The Dawn Treader

A record number of babies were born in the USA in 2007, according to early federal data released Wednesday that some demographers say could signal an impending baby "boomlet."
~ USA Today, July 17th

"The last time the number was this high was in 1957, in the middle of the baby boom years; about 78 million Americans were born from 1946 to 1964. Demographers have been monitoring gradual increases in recent years; data for 2006, which won't be made final until September, show a 3% increase over 2005. That's the largest single-year increase since 1989."

Finally, we are seeing bigger families again.  The article reports that the average number of births per woman was 2.1 in 2006, the highest since 1971.

It does not appear that the grim picture painted by secularization theorists influenced by Thomas Malthus are having much of an impact ... thankfully.

HEADS UP churches!  Get that nursery ministry organized and running like a well oiled machine.  You are going to need it!

(Image © AP)

Between a trip to Covenant College (Chattanooga,TN) for graduation, and a 12 hour a day work schedule, blogging has been and will be light.

There are some interesting articles to read while Mr. Dawntreader is otherwise occupied.

First, for the mathematically inclined, you may want to check out An Intuitive Explanation of Bayesian Reasoning.  I was taught Bayes Theorem in my graduate studies at Duke (in statistics).  It is used in market research and financial research.  Little did I know then, that Bayes theorem is hotly contested and highly controversial.  Little did I know that it had anything at all to do with epistemology.  Little did I know statistics and probability had so much to do with apologetics -- especially cosmological ID.  Does Bayesian epistemology shed any light or cast any doubt on the anthropic argument?  That may turn into a future post.

Second, speaking of epistemology, reformed professor Dr. John Frame weighs in with this article called Certainty.  I know David Opderbeck will want to read that article.  While on the topic of certainty, here is a secularist viewpoint : Believe It Or Not: The Battle Over Certainty.

Third, for you missional types who are asking, "what is church?" ... you might want to read Dr. George Grant's Distinctives of A Biblical Church.  You can follow it up perusing Nine Marks of a Healthy Church.   It was written by the 9Marks Ministries folks, who want to help local churches re-establish their Biblical bearings and re-think their ministry methods.  Both present an apologetic that would argue against the view of many in the emerging church.

Fourth, if you missed the 4 part series on Islam on Breakpoint, you need to hear it (or read it).  Don't tell me worldviews don't matter.

Fifth, Kevin forwarded me an interesting article in Salon which argues that is wrong for professional athletes to put religion "in your face" on Sunday morning.  Are public displays for faith in Jesus wrong?  Read it and let's discuss.

Well, here is a new idea.  Guilford College students think that coed dorms are not quite progressive enough ... why not coed rooms?  Or ... as they call it, "Gender Blind" rooms.

"The theory of it is a reasonable theory," Guilford College President Kent Chabotar said. "The fact that we stereotypically put two males or two females in a single room and don't put mixed genders because we're afraid something unpuritanical would happen is illogical."

I looked at the stories which captured my attention in 2005 from 50,000 feet.  Time to ease the stick forward, descend to tree top level, and introspect a bit.

Time for a year in review.  I looked back at a year of my posts to see what consumed my mindshare.  Here were six significant stories which caught my attention and why ... from 50,000 feet.

Check out this new Barna Study: More People Use Christian Media Than Attend Church .

Excerpts:

A new nationwide survey conducted by The Barna Group indicates that while 56% of adults attend church services in a typical month, a much larger percentage is exposed to religious information and experiences through various forms of media. Radio and television are the most popular Christian media, but faith-related Internet sites as well as religious magazines, newspapers and books also enjoy significant exposure. Although these religious media are a supplement to a church experience for most people, millions of individuals rely upon one or more of these media as their primary source of spiritual input.