The Tube

If you have been in London, you know the way to get around is by taking the bus and the Tube or the underground train. Tube riders are a subculture all to themselves. They see and hear things that others in the world are not privy.

The Tube Map Maze: Who can read it?

Now we know where we are.

How do I get out of here?

Mind the Gap. Mind the Gap.

Please change here.

The Tube Video

Views of Scotland

Here are some views of the Scottish countryside.

Beautiful and Lovely St Andrews

Reformed Churches in Scotland

"Renovate 100-year-old Church Activity Center at Nairn Free Presbyterian Church.
Partnering with Presbyterian Free Church revitalization in the Highlands town of Nairn, Scotland. The Nairn church is a beautiful stone and stained glass sanctuary that holds over 250 people. Bill Evans, an American PCA pastor, will take over the pulpit of this church in April. The church now has one elder and only 11 members, the youngest of which is 62. Because of this, most of 2004's efforts will be to lay groundwork for mission trips in 2005.

Prayer for Bill and his ministry is sorely needed."
Found at: http://www.christpres.org/europe.php


Here is a great summary of the status of the reformed churches in
Scotland done by David Robertson. I am beginning to like him.
http://www.stpeters-dundee.org.uk/widerchurch.htm

The Dundee church web site: http://www.stpeters-dundee.org.uk/

David Robertson is one of the good pastors in the free church of Scotland from
Dundee. He is trying to counter this Dawkins book: The God Delusion.
Dawkins if a prof at Oxford. David's video responses to the book are at the bottom of the link above.

Who is Bill Anderson?

Bill Anderson is a 77 year old resident of Edinburgh who knows its history, the history of Scotland, its art, its churches, knows kings and queens and the clans of Scotland. I am leaving much out here.

He was a great guide who is obviously dedicated to what he does.

He guides visitors though he is legally blind and walks about 5 miles a day to keep in shape. He told me as we looked out over New Town from the Edinburgh Castle that it was all a sea of gray. He loves his Scotland and will engage anyone who will listen on its lore and beauty.

Here is Bill with Jon Adams, minister, who was on our trip.

David Riccio

David Riccio, 1533 - 1566, is an interesting person in the Scots history and we saw his grave in the Cannongate cemetery. He was Mary Queen of Scots' secretary and supposed lover. As an inflated foreign catholic, and a close confidant of the Queen, he was widely disliked. This precipitated his murder, in front of the Queen, at the Palace of Holyroodhouse. He is said to have been stabbed 57 times. The conspirators were a band of Protestant nobles, including Henry Stuart (Lord Darnley), the Queen's husband.

For more details about the end of his life, visit here.

Francis Crick

Francis Crick's discovery of the double helix of the DNA molelcule is memoralized on the wall of the old Cavendish Laboratory at Cambridge University. He believed that this discovery was 'the secret of life.' Though he discovered 'the secret of life' that is, the secret of a very small part of organic life, I wonder if he found any meaning in his life. For a stark commentary on his life, please read.



Englishman Francis Crick, American James Watson with the help of two English scientists, Rosalind Franklin and Maurice Wilkins discovered DNA through x-ray diffraction in the year 1953. In 1961, Drs. Watson, Crick and Wilkins won the Nobel Prize in Medicine. Dr. Franklin died before she received the famous award.
Source: My Name is Gene, N.L. Eskeland, Ph.D and N.C. Bailey, Ph.D

Other English Heroes of Cambridge

The lectures and tours offered by Ranald gave us exposure to other heroes of Cambridge such as King Henry the 6th, Lady Margaret, Thomas Cranmer, Newton, Martyn, and Wilberforce.

King Henry the 6th founded two colleges: Eton and King's. He was generous to the poor and hated cruelity and immorality. He refused to punish those who plotted to kill him. "I prefer the Kingdom of Heaven to the kingdom of this world" --as he faced death in the Tower of London.

Lady Margaret Beaufort is mother of the Tudor Dynasty. Lady Margaret outlived three husbands and adopted the lifestyle of a nun. With John Fisher, she founded Christ's and St John's colleges. She also funded Erasmus' 3 year stay in Queens' College and professorships of divinity in Cambridge and Oxford. "Thine O Lord are all things that are in heaven and that are on the earth...in the simplicity of my heart I offer myself unto thee this day to be they servant for ever, in humble submission."


Thomas Cranmer is considered father of the Church of England. He was a fellow of Jesus College and lecurer at Magdalene College (pronounced "Maudlin"). Like fellow reformers who met in the White Hourse Inn, he promoted Luther's teaching about forgiveness of sins and assurance of God's acceptance. Cranmer wrote the preface t the first English Bible to be placed in every church in England in 1540. He prepared the first Prayer Book in English. Mary Tudor put him to death in Oxford because he rejected the authority of the Pope and the Mass. "Therefore, every man that cometh to the reading of this holy book ought to bring with him first and foremost this fear of Almighty God, and then next a firm and stable purpose to reform his own self according hereunto."

Issac Newton is called the founder of modern science. He came to faith in Christ in his first term at Trinity College under the guidance of his tutor, Isaac Barrow. He followed Bacon's principle of studying the two books of God -- Scripture and Nature. Became a math professor at 26 years and discovered that the same law of gravity applies to planets and apples. Also, with his prism, dicovered to origin of the rainbow. Importantly, Newton attributed all his discoveries to the Spirit of the Living God. "This most beautiful system of the sun, planets and comets, could only proceed from the counsel and dominion of an intelligent and powerful Being, this Being governing all things...as Lord God" -- from his Principia Mathematica.


Henry Martyn was an apostle to the muslim world. Martyn was challenged to serve Christ overseas through the preaching of Charles Simeon, then vicar of Holy Trinity Church. Martyn went to India in 1805 as a chaplain in the East India Company. He translated the New Testament into Hindustani (Urdu) and Persian. He often debated Christianity and Islam with leading muslims in Persia. He died at an early age of 31 years of TB and a broken heart. "In prayer at night my soul panted after God, and longed to be entirely conformed to His image. I do not know anthing would be a heaven to me, but the service of Christ, and the enjoyment of His presence."


William Wilberforce was the liberator of the slaves. Wilberforce was elected MP for Hull in 1780 while still an undergraduate at St John's. Came to faith in Christ following a European tour with Isaac Milner. Wilberforce campaigned against slavery with Thomas Clarkson and challenged the currupt life style of the nation in his Reformation of the Manners, which was translated into several languages. One of the founders of the Church Missionary Society and British and Foreign Bible Society. "...unless God has raise you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and evils. But if God be for you, who can be against you" (letter to Wilberforce from John Wesley)

Cambridge Wilberforce Institute

We were there at the beginning!!! This organization has a tiny web site and is in its embryonic stages. They put the web site in wiki format. I interpret that to mean that there are will be much documentation on the seminars and causes the Institute takes up in the future. It will be an institute for change I am sure.

Who is William Wilberforce? Did you see Amazing Grace, the movie? Wiki speak for Wilberforce.

Wilberforce went up to St John's College, Cambridge in 1776.

Its web footprint, The CWI.

Jay Smith on You Tube

Now you can see and here Jay every day that you can to. Just go to You Tube http://www.youtube.com, and search "Jay Smith PfanderFilms".

I have collected a few of his video links here.


Jay Smith's First Video

Who Hijacked Islam?

Jack Straw and the problem with the Veil

Jay speaks about Muslim Stories

Is Allah in the Bible?


The Prophetic Lineage

Is the Bible Corrupted? -- Good!

Is The Qur'an Corrupted?

Jay Smith at one of his favorite places: Speaker's Corner, London

Jay smith at Speaker's Corner Part 2

My Virtual Tour of the British Museum

If nothing appears, click here.

The British Museum and The Bible

As we moved through the British Museum, looking at and hearing the details behind each artifact of history from our guide, it became more and more evident that archelogy and the Biblical account of history are more congruient today than ever. Many archelocical finds substantiate the people, places and events of the Old Testament. This photo of a plaque placed by the British in the Museum seems to indicate that the Museum is also coming to this conclusion. The plaque summarizes events found in the Bible. Seems the British are concluding the same things about the Old Testament which the artifacts found there confirm. Perhaps in a few years there will be many plaques on the walls taken from the Biblical account and further proving its accuracy.

The British Library

The British Library is full of documents from antiquity.


The brochure we were handed as we walked into the library had an interesting couple of paragraphs.* The Sacred exhibits are being featured by the Library right now and they include the scriptures and other documents of the world's great religions. The brochure's comments that I want to focus on are here.

This page states that the completed text of the Qur'an came together rather quickly -- within 20 years of the Prophet Mohammad's death, while the Old Testament and New Testament of the Bible took hundreds or thousands of years. Oral tradition is also alluded to.

In fact, the Old Testament DID take hundreds of years because the time span over which it was written. However, the scribes and monks who helped to preserve the manuscripts used maticulous procedures to create copies of the originals. This is well documented. Old Testament manuscripts found as a part of the Dead Sea scrolls compare to within 99+% of other manuscripts on which translations of the Old Testament are based.

The New Testament Gospels on the other hand was written within 25 years of Jesus' death. All letters included in the New Testament were written by 85 AD. Thus because of the multiple Gospel accounts, the veracity and reliability of the account of Jesus' life and teaching are strong.

Work on dating the writings which are included in the Qur'an are continuing. However, the latest research seems to conclude that these writings were written approximately 150 years or more after the death of the Prophet Mohammad.

The above is a summary of a vast amount of research which has been and is being done right now and well documented on the web.

The following is a partial list of resources for further study of biblical and literary criticism.

Historical Collaboration of Sacred Texts

Biblical Manuscript Evidence

A New Chronology (of Old Testament times)

Is the Qur'an the Word of God?

Is the Qur'an Preserved?

Conclusion for much of the research above

To see a preview of the Sacred Exhibits, click here.

* Prepared by The Moroccan British Society.

The British Museum

The black obelisk was significant to me because it is one of those biblical artifacts that I had read about long ago and now I have seen it and gotten my picture. By itself, it is not that important but when placed in a museum like this one in London among many other biblical artifacts, it becomes important. Many of the relics of earlier times displayed in the museum validate the people and chronologies of the Old Testament. During my college days, many of these artifacts had yet to be discovered and a battle raged over whether they were close to true. Those battles no longer rage as artifacts like the black obilisk have been discovered and preserved in places like the British Museum.

The Black Obelisk

The black obelisk is from the time of Shalmanezer 3rd. In Israel, Ahab(evil king) died( II Kings 9 & 10). The prophet Elisha went to Jehu, an Israelite military captian, and told him to destroy the entire family of Ahab, and become king himself. Jehu obeyed. In the first year of his reign, he attempted to buy the alliegiance of Shalmanezer the 3rd by paying him homage. ( See the man bowing down ). The cuneiform states the man bowing is Jehu. This is the first know depiction of a Israelite king.

Erasmus

Before I took a trip to England or Scotland, I began to see the role that Erasmus played in church history. When we went to Cambridge, his role was confirmed. This man, "made the reformation possible." Erasmus attended Cambridge and was a professor of divinty there.

Erasmus set out to provide an accurate translation of the New Testament based on the best source documents possible. One example of how he identified and corrected the Latin translation of his day follows.

Prior to the Erasmus translation the Greek word for "repent" had been translated "do pentance" or "penance." Repenting occurs in the heart. Doing penance is an action one takes. Thus, an accurate translation of the Greek is very important. Luke quotes Jesus here,

Luke 13:3 (NIV) I tell you, no! But unless you repent, you too will all perish.

Luke 13:3 (Amplified Bible) I tell you, No; but unless you repent (change your mind for the better and heartily amend your ways, with abhorrence of your past sins), you will all likewise perish and be lost eternally.

If you don't believe that there were and still are translations that say "do penance" look at the following commentary: Look at the Luke 13:5 quote under subtitle: Necessity here. Scan the Douay-Rheims Bible for proof that this Vatican authorized version emphasizes penance instead of repentance, click here.

Erasmus brought a clear and more accurate translation of the new testament and based on this translation the new reformers of the 1500 and 1600's called to count the church hierarchy. They also paid a high price for doing so in many cases, even giving their lives for the truth.

Here is a quote from an an unknown web site about the great work of Erasmus.

"In considering the experiences of Linacre and Colet, the great scholar Erasmus was so moved to correct the corrupt Latin Vulgate, that in 1516, with the help of printer John Froben, he published a Greek-Latin Parallel New Testament. The Latin part was not the corrupt Vulgate, but his own fresh rendering of the text from the more accurate and reliable Greek, which he had managed to collate from a half-dozen partial old Greek New Testament manuscripts he had acquired. This milestone was the first non-Latin Vulgate text of the scripture to be produced in a millennium… and the first ever to come off a printing press. The 1516 Greek-Latin New Testament of Erasmus further focused attention on just how corrupt and inaccurate the Latin Vulgate had become, and how important it was to go back and use the original Greek (New Testament) and original Hebrew (Old Testament) languages to maintain accuracy… and to translate them faithfully into the languages of the common people, whether that be English, German, or any other tongue. No sympathy for this “illegal activity” was to be found from Rome…even as the words of Pope Leo X's declaration that "the fable of Christ was quite profitable to him" continued through the years to infuriate the people of God."

From Sinclair Ferguson on what Repentance really means, click here.

Virtual Tour of Oxford

Here is a great Virtual tour of Oxford.

My Virtual Tour of C S Lewis' Home, the Kilns (England)

My Virtual Tour of Cambridge England

Virtual Tour of Oxford England

Click Here

Oxford

Cambridge, England

Cambridge means bridge over Cam.

We spent much of our time in Cambridge with Ranald MacCualley of Christian Heritage and now the Cambridge Wilberforce Institute. Ranald taught on the major forces in history and the present day which is shaping our world. We in the West look to a free market economy to work out the problems, when money and the economy are not the answer. Below Ranald is guiding us through one of the colleges at Cambridge.



Cambridge University

Cambridge is a University of 25,000 students consisting of central departments and 31 colleges The central departments provide the research and lectures while the colleges focus on the domestic issues for students.

A college (this is actually an Oxford college).

The Cam

The Cam River flows through the middle of Cambridge. Downtown Cambridge any walker's by are confronted with an agent for a boat company. The boats are put out for punting. Here is a couple of folks enjoying punting.


And then there are those famous rowers at Cambridge University who compete around the world. Here they are out early in the morning getting ready for a competition, maybe with Oxford.




Evenings and Breakfast in Cambridge


Evenings were spent around the table discussing ideas and issues with members of the Christina Heritage group. The group believes strongly in fostering relationships and community. The fellowship was grand and the food was also very good.


For breakfast, we usually had a full english breakfast with a little treat thrown in. It was in Cambridge that we were introduced to Marmite. Have you ever heard of it? It is a saltly little paste that tastes like brewer's yeast, if you have ever had that. Below is marmite spread on toast.

Marmite: the brown paste and pallatable only to the English

We all loved our english coffee and our english tea. The English stop for tea at 10 AM.

Ilona is trying to persuade Robyn to have some Marmite but I don't think that Robyn is agreeing that she will.

C S Lewis -- from theism to Christianity

Here is a clip that summarizes C S Lewis' conversion and includes Addison's Walk.



Here is another. Actually I believe this one comes first.

Virtual Tour from the Thames River in London

Virtual Tour of London England

London

From Heathrow to Sloane Square

The plane ride from Washington, DC was uneventful as was the pass through customs and baggage reclaim. On to the tube at Heathrow and to downtown London.

We are off the first train and getting another. Sheila is always quick and in that fashion was at the front of the line to board again. I am at the back of the pack. She's the first one on the train, BUT, Ilona is wavering now--maybe this is not our train. The door closes and Sheila is the only one of our party on the train. She rides off with the fear of terror written all over her face. Everyone is screaming: "Get off at the next station!" "Get off at the next station!" She didn't hear a word of it.

Logically, we thought, we will simply board the next train and catch up with her--no need to panic. We get the next train and off at the next station--it is empty and Sheila, we cannot find. Okay, we call her on her cell phone. She is at Sloane Square, 4 train stops away and not in the direction of our journey at all. Ilona can't understand how she got to Sloane Square so fast. Ilona and I, John, get on the next train bound to Sloane Square while the others head to the High Street Kensington station. We get off the train at Sloane Square station and there is no Sheila, but as we climb the last stair to ground level, there she is. She is a bit shaken up by the whole experience but besides emotions, is still intact.

That's a great way to start a tour in a city you have never seen before.

Sloane Square Underground Station

More on this station.

England and Scotland Church History Tour

This little blog is about a church history tour 10 of us took to England and Scotland. Eventually the blog will cover most of what we did but for now we are simply trying to organize our pictures from the trip.

Why Cheeky Tour? "Cheeky" was the most often used word on this tour.

What did we see? Westminster Abbey, St. Paul's Cathedral, the Bunhill Fields (non-conformist cemetery), Wesley's Chapel, Spureon's church, Methodist Central Hall, Trafalgar Square, Kensington Palace, The Orangery, the Spring Proms at Royal Albert Hall, Buckingham Palace, the Thames, the London Eye, the Tower of London, Harrods, the colleges of Oxford and Cambridge, C. S. Lewis' home, The Eagle and the Child, Holy Trinity Church, William Wallace memorial, Robert the Bruce memorial, Loch Lomond, the reformation history in the city of Edinburgh including some of the churches, John Knox, presbyterian ridge, New College, the Free Church and its influence, GreyFriar's Bobby, the Royal and Ancient Golf Club, the Old Course at St Andrews, the St Andrews Cathedral, St Columba, the Picts, Patrick Hamilton, George Wishart, Blackfriars Chapel, Mary Queen of Scots and all the other royals, the fascinating but devilish David Riccio (Rizzio), and I could go on.