"Much worse than Expected": BBC News - Monstrous underwater oil plumes found in US Gulf Coast

BBC News - Monstrous underwater oil plumes found in US Gulf Coast

It is possible there will be dead zones in the Gulf 10 miles long and 1 mile wide. This is getting really sad and ugly.

BBC News says:
The find suggests the scale of the potential environmental disaster is much worse than previously feared since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig blew up on 20 April, killing 11 workers.

We've never seen anything like this before - it's impossible to fathom the impact Professor Samantha Joye University of Georgia Obama: No more cosying up to oil

Samantha Joye, a marine science professor at the University of Georgia, said: "It could take years, possibly decades, for the system to recover from an infusion of this quantity of oil and gas.

"We've never seen anything like this before. It's impossible to fathom the impact."

The experts say the oxygen depletion is likely to continue, endangering sea life and raising the prospect of underwater dead zones.

The scientists said the chemical dispersants BP has been dumping underwater may be preventing the oil from rising to the top of the ocean.

Official estimates doubted

The oil giant has said the chemicals, which it began deploying on Friday, have already resulted in less oil surfacing.

BP's battle with oil leak continues

Some scientists cast doubt on official estimates of the oil flow rate, saying the widely repeated figure of 5,000 barrels per day dramatically understates the real amount.

MisIMFormation? - Paul Krugman on the IMF Report

MisIMFormation? - Paul Krugman

The latest from the IMF, which is a survey of the fiscal health of various nations, is a heavy read but Krugman's deciphering is so good I really recommend reading at least Krugman's analysis.

In short, the debt crisis of the worlds advanced nations is not the result of over spending but real structural changes in these economies that has significantly reduced revenues. This is such a no-brainer if you look at the recent history of the United States. The Clinton surplus was the result of actual increased wealth of the entire nation. The Bush deficits and the inherited deficits of the Obama administration are the result of a radical loss of wealth in the economy.

In other words what changes is government revenues as a result of economic changes while spending stays the same. The response is then to find a level spending level and ride out the storm.

I think this is a real clarion call to cease these crazy calls for reduced spending.

Obama: iPad, Xbox Comment

I must say that I agree. I am a firm believer that strenuous thought and intellectual honesty and rigor is a key to happiness. In light of this truth, I must say I agree with Obama on this one. Big Time!!

Obama: iPad, Xbox Turn Information Into A 'Distraction': "'And with iPods and iPads, and Xboxes and PlayStations -- none of which I know how to work -- information becomes a distraction, a diversion, a form of entertainment, rather than a tool of empowerment, rather than the means of emancipation. So all of this is not only putting pressure on you; it's putting new pressure on our country and on our democracy.'"

Oil Spill - BP scrambles after Gulf oil spill fix setback

BP scrambles after Gulf oil spill fix setback
When I heard this news of the failure of the oil spill fix, my eyes actually started to well up with tears. This is such a drag. It seemed for a bit like we could stop the spill and contain it before the oil began to come ashore, but both hopes were dashed this morning.

I have been advising my children to watch this news event early on as I think it could be a historically memorable event. Unfortunately, the story is getting worse.

I used to work for Alcoa and we had a postulate that "all accidents are avoidable". The oil spill in the Gulf is not an act of God. The oil spill is an accident. The risk simply was not taken seriously. We need to pray and hope for another solution before the gulf area and its economy is decimated by environmental malpractice on the part of the oil companies and their suppliers.

It is the governments job to protect the markets for small business against the abuses of the environment by people who could harm the livelihood of others by their carelessness. BUT again the government for the last 20 years has failed to regulate business. Like the financial deregulation nightmare which is headed for round two, all we the common people can do is sit and watch and pray for a solution that does not harm the livelihood of too many people.

The bible says that the government exists to push back against evil BUT we have failed to regulate the powerful so that these types of evil do not happen. This may not be evil by a common western definition but such accidents are defined as evil biblically per Ecclesiastes. These accidents are always avoidable and it is our job as a people to support government that regulates just this type of thing from happening.

Great Article - Who Can Mock the True Catholic Church?

Who Can Mock the True Catholic Church? - NYTimes.com

This is a great article. Very worth reading.

Climate Change: Key Indicators

Climate Change: Key Indicators

This is a great sight. NASA Global Climate Change. There are charts of long term trends from 1880's to the present.

Like this one:

This is annual temperature changes since the beginning of the industrial revolution (i.e. 1880's). The sight is filled with incredible science. For example, NASA is able through a gravity detecting satellite to detect the mass of the entire antarctic continent to be able to trend changes in the total mass of ice. The antarctic continent is losing 24 cubic miles of ice per year.

The technology used to gather data and make observations is just incredible. 

Wallis is my Hero- President Obama's Friend Jim Wallis

Interview - President Obama's Friend Jim Wallis

This is really good.

iMonk Classic: Why the iMonk (and Me Too) are Not Young Earth Creationists

To Be or Not To Be, or Why I’m Not A Young Earth Creationist

This is a republished article. My views are similar as this statement from Michael Spencer:

The young earth creationists believe that Genesis 1 is “literally” a description of creation. I do not. It is this simple disagreement that is the cornerstone of my objection. I believe that Genesis 1 is a prescientific description of Creation intended to accent how Yahweh’s relationship with the world stands in stark contrast to the Gods of other cultures, most likely those of Babylon. Textual and linguistic evidence convinces me that this chapter was written to be used in a liturgical (worship) setting, with poetic rhythms and responses understood as part of the text. It tells who made the universe in a poetic and prescientific way. It is beautiful, inspired and true as God’s Word.

Does it match up with scientific evidence? Who cares? Here I differ with Hugh Ross and the CRI writers. I do not believe science, history or archaeology of any kind establishes the truthfulness of the scripture in any way. Scripture is true by virtue of God speaking it. If God spoke poetry, or parable, or fiction or a prescientific description of creation, it is true without any verification by any human measurement whatsoever.

I would love to speak on this issue someday but, as yet, I feel such discussions might cause a distraction. But...who knows maybe sooner as opposed to later, I will write out my understanding of the proper approach to Genesis 1.  

Romans 1:16 - The Faithfulness of God

In John 17:3, the Lord Jesus teaches us that life is knowing God. To have happiness in this life, true happiness, requires that we know God. The book of Romans is best understood to not be essentially about "how to get saved" or how we receive righteousness from God, but about God and His righteousness. God is a covenant keeping God. God is faithful. God is holy. When He makes a promise, He keeps it. God is a promise keeping God and Paul is explaining God's faithfulness in the book of Romans. Has God been faithful to the promises to Israel? Has God been faithful to the promise He made with Abraham to through Him bless the entire world? And so opens the book of Romans:

¹⁶For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.

Paul is not ashamed of the preaching of the Gospel because in the Gospel is revealed the righteousness of God, God's faithfulness. It is in the Gospel that the promise to rescue Israel from exile and bondage is being revealed in sending the Messiah to rescue Israel (and the nations too) and to establish the city promised to Abraham. In the Gospel is being revealed the faithfulness of God.

On the contrary, this opening thematic statement is not saying, "I am not ashamed of the Gospel for in it is revealed a means for sinful humanity to receive a righteousness from God in order to be reconciled to Him". Of course this too is revealed in the Gospel but that is not what the over arching Glory of the book of Romans is about. Romans and the driving force and foundation of our faith is the knowledge of God. The gospel is about God and His faithfulness and this faithfulness to rescue a broken humanity and set the world right and establish the kingdom, this faithfulness of God is being revealed in the Gospel. God has fulfilled the promises to Israel to deliver her from her enemies. He has sent Messiah to rule all the world and those who believe who have faith in His faithfulness these are the people who live and persevere and live in shalom in this life.

N. T. Wright on Ephesians - Ecclesiology and Justification

It stuns me as I reflect how many times I have read the book of Ephesians and have been unable to incorporate Paul's use of the word "church" in to the themes of this great book. But if you read the book of Ephesians and start with the assumption that Ephesians is about the church, it all comes into focus. 

Think about Paul's use of the word "mystery". I have always been dumbfounded by this theme. Paul says the mystery of the gospel has been revealed to him. As we read we are anticipating Paul to state the mystery clearly and we expect the mystery to be that the Messiah died for sins that we could be reconciled to God. Is not this the great mystery? But alas, Paul's great mystery, the reason he was called is not to proclaim that individuals are justified, but the great mystery is 

the administration of the mystery which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;¹⁰so that the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known through the church to the rulers and the authorities in the heavenly places.

The mystery is the wisdom of God in reconciling both Jews and Gentiles into one church. If you follow the logic of Ephesians the great truth is that justification produces one unified church. Christ has taken away the dividing wall that was the Law and its ordinances and made one body. 

When Paul speaks of marriage he says, "This is a great mystery, But I am not talking about you and your spouse. I am talking about the great mystery of Christ and the Church. Not Christ and the individual, not about marriage, this paragraph of scripture is about Christ and the church, the great mystery. This is ecclesiology!!!

So what is the point. The point is that the purpose of God, the great purpose, is to build a new temple, the church, in our day. This era is the church age and yet we have a low view of the church. God's glory is not just through "life transformation" but church transformation. 

I had a discussion with a young man the other day. He was talking about how people are planning on re-building the temple in Jerusalem and his take was that therefore the end is near. I said in response "but in the New Testament the new temple is the church. Haven't christians been rebuilding the temple for 2000 years. We are the third temple". Yeah, but the temple is going to be built in Jerusalem and then the end will come, he said. What part of "we are the temple don't you understand". My friends the radical wonderful beautiful new temple that is being built to the glory of God is us. Paul saw it and it was this vision that drove him in his journey's. 

That's Paul's perspective and without understanding this perspective we will not understand the radical implications and challenge of the New Covenant. There are many more references to the church in Ephesians but that will have to be for another post. 

Brooks is Optimistic - Relax, We’ll Be Fine

Relax, We’ll Be Fine
A great factoid from this article is that the American demographic is actually trending younger due to our rapid population growth. This is an incredibly encouraging and positive sign for American productivity and entrepreneurial competitiveness. Praise God for Immigration!!! Immigration has made us great and will continue to make us even greater!!

The What and Why of N. T. Wright's Justification

I have been reading N. T. Wright's Justification for awhile now and I just completed the section on Galatians and Philippians. It is hard to understand the distinction Wright is making and why he feels so determined to make it. Even more amazing is why is Piper and crew so vehemently opposed to Wright's way of thinking. I think the point is the underlying worldview between the two positions. So, I will attempt to articulate Wrights point and show how this relates to his worldview "perspective".

Galatians

Where Wright absolutely shines above all other exegetes is his ability to incorporate the entire book into one cohesive argument. Wright includes all the puzzle pieces in discussing the entire picture of the book of Galatians.

Galatians opens with Paul discussing his dispute with Peter. The book is actually about this practical pastoral problem. When the agitators from James (i.e. Jerusalem) came to Galatia, Peter ate in a kind of separate but equal "for-Jews-only" table. The book is about table unity and what constitutes a person's acceptance and identity as "on of God's people". Most interpreters simply skip over this context and instead answer a different question than the one Paul is answering. Isn't the book about how we as individuals stand before God at the judgment? Isn't righteousness the moral quality needed to be accepted into heaven? Here is the subtle difference. The question is actually better stated "What are the cultural markers that define the people of God?" Now here is the point. The reason we formulate the question in an ecclesiological fashion is because God's ultimate purpose is to build a racially diverse and radically beautiful community here on earth. Salvation is manifested in the context not of a future heaven only but in the context of a present church.

This understanding of the big picture of a very practical and present transformed community is the theological foundation to understand Wrights actual distinction. For this reason, Wright emphasizes the covenant with Abraham to make a great nation and inherit the earth and that every nation will be blessed. If this Paul's vision and emphasis, we must incorporate this emphasis in our reading of Paul. The reformers on the other hand were reading Paul to find the answer to a different question that was facing them in their historical context namely the question of purgatory and indulgences. But this question is not the Paul's question. The question then is how is God fulfilling the covenant of Abraham and making this one community out of both Jews and Gentiles and how does this answer in the Messiah answer Peter's hypocrisy in eating at a separate table and faking that he is a Torah follower.

In this context of community building, we must attach meaning to the term "justification". In this context, the first meaning of justification is being accounted as a full member of the community. The sole marker of being a member of the new eschatological community is "faith in the faithfulness of the Messiah". Through this faith in the work of the faithful Israelite, Jesus the Messiah, we are justified that is we accepted in Him as a member of the community. Therefore, to be declared righteous is to be declared a member of the community. Righteousness is a status and not an account of virtue that is great enough to earn heaven.

Here is a way to understand the distinction by looking at a few illustrations.

The Example of Islam, Pharisees, the Qumran Community, and Understanding First Century Judaism

While reading Wright, it dawned on me, "This is exactly the point of Islam!!" Wright makes the point and I am convinced he is correct that first century Judaism never saw perfect attention to the law as necessary to being acceptable before God. Instead the search was for what are the key markers in Torah to constituting being a faithful Israelite. The key is that posing these markers is then reckoned as righteousness. The question is what are the key markers of a member of the people of God. When we see that this is the theology of Paul and first century Jews, then we understand Paul. For the Pharisee the keys were obviously food regulations and sabbath regulations on top of the obvious circumcision and the calendar. For Muslims this is obvious too. The answer to the Muslim is the five pillars. These are the markers of the true people of God. For the Taliban, the signs are a rigorous punishing of the infidel who refuses the markers. This zeal is the marker. For the Christian the marker is faith in the Christ. This is the only marker and this marker is transcends the Law, Torah, and therefore is the great foundation for ethnic unity. This understanding of the quest for definitions of what constitutes community membership is key to understanding Paul and ALL of his books. This the question being answered in Romans, Philippians, and so clearly Ephesians.

The key then to Wright's exegesis is twofold. First, we must make sure we understand Paul and Paul's entire argument and not bring our own perspective to the text. Secondly, we must maintain the worldview of salvation as the membership in the beautiful community here on earth with an eye to this membership being affirmed in the future.

It is this understanding that informs our understanding of the terms "righteous" and "justification".

Application

Here is another key to understanding Paul's emphasis. Christianity becomes more about the moral beauty of the community than our own personal piety. Most western Christians owner story is the story of maintenance of their personal standing with God through confession and repentance. Of course this is important BUT it is not the most important. God's bigger picture, bigger than your personal virtue, is the righteous functioning of the church community. It is the manifestation of the kingdom in the community that we are to emphasize. This perspective, if you will, transforms our priorities and our approach to the faith in a profound way. Sin is now understandably more about love and the one another commands than smoking and drinking and naughty words. The proper perspective on the centrality of community in this life and the purposes of God to build a community to His glory is more important than our journey to heaven. Here is the key to understanding the "what" and "why" of Paul and the New Testament and therefore putting Paul in proper "perspective".

It's Hard to be Humble - Krugman on Alan Greenspan's Revisionist History

Paul Krugman explains how Greenspan was against innovative financial products before he was for 'em.

Financial Reform 101 - Solving the Root Cause of the Financial Crisis

Krugman begins the discussion concerning Financial Reform. There are essentially two positions. Simply put, one solves the problem of the bailout and the other actually attempts to solve the root cause that led to the finical crisis itself.

To me what is so curious is that smart people still have such terrible problem solving skills. The root cause of the finical crisis was not that we bailed out the banks but that the financial system fell apart in the first place.

The two sides of the debate are on the one hand the "too big to fail" side of the debate and on the other hand, the "finical regulation" side. The two big to fail side considers that if these banks weren't so big then their failure wouldn't be so great and therefore we wouldn't have to bail them out. This approach is like saying, "if there were more small stores selling triple cheese burgers instead of one big triple cheese burger big box, then there wouldn't be an obesity problem" The problem is not triple cheese burgers its the size of the cheese burger stores. Obviously this does not provide a solution at all. In the finical crisis, the problem is clearly that the junk the banks were selling should have never been on the market in the first place.

The financial regulation side of the argument says that, "There should be a law against selling the finical equivalent of crack cocaine". Banks should not be allowed to sell highly risky loans and sell these loans to other middle men discussed in mortgage backed securities while holding only 3% reserves. These practices have bitten the world economy twice now. As George Bush would say, "trick me once sham on you, trick me twice well shame on you again , but trick me thrice and well we all are SOL".

Or something like that...

Confident in the Care of the Father - Matt 6:25-31

In our first post, we looked at the Challenge of the Teachings of Jesus. Jesus teaches us saying, and I paraphrase, "Do not store up treasures on earth", "Do not seek these things like the pagans do", and "Do not worry about them". These sayings are quite literal and quite challenging. How can we meet the challenge Jesus and voluntarily live a materially vulnerable life? How can we live in a world filled with uncertainty and not store up our own own safety net of financial "security"? This challenge is truly the road less traveled. It is all extremely challenging.  

How to Meet the Challenge

We can meet this challenge of Jesus only if we are confident in the care of the Father. 

In this passage, Matt 6:25-31, Jesus teaches us saying, 

25"For this reason I say to you, do not be worried about your life, as to what you will eat or what you will drink; nor for your body, as to what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? 26"Look at the birds of the air, that they do not sow, nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not worth much more than they? 27"And who of you by being worried can add a single hour to his life? 28"And why are you worried about clothing? Observe how the lilies of the field grow; they do not toil nor do they spin, 29yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. 30"But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, will He not much more clothe you? You of little faith! 31"Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?'

Jesus teaches us that the only way to live a life unbuffered with wealth is to be aware of the fact that the Father cares for lesser creatures and that, by comparison, we are exponentially more valuable than a bird or a flower to Him. "If your heavenly Father cares for them, will He not MUCH MORE care for you"

In order to know of the Father, we must accept that we are valuable, important, and precious to the Father. All humans see a regal mountain or an awesome sunset and our whole being responds with "Wow, that is beautiful". By comparison, Jesus teaches us that we are far more wonderful and valuable and beautiful that these things. It is hard to say, "I am beautiful", when throughout our whole life we have been conditioned to criticize ourselves and to live in fear of other people's opinions of us. But the fact is the Father clothes us with more beauty and majesty than Solomon was able to cloth Himself.

Not only does God value us, but He is aware of our every need. Jesus teaches in Matt 10:29-31,

29Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. 30And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. 31So don't be afraid; you are worth more than many sparrows.

We are to fear nothing because our Father is aware of every hair that falls from our heads. He thinks we are precious and valuable and He is aware of us and conscious of every scratch or bruise we might experience to both our bodies or our emotions.

Only if we understand these truths can we live as Jesus challenges us to live. Is it possible to live with no wealth stored in a bank or without any unnecessary luxury items as Jesus teaches us? Following Jesus in this way is the only way to live in a manner that displays our faith in the care and power of the Father. If we trust in wealth like the world, what distinction do we have? Our religions is impotent to glorify God. But if we  give wisely to the needy and if we give when we behold our brother in need, then the world will see the good works of Christ through us to the glory of God.

We can only meet this challenge if we are, by the Holy Spirit, aware and confident in the care of the Father.

Matt. 6:19-24 - Do Not Store Up Treasures On Earth

The teachings of Jesus are the most neglected scriptures in the bible. Of all the central passages of scripture, the clearest and most neglected and misunderstood of all is Matthew 6. Here is close to 50% of the central teachings of the Messiah, here is the path to blessedness and yet the church by and large has entirely neglected or worse refused to preach the simple truth of the way of the Savior.

Jesus, our Christ and Lord, teaches us saying, "Do not store up treasures on earth where moth or rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroy and where thieves cannot break in and steal". The treasures Jesus is telling us not to store up, or amass, are treasures that:

1. Moths can eat.

2. Rust can destroy

3. Thieves can steal. 

This teaching is simple in its clarity. Jesus indeed was brilliant in His ability to illuminate and illustrate His principles. Moths eat clothes, so do not store up clothes in your closets. Rust destroys metals so do not have valuable items in your garage or other so called semi-durable goods. And do not acquire the type of treasures that thieves can break into our houses or our banks and steal. Christians are to amass none of these type of things. We cannot have assets in banks and homes and cars and clothes. We are to not store up or amass monetary assets at all. Why? Because we are followers of the Messiah. If moths can eat it. Don't have a storage place with a lot of it. If rust will destroy it. Don't have an expensive one. If a thief could steal it, do not have much of it. 

Is this what Jesus means by these teachings. If we are not clear, Jesus clarifies and explains. 

Jesus continues to illustrate His way of blessedness saying, "The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eye is clear, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. And if the light in you is darkness. How great is that darkness?"

Jesus is clear. Our vision for our life is what directs our life. If our vision is single and focused and correct, then our entire life will bring glory to God and the spirit in us will be Godly. But if our goals are mixed and double-minded or double-sighted, then our whole life will be one big deception and our spirit is actually evil. If our spirit is evil, trust Jesus, it is worse than you could imagine. 

Do not be deceived. Jesus continues just in case we do not yet understand. Do we think we can have two goals in life. Can we emus wealth and serve Jesus. Can we have expensive homes and closets full of nice clothes and fancy luxurious cars? 

"You cannot serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and money or the god of wealth".

Serving money and seeking wealth is like serving an idol. Is there a buddah in your home? Is there a buddah in your church? At the alter? Of course there isn't. Well, then in the same way, there must not be wealth and greed in the church. You cannot have it both ways. You either hate wealth and love God or you hate God and love money. There is no safe middle ground. You cannot love God and kinda like money. If you kinda like money, you hate God. If you really love God, you must hate wealth and greed like you would hate an idol in your church. 

Therefore, do not store up treasures on earth where moth or rust destroy. Do we believe Jesus? Are we followers of the King? Do we teach and observe these commands? If we do not we are like fools who built our houses on the sand. But if we observe these teachings of the Christ, the Son of God, and teach others to do likewise, like Jesus, then we are wise indeed. 

Matt 6:19-34 – Safe in the Care of the Father

Matt 6:19-34 – Safe in the Care of the Father
In order to meet the challenge of the teachings of Jesus, we must know how to abide in the safety of the Father’s care.
The Challenge of the Teachings of Jesus:

1. Do not store up treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy or where thieves break in and steal.
a. What are the treasures on earth that moth can destroy?
b. What type of things (treasures) that a thief might steal?
c. So what are examples of the treasures Jesus is speaking of?

2. For where your treasure is there your heart is also.
a. This saying can mean one of three things. Which option best fits the grammar of the saying. For where your __________ is there your __________ is.

i. Where your love is there your wealth is?
ii. Where your wealth is there your love is?
iii. Where your love is there your love is?
What can we do to meet this challenge?

Safe in the Care of the Father

In order to meet the challenge, we must have faith in the care of the Father.

What does it mean to be clothed better than the lilies which are clothed better than Solomon?

How will God cloth us better than Solomon?

Why does it matter that we are more valuable than sparrows and lilies? (What is the promise Jesus is making?)

Jesus teaches that “the very hairs on our head are all numbered”(Matt 10:30). What does this say about the Father’s care for us?

Are you actually safe enough in the care of the Father to not store up treasures on earth?

Do you believe in your “heart of hearts” that you are safe enough in the care of the Father to not store up treasures on earth?

What can we do to know that we are safe in the care of the Father so that we can resist the temptation to store up treasures on earth?

Immigration Reform - Compassionate Solution Needed

Immigration is the next big issue on the policy front. I think this issue is far more straight forward than health care. Christians began a protest today for a compassionate solution. 

I have had a great deal of fun learning more and more about the health care issue but solving that broken system always has pros and cons.

On the other hand, immigration is pretty straight forward. People come here to work. We need to find a much simpler way to help them come here legally. The demand for the jobs is here. We are all immigrants. We are all aliens. We need to find a far more compassionate system.

Labels - Discipleship

I linked a lot of labels today, but because I still use a very old template and do not want to change out of fear of losing all the old links and stuff, I do not have a labels section on the right hand column.

So here is a link to the DISCIPLESHIP label as an example

Health Care Related Bankruptcy

Consumer Reports Health Blog: Health care related bankruptcy is on the rise, study says:

Americans are increasingly at risk of financial ruin due to illness and medical expenses, according to a new study released yesterday by the American Journal of Medicine. The researchers found that illness or medical bills contributed to nearly two thirds, or 62 percent, of all bankruptcies in 2007—before the major impact of the housing collapse and current economic downturn. That’s a 50 percent increase over a similar survey in 2001 by the same researchers.

Why do people go bankrupt when they get sick? Is it because they do not have health insurance or that their insurance coverage doesn't actually protect them when they need it by denying coverage or increasing the out of pocket costs.

Just over three-quarters of people who suffered a bankruptcy due to illness were insured at the onset of their health issue. But the total out-of-pocket medical costs for those who had insurance when they became ill was a steep $17,749, on average. For those who didn’t have insurance, the average debt was $26,971.

These figures underscore the need for improving our health insurance system.

Why is this? Because, we do not properly regulate the insurance companies. Again, capitalism requires regulation to function properly. Unregulated business is fine for investors but not for citizens and consumers. It is the governments job to protect its citizens from unregulated power.

Small Groups as an Enabler of Discipleship

(I am writing some stuff for our church and thought I would share my thoughts here)

In everything we do as a church, we function to expand the kingdom by making disciples. This purpose focus our community and gives us a way to reflect upon whether or not we are “doing church” according to the way Jesus has directed us to “do church”. The same purpose directs our meetings in small group and in our 1x1 discipleship relationships.

Even more foundational than the purpose of small groups is the faith that motivates our meetings as a church and as small groups.

We believe that the kingdom is within reach. we believe through faith in Jesus Christ that people can find a path to an abundant life. We believe that Jesus provides the way to live a life of righteousness, peace and joy in the holy spirit. We believe this is expressed in joy-filled families, love filled life long monogamous marriages, and lifelong mutually supportive and fulfilling friendships.

We believe that these are the outcomes that the discipleship process delivers for people . These outcomes of health lives and healthy loving relationships glorifies God.

We believe that discipleship is the process to deliver these fruit and these kingdom experiences to people that they may from the heart have a testimony of the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ in their life. These kingdom testimonies are the fuel of our mission. It is through our testimonies of the joy and satisfaction that Jesus has given to us that we are compelled to serve Jesus by sharing His compassion and grace with others.

Small groups are a central part of this discipleship process and our understanding of how Jesus taught us to make disciples informs the way we will do small groups. So in summary, the following beliefs inform how we do small groups:

1. We believe that the kingdom is available
2. We believe the kingdom is experienced through discipleship
3. We believe small groups are a central place to implement and model discipleship and
4. We believe discipleship, the application of the teachings of Jesus, is about:
1. Heart Management (Matt 5-7) - inward
1. in small group
2. 1x1 relationships
3. in devotion
2. Encouraging devotion - upward
1. In small group
2. in devotion
3. Leading in service and the gifts of the spirit- outward
1. as a congregation
2. as individuals
3. in 1x1 relationships
4. as a small group

Jonathan Gruber - Speech on Health Care Reform

C-SPAN Video Player - Speech on Health Care Reform
Great Explanation of costs and cadillac tax and how the Health Care Bill will be funded. Jonathan Gruber is easy to listen to. His explanation of why costs are high due to over testing and over selling of health services is compelling.

What will happen if we do not reform health care.

Universal Health Care in Israel

I always wondered why republicans never use Israel as an example of evil government funded health care. Israel has had socialized medicine since 1948.
Hmm, maybe it is because health care in Israel works.

Who's in play: House health-care whip count

Who's in play: House health-care whip count washingtonpost.com

This is really cool with stats and graphics on the $$ of campaign financing from the insurance industry and % of constituents that are uninsured. Neither seem to actually correlate much but interesting anyway.

Health Care - Access, Access, Access (updated)

Health Care - Access, Access, Access - NYTimes.com

Nicholas D. Kristof wrote a great article yesterday on Health Care. What is striking to me is how a Christian heart of compassion ought to have a passion for increased access to health care. The link between increased access to health care and decreases in infant mortality and mortality in childbirth and pregnancy mandate Christian support for increased access to health care. This is a no-brainer.

So the question is. Why are conservative christians against health care reform? I think this is another case of ideology getting in the way of practical solutions to real life problems of human suffering.

Kristof does make one misleading statement about low abortion rates in Germany. The abortion rate in Germany is even lower than stated in Kristof's article. Germany has 35% the per capita abortions compared to the United States BUT the real reason appears to be that abortion is very restricted in Germany. Abortion is technically illegal with many loopholes in the first 12 weeks but still far more restricted than in the USA. Germany does have the oldest universal health care system in Europe.

Nonetheless, the benefits of universal health care on the well being of the society makes support for universal health care a moral mandate especially for Christians.

A Life of Being Surprised By God

I have once again been surprised by the unbelievable grace of God. Lately, I have noticed that my prayer life is at a very low ebb. I know as well that as I look at my life, I have quenched the Spirit. My experience of God is suffering as well. Lately, I have been reflecting on the fact that not only is my spiritual condition low but my faith in a better spiritual condition in the future is quite low.

So in the last few days, I have been asking the Lord, “Can you help me out even though I have no faith and no merit to commend Your response? It is almost if I am praying, “Lord, help me out here but I will understand if you don’t”. So what I decided to do was to go through a time of praying and blessing whoever comes to my mind. ….These are very tiny little random prayers of forgiveness and blessing. I also spent some time (very little time like 10 minutes) reflecting on how God has shown compassion to me in my life. I have been doing these tiny prayers of giving and receiving compassion for about two or three days….

Well, today at work I have been surprised, once again, by the clear presence of God. For me this experience feels like being in the zone feels to an athlete. If you have ever played basketball for example, there are times when everything just seems to go in. It is uncanny. As the game progresses, you just seem to get more and more confident. Athletes call this being in the zone. Well, today, I am experiencing this but with respect to being kind and joyful. Then, as always happens in such situations, the moment I reflect and say to myself, “Wow, I am in a loving, joyful place. I love this feeling”. At that moment, I sense the presence of God and the clarity that, “Oh my Lord, this is You. This is the answer to those prayers”. The Spirit bears witness with my spirit that God is a God who answers small weak prayers and the result of this grace is a joy unspeakable and full of Glory.

I have had this happen literally every time. I find that every time I move a little toward God in the exercise of faith in the Grace of God in Christ and obedience to the simple path of unconditional love that He surprises me with an unspeakable joy. So truly I can say, faith in the Christ and His path of love is the key to life.

Joshua Redman Trio - Los Angeles - "Identity Thief"

My son and I and a few of his friends saw Joshua Redman last night. It was absolutely wonderful.

One thing I could see is that Joshua Redman plays without any self-consciousness. This one thing makes music so freeing. We are free to be in the moment.

There is always discussion of who is the greatest jazz player of our era. For me, what makes Joshua Redman in this conversation is his melody writing. His tunes are as beautiful as Mozart. For artistic expression and melody, Joshua Redman is as good as it gets.

David Hightower - Sax Concert

Last night was a big jazz night as David had a concert with his high school jazz band and then we went to see Joshua Redman

David's solo is the second solo (Tenor Sax)

Alister McGrath - Science and Religion

Alister McGrath

I am planning on reading Alister McGrath on Science and Religion. It is important in our time to do a much better job at reconciling the truth of science with the truth of Christianity.

Biblical Worldview and Kingdom Theology

Recently, I have been attempting to study the difference between N. T. Wright and John Piper’s perspective on justification. This discussion involves the discussion of many biblical terms including salvation, justification, and the righteousness of God. In my mind, it appears that there are more foundational understandings about the biblical worldview which must be discussed prior to placing these terms into the story of redemption.

To many the big question facing the reader of the bible is how do I know that if I die tonight that I will go to heaven? Instead,  N. T. Wright insists the actual biblical question is "how do I know if I am a member of the covenant people through whom God is going to bless the whole world"? If you asked a 21st century conservative evangelical it is not likely that they would ever wrestle with whether they are part of the community through whom God is going to “set things to rights”. Isn’t  the world running headlong into hell while the church limps its way into heaven? Nothing is being "set to rights" as N.T. Wright insists. These two views of history and redemption are quite at odds. To the conservative evangelical, God’s plan is to rescue people out of the temporal world and into a life of hope for eternity. But to the biblical writers and Jesus Himself, God's plan of redemption is to build a beautiful community on earth, the church, that displays his glory and the power of the gospel? What is at odds here are two different worldviews. What is really in conflict are two differing understandings of where the story of redemption is being acted out. Is the story a story about hidden souls being redeemed in a sort of hidden way or is the story being played out in a very visible reality on earth between two very visibly distinct communities, the church and the world? Is the glory of God clearly seen in the community of the elect or is it hidden and secret?

The picture below depicts the difference quite clearly.

In this illustration, the greek or gnostic view sees the good life and the good existence as the life in heaven. In contrast, the life of earth is fallen and broken. These two aspects of reality are unchanging or static. Heaven good. Earth bad. To obtain the good life, the kingdom, one must be taken out of the life of earth to the life of heaven. As believers, according to this view, we are to expect very little out of this life but we hope for eternity in heaven.

On right in this illustration, we have a less greek and more biblical worldview. This understanding of redemption sees God's plan to bless all the people groups of the world, through faith in Jesus. N.T. Wright sees this as the covenant to Abraham. This blessing is something that God has promised to perform here on earth through His covenant people. The purpose of life is not to usher souls into a status of being qualified for heaven but to bring people into the life of the covenant and to participate in the life of the Kingdom of the Christ. We urge others to enter this life of the age to come knowing that one day, at Christ's return, our kingdom life will be had in full.

What is at stake is essentially a gnostic or mystic worldview or a biblical worldview of a full bodied hope. If we understand the story of the bible to be the unfolding of God's covenant people here on earth and the bringing of the elect into the kingdom here on earth awaiting the return of the king, then we approach terms like salvation and justification quite differently than if we see the purpose of life only the work of saving souls for a future heavenly existence.

From this worldview, it becomes much simpler to reconcile the teachings of Jesus regarding the kingdom and Paul's teachings concerning how a person is justified, i.e. how a person has assurance that they are a member of this community of the elect. Terms like salvation and justification simply mean different things if seen in the context of a kingdom worldview.

Best Song Ever - Dave Matthews Band - "Why I AM"

My kids joke cause I always say, 'This is the best song ever" about every great song. So here is the first of a series...

The is the best song ever both lyrically and musically.

Thematically, it is about seeing the value of living in light of death. The GrooGrux King is his late band man and the song is a reflection on living life to the fullest as a celebration of the life of his friend.

Also, there is definitely commentary on worldliness and futile pursuits like "us and them" and petty conflicts when in reality we all go to one place - death. So it is about perspective.

Musically - pure jam!!!!

N. T. Wright - Justification God’s Plan and Paul's Vision - Part 2

In the opening pages of his response to John Piper’s critique, N. T. Wright tries to explain his perspective on the tenor of the dialogue between himself and his reformed critics.

Wright describes a scene where we are attempting to explain to a man who “by some accident of education” had never heard that the earth revolved and rotated. You expalin the solar system and planetary motion with props and passion over a glass of wine. The next morning you wake up to the other man’s persistent knock. He takes you to a hilltop over looking the ocean. He returns to the topic of the previous night and then the great evidence arises in the east and he turns and says, “see I told you. There it is before our eyes. Do not let all these new ideas confuse you when the fact is so clear and simple and is right there plain for all to see.” Confident that he is the defender of the truth against silly sophistication, he looks at you with a look of almost pity.


How N. T. Wright Flanks Piper on the Right
What is it in the self-satisfied traditionalist that stands in the way of learning? The first few chapters in Wright’s justification attempt to convince the traditionalist to consider that maybe there exist strongholds that are impeding their ability to see scriptures clearly. If we can all agree on a few hermeneutical principles, maybe some progress in the dialogue can be made. So here are the principles as I see them that Wright suggests:
We must look at everything Paul says. If our system cannot explain or account for some passages, then we must be open to a new perspective which can actually account for the entire system of Pauline thought. This suggestion is fundamentally conservative in that this principle is appealing to scripture. A good understanding of scripture must be able to assist in understanding other scriptures.
A sub set of this principle would be that in order to understand a passage we need to be able to understand the entire argument of the passage and how that passage fits in a larger argument.
As an illustration of this point, Wright uses the analogy of building a puzzle using all the puzzle pieces. If we refuse to use all the puzzle pieces and then force ourselves to make a picture out of the puzzle pieces remaining, we will not get a good picture or a clear understanding of the intended scene. So too, if we do not take every passage into account, we will not be able to understand the entire picture of Pauline thought nor will we have much success or assurance that we understand what little bits we do think we have pieced together.

A second principle is that it is important to look to scriptures and the world of scriptures as opposed to tradition and the world of the 16th century and the thought patterns of the 16th-17th centuries as the authority in scripture interpretation. This point is so obvious and humorous at the same time. Wright is clearly flanking Piper on the right. Is it conservative to point the believers to the 1st century or the 16th? To scripture or tradition? Should we illuminate Paul with the world of Paul or the world of Calvin and Luther?
A great example of this principle is Luther’s own appeal to scripture and the world of scripture to make one of the key revelations of the reformation. Luther appealed to 1st century usage of the word metanoia. Luther insisted that a more accurate translation of Pauline though would be “to repent” and not “to do penance”. On what basis could Luther make this argument but to go back to scripture and the use of such word elsewhere in the first century. Wright is out reforming the reformed purists by using examples of how the reformers did exactly what he is doing, (i.e. looking to scriptures as the final authority as against our traditions.
A last example of this is to make the distinction between the questions we are attempting to answer via the text and the questions Paul was trying to answer via his text. ewvery generation has its controversies and every generations theologies are an attempt to answer these controversies. But isn’t it more important to understand what Paul problems Paul was trying to solve when he wrote the text. The aim is to avoid eisegesis and get back to exegesis.

If we are honest, each of Wright’s principles are an appeal to true scriptural conservatism as opposed to a conservatism that attempts to conserve tradition. Indeed, N. T. Wright is flanking John Piper on the right.

next post: A little more on worldview (like this old post)

N. T. Wright On Justification - Part 1

NT Wright On Justification - Part 1

I am reading N. T. Wright’s book on justification and John Piper’s critique of N. T. Wright as well and John Owen’s original work on “Justification by Faith” (or here). My goal is actually personal in that I believe my own spiritual growth needs a big dose of grace. As we receive grace, we become more gracious. I have six children and I need a lot of grace to remain gracious. I find good exposition to be sanctifying and inspiring for me.

My blog plan is that while I read I will summarize and make comment.

The first thing one must understand and appreciate is how remarkably conservative N. T. Wright is. Many conservatives seem to paint Wright as a theological liberal but in the pantheon of New Testament scholars N. T. Wright is stand in the solidly if not even extremely conservative camp. In fact in this book, Wright’s approach is to flank Piper and co. on the right. It is Wright who appeals to scripture as opposed to tradition. On this note and with many illustrations, Wright begins his book, as he must begin all his more thorough works, with an appeal to method and an explanation of the role worldview of the many actors in hermeneutic process.

An Appeal to Method and the Role of Worldview

This section and a far more expounded discussion of method (see The New Testament and the People of God) is extremely important to understand thoroughly. The basic point is so simple. The reader must be very aware that, as a subject, he or she plays a role in the reading of the text. If one is humble in light of this awareness, the reader will seek all manner of evidence in an attempt to get to the mind of the author of the biblical text. What we are after is not our experience of the text or confirmation of our previously held convictions regarding the meaning of the text. We are always after the illusive meaning of the text itself. Therefore, it is vital that we tough the world that the author touched by immersing ourselves in the world of the author. This process is called contextualization. Is it not more important to learn about the world of Paul, than the world of the reformers if we are after and seeking to understand the bible. This process of radical doubt concerning our own preconceptions and even doubt about our traditions is the basis of conservatism and sola scriptura.

N. T. Wright illustrates this principle with many illustrations but these will have to wait for tomorrow....

How To Survive a Mid-Life Crisis

(this is part of a larger essay...It starts by explaining why the ego of a person starts to fight for survival in the mid forties)

What is a Mid-life Crisis?

The human self develops a heightened view of itself which he or she desires to project out into the world. For men, this projection of the ego is accomplished through achievements. Throughout life, a tension exists between what the person is in life in the present, his status and accomplishments, and what he would like to be or thinks he ought to be recognized as. This psychic tension must be resolved. Throughout life, we most often resolve this tension of our current position and circumstances and what we desire to be by projecting our vision of our self out into the future. We may not be accomplished and strong and victorious but we can conceive that we one day might accomplish all that our ego sets out to do in the world.

A crisis occurs at 45-55 when a man realizes that the resolution of his shame and pride, the desires of the self, through the acquisition of a preferred future is not likely. Time is running out. At this point in life, the strategy of using a projection into the future of a better you or better position or circumstances is no longer tenable. The psychic tension is irresolvable using the future projection method. It is not likely that the self will be able to affirm itself through future accomplishments. The ego begins to go into crisis. If a man is not well practiced in the process of voluntary death to self, he will not know how to put his ego to death. Instead, his ego will fight to create, before time runs out, the preferred future or vision of himself. The ego refuses to die and begins to seek affirmation in manic fashion.

Death to Self

When encountering a person or developing a relationship with a person, if one is well versed in the problem of human pride, it is not difficult to predict that this man will have a mid-life crisis. Jesus said, “If anyone wishes to follow me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.” Everyday provides opportunities to die to self. Life is social and men are constantly managing their place in the politics of their social networks and relationships. The disciple hates this jockeying and managing one’s power and position and the perceptions of others. To live on a spiritual basis is to actively cease participation in this worldly dynamic. When a person disrespects us, which happens many times in a given day, we actively allow this person to hold this opinion. We forgive and we cease managing people’s perceptions. We are not in management. Only God is in management. It is easy to see and observe if a person knows this practice of death to self. Death to self has thousands of permutations because life provides thousands of opportunities and different circumstances to die to self, to allow our ego to be humbled both before others and before ourselves. But most men are continually acting according the to the worldly system through which the individual attempts to project himself as successful, mature, wise, healthy and kind.

‘Wow, he is skilled and together. I wish I was like him”. This is how every man wants to be perceived, and in the minute relationships of life, at home, at work, in church, we size up ourselves and the other men. In each encounter with another person, egos are present and seeking power and recognition of some sort. This is the process which the disciple of Jesus is actively disengaging from. The disciple must be aware of the process, and, in this awareness, it is easy to observe other men acting out according to the desires of the pride and ego. So it is easy for a follower of Jesus to be aware of whether another man is attempting to follow the teachings of Jesus in the midst of our interactions with them or whether they are following the motivations of their self, their ego. Are we “denying our selves, taking up our cross, and following Jesus” or are we following the desires of our self?

So here is the first key to surviving a mid life: We must start learning how to deny ourselves and take up our cross and follow Jesus in the small areas of life, many years before we reach this critical age of our mid-forties.

Learning to Deny Self Daily

1. Seizing the Opportunity (in the moment): The Actual Game
2. Silencing the Self
3. Asking for power and faith to deny self - Mediating the situation with the presence/intimacy with Jesus Christ.
1. Strength to resist the persistent ego (refusal to die)
2. Faith to see it as the cross (obedience to God)
3. Compassion for your adversary (he is sick; this battle is sick; the whole war is sick)
4. Comfort and affirmation as a child of God
4. Death to Self in the Big Opportunities (reflection) : Practice
1. Sober moment of reflection
2. Thorough inventory

Rigorous Honesty - Enabler to Discipleship

The Enabler of Rigorous Honesty

The key enabler of discipleship is a friendship of rigorous honesty. Though the discipleship process is fundamentally informal in that we do not go through a book or a set of principles in a formal order, the process does have a few key characteristics. The key characteristic that is most central is that the relationship is one of rigorous honesty. The two or three people that make up this intimate friendship are rigorously honest with each other. The reason that rigorous honesty is so central is because of the nature of discipleship itself.

Discipleship is the process through which Jesus expands his rule and reign over the motivations of our inner person or spirit. Our spirit is here defined as the hidden driving forces that motivate our behaviors. For example, I find myself being over bearing and easily disturbed by the rowdy behavior of my children. I try to be more patient but I find myself speaking forcefully to my children to get them to behave. I easily lose my patience. My behavior problem is my speaking forcefully and even out of disgust, but this is not my motivational or spiritual problem.

In the context of my intimate friendships, the discipleship process, we would discuss why I behave the way I do. My impatience is merely a fruit of my spiritual condition and motivation. If I attempt to fight the impatience with my children directly, I will always fail because I am not dealing with the root cause, the motivation or spirit behind the behavior. Our problem is ultimately a spiritual problem and therefore requires a spiritual solution. My fruit is easily observable and therefore easy to confess, but the real sin beneath the surface is my own little secret. This inner life motivation is both much more difficult discern and when discovered much more difficult to admit. At this point, in order to grow and in order for Jesus to rule over my heart, I need to be rigorously honest with myself and let the Holy Spirit guide me to discern my spiritual condition. In fact, I might need my friends help as well, but they need to be gentle about it.

So, continuing this example, I would quiet myself and answer the “why” question. Why do I get so easily disturbed by my children’s energetic behavior? The fact is that I am embarrassed. They are violating a social rule. Well-behaved children are orderly, and good parents have well-behaved children (or so the social rule says). I do not want to be judged by others. I fear their judgments, and so, I am willing to violate meekness in order to get my children to obey the unspoken social rules. As a result of this motivation, I lose my patience and show disgust for my children’s behavior out of a spirit of fear of people’s opinions of me as a skilled parent. I want to be seen as wise and mature and functional and therefore I shame my kids. I am trying really to put on a show before others as a neat and tidy family. It is all motivated by hypocrisy, pride and fear of people not love for my kids.

The fact is that this understanding of family and parenting is a fairy tale of how life works and living in a fairy tale of religion is a horrible burden for children to be raised under. Such a religion of social norming pressures is bad religion. Do I really want to raise my children under this toxic legalism? If I do not want my children to be raised under this fear of people’s judgmentalism, then I need to confess the driving motivation of fear of other people’s opinions and realize that this is the real motivation for my impatience. I need to describe this condition of my heart to my friends and surrender this pettiness as the root of so much of my religious life. I want to be seen by others as mature and together, and this insecurity and fear is the real reason that I get impatient with my kids. God deliver me from acting out of this fear, help me to see it and direct my children with love, patience and meekness, not fear and impatience. Admitting that I am so petty and motivated by other people’s opinions is a blow to my ego and quite humbling to confess before my friends, but these are the sinful motives that Jesus wants to deliver us from through the process of discipleship.

In the above example, I hope I have illustrated the role that rigorous honesty plays in the discipleship process. Rigorous honesty is the confession not of our behavior but our inner motivations or our spirit, the driving force behind our behaviors. It is far more revealing and difficult to say that much of my religion is for show and that I am driven by my fear of people’s opinions than to simply state the obvious: that I get impatient with my kids. The deeper confession of our real motivation requires a death to self. My projection of my desire to be seen as mature is crucified by the act of confessing that in reality I am a religious hypocrite who is often motivated by a desire to appear mature and in order to keep up this act I shame my kids. The very act of confessing this motivation reveals my spiritual poverty which is the very thing my ego is trying to hide. Rigorous honesty is the taking up of the cross and crucifying my ego and how I want to use religion to appear to have dignity and spiritual health. The fact of the matter is none of us have any spiritual dignity or health apart from abiding in grace and an awareness of our own spiritual poverty. Herein lies the cross and the self-denial that is required for Jesus to rule over our hearts. Rigorous honesty is the cross of discipleship. It is this process of rigorous honesty that our ego resists, but it is precisely this rigorous honesty that enables the process of discipleship.

I use this example as one of many that I could use. We all have sexual problems and the root motivations of these problems is all tied up in a sordid lot of motivations that are quite alarming to us when we allow our motivations to come into our awareness. We all get angry and resentful for all sorts of reasons. We are motivated by a million forms of self-centered fear.

So how are we to lead?

Here is the great lesson. First, this process of discerning our real motives and exposing them to the light of our own awareness and the rule and reign of Jesus is a process that the disciple needs to maintain throughout his or her life. Life is filled with trials and these trials lead us into anger and self-pity and a myriad of other sinful attitudes. Because this process is on-going Christians need these discipleship relationships in their life throughout their life. I personally call and meet with my ministry partners multiple times a week for honest discussion about my spiritual condition. Because of this on-going need and because this process is to be the life of the church, any effective leadership team needs to maintain relationships immersed in this level of rigorous honesty. For, if the discipleship method of the church is one of rigorous honesty with respect to our hidden motivations, those calling others into discipleship must be thoroughly acquainted with this process. How often the church’s leaders who design the discipleship process of the church are themselves unaware of their own spiritual condition and unable to discern the motives that drive their behaviors. We do not live in such a level of honesty pursuit of God to model this process to others but to understand discipleship and know the process intimately. With such a thorough commitment and understanding of what it means to have one’s spirit under the dominion of Jesus Christ will greatly affect the tenor of all a leader teaches and preaches. Unless the ministry leaders of a congregation themselves are transparent and rigorously honesty, there is no way to build a disciple-making community.

Barnanke 01/04/2009 - Regulation Not Monetary Policy Most Surgical Means to Prevent Housing Bubble

C-SPAN Video Player - Bernanke Calls for Regulation First, then Interest Hikes

This speech by Bernanke is very simple to understand. His speech has two parts to make his ultimate point.
1. He compares the actual target rate with the rate suggested by the Taylor model. He modifies the Taylor Model with consideration as to whether variations in inflation are considered temporary or permanent. IF we make this adjustment then the actual target rate was pretty much in line with teh suggestion of the Taylor Model.
2. He shows that this "good" monetary policy if the only variable in influencing housing prices, we see that housing prices significantly out paced the influence of monetary piolicy (i.e. interest rates). In fact we see that LENDING PRACTICES, appear to have generated the new demand for homes and the subsequent housing bubble. The introduction of proliferation of esoteric products which offer exceedingly low initial payments account for the greatest shift in housing prices and thus the housing bubble.
3. Therefore to avoid the housing bubble, which led to the most significant economic crisis in modern history, the primary cause was LENDING PRACTICES. Therefore, regulation of lenders would have been the most effective tool in avoiding the housing bubble.
4. Therefore, regulation of lending practices must be implemented if we are to avoid a recurrance of the recent economic problems.

brad