becoming

Charles Kiser wrote about The Political Nature of Christianity based on ideas taken from Shane Claiborne’s book Jesus for President. Adapted from JFP, 67-69:

1. Basilea (“empire” or “kingdom”): a term used for the Roman Empire, ruled by Caesar. It was also Jesus’ most common subject of preaching—the kingdom of God, ruled by Yahweh, the one who delivered Israel from Egypt.
2. Gospel (evangelion: “good news”): in the Empire, “an imperial pronouncement, usually accompanied by flags and political ceremony, that an heir to the empire’s throne had been born or that a distant battle had been won”; for Jesus, this was the good news of the kingdom of God.
3. Son of God: A common title for kings and emperors, like Alexander the Great and Octavian (or Augustus, in the lineage of Julius Caesar); also a name given to Jesus in the New Testament.
4. Ekklesia: “A local public assembly within the greater Roman Empire, much like a town meeting. These assemblies bestowed citizenship, discussed local political concerns, assigned ‘elders,’ and offered prayer and worship to Caesar. There was no separation of religion (cultic sacrifices, etc.) and secular political business”; also the word used for the early church (translated “church”). The early church “bestowed alternative citizenship and assigned elders. Though it discussed its own political and religious concerns, it was understood as separate from, and in contrast to, the state and the other ekklesiai, their politics, and their religion.”
5. Savior: “Caesar Augustus, as Savior, was seen as the one who healed the chaos of Rome and brought it into a new golden age”; also a common title for Jesus in the New Testament.
6. Faith: “A term used for trust in, allegiance to, and hope in the Pax Romana”; also “a term used for trust in, allegiance to, and hope in Jesus.”

Read them all here.

And for a list of books on Christianity as sociopolitical rebuttal to Caesar’s system, click here.

Palin在昨晚共和黨的大會上的表現，確實相當搶鏡。

這樣的大會，本來就不是談政綱的時候，而是挑起戰意和讓黨人亢奮的一刻。

從Giuliani 的演說開始，打的就是挖苦、揶揄牌：民主黨的候選人，是個笑話。

Palin 接上，除了牌照打之外，還加上另一張：

Don’t you mess with me.

她成功將average American Hockey Mom 的防彈衣，穿上了。

Don’t you mess with me.

除非你想和所有的Hockey Moms作對。

Don’t you mess with me.

除非你想話有殘障兒子的母親唔掂。

若Obama 的皇牌是Dream，Palin 的絕招是Real。

Palin 將會是個極危險的炸彈。而叫民主黨最頭痛的是：拆彈的，不是Obama，而是Biden。

Oct 2， Washington University，副總統的辯論戰。

除非有甚麼嚴重的個人失德行為，否則Palin這金鋼不壞之身，將會持續，甚至她家庭的問題，也將會轉化為對她夠Real 的同情分。

要Biden一邊打對面的VP女候選人，一邊保住來自Hilary的女性選票，談何容易？

哪一邊有這樣的政治智慧呢？

Wow, you want to know what a “calculated move” is? Here is one.

But who is Sarah Palin? Take a look here.

Well, when I read this, 2 things come to mind:

1. Finally, someone think of something that the church (and clergymen) can do in order to get into the Fair Trade bandwagon!
2. Wow, that clergy shirts can go with jeans? I thought you will be burnt on a stake doing that….

[link | via maggie dawn]

謝謝好友Charis報料，看看兩個奧運獎牌榜有何不同？

中國奧運官方網站：

美國NBC奧運網站：

是真相，還是觀點與角度？

總是自己第一好。

若說這是為「跨宗教」那種所謂祈福聚會的講章，而要自然的「去耶穌化」、「去上帝化」，這倒還可以理解。

但這明明是香港基督教協進會所定的「香港主日」講章，那我就得問問我們的「主」去了那裡？

除了為中國奧運歌功頌德、從四川地震看出兄弟之愛，真的，在一個主日中，

沒有別的可以寫／講嗎？

君不見其他的「 環保主日」、「亞洲主日」，有同樣的「無主」情況。而從邀請信得知，這是顯然是「盼望有關的參考資料蒙貴堂回應及採用，造就貴堂會友」的資料，再留意禱文也未有這樣的情況…

究竟有甚麼不能寫、寫不出？

更要問，協進會中有沒有人看過講章，然後才出街？不論「有」或「沒有」，這又代表了甚麼？

還是從心底裡，真的只會為「人」而驕傲？

[HT:豪仔]

Bock on recent Obama and Dobson debate.

【明報】02月 05日 星期二被內地囚禁的新加坡《海峽時報》首席中國特派員程翔在2月4日已經獲得假釋，並於2月5日下午返抵本港。

特首辦2月5日早上獲到內地當局通知，程翔已獲准假釋，並將消息通知程翔家人。內地當局表示，至今年2月4日，程翔服刑期已超過一半刑期，合乎假釋條件，內地司法及行政部門及法院依法決定，准許程翔假釋，可獲准在春節返港。

程翔2月5日下午返抵紅磡車站，入境處將協助辦理手續。

一向為爭取釋放程翔的程翔關注組指出，程翔獲釋是一件好事，對此感到高興，希望程翔能趕快回港，與家人團聚。

另外，行政長官辦公室發表聲明，對程翔獲釋感到高興。特首曾蔭權對程翔獲釋感到高興，特別是新春佳節在即，對程翔能在這個時候與家人團聚，深感欣慰。

程翔2005年4月在內地被捕，他被指於2000至2005年為台灣國家安全局蒐情報，被判間諜罪，2006年8月31日被判入獄5年，充公個人財產30萬元人民幣。