Eclipse Photos

There is some coverage of the solar eclipse yesterday here. Also there is a neat photo of the eclipse from the space station here.

Which reminded me of this cool shot from the MIR in 1999.



This is the photo caption from ESA:
Here is what the Earth looks like during a solar eclipse. The shadow of the Moon can be seen darkening part of Earth. This shadow moves across the Earth at nearly 2,000 kilometers per hour. Only observers near the center of the dark circle see a total solar eclipse - others see a partial eclipse where only part of the Sun appears blocked by the Moon. This spectacular picture of the Aug. 11, 1999 solar eclipse was one of the last ever taken from the Mir space station.

Barna finds more "born again"

George Barna's gang has had a busy year so far. This is the third news release I've received from them this month. this one is entitled Barna Survey Reveals Significant Growth in Born Again Population. The following is an excerpt form this news release. What I find interesting is the criteria used to determine "born again" and "evangelical."

The new research found that 45% of all adults meet the criteria that The Barna Group uses to classify people as "born again." That number is up from 31% in 1983. The percentage hovered in the 36% to 43% range from 1992 through 2005. The current figure represents the largest single-year increase since 1991-1992.

Evangelicals, who are born again but also possess each of seven core beliefs that mirror those taught in the Bible, represent 9% of the adult public.

Non-evangelical born again adults constitutes 36% of the adult base. They do not meet the evangelical criteria by virtue of their beliefs related to the seven core biblical perspectives tested in Barna's surveys.

Notional Christians "people who describe themselves as Christian but do not meet the born again criteria" have declined from 46% in 1991 to 36% today.

Adults who are aligned with faiths other than Christianity, and those who consider themselves to be atheist or agnostic, each comprise less than 10% of the population.

"Born again Christians" are defined as people who said they have made a personal commitment to Jesus Christ that is still important in their life today and who also indicated they believe that when they die they will go to Heaven because they had confessed their sins and had accepted Jesus Christ as their savior. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "born again."

"Evangelicals" meet the born again criteria (described above) plus seven other conditions. Those include saying their faith is very important in their life today; believing they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs about Christ with non-Christians; believing that Satan exists; believing that eternal salvation is possible only through grace, not works; believing that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life on earth; asserting that the Bible is accurate in all that it teaches; and describing God as the all-knowing, all-powerful, perfect deity who created the universe and still rules it today. Being classified as an evangelical is not dependent upon church attendance or the denominational affiliation of the church attended. Respondents were not asked to describe themselves as "evangelical."

Which theologian am I?

I am not a theologian. However, according to this online quiz (link below) I would rate as follows. I know the quiz is only meant for entertainment but, Anselm?

Anselm 73% Charles Finney 67% John Calvin 67% Karl Barth 53% Friedrich Schleiermacher 47% Martin Luther 40% Jonathan Edwards 40% Augustine 40% Paul Tillich 20% J.Moltmann 20% Which theologian are you? created with QuizFarm.com And let me add my thanks to the fun folks at Slice of Laodicea

Concerning Albert Einstein

Ten Obscure Factoids Concerning Albert Einstein
March 14, 1879 - March 18, 1955

Photo doctoring from Hetermeel Dynamic Images

Idea from jordoncopper.com and Storyteller's World

11 Myths About Megachurches

• MYTH #1: All megachurches are alike.
• REALITY: They differ in growth rates, size and emphasis.
• MYTH #2: All megachurches are equally good at being big.
• REALITY: Some clearly understand how to function as a large institution, but others flounder.
• MYTH #3: There is an over-emphasis on money in the megachurches.
• REALITY: The data disputes this.
• MYTH #4: Megachurches exist for spectator worship and are not serious about Christianity.
• REALITY: Megachurches generally have high spiritual expectations and serious orthodox beliefs.
• MYTH #5: Megachurches are not deeply involved in social ministry.
• REALITY: Considerable ministry is taking place at and through these churches.
• MYTH #6: All megachurches are pawns of or powerbrokers to George Bush and the Republican Party.
• REALITY: The vast majority of megachurches are not politically active.
• MYTH #7: All megachurches have huge sanctuaries and enormous campuses.
• REALITY: Megachurches make widespread use of multiple worship services over several days, multiple venues, and even multiple campuses.
• MYTH #8: All megachurches are nondenominational.
• REALITY: The vast majority belong to some denomination.
• MYTH #9: All megachurches are homogeneous congregations with little diversity.
• REALITY: A large and growing number are multi-ethnic and intentionally so.
• MYTH #10: Megachurches grow primarily because of great programming.
• REALITY: Megachurches grow because excited attendees tell their friends.
• MYTH #11: The megachurch phenomenon is on the decline.
• REALITY: The data suggests that many more megachurches are on the way.

This information comes from a press release, New Research Debunks 11 Myths About Megachurches, which is for a recent report on Megachurches from the Hartford Institute for Religion Research.

"The term megachurch is the name given to a cluster of very large, Protestant congregations, that share several distinctive characteristics. These churches generally have: 2000 or more persons in attendance at weekly worship -- A charismatic, authoritative senior minister -- A very active 7 day a week congregational community -- A multitude of social and outreach ministries -- and a complex differentiated organizational structure."

Their data is compiled in a database. When I listed Megachurches of Missouri I was surprised to see my church Cape First pop up on the list.

source: I ran across this on Mark Driscoll?s blog Resurgence

One Year Evaluation

It has been one year since I started this web log. In that time I haven't been that stellar of a blogger. Although by my reckoning I have made 20% increases in postings in the last six months over the first six months of this web log. But at less than three dozen total postings this "up tick" is not saying much. At that rate in about six years I'll be up to posting daily.

At least I haven't yet succumbed to the statistic which shows that a third to one half of web logs are abandoned in their first few months.

So my goal for the next year is to post at least weekly, and as the old joke might add--

"very weakly."

emerging revolution

Phil Johnson: A critical look at the emerging church movement

Faith Revolutionaries Stand Out From the Crowd

A Faith Revolution Is Redefining "Church," According to New Study

Pilgrimage to Spurgeon's Metropolitan Tabernacle

A Conversation with Len Sweet

Saint Methodius

When I first saw this I said "look the Methodists have thier own saint."Not really. However, It seems St. Methodius and his brother (also a saint) Cyril were "apostles and teachers of the Rusyn people."

"St. Methodius, whose baptismal name was Michael, was born in 815 A.D. His younger brother Constantine, better known by his religious name, Cyril, was born about ten years later. They both studied at the Imperial School of Constantinople, where all the children of the higher imperial officials received their advanced education. St. Methodius, known as a good administrator, became the governor (Gr. archon) of the Strymon District of Macedonia. St. Cyril, a gifted scholar, assumed a teaching post at the Imperial School."

What would John Wesley think?

Pastoral Geeks?

Tim Bednar of e-church has a prophetic word for spiritual bloggers,
The next Billy Graham will be a geek.

Tim's revelation comes, in part, from a recent report from the Pew organization on America's use of the internet. He sees the findings as adding support to his theories on how the internet is changing the congregation.

"Religion [internet] surfers differ from the general population primarily in terms of the place of religion in their lives. 84% of Religion Surfers belong to a religious community such as a church or synagogue, compared to 68% of the general population. They are also more likely than those in the general public to attend services at least weekly, by a margin of 58% to 39%.

"Furthermore, the relationship fostered by the Internet provide essential "decision making" feedback for individuals whether then are buying a car or looking for spiritual answers. This is also true offline. New research shows that, "two-thirds of all economic activity in the US is influenced by shared opinions about a product, brand or service."

"People no longer rely on a single authority (politician, doctor or pastor) for answers. Individuals seek out a variety of appropriate people and resources for different situations, "

So take heart Jordon.

Gellman's Good-Byes

I found this article on MSN.com by Rabbi Marc Gellman where he offers observations on the TV characters Scotty, Gilligan and Fife, and bids "farewell to the actors who portrayed them."

"They are James Doohan, who played Scotty on Star Trek, Bob Denver who played Gilligan on Gilligan's Island, and Don Knotts who played Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife on The Andy Griffith Show.

"Scotty represents all of us who are constantly asked to do the impossible and to meet unreasonable deadlines by bosses who just don't understand that you can't run engines at warp speed after Klingons have blasted the engine room.

"Gilligan represents all of us who are congenitally happy despite our circumstances? Even though they were marooned on an island which nevertheless seemed to provide them with new clothes and new sets every week, Gilligan's choice was always to see things in a positive and hopeful light

"Don Knotts as Deputy Fife personified the klutz who is convinced that despite everything he is destined for bigger things. Deputy Fife was all bluster with just one bullet, and that is just like many of us. The bullet is self-confidence. "

Now with the recent passing of Dennis Weaver and Darren McGavin, Gellman could add two more TV characters to this list, Weaver's Sam McCloud and McGavin's Carl Kolchak.

I think that McCloud, a cowboy lawman in New York, was a fish out of water. But while he was out of his element he always remained true to his identity.

Kolchak, a second-rate reporter for a third-rate tabloid, was always after the story, and stuck with the truth he found in the face of ridicule.

Peace to all