Malcolm Muggeridge once said that there is nothing quite like sport for producing unsportsmanlike behaviour. Serena Williams’ contribution to that aphorism occurred at the US Open when she apparently told the line judge – this is the expurgated version – “If I could, I would take this ball and shove it down your throat and kill you”
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XlWoVY0-WHc]
During Wimbledon 2007, the Emmanuel Church of Wimbledon Village had this sign outside the church:
As I type this, the 2009 US open semi-finals are yet to be played; Federer will be playing Djokovic. Whatever the outcome, there is little doubt that Roger Federer is among the greatest tennis players ever.
I don’t know why Emmanuel church put what they did on their sign other than to say, perhaps, that God does good work when he creates a human in his image, free to love, sacrifice, create and achieve. But obviously an atheist can’t say that. For that rare specimen, the logically consistent atheist, the best he would be able to come up with would be:
Natural selection accidentally produced a mechanism that, with its evolutionary spring fully wound, had the strength, agility and determination (mechanistically determined determination, of course) to hit a small piece of rubber over a net better than the naturally selected competition. Not very exciting for a tennis fan.
I’ll stick with “God made Roger Federer”.
There are few things that I find less motivating than a motivational speaker and there is no motivational speaker that can provoke a stronger desire in me to do the opposite of what is being peddled than Anthony Robbins.
In one of Robbins’ latest endeavours, the use of other people’s tragedies to hawk his brand of self-stimulating vacuous ambition sets a new low even for motivational speakers:
[youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kX1O1x5M07I]
The word “philanthropy” is derived from Greek, philanthropos, meaning “to love people”.
The word was favoured in the Hellenistic period by pagan moralists and is normally used now to describe the humanitarian act of giving a significant sum of money to a worthy cause by a person who owns an unusually large quantity of it. Thus, Bill Gates qualifies as a philanthropist since he donates some of his personal fortune to good works, whereas Bono does not since he devotes much of his spare time preaching at others in the hope of making philanthropists of them.
In contrast, 2 Cor 9:7, God loves a cheerful giver uses dotēs for giver; the emphasis is as much on the giver as the recipient. Everyone should give, no matter how small the gift. The theme of giving is a ubiquitous one in the Bible: as God has given to us, so we should give back to God and to others. The lesson of the widow’s mite (Mark 12: 41-44) is that the smallest gift given sacrificially is of more significance than largesse born of abundance.
Philanthropy is an entirely different kettle of fish: it originated in the pagan world and has been adopted by modern humanism; what matters is how much is given – the bigger the better. It is not a particularly Christian concept; this is probably seen as an advantage by the Anglican Church of Canada who, no doubt, would find a biblically inspired title such as Director of Tithing cringingly embarrassing. Director of Philanthropy, however, is rather cool in a Bono sort of way:
Holland Lee Hendrix, who has served as chief advancement officer at Hampshire College in Massachusetts and as president of the New York-based Union Theological Seminary, has been named executive director of philanthropy, a new position created by General Synod.
Archdeacon Michael Pollesel, general secretary of the national office in Toronto, said that Mr. Hendrix “brings to the position all the needed gifts and skills to help the Anglican Church of Canada achieve a level of financial stability that will enable it to carry out the vital mission and ministry to which we are called in this new era.”
My rendition of an old John Renbourn tune.
Toronto is bidding to host the 2014 “pride” parade:
TORONTO, September 10, 2009 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Promoters of Toronto’s sordid annual homosexual “pride” parade are upping the ante with a bid to have the city host World Pride in 2014.
“We believe that hosting World Pride 2014 in Toronto will engage and inspire people from around the world, be a fabulous celebration of Pride and showcase Toronto as one of the most diverse and accepting cities in the world,” wrote Pride Toronto co-chair Mark Singh in a Pride Toronto press release.
Singh claims that this summer’s homosexual festival, held during the city’s garbage collection strike which filled parks and streets with rotting refuse, “attracted 1.3 million people” and generated “$100 million in business.”
From the city’s perspective, this is all about money and power. In 2009, $400,000 of taxpayer’s money was donated to fill the streets with moral decay, seemingly in an effort to outdo the stink of the physical decay from the rotting garbage. Erstwhile respectable companies – TD Canada Trust and IBM for example – vied with each other in their efforts to make money from the “GLBT community” and trendy leftist politicians marched in solidarity with cavorting degenerates in order to gain a few votes. Having no moral direction or self respect, capitalism and democracy grovel before the altar of Baal; they can’t last much longer, surely.
St. Simon’s Anglican Church in Oakville is located opposite Sheridan College, which gives it a unique opportunity to witness to the many students who walk past every day. To this end, St. Simon’s, home of the local school of Wicca for budding Harry Potters has the following message on both sides of its parish sign.
Of course, the diocese is in desperate need of filthy lucre to fund rather expensive lawsuits against Christians in the three parishes that voted to leave the diocese and align with the Province of the Southern cone. Hence we have the Gospel of Cheap Parking.
At the same time that Spotted Dick is being renamed “Spotted Richard” to avoid giving the Flintshire County Council an attack of the vapours, we have this from the UN:
Children as young as five should be taught about explicit sex acts, according to guidelines from the United Nations.
The advice also calls for youngsters to learn about abortion, same-sex relationships and sexually transmitted diseases.
The draft report on sex education has been compiled by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation.
Not to worry, everything should be fine so long as they can keep the children away from the Spotted Dick.
A UK council canteen has renamed Spotted Dick pudding “Spotted Richard”. Yet another portent that the end is at hand:
The traditional suet pudding Spotted Dick has been renamed “Spotted Richard” at a council canteen – because customers keep making jokes.
The new name for the dessert, with another alternative Sultana Sponge, has appeared on the menu at Flintshire Council headquarters in Mold.
The council said catering staff made the decision after “immature comments” and it was not a policy decision.
But one councillor described the move as “political correctness gone mad”.
A song I wrote a few years ago; well, the other David wrote the lyrics.