My usual eclectic collection of stuff I thought was interesting.
First, my wife Karen pointed out to me that I live in the coolest city in the world. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24413710/>1=43001
Is it just me? I actually still like Obama. Karen is apoplectic about this and accuses me of being an airhead effected by the fawning media. Here is one man’s take on the fawning: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/gerard_baker/article3941450.ece I still think that there is more to him than fawning - but that is just me.
And from the same newspaper news of the death of active, practicing, Christianity in Britain. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/faith/article3890080.ece I actually don’t believe this - but the church has its challenges no doubt. I talked to a Dutchman on Friday who described himself as as one of the very few people under 40 who go to church in Holland. True or not, that’s how Christians in Europe feel, a lonely minority swimming against the tide.
As an antidote for this depressing view of Europe read this review of a book on “The Next Christendom”. http://www.thinkingchristian.net/2008/05/the-next-christendom/ I was in Hungary this week (see my next post) and was reminded on the the ancientness of our faith. It has survived, even thrived, during tougher circumstances than we face today.
At church today the pastor pointed us to this obituary http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article3918778.ece of the former Anglican Bishop of Iran. Bishop Hassan lived in exile in London since the revolution. It reminded me that until recently Christians lived quietly in small communities in Egypt, Turkey, Syria, Iraq, Iran, and Sudan. What these countries have in common now is the growing persecution of Christians - regularly including the deaths of our brothers and sisters in Christ. The religious freedom that is enjoyed in the United States is almost unique in the world. Let’s pray the we keep it.
May 18th, 2008 at 7:03 pm
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