From ancient Jewish Kabbalah to Michael Drosnin's "The Bible Code", Biblical numerology has always had its adepts and detractors, often being the subject of much criticism as well as ridicule. However, today the veracity of biblical numerology has finally been confirmed with a remarkable new discovery. Researchers from the Interdisciplinary Department for Interstellar Observational Theology … Continue reading Extraterrestrial communications confirm biblical numerology
And the Oscar goes to…
It was red carpet time in Los Angeles' Dolby Theatre at the recent Oscar ceremony with Hollywood's stars vying with one another for the most striking outfits – as usual. Birdman emerged as the overall winner – no surprise there. And no surprise either for the best actress award – Julianne Moore for her role … Continue reading And the Oscar goes to…
“Not in the Bible”
Finally – the Anglican church has its first woman bishop. After decades of sometimes acrimonious debate, the General Synod adopted legislation permitting women to take on this role, opening the door for Rev. Libby Lane's consecration as bishop of Stockport in a historic ceremony in York Minster on 26 January. But the event was not … Continue reading “Not in the Bible”
Je Suis Charlie
No, I am not Charlie. Personally, I find the kind of humour that characterized Charlie Hebdo distasteful, albeit certainly quite amusing at times, and often offensive. No one is spared, whether politicians, religion or “the famous”, all can find themselves objects of ridicule. So Charlie Hebdo is not a paper I would generally buy. But … Continue reading Je Suis Charlie
“Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts”
Having successfully navigated the choppy waters of the House of Commons, on June 3rd the UK bill on same-sex marriage will be debated in the House of Lords. Promises to be an interesting day! The proposed legislation has captured huge media attention whilst tending to polarize the views of the British public, both Christians and … Continue reading “Now join your hands, and with your hands your hearts”
Fun on Sunday
There's a first time for everything, they say. This weekend saw one of those for me. We were celebrating the church's 125th anniversary and had an afternoon of activities for families organized for Saturday. Shame about the weather, but that's another story. Anyway, one young couple came along with two kids of their own, along … Continue reading Fun on Sunday
“Where thieves do not enter…”
Today saw me running a session on computer security and privacy issues for trainees on the World Horizons Equipping for Service course. (In other words, yes, I probably am a bit geeky...) Identity theft and maintaining individual privacy online has become a big issue. Now my main concern in doing this is to help people … Continue reading “Where thieves do not enter…”
“Hi, I’m Paul and this is Barnabas…”
This last week I've been tutoring a group of trainees in ethnographic research methods. Sounds grand, but basically this is about conducting formal interviews with a cultural informant in order to better understand a culture from an insider's point of view. All this made me wonder what Paul and Barnabas's trip to Lystra might have … Continue reading “Hi, I’m Paul and this is Barnabas…”
Capisci?
The end of the Gérard Dépardieu epic film 1492: The Conquest of Paradise graphically depicts the failure of the Spanish expedition to curb the greed and violence of the Conquistadores. In the midst of a tropical storm whose physical violence matched the inner destruction of the colony, Columbus's faithful translator Utapan once again shaves his … Continue reading Capisci?
Do you speak Christian?
It's that time of year again when I find myself in Llanelli, South Wales, teaching a group of trainees introductory linguistics and language learning skills. I trust that by the end of this two weeks they will have learned a thing or two about how languages work, and how they can best learn one. And … Continue reading Do you speak Christian?
eating.with.sinners 