Is It Worth It?

Do national security concerns justify injury and death during national service? 

Last year a young Singaporean died during national service. He wasn't the first, nor will he be the last. As a parent whose son also did his national service, the death of this 19-year old made me sit up and think about the cost of  NS. 


My son survived his NS obligations but he also could have lost his life in an accident. He didn't. But other parents go through the pain of losing their sons during National Service. Our sons benefit from NS. This is true, but do the benefits outweigh the dangers posed by the training and the loss of 2 years in the life of a young man? Perhaps not. And shame on us, if we shrug our shoulders and heave a sigh of relief that it wasn't our son who died. 

NS poses some tough questions. I don't know if I have all the answers but I see no harm in scaling down the training to one year. This reduction minimizes the risk of fatalities, provide our sons with more time to get ahead in education, and improve their career prospects. No, I am not against NS but there are benefits to reducing the present 2-year commitment.    


The death of a national serviceman last year forced me to put my thoughts in a post last year. I chose however keep it as a draft and to not post it. A year has passed. There's a greater sense of urgency to post it on this blog, now. So here it is. Better late than never:    


Another NS man dies after training!

Sad. And no, 19 - year olds aren't men. NS helps to discipline teenagers and instill a sense of patriotism and helps to put them on the path to manhood. Those doing NS are teenagers, still kids in some families. They don't deserve to die.

Deaths like these make one reflect and think about the meaning and cost of  NS.
 
The arguments for NS sound patriotic and right. None of them however justify the death of a 19-year old boy. We should work toward a zero casualty rate in training. Parents entrust their sons to the SAF for two years with the hope that no harm will befall their sons. 

Deaths during NS should shake us up. Is there a silver lining for those who grieve the loss of their loved ones?


The boy's name is Liam Kai Zheng. And yes, he was a boy - only 19 years old! His parents will not celebrate his 21st birthday nor will they attend his wedding. Forget about the grandchildren. The nation mourns the loss of Kai Zheng - a member of the wider Singapore family. He died for the sake of our security needs. Do our security needs require our sons to face the dangers and demands of military training for 2 years? 

Do they give their lives in order for us to feel secure? It might seem obvious for those whose sons either escaped unscathed during NS or whose call up for NS is still due. It's different however for those who've lost their sons during NS. It's easy to shrug our shoulders and get on with our life until we lose one of our own. 

My condolences to his family.

Here is an excerpt from the Straits Times May 23 2009,


After Mr Liam Kai Zheng, 19, got off the boat at the Singapore Armed Forces' ferry terminal in Changi, he was taken in an ambulance to the Changi General Hospital, where he died nine hours later on Friday morning.

Mr Liam had recently completed a four-day field camp before checking out of the Basic Military Training Centre in Pulau Tekong on Thursday night.

Bp NT Wright: NPP Protagonist

NEW PERSPECTIVE OF PAUL 

This post was inspiried after an exchange between blogpastor and myself over the merits and the demerits of the New Perspective of Paul on facebook. I refer to NT Wright because I am familiar with his writings and Wright represents the New Perspective of Paul (NPP).

Wright's view of Justification is covenantal, forensic and eschatological. "Faith" for Wright, not unlike circumcision, functions like a boundary marker which identifies gentiles as part of God's people. In Paul's historical context, a highly influential group believed that one had to be circumcised if one wanted to become a Christian. Paul opposed this view because he saw it as an intrusion which highlighted jewish ethnic nationalism at the expense of one's belief in Christ. Parts of Paul's letter to Romans and the letter to the Galatians gives creedence to Wright's emphasis.   

I sometimes think ... however that Wright unnecessarily gives emphasis to the the larger context of justification at the cost of the personal dimension of the justificiation which includes a person being declared righteous before a Holy God. Cant we have both? Paul was referring to a personal faith as a well as a faith which functioned as a boundary marker for God's people. A new believer's personal faith made him part of God's people without having to exhibit redundant Jewish religious beliefs  

I am all for a wider context of justification. My own understanding of justification has been enriched by the NPP but not at the expense of seeing faith as a personal belief. Wright is correct in saying that faith is a boundary marker but his view is deficient when he gives no space for faith as a personal belief. He tries to clarify himself elsewhere but you get the feeling he is trying to go beyond the old perspective. Hence the criticism that's levelled against him.

Here is an example of trying to integrate the old and new perspectives of Paul:

Romans 3:21-26 speaks of Christ's righteousness coming through faith. The faith described here refers to persona belief and a trusting relationship v. 22, 26. This is the old perspective. The NPP however go on to read Romans 3:27-31 as grounds for identifying faith as a new boundary marker for God's people which includes the gentiles v 28-30. The law/circumcision is viewed as a redundant boundary marker which only propagates a Jewish ethnicism which tries to make gentiles into Jewish proselytes. Romans 4 makes a lots of sense when read with the NPP lens. But the point is that the old perspective and the NPP is integrated when we marry Romans 3:21-26 with the Romans 3: 27-31.

FINISHING MY M.TH !

Praise the Lord! I graduated 2 weeks ago with a Masters in Theology from a Florida based Seminary in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. I finished my course work some time ago but did not find the time to complete my thesis and graduate. The bolivian based rector of the university gave me a non-negotiable deadline. 

I put everything on hold, slept a few hours a day, and worked hard at the thesis, "The Eschatological Character of the Anglican Eucharist". Working through the hypothesis wasnt easy and putting it all together was mind boggling at times.

By God's grace (which included large amounts of cups of black coffee) I finished the thesis a few days before the deadline. Presenting the thesis and defending it was a novel experience. I didnt quite know what to expect. Apparently the panel had never dealt with subject matters related to the anglican church! I was pleased with the grade given. Bishop Frank Lyons was very supportive of me doing post graduate studies and visited us on the weekend of the defense and the graduation.

Oh yeah I forgot...all my course work was in Spanish and so was the thesis.

ITS COLD!!!

Temperatures have dropped to 4% centigrade. We've never had to cope with this sort of climate before in Santa Cruz for such a prolonged period. Freezing cold weather only lasts for a day or two. We've had to put up with this icy temperature for about a week. Its really cold! Both us, Michelle and I use nearly 3 to 4 layers of warm clothing. 

6 sick people, vulnerable to death, succumbed to the cold. 

The municipality have opened large enclosures for the homeless. A place to sleep and some hot soup keep them warm.Home made bonfires keep the poor families warm. Schools are closed till the weather improves.It gets dark by about 6 pm. Only few cars ply the roads. The few brave souls who walk the streets are heavily clad in winter clothing. 

SPAIN: WORTHY WORLD CHAMPIONS!

The Spaniards were at their best against Germany in the semis.

They controlled play with incisive passing and moved in a pack around the ball, both in attack and in defense. The physical conditioning was mind boggling. Germany were outplayed and not having Mueller didnt help. Spain's forwards however cant seem to stick the knife in! Torres and Ramos seemed lost. And it took a header from Puyol to setttle the game.


Spain kept their cool in the final game and deservedly scored in extra time to win the World Cup for the first time. They were prevented from playing their usual game by their opponents, whose game plan was to have none except to maim their opponents and score on the break. The dutch team were a sham!

The dutch destroyed the world cup final with a cynical approach. Aggression is part of football but they entered the game determined to break the Spanish rythmn with the sort of football you'd normally associate with thuggery. Was the dutch coach behind this strategy? He probably was because the rough play was consistent and unrelenting. They showed no respect for the occasion and seemed oblivious to the fact that millions were watching. Human decency would assume some decorum when one's performance is on display before the whole world. I hope we never see the likes of this dutch team in the final, of any competition!

Where was the team which beat Brazil in the quarter finals? The dutch were brimming with enthusiasm and confidence then. What happened between the quarters and semis? It was as if Dr Jekyll had turned to Mr Hyde. The kind of soccer we associated with the dutch was absent. The dirt they dished out was unlike the sort of soccer one would expect from the dutch! De Jong's foot on Hernandez's chest was awful. He claimed it was unintentional but the replays seemed to indicate otherwise. He should have been sent off.

Who knows? they may have played better with 10 men on the field.

This dutch team of 2010 were nothing like the legendary teams of '74 and '78. Hence the great disappointment. Cruyff was scathing in his cristicism of the dutch team. He was fully justified. I was hoping for a dutch triumph in this final as a tribute to dutch football in the 70's. Maybe they will learn their lesson from this final and give us better performace 4 years from now in Brazil.

So, Spain rule! They have a great coach and might win the European Nations cup in 2012, as well.

Well done Spain..till Brazil 2014. Bien hecho España... Nos vemos...Brazil 2014!!

DAWN OF A NEW DAY!

I've been away for too long from my blog! Time really flies. Getting back into the swing of things in Bolivia has not been easy. Lots of adjustments. Hope to post more stuff on this blog.

QUICK UPDATE

Yesterday I met someone from church in Santa Cruz who is keeping tabs on the situation in Malaysia where 8 churches have been burned and/or vandalized. Its nice to chat with folk who are interested in South East Asia.  I´m up to my ears in reading assignments as part of work on a thesis; there is no time for anything  else. Elijah attended a 5 day youth camp in the city of Tarija. He came back tired. The bus journey was loooonggg - 15 hours!. We took a family fotograph and then went to a local restaurant where I ate the the best Philadelphia sandwich in my life. This is an important time for us; Elijah´s impending departure for Singapore (he leaves in 20 days) will leave a void in our lives. Pray for grace to cope.   

Michelle is getting into some of her projects. A couple of weeks ago I attended a very long diocesan standing committee meeting. Everyone was glad to see us back. Bishop Lyons is busy as ever. We've been here for a month and are settling down. The cost of living in Santa Cruz has sky rocketed; everything is very expensive. The growth of the churches in Santa Cruz although encouraging is uneven and vulnerable. Some basic building blocks need to be in place for the work to grow substantially - sounds like 1st world Singaporean talk - ha! ha! ha!

Bolivia go to the polls again to elect governors and mayors in April 2010. The president and a new legislative assembly was elected last month. The feature of  Evo Morales's inauguration as president next week will be his participation in ancient pagan rites. Pray for Bolivia, friends!   

Christ is the Head of the church and Lord of the nations!

BACK IN THE SADDLE! 

PREACHING PRAYING AND LISTENING!

No, its not about riding a horse but getting back into the ministry in Santa Cruz, Bolivia.

I preach in Spanish once again and have begun to do some prayer ministry. Its a bit of a struggle to find the right words to convey thoughts in a language I've not used for 3 and a half years but I find a greater spontaniety as opportunities for ministry increase.    

This afternoon I prayed for a young man who was involved in a serious road accident; his friend died immediately. The truck hit a boulder and spun in mid air for a couple of times before it crashed heavily, stumbling and tumbling along on the road. It was like a scene from the movie,  Transformers.

The young man´s right leg is fractured in more than one area, the head and body are covered with abrasions, scratches, deep gashes, and a few ribs are broken. They punctured a small hole on the side of his chest to drain the blood and fluid which were beginniing to flood his body. His survival from the crash and quick recovery is credited to the Lord´s intervention and the prayers of many people.

On Christmas day, a young lady shared with me a hair raising account of how she managed to escape from a relative´s attempts at trying to get her involved in satanic rituals and witchcraft. And like cherry on top of a cake, a young man related his account of overcoming drunkenness and his growth as a christian leader in the church.

Praise the Lord! Its great to be back in the saddle...in the ministry that is!

¡SIN PELOS EN LA LENGUA!

El obispo John Rodgers (ACNA) responde a las declaraciones del Arzobispo Rowan Williams con relación al proceso se llama la Alianza Anglicana – La supuesta solución a la ruptura en la Comunión Anglicana debido a la consagración del obispo homosexual por la iglesia episcopal en los estados unidos.

19 diciembre, 2009 Anunciado en Noticias


La cita siguiente es del Arzobispo de diciembre de Cantórbery en su charla en el año 2008 sobre su comprensión de la naturaleza de la Alianza Anglicana propuesta de la Comunión y su función.

"No será una constitución, y ciertamente no será un código penal para castigar a personas que no obedecen," él dijo. "Pero lo que representa es esto: en los últimos años en la familia anglicana, nosotros hemos descubierto que nuestras relaciones uno con el otro como las iglesias locales a menudo han sido esforzadas, que nosotros no hemos aprendido a fiarse del uno al otro como quizás debemos, que debemos realmente construir las relaciones, y nosotros debemos tener un sentido que somos responsables uno al otro y responsable de uno al otro. Es decir, lo que necesitamos es algo que ayudará nosotros sabe donde nosotros nos paramos junto, y nos ayudamos también intensificamos nuestra confraternidad y nuestra confianza".

Mientras concuerdo con el Arzobispo que anglicanos deben aprender a fiarse de y para ser responsable uno al otro, yo tengo la convicción de que esta perspectiva de la Alianza es demasiado débil para unir la Comunión Anglicana. La fe cristiana surge de la Palabra autoritaria de Dios en Jesucristo y en las Escrituras Santas que nos conservó por el Espíritu Santo. Las Escrituras declaran verdaderamente el Evangelio o no y el contenido de la Fe Apostólica y los Sacramentos del Evangelio celebra el mismo o no. Anglicanos han comprendido correctamente y cree en el Señor que es revelado en y por ese Evangelio y la Fe Apostólica o no y no hay un lugar neutral con respeto a la Fe o el Evangelio. Este asunto fundamental necesita ser declarado decisivamente sin ambigüedades.

Anglicanos no son y nunca han sido una mera asociación "natural" de la familia Cristiana donde el único punto de referencia es de fiarse del uno al otro sin tomar en consideración la Fe Cristiana. Más bien hemos sido desde el comienzo y somos una familia que confiesa unido en el Evangelio y la Fe Apostólica como el conjunto encontrado en las Escrituras en la misma manera como enseñaron los antiguos Padres de la iglesia, y de los Concilios Ecuménicos antiguos Este Evangelio Apostólico y Fe.

Comprendemos y celebramos como Anglicanos el evangelio apostólico y la Fe que son expuestos en los Credos católicos, los 39 Artículos de Religión, y de la 1662 Liturgia de la Iglesia Anglicana y el Ordinal. Si nosotros no podemos confesar que el Evangelio y la Fe juntos, nosotros no tenemos una unidad genuina para confesar ni profundizar.

Tenemos una constitución en el Evangelio y Fe Apostólica como nosotros los Anglicanos lo hemos recibido, y cualquier Alianza de la Comunión Anglicana debe celebrar y lo debe confesar autoritariamente, claramente y agradecidamente. Nada hará menos.

Que Tenga una Navidad maravillosa

+ John H. Rodgers Jr.

El Obispo en la Iglesia Anglicana de Norteamérica

(AMIA)

TRUTH-TELLING 

 Bishop John Rodgers (ACNA) responds to Archbishop Williams’ understanding of the Communion Covenant December 19th, 2009 The following quote is from the Archbishop of Canterbury’s December 18th video talk and describes His understanding of the nature of the proposed Anglican Communion Covenant and its function. "It's not going to be a constitution, and it's certainly not going to be a penal code for punishing people who don't comply," he said. "But what it does represent is this: in recent years in the Anglican family, we've discovered that our relations with each other as local churches have often been strained, that we haven't learned to trust one another as perhaps we should, that we really need to build relationships, and we need to have a sense that we are responsible to one another and responsible for each other. In other words, what we need is something that will help us know where we stand together, and help us also intensify our fellowship and our trust." While I agree with the Archbishop that Anglicans do need to learn to trust and to be responsible to one another, I am convinced that this view is far too weak to serve a Communion as a unifying Covenant. Christian faith arises from God’s authoritative Word in Jesus Christ and in the Holy Scriptures as sealed in us by the Holy Spirit. The Scriptures either declare the Gospel and the contents of the Apostolic Faith and the Sacraments of the Gospel celebrate the same or they do not. Anglicans have either rightly understood and believe in the Lord who is revealed in and through that Gospel and Apostolic Faith or we have not and do not. This fundamental matter needs to be decisively addressed and declared unambiguously. Anglicans are not and never have been a “natural” family learning to trust one another irrespective of our Faith. Rather we have been from the beginning and are a confessing family united in the Gospel and the Apostolic Faith as set forth in the Scriptures, and as taught by such teachings of the ancient Fathers, and the early Ecumenical Councils as are agreeable to the same Scriptures. This Apostolic Gospel and Faith, as Anglicans understand them and celebrate them, are set forth in the Catholic Creeds, the 39 Articles of Religion, and the 1662 Book of Common Prayer and Ordinal. If we cannot confess that Gospel and Faith together, we have no unity to confess and intensify. We do have a constitution in the Gospel and Apostolic Faith as we Anglicans have received it, and any Communion Covenant should celebrate and confess it authoritatively, clearly and thankfully. Nothing less will do. Have a wonderful Christmas and Christmastide, +John H. Rodgers Jr. Bishop in the Anglican Church of North America (AMIA)

¡ADIOS CHRIST CHURCH!

Regresamos a Singapur en Junio 2007 para acompañar nuestro hijo, Elijah, mientras él hizo su servicio militar por 2 años. Durante este tiempo la diocesis de Singapur pidió que yo pastoreara una parroquia se llama CHRIST CHURCH. Lo hize con la gracia del Señor pero despues de 2 años llegó el momento para regresar a Bolivia. Entonces deje mis responsabilidades en la iglesia donde trabajaba y alistamos nuestras maletas para el viaje a Bolivia. Pero dejar una iglesia donde uno pastorea no es nada facil.

Los Pastores experimentan sentimientos mixtos a medida que ellos se van de la Parroquia donde ellos han servido. El alivio de haber dejado las responsabilidades del liderazgo esta entrelazado con la pena de dejar amistades forjadas en las trincheras del ministerio.

Mi experiencia en CHRIST CHURCH fue dura pero también gratificante. Las personas fueron desafiadas a evangelizar a los no alcanzados, un equipo pastoral fue nombrado; una nueva congregación dio sus inicios pasos; la obra de los jóvenes comenzó de nuevo. Había cosas que no podía hacer. Cristo utiliza otros para llegar a ésos quien nosotros nunca podríamos ministrar. Hay que decir también que la única forma de reunir todas las necesidades de la iglesia es tener un equipo bien capacitado para ministrar a los demás.

CHRIST CHURCH es una Parroquia tradicional con muchos niveles de liderazgo. Los Vicarios tendrán que buscar al Señor para la sabiduría Salomónica para unir los varios pedazos del liderazgo. Alineando el concilio de la Iglesia, el equipo pastoral, la gente de trayectoria y los grupos ministeriales de liderazgo requieren visión y trabajo dedicado.

Deseo que pueda haber hecho más para la parroquia pero el tiempo para adelantarme y irme a Bolivia no me dio el tiempo para quedarme más en CHRIST CHURCH. La Iglesia Boliviana, ante grandes desafíos, también hizo una solicitud para mí regresar a Bolivia.

Las amistades fueron hechas y la partida a CHRIST CHURCH fue nunca fácil pero sé que mi salida va a beneficiarles en el largo plazo. De nuevo aprendí que el Señor ama su iglesia, su novia, cómo ninguno otro. Somos sus siervos que él usa para su gloria.

Continúo orar para ellos y desear verles crecen y cumplen su llamando a Cristo.

GOODBYE CHRIST CHURCH!

- THE LORD IS WITH CHRIST CHURCH IN WAYS BEYOND HUMAN UNDERSTANDING-

We returned to Singapore in June 2007 to be with our son Elijah; he had finished high school in Bolivia and had to, by law, do a 2 year national service stint with the Singapore armed forces. During this period I was asked to pastor CHRIST CHURCH, a parish in the diocese of Singapore. By God's grace I finished my stint in Singapore at the parish and made plans to return to Bolivia.

Vicars wrestle with mixed feelings as they leave Parishes under their charge. Relief from the pressures of leading God's people is intertwined with the pain of leaving new found friends . In Latin America its impossible to serve in a church and not make friends. Some of this spilled over into my work at CHRIST CHURCH.

My experience in the parish was tough but also rewarding. People were challenged to evangelise the lost, a full time pastoral team was put in place; a small congregation dedicated to outreach was started; working with the young people was fulfilling. Not meeting all the needs of the parish was a humbling experience. Christ uses others to reach out to those whom we could never connect with. Maybe its also sobering to remind ourselves that Clergy cannot meet everyone's needs. Only a well trained pastoral team can come close to fully meet the challenges of modern day city-based parishes with diverse needs.

CHRIST CHURCH, a traditional Parish, has many levels of leadership. Anyone called to serve as Vicar will have to seek the Lord for Solomonic wisdom as he puts together the various pieces of the leadership puzzle. Uniting the work of the Church council, the pastoral team and the ministerial leadership without trampling on the sucesses of the past requires vision and hard work.

I wish I could have done more for the parish but it was time for me to move on. The Bolivian church, in the face of great challenges, also made an appeal to the Bishops of Singapore for me to return to Bolivia.

Friendships were made and leaving Christ Church was never easy.

I continue to pray for them to mature in Christ as they reach out to various the groupings within a growing and vibrant Tamil community in Singapore.

CURRY KILLS CANCER CELLS

LONDON - A MOLECULE found in a curry ingredient can kill oesophageal cancer cells in the laboratory, suggesting it might be developed as an anti-cancer treatment, scientists said on Wednesday.

Researchers at the Cork Cancer Research Centre in Ireland treated oesophageal cancer cells with curcumin - a chemical found in the spice turmeric, which gives curries a distinctive yellow colour - and found it started to kill cancer cells within 24 hours. The cells also began to digest themselves, they said in a study published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Previous scientific studies have suggested curcumin can suppress tumours and that people who eat lots of curry may be less prone to the disease, although curcumin loses its anti-cancer attributes quickly when ingested. But Sharon McKenna, lead author of the Irish study, said her study suggested a potential for scientists to develop curcumin as an anti-cancer drug to treat oesophageal cancer.

Cancers of the oesophagus kill more than 500,000 people across the world each year. The tumours are especially deadly, with five-year survival rates of just 12 to 31 per cent. Ms McKenna said the study showed curcumin caused the cancer cells to die 'using an unexpected system of cell messages'.

Normally, faulty cells die by committing programmed suicide, or apoptosis, which occurs when proteins called caspases are 'switched on' in cells, the researchers said.

But these cells showed no evidence of suicide, and the addition of a molecule that inhibits caspases and stops this 'switch being flicked' made no difference to the number of cells that died, suggesting curcumin attacked the cancer cells using an alternative cell signalling system. -- REUTERS

LA IGLESIA ROMANA "ROBA" A LAS OVEJAS ANGLICANAS?

Detrás las sonrisas y reuniones ecuménicas, la Iglesia Romana no escondió su intención de llevar a los Anglicanos a su redil.

El Papa Benedicto XVI esta semana creó una estructura eclesiástica se llama el ordinatario para los Anglicanos descontentos que quieren unirse a la Iglesia Romana.

Segun el documento, los Anglicanos pueden mantenerse algunos de sus distintivos y ser católicos. Será interesante ver los detalles de esta nueva iniciativa.

Hay muchos anglicanos descontentos en estos días debido en gran parte a la falta de Rowan Williams, el arzobispo de Canterbury, y los neo liberales dentro de la estructura anglicana para disciplinar a los dirigentes de la Iglesia Episcopal de EEUU por haber consagrado un homosexual practicante como Obispo diocesano! Rowan Williams, de acuerdo a sus acciones, ha manifestado su simpatía con la gente que esta impulsando los intereses de los gays dentro de la iglesia Anglicana en EEUU y Gran Bretania . Hay gente comprometida a la autoridad Bíblica en la iglesia Anglicana que no va a poder reconocer tal trayectoria. Entonces no era una sorpresa cuando muchos obispos ortodoxos asistieron el Lambeth Conference del año pasado como una señal de su desconformidad a la posición ambigua del Arzobispo de Canterbury.

En medio de este desorden el Santo Padre vio la oportunidad de invitar y recibir anglicanos, especialmente a aquellos tradicionalistas en Gran Bretañia y EEUU que quieren salir de la Anglicana. Acaso esto no es robo de ovejas? Ninguno de los Primados Anglicanos, de las regiones que se verán afectados por este último mover de la Iglesia Romana, no ha dicho nada en contra de la acción Romana. Ni uno de los Primados de la Comunión Anglicana ha respondido a este desafío mediante la exposición de la confusión doctrinal en Roma a la luz de la verdad bíblica.

La Comunión Anglicana después de no haber disciplinado el liderazgo de la provincia que consagró un homosexual practicante como obispo diocesano,  no tiene ahora la sustancia teológica para refutar los errores de Roma y cuestionar la iniciativa romana en el ordinatario.

En cierta medida uno tiene que admirar la Iglesia Romana, especialmente el Papa, por su discernimiento espiritual para abrir las puertas de su iglesia a un grupo de personas estaba buscando un refugio donde hay claridad bíblica y teológica en este tema de homosexualidad . Planificaron bien su mover con su gente y cuando llegó el momento propicio, lo hicieron sin renuencia. ¡

Que el Señor sea Juez sobre su iglesia!

SHEEP STEALING?

Behind the ecumenical smiles, handshakes and documents, Rome never hid its intention of wanting Anglicans back to the fold...their fold!

Pope Benedict in an earth shaking move this week provided a special ecclesiastical structure, the Ordinariate, for disaffected Anglicans to join the Roman Church. Anglicans can now hold on to some of their distinctives and be Roman Catholics. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds as the Pope's plan is implemented.

There are many disconted Anglicans, these days, due in large part to the failure of Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and his enablers to discipline the leadership of the American Episcopal Church for having consecrated a practising homosexual! Crossing the Tiber emerged as an option. Rowan William's sympathies, judging by his actions, are clearly on the side of those who are sympathetic to the homosexual cause. Is it any wonder that many Anglican bishops, especially from Africa, did not attend last year's Lambeth Conference as a sign of their disappointment of the Communion's direction?

In the midst of this disarray, the Holy Father saw an opportunity to draw Anglicans, especially from the Anglo Catholic mould. And he seized it! Isnt this sheep stealing? None of the Anglican primates, from regions which will be impacted by this latest move from the Roman Church, seem to think so.

Not one...yes, not one Primate from the Anglican Communion has responded to this challenge by highlighting Roman doctrinal confusion in the light of Biblical truth. And the reason is simple: the worldwide Anglican Communion in NOT disciplining an errant province, TEC, does not possess the substance to reveal the incompatibility of Roman beliefs and Biblical teaching. But here's the irony: the contemporary crisis of the Anglican Church has caused Anglicans in liberal dioceses to seek refuge in orthodox Roman parishes. Some of the Anglican reformers are probably rolling in their graves.

You gotta give Rome an A for audacity. Pope Benedict, saw an opportunity to attract Anglicans to Roman Church. And he made use of this opportunity!

So is this sheep stealing?

Bible believing Anglicans of the more reformed variety with roots in the 39 articles will view this Roman intiative as interference and sheep stealing. Traditional Anglican sacramentalists in liberal Anglican Provinces however will welcome the Ordinariate as an indirect rebuke to their ecclesiastical leaders.

BOLIVIA BEAT BRAZIL 2-1

Bolivia's victory over Brazil in the World Cup though wonderful is meaningless.

Brazil had already qualified for the World Cup in South Africa before this game; But still, its sweet to parade Brazil's scalp in public.

Congratulations to the Bolivian team. This was not a fluke; on their day Bolivian football is mesmerizing. Dont forget, they mauled the Argentinians 5-1.

Our problem has been constancy. Why they cant repeat their genius aganist lesser teams is a mystery. We'll have to wait for 2014!

Dunga, the Brazilian coach, in the tradition of coaches who lose in Laz Paz, blamed the high altitude. This is a lame excuse. World champions, like the armies of Alexander, must have the skill and fortitude to dominate opposing teams be it in bumpy pitches or in the high altitude.

If Dunga wants to win the World Cup in Africa, he has to build a team which can win anywhere in the world!

AT LAST!

Brazil, is the first Latin American nation to host the Olympic Games. All of South America celebrate with Brazil's triumph in getting this golden opportunity to host a major world event.

Why did it take so long?

Most countries in Latin America are third world and may not have the infraestructure to host such a massive event. The Brazilians have their limits but they should do a good job. Besides must the Olympics have such fancy opening and closing ceremonies? No, absolutely not! Sadly many nations confuse national prestige with mind blowing and expensive opening and closing ceremonies i.e Beijing Olympics

Congratulations Brazil!

SANTA CRUZ: EUROPEAN STYLE SENSUALITY

Latin Americans love beauty! Venezuelans and Colombians regularly sweep the board in the miss world and universe competitions.

Bolivia have their fair share of pretty girls, many of them in Santa Cruz. Beauty pageants and famous models are very popular in the lowlands of Bolivia.

South American girls, especially fair skinned blonds, are trained from young to be beauty queens. They keep a trim figure; wear right clothes; walk the catwalk sensually and flaunt branded products. Its hard not to see western and european physical features dominate judges's perception of beauty in pageants.

Beauty is decidedly euro-centric: Nordic, Latin and Anglo Saxon. Beauty queens with very distinct non european local features almost never win anything. Ever seen a chinese girl with mongoloid features walk the aisle with the miss universe crown? How about dark stubby nosed girls from South India? Some girls from India have been doing relatively well in the past decade or so. Are they the exceptions to the rule? Not so. Take a close look at them. They're tall, fair, possess sharp noses, are from the north, speak very good english - a european language. None of the Indian girls who've done well in pageants have ever violated the canons of european style aesthetics.

Its not surprising therefore if Santa Cruz's babes tend to accentuate their European heritage because pageants have marked out a criteria of beauty that's euro-centric. This is not meant as a put down of local indigenous features but a sober observation of what's happening

Sadly, beauty is also commercialized and vulgarised in Santa Cruz. At a trade fair several years ago, the semi clad buttocks of a female model were compared to a cow's behind! Something crass was said about the model's anatomy. Beauty queens are props; their bodies are hangers for the latest swim suit bikini and revealing dress. Why young ladies allow themselves to be used like meat in a butcher's shop, remains a mystery.

SANTA CRUZ EXPOCRUZ 2009

September is a special month for the city of Santa Cruz. We celebrate the anniversary of the city's founding with parades and speeches.

The highlight is a huge trade fair called EXPOCRUZ where one gets to see the latest and best technology, livestock, concerts, beautiful girls, new products; farming utensils n machines, overseas imports and lots of businessmen from all over Latin America cutting deals.

Here's a photo of the trade fair.

SANTA CRUZ 199 YEARS

PARADE

Here is another photo of the civic leaders of Santa Cruz. You guessed right, green is the color of the city. The grey headed guy is waving the flag of Santa Cruz.