Racial/ethnic distinctions are not un-biblical.

"Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons..." -Paul (quoting Epimenides).

I wonder how Paul would get on with hypocritical North America today, with its proud ability to stifle such things as intolerance, hate-speech and that nebulous thing called "Racism" (poo-poo! They continue to congratulate their consciences in the midst of endless infanticide, blasphemy, warmongering and greed..not to mention sexual immorality!). He probably wouldn't get on well. Neither would any other biblical writer, really. The scriptures are rife with all sorts of juicy remarks against Jews, Egyptians, Gentiles, Philistines, Arabs, women, homosexuals etc... it is almost too much for our pious consciences to handle!

Just imagine what would happen if I were to change the word 'Cretan' up above to 'African' or 'The French' (obviously 'america' would fly...it is currently trendy to hate this nation and its inhabitants).

One might point out that it would be unfair to do so, as neither Africans or French people display the characteristics described in the pauline saying. Ok, but what if they did? Logically, following the analysis proffered by sacred scripture, it would be exemplary in some cases to make an "ethnic slur." Perhaps more cases than we deem comfortable.

To conclude this rant, I should like to make an ethnic slur myself:

Canadians are lazy, sexually immoral, godless and greedy.

Ten Reasons why Rebecca Black is better than most musicians.

1. She doesn't dress like a slut. 2. She doesn't swear. 3. She doesn't blaspheme. 4. She hasn't gotten in trouble with the law. 5. She can actually sing live. 6. She has published one song and received 110 million views in just over a month. 7. She loves life (compare with Nine Inch Nails or Seether) 8. She donated the proceeds of her song to a country in need. 9. She hasn't retaliated against the negative comments. 10. She has natural beauty. So take that you wicked Black-haters.

101 things to do in 1001 days.

This is a blog idea, by which the reader may indulge in his/her general narcissism and list a number of things he/she would like to accomplish in an enclosed slot of time. My sister did one and it was brilliant (she has a knack for turning the most selfish projects into selfless emanations of charity and life). Since no one reads my blog anyhow, and since talking to myself is almost as satisfying, I have compiled a list for my own viewing pleasure below: 1. Befriend Zac Efron. 2. Have Pope Benedict out to my cottage for a week (this will surely happen only in accordance with God's power, but I am hopeful). 3. Skinny-Dip in three different lakes this summer (there is a sensual beauty to swimming in the nude). 4. Finish Sartre's Being and Nothingness (after reading the first thirty pages over at least ten times, I need to make an advancement) 5. Finish 1.2 of Barth's church dogmatics and complete 2.1. 6. Take a course in Latin. 7. Kiss a girl. 8. Get a six-pack (en route) 9. Purchase a sailboat. 10. Complete the entire Cheam Range (a total of ten peaks, from the valley floor). 11. Kayak Trip. 12. Picnic in the Pembina valley. 13. Complete Chopin's Concerto in E Minor (1/3) 14. Publish two songs for Youtube. 15. Develop a closer friendship with my older sister. 16. Get to know Dave more. 17. Become more accomplished in Spanish. 18. Diet Better. 19. Bring two new people to church. 20. Read a new book by Viktor Frankl (one of the most beautiful men ever to have lived; this man is my very heart). 21. Find the longest biography on Martin Luther and read it. 22. Bake a seven-layer torte. 23. Learn how to take better care of my vehicle. 24. Learn how to live in spite of the ubiquitous meaninglessness of life. 25. Improve my grammar. 26. Have memorized 50 psalms (20/50) 27. Master the 1's section at Earls. 28. Get a sense of where I need to be, work-wise, in this life. 29. Make peace with old age and loss of youth. 30. Successfully reconcile with everyone that I am at odds with. 31. Actually love an enemy. 32. Complete my B.A. 33. Begin a Master's Degree. 34. Learn how to record music in a studeo. 35. Watch the Godfather Trilogy. 36. Develop a correspondence with Henri Blocher. 37. Give advice to Stephen Harper. 38. Get happier. 39. Forgive more. 40. Come to terms with my Mennonite heritage. 41. A duet with Breanne Duren. 42. Take dance lessons. 43. Love the world less. 44. Become less of a coward in speaking about Jesus. 45. Greater assurance of salvation. 46. A week-long sailing trip off of British Columbia. 47. Spend more time outdoors. 48. Plant more and variegated Daffodils. 49. Get to know my cat Jensen better. 50. Become closer friends with Jadon Peters. I'm bored now.

Did the global flood happen?

Undoubtedly it did. Why? Because the sacred scriptures tell us that it happened. I see no reason why we unhesitatingly submit to the theological content of Gen. 1-2 but shove our tails in between our legs at chapters 6-9. The global flood provides a linking point between creation and eschatology (2 Pet. 3:5-7). It is the symbol of the baptismal waters, by which Christians enter new life through the chaos of God's judgment (1 Pet. 3:20-21; "Save me, O God, for the waters have come up to my neck!" "You hurled me into the deep, into the very heart of the seas..."). Not to mention the fact that our Lord believed and taught it (Mt. 37-39). The "days of Noah" form the very presupposition of the time and season of the Son of Man's judgment! It means precious little that geologists and other scientists have found no evidence of a global flood (and no, those books written by the fundamentalist young earthers do not furnish a counter-claim for the scientific community). Nor does this mean (in keeping with the neo-gnostics) that the flood was a mythological or theological event. Like creation, and like the coming eschatological judgment, the flood is purely an event of this earth, it happened in historical time, to real historical people. When? The scriptures do not reveal a date to us. My guess is that the event occurred some time in the early history of mankind, possibly 150,000 years ago. And it will do no good for "neutral science" to try to adjudicate the problem, as if they could for even the smallest of God's judgments and activities in history! None of these are ever available beyond the testimony of the Word and the faith which comes through the hearing of the Word. "Your judgments are on high, out of his sight!" (Ps. 10:5b, NASB). Since the LORD created the heavens and the earth, it is hardly difficult for him to keep events of cosmic significance from our pea-brain perceptions.

An Open Letter to the Reverand and Honored Scholar Jim West.

Dear Sir, How often you lament the wicked ignorance and sloth of men and women today who know their N.T. Wright, but Zwingli have never heard of, much less considered. But how can the Reformation be properly understood by these indigents if they can always rest safely under the banner (excuse) of not knowing German? To be sure, their wickedness knows no bounds in the matter of Luther, Calvin...even Menno Simons! These have all been carefully translated into the modern English language for the use or disuse of the public. How is it that they still have this last bulwark of historical ignorance in Zwingli? Dear sir, consider carefully how you proceed. You are adept in the german language, and have proved your prowess in biblical and theological knowledge through publications too numerous to count. And, as if this were not enough, you stand under the ripe age of 50, an age where some monumental thinkers only began their careers! Will you not consider overseeing and administrating a project to translate the whole of Zwingli's corpus into the English language? Think you this task too great? Think rather of the legacy you shall leave behind! Finally the ill-informed hordes of thieving Wrightians will be robbed of their last excuse for historical knowledge. The whole of the Reformation will loom before them on their own turf, in their own vernacular, and though they turn not a page of this illustruious bastion of theological goodness, ground will certainly have been taken for the sake of posterity. Consider well sir...consider well.... Yours truly, Marc Regier