The Christian Carnival is back at DF&C and it’s a big one. There were 33 entries this time (not “over 40″ as I originally counted, as some were duplicates), and international in scope. Sorry for the delay in getting this out, but I’ve been slammed with work, and as I said in my updates, I suddenly had my host delete important files off my server. Nice. Anyway, just like the last time I hosted the Carnival, I once again haven’t had time to do any meaningful blogging. So, instead of contributing something that could even remotely be labeled “original” like I should have, I’m going to do something terribly unoriginal and comment about everyone else’s posts. Maybe. Also, I’m going to pull an old post out of the recycle bin, because, well, that’s all I’ve got for now. One thing I will say, however, is that several people did change their minds about which posts they wanted to submit. As a favor to all future hosters of the Carnival, please try not to do that. It’s difficult to keep up with all the changes. In some cases I made the change, and in others, I just didn’t have the time. What you sent to ChristWeb was forwarded to me, and I used that.

As clearly stated by the Roman numerals above (thank God for the invention of zero), this is 43rd iteration of the Christian Carnival. As such, I felt I was providentially granted a unique choice of “themes”: 1) President Bush, now reelected is the 43rd President, 2) prime numbers, of which 43 is one, 3) the border that separates Canada and the U.S. is the 43rd parallel (UPDATE: wrong parallel, but oh well. I did know this, but my fact checking was sloppy this time around. Ignore my references to Canada.). After carefully considering the matter, I thought I’d help the “healing” process for all those who need therapy that No. 43 got reelected and avoid a “Presidential” theme. I also figured that since some of the Carnival contributors are Canadians, I would therefore refrain from discussing Canada/U.S. relations, as that is bound to go “south” rather quickly. All that was left was prime numbers. But, I have to get up early, so I’m not going to create a theme about prime numbers. Instead, I’ve decided to take it less literally and consider that when a man or a woman is 43 years old, it is considered by some that they are in their “prime”. So, in the spirit of middle age, of which this Carnival could now be considered at #43, I call this: “Christian Carnival XLIII: In Our Prime.”

I know, it’s silly. Now, on to the Carnival!

Society & Culture

• Rodney of The Journey shares with us his thoughts about Christian Bloggers and the difference between blogging about faith issues, and blogging about the perspective our faith gives us.

• Holding court at Admiral Quixote’s Roundtable, Don brings us a very interesting “Discussion between Pro-Choice Catholic and Pro-Life Protestant”.

  Me, I’m a pragmatist, but a “pro-responsibility” one. I think that since we live in a pluralistic society, you can’t get everything you want. As such, I’d be willing to compromise and say that every woman could get one “get out of jail free card”, i.e., one abortion, no questions asked. After that, they are educated, they take classes, etc., and it goes on a encrypted medical database that they’ve had an abortion. After that, they don’t get another one, except for the standard exceptions: rape, incest, life of the mother, etc. That way, pro-choicers get some access, but don’t get to use it for birth control, like they’re doing now. Pro-lifers don’t get a complete ban, but get some stringent limitations on it.

• Violet Nesdoly of promptings, a newcomer to the Carnival asks “Gay Nuptials - What WOULD Jesus Do?” She is responding to an article written by a reporter at the Toronto Sun, with whom she disagreed, but needed more time to sort out her opinion, which she did!

• True to her name, Elle of IntolerantElle exposes the March of Dimes for their stance on abortion and fetal tissue research, and thus, won’t give them a lousy plug nickel!

• Aaron rants away on Aaron’s Rantblog, and I for one, am glad for it. In his post, “Jews for Jesusland”, he quotes Dennis Prager at length about the three ideologies currently competing for world dominance, and how the Judeo-Christian/Capitalist one isn’t doing so well.

  I’m not so sure I’m for Jesusland as current fundamentalist evangelicals believe it to be (here’s why), which is their own “Land of Israel”, but in Aaron’s rantwords: “I‚Äôll take Jesusland over Chomskyland, Burkastan or the Dhimmicratic People‚Äôs Republic of France any day.” Amen, brother.

Politics & Legislation

• In his post “Blame the Republicans? No, This Time It’s the Christians” Nick Queen of Patriot Paradox, nice guy and founder of the Christian Carnival, shows us how Christians are now the reviled enemy of the Left because we were decisive in reelecting No. 43.

  Ah, secular liberals. Sigh. What a bunch of dumkopfen, right? They can’t admit that Kerry was a loser of a candidate, nor can they admit that they don’t have a meaningful metanarrative that the majority of Americans want to subscribe to, so they have to rationalize the whole thing and blame Christians because we, for the first time in our toothless lives, turned off Bible TV, stopped raping our underage cousin while singing “Hallelujah”, and got out of our dilapidated trailers just long enough to go down to the VFW and vote, stopping only to get in a good rebel yell at the book-burning, gay-bashing, negro-lynching town meeting on the way in. That HAS to be the reason. As for me, I have to say that I wish the Republicans could come up with a little bit better candidate.

• Diane over at Crossroads (and fellow Glendale Presbyterian Church member) writes about mindless Christian support of Bush and the neo-cons in her post “Day Before‚ÄîLast Thoughts”.

  Good post. I personally don’t agree with all of it, but that’s what makes the blogosphere so great, no?

• Having names that are very similar also lent itself to similar post material as Dick Cleary of Viewpoint discusses how the Left is now scared to death of “Those Horrid Christians”, not unlike Nick Queen did previously.

  But, Cleary has got a very different set of source material, so be sure to stop by and check out his take on it.

• Phil of Another Man’s Meat writes about the sincerity of the Democrats call to recapture “religious language” in “In Order to Be Sincere, You Must First Really Be Sincere”. In the “aftermath” of the election Democratic strategists are saying that they need to develop a strategy to recapture the language of religion in order to get votes. It’s a strategy that says, “capture the language and you’ll capture the ideas and the voters.” It’s a strategy that Phil maintains will not work because “in order to be sincere you must first really be sincere.”

  I’ve been laughing about this too, because their whole goal in using “religious language” is to make inroad for the Party, not because it’s actually meaningful to them. If it were, they would have already been using this kind of language. Here’s my take on this issue, in a general sense.

• In “A Christian Nation?” Mark Sides of Sidesspot thoughtfully takes another look at the Sojourners statement on the Christian respose to violence and the War on Terror, and their rejection of America as a Christian nation.

  With much of his post I heartily agree.

• Notes in the Key of Life author Cindy Swanson, who changed her mind on me thinking that somehow because a woman can change her mind means she should change her mind (wink wink), has some pointed words about the passing of Dr. Richard Ragsdale, Rockford’s only practicing abortion doctor.

• David Mobley from A Physicist’s Perspective delves further into the “moral values” issue that defeated the Left in the recent Presidential election.

• In “Christians and Blue Counties”, Jeremy Pierce, a.k.a. Parableman thoughtfully examines regional demographics in light of the election, and rightfully claims that Christians in “red” states and “red” counties might do well to move to heavily “blue” parts of the country, so their good influence could be used to bring the gospel to those places.

  As always, great post. Having a job that is dominated by “blue” people, and living in a blue community, in a blue city, in a blue state, I can say that it’s much harder work to be a Christian that is worth taking a second look at, but it keeps you honest, that’s for sure. Sometimes, however, I wouldn’t mind a little red here and there. But alas, I don’t think that’s in the cards for me. Just a hunch.

• Jay at DeoOmnisGloria (=”To God (be) All Glory”) writes “Not Arlen Specter: Another Fight for Pro-Lifers”. Senator Arlen Specter is in line to become the next Chairman of the Judiciary Committee, which is a problem for the pro-life movement. How can we stop the pro-abortion Specter? This post explains what to do.

• At Weapons of Mass Distraction, Derek examines in “The Bottom Line” that Democrats don’t understand why they’ve lost Middle America, because to the liberal mind, any worldview built on a foundation of faith in a transcendant God is utterly irrational. Therefore they can’t believe anyone actually lives that way, and why they feel justified in saying so in such condescending terms.

Philosophy & Theology

• Charley of Another Think writes compellingly about “Mystery and Materialism”, and how the materialism of the Enlightenment left we in the West wanting, despite our best projections of it’s ultimate redemptive power. But the material is not enough. It must be understood through faith.

  Faith, which was the retarded older brother of the Enlightenment long since put in the philosophical sanitorium, has made a ironic comeback, no? Sort of like “Duddits” in Dreamcatcher. You think he’s “a little slow” and can’t be trusted to tie his shoelaces without burning the house down, but it turns out he’s the guy who was put here to save the world against an evil alien invasion. Well, something like that. All this to say, nice piece. Anyone who quotes Kierkegaard generously gets my vote.

• In his post, “The Spiritual Man - And What’s My Soul For, Anyway?”, Douglas Bass from Belief Seeking Understanding comments on Watchman Nee’s book “The Spiritual Man”.

  I’ve always wondered: What the heck kind of a name is “Watchman” anyway?

• TheBloke from …in the outer… examines “The Heart of the Commandments”. Can the “rich” enter the kingdom of Heaven? Some things to consider about the Parable of the Rich Young Ruler.

• Darren of Nicene Theology explores the doctrine of inerrancy in “Inerrancy and the Precision of Language”. What is the definition of the doctrine of biblical inerrancy, and do inerrantists and anti-interrantists use the same definition? My position is that one’s biblical theology hinges on language and its practical value to a hearing (and reading) audience; and so imprecise language leads to confusion and error, to which we have all been witness. If one calls his or her view “inerrancy,” he or she must really mean it.

  Excellent post. Getting in a doctrinal discussion with Jollyblogger is a stimulating enterprise, and I take Darren’s view, that inerrancy as it is currently understood as absolute technical precision is a caricature of what the Reformers intended to describe. First, language itself is human, and as such, technically imperfect, despite the heavenliness some fundamentalists ascribe to the ancient Greek. Secondly, technical perfect is unnecessary, in my opinion, for many of the same reasons I outlined in my post on epistemological certainty, which ironically was in response to a post by Jollyblogger!

• In his post “Further rumination on sola Scriptura”, Scott, The Crusty Curmudgeon, follows up on some of the comments he received by a Catholic blogger on his last Carnival entry on the authority and sufficiency of Scripture.

  This is what the blogosphere is all about. Two sides respectfully debating their points. As an aside, I think a funny but otherwise geeky and esoteric reality show or game show would be a face-off doctrinal battle of wits. Kind of like Jepoardy, but contestants spar with each other directly. The winner of each battle gets a dorky prize, the loser gets electroshocked.

• In “Rightly Dividing The Word of Truth” Catholic blogger Funky Dung of Ales Rarus queries an Evangelical Christian talk show host he listens to daily that frequently refers to 2 Timothy 2:16 when he describes some belief as unscriptural. Funky emailed him to discover why his interpretations should be trusted more than others. He is (politely) challenging sola scriptura and asking his Protestant readers to respond.

• Brad Hightower, blogmeister at 21st Century Reformation writes about his “Passion for the Sovereignty of God”, describing the experience of pain, forgiveness, and God’s intentions in our personal history.

  You and Maximus Swift (see below) should get together. Other than that, here’s something you might enjoy that’s anthropological in nature. Religious anthropology was my almost Ph.D. just a few years back, before I got kicked in the gut (again) by life. Anyway, that’s just my way of saying “Yo.”

• DF&C Recycled Post for the Week: “Can We Know The Truth - Redoublededux”. An examination into what I think are the flaws of the post-modern need for “epistemological certainty”, and why.

Church Life & Polity

• At Cosmo’s Call we hear about the fall of Paul Cain in “Paul Cain Plunges - Joyner Sends Mixed Message”.

  All I’ve got to say is: “Not many of you should become teachers, my brothers and sisters, for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness…” (Ja. 3:1)

• “Should Churches Ever Excommunicate Members?” asks Dr. Ray Pritchard from Crosswalk Blog? You be the judge.

  In the church where I grew up, we only excommunicated one person for exactly the reasons specified. She even agreed with the decision. To my knowledge, however, she has never repented or come back to any church. Was the decision correct or not correct? Time will tell, I suppose.

• At Living Catholicism, Jay reflects upon “Preparing for the Holiday Season”, offering thoughtful and practical advice for keeping the focus on the real meaning of the Holiday season.

Reflections on Current Events

• William Meshied of Beyond the Rim shares with us “Some Thoughts On A Fallujah Tuesday”. It is a musing on why people put their life on the line in dangerous circumstances and why we Christains seem to shrink back from such commitments.

  Well said, as usual.

• Over at Reasons Why, Sozo declares that “God Always Wins”. He takes a look at God’s sovereignty and our response in light of the recent election.

Personal Reflections

• Joy over at Karagraphy writes about seeing the aurora borealis for the first time in “Bare Branches Against Stars”.

  My father lived in Alaska and when I was 11 (a long time ago), I remember him coming into my room one Christmas visit and telling me I absolutely had to come outside. I looked up, and I saw the most magnificent aurora I’ve ever seen in my life, and which I later read is still one of the most vibrant ever seen in the Northern Hemisphere. It was absolutely breathtaking. Joy’s experience rings to very true to me: “So there I sprawled on the bench by the riverbank, completely captivated by the synaesthetic symphony I was hearing with my eyes.”

• In her post “Lighting Up The Darkness”, Catez from NZ, author of Allthings2all leads us down the dark paths in the city she took on Guy Fawkes night just recently. She vividly describes her encounters with Goths, prostitutes, homeless and drugged out teenagers as they weave in and out of various parts of the city, looking for the lost.

  I wonder what we in America would do if we had redlight districts? My guess is that we would freak out completely, our heads would spin off, there would be mass hysteria, and we’d all grab our guns and head into the bomb shelter because we’d think Armageddon would be here. OK, maybe that’s an exaggeration, but not by much.

• Maximus Swift, most certainly a Vessel of Honor, writes about his unbelievable travails over the last 5 years in the first of a series of posts entitled: “A Dark and Stormy Night”.

  This is an absolute must-read. I can so relate to this. I had a period of about a decade where absolutely nothing went my way, every blessing was followed by a curse, and I thought God had left me to the wolves, with everyone around me saying it was my fault. I talked about it very briefly here (the long version is quite troubling). Even though those years are over, in some ways I’m still not recovered from them, and am still waiting for God to restore life to some of my inner valleys of dry bones. Hang in there, dude.

• Dawn Xianna Moon from Randomness relates the second part of her “Adventures in Canada” (Part II).

  I’ve been to Windsor several times, if you can’t believe it. I’ve done quite a bit of work on theatrical videos for Nissan at the Detroit Auto Show, and we usually stay in Windsor. In the middle of winter. There’s an Irish pub near downtown that’s got some great food. The river walks are nice, but usually covered in slush when I’m there. Probably better that way, because I can’t image Detroit in summer being such a lovely river front view.

• From far north in the beautiful Yukon, regular contributor Rebecca of Rebecca Writes shares her everyday musings, this time about “What to Do When Someone You Know Dies”. People often feel at a loss as to what they should do to express their sympathy to the loved ones left behind when someone dies, so this post is a list of helpful things to do. It’s an open list that already includes suggestions gleaned from commenters along with my original suggestions, and there’s always room for more suggestions.

  Excellent post. Sometimes it’s hard to know what to do in the moment, especially if you didn’t know the person so well.

Arts & Creativity

• Leo Wong from Notes offers a Java Applet entitled “Crosses”.

• Donald Crankshaw of Back of the Envelope is hosting the 5th Storyblogging Carnival, and while not explicitly Christian, there are a number of stories here with strong Christian themes, notably Sheya Joie’s The Child, Robin Jones’s Cast Out, and Donald’s own still nameless story. Go support the carnivals, and make sure you mention the Storyblogging Carnival in any posts about Carnival of the Carnivals. This is a great way to support budding writers!