Question: “Why should I read the Old Testament?”

Answer: The Bible is a progressive revelation. If you skip the first half of any good book and try to finish it; you will have a hard time understanding the characters, the plot, and the ending. In the same way, the New Testament is only completely understood when it is seen as being built upon the foundation of the events, characters, laws, sacrificial system, covenants, and promises of the Old Testament. If we only had the New Testament, we would come to the gospels and not know why the Jews were looking for a Messiah (a Savior King). Without the Old Testament, we would not understand why this Messiah was coming (see Isaiah 53); we would not have been able to identify Jesus of Nazareth as the Messiah through the many detailed prophecies that were given concerning Him (e.g., His birth place (Micah 5:2); His manner of death (Psalm 22, especially vv. 1,7-8, 14-18; Psalm 69:21, etc.), His resurrection (Psalm 16:10), and many more details of His ministry (Isaiah 52:13.; 9:2, etc.).

Without the Old Testament, we would not understand the Jewish customs that are mentioned in passing in the New Testament. We would not understand the perversions the Pharisees had made to God’s law as they added their traditions to it. We would not understand why Jesus was so upset as He cleansed the temple courtyard. We would not understand that we can make use of the same wisdom that Christ used in His many replies to His adversaries (both human and demonic).

Without the Old Testament we would miss out on numerous detailed prophecies that could only have come true if the Bible is God’s word, not man’s (see the major and minor prophets) (e.g., Daniel 7 and following chapters). These prophecies give specific details about the rise and fall of nations, how they will fall, if they will rise again, which powers would be next to emerge, who the major players would be (Cyrus, Alexander the Great, etc.), and what would happen to their kingdoms when those players died. These detailed prophecies are so accurate that skeptics charge they had to have been written after the fact.

The Old Testament also contains numerous lessons for us through the lives of its many fallible characters. By observing their lives we can be encouraged to trust God no matter what (Daniel 3), and to not compromise in the little things (Daniel 1) so that we will be faithful later in the big things (Daniel 6). We can learn that it is best to confess sin early and sincerely instead of blame-shifting (1 Samuel 15). We can learn not to play with sin, because it will find us out and its bite is deadly (See Judges 13-16). We can learn that we need to trust (and obey) God if we expect to experience His promised-land living in this life and His paradise in the next (Numbers 13). We learn that if we contemplate sin, we are only setting ourselves up for committing it (Genesis 3; Joshua 6-7). We learn that our sin has consequences not only for ourselves but for our loved ones around us and conversely that our good behavior has rewards not only for us but for those who are around us as well (Genesis 3; Exodus 20:5-6).

The Old Testament also contains vast quantities of wisdom that the New Testament does not share. Many of these are contained in the Psalms and Proverbs. These bits of wisdom reveal how I can be wiser than my teachers, what various sins will lead to (it helps us to see the hook that the bait is hiding), and what accomplishments in this world hold for us (nothing!). How can I recognize whether I am a fool (moral fool, that is)? How can I inadvertently turn people off without trying? How can I open doors to lasting success? How can I find meaning in life? Again, there is so much there that is just waiting to be found by one who truly wants to learn.

Without the Old Testament, we would not have a basis for standing against the error of the politically correct perversions of our society in which evolution is seen to be the creator of all of the species over millions of years (instead of them being the result of special creation by God in a literal six days). We would buy the lie that marriages and the family unit are an evolving structure that should continue to change as society changes, instead of being seen as a design by God for the purpose of raising up godly children and for the protection of those who would otherwise be used and abused (most often women and children).

Without the Old Testament, we would not understand the promises God will yet fulfill to the Jewish nation. As a result, we would not properly see that the Tribulation period is a seven-year period in which He will specifically be working with the Jewish nation who rejected His first coming but who will receive Him at His second coming. We would not understand how Christ’s future 1,000-year reign fits in with His promises to the Jews, nor how the Gentiles will fit in. Nor would we see how the end of the Bible ties up the loose ends that were unraveled in the beginning of the Bible, how God will restore the paradise He originally created this world to be, and how we will enjoy close companionship with Him on a personal basis as in the Garden of Eden.

In summary, the Old Testament is a mirror that allows us to see ourselves in the lives of Old Testament characters and helps us learn vicariously from their lives. It sheds so much light on who God is and the wonders He has made and the salvation He has wrought. It shares so much comfort to those in persecution or trouble (see Psalms especially). It reveals through repeatedly fulfilled prophecy why the Bible is unique among holy books—it alone is able to demonstrate that it is what it claims to be: the inspired Word of God. It reveals volumes about Christ in page after page of its writings. It contains so much wisdom that goes beyond what is alluded to or quoted in the New Testament. In short, if you have not yet ventured in depth into its pages, you are missing much that God has available for you. As you read it, there will be much you do not understand right away, but there will be much you will understand and learn from. And as you continue to study it, asking God to teach you further, your mining will pay off in brighter treasures still.

Recommended Resource: Name Your Link

They stormed this town in Yobe state, northern Nigeria like a swarm of bees, and at the end of their four-hour rampage, some 150 people had been killed – at least 130 of them Christians, according to church sources.

Hundreds of people are still missing, and the destruction included the bombing of at least 10 church buildings.

More than 200 members of the Islamic extremist Boko Haram sect stormed the Yobe state capital, Damaturu, at 5 p.m. on Nov. 4, and soon the terrorists had blocked all four major highways leading into town. Some of them charged the police headquarters, commando style, killing all officers on duty, while the rest broke into two banks – First Bank Nigeria PLC and United Bank for Africa, stealing millions of naira. Boko Haram also bombed police stations and an army base in and around Damaturu.

Having successfully dislodged security agencies after a series of gun battles and the detonation of explosives, the terrorists then led other area Muslims to the only Christian ward in town, New Jerusalem in Damaturu, home to more than 15,000 Christians, church leaders said.

The Christian leaders in Damaturu told Compass that out of the 150 casualties reported in the Yobe attacks, more than 130 were Christians. When the Muslim extremists went to New Jerusalem, they said, any Christian they met who could not recite the Islamic creed was instantly shot and killed or slaughtered like a lamb.

The Rev. Idris Garba, the 41-year-old chairman of the Yobe state chapter of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), told Compass the attack “is a Jihad against the church.”

“When Boko Haram members and other Muslims here attacked us on that 4^th of November, it was like the end had come for Christians in this settlement,” Garba said. “Bullets were fired indiscriminately into our houses. I and my family locked ourselves in my house. Bullets were dropping on rooftops like ice blocks from a rainstorm. The trauma my 10-year-old son had as a result of sounds from guns and explosions has not left him, as he has refused to eat ever since the attack.”

Garba, who also pastors the ECWA Good News Church in the New Jerusalem area of Damaturu, said his 500-member church has dwindled.

“We could not have had more than 100 worshipers on the Sunday after the attack,” he said. “Most Christians are either missing or have left the town.”

Garba, who has been in pastoral ministry since 1993 and has served as a pastor of the New Jerusalem fellowship church for two years, said two Christians were slaughtered in front of his church building the day before it was bombed.

“You can see the blood is still at the spot where these two Christians were killed,” Garba said.

Another Christian, he said, was slaughtered in front of the worship auditorium of the African Mission Centre.

Garba said the casualty figure in this attack could be more than 200, as many Christians are still unaccounted for.

“The fact that hundreds of Christians have left town, and some are still leaving even as I am talking to you now, has made it difficult for us to account for the actual figure of our members that have been killed,” he told Compass. “The proof that many more than the figure being peddled by the government must have been killed is that we were at the morgue and we found that corpses filled up every available space, so much so that we could not count the corpses. In fact, corpses had to be left outside the morgue for lack of space inside.”

Boko Haram bombed and destroyed 10 church buildings: those of St. Mary’s Catholic Church, Church of the Brethren, Cherubim and Seraphim Church, All Saints Cathedral (Anglican Communion), and Evangelical Church Winning All (ECWA), African Mission Centre, Assemblies of God Church, ECWA Good News Church, Living Faith Church, and Charismatic Renewal Ministries.

They burned 11 cars and stole two others after killing the Christian owners. In addition, seven motorcycles and one bicycle were destroyed.

Bomb blasts the previous day (Nov. 3) in Maiduguri, Borno state about 80 miles (130 kilometers) east killed four people, with one of the explosions coming from a triple suicide bombing of a military base.

Asked about Muslims who were killed, Garba said they died in gunfire exchange between Boko Haram militants and security agencies.

“These Muslims were visitors who were passing through Damaturu at the time of the attack and were caught in the crossfire,” he said.

Pastor Emmanuel Ekigho, resident pastor of the Living Faith Church also in the New Jerusalem area, told Compass that the Boko Haram bombing left his worship auditorium completely charred.

“We lost our church auditorium and assets in the church worth over 70 million naira [US$43,742],” Ekigho said.

The Sunday after the attack, only 214 of the 700 members showed up for worship, he said.

“As I talk to you now, many more out of the 200 members have left the town,” Ekigho said. “This may be bringing our ministry here to an end.”

Since the Damarutu attack, no state or federal government official has visited the area to see the level of destruction done to Christians and their churches, church leaders said. Their attempts to enter into dialogue with the emir of Damaturu, Alhaji Shehu Ibn El-kanemi Hashimi II, proved abortive as he refused to meet with them, they said.

“We sought audience with him on Nov. 7 in order to present our plight to him and seek support and protection from him, but he declined to see us,” Garba said. “So, we left his palace without meeting him.”

An al Qaeda affiliate that seeks to impose a stricter form of sharia (Islamic law) on northern Nigeria, where sharia is already in force, as well as on the predominantly Christian south, Boko Haram has threatened to launch more attacks.

“We will continue attacking federal government formations until security forces stop their excesses on our members and vulnerable civilians,” a Boko Haram spokesman said.

In August, Boko Haram claimed responsibility for a suicide car bombing at the United Nations headquarters in Nigeria’s capital, which killed 24 people and left another 116 wounded.

Nigeria’s population of more than 158.2 million is divided between Christians, who make up 51.3 percent of the population and live mainly in the south, and Muslims, who account for 45 percent of the population and live mainly in the north. The percentages may be less, however, as those practicing indigenous religions may be as high as 10 percent of the total population, according to Operation World.

According to a New Barna study, 93 percent of American church-goers are concerned about poverty around the world.

Of those surveyed those younger than 40 were most concerned about global poverty.

The study, commissioned by Compassion International was conducted in September. Barna surveyed 1,429 American adults.

Major findings of the study included:
•Ninety-three percent of Christians surveyed are concerned about global poverty and a third are “extremely concerned.”
• Four out of 5 Christians believe they have a special responsibility to help solve global poverty.
• Twenty percent of practicing Protestants and 16 percent of practicing Catholics have traveled outside the U.S. for the purpose of serving the global poor.Christians under 40 years old were more than twice as likely to have taken such a trip.
• Younger Christians give 50 percent more than older Christians toward the cause of global poverty.
• Forty-five percent of younger Christians believe their churches should be more involved in helping the poor.

Scott Todd, the author of Fast Living: How the Church Will End Extreme Poverty, thinks the results of the study signify a growing awareness of poverty in Christian communities.

“What would happen if these millions of Christians began to live out the fundamental teachings of their faith in a new way,” he said.

“What if they began to take seriously the Biblical teachings about the poor and oppressed? What if they formed a new relationship with the global poor? I believe these changes are underway on a massive scale. We are witnessing an awakening.”

By the time early church scholar St. Jerome died more than 1500 years ago, he had laboriously translated the Bible into Latin, taking more than 20 years working within the confined technology of the late 4th century. Considered the patron saint of all translators, today the Feast of St. Jerome is celebrated Sept. 30 as International Translation Day to highlight the degree of difficulty in translating from one language to another.

Electricity, the Internet, and instant global communication have allowed immense strides in communicating across languages, including new Bible translations like the Common English Bible, (http://CommonEnglishBible.com), in which 120 academic scholars and editors, 77 reading group leaders, and more than 500 average readers from around the world joined together to clearly translate, in record time, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek languages from thousands of centuries ago into the English of today. See an interactive Google Map showing the locations of the translators (http://j.mp/p5aiO0).

“Even the usual Bible translation schedule is not for the timid,” says Paul Franklyn, PhD, associate publisher for the Common English Bible. “Accomplishing it in less than four years requires extra stamina—and modern technology.” Less than four years is phenomenal when compared with other recent modern English Bible translations that took 10–17 years to complete.

Already in its third printing after only one month in stores, the popular new Common English Bible (Twitter @CommonEngBible - http://twitter.com/CommonEngBible) is known for being “built on common ground.”

“When we say ‘built on common ground,’ we mean that the Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals; teens working with retirees; men working with women; many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a vibrant and clear translation for 21st century readers, with the ultimate objective of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world,” says Franklyn.

Translation efficiency was possible by using an online project management database that permitted more than 200 collaborators (translators, editors, and field testers) to communicate immediately. The project was constructed in a workflow matrix with more than 400 overlapping parts.

“Translators and editors of previous Bible translations typically met face-to-face twice a year to debate and vote on challenging passages,” says Franklyn. “By contrast, Common English Bible editors worked by consensus in real-time and deferred any difficult decision to the senior editor for a particular testament.”

The online project management database that was used was first constructed to handle the development of the New Interpreter’s Dictionary of the Bible, which contains 8400 articles from more than 1000 contributors in 40 countries. “The system is relatively easy to understand as an online document management application with archiving, version control, scheduling, reports, and workflow. If such a login system is not used, the project can quickly collapse into confusion by trying to manage by email,” says Franklyn.

The translation tool used by Common English Bible editors is the BibleWorks software. Franklyn says that platform was chosen “because we could add the emerging Common English Bible translation into the Bibleworks translation database. This allowed for rapid searching and contributed significantly to a more consistent vocabulary across the translation. It also helped identify traditional vocabulary in older translations that we no longer use in common English.”

Franklyn says BibleWorks is being used to also generate a Bible concordance. “A programmer is working with us to develop a new cross-reference system for the reference edition of the Common English Bible, as well as a ‘phrase concordance’ that’s required for a more functional translation,” says Franklyn. These tools will also become enhancements for future BibleWorks releases.

Another technical tool used by the Common English Bible editors is the Dale Chall readability software. According to Franklyn, Edgar Dale and Jeanne Chall are two reading scholars who developed the most accurate reading measurement formula based on a math computation as well as a comparison to vocabulary word lists that are sorted by grade level in standardized testing.

“Previously the Dale Chall method for measuring readability would work on samples of no more than 400 words. We asked that the program be modified so it could process a readability score and vocabulary assessment for entire books of the Bible,” explains Franklyn. “Each document was measured on the first draft and last draft. Bear in mind that readability is a measurement of the clarity of the translator. It does not reflect on the intelligence of the reader.”

The Common English Bible is written in contemporary idiom at the same reading level as the newspaper USA TODAY—using language that’s comfortable and accessible for today’s English readers.

Also facilitating the rapid translation process was attention given to tagging. “Because our text was well tagged from the beginning in Microsoft Word documents (each text was tagged as soon as the first draft arrived), we were able to complete the XML tagging in the OSIS schema for of the whole Bible in about 4 weeks after we exported from Adobe InDesign typesetting,” says Franklyn.

“Our use of technology was very practical. We used a software tool if it helped us get the job done efficiently. We did not try to chase impulsive or esoteric possibilities that computer tools sometimes inspire for translators,” says Franklyn. “It’s possible to tag a Bible text too extensively, with expectations that someday a scholar could do interesting computerized data mining. That sort of data mining would be fun someday, but not when the real job is to complete a Bible translation containing 930,000 words.”
Visit CommonEnglishBible.com to see comparison translations, learn about the translators, get free downloads, and more.

Some two months before its print editions will be released at bookstores, the complete Common English Bible can be downloaded online.

The new CEB is available in 20 digital platforms, namely iPad, iPhone, Kindle, Olivetree, Logos, Sony, Nook, BibleWorks, Kobo, ChristianBook, Accordance Software, YouVersion, Lightning Source, Copia, Blio and OverDrive.

Also available online is a search widget that can be downloaded by users to their websites and blogs. It can also be accessed through Bible Study Tools and Bible Gateway.

The digital version of the complete CEB is available at a special introductory price of $5.95 until September 1, when the price will be raised to $9.95.

This is the first time that a complete version, including the Old Testament, New Testament and Apocrypha will be available in the CEB, which released a New Testament in August last year.

“The Common English Bible is a brand-new, bold translation designed to meet the needs of people in all stages of their spiritual journey and study,” Paul Franklyn, associate publisher, said, adding, “We’re excited to make this translation available as soon as possible through the Internet and other digital resources.”

21^st century English

The CEB is distinctive because it uses the daily language of 21^st century readers, making it relevant without compromising authenticity. Some examples are the use of “reconcile,” or “reconciliation” in place of “atonement,” “chest containing the covenant” in place of “ark of the covenant,” and “temple equipment” in place of “vessels of the temple,” according to its website.

Over 120 scholars from 22 faith traditions worked on the CEB, including men and women from American, Asian, African, Latino and European communities. They hailed from leading academic institutions including Yale University, Princeton Theological Seminary, Asbury Theological Seminary, Bethel Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, Seattle Pacific University, Denver Seminary and Wheaton College, among others.

The CEB was also previewed by some 500 readers, who listened as the translation was read aloud, and pointed out passages that were potentially confusing. Their input was considered in its final reworking.

The CEB was approved last May by the Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, CA for scholarly use. (See http://theundergroundsite.com/index.php/2011/05/fuller-theological-seminary-adopts-gender-friendly-more-readable-common-english-bible-15895/).

“The Common English Bible is the result of collaboration between opposites: men working with women; scholars working with average readers; conservatives working with liberals, many denominations and many ethnicities coming together around the common goal of creating a translation that unites rather than divides, with the ultimate goal of mutually accomplishing God’s overall work in the world,” Franklyn said.

It has special relevance amid the digital revolution which has hastened daily language changes, making the bible more understandable and compelling whether privately used by individuals or for church worship.

A businessman in Netherlands is building an ark that will be identical in size to the one that was built by Noah in the Bible.

Johan Huibers, 60, has for the last few years been building an ark like the one described in the Bible that Noah built and rode on with his family during the great flood.

The ark is the exact size as the one in the Bible—300 cubits (450 feet) long and 30 cubits (45 feet) high, similar to a three-story structure. It is 50 cubits (75 feet) wide.

Huibers told The New York Times that a cubit is about 18 inches (the distance from the finger tips to the elbow).

He used Swedish pine, noting that some versions of the Bible describe the wood God told Noah to use a “resin wood.”

Visitors to the ark have described ark as having a rich fresh pine smell and cavernous decks.

Dutch safety standards

There are some differences however, due to Dutch safety standards.

For now, a special anchor was installed so that the ark, which weighs 2,970 tons, could qualify for the time being as a building.

The ark is being built on 25 steel barges that were put together to serve as a basin. It is kept rigid with a heavy steel frame.

Huibers told The New York Times, “It is much easier to make a wooden ark.”

Safety standards also require a triple-coat of varnish that is fire retardant. Noah only used pitch which only served to make it waterproof, according to The New York Times.

Irony

Ironically, the site where the ark is being built, in Dordrecht city, Netherlands might be a good place for it. The city, which has a population of 118,000, has often been flooded, including the devastating 1995 flood, and falls below sea level.

Dordrecht lies at the confluence of three rivers, and with global warming, water levels have gone higher. Rather than build higher dikes, the farmlands east and south of the city, called Forest of Bulrushes, have been returned to the waters.

Alderman Piet Sleeking told The New York Times, “It’s called the room for the river project. Instead of building the dikes higher, we are giving the rivers and canals more room.”

Neighbors

Some neighbors have grumbled over the project. Gerrit Kruythoff, 65, told The New York Times, “We used to have a view all the way to the river. You could see the ships passing by.” Bas Keyzer, 46, said, “It’s not very nautical; it’s top heavy. But it certainly looks like the ark.”

But Annie van der Luytgaarden disagrees. She told International Herald Tribune, “It’s beautiful inside and out, the stairways, the doors. I’ve already asked if I can join on the maiden voyage. I’ll do the dishes.’’

Huibers had been thinking of an ark since 1992. By 2004, he built a smaller ark 225 feet in length, which sailed through the Dutch canals. People paid $7 to ride on it, and after three years he’d had some 600,000 customers making a hefty profit of $1.2 million, The International Herald Tribune said.

But Huibers said the ark goes beyond making money. He told International Herald Tribune, “It is to tell people that there is a Bible. And that, when you open it, there is a God. It’s a simple meaning. A lot of things in the boat lead you to think.’’

Usefulness

The city officials see the project as a way to generate tourism and generate employment. Alderman Sleeking told The New York Times, “There could be hundreds of thousands of tourists, so for the city it would be a good thing.”

The ark is conceived to also engender teaching, with panoramas depicting the story of Noah, and live animals on board. As of now, there are hens, roosters and birds in cages, but more animals will be added. There are also two conference rooms which can accommodate up to 1,500.

Huibers also wrote to Boris Johnson, mayor of London to request that the ark could be brought there for next summer’s Olympic Games. Visiting Texas investors have also encouraged him to bring the ark to Galveston, The New York Times said.

A doctor in the U.K. might lose his job and his medical license because he talked about his Christian faith with a patient.

Dr. Richard Scott is one of six partners at Bethesda Medical Center, Margate. All the partners are Christian, and they have been open about this. Scott received a formal complaint from the General Medical Council because he told a 24-year-old patient that praying to Jesus could help him out of a difficult condition that he is in, NY Daily News said.

The complaint was filed by the patient’s mother, who has accused Scott of taking advantage of her son’s vulnerability by trying to push his religion on him, the NY Daily News said. The GMC is charged with regulating all British doctors.

Scott, 50, is a former missionary. His record as a doctor has been unblemished—until now. He said the conversation about Jesus only came as the consultation was coming to a close, and he did so with the permission of the patient.

Scott told NY Daily News, “I only discussed mutual faith after obtaining the patient’s permission. In our conversation I said that, personally, I had found having faith in Jesus helped me and could help the patient. At no time did the patient indicate that they were offended, or that they wanted to stop the discussion.”

Scott told NY Daily News that if the patient complained at the time, “I would have immediately ended the conversation.” He has decided to fight the GMC censure. In doing so he may lose his medical license, and this would spell the end of a 28-year profession, according to The New American.

In recalling the conversation Scott said the patient was “in a rut and in need of help.” Scott said the medical consultation was lengthy, during which he discussed various possible interventions, all of which the patient had already tried, The New American said.

The patient had requested consultation with other medical professionals, and Scott promised he would follow up those requests, The New American said.

The GMC complaint said Scott “harassed a vulnerable patient.” Scott said, “Absolutely not.  I’ve offered a needy patient a way out of his situation,” according to The New American.

Niall Dickson, chief executive of GMC said doctors must not proselytize or talk about religion with their patients, “unless those beliefs are directly relevant to the patient’s care. They also must not impose their beliefs on patients, or cause distress by the inappropriate or insensitive expression of religious, political or other beliefs or views,” the NY Daily News reported.

Scott decided not to accept the complaint as it would remain on his record for any future employer to see. “What’s happened to me is an injustice and I want to stand up for Christians who have been getting hammered in the workplace.” The Christian Legal Center is taking charge of his case, The New American said.

Andrea Williams of CLC said Scott, “acted within their own guidelines, and his unblemished record should not be tarnished — even by a letter [in] his file,” The New American reported.

Laura Sandys, MP for South Thanet told BBC News, “[M]onitoring and then sanctioning doctors on conversations with patients, that do not relate to their medical condition, must be a matter between the individuals and dealt with locally. The GMC has over-reacted and needs to put an end to misplaced activism that is putting a respected doctor’s profession on the line.”

Other Christian doctors have also rallied behind Scott. Dr. Peter Saunders of Christian Medical Fellowship told NY Daily News, “All good doctors try to treat their patients as whole persons, not just biochemical machines. That does sometimes include spiritual matters, dealing with questions of meaning and purpose.”

The White House said recently that it was regrettable that an Evangelical leader would make absurd claims on Easter Sunday about issues that had long been belied.

Jay Carney, White House spokesman, said remarks by Evangelical leader Franklin Graham suggesting that President Barack Obama may have been born in a country other than the U.S. are unbelievable and sad, the New York Daily News said.

Carney said, “I think it’s unfortunate that a religious leader would choose Easter Sunday to make preposterous charges,” according to the New York Daily News.

Franklin Graham, president of Samaritan’s Purse, was responding to a question from Christiane Amanpour, who asked the son of Billy Graham if he was bothered by questions that have been raised by “Birthers,” Christianity Today said.

Graham replied, “Well, the president, I know, has some issues to deal with here. He can solve this whole birth certificate issue pretty quickly. I don’t—I was born in a hospital in Asheville, North Carolina, and I know that my records are there. You can probably even go and find out what room my mother was in when I was born. I don’t know why he can’t produce that. So, I’m not—I don’t know, but it’s an issue that looks like he could answer pretty quickly,” Christianity Today reported.

Graham told Christianity Today that the ABC program where he questioned Obama’s birth had actually been taped one week before Easter, and that his statements were merely in response to questions he had been asked.

Graham told Christianity Today, “I’m not going out making speeches about where the President was born. I could care less. I’ll continue to answer reporters’ questions.”

His statements however reflected that of Michelle Bachmann (R-Minn) who also suggested that Obama should produce a birth certificate. A few days afterwards, George Stephanopoulos of ABC presented Obama’s birth certificate to Bachmann. She replied, “Well, then, that should settle it,” Christianity Today reported.

Obama had actually released his birth certificate as early as 2008 when he was campaigning for the presidency, the New York Daily News said.

Despite this, rumors of Obama’s birth continue to float with some saying he was born in Kenya, and others saying he was born in Indonesia or the U.K. According to the president’s birth certificate, he was born in Hawaii, New York Daily News reported.

The “issue” of Obama’s birth has been noisily banded about of late by Donald Trump, who is posturing to run for the presidency as a Republican candidate. Graham told Christianity Today that he sees Trump as a viable candidate.

Graham told Christianity Today, “Donald Trump, when I first saw that he was getting in, I thought, well, this has got to be a joke. But the more you listen to him, the more you say to yourself, ‘You know? Maybe the guy’s right.’”

Other candidates that get Graham’s nod are Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin. Graham told Christianity Today,
“We’ve got to have some new leadership, new Republicans, more Tea Party people.”

Rev. Franklin Graham expressed sympathy for some 20 victims, six of them dead, from a gunman’s attack in an Arizona Safeway store–even as he cautioned against hastily concluding political motivation.

Graham referred to the crazed shooting by 22-year-old Jared Lee Loughner at US Rep. Gabrielle Giffords and 19 others during a constituent meeting, The Christian Post said.

In a statement Graham said, “My thoughts and prayers go out to the victims and their families in their time of loss and great suffering. [I pray] that they would sense His presence and comfort in their lives,” according to The Christian Post.

Graham cautioned against blaming politics saying, “If something horrific happens to a person, it does not mean those who hold differing views are responsible for the actions of a disturbed individual,” The Christian Post reported.

Those killed by Loughner include Federal District Judge John Roll, a nine-year-old child, and four others. Giffords, who was shot through the left lobe of her brain, is in a medically-induced coma and in critical condition, The Christian Post said.

The attack sparked national debate on the motivation for the shooting, with liberals blaming Sarah Palin, Glenn Beck and conservatives, Politico said, even as conservatives blamed liberals and the media.

A Sarah Palin campaign map in September last year, which showed bulls-eye marks on Democratic districts as targets for the Republican campaign, was blamed, New York Magazine said.

Gifford told MSNBC last year, “We’re on Sarah Palin’s ‘targeted’ list, but the thing is, the way she has it depicted, we’re in the crosshairs of a gun sight over our district. When people do that, they’ve gotta realize that there are consequences to that action,” New York Magazine reported.

YouTube videos

Loughner posted many YouTube videos and a YouTube profile online, but he never spoke about the Tea Party or the health care bill. He was not on the Tea Party email list, nor was he a member of the Tucson Tea Party, Politico reported.

His reading choices were not rightist, but more liberal and leftist including Siddartha, One Flew Over The Cuckoo’s Nest (which Politico said were “hippie cult books”) and the leftist The Communist Manifesto.

Troubled, nihilist

The Christian Post said he was “a high school dropout, military reject and loner” who posted YouTube videos suggesting that people create their own languages to avoid mind control.

Former professor Kent Slinker from Pima Community College (where he was expelled) said Loughner’s “brains were scrambled. His thoughts were unrelated to anything in our world,” The Christian Science Monitor reported.

In 2008 Loughner was cited for graffiti, UPI reported. He told a policeman that his tag is “Christian” referring to a ‘c’ and an ‘x.’ The Christian Science Monitor said Loughner suspected the government was controlling Americans through grammar.

New York Magazine said Loughner seemed to nurture a three-year grudge against Giffords when he asked her in a previous event, “What is government if words have no meaning?” To which Giffords answered in Spanish.

Mr. Pitcavage of the ADL, who is a hate crime expert, told The Christian Science Monitor, “It’s a pattern we see sometimes with hate crimes and sometimes with crimes against the government…that personal factors may be the primary mover to violence, and it’s the ideological component to their belief system that often will help them choose the target when they do decide to strike out.”

No time for political opportunism

Influential blogger Erick Erickson called efforts by the left and media to tie the Arizona shooting to conservatives “craven” and “irresponsible” adding, “[It] may very well incite violence to the right,” Politico reported.

Rev. Franklin said, “This is not a time for political opportunism. What frightens me is that our country has accepted murder, violence and rape as entertainment that we see portrayed every day on TV, movies and video games,” The Christian Post reported.

Franklin added, “I agree with Sheriff Clarence Dupnik when he alluded to the fact that this country needs some serious soul searching. If we as a nation are not careful, we could see the destruction of the foundation upon which this nation was built,” according to The Christian Post.

A 20ft. cross made from thousands of coat hangers will be the centerpiece of a show of biblical scenes that will be on exhibit at the City Art Center in Edinburgh, U.K. to mark the 400^th anniversary of the King James Bible.

The cross and other biblical artwork are made by Scottish artist David Mach, in preparation for Precious Light, slated for July 30. The cross will also be exhibited in Gloucester Cathedral in Easter, according to The Telegraph.

The art show will also include a coat-hanger depiction of Calvary, and numerous collages, an art form that Mach has become famous for, The Telegraph reported.

The King James Bible was written from 1604 to 1611 when it was published under the reign of King James I of England, The New American said. It is considered the most influential English translation bible, and is a landmark in English language history.

King James was king of Scotland for 36 years before he succeeded Queen Elizabeth I to rule England. He set about not only uniting the two countries, but also uniting all the Protestants under this bible, The New American said.

A number of common-used English phrases today come from the King James Bible including “fire and brimstone,” “at his wit’s end,” “eye to eye,” and “powers that be,” according to The New American.

Phrases from Bob Dylan’s song Highway 61 Revisited, and Martin Luther King’s speech, I Have a Dream, were derived from the King James Bible, The Scotsman reported, adding, “Our culture is permeated by the King James Bible-both the phrases themselves and the morality and civilization they promote.”

Epic stories

Mach, who is not religious, told The Telegraph that the bible is rich in epic stories of struggle, mayhem, sex, pestilence, famine and violence, making it rich in artistic possibilities. He had wanted to do the show long before, but when he approached a number of contemporary galleries that featured his past work, they all turned it down.

Noting the secularism of England Mach told The Telegraph, “It’s like a weird subject they don’t want to touch.” Now, he has five floors of the City Art Centre to fill for Precious Light, thanks to the commission from The King James Bible.

Mach employs 30 people to help him prepare for the 10-week exhibit. The Telegraph said included among the pieces being worked on is a piece showing pairs of animals heading towards Noah’s Ark in front of Table Mountain, and another of hell, boiling up and positioned to burst under the Eiffel Tower.