Though I am happy that I have migrated from Windows to Linux/ Ubuntu, there are still some things that I have to work out:
1. Command line – There have been several times that I have needed to use a command line in order to install and configure software. Not being familiar with the programming language, I have to rely upon tutorials to walk me through it. Not to difficult if you can follow directions exactly and the tutorial is for what you need.
2. Sometimes glitchy – The Linux system overall is very stable and doesn’t hang up as much as Windows. But I have noticed when I install or remove programs that I get an error message. The program installed but I just get an error.
3. Learning a new “language” – I am used to the terminology that is used with Windows. The same concepts seem to be there in Ubuntu but sometimes the wording is different. Once or twice I have run into a new concept but it may be that it was so buried in Windows that I didn’t know that it existed. Fortunately there is extensive help on web for most of the problems I have found.
4. Not as many software options – Windows, the old behemoth, has so many more developers because of its ubiquity. Ubuntu just does not have as many software options so far as I have found. If I want a media player, I only have a few choices. But the choices I have found are solid and overall are more user friendly.
Overall, I wonder what I would have said 15 years ago about working with Windows. I probably would have many of the same questions as I now have with Ubuntu. Having grown up with Windows, my knowledge has grown in fits and starts with the various new versions of Windows but now I know what I am missing and want instant gratification in Linux. I need to have some patience with my learning curve.
Ubuntu Hurdles
Ubuntu 101
On Christmas day, I converted my Windows Vista laptop to run Unbuntu, a Linux distribution. The decision came after years of looking at Linux and wanting to try it. Finally, I got around to it and made the leap to Ubuntu.
Here are a few of my first impressions:
1. It runs a lot faster than Windows. This may be obvious to some but it still amazed me how much faster it was, especially when recognizing peripheral devices.
2. It takes a lot less room. For me, it reduced the size of the OS installation by about 40 gigs.
3. I don’t need to defragment my hard drive. I am (was?) a big advocate of keeping your hard drive clean: Delete your junk files, clean your registry, and defrag. But with Linux, you don’t need to defrag because the file system constantly keeps it optimized. No need to clean the registry because there is none. Junk files are much decreased as far as I can tell.
4. I don’t need some of the standard Windows internet security features. I don’t need a firewall because Linux doesn’t show open ports (something like that, please excuse my novice ways). No need for antivirus – viruses are theoretically possible but no one writes them, except a few to prove that it can be done. No antispyware software is needed because spyware is written for Windows (similar to viruses in that regard).
The last two of these have been the most difficult to wrap my mind around. It is like getting let out of prison and not knowing how to handle the freedom. It feels wonderfully strange.
Compassion vs. Consumption
Jon Foreman: Compassion vs. Consumption
Jon Foreman of Switchfoot fame writes an interesting article over at the Huffington Post. He basic point: we need to evaluate why we buy in our consumer society and redefine our ideas about wealth. Its a well written article that is intimate and thoughtful.
How Old Was Jesus – Part Deux
In my last post, I looked at the statement that Irenaeus made that Jesus was around 50 years old when He died. Today I want to look at this from a different angle. The Jesus Police suggested a good way to approximate the age of Jesus at death. There are certain markers that we know that were in place at the time of Jesus’ birth and death. By locating those markers in history, we can find out a date range for both his birth and death. Then using those date ranges, we can come up with an age range for Jesus at the time of His death.
Biblical/ historical markers concerning Jesus’ birth
Caesar Augustus (Luke 2:1) Ruled from 27 BC to 14 AD.
Census (Luke 2:1) A census occurred in 6 BC according to Josephus. Quirinius’ census occurred in 6-7 AD.
Herod (Matthew 2:1) Herod died in 4 BC.
Quirinius (Luke 2:2) Governor of Syria from 6-12 AD.
The Star of Bethlehem (Matthew 2:9) Various theories place the celestial occurrence between 12 and 2 BC.
Slaughter of the Innocents (Matthew 2:16) Unknown
It is generally accepted that Jesus was born sometime between 7 and 4 BC.
Biblical/ historical markers for Jesus’ baptism
Tiberius (Luke 3:1) Tiberius reigned from 14-37 AD.
Based upon Tiberius’ reign and that John the Baptist began ministry when he was around 30 years old, Jesus was born around 1 BC.
Biblical/ historical markers for Jesus’ death
Pontius Pilate (Matthew 27:13) Governor from 26-36 AD.
Caiaphas (Matthew 26:3) High Priest from 18-37 AD.
Herod Antipas (Luke 23:7) Reigned from 4 BC to 39 AD.
The most likely year for Jesus’ death is 33 AD but other years have strong arguments for them.
Now let’s put it all together. The youngest Jesus could have been, based on the latest birthdate and earliest death date, was 20. This is highly unlikely since we know that He was 30 when He began His ministry. The oldest that Jesus could have been was 48. Again this is unlikely since it is based upon an astronomical occurrence and conjecture. The most likely age of Jesus at the time of His death is somewhere between 37 and 41 based upon the most probable dates of birth and death.
Personally, I lean toward the 41, not because I turn 41 this year, but because of the testimony of Irenaeus and John 8:47 which has the Jews questioning Jesus: "You are not yet fifty years old, and have you seen Abraham?" If the Jews knew the age of Jesus, why didn’t they choose to say “You are not yet 40”? My guess is that Jesus must have exceeded the age of 40 but had not reached 50.
Next:
Does the idea that Jesus was in ministry for 7-11 years versus 1-3 years in popular thought, change your view of Jesus and His ministry?
In dealing with the dates of his birth, there are some irreconcilable differences. Quirinius was not a ruler while Herod the Great as alive. Both play into the nativity narratives. What does this say about Biblical inerrancy? Did Luke goof?
How Old Was Jesus When He Died?
I am new to patristic studies and so my question may be answered in Patristics 101. I was reading in Irenaeus that Jesus was over 50 years old when He died. From my Protestant background I had learned that He was 33 years old.
Here is the text that started me to think about this:
“CHAP. XXII.–THE THIRTY AEONS ARE NOT TYPIFIED BY THE FACT THAT CHRIST WAS BAPTIZED IN HIS THIRTIETH YEAR: HE DID NOT SUFFER IN THE TWELFTH MONTH AFTER HIS BAPTISM, BUT WAS MORE THAN FIFTY YEARS OLD WHEN HE DIED.
5. … For how could He have had disciples, if He did not teach? And how could He have taught, unless He had reached the age of a Master? For when He came to be baptized, He had not yet completed His thirtieth year, but was beginning to be about thirty years of age (for thus Luke, who has mentioned His years, has expressed it: "Now Jesus was, as it were, beginning to be thirty years old,"(13) when He came to receive baptism); and, [according to these men,] He preached only one year reckoning from His baptism. On completing His thirtieth year He suffered, being in fact still a young man, and who had by no means attained to advanced age. Now, that the first stage of early life embraces thirty years,(1) and that this extends onwards to the fortieth year, every one will admit; but from the fortieth and fiftieth year a man begins to decline towards old age, which our Lord possessed while He still fulfilled the office of a Teacher, even as the Gospel and all the elders testify…”
Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book II, Chapter XXII, section 5
Here are my questions:
- Was Irenaeus saying that Jesus was over 50 when He died?
- Do other church fathers support this view?
- Do other church fathers support other ages for Christ at His death?
- What age is accepted today as being authoritative?
For more discussion about Jesus’ age at death:
http://www.jesuspolice.com/common_error.php?id=18
It wasn’t me
Now I’m Surprised This Wasn’t Used As A Worship Song | internetmonk.com
What can I say. We won’t be using this at our church. But the humor and irony is almost painful.
Be sure to check this link from Don: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brewer_&_Shipley
The Qu’ran through Tad’s eyes
I finished reading the Qur’an. Now for my thoughts… « Tad DeLay
Tad DeLay has some very good thoughts after having read the Qu’ran. Personally I have not read the Qu’ran but the way his post reads, Tad offers a very objective but Christian reading of the Qu’ran. I appreciate his willingness to see similarities between Islam and Christianity and at times defend Islam against our sound bite misinterpretations of Islamic scripture.
Tad brings some wonderful comparisons of Christian and Islamic fundamentalism that need some time to digest, though I think he is spot on. His thoughts about midrashim and Islamic teaching are worth some further investigation (by someone much wiser than me).
Please read the article (and future ones by Tad). What are your thoughts?
Walter goes to Washington
Call on Congress and conscience – Washington Times
Here, Walter Hoye offers his view of what happened to him on the streets of Oakland as he quietly offered an alternative to abortion. Next he went to Congress hoping to find some support for the cause. Read the article to see what he found.
Go Jimmy Go
I mean no disrespect to former President Carter by calling him by his first name. But his recent action has given me reason to be excited and has increased my respect and admiration of him. Jimmy Carter is leaving the SBC because of their stand on women’s equality. Eugene Cho has written a very nice piece about President Carter’s decision.
I applaud President Carter for his stand. From reading his statement, it appears that other leaders (“Elders”) have made a similar stand. We need to take this issue very seriously and work for a solution.
The Church of Jesus Christ should be at the forefront of this issue as we have been called to equality by our Savior, Jesus Christ and taught that equality by the Apostle Paul (among others). We need to reclaim the glorious gospel in all its beautiful aspects and reject inequality based upon a few proof texts and our male fears. May God lead us into the light on this issue.
Stockholm Syndrome: Derek Webb
Recently on a road trip, I was listening to some classic Christian music: Adam Again, Daniel Amos, Rich Mullins, Mark Heard. I began an out loud tirade about the current drought of Christian musicians who make relevant music. I miss the days of experimenting musically and lyrically. I long for the spiritual growth that I saw from album to album in some of the artists. Sure the production wasn’t as slick, sometimes the efforts were sophomoric. But there was growth and a willingness to try something new.
I tried to think of artists that are experimenting today. I came up with a few examples of artists who are still pushing the envelope. I included Derek Webb in my analysis. His latest offering, Stockholm Syndrome, has not disappointed this jaded Christian music listener.
Derek has taken his music in another new direction. I believe that it is the boldest and most creative direction that he has gone in. Taking up the electronica/ emo scene, he has crafted an album with sounds that have been unheard in the Christian scene. If you step back from the sound, the songs are definitely constructed like other Webb ventures. But if you listen to the production and instrumentation, this album has taken a decidedly different direction. With electronic dissonance and effects, the songs take on tension and other worldly quality.
Lyrically, Stockholm fits in the Webb body of work quite comfortably. Dealing with social justice, complacency, inconsistent Christian messages, democratic (in the idealized political form) themes and the occasional love song. Derek is a strong wordsmith and comes up with some incisive phrases. This is possibly some of his best writing.
Personally, Mockingbird is still my favorite album of Derek’s. It was the album that introduced me to him and gave me a radical new hope for Christian music. Stockholm Syndrome continues that legacy and broadens it. There are a few controversial phrases that use strong language. If that bothers you, still get the “clean” version of the album: it still has a lot to offer.
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