Category: Of Random Interest

Gleaning #2965

Over Spring Break in March of 2006, 30 Chi Alpha students from Bozeman, MT traveled three days by bus to New Orleans to help people recover in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina: “the most poignant moment came when a student, who is a relatively new Christian, walked into a ruined home and found a Bible still open on the kitchen table — where it has sat adhered by the original (and now dissipated) flood waters for months. ‘The Bible was opened to Psalm 90 where it says you are my dwelling place forever,’ Lant recalls. ‘That moment really changed his life as he came to grips with the fact that earth was just a temporary residence … he now views things from a more spiritual perspective, what’s most lasting in his life and how temporal materialism is.’ ”

AG News #1246: April 19, 2006

Over Spring Break in March of 2006, 30 Chi Alpha students from Bozeman, MT traveled three days by bus to New Orleans to help people recover in the aftermath of Hurrican Katrina: “the most poignant moment came when a student, who is a relatively new Christian, walked into a ruined home and found a Bible still open on the kitchen table — where it has sat adhered by the original (and now dissipated) flood waters for months. ‘The Bible was opened to Psalm 90 where it says you are my dwelling place forever,’ Lant recalls. ‘That moment really changed his life as he came to grips with the fact that earth was just a temporary residence … he now views things from a more spiritual perspective, what’s most lasting in his life and how temporal materialism is.’ ”

AG News #1246: April 19, 2006

Terminology

Since shaving my head, many people have walked up to me and said, “I love the new hairdo!”

After a moment, a hesitant “or lack of a hairdo” creeps out and then, following a brief pause, they utter “or whatever” and finally a genial “whatever it is, it looks great on you!” escapes their lips.

To prevent further confusion, I offer terminological exactitude.

I don’t have a hairdo. I have a look.

So walk up to me and say, “I love the new look!”

See how much easier that is?

The Problem With Prayer Studies

I mentioned this to my students last night at Chi Alpha’s weekly meeting and I thought I’d pass it along here as well: there have been a whole series of double-blind studies on prayer, some of which show that prayer is potent and others which fail to demonstrate any benefit. Why such widely varying results? Because prayer studies are ridiculously difficult to construct, as highlighted by this humorous article from Scrappleface.

(2006–03-31) — A team of scientists today ended a 10-year study on the so-called “power of prayer” by concluding that God cannot be manipulated by humans, not even by scientists with a $2.4 million research grant.

The scientists also noted that their work was “sabotaged by religious zealots” secretly praying for study subjects who were supposed to receive no prayer.

There are just too many independent variables. How can you know that the control group is actually receiving no prayer? How can you be sure that the people who are praying are praying with faith? With the right faith? In the right God?

And then, of course, there is THE Independent Variable. What if, as the article suggests, God simply chooses not to be our lab rat?

I’m sure some clever scientists will someday figure out how to isolate the variables more meaningfully, but for now the studies tell us much less than the media would have us believe.

And for the record, it’s the media to blame for the hype. I’m sure the scientists are making appropriately cautious claims. Scientists almost always do.

Solomon and the Black Eyed Peas

People often mock the Song of Songs for having bizarre romantic imagery. Song of Solomon 7:4 is a notorious example: “your nose is like the tower of Lebanon” (to which I always want to add “which means you can think of that zit as more of a banner, if you prefer”).

Stuff like that keeps many from taking the Song of Solomon seriously as a love song. We obsess over the pictures that the song employs and fail to get the point.

And we act as though we’ve never seen such outlandish imagery before. Then without even realizing it we turn the radio on and hear the Commodores belting out “she’s a brick house

she s the man dvdrip

.”

In the cultural smackdown between us and the ancient near east, I have to give this round to the ancients. Which would you rather be called? A tower is slender, graceful, and curved. A brick house is short, squat, and angular. Quite frankly, we have no stones to throw.

And it’s that way throughout the Song.

So the next time you hear the Black Eyed Peas inquiring about the junk in your trunk, cut the Song of Solomon some slack and interpret it the way you would interpret any other love song–poetically.