A Contrast

It was reported today that the US economy grew by 1.9% last quarter. Without context, how many Americans know whether that is good or bad? The word grow sounds great, but 1.9% is a worryingly low number. The New York Times apparently decided it was terrible:

"The economy grew less than expected from April to June despite a huge booster shot of tax rebates, the government reported on Thursday, dimming the outlook for a quick recovery."

In fact, check out their hilariously slanted headline: "G.D.P. Grows at Tepid 1.9% Pace Despite Stimulus"

So the newspaper of record has apparently decided that this news is bad, although it is actually about the same as the average growth rate in the EU over the past five years. It is far from bad news, but actually astoundingly good news. Here is how the Economist put it:

"The American economy has often defied predictions of its demise. It has done so again. Official figures published on Thursday July 31st show that America’s GDP rose at an annualised rate of 1.9% in the second quarter. This would a respectable enough growth rate at the best of times. That this was achieved despite the considerable handicaps of a badly damaged banking system, a big jump in oil prices and the ongoing housing bust, makes it remarkable."

Now, how can two different set of reporters read the same set of facts, yet present them in entirely different ways? The only answer is that each has a motive to present them in different ways (in theology, we might call this isegesis).

Why does the New York Times want to kill your spirit and make you depressed? Excellent question...probably because having fulminated for years against the broken policies of the Bush regime, they have trouble seeing him escape without at least having driven our country into recession. Now, I'm no Bush apologist myself, but golly, a recession would be bad for more people than just GW.

Why does the Economist seem so cheerful? Partly because they are unquenchable optimists (you should read their recent leader on high oil prices, actually, here's a link: http://www.economist.com/opinion/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11454989)

But also, they love the American model of capitalism (so much so that they have tried to rename it Anglo-American capitialism). They recognize its faults, but the sheer resilience of an economy that refuses to go into recession despite every possible reason to is astounding.

I will impartially judge between the two presentations. Growth of 1.9% is amazing. We're not out of the woods yet.

At the Request of Tim Lin

The first time we went to the tourist market near the Church of the Spilled Blood in St. Petersburg, they had nearly every football team and every basketball team represented. But when I searched for the best football team, unexpectedly no one seemed to have one. When I asked the attendant if they had any Patriots matrioshkas, she responded negatively. Apparently, they would get shipments in once a week, and the Patriots (by far the most popular, she said) would sell out in a few days.

So, in order to purchase this, I had to come back on the right day. And haggle a little. I got her down from 1200 rubles to a mere 700 rubles. But of course I still probably got ripped off. But it was almost our last day, and I needed to get rid of my rubles anyways.





I don't know why they had Stallworth in there. But Russians are completely uninterested in American Football.

Yes, but I don't think you should take it to its logical conclusion

I'm just saying it is a useful way to sort out garbage...when there are many books with proven value, and another book has dubious value, then it helps you filter to some extent the books you read. It is risky to read something of unproven value.

Value can be defined several ways of course, giving Timothy Zahn value because he is very entertaining (usually).

In the case of The Shack, the common argument for reading it is that it "gives you a unique perspective on God" or something like that. It helps you understand God better, etc. Now if the purpose was just to entertain yourself, then you don't necessarily have to worry about finding the absolute most entertaining book in the entire world. A book of decent entertainment will do. Of course, when we find one that is especially entertaining, we of course share it. And my siblings cannot deny that I have shared many entertaining science fiction novels with them (from Midshipman's Hope to Hyperion, and beyond).

But when the "value" ascribed to a book is spiritual, and especially when the book is meant to be a "picture of God" or whatever, then perhaps we ought to be more careful. The value of the Shack being unproven, the amount of books with proven value (defined in spiritual terms) being prohibitively high, leads us towards other books.

An Argument Against Reading the Shack

Before I make it, two things:

1. This is supposing that all arguments on other grounds have failed (a kind of Pascal's Wager argument).

2. If any sisters or brothers post snarky comments applying this argument to any or all trashy science fiction novels, said comments will be treated with lordly disdain.

Here we go:

Let's say you're going on a date. Your date tells you that you can either eat at the best restaurant in town, or a restaurant that costs the same price, but isn't as good. Which do you choose?

Or. Let's say you could go on a vacation to your favorite vacation destination, or a vacation of the same price to a place that is 10th or 11th on your list. Which do you choose?

Therefore...

Let's say you have a choice to read a truly excellent book with deep spiritual insight solidly based in the Word, that has been proven to be of profit to all generations. Or you can read a book of unproven excellence that is currently the fad of the moment. Which do you choose?

So, I say, all faithful readers contemplating reading the Shack...

Only read once you have read all books of proven high quality.

(Also, don't read The Shack. It features God portrayed as a sassy black women named Papa. Isn't that information alone enough to make you cringe?)

One good story...

To be done obscurely.

Our citizenship is heaven. To be an earthly citizen is to belong to some strip of land, some place. It is to hold onto what cannot be held onto. To gain what will only be lost.

But if we are free to be close to others, then we can ignore such petty ties. Who had read Cat's Cradle? Now Vonnegut hated organized religion, it must be stated. But his imaginary religion contained some excellent insights. He was not anti-Christian per se, just a man who hated to see the truth, so he created something false to hate. "So God sent them a powerful delusion, so that they will refuse to see the truth and thus be saved..."

Bokononism is the name of his imaginary religion. His insight is the imaginary categories that men put themselves into, which in Bokononism are false.

Now Paul puts all men into two categories, those IN CHRIST, and those IN ADAM. The implication being that all other categories are false and dangerous.

In Russia, who am I? American? What are my goals in Russia? To defend myself within the context of these false categories? Now there is elements of truth within them, which can be exploited and used for those who love Jesus. Paul was not above claiming his Roman citizenship to avoid a flogging.

So then, I told her, what seperates us? Legal fictions, Bokononian categories that hinder intimacy. We have said, and shall always say, that we who know Jesus have more in common with an Iraqi Christian than with an American non-Christian. We must come at others with these two categories in mind only, no supremecy, no victory. Just those IN CHRIST who will fellowship on that level.

Insight from my trip. Perhaps what I have said is obvious.

...and we eagerly await a savior from there...our blessed hope, the glorious day, when our God and Savior Jesus Christ will descend from heaven, with a loud trumpet, with the voice of God, with his powerful angels, and we shall be saved. Caught up in the clouds together with him...

What else is there to hope in?

Home again, home again

I bought a Tom Brady Russian Nesting Doll. So cool.

Now just chilling. Call me and I'll tell you about my summer...

Quick post

The Russian language is hard but rewarding.

The Russian people have a weight of history behind them.

They are also paranoid about the Georgians and the Ukrainians.

St. Petersburg is beautiful city.

Hot showers are lovely.

Russians are God's. They belong to him. What a privilege to be here.