189 Pentecost 13: A True Brother

Aug 28, 2023

"In the day when I cried out, You answered me, and made me bold with strength in my soul." ~ Psalm 138

**Artwork:** **Joseph visits Goshen** **Artist: @Jonathan**

A True Brother

Knowledge is the idea of our understanding things to be the way that they are. Existence is the actual state of things, i.e. the way that they actually are.

This is the distinction between epistemology and ontology, two very Greek-English words that have nothing and everything to do with the spiritual battle going on in our corrupt and collapsing neo-gnostioplatonic society. The two-sided coin of the one world religion has seeded a season of deep distrust and the weeds growing up from it have choked our ability to tell the difference between our dreams and reality.

Science is not the key to understanding the universe. Understanding the universe is the key to science. Knowledge without reality is worse than nothing. It’s a God-damned lie.

Christianity has no burden of proof. We need not answer the fool, whether to the left or to the right. We reign and the demons tremble.

He has called you “friend.”

Embrace the pain. It is better to suffer as a Christian than to burn with ignorance. The religion of the antichrist is a cult of stupidity. Folly pulls her own house down. Stand aside and sing a prayer. Mercy comes every morning.

Christianity always overcomes.

Till angel cry and trumpet sound,
The Mad Christian

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Clickbait Paradise

In this edition of Mad Mondays:

A place for grief
Words per minute

And then on to our round up of news for you!

Mourning with those who mourn

President Biden visited the fire-ravaged Hawaiian town of Lāhainā last week but it seems some would rather he hadn't. The President has become known for including stories from his life in his speeches and amidst the destruction, he stuck to his usual formula. While recalling a personal experience can often make you more relatable, the President clearly needs a few pointers on how to comfort those who are grieving.

Websites giving advice supporting those who are bereaved will tell you that talking about yourself is not very helpful. "The truth is, there is no way to know how that person feels about their loss. Loss is so personal, and the effort to relate inevitably comes off as superficial." Even Job’s friends saved their diagnosing for a while – “They sat down with him on the ground seven days and seven nights, and no one spoke a word to him, for they saw that his grief was very great.”

It is a bleak fact of life in this fallen world, that you never really get past grief. Although the American cultural norms assume that grief works through a process and is finite, that is a myth. Grief is experienced less in a line, more in waves and every situation is different. Loss at the death of a loved one is "disruptive and bewildering" in a different way than the chronic sorrow of mourning a loved one who is changed by sickness or disability. Grieving for a place that is transformed forever or a home that you can never recover, presents its own unique distress, as folks in Lāhainā well know.

Grief is not really a journey and it can’t be rushed, but it can be a gift. Knowing that our Savior collects our tears in a bottle, that he was acquainted with grief and that one day soon, he will wipe away every tear can help us bear up under the weight of grief. The Holy Spirit also assures us of these promises, that we may comfort those who are grieving. The only way out may be through, but you are never alone.

Talking fast and slow

Do people tell you that you speak too fast? Or perhaps too slow? (Maybe they just give you a ‘hurry up’ by finishing your sentences instead?) While there are a lot of factors that lead to folk’s preferred wpm (words per minute), a new article by English professors Chris Palmer and Michelle Devereaux says cleverness is not one of them.

Palmer and Devereaux found that the rate of speech differs across languages and even within them (New Zealanders are the fastest among English speakers.) In the US, the stereotype of the slow-talking Southerner and the syllable-slinging Northerner or Midwesterner does not always hold true. Men often speak more quickly than women and humans speak slowest when at the beginning and end of our lifespan.

Contrary to TV stereotypes, Palmer and Devereaux are adamant that our speech is not connected to intelligence. But as Proverbs shows, it is connected to wisdom. Whether we speak fast or slow, choosing when to speak and what to say, being economical with our words and taming our tongue are the way of maturity. As St James exhorts his readers, if you seek godliness, start with your words!

Odds and Ends

Politics

Former president Donald Trump went to Georgia to turn himself in on state felony charges that he conspired to overturn the 2020 election. Mr Trump had a mug shot taken and was released on bail. Fulton County prosecutor Fani Willis is seeking a speedy trial with a date set for October. House Republicans have launched an investigation into Willis, saying the timing of the prosecution is politically motivated to ruin Trump’s presidential run. (AP, The Hill)

Eight presidential hopefuls were present for the first GOP debate, with no real agreement on who emerged as the winner. Here are some links to two different takes: (BBC, Washington Examiner)

Space X is being sued by the Department of Justice amid claims it overlooked refugees and asylum seekers for positions at the company. Elon Musk described the legal action as “yet another case of weaponization” of the Department of Justice on the part of the Administration saying that Space X has been abiding by national security protocols which are designed to stop foreign agents from accessing critical technology. (ABC News, ZeroHedge)

Marriage, sex, children and chess?

South Carolina's Supreme Court has upheld a pro-life bill which bans abortion after a heartbeat can be detected. This occurred after the Court struck down a similar law just a few months ago. Indiana’s Supreme Court has refused to rehear a case against the state’s pro-life laws. A “near-total abortion ban” will take affect shortly. Way to go, Supremes! (The Blaze, AP)

A Maryland judge has rejected atheist, Christian, Jewish, Muslim, and other parents requests to opt their kids out of an LGBTQ book curriculum. District Judge Deborah Boardman said that using the books in ways that "encourage tolerance for different views and lifestyles" did not rise to the level of "indoctrination". (Daily Signal)

A trial court in Missouri has upheld the state's ban on transgender treatments for children including cross-sex hormones and puberty blockers. The court said evidence around the effectiveness of such regimens was “conflicting and unclear”. (Daily Signal)

The world's governing body for chess has enacted a ban on trans-identified men playing against women. Progressive media cried "Bigotry!" and some Western chess bodies have vowed to ignore the rules. The announcement is subject to "further analysis" but for now, we'll chalk it up as a win. It may be that there is no advantage for a man over a woman in a game of chess, as is more obvious in physical sports, yet one commentator put it well: "Chess players are all about logic. They’re about critical thinking. They like things being black and white. I mean, look at the board." Yep, clear thinkers know that men and women are not the same. (OutSports, Outkick)

Medicine and health

With news that a fresh covid variant is on the loose, a few colleges are reinstating mask mandates for the Fall term. Some media outlets are hoping that this time around will be less hysterical and that people will use common sense to decide when to use them. While lots of studies have shown that masks do little to stop the spread of this airborne virus, diehards maintain that true masking has never been done. Or at least, if only everyone wore their mask right, we'd be apples. (Not the Bee, The Week, New York Post)

The Biden administration has kicked off its $5bn program to develop "next-generation" covid vaccines. (Axios)

Scientists have used brain implants, enhanced with AI to allow paralyzed people to communicate using their thoughts. (Nature)

"How Modernity made us Allergic": Immunologist says many chronic health problems can be linked to poor gut biome. (Noema)

Economy, banks and markets

The BRICs nations (Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa), currently holding a summit in Johannesburg, are looking to move away from the US dollar to form an alternative trading network. The plan involves ramping up trade between BRICs partners with a potential common digital currency to roll out at a later stage. It's hard to know what that all means, but it represents a large shift away from the US dollar’s dominance of world markets. One Twitter user warned: "Hedge accordingly.” For us, that will involve being on our knees, living simply and knowing that with Jesus, there are no emergencies. The bloc has also invited six more nations to join them, including Saudi Arabia and Iran. (Silk Road Briefing, Twitter, NBC)

Several fast food chains are considering doing away with cash sales altogether. (The Hill)

A Johns Hopkins’ professor gives his first impressions of the eyeball-scanning plans of World Coin. (Cryptography Engineering)

Climate and natural world

The future of shipping may be..sails? It is hoped that a cargo ship retrofitted with "windwings" will reduce its use of fossil fuel. So everything old is new again? Not quite. As one Twitter user noted, the constraints of climate dogma mean they skipped over the step where they try nuclear first. (PopSci, Twitter)

Human rights watchers say that the US obsession with Net Zero climate targets is inflicting harm on the world's poor. The demand for cobalt to manufacture high-tech devices is being met largely by countries such as the Democratic Republic of Congo. In the Congo, workers (including children) face dangerous conditions and long hours. Paul Driessen, from the Committee For A Constructive Tomorrow, says those who "lavishly fund" climate crisis campaigns should help abolish this “modern day slavery”. Without effort on the part of Western corporations, there will be "no such thing as ethically-produced cobalt.” (Cornwall Alliance, Electronics 360)

Rules, rules: The Department of Energy wants to introduce stricter efficiency standards for ceiling fans and the US Department of Agriculture is considering recommending no more than two alcoholic drinks per week for Americans. (Fox, Reason)

San Francisco’s autonomous vehicles are creating more havoc, this time getting in the way of fire trucks. (The Hustle)

Science

India's Chandrayaan-3 space lander has successfully touched down near the moon's south pole. The pole, which is always in shadow, features difficult terrain but has been a coveted location for exploring. Russia's lander was aiming for the same place, but malfunctioned and flamed out last week. This fresh space race seems to be motivated by the desire to secure mining rights. (Wired, PopSci))

Scientists say they have developed a way to reprogram adult stem cells. (Free Think)

The Mad Tank launches THIS WEEK!

To receive Thursday editions from our wonderful group of guest writers, sign up as one of our Insiders. Apart from supporting this publication, you will have access to comments sections and receive everything we send out. The Mad Tank will feature thought-provoking writing from Rev Fisk, Dr Koontz, Pastor Steenbock and others, to inspire, encourage, challenge and equip you to stand upon the ruins of this decaying age, full of hope in Christ!

Technology

Vitalik Buterin, founder of cryptocurrency Ethereum has looked under the hood at X's (Twitter) Community Notes feature. Pulling apart the algorithm, he concludes that even though it doesn't catch every piece of misinformation, it is a great way "to remind people that multiple perspectives exist." (Vitalik)

Playstation will release a handheld version of its console later this year. (Venture Beat)

The internet is forever? WordPress now offers 100-year plans for domains. (PC)

A question: If AI became conscious, how would we know? (Science)

Religion and the church

The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of San Francisco has filed for bankruptcy after being hit with more than 500 sexual abuse cases. (CNN)

Founder of Hillsong church, Brian Houston, has been found not guilty of concealing his father's sexual abuse of children. (WNG)

Stories from far away

The head of Wagner mercenary group, Yevgeny Prigozhin, has reportedly died in a plane crash. The Kremlin has denied that it had any part in the accident. But you may remember that Prigozhin sent tanks into Moscow earlier this year in what was reported as an attempted coup against President Putin of Russia . Although Putin said Prigozhin had been "involved in oil, gas, precious metals and stones" in Africa, the Wagner group had been recruiting new members. (Wired, Fox, NBC)

The Netherlands and Denmark have said they will donate F16 fighter jets to Ukraine once pilot training is complete. (The Guardian)

China has blocked US computer giant Intel from buying an Israeli chipmaking company. (LinkedIn)

Dr. Jordan Peterson has been ordered to undergo re-education training by a Canadian court. Peterson had been told by Canada's governing body for psychologists that he would have to go woke if he wanted to keep his registration, but he refused. (The Blaze)

The largest and most high-tech search for the famous monster in Scotland's Loch Ness gets underway this weekend. (BBC)

John Michael Jones Gets a Life is produced for Mad ⳩ Mondays by E. Darwin Hartshorn. Episodes can also be found on Tuesday, along with previous episodes, on Bunny Trail Junction at bunny-trail.com.

Quick Hits for the Eyebuds

⏰ An alarm clock made using songs with times in their titles

🏎️ The most pricey supercars in the world

🏎️ The story behind a huge pit in downtown Chicago

📽️ Pre-Powerpoint: The glory of the 1980s corporate slideshow

🦒 Plain Jane: A spotless giraffe born in Tennessee zoo

📁 Every file type has a story. The history of the PDF is “pretty darn fascinating”

🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿 What a Welsh bog snorkeling competition looks like

A Good Word: Links from the Show Notes

This week's Stop the White Noise was chock full of great conversation. Some of the resources mentioned by the Fisks were:

Rev Fisk’s presentation, “A Sincere Faith”.
Psalm 37 and Jeremiah 17 to give words to pray when we are overwhelmed with insecurity in the face of tragedy or evil.
In addition to regular Sons of Solomon prayers, Rev Fisk nominated some extra Psalms he’s added into the mix: 23, 91 and 121.
Complex PTSD by Pete Walker.

Sweetness You May Have Missed

This Week Preached: Coat of Many Colors 2

Podcast Release: BHoP#157 Border Wars Part II

Let us pray: Almighty God, whom to know is everlasting life, grant us to know Your Son, Jesus, to be the way, the truth, and the life that we may boldly confess Him to be the Christ and steadfastly walk in the way that leads to life eternal; through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.