A very merry Un-birthday to you!

Click here for a special Birthday Certificate!

Logos RefTagger

I've recently acquired new responsibilities in my role of Tech Support at Logos Bible Software: I'm now the pointman for troubleshooting user issues with the Logos RefTagger. RefTagger is a free, new web tool from Logos, that adds hyperlinks to Bible references on any webpage.

For example, all I have to do is type the verse, and without adding any links or special code, it comes out like this:

Prov 3:1ff. Lk 22.27 Tobit 6:8

Hover over the reference to see a pop-up of the verse, or click on it to open the verse in context at http://bible.logos.com.

Ask me how to add it to your blog or website!

Does Gay Marriage Affect Me?

Warning: This topic may not be suitable for younger readers.

In the election on Tuesday, California voters narrowly passed an amendment to ban same-sex marriage, as did Florida and Arizona. Only 5 months ago, California’s Supreme Court ruled to legalize gay marriage, and this is an important (if legally puzzling) landmark in the struggle between gay activists and pro-family supporters.

Now, here’s my two cents: I applaud Californians’ decision to uphold traditional marriage, joining the 40 other states that already have Defense of Marriage acts on the books. However, I have a hard time defending this position logically; I certainly don’t agree with homosexuality morally, but I don’t know if we can or should legislate people’s morality. (Should we outlaw pre-marital sex? Lying? Being a jerk?) I can’t think of any legal reason why a homosexual couple shouldn’t get married. When people say that banning gay marriage prevents a specific segment of the population a right enjoyed by every other class, I find it hard to argue with.

I’ve heard people say that same-sex marriage would “hurt the American family”, or “weaken traditional marriage”, and maybe that’s true – but will someone explain to me how? If there’s a gay couple living next door to me, what difference does it make to me and my wife whether or not they have a marriage license? Is there some specific effect that I'm missing, or is this argument based on some broader, more abstract manifestation of the morality of society in general?

Academic Salaries

Am I the only one that thinks we've got our priorities a little mixed up as a society?

Source: http://www.phdcomics.com/comics.php

Engaged!

See the whole story: Large slideshow.

Brave new blog

So, I've been considering going back to blogging, after a two-year hiatus. At first, I just wasn't sure if blogging is worth the effort -- on the one hand, I remember being addicted to the feedback from xanga, like my self-worth was tied to "eprops", and I felt like I spent more time connecting with "people" through a screen than in real life. Not to mention, do I really have anything to say that others would find worhwhile anyway?

On the other hand, writing for myself has some value. It helps to bring clarity to my thoughts when I can structure them into sentences and paragraphs. In fact, I have written some things of which I'm actually kind of proud, on my old blog:

Our unity in Christ, Sunday, February 19, 2006
The foolishness of the gospel, Sunday, January 15, 2006
On my love for Narnia, Saturday, December 10, 2005

So here I go -- my thoughts on the web once again, for all to see.