Category Archive: The Ghost in the Machine

Ignoring the Problem

By Caleb Keith –

Today, I spent approximately four hours separating, organizing, and scanning various papers, articles, and magazines for Dr. Rod Rosenbladt. Since his retirement last fall, I have been assisting him with various aspects of the transition. This has meant moving a lot of books and sorting through a lot of paper. Most of that sorting involves scanning important documents so that he no longer needs to keep stacks of papers. Today, I was excited as I opened up one of the last boxes labeled “Scan.”

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Cheap Trick?

By Caleb Keith –

Pokemon Go, a new smartphone game, has taken the world by storm in just a week. That’s because Pokemon Go was one of the most anticipated video games of 2016. Pokemon Go is inspired by Nintendo’s classic series of Pokemon games, which are turn-based strategy games involving the catching and training of various Pokemon creatures. The original games came out in 1993 and a new version has been released every one to two years since then. Pokemon Go puts a new twist on the classic games by implementing GPS and augmented reality technology using a smartphone.

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Freedom in the Left-Hand Kingdom

By Caleb Keith –

It’s Tuesday evening. I am sitting in front of my computer trying to think of something meaningful to write for my blog tomorrow morning. The trouble is, I am finding it difficult to connect any topic on my mind right now to Jesus or the Gospel. However, as I sit here, I am reminded of the most recent episode of the Thinking Fellows that I posted last Friday on the doctrine of God’s two kingdoms. If you haven’t already, you should go check it out. That episode is a solid reminder that, while everything in our lives is impacted by the Gospel, not everything is directly related to it. In fact, much of the day-in, day-out of our lives happens in what’s referred to as the left-hand kingdom.

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Christian Education and The State

By Caleb Keith –

If you are in any way associated with Christian higher education, you are probably aware of California Senate Bill 1146 (SB1146). The bill threatens the way religious colleges operate in the state of California. To understand what the bill proposes, I read and re-read it several times last night. The essential function or purpose of SB1146 is to trap and punish religious higher education institutions who currently operate under a title IX discrimination exception. Under the current exemption, religious organizations can “discriminate” in their hiring and admissions practices so long as they are in line with their religious beliefs. For example, a Christian college may require all of its professors to be Christian and reserves the right not to employ non-Christians. Currently, schools which fall under title IX and certain California state exemptions can and often do receive federal and state aid.

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One Year Down

By Caleb Keith –

One year ago, I started writing regularly for The Jagged Word. I was given the Wednesday-afternoon slot, and the main theme of my weekly articles was the intercession of technology and faith. That amazing opportunity has allowed me to get my voice out across the web while I build on my writing skill. One year of weekly writing has taught me a lot about myself and the internet community as a whole. Today, I offer up a short list of important observations that I hope are useful to those who use the internet to communicate.

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In Secret

By Caleb Keith –

It is times like these that I really hate social media. Facebook, Twitter, blogs, and other internet crap explode at the nearest sign of tragedy. Everybody has something to say when a massacre like that in Orlando happens. Most individuals mean well when they post platitudes and hindsight on their pages and walls as if they are experts in the fields of gun control and terrorism. The same sensation was true during the Cincinnati Zoo incident. As soon as a boy fell into a gorilla pit, everybody on the internet miraculously became an expert zookeeper. The result is a week of endless noise, under informed arguments, and mild personal gain.

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Road Trip

By Caleb Keith –

Today (that is yesterday, for those reading this), I embarked on an eight-hour road trip from Irvine California to Gardnerville Nevada. I make this journey about three or four times a year for various occasions. I grew up in Carson City, Nevada by Lake Tahoe, and my Grandmother still lives in the area. Trips are made mostly to visit her and my lifelong friend, Carson Iverson. This trip is for the very same reasons, but there is an added twist. My friend from Concordia, Jacob Mueller, joined my wife, daughter, and me on our five-day journey.

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The Journey of Learning a New Language

By Caleb Keith –

The first time I ever seriously thought about learning a language other than English was in High School. One of the major graduation requirements for most High School students is two years of a foreign language, typically Spanish or French. I had no particular interest in Spanish nor French, and I was also afraid of the difficulty learning a language could pose. Luckily, my online high school program allowed me to take any language I wanted, and it could even be done via Rosetta Stone or another language learning software. My father suggested I learn Latin with his help as well as Rosetta Stone.

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The Law and The Heir

 

By Caleb Keith –

Galatians 3:23-29 and Galatians 4:1-7 are two pieces of the same story. While separated by a chapter division, these verses are not divided in their message. The theme of this section could be labeled “The Law and The Heir.” Throughout these verses, the Apostle Paul tells the story of prisoners who were slaves, set free, and adopted as sons made to be heirs, who now receive a full inheritance. The letter to the Churches in Galatia omits the Apostle Paul’s typical greeting.

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