Muddling Toward Maturity Blog

THE MUSLIM BROTHERHOOD AND THE EGYPTIAN UPRISING

Andy McCarthy, author of  The Grand Jihad: How Islam and the Left Sabotage America, and a man I respect for his knowledge of things Islamic, writes in a National Review Online article :

To this day, the Brotherhood’s motto remains, “Allah is our objective, the Prophet is our leader, the Koran is our law, Jihad is our way, and dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope. Allahu akbar!”

Still, our see-no-Islamic-evil foreign-policy establishment blathers on about the Brotherhood’s purported renunciation of violence — and never you mind that, with or without violence, its commitment is, as Qaradawi puts it, to “conquer America” and “conquer Europe.”

McCarthy's article represents an important counter-balance to writers such as Bruce Riedel ("Don't fear Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood"), which McCarthy calls "the classic, conventional-wisdom response to the crisis in Egypt."   Read McCarthy to get the full scoop.

- George Weigle writes cogently, "Egypt's Coptic Christians Deserve a Word from President Obama."  Weigle says:

BARRY RUBIN - "THE REVOLT IN EGYPT AND U.S. POLICY"

As of this writing, I think Barry Rubin's piece is the most thoughtful, informed, and accurate of anything I have read.  He's the director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center and editor of the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal.   In 2010 he published The Muslim Brotherhood: A Global Islamist Movement (Palgrave-Macmillan, 2010) and before that Islamic Fundamentalism in Egyptian Politics, Second Revised Edition Palgrave Press (2002, 2008).

He writes in his current article saying:

There is no good policy for the United States regarding the uprising in Egypt but the Obama Administration may be adopting something close to the worst option. This is its first real international crisis. And it seems to be adopting a policy that, while somewhat balanced, is pushing the Egyptian regime out of power. The situation could not be more dangerous and might be the biggest disaster for the region and Western interests since the Iranian revolution three decades ago.

Experts and news media seem to be overwhelmingly optimistic, just as they generally were in Iran's case. Wishful thinking is to some extent replacing serious analysis. Indeed, the alternative outcome is barely presented: This could lead to an Islamist Egypt, if not now in several years.

What's puzzling here is that a lot of the enthusiasm is based on points like saying that the demonstrators are leaderless and spontaneous. But that's precisely the situation where someone who does have leaders, is well organized, and knows precisely what they want takes over. . . .

This is the article to read if you read no other.  Read the whole thing.  It's important.   (HT: Powerline via Jim Hoft)

Update 2/2/11 - Kathryn Jean Lopez conducts a follow-up interview with Rubin here.  Again, this man strikes me as one of the most experienced, sober-minded commentators available.  Excerpt:

[...] And I also have seen that many of the people proclaiming there is nothing to worry about now have been wrong over and over again in the past. They were wrong about the Iranian revolution, the PLO, Hezbollah in Lebanon, the Turkish regime, Hamas, Algeria, al-Qaeda, and much more. A few days before the September 11 attack, an article came out in a magazine criticizing me for warning of the threat from revolutionary Islamist terrorist groups, saying that this was a fantasy.

And finally, another ignored or misunderstood factor is the regional situation. On one hand, I constantly hear from Arabs, Turks, and Iranians, as well as Israelis and people from other countries, that they have lost faith in the United States as a reliable ally Have no doubt, this will further undermine that feeling. Those who can are moving toward making deals with Iran or at least avoiding conflict with those they think are destined to be victorious. . . .

ANTI-AMERICAN SONG PLAYED BY CHINESE PIANIST LANG LANG AT OBAMA'S STATE DINNER FOR HU JINDAO

What a fiasco.  What kind of nincompoops are at the head of an Obama administration that invites a guest pianist to humiliate the United States on its own soil and in the presence of its President and other American dignataries?  Of course it goes along with Obama bowing to heads of state in his travels around the world.   Jay Nordlinger calls Lang Lang, the guest pianist, a kind of court pianist for President Obama and the Chinese leadership."  (my emphases follow)

What did he play? Most notably and significantly, he played a famous anti-American propaganda song. Famous in China, that is. Wei Jingsheng, the great Chinese democracy leader, exiled in the United States since 1997, wrote a letter to Congress and Secretary of State Clinton. He said, “I listened to that music with a big shock.” Wei explained that the song, “My Country,” or “My Motherland,” comes from “the best-known Communist propaganda movie about the Korean War,” depicting the Chinese army’s fight with the Americans. The movie is called "The Battle of Triangle Hill."  Wei said that the movie is as well-known in China as "Gone with the Wind "is here.

The song refers to the Americans as “wolves” or “jackals,” and says that the Chinese will use weapons to deal with them. Wei commented, “Is that not an insult to the USA to play such . . . music at a state dinner hosted by the US President? No wonder it made Hu Jintao really happy.” Yes, no wonder. As Wei pointed out, Hu is not ordinarily given to public emotion, but he emotionally embraced Lang Lang.

Do you find this shocking?    I certainly do.  What does Obama think of the America he is supposed to represent and defend?   Does he not recognize a responsibility to defend America's honor?  Nordlinger goes on:

(click  below)

CAROLINE GLICK - A VIEW OF EGYPT'S CRISIS FROM ISRAEL

Glick writes:

Today the Egyptian regime faces its gravest threat since Anwar Sadat's assassination 30 years ago. As protesters take to the street for the third day in a row demanding the overthrow of 82-year old President Hosni Mubarak . . .

Glick considers the possible alternatives to Mubarak's regime and in the course of doing so speaks of Egypt's military capabilities:

Owing to that US aid, the Egyptian military today makes the military Israel barely defeated in 1973 look like a gang of cavemen. Egypt has nearly 300 F-16s. Its main battle tank is the M1A1 which it produces in Egypt. Its navy is largest in the region. Its army is twice the size of the IDF. Its air defense force constitutes a massive threat to the IAF. And of course, the ballistic missiles and chemical weapons it has purchased from the likes of North Korea and China give it a significant stand-off mass destruction capability.

Glick see Elbaradei as "a strong champion" of the Muslim Brotherhood.

Me:  No doubt anxiety fills the hearts of everyone in Israel tonight.  Joel Rosenberg offers continuous commentary.  Jim Hoft posts, "Israel Fears Radical Islamist Takeover in Egypt."

HEROES: CHARLES COLSON TELLS THE STORY OF VON GALEN AND THE THIRD REICH

Colson writes:

Whether facing a vicious dictatorship or merely a hostile culture, defending life takes courage.

Yesterday, I told you the story of Lothar Kreyssig, the Protestant German judge who defied the Third Reich’s program to rid Germany of what it called “lives unworthy of life.”

But while Kreyssig was exceptional, he wasn’t alone.

Clemens August Graf von Galen was the Bishop of Muenster. He became bishop in 1933, the same year Hitler came to power, and from the start he made life difficult for Nazi officials.

He opposed Reich policies in education and its attacks on religious freedom. When others were bending over backwards to avoid provoking the Nazis, von Galen went on the rhetorical offensive: He mocked Nazi ideology and defended the authority of the Old Testament against Nazi attacks.

BEST DEBATE ON THE HISTORICAL JESUS: WILLIAM LANE CRAIG vs. JAMES CROSSLEY

So says Wintery Knight, whose judgment I respect.

 

ALBERT MOHLER - A FAILURE OF CHRISTIAN THINKING IS A FAILURE OF DISCIPLESHIP

Mohler does a good job laying out our calling as disciples of Christ and the integral relationship that exists between mind and heart.  He writes:  (my bolding)

. . . Christianity is a comprehensive worldview and way of life that grows out of Christian reflection on the Bible and the unfolding plan of God revealed in the unity of the Scriptures. . .

Christianity brings the world a distinctive understanding of time, history, and the meaning of life. The Christian worldview contributes an understanding of the universe and all it contains that points us far beyond mere materialism and frees us from the intellectual imprisonment of naturalism. Christians understand that the world-including the material world-is dignified by the very fact that God has created it. At the same time, we understand that we are to be stewards of this creation and are not to worship what God has made. We understand that every single human being is made in the image of God and that God is the Lord of life at every stage of human development. We honor the sanctity of human life because we worship the Creator. From the Bible, we draw the essential insight that God takes delight in the ethnic and racial diversity of his human creatures, and so must we.

QUOTE OF THE DAY

Pakistani-born Church of England Bishop Michael Nazir-Ali responds to an article on "Islamophobia" in Britain:  (my bolding)

'Diversity cannot be mere diversity. It must be consistent with the best of British values, such as human dignity, freedom and equality, which derive from the Judaeo-Christian tradition of the Bible.

'I know from personal experience that extremism as a mind-set is spreading throughout the Muslim world. We do not want it to spread here through the teaching of hate and the radicalisation of the young.

'That is why we must distinguish between those Muslims who want to live peacefully with their non-Muslim neighbours and those who wish to introduce Shari'a into this country, restrict freedom of speech and confine women to their homes, not to speak of introducing draconian punishments such as death for blasphemy recently awarded to a poor Christian woman in Pakistan.

'If relations are to improve between Muslims and other people in the world, these are the kind of issues that must be tackled.'

DEPRESSING FACT: OBAMA REMAINS THE MOST PRO-ABORTION PRESIDENT IN HISTORY

-  Albert Mohler notes that 

This past Saturday, on the 38th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision, the President issued a statement that is remarkable, even for presidents who support legalized abortion. The President’s statement included not one word that indicated any recognition that abortion is in any case or in any sense a tragedy. There was not even a passing reference to the unborn child. President Obama did not even use the language used disingenuously by President Bill Clinton — the pledge that abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.”  [more . . .]

  - Today thousands of March for Life (mostly young people!) rally on mall on way to the Supreme Court

A few signs hung from the stair railings. "I've noticed that everyone who is for abortion is already born," read one. Said another, "A mother's womb should be the safest place on Earth."

- Liberty Counsel notes:

In all the wars in American history combined, from the Revolution to Afghanistan, we have lost approximately 910,000 people. However, in 38 years we have lost about 53 million children to abortion. We lose more children to abortion each day than we lost in all the tragedies on September 11, 2001.

- Dr. Gosnell arrested for murdering 7 babies who survived abortion -- A practice Barack Obama supports & has voted for 4 times (audio)

- Michelle Malkin- "The Philadelphia Horror: How mass murder gets a pass"

Dr. Gosnell Arrested for Murdering 7 Babies Who Survived Abortion – A Practice Barack Obama Supports & Has Voted For 4 Times (Audio)

WALTER WILLIAMS - THE STATE'S DESTRUCTION OF BLACK FAMILIES

Walter Williams, a veteran black economist at George Mason University, has written a new autobiography, "Up from the Projects."  The 75 year-old Williams wasn't always conservative (or libertarian), but facts and evidence took control of his thinking:  "I learned that you have to evaluate the effects of public policy as opposed to intentions."

Jason L. Riley of the Wall Street Journal published an interview with Williams.   

"We lived in the Richard Allen housing projects" in Philadelphia, says Mr. Williams. "My father deserted us when I was three and my sister was two. But we were the only kids who didn't have a mother and father in the house. These were poor black people and a few whites living in a housing project, and it was unusual not to have a mother and father in the house. Today, in the same projects, it would be rare to have a mother and father in the house."

. . . During Reconstruction and up until the 1940s, 75% to 85% of black children lived in two-parent families. Today, more than 70% of black children are born to single women. "The welfare state has done to black Americans what slavery couldn't do, what Jim Crow couldn't do, what the harshest racism couldn't do," Mr. Williams says. "And that is to destroy the black family." 

THE LATEST "SOCIAL CONSERVATIVE REVIEW: THE INSIDER'S GUIDE TO PRO-FAMILY NEWS" - JANUARY 20, 2011

These compilations of articles from a variety of sources by the Family Research Council continue to offer interested people a gold mine.  A new edition appears every two weeks.  Readers will find in each a wealth of information not readily found elsewhere. For previous reviews I've posted, click here.

WILLIS E. ELLIOT - "THE MUTUAL BLASPHEMY OF ISLAM AND CHRISTIANITY"

Elliot's article on Muslim-Christian relations was solicited and then rejected by the Washington Post's "On Faith" blog.  In the interest of free speech Pajama's Media picked it up.  It is well worth reading.

“Mutual blasphemers, love one another!” is the title of an essay I published many years ago. Now as then, the human project is to learn not only to live with, but to love, “the blasphemers” (meaning whichever of the two religions is not yours).

1. But the project, so defined, is not neutral. It is Christian and humanist. Christian: Jesus said, “Love your enemies.” Islam, to the contrary, is essentially hostile to “the infidels.” Humanist: Calling evil good is bad news, but the worst news is violence done in the name of God (spelled out, for example, in Mohamed Atta’s theological justification for the attack he led, “9/11”).

2. Blasphemy (irreverent speech or action against a deity or religious person/belief/object) is currently in the news only when Muslims become violent, or threaten violence, when they feel offended: when we Christians feel offended, almost never do we become violent, and almost always we suffer the disrespect in silence.

In the New Testament (and other early Christian literature), much is said about nonviolence, never is violence commanded or even suggested; it is forbidden. Not so, early Muslim literature. The contrast is to be expected: Jesus was anti-violent, Muhammad was violent (a military leader as well as a religious leader).

Kevin D. Williamson Offers A Major Contemporary Explanation and Analysis of Socialism

Click here.

REVOLUTION IN TUNISIA - Daniel Pipes' Reflections

Daniel Pipes offers a judicious assessment of the revolution in Tunisia:  "Tunisia's Uncertain Impact: Watching the coup d'etat with fear and hope."

The sudden and yet-unexplained exit of Tunisia’s strongman, Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, 74, after 23 years in power has potential implications for the Middle East and for Muslims worldwide. As an Egyptian commentator noted, “Every Arab leader is watching Tunisia in fear. Every Arab citizen is watching Tunisia in hope and solidarity.” I watch with both sets of emotions.  [more...] 

LETTER TO U.S. CONGRESS BY WIFE OF TORTURED CHINESE HERO

Jay Nordlinger has sobering words to share with reference to the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to the United States.  Nordlinger writes:

In a below post, I mentioned Gao Zhisheng, one of the best people in all of China — I believe he is still alive.  [Me: See my earlier post on Gao Zhisheng here.]  With the PRC, the government we Americans are honoring this week, you never know. Gao has been incredibly brave: He has defended Falun Gong practitioners, “house church” activists, and other people targeted by the government for arrest, torture, and death. Gao has paid very, very heavily for his principles.

In April 2009, Gao’s wife, Geng He, wrote a letter to the U.S. Congress. I wrote about this matter in a column, here. The letter in full can be found here. Geng began,

“On the night of September 21, 2007, my husband, with a black hood thrown over his head, was kidnapped and brought to an unknown location. For 59 days, many people tortured and ravaged him in all kinds of ways, including beating him with an electric prod, inserting bamboo sticks into his reproductive organs, holding lit cigarettes close to his eyes and nose, etc., so that his eyes would burn and he would be forced to inhale smoke. My husband told me later that he was in such unbearable pain at the time that his sweat, blood, and other bodily fluids covered the floor. Among the reasons the authorities gave for tormenting my husband was that he had written to the United States Congress.”

The head of the government that has done this to Gao, we are honoring at the White House, our American home. Isn’t that wonderful? Are you proud?

Geng went on to write,

“I remember that, when my husband was still free, whenever major human rights cases arose in China, he would always look towards the United States. He always said: The United States is the cornerstone of world freedom, human rights and social order; the United States would not tolerate despotic rule and the wanton abuse of the weak and the masses.”

Ain’t that quaint? I’m sure you’re laughing your head off. One more excerpt, from Geng’s letter:

“Honorable members of the U.S. Congress, please help me support my husband, lawyer Gao Zhisheng, so that the evil forces will know that there is resistance against persecution; so that the millions of Chinese suffering this despotic rule will know that the United States is concerned about their human rights situation, and will not give up. My husband would be more resolute because of this, the Chinese people would feel inspired because of this, and China and the world would eventually transform because of this!

“Many thanks for your concern!”

“Your concern”? Our concern?! I’ll tell you what our concern is, lady: to make money and go with the flow.

At the beginning of this administration, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, traveling in Asia, said that human rights would not be allowed to “interfere” with such urgent issues as “the global climate-change crisis.” This week’s pomp in honor of Hu Jintao proves that the administration is true to its word: Human rights sure as hell aren’t interfering.

STANLEY FISH GIVES HIGH MARKS TO SARAH PALIN'S CONCEPT OF "AMERICAN EXCEPTIONALISM"

One wouldn't ordinarily expect an opinion piece by Stanley fish published in the New York Times to be particularly favorable to Sarah Palin, but Fish's article, "Exceptionalism, Faith and Freedom: Palin's America," proves enjoyable reading.  Outstanding to me in this review of Palin's America by Heart: Reflections on Family, Faith, and Flag, are the many references to "American exceptionalism" which Fish agrees are historically grounded. He applauds Palin's "humility" in letting the quotes and references take center stage in her book.   A good read . . .

SHAMEFUL FAILURE OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION TO SUPPORT DEMOCRACY IN IRAN - AND CHINA

I remember well the silence of the Obama administration in 2009 when Iranians rose up in revolt against their rulers.  Fouad Ajami in a Wall Street Journal article today also recalls that moment.  He writes: (my bolding)

. . .  Mr. Obama had come into office with a belief that he knew and understood the Islamic world. He was proud that Islam was a strand in his identity. He was sure that the policy of his predecessor had antagonized Islam. President George W. Bush's "diplomacy of freedom" was not given the grace of a decent burial. "Ideology is so yesterday," Secretary Clinton proudly proclaimed in early 2009. Realpolitik was to be the order of the day.

The Bush diplomacy had declared an open ideological assault against the Iranian theocracy. Mr. Obama would offer that regime an olive branch and a promise of engagement. Syria had been pushed out of Lebanon and viewed as a renegade regime that had done its best to frustrate the American war in Iraq. The Obama diplomacy would offer the rulers in Damascus diplomatic rehabilitation.

Thus the word went forth to the despots in the region that the American campaign on behalf of liberty that Mr. Bush had launched in 2003 had been called off. A new Iraqi democracy, midwifed by American power, was fighting for its life. The Obama administration would keep Iraq at arm's length.

This break of faith with democracy was put on cruel display in the summer of 2009, when the Iranians rose in revolt against their rulers. True, American diplomacy was not likely to alter the raw balance of power between the regime and its democratic oppositionists. But the timidity of American power, and the refusal of the Obama administration to embrace the cause of the opposition, must be reckoned one of American foreign policy's great moral embarrassments. . .   [more . . .]

Me:  Mr. Ajami goes on to talk about Syria, Lebananon, and Tunisia in this article.   But I wanted to record Ajami's assessment of President Obama's inexplicable and shameful failure to support the 2009 uprising.  Though it struck me forcefully at the time, it seemed that Obama's silence never received the attention it deserved.  Now the distinguished Fouad Ajami offers his opinion, and explains how the ebb of Americn power continues to affect the Middle East.

(Ajami is a professor at the Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies and a senior fellow at the Hoover Institution. )

Update 1/20/11 - Regarding the visit of Chinese President Hu Jintao to Washington, Ellen Bork notes that awarding the Nobel Peace Prize to Liu Xiaobo

undermined the carefully cultivated image of a legitimate regime in full control of, and tacitly accepted by, its people.  Chinese leaders fear international support for individuals who are brave and stubborn enough to work for a democratic alternative to the Communist party. . . .

On January 13, he [President Obama] did meet at the White House with a group of experts and activists on China. But people who would have offended Chinese leaders — people like Harry Wu, the former prisoner of China's laogai or forced labor camps; Rebiya Kadeer, the exiled Uighur leader; Ngawang Sandrol, a Tibetan nun jailed and tortured for her songs of praise for the Dalai Lama; Wang Juntao, a former Tiananmen protester; or Wan Yanhai, a famous AIDS activist and longtime associate of Liu Xiaobo — they were absent.

The president's determination to avoid using the weight and prestige of his office to support democratic opponents of authoritarian regimes in China, Iran, Belarus, and elsewhere is quickly becoming a hallmark of his administration. It's a dispiriting trend. And it suggests that the president simply does not grasp the meaning and potential of Liu Xiaobo and his fellow Chinese democrats.  (my emphases)

Update #2 - Washington Post editorial - "President Obama makes Hu Jintao Look good on rights"

CHINA'S PRESIDENT HU JINTAO TO VISIT THE U.S. - HUMAN RIGHTS PROTESTERS WILL BE ON HAND

Chinese President Jintao arrives in Washington on Tuesday, January 18th.  He goes on to Chicago on Thursday, January 20th.  China's human rights abuses need to be spotlighted and protested.  (I am focused today particularly on Gao Zhisheng who has suffered incredible torture and has been missing for eight months.  See also here.)  [Photo above is of Gao Zhisheng]

Bridget Johnson writes for The Hill:  (my emphases)

Lawmakers and activists plan to draw attention to China's human-rights record when President Hu Jintao is feted at a state dinner in Washington this week.

Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.), who leads the House Foreign Affaris subcommittee on Africa, Global Health and Human Rights and co-founded the Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission, and Rep. Frank Wolf (R-Va.), co-chairman of that commission, will hold a press conference Tuesday at 2 p.m. in the Rayburn House Office Building with several activists for greater freedom in China.

These include Geng He, the wife of Gao Zhiseng, a human-rights lawyer who has defended the underground Christian church in China and the Falun Gong movement. He had reported torture at the hands of secret police after taking on such cases, and has been missing since April. 

Also at the press conference will be Chai Ling, a student leader in the 1989 pro-democracy demonstrations in Tiananmen Square that were met with a violent government crackdown. She now runs a nonprofit called All Girls Allowed that battles the one-child policy in China, which has resulted in many parents selectively choosing a male child, and draws awareness to forced abortions that ensure compliance with the policy.

Another Tiananmen Square activist who will speak, Yang Jianli, won the support of members of Congress in trying to secure his release from prison, which happened in 2007. He is now president of Initiatives for China.

And Harry Wu, an activist who spent 19 years in forced labor camps for criticizing the Communist Party, spearheaded the creation of the Laogai Museum in Washington, which teaches visitors about human-rights violations in China.

DOES SCIENCE HAVE ANYTHING TO SAY ABOUT THE "EXODUS" AND THE PARTING OF THE RED SEA?

First, the Biblical text, Exodus 14:21,22:

"Then Moses stretched out his hand over the sea, and the LORD drove the sea back by a strong east wind all night and made the sea dry land, and the waters were divided.  (22)  And the people of Israel went into the midst of the sea on dry ground, the waters being a wall to them on their right hand and on their left." (English Standard Version)

Has science any thing to say?  Enter Carl Drews and a story about his research at the National Center for Atmospheric Research by Anna Maria-Basquez, "Boulder scientist's research affirms parting of the Red Sea"  (Via VirtueOnline).   (Click to the end of this post for two YouTube demonstrations and further elaboration.)

"From his office in Boulder, scientist Carl Drews, having never been there, can—with Google Earth Pro imaging on his computer—pinpoint the location his research points to as the new theorized location of the Biblical miracle of the Crossing of the Red Sea.

The technology can zoom in on the place in Egypt where Moses and the Israelites escaped death when waters parted, according to the Book of Exodus. His virtual “pushpin” comes back with images of what is now predominately agricultural land, with orchards, irrigation canals and grape fields indicating vineyards. 

It is in the Eastern Nile Delta, between Pelusium and Qantara, and 75 miles north of the most popular theorized place in Egypt, which has been the Suez Canal.  And it’s travelable by foot.

“One of the places right in the middle of the crossing shows what looks like a hotel and some type of building,” said Drews, a member of Epiphany Anglican Fellowship in Boulder, a congregation under the umbrella of the Anglican Mission of the Americas out of Rwanda. “It would be fun to knock on their door and to say in Arabic, ‘Do you know that Moses walked right by here.’ It would probably elicit a form of disbelief. But perhaps people would say, ‘Well, maybe...’”

His own research elicited all but disbelief. In fact, it made the miracle ever more real, said the researcher who claimed to have always been enchanted by the miracle in the Book of Exodus.

“For anyone who always believed this happened, somehow it’s still a thrill to see it supported by scientific finding,” Drews said.

SHOULD CHRISTIANS FOLLOW WINNIPEG'S LEAD IN HOLDING AN ANNUAL CITY-WIDE CHURCH SERVICE?

That's the question that went through my mind when I heard of 51 chuches in Winnipeg coming together for a Sunday 11:00 AM service.  Here's the story:  (HT: VirtueOnline)

PHOTOS BY [email protected] Enlarge Image

INSTEAD of attending her own church Sunday morning, Morgan Kiss took a seat in the stands at the MTS Centre to cheer, sing and pray alongside thousands of other Winnipeggers.

"We're here to worship God with other people we don't normally worship with," said Kiss, while waiting in the lineup at the Tim Hortons kiosk with her five-year-old daughter, Mirella, before the 11 a.m. service.

SOUTH SUDAN VOTES FOR INDEPENDENCE: A THUMB NAIL HISTORY

For those of us who have a somewhat sketchy grasp of Sudan's history and why the south has been voting all week for independence, Faith J.H. McDonnell offers a valuable historical summary.

After decades of marginalization and persecution by its own government, this month, January 2011, South Sudan is deciding its own future. The last step of the 2005 Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) between the Government of Sudan's National Congress Party (NCP) and the Sudan People's Liberation Movement (SPLM) provides the South with a Referendum on Secession. On January 9, the South Sudanese all over the world began voting for either continued unity with Sudan or independence as a free nation. The voting will continue until Saturday, January 15 at 5:00 p.m.

Why Independence?

Few doubt that the South will vote for separation and independence. Of all the people around the world that have been besieged by Islamic supremacism, the South Sudanese are those who have most strongly and consistently resisted. And it has been a costly resistance. Over 500,000 died in the first phase of the genocide, the Anyaya ("snake venom" in the Madi language) Rebellion, 1955-1972. When war began again in 1983, it left over 2.5 million dead and over 5 million displaced throughout South Sudan and other disputed areas. According to the U.S. Committee for Refugees, the massive loss of civilian life (as of 2001, one out of every five South Sudanese had died as a result of the war) was the largest civilian death toll of any war since World War II.

JONAH GOLDBERG - THE INTERMINABLE PROBLEM THAT IS HAITI

Goldberg titles his article, "Haiti's Tourniquet Isn't Healing the Wound."   I found Goldberg's facts surprising:

Ninety-five percent of the debris from the Haitian earthquake of one year ago hasn’t been moved.

In other words, billions of dollars later, with none other than Bill Clinton serving as the foreman for a massive international cleanup and reconstruction effort, most of the country pretty much looks exactly the way it did when dust and screams still filled the air.

I hadn't realized there had been so little progress.  Apparently none at all.  Then there's this item: 

To get a sense of Haiti’s dysfunction, Fox News’s Steve Harrigan reports that some 64 brand-new trucks donated after the earthquake by the United States to be used by aid organizations remain parked at the airport. A pparently nobody will pay the steep import tax on the vehicles, so they sit idle, overgrown with weeds.

Most everything in this article on Haiti is depressing.  Read the whole thing.

TECHNOLOGY AND THE FAMILY

"When the whole family is staring at screens, time to try a tech detox," so concludes a timely Wall Street Journal article.

Update 1/23/11 - The U.K. Guardian posted an interesting article: "Social Networking Under Fresh Attack..." (HT: Drudge)  Paul Harris writes:

The way in which people frantically communicate online via Twitter, Facebook and instant messaging can be seen as a form of modern madness, according to a leading American sociologist.

"A behaviour that has become typical may still express the problems that once caused us to see it as pathological," MIT professor Sherry Turkle writes in her new book, Alone Together: Why We Expect More from Technology and Less from Each Other, which is leading an attack on the information age.  [more . . .]

CHUCK COLSON - APPLE CORPORATION CENSORING PRO-FAMILY "MANHATTAN DECLARATION"

This is really serious.  As Chuck Colson says,  (my emphases) 

 More and more, the forces of political correctness and intolerance are seeking to ban Christian beliefs and Christian speech from the public square. And they are targeting corporations and the media to enforce stringent sanctions against what they deem to be politically incorrect speech.

He writes:

I remember the days when the term “freedom of speech” referred to, well, actual speech.

Of course, it’s come to mean “freedom of expression.” That is to say, an artist can claim a constitutionally protected right to display a picture of a crucifix in a jar of urine. Or pornographers can claim free speech by peddling obscene pictures over the internet or in a magazine.

Such expression is, of course, protected by law. We don’t even argue about it anymore. But while restrictions on expression are vanishing, how is it that restrictions on actual speech in the public square are increasing?

One obvious case in point is Apple’s decision to pull the Manhattan Declaration app from its iTunes app store. Apple has decided that the document, which uses civil and biblical language to declare that marriage should be reserved to one man and one woman, constitutes the equivalent of hate speech.

We do not live in a truly free, liberal democracy when a major corporation like Apple, which controls so much of the information flow in our society, can seek to control the great moral debates of our age by simply denying access to one side of the debate.

It’s true, if government seeks to censor, say, a newspaper or a magazine, all kinds of lawsuits are sure to follow. But private censorship of free speech can be just as deadly; even more so.  And this, I fear, is what is happening in American life today.

 Now, in banning the Manhattan Declaration app, Apple decided to bend to the wishes of a small but very vocal group of homosexual-rights activists. But don’t think those activists will stop at the Manhattan Declaration. They are on the lookout for any organization that dares to oppose so-called “same-sex marriage.” Just last week, homosexual bloggers squawked that the Pennsylvania Family Institute was sponsoring what they called an “anti-gay,” “anti-equality” conference; and worse yet, that a prominent food chain, Chick-fil-A, was a co-sponsor. Of course, the conference was no such thing. The conference’s title is “The Art of Marriage, Getting to God’s Design.”

Great News! Obama Tells Audience at Tucson Memorial That Rep. Giffords Opened Her Eyes For the First Time Tonight (Video)

- Update 1/13/11 - WAIT A MINUTE!  It was reported in the Sonoran Chronicle that Rep. Giffords could open her eyes on Sunday!  The Tucson Chronicle also reported it.   (Via Gatewary Pundit)    So did the Vancouver Sun.  Drudge had a similar notice up  briefly today, but it looks like he took it down.   Why?  What's  going on?    I await clarifications!  -   Update - Jake Tapper of ABC News provides the explanation:

Wednesday was the first time Giffords opened her eyes on her own, which Giffords' neurosurgeon, Dr. Michael Lemole Thursday called “a major milestone.”

“When we examine patients, particularly in this state we have to ‘wake them up,’ give them some stimulus, and with that stimulus they might crack their eyes,” Lemole said today. “That’s very different from speaking to someone and having them open their eyes, or having them open their eyes spontaneously in response to familiarity.”

“Eyes” in the case of Giffords is actually just “eye” since her right eye is bandaged.

Me: If that's what was meant when it was reported on Sunday that Rep. Giffords "opened her eyes," then the early reports were singularly misleading.   The report on January 8th in the Vancouver Sun read:

"Giffords was able to open her eyes and respond to simple commands — indicating a high level of brain function that one surgeon described as remarkable given the extent of her wounds"

 

Giffords was able to open her eyes and respond to simple commands — indicating a high level of brain function that one surgeon described as remarkable given the extent of her wounds.

Read more: http://www.canada.com/news/congresswoman+battles+life+after+shooting+that+leaves+dead/4080788/story.html#ixzz1Axk6sIYq

UNBORN TWINS INTERACT WITH EACH OTHER AS EARLY AS 14 WEEKS

Thaddeus Baklinski writes:  (HT: DV)

PADOVA, Italy, January 12, 2011 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Unborn twin babies socialize as early as week 14 of gestation, a new study has shown.

Italian researcher Dr. Umberto Castiello of the University of Padova and associates used an advanced method of ultrasonography, which enables the movements of the babies to be recorded over time in 3D, to study five pairs of twins from a sample of low-risk pregnant women attending the Institute of Child Health I.R.C.C.S. Burlo Garofolo.

The purpose of the study was to see how twins interacted with each other in their mothers’ wombs and to determine if the interaction was intentional or accidental.

“Newborns come into the world wired to socially interact,” Dr. Castiello states in the preamble to the study report, then poses the question, “Is a propensity to socially oriented action already present before birth?”

SARAH PALIN'S RESPONSE TO THE TUCSON KILLINGS

I find her media presence in this video quite compelling.  Her delivery gives life to her text.  A Palid aid said she is getting unprecedented death threats.  

   

Update 1/13/11 - I agreem with Jonah Goldberg's assessment:

Lost in all of the squabbling about the use of the term “blood libel” is an under-appreciated fact. Palin’s statement yesterday was actually the most robust, unapologetic defense of vigorous democratic debate and the American system we’ve heard from any politician since Saturday, and that goes for President Obama’s speech as well. I don’t fault Obama by saying this. Obama was speaking at a memorial service (or at least that was his plan).

Palin did exactly what her detractors claimed she both must do and couldn’t do: give a grown up, mature statement.

CHARLES COLSON - AMERICANS ARE IN GREATER AGREEMENT WITH EACH OTHER THAN COMMONLY THOUGHT

This is an encouraging word.  It's the elites who are "out of step" with the rest of America.  Colson writes:

Rivalries make good news headlines. Football rivalries, gang rivalries, or political rivalries spice up the evening news and, presumably, draw an audience.

So the talking heads remind us every day that Americans are in a fight. Partisanship rules. We’re Red or Blue, pro-choice or pro-life, supporters or opponents of same-sex “marriage.” There is no consensus. Or is there?

In his new book, Beyond a House Divided: The Moral Consensus Ignored by Washington, Wall Street, and the Media, Carl Anderson examines a mountain of polling statistics and has some surprising news. Anderson writes, “In dealing with many high profile issues, we have found consensus where conventional wisdom would have us believe it is most unlikely: on the issues of religion in public life, abortion, marriage, and the role of government, among others.”

JONAH GOLDBERG ON "MEIN KAMPF," "THE COMMUNIST MANIFESTO," LEFT-WING PRESS AND THE TUCSON KILLINGS

Since I've never read Hitler's Mein Kampf, I was happy to read Jonah Goldberg's overview with comments relevant to the Tucson killings.  He writes:

Lots of friends and foes have been emailing me to talk about Liberal Fascism in  light of the fact that Loughner liked both the Communist Manifesto and Mein Kampf. I’m taking a pass on all that largely because I think it’s entirely irrelevant. Also, I have zero interest in hawking even a single book in this context.

But about those other books. When I meet young people who brag about having read Mein Kampf, my first reaction is that they’re lying, for one reason or another. And after further conversation, I usually come away feeling my initial reaction was justified.

THE CHINESE STYLE OF PARENTING - AMY CHUA

- (See updates at the end of the post; also, we need to be reminded that genes play a role not discussed in the article)

The Wall Street Journal recently published a "cat-among-the-pigeons" piece by Amy Chua, "Why Chinese Mothers are Superior."  It's subtitle is equally provocative:  "Can a regimen of no playdates, no TV, no
computer games and hours of music practice create happy kids?  And what happens when they fight back?"

It's an extreme approach, no doubt, but the article  definitely offers a counter to the laissez-faire method currently in vogue in America.  In the Chua household the two daughters, Sophia and Louisa, were never allowed to attend a sleepover, be in a school play, watch TV or play computer games, choose their own extracurricular activities, get any grade less than an A, or play any instrument other than the piano or violin.

Here are a few excerpts from Chua's article:

  "..When Western parents think they're being strict, they usually don't come close to being Chinese mothers.  For example, my Western friends who consider themselves strict make their children practice their instruments 30 minutes every day.  An hour at most.  For a Chinese mother, the first hour is the easy part. It's hours two and three that get tough."

LEFTIST MEDIA AND POLITICIANS DISGRACE THEMSELVES

Maybe it's a coincidence, but just yesterday I put up a blog post on truth.  This weekend, in response to the shooting of  Rep. Gabrielle Giffords (and the killing of six others in Tucson),  Leftist media and politicians have launched a major offensive to lay the blame for the violence at the feet of conservatives such as Sarah Palin, Rush Limbaugh, Fox news, Glenn Beck and others. 

Andrew Klaven points out: 

The Left—which has been unable to discover any common feature uniting acts of Islamist violence worldwide—nonetheless instantly noticed a bridge between the Tucson shooting and its own political opponents. The Chicago Sun-Times ran a slavering editorial blaming “the right.” MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann and the Washington Post’s Eugene Robinson suggested that the killings were inspired by right-wing rhetoric. Politico’s Roger Simon did the same.  

AS THE FOOTBALL SEASON CLOSES . . .

You will be amazed at the cleverness of this marching band's "kicking the football."

 

ht: LE

OS GUINNESS - "TRUTH - WHY TRUTH MATTERS"

I greatly appreciate Os Guinness' emphasis on truth.   (This video may also be accessed at the Lausanne Congress website.)

Following is a transcript of much of Guinness' talk:

BROOKLYN TABERNACLE CHOIR - "THOU, OH LORD..." (PSALM 3:3)

What sanctified energy!  After listening to this, don't be surprised if you find the music rising in your spirit days later. 

 

The Brooklyn Tabernacle Choir lifts you into the presence of God.  A number of YouTube videos are available including these favorites:   "Gloria," "High and Lifed Up,"  "The Light of That City," and "I Bless Your Name."     

I especially like "I'm Amazed."   (I'm not sure what language is used in the subtitles.  It looks very similar to Spanish, but I don't think it is.   Can anyone help me out?)

In 2009 the Choir gave a concert at the Louisiana State Penitentiary at Angola deemed "one of the most moving concerts ever given by The Brooklyn Tabernacle Singers."  A video playlist can be found here.   It's terrific.  Don't miss it.

What accounts for the joy, enthusiasm and palpable spiritual energy of this choir?  Carol Cymbala, the director/composer wrote a must-read article about the choir and its ministry, and also a book, He's Been Faithful, which explains many things.  I read it some time ago.  Following are excerpts from the book:

YOUNG CHINESE PROFESSIONALS EMBRACING CHRISTIAN FAITH

This is a fascinating story.  Some believe the growth of ‘third-kind” churches in China, composed largely of young urban professionals, will play an increasingly significant role in the evolution of the Chinese church and its impact on senior levels of Chinese society.   May it be so.   Meanwhile, all is not rosy.  China Aid keeps the world up-to-date on the persecution and hardship that Christians endure in many parts of China.   Special attention needs to be paid to the kidnap and torture of Christian human rights attorney Gao Zhisheng and the Uyghur Christian convert from Islam Alimujiang Yimiti, now serving an outrageous and unjust 15 year prison sentence.  I previously wrote about him here.  For more details click here and here.

Seasoned China watcher, David Aikman, for many years Time magazine's Beijing bureau chief and author of Jesus in Beijing, was interviewed Dec. 27, 2010 by Compassion Radio.  A  Dec. 28, 2010 interview with Bob Fu, a student participant in the 1989 Tinnamen Square uprising and founder of the human rights organization, China Aid Association, can be heard here.   Both interviews provide current updates on the situation in China. 

Readers might find the book, Chinese Intellectuals and the Gospel (edited by Samuel Ling and Stacey Bieler) of interest.  Regarding the Chinese Communist government's common hostile attitude towards Christianity, it should be noted that it refused permission for 200 invited Chinese Christian leaders to attend the Third Lausanne Congress on World Evangelism held in Cape Town, South Africa last October.

Update 1/6/11 - Elizabeth Kendall produced a tremendously valuable and comprehensive report on Christianity in China on September 29, 2010.  It remains a "must-read" analysis.

JOHN BAILLIE - "A DIARY OF PRIVATE PRAYER"

I've written before of my great indebtedness to John Baillie (1886-1960) and his little book, A Diary of Private Prayer.  In addition to wanting to incorporate the components of  William Temple's definition of "worship" into my life, I want to follow John Baillie's prayer for God's help and direction each day:

"Inspire all my thoughts.  Pervade all my imaginations.  Suggest all my decisions.  Lodge in my will's most inward citadel and order all my doings."

This prayer (from Day 21) is similar to Baillie's prayer for Day 9:

PUSH-UPS ANYONE? HOW ABOUT 100 OF THEM?

I continue to be amazed how one "bumps" into websites without looking for them.  I came across "OneHundredPushups" via an incidental comment on a Bible reading plan!  Since I can do 25 pushups right now, I will start out on "Week 3" of the program.  It doesn't look very taxing.  Whooweee!  Who ever thought I could do 100 pushups?  Of course it remains to be seen...

WILLIAM TEMPLE'S DEFINITION OF "WORSHIP"

Many reading this blog will have heard or read this definition before, as have I.  Sunday I heard it quoted again and decided it was time to "get it down" not only on paper, but also in my mind and heart.  I am in the process of memorizing it, and pray for grace to live it out.  William Temple was Archbishop of Canterbury (1942-44).

To worship is
to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God,
to feed the mind with the truth of God,
to purge the imagination by the beauty of God,
to open the heart to the love of God,
to devote the will to the purpose of God.

In an age as self-centered as ours, such focus on God will not come naturally.  But paradoxically therein is found our true humanity and human flourishing.  As St. Augustine (354-430 AD) put it, "Thou has made us for Thyself, and our hearts are restless until they find their rest in Thee." 

A MOVIE TO SEE: "THE KING'S SPEECH"

Update 1/7/2011 - I saw the film yesterday.  It merits all the praise Witherington gives it (see below).   Utterly superb.   I came away much moved by the drama of a good man and a good wife (who later became the much-beloved Queen Mother, the mother of the current Queen Elizabeth). 

- (Original post) I haven't seen it yet, but Justin Taylor likes it and so does Dr. Ben Witherington.  (Witherington's comments follow the trailer below).  Taylor says:

If you like historical dramas, great cinematography, and excellent character acting, this is your film. (I really don’t know why it’s rated R—it has one brief scene with some swearing.) The movie is on limited release in the US, so it may not be the easiest one to find in the theaters.

You can read the book upon which the movie was based, entitled, The King’s Speech: How One Man Saved the British Monarchy, co-written by the speech therapist’s grandson and based on actual letters and journals.

 

Witherington says:

DAVID VIRTUE RESPONDS TO "A QUEER YEAR IN REVIEW"

Writing in the Huffington Post, Rev. Patrick S. Cheng lashed out at what he called "anti-gay Christians"  in his article, "The Truth Will Make Us Free: A Queer Year in Review."   David Virtue, of VirtueOnline, offered a thoughtful paragraph by paragraph response.      

CHENG: Anti-gay Christians love to quote John 8:32, which says that "the truth will make you free." According to them, if only lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) people would simply accept the truths of the Christian faith, we would discover the error of our ways, repent of our sins and miraculously change our misdirected sexual orientations and/or gender identities.

VOL: First of all, orthodox Christians are not "anti-gay" (that would be homophobic). We are anti gay BEHAVIOR, which has the potential to shorten lives. John 8:32 is not the only verse orthodox Christians quote; there are seven texts in Scripture that specifically and clearly prohibit sodomy and sex outside of marriage that is not between a man and a woman. Also, there is no such thing as "sexual orientation", which implies a genetic predisposition where none exists. Same sex attractions, for that is what they really are, can be redirected through therapy. There is a ton of medical evidence and changed lives to say so.

ALBERT MOHLER - "SO, WHY IS INCEST WRONG?"

We are living in an age of sexual anarchy.  Albert Mohler interacts with the confusions of our time in this excellent blog post.  (HT: VirtueOnline)

There are certain questions now pressed upon us that previous generations would never believe could be asked. One of these is thrust upon us by events in New York City, where a well-known Ivy League professor has been arrested for the crime of incest. What makes the question urgent is not so much the arrest, but the controversy surrounding it.

David Epstein is a professor of political science at Columbia University, where his wife also teaches. He previously taught on the faculties of Harvard and Stanford. Last week, he was arraigned before a judge in Manhattan, charged with a single count of felony incest. According to authorities, Professor Epstein was for several years involved in a sexual relationship with his adult daughter, now age 24.

BIBLE READING PLANS

Justin Taylor has assembled an astonishing number of Bible reading plans.  In the past I have used the Book of Common Prayer plan, which I have set as the opening page on my computer.  It's daily passages are taken from the Old Testament, Psalms, Gospels, and Epistles.  The selections are fairly short.  It's not a disciplined program for reading the entire Bible through in a year.   Of the various programs listed by Justin Taylor, the one put out by the Navigators and used by Bethlehem Baptist (John Piper's church), looks very good indeed.  Many of the programs have "catch-up days" for when you fall behind (which inevitably happens and causes discouragement).

Here is a sampling of a couple paragraphs from Taylor's blog post, but it's only a taste of what is there:

For the highly motivated and disciplined, Grant Horner’s plan has you reading each day a chapter from ten different places in the Bible. (Bob Kauflin read the whole Bible this way in five and a half months and explains why he likes this system a lot.)  [// This intrigues me.  I may try it and see how long I can keep it up.] 

         Update 1/6/11:  I've adopted Horner's plan and love it!  As someone else wrote:

This method is the equivalent of “channel-surfing” the Bible. I must admit I have been enjoying it because the wide exposure to different genres in one sitting keeps me engaged and makes it easier to read more content than I normally would.

Me:  As far as missing a day, so what?!  No problem.  At least that's going to be my approach, and it seems to be most everyone's viewpoint who are on the program.

Joe Carter and Fred Sanders explain James Gray’s method of “How to Master the English Bible.” My pastor, David Sunday, told me that “the plan they recommend is, from my vantage point, the most productive way to read and to master the Bible’s contents (or more importantly, to let the Bible master you!).”  [This intrigues me as well!  In a small way I've already fallen into it, but not as extensively as suggested]

I like these suggestions from Paul and Kaelin:

"...Journaling has been one of the key things that has helped drill God’s Word down into my mind and heart.

Here is the method I use:
Request – I pray to ask God to guide my reading
Read – I do my reading
Rewrite – After the reading or while I am reading, I copy down (yes word for word!) the verses that stand out to me.  Sometimes it is one or two, sometimes I feel compelled to write down a couple paragraphs.  Rewriting a verse is HUGELY helpful in remembering it and meditating upon it!
Respond – Then I write out a prayer to God telling Him what I believe He is showing me and how those verses relate to me at the moment (this is very helpful to look back on!).
Release -  I then write out quick petitions to God for all the things I am concerned about in my day.  I then release those to God, knowing God has heard and He will respond (see Phil. 4:6-7 and 1 John 5:14-15)

CAR BOMB KILLS 7 CHRISTIANS LEAVING CHURCH IN EGYPT AFTER NEW YEAR'S MASS

UPDATE: Death toll mounts. Suicide  bomber, not car bomb:

A bomb that killed 21 people outside a church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria may have been carried by a suicide bomber and not caused by a car bomb, the Interior Ministry said on Saturday.

Jim Hoft says "Sick.  Obama is making up Muslim victims in Egyptian terror attack.

- (Original post) THIS IS DISGUSTING!  When is the world going to say ENOUGH!??

From Gateway Pundit:

Bringing In The New Year–
At least seven Christians were killed today when a car bomb exploded outside a Christian Coptic Church in Alexandria, Egypt.
This video was taken outside the church after the blast.

The worshippers were leaving mass when the bomb went off.
France 24 reported:

At least seven people died and 24 were injured early Saturday in an attack on a Christian church in the northern Egyptian city of Alexandria, rescue workers told AFP.

The toll was expected to rise as a number of victims were taken away by car from the scene of the explosion, they said.

The attack, apparently caused by a car bomb, took place as the faithful left the church in the Sidi Bechr district at around half past midnight on New Year’s Day. The witnesses said a burnt-out car was in front of the entrance to the church.

Many Christians were demonstrating in front of a nearby mosque, the witnesses told AFP.

Worshippers shout around an exploded car in front of a Coptic Christian church in the Egyptian city of Alexandria, Egypt, early Saturday Jan. 1, 2011. The car exploded in front of the church as worshippers emerged from a New Year’s Mass in the Mediterranean port city early Saturday, killing at least seven people, officials said. (AP/Tarek Fawzy)

Pamela Geller reminds us:

Bombings in Iraq Target Homes of Christians

Christians Are Casualties of 10 Baghdad Attacks‎ -- New York Times

Two Christians killed in Baghdad attacks‎ -- AFP

Al-Qaeda Targeting Christians in Canada, Austria

See my earlier post, "Chistians are the Most Persecuted Religion in the World."