Freshlyground: Chicken for Change

Themes: Random

It’s been a long time since I heard a genuinely great protest song: Freshlyground deliver.
They just had their work permits for Zimbabwe revoked.

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An Impeccably Renovated Terrace

Themes: Random

In the course of this post it is quite likely that I will commit the ‘etymological fallacy’. I’m just warning you now in case there are any young children around and you want to avert their eyes.
[The etymological fallacy is when someone argues from the origins of a particular word to a conclusion about its present meaning. This fails to take seriously that what we mean by a word is primarily governed by its usage in our speaking context. Committing the etymological fallacy is the theological equivalent of walking around with no pants...]

The Real Estate Agent who put up this sign (see pic) obviously thought there was a good chance of this rental property making it into God’s New Creation.
Notice the subtitle: ‘IMPECCABLY RENOVATED terrace”.
I would even venture to say that maybe this Agent has theological students in mind for prospective tenants. I don’t think you could have picked out a set of adjectives with a better theological pedigree.
My dictionary tells me that the word ‘impeccable‘ comes from the Latin ‘impeccabilis‘ – a term coined during the Reformation meaning ‘not liable to sin’.
The word renovate comes from the Latin verb renovare also from the time of the Reformation meaning to ‘make new again‘.

An impeccable renovation is precisely what God is planning to do with us and his world. He will sinlessly renew it. Wonderful!

Interestingly, the term ‘terrace’ can also trace its roots back to the Latin ‘terra’ meaning ‘earth’. Which would suggest that this Real Estate Agent was being Seriously (unintentionally?) Profound. Spooky.

Sadly however, in this case the term ‘terrace’ probably comes from the Old French (also from the time of the Reformation) literally meaning ‘rubble‘ or ‘platform‘.
Maybe the Agent was revealing a little too much about the state of the house?

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Nice One Karl!

Themes: Random

Capitalism has a sad reputation for being completely self-interested, exploitative, and not-a-little seedy. Frankly, I don’t know why…
But in the interests of righting a perceived wrong, and in light of the current ruminations regarding The Failure Of Capitalism. I thought it meet, right and my bounden duty to design a tribute poster for Uncle Karl. If you like, for a small fee I could print it on a t-shirt for you.
It’s part of my autumn Yay for Communism! collection.

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How perfumes work

Themes: Random

Scientific reasons not to buy my wife perfume for Christmas.
I love science…

How perfumes work | The scent of a man | The Economist

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Beginning with Gender

Themes: Random

Why is most conservative theology of Gender carried out only with reference to the Doctrine of Creation?
Actually, that’s being too kind – it’s not carried out with reference to the Doctrine of Creation – it’s carried out as though it were Natural Theology (i.e., abstracted from ‘observable reality’).

Here are two questions that should not be by-passed:
How do we know our Gender through Christ (who reveals God to us, and us to ourselves)?
What difference does the Cross (where we know Christ) make to Christian thinking about Gender?

I’ve been stewing over this for a while. More thoughts to come.

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Yom Kippur

Themes: Random

Yom Kippur begins this evening. There was an interesting opinion piece in the Herald about it today.

Fifty sins to get off your chest: the guilt trip with a happy ending – Opinion

Now the Messiah has appeared, high priest of the good things that have come. In the greater and more perfect tabernacle not made with hands (that is, not of this creation), He entered the holy of holies once for all, not by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, having obtained eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling those who are defiled, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of the Messiah, who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish to God, cleanse our consciences from dead works to serve the living God? (Hebrews 9:11-14 HCSB)

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