by Anonymous Logician, Copyright March 17, 2007, all rights reserved.
Last week death invaded our little church for the second time in a year, and the funeral of 9-month old Ruthie took place today. Ruthie was an incredible baby who fought for the whole of her short life against the kidney disease that eventually took her away. The shock of losing someone we'll never really get to know in this life is a strange feeling. It intensifies the cruelty of death, and makes faith in God's providence difficult. We know God ultimately ordains all things. We know He works them all for the good of His people. When we're in mourning, however, we can no longer roll these truths casually off our tongues.
My own tongue is tied by events like little Ruth's death. I don't know what to say to a grieving family, and I always feel like I'm the one who's being ministered to. The faith of people like Ruthie's parents strengthens mine. I know the biblical teaching on death; I know its sticky identity as bitter enemy and yet tool of God. I believe Reformed theology provides the only solid answer to the philosophical problem of evil. And yet when tragedy actually spits in our faces, we need something more than philosophy textbooks. Ruth's parents are people who have the strength they need.
And for that we can only thank God.
Posted in Theology & Philosophy • 2 Comments • Permalink • 645 views
by Anonymous Logician, Copyright March 11, 2007, all rights reserved.
Since work and life have been making me pretty tardy on the blog, what comeback could be better than another late movie review? I recently caught Deja Vu, a 2006 thriller by Tony Scott and starring Denzel Washington. Scott's track record speaks volumes; he directed Spy Game (with Redford and Brad Pitt, one of my all-time favorite films), not to mention the Denzel masterpieces Man on Fire and Crimson Tide. So I expected a lot before seeing the movie.
Deja Vu doesn't disappoint. Denzel, as usual, is the man, ably backed up by Val Kilmer and the lovely Paula Patton. Denzel is Doug Carlin, an ATF agent investigating the explosion of a ferry carrying over 500 sailors and their famlies. During his investigation, he's recruited by a government research team using space-folding technology to look into the past.
The plot unfolds rapidly but smoothly, ratcheting up the tension as Denzel tries to solve the bombing by solving the murder of a young woman that took place the same day. Dialogue is believable and coupled with some decent action sequences.
The time-travel element is problematic, though. While I'd go back in time to save Paula Patton any day, the logic of changing the past is convoluted and farfetched enough that even Scott and Denzel are only narrowly able to pull it off. But without getting scientifically nitpicky about details, Deja Vu provides a good time and, refreshingly, portrays faith in God in a positive light.
Posted in Music & Film • 1 Comments • Permalink • 639 views
by Anonymous Logician, Copyright February 08, 2007, all rights reserved.
Someone said recently that these are tough times for aspiring satirists. They're right. We sarcastic writers, particularly of an anti-statist bent, can hardly think of a loopy scenario that hasn't already sprung to life in some progressive municipality. Caustic fiction has become incarnate fact. The headlines put our spoofs to shame.
Such is the case in Philadelphia today, where the City Council agreed to ban–drumroll please–trans fats. Cheap vegetable spreads didn't stand a chance. While it took the council five years to ban smoking, the semi-solid fatty substance found itself ousted in weeks. Unanimously. I'm not making this up.
The ban extends to foods prepared in restaurants within the city. Prepackaged foods–like Tastycake, the ubiquitous Philly snack–get off the hook. The ban takes effect on September 1, and so far no penalties are provided for violators. But lawmakers say they can come up with them fast enough if restaurants buck the new ban.
I was even more shocked to learn that New York City has already banned said reprehensible substance, and nineteen states are considering it. What can I say? How can I improve on the evident nanny-state reductio ad absurdum the city of Philadelphia has been gracious enough to provide?
Maybe I could propose that obese Philadelphians should sue the city for not banning the stuff sooner.
Posted in Politics & Current Events • 3 Comments • Permalink • 605 views
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