Read a nice piece by Kagan in Foreign Affairs on the geography of Chinese strategy. Most salient point (to me) was discussion of a possible American strategy of dropping back to the "second island chain" (aka Oceana), or in other words, emphasizing basing in Guam, the Solomons, Marianas, and Marshalls, vice Korea and Japan. More feasible, both politically and economically, and avoids needless provocation as the PRC inevitably expands. Of course, this option would presume that we can somehow extricate ourselves from the burden of defending Japan, Korea, and, of course, Taiwan. It also seems to lead to economic dominance of Beijing, not to mention the possibility of our former allies finlandizing toward China. But in the end, I feel that even these temporary setbacks would be a good thing, because they would tend to overburden the communist regime in Beijing and hasten the day that China either collapses or democratizes.
McDougall's piece on grand strategy corresponded with my own writing on ends, ways, and means. I was gratified that he nailed the current practice of verbalizing goals in the National Security Strategy without talking about means or ways.
Monday, May 3, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Jimmy Carter
I'm re-reading Our Endangered Values by Carter. I have conflicting thoughts about the man and his views. I cannot doubt that he is a believer in Christ. He states so directly. He has dedicated much of his life to very meritorious activities, like missionary work, poverty relief, etc. One cannot help but admire his accomplishments, including his work for the Lord.
His book, however, makes a strong distinction between what he describes as "evangelical" Christianity, and "fundamentalist" Christianity. He sees himself as the former. He loves the Bible, thinks it is God's Word, but does not hold to literal interpretation nor inerrancy. He hates fundamentalists. That's a strong statement, but I think the book justifies it. He accuses fundamentalists of stupidity, rigidity, and hate-mongering. Obviously, he is targeting George Bush primarily, and the religious right in general. It's a little amusing that he is a strong advocate for tolerating and loving Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Catholics...EVERYBODY...except those fundamentalists!
I find myself wondering how God will judge Jimmy Carter. Will he applaud him or discipline him for rejecting the truth of scripture? Carter boasts about his duties as a Sunday School teacher, and he no doubt has many admirers in that regard. But I find myself totally unimpressed and disappointed with Carter's metaphorical view of prophecy. I've never been able to regard the metaphorical school as anything but a group of people who love the devil's world more than they love the truth of scripture. They remain, in my opinion, the saddest of creatures, who simply cannot align their own desires with those of God. Jesus Christ, if his word is to be believed, has in mind a dramatic intervention to end human history. There will be bloodshed, judgment, and condemnation. There will also be grace, salvation, and glory. The Apocalypse will be a catastrophe for those invested in this world, and blessed relief for those who have not.
Anyway, I'm as frustrated with Carter the Christian as I was with Carter the president.
His book, however, makes a strong distinction between what he describes as "evangelical" Christianity, and "fundamentalist" Christianity. He sees himself as the former. He loves the Bible, thinks it is God's Word, but does not hold to literal interpretation nor inerrancy. He hates fundamentalists. That's a strong statement, but I think the book justifies it. He accuses fundamentalists of stupidity, rigidity, and hate-mongering. Obviously, he is targeting George Bush primarily, and the religious right in general. It's a little amusing that he is a strong advocate for tolerating and loving Muslims, Hindus, Jews, Catholics...EVERYBODY...except those fundamentalists!
I find myself wondering how God will judge Jimmy Carter. Will he applaud him or discipline him for rejecting the truth of scripture? Carter boasts about his duties as a Sunday School teacher, and he no doubt has many admirers in that regard. But I find myself totally unimpressed and disappointed with Carter's metaphorical view of prophecy. I've never been able to regard the metaphorical school as anything but a group of people who love the devil's world more than they love the truth of scripture. They remain, in my opinion, the saddest of creatures, who simply cannot align their own desires with those of God. Jesus Christ, if his word is to be believed, has in mind a dramatic intervention to end human history. There will be bloodshed, judgment, and condemnation. There will also be grace, salvation, and glory. The Apocalypse will be a catastrophe for those invested in this world, and blessed relief for those who have not.
Anyway, I'm as frustrated with Carter the Christian as I was with Carter the president.
Friday, April 16, 2010
The Qur'an
I'm making my way through the Qur'an for a project I'm working on at the lab. I have to admire those Muslims--being able to devote themselves to that crap. Or even read it.
So basically we have a document redacted by a bunch of different people who attempted (long, long after the alleged fact) to commit to writing the strictly oral tradition handed down from Muhammad. (All this while M's descendants busied themselves killing each other to determine who Allah's next caliph would be.) It is a really sad book upon which to base a religion.
It starts with a fragmentary and juvenile understanding of Judaism and Christianity, and proceeds to relate Bible stories inaccurately in a manner so jumbled that it defies understanding. The various chapters of the Qur'an are a mish-mash of unrelated gobblety-gook jumping from one topic to another, as if the author were on drugs at the time. Sorry to be so disrespectful, but the truth is, I have zero respect for this religion. I simply cannot believe that any thinking person can read this garbage and not see it for what it is: a poorly written rip-off of the Bible laced with M's particular brand of paganism.
What do we learn about "Allah" as we read?
1. He demands obedience and submission without explanation.
2. He forgives people when he feels like it without the requirement of an atoning sacrifice. Hence, theologically, he has no standards of justice or righteousness that he holds himself to. Compare this to God's policy toward sin: "The soul that sins shall surely die." To uphold his uncompromising righteousness and justice, and at the same time express his incomparable love toward mankind, he sent his own son to intercept the punishment for sin and suffer it in his own body.
3. His requirements for salvation are really quite easy to achieve, again because his standard of righteousness is so low. Bump your head on the ground five times a day, don't drink, give money to the poor, etc., and you're in. Compare to God's standard: "If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees, you will in no way enter the Kingdom of God."
3. He's very confused--both complimenting and condemning Christians and Jews.
The Qur'an is a very frustrating book to read, primarily because it is so poorly written and organized. Ugh.
If any Muslim fanatics find this blog, please issue a fatwah condemning me to death as soon as possible to save me from having to read any more of this manure.
So basically we have a document redacted by a bunch of different people who attempted (long, long after the alleged fact) to commit to writing the strictly oral tradition handed down from Muhammad. (All this while M's descendants busied themselves killing each other to determine who Allah's next caliph would be.) It is a really sad book upon which to base a religion.
It starts with a fragmentary and juvenile understanding of Judaism and Christianity, and proceeds to relate Bible stories inaccurately in a manner so jumbled that it defies understanding. The various chapters of the Qur'an are a mish-mash of unrelated gobblety-gook jumping from one topic to another, as if the author were on drugs at the time. Sorry to be so disrespectful, but the truth is, I have zero respect for this religion. I simply cannot believe that any thinking person can read this garbage and not see it for what it is: a poorly written rip-off of the Bible laced with M's particular brand of paganism.
What do we learn about "Allah" as we read?
1. He demands obedience and submission without explanation.
2. He forgives people when he feels like it without the requirement of an atoning sacrifice. Hence, theologically, he has no standards of justice or righteousness that he holds himself to. Compare this to God's policy toward sin: "The soul that sins shall surely die." To uphold his uncompromising righteousness and justice, and at the same time express his incomparable love toward mankind, he sent his own son to intercept the punishment for sin and suffer it in his own body.
3. His requirements for salvation are really quite easy to achieve, again because his standard of righteousness is so low. Bump your head on the ground five times a day, don't drink, give money to the poor, etc., and you're in. Compare to God's standard: "If your righteousness does not exceed that of the Pharisees, you will in no way enter the Kingdom of God."
3. He's very confused--both complimenting and condemning Christians and Jews.
The Qur'an is a very frustrating book to read, primarily because it is so poorly written and organized. Ugh.
If any Muslim fanatics find this blog, please issue a fatwah condemning me to death as soon as possible to save me from having to read any more of this manure.
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Death of a Vision
I've long known that God's Word contains a major theme throughout both the Old and New Testaments that I (and others) call the Death of a Vision. Indeed, I've taught it for many years. Abraham and Sarah faced it. Rachel faced it. Jephthah, Samuel, many of the OT heroes. The woman who had a bleeding disorder, Jairus, and many others faced it. It happens when you are faced with a no-hope situation. Everything you longed for, believed in, envisioned...it expires.
When that happens, it's a situation that calls for despair. Or for accepting the grace of God. Drawing nearer to Him. Trusting Him that He has a better plan. Something more glorious and gracious than you could imagine.
Today I'm finally having to face the death of a vision that I saw coming for several years. I don't like it. It breaks my heart. It destroys some of the egotistical fantasies that I've entertained for years. It will mean humiliation at the hands of my enemies. Long, unending dramas in which I'm the loser at every turn. Long nights of lying awake and reconstructing my failures. More loneliness and depression.
But therein lies the opportunity to grab hold of grace. To abandon the old vision, as Christ had to do when he rejected Satan's tempting offer. To instead look past the pain and humiliation to find a better future. It is a challenge I would rather not have faced. But let's have at it.
When that happens, it's a situation that calls for despair. Or for accepting the grace of God. Drawing nearer to Him. Trusting Him that He has a better plan. Something more glorious and gracious than you could imagine.
Today I'm finally having to face the death of a vision that I saw coming for several years. I don't like it. It breaks my heart. It destroys some of the egotistical fantasies that I've entertained for years. It will mean humiliation at the hands of my enemies. Long, unending dramas in which I'm the loser at every turn. Long nights of lying awake and reconstructing my failures. More loneliness and depression.
But therein lies the opportunity to grab hold of grace. To abandon the old vision, as Christ had to do when he rejected Satan's tempting offer. To instead look past the pain and humiliation to find a better future. It is a challenge I would rather not have faced. But let's have at it.
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Categorizing Life's Problems
I suppose I should be thankful. No, I'm certain of it. But sometimes it's hard. People all over the world have serious problems: fatal accidents, serious health problems, unemployment, war, crime, all kinds of stuff.
Me? I have kid problems. That's pretty much it. But they are so vexing. Nothing seems to hurt a parent as much as your kids' indifference (or worse) toward you, especially when you try so hard. And when their antipathy reaches what I can describe only as deeply bizarre, it leaves you not only abandoned but also desperately confused. What on earth could I have done to inspire such animosity?
I hate lying. I hate undeserved hatred. I hate fake Christianity. Our Lord is the key to life and happiness. He is majestic, powerful, loving, surprising, deep, and reliable. He offers so much and asks so little. But so many people respond to him by "religionizing" him. They put him in a box called "Sunday-go-to-meeting" so they can comfortably ignore him, violate his every command, and yet pretend to "be a Christian". Yuck.
I truly don't know how Suzanne weathers the storm. I look at her and see real Christianity in action, and love her all the more for her ability to wade through the crap and come out looking so gracious.
I think I'll play a wargame.
Me? I have kid problems. That's pretty much it. But they are so vexing. Nothing seems to hurt a parent as much as your kids' indifference (or worse) toward you, especially when you try so hard. And when their antipathy reaches what I can describe only as deeply bizarre, it leaves you not only abandoned but also desperately confused. What on earth could I have done to inspire such animosity?
I hate lying. I hate undeserved hatred. I hate fake Christianity. Our Lord is the key to life and happiness. He is majestic, powerful, loving, surprising, deep, and reliable. He offers so much and asks so little. But so many people respond to him by "religionizing" him. They put him in a box called "Sunday-go-to-meeting" so they can comfortably ignore him, violate his every command, and yet pretend to "be a Christian". Yuck.
I truly don't know how Suzanne weathers the storm. I look at her and see real Christianity in action, and love her all the more for her ability to wade through the crap and come out looking so gracious.
I think I'll play a wargame.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Wacht am Rhein
First, it's been an exhausting holiday. We had EVERYBODY over for Christmas. All my siblings, including Don and Peg and Brady and Cory, who sneaked in to surprise Nana. Matt and Sarah and Rosie and Trey, along with all my kids. Big crowd. Went well in general. But when the plans changed and there was some miscommunication as to when everyone was leaving, I didn't handle it well. I'm ashamed that when an opportunity arrives to show the grace of Christ, I blow it. Live and learn.
We've slowly been recovering the house and ourselves. I built a gorgeous storage rack in the garage. Suzanne and I have finished our counseling sessions with Pastor John Morrison, and I must say that I'm really impressed at how God can use a wise man to open the Scriptures in such a powerful way. I have really learned things that have changed my life. (This from a guy who used to think all counseling was a total waste of time, which it usually is.)
Other stuff...We have been blessed to become such good friends with Dan and Sara White. It's funny that you can have (1) good friends, or (2) Christian friends, or (3) good Christian friends! When you get that last category, it's really awesome. As you would expect from people who are devoted to the Lord, they are genuine, kind, charming, and just very interesting people. It's really a privilege to have them as friends. Our whole home group is such a blessing to us. Every person there, including the young folks, is so unique, and each one is precious.
We were treated to a violin recital yesterday by Rachel White. I was blown away. I simply can't understand how she can have such focus, concentration, and endurance for 50 solid minutes of performing complex pieces like that. And she was able to pull such emotion from the instrument. I was enraptured.
Tonight Peter came over, and we tried out "Bulge 20"--a wargame about the Ardennes Offensive of 1944. There have been countless games on this battle, but this one is different, because it focuses on putting the players in command at the Army Group level. Basically, you are an Army Group Commander (like Bradley or Montgomery), and you have to manage your general staff--the G-1 (administration), G-2 (intelligence), G-3 (operations), and G-4 (logistics).
I played the Germans, and I chose a limited objective of taking Aachen. To my surprise and delight, Peter's allies reacted to the shock of my initial onslaught by abandoning Aachen in order to defend Liege! I took the city without firing a shot. But then I made my critical blunder: I spent three major operations trying to attack Clerveaux from St. Vith with the 5th Panzer Army. I had decided that it was important to advance on a broad front in order to confuse the Allies, so my plan was to out-flank the defenses there, rout the Americans, and then advance the weak 7th Army across the river. Unfortunately, the American corps there kept holding against my assaults. I eventually took the town, but I had wasted precious time. In retrospect, I should have ignored Clerveaux and concentrated my resources on taking Liege with 6th Panzer Army. In the end, I attacked three times but failed to take the city. By the end of the game, Peter had committed Patton's Third Army (big mistake!), which gave me a marginal victory. We are hoping to play this one again.
Meanwhile, my wife is awesome. There couldn't be a woman more perfect for me. I am so impressed by her devotion to God, her strong spirituality, and her love for me (and the new kitteh). She is composing a blog documenting her journey from Mormonism to atheism to Christ, and it is fascinating. Her honesty, incisive understanding of theology, and her ability to relate her innermost struggles have captured the attention of her readers. I really feel God is using her in ways that will reach people for Christ in a powerful way.
We've slowly been recovering the house and ourselves. I built a gorgeous storage rack in the garage. Suzanne and I have finished our counseling sessions with Pastor John Morrison, and I must say that I'm really impressed at how God can use a wise man to open the Scriptures in such a powerful way. I have really learned things that have changed my life. (This from a guy who used to think all counseling was a total waste of time, which it usually is.)
Other stuff...We have been blessed to become such good friends with Dan and Sara White. It's funny that you can have (1) good friends, or (2) Christian friends, or (3) good Christian friends! When you get that last category, it's really awesome. As you would expect from people who are devoted to the Lord, they are genuine, kind, charming, and just very interesting people. It's really a privilege to have them as friends. Our whole home group is such a blessing to us. Every person there, including the young folks, is so unique, and each one is precious.
We were treated to a violin recital yesterday by Rachel White. I was blown away. I simply can't understand how she can have such focus, concentration, and endurance for 50 solid minutes of performing complex pieces like that. And she was able to pull such emotion from the instrument. I was enraptured.
Tonight Peter came over, and we tried out "Bulge 20"--a wargame about the Ardennes Offensive of 1944. There have been countless games on this battle, but this one is different, because it focuses on putting the players in command at the Army Group level. Basically, you are an Army Group Commander (like Bradley or Montgomery), and you have to manage your general staff--the G-1 (administration), G-2 (intelligence), G-3 (operations), and G-4 (logistics).
I played the Germans, and I chose a limited objective of taking Aachen. To my surprise and delight, Peter's allies reacted to the shock of my initial onslaught by abandoning Aachen in order to defend Liege! I took the city without firing a shot. But then I made my critical blunder: I spent three major operations trying to attack Clerveaux from St. Vith with the 5th Panzer Army. I had decided that it was important to advance on a broad front in order to confuse the Allies, so my plan was to out-flank the defenses there, rout the Americans, and then advance the weak 7th Army across the river. Unfortunately, the American corps there kept holding against my assaults. I eventually took the town, but I had wasted precious time. In retrospect, I should have ignored Clerveaux and concentrated my resources on taking Liege with 6th Panzer Army. In the end, I attacked three times but failed to take the city. By the end of the game, Peter had committed Patton's Third Army (big mistake!), which gave me a marginal victory. We are hoping to play this one again.
Meanwhile, my wife is awesome. There couldn't be a woman more perfect for me. I am so impressed by her devotion to God, her strong spirituality, and her love for me (and the new kitteh). She is composing a blog documenting her journey from Mormonism to atheism to Christ, and it is fascinating. Her honesty, incisive understanding of theology, and her ability to relate her innermost struggles have captured the attention of her readers. I really feel God is using her in ways that will reach people for Christ in a powerful way.
Monday, January 4, 2010
Life with a wonderful wife
I feel that either I'm an absolute genius, or I've been incredibly blessed. Probably both are true.
When I met Suzanne, I was immediately attracted to her intellect, her sassiness, her sense of humor, her honesty, and, despite her irreverence, her spirituality. I could sense about her that here was a woman who had depth. Like a pond you discover deep in a jungle--you wonder how deep it really is.
Well, I married her without knowing exactly how deep. And each day has been an adventure. My wife challenges me and fascinates me with her insights, her introspection, and her devotion to God. It is such a pleasure to see her in action, because I see her as not only my lover, my spouse, my partner in crime, but also my fellow soldier--on the battlefield, deeply engaged in the fight and able to hold her own. Never in my life have I had someone that I can rely on like her. I have confidence in her relationship with Jesus Christ. Is that cool, or what?
I watch my Zanne struggle with life, with family, with issues that we face. I see the grace of Christ mixed with the beauty of her own unique Suzanne-ness. Wow. What a treat! I never expected such surprising joy at this stage of life.
Okay, gotta go now. I have to go study so's I can keep up with her.
When I met Suzanne, I was immediately attracted to her intellect, her sassiness, her sense of humor, her honesty, and, despite her irreverence, her spirituality. I could sense about her that here was a woman who had depth. Like a pond you discover deep in a jungle--you wonder how deep it really is.
Well, I married her without knowing exactly how deep. And each day has been an adventure. My wife challenges me and fascinates me with her insights, her introspection, and her devotion to God. It is such a pleasure to see her in action, because I see her as not only my lover, my spouse, my partner in crime, but also my fellow soldier--on the battlefield, deeply engaged in the fight and able to hold her own. Never in my life have I had someone that I can rely on like her. I have confidence in her relationship with Jesus Christ. Is that cool, or what?
I watch my Zanne struggle with life, with family, with issues that we face. I see the grace of Christ mixed with the beauty of her own unique Suzanne-ness. Wow. What a treat! I never expected such surprising joy at this stage of life.
Okay, gotta go now. I have to go study so's I can keep up with her.
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