The second chapter of For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision for Creation Care is "What's Wrong With the World? The Groaning of Creation." It is difficult to deny that we humans, though given the divine mandate in Genesis 1 to be caretakers of the Earth, have had a serious negative impact on …
Where in the World #2
Last week: Santorini, the site of the 1600 B.C. eruption that helped wipe out the ancient Minoan civilization in the Agean Sea and the island of Crete. Lois and Sheri submitted the correct answer; I would send them a GeoChristian mug or t-shirt as a prize, but there is no such thing. This week: it's …
Deadly Popcorn
Headline: Doctor warns consumers of popcorn fumes My wife (who likes her microwave popcorn!) said this sounds like Super-Size Me. This guy had several bags of microwave popcorn per day for years! Grace and Peace
Batty Arguments
One way for me to have my faith strengthened is to get in discussions with skeptics. They usually think they know it all and that Christians are a bunch of idiots, but when they speak they expose their ignorance and poor reasoning. Last year I reported on a discussion I had via World Magazine Blog …
Vacation in Paris
Before our ReachGlobal Europe conference in the countryside of France in August, we spent three nights in an apartment in Paris. For a family of six, hotels are not only very expensive, but we couldn't find a hotel that would place all of us in one room. My lovely wife got on the internet and …
For the Beauty of the Earth — Chapter 1
I am slowly reading For the Beauty of the Earth: A Christian Vision For Creation Care by Steven Bouma-Prediger. Chapter 1 is "Where Are We? An Ecological Perception of Place." Here are some quotes: Despite our education we remain ecologically illiterate. Or perhaps more accurately, because of our education we remain ignorant of how the …
Strange Bedfellows?
This month's Geotimes magazine has a "science and faith" theme. I haven't seen the hard copy yet, but some of the articles are available online. One of the articles is called Strange Bedfellows? Evangelicals and Scientists Join Forces on Climate. It starts with: Global warming is melting permafrost around the world, but earlier this year …
Pope: Take Care of the Earth
News headline: Pope urges young to care for planet. Some quotes from the article: The planet risks irreversible decline from environmentally unsustainable development, Pope Benedict XVI warned Sunday, urging young Catholics to take the lead in caring for the Earth and its precious resources. "We need a decisive 'yes' to care for creation and a …
Where in the World? #1
I'm starting what I hope is a weekly "Where in the world?" series of posts. I'll have a view from Google Earth, and you try to figure out where it is. You can submit your answer with a comment, but don't peek at the comments until you have given it a good try. My only …
Weeping for the Jordan
The Jordan River, which begins near Mount Hermon on the Syria-Lebanon border and flows from the Sea of Galilee to the Dead Sea, is an endangered river. Most of its water is diverted for agricultural or domestic use; what remains is polluted by sewage and agricultural runoff. This is a political, as well as an …
Change of Name, Change of Location
The Earth is Not Flat! is moving, and is changing its name. The new name is The GeoChristian. The new location is geochristian.wordpress.com Here are some of the reasons: The name "GeoChristian" reflects who I am much more strongly than "The Earth is Not Flat!" did. I always had to explain what I meant by …
1st Day of Fall
September 1st, the first day of fall. The definition of autumn from Merriam-Webster: the season between summer and winter comprising in the northern hemisphere usually the months of September, October, and November or as reckoned astronomically extending from the September equinox to the December solstice I grew up with the astronomical definition for seasons--with equinoxes …
Blogs I Read
I don't read a large number blogs, but here are the ones that I go to almost daily: Science: Geology News -- lots of Earth Science stuff The Evangelical Ecologist -- 'Cause the world's not ours to mess up Christianity: World Magazine Blog Cranach -- Gene Edward Veith Be Bold, Be Gentle -- Christian Encouragement …
Blogs that link to The Earth is Not Flat!
I've recently discovered that the following blogs have links to The Earth is Not Flat!: Driftless Skies -- Southeast Minnesota. Weather to fishing and more The Christian Environmentalist -- Exploring environmental issues from a Christian perspective This is in addition to some other blogs that have had a link to my blog for quite some …
Bibles in Other Languages — Not Available
The New Testament has been translated into over 1500 languages, but if someone from Bangladesh or Somalia moves in next door to you, good luck trying to get a copy for them. In fact, many of these translations are not even available on the internet. It turns out that cooperation between various Bible societies is …
Geology Jobs and Christian Colleges
From geology.com/news: The number of professional jobs in the oil and gas industry exceeds the number of qualified and available workers. In 1982, enrollment in the geosciences hit an all time high of 35,000 students but today the number has dwindled to about 5,000. Salaries are generous, however the industry does not have a rosy …
It’s All a Matter of Perspective
News headline: France's washout summer fails to deter tourists PARIS (AFP) - It's official: France's rainy, grey and generally cold summer has been the worst for the past 30 years, the weather service said Friday, but tourist arrivals were the highest in five years. July and August were wet across two-thirds of the country while …
Musee d’Orsay
I did more in France than take pictures of bus stops named after famous scientists. Here are a few of my favorite paintings from the Musee d'Orsay: The Disciples Peter and John Running to the Sepulchre on the Morning of the Resurrection, Eugene Burnand, http://www.artbible.info The Gleaners, Jean-Francois Millet, Wikipedia, Musee d'Orsay Regatta …
Britain’s Got Talent
The British equivalent of "American Idol" is "Britain's Got Talent". Click here for an amazing performance. Simon Cowell and the other judges can't believe what they just heard. He is so good the crowd stands and one of the judges almost cries. Grace and Peace
Life in the Laboratory
From an AP news story on efforts by scientists to create life "from scratch" in the laboratory: Around the world, a handful of scientists are trying to create life from scratch and they’re getting closer. Experts expect an announcement within three to 10 years from someone in the now little-known field of “wet artificial life.” …
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