Poor boy made good

United States Vice President may have his critics, but he comes across as reasonably likeable in this extended interview with New York Post columnist, Miranda Devine. 

Is this what things are coming to?

Heaven's special whites only section

Christians who have their fingers on the pulse of church trends will be aware of the alarming rise of the Stone Choir movement. To be brief, this movement, which originated in the Lutheran Church, is made up of a subset of Christians who are dogmatic antisemites and racists. Let's not beat around the bush; they are actually fascists. Not only do they believe that the Bible requires them to hate Jews, they also believe that being Caucasian merits special favour in the eyes of God. 

This podcast from the prominent American Christian apologist and pastor, James R White, is a useful primer on the insidious threat this movement poses to the church. It must be confronted urgently. As White himself says in this podcast, if this movement has not yet infiltrated your church, it soon will. 


https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/answering-antisemitism-with-gospel-truth/id1186473673?i=1000704611763 

Such is pedantry

Ned Kelly's famous armour

During the week, I listened to a three-part podcast series about famed the famous or infamous nineteenth century Australian bushranger, Ned Kelly (1854-1880), which is part of the Real Outlaws series. The production values are good, and the narrator manages to do a convincing Irish-Australian accent. One minor issue is a factual error. At the time, Australia was made up of separate colonial governments, each of which was led by a Premier. The narrator describes the Premier of the Colony of Victoria at the time of Ned Kelly's capture in 1880 as the "Prime Minister." Australia did not have a Prime Minister until 1901, when the first Commonwealth government took office. 

https://www.noiser.com/real-outlaws

Unintentional portmanteau

Here's a tip for the producers of this podcast. Please proof read descriptive text before publication. This is not a podcast about Willow, the current White House cat. 

Truer words have never been spoken

No hint of irony at all here. 

 

Distraction from social leprosy

By Source, Fair use, Link

Fans of Australian television sketch comedy now have a chance to reminisce about the golden years of  July 1992 to October 1993 when The Late Show was broadcast on Saturday nights on the ABC. 

A group of diehard fans of the show have created the Champagne Comedy podcast, in which they discuss their favourite sketches and segments from the show, episode by episode. As the presenters have often observed, the cast often had a prickly relationship with television critics, because the show received some terrible reviews. Most notable among these critics was one who worked for a Melbourne newspaper. 

For some reason I followed his career closely after he regularly started slagging off The Late Show, and the later projects that some former members of the cast made during the late 1990s and early to mid- 2000s. This is why I am able to recall some random examples of this prickly relationship, much to my own amusement, and possibly that of my reader. 

When The Panel, a humorous topical discussion show, first started in 1998, one of the core cast members, including Santo Cilauro, Tom Gleisner, Jane Kennedy, and Rob Sitch, would regularly appear on radio to promote it. In one appearance, Kennedy discussed her recent interview with this newspaper's TV guide. It was her first time hosting the show. The angle of this article was that Kennedy was both excited and nervous about hosting the show because, being a woman, she wasn’t sure that her male colleagues, would allow her to, or that she would be able to handle it. 

Actually, rather than speak to her, the author fabricated the whole story. The first she knew about it was when she saw it published. This was years before the term "fake news" entered the lexicon. She was justifiably offended by this patronising and sexist article. “Ooh, goody. I’m a girl. I get to host,” she said, paraphrasing him. 

Another time he wrote an article where he got Tom Gleisner’s name wrong, calling him “Paul Gleisner."

Fast forward a few years, and this same critic wrote an article listing Australia’s worst TV comedy shows. He mistakenly included Funky Squad, a parody of 1970s cop shows such as Starsky and Hutch, also produced by Cilauro, Gleisner, Kennedy, and Sitch, in this list, claiming that it was so bad, it only lasted seven episodes. The fact of the matter was that it was always intended to be a short run series. The joke could not be stretched out longer than that. 

I have other stuff to think about these days, and my television watching habits have changed, so I don't have the time to closely follow and catalogue the writings of television critics. This podcast is a nice distraction from the daily grind of driving in city traffic. 

http://www.champagnecomedy.com/champagne-comedy-podcast

Please resubmit

This is either a typographical error, or a portmanteau, created by combining the words shock and shlock. Are the ABC's lofty standards slipping?

Aural learning style

As a history buff, I recently discovered the History of World War II podcast, produced and narrated by Ray Harris. Clearly a passion project for him, Harris has produced this podcast since 2012. I am still listening to the early episodes. I commend the presenter for his meticulous research, giving detailed accounts of major events of the war, both on the battlefield and in the corridors of power.

It is also noteworthy that he gives time to minor players who would grow in significance in the years after the war, such as Mao Zedong, who fought against Japanese occupation of China. Most television documentaries usually overlook minor players in the war.

I gather that later episodes are more polished as Harris has grown as a presenter, but in the episodes I have heard, his narration is somewhat monotone, and he has difficulty pronouncing foreign names. The subject matter is still endlessly fascinating, though.

Making history

The education system has done an effective job of making the discipline of history dry and boring. Sarcasm aside, in the right hands, history podcasts can be both informative and entertaining. All it takes is good writing and production, and a trained actor, in this case Paul McGann, to provide narration. Recently, I have been listening to Real Dictators, a podcast series that chronicles the lives of the likes of North Korea's ruling Kim dynasty, Mao Zedong, Adolf Hitler, Benito Mussolini, Joseph Stalin, and Francois Duvalier of Haiti.

Here's some of my impressions on the series so far. Life in North Korea sounds horrible on every measure. The average citizen subsists on meagre food rations, under heavy state oppression. Kim Jong-il, son of Kim il-Sung, was a film buff who liked movies from the capitalist world. He fancied himself as a movie mogul, and oversaw the production of Bulgasari, a Godzilla knockoff monster movie. 

Joseph Stalin was an unusually cruel man, unmoved by ordering the deaths of real and imagined opponents, or millions of innocent Soviet citizens who died as a result of his actions. His second wife committed suicide. His son, Yakov, fought with the Red Army in the Second World War. After he was captured by the Germans, he let his son die rather than negotiate his release. This was partially out of coldness, but also reflective of the Georgian culture Stalin was brought up in. 

Through interviews with historians and first hand accounts, the producers have done an excellent job of fleshing out these evil men. I commend this series to your subscription list. 

By Image:Hitlermusso2 edit.jpg, Link

https://www.noiser.com/realdictators

What is it good for?

My, how time flies. Next month marks 45 years since the end of the Vietnam War. I listened with interest to Carl Robinson, former American journalist and aid worker who worked in Vietnam at the height of the war, discuss his book, The Bite of the Lotus: An Intimate Memoir of the Vietnam War. In this talk, Robinson openly discusses how his traumatic war experiences led to heroin addiction. He is now in a better place in life, living in Australia since 1977, and he now makes a living writing books and running boutique tours to Vietnam.

https://thesydneyinstitute.com.au/blog/the-vietnam-war-a-memoir-carl-robinson/

Commonsense on conspiracy theories

As a Christian, I need constant guidance in practically living out my faith. That's why I am an avid listener of the Core Christianity podcast, updated every weekday. According to its website, Core Christianity is a Christian organisation which aims to:

"answer the hard, unsettling questions of our times with both skeptics and committed Christians in mind. We want to give answers that not only show why Christianity is true, but also why it is good and beautiful. Our message focuses on the core, historic Christian faith. This...is nothing less than the gospel of Jesus Christ for the salvation of the world. It’s the message that all Christians have believed. And we believe it’s the only message that can speak to the struggles of the current generation.

Through articles, events, radio shows, Bible studies, and other discipleship resources, we desire to show the hope that Christianity has offered to generations of people. We believe this same message of hope can speak to the concerns of long-time, committed Christians, new Christians, Christians with wavering faith, and skeptics alike. We want to challenge skeptics and the growing numbers of people leaving the church with answers of substance and beauty, answers that give hope to the hopeless by speaking to the profoundly relevant issues of our day."

Today's episode answered a listener question about Christians who believe in conspiracy theories. To paraphrase, the presenters advised that a Christian should not be distracted by such matters. It may reflect a lack of spiritual maturity on their part. I am glad that they tackled this question with tact and sensitivity.

https://corechristianity.com/resource-library/episodes/how-should-christians-engage-with-conspiracy-theories

Justice deferred and denied

Just over 80 years since the start of the Second World War, Germany has still not fully come to terms with its Nazi past. The documentary podcast, Germany: Justice and Memory, produced by the BBC, examines these issues. Although many prominent Nazi officials were convicted of war crimes, thousands of them never faced justice. Germany used millions of forced laborers during the war, and many of those who survived never received compensation. Some of the corporations that used these laborers never paid out any compensation. It makes for sobering listening.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p07zy24g

Finger on the pulse

It seems to me that critical thinking skills are an important part of lifelong learning. If my observations of social media are accurate, too many people nowadays fall into the trap of only associating with people who think exactly like they do. You need to be deliberate to not fall into this trap yourself.

Listening to podcasts is a great way to hear the ideas and opinions of people you would not normally associate with in person. I am a regular listener to podcasts from the Sydney Institute, which is one of Australia's leading current affairs think tanks. As Australia debates whether or not it needs legislation to protect freedom of religion, a recent dialogue between Senator Kimberley Kitching (ALP, Vic), and the Liberal Party's Tim Wilson, Member for Goldstein, was a valuable contribution to this debate.

In their prepared remarks, Kitching and Wilson both argued their cases well. At these forums, which run to a strict one hour time limit, speakers are allocated 30 minutes, followed by another half hour of questions from the audience. Kitching could benefit from more media training. I have noticed that when she answers questions, she excessively uses the phrase, "I think that..." I noted that she said it 36 times. If she and Wilson were given an an equal amount of time for answering questions, that means that she used it 36 times in 15 minutes.

https://thesydneyinstitute.com.au/blog/religious-freedom-two-views-senator-kimberley-kitching-tim-wilson-mp/

A couple of geezers

Last month I attended a Christian men's convention. It was there that I picked up a promotional flyer for this podcast from Christian Vision for Men (CVM). Based in London, it is a ministry aimed at developing the spiritual growth of Christian men, just as its name implies.

Having listened to a few episodes, it's good content. Some of the other international Christian podcasts I listen to can be too parochial, but you can get something out of this wherever you live in the world. I also like the down to earth style of the hosts. They seem like the sort of blokes you'd hang out and watch Match of the Day or Premier League with.

https://cvm.org.uk/podcasts/

Hmm, fascinating

When you spend enough time in Christian circles, whether it's listening to sermons, or engaging with other Christians on social media, and especially talking to unchurched people, either face to face, or online, you learn how important careful and sound Biblical interpretation is. A friend of mine told me about the Naked Bible podcast, hosted by scholar, Mike Heiser.

Having listened to a couple of episodes, it certainly gives me a lot to chew on, and also reminds me that the Bible is an inexhaustible treasure. Learning and applying it properly is a lifelong pursuit.

http://www.nakedbiblepodcast.com/

Productive use of one's time

Anybody who attended Sunday school in their childhood is probably familiar with the story of Jonah. He was an Old Testament prophet who God called to preach repentance to the people of the city of Nineveh, capital of Assyria. Rather than obeying God's commands, he boards a ship to Tarshish, which is in the opposite direction to Nineveh. The ship is caught in a storm, and the crew casts lots and determine that Jonah is the problem. They throw him overboard, and he is swallowed by a great fish. He spends 3 days and 3 nights in its belly, repents of his sin to God, and the fish spits him out on dry land. When he reaches the city, he preaches the message that God gave him. The entire city repents and turns to God. However, rather than being pleased, Jonah complains to God about this. He is angry that rather than destroying the Ninevites, God showed them compassion. Jonah humbly learns his lesson when God uses a wind, a plant, and a worm to teach him that He is merciful.

Here I partially draw on the thoughts of  Dr Phil Fernandes of the Institute of Biblical Defense. As an aside, apparently in Biblical times a whale was considered to be a fish and not an aquatic mammal. The sea creature that swallowed Jonah after he was thrown overboard is described as a "great fish." Some critics who question the veracity of the Jonah story hold that it is impossible for a human being to be swallowed by a fish and survive for any length of time inside its stomach. Dr Fernandes referred to a story of a nineteenth century whaler being swallowed by a whale. The whale was later caught, and the man cut of its stomach. He was still alive, but his skin was bleached white and bodily hair dissolved from its stomach acids. I don't know if this story is true. Even so, Jesus referred to Jonah (Matthew 12:39-42, Luke 11:29-32). Jesus must be taken at his word, so therefore it must have happened. Jonah's experience symbolically  foreshadowed Jesus's death and resurrection.

Jonah shows us the consequences of disobeying God. God gave Jonah a clear command, but he disobeyed it. In the end, after he repented, God gave him a second chance. In the same way, He will also give a second chance to truly repentant disobedient Christians. Too many Christians these days take their salvation for granted, and think that God is obligated to forgive their sins, so they can live however they like. While it's impossible for us to live sinless lives on this side of eternity, the Holy Spirit enables us to live lives that honour God, and we cannot do that in our own power. We should live each day in humble reliance upon His grace and mercy.

Please explain

Lately, at least partially in reaction to my recent encounter with a Jehovah's Witness, I've been listening to a series of podcasts from the Institute of Biblical Defense on the deity of Jesus Christ. The Institute is an apologetics ministry based in Washington state in the United States. If you're a Christian who wants to learn more about the key doctrines of your faith, then these podcasts are a great resource. If you can get past the bad sound quality, you'll find some meaty teaching there.

The deity of Jesus Christ is one of the essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Believing that God became a man and lived among humanity, ultimately sacrificing his life to break the curse of sin, which made it possible for humanity to reconcile with God, is what makes a Christian a Christian. Without it, Christianity is useless and has nothing to offer anybody.

In theology, you cannot feasibly build a doctrine around a single verse of Scripture. Christ's death and resurrection is an essential part of how he proved that he was God, and there are numerous passages that provide satisfactory proof to the diligent reader that this actually happened, for example, John 20: 24-28.

The section of the gospel of John tells us of how Thomas, one of the disciples, responded when the other disciples came to him with the news that Jesus was alive. Thomas was a broken man. He had spent three years of his life following Jesus, and it had cost him everything. He mourned deeply over the loss of his friend, and wanted to be alone. The other disciples came to him saying, "We have seen the Lord."

Thomas replied, "Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my fingers where the nails were, and put my hands into his side, I will not believe it."

Imagine his astonishment when Jesus came to Thomas and invited him to touch his wounds. He suddenly realized that it was true. Jesus had risen from the dead, just as he said he would. Overcome with emotion at this awesome miracle, he cried out to Jesus, "My Lord and my God!" You can find similar confessions elsewhere in John's gospel in John 1:34, 1:49, 4:42, 9:33, 35-38, 11:27, and 16:30.

What does Thomas's confession mean? My friends in the Watchtower Society try to explain this away as Thomas expressing astonishment, but this is not consistent with the text, and it is unlikely that as a devout Jew, Thomas would speak like that, taking God's name in vain. Clearly he is making a statement of faith in Jesus as his Lord and God; one of the most powerful affirmations that an apostle made of Jesus as God. Since this gospel was originally written in Greek, John uses the titles Kurios and Theos. These are equivalent to the Hebrew names Yahweh and Elohim, which in the Jewish mindset are understood to be names and titles of God.

>As John explains a few verses later (20:30), he wants all of his readers to confess Jesus as their Lord and God in the same way that Jesus did. As John makes clear in the prologue of his gospel (1:1, 14, 18), his purpose in writing was to show that Jesus is Messiah and God. If you want to deny these facts, you have the formidable task of explaining away reams of Bible passages, and beliefs that Christians have held since the beginnings of the church in the first century AD.