Logocentric (adj).Regarding words and language as a fundamental expression of an external reality (especially applied as a negative term to traditional Western thought by postmodernist critics).
Sometimes I just write whatever I feel like. Other times I respond to prompts, many taken from the following places:
I have always enjoyed the longer distance running and skiing. The Marathon in Summer Olympics and the 50km Mass Start in the Winter. My wife can't understand how I can watch the same race for several hours. But they are fascinating to me. I like the Downhill Slalom, Bobsled and Luge sports. Attending a Winter Olympics remains on my bucket list.
My favorite sporting events in the Winter Olympics are the Luge, Bobsled, Figure Skating and curling. Initially, I thought I would be bored with curling but I'm not. It's fascinating how they determine each glide's angle and potential score.
When my children were younger we built them a luge course, they loved it. We were lucky that winter to have lots of snow to build up the walls and with some help with pallets that we covered with snow, it kept them and the neighborhood kids busy until it warmed up and melted. I was a lot more at ease with the luge course than I was when they decided to try arial jumps off our house roof. Never a dull moment when you live in Maine.
I am reading ESV through the Bible this time. Like you, I've explored a bunch of translations. My church uses NIV but my women's Bible study group (part of the same church) varies based on what Bible study we're doing.
Hope you enjoy the Olympics! I agree that the every four year thing makes them feel more special.
I read the New American Bible, which is a Catholic Bible. (NABRE) They include Tobit, Judith, 1 & 2 Maccabees, which generally aren't included in other versions of the Bible. I would be curious to read an orthodox bible or the Ethiopian Bible as I hear they have differences as well.
As for the Olympics, I love the Winter Olympics. I'm just crossing my fingers I have time to watch!
In terms of the original texts the NASB has the best reputation among conservative scholars. It looks at more translations, has a sensible hierarchy of text selection and the best principles for approaching the translation task. It favors original texts when possible. The ESV and NKJV are on a similar level. The Net Bible gives the best overview of the discussions in its commentary. The NIV renders the original text to make it more readable. It is a more functional text which is why many churches use it but it is also less precise. Greek or Russian orthodox are more Septuagint orientated and there is a considerable amount of ethical or emotional rendering to the text.The disadvantage of the NASB is that it loses much of the Hebrew poetical style in its effort to be precise as this does not translate into the English
I'm very fortunate to have met some practicing and humble Christians. Truly humble people seek to serve, not attain power and influence. The actions of many Christians make me run the opposite way... as fast as I can.
In his book, Sit, Walk, Stand, Watchman Nee states: "Nothing has done greater damage to our Christian testimony than our trying to be right and demanding right of others. We become preoccupied with what is and what is not right. We ask ourselves,' Have we been justly or unjustly treated?' and we think thus to vindicate our actions. But that is not our standard. The whole question for us is one of crossbearing".
Jeff, this is an excellent book. Perhaps one for your reading list?
There's so much in this article (and this situation with the LA Times newspaper) that fascinates me.
I had never even heard the name Patrick Soon-Shiong until the announcement that he had purchased the LA Times earlier this year. He has more money billionaires the likes of David Geffen, George Soros, Ralph Lauren, George Lucas, and Mark Cuban. Forbes even called him "the richest doctor in the history of the world" for a piece of reporting in 2014. So that's fascinating point #1.
Then the article talks about how he also purchased the San Diego Union-Tribune, Hoy (a Spanish-language publication), and a handful of small community papers and are combining them all under the larger branding of the "California Times." He's moving the LA Times out of its expensive downtown Los Angeles building and to a new state-of-the-art media center campus he's building closer to the beach in El Segundo, which will be technologically capable of meeting the current demands of media consumers (high-quality streaming, in-house broadcasting space, etc.). This guy isn't just buying a paper and saying, "Keep doing what you're doing." He's buying it and saying, "Let's move into a new era." Fascinating point #2.
Soon-Shiong also seems set on revitalizing old school quality journalism. He admits to hating the absence of what he calls "leisurely reading," where everyone is now trying to cram as much information and sensationalism into as small a space as possible, and resorting to tricks like clickbait headlines and dishonest reporting to attract readers. He said he's developed a "hundred-year plan" for making the company competitive and current. He hired an ex-Bloomberg, Time, and Wall Street Journal guy to be their editor in chief to assure people that it's a serious news organization and not just some billionaire's personal media/propaganda outlet. And he thinks the tactile sensation of reading actual ink on actual paper is going to make a comeback again, particularly with the younger generations who are already showing an inclination toward vintage products like records and second-hand clothing. Fascinating point #3.
Overall, I think this is an interesting new direction, and I'm excited to see it being led by someone who (at least publicly) seems to advocate for a return to quality journalism. After the debacle of the Tribune Company (Tronc) ownership that saw the LA Times hemorrhaging advertisers, readership, and staffers (the paper has lost approximately 900 employees since the late 1990s, most of them attributed to Tronc's profitability-over-public good approach), I think everyone in Los Angeles is hoping that Soon-Shiong will be the guy that turns the paper around again. He wants to turn the California Times into a powerhouse bastion of objective reporting on par with The New York Times and The Washington Post, and in this age of unprecedented levels of fake news, partisanship, and corporate agendas, I think we really do need another outlet that can provide quality journalism.
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