Abdul Rahman in Perspective

Daveed Gartenstein-Ross, writing in the Weekly Standard (HT: The Counterterrorism Blog), puts in broad perspective Abdul Rahman's story. He points out that the official, or unofficial (by family members or the community), slaying of former Muslim converts to Christianity is commonplace in Islamic societies. What garnered media attention and international outrage (albeit belated, nearly tragically so) at Abdul Rahman's plight was the fact that the nation preparing to execute the man is one where the Western democratic values of human life and freedom of expression are supposed to be implicit in institutional decisions (Or else for what are our soldiers dying there?).

Gartenstein-Ross makes a cogent big-picture point, though:

THE ABDUL RAHMAN CASE presents an opportunity for the West, but only if we refuse to view this as an isolated incident. When Abdul Rahman awaited trial, Representative Tom Lantos wrote a letter to Hamid Karzai stating: "In a country where soldiers from all faiths, including Christianity, are dying in defense of your government, I find it outrageous that Mr. Rahman is being prosecuted and facing the death penalty for converting to Christianity." Lantos was correct, but he did not go far enough. This is not only an outrage in countries being defended by Western soldiers. The unjustifiable punishment of apostates from Islam is an outrage wherever it occurs.

Read the whole article here.

Christian Teen Rally "Fitting"?

Other than this article, I haven't seen much news coverage of this Christian teen rally in San Francisco. (That might be because I've been holed up at home trying to get some work done.) This rally was organized to respond to the secular values marketed to teens and young adults through today's popular culture. My initial feelings are mixed, but I'm interested in hearing some other thoughts, particularly as my church community group has been considering what it means to act as God's image--his representative--in exile. Are these types of rallies an appropriate way to express our role? Are they "fitting" for the time in which we live? Thoughts?

Barbra and the End Times

Yes, there is a connection. Just saw this news flash about Barbra's upcoming tour. Better bring out the generator, stock up on batteries, and buy gallon jugs of water, because she's back, and trials and tribulations heretofore not seen since, well . . . , Yentl, are about to be experienced.

Afghan Christian

Michelle Malkin questions here who will raise a voice to save Abdul Rahman, Afghan convert to Christianity, who now faces execution for renouncing Islam. My guess is that, in an effort to avoid a public confrontation over this issue, especially as it involves the volatile Muslim/Christian dimension (cf. the Muhammad cartoon saga), the U.S. is using only back channel methods to urge Rahman's release (or acquittal, if it comes to that). However, even though the issue is a stormy one, it seems like religious freedom is a crucial, non-negotiable tenet that must be confronted head on and publicly.

Also, here, by the best columnist in the Boston Globe, Jeff Jacoby, is an apt reminder of the justifiable moral reasons for going to war in Iraq. I was an initial opponent of the war (I'll share why at some point in the future), though one who was (and is) sympathetic with its goals, and who is now eager that it be prosecuted thoroughly. Jacoby reminds me why ambivalence about our foreign policy is no excuse to turn a blind eye to injustice and suffering. Check it out.

(hat tip: real clear politics)

Ireland, day two, part 2--Dublin Night Life Revisited

Yep, it's a winner!

"And it's no nay never, no nay never no more! Will I play the wild rover, no never no more!
Life couldn't be better.

Ireland, day two, part 1--North from Dublin

Feels pretty good.

Street at Howth Head, a suburb of Dublin. To the left, there is a view of Dublin Bay.
Howth Head remains a working fishing port and here are the boats to prove it.Malihide Castle, home of the Talbot family for over 800 years and recently bought by Dublin County Council in 1976 for public viewing. It was said that 14 cousins of the Talbot family sat together for breakfast the morning of the Battle of Boyne and all were dead by nightfall.

Ireland, day one, part 3--Dublin Night Life

The Temple Bar area in Dublin CityTraditional Irish music at the Auld Dubliner, our favorite pub in Dublin City

Our first Guinness of the night--a look of contentment.


Digging in. No time to talk!

Ireland, day one, part 2--Dublin

The Liffey River, which bisects Dublin. South of the Liffey, to the right, is currently the more visited part of the city, as it hosts Trinity College, Grafton Street (replete with retail stores), and the well-known Temple Bar area.

Here I am just inside the gates of Trinity College.


The busy Grafton Street, at a relative down time.
View of St. Ann's Church from Grafton Street.

Ireland, day one, part 1--Dublin

Neat pathway leading from our B&B in Contarf to the bus stop, where we will catch a bus into Dublin City.

Here comes our bus--driving, of course, on the wrong side of the road

An outdoor market north of the Liffey River in Dublin City

Meat market that we stumbled across at the worst possible time--when we were starving and desperately searching for somewhere to eat

Sabbatical

I'll be gone for about a week--off to NH for a church retreat and then off to good ol' Ireland. Here's what I'll be studying on plane on the way over.

Blog Highlight--Living in Berlin

Sage, a friend and former coworker, has been sojourning this year in Berlin, Germany, where she is taking courses at the Free University of Berlin (I see that it's Girl's Day at the University--whatever that means; I thought everyday was Girl's Day). Unbeknownst to me, though, Sage has been keeping a blog diary of her experiences as she studies there and narrows down the list of possible PhD programs she will attend upon her return to the States. Check out her blog.

Anthony Hopkins

You gotta love Anthony Hopkins--especially in the aftermath of a poor year for films in Hollywood. This article captures the stellar actor's apt criticism of condescending films and narcissistic actors. The best part about all this is that these comments come from someone who is actually a terrific actor. I don't know about you, but this solidifies my appreciation for the man and makes me want to add Hannibal or, one of my favorites, Titus to the Netflix queue.

The Times on Redeemer

Here's a great article in The New York Times about Redeemer Church in New York, and the urban church planting mentality that it represents. (Hat Tip: Steve McCoy.) Here's a link to Redeemer's website. I'm having a difficult time posting the link, but if you go to Redeemer's list of Sample Sermons, you can find a great sermon by Tim Keller on love for the city. I recommend it highly. He gives a great quote (borrowed from someone else) in the sermon. I'm paraphrasing, but it goes something like this: There are more plants in the country than people; there are more people in the city than plants. As God loves people more than plants, so God loves the city more than the country. I thought there was a reason I liked living in Boston.

Incidentally, Citylife Church, mentioned in the article as one of Redeemer's daughter churches (Pastor Um is even mentioned and quoted therein), is the church with whom I identify in Boston. Its site is here.

Israel's Arab Christians

Here's an article in the Jerusalem Post (which I don't often read. . . . Really.) offering some perspective on the place of Arab Christians in Israeli society. Not surprisingly, this group faces increasing alienation and is on the verge of distinction (in that area). I intend to post more on Arab Christians in the future, as this is one subject to which I hope to devote research down the road.

Anne Coulter on the Oscars

I don't really follow the Oscars much, but I thought this column by Anne Coulter, posted on the Libertas blog, was rather humorous. I'm sure many of you--ok, some; there aren't enough people who read this blog to use the term "many"--don't like Anne Coulter, but her acerbic wit is one of a kind. Enjoy.

Poverty

Ok, so I’ve been thinking about issues of poverty a lot lately. This came about firstly because I listened to a panel discussion at the Harvard Veritas Forum discuss the Christian response to poverty. Then, I read R’s post on a related topic—African turmoil—inspired by the movie The Constant Gardener. And Tim, who’s back blogging, related to me, and blogged about here, a great story about his experience with a homeless man on the T and his subsequent conversation with his kids. And to top it all off, this morning I was forced to come face to face with my hardened heart as I was less than helpful to a homeless man asking for directions.

Since moving to the city of Boston, I find myself forced to confront the issue of poverty—and the Christian’s response—in a way that I wasn’t in the Midwest. Perhaps it’s the deeply ingrained value of “personal responsibility” that makes me resistant, at least cognitively, to the pleas of the homeless on the street. Whatever it is, I certainly haven’t worked out in any meaningful way what it looks like to be a radical giver.

Really, it’s not a “city” issue, though the city makes me more aware of it. It’s a kingdom issue. It’s about sacrificial giving. A few weeks ago I gave the offertory prayer in Church. In it, I asked that God would enable us to give radically because we know that in Christ we have abundant riches. This, I believe, is part of the motivation for giving. We know that we are amply provided for, and we can give, therefore, as Christ himself gave. But this is only part of the motivation—and a somewhat passive one, at that.

There’s also an active aspect to the giving motivation. Our pastor has been preaching lately on the Church’s vision. I would say most of the people in our congregation are transitory; they have no real intention of settling down in Boston but are here for school, training, jobs, etc. Last sermon the pastor gave on church vision touched on this dynamic. He pointed out that most of us are here to take from the city. He encouraged us to think about what it would look like for us to develop a heart for the city, such that we want to give to the city—to live here and commit to its transformation. Before one can give in the way that Christ gives, there must be a total commitment to those who are in need, inspired, perhaps, by an identification with those people.

I’m certainly not there in terms of either a passive or active desire to give. It’s my hope, though, that as believers in the city of Boston, we can encourage each other to think about how to live for the city--how to embrace a kingdom ethic in a secular and downtrodden urban area.

Panic in the Skies

I don't know about you, but this is the stewardess that I want on my flight. Frightening. Since 9/11 I've been a little afraid of flying, and every little bit of turbulence prompts a reflexive grasping of the arm rest. During the bumpy times, I calm myself by looking around at the other passengers and, even more, at the flight attendants. The unconcerned looks on their faces bring me back to a state of equilibrium. If this lady ends up on my flight, I swear to you, they'll need to put me in a staitjacket.