It may be Advent, but there are only 8 shopping days until Christmas. So this weekend we discuss Christmas presents: tips and advice; pros and cons; good ones and bad ones; favorite ones you have received; etc., etc.
It may be Advent, but there are only 8 shopping days until Christmas. So this weekend we discuss Christmas presents: tips and advice; pros and cons; good ones and bad ones; favorite ones you have received; etc., etc.
Prophecies of Christ's Second Coming are often grossly misinterpreted. And yet Scripture gives them as "signs" of Christ's return, so we need to take them seriously, especially in Advent, the season devoted to such reflections.
An End Times preacher cites how people are always claiming to be "offended" all the time as a sign that Christ is coming soon. He bases that on Matt 24:10 (KJV): "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another." He is wrong, but the word at issue is "stumbling block." And there are lots of stumbling blocks in Christianity and in "Christ crucified."
Coptic Christians tattoo a cross on their wrists as a mark by which they can recognize each other and distinguish themselves from other Egyptians. Even though this also marks them for persecution. The Bible, the baptism liturgy, and theologians also speak of the marks of Christians.
Some Marxists are seeing the working class populism of Donald Trump's supporters as today's expression of the "working-class rebellion" that can lead to a communist revolution. Similarly, some on the New Right are forming alliances with Marxists.
A writer notes a growing rift between religious and non-religious members of the Donald Trump brand of conservatism known as the "New Right." Will Christians stay with the conservative movement if it drops its concern with moral and "family values" issues?
Several decades ago, when the Internet was new, a common topic of online conversation was just sharing interesting sites that people found on the internet. The online experience has changed. But let's see if we can still do that. What are some interesting sites you have found that you would recommend to your fellow Cranachers?
Woke progressivism encourages groups to think of themselves as victims of systemic oppression. Some conservatives have been speaking in the same terms. The political rhetoric of both sides foments resentment and fear. Kevin DeYoung sees problems with this.
Two historians say that institutions become corrupt when "they continue to function, but in ways that no longer serve their original purpose." They apply that to higher education. But it also explains what has happened to lots of other institutions.
Another thing many of our tech lords believe: The universe and we ourselves are actually computer simulations. This "simulation hypothesis" is being taken seriously by some physicists. Ironically, the evidence they cite is the evidence for Intelligent Design, which is taboo in the science establishment. Bringing up God is forbidden, but positing an alien programmer is an interesting hypothesis.
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