Wednesday, August 05, 2020

The Norwegian Benny Hill's weekend driving gig did not work out that well...


Apparently Benny was in such a Rush (not Mahavishnu) to get home, to chat online with his much younger and thinner foreign 'girlfriends', that he took the incorrect route for heavy trucks, back to his employer. This story was it appears even a 'hit' in Asia. However, this story has not been 'fact-checked' or 'fat-checked' and may be satire.

Thank you to Mr. Arne Novik for posting on Facebook.

Facebook

Tuesday, August 04, 2020

A new birthday tradition: Are my friends telling me something? II/The Zombie Apocalypse

J.C. Zombie is added to our new 'Pop!' tradition as he has a Happy Little Birthday. More Pop! to come? Strange how much those look like the two of us...

To be presented to JCZ tonight.

A good long weekend with friends and family, which included taking my deceased Mother's property from the care home. Funeral plans are in progress.

Monday, July 06, 2020:A new birthday tradition: Are my friends telling me something?

The fictional Zombie Apocalypse not to be confused with the biblical 'non-zombie' one... 


Brief on preterist, futurist, historist, idealistic, theological positions and other related theology.

Monday, August 03, 2020

Briefly Again On Darkness and Light

Facebook
Briefly Again On Darkness and Light

Cited in regards to the image and quote:

Gretchen Schmelzer January 17, 2016 

This is a sermon given at the Dexter Baptist Church November 17, 1957. This is the speech where he said the famous quote, "Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that. " This sermon was written while he was in jail for non-violent protest and delivered later.

National Park Service

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness, only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate, only love can do that." Strength to Love, 1963.

(1963 book of his sermons)

Profound from Dr. King on darkness and light.

Jesus Christ from the Gospel of John:

John 3: 19-20 from the New American Standard Version (NASB) 19 This is the judgment, that the Light has come into the world, and men loved the darkness rather than the Light, for their deeds were evil. 20 For everyone who does evil hates the Light, and does not come to the Light for fear that his deeds will be exposed. 

From Strong's: 4655 for darkness in John 3: 19. (88). σκότος

Bauer explains that here is this context, darkness can be understood as 'religious and moral darkness, of darkening by sin, of the state of unbelievers and of the godless.' (757-758).

Practical Theology

Based on Dr. King's brief religious and practical teaching from the cited speech and very non-exhaustively comparing it with the New Testament and the work of the Apostle John; theologically those in Jesus Christ have the light and should therefore love one another. This is in contrast to the darkness. This is in contrast to hate. The light of the Lord and the gospel should also NOT lead to indifference. 

John 13 from the Gospel of John:

John 13:34-35 New American Standard Bible (NASB)

34 A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another, even as I have loved you, that you also love one another. 35 By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.” 

I John 4:20 the Epistle

20 If someone says, “I love God,” and hates his brother, he is a liar; for the one who does not love his brother whom he has seen, cannot love God whom he has not seen.

Jesus Christ within the great commandment (Mathew 22, Mark 12, Luke 10), mentions that the second commandment is to love all persons as neighbours as one loves self. The first commandment to love of God with the fullness in mind and spirit. This is the God of the Hebrew Bible and New Testament. Some 'gospel' light can be shed even to the unregenerate outside of the Kingdom of God. Perhaps some that become regenerated, by the moulding of the Holy Spirit (John 3, Titus 3) will be impacted by both the love and truth within the Christian Church shown to them.

BAUER, WALTER (1979) A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament, Translated by Eric H. Wahlstrom, Chicago, The University of Chicago Press. 

STRONG, J. (1890)(1986) Strong's Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible, Burlington, Welch Publishing Company.


Archives on darkness

Wednesday, January 08, 2020: John 3: 19-20 -- Darkness continued 


Monday, June 03, 2019: Darkness and lack of belief 


Saturday, August 01, 2020

Bullet Saturday: Non-exhaustive on fact-checking



Grant Wickham: Facebook
• Thank you to friends for the kind words of support with my Mom's passing, July 31, 2020. 

• No, I do not think the biblical 'paradise' or 'heaven' is in the physical realm. It exists in the spiritual realm. For example, please see from the New American Standard Bible (NASB): 2 Corinthians 12 as the Apostle Paul visits paradise. See also Luke 23 as Jesus promises the crucified criminal beside him, paradise that day.

• In regards to the Facebook image: I can grant that it is an intellectual possibility that certain fact-checkers have a significant bias that leads to an incorrect analysis of evidence. It is also an intellectual possibility that certain fact-checkers are providing a reasonable and fair presentation.

• To be clear, I am not 'subscribing' to any fact-checker/fact-checking conspiracy. I have not studied the subject enough to have a definite, definitive opinion.

• I will rely on my academic training, especially my British, MPhil/PhD theses only work and the developed skills that continue with my website work. There are certain helpful academic paradigms in regards to research and knowledge.

• Non-exhaustively, checking facts and working at research should consist of:

• Within a Christian worldview, this should focus on prayerful requests for divine assistance via God the Holy Spirit, not excluding God the Father and God the Son.

• Example: John 16: 13: New American Standard Bible (NASB) '13 But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth....

• An attempt at objectivity by the reader and listener. Objectivity and reason a goal of  philosophy, see Blackburn, Pirie.

'• The use of significant primary sources by the reader and listener. By significant these should be professional, if possible, but at least significantly informed, firsthand sources.

• The use of significant secondary sources by the reader and listener. By significant these should be professional, if possible, but at least significantly informed, secondhand sources.

• The use of objective reasoning by sources. Objective reasoning and thinking being views and/or approaches primarily based on the object, facts not feelings. This opposed to subjective thinking, which is subjective thoughts rather than objective thoughts on the issue in question. Subjective thinking and approach would therefore be more influenced by feelings than facts.

• No one is totally objective, but is a presentation reasonably, reasoned and objective?

• Are points and counterpoints reasonably considered in a presentation?

• My British training emphasized a significant use of methodology. In other words, the intended meanings of an author. This was emphasized more than within my previous North American education. In the context of this post, it is analysis of the methodology of the fact-checking and fact-checkers. Is a presentation too biased to be considered objective?

• I tend to emphasize the worldview of an author and/or critic more so than his/her methodology, while accepting methodology as important. I reason that worldview effects intended meaning. In other words, how does the worldview of an author, critic, fact-checker effect his her presentation? Not based on presumption, but on propositions and/or arguments provided.

• Regardless of the worldview and methodology of a source, the propositions and/or arguments provided should be reasonably analyzed as true or false within reason.

BLACKBURN, SIMON (1996) Oxford Dictionary of Philosophy, Oxford, Oxford University Press.  

CAMPBELL, ALASTAIR (2000)(2007) ‘The Nature of Practical Theology’, in James Woodward and Stephen Pattison (eds.), The Blackwell Reader in Pastoral and Practical Theology, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing. 

DEAN, WILLIAM (1990) ‘Empirical Theology: A Revisable Tradition’, in Process Studies, Volume 19, Number 2, pp. 85-102. Claremont, California, The Center for Process Studies. 

INBODY, TYRON (1995) The Constructive Theology of Bernard Meland: Postliberal Empirical Realism, Atlanta, Scholars Press. 

LANGER, SUSANNE K (1953)(1967) An Introduction to Symbolic Logic, Dover Publications, New York.

PIRIE, MADSEN (2006)(2015) How To Win Every Argument, Bloomsbury, London.

WILLIAMS, DANIEL DAY (1969) ‘Suffering and Being in Empirical Theology’, in The Future of Empirical Theology, Chicago, the University of Chicago Press. 

WOODWARD, JAMES AND STEPHEN PATTISON (2000)(2007)(eds.), The Blackwell Reader in Pastoral and Practical Theology, Oxford, Blackwell Publishing.