Recollecting those who love to introduce themselves/others to me just so I could 'trust' them: Dr. Stephen Tong is my favorite teacher; I'm a good friend of Rev. Tong; I have been involved in his ministry for 100 years; etc.
My only responses are: So what?; Good for you!
I don't care if it's Rev. Tong's grandfather, all I care is: If you're here to serve God or not?
World reknown town for spiritualism, mediums, healing. Near Buffalo.
I had no idea. But it's not surprising, given that Joseph Smith and the Jehovah's Witnesses were from the same state.
I recently had the opportunity to view a DVD documentary on "The Making of the King James Bible" by the Christian History Institute, which I learned has lots of interesting visual products pertaining to Christian history.
Just today (or more precisely, last night), I attended a one time course at MAPC on the same subject. To make sure I'm well prepared, I watched the DVD first without any further delay.
To make it a short summary of my learning, I shall jot this down from memory:
Since Queen Elizabeth had no heir, the throne fell on her cousin, King of Scotland, James VI. Thus making him King James I of England.
At that time, Bible translations were a common thing.
Due to the dispute on which version is accept in the church, the King called for a universal version.
The King James Bible owes much to Tyndale's version. A sidenote on Tyndale: He once debated against a catholic theologian in 1523, taken from wikipedia: "We had better be without God's laws than the Pope's." Swelling with
emotion, Tyndale responded: "I defy the Pope, and all his laws; and if
God spares my life, ere many years, I will cause the boy that driveth
the plow to know more of the Scriptures than thou dost!"
Before the KJB, the church used an unfavored Bishop's Bible. This was because there were in those days supporters of the Genevan Bible.
There was also the catholic's Rheims version, which has footnotes in certain verses here and there mocking the protestant movement (ie. Luke 1:48 on Mary being blessed).
In the DVD, it mentioned the Gunpowder plot of 1605 Nov 5th (which is annually celebrated by people reciting the incident and wearing Guy Fawkes' masks), in relation to the promotion of the KJV, as the plot failed.
====
This is the bio of yesterday's (The origin of the King James Bible) lecturer:
Iain Torrance, Princeton Seminary president and Professor of Patristics, will present on the history and background of the King James Bible. Shortly after inheriting the English throne and uniting the kingdoms of Scotland and England, James VI of Scotland became James I of England and authorized a new English translation of the Bible from Hebrew and Greek texts. Begun in 1604 and published in 1611, the King James Version became England’s Authorized Version of the Bible. Since then, millions of Christians have lived out their faith through its words.
Dr. Torrance h
Update: 8/7/2025 Old King James Only Song (Independent Fundamental Baptist IFB Bible Song) - The Bible Bookstore KJV Bible Song. I can never get why KJV-Only folks are so shallow but this song maybe an antidote:
Song allegedly by John Marshall:
Lehman High School at Westchester Square, half of student body with disciplinary problem...I shall put this in my NYC crime map.
Quote from NY1:
Nearly half the students at a large Bronx high school were suspended
last school year, according to the Department of Education, which is now
required to release crime and suspension data.
Lehman High
School in Westchester Square tops the list of schools with discipline
problems, with 2,000 of the school's approximately 4,100 students
receiving suspensions.
Of those incidents, DOE sources say 122
suspensions were for "horseplay," 219 were for aggressive behavior and
456 were for insubordination.
Lehman has been in trouble in recent months, as its former principal resigned amid a grade-fixing scandal.
The school also received an "F" in two consecutive performance reports.
Citywide, suspensions were up 2 percent compared to the year before, but crime has gone down.
The
report says that major crimes such as rape, homicide, robbery, felony
assault and burglary dropped nearly 5 percent during the 2010-2011
school year, compared to the previous year.
Misdemeanors have also declined.
Quantum Mechanics is in some way, God's doing to science as He did to languages at the Towel of Babel.
I have attended 2 sessions held on Mondays for 5 weeks.
I must admit, somehow I was a bit tired, but I've managed to listen in a little here and there. After the course, chatted with Dr. Middlemann (son-in-law of the late Francis Schaeffer) last week and this week, a quick talk with his wife, third daughter of Francis and Edith Schaeffer, Deborah Middlemann.
Much short subject was brought up: from L'Abri to the connection of Edith Schaeffer to my current church...Jahja Ling, Stephen Tong, Lyna, etc.
I bought a book, "Neither Necessary Nor Inevitable", immediately after I saw the one with MAPC's senior pastor Fred Anderson's foreword. This is kind of two birds with one stone: I get to learn more about Dr. Udo and Fred.
Until last week, I wasn't aware that L'Abri had become much liberal and that Edith had left and founded theschaefferfoundation.com
Since then, I had been reading much about pertaining subjects.
I will also attend a open house gathering this Friday held by the couple at their apartment. Seems like a kind of L'Abri to me. Something unique started by the late Francis Schaeffer, whom Pak Tong claimed one of America's best theologians. I had looked into him before but I supposed I lost interest when I had to imprint in my mind "moved to europe".
The course description as follow:
The Ideal and the Real: From Plato to Stalin–Heirs to the Totalitarian Temptation
In this series of studies, taught by Udo Middlemann, President of
the Francis A. Schaeffer Foundation, we shall examine the attractive
lure of Utopianism, its social and historical attraction, and the
realism and obligations of a more Biblical outlook on society.
The philosophical justification for all manner of totalitarian
government, religion and economic systems is found in the vision of a
perfectible order. The common theme from Plato to Stalin, from Hitler to
the controlling state, is the desire for order and resolution, the
perfectibility of the human experience. In response to the pursuit of
grandiose expectations, which has led to immense human tragedies, we
will consider a more Biblical view of the individual and community, the
citizen and the state, reality and present responsibility.
This class will meet on Mondays at 7:30 pm on October 24, 31, November 7, 14 and 28 in the Dana Chapel.
Just deleted more than 200 spam comments on my site by the same person. Apparently using some advanced software to bypass the CAPTCHA or based on post time intervals - a very patient spammer (if this is the case, gotta give him/her credit for trying so hard). Too bad he/she didn't check if the posting was automatically spamblocked...which could indicate it was the work of his/her software.
I've searched around: Those whom are usually expected to be great, in schools, in churches, because of their scholarstic achievements and what not, usually end up in oblivion, scavenging worldly matters; While the least, almost always turn out great.
I went to the Metropolitan Museum, bought a book "Artists' Techniques and Materials". Cashier gave me a hard time about how my membership name did not match my bankcard. When she learned I have not enough cash on me, she disregarded the 'regulation' and accepted my card.
I should have actually just get the list of books and order them online. Less hassle and cheaper.
I got online to check the price on Amazon once I got out of the building (no signal at the museum store), and it was cheaper ($16 compared to $21-after 20% discount).
Christianity is the only religion on Earth where all of its followers were once against it.
