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Tuesday, January 27, 2009

Thinking of elevators.

I was at a bar not too long ago and happened to run into my aunt and some of her friends. She brought one of the ladies over and introduced me as her 'writer nephew', and went on to say some very enthusiastic things about the absolute inevitability of my book getting published.

So of course the lady wanted to know. "What's your book about?"

I don't know about the rest of you writer folk, but that is a question I absolutely dread. How can one possibly describe their 500 page novel in under ten seconds? Especially while yelling to be heard over the God-awful karaoke singers. I sat there thinking of how much and what I should tell her, but nothing was clicking. I was drawing a blank (did I mention the place had Guinness on tap?).

So my response was, "Uh......... I don't know."

"You don't know what your own book is about?"

What I meant was that I didn't know how to describe it. I wasn't prepared to talk about it. And the place had Guinness on tap. "No, well -- yeah, I know what it's about... It's basically about these kids that get mental powers because they're like, descended from fallen angels and mortal women. Only they don't know that, see?"

The way I described it, of course, made it sound like the crappiest book ever -- even to me.

The problem, I think, is that I've never developed an 'elevator pitch': a two or tree line synopsis of the entire book. I've never been to a conference, I have no immediate plans to go, and even if I did, I wouldn't need to pitch my book to an agent because, yeah, I've already got me one o' them thar critters.

But clearly an elevator pitch would help me to look less like an idiot, and more like someone who has a decent grasp of the crap he actually hopes to sell one day.

Anyhow. I bring this up because I finished what hopefully will be my final revision of Fiersom's Brood, and I'm all set to start writing the second book, 'Solhades', see the cool picture I made up at the top there? I'm toying with the plot in my little creative muscle right now, and soon I'll embark on my behemoth outlining journey as described below. Only this time, I'm gonna try this technique I came across several months ago called 'The Snowflake Method' It has similarities to my method, only it's somehow even MORE organized, and it starts with an 'elevator pitch' synopsis.

So I'm gonna go work on that now. Maybe I'll post it when I've got it down. In the meantime, I'll leave you with a synopsis of Fiersom's Brood that I toyed with for my query, oh so long ago. I eventually scrapped it because it was too short, but now -- I think I need to go ahead and memorize the freaking thing.

Cuz it's humiliating not being able to describe your own dang book.

They are Nephilim: descendants of fallen angels and mortal women. God sent His great flood, in part, to wipe out every trace of their abominable civilization, yet a remnant survives, hidden beneath ocean and earth, striving to redeem themselves under an impending curse. One-thousand generations later: a group of teens slowly unravel the secret of their ancestry.

. . . and the source of their power.

So now you tell me, what's the elevator pitch for your latest novel? And I realize this sounds like a routine question to get you to leave a comment, but seriously, I love hearing what other people's books are about. I honestly want to hear all of your synopses, with all my widdle heart. Please don't disappoint me.

I could learn something.

bunnyjo georg said...

My latest novel is a work of unimaginable genius involving two people and their quest to remodel a house, meanwhile an evil wizard is trying to take over the minds of two of their children. In a mad dash to finish the house and save the two maidens, a cruel witch rushes in and starts stealing their money. Sounds exciting, n'est ce pas?!?!?

Kelly Polark said...

I totally agree that you need to have your pitch polished and ready for anytime! (note to self: work on pitch)
I'm a poet and picture book writer- I have a poetry book of electronic gadgets, a Halloween song parody book, an ABC book of rock and roll, poetry book about backyard birds, a book about a little girl who is meeting her new baby brother, and a few more. Some are out in submissions, some I'm revising.
I like your book premise, V!

Carrie Harris said...

It IS humiliating, isn't it?

My new book will be something like this:

Emma, adopted daughter of a wannabe Spice Girl, ninja butt-kicker extraordinaire, decides to do something different: she joins a rollergirl team. But when she learns that they're really demon-hunters in disguise, she has to decide once and for all whether she'll use her abilities for good or evil.

I'm still working on it, though.

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

"Sparks Fly Sometimes" is about a rock goddess turned domestic goddess turned rock goddess.

With a whole lot of other shit in between!;-)

Serena Woods said...

Oh, boy. Yeah, that question is so hard to answer. I heard another writer say that they are a good writer, but not a good salesman. So, they can write a good book, but be terrible at pitching it. That's me. I'm terrible at pitching. (baseball and sales)

I was going to post my synop, but I need to work on it.

Bryan B. said...

You have to take a chance sometimes, risk everything for Love, or whatever. Because sometimes the geek gets the Prom Queen. And the jock can fall for the girl in the secondhand dress. You have to believe. Then go.
In two weeks, Head's taking his chance. He's following a crooked line up the map in search of Love ...and Greatness. He's getting his happy ending.

- "The Legendary Days of My 17th Year"

That's a dramatic version...

Anonymous said...

Mine didn't take a lot of work, mainly because it's what I've been telling people for years when I described my childhood. (nonfiction is great!)

"When I was 9, my family moved 7 miles up a dirt road, and a hundred years back in time. When my father stood up to the county bully, the old man threatened to kill my whole family- then tried to make good on the threat. I lived a lifetime in the Old West, all in five years of the early 1980's"

Pretty cool, huh?

Elise Murphy said...

I so so want to share my synopsis and elevator pitch with you . . . like it's making me twitch to not be able to send it on. But I'm pretty sure my agent would kill me and then hide my body.

Your cover art is lovely!

Keri Mikulski said...

I know what you mean..

After a did a few signings, I realized I better figure something out because standing there and saying, uh, uh.. isn't going to sell books. So I seriously memorized the back cover and used it. :)

Good luck!

Mary O. Paddock said...

I dread that question too--for different reasons. You should try telling people you write sci-fi in the Bible Belt. Really. Especially when you say, "It's about a female computer genius whose sister is killed by a serial killer she met online. She makes it her mission to stop him from killing again, but he's not your typical serial killer. This guy is a warlock." (I wish there was a better word--warlock tends to muster up all the wrong images. I don't even use the word in the book). I've already discovered that in some circles you run the risk of being "prayed for" behind your back.

Tracey said...

Well, it's not really a novel, but non-fiction. The book is about how my sister and I discovered a genetic link in our family to breast/ovarian cancer and the affect it has had on us (she has the gene mutation, I don't). Really it's not as gloomy as it sounds. It's more about educating and advocating for yourself. Hopefully it's not as dull as that sounds either ... (and you didn't even think I had a WIP)

Vikki said...

Wow, that's funny. Just this past Saturday night I was trying to explain my current WIP to a couple friends while we were out to dinner. It was awful! I actually stopped halfway through and said, "I swear, it's written way better than how I'm telling it". Kinda sad, really. I won't attempt it again here. It'll just make both of us cringe.

Ray Veen said...

Bunny - I wish you would write a book. I really do. You'd rock.

Kelly - Your books sound like fun. But you've never had to pitch them? I guess I don't know how you submit for children's books. You should write a blog post on it.

Carrie - That idea is freaking amazing. I totally get to read it, right?

Debra - Sounds really cool. And it's sort of biographical, right?

Serena - 'not a good salesman.' I like that. I'm gonna steal it. You're cool with that, right?

Bryan - I like the book and I like the pitch. Is this how you answer people when they ask what your book is about?

Wenston - Wow. I knew your book was a memoir but I had no idea it was so unique. Great idea and great pitch.

Elise - S'okay. Your agent is a God among mortals and I wouldn't want to offend her either. My agent has never said I couldn't talk about my book, though, is there some kind of rule I don't know about? (Do answer me back if you see this).

Ray Veen said...

Keri - Good point. I want to be ready when my day comes.

Mary - Did you know I used to be a children's pastor? I've always been disappointed in how prickly many Christians are about fiction. I shudder to think about how my book might be received. Really cool pitch, btw. I've always loved the concept of TW.

Tracey - Was that your Nano novel? I guess I thought you were writing some fiction. Not a bad subject for a book though, there will always be a market for things like that.

Vivi - I am disappointed. I've always been curious about your novel because of the wonderful stuff I've seen on your blog. When are you gonna share more about AC? Do you have readers?

Unknown said...

I would read Wenston's right now.

And because I also suck at telling people what my stories are about, I can give only this:

High school kid. Family vacation. Ugh. Meets girl. Gets handjob. Thinks he's in love. (And there's also some pretty sweet fart jokes.)

Elise Murphy said...

No . . . I'm sure if he wanted you to shush up, you'd know it. When words like "original" and "haven't seen anything like it in the YA market" come up . . . you start to feel a little protective and panicked.

Anonymous said...

Ray, I'm on to a new story, and trying loads of outlining, history, background, etc (thanks for the advice). Here's a lame attempt at a synopsis.

Lonnie's disastrous experiments, especially the flammable ones, tend to keep people away. Until she is recruited by the school for scientists at the Wizard's Eye, an ancient observatory built high on a lone mountain on her planet. Destined to replace the current Wizard, Lonnie must work out the secrets of the observatory and the meaning behind the Wizard's final words, mysteries tied to both the past and the future of her people.

Tracey said...

Nope it's not my Nano novel. That was fiction (which I'm not that great at yet, so I've moved on to what I can write).

Anita said...

Wow...this was difficult, but fun.

A young Air Force wife, Tomasina Mack, takes down the murderer in her husband's pilot training class. And in the process of taking the loco man down, Tommi does a whole lot of growing up.

Bryan B. said...

No, I usually mumble something like, "Um..it's about Love and...um, ninjas or something."

That little description above took 30 minutes of thinking...

Madison said...

The WIP I'm working on most right now is Help! My Parents Are From Outer Space! so I'll do one for it.

Stacie thought she was a normal 13 year old until she discovers that her parents are aliens....after she wakes up on a spaceship bound for their planet. Through a crazy, whacked out adventure, she has to rescue her father, the President of the United States, and two worlds from falling into evil hands. Pressure? Just a smidge.

Danielle said...

I've got two WIPs, but one isn't ready for public consumption yet. The other is:

Anna was ready to live happily ever after, but life doesn't always turn out the way one might expect. After seeing a different side of her fiance, she calls off the wedding, and her world turns upside down.

There's a lot more to it - abuse, stalking, people getting hit by buses... but that's the best short synopsis I've come up with yet.

VeeFlower said...

My attempted book decided it wanted to be a short story, so here it is: Evelyn is the widow of a wealthy man; but my story begins with her walking the streets, newly homeless, trying to remain anonymous. As she struggles to resolve her situation, and as you the reader wonder how she became such a hopeless case, you will discover a side of life most of us fear, and hope we will never have to experience firsthand.

Ray Veen said...

Murph - I had to check my email before I figured out that this isn't the Farve story. Right? Cuz he's eleven and wouldn't get a, um... you know.

Elise - Sounds like a good kind of panic. Let us know when the time comes for the big unvieling.

Denise - Awesome. Is it YA? Cuz I think YA is due for a resurgence of scifi.

Tracey - I understand. Fiction isn't for everybody. Just the tall people, really.

Anita - Very nice. It just has a solid sound to it. And with all of your connections and experience, your 'road to pub' oughtta be fairly smooth.

Bryan - All you'd really have to do to piques someone's curiosity is say, "It's about the John Cusack philosophy." Once you lay that out for them, they'll simultaneously recognize your brilliance, and begin longing for the day when your book becomes available.

Madison - Love it. The last line especially. "Pressure? Just a smidge."

Danielle - Yeah? Make sure you work the 'people getting hit by busses' bit into it. Everybody wants to see somebody get hit by a bus.

Vee - Is this something you're currently writing? You've got to write this. Do it. Seriously. And let me know if you need any help.

Jewel Allen said...

I love your new title Solhades. Very clever. And Congrats on finishing your revisions.

Well, you know my elevator pitch, but I'll share here, why not?

Seventeen-year old Antonio is possibly the worst person to help his Philippine town get rid of its ghost moon night curse.

After all, he steals and lies, and he’s not above cheating his employer to get his coveted record player. Still, the lure of a cash prize to break the curse is too hard for Antonio to resist. So he enlists the help of his best friend who plays coconut basketball, a tomboyish girl who dislikes him, and a water buffalo named Cupid who snorts when happy. Will Antonio’s quick wits – and his sidekicks – be enough to break the curse…before the curse breaks him?

colbymarshall said...

oh, man...I dread this one too. I hate it especially because people try to act interested even if they arent lol

VeeFlower said...

It is completed. However, the only complete copy was given to a friend as a one of a kind gift. I do have two thirds of it on paper, my own copy, which you can read. But the denouement is in cyberspace, happily winging its way along with all the pics I lost when my computer crashed. Sob. I should probably rewrite it.

Debra Lynn Shelton said...

Hey, Ray - I just linked you on my blog.;-)

Amy said...

It's all a matter of perspective. If I ran into someone who was introduced as a writer, and I asked what the book was about (which I'd NEVER DO, by the way, but IF I did), and the response was that it was about people with mental powers who were descendants of fallen angels and mortal women, I'd say, "That sounds TOTALLY COOL!"

So no worries.

Ray Veen said...

Pink - Every time I hear about your book, I get more and more interested.

Colby - Thanks for sharing my pain.

Vee - Absolutely - I want to read it! Would you re-finish it first? Please? For me?

Debra - Yeah? Think I'll go and check that out.

Amy - You are too kind. You just won a free autograph. (I'll write it on a post-it and mail it to you so that if the book ever gets printed, you can stick it on in.)

bunnyjo georg said...

Hey, everyone, BPV's got BIG NEWS about his book. Bug him until he tells!!!!!!

Timothy said...

Ray: This has nothing to do with your blog; but thought I would be compelled to share with you-- Rebecca has a Maxine 2009 Calander and for the month of February it shows Maxine saying:"The early bird might get the worm; but it's the night-owl that gets the tequila."


Content-Type: application/http; msgtype=response

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text:
A review of Faith Comes by Hearing. Edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson.

IVP,  2008. (Available in Australia from Koorong Books.)

It goes without saying that in the secular, pluralistic West, values such as inclusion, tolerance and acceptance are greatly stressed. Conversely, anything which smacks of exclusiveness, intolerance and rejection is strongly deplored. This can make the proclamation of the Christian Gospel especially difficult.

Biblically Christianity is clearly exclusivist in its insistence that Christianity is the one true religion, and that Jesus Christ is the only means of salvation. This is not exactly what a multicultural, pluralistic society wants to hear. But it is what biblical Christians are obligated to proclaim.

While it is obvious that many non-Christians (whether religious or nonreligious) will find the exclusiveness of Christianity’s truth claims to be burdensome and objectionable, there are some Christians who also question the traditional understanding.

Some evangelical Christians, for example, have sought to widen the parameters when it comes to who can be saved and how. It is to these sorts of issues that this book is addressed. Eleven meaty chapters written by nine biblical scholars tackle the many complex issues involved.

Traditionally there have been three main approaches to these issues. The exclusivist camp argues that Jesus Christ is the only Saviour, and salvation only comes in response to the Gospel of Christ. The inclusivist camp argues that Christ is indeed the only Saviour, but people can be saved apart from hearing the Gospel message. Pluralism teaches that there are many religious roads to God.

This volume argues that the consistent Biblical position is that of exclusivism. It mainly interacts with other Christians who seek to argue for the remaining two positions, especially the inclusivists. Many of the leading evangelical inclusivists are those associated with the open theism movement. Thus open theists such as Clark Pinnock and John Sanders receive a great deal of attention in this volume, along with others. Terrance Tiessen, an inclusivist of the Reformed persuasion, also gets a wide hearing.

Morgan does a good job in his opening chapter listing the various details and nuances of the main positions involved. Indeed, he admits that the three traditional camps may be insufficient, and breaks things down into nine specific positions.

Daniel Strange offers a helpful overview of the claim that general revelation (God’s self-disclosure in creation and conscience) is sufficient to condemn sinners, but not sufficient to save them. The special revelation of God (his Word and Jesus Christ) is necessary to make salvation possible to fallen mankind. Key texts such as Psalm 19 and Romans 1-2 are carefully examined, along with inclusivist assessments of them.

Walter Kaiser looks at salvation in the Old Testament, and argues that so-called holy pagans or believing Gentiles were saved just as we are, by response to the specific revelation of God. True, the OT saints did not have a clear understanding of Christ and his work, but they did have Yahweh’s self-disclosure in general, and his specific revelation of a promised Saviour, going back to Genesis 3:15.

Eckhard Schnabel discusses how the Bible understands other religions. He reminds us that both Israel and the early Christians believed that competing religious worldviews were false religions and manmade belief systems. They both also recognised the spiritual dimension to other religions, which includes some elements of the demonic and satanic.

William Edgar examines the charge that exclusivism is unjust. In his discussion he covers a number of major issues such as theodicy, the nature of evil, the sovereignty of God and the entrance of sin into the world. He reminds us that if God saved no one, he would still be absolutely just and fair. But the fact that many are saved speaks to the great mercy and grace of God.

Other chapters examine such topics as the nature of saving faith, the necessity of preaching the Gospel, and the missionary heart of God. The authors here argue that the best thing we can do for those who are worried about the fate of those who have not heard the Gospel is to encourage them to be more active in proclaiming the Gospel to all mankind.

A concluding chapter deals with notable objections to the notion of exclusivism, such as the fairness and justice of hell, and various pastoral concerns.

In sum, there is a wealth of biblical, theological and hermeneutical material covered here, which is presented in a fair and gracious manner. Extensive quotations from, and arguments by, the inclusivists are presented and carefully dealt with. The authors meticulously and graciously interact with the inclusivists, but make it clear that the exclusivist position seems to best do justice to the biblical data.

And they make clear the priority of the Christian Gospel, and the urgency and importance of worldwide evangelisation. While a number of other volumes have covered these topics, this is perhaps the best recent volume to present the biblical and theological case for exclusivism. An important and vital volume.

[809 words]

13 Replies to “A review of Faith Comes by Hearing. Edited by Christopher Morgan and Robert Peterson.”

  1. Thanks Bill

    Sounds like a good read. It seems to me, as one who personally fits into the ‘exclusive’ camp many of us Christians often ‘apologise’ for the fact that Jesus is the only way… we find ourselve on our ‘back foot’ trying to defend God and his way of dealing with humankind and our ‘sin problem’. My pastor said something pretty profound this week … “Just like you dont need to ‘defend’ a lion – just let it out of it’s cage and it can defend itself..” Jesus is like that lion.. we dont need to apologise for what he taught or did… when someone genuinely wants to find Truth and seeks him, they will ‘find’ him. He claimed black and white to be the “only” way to God (Jn 14:6)… so in my humble opinion, when we soften that claim we make him out to be a liar (deliberate deceiver of people) or lunatic (deluded with his own ‘grandeur’)… when He actually is the only Lord.

    Kerryn Zwag

  2. Interesting, I’ll have to get the book. One problem with the unreached is that we don’t know how many failed attempts there have been. We see only the result of the successes and a few famous cases of martyred missionaries. When missionaries do out reaches with unreached cultures there are in many cases some who come early. These are often seekers, nominal members of the local faiths or what a Hindu or Buddhist would call an atheist in their midst. How many have been seeking the lords name in private we don’t know. The secret church in Islamic countries and the hidden church in china indicates that you can have millions of believers in a society that appears lost. There are accounts of Moslems that saw the flaws in Islam and sought the truth. We only know of those that made contact with the church, missionaries or obtained a bible, mostly men. How many died trying and is the attempt enough? How much of the gospel is enough for salvation? Is the realisation that what the mosque or temple teaches about Jesus might be wrong enough to seek him? Is that enough truth to set you free? As someone that works with the intellectually handicapped I know that there are many Christians that know little else but that Jesus was good and other things are bad. Anything more complicated is and will always be beyond them. Is that enough? We know that many rejected the gods of the Aztec and Incas. When Christianity arrived these millions rose up in open rebellion. We know what the catholic priests taught, the false Christianity of the Mariology, the inquisition and the counter reformation. How much was accurately translated is also debatable. How did God create real churches in such a context where even the missionaries were often preaching false gospels. The same happened in China with Nestorian missionaries. When missionaries preach to some tribes and peoples they resist yet when the same message goes to other tribes they convert on mass. How much preparatory work has the holy spirit been doing and how many generations has that preparation taken? Is only the last generation saves in that process? Hope fully the book deals with these questions.
    Wesley Bruce

  3. The Gospel is not fair is it? The only way to the Father is as little children. The Gospel message is simple and clear, Jesus stated that He is the way and when we have seen Him we have seen the Father. It is an uncomfortable message. As humans we try to find the loophole but there isn’t one.
    If we believe Jesus to be who he says he is, then we must accept what he says.
    Many will not see eternity. Fairness is not the point. A funeral is a sad event as people cling to the hope that loved ones who are not saved will go to Heaven.
    Steven Eldridge

  4. Bill,

    To add to the debate I put part of the Catholic position to you. The Catholic Catechisim states “Every man who is ignorant of the Gospel of Christ and of His Church, but seeks the Truth and does the Will of God in accordance with his understanding of it, can be saved. Such persons would have desired Baptism explicitly if they had known its necessity.

    Also those who suffer death for the sake of the Faith without having received Baptism are baptised by their death for and with Christ ie Baptism of Blood.

    As regards children who have died without Baptism, the Church can only entrust them to the mercy of God.

    John McMahon

  5. Jesus said whoever comes to him he will not reject – whether we disagree on details of theology or not – apart from him being the only way. Those who never hear an explicit gospel, and it seems that there will be many of them, are presumably covered after death when at the judgment when their consciences will either accuse or defend them – and, after all, will not God do justice. Nevertheless we are commissioned to take the gospel to the ends of the earth.
    Peter Newland

  6. Thanks John

    To be honest, I did not even have Catholicism in mind as I wrote this article. As I said in my review, non-Christians will certainly have problems with the ideas that Jesus is the only Saviour and that the Gospel must be embraced. Of course I and the authors of the book are evangelical Protestants, so that is the perspective we are coming from. And we all were mainly engaging with fellow evangelical Protestants on this issue.

    But yes, I am aware of Catholic thinking on this issue, and it is obviously one area in which Catholics and Protestants tend to differ theologically. That is why there are Catholics and Protestants.

    As to what persons might have chosen (or as you put it, “if they had known”), there is a position known as God’s middle knowledge which speaks of God knowing what choices people might have made under different circumstances. This concept arose from the Jesuit theologian Luis de Molina, and so is sometimes referred to as Molinism. Some Protestant philosophers have been interested in the concept, and are willing to entertain that notion to some extent in certain discussions about philosophy of religion. So there is some common ground here.

    But of course three of the chief guiding principles of the Reformation were sola scriptura, sola fide and sola Christus (by Scripture alone, by faith alone, and Christ alone). These of course have been Protestant distinctives for around half a millennium, and this means that on some of these issues Catholics and Protestants will of necessity see things differently.

    As to infants, Protestants take a similar line, arguing that they lack knowledge of God and the Gospel, and so avoid judgment, since judgment is based on the knowledge that we have. So God will be merciful to them, as they lack the ability to reject God.

    But the main discussion here is adults who do have knowledge of God through general revelation (the created order without, and the moral law within). That knowledge is sufficient to condemn them, and they need to find a way out of that condemnation. Protestants believe that salvation comes from responding to the Gospel, repenting, and placing one’s faith in Christ. Catholics of course have a somewhat different understanding of the nature of salvation. But that is where we may have to agree to disagree.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  7. When was I saved? 2000 years ago! Who saved me? The Son of The Father, Jesus Christ in The Holy Spirit! When did I realise this objective fact? When my subjective experience came into alignment with the objective reality(repentance) Was my salvation dependant on my repentance or the saving vicarious work of Jesus? My repentance was simply a recognition and ACCEPTANCE that I was loved unconditionally and had been included in THEIR life from before the foundation of the world. The Christain life is just that. A loving descriptive response to being loved, not a prescriptive set of rules by which we get in! That is religion! You accept the free gift (Heaven), or reject it (hell). Your choice, but unless you allow THEM to love you, you are being like the older son-refusing to come into the party that is already going and you don’t even have to clean up afterwards!
    Be blessed,
    Lou d’Alpuget

  8. I fall unambiguously on the side of the inclusivists but not the pluralists.
    The recent debate on your website on the reality of Hell appears to me be a good argument against the exclusivists.
    We can only get to Hell through freely choosing to reject Christ/the Father/the Spirit.
    Salvation only exists because of the sacrifice of Christ and salvation is something that we could never have achieved through our own human efforts.
    Christ died to redeem all of mankind, including everyone who ever lived since the beginning of creation or who will ever live in the future.
    So what happens to those for whom Christ died but who have never heard of Christ or his message but who at the same time have never freely rejected God?
    If they haven’t freely chosen to reject God then they wouldn’t meet the essential test for going to Hell for all eternity.
    However not having heard of Christ and his salvation message their lives are lacking in an important way.
    Given that so much of the message of Christ as summed up in his 2 great commandments can be lived out by people who have not heard of Christ then it has always seemed to me that those who genuinely and freely choose to live lives consistent with Christs 2 commandments must experience some sort of eternal happiness.
    With Christ’s reminder to us that ” there are many rooms in My Fathers house”; then I’ve taken the view that the good people of this world who have never understood the message of Christ because they never heard it are given a room in His Fathers house but it may very well be a small room far away in the East or West wing of the house.
    They will live for eternity in the presence of God but their perception and understanding of the nature and presence of God may be less than others in Heaven but still be more than enough to create an eternal paradise.
    Exclusivism must logically accept that Hell has more tormented souls in it than Heaven has joyous souls.
    What a sad and I think unChristian thought that is.
    Maybe I better start praying for the exclusivists as their view appears to belittle the greatness of God.
    I might also try reading the book!
    John Ryan

  9. Thanks John

    As mentioned in another comment, Catholics and Protestants do have differing views on this subject, because they have different understandings us such things as natural law, general revelation, the nature of sin and salvation, and the like. So in one sense I understand your point of view, but of course as a Protestant I do not accept all of it.

    But just a few thoughts if I may to help explain where I am/we are coming from. Yes, if you read the book, you might gain a better understanding of why most evangelicals hold to exclusivism. Protestants find that many biblical passages push them in that direction. For example, there are a stack of Scriptures which say we are condemned already, we are already dead in our sins, and we are already guilty in God’s eyes. Consider just a few. Ephesians 2:1 says we are “dead in our trespasses and sins”. Dead people don’t need reform, they need resurrection.

    Jesus himself made this clear. He said “whoever does not believe stands condemned already” (John 3:18). Indeed, if one simply just reads all of John 3, the exclusivist position would pretty much seem to be the only logical option. Indeed, that is why Jesus said we must be born again (John 3:3)

    As to those living before Christ, the meritous effects of Christ’s atoning death is what saves people, but the actual response of people is to whatever God has revealed of himself. People living before Christ of course could not respond to Jesus, but they could respond to God’s revelation at the time. Thus Abraham believed God’s revelation of himself, and that faith saved him.

    People will be judged by their knowledge. The more knowledge or light we have of God, the greater our guilt. Thus the mentally impaired, or infants, who cannot have proper knowledge of God, will not be held accountable as those who do have knowledge of God yet reject it.

    And Romans 1-2 says that we all have enough knowledge about God based on his general revelation of himself in the created world around us, and our moral sense, or conscience. That is enough knowledge of God to make us guilty before God, and worthy of judgment.

    But they main thing is, if we are worried about those who have not heard the good news of the gospel, then we should be doing everything we can to tell them. That is what the Great Commission is all about (Matt 28:19). We are commanded to go and tell everyone the Gospel. That is our primary Christian responsibility.

    And a quick remark about the only biblical passage you do raise: with all due respect, you are simply reading things into the John 14:2 text (about many mansions). It says nothing there about people who have not heard the Gospel somehow still being welcomed by God. That may be a view one wishes to hold to, but one certainly cannot get it from that passage!

    Much more can obviously be said. But as I say, there are a number of areas where Catholics and Protestants differ, so that will result in differing views on inclusion and exclusion. For Protestants, the bottom line is what we regard as the plain teaching of Scripture on this issue. But I am aware that others will take a different approach to all this.

    Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  10. There was a book sold some time ago by Koorong called “Eternity in their Hearts” which documented cases where peoples cut off from Christendom were able to arrive at an understanding of God and the necessity of sacrificial redemption, either through God sending a dream or through reason from general revelation.

    The ruling class of the Incas was one of these cases. Unfortunately, in this case, the Spanish put all to the sword before this knowledge was conveyed to other classes in their society.

    Also, Biblical history states that all cultures have descended from a true and accurate and detailed knowledge of God via Noah but have drifted away or corrupted the true knowledge of God (as Paul states in Romans). Thus, we all have some sort of race knowledge about God (which still could be argued as a form of specific revelation (as differing from purely from nature alone)) but cultures may have lost the specifics.

    God does act to preserve or re-initiate knowledge of Himself throughout history. Often He reveals Himself to a beacon or reformer (such as Martin Luther) who either points the way back to God or goes off in search of the truth to bring back to his people.

    I believe that the Holy Spirit pre-acts and prepares the hearts of individuals leading up to salvation or at least to a point when they can choose to reject or accept God and I also believe that he prepares cultures and peoples accordingly. A NT example of this is the huge numbers of Gentile adherents to synagogues (but who were not practicing Jews or converts but “God fearers”) who quickly responded to the Gospel just beginning to spread out among the Jews only.

    However these cases are rare, and the burden still remains upon us to spread the gospel. Otherwise those who God judges or who come to a knowledge of salvation have the just right to accuse us “But why didn’t you tell us?”

    Lennard Caldwell, Clifton QLD

  11. Thanks Lennard

    Yes quite right. And this book mentions Don Richardson’s Eternity in Their Hearts on a number of occasions and interacts with it.

    Bill Muehlenberg, CultureWatch

  12. Bill, I just watched a DVD tonight that I really found challenging and I thought you might be interested to see if you haven’t already. I don’t know if this is the appropriate place to comment. Sorry for the long post.

    It is available in Australia from Koorong. It is also available in book form. The true story about an African of Scottish heritage called Angus Buchan is called “Faith like Potatoes”. It is about a man, who got to the end of himself and reluctantly went to hear preaching about the gospel by a layman. Hearing this man’s heartfelt testimony, he gave his life to Christ… God’s hand is at work now. Faith may come by hearing, but God’s provision provides the encouragement for it.

    Angus felt led to hold a prayer meeting for farmers like him who were in desperate need. He was led to have it in a huge sports stadium, which amazingly he was able to use. At it he said he would plant a crop of potatoes, a crop which if it failed would bankrupt him, but if it succeeded would be highly profitable. He planted it despite the forecast of El Nino, despite the fact he did not have irrigation to pipes to provide the water needed for potatoes. Needless to say, when the time came to dig up the potatoes, there was a bumper crop.

    (There is much more to this story, like the Zulu workers he employed, miracles of healing…)

    If we put our faith in God, he will provide for us. What a challenge this message is to us in this land, where we have financial prosperity but spiritual poverty.

    Matthew Mulvaney

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Emergencies, Big Government, and Freedom

We should all keep asking hard questions about what the state is doing during times of emergency:

I, like many others concerned about affirming freedom in a time of crisis, am going through my own Jordan Peterson moments right now. I refer to how often he is misrepresented whenever he opens his mouth, especially by oppositional and not very intelligent journalists. See one very famous example of this here: billmuehlenberg.com/2018/01/24/peterson-contra-mundum/

We can offer a simplified version of this:

Peterson (or any intelligent person): “I love vanilla ice cream.”
Clueless (or antagonistic) journalist: “Oh, so you’re saying you hate people who like chocolate ice cream?”

There is a complete disconnect between what is being said and the follow-up remark – as well as a deliberate twisting of the words and ideas. Let me offer one more example, one that I have personally experienced far too many times now during this corona crisis:

Me: ‘I worry about how governments can greatly expand their powers in a time of crisis.’
Clueless critic: ‘Oh, so you want millions of people to die of the virus?’

I get versions of this discussion all the time. Anytime I dare to open my mouth and share my concerns about how easy it is for the expansive state to grow into behemoth proportions in a time of crisis, I will get all sorts of folks attacking me, claiming that I am downplaying the virus and that I don’t care how many folks die. They say I need to stop criticising the government and just let them get on with the job.

Um no. I am fully aware that this is a dangerous and deadly pandemic. And I have said far too many times now: ‘Yes, there certainly is a role for government intervention here, and yes, some freedoms may need to be restricted for a while during times of a national and global crisis.’ I have never once denied these truths.

But what I have also done is try to sound the alarm, based on my knowledge of history, my understanding of politics, and my awareness of basic theology. Specifically, the state is always looking to take more power for itself; power does corrupt; and we are all ultimately sinful and selfish.

All these points could be expanded at length. For example, a time of emergency always provides the perfect pretext for the state to assume ever more powers while taking away ever more freedoms of its citizens. I will keep sounding the alarm about basic truths like this.

Does that mean I think the Australian government and others are going way over the top and should ease up? Possibly. At this point all I am doing is asking some hard questions. And during a time of crisis, the freedom to ask questions is paramount. As soon as we are no longer allowed to ask such questions in times of emergency, then you know we are in a real bad way.

I will certainly keep asking this question until the crisis is over: is it possible that the cure will be worse than the disease? It sure is possible. Do I have expert understanding and assessment of what our governments are now doing? No. But I can ask questions – as we all should be doing.

And I can be wary of fearmongering and chicken little scenarios, whether offered by the state or by individuals. The truth is, all the numbers are quite rubbery here, along with their interpretations. And it sure does not help when we get folks recklessly and in sensationalist fashion claiming that one million Australians might die from this – as I heard one guy tell me!

Perhaps most things that Western governments are now doing are good and wise. But we still need to ask questions, and we still need to be vigilant. This is one of the clearest lessons of history. For example, one can rightly ask, does it make sense for police to arrest solitary figures on the beach? Does it make sense to ban individuals from going fishing?

Does it make sense to threaten ordinary people with 6 months in jail and $10,000 fines for violating social distancing guidelines? Does it make sense for the state to have drones flying overhead to keep an eye on its own citizens? Does it make sense to attach ankle monitors on some people as part of government surveillance measures?

All these things are now happening. For good or ill, tremendous restrictions on individual liberties are happening right now. Maybe it is all fully justified. Maybe it is not. I for one will keep asking hard questions here. And others have been asking such questions. Let me feature just a few of them here. For example, in the UK Peter Hitchens was interviewed by Brendan O’Neill recently. Here is part of their discussion:

Brendan O’Neill: We live in a country where parliament has been suspended, our most basic freedoms have been eroded, we are all virtually under house arrest, and there are a whole bunch of new rituals we all have to observe when we encounter other people, which is increasingly rare. Like me, are you a bit terrified by the speed and the ease with which Britain became this country?

Peter Hitchens: …the point that strikes me here is that – particularly in the Eastern European countries, but also largely in Russia – most people regarded the Soviets’ rule with a certain amount of contempt and made jokes about it and realised they were being mocked and fooled. In this case, the population accepts what they are being told, without any question. It’s extraordinary. The old USSR would have loved to have had a population like that in the Western world and in the United Kingdom, which genuinely believes the propaganda and does what it is told. You could say, ‘The chocolate ration has gone up’, when in fact it has gone down and people will believe it.

O’Neill: You have written some very solid pieces, questioning the need for this kind of shutdown. Let’s just talk for a moment about the extraordinary situation we find ourselves in. There is this novel virus, which undoubtedly causes great harm, especially to older people and to medically vulnerable people, and in response to it – which is unprecedented in human history – we have closed down virtually the whole of society and most of the economy, and in the process we have stored up immeasurable problems for the future. I think you have found it a bit of a struggle to convince people that this might not be the best way to tackle a virus?

Hitchens: It’s extraordinary. Again, the willingness of people to accept that ‘something must be done, and this is something, so we will do this’. The argument goes, ‘We have a problem, the way of solving it is to shut down the country and strangle civil liberties. Therefore, let’s do that.’

What I have been surprised by is how little examination there has been to whether there is any logic to this. It is as if you went to the doctor with measles and the doctor said that this was serious measles and the only treatment for it is to cut off your left leg. And he cuts off your left leg and then later on, you recover from the measles and he says, ‘This is fantastic. I’ve cured you of the measles, sorry about your leg.’ That is more or less what is going on now. We are being offered a supposed treatment which has nothing whatever to do with the problem.

Other countries have not resorted to these measures. We have modelled ourselves, bizarrely, on the most despotic country in the world, the People’s Republic of China, whose statistics are wholly unreliable and whose media are totally supine, so we can’t really know what is going on there. And in fact, all the countries which have had serious outbreaks of Covid-19, they have almost all reacted differently. Even Singapore and Hong Kong, which are widely praised for what they did, did different things. And yet, oddly enough, the results in Singapore and Hong Kong were quite similar. Japan has done something different. South Korea did something different. And again, the virus actually did not continue to grow at the rates which Imperial College apparently think are inevitable if we don’t shut down our society….

The alleged cure – and it is only alleged in this case – is immensely worse than the disease, because what happens to a society which trashes its economy? I will tell you what happens. It is unable to afford proper health provision, all of its standards decline, its food gets worse, its air quality gets worse, its housing gets worse, its water quality gets worse, and everybody gets iller. www.spiked-online.com/2020/04/03/the-alleged-cure-is-immensely-worse-than-the-disease/

And Steve Waterson in the Weekend Australian said this: “National coronavirus hysteria will lead to disproportionate suffering”. Let me offer his concluding paragraphs:

Some of us are not surprised that our elected leaders and their unelected enforcers have been found wanting, but what really shakes your faith in society is how meekly their ludicrous commands have been obeyed. Did anyone really think more than 500 people at Sydney’s Bondi Beach represent a threat? And if so, why the same 500 limit around the corner at Tamarama’s beach, a fraction of the size? And why a zero limit now? Why can’t a solo sunbaker lie on the grass in a park without a police car moving him on? Why can’t a boat owner take a run up the coast? Why can I only buy “essential” goods? Will PC Plod soon be inspecting my shopping bags for truffles and Toblerone?

Save your comments; I know there will be plenty of people rushing to justify any extreme measure that “saves someone’s life”. The curtain-twitchers are busy in Britain, dobbing in neighbours who leave their houses twice a day or have their girlfriend over. They’ve adapted to their police state very comfortably. Fortunate, perhaps, that Churchill’s World War II promise that “we will fight them on the beaches” was never tested.

The driver of this madness is that the data we are working with, as has been pointed out by many epidemiologists, is fundamentally flawed. If we don’t know how many people have been infected, we don’t know the mortality rate. One of our panic-stricken pollies was on the radio on Monday warning people that even if they felt fine, they could be walking around spreading the disease. A disease with no symptoms that doesn’t make you ill? Terrifying.

But those symptom-free people will never be counted, just as all the people who have avoided burdening the hospital system with their minor coughs and sore throats will never be counted, so the mortality rate is inflated. So too in Italy and Spain, where everyone who dies with the disease is recorded as dying from it, no matter whether they have been wiping their feet on death’s doormat for months.

You don’t need to be good at maths or medically trained to realise all these numbers are wickedly inaccurate. If the infection can manifest itself with mild symptoms or none, how on earth can we declare how many are infected? How many run-of-the-mill flu infections go uncounted each year? I’ve never been sufficiently troubled by a cold or flu to go to the doctor, so I’ve never featured in any statistics. Perhaps I’m freakishly lucky, but I doubt it.

Instead we have a simple division sum, but one where the denominator may be out by a factor of a hundred, or a thousand. If one in every 12 people infected dies, that’s a nightmare. One in every 1200, with 99 per cent of them already gravely ill and of advanced age, it’s not so frightening. And are the millions thrown out of work a price worth paying?

John Ioannidis, professor of medicine and epidemiology at Stanford University in the US, believes if we hadn’t counted and tested this new COVID-19 separately from ordinary colds and flu (and the scary sci-fi name doesn’t help), “we might have casually noted that flu this season seems to be a bit worse than average”.

He may be wrong, but what is certain is that for many of our fellow citizens, this will be the year everything they’ve worked so hard for — their businesses, their savings, their jobs and dignity, their marriages, their sanity, their hopes and dreams and joy — evaporated.

One day we’ll emerge blinking into the economic wasteland we have wilfully created, but next year winter will come around again, and with it more flu, no doubt with another horror mutation.

So what will we do then? You can only kill yourself once. www.theaustralian.com.au/inquirer/national-coronavirus-hysteria-will-lead-to-disproportionate-suffering/news-story/56f887b32023c30efcc5f51346c92051

Now, are these folks inerrant experts that we all should listen to without question? Of course not. But neither are most of our leaders, politicians, and those in the media. And when we even have major differences of opinion among our health experts, then we all need to learn to think independently while at the same time trying to heed sensible advice from the experts.

Yes we must take all the due cautions. Yes we must put up with many inconveniences while living in quarantine – at least to some extent. But we must also keep asking questions. The only thing worse than a possible collection of wolves lording it over us is a nation of sheep. That makes for a real dangerous combination.

[2229 words]

21 Replies to “Emergencies, Big Government, and Freedom”

  1. Does it make sense to threaten ordinary people with 6 months in jail and $10,000 fines for violating social distancing guidelines?

    I wonder if we’ve got to such a point because we’ve conditioned people to not doing what they’re told and not being responsible for what they do.

    I wonder if things would be different if, if we got infected as a result of ignoring social distancing guidelines, we’d have to bear the full financial cost of our actions; all bills, including medical bills, rent/mortgage, etc., still having to be paid on time or penalties would apply to our failure to do that by the suppliers of those things?

  2. Thanks Adrian. Yes a healthy democracy depends upon a responsible citizenry. When that goes missing, the police state becomes so much more likely – probably inevitable. Although the question here is just what exactly is reasonable individual action during this crisis?

  3. I have been close to tears at watching how the British have meekly succumbed to this incarceration. There seems to have been little objection, with the majority believing it is “all for the best”; believing as they do the massaged statistics that the MSM has been feeding daily, nay, hourly, on the BBC and other channels.
    We are not suffering annihilation. It is a nasty bug, true, but nowhere near serious enough to destroy the British economy by locking everyone up and away from work. The whole affair stinks of elitist control. MSM has the country’s sheep in their hands, while rebellious types like myself are yelling away with little effect. Our British lockdown is due for review at Easter; I fear MSM’s braying for more punishment will result in lockdown extension. We could be like this for months.

  4. Courts and the police, generally, are less about re-education and rehabilitation and more about punishment, convictions and criminalisation. The big question is, ‘How many criminalised members does it take, before society says – NO MORE!’

  5. Thanks Bill, hang in there. Critical subtlety is not always welcome.

    Perhaps we should begin to revisit our thinking about civil disobedience.
    Another 5.5 months of this will ruin the country.
    Two weeks now is nearly enough.
    Another two weeks will be plenty enough, perhaps too much.
    More than that, and I can see that there will be serious problems on many levels that will take a long time to recover from.
    The restrictions will need to be reduced very quickly, and be aimed at protecting the most vulnerable only.
    Already some will disagree that I am too generous here.

    Even protecting the most vulnerable in our nursing homes has gone too far and is very inconsistent. eg. in the same home;
    1. Staff can come and go with proper procedures.
    Regular visitors/para staff such as chaplains and therapy workers are excluded; surely they should be accepted for entry if they comply with the rules for staff.
    2. Items from outside such as newspapers wrapped in plastic (long Covid-19 surface life) are allowed while sermon notes from churches delivered in paper form are not.
    Surely there are sensible work-arounds/solutions for these issues.

    The GRRR– is going to longer and louder, and that’s a guarantee.

  6. I too am greatly concerned about the creeping erosion of freedoms during such crises.

    I saw today that a bloke eating a kebab alone in a park copped a fine. A friend’s friend and her daughter, driving in a car on her Ls, copped a fine!
    A solo guy on a park bench, a mother and daughter alone in a car?

    This is becoming quite ridiculous!

  7. Dear Bill,

    Thank you very much for another brilliant article on this topic. I am with you every inch of the way and a lot of thinking people will be too. With freedom comes responsibility – I have always thought that and many are willing to accept sensible precautions for the containment of this virus but they are not sheep willing to live permanently in a communist state. A very reasonable father was shown this morning being turned away from the beach where he had been hoping to take his two teenagers surfing. He said they had been cooped up inside for a week and needed it for exercise. Such utterly ridiculous enforcements and fines are over the top.

  8. I was speaking to a pastor, in Wales, who took his wife out in her wheelchair for a stroll to a park. She is in the final stages of dementia. She finds it difficult to swallow or even chew food. She chokes on liquids. Routine is important, as is food. He was on a bench, feeding his wife part of a banana, as it’s soft and she tends to choke less often. The police told him to leave. He explained that this was one of the only times he could get his wife to eat, and asked if he could finish giving her the last part of the banana. He was told NO! and that if he didn’t leave he would be fined, even taken into custody. He wasn’t allowed to make a phone call.

  9. I agree this is all overkill but let’s not forget – as has been pointed out on this website consistently – that this is a country that in most states, baby murder right up to birth is legal, sodomy is legal, most Australian voted for sodomite marriage, Christians were mocked and ridiculed for opposing sodomite marriage (remember the “crucify the no voters” and other physical attacks by sodomites leading up the referendum in 2017?), annual sodomite parade year after year, sports played yearly on Good Friday, sports worshipped, tattooed freaks and debauchery and moral filth everywhere. Sorry, Australia (and the West generally), you sow the wind, you reap the whirlwind now in terms of economic and social destruction caused by the panic. To that punk who said “crucify the no voters” during the sodomite referendum, if he / she is suffering because of the virus or the Government’s draconian measures, God is not mocked, you reap what you sow.

  10. I just heard this evening that my niece in Melbourne has lost her best friend to the COVID 19 . She was in her early 20s and she suicided because she lost her job and had been so depressed for the past week by fear of CORONAVIRUS that she ended her life . She was overwhelmed by fear and hopelessness by this anxiety and fear of the flu ( She did not ” have ” the flu ) that she decided to end her life. I am too distraught to tell you all anything more, I am weeping as I type. This is a direct result of this irrational destruction of our Nation . Please pray that Trump will lead the WWW Whole Wide World out of this madness by Easter Resurrection Sunday. Scott Morrisons legacy will be destroying Australia, falling for this nonsense. Pray he will join Trump ?

  11. How about this comparison
    a) this page ( https://www.dhhs.vic.gov.au/coronavirus-update-victoria-5-april-2020 ) says:

    Currently 47 people are in hospital – including 11 patients in intensive care – and 573 people have recovered.

    out of a total of 1135 identified cases, with eight fatalities (from previous day’s release as there were no new fatalities to report).

    b) this page ( https://www.tac.vic.gov.au/road-safety/statistics/lives-lost-year-to-date ) showing 69 fatalities on Victorian roads.

    Why is the Premier already signalling a move to unspecified Level 4 Restrictions, presumably more severe than what we are now living under? Is there nobody among the advisers to the State Cabinet and the “National Cabinet” daring to say “Enough!”?

    I and many of my fellow workers have been out of work for two weeks because the Premier & Cabinet have promulgated regulations to prevent us from gathering for work.

    Those same regulations prevent my employer from receiving orders from customers (those deemed to be “non-essential businesses”) who have been forced to restrict their trade or close down completely because of a widespread panic within government circles, based on predictions which have not yet transpired.

    Just as an aside, my employer is not paying Payroll Tax to the State government (by means of a temporary exemption and a reduced payroll for essential staff only) so the State coffers are not filling. However, Parliamentarians and most of the State Public Service don’t forfeit any of their entitlements, do they?

    The statistics above do not indicate any risk of flooding the health system beyond capacity. There is no need to further restrict economic and social activities in this State, nor to keep the regulations in force for much longer.

  12. Good to hear, Thaddeus. We can only hope and pray that this same message will sink into the minds of Victorian and Australian politicians making these decisions here.

  13. The fact that the UK has forced homosexual “marriage” and abortion onto Northern Ireland and the shutting down of the evangelizing tour of Billy Graham’s son in the UK stadiums, mostly by elected officials, and add to this the state of the Church of England plus local councils attempting to stop parental smacking and the introduction of obvious thought police type legislation and ideas such as the “Named Person” scheme designed specifically to give the state control over parenting plus the attempted shutting down and/or state control of religious schools plus the shutting down of B&Bs who did not want sodomy and adultery occurring under their roof, adoption agency intervention, good people losing their jobs etc. etc. etc. and we can see there is much damning evidence that the U.K. is run by ignorant and deluded despotic and immoral, atheistic clowns who have little regard for people’s rights.

    Australia is not quite that bad yet but we are certainly heading in that direction. Hopefully this virus outbreak will be a wake-up call to bring people back to reality. We do need proper border controls and infrastructure. We do need to be in a financially secure situation so our credit rating does not drop as it did under Labor, and we be forced to borrow money at high interest rates to do anything about disasters and thereby expose us the greater threat in the future with any future disaters, etc.

    Perhaps people will, also, come back to reality and start to realize that we will not, in any foreseeable future, be able to fight fires with electric fire tenders and electric, flying water bombers and that droughts and floods are a part of Australian weather that we simply need to cope with, whether they are getting worse or not.

    Outside of the obvious Ruby Princess debacle in N.S.W the federal response in Australia has been excellent in my view. Scott Morrison has shown he does not defer to the previous “trickle down” economics of some previous Liberal power brokers and the fact that ordinary people still have money to spend has meant that, as the drought is breaking and farmers are able to produce crops, there is still a ready market for their produce. This, in my view, bodes very well for good platform for an economic upturn as soon as is possible because this approach will definitely allow for a multiplier effect throughout the economy, not to mention help to reduce suicide rates and, hopefully, the panic buying nonsense.

    Whether Scott Morison has gone too far we will only know in hindsight but it is almost certainly preferable to take that approach than to risk an under-response. Personally I think we have been definitely blessed to have had Scott Morison at the helm during this crisis.

    Australia has shown to have had higher and better testing for the virus which seems to have demonstrated the actual mortality rate is lower than what overseas statistics have suggested but, even so, it was essential, in my opinion, that we responded based on what we could glean from overseas.

    Hopefully we will see people who have been addicted to poker machines and clubbing or sports or whatever, finding life outside their addictions and people generally will wake up to the knowledge that God knows what He is talking about and will come increasingly to repentance and to honoring Him and see that atheistic/immoral approaches to things do not work and do cause problems and always lead to more restrictive measures and inevitably take people’s rights away.

    It was Christian culture that taught us that lording it over other people is not right; a very slowly learned lesson that God tried to teach us way back in 1 Samuel 8.

  14. Sadly, Michael, it is also now punishable to be ‘islamophobic’ or to speak of the paedophile islamic prophet mohammed as…a paedophile!
    But, it’s still OK to arrest, harass and bully Christians for reading the Bible publicly.

  15. Thanks Thadeus.

    Yes these are the “thought police” things I mentioned. Unfortunately the UK is in an extraordinarily bad way but the Brits don’t seemed to have woken up yet to just how bad things are there.

    You would think a people who once prided themselves on being free would notice when things like free-speech, parental and property rights are shut down. You would think that people who are smart enough to know you have to invest in the future and know the value of education and monetary investment would be smart enough to know that God is not restricted by time and knows exactly the person being killed in an abortion. You would think they would have enough heart to realize that deliberately denying children a father or mother, as happens under homosexual “marriage”, is very, very fundamentally wrong. You would think they would be smart enough to realize that the principles of secularism do not override fundamental truths and that a society which does not respect the foundational basis of truth is doomed to failure.

    Unfortunately, a function of being deluded is to not realize you are deluded and what is happening in the U.K. seems to me to be way past the warning to the Laodiceans in Rev 3:14.

  16. The worst thing you can tell a politician is “do something” without defining what something is. Is is like handing someone a blank check.

    We know an economic collapse is needed to bring in the mark could this be it??? A worldwide depression would certainly make people open to ANY solution even global government with a global leader. Wine, women, song, bread and circuses as long as the sheeple have these they will leave the rest up to Nanny. ‘I don’t want to have to think I just want to enjoy’ Too bad we’ve spent so many decades dumbing people down. We made them intellectual children despite being adults and children just care about fun and leave the important things to others. Government is mother government is father…… In that case I’m an orphan!

  17. Yes, apparently Bill Gates has been calling for universal ‘electronic IDs and no international travel without a COVID immunisation. ID2020 for which Gates is a sponsor is pressing for RFID chipping when you get the jab. A path to Rev 13 has opened up from an unexpected quarter.

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0034 950 387016 - Ctra San José KM 3. | 04117 Barranquete, Nijar, Almería – España.

Bio Sol Portocarrero participates at Fruit Attraction 2019 with a conmemorative stand for its 20th anniversary dedicated to organic farming and commitment to the environment.

In this edition of Fruit Attraction, Bio Sol Portocarrero pioneer in the province of Almeria in organic farming since 1999, it is a group that currently exports to 23 countries and has about 260 hectares of cultivation and on October 22, 23 and 24 commemorates in its stand ( 6G02 of Pavilion 6) its 20 years betting on organic farming and commitment to the environment. A commitment recognized this year at the Infoagro 2019 awards where Bio Sol Portocarrero received the award for environmental sustainability and organic production.

It is precisely the origin of the company, in the surroundings of the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata-Níjar, the main reason for the Stand in which the presence of a lighthouse stands out and its layout forming a cliff elements that remind us of this area of Almeria Bio Sol Portocarrero has always shown its pride and commitment to the environment of the Natural Park of Cabo de Gata-Níjar where it is its origin and develops most of its activity and through its stand wants to share it with visitors to Fruit Attraction.

In addition, at the same stand, Bioterraneo,  brand belonging to the group, will showcase its novelties of 2019: organic Fried tomato with  Basil, organic Mayonnaise and organic Alioli are the new products with which Bioterraraneo completes its offer of organic packaging next to the ecological Gazpacho, the Organic Salmorejo Gluten Free, Organic Cherry Tomato Juice or Organic Watermelon Juice, products currently distributed in countries throughout Europe, the United States and Canada.

Visit us at booth 6G02 of Pavilion 6 of Fruit Attraction until October 24.


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Nest of the Golden Goose

Nest of the Golden Goose

Proceeds from the original nest benefited ARRF,
a no-kill shelter in Leland, Mississippi.

Once upon a time, there was a strange little woman with an even stranger goose. Every morning, the woman would wander out into her yard to feed her animals, and every day, she was delighted to find a breathtaking golden egg in her dear goose’s nest.

This was a learned woman, as wise as she was strange. She had read of Aesop’s ill-fated goose, of the generous Mallard with gilt plumage, and the other unfortunate golden fowl of faraway lands. She proceeded with patience and love, and through this remarkable gift, grew wealthy beyond imagination.

I acquired these lustrous eggs from a mysterious woman with a knowing smile, and the most delicate jewelry fashioned of hammered gold. Her companion was very polite, but appeared to have a cold, as he could not speak, but honked discreetly into a handkerchief.

Gunmetal bronze art wire nest with golden pearls. $33.

Commission a similar nest.


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Moments: Sharing a Little Love

We don’t get many Little Lorikeets down around The Office area. But there are several pairs that seem to come and go on a regular basis, and I suspect they might always be in the area, just too high up to notice.

With reports of Purple-crowned Lorikeets in the general area, we wondered if they might be at The Office, so took Dolly on a bit of a traverse to see what we could find. Despite EE’s best attempts, we couldn’t spot, let alone hear them.  We were getting ready for the trek back out, when the “rattley rolling, squeaky” call came from a tree behind. And there was a pair of Little Lorikeets engaged in some preening and pairbonding alopreening.

I think the photos tell the story.

9 thoughts on “Moments: Sharing a Little Love

    1. Hi AB, They seem to spend most of their time high among the top leaves, and while notable for their distinct call, they are always to high to photograph well. Lucked out here as they were interested in getting the sap from around the hole.

      Liked by 1 person

    1. G’day Derek, they don’t have the rambunctious antics of the Rainbows. And because they are harder to find in the open, getting some time with them is both a joy and a delight, as their more gentle natures and affection is so noticable.

    1. Thank Eleanor, they are indeed heartwarming little creatures. Everything they do is seeminly simple and unhurried and with a touch of pair involvement. Seriously amusing birds to watch

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Learning Blankets

Learning Educational Blankets

Learning is supposed to be fun, right? As teachers and parents, we are always seeking new ways to engage our children and students on their educational journey. Co-owner Joanna Serra, a former educator, worked with her team to create Learning Blankets, a new brand under the umbrella of Birdy Boutique.

Learning Blankets on Amazon

Research shows that hands-on activities greatly enhance retention and learning. Sometimes, learning activities can seem to rote. We wanted to create the perfect combination of education, fun, ease and comfort. When you can combine something that kids love and use (blankets!) and fun facts, then it takes learning to a more natural place where it doesn't necessarily even feel like they are studying!

Read Learning Blanket Blog

Being able to lay down on the floor or sit on the couch with your child in a relaxed environment will likely provide a less stressful learning scenario. This is especially true with the preschool and kindergarten aged children who have a shorter attention span and like to move more! Casually presenting information to kids while at home, at the park, in the car, or wherever you take your blanket will foster many fun learning moments in the near future! Plus, not only is it a soft blanket or couch throw, but can also serve as a playmat, rug, sitting area, learning zone, wall hanging tapestry, or whatever your imagination gathers.

Sight Word Blanket Activity

Perfect for learning at home, homeschooling instruction, preschool, or a classroom, our learning blankets are the funnest learning activity addition to your playbook. The perfect educational gift that keeps giving all years long, it is sure to be a pleaser!

World Map Educational Blanket Kids

Our Learning Blankets:

  • Reversible, double-sided = 2 designs
  • Two layers for legible sharp printing
  • Educational, making learning fun
  • 50" x 60" for full coverage
  • Easy to pack and take places
  • Work as blanket, play mat, rug, tapestry, wall hanging
  • Unique designs and prints
  • Use at home, park, beach, school, etc.
  • Veteran & women owned business
  • Created and designed by an award winning educator
  • Easy to incorporate into learning
  • Gender neutral for boys and girls
  • Make excellent educational gifts

What can you expect from our blankets? As with all of our products, they are unique and designed by us, so you won't find these anywhere else. They are created with high quality fabric, are reversible and double-sided meaning that you get two designs and learning opportunities in each and every single blanket!

Current Styles Available:

SIGHT WORD BLANKET - Side 1 includes both the lower and upper case alphabet, digit numbers, and beginner words combined from the Frye and Dolce lists. It includes 4 rows of 15 large words written in lower case letters, totaling 60 words. Side 2 includes vowels and blends on the border and 5 rows of 19 more advanced sight words, totaling 95 more words. In total, our sight word blanket has over 150 words that your child will be expected to know and use between preschool and 1st grade! Because learning to read is quite a task, we gathered some details in our sight word blanket here.

Sight Word Blanket Learn to Read Activity

DINOSAUR WORLD MAP BLANKET - Side 1 includes a variety of dinosaurs for your little paleontologist. Illustrations and scientific names included such as Tyrannosaurus, Raptor, Allosaurus, and more, totaling in 24 dino names and identifying pictures. Side 2 includes a colorful vibrant world map with the names of all five oceans and seven continents. You will also notice the many animal species open for discussion as your child learns their basic map skills.

Dinosaur Names World Map Educational Blanket Kids

BIRD BUTTERFLY BLANKET - Side 1 features the most common backyard bird species in the United States such as the American Robin, Northern Cardinal, Great-Horned Owl and many others, totaling in 17 birds you'll likely see outside if you start to observe your surroundings. Children will love learning about the basic birds that live around them. Side 2 boldly displays 20 common butterflies including their pictures and scientific names, making it easy to study them. This blanket is sure to be treasured by any nature lover and birder.

Common Bird Names Butterfly Species Blanket Kids

WEIGHTED BLANKETS - Our release of weighted blankets includes two initial designs. Both designs weight 5 lbs, promote better sleep, learning and calmness, and are double layered and triple stitched with a design on one side and soft minky dot fabric on the reverse. The first design is of the solar system with words with planet names identifying the planets and other significant educational space words. The second design is of watercolor fox art in soft gentle colors. There are a variety of benefits to weighted blankets for children of all ages, informational blog piece coming soon.

Weighted Weight Heavy Kids Blanket 5 lbs pounds

Have an idea for a collaboration or would like to feature our products on your blog? Let's chat! shop@birdyboutique.com

Sight Word Learn to Read Blanket

Sight Words Beginning Reading Blanket Dolch Fry

World Map Educational Kids Children Blanket Gift

Dinosaur Dino Kids Blanket Names Learn List

Common Bird Name List Chart Identification Backyard USA

Butterfly Name Identification Common Types Blanket

Weighted Blanket Toddler Prek Kids Planet Names 5 lbs heavy


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Same procedure as last year …

The cozy gentleman and the hippie biker bride wish you happy, contemplative days, whatever you celebrate … or don’t.

Weihnachten 2017 Blog

This year I came across the term „Rauhnacht“ again (smoke night, the custom is of Germanic/celtic origin; as far as I can see from the Internet, the customs are quite different in the English speaking countries), and I did some research because I did not know in detail what it was about. Maybe you all know it already, but if not, I have made a summary from the German page The quotes from the page are marked.

The term „Rauhnacht“ dates from pre-Christian times and refers to the nights between the 24th of December and the 5th of January.

„These nights were always counted from midnight to midnight. So from 24.00 hrs. on Christmas Eve, the „Mother’s Night“ to 24.00 hrs. on 25 December – this was the first Rauhnacht. „Night“ because we are now, as per the Celtic cycle of the year, in the annual night. Thus, the whole day is „night“. And the last Rauhnacht ends at 24.00 clock on 5 January. This night is another special night, the Perchten night. “

During the night of Perchten, evil spirits and darkness were driven out, new fires started in the houses, and new lights were lit. In some parts of Europe, this night is still celebrated with a procession of masked figures.

„The ancients used each of these Rauhnächte for a month of the year for interpretation and oracles. Thus, the first Rauhnacht stands for January, the second for February and so on. They watched everything: weather, how the food tasted, whether people argued or held their peace. Whether everything went smoothly that day or there were problems. And if so, what problems, etc. Everything, even the most unimportant detail, had a meaning. And those who understood the signs, could interpret the development of the coming months in advance.“

In the Middle Ages, these nights were also the magical nights when everything could happen where anything was possible, both dangerous and exciting. But if you had acted stupidly during the first four Rauhnächte, not everything was lost for the New Year, because:

„Then there were special days like the 28th of December and the 5th of January. These days were apt to dissolve and redeem everything. Assuming that the first three days were only quarrels, the weather was horrible etc., then on December 28th, the day of the children, one would get the opportunity to make things right and to dissolve tension. For doing so it was important to exactly recall everything that had happened and then bathe it in white light or in purple light and let it transform into something positive. The same could be done again at the end of the Rauhnächte, on January 5th. Therefore, during these Rauhnächte people were cautious and vigilant in what they were doing, as those days contained the whole of the coming year and everyone was responsible for setting the course.“

Would it not be nice if all these days and nights could be freed from work in order to meaningfully prepare for the new year?

In this spirit we wish you a much better year 2018!

Veröffentlicht von

Stella, oh, Stella

Ich bin gebürtige Deutsche, mit einem Dänen nunmehr seit 1993 verheiratet und in Dänemark lebend. Meine Beiträge erscheinen daher in deutscher Sprache (und nicht in dänischer) und seit 2018 auch in englischer Sprache. … I was born in Germany, have been married with a Dane since 1993 and are living in Denmark. Therefore, my posts are published in German (and not in Danish) and since 2018 in English as well.

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iPhone 4G revealed?

Written by Joe Martin

April 20, 2010 | 10:53

Tags: #iphone #iphone-4 #rumour #touchscreen

Companies: #apple

The first images and details of a new generation iPhone have appeared on the internet after Gizmodo claims to have come into possession of a new iPhone 4G.

The new iPhone model was apparently left in a Redwood City bar by Apple employee Gray Powell, who had had the 4G in a case which disguised it as an existing model. The misplaced iPhone 4G then found it's way into the hands of bloggers after being picked up by another drinker.

Analysis of the new iPhone 4G is still underway, but initial reports indicate that the phone will have a better camera, a new secondary microphone for noise cancellation and a 16 percent larger battery.

There are lots of cosmetic tweaks too. The volume control has been changed into two separate metallic buttons, the screen is slightly smaller but boasts a higher resolution and the back of the device is now flat.

The iPhone 4G is also about 3 grams heavier than the existing model 3G model.

Gizmodo has disassembled the device after using it for about a week and claims that it is almost definitely a genuine Apple 4G prototype.

For more information on the latest Apple devices you can check out our review of Apple's iPad as a games device, then let us know your thoughts in the forums.
Discuss this in the forums
Asus ROG Chariot RGB Gaming Chair Review

July 30 2021 | 08:54


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