10 things to know about Black Friday

10 Things Stores Won't Say About Black Friday - SmartMoney.com:

1. Crowds this year will be much larger than last year, based on surveys.
2. Unless you're willing to surrender celebrating Thanksgiving entirely so you can wait in line from early that morning, you will miss the best sale prices that begin that evening or at "midnight madness." 
3. Black Friday sales actually have already started, and if you haven't been shopping already, you've missed many of the special prices.
4. You can get as good or better prices staying home and shopping online.
5. Some other shoppers will kill you to get the item they want - literally.
6. Some stores require you to surrender personal information such as an email address to get special prices.
7. Best-quality merchandise is not on sale.The sales are oriented toward people whose only object is a low sale price, so only cheap stuff is marked down. Buy cheap, get cheap.
8. The sales are marketed to women. Four times as many women respond to Black Friday advertising than men. Most of the things that women on Black Friday will definitely be cheaper three weeks later. 
9. Stores push customers to take out a store charge account in exchange for an at-register, additional discount. Don't do it, sucker.
10. Each store wants you to stay there all day. So they pace their sale prices all the day long. So sure, go to that big-box store at 4 a.m. to be early for the Magic Gottahavit advertised at 75 percent off. What you don't know is that tjhe price will not take effect until noon. 

Who is communion for? The debate over the open table | The Christian Century

Who is communion for? The debate over the open table | The Christian Century:

Lately, however, what is or might be meant by open communion has shifted. The received understanding has always included a proviso, sometimes explicitly stated but often simply assumed: “All are welcome to receive” has been taken to mean “all Christians,” which in turn has been understood as including all (and only) those who have been baptized with water in the name of the Trinity. In other words, an open eucharistic service has been open irrespective of denominational status but not of baptismal status. That proviso is now under discussion in many quarters, to the point that to ask whether such-and-such a church practices open communion is apt to be ambiguous. The disputed question at present is how open the practice is or ought to be. 

The logic of what has been the accepted interpretation, which does in a sense limit the openness of open communion, is not hard to see. It stands to reason that if taking part in the Eucharist is a specifically Christian privilege, and if Christians are defined, minimally if not exhaustively, by their baptism, then those who would avail themselves of the privilege can be expected at least to have met this one objective criterion. Is this expectation indeed valid? That is the question at issue in the current discussion.

The Grand Design? Fatal flaws in Stephen Hawkings atheism

The Grand Design? Fatal flaws in Stephen Hawkings atheism:

The introduction asserts that ‘Philosophy is dead’ (p.5) and science alone can provide ‘New answers to the ultimate questions of life’ (the book’s hubristic sub-title). But the authors then produce their own brand of humanistic philosophy, christen it ‘science’ and base their book upon it.

Prayer for our country

based on the United Methodist Book of Worship, no. 442

The electoral nightmare scenario

As of Sunday night, the RealClearPolitics electoral map shows Obama's electoral count at 201, Romney's at 191 and 146 votes as tossups spread among 11 states (the map will probably change today). If you click "No Toss Ups," eight of the 11 tossup (gray) states turn blue and Obama's count soars to 290. Romney sputters up to 248.

But let's turn the gray states either blue or red ourselves. If we accept RCP's 201-191 premise as a valid starting point, let's turn these gray states blue: Colorado, Nevada, Michigan. Obama goes to 232. Let's turn these gray states red: Iowa,cWisconsin, North Carolina. Romney goes to 222, still 10 votes behind.

Here are the remaining gray states: New Hampshire (4 votes), Pennsylvania (20), Ohio (18), Virginia (13), Florida (29).

Of them, if Romney wins only Florida and Pennsylvania he wins the election. I'll predict a win for him in Florida, but for will leave Pennsylvania gray. That leaves Romney at 251, 19 votes short of the magic 270. Now for Obama, these states turn blue: New Hampshire, Virginia. Obama now has 249 and Romney 251. Only Ohio and Pennsylvania remain gray.

Romney's situation is then this: Win only Pennsylvania and become president. Win only Ohio and tie at 269 with Obama.

Obama's situation is less encouraging for him: He has to win both Ohio and Pennsylvania to win the election. If he wins only Ohio, he loses. If he wins only Pennsylvania, he ties at 269 with Romney.

If that happens:

House Selects the New PresidentAs directed by the 12th Amendment, the 435 -- many of them brand new -- members of the House of Representatives would find as their first official duty the selection of the next President of the United States. "Welcome to Congress!" 

Unlike the Electoral College system, where larger population equals more votes, each state in the House gets exactly one (1) vote when selecting the president. Even California, with its 53 Representatives, get one vote. The first candidate to win the votes of any 26 states is the new president. The 12th Amendment gives the House until the fourth day of March to select a president. 

The Senate elects the vice president, one vote per senator, with no time limit on its decision. As for the House, each state's delegation decides for itself how its single vote shall be cast. In states that have both Democrat and Republican representatives, expect that decision to be, um, tumultuous.

Under the scenario I have painted here, Obama wins 20 states' popular vote, Romney 30. One would think that the states' House members would agree that their vote shall be cast in favor of the candidate who won the state's vote. But that simply makes the House a sort of "super electoral college," which you can bet an awful lot of members don't want. So no matter which candidate receives the majority vote in certain states, expect sturm und drang among its House members over the single vote they get to cast.

Besides, no matter how many states each candidate carries, what counts is how many per party a state elects to the House. A given state could vote at the ballot for Romney but send more Democrats to Congress than Republicans and thus cast its single House vote for Obama rather than Romney.

The House is bound by nothing at all regarding the results of election day. In the 1824 election, Andrew Jackson received 42 percent more popular votes than John Quincy Adams and garnered 99 electoral votes to Adams' 84, yet the House elected Adams, largely because of the influence of Rep. Henry Clay, who was rewarded by Adams with the post of secretary of state. This became known as the "corrupt bargain," and helped doom Adam's presidency, coupled with his severe lack of popular support since a huge majority of voters had voted against him. Jackson crushed Adams in the 1828 election.

There is no reason not to expect backroom deals like Adams made from being offered this time, if the election does go to the House. But no matter how the House finally votes (if it comes to that) the representatives must bear in mind the precedent from 188 years ago: the candidate they select must be seen as legitimately elected if his presidency is to receive support from the people.

 

The Methodist Church Is Exploding!

... in Cuba:

Here is what has been happening in the Methodist Church in Cuba:

>Since 1999, the Methodist Church has grown from 8,000 to 36,000 members.

>The median age of the average Methodist parishioner ranges from the mid thirties to mid forties.

>The average age of pastors is 30 years old. All clergy have started at least one new church.

>Bishop Ricardo Pereira says that the Methodist seminary in Cuba intentionally trains its pastors theologically that he describes as "eminently Methodist and Wesleyan."

>Many congregations worship in house churches where they practice "lively worship, contemplative prayer, theological formation, and Bible study."

>The Methodist Church also excels at a Wesleyan understanding of the gospel that is one and the same time evangelistic and social in character. Every Methodist is encouraged and taught to share their faith verbally and in living it out daily. The Methodist Church has outreach missions to seniors and vulnerable families and single mothers, among other ministries.

Bishop Pereira states, "In the 1970s we tried every program that came along, but the church continued to grow older and decline. We had no other option but to pray and fast with all our power."

"Methodists are called to have that burning heart. ... We can't sit still. … If your heart does not burn, no program is going to fix it."

Read those last quotes again slowly: ",,, we tried every program that came along, but the church continued to grow older and decline. We had no other option but to pray and fast with all our power."

"Methodists are called to have that burning heart. ... We can't sit still. … If your heart does not burn, no program is going to fix it."

Life in the Socialist Paradise

Below is an embed of an excellent photo essay of what life was really like for millions of people in the old Soviet Union.

The embed below is only an intro; read the whole thing. This section reminded me of a joke a former member of the Czech politburo told me in the early 1990s:

The joke: A Russian laborer named Vasily saved and scrimped and black marketed for 20 years to buy a new Volga car. Finally, he had enough for a down payment.

So in March 1976 he went to the Volga order taker (there were no showrooms) and, beaming,  placed his order.

 Taking his money, the clerk consulted a small book and told him, "Very well, Comrade Vasily, your car will be delivered to you on ... June 16, 1987."

 Vasily mulled this over a moment, then said, "Morning or afternoon?"

Surprised, the clerk blurted, "What difference does it make?"

"I have a plumber coming by that afternoon."

 

Top Ten Arguments for God

Top Ten Arguments for God: Jeff Cook:

"JEFF COOK teaches philosophy at the University of Northern Colorado and is the author ofEverything New: One Philosopher’s Search for a God Worth Believing in (Subversive 2012). He pastors Atlas Church in Greeley, Colorado. www.everythingnew.org"

A physicist speaks on God

Research On Religion | Stephen Barr on Quantum Physics, Religion, & the God Particle.:

This is a link to a podcast by  Prof. Stephen M. Barr, professor of physics at the University of Delaware, on the relation of quantum physics to religious faith. A text article on the subject by Prof. Barr is here. Excerpts from the linked page's summary:

The discussion is highly accessible to anybody with a high school science background.  ... 

Prof. Barr helps us to understand that the “beginning” of the universe is not the same as the “origins” of the universe.  ... And what does quantum physics have to say about that and whether or not God exists?  In short, quantum mechanics cannot prove the existence of God, but it makes it more difficult to subscribe to a philosophy of materialism, which opens the door to the possibility of something beyond the material world, such as an “ultimate mind.”  Prof. Barr cites a number of other physicists who share this notion.  The final portion of our interview brings up the question of whether or not science can play a role in informing our faith, and Steve notes that many, many of the great scientists of the past and present have been ardently religious individuals.  The notion of a war between religion and science, often championed by the likes of Richard Dawkins, is once again the type of media hype that gave us the term “God particle.”  Prof. Barr then reflects on his own background and what it has been like to be a faithful Catholic in the world of academia, providing advice at the end to any religious individual thinking of making a career in science profession.  Recorded: October 10, 2012.

10 Things First-Time Church Visitors Don't Want to Hear

10 Things First-Time Church Visitors Don't Want to Hear:

Heh! I don't think we have a problem with these no-no's.

Six reasons why people reject Christianity

Six reasons why people reject Christianity « Wintery Knight:

Here’s a post on practical evangelism by Christian scholar Don Johnson.

His list of reasons why people often reject Christianity:

1. Christians behaving badly
2. Disappointment with God
3. Weak or absent father
4. Social pressure
5. Cost of discipleship
6. Immorality (especially sexual immorality)

And here’s the detail on #6:

Of all the motivations and reasons for skepticism that I encounter, immorality is easily the most common. In particular, sexual sin seems to be the largest single factor driving disbelief in our culture. Brant Hanson calls sex “The Big But” because he so often hears this from unbelievers: “’I like Jesus, BUT…’ and the ‘but’ is usually followed, one way or the other, with an objection about the Bible and… sex. People think something’s deeply messed-up with a belief system that says two consenting, unmarried adults should refrain from sex.” In other words, people simply do not want to follow the Christian teaching that sexual intercourse should take place only between and man and woman who are married, so they throw the whole religion out.

Read the whole thing.

Baumgartner supersonic jump helmet video

A camera mounted on supersonic parachutist Felix Baumgartner's helmet shows what happened when, tens of thousands of feet above the earth, he went into an uncontrolled spin.



Baumgartner later related that he knew he was in trouble. The spinning could have pushed too much blood into his cranium, causing a blackout or possibly rupturing vessels in the brain. He considered deploying his drogue chute to stabilize but he knew that if he did, the attempt for a supersonic record would be gone forever.

With only seconds to decide, Baumgartner got his fall sorted out, probably aided by entering denser air that enabled greater control from his arms and legs. He did keep accelerating, though, and went on to hit Mach 1.24 before landing safely.

No More Blind Faith: 10 Quotes on Christian Apologetics

No More Blind Faith: 10 Quotes on Christian Apologetics:

This is key to know:

The “blind faith” concept is actually not biblical. Pistis, the Greek word translated as “faith” actually is defined as a conviction based on the facts. “Without faith, it is impossible to please God” (Heb 11:6a) It would be impossible to please God unless our minds can accurately discern the facts.

Not only does Christianity have plenty of room for people to use their mind, but the Bible even commands us to. "Test everything. Hold on to the good." (1 Thes 5:21). Its really cool that God invites us to test Him and what He has said. There is nothing wrong with asking questions or looking for reasonable answers.

As Christians we should never be afraid to ask questions, and we should also never discourage unbelievers from asking questions. Answering the tough questions is one of the ways to "...go and make disciples of all nations..."

Apologetics is extremely important, but never the first step in leading someone to Christ. In fact, if someone does not have intellectual stumbling blocks, I don't wish to create them. Apologetics should only be used if and when I first identify that there is an intellectual stumbling block standing between the person and their belief in, trust in, and commitment to Jesus Christ as their personal Lord and Savior. – Luke Nix (from Why Apologetics?)

Read the whole thing.

Argo is the best movie of 2012

My daughter is home for fall break from Tennessee Tech, where she is studying chemical engineering. So my wife and daughter and I went to see Argo, the Ben Affleck-directed flick about an amazing exfiltration of six American diplomatic staff from Tehran. When terrorists seized the US embassy there in 1979, the six staffers escaped and were taken by the Canadian ambassador into his home.

Argo is the best movie I have seen this year. Period. There is not a wasted line or throwaway scene in the whole thing. Affleck's direction is simply brilliant and his starring role as CIA exfiltrator Tony Mendez is extremely well played. And what a treat to see a movie that didn't start as a comic book.

The story is true, of course, and I cannot help but compare it very favorably to 1995's Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks, which told the true story of the space mission of the same name and its near catastrophe en route to the moon. Like the latter movie, you know how Argo ends, but the tension is real.

Argo is one of the very few movies I have seen in which the audience (of about 400) actually applauded when the climactic scene was resolved. Another telling observation: When the end credits music started, only about three people in front of me arose, then they froze, and then they sat back down. No one moved a muscle. We sat silently, reading the credits for several minutes. I won't say why, that would be an unfair spoiler. But you will, too.

I give Argo nine out 10 CIA Intelligence Stars.

America no longer majority Protestant

As Protestants decline, those with no religion gain:

Persons who identify themselves as Protestant in religious affiliation now comprise only 48 percent of the country's population.

Just under 20 percent of Americans say they have no religious denominational affiliation at all, a larger number than belong to any Protestant denomination. Among people under age 30, a third disdain any such affiliation.

See my 2010 essay, "Why 'Spirituality' Rather Than Religion?"

Top brain surgeon says afterlife is real

Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon - Telegraph:

Afterlife exists says top brain surgeon

A prominent scientist who had previously dismissed the possibility of the afterlife says he has reconsidered his belief after experiencing an out of body experience which has convinced him that heaven exists. ...

"I've spent decades as a neurosurgeon at some of the most prestigous medical institutions in our country. I know that many of my peers hold as I myself did to the theory that the brain, and in particular the cortex, generates consciousness and that we live in a universe devoid of any kind of emotion, much less the unconditional love that I now know God and the universe have toward us. 

"But that belief, that theory, now lies broken at our feet. What happened to me destroyed it."

Is Misfortune God's Doing?

Is Misfortune God's Doing? An Excerpt From Harold Kushner's New Look at 'The Book of Job.' – Tablet Magazine:

There is one place in the Bible where serious theological conversation about the nature and thought process of God does take place, prompted by the conflict between the human wish to see the world as a moral sphere where people get what they deserve, where everything happens for a reason, and the inescapable reality that ours is a world where good people suffer for no apparent reason. The book of Job is a full-length argument about whether the misfortunes that befall ostensibly good people come to them from the hand of God. If we want to believe that ours is a moral world, the scene of justice and fairness, we need to confront the arguments presented in what is probably the most challenging book in the entire Bible: the book of Job. ...

The first thing you need to know about the biblical book of Job is that there are two of them. There is the Fable of Job, a very old, simple folktale of faith maintained and rewarded, found in chapters 1, 2, and 42 of the biblical book. And then there is the Poem of Job, a much later, more complicated work comprising the large middle section of the book. A lot of people reading the Bible don’t realize that. They assume it is a single work, a theological sandwich composed of two slices of pious theology wrapped around a dense filling of hard-to-follow religious poetry.

"Jesus’ Wife" text fragment is a fake

Jesus’ Wife fragment judged a fake « Daniel B. Wallace:

Not that this is a surprise:

“News flash: Harvard Theological Review has decided not to publish Karen King¹s paper on the Coptic papyrus fragment on the grounds that the fragment is probably a fake.” This from an email Dr. Craig Evans, the Payzant Distinguished Professor of New Testament at Acadia University and Divinity College, sent to me earlier today. He said that Helmut Koester (Harvard University), Bentley Layton (Yale University), Stephen Emmel (University of Münster), and Gesine Robinson (Claremont Graduate School)–all first-rate scholars in Coptic studies–have weighed in and have found the fragment wanting. No doubt Francis Watson’s comprehensive work showing the fragment’s dependence on the Gospel of Thomas was a contributing factor for this judgment, as well as the rather odd look of the Coptic that already raised several questions as to its authenticity.

Does the Big Bang cosmology support God or atheism?

Stephen C. Meyer: does the Big Bang cosmology support God or atheism?

Hint: the answer is God

Summary at the link. The video is here:

Close to the Big Bang

Here is the latest deep-field photo by the Hubble telescope.

Click image to view larger.

Called the eXtreme Deep Field, the picture captures a mass of galaxies stretching back almost to the time when the first stars began to shine. 

But this was no simple point and snap - some of the objects in this image are too distant and too faint for that. 

Rather, this view required Hubble to stare at a tiny patch of sky for more than 500 hours to detect all the light, 

"It's a really spectacular image," said Dr Michele Trenti, a science team member from the University of Cambridge, UK. 

"We stared at this patch of sky for about 22 days, and have obtained a very deep view of the distant Universe, and therefore we see how galaxies were looking in its infancy."

Most people know that the universe is expanding, but not many non-astronomers are familiar with the theory of inflation, which reveals that the term "Big Bang" is misleading. Instead, says NASA's "Universe 101" web site, the universe's creation "is better thought of as the simultaneous appearance" of the universe everywhere there is the universe.

Inflation theory holds that the universe went from nothing at all to more than 99 percent of its present size in less than one-billionth of a billionth of a second – which is to say, instantly. So while empirical data, especially the uniformity of cosmic background radiation, support the conclusion  the universe began from a single point, from any reasonable human perspective there was no explosion. The universe simply appeared everywhere at once, instantaneously.

Inflation theory explains how the image of the galaxy enclosed in a square, above, can be thought to be the galaxy when it was only 460 million years old (making it presumptively the oldest object ever photographed). Stars and galaxies did not form right away after creation, but this galaxy was already billions of light years distant from ours when it came together.