One last thing

One last thing before the hiatus. I thought I'd tell you what I'm working on. Right now I'm comparing the language used in wisdom literature to try and determine if the book of Job and Ecclesiastes can be concidered 'Wisdom in Revolt.' I've gotten back into Hebrew, and it's coming more easily to me than it did for the two years previous to this. I'm reading Amos and Exodus in Hebrew. (I've also decided to read a chapter of Hebrew a day to keep my mind more invovled in the language)
On the social side I've been playing quite a bit of pool with an undergraduate from Birmingham, drinking lots of coffee with the various Tyndale House scholars, and striking up conversations with all the wonderful people at St. Edmund's.
Peace,
Chris

I'm still around

Haven't been blogging much as I've been rather busy with the whole Cambridge thing. In fact I'm thinking of going on Blogging Hiatus(sp).
Peace,
Chris

Money can't buy happiness or security

But it can buy you a bike and a bike lock! I'm quite excited, I have 2 wheels again. My walk from college to tyndale is usually 50 minutes round trip, so this will save a LOT of time!
Peace,
Chris

Getting settled

We had worship this afternoon here at Tyndale, a rousing talk about Jeremiah. I've devised a potential schedule for myself, so all in all things are going okay. Today I go to an OT paper class today. We'll see how things go, one day at a time and all that rot.
Peace,
Chris

In Cambridge

Sorry I haven't written for a while. I'm in Cambridge, living above a library, chilling with bright people from all around the globe, and I haven't been on a computer that allows Blogger's Word Verification in a while. Let's see if I can catch my readers up?
I forgot my Student Visa so Home office detained me at Heathrow and then sent me to Chicago.
I made it to England a bit late. I stayed at St. Mark's for a few days. I moved into Tyndale House and have checked out my desk there. I went to St. Ed's matriculation ceremony, which included me dressing up in a college gown, a posh meal, and good company.
Today I went to a URC church and tonight will go to a quiz night put on by St. Ed's. And tomorrow the studying begins!
Peace,
Chris

I'm healthy as a horse, fit as a fiddle, and off to England!

I went to my heart Check-up today. I'm doing well. They said "get out of here kid, this place is for the sick."
Also, here are the two places I might live. 28 Histon Road, or Tyndale House.
I chose Tyndale.
Peace,
Chris

Heart Check-up today

I'm having my heart check-up at the Mayo Clinic here in Rochester in an hour or so. Thoughts and prayers would be appriciated.
Peace,
Chris

Check out the Church Website back in the UK

Now that the URC back in Saffron Walden has a pastor they also have updated their website. It looks really nice!
Peace,
Chris

Torture, don't do it!

I've been thinking a bit about torture. On one hand Sam Harris author of "The End of Faith" makes an argument that torturing religious folk is acceptable, as they are fanatics and you have to measure the common good versus individual human rights and realize fanatics with nukes should be tortured to get information that will save many lives. He compares torture to war and points out that war is much worse. That said he has a whole section about how torture during the inquisition got a lot of false witches and was one of the worst things to happen in history. So is seems to Sam torture by religious folks is bad, torture of religious folks is good. Obviously this position doesn't seem right to me by any stretch of the imagination. On the other hand there is this Ivin's column. It makes me want to do some sort of civil disobedience, but I don't know if I have time to as I'm traveling all over, doing a heart checkup, and flying out of the country in a couple of days. Also I am not familiar enough with all the positions out there, specifically I am very annoyed with my party because they're views on torture don't seem to be getting the same kind of press that the McCain/Bush bash is. Any thoughts on torture would be appreciated. Peace, Chris

A joke for the times we live in

So Jesus and Moses walk into a bar. They take a moment to look around. After a moment they look at each other and breathe a sigh of relief. Moses looks at Jesus and says, ‘Thank God that Mohammad isn’t here. This joke could have led to riots.’

Admitted!!!

So, I am no longer "accepted" in the M. Phil. program at Cambridge, instead I am admitted. Practically speaking what that seems to mean is that I can now look into getting a place to live at St. Ed’s itself!
Oh, and for those trying to track where in the world Chris Halverson is, I am currently at Thief River Falls Minnesota. I went to a family reunion today. Good fun. Everyone kept commenting on what nice hair I have. I couldn’t figure out why that was, so I asked my mom. She reminded me that the last time any of the these people had seen my I was in my "dreadlocks stage." Apparently wavy fluffy blond hair is more attractive to little old Scandinavian ladies than gnarled up grey-blond dreads "set" with yogurt. Who knew?
Peace,
Chris

A friend's boyfriend's blog

I vaguely remember a quote from spaceballs:
"I'm your aunts, cousins, father's sister's uncle."
"What does that make us?"
"Nothing"
Then he throws him out of the spaceship.
Not so with Alex though, he's a good guy, check out his blog.
Peace,
Chris

The USSR vs. Islamo-facism

I think this comic does a good job pointing out that the Soviets were not always that rational/deterable etc, and also were a far greater threat than the current folk who are after us.
I read "The End of Faith" and "The Twilight of Atheism" recently. Both of them made me realize how frightening the USSR really was. TTOA says that 100,000,000 people were killed by the USSR. Sometimes we forget how atypical life in America is.
Peace,
Chris

"I want to bring to the attention of the British people that Dr. Brydon won't be returning to India this time."

Ayman al-Zawahiri is no Monty Python, but one has to admit, if what he was talking about wasn't the killing of British soldiers, it would be a rather funny statement.
Peace,
Chris

I now have permission to post about the wedding

And... all I can say off hand is that those two were obviously meant to be together. Congrats guys!
Peace,
Chris