The Exclusiveness of Jesus

My friend and old compadre Ed recently asked if there was a good explanation for four different hurdles that Not-yet Believers of Jesus have difficulty with (see his Comment dated May 19, 2008). The purpose of this post is for me to address the last hurdle he mentioned – Why salvation through Christ is needed; why is it that Christians believe that the only way for people to come to Godand be saved from His anger is through Jesus of Nazareth?

 

Let me start with a Parable, the Parable of the 3 blind men and the elephant. 3 blind men are each touching a different part of an elephant and are asked to describe it. The first is holding the elephant's massive leg and says the elephant is like a great tree. The 2^nd is holding its trunk and says the elephant is like a snake. While the 3^rd is touching the elephant's side, and says the elephant is like a great wall. Is religion in the world like this metaphor? The world's religions are all merely seeing different parts or aspects of God (the elephant), and so one description cannot be better than the other descriptions, right?

 

There couldn't possibly be just one way to God, says Oprah on her enormously popular television show. What about the people who live in a part of the world where they have never heard of Jesus, she asks? And so she reasons from this that people through their actions are either moving toward the Light or to something called either darkness or fear. And her conclusion is that there are many ways to what she calls Light, which she also concludes is God. Now I am not bad-mouthing Oprah – she is doing more good than any single person in the today's world. But her comment is right on point for today's post. Here is a website which has her discussing this issue on her show: http://www.jesus-is-savior.com/Wolves/oprah-fool.htm.

 

Ed has raised a great question, and he has definitely hit on one of the major roadblocks for people becoming Christ-followers – can't people come to God and be "spiritual" without knowing about Jesus. A related question is the one raised by Oprah What about the good person living in a cave, who has never heard of Jesus? Isn't he entitled to go to heaven, if he is basically a good person? Let me try and help provide a more clear understanding of why Jesus is the only way for all people, nations, races, sexes, and ages to come to a saving relationship with God. First, let's take a look at whether the Bible really says that Jesus is the only way of salvation to God. Then I will take a look at whether Jesus being the only way to God makes any sense.

 

Does the Bible really teach that Jesus is the only way to God? When I first started studying the Bible in my 30's, I wrestled quite a long period of time with the famous verse in John 14:6 (where Jesus teaches "I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.") I couldn't accept the plain meaning of this verse for a long time – I, like Oprah had a tough time accepting that Jesus was the only way to be saved from being punished by God. I just like Oprah believed there were good people who had not heard of Jesus that couldn't possibly be punished with hell. And so, here is how I rationalized John 14:6. I believed that Jesus was love, and so if you have love, you had Jesus. And voila! You were accepted by God, and anyone who loved others would go to heaven. Loving others was the magic ticket to get into heaven.

 

But the funny part about my life at this time was that I didn't really have love in my life. I was pretty normal during this point in my life - I was focused mostly on myself. I wanted to become a famous lawyer, my real drive was to argue a case in front of the US Supreme Court. I wanted fame, fortune, and for everyone to realize what a smart person I was (OK, maybe this one God is still working on me - J). Do you see anything missing? I didn't care about anyone else's feelings. Instead, I actually purposively tried to make everyone else's life miserable. And as an attorney, I did a pretty good job of it. I would always make sure to send out collection letters and lawsuits out on Fridays or right before holidays, so that their weekends and holidays were ruined. I had yelling matches with people calling in, including my law firm's office manager and secretary. I still have the file of letters written to me calling me every dirty name in the book. I once called someone who was a subordinate for my client, and who was supposed to provide me with some paperwork to help in a lawsuit every day for three weeks or so. And I meticulously kept a record of the time and date I left a message. And for some reason, he did not return my calls. Until I unloaded on his boss, having fun at how much trouble he was going to get into. And don't get me started on what my physical desires were like during this time of my life. I was a petty, mean selfish person, only focused on one thing in my life: meeting my own (the Bible calls this "fleshly") desires. Yet, I still thought that I had "love" in my life, and that I was in a good relationship with God. I believed that because I read the Bible, and went to Church, I was going to heaven. I was a good person I rationalized, and just doing my job. Only now do I understand what the Prophet Jeremiah said in 17:9 - The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked;

 

I kept this attitude only for a while though. First, I abandoned my mis-reading of John 14:6 one weekend in Chicago at a retreat, when I accepted the "Light" of God's Word. I began to realize that there were A LOT of Bible verses that say that Jesus is the only way to God, the only way of salvation, and the only way to eternal life. Here are just a few of these verses:

 

Acts 4:12 - Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to men by which we must be saved.

1 John 2:23 - No one who denies the Son has the Father. Whoever confesses the Son has the Father also.

Col. 1:15 – He (Jesus) is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation.

Hebrews 1:3 - The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

And of course, John 3:16 - For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

 

And so, my irrational interpretation of John 14:6 (where I believed that all people who 'loved' would be able to come to the Father, and so get to heaven) was destroyed. Acts 4:12 (above) especially helped me to see that the Bible is very clear that John 14:6 means what it says - Jesus is the only way to God The Father. And He is the only way of salvation. So yes, the Bible really does teach that Jesus is the only way to God, and the only way of salvation.

 

Does it make any sense that Jesus is the only way to God? So why does God's Word teach that salvation through Jesus Christ alone is needed. I like to repeat as a mantra that mankind's major problem is sin. Sin is an entangling distraction from living a life with character. Sin is consuming, and often hurts others as well as ourselves. And God's response to Mankind's sin problem was to send His Son, the Son of God Jesus. Through Jesus' death on the Cross, God Himself offered His Son in payment of mankind's sins. Jesus offered Himself to pay what justice required for all of our sins: our sins require the death penalty before God. And God paid this price Himself, with Jesus who had no sin, giving up His life to pay for the world's sins. And here is the important part – it is only Jesus' sacrifice that can pay for the punishment required when we commit sins. Nothing else can make up for our sins, except the Blood of Jesus.

 

So yes, Oprah because everyone has made mistakes, hurt others, and offended God, one day when we die we must face the Judge who we offended with our actions, God Himself. And we may try and squirm out of responsibility for the crimes we committed during our lives, by saying that we also did good things during our life. The reason why someone's attempted good actions don't help is because if we were before a Judge for say, bank robbery, we would be laughed at for trying to argue that we used the money to help someone else. It doesn't matter if we do try to do good while also committing a serious crime / sin. The penalty for the sin still has to be paid. And when we commit a sin against God, the penalty required is always death. Think of it this way – if you hit your cat with a stick, you may not have to pay any penalty. But if you hit your wife with a stick, you likely will spend some time in jail And if you hit the President with a stick, if you aren't shot by the Secret Service, you will spend a great deal of time in jail. The penalty goes up as the importance of the person you hurt increases. And in a similar way, if you commit any offense against God, like ignoring Him, using His precious name as a cuss-word (this is a serious crime called Blasphemy), or ignoring His Sabbath, you have committed a serious sin that requires the payment of everything you have, even your life.

 

Ed, you also mention that people are only doing what their nature drives them to do. I don't agree. For now, let me merely point out why such great classics as The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings, and even The Matrix strike such a chord with us. I believe this is what God has placed in us to yearn for something more in our lives. That we want to be heroic, to stand up and fight against evil, even to fight against impossible odds, if our death would have meaning. To be people of character, and to stop those who hurt those around us. But instead we settle for quick fixes, quick moments of happiness to make us forget about the pains of our lives.

 

And so, is there any hope for us? Yes, this is the Good News – the Righteous One paid the penalty for all the crimes of the unrighteous. Ed, if you were sitting in a jail cell for a crime you committed, and someone came and opened the cell for you and said you were free to go, would you continue to sit in the cell? Well, this is the position that you are in today. You aren't good enough to pay for the sins you have committed during your life - no one is. But there is one Who is good enough to pay for my sins AND yours. Jesus was sinless during His life, yet the authorities put Him to death on the Cross. This death on the Cross paid the full penalty for all of our sins, and so we both have received a pardon for the crimes we have committed during our lives, and bridged the separation our sin causes with God. I accepted the pardon, and you apparently have not. I walked out of the jail cell, and you apparently refuse the pardon and continue to sit in the jail cell. Why would you neglect such a Great salvation that is provided by Jesus? I apologize for the length of this post, but I thought the topic merited it. Thank you Ed for bringing it up, and God bless you.

Odds n’ Ends (7)

1. California may levy a Porn Tax to help with State budget shortfall. http://www.kutv.com/content/news/watercooler/story.aspx?content_id=7276089e-3b07-44e9-9ce4-2cd6e1c31b37. The proposal would impose a 25 percent tax on the production and sales of pornographic videos -- the vast majority of which are made in southern California. Let's see how strong of a lobby the pornographic community is in California.
   

 

1. Federal House Bill Proposes a National Fingerprint Registry.
   http://www.openmarket.org/2008/05/23/fingerprint-registry-in-housing-bill/. The legislation would require thousands of individuals working even tangentially in the mortgage and real estate industries — and not suspected of anything — to send their prints to the feds.
   

   
    

   
    

2. Article in Nature Magazine Claims the Origination of a De Novo Gene. http://www.nature.com/nrg/journal/v9/n6/full/nrg2394.html. De Novo Origination of a New Protein-Coding Gene in a yeast species by Wen Wang et al.
   

   
    

   "THE total number of different proteins in all organisms on earth is estimated to be 10exp10 to 10exp12. How the protein repertoire evolved the giant diversity that underlies the evolution of the complexity of life is attracting many evolutionary biologists to the field.
   

   
    

   Origination of new genes is an important mechanism generating genetic novelties during the evolution of an organism. Processes creating new genes using pre-existing genes as the raw materials are well characterized, such as exon shuffling, gene duplication, retroposition, gene fusion, and fission. However, the process of how a new gene is de novo created from noncoding sequence is largely unknown.
   

   
    

   On the basis of genome comparison we have identified a new de novo protein-coding gene, BSC4 that may be involved in the DNA repair pathway, when shifted to a nutrient-poor environment.
   

   
    

   
    

3. Frogamander. http://news.aol.com/story/_a/scientists-discover-frogamander-fossil/n20080521180809990022?ecid=RSS0001. It is interesting that no pictures of the cross between a salamander and a frog have not yet been revealed. I also question how they came up with the dating if this fossil being 290 million years ago (MYA). Because this nicely fits in between the first fish with legs that lived on land (400 MYA) and the first salamanders (250 MYA). It's an interesting story, I hope they tell us more about it. (Thanks Ed for bringing it up.)
   

The Holy Spirit – Part 1

Back when I first sensed God's presence as an adult, I was taught that the third Person of the Trinity was responsible for sealing believers in Christ, and in opening up, and providing understanding of God's Word. These are very important things for Christians and right from the start I grew in appreciation and love for God, the Holy Spirit. I found it amazing how through repeated reading and studying of the Bible, passages I understood one day a verse as meaning one thing, but then another day was revealed to me by the Holy Spirit to provide a better, clearer and entirely different meaning.

 

But I came to see the Holy Spirit as having an even a greater role, a more equal role in the Trinity, as I started attending Hosanna Church, and through its use of the Alpha course. Initially, I sensed God's presence as I worshipped God through song. Yet, I wanted more. And as I studied about the Holy Spirit through God's Word, I came to a better understanding of the Holy Spirit's work. I have seen the miraculous answer to prayer. I have seen gifts of the Holy Spirit given out according to God's Will. And the biggest miracle of all is how a skeptical, know-it-all like me came to a saving faith.

 

Perhaps one day I will discuss whether the Holy Spirit's gifts described in the New Testament (most prominently in 1 Corinthians chapter 12) are still active. But instead today I wanted to discuss the battle between the Holy Spirit in a believer's life and what is described as our "flesh", the "old man", or simply our sinful nature and desires. The lead verse I wanted to use is the following:

 

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the desires of the flesh are against the Spirit, and the desires of the Spirit are against the flesh, for these are opposed to each other, to keep you from doing the things you want to do. (Galatians 5:16-17.)

 

So this verse in the 5^th Chapter of Galatians speaks about a war that is going on in every believer's life - the Holy Spirit in a believer in Christ's life is fighting against the "desires of the flesh". All people have these desires of the flesh, but the last portion of this verse is most interesting: the Holy Spirit is working against our desires of the flesh "to keep you from doing the things you want to do." I hope you are amazed at this – we are all born with different yearnings and desires, and we call this our own personal human nature. How often is this called something that is bad, or something that we should struggle against? Instead, in our culture today, we hear things like Be True to Yourself, or as Frank Sinatra put it, he did it 'My Way', and this is somehow something good. But the Apostle Paul makes clear that doing it our way is a way that is opposed to God's Holy Spirit. The best 'you' is the one that walks by and with the Holy Spirit, and to avoid doing the things of your human nature. Are you struggling with something in your life?

 

We are commanded in Galatians 5:16 to "walk by the Spirit". And in Ephesians 5:18, we are to continue to be filled with the Holy Spirit. So how does a Christian do this? We are sealed with the Holy Spirit when we repent and are baptized into our life in Christ (Acts 2:38, Ephesians 4:30). Believers have the indwelling Spirit (Romans 8:11), but doubters / rejecters of Christ do not have the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:9). We take in the Holy Spirit through His Word, through prayer, and through obedience to God's commands. And how do we know when we are not walking in the Spirit? Galatians Chapter 5 is very helpful in its description: we know we are living in our sinful nature when there are things like this in our daily walk - sexual immorality, impurity, sensuality, enmity, strife, jealousy, fits of anger, rivalries, dissensions, divisions, envy, drunkenness, and things like these (Galatians 5:19-21). Don't look at this list and see the worst actions, and think that you are OK for not doing the worst things. Instead, ask God to reveal if there is anything in this list that He wants you to remove from your life. If you are walking in anything on this list be warned: those who do such things will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:21).

 

And of course, the famous list of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in Galatians Chapter 5 stands as a stark contrast of the life of a Christ-follower: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22-23). When these characteristics are seen by others in your life, and Christ is receiving all of the glory for this, then you know you are walking in the Holy Spirit.

 

My take away for you is this – What are you working on to grow in your obedience as a disciple in Christ. God makes clear that the process of sanctification continues until the day that we go to be with the Lord. So is there something that you are struggling against, or are you writing it off as merely being your 'human nature'? And do you trust that God knows how best to live your life? Here is one more great verse about walking in the Spirit, and not according to our own sinful nature:

 

^12 Therefore, brothers, we have an obligation—but it is not to the sinful nature, to live according to it. ^13 For if you live according to the sinful nature, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the misdeeds of the body, you will live, ^14 because those who are led by the Spirit of God
are sons of God. (Romans 8:12-14).

 

So walk by the Holy Spirit this Day, and may God bless you as you do this.

An Evangelical Manifesto

70 leading Evangelical pastors signed a document this past Wednesday entitled 'An Evangelical Manifesto'. The signers range from Os Guiness (a clear Reformed theologian) to Dallas Willard (who I believe is one of the leading guru's for the Emergent church movement.) Among the drafters and preliminary supporters of the manifesto are Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in California; Samuel Rodriguez, president of the National Hispanic Christian Leadership Conference; Jim Wallis, founder and editor of Sojourners Magazine; and Frank Wright, president of the National Religious Broadcasters. Dr. James Dobson did not sign it, nor any Black American Evangelicals that I am aware of. The Manifesto can be found at: http://www.anevangelicalmanifesto.com/

 

From my quick review of the Evangelical Manifesto, it seems designed to address two problems: first, to help people understand what is an Evangelical. And second, to call for reform of Evangelicals involvement in the political process. I see (and I may be wrong here) that the two main points of attack for this document are first, prosperity preachers in America who are not preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ. Second the Manifesto takes aim at Evangelicals involved in politics who are compromising Christian principles, in order to get things accomplished. It is interesting that this came out now, when the World seems especially turbulent.

 

The Manifesto starts out: The two-fold purpose of this declaration is first to address the confusions and corruptions that attend the term Evangelical in the United States and much of the Western world today, and second to clarify where we stand on issues that have caused consternation over Evangelicals in public life.

 

It also includes the following: As followers of Jesus Christ, Evangelicals stress a particular set of beliefs that we believe are true to the life and teachings of Jesus himself. Taken together, they make us who we are. We place our emphasis on ...

 

1. Jesus, fully divine and fully human, as the only full and complete revelation of God and therefore the only Savior.

 

2. The death of Jesus on the cross, in which he took the penalty for our sins and reconciled us to God.

 

3. Salvation as God's gift grasped through faith. We contribute nothing to our salvation.

 

4. New life in the Holy Spirit, who brings us spiritual rebirth and power to live as Jesus did, reaching out to the poor, sick, and oppressed.

 

5. The Bible as God's Word written, fully trustworthy as our final guide to faith and practice.

 

6. The future personal return of Jesus to establish the reign of God.

 

7. The importance of sharing these beliefs so that others may experience God's salvation and may walk in Jesus' way.

Sadly, we repeatedly fail to live up to our high calling, and all too often illustrate our own doctrine of sin. The full list of our failures is no secret to God or to many who watch us. If we would share the good news of Jesus with others, we must first be shaped by that good news ourselves.

 

Let me know what you think about the document, or if you have a different impression of what the Evangelical Manifesto is designed to accomplish. Thanks, and may God bless you this day.

Airplane Day!

Happy Airplane Day to my sweet oldest daughter of whom I am very proud. What is Airplane Day, you may ask. 13 years ago our family started with the arrival of this precious little girl at the airport. She was almost eight (8) months old at the time she arrived. As soon as I held her, she let out a big scream. But she settled into her Mother's arms so soundly, so peacefully, right from the start. We had dozens of people there to meet our loved daughter, and to support us. It is one of the best memories I have in my life. So please join me in wishing our oldest daughter a Happy Airplane Day.

 

And last night shows what a remarkable young woman she is, and is becoming. She collected six (6) different academic awards last night at her junior high school (thanks to my Mom and Dad for being there.) She is someone who we expect great things from in the future. She is a hard worker, smart, and the kindest heart you have ever seen. Thanks be to God for bringing this treasure into our lives.

The Mid-Tribulation Viewpoint

The Mid-Tribulation, Pre-Millennialism Viewpoint for the rapture of the Church is held by someone very near and dear to me, and so I thought I would take a look at the reasons why it is held. The beginning point for today's Christian view of Jesus' return is by looking at Daniel 9:27, the prophetic "70^th Week", which most understand as a period of 7 years of tribulation. Those holding the Mid-Trib view understand the 7years Tribulation as taking place in two parts: Satan's Wrath followed by God's Wrath. Mid-Tribbers understand that the first three and one-half (3 ½) years is that of Satan's wrath against the world, after which the Church's elect are raptured by the first phase of Christ's return, which is then directly followed by three and one-half (3 ½) years of God's Wrath against the world. The starting point for understanding the Mid-Trib view is Revelation 13:5, which says:

 

13:1, :5 - And I saw a beast rising out of the sea, with ten horns and seven heads, with ten diadems on its horns and blasphemous names on its heads… And the beast was given a mouth uttering haughty and blasphemous words, and it was allowed to
exercise authority for forty-two months.

 

As with most references in the Book of Revelation, there is an Old Testament background for this 42 month (or 3 ½ year) period. In this case it is in the Old Testament Book of Daniel. First, let's take a look at Daniel 7:23, :25, which are speaking of the Fourth Beast in Daniel's vision. You may remember the Four Beasts in Daniel 7 being a Lion with Eagle's wings (Babylon), the 2^nd is like a bear (Persia), the 3^rd is like a leopard (Greece), and the 4^th Beast has iron teeth and 10 horns (symbolized by ancient Rome). Here is what Daniel 7:23, :25 say about the 4^th Beast:

 

'The fourth beast shall be a fourth kingdom on earth, Which shall be different from all other kingdoms, And shall devour the whole earth, Trample it and break it in pieces. … ²⁵ He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Then the saints shall be given into his hand For a time and times and half a time. (Dan. 7:23, :25, NKJV).

 

The use of the phrase "a time, times and half a time" is considered by most Christians as speaking again of a 3 and ½ year period (see, Rev. 12:14; see also, Dan. 12:7, :11-:12, Rev. 11:2, :3, 12:5). And so, this verse in Daniel arguably speaks of a Beast to come who devours the whole Earth, speaks blasphemies against God, and persecutes Christians. This lines up nicely with what is contained in the description in Revelation 13:5 of the Beast from the Sea who is given authority over the Earth for 3 and ½ years. There is one 'Beast of the Sea' who is given all of Satan's power, throne, and authority (Rev. 13:2). And so this 'Anti-Christ' Beast of the Sea will persecute Christians during these 42 months, and make life an intense Tribulation during this time.

 

But the 3 and ½ years of the Beast's reign of terror takes place during the first half of the 7 year Tribulation (Dan. 9:27). Mid-Tribbers then understand the Rapture of the elect will take place, followed by the second half of the 7 year Tribulation – where God's Wrath is unleashed upon the world. The Mid-Trib view meshes nicely with Bible verses like Rev. 3:10 (to the Church in Philadelphia) "I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world", showing that God will protect the elect from His own Wrath. Finally, Mid-Tribbers explain Jesus' Words in the Olivet Discourse in Matt. 24:31 that He will come for the saints after the Tribulation, as meaning that He will rapture the Church after Satan's Tribulation.

 

OK, if I have left anything out, please help me to clean up this explanation. Otherwise, let me leave any Mid-Tribbers of you that are out there with this thought: Revelation uses many symbols throughout the Book, including at least sometimes the symbolic use of numbers (see as an example, Rev. 1:4 describing the "seven spirits" before the throne of God, is a clear description of the one Holy Spirit.) So is it possible that the use of "42" months (equal to 1,260 days or 3 and ½ years) is a symbolic use by the Apostle John? To help you explore whether or not this is possible, take a look at Rev. 12:5, which says:

12:5 - She gave birth to a male child, one who is to rule all the nations with a rod of iron, but her child was caught up to God and to his throne, and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, in which she is to be nourished for 1,260 days.

 

The woman fleeing from the horrible red dragon is Israel, and her Son is, of course, Jesus Christ. And so, Rev. 12:5 speaks of Israel fleeing into the wilderness to a place prepared by God for this same period 1,260 days/42 months/3 and ½ years. Is it clear that Israel did not hide out for only 1,260 days, and that the use of this number may simply be a period of time of intense distress and persecution? If you have time, please also take a look at Rev. 11:2, where John is told that the Gentiles will trample the holy city/Jerusalem for 42 months. Why do you think this period was also chosen?

 

May God's blessings be upon you and your family's health, your ministries, and your relationships, in Christ. Amen.

Odds n’ Ends (6)

1. Mind's Limit Set at 4
   

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20080428/sc_livescience/mindslimitfound4thingsatonce;_ylt=AlhU8yOCs06R_J6SwInUMfCs0NUE

Early research found the working memory cut-off to be about seven items, which is perhaps why telephone numbers are seven digits long (although some early telephone dialing started with a two- or three-letter "exchange," often the first letters of a community name, followed by four or five figures, e.g. PEnnsylvania 6-5000). Now scientists think the true capacity is lower when people are not allowed to use tricks like repeating items over and over or grouping items together.

"For example, when we present phone numbers, we present them in groups of three and four, which helps us to remember the list," said University of Missouri-Columbia psychologist Nelson Cowan, who co-led the study with colleagues Jeff Rouder and Richard Morey. "That inflates the estimate. We believe we're approaching the estimate that you get when you cannot group. There is some controversy over what the real limit is, but more and more I've found people are accepting this kind of limit."

The study was published April 14 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

 

2) Ocean Cooling to Briefly Halt Global Warming, Researchers Say

http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601124&sid=aU.evtnk6DPo&refer=science

April 30 (Bloomberg) -- Parts of North America and Europe may cool naturally over the next decade, as shifting ocean currents temporarily blunt the global-warming effect caused by mankind, Germany's Leibniz Institute of Marine Sciences said.

Average temperatures in areas such as California and France may drop over the next 10 years, influenced by colder flows in the North Atlantic, said a report today by the institution based in Kiel, Germany. Temperatures worldwide may stabilize in the period.

 

3) Republican blogger has Al Franken's Senate campaign reeling

EAGAN, Minn. - Senate candidate Al Franken wants to talk about jobs, health care and global warming. Republican blogger Michael Brodkorb wants to talk about Franken's failure to pay all his income taxes on time.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080502/ap_on_el_se/franken_s_foe

That's routine stuff in the world of political blogging, but in the last two months Brodkorb has scored two direct hits that have the Franken campaign reeling. Brodkorb scooped the traditional media by detailing extensive bookkeeping problems in New York and California that ultimately prompted Franken, this week, to pay about $70,000 in back taxes to 17 states.

In person, Brodkorb is a dark-haired, soft-spoken and polite 34-year-old whose infant twin daughters sometimes nap not far from his laptop. He dropped out of college in 1995 to work on the failed U.S. Senate campaign of Rudy Boschwitz. In the late '90s, Brodkorb worked for state Senate Republicans, where he started to learn how to do "opposition research" — digging up dirt on opponents. He did it well enough to become director of research for the state Republican Party, and served in similar roles for several Republican campaigns.