Steven Colborne's Blog, page 71

A Few Technical Problems…

This is just a quick post to keep you in the loop concerning what’s going on with Perfect Chaos behind the scenes.

A few days ago I upgraded my WordPress plan as I’m trying to make some changes to the blog that will enable it feature more prominently in search results. However, as a result of the upgrade I’ve encountered a series of bugs and technical problems that are proving to be a real headache to resolve.

I’ve been in lengthy discussions with WordPress Support who have been helpful and have assured me they are working to sort everything out.

This has all been very time-consuming and means I’m unable to post in my regular way (philosophy, theology, and music posts) while the issues are being fixed. Sorry!

Please note that if you’re seeing strange things on the blog and in the emails you receive (such as strange tags, no ‘Like’ button in emails, my posts not appearing in the Reader), these are issues I’m aware of and am discussing with WordPress Support.

Hopefully it won’t be long before things return to normal. In the meantime, I appreciate your patience!

I hope you’re all well and having a great week. Let me know how you’re doing in the comments (as far as I know they are working perfectly! 

Gutenberg Update: Try the New WordPress Editor

As bloggers, the way in which we compose our posts is no minor matter. That’s why I have been following developments at WordPress closely ever since I discovered their developers are working on a ‘revolutionary’ new blog post editor.

Back in March I wrote this blog post in which I introduced the concept of Gutenberg and explained what I had learned about the new editor after scouring the web for insights and information. I realised the forthcoming changes will affect every WordPress blogger, so felt it’s important to be up to speed.

I contacted Support yesterday for an update, and although things have progressed a little more slowly than expected, it appears the new editor is nearly ready to make its debut on WordPress.com. Here’s what one of WP’s very helpful happiness engineers told me:

We are working to roll Gutenberg out to all users on WordPress.com within the next few weeks, and it will first be an opt-in experience within the WP Admin dashboard. Later this year, we will be integrating Gutenberg into Calypso, which is the “new” WordPress.com editor you see when you go to My Sites in your WordPress.com account.

For those of you who in reading this are encountering Gutenberg for the first time, let me briefly explain the concept. The WordPress editor (the interface you use to compose your blog posts) will soon begin utilising a new feature, namely ‘blocks’, which are a kind of organisational unit for different categories of content, like images, headings, text, or widgets. There will be drop-down menus from which you can choose the type of block content you want and incorporate it into a particular part of a post.

The great news is that in advance of the Gutenberg editor being incorporated into WordPress.com, you can already experience what it’s like to use the editor via the following website:

https://testgutenberg.com/

Over the next few weeks extensive testing and tweaking will be undertaken behind the scenes but we can expect an announcement from WordPress.com HQ soon when the Gutenberg editor makes its debut. If this all sounds very scary, fear not, the adoption process will be gradual and it seems we will still have the option to use the old editor for some time.

What are your feelings about the new editor? Let me know in the comments below!

The post Gutenberg Update: Try the New WordPress Editor appeared first on Perfect Chaos.

Weekly Roundup | 01/07/18

Welcome to this roundup of what’s been happening on Perfect Chaos, and in my life in general, over the last week. This has been the first week that I haven’t blogged to a schedule for a while, but I’m glad I felt inspired to post a few times. If you missed any of my posts this week, all the details and links to the articles are below.

The Week in Review

On Tuesday I published an important post that distinguished between the sovereignty of earthly leaders and the sovereignty of God. I argued that there are clear differences between these types of sovereignty, and that it’s not necessarily helpful equating the two in theological discussions. To read the post, click here.

On Wednesday I published this month’s Blog Spotlight, in which I brought attention to three Christian bloggers who have submitted their blogs to my Promote Your Blog page. To read the post and check out their blogs, click here.

I returned on Thursday with a post serving as an update on my music project, and the post featured a short vlog-style video inviting you to enter a competition to decide the title of my forthcoming album and win a prize. If you missed the video, you can watch it here.

Finally, on Saturday I posted about some significant changes I’ve made to the appearance of Perfect Chaos. I was really happy to receive your positive comments about the changes I’ve made to the blog, and I’m delighted with the fresher, cleaner look. To read my post about the changes click here.

A Few Personal Reflections

While I’ve been really happy to watch my blog following grow in recent months, I’ve been frustrated that more traffic isn’t coming from search engines. Most of my views come from the Reader. I’ve tried a few different strategies to try to make my blog appear in relevant searches in Google, but I’ve only had modest success. If you’re an established blogger, I’d be grateful for your tips concerning SEO and making articles rank high in search results. Please email me or comment below with any advice!
Some of you will know I’ve been on a bit of a fitness trip recently. I’ve been given nine exercises by my physio to repeat daily, and to be honest, I’m struggling to keep up the enthusiasm! It’s difficult to see how they are benefiting me, although I do believe my therapist knows what she’s doing (at least to a certain extent!). The trouble with 30 minute physio appointments is that there’s always so much more to discuss that you can squeeze into such a short space of time. My next session is on Tuesday.


Question of the Week

Do you have a routine you follow when you wake up in the morning?

Let me know in the comments below!

 

The post Weekly Roundup | 01/07/18 appeared first on Perfect Chaos.

A New Look

For some time now I’ve been playing around with the design of Perfect Chaos behind the scenes, but I couldn’t find a colour scheme and layout that I was happy with. However, I recently found a different theme that is similar but allows me to achieve what I couldn’t with my previous theme.

If you visit the blog you’ll see that things look different. I know it usually takes a little while to adjust to changes like these, so bear with me, but I think the new look offers the following improvements:

More white space for easier reading
Better layout with 3 featured posts
I’ve kept the red but it’s more subtle

I hope you like the changes and thank you so much for following Perfect Chaos! I’ll be posting again tomorrow with a roundup of my week in blogging and a few personal reflections. Have a blessed day

It’s Nearly Over!

While my blog is primarily focused on philosophy and theology, many of you will know that I also have a ‘side project’, which is writing and recording music. As my music project draws to a close, I’d like to share a brief video message with you about the album that will be the culmination of my musical efforts…

Blog Spotlight (June 2018)

Every month I shine the spotlight on a few of the blogs that have been submitted to my Promote Your Blog page. This month, I’m posting to coincide with National Writing Day, and will be featuring three Christian blogs. Please show these bloggers some love!

1) Life On The Daily

Hi Steven, My name is Elena and my blog is entitled “Life On The Daily.” My blog is all about helping, encouraging, inspiring, and giving hope to others, in the midst of this crazy thing called life. I encourage people to embrace who they are through truth. My blog is also through a Christian perspective. I’m delighted to have found your site, and think what you are doing is wonderful.

https://elenaglife.wordpress.com

Many Blessing, Elena

2) Pennies For Dreams

Hi my name is Mary, and my blog was started to help others. I’m involved with orphanages and missionaries in India, Africa, and Pakistan. It has been almost 3 years, and I am still trying to get it off the ground. I have a heart to help others in need. God willing others will join me.

https://penniesfordreams.com/

3) Moments From Above

Thank you, Steven, for promoting others. My name is English, and my blog is called “Moments from Above.” I write about having a kingdom perspective in all things. We live in a broken world, but by having an eternal mindset, we can glorify and enjoy God now, while we are waiting on forever with Him.

Please visit at https://momentsfromabove.com/

That’s a wrap for this month! If you’ve not been featured yet, I apologise, and there’s every chance you’ll be featured in a future Blog Spotlight. If you’d like to submit your blog for consideration, please visit my Promote Your Blog page and be sure to read the rules at the top of the page.

May your blogging journey go from strength to strength!

Peace and blessings,

Steven x

On Sovereignty

The word ‘sovereignty’ can have several nuanced meanings which I would like to briefly discuss with the hope that it will help you to understand my perspective on free will and the God/world relationship.

Here in the UK we live under the sovereignty of the monarchy. This means that the reigning monarch (at the moment Queen Elizabeth II) has certain powers and authority in our country and all the countries over which she is Head of State.

We have a constitution, and although most of the power in the UK rests with our elected Members of Parliament, it’s still the Queen who has the power to “appoint and dismiss ministers, regulate the civil service, issue passports, declare war, make peace, direct the actions of the military, and negotiate and ratify treaties, alliances, and international agreements.” (Source: Wikipedia).

So we see that the role of the sovereign in the UK is to make important decisions that directly affect the lives of his/her subjects.

The Queen makes decisions that affect us and impact our freedoms, but she does not control the details of our lives.

To understand the sovereignty of God we need to understand some things about His nature which are different to that of a sovereign monarch. The Queen is a being with physical and mental boundaries, whereas God is boundless. The Queen has limited powers that are God-given, whereas God has unlimited power by His very nature. The Queen exists in space and time, but God is beyond these limitations. The Queen sits on a throne, whereas God is everywhere due to His omnipresence.

The reason I am pointing all of this out is to highlight that the type of sovereignty God has is unique and different from any earthly sovereign, so it’s not possible to draw an accurate correlation between the two.

God is in control of all the details of our lives, whereas the Queen is not. God is the creator, sustainer, and animator of everything that is under His dominion, whereas a monarch possesses none of these qualities. God’s sovereignty, in my opinion, means that ultimately we do not possess free will, whereas on the human level a reigning monarch leaves us with certain freedoms.

I find it unhelpful when people draw an analogy between the sovereignty of God and earthly sovereignty, because the attributes of these different types of sovereign are completely different. This is something it’s important to keep in mind when trying to understand my worldview, and my belief that God’s sovereignty necessarily means we do not have free will.

For a more in-depth discussion of my arguments pertaining to the sovereignty of God over all events, you may be interested in my book entitled Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion, which is currently available with free worldwide delivery. Click here for more info and to watch a book trailer. Thank you for reading!

Weekly Roundup | 24/06/18

Greetings, dear ones! As the week comes to a close I am bringing you a recap of my week in blogging, a few personal reflections on my life at this time, and a Question of the Week to help me to know you a little better. Let’s get cracking!

The Week in Review

For my Monday Music post this week I shared a wonderful song by electronic dance duo Lemon Jelly. The band have been a big influence on my own musical journey. You can listen to the song, and read more about it, by clicking here.

In my Thursday Theology post this week I shared some reflections on good and evil from a panentheistic perspective. The post looks at how we should understand morality in a world where God is in control of everything that happens. To read the post, click here.

Finally, I returned with a Friday Philosophy post and gave a brief overview of the ancient Roman philosopher Plotinus and his Neoplatonist philosophy. To read about Plotinus and his influential worldview, click here.

A Few Personal Reflections

I posted recently about changing my blogging schedule. I’m going to be taking a break from my regular schedule while I focus on finishing my music project and other commitments. I anticipate that I will keep posting fairly regularly, but not on the set days you might be used to. I will probably post less often, and only when the inspiration strikes! We’ll see how it goes

Experiencing God

Welcome to this week’s Friday Philosophy post! Today we’ll be looking at the thought of Plotinus, an ancient Roman philosopher who had some interesting views about how divinity relates to the human person.

Who Was He?

Plotinus lived from 205-270 CE at a time when the Roman Empire was coming to an end, fracturing as it was into the Eastern and Western Empires. He is remembered chiefly for revisiting and reworking the philosophy of Plato (and is therefore referred to as a Neoplatonist) although he was also influenced by Aristotle and the Roman Stoics.

What’s the Big Idea?

The work of Plotinus combined practical philosophy with mysticism, and went on to have a lasting effect on Christian theology. He believed that one could achieve unity with the divine via a process of contemplation. Following Plato’s idea of ‘the good’, Plotinus had a concept of ‘the One’; the ineffable source of reality. The intellect, for Plotinus, is the way in which God contemplates Himself, and he also believed in the soul, which he divided into higher and lower aspects.

My Reflections

Plotinus’s philosophy of union with God is interesting, and reminds me of some of the key concepts found in Eastern mysticism, where union with the divine is a key focus. Perhaps rather confusingly, Plotinus believed God is totally transcendent and was not responsible for creating the world; a key distinction between his thought and the majority of Christian theology.

While his thoughts about creation may have conflicted with Christian thinking, the idea that God is in one sense transcendent, and in another sense available to be experienced, is one with which theologians from a diverse range of mystical traditions, both Eastern and Western, have found affinity.

If you’ve been following my philosophy series, thank you so much! It’s been a lot of fun. I’m going to be taking a break from my blogging schedule, but I may resurrect this series in the future. Thank you for reading!

On Good and Evil

I believe that God, being boundless, pervades the entirety of creation and animates all action, including human action, the movement of our bodies’ cells, the movement of planets, and all other activity both in the microcosm and the macrocosm.

Some obvious questions arise when one considers morality in terms of this worldview. If God is doing everything, is there any sense in which we have free will? Do human beings have responsibility? By what standards should we measure good and evil?

Because God is everywhere, it makes no sense to talk of freedom from God, or of free will. Clearly, if all is God, then all action is God’s action. In the creaturely dimension, we may at times have the sense that we are acting freely, but this does not mean that in reality we are separate from God. When I raise my arm or nod my head, it is I who am doing so in the creaturely dimension, but it is God who is doing it in the ultimate dimension.

Whatever you do is what God is doing through you.

What evidence do I have that suggests all action is God’s action? I would point to the fact that all activity is coordinated. Within the human body, for instance, there are millions of complex interactions working in harmony. This means that something must be able to coordinate what is going on in my heart, brain, stomach, and foot, all at the same time. That something is God.

More evidence that God is in control is that we grow from nothing into human beings. We never make a decision to grow from a baby to a child to an adult; something is clearly causing this process to happen. For me, scientific ideas like ‘genetics’ and ‘evolution’ do not really explain this process of growth – there is clearly a power that grows us from babies to adults. That power is God.

Even though all action is God’s action, as I have indicated above we do still at times have the illusion of free will, and therefore have choices and decisions to make. How do we decide what is good and evil; what is right and wrong?

Christians will argue that the Bible is the supreme revelation of God’s moral direction for mankind. But the problem with this idea, from my perspective, is that God has created all the Scriptures from all different faith groups, so what makes the ideas expressed in one sacred book more true than those expressed in the others?

It is possible to argue that many different Scriptures that contradict one another are divinely revealed, so it is impossible to know which teachings we should regard as the absolute truth. Also, all Scripture is subject to interpretation so there is the further problem of never knowing which interpretation of a particular text is correct.

With the world religions presenting conflicting guidance concerning what constitutes moral truth, where else are we to look? From my perspective, this is problematic. It would seem that without moral guidance we are living in a world where ‘anything goes’. It is important to note, however, that it is not actually the case that anything goes. Only God’s will goes. Everything that happens is an expression of God’s will – this has always been the case and always will be.

It is true that along with the illusion of free will we have the illusion of decision-making and responsibility. We seem to live in societies, and we seem to be affected by the actions of others. There is nothing wrong, then, in creating laws that protect people’s wellbeing. In the absence of objective morality, this is a difficult, subjective process. It might involve prayer (that God guides us towards right action), and laws that aim to achieve the greatest happiness for everyone.

In summary, then, the realisation that God exists, and is everywhere, creates a problem for moral discussion. The problem is that if we are not really in control then how do we make decisions about right action? The answer in the dimension of ultimate reality is that God will take care of this. The answer in human terms is that we must struggle to do what we believe is right, all the while acknowledging that God is the guiding force in our decisions.

The above article is a modified extract from my book entitled Ultimate Truth: God Beyond Religion. For more info or to buy the book, click here. Thank you for reading!