Christian Blogger Links

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My latest spate of links reminded me that I have been remiss in linking to the blogs of fellow Christians to whom I have been meaning to link for many weeks now, which task I have been putting off for some distraction or another. The omission has been rectified, with the addition of presbytermark, barlowfarms, chinaman’s hat, an expected end, and simply us to my link list. Check them out; there’s some excellent theological discourse going on there, right alongside some engaging personal journaling. I swear, these people will make a Calvinist of me yet if I’m not careful. ;)

An Afghan-American Speaks

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An Afghan-American speaks, showing us the real situation of Taliban-ruled Afghanistan: “starved, exhausted, damaged, and incapacitated.”

New bombs would only stir the rubble of earlier bombs. Would they at least get the Taliban? Not likely. In today’s Afghanistan, only the Taliban eat, only they have the means to move around. They’d slip away and hide. Maybe the bombs would get some of those disabled orphans; they don’t move too fast, they don’t even have wheelchairs. But flying over Kabul and dropping bombs wouldn’t really be a strike against the criminals who did this horrific thing. Actually it would only be making common cause with the Taliban — by raping once again the people they’ve been raping all this time.

How can America serve justice and yet avoid playing into a West-versus-Islam world war scenario, I wonder? Is it possible to commence a “liberation” of Afghanistan, invading without killing, and neutralizing the Taliban without destroying the people they oppress?

(And why do GWBush’s hand gestures look so forced? Maybe he should keep his arms at his sides.)

WTC in Flight Simulator

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Microsoft is removing the Twin Towers from future (and present?) versions of Flight Simulator. I myself haven’t played Flight Simulator since the late 80’s (version 1.0, on our 8088 PC-XT), and I readily admit that back then, I crashed planes of all sorts (from a single-engine Cessna to an F-18 Hornet) into Sears Tower, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty, and yes, the World Trade Center (often in attempts to fly between them).

I promise: I won’t do it again.

God and 9-11

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Is World War III just around the corner? It’s hard to tell right now, but the fact that all born-again Christians haven’t disappeared from the face of the earth yet can mean only one of two things: (1) this isn’t it just yet, or (2) the “Left Behind” Rapture pretribulationists are wrong. (So go hoot in triumph, you Reformed amillenialists! :) In any case, regardless of whether Rapture theology is scripturally sound or not, it is important to remember: our place will always be to stand firm and hold fast to our faith in our Savior, Jesus Christ.

If there is no God, why does it matter?

It’s hard to understand, isn’t it, Sharon? How could a good Lord let such a tragic disaster happen? Why would a loving God allow so many innocent people to die so horribly? Such questions arise from even the most devoted believer’s heart in the face of these catastrophes, and I cannot reconcile myself to Falwell’s and Robertson’s unconscionable stand that this is simply divine punishment for the decadence and immorality of modern American culture. Neither I nor any Christian can pretend to have airtight answers to explain the amount of suffering and death that God permits. Undoubtedly that Bible verse I’ve posted in my blog menu may ring hollow in the minds and hearts of those who have lost someone dear in the terrorist attacks.

And yet, I refuse to see God and his love as a mere placebo for “dumb sheep Christians,” as others have called us. I will continue to have faith that he is working towards a wonderful, glorious end for the good of those who love him; not because the statement gives me comfort, and not because I cannot come to terms with the pain and strife of this fallen world; but because it is what our Lord has promised through his Son, Jesus Christ. His words are set in the trustworthy text of Scripture, and his guarantee dwells within us as his Sprit. I will hold to the trust that our Utimate Author is too good to be unkind, and too wise to be mistaken, and what he has promised, he will do.

Many call me an irrational fool for continuing to believe in His promise. So be it, but I will still hold to that faith, because I am confident that even our Lord’s foolishness is still greater than the greatest wisdom of mere men. And as the clouds of a possible World War gather on the horizon, I pray that his grace be with us all. We will need it more than anything else.

Planet of the …

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I had a lot of fun working on the latest layout last Monday, but the horror of the next day delayed uploading for the rest of the week. Take a look now, and I hope you enjoy viewing it as much as I enjoyed making it. And get your hands off me, you… ah, forget it.

Nostra-dammit

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No one mention Nostradamus again. PLEASE.

(It already amused me to no end that initial quotes of the fake quatrain said “City of God” — a title which cannot even be loosely connected to NYC. And by late afternoon of that same day, they were quoting it as “City of York.”)

We All Sang

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From Dani:

And then, knowing that the 30 odd Americans in the room would be feeling a very long way from home, and in a declaration of our empathy and shared horror with them, the band played the opening chords to the Star Spangled Banner. And we all sung.

September 11 Links

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“I’ve gotten soup in the WTC mall in the winters when it’s cold.”

“And moments later, we heard another small popping sound. And the second tower crumbled to the ground.”

“They simply were no longer there.”

“Shock turned to grief and anger in the United States following the series of terrorist attacks Tuesday morning that destroyed four hijacked commercial airplanes, the 110-story twin towers of New York’s World Trade Center and collapsed part of the Pentagon.”

“Please pray for my friends. I’m crying because one of my good friends from college works at the MSDW office in WTC.”

There is soot falling out of the sky outside my apartment in Brooklyn.”

“He said there were burning bodies flying out of the sky.”

“Even if you had the technology to do so, how many minutes or seconds would you have between the time air traffic controllers realized something was wrong and the time you had to fire or risk downing the plane over the city?”

“It just so happens that today is An International Day of Peace, declared so by the UN.”

“We hear reports of ppl from the 50th floor escaping, there is hope. Hope. That’s all we have right now.”

“All we can think of here is films and television and cartoons. When have any of us seen anything like it in real life?”

“What do you feel when the heat of fire and the bruising of propelled debris is only separated from you by a picture tube?”

“When it rains, it pours.”

“I’m so scared right now. I don’t want to hear any reports of Americans grabbing the nearest Arab and beating the crap out of him or her. Don’t do it. Please.”

“The United States can hardly declare war on militant Islam without targeting or destabilizing countries with which it needs to remain on good terms.”

“You can’t protect yourself from this. You can’t build a building that will stand up to a plane crashing into it. America is vulnerable.”

“How do we now tell our children that the world is a safe place to be? How can I convince them of something that I no longer believe — at least not at this moment?” (lots of Diary-X quotes. Very much worth reading.)