June, 2009:

This is what makes discernment so difficult…

Jun 27th, 2009

Baldo by Hector D. Cantu and Carlos Castellanos

Is the found wallet temptation or an answer to prayer? A good example of the difficulty of discernment. One of my favorite examples of this Deut. 18:22.

If a prophet speaks in the name of the LORD but the thing does not take place or prove true, it is a word that the LORD has not spoken. The prophet has spoken it presumptuously; do not be frightened by it.

The problem: you have to respond to the prophet’s words (Deut. 18:19) before you know the outcome. Hananiah in Jer. 28 is a great case since I am willing to bet that most of us, in that circumstance, would find ourselves siding with Hananiah, or at least hoping he was right. (Hananiah said the LORD the God of Israel is more powerful than Babylon and will break its yoke from upon Judah, who wouldn’t want that to be true? Even Jeremiah hoped it would be so, Jer. 28:6.) In the Episcopal Church USA right now there are a lot of people claiming to be “prophetic.” God is calling his people back to his Covenant. God is a revealing a new path. You get the idea. When I read Jer. 28 I have very little faith that I would have gotten it right then and most didn’t. How will we get it right now? Only in hindsight, so says Deut. 18:22, will we know for sure.

Discernment is a difficult and dangerous thing.

Sacred Spaces

by Christian Brady.

3 comments

Jim W. posted a picture from his recent (?) trip to Beth Shean and urged others to do the same (alas, I was not tagged in his meme). Since I am avoiding writing at the moment I was trying to think of recent sacred places that I had visited. This past spring on a business trip to DC I stopped at an old high school haunt, a seasonal ice cream shop in Damascus, MD called “Jimmie Cone.” They offer softserve ice cream and chilli dogs (and one or two other things) and was a regular stop after school once they opened in March. Perhaps not “biblical” per se, but sacred nonetheless.

Christian healthcare solutions? Anyone?

Jun 25th, 2009

by Christian Brady.

5 comments

In the comments to my post about Canada’s healthcare system as a model to be emulated Don replied with some good comments that I thought I would elevate, along with a portion of my reply, to a post. (You can read unedited version of his comment and my reply in the comments section.)

I am a Canadian and have used the health care system recently. It is not the horror that many Americans describe our health care system. … I feel it is not Christian to support a system that does not care for the poor. Many of problems in our system are in fact caused by doctors who are independent businessmen trying to maximize their income.

That was why I posted that other story, the author is a Canadian so his experience was more relevant that from someone “outside.” In my four years in England we had very mixed experiences. Certainly for those without healthcare coverage it is a moot point, some (good) care is better than none.

Now, to the most interesting point of his comment (to me), “It is not Christian to support a system that does not care for the poor.” I too believe that as Christians we are called to care for the poor and the needy but is the best mechanism through the government? Just because someone supports a healthcare model that is not government run doesn’t mean they are not living up to their Christian calling (not caring about others does, however). I think the question is and ought to be how to get the best care for the most but judging by other programs I am not sure the government is the best solution.

On the other hand, there are many who say that a true Christian state is a (ideal) socialist state…. Any care to make that argument?

Not to be distracted however I want to throw it open and ask my readers, what is the “Christian”¹ response to the US healthcare situation?

Feel free to offer you definition of “Christian” in this context because I do not think it is defined as a confession of faith. [↩]

Oh Canada! Health care…

Jun 23rd, 2009

by Christian Brady.

6 comments

We are going to be hearing more and more about health care systems as the Obama administration and Congress try and sort this mess out. Many have pointed to Canada’s system as a model. But a model of what? I came across this post from a cartoonist I read (warning: the strip can be a bit rude) who is a Canadian and thought I would share some of it with you.

In 2007, documentary director Michael Moore released his latest film, entitled “Sicko”. The premise of the doc was to compare the American health care industry to other nations, including Canada.

As a proud Canadian myself (eh?), I was forced to watch in disbelief as Moore painted the Canadian health care system as something other countries should aspire to. At several points during this segment, I kept waiting for a Unicorn to come out into the waiting room to announce that Cancer had been cured, and a free vaccine was now available to all.

At no cost, of course.

I feel the need to set a few things straight, and also to point my fellow countrymen to a site where they may be actually able to help affect some change.

The bottom line to the Canadian Health Care system is this: You get what you pay for.

With that in mind, this is the reality: It is absolutely impossible to get yourself a family doctor. A 5 hour wait in the Emergency Waiting Room is considered a brief stay. Government run means government bureaucracy. You will still pay for certain things, any thing that the government can cut out to trim their budget (Ie, a doctor’s note for school to explain why you missed class can cost you 10$). Need any kind of specific test or scan? You’ll get it, within 6 months to 2 years.

By Ryan Sohmer.

My woes with WordPress 2.8

Jun 19th, 2009

by Christian Brady.

6 comments

UPDATE: It looks as if the solution is “wait until updated plugins come out.” Since one or two of them (like Twitter Tools) are explicitly no longer being updated I may just degrade to 2.7.

If you follow my twitter feed then you know that I have had trouble with the Dashboard after upgrading Targuman to WordPress 2.8. When I sent out a general plea on twitter whether or not it was possible to downgrade to 2.7 I was very pleasantly surprised when @wpanswers replied “@Targuman you can downgrade, yes, but why would you want to?” I am glad you asked! And indeed, s/he offered to help further if I provided screenshots, etc. so here it is!

First a description of the problem. After upgrading I noticed that all of the nice functionality of the Dashboard was gone. I saw far less information, the menus on the left would no longer expand (but I could still click on them to go to the page), and I could not move items around. This last element means that I cannot modify widgets at all. So, first, the Dashboard as it appears without the troublesome plugins activated: (more…)