Easter in China

The Chinese term for "Easter" is "fu huo jie," literally, "resurrection festival." So much more descriptive than "Easter."

Well, a friend of mine in China took some video of a Resurrection Festival service there, and posted it on You Tube. Take a look at it here. It is at the Gangwashi church in Beijing (I worshiped there in 1995, and the building hasn't changed that much).

How do we find out?

So Osama bin Laden was shot today, on the other side of the world. There is justice in that, and while we can be glad that it happened, we also know that ultimately justice rests with God. But because of the book I'm reading (see previous posts), my thoughts also turned to how we find out these things.

I first read about bin Laden by going online to find out how the Phils did last night. There I read that during the ninth inning the crowd began to chant, "USA, USA" as people saw the news on their smartphones, etc, and spread the news around.

Consider that in 2001 that would not have been likely. Smartphones were a thing of the future. In 2001 you would have had to bring a portable radio to the ballpark to get that news--and it would not have gotten out.

In fact, until almost 1850 (160 years ago), nothing traveled faster than a horse--not a person, not information. The war of 1812 ended on December 24, 1814. In January 1815 a battle was fought with hundreds killed, and two thousand wounded and captured; in vain. The news of the end of the war did not reach the US until February.

Or, consider Pearl Harbor in 1941. My parents were both alive then. How did people find out about that? Mostly by radio, as they waited for telegrams and other transmissions to arrive. No one ran to their TVs to "see" it. (My parents were both Amish, and did not have radio or electricity or automobiles. Many Amish believed that the war planes flying overhead--from the air base in Annapolis, MD--were enemy planes come to attack. Seems strange now, doesn't it!)

On 9-11, however, think about where you first heard of the attacks, and what you did? Probably you ran to the TV, because that was where the information was. But now, 2011, the information comes not even over the computer, but to our own pockets, wherever we are.

Life has changed very much for us. How has that affected us? What does it to our hearts? More on that later.

Questions to ask of Technology

Between unquestioning embrace of every new digital gadget, and unquestioning rejection of every new gadget, there is intelligent, proper thinking about new gadgets. Tim Challies, in his book (see previous post) suggests two sets of questions--and while I can't pretend to reproduce everything he writes, this may get you thinking:

1. What human trait, sense, or experience is enhanced by this new technology? (usually, for new technologies nowadays, it is our ability to communicate)

2. What existing technology is made obsolete by this new one? (for example, the automobile makes blacksmiths unnecessary; the computer may make TV obsolete)

3. What old, abandoned technology does this technology bring back to mind?

4. What unintended opposite effects might this technology have? (for example, cell phones that enhance voice communications diminish face-to-face interactions)

Here are some questions to ask of your technology:

1. Why were you created?

2. What is the problem to which you are the solution, and whose problem is it?

3. What new problems will you bring?

4. What are you doing to my heart?

In the end, every question leads up to the last one: What is it that draws me to this new gadget? Is it a desire to be the "first" to show off this new device? Am I driven by a desire to find bargains, and do I hope this device will help me (or be the bargain I crave)? Why do I really want this device?

New Book on Technology

I have come across a book on how technology has affected faith and life. That is a huge topic--the classic is Neil Postman's Amusing Ourselves to Death. This promises to be good. You might want to check out the blog post for it here. I plan to get a copy, and will post more, I hope.

William Cowper and Perseverance

While working on a Sunday School lesson, I recently came across a talk by John Piper on the life of William Cowper (pronounced "Cooper," it turns out). You can listen to it here. It takes on the difficult question of the "perseverance of the saints" in a life marked primarily by despair and depression. It also highlights the "mysterious way" in which God moves--Cowper is the writer of several hymns, including "God Moves in a Mysterious Way" and "There is a Fountain Filled with Blood."

I'm not sure why, but I have a fascination with the "hard cases," such as William Cowper. If you do, too, you may be interested in this.

Good Article on Massachusetts Medical Care System

A little off on an unusual topic, here is a Factcheck report on the Massachusetts health care law, six years after it was passed. This is of interest to political types, because Mitt Romney, a likely republican presidential candidate, was behind the Massachusetts law. For my part, I am moderately opposed to what is known as "ObamaCare," and that is all the more reason to read reports like this carefully.

Some Thoughts on the Special Election

On Tuesday we had a special election for state senator, Michael O'Pake, our long-time state senator having died during surgery in December. Leading up to that, we received almost daily political fliers in the mail from the "challenger," Republican Larry Megdalia--I say "challenger" because it is a heavily Democratic district, as it includes the city of Reading. We never received anything from the campaign of the Democrat, Judy Schwank.

The first flier we received was what you might call a positive ad, telling us what Megdalia was likely to do if elected. That was fine, and I thought, yeah, he makes sense.

But following that were daily fliers reminding us that Schwank had received $12,500 from a disgraced former city-councilman in Philadelphia. Yes, they came every day, for at least a week (maybe two, I wasn't counting). And though each one looked a little different, they all had the same black-and-white and fuzzy picture of Schwank, and the accusation in large, bold print.

It was not the finest season of political advertising for Berks County. Nor was I terribly unhappy, I'll admit, when Schwank won the election. She did not do anything to get my vote, as it were, and she did not--but Megdalia did a lot to make me hold my nose when voting.

Is Depression Biological

Dr. David Powlison - Is Depression Purely Biological? from CCEF on Vimeo.

Here is an excellent video where Dr. David Powlison gives a measured answer to the question of a biological cause for depression. Very, very worth a view and listen.