Stephen Clawson, a valued friend of mine, turned me on to the works of Neil Postman some time ago. Today I ran across a new (at least new to me) blog of Robert Talbert, who I have followed for some time via his Casting Out Nines blog. He had the following quote from Postman posted Postman, as usual is incredibly insightful and clear, yet this only serves to raise the question — What do we do with this insight? Do we simply accept it and deal with it somehow? Do we seek to make societal changes and if so, how in the world do we begin to turn the tide? Do most folks even see this as a problem, or is it just those, like me, who came of age in a seemingly different world, who are troubled?
“How television stages the world becomes the model for how the world is properly to be staged. It is not merely that on the television screen entertainment is the metaphor for all discourse. It is that off the screen the same metaphor prevails. As typography once dictated the style of conducting politics, religion, business, education, law and other important social matters, television now takes command. In courtrooms, classrooms, operating rooms, board rooms, churches, and even airplanes, Americans no longer talk to each other, they entertain each other. They do not exchange ideas; they exchange images. They do not argue with propositions; they argue with good looks, celebrities and commercials.” -Neil Postman”
This link takes you to a book review written by Kate Kirkpatrick.
The book:
Atheist Delusions: The Christian Revolution and Its Fashionable Enemies (Yale University Press) –
by David Bentley Hart
Hart, a visiting professor of theology at Providence College, begins by looking at the New Atheist phenomenon, lambasting Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Daniel Dennett et al. for their carelessness with and rhetorical manipulation of philosophy, theology, and history. But that is quickly left behind; in the book’s second half, we begin to see the Orthodox theologian’s real intent: to offer a counter-narrative of religion’s role in human history.
Screenshot by HowStuffWorks.com Wolfram|Alpha is a computational engine
Sometimes tech journalists will call a new service a Google killer even when it’s not a search engine. That’s the case with Wolfram|Alpha. It’s easy to confuse Wolfram|Alpha with a search engine. It has a field into which you type a query and it searches its database for answers. But that’s where the similarity ends.
Search engines provide users links to Web sites that presumably hold information the user wants. Wolfram|Alpha consults an enormous database to bring data directly to the user. You won’t receive a list of links when you execute a query on Wolfram|Alpha. Instead, you’ll be greeted with charts and graphs populated with data related to the keywords you entered.
This makes Wolfram|Alpha a very powerful research tool. Wolfram|Alpha employees vet all the information included in the database. They pull data from established and accepted resources. You can use Wolfram|Alpha to compare two subjects within the same category. Want to see if a Big Mac is healthier than a Whopper? Use Wolfram|Alpha to compare the nutritional information.
Because Wolfram|Alpha pulls back data rather than links, it’s not in direct competition with Google. You should use Wolfram|Alpha if you need to know information about a specific concept. You should use Google if you want to read the latest news on the subject, find a product review or just browse.
One of AMiA’s newest consecrated Bishops, Doc Loomis shared this video on Facebook and I just wanted to pass it along. Members of my family have fallen prey to the “prosperity” gospel at times and Mark’s perspective is important. So much of what Joel proclaims is Truth; we are children of an amazing God, our hope and faith in His power and authority and grace is well founded, He desires to bless us [though not in the way we might "want" or think we "deserve"], … And yet Joel is wrong to equate “victory” with health, wealth and joyful relationships. In fact, as Mark clearly points out, this definition of “victory with Christ” would paint a picture of Christ Himself as a failure. One other thought: Another extreme and false position is also possible. One can accept sin and pain and poverty as one’s “lot in life” and stop striving to live fully in God’s will, to develop His giftings and serve His people, allowing others to see the Christ alive and working within them. Are wealth and prosperity and good health sinful in and of themselves? Of course not! But when they become idols or goals which are elevated to higher importance than following Christ, they hinder our walk with Him. When they become a measure of our “victory”, they blind us to the real victory of knowing and sharing the love of Christ. Watch the video — and share your thoughts.
As I get ready to send my son away to college, a wave of emotions floods over me. I am excited for him and the opportunities he has for learning and growth. I am slightly anxious concerning the parenting job I have done — have I really prepared him for this new independence? We have talked together and I had him create a list of stuff he still wants to know or do before heading off to school. The list was eclectic and included a few things I can’t believe I have not shown him yet. For example, changing a tire and a few other basic car maintenance tasks and maintianing financial records and a budget. We have checked much off the list and I will cover the following this weekend: [ a bible study I glanced at from Christianity Today magazine provides the outline]
Overview
Are you or someone you know nearing the end of their high school career? If so, you know that there are many decisions right around the corner. Help them prepare with this Bible study course intended to focus on issues such as new friendships, spiritual growth, and a healthy lifestyle.
The following 7-session course will help you and your group discuss questions on how to prepare for life after high school such as:
What’s exciting about life after high school? What makes you nervous?
What would be the result of treating the Bible like a buffet from which you could pick and choose truths, versus accepting the whole as God’s Word?
Whom do you look to as a model of belief? Have you ever met or known a Christian who gave Christianity a bad reputation?
Session One
Rediscovering God How to experience God the way he intended it.
Session Two
New Friendships Experience life with frienships that matter.
Session Three
Romantic Relationships How to receive and give love the way God intended.
Session Four
Tell Your Story How to recognize and share your story effectively.
Session Five
A Healthy Body Unlike a human gadget, your body was designed by God!
Session Six
Calling and Purpose Living a life that points upward and beyond you.
Session Seven
Rest and Relaxation Embrace God’s command to enjoy the Sabbath through fellowship and himself.
Well I have come to really admire the work of Dan Ariely and want to share another of his TED talks. Meta-cognition is a key component of my educational philosophy and a frequent subject of mini-lectures when addressing students who are struggling with grasping a topic or struggling in a particular discipline. So, when Dan Ariely talks about our irrational decision making, my interest in piqued. This talk has obvious implications for marketing and I am currently wondering how these ideas might apply to education and pedagogy.
Note: the quick and easy method to posting TED video’s was not available for this one…or this silly blogger could not quickly find the right TED id # … anyway the link is active and worth the “click”…[22 May 09]
Note2: the quick and easy method was available…this silly blogger found the right TED id# [19 June 09]
Having recently discovered how easy it is to put TED talks into this blog, I am likely to include more of them. This talk is about reasons for cheating. Dan Ariely uncovers and unpacks cheating psychology related to Enron and Stockmarket cheats. From my perspective this provides more evidence for Christian Education — consider Dan’s comments about the tests he does using the Ten Commandments.
I have been using this text as the basis for our High School Sunday School Class at All Saint’s Anglican Church in Newport/Morehead City, NC. The ideas resonant with me and I have plans to offer a modified version to our adults. Beware the Myth of Adolescence!
I have had a difficult time of late. Personally, some relationships are not where they should be. I am troubled by the issues and news of the day and this has affected my desire to “blog”. Generally, I always wish to convey a positive, solutions-oriented message. The following article just broke my heart. I was not a supporter of the Education Lottery in North Carolina, when it was debated and finally implemented. The lottery has already suffered from corruption and scandal. Now we see that the economic “crisis” is used as an excuse for newly elected Governor Beverly Perdue to redirect monies promised for education. Shame!
Education lottery funds in jeopardy for local schools
Lenoir County Manager Mike Jarman fears proceeds could be reversed to help battle state’s deficit March 2, 2009 – 9:44 PM Chris Lavender Staff Writer
Lenoir County Schools’ portion of the North Carolina Education Lottery quarterly proceeds were recently reversed back to the state, a county official said Monday. The state’s current deficit crisis has forced officials to scramble for cash where they can find it, including local funds for public school capital construction. Lenoir County Manager Mike Jarman told the commissioners during a Monday meeting the state has diverted $300,000 from its school building capital fund to help decrease the state’s deficit. “The $300,000 is gone,” Jarman said. “(The state) doesn’t intend to pay it back.” Lenoir County Schools wasn’t alone in the recent reversion of lottery quarterly payouts. Jarman said the state decided not to distribute $43 million in lottery proceeds for school districts use this quarter. The state’s education lottery began on April 30, 2006 with instant scratch-off ticket sales at about 5,000 retail locations. While quarterly payouts will continue to be in jeopardy, Jarman said the state could decide March 22 to dip into every county’s education lottery savings account. The county manager said about $1.2 million is distributed from the state’s lottery to Lenoir County annually. Commissioner Chris Humphrey questioned Jarman if the state could legally request that lottery proceeds for Lenoir County be returned. “The people voted for the referendum (on the education lottery),” Humphrey said. “They didn’t expect the state to steal (the money) back.” According to Jarman, Gov. Bev Perdue has the discretion during times of economic crisis to use local funds however she sees fit to meet the state’s financial needs. Jarman said Lenoir County officials were willing to work with officials in Raleigh to try and reduce the deficit. “We want to be part of the solution,” Jarman said. But if the state decides to take more lottery proceeds away from Lenoir County’s account, Jarman said it will have a substantial impact on the county’s ability to pay its debt service for school construction. Jarman will travel to Raleigh on Thursday to meet with state officials to see what they plan to do. This year, the county will pay $5.9 million on the debt services for school construction, the county manager said. “We plan to give (the state) a couple of days to see where they go with this,” Jarman said. “It could have a serious impact.” Lenoir County Schools Superintendent Terry Cline said Monday afternoon he is concerned about the state’s seizure of lottery proceeds in February earmarked for school construction. “These funds are important to us,” Cline said. “They help us pay for the debt on the bond.”
Does it do any good to make comments like, “I told you so!”. As for me — I get back to work — teaching young men and women about integrity and character and honor; about Christ and His love, and about math, physics and the proper use of God’s gifts. The Rebelution and the stirrings of a Revolution swirl about me. God help us!
I have been involved with the Voice of the Martyrs for a few years now. I don’t always send the letters of encouragement [see below], but try to do so. It is eye opening to read about the plight and strength of other Christians around the world and certainly sheds a new light on any trials though which I face.
Encourage all Christians to support the Voice of the Martyrs, to support the Martyrs, to support one another in love and strength. http://www.prisoneralert.com/
As one who is wholeheartedly sold out to Jesus and who spiritually and intellectually believes the Bible is the inspired word of God, I am troubled by the growing rejection of Scripture as Truth, as relevant to our culture, and as worthy of study. It seems that many in the mainstream are even blaming problems in society on “fundamentalist’s” use of the Bible to address the culture, as evidenced in a Newsweek article which Albert Mohler referenced in a recent blog.
Disappointingly, Newsweek editor Jon Meacham offers an editorial note that broadens Newsweek’s responsibility for this atrocity of an article and reveals even more of the agenda: “No matter what one thinks about gay rights—for, against or somewhere in between —this conservative resort to biblical authority is the worst kind of fundamentalism,” Meacham writes. “Given the history of the making of the Scriptures and the millennia of critical attention scholars and others have given to the stories and injunctions that come to us in the Hebrew Bible and the Christian New Testament, to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt—it is unserious, and unworthy of the great Judeo-Christian tradition.”
Well, that statement sets the issue clearly before us. He insists that “to argue that something is so because it is in the Bible is more than intellectually bankrupt.” No serious student of the Bible can deny the challenge of responsible biblical interpretation, but the purpose of legitimate biblical interpretation is to determine, as faithfully as possible, what the Bible actually teaches — and then to accept, teach, apply, and obey.
As a Christian, who does not consider himself intellectually bankrupt, it is not possible for me to remain silent in the face of attacks which strike at the very heart of my faith and worldview. I stand by my conviction that true education and wisdom is not possible outside a Christian worldview. I acknowledge that Scripture has been misused and misrepresented, that Christians are often their own worst public relations enemies, diplaying an overly judgemental and angry persona. However, the accumulated works of faithful Christians [ Saints -- past and present], provides ample support for an intellectual, historical, spiritual, … arguement for accepting the Christian Bible as the authoritative Word of God. I suppose this must be a starting point in defending “the faith” to this culture.
Look for future posts which outline my reasons for accepting Scripture as authoritative and divinely inspired.
For now — I appeal to historical evidence –
The Holy Bible is the best documented, best selling, most read, most quoted, most life changing, most translated, most cherished, … book ever known – in the entire history of mankind. For anyone to reject it lightly, because it contradicts some lifestyle or behavior or opinion, well — that would be intellectually negligent. So, when a rigorous study of the Bible is really performed, what do we see? More on this later Perhaps — the reader would like to provide some comments based on their experience with the Bible. I would love to hear how you relate to the Scriptures.
Beauty of the Rainbow -- Central Message => Jesus the Christ
When Christoph Römhild, a Lutheran pastor in Hamburg, Germany, sent Carnegie Mellon Ph.D. student Chris Harrison a list of 63,779 cross-references between the Bible’s 1,189 chapters, the two became enthralled with elegantly showing the interconnected nature of Scripture. Each bar along the horizontal axis represents a chapter, with the length determined by the number of verses. (Books alternate in color between white and light gray.) Colors represent the distance between references. The graph won an honorable mention in the 2008 International Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge, sponsored by the National Science Foundation and Science journal.
When presenting information or learning new material for a course, I have found this “road map”, based on the Meyers-Briggs personality profile, to be very useful. I generally present information and create learning activities in a cyclical pattern, starting at the top right (SF) and progressing counter clockwise.
Have other instructors or students used this framework?
Would anyone be interested in discussing it’s use in more detail?
Listening to a local talk radio station, I heard a troubling story. On a call in program called Let’s Talk Legal, a Vietnam Veteran named Tony said he was diagnosed with symptoms stemming from exposure to agent orange. He had lost use of his legs and found some help through a great local veteran’s administration agent. However, he was still in need of handicap access modifications for his bathroom and for one other door in his house. I thought it very sad to hear him call in to Let’s Talk Legal and ask about pursuing legal representation.
If we are the Body of Christ (calling all Christians), why aren’t our hands working to provide for this man?
Helping Hands
Has no one in the Church heard of his need? I’ll pursue this and see if I can get our local churches to help Tony get his bathroom modified. Though I am a lousy fixit guy, I can sure swing a hammer.
This was a wonderful experience with my daughter, a collegue and her daughter. Christian Education includes experiences in stewardship of God’s wonderful creation.
Postman, as usual is incredibly insightful and clear, yet this only serves to raise the question — What do we do with this insight? Do we simply accept it and deal with it somehow? Do we seek to make societal changes and if so, how in the world do we begin to turn the tide? Do most folks even see this as a problem, or is it just those, like me, who came of age in a seemingly different world, who are troubled?
