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Wednesday, November 29, 2006 

Fare Thee Well
Topic: Blogging

Reading: cramming for finals
Enjoying: having Molly visit!
Listening: Damien Rice 9 Crimes


Between finals, term papers, my slight fever, and visiting company from the home land, hopefully we'll resurface in mid-December, probably just in time to start thinking about Christmas. Happy Advent in advance.

In the mean time, here's a few final things to keep you company.

::: :::

We've updated a few things to the sidebar. We'll give you three guesses, and We'll tell you that two of the three are correct. We want to know: can you guess which one is incorrect?
1. Our copyright on the royal use of the first person pronoun in the plural. In other words, to be able to refer to the singular person writing this as "we." We don't think you should pick this one.

2. We've updated our poll towards the bottom of the sidebar. Will you be celebrating Advent this year (it starts this Sunday for most churches), and if so, does your church practice following the liturgical calendar? Many churches celebrate a form of Advent (candles, wreaths, etc.), but don't follow any of the rest of Advent, while others view it as spoken to in the Regulative Principle.

3. We (yes both of us!) fixed the blund web comments tab to the right. Now you can peruse the discussions and comments we partake in that aren't blund blogs or Thunder sites. Check 'em out, and try to contain the excitement.
So, we want to know which one you think was incorrect. Remember, we are waiting to hear!

::: :::

Struggling to maintain that Thanksgiving thankful spirit? Welcome to America. Nevertheless, we have a great deal to be thankful for, and often more of the "basics" than we realize. In doing some reading on the mission zeal of Geneva, I came across this letter by Calvin to some of the pastors he had personally trained and sent out.

To five such missionaries who had been arrested at Lyons and were facing death by martyrdom, Calvin wrote on May 15, 1553:
Since it pleases him [i.e. God] to employ you to the death in maintaining his quarrel [with the world], he will strengthen your hands in the fight, and will not suffer a single drop of your blood to be spent in vain. And though the fruit may not all at once appear, yet in time it shall spring up more abundantly than we can express. But as he hath vouchsafed you this privilege, that your bonds have been renowned, and that the noise of them has been everywhere spread abroad, it must needs be, in despite of Satan, that your death should resound far more powerfully, so that the name of our Lord be magnified thereby. For my part, I have no doubt, if it please this kind Father to take you unto himself, that he has preserved you hitherto, in order that your long-continued imprisonment might serve as a preparation for the better awakening of those whom be has determined to edify by your end. For let enemies do their utmost, they never shall be able to bury out of sight that light which God has made to shine in you, in order to be contemplated from afar.
Letter 318 [in Jules Bonnet, ed., Letters of John Calvin, tr. Mr. Constable (1858 ed.; repr. New York: Lenox Hill Pub. & Dist. Co., 1972), II, 406].

Let the noise of their bonds be heard even now, and let us give thanks that they did not shrink back from what God had set before them, and let us follow them and our Elder Brother in the example laid before us.

::: :::

Speaking of Thanksgiving, we had a delightful time with pictures of Samantha's top-notch cooking forthcoming, and trust you all enjoyed your time as much as we did ours. We spent it with other seminary families exiled from loved ones; the Lems graciously hosted us, and we enjoyed their company as well as the Kuperuses and ACisMe 2. While you're waiting for our pix, head over and watch Owen - the Lem's middle son of three boys - in rare form.

::: :::


Recently we noted the MN Twins had added some hardware to the trophy case, but we would be amiss not to remind everyone that the MN Wild are comfortably in first place in the Western Northwest conference. While the Edmonton Oilers are giving them a run for their money, the Wild are playing halfway decent, considering Marion Gaborik and Wes Walz are both out with injuries. Also, two weeks ago the Wild - in a "wild" come from behind - took the Predators in a Rolston-winning shootout. Until Gaborik can find a way to stay healthy, no doubt the Wild are going to become more and more comfortable leaning on Rolston, which to my mind is a good thing. He is becoming increasingly more of a threat in shoot outs, and his overall play is outstanding. (And yes, Matt and Claus, MN is real and it is awesome...)

::: :::

Here's a confession of a guilty pleasure. Though to be honest, it turned into more of a guilty distaste, er... something.

Upon moving to SoCal, on a few of my longer drives I would flip through the radio stations. We are kind of in a valley, and sort of midway between San Diego and LA. We couldn't pick up that many stations. (Also, our cellphone service is atrocious.) But one station that came in loud and clear caught my attention. I think I first tuned in because I recognized a Metallica riff, but it was only a segway for this mostly talk show radio program. I had just tuned in to The Tom Leykis (like-us) Show.

So apparently, Mr. Leykis is paying his bill by having call in sessions with people concerning relationships. Mr. Leykis is himself a divorcee from a marriage he entered into when quite young. Feeling himself ill prepared and realizing that women were out for something other than what he had surmised, he now devotes his show to educating young men and women (entitled Leykis 101) on the subtler nuances of relationships.

But here's the thing. You don't have to listen long to catch the main thesis of Leykis 101: all women are out for your money, your time, and your self-respect, and men must stop at nothing to keep these women at bay while the men go for the one thing women have that men want... sex. With main theories like, "If women think you are a jerk or an asshole, then you are doing something right," or "Make sure the woman knows that if she does not 'put out,'" then you will get it somewhere else," you can see that discussions of chastity, faithfulness, and marriage aren't exactly "close to the heart" of "Blow Me Up Tom." Don't even get started on issues of childrearing, self-sacrifice, or power vs. submission. Everything for Tom Leykis is about "how to get mine," and in this connotation, "mine" is my pleasure, my sex, my way.

While I'd like to write more about this later, briefly, it is easy to see that there is something wrong with this theory, but what exactly is wrong is a bit harder to pinpoint. I mentioned that I stumbled upon the station, but what kept me coming back and tuning in later was the fascination I had with Mr. Leykis. Few people take their world and life view to such extremes, and so consistently, as he does. There is not one category - as far as I could tell - that Mr. Leykis is not completely hedonistic or selfish in.

Of course, there are very important things wrong with Leykis 101, but much of it lies beneath the surface. Beliefs and worldviews matter, and here is a terrific example. Despite the fact that this philosophy reduces every individual to the genitals, Mr. Leykis has no concept of anything beyond his (or each individual's) own sensory universe. Listening to callers who would call in furious with the propaganda spout, and then listening to Leykis systematically and sarcastically dismember their arguments, I wondered a lot about the benefit of spending time and energy interacting with his worldview. Would Paul have spent time on him at the Areopagus, or would he let him by with a simple denunciation of cultic prostitution? How would you interact with this radio presence? Call in? Picket line? Smug intellectual/ethical superiority? Its difficult to know. Look for a further post on the topic in the future.

::: :::

Pope Benedict XVI is safely back in the Vatican after his visit to Turkey subsequent to his infamous speech he made two months ago in Regensburg, Germany. You remember the speech - the pope calls Muslims violent and they go on a murderous rioting spree for a week. How unfair of that pope. Regardless, some had thought it unwise to continue the visit after the raw relations between the Vatican and Constantinople, but it all went off without a hitch. The pope plugged Turkey joining the European Union (despite some reservations), visited the Blue Mosque, and generally was quite pleasant. Some noted, however,
In all, the pope has seemed to toe a careful line of not backing down in substance — with the exception of cautiously blessing the progress of Turkey toward membership in the European Union — while presenting a more open, warmer face to an Islamic world that now deeply distrusts him.
I'm just glad he didn't call anyone 'violent'!

Would a reunion of the 250 million Orthodox with the near 1 billion Roman Catholic Church be a good thing?

::: :::

Finally, as a parting gift, which I hope you truly enjoy, here is Martin Luther on facing temptation. May it strengthen you to trust Christ as you fight in The Long War as we await for what is inaugurated to reach fruition.


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[blogging]

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Tuesday, November 28, 2006 

Makoto Fujimura Gallery
Topic: Art & Culture



Makoto Fujimura, a regular in our Art & Culture section, shows some more terrific work. This was sampled from a gallery here, and there are several others to be aware of as well. Be sure to check out his latest with Yoko, and if you weren't here before, we mentioned his Da Vinci Code reflections that might be worth looking at again. Enjoy.

Tags
[art] | [fujimura]

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Wednesday, November 22, 2006 

Morneau brings home AL MVP
Topic: Events

Justin Morneau, first baseman for the Minnesota Twins, brought home the American League MVP on Tuesday, November 21. He edged out NY Yankee Derek Jeter in a relatively close (320 - 312) race. Jeter, who had an especially strong year and whose game does not readily lend itself to MVP voting, was gracious to the young Morneau:
"I want to congratulate Justin Morneau on this well-deserved honor," Jeter said in a statement. "He is a special player, and I suspect this won't be the last time you will hear his name mentioned when awards are being passed out."
Despite the recent frustration the MN Twins had after a first round sweep courtesy of the Oakland A's, post-season ballots smiled warmly on the Twins during a cold Minnesota winter. Along with Morneau's MVP lead, pitching ace Johann Santana won the AL Cy Young Award, and catcher Joe Mauer rounded out the team's honors by bringing home the AL Batting Title. Jeter was edged out for second place in the batting battle as well, falling just short with an average of .343 to Mauer's .347.

The last time a single team achieved all three awards was in 1962 accomplished by the Dodgers. Morneau, a Canadian, was congratulated by Larry Walker, the last Canadian to bag the trophy when he played for the Colorado Rockies in 1997. Harmon Killebrew, the last Twinkie to receive the award, was at the ceremony to congratulate Morneau.

While Yankee Jeter did have a terrific year, there was still plenty of evidence to show that Morneau was a true most valuable player.


One difficulty for the Twins after so many honorariums, is the difficulty of being a mid-sized club when it comes to payroll. Morneau, who received less than $400k last season, will definitely be receiving a raise from GM Terry Ryan. The same will be true for Mauer and other free agents.

Good luck, Twinkies, and lets carry this success into next year.


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[Morneau]

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Monday, November 20, 2006 

Miscellanies
Topic: Tech | Blogging | WWW

Reading: Preaching and Biblical Theology by Edmund Clowney
Enjoying: my wife's homecooking
Listening: The David on Implementing GTD with Merlin

Final papers and exams are quickly drawing near, and with Thanksgiving approaching, hopefully some of the things we've found interesting will catch your attention as well. Links, links, and more, plus tech tidbits and blogworld wonders. Enjoy.

We've added a few pictures to our Photo Album. Go check out Scott & Sarah's wedding or the fun time we had with Sam's family as our first Californian visitors.

::: :::

The most important blog you never read pointed out this article:
"For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice."
Apparently, erstwhile Democrat and 42 year-old Arthur C. Brooks Syracuse University is publishing the forthcoming Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism, and can be found in WSJ Op-Ed articles along various topics. Read the full article for even more juicy tidbits.
(HT: Macht [do you have to be friends to be on a first-blogger-name-basis?])

::: :::

Pocket PC Productivity
Here's a couple of programs that will greatly enhance Pocket PC use (WM 2003+), and though they are both commercial apps (unfortunately), they are relatively cheap and, potentially, far more useful than their price tag would suggest.
For those who already own Microsoft OneNote 2007, LaymanAid Soft has released a patch that will port a version of OneNote over to your PPC that will sync - through ActiveSync! - with your desktop. For those of you already using OneNote (especially on a Tablet with a touch screen), you can guess how useful this could be. This would be conceivably even better for those of you without a touch screen, e.g., a laptop.

SK Tools
also has a terrific app in their Shortcut manager. Personally, I can't wait to link to specific tasks and calendar dates. This should be considerably helpful in project management.

::: :::

Who says blog-surfing isn't worthwhile? Just the other day I found this terrific church growth technique. You won't find any maneuvers this slick in Calvin or Owen, that is for sure.
(HT: Augustine X)

::: :::

Christianity Today slices and dices on Sufjan Stevens. More critical than we take our Stevens, but then again, they've listened to more than we have.
(HT: Macht)

::: :::

No doubt you have heard that, in a "of course there is total depravity" moment, Judith Regan, publisher of superstars like pornstar Jenna Jameson and other celebrities of strong moral fiber, has published a title by American hometown favorite O.J. Simpson, appropriately entitled If I Did It. The father of breaking news car chases and jury fraud, Simpson's book was considered by many, including publisher Regan, not merely a hypothetical fiction (riiight), but actually a confession. Stay with me, people - close jaw and keep reading. How is this for a book synopsis: "Over 10 years after he was tried for two murders in the Trial of the Century that captured the attention of the world, O.J. Simpson, in his own words, tells for the first time how he would have committed the murders if he were the one responsible for the crimes." Unfortunately, that is not our synopsis - that's directly from the book! Anyway, in a brief moment of sanity, News Corp.'s Rupert Murdoch decided not to air a three part TV series covering the book and an interview with O.J.

::: :::

Here's one last productivity tip. For those of you using Firefox (have you upgraded to FF 2.0 yet?), try extension zotero. A "free, easy-to-use Firefox extension to help you collect, manage, and cite your research sources, it lives right where you do your work — in the web browser itself."Zotero will allow you to store pictures, PDF's, documents, and images right in your browser for easy access; collate several projects at once, and other handy tasks. This seems like the perfect tool for doing a term paper or other large, computer-based task. Click here for an online video demo. Click here for the blog.
(HT: Slacker Manager)

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Thursday, November 16, 2006 

Video Roundup
Topic: Blogging | Tech

Updated: 11/27/06

Reading: Preaching Law & Gospel by Herman G. Stuempfle, Jr.
Enjoying: thin mints
Listening: "Song of the Celebrity" Matt Haeck

With the advent of YouTubeand similar vid-based user sites, the ability to get any form of video content directly to your computer has skyrocketed. Here are a few that have been tickling where we itch lately. Click on the image to watch the vid, and don't forget to go full screen where available. In no particular order:

The Piano
A man recalls his life to the haunting melody of Yann Tiersen (of Amelie fame).

(click through for more)

Guilty Pleasure #1
Detective noir meets teen-angst with the witty dialogue of Veronica Mars. Check out full episodes of the magic here.



Guilty Pleasure #2
The latest in the hospital sitcoms, Scrubs. I took four years of German in high school.



Baptism Hijinks
Oh man, where do you even start with something like this?! Classic...

(HT: Kevin Cawley)

Project 86: How to Win Back Your Band
These are kind of fun. Hard rockers Project 86 recently released a second video, My Will Be A Dead Man, that finishes the plot begun in their single The Spy Hunter. Watch in order for maximum viewing enjoyment. You know that has gotta hurt. And don't kid yourself - regardless of what you think of the plot, you know you love the music. (Requires Quicktime)

The Spy Hunter


My Will Be A Dead Man


Switch to PC Before Its Too Late
For all of you convinced that Macs are the most convincing sign of postmillenialism and all things utopic, this should change your mind. Viva la PC!
(HT: SKH at Tohu va Bohu)

Holy Ghost Enema
Mrs. Suzanne Hinn, "preaching" at her former church in Orlando, FL, gets a revelation from the spirit that, well, I am sure I've never received before. Ending with a swan dive, it doesn't get much better than this. Is anyone going to help her up?




Did I forget any classics? Let us know what you're watching in the comments.

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[videos]

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Wednesday, November 15, 2006 

Podcast List
Topic: Tech

For those of us who have a difficult time filling up 35 gajillion gigabytes of memory on our iPods (or our Pocket PC based iPods), having a list of podcasts is always useful. Here are some that I thought our readers might like to be aware of.

If you'd like to learn more about the particular podcast, click site to go to its homepage, and if you'd like to add the 'cast to your queue click on feed.


Podcasts: Theology
R.C. Sproul's "Renewing Your Mind" site feed (iTunes)
(click through for more)

Sinclair Ferguson | 1st Presbyterian Church Sermons site feed

John Piper's Desiring God site (click here for iTune feeds) feed (sermon) feed (radio)

A Puritan's Mind "Wild Boar Newscast" site feed feed(sermons)

White Horse Inn site feed (may require free registration)

Unchained Radio site feed

John MacArthur "Grace to You" site feed

Alistair Begg "Truth for Life" site feed

SolaGratia.org Podcast site feed

Mars Hill Church (Seattle, WA) site feed (sermons) feed (all content)

Podcasts: Tech
Merlin Mann's 43 Folders site feed

David Ciconne's Mobility Today site feed (audio) feed (video cast)


What did I leave off the list? Have any terrific casts of your own to share? Drop a note or leave 'em in the comments.

Tags
[podcast] | [reformed] | [technology]

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Mea Culpa
Topic: Blogging

It has recently come to our attention that no comments were showing up on What the Thunder Said... and here is the kicker: it wasn't for lack of commenters. I know - surprise, surprise and all that - but for all both of our readers, it will come as a big surprise to know that actually, the problem was with the administration. Seems that I somehow had monkeyed with Blogger settings to effectively wrestle the comments section into a paralytic coma. So to all of you who have left comments - thank you! - I heartily apologize and you should see some responses very soon.

Feel free to go back and check old posts that have generated some interesting discussions (like here or here) and lend your voice to the mix. Also, this should greatly improve the Thunder Comments tab to the right. (I'll leave it in beta until all the bugs are worked out, but it should be marginally functional now.) Finally, a plea for more comments: when it comes to getting some interesting material on this site, you're our only hope, Obi-Wan... er - ah, I mean, you commenters...

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[comments] | [blogging]

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Friday, November 10, 2006 

Life
Topic: Art & Culture



Tags
[life] | [art]

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Erkel's Response to My Whimper
Topic: foot in mouthTheology

As previously mentioned/promised, we here at What the Thunder Said were going to procure a document that takes us to task for a previous response we penned. The said document, a reply to our reply to the original article by one Darryl Erkel (of whom a good number of his articles may be found here) - who is also the author of the replied reply, is available as download as a .doc file for MS Word. If anyone really wants me to, I'll convert it to PDF if it will make anyones life easier. In the near future I will muster a response - and apology, where appropriate - to the document. Just to keep circulation at a premium, I'm going to offer the document for free. We know, big hearted and all...


A Reply to Brian Lund ~ or:
How Not to Write A Blog


Tags
[theology] | [erkel]

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Levinas and Atonement
Topic: Philosophy

Levinas and the Inner Demons: Guilt and Atonement
In the concluding movement in this piece on Levinas' soteriology, we consider to what extent substitution can occur, and in what passive frames.


The Extent of the Atonement

Were we to stop here, one might think that the question had been answered and the race run. We had successfully analyzed Levinas’ project and found the answer to the problem. Guilt was atoned for by the self’s sacrifice of the self, and an inward turn and acceptance of the critique of the Other. However, here we must make an about face in our entire manner of thinking. While everything that we have said is correct, our conclusion is utterly wrong. The truth is, for Levinas, we are never out of the confinement of our guilt.
Why, then, have we come to such a false conclusion? The answer lies in our definitions.

When speaking of atonement or salvation in his monologues, Levinas does not shy away from words like “salvation” or “atonement.” They show up in his indexes and, though not common, are definitely themes of his. However, terms given above often carry with them extra-terminal baggage that implies meanings that may be true in some cases, and completely misleading in other situations. This seems to be the case when studying Levinas.

Both of the given terms, salvation and atonement, carry strong religious connotations that give them certain meanings. This author has a strong background in the Judeo-Christian mindset, of which these two terms both play a prominent and essential part. It is easy, therefore, to hear much of what has already been said and understand something other than what is meant. When Levinas says “I am saved by accepting the Other’s critique,” we unfortunately smuggle our categories into his text, and therefore miss his meaning.[1]

An objection could be raised that wonders just how we know that we are missing the mark, and maybe this is precisely what Levinas meant. Perhaps the best way to quell the questions is to let Levinas answer himself. We can know that Levinas has no room for complete redemption. He says, “No repentant sinner can have access to the place of the just, who have never sinned. It is better not to sin than to be granted forgiveness. This is the first and necessary truth, without which the door is opened to every perversion.”[2]

So what are we to do with all of this salvation talk? In what sense can Levinas also speak of an atoning or that by which I am saved? There seem to be two ways in which Levinas means this type of salvific talk. The first is that of subjective, individual alleviation. Just as we saw earlier that the guilt is entirely subjective, so also is this sort of redemption. The guilt that should be felt so strongly is tempered, not done away with. For to do away with the guilt, we would have to do away with its source; its source is the responsibility from the voice of the Other. This inner, subjective atonement is manifested in the individual as a peace that buoys up alongside of the guilt. This peace makes the pain bearable, and is felt within the person.

The second aspect that Levinas speaks of in atonement is a more corporate flavor, in contrast to our previous individual experience. Levinas speaks of our atonement as a sort of “at one-ment.” This is not to say that the self becomes one with the Other. This loses the asymmetry needed for the I, the ego, to draw near to the Other. Instead, this oneness felt in relationship to the Other is very similar to what has already been spoken of in substitution. This oneness promotes the asymmetry, and helps Levinasian dialogue to flourish. It becomes easier for the self to participate in substitution, so that substitution encourages substitution, both to the self to propagate more, and to onlookers.

So for Levinas, such a complete salvation does not truly exist. There are definitely rewards and benefits for attaining salvation. The chance for lessened wrackings of guilt and inner peace, as well as developed relation with the Other and further opportunities for substitution are all new graces and boons to enjoy. So where does this leave us? Does this truly leave us still bound to guilt, and never finally atoned for? The answer is a very simple yes from Levinas. But this should not surprise us, for he has never been very concerned to save us. From the very beginning of any study of Levinas’ soteriology, one is struck by the lack of text concerning salvation or hope for the future. That is because Levinas has never looked to the salvation of the self. It is the Other who must be saved by our substitution, by my bearing his load. Yes, I receive grace from this act, but not final grace. That is something that Levinas would reserve for the Other, not the self. Here is the final persecution, the last dying to self. Here is Levinas’ chief and final cry, to exonerate the Other.

__________________________________
Footnotes

[1]It is easy here to talk about what has been a large part of the project of what is now commonly called postmodernism. A discussion of Lyotard’s narratives and deconstruction within the text, as well as Foucoult’s power struggles that may be even now taking place between the parties could be very fruitful, since there is at least the reader, Levinas, and the this author, to contend with. However, this is again beyond the scope of this paper. At best, one could commend to the interested reader Lyotard’s The Postmodern Condition: A Report on Knowledge. Back

[2]Cohen Ethics p. 212. Back



Tags
[Levinas] | [philosophy]

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Transplanted from the artic blight of Minnesota to the sunny paradise of SoCal, I am attending school and learning to say "dude." I like to think of myself as equal parts surf rash, Batman, heavy metal, Levinas, poetic license, and reformational. Other than creating blund blogs, I enjoy reading, sporting, and socializing with serious and funny people.
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    How does Rowling and the "Harry Potter" series stack up against Tolkien and "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy?
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