Ran across this list of email responses to a "bump in the road" christian Y2K broadcast. Not my cup o tea personally, but I know there are lots of folks hereabouts who might enjoy a look.

Some very interesting posts...

http://www.gospelcom.net/ccmag/y2k/msty1198.html

-- Lewis (aslanshow@yahoo.com), January 22, 1999

Answers

Yes, the editor Steve Hewitt and I have been exchanging email for a little while. He seems particularly concerned of people profitting (sp?) off of y2k. So far I've not found him able to produce much evidence that we have nothing to prepare for, but you may wish to review his site at www.ccmag.com

It certainly is critical that we carefully evaluate all data and educate ourselves. We also need to assist (and educate, if necessary) those who have privilege of reaching many people.

-- Len (wwjd@mbayweb.com), January 22, 1999.

I've read Hewitt's stuff. IMO, it's utterly inane. Don't waste your time.

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 22, 1999.

I have no problem with people making a profit off y2k if they are providing some kind of goods or services that are wanted, or needed by the public. Does he think people should provide food, buckets, books, filters, stoves, etc., without making a profit. Churches certainly don't quibble about accepting money.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), January 22, 1999.

Gilda, I love your style. You so flatly point out the ridicule, the obvious, the ironies into everything :-) In a few well said sentences. We need a lot more of people with your wisdom on this board.

-- Chris (catsy@pond.com), January 22, 1999.

Locally, we're seeing some churches back away smoothly. Not that they were all that committed in the first place.

I am reminded of my response upon hearing that a friend will stockpile only one week's worth of food, because she has faith that the Lord will provide:

    Sooooooo... + God will provide - but not in any way that's connected with advance efforts of *mine*
++ God just "chooses not to work in that way"
+++ how tacky/humdrum/pedestrian ("doesn't require any faith" !?!)
+++ how un-miraculous
+++ how tedious / so much work (for me)

~~~ corollary: God owns the cattle on a thousand hills, but His slaughterhouse is one of those amazing fully-automated ones, so not one of His kids ever have to get their hands dirty.

+ putting away *two* weeks' worth of food is evidence of having half as much faith that the Lord will provide ?
++ *four* weeks of food = 25% as much faith ??
++ putting away two weeks' worth of frozen dinners and convenience foods, though, is evidence of more faith - say maybe 58%, instead of half as much - than more durable/stable foodstuffs ??
++ growing any food at all is evidence of even less faith ???
++ putting away just a *single day's* worth of food would be evidence of 700% as much faith ?
+++ a better case can be made for living day-to-day than week-to-week (cp. the Israelites eating manna in the desert, which was "delivered" once a day)
++++ for that matter, why do Christians have refrigerators at all? Where is our faith?
+++++ Ziploc bags are the work of the devil...

~~~ corollary: hard work is inversely proportional to faith

-- Grrr (grrr@grrr.net), January 22, 1999.

Discussion re the WSJ article on Mr. Hewitt:

Hewitt in WSJ

As I say in that thread, some of yez may want to drop in on one of his presentations and ask some qs...

-- Mac (sneak@lurk.com), January 22, 1999.

Howard Ruff's well-known quote:

"It wasn't raining when Noah built the ark."

-- Kevin (mixesmusic@worldnet.att.net), January 22, 1999.

Thank you Chris. That is the first kind word that anyone has said to me on this forum.

-- gilda jessie (jess@listbot.com), January 22, 1999.

Grr -

next time someone pulls that one on you, ask them if that means Joseph had no faith in God at all, since he helped an entire country store up enough food for seven years of famine...plus enough left over to share.

Arlin

-- Arlin H. Adams (ahadams@ix.netcom.com), January 22, 1999.

Yes, and your teeth are never gonna fall out, either, cause God's gonna brush them for you!

-- People are so dumb! (wake@up.please), January 22, 1999.

A flood was coming, and people ran by calling our little story's hero to come with them to higher ground. He said "I'm OK. God will take care of me."

The water got a bit higher and the fire department came by in the big truck to help him out and he said "I'm OK. God will take care of me."

the water got higher and now he was on teh roof and a boat came by to take him out and he said "I'm OK. God will take care of me."

The water gort higher and a helicopter came to save him and he said "I'm OK. God will take care of me."

He went swimming and didn't quite make it. When he was brought to the Throne and bowed low, he asked God why he hadn't come to save him. And God said "Must it be ME personally, who comes for you? What about those of my servants who warned you. What about those I sent for you in the fire truck, the boat and the helicopter??"

CR

-- Chuck, night driver (rienzoo@en.com), January 23, 1999.

There was a previous thread on this guy, he was on a radio talk show in Dallas with a more doombrood type. It's on realaudio - worth a listen for a good laugh. Hewit (-2sp) came across as extremely lame, shrill and lacking in technical knowledge with no grasp of mainframes or interdependencies or the global big picture politically and economically.

Other than the he's a goldmine of useless information :)

Christian computing - ptuhhh!!!

Next we'll have Christian euthanasia or Atheist near death experiences... Oi vey!

Andy

Two digits. One mechanism. The smallest mistake.

"The conveniences and comforts of humanity in general will be linked up by one mechanism, which will produce comforts and conveniences beyond human imagination. But the smallest mistake will bring the whole mechanism to a certain collapse. In this way the end of the world will be brought about."

Pir-o-Murshid Inayat Khan, 1922 (Sufi Prophet)

"We're doomed I tell ye, doomed!"

Private Frazer, Dad's Army, Walmington-On-Sea Home Guard, 1939 (Undertaker)

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 23, 1999.

Mr. Hewitt has annoyed gary North...

Category: No_Big_Problem Date: 1999-01-22 11:15:10 Subject: My Challenge to Steve Hewitt: Cite Two Sources Link: http://www.gospelcom.net/ccmag/y2k/edit1098.html Comment: Steve Hewitt, editor of Christian Computing Magazine, is actively involved in pouring water on any suggestion that y2k could produce a catastrophe. He is ever-so concerned that Christians will get too excited about y2k. This might lead to -- gasp! -- public ridicule.

Any Christian who worries about public ridicule has adopted the wrong religion. But I digress.

Mr. Hewitt has stated his concern: Christian groups are preaching the end of mankind, and secular reporters are using this fact to ridicule Christians.

"Christian reports are already beginning to be a news story all their own, as the secular press begins to report on those that are predicting the end of mankind as a result of Y2K. Christians have more to lose here than just electricity, and we need to be sure that we are in a position to be leaders if the situation calls for it, instead of being ridiculed before we get a chance to act."

I lay this challenge before Mr. Hewitt: provide links to at least two Christian Web sites that say that y2k will lead to the destruction of mankind.

If you can't, please stop commenting on y2k. Please stop appearing before Christian groups to tell them nobody knows what will happen. Go back to your journal's concern: using microcomputers in churches.

Link: http://www.gospelcom.net/ccmag/y2k/edit1098.html

-- Andy (2000EOD@prodigy.net), January 23, 1999.

Andy: EXACTLY. I second your challenge about Web sites. This is a total canard (not that *some* Christians think so, you can find *some people* who think anything) but that it is some sort of conventionally held Christian belief about Y2K. Absolute nonsense. But Hewitt gives it credibility!

-- BigDog (BigDog@duffer.com), January 23, 1999.

For the record we have had dealings with Christian computing magazine. They wanted to charge us for the privedge of having them put a link on one of their pages WHILE we were providing them with a server to hold live chats on for free hmmm seems like they are at least willing to make a profit off other Christians themselves.

-- Red (mwlester@ihug.co.nz), January 23, 1999.

Arlin -

Well, aaaah, that was different. God talked directly with Joseph. It was different back then. You can't extrapolate from a single spectacular event like Joseph or, uh, Noah... and, er, apply it to all Christians living today. Faith isn't "always" evidenced by works. Not really.

Good *grief*. It's almost like there's a sneaky fatalism hiding behind this mindset. Nothing we can do to stop it, so there's no point in doing anything.

All good things must come to an end (at least, earthly good things)...

-- Grrr (grrr@grrr.net), January 25, 1999.

Grr -

So you figure God doesn't talk to us today? I haven't personally heard His voice, but reading His Word is His voice, and that I do.

Y2k is likely to cause some major changes to occur. It could be the end of the world, or maybe just the end of the world as we know it, or maybe the problems will be so small that it would seem like nothing happened.

God didn't give us brains for no reason. Prepare for something to happen, and if it doesn't then you'll be prepared for some other emergency. If things do go awry, then you would be prepared.

Enoch.

-- Enoch (knightofyhwh@hotmail.com), January 25, 1999.

Enoch - Particularly in the first paragraph, I was being sarcastic.
And I should have come out and said as much...

-- Grrr (grrr@grrr.net), January 25, 1999.