebration of "Pride Week":<br>
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<blockquote><b><a href="https://www.kingsu.ca/about-us/calendar#/event/2023/03/06/179912/305/1678086000/1678431600/false">Pride Week</a><br>
March 06, 2023</b><br>
Mar 06, 12:00 am - Mar 10, 12:00 am<br>
The King's University<br>
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Join us as we celebrate Pride Week at King's March 6th to 10th. There will be various activities going on all week!<br>
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<b>LGBTQ2S+ Space Space Training<br>
March 07, 2023</b><br>
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm<br>
N101<br>
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Join us in N101 at noon for LGBTQ2S+ space space training.<br>
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<b><a href="https://www.kingsu.ca/about-us/calendar#/event/2023/03/08/179915/305/1678302000/1678305600/false">Pride Panel Discussion</a><br>
March 08, 2023</b><br>
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm<br>
N102<br>
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Join us for a Pride Week panel discussion at noon in N102.<br>
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<b>Living Library<br>
March 08, 2023</b><br>
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm<br>
Library<br>
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Everyone is welcome to come to the library to connect one on one with individuals from the LGBTQ+ community.<br>
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<b>Queer Music Bingo<br>
March 09, 2023</b><br>
5:00 pm - 8:00 pm<br>
The Level Coffeehouse<br>
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Get your bingo on! Join us in the Level for a game of bingo featuring your favourite queer artists and musicians.</blockquote>
In 1981, I heard Old Testament professor Ralph Alexander deliver a series of lectures on David as a man after God's heart, but he started with a lecture about Saul, who was not a man after God's heart. One of the things he said that has stayed with me concerns <a href="https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=i+samuel+15&version=KJV">I Samuel 15</a>, where God commanded Saul to slaughter the Amalekites, including not only all the people, but all the animals. Saul instead saved King Agag and the best of the animals, while claiming that he had obeyed the LORD. Dr. Alexander pointed out that Saul was guilty here of finding something good in that which God had condemned. The same is true for anyone who celebrates and takes pride in sexual practices that God calls abominations, a which connotes condemnation in the strongest possible terms.<br>
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See also my posts: <br>
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<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2012/02/big-picture.html">"Christian" play The Big Picture reduces the Bible to a two-hour production</a></i> (February 15, 2012)<br>
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<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2018/04/20-years-ago-activist-supreme-court-of.html">20 years ago: Activist Supreme Court of Canada invents sodomite rights in provincial legislation</a></i> (April 2, 2018)<br>
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<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2021/09/edmontons-christian-university-holds.html">"Edmonton's Christian university" holds a silent online auction</a></i> (September 23, 2021) <br>
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<i><a href="https://suspiciousberean.blogspot.com/2023/01/edmontons-christian-university-supports.html">"Edmonton's Christian University" supports United Nations sustainable development goals</a></i> (January 31, 2023)Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-10539419215438121822023-03-02T00:05:00.001-07:002023-03-07T01:06:47.951-07:00130 years ago--not-so- "secret societies"I don't know how they could have been called "secret societies" when they were advertising their meetings on the front page of the newspaper, such as in the <i>Edmonton Bulletin</i>, <a href="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/newspapers/EDB/1893/03/02/1/Ad00102_4.html">March 2, 1893</a>. If you can't read the small print, the ads for the secret societies read as follows:<br>
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<blockquote><b>SECRET SOCIETIES.</b><BR>
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<b>A.</b>F. & A.M., Edmonton Lodge. Regular meeting, third Friday in each month, in Masonic Hall, at 7,30 o'clock, p.m. Visiting brethren cordially invited. R.B. FERGUSON, Secretary; C.W. SUTTER, W.M.<br>
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<b>A</b>NCIENT ORDER OF UNITED WORKMEN. Meetings 2nd and 4th Friday in each month in Masonic Hall. All visiting brethren cordially invited.<br>
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<b>A.O.F.</b> COURT BEAVER HOUSE, 7866. Meetings in Masonic Hall first and third Wednesday's of each month. Visiting brethren cordially invited. W.B. STENNATT, C.R. J.R. MICHAEL, Secretary</blockquote>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/www/newspapers/EDB/1893/03/02/1/Img/Ad00102_4.png" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" height="320" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="454" src="http://peel.library.ualberta.ca/www/newspapers/EDB/1893/03/02/1/Img/Ad00102_4.png"/></a></div>
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-40600783931437046972023-02-28T23:57:00.010-07:002023-03-01T14:43:59.736-07:00Trinity Western University promotes events that divide rather than unite ChristiansAnyone who thinks that evangelical universities and colleges are actually Christian isn't paying attention; it's becoming increasingly difficult to see any difference between these institutions and the world, especially as the world becomes more anti-Christian. Submitted for your approval, the following items from the events page of <a href="https://www.twu.ca">Trinity Western University</a> in Langley, British Columbia (bold, links in original): <br>
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<blockquote><a href="https://www.twu.ca/news-events/news/trinity-western-universitys-lunar-new-year-celebrations-bring-students-staff-and">27/01/2023 - 10:00 </a>:<br>
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<b>Trinity Western University's Lunar New Year celebrations bring students, staff, and the community together at Langley and Richmond campuses</b> <br>
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As a global Christian university, Trinity Western is a community of learners representing over 80 countries. This year, during Lunar New Year, a festival celebrated by many communities globally, Trinity Western's Langley and Richmond campuses are filled with activities.<br>
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On January 23, <a href="https://www.twu.ca/life-twu/student-ministries/global-engagement-office/intercultural-programs">TWU's Intercultural Student Programs (ICP)</a> kicked off a week-long series of events for students and the campus community, starting with a Korean Dinner hosted in the Global Lounge (Kuhn Centre) on Monday evening. Students shared laughs and good food while participating in dumpling wrapping and lantern making. <br>
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Wema Kibe is a student leader who helped coordinate Monday's community dinner. The third-year International Studies major explained that "Community dinners are a great place for people to not just learn about a culture but to also make new connections. Ushering in the new year with people from diverse places was a great way to do this." <br>
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The first activity of the evening was making dumplings, and Wema reflected on the intercultural exchange, "It was fun to see people at different tables creating different shapes. I talked to someone from Japan who made a dumpling the way they do it in her culture, and it was interesting to see that integration." <br>
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Student leader Anasthasia Anjanette led participants in making paper lanterns. The activity symbolized "letting go of our past selves" and getting ready for the new year. Wema explains, "Inside the lanterns, they wrote down their wishes for the new year." Prizes were given out to the maker of the best-looking lanterns. <br>
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The campus Korean club, Manna, took charge of the cooking and cultural explanations of the food. <br>
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On Tuesday, a lion dance troupe graced the foyer of the Reimer Student Centre. Boisterous music and drum beats accompanied the traditional dance performance, which was enjoyed by students, staff, and faculty. Wednesday evening saw student dorms racing through a series of stations across the Langley campus—each station presenting a different game or challenge—in a cross-campus dorm night. <br>
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Thursday brought celebrations to <a href="https://www.twu.ca/about-us/locations/richmond">TWU Richmond's two sites in Minoru and Lansdowne</a>. Activities included calligraphy writing, trivia games, pastoral care and prayer, and a student dance performance. Dumplings and snacks were served, and red envelopes with a treat and a note of Scriptural encouragement handed out. The MLA for Richmond Centre Teresa Wat attended as well, to share new year greetings with the Richmond campus community. <br>
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MBA student Merghani Ahmed expressed that he enjoys studying at TWU Richmond, where the community represents "a diversity of different faiths and nationalities." He also appreciates "the flexibility of classes, and good events, such as today's Lunar New Year event, which are good experiences for students from international backgrounds." <br>
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The festivities continued that evening in the Reimer Student Centre, where bubble tea was served by TWU's Student Association (TWUSA), and various booths offered games, conversation, gifts, and snacks. <br>
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A week of Lunar New Year events wraps up this Friday evening with a talent show at Block Hall. <br>
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<a href="https://www.twu.ca/news-events/news/black-history-month-2023-trinity-western-university">30/01/2023 - 09:00</a> <br>
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<b>Black History Month 2023 at Trinity Western University</b> <br>
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Trinity Western University honours Black History Month this February. Join us as we recognize the importance, impact, and contributions of Black history and culture on a global, national, and local scale. <br>
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Find out how TWU is celebrating Black History Month, and how you can participate. <br>
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See our month-long schedule of events below: <br>
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<b>Library Event and Book Display – Presentation by Aklilu Mulat, Senior Vice President, Business Operations & CFO, Trinity Western University</b> <br>
February 1 | 11:45 a.m. | Glass Room, Norma Marion Alloway Library <br>
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Topic: Blacks' Contribution to the TWU Family: The Ethiopian Connection<br>
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Mr. Aklilu Mulat's speech is inspired by his own journey and connection leading to Trinity Western, going as far back to the former emperor of Ethiopia (Haile Selassie), and the visible legacy that the connection created. Lunch provided.<br>
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<b>TWU Afro-Caribbean Club (ACC) Games Night</b><br>
February 2 | 8 p.m. | Global Lounge, Kuhn Centre<br>
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Join us in bringing TWU together, especially the student community, for a fun night of games, conversation, and friendship-building. Snacks will be shared.<br>
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<b>TWU Chapel</b><br>
February 3 | 11 a.m. | Enarson Gymnasium<br>
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Enjoy a special Praise Chapel worship experience with the TWU BHM Choir.<br>
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<b>Black History Month Opening Event</b><br>
February 3 | 5 p.m. | Kuhn Centre Lobby <br>
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Our Black History Month kick-off celebration features music by TWU's BHM Choir and the Kara-Kata Afrobeat Band from Vancouver, alongside talented TWU students Ose Obetoh, David Mutabazi, Eddison Bryan and Tamilore Awonusi. <br>
Warm appetizers and Afro-Caribbean beverages provided. <br>
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<b>TWU Chapel</b><br>
February 8, 10 | 11 a.m. | Enarson Gymnasium<br>
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TWU President Mark Husbands continues the Chapel sermon series on Justice.<br>
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<b>Black History Month Movie Night</b><br>
February 15 | 6 p.m. | DeVries Auditorium<br>
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Movie: Hidden Figures<br>
See the story of three African-American female mathematicians working at NASA—Katherine Johnson, Dorothy Vaughan and Mary Jackson—whose efforts served to launch astronaut John Glenn into orbit, a monumental accomplishment in U.S. and world history.<br>
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<b>February 19<br>
Black History Month Podcast Interview</b><br>
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<a href="https://www.buzzsprout.com/763976/12285668">Learning Matters: a Bridge to Practice</a> – Episode #50<br>
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What do you get when a Communication Scholar, Historian, Geographer, and a Biologist walk into a room during Black History Month?<br>
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On the podcast Learning Matters: a Bridge to Practice, hosted by TWU's <a href="https://www.twu.ca/profile/scott-macklin">Scott Macklin</a>, professors and scholars <a href="https://www.twu.ca/profile/divine-agodzo">Divine Agodzo</a>, <a href="https://www.twu.ca/profile/robynne-rogers-healey">Robynne Healey</a>, <a href="https://www.twu.ca/profile/maxwell-ofosuhene">Maxwell Ofosuhene</a> and <a href="https://www.twu.ca/profile/laura-onyango">Laura Onyango</a> discuss and celebrate intersections of black contributors to history and issues of diversity, inclusion and reconciliation across the full spectrum of our educational offerings and scholarship. Answering questions such as, What do you believe are some of the unique challenges facing Black students in Christian universities today, and how do you work to support and empower them? In your opinion, what can be done to address systemic racism and discrimination within Christian universities and communities? What are some books or movies that you consider helpful in exploring or learning about black history?<br>
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<b>Black History Month Closing Celebration</b><br>
February 27 | Front of Reimer Centre<br>
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<b>Talk by Hon. Justice Olufunlola Adekeye, CON, CFR,JSC (rtd.) Justice of the Supreme Court of Nigeria 2009-2012</b><br>
February 28 | DeVries Auditorium<br>
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Topic: The Place of Black Women in Leadership in the 21st Century—Experience as a Trailblazer<br>
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Hon. Justice Adekeye will share her Lordship’s experience as a Christian woman who helped to break the glass ceiling in the Judiciary of Nigeria. She was the first woman to rise to the High Court of Ondo and Ekiti States, and the second woman (and first in Southern Nigeria) to rise to the Supreme Court of Nigeria, which is the highest court in the country.<br>
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<b>Throughout the month of February:</b> A display of books written by Black authors will be featured at the Norma Marion Alloway Library.<br>
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<b><a href="https://www.twu.ca/news-events/events/gender-cafe-edid-politics-and-christian-institutions">Gender Cafe: EDID, Politics, and Christian Institutions</a></b> <br>
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Christian organizations should be in the forefront of creating and advancing equitable, diverse, inclusive, and decolonized environments. It is a part of our DNA. So, why are we not leading in this endeavour? The problem is that we follow the political and cultural trends instead of forging faith-led approaches to achieving a just and humane society. How are Christians called to lead the work of shaping the Beloved Community? <br>
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Dr. Adkins’ talk will be followed by discussion and a question-and-answer period. <br>
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It's FREE and open to the public and refreshments are provided. <br>
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<b>About the Speaker</b> <br>
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Jennifer Adkins, PhD, is Vice President of Inclusive Excellence at TWU. An expert in diversity, equity, and inclusion, she is a key member of the executive leadership team, the University leadership council, and the strategic planning committee, and she provides strategic leadership and counsel to the University. She is advancing TWU’s work in diversity, equity, and inclusion, and helping to propel the University forward in pursuit of our shared vision to prepare graduates for faithful lives of excellence. <br>
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<b>About the Gender Studies Institute at TWU</b> <br>
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The Gender Studies Institute fosters interdisciplinary teaching, intellectual dialogue, research, and collaboration in all areas of gender studies. The interdisciplinary nature of the institute will enable TWU scholars to collaboratively address with students gender issues that come out of every discipline, such as domestic violence, child abuse, and gendered visions of care, exploring how categories such as class, race, and gender intersect, to train leaders who will enjoy and foster restorative gendered relationships. The role of our Christian faith in the working out of gender in all aspects of life will inform our teaching and research.</blockquote> <br>
Lunar New Year has considerable worldly superstition and pagan content; from the article <i><a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm">The Lunar New Year: Rituals and Legends</a></i> at the site <a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/">Asia for Educators</a> (bold, links in original): <br>
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<blockquote><b><a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm#preparations">Preparations for the New Year</a></b> <br>
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...
Domestically there is a traditional cleansing as well. In decades past, the most thorough “spring cleaning” of the year was initiated as a ritualistic sweeping away of all the evil spirits feared to be lurking in dark corners behind heavy and rarely moved pieces of furniture. Today, the only consideration for the vast majority of Chinese is a spotless presentation of one’s home to the many family members and guests who will be welcomed during the holiday season. Windows are washed, or were repapered in the old days, and the courtyard gate or other wooden parts of the house might be repainted. The old agrarian calendar cites the 20th day of the 12th lunar month as the “day for sweeping floors,” and this date still marks the beginning of the major pre-holiday housecleaning projects in Hong Kong. In much of China, peasants waited until the 23rd (in South China) or the 24th (in the North) to pick up the broom and dust pan. It was on this day that the Kitchen God, or god of the hearth, was scheduled to depart to make his report concerning household activities to the Jade Emperor in heaven. So as not to unnecessarily disturb and possibly offend him, housewives waited until he was on his way before they started moving furniture and raising dust. <br>
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Sending the Kitchen God off to heaven was a matter deserving special attention. In residence year-round at the hearth, where he was represented by a prominently displayed picture, or in parts of the South by beautifully calligraphed characters for his name, the Kitchen God observed all the family’s comings and goings. Had they been generous to any beggar at the door? Had they wasted any hard-earned food, which some farmer had toiled and sweated to produce? Measures were taken to insure the kitchen god’s cooperation in giving a glowing report to the Jade Emperor, and thereby winning for the family a little heavenly favor. This included ritual offerings of candies or pastries and wine, and even smearing his lips with honey to make certain that he would only have sweet things to say about the family. Once this was done, the picture of the Kitchen God was torched, and he was off on his yearly journey, not to return until New Year’s Day. The dusting, washing, and scrubbing could then begin. Many believed they should sweep with inward strokes toward the center of the room so as not to whisk any of the family’s good fortune out the door... <br>
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...<b><a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm#eve">New Year’s Eve</a></b> <br>
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By New Year’s Eve, family members, some of whom may have traveled long distances to return home, gather for a reunion. In preparation for his return from heaven on New Year’s Day, the new portrait of the Kitchen God is hung, as are the brand new door gods, the duilian (door couplets), and any other festive decor. Some southern families place stalks of sugar cane behind the doors. The height and section-upon-section construction of the sweet stalks represented the family’s hope for a ladder-like ascent to new levels of glory in the coming 12 months. Everyone dresses up, preferably in new clothes, and is on best behavior. <br>
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Traditionally, on this last night of the year, the male head of the household led the family in making offerings to various gods of the house and to the ancestors. The ceremonies would begin by sealing the cracks around the door with red paper to prevent the last vestiges of the old year’s bad luck from stealing into the house, and any of the family’s good luck from escaping. Respects would be paid to the god of wealth, the gods of the well, the bed, the hearth, or any others with whom the family wanted to remain on especially good terms. The attention would then turn to the ancestors, to whom sacrifices of food would be given along with burning of incense. Each member of the family would kneel in respect before the ancestral tablets, symbols of many past generations, all the spirits of whom some families believed were in attendance that night. In wealthier households, an entire room might be devoted to use as an ancestral hall, complete with altar, while in poorer families, the ancestral tablets might occupy a modest shed in a corner. Just as important was to show respect to one’s living elders. Younger family members would ketou (kowtow) to members of each generation above them, in order, beginning with the eldest. When children showed respect in this way, they were rewarded with red envelopes (hongbao), which contained New Year’s money (yasui qian)... <br>
<br>
...<b><a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm#festivities">New Year Festivities</a></b><br>
<br>
...It was at this time that the male head of the house in many educated households would write auspicious characters or phrases to be hung at the entrance to the home. Some also waited for this day to approach the ancestral altar for seasonal rites, and to perform ritual ketou...<br>
<br>
...In the days after the new year, it is common to make pilgrimages to temples, especially nowadays for residents of Hong Kong. Theater groups and acrobatic troupes perform in the streets at marketplaces, on temple grounds, or at large public stadiums. Dragon dances, lion dances, stilt-walking performances, and folk pageantry are still particularly popular...<br>
<br>
...<b><a href="http://afe.easia.columbia.edu/special/china_general_lunar.htm#lantern">The Lantern Festival</a></b> <br>
<br>
The 15th day of the first lunar month is known as the “Lantern Festival.” The name for this day on the traditional calendar is Yuanshao, which has come to mean the small round dumplings of rice flour conventionally eaten at this time. The Lantern Festival signals the end of the New Year festival period. <br>
<br>
Originally, lanterns were said to have been used on this night to help see the gods by torch light. Each family would construct an elaborate paper lantern for this purpose. Now in many parts of China there is great emphasis on the craftsmanship used in making exquisite lanterns in a variety of shapes and styles, which are then often shown at public exhibitions.</blockquote>
All of the events mentioned above appeal to only certain segments of the population rather than the whole. Lunar New Year is of interest mainly to Orientals; Black History Month helps to perpetuate the separation of Negro history from general history; and "equitable, diverse, inclusive, and decolonized" is Orwellian Newspeak for "eradicate everything coming from white people, especially white males." I defy anyone to find anything distinctively Christian in these events--or in allegedly Christian institutions of higher education.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-23198988916524821672023-01-31T23:45:00.001-07:002023-02-01T00:05:31.484-07:00"Edmonton's Christian University" supports United Nations sustainable development goalsAnyone who thinks that "Christian" universities are actually Christian isn't paying attention. <a href="https://www.kingsu.ca">The King's University</a>, which calls itself "Edmonton's Christian University," is funded by churches of the Reformed persuasion, but the university long ago went liberal (I'm not sure it was ever sound). Listed among upcoming events is <a href="https://www.kingsu.ca/about-us/kings-calendar#/month/2023/02/event/2023/02/06/178959/305/1675710000/1675713600/false">International Development Week Movie & Pizza</a> (bold in original). The blurb is its own commentary:<br>
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<blockquote><b>February 06, 2023</b><br>
12:00 pm - 1:00 pm<br>
Cafeteria<br>
<br>
For International Development Week, the Micah Centre invites the King’s community to learn about the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): what are they, and how can they help us achieve a more just, humane, and sustainable world? You are invited to a viewing of ‘Nations United: Urgent Solutions for Urgent Times’, to learn about the SDGs and hear about the amazing work people around the world are doing to improve lives in their communities.<br>
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Contributors include Don Cheadle, Beyoncé, Michelle Yeoh, Forest Whitaker, Thandie Newton, and Malala Yousafzai.</blockquote>Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-10500444349295325112023-01-31T00:12:00.003-07:002023-01-31T00:12:40.796-07:00Archaeology and biblical history items, September 2022-January 2023Here are more items related to archaeology and biblical history that I've been too negligent to post. I don't feel like posting entire items, but the reader may find the full articles by clicking on the links below. <br>
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<i><a href="https://allarab.news/dropping-water-levels-reveal-new-archaeological-sites-artefacts-in-euphrates-tigris-rivers/">Dropping water levels reveal new archaeological sites, artefacts in Euphrates, Tigris rivers</a></i> (September 8, 2022) (also <a href="https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/08/falling-waters-euphrates-tigris-rivers-reveal-submerged-archaeological-sites">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.us17.list-manage.com/track/click?u=a22d85388ddcd4f211b8287b6&id=4aef1bfeaa&e=690a5880d8">Rare First Temple-period papyrus found in Montana, returned to Israel</a></i> (September 8, 2022) (also <a href="https://www.israel365news.com/354962/first-temple-ishmael-payrus-returns-to-israel/">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/355021/extremely-rare-judean-quarter-shekel-coin-repatriated-to-israel-from-the-us/">Extremely rare Judean quarter-shekel coin repatriated to Israel from the U.S.</a></i> (September 13, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/rare-roman-era-jewish-coin-returned-to-israel-after-two-decades">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/355089/tomb-from-time-of-pharaoh-containing-ancient-finds-discovered-on-beach-in-israel/">Tomb from time of Pharaoh containing ancient finds, discovered on beach in Israel</a></i> (September 18, 2022)<br>
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<a href="https://allarab.news/the-most-beautiful-byzantine-area-mosaic-floors-discovered-in-gaza-uncovered-by-local-farmer/"><i>The ‘most beautiful’ Byzantine-area mosaic floors discovered in Gaza uncovered by local farmer</i></a> (September 19, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/ancient-burial-cave-with-dozens-of-unique-artifacts-found-in-central-israel">Ancient burial cave with dozens of unique artifacts found in central Israel</a></i> (September 27, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/buried-treasure-discovered-in-northern-israel-reflects-dramatic-history-of-the-area">40 pure gold coins found stashed in a wall during excavations in northern Israel</a></i> (October 3, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.winnipegfreepress.com/arts-and-life/life/faith/2022/10/21/greek-monastery-manuscripts-tell-new-story-of-ottoman-rule">Greek monastery manuscripts tell new story of Ottoman rule</a></i> (October 21, 2022) (also <a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ancient-christian-monastery-discovered-in-middle-east-predates-emergence-of-islam/?utm_source=popular">here</a>) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/355657/research-by-israeli-universities-confirms-truth-of-biblical-battle-accounts/
">Research by Israeli universities confirms truth of biblical accounts of Egyptian, Aramean, Assyrian and Babylonian military campaigns against Israel and Judah</a></i> (October 25, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/scientific-breakthrough-in-israel-geomagnetic-fields-reveal-truth-behind-biblical-narratives">here</a>) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/355696/the-worlds-oldest-known-star-map-discovered-in-egypt/">U.S. archivists find oldest-known star map in Egypt beneath ancient Christian Syriac manuscript</a></i> (October 28, 2022) (also <a href="https://allarab.news/u-s-archivists-find-oldest-known-star-map-beneath-ancient-christian-syriac-manuscript/">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/ancient-christian-monastery-discovered-in-middle-east-predates-emergence-of-islam/">Ancient Christian monastery discovered in Middle East predates emergence of Islam</a></i> (November 4, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/358893/canaanite-inscription-lamenting-a-plague-of-lice-unearthed-in-biblical-lachish/">Canaanite inscription lamenting a plague of lice unearthed in biblical Lachish</a></i> (November 9, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/360575/newly-discovered-mosaics-in-galilee-byzantine-burnt-church-shed-light-on-early-christianity/">Newly discovered mosaics in Galilee’s “Burnt Church” shed light on early Christianity</a></i> (November 22, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/four-new-inscriptions-found-on-mosaics-near-sea-of-galilee-discovered-during-ongoing-excavations">here</a>) <br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/3000-year-old-scarab-seal-found-during-school-field-trip-near-tel-aviv">3,000-year-old Canaanite scarab found by Israeli schoolchildren during field trip near Tel Aviv</a></i> (November 30, 2022) (also <a href="https://www.israel365news.com/362924/3000-year-old-canaanite-scarab-found-by-israeli-schoolchildren/">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363094/ancient-roman-road-discover-in-galilee/">Ancient Roman Road discovered in Galilee</a></i> (December 5, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363263/2200-year-old-greek-hercules-sling-bullet-discovered-in-yavne/">2,200 year old Greek “Hercules” sling bullet discovered in central Israel</a></i> (December 8, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/sling-bullet-from-hasmonean-period-discovered-in-central-israel">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/rare-antiochus-iv-coin-discovered-in-suspected-thief-s-house-in-northern-israel">Rare Antiochus IV coin discovered in suspected thief's house in northern Israel</a></i> (December 9, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363488/2200-year-old-trove-of-silver-coins-offers-historical-proof-of-hanukkah-events/">2,200-year-old coins found in Judean Desert support historical account of the Maccabees, say archaeologists</a></i> (December 13, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/2200-year-old-coins-found-in-judean-desert-support-historical-account-of-the-maccabees-say-archaeologists">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363532/rare-2000-year-old-temple-tax-silver-coin-found-near-temple-mount/">Rare 2,000-year-old ‘Temple tax’ silver coin found near Temple Mount</a></i> (December 14, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allarab.news/roman-era-cemetery-discovered-in-gaza/">Roman-era cemetery discovered in Gaza</a></i> (December 17, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363656/israeli-archaeologists-find-earliest-evidence-of-use-of-cotton-in-the-middle-east/">Israeli archaeologists find earliest evidence of use of cotton in the Middle East</a></i> (December 18, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/inscriptions-confirm-biblical-account-of-king-hezekiah">Inscriptions confirm biblical account of King Hezekiah</a></i> (December 19, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/363752/cave-associated-with-jesus-midwife-salome-reveals-several-surprises/">2,000-year-old tomb associated with Jesus’ midwife Salome uncovered in Judean lowlands</a></i> (December 20, 2022) (also <a href="https://allisrael.com/a-2000-year-old-tomb-uncovered-at-the-salome-cave-in-judean-lowlands">here</a>)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/israeli-children-find-2-000-year-old-oil-lamp-in-northern-israel">Israeli children find 2,000-year-old oil lamp in northern Israel</a></i> (December 21, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://allarab.news/twenty-ancient-tombs-full-of-tiles-and-amulets-found-in-city-of-damietta-in-the-nile-delta-in-egypt/">Twenty ancient tombs, full of tiles and amulets, found in city of Damietta in the Nile Delta in Egypt</a></i> (December 22, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/364357/scientist-use-new-tech-to-recreate-face-of-pharaoh-who-may-have-ruled-over-the-exodus/">Scientists use new technology to recreate face of Pharaoh who may have ruled over the Exodus</a></i> (December 26, 2022) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/364499/biblical-siloam-pool-next-to-temple-mount-to-be-fully-excavated/">Biblical Siloam Pool next to Temple Mount to be fully excavated</a></i> (December 27, 2022)<br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365003/people-in-biblical-levant-paid-in-silver-3600-years-ago-study-shows/">People in biblical Levant paid in silver 3,600 years ago, study shows</a></i> (January 8, 2023) <br>
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<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/what-s-new-in-the-ancient-city-of-david">What’s new in the ancient City of David?</a></i> (January 9, 2023) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365305/israeli-archaeologists-uncover-6th-century-church-with-unique-mosaics-near-jericho/">Israeli archaeologists uncover 6th-century Church with unique mosaics near Jericho</a></i> (January 12, 2023) <br>
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<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365312/4000-year-old-ostrich-eggs-eaten-in-prehistoric-israel-uncovered-in-the-negev/">4,000-year-old ostrich eggs eaten in prehistoric Israel uncovered in the Negev</a></i> (January 12, 2023) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://allarab.news/archaeologists-discover-18th-dynasty-tomb-in-egypt/">Archaeologists discover 18th dynasty tomb in Egypt</a></i> (January 18, 2023) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365546/mesha-stele-mystery-solved-king-david-was-real-researchers-say/">Mesha Stele Mystery solved: King David was real, researchers say</a></i> (January 17, 2023) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365674/1300-year-old-luxurious-fabrics-found-in-the-arava-offer-proof-of-israeli-silk-road/">1,300-year-old luxurious fabrics found in the Arava offer proof of ‘Israeli Silk Road’</a></i> (January 19, 2023)<br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/1-000-year-old-jerusalem-old-city-moat-carved-handprint-discovered">1,000-year-old Jerusalem Old City moat, mysterious carved handprint discovered</a></i> (January 25, 2023) (also <a href="https://www.israel365news.com/365921/archaeologists-unearth-ancient-moat-surrounding-jerusalem-mysterious-hand-imprint/">here</a>) <br>
<br>
<i><a href="https://allisrael.com/excavations-under-western-wall-could-connect-to-city-of-david">Excavations underneath Western Wall may eventually connect to City of David</a></i> (January 25, 2023)Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-35225124387938215062022-12-31T23:31:00.001-07:002022-12-31T23:31:09.615-07:00Examples of "art" produced by students at a Canadian "evangelical" universityAnother example of wordliness from an "evangelical" university; as advertised by <a href="https://www.twu.ca">Trinity Western University</a> in Langley, British Columbia, <a href="https://www.twu.ca/news-events/news/2022-review-art-design-exhibition-celebrates-year-creative-production-twu-art">November 29, 2022</a> (bold, text links in original): <br>
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<blockquote><b>2022 In Review: Art + Design exhibition celebrates a year of creative production by TWU art, design, video game and animation students</b><br>
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Newest student exhibition celebrates a year of creative production by art, design, video game and animation students in TWU’s <a href="https://www.twu.ca/academics/school-arts-media-culture">School of the Arts, Media + Culture</a>. <br>
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<b>2022 In Review: Art + Design Student Exhibition</b> <br>
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Dates: December 2, 2022 – February 2, 2023<br>
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Opening Night Artist Talks: Thursday, December 1, 6:15-7:30 p.m.<br>
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Location: SAMC Gallery, Norma Marion Alloway Library, Trinity Western University (22500 University Drive, Langley).<br>
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This exhibition celebrates a year of creative production by SAMC art, design, video game and animation students. Produced over the course of 2022, the works in this exhibition span the diverse media that students are exposed to in the program, including drawing, painting, animation and digital design. 2022 In Review provides a space to reflect on the growth and learning that has taken place this year as students have honed their technical skills, deepened conceptual capacities, and discovered their authentic visual voice.<br>
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A foundational question resonates throughout the work gathered here, a question that is taken up in each of the courses offered in the <a href="https://www.twu.ca/academics/school-arts-media-culture/art-design#:~:text=We%20are%20a%20community%20of,to%20create%20and%20critique%20culture.">Art + Design</a> program: what does it mean to be created in the image of a creator God? As these student artists participate in the act of creation, they each reveal the Creator in a unique way. The act of creation draws these emerging artists near to the heart of a God who delights in the beauty and diversity of His creation. <br>
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This exhibition is on view from December 2, 2022 to February 2, 2023. All are welcome to join us for opening night artist talks on Thursday, December 1 at 6:15 p.m. </blockquote>
<br>
...
<blockquote><b>About Art + Design at Trinity Western University</b><br>
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We are a community of professional artists, designers, scholars, and students who look at visual ways of creating. Within a variety of interdisciplinary historical, critical, and theoretical contexts, we explore how visual art and design practices can be used to create and critique culture. Our program empowers students to become creative leaders who are able to adapt and innovate in our rapidly changing world. Learn more at <a href="https://www.twu.ca/academics/school-arts-media-culture/art-design#:~:text=We%20are%20a%20community%20of,to%20create%20and%20critique%20culture.">Art + Design</a>.</blockquote>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.39.20%20PM.png?h=db9e767e&itok=Hda20lPO" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.39.20%20PM.png?h=db9e767e&itok=Hda20lPO"/></a></div>
Mojgan Mirzapouralamdari, <i><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.39.20%20PM.png?h=db9e767e&itok=Hda20lPO">Untitled</a></i>, Mixed Media on Canvas.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-30%20at%208.46.25%20AM.png?h=0ad88f0d&itok=-zXNZjLJ" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-30%20at%208.46.25%20AM.png?h=0ad88f0d&itok=-zXNZjLJ"/></a></div>
Zaeya Winter, <i><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-30%20at%208.46.25%20AM.png?h=0ad88f0d&itok=-zXNZjLJ">What We Preserve</a></i>, Mixed Media on Canvas.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.28.57%20PM.png?h=2b4d0be6&itok=hG-Wc1pE" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.28.57%20PM.png?h=2b4d0be6&itok=hG-Wc1pE"/></a></div>
Sofia del Castillo Medina, <i><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.28.57%20PM.png?h=2b4d0be6&itok=hG-Wc1pE">My Essentials</a></i>, Acrylic on Canvas.
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<br><div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.38.56%20PM.png?h=c3a7ff1b&itok=AmmUhJsw" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.38.56%20PM.png?h=c3a7ff1b&itok=AmmUhJsw"/></a></div>
Yihan (Martin) Wang, <a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.38.56%20PM.png?h=c3a7ff1b&itok=AmmUhJsw"><i>Subtractive study, graphite and charcoal on cold pressed watercolor paper</i></a>.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.41.49%20PM.png?h=39f63afe&itok=3r7UwB12" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.41.49%20PM.png?h=39f63afe&itok=3r7UwB12"/></a></div>
Cecilia Nguyen, <i><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Screen%20Shot%202022-11-29%20at%201.41.49%20PM.png?h=39f63afe&itok=3r7UwB12">Personal Brand</a></i>, Adobe Illustrator.<br>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Candace_Genesis_Book.png?h=71656790&itok=MRrABY9U" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="479" data-original-width="800" src="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Candace_Genesis_Book.png?h=71656790&itok=MRrABY9U"/></a></div>
Candace Genesis, <i><a href="https://www.twu.ca/sites/default/files/styles/landscape_1570w_/public/images/2022-11/Candace_Genesis_Book.png?h=71656790&itok=MRrABY9U">Book Cover</a></i>.<br>
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I see nothing in any of these works of "art" that could be said to "reveal the Creator in a new way"--nothing distinctively Christian, depicting the good, beautiful, and true. Most of this "art" is ugly and incomprehensible; I'm reminded of Winston Churchill's description of Graham Sutherland's portrait of him as <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QqclickG4NM">"a remarkable example of modern art."</a> The work by Mr. Wang is at least recognizable as a can opener (assuming that's what it's supposed to be), and <i>Book Cover</i> is indeed a picture of a book cover. The amount of creativity on display is breathtaking; and these are just the works shown at TWU's website.Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5579005534353939499.post-6048006625977840962022-12-31T17:10:00.003-07:002022-12-31T17:51:25.058-07:00Antichrist Ambrose University presents Gilgamesh<a href="https://ambrose.edu">Ambrose University</a> in Calgary, Alberta is the denominational school for both the <a href="http://cmalliance.ca/">Christian and Missionary Alliance in Canada</a> and <a href="http://www.nazarene.ca/">Church of the Nazarene Canada</a>. Anyone who thinks that institutions such as Ambrose University are Christian isn't paying attention; they may be "evangelical," but they aren't Christian. According to Ambrose's <a href="https://ambrose.edu/event/3606">events calendar</a> (bold, link, photo in original): <br>
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<b>Gilgamesh (Classical Theatre Production)</b><br>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both;"><a href="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/2022-11/gilgamesh_eventbrite_1.jpg" style="display: block; padding: 1em 0; text-align: center; "><img alt="" border="0" width="320" data-original-height="608" data-original-width="608" src="https://ambrose.edu/sites/default/files/2022-11/gilgamesh_eventbrite_1.jpg"/></a></div>
Ambrose Theatre Students <br>
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December 1-3, 2022 at 7:30 p.m. & Saturday, December 3, 2022 at 2:30pm<br>
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Tickets: $20 Adult; $15 Students/Seniors/Ambrose ID. Please reserve tickets at tickets@ambrose.edu or at the door. Not suitable for children under 10. <br>
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<b>Date</b><br>
Thursday, December 1, 2022<br>
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<b>Location</b><br>
Big Secret Theatre,<br>
Arts Commons <br>
#21 225 8 Ave SE <br>
Calgary, AB<br>
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<b><a href="https://ambrose.edu/ambrose-arts-performing-gilgamesh">Ambrose Arts Performing Gilgamesh</a></b> <br>
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From December 1-3, Ambrose Arts will be performing Gilgamesh at the Big Secret Theatre – Arts Commons.<br>
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We are pleased to introduce our designer, Lindsey Zess. Lindsey is a Metis director, designer, maker and art educator living and working on Treaty 7 territory, primarily Mohkinstsis/Otoskwunee/Calgary. She creates work for both film and theatre, specializing in scenography, directing, devised performance, physical theatre practices and puppetry. Her devising/design methodology places a strong emphasis on the material, mythological and metaphysical.<br>
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The production Gilgamesh is inspired by the discovery of the oldest library in the world. A 4000-year-old story, The Epic of Gilgamesh, begins with King Gilgamesh of Uruk leading a life of despicable actions. Finding an unlikely friendship with his rival Enkidu through combat, the two become inseparable, fighting all their battles together. Upon the death of his friend, Gilgamesh sets off on the quest for eternal life. Gilgamesh finds himself attempting to conquer death through treacherous missions assigned by gods and immortals. Laying eyes on his city once more, Gilgamesh comes to terms with his fate and chronicles it as a lesson to those after him. <br>
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For more information on the Epic of Gilgamesh, we recommend watching this video!<br>
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<iframe width="560" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/BV9t3Cp18Rc" frameborder="0" allow="autoplay; encrypted-media" allowfullscreen></iframe></blockquote>
It's impossible not to notice that the announcement mentions the politically correct race of the designer,as if that's of importance to the production. What is important is the subject matter, which is not suitable for children under 10--ideal family fare for Christmas! It seems odd that a university that claims to be Christian would present a production celebrating Gilgamesh, who has been identified by sound biblical scholars with Nimrod (Genesis 10:8-10), a tyrant whose kingdom was opposed to the God of the Bible. For evidence of this, see <i><a href="https://christiananswers.net/dictionary/nimrod.html#Gilgamesh_is_Nimrod">Nimrod</a></i> by biblical archaeologist David P. Livingston at <a href="https://christiananswers.net">Christian Answers</a>. Let's hear it, ladies and gentlemen, for your "evangelical" universities!
Jack Morrowhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15327107636819451554noreply@blogger.com0